Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

Possible Genres: Romance, Drama, Action, Shoujo, Crime, Girls with Guns…

Note to self: Chapter 37 was uploaded on March 1, 2014

Author's note: About that prequel story I mentioned before… I think that will have to wait until I finish story here. Because I feel it may spoil THIS story if I publish the prequel now. Unless I change my mind along the way. 8D (And writing too many stories at the same time is not a good idea for me since I'm busy myself.)

To Guest 1023: Oh no, don't be sorry! DX I meant it in a good way! Readers like you help me trigger ideas too! *winks*

Thank to those who wished for me to feel better! Because I think I am now at full power! Like, FINALLY! Being sick was horrible! D:

And I realized something… and I felt guilty… because there are still people who fav this story as well as following. (^.^') Forgive me! Hmm, but I'm sure I thanked you guys more than once in the previous chapters… EH, I'll say it again and again if I have to!

Thank you for reading all the way here! :D I truly appreciate it!

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Texting

Chapter 37: Something I Should Not Be Involved In

The next day.

"Shin-chan, why do you suddenly care what I do on dates?" Takao was chuckling, following his green haired friend down the hall on the third floor of Shūtoku High.

"I don't care what you do, Takao," Midorima stated, taking his time to walk. It was lunch hour and he planned on eating in the cafeteria. And hopefully without Takao.

Takao grinned, easily keeping up with Midorima. "Aw, of course you do!" he teased with the same happy expression. "You were on the phone with Seki-chan, right? And there was another person named Fukui? Not Fukui Kensuke, but Fukui Kotone." And then Takao patted him on the back twice. "Way to go, Shin-chan! Talking to two girls at the same time!"

Stopping in the middle of the hallway, Midorima had a vein on his face. Turning to face the blackhair guy, he told him, "I wasn't speaking to them in THAT way."

"Sure, you were!" Takao nudged him, smirking wider. "Shin-chan deserves more love anyway! Tell me who you like! I'll support you no matter!"

Midorima sharply turned around and walked off. Takao laughed a bit and followed him once again. 'This is already getting out of hand,' Midorima mused back to the 'love' triangle. Continuing to wish it would not come true, he was utterly quiet the whole way to the first floor.

"Oh, Shin-chan, your birthday's next Tuesday, right? What should we do? Invite Moto-chan and the other girls along?"

"We will do absolutely nothing," Midorima gave his friend a soft glare. "Now, be quiet or I'll leave you behind."

Takao smirked and watch the greenhead paced ahead of him first. "Aw, don't be shy," he followed closely as he snickered. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

\o~o/

A mirror was smashed in the bathroom, alerting the servants in the Akashi residence. Beyond the door where the source was coming from, Akashi's bleeding right fist stayed in the hole he created in the mirror and his left hand was covering up his left eye. He glared at the floor and gritted his teeth, repeating, "It doesn't hurt" over and over.

"Young master?" a maid called with concern. There was knocking on the door and Akashi closed his eyes, his hand still covering half of his face.

'It doesn't… hurt,' he bitterly restrained. Slowing lifting up his head, he stared into the mirror and his golden-yellow eye between his fingers was flickering once again. '…Get out,' he demanded and glared at himself in his own refection. 'Get out, get out, get out!'

"Seijuurou!"

Akashi's eyes widened and the pain disappeared from hearing his father's worried voice. His golden-yellow eye was normal again. Moving away from the shattered mirror, the door was kicked opened and Akashi glanced to it.

His father pushed the door away when it bounced off the wall when it was kicked opened forcefully. And he walked in with a heated expression. Taking his son's right wrist, he looked back at the doorway, "Get someone to clean up the mess in here!"

"Y-Yes!" a couple of maids ran off.

Having his eyes meeting Akashi's quiet gaze, the older man demanded, "What is the matter with you, Seijuurou?"

It was then Akashi snatched his wrist back. "Nothing," he replied emotionlessly, looking at his right fist that was still bleeding. The red blood was oozing out and dripping down his forearm, to his elbow, and to the floor. "It's… nothing," Akashi repeated, lowering his voice.

The father studied his son's face in silence. And offered no words. Although, his father smiled and thought out loud, "You're very late for school, son." Akashi merely grunted as his only response.

\o~o/

Time went by. Sakai had taken a special leave from school today and she was with her father, Nobuyuki. She was beginning to think this was not a good idea as her father was grinning happily and proudly. They took a private plane that was scheduled beforehand, as if her father had planned it all out, and they were already in Kyoto as the day had already became afternoon.

Eventually, the father and daughter got into a car and Nobuyuki was driving while Sakai was in the other front seat.

"Aw man, the sun's going down," Sakai pouted, her bag on her lap. The sun was still in the sky though. Maybe in another two to three hours it would set on the horizon.

"Don't worry," Nobuyuki smiled at her with a quick glance. He slowed the car as they came to a red light. The area around them seemed fairly beautiful. The trees arranged along with the street were very green and created cool shades. "I also gave a note to your school you may not make it tomorrow too."

She frowned at him, "That's good, but all you want to do is brag about me… Is that really a good example you should be leading, dad?"

Looking as if she had hit him, he winced a bit. "…You said you wanted to buy a dress here," he could only say.

Heaving out a sigh, Sakai looked out the window to her right. She saw people walking around, minding their own business. "What time are you supposed to meet your new partner anyway?" she questioned.

Nobuyuki's voice replied, "In about an hour. The police station should just be five minutes away now though."

Silently, Sakai snapped a glare to her father and he blinked while he ignored her. The light turned green and being the first car in line, he gradually speeded up. "In an hour?" Sakai demanded an explanation. "Are we here too early?"

He chuckled uneasily, still not looking at his daughter. "Um…"

"Stop the car."

"But Rin!" he now turned to her.

Sakai smacked his head, "Eyes on the road! Park over there while you're at it!" She pointed to the left at a half emptied parking lot.

"No, we're going to the police station," he refused childishly. The car moved on for another thirty feet and they passed the parking lot.

She frowned once more, "I am not going to be stuck with you for another hour!" She rather not had it either. It would be too boring! And she hated being stuck with him without her mom, sister or friends very much.

Coming to another red light, Nobuyuki stopped the car behind another in front of him. "What's so bad being with your papa?" he asked rather sadly. They used to get along so well. What changed her? He missed the days when she would just run up for a hug and giggle endlessly.

Sakai slapped her own face. She hated to deal with her father like this too. It was the most annoying complex he had for her and she wished he would just man up already. "If you're going to be like that, at least take me to the store where I want to buy my dress first," she suggested with her eyes flattened to him. "I don't want to wait for an hour."

"Uh…" Nobuyuki blinked to her a couple of times.

She smiled and gestured to the right. "It's just a small store around here actually," she told him. "So, can we go there first?"

It was not long when he had easily agreed and it merely took them eight minutes to reach there as well. Sakai saw a luxurious-looking big house along the way too, wondering who lived there. Then the car was parked a block away from the store Sakai wanted to go to. They both stepped out of the car and Sakai practically ran off first with an excited smile.

The neighborhood seemed friendly enough, which was what Nobuyuki noted. He went after Sakai in a rush as if he feared he would lose her in the surroundings of people and other small buildings.

However, fate had a different idea as soon as a bomb was heard from a distance.

Sakai stopped right in her tracks and her eyes followed the smokes that seemed to have already risen to the sky in the north.

"Rin, stay here and don't go anywhere!"

Sakai blinked and quickly looked over to her father, who picked up his pace and got back into the car. "Wait, dad!" she shouted, taking a few steps first. He turned on the engine and headed in the direction of the smokes.

How would he just leave here there? Sakai whimpered and gripped on her bag she held. Her gun was in there. And she wanted to help her father and protect him if needed. Yet, if she fired her gun… her father might track her bullets back to the shooting that occurred in April. Perhaps being left behind was for the best. And she earnestly wished for her father to be safe.

Having her short thoughts interrupted, Sakai's eyes caught sight of silver hair to the far right. She turned her body fully and saw the silverhair woman with a black hood walking pass between the buildings about a couple blocks away. Sakai saw her through the path of the alley in front of her. And she glared when Ginmori disappeared from her view.

'What is she doing here?' Sakai asked herself. And that bomb… it must have been Ginmori's doing. 'What does she want to do now?' Ginmori had hurt so many people already. She even killed Nakano. That made Sakai snap inside.

Without another moment wasted, Sakai dashed off, rushing by people and hurried right into the alley. And a single word crossed her mind. Revenge.

\o~o/

Located in the Akashi residence, the redhead walked out of his bedroom. Around his right hand that he had injured earlier, it was wrapped with white bandages. He was in the middle of doing his homework, but the sound of the bomb alerted him and he knew something would happen if he stayed in his room.

"Young master, you shouldn't—" a couple of maids walked up to him. In spite of that, Akashi walked passed the two of them without a glance. "Young master, wait!"

Akashi rushed down the stairs and soon his father walked right in front of him with a serious look. "Seijuurou, stay in your room," his father demanded naturally as if nothing was wrong.

"I simply came to see if you were all right," Akashi eyed the man calmly.

His father frowned and a sigh escaped his lips. He turned to the front door and noted, "Then stay in the house."

"Where are you going, father?" Akashi inquired, taking a few steps to follow him. "It much too dangerous to be going out, do you not think so?" Akashi merely sensed something had his father troubled. Even if he wore a poker face, Akashi could feel the tense air around the man.

Looking over his shoulder, his father smirked almost teasingly, "Having my own son worry for my safety makes me feel nauseous."

Seeing as his father reaching for the doorknob, Akashi felt murder intent behind the door. His father just felt it too and Akashi reached out and grabbed his father's left forearm and pulled him back from harm's way.

The door was kicked down just then and Akashi's eyes glued to a pair eyes with hues of dark orange. The long silver hair flew behind the young woman as she charged into the lobby with a sadistic grin on her face. Knives were in both of her hands and she struck out with her left hand to the throat of Akashi's father.

Her arm was long and was more than enough to slice through the neck. But Akashi had already calculated that very moment as his hand pulled his father off to the side and his other hand stretched out to a table with stacked papers, and luckily, a pair of black scissors.

With his left hand, Akashi grabbed a hold of the scissors and slightly fell back from pulling his father. Striking out to defend, he let the scissor stop the blade. The woman gave him a half smirk and pushed forward, allowing the knife to slid against the edge of the scissors and toward Akashi's left forearm. He glared into her deadly eyes as soon as he felt the cut through his flesh and the movements of their bodies failed the way he wanted to evade it perfectly.

No one screamed when the instant of the attacker came. The maids rushed away and bodyguards came into the scene in those few seconds of Akashi facing the young woman who did not bother to cover up her true face.

Ginmori's eyes snapped open when Akashi purposely fell on his back, slightly avoiding getting his forearm any more wounded. He kicked up his right foot, which hit her knife out of her left hand. Seeing as he was on the floor, she wanted to stab him with her knife in her right hand, for him getting in her way.

But then a gunshot fired and a bullet pierced through Ginmori's left shoulder.

Bodyguards aided Akashi's father up on his feet and shielded him when they all heard the gunfire. Ginmori was tripping over Akashi in the moment when she felt the bullet burning in her and she stomped to regain her balance, running over Akashi and she dashed as quick as a horse. She jumped to a window, covering her head as she crash through it.

"Get her!" a bodyguard shouted. Ginmori had already run off before they could even move.

Akashi got up when he heard another person outside, chasing after the silverhead on the porch. Thus, he ran out the house and turned to the left where they might be.

"Seijuurou!" his father exclaimed disapprovingly.

Another bullet was fired.

When Akashi turned on the corner of the porch, his eyes saw blond hair. Sakai Rin. He could only see her back, but there was an aura of rage from her. Along with a gun in her hand, she was chasing after the silver headed young woman and they both had gone into a forest at the edge of the Akashi's territory. Akashi did not think too much and desired to go after them.

Running and leaping off the porch steadily, he charged forward and his eyes locked on the blond hair before it disappeared behind the trees.

'This is something I should not be involved in,' Akashi mentally told himself, his nerves calmed. Danger seemed to loom in the future, yet he pressed on determinedly. For Tomimura's friend would die if he did not go to prevent it.

\o~o/

In a three-story office building, Nobuyuki was speaking with other police officers who sealed off the road where the bomb exploded. People from afar were watching and whispering as the news reporters ran about, trying to do their job.

"There were only some casualties, Sakai-san," the police said with a nod. "No one was killed. Just minor wounds on several citizens."

Nobuyuki sighed with relief and glanced to the smokes that tainted the beautiful orange sky. The sirens were still going and his ears were ringing. Firefighters came on the scene and they were in the middle of putting out the flame. 'Again,' Nobuyuki thought to himself.

He was saying that because in Tokyo, there were also a bombing incident too. No reason really, he just felt the bombs were connected. Only because no one was killed again. It was as if the bombs were placed in specific areas… Were the bombs only meant distractions? What was the aim of all of this? A terrorist attack maybe?

His guts made him nervous and he thought of Sakai's safety all of the sudden.

"Sakai Nobuyuki."

The blond haired man snapped out of his thoughts and turned his head. He saw a man with black hair walking to approach him. His hair was long and pulled back into a low ponytail, his bangs touched his cheeks. He dressed in a black suit, much too formal for a man so young looking. He must be only about twenty-five years old or something.

Nobuyuki straightened up when the black haired man's deep blue eyes looked to him seriously. "Yes?" Nobuyuki blinked.

The man stopped in front of him as the police officers turned to talked among themselves. "So, you're Sakai," the man held out his hand. Nobuyuki took it and shook his hand firmly. "I am Minami Kai."

Widening his eyes, Nobuyuki let out a sound, "Eh? M-Minami?"

Minami's eyes were emotionless, yet he remained composed and tried to be friendly as they both let go of each other's hands. "Yes, I am your partner," Minami stated with his eyes closed. His eyes slightly looked over to the three-story building and he said, "It's good to see you here on this scene… Now we don't have to meet up at the boring police station."

"You're my partner?!" Nobuyuki pointed to him, completely shocked. Nobuyuki was forty-two years old…! Why was the gap between their ages so wide?

Looking as if he wanted to sigh, Minami nodded to him. "Yes," he replied. "Tell me about the current situation since I just got here."

"Uh, sure, yes," Nobuyuki nodded back, rubbing the back of his head. 'Minami Kai…' Nobuyuki thought to himself, still feeling shocked.

This young man was his partner? The partner who would soon help Nobuyuki uncover the ongoing investigation that went on for six years that included the mysterious death of Nakano Makoto? …Just what kind of person was this Minami to gain the position of being his partner?

But knowing how young Minami was… Nobuyuki felt confident now. Perhaps together with this young man, the case on Nakano Makoto could finally be revealed.

'Rin will be trilled!' Nobuyuki beamed with that mindset.

"Oi, did you even hear me, Sakai-san?" Minami gave him a cool look as he tilted his head. "What are you smiling about?"

Nobuyuki chuckled to himself and said, "Sorry! Let's start working, partner!"

Thanks for reading!