Author's Note: Hello peeps! Originally, this wasn't going to happen until after the Shutoku match. Then I started thinking about it, and realized it would be better to happen before eit. So after moving some of the plot stuff around, I bring you this chapter. Please tell me what you think, and I apologize for my typos and errors! If you see any feel free to point them out and I will make the corrections. I'm so excited to bring you all this chapter!

KISS

Aomine looked at Midorima after they spent the past fifteen minutes talking about Tetsumi coming back from the hospital. She really was something else. When he thought back to it, Aomine realized they were such jerks. All she really wanted was for them to be friends, but they simply brushed it off. Tetsumi tried to get them to practice together, everyone aside from Akashi attempted too. Unfortunately, it didn't stay that way long at all. In time, Tetsumi stopped coming to practices too, she stopped talking to all of them, and she seemed to just disappear into the background. Aomine ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. He wanted to play like Tetsumi said, but he just couldn't find anyone that could keep up with him.

There was no point in team play when he could do it all by himself. He sighed and stood up from the bench. Midorima looked up at him and raised a brow. "It'll be a good game," Aomine said simply, and Midorima nodded in agreement. "I don't know which of you will win, but it'll be a good game."

"Well don't insult me," Midorima chided as he pushed his glasses up.

"I think Shorty's gonna give you a hard time, Midorima," Aomine explained as he turned back to look at him. The green haired teen snorted and stood up, looking into Aomine's eyes. "I know you're just being proud, but back in Teiko...Shorty's passes could shut you down."

Midorima smirked. He found it funny that Aomine was talking to him in such a way. It was like he thought Midorima didn't believe in Tetsumi, but the fact was he did believe in her. Tetsumi was strong mentally, she found weaknesses in players quickly. She was always good at exploiting them as well. While her analyzing abilities weren't on par with Momoi's, Tetsumi had a knack for observing people. She could find their ticks, their quirks, and their habits and formulate a plan to stop them. Midorima remembered finding Tetsumi studying DVDs countless times back in their first and second year of middle school. She always came prepared for a match, but so did he.

"I won't deny that, but she is no longer the same girl and I did not plan on facing her aimlessly," Midorima explained, and Aomine looked at him with a hint of intrigue written on his face. "Tetsumi has always been a wildcard, but like everyone else she has a weakness."

Aomine furrowed his brows. It was true every player had their weaknesses, but sometimes it was hard to fidn them. In the case of Tetsumi in the past it had always been her stamina that hurt her. Aomine had to assume that her stamina probably wasn't any better now considering her injury. While it was fully healed, excessive play would case it to start hurting. The tanned teen decided not to ask what Midorima meant, and merely told him he'd see for himself what would happen.

Once Aomine was gone, Midorima turned back around and looked at the stadium. His eyes landed on Akashi Seijuro, standing at the top of the stairs. He blinked and the redhead was lost into the crowds of people, exiting the stadium.

"Shin-chan!" Takao hollered, waving to his teammate. "Geez, always running off I'm gonna need to put a tracking anklet on you."

Midorima chortled at Takao's ridiculous comment. "Let's go, Takao."

"Who was that guy you were talking to?" Takao asked as he followed Midorima across the terrace.

"No one important," Midorima dismissed, but Takao wasn't one to simply drop things.

"He was wearing a Tōō Academy jacket wasn't he?" Takao inquired, but Midorima stayed quiet as they continued walking in the direction of some nearby restaurants. "You guys looked pretty chummy. Was he a former teammate or something?"

"Does it matter?" Midorima huffed, hoping Takao would just leave it alone. Honetsly, he didn't see why it mattered to the point guard at all. Even though Midorima was trying to be rude and short tempered with him, Takao only chuckled and put his hands behind his head.

"You're so secretive, Shin-chan," Takao teased, only earning an eye roll in response from Midorima.

-###-

Tetsumi leaned back against the back of her chair. She poked around at her salad and seemed lost in thought. Kagami snapped his fingers in front of her face, causing her to look up quickly. He chuckled and wordlessly asked her what's wrong by nodding his head. Tetsumi smiled at him and shook her head before popping a cherry tomato into her mouth. The redhead raised a brow at her, not seeming to believe her. She shrugged her shoulders and continued to eat quietly. Kagami sipped on his drink, and looked down the table. All the other members of Seirin were chatting idly while munching on their own meals. In roughly, five hours they'd be back on the court facing Shutoku.

"After this it's straight back to the stadium," Riko declared, looking to all the members of the team. They all seemed to be in agreement, wanting to just rest as much as they could. Kagami knew that they were all counting on Tetsumi and himself to lead them to victory. "Calorie charge, rest, and I'll massage everyone." Riko bit into her sandwich and looked down to Kagami and Tetsumi, who both nodded to her.

Tetsumi finished up her salad and felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled it out. A blue light flashed alerting her that she'd received a new text message from someone. Flipping her phone open, Tetsumi checked her texts and raised a brow upon seeing the name Aomine Daiki. She glanced to her team as they were talking about the match against Seiho, soaking in the glory of beating the best defense in Tokyo. Tetsumi smiled happily at them and went back to check her text messages.

To: Kuroko Tetsumi

From: Aomine Daiki

Message: No vanilla shake?

Tetsumi's brows furrowed and she glanced around the restaurant. There were plenty of people around, but she didn't see Aomine anywhere. Her phone buzzed again, and she glanced down.

Message: Look up.

Tetsumi lifted her gaze. Through the window behind Kagami, she saw Aomine leaned up against a light post. He smirked at her and waved for her to come outside. Tetsumi pressed her lips together and glanced at her teammates. She looked back at Aomine, who waited for her patiently. With a small sigh, Tetsumi nodded slightly to Aomine. She got up from her chair, hoping no one would notice, but Kagami looked at her right before she could make her escape.

"Where you going?" Kagami asked before taking a sip of his drink.

"Bathroom, wanna come?" she asked with a smirk before nonchalantly walking away. Kagami snorted and rolled his eyes, returning back to the conversation he was in. Sighing with relief, Tetsumi acted like she was going to the bathroom before slipping out the front door. It was a good thing the bathrooms were right up front by the entrance. When she got outside, she looked at Aomine on the other side of the road.

"Let's take a walk," Aomine called over to her as some cars raced by.

"I don't have that much time," Tetsumi replied with a shake of her head. "And I'm still not talking to you." She crossed her arms over her chest. The cars at the intersection stopped and the green light for pedestrians came on. Aomine jogged across the street and looked down at Tetsumi, who stared up at him defiantly.

"If you weren't talking to me, you wouldn't have come outside," Aomine said cheekily, causing Tetsumi to puff up her cheeks. "In reality you secretly want me, but you're just too afraid to admit it." When he said those words, he was partially joking, but another part of him was hoping they were true. By the rosy blush on her cheeks, Aomine felt pretty confident in the latter.

"No, you just want me to want you," Tetsumi corrected with a wave of her finger. Aomine stifled a laugh and shook his head. She was always so cute how she'd tiptoe around such things. "Now, what are you doing here?"

"Satsuki dragged me to watch your game," Aomine answered, and Tetsumi looked down a little sadly. The tanned teen quickly realized his mistake and scratched the back of his neck. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Nope, you're good," Tetsumi replied, waving the matter off. "Anything else?"

Aomine stared at her and had an internal debate on what to say. He could just do what Satsuki told him and tell her something encouraging for the game with Midorima. That wasn't really his style though, and Tetsumi probably didn't care to hear that from him anyways. He knew what she wanted him to say, but he didn't know how to tell her how he felt about her. She had to know though; everyone knew he had feelings for her. Of course, Tetsumi was probably seeking some sort of grand gesture.

"If that's all, I gotta get back," Tetsumi said, turning around to gesture to her teammates.

When she turned back, Aomine did the only thing he could think of. It was impulsive, but he was better at actions than words. Tetsumi's eyes widened in shock and the air in her lungs hitched. Aomine pressed his lips onto Tetsumi's.

He half expected Tetsumi to push him away or slap, possibly a combination of the two. Instead, Tetsumi's wide eyes slowly closed and she pushed herself onto her tiptoes. Aomine wrapped one arm around her waist, her body bending into his. With their lips connected, everything just seemed to fall right into place. It felt right, and had Aomine wondering why he hadn't just done this back at Kaoru's restaurant three days ago. Her hands moved slowly up his muscled chest and to his neck. She gripped him softly, yet firmly, moving her lips against his.

Tetsumi moved away from Aomine, but kept her body pressed against his. Her fingers were laced together around his neck and she had stars in her eyes. She let out a breath and closed her eyes as she lowered her head, resting it against his chest. His heart was racing so fast, which made Tetsumi smile breathlessly. When she went flat on her feet, Tetsumi looked up at Aomine and shook her head.

Aomine chuckled lightly and brushed a few stray strands of Tetsumi's hair behind her ear. The girl smiled at him and pushed herself back onto her toes, pressing her lips to his again. Aomine pulled her close to him, kissing her back like she was his lifeline. Not even a moment later, Tetsumi pushed away from him and ran back across the street. When she was on the other side of the street, she smiled at him and turned to go back into the restaurant.

He watched as she sat back down at the table with her team. Aomine licked his lips, still feeling Tetsumi's body pressed against him and her soft lips pressed to his. Pushing off of the light post, Aomine smirked and walked away.

-###-

There were only two more hours before the game with Shutoku was going to begin. Tetsumi was sitting on the floor of the locker room. Kagami was sitting beside her and had fallen asleep. She glanced at him and smiled before looking at the other members on the team. Riko had massaged everyone and had even prepared some honey lemons, but they didn't appear that appetizing since she didn't cut them. Tetsumi quickly learned from Hyuga and Izuki that Riko wasn't exactly a cook.

She closed the book she was reading and yawned. It was time for her to go on a little walk before she completely shut down. As she stood up and stepped over Kagami, she stretched her arms and felt a numb pain in her knee. Tetsumi licked her lips and let out a breath, hoping it was just sore from having sat on the floor for too long. She told everyone she was going to get a drink and would be back soon.

There were spectators watching a middle school match that was going on. She pursed her lips and decided to take a little detour. As she climbed up the stairs, she stopped at the railing and looked down at the court. Tetsumi smirked when she realized it was Teiko Middle School playing. Her arms folded onto the metal railing and she nodded her head. Sitting on the bench, looking at stern as ever was Coach Sanada. A laugh escaped her lips as she noticed he had some gray hair and appeared a little wrinklier than before.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" someone said, and Tetsumi turned around.

"Niji-kun!" she smiled as he came over to her and leaned on the railing beside her. "It's definitely something." Tetsumi brushed her hair behind her ear and glanced at Nijimura, who nodded in agreement. His dark hair fell into his eyes and he watched as the middle schoolers running up and down the court.

"I saw you and Aomine," Nijimura said with a smirk on his face. "You two are disgustingly cute."

"What?" Tetsumi asked, laughing a bit and blushing just as much. Nijimura laughed a bit and shook his head. "I don't—"

"You two were having a little steamy make-out session outside that café," Nijimura commented, and Tetsumi thought she was going to fall over due to her embarrassment. Her former teammate only laughed. He put his hand on her head and ruffled up her hair, causing her to sigh in annoyance. "I called it, a long time ago." He seemed so proud of himself, and Tetsumi shook her head.

"It was just a kiss," Tetsumi mumbled, and Nijimura sputtered. "It was!"

"Aomine has liked you since he first met you, Shrimp," Nijimura said with a shrug of his shoulders. Tetsumi stared at Nijimura for a little bit before licking her lips. "For what it's worth, you two are good for each other." He nudged her and chuckled, when she stared at the ground and smiled like a lovesick schoolgirl.

"Why do you say that?" Tetsumi asked with a raised brow.

"You're shadow and light," Nijimura explained with a smile, ruffling her hair again. Tetsumi slapped his hand away lightly and glared at him. "You two compliment each other in more ways than one." He pushed off the railing and gestured for her to follow him. Tetsumi pushed off of the railing and walked alongside him as they made their way down the stairs to the ground level.

"He isn't the same guy he used to be," Tetsumi said, shoving her hands in the pockets of her jacket. Nijimura rolled his eyes and waved the matter off. "I'm serious, Niji-kun."

"People change, Shrimp," Nijimura told her with a small shrug. He put his arm around her shoulders and led her outside onto the terrace. When they got outside, he removed his arm and sat down at a bench under the shade of a tree. "I know you took it hard after they all changed and essentially became gods, but deep down they're still the same guys you knew." He patted the empty spot next to him and Tetsumi sat down beside him.

"That's not true for Sei-kun," Tetsumi told him with a sad sigh.

"Yes, well…he's always been…different," Nijimura tried with a chuckle, and Tetsumi laughed too. "They're still your friends, Shrimp. Don't give up on them." He leaned back on the bench, propping his elbows on the backing of it.

"Ugh, that line," Tetsumi huffed with a roll of her eyes. "Everyone keeps telling me not to give up on this or that."

Nijimura nodded slowly and clicked his tongue. "Because giving up means it's over," he explained with a small smile, poking her in the forehead. "And you don't want it to end this way, right?"

"With this hair ruffling, and poking, I'm going to be forced to hit you soon," Tetsumi pouted, rubbing the spot he just poked. Nijimura chortled and stood up, ruffling her hair again. "Niji-kun!" she whined as he pulled her ponytail free and laughed at her. The handsome young teen jumped out of the way when she tried to hit him.

"Truce, truce! That was the last time," Nijimura assured her, holding her hair tie out to her. Tetsumi rolled her eyes, and agreed taking the tie from him. Combing her hair back up into her high ponytail, Tetsumi secured it and looked at Nijimura. He had always been like an older brother too her, she hated it when he graduated. She had no one to talk to about the more serious stuff about the boys. "You're game tonight is against Midorima, right?"

"Yeah," she responded with a nod.

"Well, don't tell him I said this," Nijimura began as he sat down and leaned closer to her. "My bets are on you," he whispered into her ear, and Tetsumi smirked.

"Oh no, has he sunk his fangs into you?" Aomine's voice came and the two turned around, seeing the dark skinned teen. Nijimura snickered and stood up, tilting his head a bit. It had been a while since the two of them had seen each other, but Aomine had grown several inches since middle school. "Long time no see, Nijimura." Aomine nodded to his former teammate in respectful manner.

"You've gotten taller, Aomine," Nijimura smirked as he held his fist out to him, and Aomine laughed. They bumped fist and Tetsumi smiled happily, that smile and laugh she saw coming from Aomine were just like the old days. "By the way, take care of Shrimp, she's still trying to figure stuff out." Nijimura looked at Tetsumi, and she smiled at him.

"I always have," Aomine replied, looking at Tetsumi, who scoffed.

"Well good, then my work here is done," Nijimura affirmed with a proud nod as he walked over to Tetsumi. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight, kissing the top of her head. "Good luck tonight, Shrimp." When he let her go, he turned back to Aomine and clapped him on the shoulder before wandering back into the stadium.

"What was he saying to you?" Aomine asked, turning back to Tetsumi once Nijimura was out of sight.

"I can't tell you, it's a secret," she teased, batting her lashes at him. "Besides I have to get back, my team is probably looking for me."

"I'll walk you," Aomine offered and Tetsumi nodded, saying she would like that. As they started walking, Tetsumi glanced up at Aomine and took in a deep breath. She reached for the crook of his arm and wrapped her arms around it. Aomine smiled weakly and looked down at Tetsumi. "Well I take back all the mean things I was thinking about Nijimura."

Tetsumi only laughed in response.

-###-

Fifteen minutes to game time, the stand had filled again and everyone was wondering who would win the match. Shutoku had Midorima Shintaro, the ace shooter of the Generation of Miracles. Meanwhile, Seirin was a group of underdogs that constantly seemed to surprise everyone. Aomine made his way back over to where he had been sitting during the afternoon matches. Momoi, Kise, and Kasamatsu were already there and were talking about the match. The pink haired girl noticed Aomine coming over and smiled at him.

"Where have you been?" she asked, causing both Kasamatsu and Kise to turn and look at him.

"Taking a nap," he replied simply as he plopped down in the empty chair beside her. Momoi raised a brow, but really it wasn't all that hard to believe. Aomine was always off dozing somewhere rather than studying or practicing. On occasion he might have been stuffing his face somewhere.

"Who do you think is going to win, Aominecchi?" Kise asked, bouncing in his seat with excitement. His eyes were fixed on the court as the two teams walked out to warm up. "I've heard that Midorima's range has extended." He glanced over to Aomine, who nodded slowly.

After having spoken to Midorima, Aomine was fairly certain that he had a few strategies to handle Seirin. He knew what Tetsumi was capable of. Seirin wasn't an extraordinary team. They were still new and had a lot to work on, but Aomine wouldn't say they were completely useless either. The real decision of who would win was up to Tetsumi's new light.

"It will depend on her new light," Aomine said, leaning back in his chair as he watched Tetsumi talking with the redhead. She was smiling at him and nodding her head while he was laughing a bit. It was odd to watch her smiling like that. Aomine could feel his jealousy bubbling again. "The shadow is only as strong as her light."

"He's strong," Kise said with a single nod.

"Let's not get carried away," Aomine replied with a snort.