Would you dare?

by Sonya06

What if Kagami Taiga had a twin? And what if that twin happened to be a challenging girl, who decided to attend Touou Academy as the second manager of the basketball team... Is she capable of managing the problematic ace? And is he capable of handling her?

15. Chapter 15: Dance with me

A/N: Thanks to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed! As I promised, here's the 15th chapter. Enjoy!

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Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance. – Rabindranath Tagore

I don't remember not dancing. When I realized I was alive and these were my parents, and I could walk and talk, I could dance. – Gregory Hines

Friends and good manners will carry you where money won't go. – Margaret Walker

The reason that you dance and sing is to make the audience feel like they're dancing and singing. As long as you're having fun with it and giving it 100 percent, they're gonna feel that. – Heath Ledger

Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people. – Alvin Ailey

Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. – Dave Barry

Never go in search of love, go in search of life, and life will find you the love you seek. ― Atticus Poetry

A sister is a dearest friend, a closest enemy, and an angel at the time of need. ― Debasish Mridha

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"Ayacchiii! Aominecchi!" Kise voice echoed through the entire street. "Wait for meeeee!"

Aya sighed. "Should we wait, or do we let him run some more?" She asked Aomine. It'd only been around five minutes since they left Aomi's chocolate shop and it was exactly like she'd said. Kise would catch up.

Aomine blinked at her and smirked. "Nah. Won't hurt him to run some more."

"Isn't he your friend?" She asked curiously, because the relationship between the boys was a mystery for her. Satsuki said that Aomine didn't talk much with the others, but it seemed different when it came to Kise.

"No. Kise's more of a rival than a friend."

"You still tolerate him a lot."

He sighed. All of his 'friends' were rather annoying. "You tolerate a whole bunch of people, don't you?"

"Hmmm…" She put one finger to her lips and hopped several steps to get in front of him. Then she turned around and her reddish eyes looked straight into his. She smirked. "Like you, for example?"

That caught him unprepared. "Wha–"

"So glad I caught up!" Kise stopped by their side interrupting Aomine. He had no problem with catching breath, but he was feeling hot. "Why didn't you wait for me?!" He whined. "Not fair!"

"I knew you'd catch up, Model-kun." Aya smiled and broke off the eye contact with a now slightly flustered and irritated Aomine. "And I don't think it would do any good if they saw you leaving with me."

Oh?... "Because of Hana-chan? I'm sorry for her behaviour. And the dress, can you clean it? If I'd known I wouldn't have called her."

"I'll ask Hikaru to have it cleaned. So… Did you end up with a girlfriend?" She asked curiously.

"No. Of course not, after all that happened... " He sounded close to offended. He wasn't sure if she was making fun of him or not.

"Not even a hook-up?" Aya asked teasingly.

"Ayacchi!" He complained. "You are being mean."

"Not at all. Just curious." She shrugged with a smile as they slowly walked towards their destination. "This is only our second meeting. I don't really know you, Model-kun."

He blinked at her. She was right. Except that one meeting during the practise match and their one phone call, they hadn't met or spoken. Yet he felt like he knew her for a long time. He was staring into nowhere. "Really?! I thought we met more than once." A small smile replaced his previous wide grin. "At least it feels like it."

True. "Strange as it is, I feel similar." She felt like she had known Kise much, much longer. She was good at observing others and judging their character; she could see through Kise's masks from day one; it almost felt like they were friends in some other life and reunited again – it was calm and nostalgic.

He had an incredulous look on his face for a moment. Then he smiled widely. With his yellow hair he looked like a little sun.

Aomine's eyes were gliding from Kise to Kagami and back again. He didn't understand how fast they were at becoming friends. Well, Kise'd always been social and friendly, and Kagami'd befriended the majority of their club within the first week of school. Still, he didn't like it.

"… though I wouldn't mind some self-introduction speech from you." Aya added with a smirk.

Kise laughed. "Of course! Everyone will self-introduce! It should be fun!" He said and winked at Aominecchi over Ayacchi's head. 'Same goes for you.' It meant. Ayacchi probably knew a lot about Aominecchi thanks to Momocchi, but this was an opportunity to get them closer, right?

He cleared his throat and waltzed in front of Aomine and her. He turned around and started walking backwards. "I'm Kise Ryouta. I'm first year at Kaijo high. I'm 189 cm tall and weight 77 kg. I'm 15 years old and my birthday is on June 18, so my zodiac is Gemini! My blood type is A. I have two older sisters who got me into modelling, no pets. I love basketball and my top favourite free-time activity is karaoke!" He finished his speech with a bow, as if finishing the performance of his lifetime.

Aya laughed. "How informative! I bet you just want to receive a gift on your birthday!"

"Wha –?! That's not true! You asked for a self-introduction speech!" He pouted, but his eyes were laughing too.

"Right, right. What are your other best free-time activities?"

"Uhmm… Going for ice-cream, goukons, watching TV series…"

"And?" She asked, tilting her head to a side, because she felt there was something at the tip of his tongue and he was hesitating.

With forefinger on his lips, he looked at the sky, thinking. "… It's a secret." He said finally. "Every model needs to have one, no?"

Her eyes narrowed. "... If you say so… What's your favourite ice-cream then?"

"Vanilla and strawberry, but I always try out new flavours." He answered. "Aaaand! It's your turn now, Ayacchi! You can ask later!"

"Hmph… After Aomine." She said.

"What? No. I'm not gonna do that!" Aomine protested. "You both know me."

"Come on." Aya rolled her eyes and pushed him forward to exchange places with Kise. Today, she wasn't keeping the usual distance.

"Yes, Aominecchi! Come on!" Kise gladly joined Ayacchi, and now they both stared at Aomine, who felt so uncomfortable in his position.

Aomine was frowning at those two, who forced him to talk about himself. What good would it do? They knew him, for fucks sake. Kagami had even taken his measurements before; she knew exactly how tall he was. And what was the point of giving this sort of information to someone?!

"It would be best if we finished this before we reach our destination~" Aya teased him with a humorous spark in her eyes. "Introduce yourself as if you saw us for the first time. We won't laugh. Promise."

"I wouldn't tell this sort of useless personal info on the first meeting. It's nonsense." He grumbled.

"Aominecchi! Come on!" Kise whined. "We won't laugh. Promise." He repeated Kagami's words.

He was sure that was definitely not a 'promise'. "Tch… Psychology club…" He muttered under his nose. "I'm Aomine Daiki. I'm 15 and I attend Touou. I'm 192 cm tall, and 85 kg heavy. My birthday is on August 31, blood type B. I have no siblings and three dogs. I play basketball and read idol magazines. My favourite idol is Horikita Mai-chan." He said in a rather bored and monotonous manner, repeating what Kise had said, though not everything. He wasn't flashy and he didn't bow at the end. Gosh, he didn't want to stand there.

Aya clapped with a smile on her face. "I didn't know you had dogs! That's awesome. What breed?"

"Er…" Not commenting on Mai-chan? He scratched his cheek. This was not expected. "Samoyed, Labrador retriever and Belgian malinois."

"Samoyed?" She blinked. "Is it that big white fluffy super-cute fur ball?"

Aomine raised an eyebrow. "Heh… What a definition."

"The only one I know." She chuckled. "What did you name it?"

"Ayacchi! You are avoiding your speech!" Kise pushed her forward, to take Aominecchi's place. "Questions later!"

"Ah… You understood it quite well, Model-kun."

"Hmph. Who do you have me for?" He huffed and then stared at her for a moment. "Why do you avoid talking about yourself that much?"

"That's what you'd like to know, eh?" She smirked. She shook her head and changed places with Aomine, who seemed glad he didn't have to be there any longer.

"Oh! You don't have to walk backwards in those shoes." Kise said as if it was the first time he had noticed her high-heels.

"Model-kun, I'm not Hattori." She sounded almost offended. Her eyebrow went up, and she gave him a you-can't-be-serious look. "Or… Are you underestimating my ability?"

"Not at all." He denied immediately.

Aomine wasn't as smooth as Kise and he wanted to tease both. "He means: We don't need to see you crash on your ass."

"I believe we'd have a good laugh at that, and then you'd pull me up. Right?" She winked at them, not at all angered by Aomine's comment. She was already used to those.

"Okay. So… Self-introduction huh…" She smiled at the two. "I'm Kagami Aya. I'm 15 and attend Touou. I'm 168 cm tall and I weigh 63 kg. My birthday is on August 2, I'm Leo and my blood type is A. I have a twin brother and no pets living with us. I'm a dancer and I specialise in Latin dances in which I used to compete; I also do Standard dances and some other types too. I love basketball and my other favourite free-time activities are volleyball, movies, books..."

She was older than Aomine. By only a few weeks, but it didn't matter. She was older. Period.

There was a heart-beat of silence. There were at least tundred questions running through their heads.

"Ask." She yielded. "I give you one question each and I'll answer whatever honestly. We have some time until we get to Hiroto's."

"You are unusually compliant today." Aomine narrowed his eyes at her. Was there some catch?

"Wanna argue?" In fact, she was taking them to the party because she wanted them to know her. Maybe it was a stupid decision that could destroy her fragile relationships with both, but in her opinion, it was better to be hurt sooner than later.

Aomine was about to retort, or so Kise thought…

"Now, now." He jumped in, before Aominecchi could have another remark "Could you explain those competitions? The types of dances? I know nothing about it." It was probably a safe topic and it was all new to him. Momocchi hadn't mentioned Ayacchi competing.

… but he just got ahead of Aomine's question, he was about to shoot. Tch… Idiot.

"Sure." Her eyes sparkled, when she started explaining. "Ballroom dancing is a set of partner dances. Competitions can be referred to as 'dancesport', or in other words dancesport is competitive ballroom dancing. Including 'sport' into the name should've helped ballroom dancing gain Olympic recognition, but so far it was unsuccessful… You can categorise ballroom dancing into international Standard and international Latin dances. Each category includes five dances. In America you have two more categories and that is American Smooth and American Rhythm – in those two categories you can only compete in the US and Canada. International Latin has five styles you compete in, Samba, Cha-cha, Rumba, Paso-doble and Jive…" Her voice trailed off, when she saw the confusion on their faces. She was probably boring them. Yet, when she was explaining it, her eyes were shining with delight. "Aaand of course you have no idea what those look like!" She chuckled. "That's why I don't explain it often…"

"It's a bit complicated, true, but continue. I'm interested." Kise encouraged her.

"No… It'll be best if you can see it. But for me…" She smiled tenderly, the kind of smile Aomine had seen just once – on the rooftop when she had taken his measurements. "For me, dancing is life. It's energy, happiness, love, sorrow, passion, so much passion … It's everything. You can feel so much, show so much… I can't even describe it well."

"Wow…" Kise breathed out in astonishment. Ayacchi was burning. Burning with so much care; he could hardly take it all in. And he knew that Aominecchi was just as stunned, because he knew that Ayacchi kept it to herself, most of the time. Why is she so open now? "How long have you been dancing?"

"Since I remember." She shrugged. With one smooth move, she turned around and started walking along the two. "How long have you played basketball?"

"Momocchi told you, I believe…"

"Yeah, but I want to hear it from you."

"Three years, this is the third year, to be precise. I've been modelling longer than playing basketball."

"She said you did other sports too, but it bored you."

"Yeah. I've tried football, tennis, baseball, swimming… It got boring after a couple of months."

"Ever tried dancing?"

"Nah… Assumed it would be the same. I won the top score in Dance Dance Revolution, in no time, because I copied it."

"Those skills could be a great help in partner dances, but you know… everyone is different. What you copy from one, might not work for another. Well, you can test it during the party. I bet there will be a lot of girls willing to dance with you."

So the dancing along with the martial arts might be another sport that could keep him interested. Something he couldn't master in a week. "Will you dance with me?"

"Maybe." She said mysteriously.

What a girl… I see why Aominecchi is so intrigued.

"So, Aomine…" She called his name, to drag his attention back. He looked like he didn't listen to them much. Whether he pretended, or really didn't listen, she didn't know. "What are your dogs' names?"

"Hm?" He scratched his ear and almost yawned. He listened to them, but didn't feel like talking. There was still the tension from their small argument, and he had his habit of ignoring people he'd argued with. "Is it important?"

She caught up the underlying meaning. "No, but I want to know. Actually… no. Let me guess!"

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "Now that sounds fun. Bring it."

"Set some rules!" They were walking slowly. Unconsciously, they all wanted more time to talk.

"Are you sure, Sweetheart?" He had an unusually mischievous smirk on his face, and he couldn't resist the nickname. To hell with Kise.

Aya, as competitive as she was, smirked too. "Don't underestimate me, Honey-bun."

Kise stared at them. Stunned. How come they are not dating yet?

"Tch. I hate that nickname."

"I know." She chuckled. "So?"

"Five tries per name. You have to guess two names right. If not, you'll tell me your cup size."

"And if yes?" She raised an eyebrow.

There was a very inappropriate measurement she could've asked for, but she bit her tongue. She could almost feel Kise was thinking about the same thing and was about to spit it out, so she elbowed him before he could. He shot her an accusatory glance; he so wanted to make Aominecchi blush in embarrassment. And it seemed Aomine thought of it too, because he looked away and took a deep breath.

"… You decide." He said, praying she wouldn't ask what he had thought of.

She stayed quiet for a moment and then she burst out laughing. "I believe all three of us thought of the same inappropriate thing I could ask, as reciprocation to your 'cup-size' demand… But don't worry. Whatever you have in your pants, I don't need to know."

That caused Aomine to blush slightly, and grumble something like 'you witch', and Kise to laugh his lungs out.

When they calmed down, she continued. "So… If I guess correctly, you will dance with me." You will dance with me either way… She'd already decided, but if she could make it so it wouldn't hurt his pride too much, why not?

That was worse than the inappropriate demand… So embarrassing. But, the game was on; he might as well go with it. Not that he believed she could guess it right. "Fine."

"Great! So… Are those three dogs, or bitches?"

"Bitches."

She nodded, thinking of names he could have given them. "Samoyed… Smiley?"

"No."

Japanese names then… "Shirayuki?"

"God no."

"Yuki?" She couldn't help but think of the colour. The dog was white. She would probably call it 'whitey', or 'snow'.

"No." Heck, she is getting close.

Ice?... "Koori?"

"Nope."

"Hmmm…"

"Last chance."

"I know… It's white, right?!" He is a simple guy... "So… Shiro?" That probably won't be it.

Kise clapped and laughed, before Aomine could answer. "Good job!"

"Was I right? Really?" She was genuinely surprised, as Satsuki hadn't told her.

Aomine nodded, frowning to himself. She had no idea that Kurome was black, so she probably wouldn't get that one… but for Akari…

"I suggest we finish this before going in." She said pointing at the door they arrived at. "We are here early and I need to mentally prepare to face Hiroto and Hikaru in 'organizing mood'."

"Is he that strange? And who is Hiroto?" Kise tilted his head. He knew Shiracchi, but he'd never seen him organize anything.

"You'll see in no time. Back to the names… Labrador retriever… Marley?"

"Wha'?" Aomine gave her strange look. "Why would I call her that?"

"Oh, you've never seen the movie? Marley and me?"

"No."

"Beautiful one… It's a boyish name, but whatever… Nah… Hmmm… Aki?"

"No."

"How are you guessing?" Kise asked suddenly. He wanted to know her thought process.

"Randomly? I'm trying to think of what he might name a dog… Something simple, Shirayuki was 'god no', so something not fancy... Golden?" She tried again, turning her eyes to Aomine.

"No."

She didn't know how to name the golden colour other than, well, Golden. Labrador retrievers could be destructive, so maybe… "Tsume?" Claw? She tried a different approach.

He shook his head no, feeling victory with this one. Just as he thought. She wouldn't guess Kurome's name.

"Maybe she is a different colour?" Kise butted in, giving Ayacchi a hint.

"Oi, Kise!" Aomine protested immediately. "Don't help her."

"I'm not helping, Aominecchi, just broadening her options." He smiled innocently.

"Eh?" Different colour?...She facepalmed. Right! Of course! His dog might not be gold coloured! But what? If she remembered well, there were black and brown and even silver Labrador retrievers too… Which one? She had seen black ones more often. "Kuro?"

"No."

"Ou well. I failed with this one. So, what's the name?"

"Kurome."

"Really?" She looked at Kise, who gave her a nod. "Shiro and Kurome… Shiro and Kuro would be nice too."

"Kuro would fit a male more."

"Right, it's a she."

A florist's van passed by them, and turned left. There was supposed to be nothing. Just an empty street, creepy at night. But there was a back door to the bar. Aya stared at it. Really?

"What is it Ayacchi?"

"I think Hikaru is overdoing it…" It was about time they went in, but she wanted to finish their little game. "The last is Belgian malinois right? They are brown, ginger coloured, some reddish brown, right?"

Aomine nodded. "You actually know."

"I've seen some." She shrugged and teasing smile appeared in her eyes. "So… Akamaru?"

He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't name my dog after an anime cone. And she is a bitch too." Technically, it's my father who'd named Akari.

"I know, I know… I couldn't resist!"

"You missed one try."

"Nah… Brownie?"

"No. It's a dog, not food."

"I would probably name it that. Then… Shouga?" Ginger?

"No."

"Aka?"

"No."

"Akane?"

"No. I win." He said proudly and eyed her boobs again.

"This time. So, what's the name?"

"Akari." He said, and waited, staring at her the whole time.

She knew she wouldn't talk her way out of it. "Let's go in." She said and opened up the door. "And as for my cup size… You've already guessed it right before."

He nodded in satisfaction. So D-cup.

Kise elbowed Aominecchi and whispered: "You've guessed before, Aominecchi?" He wouldn't have thought that Aominecchi would dare to ask her out loud about her cup size. As rude and bold as Aomine could be he was also a little shy…

"A couple of times." He said in an 'It's-obvious-I-would' manner.

Aya was walking in front of them, leading the way. She knew the place like the back of her hand. It had been renovated a couple of times, and instead of a spacious foyer they were welcomed by a narrow, dark corridor. It felt claustrophobic and the boys hoped it wouldn't be long. There was something soft under their feet, Aya's shoes didn't click-clack, but in the shadowy hallway they couldn't make out if it was a carpet, or something else. When they reached something that looked like a reception desk, they could hear muffled voices. Angry muffled voices. The 'reception desk' was in fact a front bar, where you could order a drink and down it before entering the main dancing room. And there was something like a storage, where you could store your jacket or bag if you wanted to. There was a guard and Aya stopped.

The guard was in his thirties with a narrow chin and a strict expression. He wasn't that tall, but he was wide and stirred respect.

"The party starts in over two hours, you are not supposed to be here." The guard said seriously and frowned at them, in an attempt to intimidate the teens.

The middle-aged bartender with a goatee was wiping glasses and preparing the front bar for the evening. He didn't pay attention to the trio. The music playing in his headphones was loud enough they could hear what the bartender was listening to. It was a wonder he wasn't deaf.

"Good day to you too, Mister." She greeted him with a raised eyebrow at his rude behaviour. "I don't remember you being here the last time. Are you a new employee?"

She sounded confident. The tone she used made him doubt. He'd only been working there for three months. Should he let them in? Was she a regular? Someone important? Nah. His job was as a security guard. No matter how intimidating the person might be, he couldn't back down.

"That's none of your business, little lady. You shouldn't be here."

Aya sighed. At least he was doing his job properly. "So a new employee… Sorry, Mister, but I can be here, whenever I want to. I basically grew up here and I have a spare key from this place." Aya said authoritatively and pulled out her ID, to prove herself. "I'm Kagami Aya, and these two are my friends. We were asked to help Shiranui Hikaru with organizing this party, so…" She sure wasn't in a mood for arguments, but heck, Hikaru or Hiroto could at least inform this person they were expected.

He blinked at it. Kagami Aya? Some members of the staff were saying the Kagamis were scary, some that they were happy-go-lucky. He couldn't have known. He'd never met any of them. And from the owner, he only heard rumours about the little redheaded tomboyish girl with bottomless energy reserves. This one sure had red hair, but seemed far from tomboyish. "Oh… I-I-I'm sorry, Miss. I didn't recognise you. Uhm... Shiranui-san nor Amane-san didn't tell me about you." His behaviour turned 180° and he bowed in apology.

"Figures. You are new here, right?"

"Yes, Miss. Three months."

Kise and Aomine exchanged glances. They didn't understand what was going on around them at all. This place was like a world on its own, and it looked like Aya was very familiar with it. She even said it.

She sighed and smiled. "You've probably never seen me before, there was nothing to recognise. What is your name?"

"Saga Shinjirou." Suddenly, he feared for his job. This building belonged to the Kagamis. It was rebuilt from an old theatre and turned into a bar and dancing club. Even if they didn't personally supervise over the club, or this business, it was owned by them. They probably didn't care about it much; from what he knew they rarely showed their faces around. And now, the young Kagami girl stood in front of him. And to his surprise those reddish eyes were far from spoiled and bratty like he had expected from a rich kid. "I'm still very sorry for not recognising you and insulting you." He said and bowed again.

She sighed. "I didn't hear any insult there, but apology accepted, as I've said… I haven't shown myself here for quite some time, so you have no reason to know me, Saga-san. Don't worry 'bout it much. But from now on, please do remember me. And these two as well." She smiled, offered him a handshake and introduced both boys.

"And now…" She sighed again as her eyes travelled to the bartender. "HIROTO!" She shouted at him, so he'd hear her over the music.

"Hm?" He looked up and took out his headphones. "Some problem there?" He asked, still not looking at the youngsters.

Before Saga could answer, Aya jumped in. "Long time no see, mister bartender. If you say you don't remember my face, you'll break my heart."

He blinked, squinted his eyes, to see well, because he had forgotten his glasses. But there was only one person with that hair and attitude. "HOLY COW! Someone pinch me! ROBIN!"

"I can pinch you if you want!" She offered and smiled. "It's nice seeing you again, ol'-man."

"Welcome back, little one!" He ran around the bar and squeezed her into a bear hug. "You've changed a lot." His eyes ran over her womanly figure when he released her. "At some places more… Where is the little tiger? And OI! I ain't old!"

Aya chuckled and rolled her eyes at his comment. "Little? When did you see him last time? My brother's far from 'little'." She snorted. "And he is out with his team. You know he isn't much of a party type. Anyways… These two are my friends. Aomine Daiki and Kise Ryouta." She introduced them again and they politely bowed, not sure why would she know this person, or this place so much.

"Two men accompanying you. Why am I not surprised…" He mused. "I'm Amane Hiroto." Now, when he wasn't hidden behind the bar, he looked taller and stronger. Despite his age and working behind a bar, he had lean and strong muscles of someone who worked out often.

The boys bowed awkwardly. This was surprising for them. Aya knew a bartender, at a place they'd never visited; never even thought of visiting… But she seemed so familiar with him and so content in his presence that they just stood quietly and watched.

"What do I say… My charm." She joked, but Hiroto's comment hit a sore spot. "Finally I can say it! Congratulations on your wedding! Honestly… I was thinking you would never find a wife."

"How mean! Of course I would. I was just young and stupid and I needed time to make the right choice, young lady. Not that you would understand that at your age." He snorted. "I'll introduce you next time!" Hiroto was lively and free spirited. Bunch of greying hair never stopped him from feeling like he was still in his twenties. He loved running this bar, and working as a bartender at the same time. Meeting young people, talking with them; it was a dream job for him.

"That'd be awesome! We have a lot of catching up. I haven't seen you in two years? Less or more… Can't remember."

"Lot of catching up indeed. I'm inviting you for dinner on Wednesday. I'll ask Shiranuis, you bring the little tiger with you." He announced and Aya nodded in agreement.

She'd love to talk with him, but there was something more important. "How is Hikaru doing?"

Hiroto rolled his eyes. "He's been here since the morning, ordering those poor caterers around for hours and he is still not satisfied. Be it me, the place looks good enough on its own. He hasn't eaten anything… I don't have the nerve to argue with him, so I came here. He can do whatever he wants, as long as he won't ruin my place."

"It's Hikaru." She shrugged as if it explained everything. "I'm surprised no one's strangled him yet."

"I wanted to, trust me. But I can't kill your friend, can I?"

Her eyebrow went up. "If my nerves break…"

"… I'll help you to hide the body." He winked at her conspiratorially.

"Very good!" She nodded with a smirk. "Let's go and see what's going on there."

She grabbed both boys by their wrists and dragged them through another short corridor. This one was wide with dark heavy curtains at both ends.

"No. No. No! No! NO!" They heard someone yell and some glass to break.

They made it past the dark curtain and they had to blink. The place was huge and illuminated with strong bright lights. It didn't seem this big when they'd seen the building from the outside.

The boys stared at it in awe. It looked like a theatre where the chairs for the audience had been taken away creating a huge dance-floor. There were three floors, with balconies from where you could look down at all people dancing on this huge dance-floor. There were small bars and smaller dance-floors at each floor and six spiral staircases leading up and down.

"Was this a theatre before?" Kise asked curiously.

"Yeah. I still remember some performances." Aya shrugged, not sure why she was explaining this. "We ran around this place since we learned to walk. I guess we even learnt to walk on the stage. Then it went bankrupt, the actors left… My mom loved it here and father wanted to save it so he bought it, but he had no idea what to do with it and we were about to move to America. And so his twin brother, uncle Kyou, had this idea." She pointed at the huge space in front of them. "Kyou already had several bars around the world at the time; every one of his bars is unique and different, so my father let him do whatever he wanted. This is the result. I can't say one bad word. We own it, Kyou runs it, but in reality, Hiroto's the soul of this place. If you ask me, it's Hiroto's more than ours."

"I didn't know you were a rich kid." Aomine grumbled. Trying to take it all in.

"It's advantageous, but money won't get you everywhere. Sometimes it hurts more than it helps. But I can't complain… crying in your own car feels better than crying in a bus after all." She shrugged and didn't comment on it more.

Another wise and mature comment, finished with a joke left Aomine speechless. He thought she was like the others, except the world championships… But she was so out of reach. This was Kagami he didn't know. Kagami who was friends with people much much older, who was managing things teenagers shouldn't manage. Even

Kise stared at her with amazement. He had just met her the other day, but he didn't have a feeling she was arrogant or that she thought she was better than the others. Yet she was suddenly like a different person. Except she wasn't.

Her attention turned from the boys – she was now doubting her decision to take those two here to see the sides of her, she didn't want her schoolmates or anyone else to see – to Hikaru, who was towering over a small woman and yelling at her for her incompetence. She had tripped and broken a vase. Water was spilled on the wooden floor and white and red oriental lilies were laying on the floor.

"Would you stop yelling at her Hikaru?" Aya asked with her hands on her hips.

Hikaru stopped mid sentence and spun around, not caring who it was interrupting him. "She broke the vase!" He shouted and pointed at the mess. "How useless are these people?!" His cheeks were red from anger.

It was the first time Kise saw Shiracchi furious like this, and Ayacchi didn't bat an eyelash. She was standing there calm and unmoved by his anger. Like a rock resisting a raging sea.

Aya's eyebrow went up. "And you think yelling at her will repair the vase and tidy up the mess? By the way… Long time no see Hikaru."

He blinked at her. Then blinked again. Seeing Aya now, her words, it was like a cold shower. The blood was drained from his face. "A-a-aya!" He stuttered but maybe this was what he'd needed and why he had asked her help.

"Seeing a ghost?" She asked mockingly. "A ghost you asked for help?"

"I didn't think you'd come! And you are here too soon. It looks so bad! Everything went wrong!" He was hungry, angry, and things didn't go the way he wanted to. Organizing other people was never his forte.

"What went wrong?" She asked calmly. The woman was still sitting on the ground with tears in her eyes. She must feel so bad… Aya thought. "You can get up and tidy up the mess, please." She said to the woman.

She blinked in surprise, nodded and ran away to get a rag and a broom.

"I wasn't done with her." Hikaru said grumpily.

"Because yelling at her will fasten her work? Tell me. What went wrong?"

"There are not enough flowers. It arrived late and we don't have enough vases! It should be fancier! In white, red and black colours! I doubt there will be enough food, and our DJ is still not done with the technical stuff. They are all clumsy and it looks so different from my imagination!" He complained, and he wasn't sure what exactly was wrong anymore. Everything was wrong. "Hiroto has refused to help and…" He huffed and rubbed his face.

"Okay now. Firstly, it is a dance party, not a flower viewing event." She said in a humorous tone. "Secondly, no one can read your mind. And thirdly, there are always some problems when organizing an event. Show me your idea, I bet you have a picture or a sketch, then go and eat something, smoke, and when you're ready to talk with them calmly, come back. I believe everything will be done and fine by then." She was so calm, unlike Hikaru, that it helped him breathe normally again.

His eyes darted around the room where people were moving around like ants, arranging the tables, and rearranging them the whole day. They'd barely had any break, and now they were giving skeptic glances to Aya.

"It's my party! I want to do it my way!"

"I know. I'm not stealing anything. I have a vague idea how you want it, but I also know you. Perfectionist to the very end. And it's not bad! It's a good trait, you just can't expect the others to be like you. Okay?"

"Fuck." He rubbed his face furiously. His stomach was rumbling from the lack of food – he hadn't eaten properly for a couple of days. This should have been perfect, like he had imagined it… He failed. He felt so stupid now, because his ten years younger little 'sister' had to come and calm him down. He hadn't seen her in months, and all he did was showing her his angry side. He shoved his phone and a few papers into her hands, watching her as she went through his ideas.

Aya gently touched his shoulder and smiled at him. "It'll be fine." She reassured him. "We'll manage. Go and eat. You must be starving."

"I…"

"Go. Or I'll strangle you." She threatened.

He smiled weakly. Without another word he turned around and with slumped shoulders he went to ask Hiroto for something to eat.

Aya cleared her throat and clapped to get everyone's attention. Not everyone liked that this brat would boss them around, but she seemed friendlier than the yelling idiot.

"We will rearrange the tables one last time. We don't have enough time to get additional decorations, so we will put fancier tables closer to the dance-floor, and on the upper floors and those with less décor further. Flowers have to be distributed throughout the place equally. I believe that upper floors could be decorated with more flowers than the main dance floor because people on the main dance floor won't look at them much. Who is the florist?" She asked and one woman raised her arm.

"Can you get more flowers, since it is important to Hikaru?"

"Not from my shop."

"But you can ask some other shops, right?"

"I suppose."

"Oh and could we get black oriental lilies?"

"There are only two shops where you can get them, and I don't think they have big amount of them." The woman said doubtfully.

"Only a few should suffice."

"What do you have in mind, Miss -?" She asked and wanted Aya's name.

"Kagami Aya. Call me Aya if you want."

The crowd buzzed. It seemed that some of them knew the Kagami family, or at least heard of them. Aya didn't care much. Whatever. There were people that knew her family name. And in certain situations they could connect the dot to one of the Kagami twin brothers. Simple fact.

"If I manage to get more white flowers, and some black and red you could decorate the stage where the DJ is. I think it would be nice. And as for the table décor I leave the decision to your judgement. I'm no expert when it comes to flowers, their arrangements or meanings."

"As you wish, Kagami-san."

"Great! Now, if you give me the phone numbers I'll try to get additional flowers, while you do you part with making the place fancy." The woman walked towards Aya, but before she took the business cards she was being offered, she pointed at the tables: "These and these will be in the first line from the dance floor, those higher ones will be further on the edges."

Men that were having a short break, while she was talking with the florist, started to move. She could hear their grumbling, but it couldn't be helped. Hikaru had pissed them off.

"Please," she looked at Kise and Aomine, "help them out. I'm going to check up with the DJ and then make several phone calls. We have two hours to finish this. Let's try to make it in one and a half." She smiled and walked towards the stage, where the man was fighting with a knot of cables.

"Is that really Ayacchi?" Kise asked and stared after her figure.

"You askin' me?" Aomine was just as surprised as Kise. "But... she is a manager." He'd seen her organize training camp and the practise match when they'd missed their uniforms and she had threatened that dude, but this was somehow different. She was dealing with adults this time and they respected her.

"She's amazing." Kise said, and then turned around. "Let's help them with whatever we can."

Aya was emanating positive energy and smiling at everyone, reassuring them that everything would be alright. Soon they started to smile and joke while doing their job. They didn't slack off when she went out to make several phone calls to get additional flowers. The heavy atmosphere was lifted thanks to the young redhead and when the DJ finally won against the cables, he put on some quiet but lively music, just as she had asked for.

Flowers arrived within 45 minutes and the florist started to redecorate it. She was glad Kagami left it on her judgement, unlike Shiranui, who knew nothing about symbolism but refused to admit it. Why wouldn't he trust her? When she was allowed to leave her logo on the ribbons used, she would make 1 000% sure everything was perfect.

The main caterer came to her. "Thank you for your help. We really appreciate it."

She smiled at him and sighed. "Hikaru is a great person, but you need to really know him to get what he wants. He is a perfectionist when it comes to details. Is there any seating order for the guests?"

The man's eyes almost jumped out. "I have no information about this." He panicked.

"Oh… Maybe there is none. It's not a private party and it is open to the public. Though there are some guests, who don't have to pay the entrance fee…" She bit her thumb nail in thinking about it. "You don't happen to have the guest list?"

"No."

"It looks great!" Hikaru's voice resonated through the place. "It's just how I wanted it!"

Talk about the devil… Aya thought and turned around. "What about the guest list?"

"Eh? Guest list?" He tilted his head to the side. "What guest list?"

"Well, if you decide to do something of this scale you probably should have the seating arrangements done too. I know it's not a fancy dinner or a wedding, but still…"

"Shit…" His fingers brushed through his shoulder length black hair. "I haven't thought of it. I don't even remember all the people to whom I sent the invitations…"

Aya facepalmed. She didn't try to hide it this time. "Hikaruuuu! And you yelled at them so much!"

"Sorry?" He shrugged and tried to act innocent. "They'll be dancing… not sitting at the tables…"

"Fine then." She turned to the caterer. "Don't worry about the seating arrangements then. Early bird catches the worm or a good table in this case."

He nodded and went over to the back storage to go over the alcohol and drinks one last time.

Hikaru was smiling at her. "Thank you!" He hugged his little 'sister'. "We have a half an hour, music is on and everything seems ready. There's one more little thing I'd like to ask of you."

Hiroto came to check what was done to his club. He whistled. "You did a great job, Robin!"

"It's not the first time I'm saving his ass." She smiled.

"Oi, you two!" He shouted at Aomine and Kise who were helping with small electric lights that were put around the staircase railings, to illuminate ways up and down.

"Hm?" Kise reacted first and looked up.

"You are the guests! You shouldn't work! Come here."

They came to the trio and Kise asked: "Is there something you want to discuss?"

"You're here, Kise?" Hikaru asked, surprised. "I haven't noticed you!"

"Shiracchi! How could you overlook me? Your co-worker?" He whined.

"Now, now." Hiroto chuckled. "Let's go to the back room. I believe they can finish their jobs and you all deserve fresh juice."

They all followed the owner to the back room, which seemed to be a former backstage. It was now a large room with couches and a small kitchen. Kise bet there was also a bathroom with shower and maybe a bath too. It looked similar to a small apartment.

Aya took off her shoes and sighed contently. She didn't mind high-heels at all, but she needed to rest her feet for a couple of minutes at least. She sat on a high chair and kicked her legs, while the others seated themselves on the couches. Hikaru awkwardly introduced himself to Aomine.

"So, what kind of a little thing do you want from me?" Aya asked Hikaru, her sharp eyes burning him.

He had to look away. "Actually… I want you to show-dance with me."

There was beat moment of silence. Hiroto almost let go of the glass he was holding.

"What?" Aya asked as if she didn't hear right. "You want me to do what?"

"Eerrr… I was thinking of a small performance at the beginning. You know, to show some Latin dances and to spread the energy and create awesome atmosphere. When it comes to drawing people in you're the best person I know. Come on, Ayaaa!" He made puppy eyes. "I know you miss it!"

She shook her head in exasperation. "You realise we haven't danced together in... a year?" But he was right, she missed this. The thrill.

"We were pretty compatible before. I don't see a problem." He said with his chin stuck out.

"Okay…" She agreed.

Hikaru didn't notice and continued with his persuasion. "I knooow it's been long. But we've danced together as kids and whenever we've met. And you can adjust to anyone's pace!"

Aya chuckled and switched to teasing. "I can. Can you?"

He blinked at her. "Suuure…" But it didn't sound as confident as before.

She sighed. "Three times rule." A challenging smirk appeared on her face. "And I need a dress and dancing shoes. You don't expect me to show dance in these?" She pointed at her shoes and clothes.

"You can't be serious! That rule is unfair!"

"What is the three times rule?" Kise asked curiously.

"If he steps on her feet three times she'll leave the dance-floor. She won't give a damn if it's a middle of a dance or not. No apologies, no warnings." Hiroto explained to the boys. "Do I remember it right, Robin?"

"Exactly." She winked at him.

"That's kind of mean."

Aya shrugged with a grin. "It's kind of my thing I use at parties. It's simple, really. I don't tolerate it when I know the other party is a dancer. If you're not a dancer, than that's a different story, of course."

"I haven't danced in weeks!" Hikaru tried to defend himself.

"I've reduced my training to thrice a week, dear." She smiled at him. "Anyways I agreed." She reminded him.

"Eh?"

"I said 'okay'. Or have you heard me saying 'no'?"

"Nooo."

"Then, I'll do it." She was trying to ignore Aomine's burning gaze. Was he still angry at her, or what was his problem now? Maybe taking him here was too much… "What dances do you have in mind?" She asked to distract herself from the pair of stormy eyes.

"All?"

"Hikaru. You need to make it short. 8-10 minute performance at most, not longer or the audience will get restless. It's a party, not a show dancing or competition. I would get bored if someone forced me to watch, when I arrived with the intention to dance. Next, it's physically difficult. You wouldn't make it, all five competitive dances in a row, without a break –"

" – but you – " He tried to interrupt her.

"I am a human too. Going all out in five dances in a row, without a break, while doing everything properly, drains my energy too. I would manage, but there is no need to overexert. Not to mention you have no energy reserves, or experience to endure. You can do maximum three dances now. And even that… I'd be happier if we did only two." She paused.

"Robin is right, Hikaru. Your condition is not what it was five years ago, and you smoke." Hiroto joined their conversation in a serious voice. "I would recommend two dances at most."

"I want to do three!"

Aya knew they'd have to compromise. "Which ones? In what order?"

"Uuuhm… Samba, cha-cha and jive."

Aya and Hiroto exchanged glances. "You realize those three are all high-paced dances where you need excellent control and lead, right?" Hiroto tried. He wasn't an expert, but he had danced before, he had seen Aya dance many many times before, he knew enough.

"Well, I am reckless enough to do it." Aya said, "but it's not worth breaking my neck."

"You are underestimating me, Aya! I never thought you'd be arrogant."

"No, I'm not arrogant, Hikaru. I can do what you ask, but you can't keep up. I am realistic. You are overestimating yourself right now." She said firmly, but tried not to raise her voice. "I just want to enjoy it. I want it to be enjoyable not a struggle."

He huffed and walked around the room. "Aya please!"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Rumba, Samba, Jive. In this order, if you insist on three dances. Slowly picking up the pace would work well on the audience too."

"Yes! I knew you'd agree."

"Lead me well, stupid. Now… Show me the dress and we need to redo my hair and try it all out. At least once. I already have the music in mind."

"I will! Promise." He had a wide happy grin. "I'll go get the dress and check out the decorations."

When the door closed after Hikaru, Hiroto sighed. "You sure you know what you're doing? He isn't your regular partner."

Aya nodded. "I trust him enough. He was always better than Senri and if we can get ten minutes to warm up and dance before the show… I should adjust to his pace. It's not like I've never danced with Hikaru."

"Do you have a regular partner Ayacchi?" It was once again, Kise who was asking.

Aomine hadn't spoken a word to her, ever since they had entered the building. And she had no idea what was going on in his head. She feared that after this, their relationship – whatever it was – would be done for good.

"I competed before, so yes. I had one, but not anymore. He ran away." She said emotionlessly.

"Eh? Why would he do that?"

"Does it even matter?"

"No if you don't want to tell me." He said suddenly serious. "But it would be nice to know, Ayacchi." The level of her skill could be felt at the moment. How Hiroto and Hikaru talked with her; Kise could guess she was much better than 'good'. And Aominecchi's silence just proved it. Usually Aomine would tease and mock her, but he was quietly observing and listening to everything. He'd never seen Aominecchi in such a state before.

"You think I shouldn't do it?" She turned her eyes to Hiroto.

"I don't know… I suppose you two will manage. He is both a perfectionist and a showman, what he lacks in technique he will cover up with his charisma…" He scratched his goatee. "Only if he could use that charisma when organizing people…"

Aya chuckled. "And I'm a crazy idiot, who loves dancing."

"An incredibly skilled crazy idiot." He added.

"Who's a crazy idiot?" Hikaru asked when he opened the door.

"I am." Aya informed him. "For doing this with you."

He wrongly assumed she talked about Rumba, their first dance to perform. "Dance of love… I couldn't ask for more." He winked at her. "And to think it was your idea."

"Touch me anywhere inappropriate and I'll kill you." She growled. "Now. Show me the dress."

Hikaru pulled out the dress. "I might need to adjust it..." He mused staring at Aya.

"Why?"

"You know… Last measurements I have are from this autumn. And now when I look at you… Your boobs have grown since then, right?"

"Wha-" She protectively covered her chest.

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "Oh stop it. I have this kind of thing in my eye already." He handed the dress to Aya. "I thought about it and made the dress a bit wider around the chest, probably too much…"

She looked it up and down. Material was comfortable. The dress was short, pitch black, with lots of straps and silver stitching. "Halter neck, no cleavage, strengthened around chest. I like it. Good job."

"Honestly, I have several more dress designs in mind for you," he started enthusiastically, then sighed, "too bad you quit." But when his eyes noticed the time. Hikaru shooed her towards a bamboo screen, where she could change. "Go and try it on. We don't have that much time."

She was out in no time, facing Hikaru.

"So? How is it?" She asked and spun around, straps enhancing her movement.

Aomine's jaw dropped. It was very good he was sitting to her side, and she wasn't paying attention to him. The dress was short, too short for his tastes and when she spun he could see her butt. Her back and sides were bare, only one, barely visible string connected the dress around her upper back. He'd never seen so much of Aya's skin. She was tanned, not like Aomine, but definitely more than Kise. Her shoulders were covered in small freckles – it didn't stand out, but it was cute – Aomine only noticed this now. He was unbelievably pleased and jealous at the same time, and he didn't even understand it himself. Did she always wear this sort of dress for competitions? Would she wear this throughout the entire party? Will any others be allowed to run their hands over her skin? He didn't like the idea.

"Perfect." Hikaru mused. "Except your chest you haven't changed."

"Well yes. I think I'll need one or two more strings to hold it in place. Maybe three." She said and bent forward to show that the dress didn't hold up well.

In doing so, the dress slipped slightly forward, uncovering the left side of her boob. Aomine gulped as his eyes tracked the curve of her soft skin. He'd give anything to be able to touch it right then and there. If he could just –

Noticing Aominecchi's expression, Kise bumped into his knee. "Don't get hard, Aominecchi." He muttered.

"That would be inconvenient." Hiroto's voices whispered from behind them.

They'd forgotten about the man.

"Eeeek!" Kise squealed and almost fell off the couch.

Aomine managed to bite into his tongue. What was wrong with those people, scaring him? But when he realized what the man said… A deep, rosy hue attacked his cheeks and he looked away; away from him and mostly away from Kagami. Was he that obvious?

"What happened?" Aya asked curiously and turned to the trio after hearing Kise's hilarious squeal.

"They'd forgotten me." Hiroto said teasingly. "I had to remind them."

There was a certain protective undertone in his voice that Aya overheard, but Aomine and Kise had been warned. 'Don't mess with Aya.' it meant.

She chuckled. Suddenly her body curved away from Hikaru, who was sewing the string she had asked for. "Heeey! Don't prick me."

"Then don't move, genius." He mumbled with a needle and a small scissors in-between his lips. "I'm working here."

"I'm not moving!"

The sound he made perfectly fitted his eye-roll.

"I'll go to check up with the other bartenders, Aya. I'll introduce you later on, but it is safe to take drinks from them, okay? No alcohol for the three of you, of course."

"As you say, mister." She saluted to him.

"Good." Hiroto turned towards Aomine and Kise. "You two come with me. I'll show you from where you can see the performance best. Aya and Hikaru need some time alone to go over the choreographies and music."

They got up to follow Hiroto. Aomine didn't like the idea of leaving Kagami alone with Hikaru in such a revealing dress, despite the fact she knew him her entire life. But he also needed to calm down. So walking around might not be bad idea.

"You know," Hiroto started when they left the back room and headed towards the main dance floor. "If you are here, she wants you to be here. And I think she expected Hikaru to ask her for the performance."

"I was invited by Shiracchi either way." Kise said to his defence. He didn't know why, he just felt he needed to defend himself. Amane-san wasn't a bad guy, but he was somewhat protective of Ayacchi, which Kise couldn't understand. They weren't family and he had no idea what Amane was to her.

"And would you attend it if it weren't for Aya?"

Kise was about to answer, when he looked around him. The place looked incredible. He thought he walked into a fairytale. Lights were dimmed, and the scent of flowers was covering them like a blanket. The staircases looked like stairways to heaven, rimmed with thousands of little glimmering lights. People were slowly filling the dance bar. Music was still just quietly humming in the background as a sign it wasn't time to dance just yet. But the air was already filled with electricity of expectation.

"Whoa." Kise didn't try to hide his amazement. "I would… If I knew it would look this amazing." And to think they helped with the preparations. We are awesome. He thought smugly.

Hiroto chuckled. "She chose to let you this close and I'll trust her decision, but remember boys, if you make her cry I'll come to bite you." He said calmly as he led them to their table.

"She would bite us first, ol' man." Aomine grumbled and it was the first time he actually spoke to Hiroto. "That's how she is."

Hiroto stared at Aomine for a moment. The storm in the boy's eyes was staring back at him, challenging him, if he so wanted. But he saw respect and protectiveness towards Aya in that storm. Protective storm, to devour everything that stands in its way… What d' ya know? Maybe you've found yourself a future man, Robin. "Then don't let her bite you."

Aomine nodded. "I'm not planning to."

Hiroto smiled at him approvingly. Does he realise that he basically said he didn't want to make her cry? "This is the best spot, if you want to see the whole dance floor."

"Are you sure?" Kise asked skeptically.

The table he showed them had no chairs and it was tall; you could only stand around it. It was placed in one corner of the dance-floor, partially hidden by one of the staircases. 'You won't see from here' – was the feeling it gave off. That feeling was exactly what Hiroto had wanted, and the table was permanently vacant. No one would use it willingly, so whenever he wanted to rest and have a look at the people dancing in his bar, this table always waited for him like a loyal servant.

"Yes." He winked at the model. "It's my favourite table. Use it well." He waved them and left to take his respectful place behind the bar.

"I bet you love Ayacchi's dress." Kise teased

"Not in particular…"

"You don't have to lie to me. You almost got a hard-on."

"As if watching was enough…" Aomine grumbled.

"Well, it seemed like it was enough..." He reminded him innocently, which only earned him a well aimed elbow punch between his ribs. "Ouch, that hurt! You want me to have bruises?"

"You don't show your ribs in the magazine, or do you?" His eyebrow went up mockingly.

"No. But what if it was my eye? What then?"

"Maybe you'd get more jobs if you got a black eye. All the fangirls pitting you and all the boys laughing at you…"

"If you keep being mean I won't give you the Mai-chan's photo book I've promised."

"Just try and then you'll get the black eye. Or two." He barked, but it sounded like he said it only to keep his face than a real threat. At this point, Aomine couldn't care less about his Mai-chan. It was such a weird feeling for him, that he wasn't sure if he wasn't sick.

Kise picked up on this hesitation, or mood twist. He wasn't Aominecchi's best friend for nothing. "You don't really care about Mai-chan anymore, do you?" He asked in a more serious tone, which made Aomine look at him.

"Does it matter?"

"Not really, but maybe your little crush is a bit more than a crush?"

The horrified expression Aomine had, spoke for itself. It'd never crossed his mind. Or rather, he didn't want it to cross his mind. "Don't even joke about it. She is impossible."

"Hmmmm…" You are just scared… "We'll see about that."

"How is Satsuki involved in all this?" Aomine asked, suddenly changing the subject, because it'd been bothering him since the morning.

"Momocchi didn't do anything. I only consulted her about Ayacchi's preferences and picked the place according to it. And she called me about your little dispute, whatever it was about. She told me about Ayacchi's ex-boyfriend." He mentioned it to see Aominecchi's reaction.

Aomine frowned at that. "She told you 'bout him?" He asked.

"You don't like the idea?"

"What did she tell you?"

Aomine's voice wasn't friendly, and Kise knew it wasn't wise to poke a bear. "Nothing really. She just slipped that some ex exists. I believe Momocchi felt guilty for that."

"I bet she did." At least Kise didn't know more than him, calmed Aomine down slightly. Still, Satsuki knowing was considered a ticking bomb; Aomine didn't trust her abilities to keep a secret. Maybe he was underestimating his childhood friend, or maybe he knew her too well.

They watched the crowd of people flooding the space and taking their places at the tables. Some were obviously couples, some were friends or acquaintances, some came in groups or alone. The mixture of all different people was amusing. Older, younger, tall, short… The variety was amazing and so were the clothes they wore. They had glowing bracelets on their wrists, blue or yellow.

Hiroto returned to them once, to hand them blue glowing bracelets – for guests he said.

The room was full, but no one danced yet. It buzzed with voices and the air was filled with expectations and excitement. Suddenly, the lights went completely out. Everyone quieted. Only staircases and DJ's spot remained illuminated.

"Welcome!" Hikaru's voice filled the room. It travelled to all corners. Even without a microphone, the acoustics of a theatre carried his voice everywhere.

Spotlight shot through the air revealing Hikaru's figure. "I'm Shiranui Hikaru, as many of you know, and I organized this party for you to enjoy! I'm happy so many of you came. Thank you!" He stood in the middle of the big dance floor and stared into the crowd. His clothes were different from before. A costume to match Aya's dress.

People clapped.

"Seeing you dance in Latino rhythms, and dancing with you, is the greatest delight of mine." He smiled at them. "But before we'll all start enjoying the party, let me invite someone special. To set the mood right. Someone I'm honoured to have here with me tonight. Together we'll give you an inspiration, a little performance," he chuckled, "and to those who are not dancers, we will introduce three competitive dances. Rumba, Samba and Jive. In this order." He paused, and took in the atmosphere of the crowd. They were patiently waiting, expecting, curious… Awesome. "Let me introduce… Kagami Aya!"

From another corner, where another light bubble burst out, Kagami Aya gracefully walked in with a broad smile on her face.

And the crowd exploded. Those who knew her dragged the rest into a wild applause and whistling.

Oh, hove she loved and enjoyed this feeling. The thrill. She felt great. With Hikaru they warmed up, went over the music and choreography. She was content. They could always improvise. The spotlights didn't bother her; on the contrary, she was bathing in the light. It'd been months since she'd last sowed applause. It made her heart warm and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She was home. This was home. She missed this. Even though competitions were different, she loved this. Dancing for people. She knew some of them didn't like her or that some might have even hated her, but as long as there were those enchanted by her, those inspired by her, those pleased by her and those cheered up by her, she would dance for them.

Aomine momentarily forgot how to breathe. She was stunningly beautiful. Her wild red hair was braided into a loose French braid with lilies braided into it. He wondered if she did it on her own. From this distance, and in this light her dress looked like from a fairytale. Her strong legs carried her towards Hikaru; Kagami had always had this confident walk and strange spring in her legs. Now, she carried herself like a queen. It looked as if she wasn't touching the ground at all, as if she wasn't nervous at all. Maybe she wasn't; like he wasn't nervous when playing basketball.

She managed to capture everyone's attention.

"Look at this…" Kise breathed out, similarly stunned. "Is she famous?"

Aomine had to blink to be able to look away from her. "Nah." He smirked. "She just won the world championships a couple of times." He announced proudly.

"WHAT?!" Kise almost flipped over. "You've never told me!"

"And she's never told me." He said and frowned.

Kise knew he wouldn't get a better answer. Aominecchi was back to staring at the girl on the dance floor and he was completely enthralled again.

Hiroto appeared at their table. "I can't miss this." He explained when Kise gave him a questioning glance. "Listen to them." He pointed at the crowd that started buzzing again. Whispers were carried around. And for the first time the boys bothered enough to listen to them.

'It's Kagami Aya.'

'The world champion?'

'Is it really her?'

'I thought she quit. They say it was drugs.' 'She did, but it wasn't for drugs!' 'Oh, my, you know, artists.' 'But I know her! Personally. Don't badmouth if you know nothing. She's amazing.'

'I want to dance like her.' 'Yeah! She is awesome!'

'It's just her money that got her there.'

'She isn't that good. I think there are better dancers.'

"Good and bad. It's always like that with people…" Hiroto sighed. "There are always those who'll hate you and envy you when you get better than them. That's the world at the top and you need a very thick skin to survive up there."

Both nodded. Hiroto was right. Kise wanted to ask him what he was to her, but the movement on the dance-floor was more interesting.

When Aya reached Hikaru, her eyes were scanning the crowd. She knew some people from training camps, some from competitions, some from her previous club. No one was her close friend, but she knew them.

There was one person she spotted almost immediately, even though he was partially hidden in the corner. She could see the swirling ocean in his eyes even from this distance. It was natural. Finding him in a crowd felt so natural. And Aomine was staring back at her. She knew what it meant. Well damn… She thought. It's positive. You have a crush, Aya… Awesome~

A shiver ran down Aomine's spine. Hikaru's words were ignored; he didn't even hear what he was saying. Those reddish eyes were all he focused on; the mischievous and challenging spark she had in them. He could read what was written in her crackling orbs; he understood what she was saying to him. To him and no one else. 'Watch me.'

The lights went out again and the crowd was impatiently crackling with expectations and amusement. Everybody wanted to see the Kagami Aya show-dance.

The music started, and the lights focused on Aya. It was slow, almost lazy. And Aya's movement seemed like that too. It she was precise, showing off her figure, she slowly moved towards Hikaru, trying to get his attention.

Aomine had thought that Latino was very quick, and this dance was a complete opposite of his initial idea. It was precise, smooth but slow. Yet, he finally understood what Hikaru had meant calling it 'the dance of love', because they made their dance into a story. Story of love, from initial teasing, through waiting, exploring, rejection and passion, to love. She made it seem like there was no other man in the entire world, just Hikaru. The one she was fighting for, the one she craved. And he responded in the same way, like he worshipped her.

Watching Aya's body move in rumba rhythms bewitched him. He even forgot to breathe. Her slow teasing could drive anyone crazy. In some figures she looked like she was actually kissing Hikaru and it made Aomine tighten his jaw. Turmoil of his feelings was contradictory, he could watch her for eternity, yet he didn't like when Hikaru touched her like that.

The entire crowd was caught up in their small performance; Aya and Hikaru connected with the crowd. The audience felt like a part oo the performance; they could feel what the pair was presenting. Aya could truly connect with people who were watching her.

When the music stopped they roared and cheered. Aya and Hikaru bowed.

Dance wasn't a sport in Aomine's view, but he had to admit; it was 'so much more' as Aya had once said.

"Dancing slowly can be more difficult than it looks." Hiroto mused. Originally he wanted to explain what was going on to the boys, but judging by their awed expressions, he didn't have to. And the dance left him speechless too. Last time he had seen her perform in person, she'd been around twelve and already considered a monster, and she truly did evolve further. She was frighteningly talented.

"Why so?" Kise asked.

"Because all mistakes stand out. In quick rhythms, you can cleverly cover for a misstep, but in rumba… Not so much. I'm surprised Hikaru managed it without her covering for him."

Hikaru and Aya waited for a moment, so they muscles could relax, before they would dance Samba, which would be the longest of all three songs. It was also one of Aya's favourites. She wanted to make it interesting, and energetic.

"If you can't keep up, let me cover." She whispered to Hikaru.

He gulped. He had to focus. "The signals…"

"Don't worry 'bout it, I'll be where I'm supposed to be, just focus on being there too."

He nodded curtly.

Hikaru knew he wasn't as good as her partner had been, but he would do anything to let her shine. They knew each other and it helped a lot; well, Aya knowing him helped a lot. She wasn't going all out, but it was more than enough for him to keep up with.

The slow and sensual music was replaced by a Samba rhythm.

It started as a beat, and escalated. At first Aya danced alone, but Hikaru joined her soon enough. It was completely different from the previous love story. It was energetic and lively, full of joy and happiness. The air sparkled with cheerfulness and almost a childish glee.

Aya was smiling and laughing almost the entire time. She was enjoying herself and that alone made people enjoy the performance too. Aya was free-spirited, and even if there were some mistakes, she wasn't disturbed by it. Dancing was like breathing for her, she could adjust to almost anything.

When her legs started to move in the basic samba step – very quick step – Aomine and Kise couldn't believe it was possible. They barely saw what her legs were doing and the dress only enhanced her movements.

Her energy was transferred to people. Everyone could feel the anticipation and excitement vibrating in the air.

"She makes it look easy, but don't be fooled, he is barely keeping up." Hiroto chuckled. And his gleeful eyes followed the couple as it travelled around the entire dance-floor.

"I can't copy that." Kise's voice came out as a whisper. "No, I can copy him, but I wouldn't keep up with her."

Aomine blinked at his friend. It was unusual for Kise to admit he wasn't good enough. So far he couldn't copy the others from the generation of miracles, and he had some problems in martial arts. But to think he would say he wouldn't be able to keep up with Aya…

"There aren't many people who can keep up with her." Hiroto agreed. "That's why she quit competing, I presume. But one never knows for sure when it comes to Robin."

When the music stopped, they were breathing heavily. Even Aya seemed like she was catching her breath. She was moving on high-heels, and even then her heels barely touched the ground. Aomine couldn't relate to how much energy it must have been draining, but he could imagine.

"Sorry, but… Who are you to her?" Kise asked, because he had a few seconds to do so.

"Ask her to explain it." He smiled at the curious boy. There was no need for him to explain rather complicated relationships and history, which led to his family-like relationship with Kagamis.

Kise shrugged and looked at the couple. Shiracchi seemed tired.

"You okay?" She asked Hikaru, who didn't train regularly, and this amount of dancing, in connection with nerves from being watched, must have been taxing.

"I'll handle it. One more, right?"

"One more. You sure Jive is okay?"

"I'll be fine."

"If you say so." She smiled at him and nodded to the DJ.

If Aomine thought her legs were quick, this dance only proved it. Her legs were everywhere. And raw energy was flowing out of them.

This time, Hikaru, even though he was important as her partner, tried not to be seen much. All attention was on Aya, and on what she was doing. She could feel that Hikaru's stamina was drained, and he wouldn't do anything crazy like lifting her up. Not this time. So she matched her movements and speed with the music, and pulled out everything she could think of, to drag attention on her.

Aomine could imagine how much strain it put on her joints, yet she danced with so much happiness in her expression. Harasawa had been right, she was him in the dancing world, but unlike him, she didn't seem to struggle with her overwhelming talent. She truly belonged there. She enjoyed it. She loved it. And it almost made him want to try it out.

When she bowed deeply, lilies fell from her hair. She was surprised it'd stayed in for so long.

The crowd rewarded them with a long applause and whistling. They were amazed, ready to dance too. Performance set the atmosphere and when Aya and Hikaru went away, the dance-floor filled with people.

"The best table, right?" She popped out from the dim light. Sweat droplets glistered on her skin, and her cheeks were flushed from dancing.

"Ayacchi! It was amazing! I never thought you danced like that!" Kise praised her with sparkling eyes and looked around. "Where is Shiracchi?"

"He went to sit and rest." She shrugged. "I'm glad you liked it."

"You joking?! It was the best dancing performance I've seen in my life!"

Hearing that made her smile wider and her eyes sparkled in delight. If that was what people were thinking, she was content. Yet, she couldn't not tease him a bit. "I bet it was the only one you've seen so far, Model-kun."

Kise huffed. "Not true! I've seen some before. In my company, but it was nowhere near this! I didn't think Shiracchi was athletic."

"He isn't." Hiroto chuckled.

"He was, when he was younger. Now he only practises when he feels like it. Job and all." Aya defended him. "I've still enjoyed dancing with him. It was fun. And that's what's important." Her smile was contagious. "Look at them, so eagerly filling the dance-floor." Her eyes travelled around the room.

"You set the mood right." He ruffled her hair in a fatherly gesture, "It was a thrilling performance. I'm glad you are still at home in the spotlights. Would you consider having another?"

"Uhm..." She tried to fix her ruffled here. The gesture caught her by surprise. "I don't think so, Hiroto. I don't want to drag attention. It's better when they think I'm here only for a short period of time."

He stared at her for a moment, then he shrugged. He'd ask later; he didn't want to ruin her mood by some unnecessary question or comment. "I had to ask. I'd love to ask you for a dance, Robin, but I need to go back to my bar."

"If you could make me a Mojito, I'd be delighted."

"As you wish. One non-alcoholic Mojito for you on the way." He saluted and left.

"Thanks!" She waved him with a smile, then she looked at the two expectantly. "Now, who wants to dance with me?"

Aomine looked away. He didn't want to. He didn't dance.

Kise blinked in surprise and then a smile appeared on his face. "Please be nice to me."

"No three times rule. I know." She nodded. "Come on."

Aomine sighed; he'd have to watch her dance with others. With Kise out of all people… How lame. But he wouldn't embarrass himself. And how could he even think of handling her? It was impossible.

She talked with Kise about something and then she showed him what he was supposed to do. It was different from the performance, and yet he remembered some steps; she'd used it when they played basketball. Kise was nodding vividly to her explanations and then he took her into his arms without hesitation. Smooth bastard. Aomine thought and looked away, trying to watch another couple.

Hiroto brought her drink and asked Aomine to watch over it, just in case. He agreed, at least he had something to do. Some girls approached him, but he turned them down, in his usual arrogant manner. His eyes kept returning to Kagami.

He wanted to get answers from her, but now he had no idea how to do it. This wasn't basketball; something that came to him naturally. This was him trying to talk with Kagami. On a completely unknown territory. And he had no idea how to do it, without mortifying himself.

After four or five dances, Kise started dancing with someone else, and with each dance he was getting better. Girls changed around him like usual.

At some point, Hikaru stopped at Aomine's side for a moment. "You must be bored."

"Not really." He replied curtly. Kagami stopped by several times to drink and to ask him the same thing. 'Wanna dance?' He barely had any chance to reply, because someone always stopped by and dragged her for a dance. She never said no, but she was smoothly changing partners, rarely dancing with one guy for more than one song. In a way, it was amusing to watch, if only he didn't get the murderous urges.

"Hmmm… Do you enjoy watching her?"

"None of your business."

"You don't like me. I get it." Hikaru didn't feel intimidated by this boy, despite the height difference. Because Aomine was just that – a boy. "Maybe you should try to get used to us. If you want to be by her side, you need to learn to tolerate all kinds of people."

"I ain't in love with her. I don't even like her." He said, but his eyes tried to find her again; unsuccessfully. Where did she disappear to?

"I didn't say you are. But you do have a thing for her."

"Where are you going with this?" Aomine was suspicious of this guy. Hikaru was someone who knew Kagami in a way he could only dream of. And now this man was what? Threatening him? Provoking him?

Hikaru laughed. He liked the wariness in Aomine's expression. It was good when the boy felt insecure in the environment so out of his usual hang-outs. "Who knows? ... Think carefully about what you want, boy. She isn't a toy." He saluted to him and a mass of dancing bodies swallowed him.

Tch. The guy creeped him out.

Aya saw those two from across the room, when she was talking with the DJ about something.

"Did he say something weird?" She asked curiously, when she made it to the table. She took his coke and drank from it without asking. One of her Mojitos had gone missing, later she learned Kise had downed it, so she didn't bother with ordering anything more.

"Oi, that's mine!" He huffed, forgetting that she startled him once again.

Aya just laughed it off. "Come on. You are not gonna stand here the entire night." She grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the dance-floor. After she had danced with all those she knew and some new ones, she finally had time to be with Aomine. They needed to talk, and she had to get him somewhere he couldn't run away from.

"What?! I ain't dancing with you!" He panicked at the idea and used his weight to stop her. She had no chance against him.

She turned around to look at him. "Oh, don't make a scene." She rolled her eyes. "I played basketball with you, it's only fair."

"You know how to play it." He protested.

"I would've played it either way."

"You didn't win the guessing game."

"I've never said I wouldn't try to dance with you despite the loss."

"..." He didn't want to go. "I'll step on your feet."

"I don't care. You won't be the first."

"…"

"Anything else you want to discuss?" She raised an eyebrow. "You are here; you might as well try it out, right? Who knows when you'll get the next chance to dance with me ... or touch me, Honey-bun~" She teased him.

He grunted in annoyance but didn't fight her anymore when she dragged him to the dance floor. He couldn't resist her.

"Don't worry, I know you don't dance, so I don't expect anything." She smiled at him and rose her arm up to sign something to the DJ, who gave her thumbs up.

"What was that?" He asked suspiciously.

"I suppose trying to teach you something right now would be problematic in this environment, so… I asked him to put on some slow, swaying music. It doesn't have much of a Latino rhythm, but oh whatever. It's pretty late already and everyone wants to relax a bit." She grinned at him.

"?" He had still no idea what he was supposed to do. How should he hold her? Could he touch her? Was it okay? He'd definitely mortify himself. Crap… He could feel his heart beating frantically and he prayed it wasn't displayed on his face. Was he really going to dance? This situation was definitely not good for his heart.

Aya shook her head and chuckled. She could almost read his mind in this situation, yet she had no intention of making fun of him. She took his hands leading them towards her waist. He hesitated for a moment, but he could only comply.

His palms were big and hot, and she could feel his calluses. Not many dancers had rough, callused palms, so it was an unusual sensation for Aya. More than that, it was different when it was Aomine touching the bare skin of her waist and back. It felt like electricity humming under her skin and she didn't mind his touch at all. Maybe I should have gotten changed… She though as her heartbeat increased the moment he touched her.

"Touch too high or too low and I'll punch you." She warned him nonetheless.

"Are you trying to dare me, Sweetheart?" He asked with his typical smirk, trying not to think much about how soft her skin felt under his palms.

"I don't know. Am I?" She asked with a smirk of her own. Her hands circled his neck and suddenly she was much closer than ever before. Still, she kept some space between them.

Shit. He thought and took a slow, deep breath, trying to calm his heart and hide the fact that he was feeling both, uncomfortable and yet strangely pleased by this proximity. She was the first girl he'd ever allowed to be that physically close to him for more than a few seconds. Heck, she was the only girl who'd ever managed to get him to dance…

"You are taller from this close." Even in her high-heels, a bit lower than those from before, she was reaching only his chin.

"Were you always this short?" He asked teasingly, as she started to sway them into the rhythm.

"Very funny." To her surprise Aomine followed her lead and swayed from one foot to another. "I suppose this dancing isn't that mortifying, is it?"

"I'm not complaining." He caressed her side teasingly, because… what the hell should he do?

She didn't pull away; instead she leaned against his palm. As if naturally responding to his teasing. Aya was used to dancing with others, so she wasn't thinking too much about it, and yet she couldn't seem to calm her heart when it was Aomine holding her.

"Oh? And what ruckus you made when I dragged you here."

"So what?"

"Nothin'."

She tried to make them move around a bit. Aomine was clumsy, and so out of place on the dance-floor. He stood out like an elephant in a porcelain shop. When he was about to step on her foot, she avoided it most of the time. For her it was fun. He wasn't good, he couldn't lead her, but she liked this clumsy swaying. It was so different. Aomine's presence was soothing, calming, and safe and at the same time it made her feel nervous. He didn't expect anything, and he was there, despite his original protests…

"Sorry." He mumbled when he stepped on her foot again. Now she will put you down… He looked at her almost sheepishly, expecting some teasing comment – he would do that. Instead he came face to face with her soft and gentle smile. The rare one, he liked so much. Wait… he what?

"What?" He huffed and he could feel blood rushing to his face. He hoped the dim light and his darker skin tone would camouflage it well.

"We are on speaking terms again, right?" She asked, staring at him.

He gave her an incredulous look: You-ask-that-now? "… I s'pose." It wasn't like he could ignore her, when he was literally holding her in his arms.

She nodded. "Sorry for overreacting on Monday. You just asked a question."

Eh? He had no idea she worried about such a thing. He thought he was the only one who was concerned and feeling guilty about it. "Apology accepted…" He frowned. "…And sorry for calling you a coward." Aomine wasn't the apologising type, but he had the need to do it.

"Apology accepted. So…"

"… friends?" He filled in, though it didn't sound right at all. Not in this situation. But it was the only thing that came to his mind. He immediately slapped himself mentally. After all this crap, you ask her to be your friend?

Friends? Aya laughed, because she was about to say the same thing, too afraid to wish for more. "Fine by me."

"World champion huh?" He asked, hoping she would answer now.

"M-hm." She nodded. "Former world champion, though."

"Why didn't you tell… us?" 'Me?' – he wanted to ask, but changed his mind. The last time he had asked it ended up with them not speaking for a week.

"'cause it really wasn't important." She shrugged. "It wouldn't change anything and I didn't want there to be any strange rumours. So I won championships and? Is the world greener? Would you have behaved differently if you'd known?"

"No... Maybe?" Maybe he would've respected her a bit more, but no, he wouldn't have behaved differently. "I don't know."

To his luck she didn't ask when he had figured it out, or how. Otherwise he'd be dead.

His thumb was unconsciously drawing circles on her skin. When he felt a thicker skin on her left side, he stopped. It made him remember the scar on her left shoulder. He glanced to look at it, but it wasn't there. Had he dreamt it, or had she covered it somehow? And why the hell was there a scar on her side?

"I fell off a tree and scratched myself pretty bad." She explained when she noticed his confusion. "I had no idea I would wear a dress like this, so I didn't cover it up. I'm sorry if it creeps you out."

Something dark flashed in her eyes and he wondered what bastard dared to be creeped out by the small scar on her skin, or insult her, or whatever; for her to have that kind of expression.

"I didn't say anything." He tracked it with his thumb again, to show he didn't care one bit and he wasn't creeped out in the slightest. "But falling off a tree? You?"

She laughed. "I was seven and a tomboy! Of course I climbed trees!" I still do...

Aomine chuckled. It was a low husky chuckle, cleared from the usual arrogance. She liked the sound, and how his lips curled upwards into a genuine smile. It was a rare sight, and Aya was aware of it. She decided to keep it in her memory, hoping that this wasn't the only time she'd see it.

They didn't notice a certain blonde taking a video of them, or the two men standing at the best table with content smiles, which turned into evil grins and a silent deal, to tease the two thickheads in denial… or to tease Aomine, because Aya already knew them all too well…

After one more 'swaying' song they headed towards the table.

Well, Aya was walking backwards, dragging Aomine again. She didn't want to let go yet, but she didn't want to hold his hand either, so she was dragging him by his wrist. It seemed acceptable between friends, right?

By heart, she knew the way towards the table; she didn't need to look at her way. Too bad she didn't realize she was walking right into a plan of the two, grinning idiots.

Hikaru and Hiroto decided to 'go for a dance'.

As they were passing Aya and Aomine, Hikaru discreetly stuck out his foot, making Aya trip. He knew just how to do it, because with Aya it wasn't easy at all. When she felt she was falling, she instinctively grabbed onto Aomine with both hands. With his instincts he shouldn't have had a problem steadying them both… Unless someone tripped his foot and pushed him forward. In his effort to steady them both, they ended up tangled even more.

"Ayacchi! Aominecchi!" Kise sprang forward, but he was too far away to catch either of them.

Aya harshly fell on her butt. "GAH… What the-!"

Aomine fell forward, pinning Aya down and forcing the air out of her lungs. He wasn't the lightest person out there… He should have hit his face, but he didn't feel any harsh impact. His face landed someplace soft and bouncy.

"Enjoy little boy. This might be the closest to her heart you'll ever get." Hikaru laughed.

In that instant Aomine realized just where his face had landed.

Right in-between Aya's boobs.

It made him spring backwards immediately, pushing Aya away. His mind went blank and he could feel he was red even behind his ears. Oh god… But it felt nice…

"You two!" Aya growled at them, blushing as well. Having Aomine's face between her boobs wasn't exactly what she had imagined for the evening. "You did it on purpose!" She was already on her feet and glaring at the two.

"Oh, did we?" Hikaru made an innocent face and glanced at Hiroto. Yeah, Hiroto and he were protective of this little Robin, but teasing her like this was definitely worth it.

"I'm sure you've just imagined it, Robin." Hiroto joined his friend.

"What the hell?!" If this got photographed… "Have you lost your minds?!" Aya was thanking all gods above that they were near the best table and partially shielded from prying eyes. She prayed no weird rumours would start.

"Don't say you didn't enjoy it."

Aya rolled her eyes. "But yes of course! Because I enjoy hitting my butt against the wooden floor, thank you very much."

"You're welcome Robin." Hiroto said and took several steps away from her.

Her reddish eyes narrowed at them. I'll-get-back-at-you-morons: it meant, and it sent a shiver down their spines and they rather vanished in the crowd, leaving the young ones to sort it out.

Then she looked at Aomine, whose face was still red with a mortified expression, it was almost cute. Usually it was him making fun of others, not the other way around. He was trying to get back his composure of nonchalance and arrogance, but the feeling of Aya's boobs against his face was burnt into his memory. Don't get a hard-on. Kept replaying in his head.

Aya took a deep breath, her blush disappeared and she managed to regain her composure again; mainly because she got angry at the two, and thanks to that, she didn't think much about the fall.

"Don't get a hard-on just from a pair of boobs, Honey bun. You like that kind of stuff, no?" She teased with a smirk, but honestly it wasn't easy staying calm after this.

"Aominecchi." Kise shook his head in disappointment, but he was only teasing. "Really, to think you would misuse such a situation."

"Go to hell Kise." He growled in a low voice, being angry was better than being flustered. Kise probably provoked him on purpose. He finally got up from the ground. "I'm killing both of them."

"I know where to hide the bodies." Aya's voice sounded awfully close and he jumped away from her.

She laughed at his reaction. "It was just an accident, Aomine. Plotted, but still an accident. It surprised me, yes. But I'm not angry at you or anything."

"So you didn't mind it, Sweetheart?" His usual attitude was back. They were friends, but that didn't mean he couldn't tease, right?

I didn't… mind? "Repeat the same scenario again and I swear I'll punch you." She growled but a slight blush didn't slip anyone's attention.

Hmph… Aomine blushed again too, but this time his skin tone hid it well. "I'd like to see that."

Kise shook his head. "Are you-" seriously flirting that openly? He wanted to ask and tease them both, but his phone rang. And both of his friends looked at him. "Yeah?" He picked up.

"Where the hell is that little ass of yours?!" His sisters' voice hissed at him from the other side.

Kise's eyes widened and he ran his fingers through his hair. "Aiko-nee-cchi! Ehehehe… I got held up."

"How long do you think I can cover for you?! Dad's been asking where you went! I told them you went to a goukon and then you headed to a work party with Emi-nee-san. But it's midnight! You said you'd be at home by ten!" She was scolding him in a hushed voice, so their parents wouldn't hear her. Thank god Emi lived on her own, because she was already home. If she'd returned to their house without Ryouta…

"I'm sorry, Aiko-nee-cchi!" He whined apologetically. "I'll get going. Pleaaase don't rat me out, or I'm dead."

"… You are doing laundry for the next month."

"Whyyy?!" He hated that! And she knew it! How unfaaair!

Aya glanced at Aomine. "Is that a sister?"

He nodded gravely. "Aiko-san, the middle one. She can be scary as hell."

Oh… Aya wondered what kind of story was behind this, because Aomine didn't use honoricifs with anyone. And there he was, politely addressing Kise's older sister…

"I suppose we need to go?" She asked when Kise hung up.

"You don't have to… but I do. Parents are gonna kill me if I'm too late. And my sisters will not cover for me for free…" He pouted. "And call that 'love', geh…"

"Be glad they covered for you this long."

"At the cost of doing laundry, Ayacchi! Laundry! I hate that!"

"You can still colour their shirts blue or pink or make it shrink and act as if you have nooo idea what happened. Trust me. It works, but only twice or thrice…"

"You're evil." Aomine said as they headed towards the exit, giving short good-bye nods to Hiroto and Hikaru. He couldn't look them in the eyes.

"Nah… I have a brother. We've had laundry wars a couple of times."

"That's actually a good idea, Ayacchi! You are a true friend." Kise teared up. "I wish you were my sister."

"Careful what you wish for, Model-kun." She smirked at him. "Anyways I'm calling a taxi. Anyone up for a ride home? It's on me."

"Eeeh… but I'll pay too. I have a job after all." Kise protested.

"It's my idea; you don't have to worry about it."

"I insist, Ayacchi!"

"As you wish, but you really don't have to." She said, already dialing up the number she stored in her phone.

Aomine yawned. He was so tired after the day's drama. By this time he was usually in his bed, and he was sure his father was waiting up for him as well… He just didn't call. Kise was lucky to have siblings to cover for him. He could always ask Satsuki, but it wasn't that simple.

"It should be here in ten minutes." Aya announced.

"Are your parents okay with you being here, Ayacchi? Or is Kagamicchi covering for you as well?"

"He isn't. And about my parents… I don't know. We're here on our own." She shrugged. "My father is in L.A. and we don't have mom anymore. I suppose there is no one to worry 'bout me except Taiga. And he knows I'm here and with you two, so it's fine." There was no emotion as she said it. This was her norm.

"That's…" Kise started. But he wasn't sure what to say, or how to react. He had no idea. As everyone else, he assumed Ayacchi was living with her father and mother… but they were in Japan on their own…

Aya noticed his sudden lack of words. "Don't overthink it Model-kun. I don't need your sympathy, it's normal for us." That's why she didn't like talking about family or personal stuff. It wasn't all smiles and sunshine, and so people usually found it difficult to process. Or they started pitying her. She hated pity the most.

"I just… It was surprising, that's all." He said with a smile. So that's why Amane-san was so protective…

"It has its pros and cons." She smiled back at him and then she yawned. She was tired too.

Their ride home was quiet, but comfortable.

######

"Ki-chan! Is that real?!" Satsuki called him immediately after she obtained the video of Dai-chan dancing with Aya-chan. She couldn't believe her eyes. Dai-chan was clumsy, but he seemed to be having fun. "How did it happen? They weren't talking for the entire week!"

"Well, well… Ayacchi's charm, I believe. I did nothing." Kise sounded innocent, but he was really glad for his friend.

"Can I send it to Michiko-san?"

"No. I didn't send it to you for sharing, Momocchi." He scolded her slightly. I'll send it to her myself. "And please, don't show it to anyone, or Aominecchi will figure it out, and kill me. You don't want me to get killed, do you?"

"Of course not! You are my friend Ki-chan! I'll keep it a secret! But at least send it to Aya-chan. She should know, or you'll face worse death from her than from Dai-chan."

I don't think I dare to send it to her…. He thought.

######

The taxi ride through the city was something new for him, but he didn't mind the experience. Aya's family was, however, still on his mind. How did it even feel to be out there alone? Or only with a sibling?

He slipped out of his shoes, and headed towards his room, deep in thoughts.

"Daiki, where have you been so long?" His father asked when he returned home past midnight.

"Out."

"What's that?" He asked and pointed at the blue glowing bracelet he still had on his wrist.

"A guest pass, I suppose." He shrugged and greeted Shiro and Kurome.

Daisuke's eyes narrowed. He wasn't a strict father, but he didn't like his son returning home this late, without announcing it beforehand. Mostly, because he knew that Daiki went for a goukon. "A guest pass to where?"

"A theatre turned into a dance-bar. Kise's idea. I've done nothing wrong, dad, so stop interrogating me. I'm tired." He said, turned around and left to take a quick shower and then go to sleep.

"Oi!" His father tried to stop him, but it was useless.

Minutes after, his phone chimed. Michiko had sent him a video from her night shift in a hospital.

'Look what Ryouta-kun sent me! I can't believe our baby boy is dancing! (●＾o＾●) The girl is Kagami Aya-chan. She is a former world champion!

We'll talk later. Love. (^^)/'

He watched it.

Then he watched it again.

And again.

Was that really his son? Smiling? So this was Kagami Aya…

Pride swelled in him. The girl didn't seem to be an easy catch.

Then he replied to his wife.

'(°_°) Is that really our son? I can't believe it. Of course we'll talk about it! Love you.'

######

"Okaerinasai." Taiga greeted her, when she returned. "How did it go? Any boyfriend?"

"Tadaima." She greeted him back with a yawn. "We'll talk 'bout it tomorrow. 'kay? I'm tired. And I need to write a message to Hikaru. I forgot to announce some details to him…"

"Stingy… and here I was, waiting up for you." He grumbled and dragged himself to his room.

"What a kid…"

She took a quick shower, and after she was snuggled into her covers she typed a message to Hikaru.

'Yo, I got home safely. I took the dress and shoes as a payment for the performance. The stained dress is in your bag, so please do something about it, you know I love that piece.

P.S.: I won't forgive the 'trip plot', say that to Hiroto as well.'

---

A/N: As I've mentioned earlier, I don't dance, and everything I know about dancing I google up, or I ask my friend who does Latin dances. So she helped me a bit with the dancing part. I found writing this (and rewriting it a lot) very challenging, so I hope there are not any plot holes, and that Kise and Aomine aren't OOC... I admit, it might've been shorter, but I didn't feel like cutting out some parts.

Aaand they are still not dating! Please don't hate me now! (/ω\)

If you are interested in the music, you can find it on youtube: Rumba: "Doris day - perhaps, perhaps, perhaps"; Samba: "Samba music: Baila Latino - Que el ritmo no pare"; Jive: "Jive music: Nina Zilli - L'amore e femmina". Music for Samba and Jive were posted by "Best Ballroom Music" (as they are adjusted).

/sentence structure, grammar minor wording changed on 22.4.2021/

So, let me know what you think and remember, reviews are appreciated, but never necessary.

S.