Hello, everyone!

Thanks for your reviews :3 I always LOVE reading them (And consider that I mostly do that at school, so you can imagine my classmates giving me weird looks whenever I check my phone and squeal... WHATEVER) And thanks for wishing me luck with my finals! I really appreciate it!

Here's the tenth chapter! I hope you like it. (:

PLEASE, JUST THIS TIME, READ MY NOTE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER (It's important)

Disclaimer: I don't own KnB nor any of its characters.

Enjoy! :D

CHAPTER 10: HAND

TIME: 06:59 DAY: 07/27/20X

He was falling. All around him, nothing but darkness. He wished he could reach the bottom, but his body kept going down, drowning. He couldn't breath, he couldn't move. He could only see darkness, that was like not seeing at all. He closed his eyes and waited, waited, waited, but the bottom of that dark and unknown pit never came. His body was falling with at unbearable slowness.

Then a spark of light came.

It was bright, lightening up all the shadow surrounding him. But it was a warm light, it felt almost human, alive. Once the darkness had faded away, the warm light became a single ray, then a hand, extended to him. But did he want to take it? Was he ready to? It had dissipated all the darkness, then why was he wavering?

Because his falling wasn't ending. Would it, if he held on to the bright hand? How could he be sure?

He kept falling down, and the darkness came back, eating his being once again, together with the warm hand.

..

Aomine woke up, sweating and breathing heavily. It was the third night he'd dreamed of that same scene, with the same, disturbing, ending. What did it mean? He had no idea...

The bluenette got up, moving the sheets aside, and took a cold shower. The same process had been going on every night since the dream had started, and it was beginning to worry him, plus, his cheek still hurt from Kaito's heavy punch. He needed to see through that dream, and although he didn't want to, he decided to ask the only person he thought would know about dreams and paranormal-like things.

He grabbed his phone.

-Aomine, something must have happened for you to call me this early in the morning, nanodayo-

-Do you know anything about dream interpretation?-

-Aomine, I'm interested in horoscopes, I'm not a wizard, but if you want to know, Oha-asa keeps telling "Virgo will have bad luck these days, but today something will change, make up your mind".-

He sighed. -I don't care about my star sign-

-Did you have a nightmare?-

-Something like that... it's the third time already-

-I see, what's it about?-

-I see myself falling, in complete darkness, then a hand appears and I don't take it, instead I keep falling down...-

-...you don't need to contact a dream interpreter for this, nanodayo.-

Aomine raised an eyebrow. -What?!-

-It probably means you have to take a chance on something presented before you, instead of running away from it... Just act natural, stop overthinking. It sounds so weird to tell you not to overthink though, maybe you're not even thinking at all.-

-I see...-

-If you're done, I'm going back to sleep.-

-Sure. See you.-

-Bye. Oh, and Leo will have troubles today, tell your friend to watch out from suspicious people, nanodayo.-

-...- Kagami? Suspicious people? No way. -I'll keep that in mind.-

-You'd better- And the green-haired teen hung up, leaving Aomine even more confused about what to do.

"Take a chance... Kagami and suspicious people... Shit." He sighed and jumped o the bed with wide-open arms, letting his limbs collapse on the soft mattress. "My life's a mess." He closed his eyes and drifted off to a deep sleep.

When he woke up, it was already nine o'clock. Aomine realized he was incredibly late and dressed up, he didn't even have time to go to the cafeteria and have breakfast. Thinking about it, it was really a shame that the expensive kitchen in the apartment had not been used by the redhead yet, his meals tasted the best.

He hooked the bag on his shoulder and walked out the building, almost running, in order not to be late for practice. Then the routine started.

The coach had them line up and throw free shots, dunks, and layups, and all the four teams exceeded the expectations, making perfect shots. The results were already neatly visible, and even if he didn't feel any different, Aomine noticed how his speed and his reflexes had been improving non-stop since the first day. His accuracy had sharpened as well. After the daily training session, the white-haired coach called the bluenette out.

"Aomine Daiki, can I talk to you in private?"

The dark-skinned teen widened his eyes and followed the man outside the building, under everyone's and Josh's surprised stares.

"I think you have great potential. You should think about moving to America in the near future, it might even be that someone will contact you by the end of your training here." The man smiled, but right after, his expression turned serious. "But you should know something: the professional career is nothing like this training. It's not just about liking basketball, it's about enduring the pressure of the games, the strong opponents, but most of all, the medias and the public expectation, and I've experienced it firsthand." The man looked at the horizon line that lost itself in the blue sky. "When people expect you to be perfect, there's no time for your private life: you start only existing on the court, for the court. They won't care about Aomine Daiki as a person, but as a mere tool to win matches and earn more money, and I'm referring to the sponsors, in the specific."

The bluenette listened carefully to the wise man.

"Hahaha, don't look at me like that, I did't mean to scare you."

"I'm not scared."

The man smiled. "I'm telling you because most of the players here wish to become professional players, but fame has its pros and cons too. I've seen many of them breaking down after a few months, with their minds completely broken, their dreams shattered."

"I understand."

"Good. Tell this to your friend too."

"My friend?" Aomine gave him a confused look.

"The one with the red hair. He was with you on the first day, I'm sorry, I thought you were friends."

Touou's ace looked down. "Well, yeah we..." What were they now? Could they still be considered as friends?

"Go, now. You have to relax before tonight's match." The man rested his hand on the teen's shoulder. "Think about what I've told you."

"I will, thanks, Mister."

The old man smiled and walked into the gym once again, leaving Aomine alone on the outside. Did he really want to become a professional? It sounded great, but after that talk he'd started to reconsider it, even though he'd been always looking forward to it. He snorted and looked up, but his eyes were caught by a flaming red spot in the distance.

Kagami...

The redhead was with the white-haired giant, probably going to practice since they were holding on to their sports bag. So they practiced together... Aomine looked at the tall guy, they were talking and smiling at each other as if they were best pals, and he felt something hurt inside his chest.

"Shit, what's this now?!" He felt his stomach become heavy, and the more he looked at the two of them walking together, the heavier it became. He didn't like that guy, at all. Just like he didn't like Josh and the emo-guy, it was that sinister and annoying feeling once again.

Then he remembered Midorima's warning about the suspicious person. And the guy looked definitely suspicious to him.

Aomine walked their way, watching from afar the guy's movements. The tall dude said something and the redhead laughed, making Aomine's jaw drop to the floor. What the hell?! Kagami was supposed to feel sad and depressed after the fight with him, he couldn't have replaced him already!

Or could he?

They entered the gym and disappeared inside, but the bluenette wasn't giving up. It annoyed him, but he had to admit the Midorima's predictions were always damn accurate, even too accurate.

He forgot about relaxing for his own match, and waited for the other teams' practice to start. Once it did, he dropped his bag on the floor and watched from outside the door.

He noticed his rival, and suddenly he felt alive (Because he knew he was alive, but he had never felt it). Looking at the redhead dominating the scene, supported by his teammates, made him wake up to a new, unexplainable feeling. He followed Kagami's movements as he dribbled, ran to the other half of the court and jumped, then dunked the ball in the hoop, making everyone cheer in happiness. He was looked up to even by his opponents, everyone seemed to admire his overwhelming excitement and strength. After scoring, he offered his teammates his signature grin, that made the bluenette feel all fuzzy inside. He felt his heart beating faster. Oh no... He'd missed the guy's smile so much, and he hadn't even realized it. He could hear the organ pounding in his ribcage, as if it wanted to break it to flee outside. His breath quickened, and the more he looked at Kagami, the more he felt the unknown feeling.

Until he realized he'd been staring at the running teen for half an hour without even realizing it. Aomine ran a hand through his hair. It couldn't be that he... could it? He looked at Kagami's jumping figure once again and felt a whirl inside his stomach, other than the pounding heart, and his eyes widened.

"What the fuck is happening to me?" He looked at his belly and placed a hand on it, feeling his insides squirm. Gosh, he almost looked like a pregnant woman.

"Hello there, how can I help you?" A middle-aged woman appeared before him, startling the teen. She looked very professional, with her black hair tied in a bun and her sharp spectacles on her nose. She was also wearing a white shirt and black pants.

"Oh, I..." Shit! it was the coach!

"You can watch the practice inside, you know? It's full of free seats here. I've noticed you've been standing there for quite a while."

"No, I-"

"Aomine?!" Kagami and the other players had followed the woman's steps with their eyes.

"Oh, I see, you came to see your friend. Well, I'm sorry but practice isn't over yet, if you want you can take a seat inside, but no talking, got it?" The woman walked away.

"No, actually, I need to go." He turned around.

"Aomine, wait!" The redhead ran to him, but the woman stopped him.

"No talking, Taiga! Keep practicing!"

"But-"

"No buts."

Aomine started walking away, but not before giving the white-haired giant a death glare. He was still suspicious of him.

Walter was a good guy, a bit clumsy at times, but always funny. He could always make the redhead smile, even when he was the saddest, even when he was thinking about him.

They entered the gym together, hoping for their practice to be as good as it usually was. Kagami looked around him. Oh, he loved that feeling, the feel of players getting ready to practice, stretching on their own even without the coach's request. Those guys were all so competitive and professional it made him feel even more excited about the whole thing.

He smiled at the white-haired friend. "Work hard."

"You too." Walter grinned back.

"STOP TALKING AND GET TO WORK, especially the Ruby Team, who has a match tonight." The female coach walked to the center of the court, looking at the teams. "Start with the stretching and some free throws, then we're going for a match straightaway. We need to track down your improvements as soon as possible. Got that?"

"YES!" Everyone answered to the strict woman.

"Good, now start!"

Practice started and the players helped each other stretching their limbs, while some others started dunking and shooting at the hoop. When the time for a match came, the coach decided to mix up the teams and let everyone exercise with random teammates.

"You have to be fast in understanding your teammates' strong and weak points. That will also help you with your opponents."

Kagami thought that was a great strategy, it could also help players adapt to different styles of basketball. When the ball ended up in his hands he dribbled, inning past his opponents, then jumped high and scored with a perfect dunk. When he landed, he turned around and grinned at his teammates, who smiled back and congratulated him.

After his team scored a couple of points more, something happened. The coach walked away from the court, headed to the door and opened it. She looked like she was talking to someone, but who could it be? She was so strict with practice she would never let anyone distract her from the match. The players walked over, hearing the conversation, and a dark figure appeared behind the door, making the redhead halt.

What was his rival doing there? Kagami looked at the dark figure walking away. Did he watch him practice? Maybe he wanted to talk... But he still couldn't believe it: for once it was Aomine going to him, and not the opposite. The redhead stood there, frozen, losing himself in his thoughts, until a friendly hand hit his back.

"Ouch! Hey!" He turned around glaring at the culprit, who turned out to be Walter.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt, but you were stuck, Taiga."

"Oh, no...actually thanks." He didn't need the bluenette to mess with his mind even more. He had to focus on what he was doing and on that night's match. Still, the guy was there, and the coach said he'd been there for a while, so he really was observing him... No. Knowing him, Aomine was probably just interested in his future opponents' play, it was just a mere coincidence he was there... or was it?

"TAIGA! HEAD IN THE GAME!"

"Yes, sir!"

XX

So the match came, and the opponents weren't some easy ones: the Hematite Team had very strong players. Even so, Ruby wasn't going down easy. After an exhausting first quarter, Kagami dribbled and evaded the defense's tight block, faking to the right, than he passed the ball to the team, and the other power-forward ended the second quarter with a layup. When the timer buzzed, the players almost collapsed on the bench. The tournament wasn't an easy one to begin with, and the further they got, the stronger their opponents would be. They needed to practice more.

Kagami looked for his water bottle, but he couldn't find it anywhere.

"What the hell!? I remember leaving it here!"

"What's the matter, Taiga?" A teammate of his asked him.

"I can't find my water bottle"

"Oh, I see... Sorry I don't see it anywhere."

"Me neither, what the fuck!" He was damn thirsty, so he went to the locker rooms to drink from the bathroom's sink (still better than nothing, right?).

Opening the door, he found his precious bottle on the floor, with its liquid all spilled on the cold tiles.

"What the..." He raised his look and noticed a dark-skinned player resting leaning on the wall. "Aomine?"

After his own match had ended, with his team winning, of course, Aomine had walked straight to the redhead's one. He couldn't shake off the feeling something bad was going to happen. Walking inside, he saw just how many people were watching the match. The seats were almost full, and everyone seemed excited about the game so far, the two teams were very strong. The bluenette spotted his rival and felt the fuzzy feeling again. Gosh, stop it! Then he noticed someone approaching Ruby's bench, and that shouldn't be allowed. He walked down the steps near the seats and stepped on the perimeter of the court. A lean figure sneaked near the wooden plank and grabbed something from it, then walked outside from the main door.

Aomine followed the suspicious person outdoor and stopped when he heard some voices.

"Did you take it?"

"Yessah!"

"Good job, bro. He'll pay."

"Yeah! He's always grinning like an idiot... that fucker!"

"He pisses me off so much! Our coach is always saying how that woman keeps bragging about his jumps. Unbelievable! Does he think he's the best player here?! HAHAHAHAHAH what a loser."

"What kind did you take?"

"This kind just makes your mind dizzy. This time is a warning, but next time he'll go down for real."

"Great."

The bluenette watched the scene and held himself back from beating the two twins to death. He needed to keep calm and think about the best thing to do. Aomine observed as one of the brothers opened the bottle, while the other one poured in a suspicious, yellow powder.

Those motherfuckers! They wanted to make Kagami screw it up and lose the match using some weird drug! Aomine took out his phone and took pictures of the guys fiddling the water's content. Once he took a satisfying amount, he walked over to them.

"Give me that." He threatened them with a death glare.

The two players turned around. "Oh, look! It's the Japanese playboy! I guess you had fun last Saturday, we saw you getting it on with those chicks." One of the twins smirked.

"That's none of your business. And I'm glad my fun doesn't include some twisted methods like yours." He looked at the bottle with a disgusted face.

"This is just what he deserves. Look, it's better for both of us if he loses: another strong opponent taken down." The other twin explained.

"You should take 'em down on the court, not with that. Now give it here."

"HAH?! You crazy?! No way: he's gonna drink this and lose."

Aomine inhaled. "Give it here, it's my last warning." He closed his eyes to keep the focus.

"Booohooo very scary, really." The twins mocked him, laughing together. But they reap what they sow.

The bluenette kicked one of them in the side, making him fall on the grass, holding his ribs in pain. "Y-You..YOU'RE INSANE!"

"You're the insane ones here." Aomine looked at the other twin, that was still holding the bottle. "Drugging other players, you are scum."

"No! Stand back!" The player ran inside and hid in the locker room, but Aomine followed him and pinned him to the wall. Then he slapped the bottle away from his hands, making it fall on the floor, spilling the content.

"Don't you ever try doing this again. GOT IT?"

"Y-yes." The twin looked at him with frightened eyes, but the bluenette punched him nonetheless, knocking him out.

Looking at the unconscious body on the floor, he realized he'd screwed up.

"Dammit!" If anyone knew about that, he would probably be suspended or even expelled from the training. Just as he thought so, he heard the buzzer that set the end of the second quarter, followed by a sound of steps coming closer.

"SHIT! SHITSHITSHITSHIT!" He didn't have anywhere to hide, so he chose to stand there and wait for the catastrophe to happen, he could always defend himself saying the twins wanted to drug a player, he had proof!

The door opened, and the person he least expected to see entered the room. He watched as Kagami noticed the bottle on the floor, recognizing it as his own, and then their looks met.

"Aomine?"

He nervously looked at his rival. "...Yo."

The redhead got closer to him. "What the hell are you doing here? And why the fuck is my water bottle on the floor?!" Kagami lowered himself to pick it up.

"Stop!" Aomine grabbed his wrist, preventing the guy from reaching the plastic object. "It's been drugged"

"Drugged?!" Kagami looked at him in disbelief.

"YES. It was him, together with his twin brother." The dark-skinned player pointed at the unmoving body to the side.

"Oh Gosh!" The redhead widened his eyes. "Aomine! Did you kill him?!"

"Of course not, idiot! I just punched him! It's not my fault he's so weak."

"What if someone finds out about this?! You'll get in trouble, Ahomine!"

"Nah, I took pictures of them pouring something in the bottle." He showed him the photos. "They wanted you to lose, since you're one of the strongest players."

"What the hell..." Kagami couldn't believe his eyes, looking at the pictures. Those guys were sick in the head! "Thanks, man! I'd be feeling like shit right now if you didn't stop them."

"No problem."

Silence fell on them and the atmosphere turned awkward. It was the first time they talked after their fight, after all.

But Kagami wanted answers. He could feel the tension between them, but his rival wasn't evading the situation, meaning he wanted to talk about it too.

"So.. uhm..." He looked away. "What were you doing outside the gym today? And what are you even doing here? Hasn't your match just ended?"

"How do you know I've just played a match?" Aomine raised his eyebrow.

There was no way Kagami was telling him he was keeping himself updated with Sapphire's daily schedule. "Answer my question first."

Aomine snorted. Talking to the redhead was making him feel even sicker than before, his breath fastening, his stomach hurting, his eyes roaming all over his rival's body. But he had no excuse for not telling him the del reason behind his concern.

"Midorima called me this morning" HE was the one to make the call, but Kagami didn't need to know that. "He said Leo had to be careful around suspicious people, so I checked on you, and it looks like I did the right thing." Aomine looked at the twin lying on the floor.

Kagami felt himself smiling like an idiot. The bluenette was worried about him and he'd been watching over him all day long... but at the same time, he felt sad that was the only reason he'd come to see him.

"Was it just because of that?" The redhead looked into his rival's eyes, penetrating them.

And Aomine didn't want to screw it up this time. He'd tell him his true feelings.

"No." He took a breath. "It was also because I've been missing you. And I feel like shit after what happened." He didn't flee from the deep gaze, and noticed how Kagami's expression relaxed and reddened.

Not seeing that coming, Kagami was stunned, blushing, repeating those words into his mind. Was it true? Did he actually miss him?

"I..."

But Aomine surprised him again, pulling him in a tight hug. "Kagami." He placed a hand on the redhead's nape, pulling him closer.

The redhead didn't know what to think, what to do. It felt so surreal he couldn't believe it was really happening.

"I'm sorry. For everything. I'm an asshole, I know, I'm the worst." Aomine tightened the embrace, hiding his face in his rival's neck. He kept holding the friend like he was his most precious person in the world, which he probably was.

"Aomine..." The redhead couldn't believe it. The bluenette had realized he was wrong and was feeling sorry...he still couldn't forget what his rival had said to him, but seeing Aomine's proud character breaking down in front of him like that meant the guy was truly feeling bad about it.

Aomine tightened the grasp, expressing all his frustration and his affection in the gesture. He wished that all his thoughts, his regret, his new and unknown feeling were conveyed in his arms, that held the other player tight, not letting him go.

Feeling his beloved friend holding him so dearly, Kagami was about to wrap his arms around the strong back in a desperate embrace. He also needed and wanted to let the other know about his deepest feelings for him, that went beyond a simple liking. But the buzzer set the beginning of the third quarter.

"Oh SHIT!" The redhead widened his eyes and heard his coach calling his name from the outside. "I..."

"Go beat their asses." The bluenette released him with a soft smile, and Kagami ran outside the locker room feeling his body on fire.

"TAIGA! Where the hell did you go?!" The evil woman scolded him.

"I'm sorry I had... stomach problems, you know... the adrenaline..." Gosh! What kind of embarrassing things was he saying now!?

"Whatever... Go get them!" She slapped his back and Seirin's ace entered the court.

Feeling Aomine watching him, Kagami gave his best on the court, and Ruby won with the gap of 95-78, beating the opponents though their strength. The final two points were scored by the redhead and his meteor jam, that made him fly to the hoop under everyone's surprised eyes.

"That last dunk was nice." Touou's ace was walking beside the winning team's ace, looking up at the night sky. A fresh and delightful wind was blowing, making the tussocks tilt their hem to a side in a waving motion.

Kagami placed his hands in his pockets and smiled. "Thanks."

Aomine smiled back. "So..." He didn't know how to ask it. "About your new room, do you think you still need it?" He stopped walking and looked at the redhead.

Seirin's ace averted his gaze. He was happy things were almost back to normal with his rival, but he still wasn't ready to sleep on that bed again. Those strong words still echoed in his mind, together with the party's aftermath...

"I've booked it for three weeks, but I guess I can just give the card back on Sunday and go back to..." Why was he blushing?! "...our room"

"Oh, okay." Aomine looked down. "I'm truly sorry about all those things I said..." He sighed.

The redhead looked away. "Yeah, well they were pretty hurtful to me... But don't worry, I knew you didn't mean them." At least he hoped so.

"You're right, I didn't." They looked at each other for some moments.

Kagami walked closer to him and remembered something. "Hey, did you happen to meet Kaito the other day?"

Aomine shivered at the man's name. "Kaito? Why would he be here?"

"I met him."

Shit.

The redhead observed his face. "Isn't your cheek a bit...swollen?" He gently touched it, but Aomine took a step back.

"No, this is..."

"Aomine." Kagami took a step towards him with a serious look.

"This isn't, he just-"

"What did he do?" Seirin's ace crossed his arms on his chest and glared at his rival.

"We just...talked." Aomine looked away.

"And you got a swollen cheek from a talk. Nice excuse, really."

The bluenette snorted.

"He punched you, didn't he?"

The dark-skinned guy kept averting his gaze. "...Yeah, but he-"

"Good."

"Huh? WHAT?!" Aomine widened his eyes. Did the guy jut say it was good that his brother punched him? What the hell, Kagami!

"He did the right thing. I would have done the same." Kagami shrugged, smirking.

"You bastard!"

Aomine tangled his rival's feet with his own, making him fall on the grass, then threw himself at him and they started wrestling on the cold surface. Kagami tried to resist the guy's strong grip, and managed to reverse their position, but just then the bluenette bit his arm, distracting him and hovering him once again.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Kagami pouted, wriggling.

"All is fair in love and war" Wait, wasn't it different the last time he said it?

"Is this love or war?" Kagami smiled at him, and Aomine grinned.

"Heh, who knows."

Their struggling went on for some minutes, and the redhead made his rival lose balance, inverting their places again. They stopped wrestling, both exhausted after the practice and their respective matches, and stood still, breathing heavily. They could feel the gentle breeze under that summer night's starry sky, together with the wet but soft grass on their skin.

Kagami was the first to get up, and with a smile he extended his hand to the idiot.

"Let's go."

Aomine looked at him.

Looked at that bright, warm hand reaching for him in the darkness.

And he took it.

Sooooo...

That was the 10th chapter :) What are your impressions? Let me know with a review!

MORE TO COME: Aho's feelings are getting more and more transparent... :D

****IMPORTANT PART: As I said in the last chapter, the rating of this story might (is almost-definitely going to) change to M! So if you can't find it anymore just look among the M-rated ones :D (Brace yourselves, smut is coming)

That being said, thanks for reading this, I'll see you next chapter!

cya!

( ･ω･)ﾉ -BB33-