Hi guys!

I hope you are all doing well!

First of all, I want to thank ethompson928 for the lovely review. I really missed you these last two weeks, but I'm hoping that you're enjoying your new job! I actually think you're getting so worked up over it, because sooner or later it will happen. It's a kind of foreboding to what is about to come. Not that she wants it of course but sometimes it's better to take you out of a situation in order to not get hurt more in the future. I can assure you she won't return to the monsters they are destined to become. She is only gone for two weeks, so not a lot of things have happened. Unfortunately, she will witness their change first-hand but it won't happen until they are in their second year. So, all good for now. I can't wait for you to read this chapter!

Next, I want to thank AlexisHard for the lovely review. You too put a smile on my face with your reviews so thank you for that. Their friendship will certainly change. They will grow closer and he will be more protective for sure, but once he changes it will all go downhill. They are absolutely big babies, but I love writing them in that way.

Next, I want to thank a guest reader for the lovely review! Unfortunately, everything will go south way before they all enter high school… But all is good for now.

And last but not least I want to thank

armydancer01 for the lovely review. Aw I didn't realise this chapter would cause such reactions out of you.

Enjoy Chapter 28! You don't even know how excited I am for you all to ready this one! Let me know what you think!

Chapter 28: Reunion

The next day I boarded the plane and when it took off, I gave Japan one last look.

I would see it soon anyway.

I had texted my family when I would land, and I couldn't wait to be reunited with them again.

The flight was uneventful and we didn't have any major turbulences while flying which suited me just fine because I hated them. I watched a couple of movies and soon the plane was preparing for landing. I got off the plane and as soon as I got my luggage I walked out of the airport and into the waiting hands of my family.

I cried when I spotted them. I ran towards them and they immediately hugged me tightly.

My brother was there as well and true to his words he did grow. But he still wasn't taller than Murasakibara or Midorima.

"You did grow up." My mother said while taking a closer look at me.

"You think so?" I asked chuckling at her antics. She nodded seriously.

"You're starting to grow into a beautiful young woman."

"Mum." I groaned feeling embarrassed.

My brother laughed at my dispense and I jumped on his back.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tenjin asked looking over his shoulder at me.

"Using my brother as my personal carrier of course." I said grinning widely.

He rolled his eyes but he didn't order me down.

It felt good to be back home.

Not much had changed and I simply enjoyed the time I was now able to spent with them. I told them all about my life in Tokyo and of course all about my friends.

Speaking of which.

They still messaged me so I was able to keep in touch with them but the boys were not so talkative like for example Momoi. Which meant I heard a lot of things from her.

But I had expected nothing else.

Christmas was a cosy affair. We all wore our favourite sweater while we decorated the Christmas tree together and then spent the rest of the day eating the fantastic food my mother had cooked together with my grandmother and myself.

In the evening we played some board games, which ended in my brother getting annoyed because he lost.

The next days passed quickly and soon a new year started. I watched the firework while standing by my family's side but all I could think of were my friends and how much I wished I could have spent New Year's Eve with them.

My goodbye from my family was bittersweet.

One part of me couldn't wait to board that plane again but the other part of me wished they would come with me.

"We will see you soon, dear." My father said while hugging me tightly.

I nodded.

My mother was crying and my brother was comforting her. I hugged her goodbye and when I was about to hug my brother he said seriously

"Tell those boys to look after you."

"They already do."

"Good." He said. "And if anyone of them hurts you, you tell me."

I chuckled.

"I will deal with them." He said in a tone that suggested he wasn't joking around.

"Oh Tenjin." I said before hugging him tightly. "I will miss you."

"I will miss you too." He said softly.

It was time for me to leave for the terminal.

I waved them goodbye and cast them one last look before I walked off. When the plane took off, I thought about all the precious memories I had made during the trip and I couldn't help but to feel grateful for everything I got.

When the plane finally landed, I smiled brightly. I would see them tomorrow and I couldn't wait.

xXx

I had had a hard time finding sleep that night.

Part of it was due to the jetlag but another part of it was because I was simply too excited to see them again.

The morning after I felt the aftermath of my lack of sleep. I almost overslept and I couldn't find half of my belongings I needed for school.

I brushed my hair and tried to wake myself up with cold water and coffee but nothing seemed to work.

I counted on the walk to Teiko to finally wake me up, but unfortunately it didn't do much.

Additionally, I felt strange.

One part of me was excited to see them again. But another part of me was nervous. Nervous I had been the only one missing them. Nervous our friendship would be different. Nervous they had forgotten about me.

I was fidgeting nervously with my bracelet they had offered me for my birthday, when I passed the familiar gate.

I tried to locate any familiar faces but unfortunately, I saw none of them.

My anxiety increased when I entered the building. I was lost in thought when I was suddenly lifted up in the air.

"Emi-chin." I heard a familiar voice. "You came back."

After my initial shock I began to chuckle excitedly.

"I promised, didn't I?" I said grinning broadly at Murasakibara.

He hugged me tightly and I hugged him back just as tightly.

"I missed you." He said and I immediately felt better.

They had not forgotten about me.

"I missed you too." I said quietly and he grinned at me.

Then he seemed to have suddenly remembered something.

"Emi-chin." He said looking thoughtful.

"Yes?" I asked amused.

"We haven't baked Christmas cookies together." He said whining loudly and I began to laugh.

"You're only saying that so you can eat some more." I heard another voice behind me.

This voice seemed annoyed by Murasakibaras antics and I knew immediately who it was.

"Shin." I said excitedly.

I turned on my heels and flung my arms around his neck.

"You act like we haven't seen each other in forever." He said grumpily.

"It felt like forever." I confessed quietly and his features immediately softened.

He hugged me back and whispered.

"I'm glad you're back."

I smiled widely at him and he said loudly.

"Murasakibara has been unbearable without you."

I chuckled.

Of course, he would immediately start complaining once I was back. I mean how else would it be?

"I bet he wasn't that bad." I said looking at Murasakibara with amusement.

He simply decided to start munching on some candy, while looking smugly at Midorima because I was defending him.

"Oh, he was." Midorima said seriously while pinching his nose by the memories of the things he had to endure.

I chuckled.

"Where are the others?" I asked looking around for my friends in question.

They both shrugged.

"If you think Murasakibara has been annoying then wait until I start telling you about Aomine. He has been a right handful." Midorima said.

"He has?" I asked trying to hide my amusement.

Midorima nodded looking grave.

"Speaking of the devil." Midorima said having spotted something I had not.

"Is she here?" I heard the loud excited squeal of my best friend.

A second later I lay on the floor, Momoi on top of me, squeezing the living daylight out of me.

"I am." Was all I was able to say before my vision slowly began to get blurry.

Momoi was heaved from me and I looked into the alarmed face of Aomine.

"Satsuki you nearly killed her." He said reproachfully while helping me up on my feet.

"I'm alright." I said hoarsely before both of them could start an argument. Aomine still looked me worriedly up and down and when he was satisfied, I was indeed alright he hugged me.

"Took you long enough." He said and I chuckled.

"I'm back now." I said and he hugged me a bit tighter but ensuring at the same time that he wasn't cutting off my air like Momoi had done a few moments earlier.

When he let me go, I realised the last two remaining people of our group had joined us.

"Emiyo." Akashi said giving me his most charming smile before he hugged me as well.

"I'm happy you're back."

I chuckled.

"How bad were they?" I asked raising an eyebrow in amusement.

It was his turn to chuckle.

"Not as bad as Shintaro may have told you."

I gave Midorima an amused look but he simply looked annoyed.

"Good to see you again, Masako-san." Kuroko said before giving me a quick hug.

"Hi there." I said giving him a bright smile. "It's good to see you too."

"Did you have a nice Christmas?" Kuroko asked and I nodded.

"I had." I said. "It was good to see my entire family again."

"But now you're back where you belong." Momoi said excitedly and I nodded.

"Hai, I am."

xXx

The weeks were passing and everything was back to normal. My worries had been without any reason.

The team had had a lot of games and all were won. They were slowly moving towards the final of the Nationals and I couldn't be any prouder.

It would be a huge deal if they made it into the final and an even bigger deal if they won the tournament.

I believed they could do it.

It was Sunday and for the first time in what felt like an eternity the weather was looking good. I was thinking about the things I could do on a day like this when I heard a knock on my door.

I frowned when I walked towards the door, because I wasn't expecting anybody. When I opened my door, I immediately smiled.

Should have known.

"Yo, Em." Aomine said grinning sheepishly at me while holding a basketball under his arms.

"Hey Daiki." I said while stepping out of the way to let him enter.

"What brings you here?" I asked after he had taken of his shoes and we had walked into the living room.

He held out the basketball as an answer.

I chuckled.

"Why did I even ask?" I said and he shrugged smiling innocently at me.

"If we want to make it to the finals, I need to practice a bit more." He said seriously.

I looked at him and I couldn't help but to smile.

"Daiki you're amazing as you are. Sometimes you can take a little break you know?" I said slowly.

"I know but it isn't really practice what I'm doing now. It's fun. Basketball is always fun."

I chuckled.

"You will never change." I said in amusement and he playfully raised an eyebrow at me.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" He asked giving me an amused smile.

"That you will always remain the basketball obsessed person I know you are."

He laughed.

"Might be true." He said and I couldn't help but to join into his laughter.

In moments like these I was always reminded on how much I like to see and hear him laugh. His laughter was something special. It was addictive and I couldn't keep my eyes off him.

"Em?" Aomine asked looking at me intensely.

"Yes?" I said coming back to reality.

"You've been staring." He said smirking teasingly.

I threw a pillow at him.

"I have not." I said seriously but my blush was giving me away.

He laughed only harder.

I crossed my arms in front of me defensively and I glared at him in annoyance.

"You're cute like this." He said and as soon as he said it his eyes widened slightly and a blush was slowly forming on his cheeks.

My blush only increased as well.

"Well." He said clearing his throat awkwardly and letting his fingers glide through his deep blue hair. "You want to come play basketball with me?"

I nodded trying to diffuse the awkward tension around us.

"Five minutes." I said before walking off and changing into my training gear. I put on a jacket before walking back out to where Aomine was waiting for me.

"Ready?" He asked and I nodded.

We walked out the apartment and we took our usual route towards our basketball court.

"Daiki, can I ask you something?" I asked slowly.

He immediately nodded.

"How are you feeling?"

This question took him definitely by surprise.

"What do you mean?" He asked looking at me in confusion.

"I mean the upcoming match and the possibility of making the final." I said looking into his deep blue eyes.

"You're the ace of the team. It's a lot of pressure for someone to handle."

He chuckled.

"You're worrying about me?" He asked teasingly.

"Of course, I am." I said seriously.

His teasing smile vanished and was replaced by a much softer smile.

"I'm feeling fine, Em. I'm confident. In myself and in the team." He said and I nodded hearing his words.

I knew they were genuine.

"Good." I said quietly. "Just don't forget that you are not alone."

"I know that." He said grinning at me.

"I mean it." I said seriously. "It is not only your burden to bear."

Aomine began to laugh.

"Stop worrying so much, Em." He said. "It's still basketball. The sport I love. I am able to handle anything you throw at me."

I gave him a long look but eventually decided to drop the subject, because after all he had told me he was fine. And if not, I would be here to remind him that he was not alone.

We entered the park, where our court was located. Like it had been the case for every time we had come to this court, we found it empty.

Music was playing from the nearby café and I loved the atmosphere it was giving this place.

We were isolated from the world. All that counted was the game in front of us.

"Ladies first." He said cockily and I rolled my eyes at him when I got hold of the ball.

"Big mistake." I said when I took a step towards him while locking eyes with him.

I dribbled the ball from one hand to the other and Aomine immediately stretched his arm out to interfere the course of the ball.

His eyes widened when he realised that I had faked.

I smirked before I turned on the spot and passed Aomine, all while increasing my speed. Moments later he was again in front of me and I jumped back while releasing the ball.

The ball followed a high arc before it went in perfectly.

"3:0." I said smiling smugly at the boy in front of me.

"Em, what just happened?" He asked wide eyed.

"What do you mean?" I asked looking at him in amusement.

"I just had the impression I was facing myself." He said whispering thinking hard about what he had just seen.

"You were facing me." I said amused. "But have you forgotten who had taught me how to play?"

He looked at me before he began to smirk.

"Good." He said and I could see how excited he got.

"Then I will take it up a notch."

As soon as Aomine got the ball all I could see was the outline of him.

He was moving in such an incredible speed and with such agility that I had a hard time locating where he was.

But I wasn't going to give up.

The more we played the more I got used to his new found speed and soon I was able to match him.

He was smiling widely and I could see the excitement in his eyes when he was able to go against me in a one-on-one over and over again.

He did just pass me when I was once again standing in front of him.

We jumped up at the same time and my eyes widened when I thought I was finally able to stop his attempt at scoring when he suddenly positioned his body parallel to the ground and released the ball.

All I could do was watching the ball fly in a high arc above my still rising body and into the basket.

"How did you do that?" I asked seeing something like that for the first time.

He shrugged.

"There was no other way." He said.

"I needed to find an alternative and this is what I came up with."

I looked at him open mouthed.

He said it so casually that I wasn't even sure he realised how amazing this move was.

"Teach me." I demanded.

"What?" He said.

"Being unpredictable." I said blankly.

He began to laugh.

"This isn't something you can learn." He said. "It's something deep within you."

"Then explain it to me." I said.

He looked at me before he seemed to think about the best way to describe it to me.

"It's the most inner part of someone. You can may be compare it to a starving beast. If this beast is cornered it will fight until the very end and while it's doing so it is able to perform incredible things and find ways where there weren't any before. I would describe it as animal instinct. It enables me to purely rely on my feeling and it enhances my senses."

He looked at me and waited for me to laugh but I didn't. I was thinking about what he had said.

"Do you think I have this?"

"What?" He asked questioningly. "An animal instinct?"

I nodded.

"Close your eyes." He ordered and I did.

I felt him come closer to me and all my hair on my body stood up.

"Search it within yourself." He said in a whisper.

My breath and heartbeat were slowly calming down while I was looking for something that may tell me if I had what I was looking for.

The further I looked the more present the outline of a large animal came into view.

Suddenly I felt shudders running through my entire body and immediately everything became intensified.

The smell of rubber coming from the ball, the sound of the music coming from the café and when I opened my eyes even Aomines deep blue eyes had a more intensified colour.

He smiled when he saw me look at him.

"You have it." He said and I nodded.

"Seems like it." I said slowly.

"Let's play then." He said and I nodded.

The game we played against one another felt more like a dance than an actual match. Neither one of us gave the other an inch and it seemed like we would know exactly what the other person would do.

But in the end, he won.

I was about to demand a rematch when a droplet of rain was hitting my face.

I looked up to realise that grey clouds had been forming over our heads. More droplets began to fall and Aomine immediately took our things and ran towards the trees to get cover.

But I remained frozen where I was. I closed my eyes and let the rain hit my face.

"Em, what are you doing?" Aomine asked loudly.

I didn't answer.

Instead, I began to stretch out my arms and began to twirl on the spot giggling.

The rain enlivened me with so much energy that I simply had to stay where I was.

I heard the music from the café louder than ever and I began to turn even faster on the spot until I began to get dizzy.

I stopped and opened my eyes in search of Aomine. I found him observing me from under a tree.

"Daiki." I said laughing loudly. "Come dance with me."

"Absolutely not." He said immediately.

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, come on." I said waving at him to come join me.

He simply shook his head, while it began to rain even harder.

"Fine." I said and then I began to turn around and dance to the music I was hearing.

I had my eyes closed and was fully emerged in this overwhelming sensation that I didn't even notice that someone had joined me.

Suddenly my hand was taken and I opened my eyes only to find Aomine standing in front of me soaked from head to toe.

"You're insane." He said laughing.

I shrugged.

"Maybe." I said and he began to twirl me around.

I smiled widely and then he performed one last twirl and I ended up into his arms.

I looked up at him and our eyes locked.

We fell in step, letting the rhythm control our movements. The scenery around us began to dissolve.

It was just him and I.

Nothing else mattered in this moment.

His deep blue eyes were twinkling and droplets of rain were coming down his face.

Looking at him the tingling sensation surged through my body. My heart began to beat faster and for the first time I wasn't going to deny this feeling.

The feeling only, he was causing.

His hand brushed across my cheek, while his other hand was firmly lying on my back.

My heart sped up even more when I saw him lean towards me. My body was acting on its own accord.

He came closer, his eyes never leaving mine and I was meeting him halfway.

When our lips met, I couldn't comprehend at first what was actually happening.

All I knew was that I had wanted to do this for a long time now.

Maybe even since the day I met him.

We slowly moved back from one another, both of us looking at the other.

A moment passed between the both of us before I moved my hands behind his neck, pushing him forward until our lips met a second time.

Aomine immediately tugged my body closer to his until my chest was pressed against his. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself even closer to him. I had a hard time comprehending what was happening.

I was kissing Aomine. And he was kissing me back.

And all these countless times I had felt jealousy and this tingling sensation had led to this moment.

It was my first kiss and I was sure it was his as well. I couldn't had wished for a more perfect moment.

When I felt Aomines tongue gently brush against my bottom lip I was momentarily taken aback.

He immediately pulled back having sensed my discomfort.

"I'm sorry." He said looking guilty. "I..."

I didn't give him the chance to say what he had wanted to say because I pressed my lips once more again against his.

This time I let my tongue brush against his lip and Aomine being momentarily stunned by my move stood still like a statue.

But only for a moment.

He pressed my body even closer to his and he opened his mouth to allow me entry. But instead of letting me take over, he took charge and we both lost ourselves in the kiss.

How much time passed neither of us could tell.

But eventually our lips parted but Aomine refused to let me go.

He brushed my wet hair softly out of my face and I smiled at him.

"I wanted to do this for a long time." He whispered while his thumb touched my swollen lips.

"You did?" I asked smiling at him and not backing away from his touch.

He nodded.

"I did too, you know." I said and his smile broadened.

"I wanted to tell you for a long time about how I felt. But we were always interrupted or it was simply bad timing."

"How do you feel?" I asked teasingly.

He chuckled.

"Like this." He said and he pressed his lips on mine.

I chuckled when he backed up.

A moment passed between the both of us where we simply looked at one another.

"Em." He said while caressing my cheek with his hand.

"Yes?" I said my heart beginning to beat faster.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" He said giving me the softest, most loving smile.

"Yes, Daiki." I said immediately. "I will be your girlfriend."