Author's Note: Hello everyone! I'm not sure if you all will like this chapter, but I hope you do. This chapter sort of marks the new beginning for Tetsumi, so it's shorter than most of my chapters. The next chapters to come will be completely original and the start to the second half of the story, which is the journey to the Winter Cup. I'm predicting this journey to the Winter Cup will be about twelve chapters once the Winter Cup portion begins I'm estimating quite a few chapters. Overall, I think this story could potentially reach 100 chapters depending on if I plan to drag it out. To be honest though, I'm not planning on doing much dragging anymore. Anyways, share your thoughts everyone and enjoy the chapter!

BLAME

The commotion began to settle down once the paramedics got Tetsumi and Wakamatsu out of the way, but everyone was still spread out over the court. Aomine stared at the hallway that Tetsumi was taken through. His eyes glanced over to Seirin and spotted Kagami, who met his stare. The tanned teen glared and walked towards Kagami. Aomine was angry and not thinking clearly as he approached Kagami, who turned away from him. When Aomine finally reached him, he grabbed a hold of his shoulder and yanked him around. He was about to throw a punch, but Kagami shoved him back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kagami snapped at him with narrowed eyes.

"I was right," Aomine shot back harshly, causing Kagami to flinch. "You don't deserve to have Tetsumi on your team when you can't even protect her!"

"Aomine-kun! Stop it!" Momoi shouted as she ran in between the two of them. She pushed Aomine back, but he ignored her entirely. He gently moved her aside and was about to punch Kagami. "Aomine-kun!" Momoi protested, but it was futile.

"You seriously want to fight over this?" Kagami asked through gritted teeth.

"Hey!" Imayoshi intervened, stepping between the two. He placed a hand on Aomine's chest and pushed him back. "If you start a fight we'll be ejected from the game, knock it off."

"He's right, Aomine-kun!" Momoi interjected as she grabbed Aomine's arm, tugging on it gently. "It was an accident. It wasn't anyone's fault, don't fight!" She yanked on his arm a little harder, but Aomine pulled free and shoved past Imayoshi. He grabbed Kagami by the collar of his jersey and pulled it tight.

"Look," Kagami growled as he peeled Aomine's hand from his jersey. "I get she's your girlfriend and everything, but back the hell off!"

"Girlfriend?" Imayoshi and Momoi repeated in unison. "You're dating?" the asked at the same time again, gaining Aomine and Kagami's attention.

"Yes, I'm dating her," Aomine explained before turning back to Kagami. "Which give me enough reason to knock this guy out."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Momoi shouted as she got in between Kagami and Aomine. She forcefully pushed the two apart and crossed her arms over her chest. "Tetsumi-chan would not approve of this, so please just stop." The tanned teen sighed softly and looked down at the ground for a few second. He pursed his lips and nodded his head in agreement. Momoi seemed relieved and looked at Imayoshi, who nodded in approval.

When the captain of Tōō walked back over to the bench, Momoi walked away from the two. The moment his childhood friend was out of the way, Aomine punched Kagami square in the jaw. And Kagami being the guy he was, went and returned the favor. In a matter of seconds, what everyone thought was over erupted. When Momoi whipped around she gasped as she found the two guys on the ground. They were throwing punches and rolling around like animals.

"Break it up! Break it up!" the referee shouted as he grabbed Aomine's shirt and peeled him off of Kagami. The redhead went to attack Aomine, but Hyuga and Izuki grabbed him by both arms and dragged him back.

"Kagami! Stop! Hyuga shouted, shoving the redhead back. Izuki kept him back while Hyuga stepped in between the two. The referee shoved Aomine back towards Imayoshi and Katsunori.

"The hell are you thinking?" Katsunori hissed at Aomine, who pushed both Imayoshi off of him.

"Bakagami! I'm going to kill you!" Riko snapped viciously as she jabbed the redhead in the ribs. He pushed her hand away and glared across the way at Aomine. "Stop glaring!" Riko commanded as she grabbed Kagami's arm and pulled him to the bench. "Furi-kun! Go get some ice for his face, please."

"Coach!" the referee shouted and Riko turned around. Sighing in disappointment, she knew exactly what he was going to say. She could see over on the Tōō bench, the handsome coach looked annoyed and was shaking his head. By the looks of it Aomine had taken off and so had the pink haired girl. Riko licked her lips and looked up at the referee. "He's out of the game, no exception."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Riko replied with a nod. She clicked her tongue and turned on her heels walking back over to the bench. Furihata had just come back with an ice pack and handed it over to Kagami. He put it on his face and flinched at the coldness of it. "You're out of the game, no exceptions."

"What! He punched me!" Kagami protested.

"Yes, but you punched back," Riko chimed in with a weak smile. "You're out, Kagami-kun." She placed a hand on his shoulder and sighed. Honestly, Riko didn't blame him for it either. Aomine was blaming Kagami for Tetsumi getting hurt; he probably deserved to get punched.

"Where did Aomine go?" Izuki asked when he noticed he was missing from the scene.

"He was ejected for the fight," Riko said even though she wasn't entirely sure that was what happened. "Look the game isn't over yet, so get out there."

-###-

Tetsumi sighed as she stared at a blank space on the wall. The doctor had told her that she had a concussion, but she wasn't going to be able to leave. He told her that it would be best to keep her over night for observation just to be safe. Aside from a mild headache and feeling a little tired, Tetsumi felt perfectly fine. Of course, she knew better than to argue with a doctor. She was a little peeved though to discover that Wakamatsu was going to be able to head home but had to be on bed rest for three days and no practice for another three weeks. Thankfully his ankle was only sprained, so as long as he was careful he'd be good as new in a month.

On the ride over, Wakamatsu told her that he thought she was pretty awesome for managing to steal the ball. He told her that she was tougher than some guys that he'd played before. Tetsumi took pride in that, it made her feel really good about herself. Once they got to the emergency room they were put in beds next to one another. They had a little small talk, but nothing too deep. She asked what Aomine was like and Wakamatsu only replied with the statement: "He's a total bastard and I hate him." That made Tetsumi laugh. She knew very well just how difficult that lug-head could be. Tetsumi was wheeled away to get a CT Scan while Wakamatsu was getting his ankle wrapped up. She told him that she looked forward to facing him again and he agreed with her.

That was half an hour ago, now Tetsumi was stuck in a small room feeling very bored. She wished they would have at least given her a book or magazine to read. Sputtering, Tetsumi laid back into her pillows and stared up at the ceiling. She counted the tiles, hoping it would lull her to sleep. Unfortunately, all her belongings were still in the locker back at the stadium. The nurse who brought her into the room said she would contact her parents and let them know she was in. Her father was still on a business trip though, so he wouldn't be coming. Her mother would probably get in as soon as she could get out of the restaurant.

Tetsumi sighed and placed her hands under her head. She hated hospitals, especially after the last time she was trapped in one for so long. On some level, Tetsumi assumed that the universe was trying to tell her not to play basketball anymore. Not that she would take the hint, because she loved basketball. What she really loved was playing with her new team. Of course, if her old team went back to how they were she'd probably play with them again. Being in the hospital reminded Tetsumi of when she got out and was going to the boys practice. The heartbreak of finding there was no more practice and none of them really cared about basketball or each other was almost too much for her. Even when she tired to get them back together, it failed.

The original Teiko team she knew in the past was long gone. She gave up on basketball when she realized they were different and nothing she said or tried worked. Eventually she grew to hate the sport and blamed herself and basketball how things changed. Tetsumi new better now though, she knew it wasn't her fault and it wasn't basketballs fault. If anyone was to blame for the change it was the boys themselves for giving up. They may have still played basketball and they may have won the championships, but they had given up. It made Tetsumi so mad and when she met Kagami all of that changed. She saw it in him, that potential, that love, and that desire to find strong opponents. His light was so bright, brighter than even Aomine's. It was because of Kagami's brightness that Tetsumi found the courage within herself to play again.

"Sir, please let us clean that up!" a nurse shouted, causing Tetsumi to shoot up in her bed. She looked towards the door and was about to get up, but through the window saw Aomine walking down the hall with the nurse trailing after him. "Sir, I know you want to see your friend, but really your lip is split!"

Tetsumi's mouth fell open when she heard those words. And just as the nurse said, Aomine's lip was busted, his eye was slightly bruised, and a swollen cheek. She shook her head as Aomine stood in the doorway of the room and walked towards her bed. Tetsumi groaned and closed her eyes, slapping a hand onto her face.

"Please, please, please tell me you did not get into a fight with Kagami-kun," Tetsumi said with hope, but she already knew that he had. When Aomine just stared at her, Tetsumi rolled her eyes. "Why?" she asked him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we really need to clean those," the nurse said gently, gesturing to Aomine's face.

"Yes, please," Tetsumi said as she looked to the nurse and smiled kindly at the woman. "Sit down and let them fix you up." She pointed to a chair beside her bed and Aomine nodded once as he took a seat. When he sat down the nurse thanked Tetsumi as she walked over to him with some gauze, medical tape, and antiseptic. Aomine never looked away from Tetsumi as the nurse cleaned up his wounds. Tetsumi was pretty sure he didn't even flinch or blink as she pressed some gauze against the small gash on his eyebrow.

The nurse finished cleaning up Aomine's wounds a few moments later and quietly excused herself from the room. Once she was gone, Tetsumi grabbed one of the pillows and chunked it at Aomine. He managed to catch it and glared at her, but Tetsumi glared right back at him.

"You're an idiot!" Tetsumi hissed at him, pointing at him accusingly. "I told you to play, not start a fight." She crossed her arms over her chest and muttered a curse under her breath. "Honestly, Dai-kun," she sighed with a shake of her head.

"I was ejected from the game after the fight anyways, so it doesn't even matter," Aomine replied as he stood up from the chair and brought the pillow back to Tetsumi. He placed it on her lap and shrugged his shoulder half-heartedly, earning a scowl from Tetsumi.

"Doesn't matter? Of course it matters, Dai-kun!" Tetsumi snapped at him, thoroughly annoyed with his bad attitude. She loved Aomine Daiki, she really did, but sometimes he made it extremely hard. His stubbornness and arrogance would be his greatest downfall. "You should be at the game, supporting your team! That's where I wanna be, but obviously I can't be there." She gestured to her current situation and placed the pillow on her lap behind her back.

"Well your redheaded friend was ejected too," Aomine commented as he sat on the edge of Tetsumi's bed. "He fought back."

"Good!" Tetsumi shouted loudly, surprising Aomine.

"What? I punch him and I get scolded, he punches back and that's okay with you? I'm your boyfriend!" Aomine pointed out harshly as he stood up from the bed. "It's his fault that you're even in this position."

"Don't you dare!" Tetsumi hissed coolly. "This isn't his fault, or Seirin's fault, or Wakamatsu's fault. This was an accident, and if you want to place the blame on someone then put the blame on me." She pointed to herself and stared right into Aomine's royal blue eyes. He stared right back into her cerulean ones, but quickly turned away.

"I just don't want to watch you get hurt anymore," Aomine said softly and sadly as he ran his fingers through his short blue hair. Tetsumi looked away from him and sighed ruefully. "I still blame myself for what happened the last time." He slowly lifted his gaze and met Tetsumi's.

She frowned and scooted over on the bed, patting the bed gently with her hand. Aomine stared at her for a moment, hesitant if he should. "Come here, Dai-kun," she said, but he shook his head nervously. "Listen, when I am hurt and sad I like someone to hold me and stroke my hair," she explained, and Aomine tilted his head slightly as she opened up her arms and waved for him to come over. "Crawl into my bed and let me hold you and stroke your hair, please."

Taking in a deep breath, Aomine crawled onto the bed and laid down beside Tetsumi. She smiled as he laid his head on her chest. He was tense at first, but when she began to soothing stroke his hair, he relaxed. Aomine swallowed as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her torso close to his body. Tetsumi stifled a laugh and continued to stroke his hair until he closed his eyes and started drifting off to sleep.

-###-

Forty-five minutes after Aomine had arrived, he was in a peaceful slumber with his face laying against Tetsumi's stomach. She had stopped stroking his hair and was now reading a book that a nurse had brought in for her. The nurse had even asked if she wanted a cot made out for Aomine, but Tetsumi declined saying he was fine where he was. As she read the novel she had been given, Tetsumi noticed someone in the corner of her eye. She looked away from her book and smiled warmly as Kagami leaned against the doorjamb. He nodded to her and glanced to Aomine, rolling his eyes.

Kagami had a bruise on his jaw and his eye was a little puffy and swollen. Tetsumi frowned as she looked at his face and waved for him to come in. The redhead smiled at her and pushed off the doorjamb. As he came forth, he held up her gym back and placed it on the ground and out of the way. Tetsumi mouthed a thank you to him and he nodded, waving the matter off.

"How'd it go?" she asked quietly.

"We lost," he answered bitterly as he glared at Aomine for a moment before turning his attention back to Aomine. "I was ejected from the game," he explained and Tetsumi nodded her head knowingly.

"I'm so sorry," she said to him with a small bow of her head. "Dai-kun doesn't think sometimes." She glanced at the man sleeping on her bed and looked back at Kagami.

"Makes two of us," Kagami admitted with a small chuckle. "And you shouldn't be apologizing, I should be the one to apologize. It's kind of my fault this happened to you. I mean, I passed the ball to you."

"No," Tetsumi said firmly and shook her head. "Don't blame yourself. As it is Dai-kun blames himself for my leg and knee injury, and honestly I don't want someone else blaming themselves for something I did. We were playing a game, Kagami-kun. A game where people sometimes get hurt." She reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Kagami stared at her for a moment, but smiled and squeezed her hand back.

"You're right, I mean it's not my fault you thought you could fly," Kagami teased, causing Tetsumi to giggle. She quickly quieted herself though when Aomine shifted a bit. Tetsumi let go of Kagami's hand and gently started to stroke Aomine's hair again. "I really wanted to play this asshole too, wanted to see what's so damn great about him." Kagami shoved his hands into the pockets of his Seirin blazer and walked towards the chair on the other side.

"You've already played him, Kagami-kun," Tetsumi pointed out.

"I meant officially, no holding back, all or nothing fight, completely serious about destroying one another," Kagami explained with a hint of excitement.

"Well, you both managed to destroy each other's faces, so you're nearly there," Tetsumi chided, causing the redhead to snicker as he leaned back in the chair. "How is the rest of the team?" Tetsumi asked.

"They're bummed, but then again so am I," Kagami voiced softly as he ran his fingers through his hair. "We were so close, just two points and we would have won." Kagami shook his head as he remembered when the final buzzer sounded and Imayoshi had made a perfect three point buzzer beater. Seirin was distraught about it, but they sucked it up and tried to keep it together.

"We'll get them back," Tetsumi replied, gaining Kagami's full attention. "In the Winter Cup, we have all summer to train."

"Damn straight," Kagami smirked with a single nod. "How's your head, Munchkin? You going to be able to play in the next two games?" he asked her.

"No," Tetsumi frowned and shook her head. "I have a concussion, so two weeks complete bed rest nothing physical aside from walking."

"Well that's no fun," Kagami chuckled as he leaned on his knees. "Is he good now?" He pointed to Aomine, who was still sleeping soundly beside Tetsumi.

"I think so, he was just..."

"Scared?" Kagami tried, and Tetsumi nodded in agreement. "I was too."

"I told you I was fine," Tetsumi pointed out, but Kagami rolled his eyes as he stood up.

"Yeah, you also said that in our game against Midorima," Kagami shot back with narrowed eyes. "And your knee was out of whack for a week. So forgive me if I don't believe you when the words 'I'm fine' come out of your mouth." He walked towards the door of the room and turned back around to look at Tetsumi.

"I'll be sure to work on that," Tetsumi assured him with a smile.

"Just work on actually being fine," Kagami told her with a shrug. "Get some rest, I'll see you later." He held up a hand and walked out of the room. Tetsumi watched as he walked passed the window and sighed softly.

"Goodnight, Kagami-kun," she whispered as she laid back on her pillows and continued reading the novel she had in her hand.