Author's Note: Hello! Last chapter here. Thank you for everyone who has stuck with this story. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10

I don't see much of Kagami after that. He is busy with Inter-High and I don't want to disturb the team's practice time.

My time left before I leave for America for the summer is dwindling. I count down the days with something akin to dread in my stomach. Two weeks left. A week. Five days. Four. Three.

Two more days.

Just when I'd about lost hope that I'd get to see Kagami again before I left, he calls me and asks to meet up. I eagerly agree and we decide to meet at one of the outdoor basketball courts.

When I reach the place, he is already there, ball in hand, dribbling around the court. For several moments, he doesn't notice me.

"Taiga," I say softly. Somehow, he hears me, and the sound of the ball ceases.

"Izanami."

I hold my hands out and he tosses the ball to me. I dart past him before he can get his defense up, but before I can even get near the basket, he's already by my side. He steals the ball from me and dashes to the other side, with me hot on his heels.

We battle back and forth, scoring points every now and then. He is still better than me, with his strength and speed and determination. But sometimes I can surprise him.

"It's just like the beginning," I say, laughing, as we both finally collapse onto the ground, weariness taking over. "Well . . . maybe not quite."

He frowns at me. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I stunk at basketball the first time you met me."

"I thought you did quite well."

My heart sinks a bit. He really doesn't remember.

"Taiga," I start slowly. "When I mean is . . . when I walked into the gym at school, that wasn't the first time we met."

"Huh?"

"We've met before. Back in America. You taught me basketball."

His eyes widen fractionally. He grips the ball hard.

"Your ball went astray," I say, my voice almost desperate, my words rushed to get out, "and it almost hit me. Then you asked me to play basketball with you, but I didn't know anything about the sport, so you taught me. And after that . . . I never thought I'd see you again. Or get to play with you again. But I was surprised, that first day at Seirin. And grateful. That it was you."

"Izanami," he says.

The sound of my name stops me short.

"I — I don't know if I remember you. Maybe — there might be something. But that's not the point. The point is . . . I know you now. And that's all that matters, isn't it?"

I breathe out. "Yes. You're right."

Just then, it starts to rain. Fat droplets pour down from the sky, slowly at first, and then faster. Tucking his ball under his arm, Kagami moves toward me and says, "C'mon, we better get back. You're leaving soon, aren't you? You don't want to be sick for your trip."

There's a distant quality to his voice. I don't want to decipher it.

Neither of us thought to bring an umbrella, but Kagami lends me his jacket after a short argument (I told him he should keep it; he said I needed it more). Still, we're both properly soaked by the time we get to my house. But that's the least of my worries.

We stop outside my apartment complex, the overhead shielding us briefly from the rain. "You've been doing really well in the Inter-High, right?" I say.

"Well, yes," he says. "We've made it passed the preliminaries. We've got a month of extra practice before we face everyone else who made it past their own prelims."

I bite my lip. "Oh. I see. I wish I could go see your games."

"It's fine," he says. "I mean, you'll be there for Winter Cup, right?"

I nod. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

He smiles, a heartbreaking grin. Then, "Well, I suppose this is the last time I'll see you for a while . . . so, good-bye. Izanami."

I nod, more to myself than to him. I can't find it in me to reply — if I speak, I have no idea what I'd say. For a moment, neither of us move. Then, he straightens and begins to turn — yet at the last moment, he angles his body back to mine. I open my mouth, about to ask him what's wrong, but then he dips down toward me. His lips press against my cheek. And I find that I suddenly can't speak at all.

I'm stunned into silence. Then he's moving away, smiling a bit, and saying, "Yeah. See you later, Izanami. Have a good trip."

He lifts the basketball in his hand, like some sort of salute, and then his back is moving into the rain, about to be taken over by the fog and the mist and —

A strange form of adrenaline rushes through me, and I race forward. "Wait! Taiga." The rain drenches me again in seconds.

He turns back to me, a questioning look on his face. His eyes widen slightly and he moves forward, his height towering over me.

"No," I say, feeling slightly breathless.

"No?" He frowns, appearing confused and almost hurt.

Still feeling slightly crazed, that rush running through me, I grab his shirt, instinct driving me, and pull him closer to me. The basketball falls from his hand and the rain seems even heavier on us.

"I mean . . . 'No, don't just leave it at that.'"

"Wha—"

And then, before he can finish, my fingers still clutching his now-soaked shirt, his eyes wide and staring at me, I pull him down to me for a kiss — a real one.

I think he has to crouch to minimize the height difference between us. And his lips are wet. Raindrops are falling onto our cheeks and slipping between our lips as they move together. His lips slide against mine, and even in the cold, they feel so warm and soft against my own that I almost feel like melting right then and there. I wish I could just stay in this moment.

He lips move away from mine suddenly and he gasps. His eyes are huge as he stares at me. "I-Izanami . . ."

"Please don't leave me," I say. "Come with me. Come with me. To America. I know it won't be for long, and I know you'll have to come back for Inter-High. But maybe — you have a teacher there, right? That you can play basketball with? And I promise, I'll practice with you every day if that's what you want. I'll talk to my parents, too. I'll see if I can come home early so I can come to your games. But don't just —"

He knocks his forehead against my own, effectively silencing me. There's a little grin on his face. "You think too much," he says. "Of course I'll go to America with you. Why didn't you ask sooner?"

For a moment, I feel like all the breath's been knocked out of me. But then I realize, it's just because I'm so happy — like I've been gifted with something wonderful. Something amazing. He has given me the greatest gift of all. Himself.

I suddenly feel dizzy, but he supports me, bringing me back to the apartment overhead, under the rain.

He says, "Izanami, are you scared?"

"Of what?"

"Of this." He motions down at himself, then at me. At the two of us.

"Of love?" I clarify.

He nods.

I look at him. I take everything about him in. The way he effects me, with his bright hair and his steady gaze, his shining smile and his contagious laugh, the confident way he holds himself and the eagerness with which he faces each and every new opportunity.

"No," I say. "No, I'm not scared at all."

A/N: So, all in all, not a terribly dramatic story or anything. Just mostly for fluff and fun. There is a bonus scene after this that I'll be posting. And then, the next story I'll post is a Kise/OC;Kasamatsu/OC. However, that one may not be up for a bit, so just hold tight. :) Thanks so much for reading. Every review you leave makes me so happy!

~ J. Dominique