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?

40. Chapter 40: No one gives up

A/N: Thanks to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed! It makes me very happy :)

I managed to finish another chapter, so I'm posting on time (more or less).

Enjoy!

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You cannot control the behavior of others, but you can always choose how you respond to it. ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

The strongest people find the courage and caring to help others, even if they are going through their own storm. ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart. ― José N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love

Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well. ― Jack London

Please believe that things are good with me, and even when they're not, they will be soon enough. And I will always believe the same about you. – Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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The journey to Akita was silent.

Mayu was fully focused on driving, usually she'd want to talk with them, but the twins had unapproachable aura around them. It was obvious they didn't want to talk and she respected it. The music was quietly humming in the car, because as passengers, the two didn't protest against it. After all, Mayu needed something to keep her awake and alert.

Taiga would occasionally ask something, but even he was surprisingly quiet and worried; not only about Suzume, but about Aya too. He could feel his twin's distress, but if she refused to talk about it, he could do little to nothing to help. The state she was in was caused by something more than just Suzume and Taiga would swear it was partly Aomine's doing. The bluenette appeared to have something against Aya, and judging by their interaction they must've had argued quite seriously. He knew his sister that much. He hadn't had time to punch the arrogant prick, but if he got his hands on the tanned ace, he'd strangle him without a second thought.

Aya was sitting in the back, curled up on the seat and staring into the darkness flowing outside the windows. She didn't feel like crying anymore and more cigarettes wouldn't help either. She felt empty. Exhausted by all the emotions she'd felt that day going from embarrassment through excitement through joy through worry and anger and bitterness and shock and anxiety, and different combinations of all those, she couldn't feel a thing now. The quiet hum of the music and engine were lulling her to sleep. She was drifting into a sweet oblivion just to be jerked awake when an image of Suzume laying on the hospital bed appeared in her mind. No, she would definitely not be able to sleep until she knew her friend escaped from a gravedigger's shovel and would recover, or at least survive. Aya wasn't sure she'd handle another person leaving her life like that. The idea itself was unbearable. And then there were Aomine and Satsuki… She didn't have the strength to think about them.

######

Breakfast in the hotel was quiet. Touou's team knew they'd lose without Aomine. They were good, but not enough; they'd all seen Rakuzan in action. But despite the nonexistent chance to win they decided to fight them head on. The second place wasn't that bad after all.

However, the sudden absence of their cheerful manager hit them hard. The coach said she'd had a very urgent matter to attend to, but he hadn't specified it, which caused further wonders and questions among the boys. Part of them believed it might've been Aomine's fault and the ace refused to communicate with anyone. Even Satsuki was strangely absent minded and depressed over something.

Tatsuya strolled towards Touou's table. He couldn't watch that depressed atmosphere looming over Aya's team any longer. If they continued like that, they could forfeit the match without trying at all. "Where's Aya?" He asked, looking at the coach.

Katsunori glanced at the boy unimpressed by his direct question. "She went away." He answered curtly, he didn't know Tatsuya that much and he owed him nothing, but it surprised him that Aya hadn't told the boy anything.

"Why?" Tatsuya demanded further.

"I believe that's none of your business."

"It is my business," he raised his voice slightly, "it's their business too." His eyes ran around the faces looking at him. "You all look like a bunch of beaten dogs. You got into the finals. This anxiousness won't help you win it. If Aya saw you right now, she'd wallop you." He wasn't sure why he was trying to cheer them up, but his team had lost to Rakuzan quite badly, he hoped Touou might put up a more decent fight – their offence was better after all.

Katsunori sighed, there was something interesting about the boy, he gave him that much. The grey eyes met another and they locked their gazes for a moment. Then Katsunori decided to explain the situation, the team deserved it and Aya hadn't asked him to keep it a secret, she'd simply asked him to tell them.

"Her best friend was in a car accident yesterday, a frontal collision, and is currently balancing on the death's threshold. Aya had to go there, she isn't a person to sit and wait while her friends are in danger. That's why she's gone. She said she was sorry for not staying here to support you."

"She's needed elsewhere right now…" Tatsuya said quietly. "The best friend... it's Suzume, right? How bad was the crash?"

Katsunori narrowed his eyes at Tatsuya. "Bad enough to kill the girl's parents on the front seats. No one knows if she will wake up. That's all I know. Is that enough for you, Himuro-kun?" He gave him a withering look.

There was a murmur of voices.

Tatsuya paled upon hearing this. He ran his left hand up his face and into his hair in shock. He lifted his fringe unconsciously, revealing the scar on his cheek beneath it. In the moment, he was too shocked to pay attention to curious glances the boys and even Katsunori sent his way. Even if Aya and he had been broken up by the time Seth had been forced to leave the twins, Tatsuya had seen what it did to her. She couldn't handle losing people; it ate up on her soul and heart and fuelled her nightmares as Taiga had told him once. And Seth hadn't been facing a possibility of death. He couldn't imagine what Aya must've been feeling, but he prayed that Suzume – whoever she was – would get through it.

He shook his head and his hair fell back immediately. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." Katsunori said. "Is there anything else you want?"

Tatsuya watched the boys for a while. "You should play to win." He looked at Aomine in particular – something was definitely off about the ace. "Despite the situation, I'm sure she'll watch your match eventually. And trust me, nothing feels more bitter than Aya's scolding after putting up a half-assed fight. I'd know that..." He muttered the last sentence under his breath and turned to rejoin his team.

After hearing all this, Aomine felt as if he swallowed a bucket of ice. The Suzume girl he'd heard before was now fighting for her life? So Aya's premonition and anxiousness hadn't been off at all. It was eerie, but it made him realise… Oh, how stupid he'd been the previous evening! He wanted to punch himself for those words. Running away? Kagami Aya? I'm a fuckin' idiot! His hand travelled up his face in desperation. Of course Taiga had looked at him with that murderous light in his eyes. And maybe…

He fished out his phone and finally checked the message from Aya he'd ignored before.

'Good luck and win the match, Honey-bun.' It said. The delivery time was late evening, long after the match had ended. It didn't make any sense to him. Could she actually send it before the match and it was only delivered this late? If she knew he was sitting out, why would she send that to him at all? The redhead wasn't someone who was mean. And then there was the taping he'd found on his bed along with some snacks he liked but hadn't asked for. She had no reason to give him any of those if he was out.

A terrible feeling made his insides churn. Most likely it wasn't Aya's doing... Her surprise when he'd snapped at her had most likely been genuine and she truly had had no idea what he'd been talking about – hence the lack of arguments. 'I thought you knew her better.' Taiga's words rang in the back of his mind. The words he couldn't understand the previous night.

Oh, fuck… He thought, remembering all he'd told her. Liar? Traitor? Running away?! Dammit… She's neither of those! He realised desperately, too late.

If she wanted him to sit out, she would've told him herself just like she'd told Kise. Why hadn't he realised it sooner? Well, his rage was blinding enough that he punched Tada – someone who had never done anything to him. Of course he hadn't been thinking soberly or logically.

And now, the redhead was gone for the summer.

######

The twins arrived at the hospital around 8AM. They barely waited for Mayu to safely stop the car as they tumbled out and towards the hospital building.

It was the first time that Aya ignored her panic about hospitals. She walked into ER like she owned the place; with her usual elegance, despite the whole-night drive and previous crying. Some nurses and medics glanced at her in curiosity – the girl was pale enough to end up as their next patient. She didn't care about it.

Taiga was surprised that she was keeping it together, but he was ready to support her if she showed any sign of getting a panic attack. There was none.

"Aya-chan!" Saeru called out to her when she noticed the familiar red hair.

"Ah, Saeru-obaa-san." Aya bowed her head in greeting and threaded her way towards the old woman.

Saeru looked almost scary; waxy pale with her eyes red from crying and dark circles underneath them – a sign she hadn't slept a minute. She was carrying two steaming coffees, probably for her and her husband sitting somewhere in a waiting room. Saeru looked like she'd aged 10 years in one day.

"Oh, Aya-chan." A lump appeared in Saeru's throat again and she took in a shaky breath to calm down.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Aya said and lowered her head. Taiga repeated the action. The old woman had just lost her son.

Saeru nodded. "Come." She jerked her head towards where they were sitting the whole night.

The twins followed silently. Afraid of what they'd see.

Naoto was sitting in front of an ICU room, resting his elbows on his knees with his head hanging low. His fingers were intertwined and he was squeezing his fists so tight his knuckles were all white. When he heard them, he looked up and nodded in recognition, but he said nothing. He couldn't.

Aya looked at the door her heart feeling heavy as lead. There was a glass window next to the door. The blinds on the window were opened, most likely for the grandparents. They officially weren't allowed in after the surgery.

The twins could see their best friend lying on a hospital bed with numerous cannulae sticking out of her arm. The monitors were beeping, showing her heart and lung functions. Suzume's head was bandaged too; she must've hit it as well. But the worst sight was the legs. External fixation devices were used to hold both Suzume's shin bones in place. The right leg was completely surrounded by the strange frame.

When Aya saw that, her knees buckled under her weight and she grabbed onto Taiga's elbow to keep balance. She covered her mouth with her hand and tears pricked her eyes again.

"What the hell is that thing?" She asked in a whisper, her throat was dry making her unable to use her voice.

"It keeps the bones in place." A soft manly voice came from behind them.

When they turned they saw a doctor around Aya's height with dark circles under his eyes. "I'm Tomizawa Akio. Her attending doctor." He introduced himself and glanced at the unconscious girl in the room. "I believe you're her friends." The doctor looked at Saeru who nodded and sipped from the coffee all the while watching Suzume.

"You can tell them everything; these two are like her siblings. Like Yomi-chan." Naoto said, his voice was coarse and heavy.

Tomizawa nodded and sighed. Moriyama Suzume was a miracle. The girl must've had an unbelievable will to live, because he couldn't explain it otherwise. The blood-loss had been enormous. Him and several of his colleagues had spent over 10 hours in the surgery of this girl and there were moments when they'd thought they'd lose her. But he didn't want to burden the teenagers by all the details.

"It's a miracle, she made it. But the next few days will be really crucial. For now we're keeping her in artificial sleep. I believe she will heal. Suzume-chan is a real fighter." He said.

Aya narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn't satisfied by that. "She needs to wake up first…" She muttered.

"And she will." The doctor said with certainty he sure didn't feel.

"There is a possibility of coma too. Doctor, please, don't treat me like a kid. What are her chances?"

He ran his fingers through his short hair and sighed heavily. "I don't know." He admitted. "A metal rod ran through her right side just under the ribcage, it damaged a small part of her intestines which we treated first. We fixed her ribs broken by the seatbelt which also caused surface injuries. Her legs were tattered when the front seat rammed to the back where she was sitting damaging bones and muscles too. She lost a huge amount of blood we needed to replace. Four of us worked for over 6 hours on putting her legs back together. Thankfully, her spine and other organs weren't affected. She is stabilised, and for now we are keeping her asleep. We did everything we could and more; we wanted to avoid multiple surgeries. It's all up to her now. But she's young and I've never seen a fighter like that. She should get through this."

"Will she walk again?" She asked with a lump in her throat.

"That depends on her too. We fixed the bones in her legs and knees with screws, sewed all the muscles and damaged nerves so they can heal properly. Physically, she will heal, but it will hurt a lot, she'll need a lot of rehabilitation and a long recovery time. She might limp for the rest of her life, but she might also fully recover and play volley once again. She is young and strong. But there are things beyond us too. And right now, I can't say anything for sure."

The twins nodded grimly. They wanted to know too much too soon. Of course it wasn't that simple. They'd spent their share of days in a hospital too. And their injuries were nowhere near this serious.

"Can we go in?"

The doctor shook his head. "It's a sterile environment. She can't afford to get an infection."

"And if we dress up into one of those things you wear?" Taiga pleaded. "Only for a moment."

Tomizawa glanced at the grandparents – he had let them in for a moment too. The girl, even if unconscious could probably sense the people around her. And the support was a very important part of any recovery process, he knew. They both nodded.

"Only for three minutes." He said.

They nodded.

While he took them aside to properly sterilise them both, Mayu arrived and greeted the Moriyamas, offering her condolences. As a partly former racer, she was aware of how damaging a car crash could be. However, she'd never had or seen one this bad. She felt sorry for the girl and for the twins. The older couple was surprised that this instinctively offered support from the twins and their close ones was helping them too. Those kids surely had bonds for life.

The beeping of the monitor and the scents of the room made Aya stagger for a moment. The fear was back and a part of her wanted to get out and run, while another part wanted to stay by her friend's side until she'd wake up. And she knew that neither was possible.

"You okay?" Taiga asked her softly, overwhelmed by the situation too.

Tomizawa glanced at them curiously. The redheaded girl looked ready to pass out any minute too and it worried him.

"Yeah," she peeped, "I just hate hospitals." She bit her lip and overcame the sudden irrational wave of fear.

"Three minutes." The doctor reminded them and walked out, staying just behind the window. He had a daughter of that age too, so he promised he'd watch over Suzume as a hawk. The girl had to survive.

The twins nodded and approached Suzume's bedsides cautiously. Aya reached out and grasped Suzume's palm into her own. The skin was dry and warm and despite the bruises on her face, Suzume looked peaceful. It scared her. She gave Suzume's hand a small squeeze, noticing that Taiga was doing the same. As if saying 'Hey, we're here with you'.

Hot tears rolled down Aya's cheeks again. This was the worst. "You have to fight, Love, I need you." She said in a whisper.

"We need you." Taiga added; his voice low and tense, he was fighting the tears himself. As a boy, he didn't feel comfortable when he was crying. "You can't give up, you hear me?"

######

"Did you argue with Aya?" Tatsuya ambushed him at the vending machine. Aomine had unapproachable aura since the morning and even his own team kept their distance. Tatsuya'd noticed that Aomine hadn't been playing in the semi-finals but he'd had no idea why. And then Aya's face when she'd returned yesterday and Aomine's reaction… Tatsuya wasn't stupid.

Daiki was bent forward, taking out his drink and he lifted his gaze to look at Tatsuya. "What's that to you?" He asked with hostility lacing his voice.

Tatsuya shrugged, "nothing. But I'm still a part of her patchwork family. Like it or not, I care."

"What do you want?" A deep crease formed on Daiki's forehead when he frowned. He was beating himself up quite efficiently, unable to figure out what to do. He didn't have the capacity needed to try understanding Ex's reasoning.

"I want to help." He said simply. "I've known her for a much longer time than you. But I need to know what happened."

Daiki's frown deepened even more. "Why would you?" He really didn't like this guy.

"Because I love her." Tatsuya said straightforwardly. "And because I owe her. All I want is for her to be happy. Although trust me, I'd rather strangle you."

"Heh, says a guy with an injured shoulder." Daiki snorted, but he took in everything Tatsuya said. Certainly, the note that Tatsuya 'loved her' didn't please him in the slightest. But maybe he could at least try to respect this obviously masochistic weirdo.

Tatsuya rolled his eyes. "So? Do you want my insight or not?"

"Honestly? No." He said, staring at Tatsuya confidently. He'd rather ask Kise than the ex. But Kise knew the redhead even less than him, or maybe about the same, considering she trusted the blonde too. It was a real struggle. He didn't want to owe anything to Tatsuya. He sighed. "But I guess I don't have much of a choice."

"You won't owe me anything." Tatsuya said as if reading his mind. "I'm doing it for her, not you." He jerked his head towards the door and the outside courts. He didn't want to discuss this here. One never knew who might be listening.

"Figures." He smirked and followed after the shorter boy.

At the courts he quickly enlightened Tatsuya about the cause of his dispute with Aya. He sure didn't know how to phrase it well and he felt odd saying it out loud to basically his enemy. But he was curious about what Tatsuya might say, and he was that desperate.

Tatsuya sighed heavily after hearing the short version of the story. "You're stupid idiots. Both of you."

"HEY!"

With a raised palm he tried to quiet the tanned ace. "You're an idiot for not trusting her and calling her all that, especially after the night she treated us all. If only you listened to what she says properly… And she's an idiot for not punching you in the face once you blamed her."

"But it was logical! She could've very well arranged it!"

"That's true." Tatsuya nodded. "She could have. But first, she'd warn you, or tell you herself, second, she had competed with injuries too, she understands what it means and she would do everything in her power to keep you running if you wanted. She'd be a hypocrite if she rat you out without warning you first. Trust me, I know."

Aomine grumbled and nodded in agreement, very reluctantly though. He'd figured that much on his own already. "So?"

"Call her! Talk it out. This won't go away on its own. You hurt her deeply. I bet it went both ways, but…"

"Tch," he hated dealing with important things over the phone. "I doubt she'll pick up." Why am I even talking with him?

"Maybe not, but you will have tried. And she'll see that you are trying, caring… If you love her, learn to admit your mistakes and say sorry. I learnt it too late. Bickers are normal, she is fiery, but the real arguments… She tries to avoid that if possible. And she's always known how to say sorry and swallow her pride to save her relationships. Well… most of them." Why he was getting involved to such a degree was beyond his understanding. Maybe he truly was a masochist. But he hated that expression on Aya's face and he cared. He wasn't the boyfriend anymore, but he was the twins' older brother. Who else was supposed to care if not him?

"How long will she stay in Akita?"

"If you're thinking about going up with us to talk to her, forget it. By the time we'll get home she'll have been long gone." Tatsuya shrugged, he knew Aya's schedule already. "Although I believe she'd rather stay with Suzume until the girl heals, she can't. They have their flight in the early evening and they'll only have a couple of days with the French branch of their family and then she needs to check out the place and all contracts regarding the training camp and all."

"You know awfully lot." Daiki grumbled displeased by the fact.

Tatsuya shrugged again with a half smile. "I've been around her for 7 years; I know how she works. Well… I only assume she'll board that flight, but you know; she went to the training camp month after her mother had been killed, because someone had to take care of it. If she can't swap with Suzume, she'll go and do her work. For that girl's sake too."

Daiki gave him a small nod. He could sense that the ex was being honest; it was readable in his grey eyes. And Daiki always had some sort of sixth sense or instinct for that.

"Where'd you get the scar?" He asked spontaneously. Befriending the ex wasn't his intention, but he wanted to know a bit more and tolerate the guy a bit more. Tatsuya was after all, a part of Aya's life he couldn't erase. Though it didn't make him less jealous. The ex knew damn much and he wasn't going away.

"Oh," Tatsuya blinked at him in surprise and pulled up his fringe. He'd probably shown it to more people from Touou. "This?" The scar was a ragged line copying Tatsuya's left cheekbone, starting at a side of his nose, under the eye and snaking almost to the top of his ear. The wound must've been bone-deep and bled like crazy and it apparently hadn't been stitched or left to heal properly. But it was an old wound.

"Yeah."

Tatsuya smirked. "Well, I like to present it as a memento from a fight."

"Which is a lie," Daiki nodded with a smirk too.

"It sounds better. Less bloody and cooler than it was."

"What did you do?"

"We were eleven, exploring around some empty house to be demolished, not paying too much attention. Some local thugs happened to have illegal dog fights in the area and the property served to contain two of those dogs, well, they were wolf-dogs. We didn't know and we were curious. There was a high iron fence with spikes and some iron rods were haphazardly spread around the property. And you know Aya. She found a place with missing spikes and we climbed over the fence with her help – she was the best at that. Real three idiots." He shook his head remembering that day and snorted derisively. He felt he could say the story to this guy – and maybe Aomine had already known.

"Of course we were chased and had to jump over the fence into safety. I went over first, then the twins, but as I tumbled over I slipped and almost impaled myself on one of those rods. Thankfully, it only scratched my cheek down to the bone and missed my eye. I don't remember much of the fall. Aya scratched the small of her back quite deeply. And Taiga got bitten, almost pulled back down. If it weren't for Seth putting down those dogs, Taiga might've been a goner. All of us really…" He shrugged. Aya would've jumped back for her twin and he would've jumped back for both.

Daiki was blinking in disbelief. "For real?"

"I swear. Seth wanted to kill us for sneaking out behind his back. We didn't dare look him in the eyes for the next two weeks."

"That I believe." He said grimly, imagining a reaction of his own father. "Doesn't make me like you any better."

"Urgh, please, just don't like me." Tatsuya teased with an eye roll, letting his emotion show for once. "Aya wouldn't appreciate that. And it gets awkward when I have to turn down guys."

Daiki blushed in mortification, and then paled. "Tch, go to hell! I hate you!" He exclaimed and turned on his heel to leave.

"You're welcome!" Tatsuya called after him and shook his head. "He sure asked a pointless question…" He mumbled and traced the scar with his fingers.

######

Daiki returned to his room and sat down with a sigh. The boys didn't talk to him, so he assumed they knew about his dispute with Aya. I deserve that. He thought.

It was Naito's voice that rang through the room. "Okay, what the hell happened?" He'd had enough of this nonsense.

Daiki's head snapped up and he looked at Naito in surprise. "Huh?"

"Aya left because of her friend, but there's more to it. What happened between the two of you?" He rephrased it and kept his unwavering eyes pinned at Aomine. "Did you really blame her for that?"

He snorted. "If she told you, why do you ask?"

Naito groan in exasperation. "Because she didn't tell us a thing. Only that you argued and she didn't want to talk about it."

"So?" He raised an eyebrow. "You know it anyways. What do you want?"

"Nothing. I wanna tell you that you're an idiot! A stupid fuckin' idiot and you'd have deserved to be slaped. That's it." He threw his hands into the air and ignored the warning looks of Ishii and Kano. "So? What now?"

"What 'what now'?" Daiki was utterly confused by the smarty pants. He had no idea what the boy wanted to achieve with this or what was the point of the insults. But he took it levelly, after all, he and Naito were far from being friends.

"Urgh! You've watched Rakuzan play yesterday. We all know we'll probably lose, but how do we keep them in check? How do we play?"

"What?"

Naito rolled his eyes. "You're the goddamn arrogant ace of the generation of miracles. Don't tell me that instinct is the only thing you have."

Daiki, and as he noted he wasn't the only one, was totally dumbfounded. Naito was asking his help?

"Don't blink at me like a lost kitty, Aomine. Imayoshi said you were reliable, I wanna know how much. Just because you can't be on the court doesn't mean you can't participate at all." He avoided using the word 'help'.

"Stop it Shouhei," Ishii shook his head. "He is too full of himself to lend a hand – or his insight to the small flies like the rest of us."

"Tch." Daiki clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You're selling me short now. I don't skip matches because I want you to lose." He said and a smirk appeared on his face. He'd never thought about 'helping' them from the bench. Maybe his team spirit was still buried deep under the ashes, but the ashes were starting to smoke. The small fire was kindling deep inside him and even if he didn't want to 'help' his team per se, he'd sure as hell like to see a surprise on Akashi's face once they'd won without him. Still, he knew this would be one hell of a task to accomplish.

Ishii's eyebrow shot upwards. "Did you hit your head?"

Daiki shrugged. "I don't like Akashi as he is now. And Aya will watch, right?"

The three boys snorted derisively and a small smile appeared on Sakurai's face.

"Start talking." Ishii prompted him.

"Imayoshi's room in half an hour." He said curtly and got up to leave, grabbing Satsuki's research off Sakurai's bed in the process. At the door he stopped for a moment and looked at them over his shoulder. "Get the coach, but leave Satsuki out of it. I don't think I want to deal with her yapping when Aya's not here to handle her."

"Roger that." Kano saluted and once Aomine left, he turned to the other three. "Who was that and where did Aomine disappear to?"

"Oh, it's him all right. Satsuki's yapping, is all him." Ishii tried to imitate the husky voice but failed like so many others. "He probably wants to make things better with Aya this way."

"Dealing with the guilt, you think?" Naito asked.

"Maybe he's just genuinely trying to help?" Sakurai peeped and when the three heads turned to him he apologised out of reflex.

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he hates losing?" Sakurai shrugged. "And whether he admits it or not Touou is his team. He did train with you, didn't he?"

"You think it's still there?" Naito asked sceptically. He doubted that; once you reached a certain height it was almost impossible to go back.

"Sorry, but what makes you think it's not? He trained with you and Arai-kun; even helped you during that match. When Iki-senpai offended Kuroko-kun that time, Aomine-san smashed him against a locker. He went all out against Kise-kun. And well, sorry for me saying that, but Aya-san is obviously in love with him. She doesn't strike me as someone who'd love a total asshole who thinks only about himself. Maybe he doesn't show it, but he cares in his own way." Sakurai finished his monologue with a long sigh and the others were blinking at the sudden confidence that radiated from the shy boy. He sure respected Aomine a whole lot.

There was a moment of silence.

Then, "whoa…" Kano opened his mouth. "The time, when Sakurai spoke more than one sentence without the excessive apologies, has come. The world may well end today."

Naito slapped the back of his neck for that comment, because it made Sakurai blush and apologise once again.

"It's fine, Sakurai." Ishii patted the boy with a grin. "We're happy you're finally hatching."

"Not a good choice of words." Naito rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, Shouhei. Like you're not surprised."

######

Once Daiki had a goal set, it was easier to not beat himself up for Aya. He'd try calling her later on, but now there was a match happening in less than two hours and he needed to come up with a way to make Rakuzan's play difficult. Even if he knew how the enemy played and could oppose it himself, he wasn't much of a thinker for strategies and crap – he simply didn't need it. However, there was someone sly who called himself Aomine's best friend and knew Akashi and his team.

"Oi, Kise!" He banged at the door with his fist three times before the door opened and Kasamatsu glared at him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked with a hostile glare.

"Tch, I think your hearing is all right, captain. Come out you blonde bastard!" He called to Kise and took a step forward, forcing Kasamatsu to budge backwards.

"Aominecchi?" Kise came out of the bathroom half naked and with his hair damp. "What do you want?" He knew about the dispute between Aominecchi and Ayacchi, and he hadn't expected Aominecchi to come to him for advice. Then he'd gone to pester Murasakibaracchi for information about Yosen and had found out that Ex-kun had had some 'conversation' with Aominecchi. Kise knew a lot of things going on around him, yet he was burning with curiosity.

"Akashi to lose." Daiki answered curtly.

"And what do you need from me?"

"Someone sly."

Kise blinked and then a broad grin formed on his face. "Didn't you tell me that teamwork was pointless?" He teased.

Daiki shrugged. "It is for me. But I'm forbidden to play and it's fucking Rakuzan. You've seen them."

Kise nodded and pulled a t-shirt over his head. "They haven't shown everything yet; Murasakibaracchi didn't play."

"I know. So?"

"You want to make things right with Ayacchi?" His yellow eyes pierced Aomine. With the tanned ace it was always action over words, Kise knew. "Fine, but you're buying drinks."

"Deal." Daiki ignored Kise's question and turned around to head for the vending machine. Buying drinks was a fair price.

"What was that?" Kasamatsu whispered to the blonde in confusion.

"Aominecchi asking for help." Kise flashed a grin and slipped past the captain, his eyes full of determination and something scary which gave Kasamatsu goose bumps – this side of Kise was an unknown territory which kept showing quite a lot during the Interhigh. "Trust me; it's as rare as snow in the summer."

Aomine slowed down for Kise, remembering the injured ankle. Then they headed down the stairs and to the vending machine to get their drinks. Kise chose strawberry juice and Daiki went for a tea.

"No banana milk today?"

"Shut up."

"So?" Kise seated himself in one of the armchairs comfortably and sipped from his juice. "What's your plan?"

"Hell if I know. That's Satsuki's and Aya's thing, not mine." As to confirm it he slapped the research against the small table.

"Aominecchi!" Kise whined. "If you want to give them insight and point out weaknesses, you ought to know the original strategy of your own team."

He shrugged. "Haven't thought that far."

The blonde sighed. He wasn't even surprised. "Then let's go to have a chat with your captain-san. We need to know the strategy and then we can think something up. He is sly himself, isn't he?"

"Errr… There's something I need to deal with first." He grumbled begrudgingly. The guilt he felt wasn't just because of Aya, though Aya made the biggest part of it.

"What did you do?"

"Short fuse." He groaned and got up to pay a visit to Imayoshi's room. "Come on, so we're done with it."

Kise's eyebrow shot up. He could very well imagine that whatever had happened hadn't been nice. "So you are done with it, you mean?"

"That too."

Kise was tagging along Aomine with burning curiosity and expectation. So far, he was forced to keep to Kaijo and thus couldn't really get to know the others. Now, with Aomine asking for 'advice' he could get into the Touou's team and do his own research. Kaijo was out of the competition already, officially placing on the fifth place. But if he could see Rakuzan in trouble, he'd gladly lend a hand.

"Tch. Stop wagging your tail, Kise." Aomine grumbled, he could feel the excitement of the blonde. Like a kid in a sweets shop.

"What? I'm not…!" Kise tried to protest.

"Hell you are."

"You're mean!"

"Yeah, yeah." He stopped in front of Imayoshi room and raised his hand to knock (bang) on the door. But the door to Imayoshi's room flung open before he could. It startled the two and they took a step back.

"What are you doing here?!" Wakamatsu asked equally surprised and glared at Aomine. The punch was definitely not forgotten or forgiven.

Daiki squared himself in determination. "There is something I want to talk about. Let us in."

"Oya?" Imayoshi peeked over Wakamatsu's shoulder. "How unusual, come on in then, Aomine."

"Imayoshi!" Wakamatsu protested loudly.

"Listen to your captain." Aomine smirked and pushed his way into the room, with Kise at tow.

Imayoshi raised an eyebrow at the unexpected blonde visitor carrying something that looked awfully like Satsuki's research. Wakamatsu returned back inside and closed the door behind him, crossing his arms over his chest. The vice-captain was frowning in annoyance. Tada and Susa were expectantly watching the two younger aces.

"What do you want to talk about?" Tada asked with a half smile.

"Ah… Well…" Aomine scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, not sure how to word his apology. He wasn't the one to say 'sorry' easily. But he knew when he did something stupid. "About yesterday…" He stammered a bit, avoiding eye contact with Tada.

Tada just raised his eyebrow expectantly.

"Well… I guess I shouldn't have punched you." He said after a while. "You shouldn't have held me for so long, but… I went over the line. I admit."

"And?" Tada prompted him.

"It wasn't fair."

Seeing the opportunity of a century, Tada continued. "And?"

"Urgh… Sorry." It was a begrudging apology, but neither of the boys expected Aomine to even consider apologising.

"I accept that." Tada nodded in satisfaction, rubbing his bruised jaw. "You, Kousuke?"

"Errr…" Wakamatsu's mouth were hanging open, "I, uh, I guess so. Yeah, fine." He stammered looking at his best friend for support.

Tada smirked. "Good. Now you should go, Kiku-chan might think you've forgotten."

"Oh, shit! That was Aya's job! Why did she dump it on me?!" He panicked yet again, not sure how to face the older brother who'd be tagging along to accompany Kiku.

"She isn't here, genius." Susa noted calmly. "Someone needs to show them the way."

"Why me?!"

Tada got up with an eye roll and pushed Wakamatsu out of the room. "Because, you're the one who's interested. And being the object of interest."

"What? I'm not. No way! I'm definitely not…"

"Urgh! GO!" Tada yelled the order, pushed Wakamatsu out of the room and slammed the door at his face. When he turned back to the boys he whew-ed and shook his head. "I swear I'll do something to him one day."

Imayoshi shook his head. "I'm surprised you haven't yet~"

Tada rolled his eyes at the captains innuendo, the two aces couldn't pick up. "Anyways, what brings you here, Aomine-kun?"

"Uh… right." He shook his head from the scene. "What… Uhm…"

Kise rolled his eyes, which he only did when extremely annoyed. "What is your strategy against Rakuzan? – he wants to ask. But since he isn't a team player he might be a bit shy about it."

"Tch. I'll fuckin' kill you." Aomine growled at the blonde.

"I'm under Ayacchi's protection."

"She ain't here if you haven't noticed."

Imayoshi clapped his hands sharply to stop the two. They were awfully similar to Tada and Wakamatsu right now, and it was something the captain definitely stored in his memory for future reference. "You want to know about the strategy?"

"Tch." Aomine clicked his tongue but nodded. "Yeah."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "To point the gaps. I was on Akashi's team after all. So was this one." He cocked his head towards Kise, who smiled broadly at three senpais.

"Yeah, and since Kaijo is out already and I'd love to see some degree of surprise on Akashicchi's face, I'd gladly lend a hand. And Rakuzan is awfully similar to our former team."

"The day is full of surprises. Well, first of all," the captain looked at Aomine and he kept staring for a long time. Considering if he should tell Aomine or not. Then he decided to tell it. "Aya-chan's friend should survive, if there won't be any severe complications. Though the girl's legs are fucked."

Aomine blinked at him in surprise. "How d' you know?"

"She messaged." He shrugged with a sly smile. "She also asked me to tell you, if you were cooled off enough. I s'pose you are."

So Aya knew it was only a stupid misunderstanding, but was unwilling to talk to him just yet. Aomine's mind went blank for a moment. It was strange, because it was usually the redhead who tried to resolve disputes. By thinking that she'd betrayed him, he was hurt too, but it was clear it was up to him to make the first step towards making things right again. He nodded in understanding. "Yeah… Thanks."

"Whoa… 'Sorry' and 'thanks' in one day from you, Aomine." Imayoshi shook his head in disbelief. "Are you really okay?"

"Burn in hell, wicked Imayoshi."

Imayoshi chuckled and his eyes opened more than his usual slits. "And now, while you still want to help us, the small flies, let's hear what your ideas are gonna be. I assume it'll be something like 'follow your instinct' or 'just do it'. But you might surprise."

A soft knock on the door. With a sigh and mumbling how missed they were, Imayoshi let in the four boys from Aomine's room, the coach, Yamaoka and Yori. So far those were the 'core' of the club.

"What a party…" Tada sighed as he watched the boys sitting down wherever was convenient for them.

"Another strategy meeting? It's too late for that, don't you think? The match starts in an hour and half." Katsunori commented dryly.

"It won't kill us and if it can help us…" Susa spoke up. "Why not listen to the aces who were on team with Akashi?"

The older man ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "You've got a point." While he knew Shirogane Eiji, the coach of Rakuzan well, he didn't know much about Akashi's personality.

Aomine took a deep breath to put his thoughts in order. This was no big deal, right? It didn't make him any more team player than he wasn't, right? He dreaded becoming too close with them. "What's the strategy?" He asked, ignoring Katsunori's raised eyebrow and definitely not friendly look he was giving him. He is her godfather after all…

"The usual… Every man for himself, what else can we do? It's obvious that the difference in skills is immense. Even you would manage to guard only one of the kings at a time, maybe two if you were in particularly good shape. So we can go with our usual thing and try to take as much points as we can."

"Won't work here. Not when I'm benched." Aomine commented distastefully. "They play like a team plus the difference in skills is huge. You won't handle the three kings in three one-on-one matches, gods forbid if Akashi decides to play against all odds. You're fucked then."

Tada snorted. "How encouraging."

"He won't do that, Aominecchi." Kise joined in. "Once Akashicchi decides on something, he sticks to it. He won't play, even if the score is tight."

Aomine shrugged. "Still, the three are good. Better than what they'd shown and what Satsuki has in there." He waved the research in the air. "She is good at this, but they didn't have to show they true abilities yet, so she can't know. Their future data is most likely what their best is now. And if you don't force at least one of them out of the court, you're fucked too."

"So what do you suggest?" Imayoshi asked, curiously. A plan was hatching in his head as well, but he wanted to hear Aomine's opinion.

"I suggest you somehow force Mibuchi out, I think Akashi will focus on him, and the constant three pointers are pain in the ass. Also, you," he pointed his chin at Tada, "should play in the match. Maybe not the whole match, but you can mark Mibuchi height-wise better than Ryou, but Ryou could figure out how to distinguish the damned heaven and earth shots."

Imayoshi hummed and tapped a finger against his lips. This was not bad at all. "What about Hayama?"

"His style is similar to mine. Double teaming won't help you much; he's too quick for you, so put someone with the best reflexes to mark him. Yamaoka would probably be better choice than Susa."

"Can Wakamatsu handle Nebuya?" Tada asked.

Aomine shrugged. "I don't see why not. They seem to be equally loud and annoying." The boys laughed at that.

"I would force them to foul." Kise peeped up again, carefully observing the team. "Maybe not the kings, but the others. It'll eat up the spirit once they have foul troubles. And if you can force the kings to foul…"

"Oya~ another sly fox. Your team did that the other day too."

The blonde shrugged. "Except Aominecchi, you did freak out, so objective was accomplished."

"Point taken." Imayoshi grumbled, not pleased to remember the freaking out part. "So, how did you manage to force Aomine to foul you?"

"Ah, well…" Kise scratched his cheek sheepishly and started explaining.

######

"Ah, KIKU-SAN!" Wakamatsu shouted and waved at the little girl the moment he spotted her.

Kiku jerked her head in his direction, obviously startled and the man walking by her side followed her gaze until he saw Wakamatsu too. The man was quite tall, around 180 cm if Wakamatsu's judgement was correct. He had a bit longer dark brown hair and warm brown eyes just like Kiku. He was dressed in casual jeans and t-shirt and was carrying a plain linen bag full of something Wakamatsu suspected to be treats made by Kiku.

Once they reached Wakamatsu, the man let Kiku start the conversation, but he was curiously looking Wakamatsu up and down.

"Ah, uhm… Hi." Kiku stammered, looking at her feet. She blushed slightly. "Where is Aya?" She asked peeking at the tall blonde.

"Ah…" He scratched the back of his neck. It saddened him a bit. Was he the only one who was happy to see Kiku? "She had an urgent matter to attend to. Her friend was in some bad accident and is in a hospital. Aya-chan went to visit her…" He said, not sure if it was the right thing to do.

Kiku's eyes widened and she turned her face up to see if Wakamatsu was telling the truth. By his serious expression, she knew he wasn't lying. "Oh, I… She didn't tell me."

"She probably didn't want you to worry. She didn't tell us either. It was coach." He shrugged and looked the older man up and down again.

"Ah, uhm… Sorry!" She shook her head immediately, looking at her brother who had an amused expression on his face. "Ryuu-nii-san, this is Wakamatsu Kousuke-senpai." She said, blushing in embarrassment.

Ryuu bowed and reached out his hand for a handshake. "Ohno Ryuunosuke. Nice to finally meet you." He said with a pleasant smile, watching the teenager blush at his words. "Thank you for taking care of my little sister." He said.

"Uh… yeah, nice to meet you too." Wakamatsu blabbered out not sure how to act in the presence of Kiku's brother. "Thank you for coming to watch our match."

"I can't wait to see you in action. Though I kinda hoped to meet the Aya-chan I've heard so much about too. Well, never mind." He shrugged, still smiling at the two shy teenagers. "Let's go then, we don't have much time and your team might need you?"

"Right. Let's go!" Wakamatsu said a bit too loudly, which made Kiku jump a bit again. He cursed himself inwardly for that. He hated the moments when the little girl was obviously startled because of him. Sometimes he felt that the closer he got to her, the further away she seemed to be. It was frustrating. He was aware that he couldn't push the little girl, but he just wanted to be around her without her jumping in fright whenever he spoke a bit louder without previous warning. He sighed heavily. "Sorry." He muttered to Kiku and turned around to lead them towards the stadium.

Kiku blinked at him in surprise. The sigh was laced with frustration and resignation. Was it her fault? She felt that yes, the boy was getting annoyed by her behaviour. She bit her lower lip, this was only expected.

Ryuu, feeling the sudden cold breeze between the two, leaned towards his sister and whispered into her ear. "He's a good guy, not someone to be scared of." That was his first impression of Wakamatsu and that's the image he had created for the teenager from Kiku's stories.

"I know." She muttered under her breath. "Can't help it…"

"Tell him then, he probably feels frustrated because he doesn't know."

"I can't." She shook her head.

"Hm?" Wakamatsu turned to look at the siblings over his shoulder.

"Nothing." Ryuu smiled at him. "I'm just complaining how heavy is the bag she made me carry."

Wakamatsu outstretched his hand to take the bag without even thinking about it. "I can take it."

"Thank you!" He handed the bag over. "But careful, the biscuits are fragile and Kiku spent the entire night making them for you." A smile appeared on his face when Kiku blushed and turned away from Wakamatsu to hide it.

"Oh?" Wakamatsu's eyebrow went up and he looked at Kiku, once again dejected by her reaction. Then he shrugged. "You didn't have to bother, we probably won't win anyways." He said in a volume that wouldn't scare her, but he let his dejection and certain amount of annoyance lace his voice.

That tone got her attention and she turned her eyes up in wonder and slight hurt. This was her fault, she was sure of it now. She frowned. Then she gulped and collected all ounces of courage she had. Ryuu was there with her. "I wanted to." She said looking straight into his eyes. "And I don't want you to lose."

Wakamatsu blinked at the sudden strength appearing in her voice. Well, she was an archer after all, the steely edge must've been there somewhere within her. And the way she said you as if it was aimed at Wakamatsu himself and not the whole team. He shook his head to clear it. It was damn difficult to try and understand this tiny cute creature in front of him.

"Well, I don't want to lose either." He said and shrugged. "But Aomine can't play and they are strong."

"So are you." Kiku smiled and it was obvious she believed those words with her whole heart. "I was led to believe you're the strongest team out there."

He smirked and nodded shortly. "Then you should cheer real loud."

"Ah…" She blushed at that demand – because it was a demand – and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. It was getting longer. Maybe she should cut it? She wasn't sure anymore. But that smirk made her knees a bit weaker. Dammit. She thought.

"Let's go." Ryuu prompted them, satisfied by his comments. "You can't be late, Wakamatsu-kun."

######

"Aya-chan! Here you are!" Mayu sighed in relief and then frowned. She found the girl by a side entrance to the hospital building, crouched behind an outside ashtray, leaning against the wall and smoking. For some reason, it didn't really surprise her.

Aya looked at her by the corner of her eye; it was enough to acknowledge Mayu's presence. Taiga was with Suzume's grandparents and she just needed the fresh air outside the hospital. She felt the building would consume her if she hadn't gone out. The final match was just about to start too.

Mayu sighed again and seeing the young girl chewing on the cigarette's filter she crouched down by her side, leaning against the wall too.

The sky looked ready to fall down on them. The weather in Akita was stuffy and grey clouds were rolling in the sky the whole day. It was ready to rain, but once it started it would persistently rain or drizzle for long hours.

"Are you all right?" Mayu asked quietly but kindly. Maybe it was a stupid question, but she needed to ask something. She didn't know the twins all that much yet, but she was fond of them and she didn't like to see them down like this.

"As all right as I can possibly be." Aya said looking at a patch of grass at her feet. Maybe she could talk to Mayu; she felt that Hiroto's wife was a dependable, kind person and even if they didn't know her that much yet, she felt she could trust her and even confide in her.

"I don't know what to do." She admitted after a moment.

"I'm listening." Mayu said and rested her head against the wall looking at the heavy clouds. There was no point in prompting the girl more than that.

The redhead sighed and inhaled the tobacco fumes. "My best friend is here, helpless and fragile. I've never seen Suzu like this. It scares me to death and I can't do anything to help. My boys are just about to start their last match and again, I'm here, so there's nothing I can do to help them. And I've had an argument with Aomine… You know, I bet Hiroto told you I liked the guy." She waited for Mayu to nod, and then she continued. "He called me a traitor and liar, because he thinks I'm the one responsible for him being forced to sit out the last two matches… And while I know it was just a stupid misunderstanding, just a bunch of stupid words spat out in anger, it hurts. It was Satsuki's doing, I know she meant well, but she went behind my back. I feel betrayed too. And I can't get rid of that feeling. And then there is Suzu, and I feel like a hypocrite thinking about a stupid brawl with the guy I like while my best friend is fighting for her life and scaring me to death."

They went silent for a moment.

"We women can deal with many things at the same time, so you're not a hypocrite. You're anxious and worried and scared and hurt and it's normal to think about everything at once. You're shouldering a whole lot, Aya-chan."

"I kinda know that... But it's not just that. Suzume has always been in the summer dance camp. Ever since I can remember, always. My best friend, my summer friend. Now it feels like she left me alone in the camp and I don't feel like going there, but I have to because I'm the one organizing it. How stupid of me, really?" She rambled out and snorted derisively. She felt like a really bad and self-centred person now.

"If that was how you really felt, if you were angry at her, you wouldn't have gotten a car in the middle of the night to get here."

"I wonder about that…"

Mayu sighed; there was nothing she could say to cheer the girl without the words sounding shallow and stupid.

Aya crushed the rest of the cigarette and got up. "I guess we should go back."

She blinked at the girl in surprise and got up too.

"Thanks for listening. I feel a bit better." Aya said and headed back inside bracing herself for the smells and sounds of the hospital.

Mayu followed after the girl, staring at her back in quiet admiration. She was more than sure that Aya wasn't feeling better, but at least she could let out some of her bottled up emotions.

######

Touou entered the court accompanied by loud applause and cheering of the crowd. There were more people than on any other match. It was the finals after all. When Rakuzan entered the court from the opposite side, the crowd exploded even more. It was pleasant yet stressful at the same time. The lights were brightly illuminating the courts, but spectators' areas were dark, and they could hardly see where the rest of their team was.

Aomine felt strange. He wasn't a starter today. He wasn't even wearing his jersey, only the club's t-shirt, but his knees were properly taped. It was a group decision, where Satsuki didn't have any say. Just in case. And he wore long sweatpants over his shorts, to hide it from the pinkette.

The teams met and shook hands with their opponents. Then everyone went to their bench and the 10 minute warm up started.

"I see you are on the bench, Daiki." Akashi approached his former ace. "I thought you would be somewhere on your way to Tokyo now."

"And miss the opportunity to see you lose?" He raised an eyebrow and a wolfish grin twisted his lips. "Who knows, maybe I'll even decide to play." He provoked his former captain. There was not a force to wipe that grin off his face.

"You will not win even if you do."

"We'll see about that." He shrugged, turned around and left. As he passed by his teammates he leaned closer to Wakamatsu: "Make sure to get the first ball."

"Ha? Of course I'll get the first ball!" The blonde retorted immediately and ran onto the court to lead Touou's warm up as usual.

Tada laughed. "Kiku is watching, after all. That's all the motivation he needs." He told Aomine with a shrug. "He'll be the most fired up player out there."

Aomine sighed, he kind of understood. It was different when Aya was sitting there watching. He shuffled towards the bench and slumped down next to the coach and Satsuki.

"Did something happen?" Satsuki asked. She felt she was left out of something and she didn't like it.

"Why?" He looked at her in surprise.

"You're here while you don't play. You were in the changing room. Something is going on."

He yawned and stretched his long arms over his head. "Yeah, so? You don't have to know everything, do you?"

His words appeared harsher than usual to her. Maybe it was the guilt she felt because of her little underhanded play. She deserved it, but Aomine didn't know it was her, so he had no reason to be this harsh. She sighed but didn't protest.

The lack of protests and whining made Aomine raise an eyebrow curiously. Something was bothering the pinkette, he knew, and this ensured him about it. What he had to do was figure it out, but he wouldn't bother himself during the match.

######

Kiku was impatiently fidgeting on the edge of her seat. Even if she still didn't know that much about basketball, Aya had taught her a whole lot. And she was burning with curiosity. This match was supposed to be the best one.

"So they let Tada-senpai start." Naito muttered, observing the lined up boys.

"Is he not usually a starter?" Ryuunosuke asked curiously. He had a basic knowledge of rules, though he didn't enjoy watching sports. But he gladly accompanied his little sister – he wanted to meet the boys she called friends.

"No, not usually." Ishii answered. "It's already Sakurai's position, uh, no. 9." He cleared for the young man. "But today we need them both and we thought that the taller player would be a good start. And we need Mibuchi to foul."

"The fouling strategy is really stupid…" Kano frowned at no one in particular. It wasn't a bad strategy, it was just underhanded. He was a straightforward guy; something like this was way out of his concept.

"Yeah, but without Aomine, we need it." Naito shrugged, it was a fact. "They'll use the first quarter to test the waters, it should be slow. If Wakamatsu-senpai gets the first ball, we might manage to surprise them."

"Ah, here we go..."

All of them leaned forward, clutching their fists as the ball went up, praying, hoping. Both centres leapt up. Nebuya was stronger, but Wakamatsu's timing was better.

"YES!" Kano exclaimed when Wakamatsu flicked the ball to Imayoshi. It would usually go to Sakurai, or Tada, but they needed to score first, and Imayoshi was the best suited to have things done.

######

"So it's my job again?" Imayoshi sighed and smirked.

They were standing at the middle line. And the guy guarding him instinctively made a couple of steps towards his own basket; he suspected this would be a quick attack and he wanted to keep up with the experienced captain. Instead of a quick attack Imayoshi made a step back, jumped and shot in a smooth motion. This kind of shot was usually a sheer luck, but he could do it whenever it was absolutely necessary – or when it meant provoking someone. Provocation and teasing were Imayoshi's greatest motivators to do anything.

"Wha-?" The opposing guy started and watched the ball's arc with his mouth open.

Imayoshi shrugged. He knew he made it.

"Way to go, Imayoshi." Tada patted his shoulder with a grin knowing the captain hated such a display of affection.

"You'd better not shame yourself." He rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry." Tada chuckled and ran to steal the ball from the power forward that looked way too gloomy to be good.

Then another 2 points were scored by Wakamatsu, accompanied by a loud roar, as he forced his way around Nebuya.

After the first few seconds, Touou was leading, but soon the kings slowly took their rightful reign. Rakuzan's strategy was to test the waters first; it'd always been like that. And so far, Touou was one of the most offensive teams they'd faced – aggressive even. Aomine didn't play so they had unconsciously underestimated the rest of the Touou's team. They thought that maybe they'd slack off; they were supposed to expect to lose. And because Akashi wasn't playing, there was no one on court to put them in line. Well… they could feel their captain's murderous glare and quickly equalled the score.

Tada and Imayoshi were carefully observing Mibuchi and the point guard with no. 12, whose name they didn't know. After falling for Mibuchi's earth shots twice, Tada was slightly irritated, but he knew his role. When they changed guards again they nodded to each other in decision. It took them five minutes, and the score was tied but so be it. They weren't losing. And they hadn't been wrong in their previous observations during the meals. 'It's up to you.' Imayoshi mouthed.

Tada smiled and took his stance opposite Mibuchi. He had some more time before Mibuchi would get the ball. The game was now more focused on Wakamatsu and Susa who were trying to fend off bulky Nebuya.

But the ball found its way to them again; 2 minutes before the end of the first quarter. Good time to nudge him…

"Hmmm… seems you're not so bad, no-name-chan." Mibuchi looked at Tada and jumped backwards into a heaven shot. At first he wanted to get a 4 point play again, but Tada didn't seem interested in reacting. Mibuchi frowned. "But not so good either."

Tada watched the shot with a disinterested expression. "Nah, no point to try stopping those." He said casually, checking out his nails. "And I'm already bored of watching it."

During the meals at the hotel he noticed that Mibuchi was uptight and orderly, but also quite an attention seeker, a gay too. Tada had discussed with Imayoshi how to rile him up the best. This was what they came up with. Honestly, he'd always wanted to try and play the unapproachable guy. Now he got the chance.

Then Tada turned towards Yamaoka, "Oi, swap me here. That PF looks better." He said purposefully, accentuating the word 'looks' in a subtle way Yamaoka wouldn't decipher, but Mibuchi would. He needed to rub Mibuchi's sore spot.

Yamaoka just shrugged, he was already used to all the weird schemes those two could come up with.

The effect was immediate.

"Huh, why do I have to look at that ugly face?" He scowled at Yamaoka. "Can't you swap again?"

Yamaoka rolled his eyes and groaned. "Tch. Get used to it, lil' piggy. Maybe my ugly face will make you miss a couple of times." He decided to play by Imayoshi's rules on a whim. He had no idea what was going on, but bullying Mibuchi didn't feel that bad. And this was probably his last game in the high-school times and he wanted to win, but he needed that short rest from Hayama. The blonde was obnoxious. And way too quick for Yamaoka to handle.

"And an oaf too!" Mibuchi exclaimed indignantly. It was the first time someone had called him 'piggy'.

"Don't be sad Reo-nee." Hayama shouted cheerfully across the court. "I'll tire this one out and you'll get him back!"

"Not so loud!" Mibuchi rolled his eyes at the loud blonde and sighed. He didn't like this game.

The first quarter ended with Touou leading 25-23. The break was quiet and calm. There was no reason to panic or freak out. The fouling strategy would start in the second quarter when Rakuzan would pace up their game.

"You'll swap me after five minutes, 'kay?" Tada looked at Sakurai and wiped the sweat off his face. "You should surprise him with your quick release and you're less likely to fall for his earths. He managed to make me foul twice, dammit."

"That's-" Sakurai started, but he wasn't allowed to finish.

"4 point plays are his specialty, don't worry about it too much." Imayoshi shrugged, they needed to make some sacrifices too.

"Right…" He sighed, but Wakamatsu grabbed him around his shoulders and grinned widely.

"Don't worry, Shun. We're basically at the beginning and leading, we can win this!"

"I'd like to have your optimism, Kou, but you know… I don't have Kiku-chan cheering for me." He teased his best friend with a smirk.

"Hey! That's not! She's not… I don't think she will cheer at all…" The last words were mumbled quietly. He so wanted to hear Kiku cheer for him, to hear her voice echoing down here loud and clear, but he knew it was only his wishful thinking. It wasn't going to happen. And he felt disappointed already.

Shun could read that much, but he grinned and patted Wakamatsu's lower back. "Hmmm… Something tells me this game will make her do it."

######

"So once Tada-senpai gets 5 fouls, he is out of the game?" Kiku asked to confirm the rule. So far she hadn't seen it, so Aya hadn't had a need to explain that one.

"Yes. It's like that." Ishii nodded. "But he should swap with Sakurai after another five minutes. We think that Sakurai will be underestimated, even though he is actually faster than Tada-senpai in both shooting and reaction time. I think it'll step the game up a bit."

"At least we hope so." Naito shrugged. "They need Mibuchi to foul and so far, he hasn't fouled once."

"They'll figure out a way. And maybe Hayama will be tricked into fouling sooner than Mibuchi. Don't forget it's Tada-senpai marking him now and Yamaoka is marking Mibuchi." Kano added.

"Well true… Yamaoka is wider than Tada-senpai, stronger, but… His short fuse is terrible."

"Ah, look… Did he just foul?" Kiku asked and pointed at Nebuya.

"Huh?" Naito blinked in surprise. "Yeah. Seems like Wakamatsu-senpai jumped to shoot weaker than usual so Nebuya pushed him…" He smirked at that. Wakamatsu never stroke him as someone too clever or sly. But apparently he had good instincts and knew when to pull a trick – or maybe Tada-senpai had nudged him just before the play.

"And he made the shot too!" Kano clapped happily.

"Let's hope he'll make the free shot as well." Naito said and watched Wakamatsu as he threw in the free shot easily. "Well…" He chuckled, "why wouldn't he? He is the reliable senpai after all."

The second quarter was more or less equalled. However, Rakuzan's slightly superior skills were starting to show, but Touou was managing to keep up so far. Slowly but surely, Rakuzan's players were gathering fouls. Nebuya had already two, Hayama two, Mibuchi one and their power forward three.

But Touou had some fouls too. With the stronger opponents and not much experience in forcing opponents to foul, Touou was pressured a lot so fouls were inevitable on their side too. Yamaoka had two, Wakamatsu had one, Tada had three and Sakurai had one. Sakurai fell for the earth shot once – just as he swapped for Tada-senpai. It took him by surprise and he hated the fact he fell for it. Afterwards, he kept his distance and because he was shorter and physically weaker than Mibuchi, he made the older shooting guard falter and foul. But it was impossible for him to distinguish between Mibuchi's shots until it was too late. It was like playing a lottery.

"He's good." Sakurai muttered as he sat on the bench and wiped off his sweat. "I don't think I can keep him in check that much."

"Aren't your shots faster though?" Aomine asked with a wolfish smirk. Watching the game was only making him itch to play, but he knew he wouldn't.

"Still… Those shots are impossible." He sighed. Mibuchi's style and form were something Sakurai admired. His shots were faster and he needed less movement, but he was too short to reach Mibuchi's shots. And if he tried to block, Mibuchi was more prone to use earths.

"Instead of blocking him, why don't you try outshooting him?"

"Huh?" He blinked at Aomine in surprise.

"What?"

"Nothin'…" Sakurai shrugged and smiled for himself. "I might try that." He nodded. He had more energy and he truly needed less movement to shoot.

In the third quarter, Rakuzan pulled ahead of Touou. There was a 13 point difference, and it was difficult for Touou to catch up. When all three kings had three fouls each, Akashi told them something, and from that moment on, Touou couldn't force another foul. Sakurai was keeping up with Mibuchi in terms of shooting. Each Mibuchi's shot was countered by one Sakurai's, but not all of those shots went in, and Wakamatsu couldn't save them all.

The end of the third quarter was focused on Hayama, and even if Touou's players all had their shot at guarding the blonde, they couldn't equal his reflexes and speed. If there was someone capable of holding Hayama back, it was Aomine, who had to sit out. And it was obvious that he wanted to get out there and do it.

"I can give you a maximum of two minutes." Katsunori said quietly to Aomine, who was leaning forward watching the game intently.

"Huh?" He forced himself not to snap his head at the coach. "When?" He asked simply.

"Beginning of the last quarter. Just to scare them a bit."

"Put me in at the end so I can win it." He noticed that Satsuki tilted her head to listen to their conversation, so he lowered his voice even more. This wasn't her business.

"No. It's their match now. You can equal the score for them, but let them determine the outcome." Katsunori knew it sounded harsh, and it partly excluded Aomine from the team, but he was certain that this was Yamaoka's last game. And he wanted the boy to play the whole match. Aomine would swap Susa for those two minutes.

Aomine snorted lightly. "Fine. So long I get to test him."

"Don't overdo it." Katsunori warned him.

Everyone in his team was surprised that he'd play. Even if it was only for two minutes, everyone in Touou sighed in relief. The 15 point difference which was acquired by Rakuzan was something they knew they couldn't erase without Aomine's help. But they'd been long levelled up with him sitting out. So this was a pleasant change of plans.

Satsuki didn't dare to protest when she saw Aomine changing his t-shirt for the jersey and stretching during the last two minute break. If she did, he'd know it'd been her ratting him out. She noticed how Akashi glared their way and it made a chill ran down her spine, especially when Aomine's knees were taped.

"It's only precaution." He told her when he was about to step on the court. "I'm fine, Satsuki."

She paled and nodded. Aomine and Aya were hurt because of her, and there he assured her he was fine… I'm so stupid… She gulped and sat down.

"Ohoooo!" Hayama's eyes sparkled in excitement when Aomine stood next to him indicating he was about to guard him.

"Don't be too happy." Aomine smirked at the blonde. I only have two minutes. He thought but his eyes found Akashi and he grinned at his former captain. 'Good luck.'

"You sure you're not too hurt?" Hayama grinned even wider. "You know… you need to keep up with me."

"Let's try it out." He said as he caught the ball from Imayoshi.

Aomine had to make the most of those two minutes he had. There was no time for him to test out the situation or run warm. He needed to score as much as he could. Those two minutes were his and his only.

Hayama blinked in shock when Aomine ran past him like a blur. "Oh, damn!" This was Aomine Daiki after all. He reacted, but he didn't catch up and the first points of the last quarter were scored by Aomine.

"He's faster than you." Nebuya told him when he got close.

"But his knees are taped… He won't last long."

But Aomine didn't need to last long. He needed to last for two minutes. And in that time frame, he was unstoppable. Hayama could be similar to him, but he would never stop him. Oh, but he tried.

When Hayama got the ball, he notched his dribbling. It was faster and louder than in any other match before. A grin spread on Aomine's face. He couldn't see the ball properly, but he could see Hayama, and he could sense his dribbling rhythm. In a few seconds he stole the ball, leaving Hayama dumbfounded.

You can't be serious! The blonde thought, feeling the chills running down his spine. He'd never expected Aomine to be this good. In his surprise, he reached out pulling at Aomine's jersey violently.

A referee's whistle rang through the air, announcing Hayama's fourth foul. It didn't stop the tanned ace from scoring a three pointer – they were quite far from the basket – and a free throw.

"Fuck…" Hayama swore avoiding eye-contact with Akashi. Rakuzan called out their last time-out and Hayama knew he was probably out of the match. The situation changed; the momentum of the match was tipped in Touou' s favour.

Aomine still had one more minute left.

######

"Wasn't he supposed to sit out?" Kiku blinked at the rapidly changing scoreboard. She'd seen Aomine play, but not like this. It looked like there was no one capable of stopping him. He's like a demon… She thought and shuddered.

"Yeah… Something made coach change his mind apparently." Ishii rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"But I bet he won't play more than five minutes." Naito shrugged. "He shouldn't with those legs."

And indeed, after two minutes and fifteen seconds of the game's time Aomine was subbed out by Susa again. The score was only two points apart now. And those two points were immediately taken by Wakamatsu.

The game could start from scratch once again.

Everyone from Touou's team in the spectators' area was on the edge of their seat. The match turned into an all out scoring war and the pace was almost the same as in their game against Kaijo.

"The Akashi guy is savage." Naito muttered looking at Hayama who hadn't been subbed out after his fourth foul. Instead, Akashi forced him to play and atone for his mistakes. And Hayama had just scored another points. As if he wasn't affected by the fouls.

"I wonder how Aya-chan befriended him." Kano mused, not looking at his friends. The game was way too interesting.

"She can be savage too." He shrugged.

Rakuzan pulled ahead again and the exhaustion was obvious on all Touou's players. It wasn't only about running back and forth, it was mentally taxing as well. This was the final match. And they were in the team with Aomine Daiki. Losing was something they didn't want to admit. Aomine had even helped out a bit. Allowing them to start anew and yet… The difference in skills was all too obvious.

10 seconds before the final buzzer, the score was 100 – 109 for Rakuzan. They couldn't possibly catch up now. The last ball was handled by Wakamatsu. If they couldn't win, they'd score the last points of the match. A useless moral victory, just so they could feel a bit better. But Wakamatsu was determined to make it, even if he heard someone from the Rakuzan's bench yell: 'Stop him!'

Kiku, watching the last attempt rose to her feet. The whole game, she was watching Wakamatsu. He was often shouting something, she couldn't hear properly, but she guessed he was encouraging his teammates. That was one of his traits she liked. She didn't want Touou to lose, but she knew they wouldn't win. And that last attempt… She wanted Wakamatsu to make it. To slam the ball in and score the last points of the game. Showing off that Touou had never given up in this final match.

Led by some invisible string, she made a step towards the railing and cupped her mouth. She'd never done something like this, but she was too overwhelmed by the emotions to think about it. "GO FOR IT!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Whoa…" Ryuunosuke blinked at his little sister in surprise. He'd never heard her yell so loudly in his life.

######

Wakamatsu almost tripped over his feet when he heard Kiku's voice loud and clear. She was encouraging him. And so, Nebuya could try and stop him all he wished, he felt like he could carry a mountain if he so needed.

He jumped and slammed the ball down as hard as he could. Nebuya jumped to stop him, but Wakamatsu rammed into his chest – he couldn't control it mid-leap – and he ended up falling on his behind, just as the buzzer announced the end of the match.

Wakamatsu swung on the rim a bit and then he jumped down. "Ah, sorry." He muttered looking down on Nebuya and he offered a hand to help his opponent with a sigh.

"Keh," Nebuya pushed Wakamatsu's hand away and stood up on his own. He was still shocked by the sudden spurt of strength from Wakamatsu. "I don't need help from the loser."

The blonde shrugged and turned to go to his teammates. He didn't really care about anything but Kiku cheering him on. They lost, but they'd expected that. It sucked, but whatever.

"Sorry," Sakurai lowered his head, "I should've been better."

"Cut it out, you did great. We are in second place. Nothing is your fault. They were simply better this time. And it's only a 7 point difference." Susa ruffled the first year's hair, but he felt bitter about this loss. They had tried so hard. Even Aomine had played to equal the score for them. Still, he felt he needed to console the first year shooting guard somehow.

And he wasn't alone.

"Yeah," Imayoshi joined in. "It sucks, but they are still better than us. We will try again in the Winter cup." He smiled at Sakurai and stared at the celebrating bunch, cursing inwardly. He hated to lose more than anything. This was a shame, because they had put in so much effort. If only Aomine could play the entire time...

Akashi kept his distance and the rest didn't seem that pleased by the victory. Wakamatsu's last slam dunk didn't allow them to celebrate fully. Nebuya was still slightly shocked – it was the first time in this competition when someone had seated him on the ground and he had to withstand Akashi's withering glare. They should've scored the last points. But Touou stole it from them.

######

The boys left to the changing room, leaving Kiku and her brother in the spectators' area. She promised she'd come too, but she needed a few minutes. Now, she was crouching down in embarrassment.

"What have I done?" She muttered and hid her head in her knees.

Ryuu laughed heartily and patted her head. "You cheered the guy you like. What's wrong with that?" He teased her.

"That was so embarrassing!" She squealed in protest and slapped his hand away. They lost anyways! It was unnecessary.

"No, it was cute. And he did make it! It would've been embarrassing if he hadn't."

That made sense, but still. She didn't shout. Ever!

"Come on! If you want to give them biscuits, you should hurry."

"Ah!" She jumped up. "Right! Let's go!"

######

The atmosphere in the changing room was unusually calm. They weren't happy about their loss, it sucked, especially when the score was so tight in the end. But all the stress finally fell off of them, and all they wanted was to get over the closing ceremony and go home already. After they took showers, they gathered on the court again.

Thankfully the ceremony was quick and they were soon back in the changing rooms to take their stuff and go.

Kiku somehow survived giving out the biscuits, but she didn't dare look at the boys. She was blushing and staring at her feet. It was stupid really, because she knew that no one would laugh at her, but still…

The boys slowly flowed out of the changing room to go pack up their bags back into the hotel. Satsuki passed her by without stopping for a small talk. It surprised her and she stared after the pinkette. What happened? She wondered.

"She caused a dispute between Aomine and Aya-chan." Naito noticing Kiku's curious stare stopped by to explain the situation. He was the last one to leave so he wouldn't cause any more ruckus with the explanation.

"What?"

He shrugged. "She made coach to withdraw Aomine from the last two matches. Aomine thought it had been Aya-chan."

"He did play today though…"

"And I bet it wasn't to Momoi-chan's tastes. But there was little she could do about it. He wasn't as injured as she made it look, after all."

"Hmmm…" She hummed. So this was Naito-kun. The observant and rational boy who liked reading. "What do you think about the book?"

"Huh?" He blinked at the small girl in surprise.

"The one Aya bought for you. I helped with choosing."

"So you met? No wonders she was late." He smiled. "Well, so far, I'm enjoying it."

Kiku nodded. "I'll give a try then."

"You should." With a nod he left. There was nothing more he wanted to discuss and he needed to pack too.

"Ah…" Kiku quickly followed after him. She tripped and almost fell if it wasn't for a wall she used as support.

Naito turned around when he heard a thud. "Sorry. You probably don't know where to go now, right?"

"Yeah." She blushed. "Sorry. Can I follow you?"

"Sure thing. Where is Ryuunosuke-san?"

Kiku shrugged and frowned. "He went to catch a train home. He said he had 'a date'." She didn't like the fact that her brother first promised to go with her and then bailed to be with some girlfriend she'd never heard him mention before. Well, she partly believed it was only an excuse to leave her alone with her friends.

"Come on then." He slowed his pace so Kiku could keep up with him and led her towards their hotel. He left her at the vending machine downstairs where she could idly wait for everyone.

The hotel was in chaos with all the boys packing up and taking their things to their busses outside. Kiku was sitting in one of the leather armchairs and observing the boys rushing around her without really noticing her.

Aomine passed by, obviously in deep thoughts. He was frowning deeply and there was another boy – in Yosen's uniform following after him. He said something to the frowning ace, they shook hands – it was a forced handshake, but a genuine one – and they parted ways. Aomine stared after the shorter guy with his face half hidden by his fringe for a moment before continuing his way.

The guy from Yosen with the half-hidden face returned. He seemed to have forgotten something and he ran up the stairs holding his shoulder as he did so. When he returned he was dragging a purple-haired giant behind him. Kiku backed into the armchair, hoping to disappear. She'd never seen such a tall man in her life. But they didn't notice her and vanished outside.

A midget girl ran past her, dragging several guys and her own bag was bouncing up and down on her back. She was shorter than Kiku and wearing a t-shirt with Yosen's insignia. She swore and her accent was strange. Kiku pinpointed the girl to be Yosen's manager – Hero, or Sumire-san – she'd heard about from Aya before.

Kiku was curious and even excited about the summer training camp. She wondered how she would manage to get along with all those people.

"Observing everyone?" Wakamatsu's voice sounded to her right and she almost got a heart attack. "Whoa, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He held his hands up in apologetic gesture – this time he realised her jumpiness was in place. He'd freak out too if someone spoke to him like this.

"Do you want to kill me today?" She asked accusingly with her hand over her heart.

"No." He said and sat on a sofa next to her. "Uhm…" He wasn't sure what to say and he blushed slightly.

Kiku stared at him for a moment and this time, it was him who avoided eye-contact. "W-what?" She asked baffled by the situation.

"… you cheered…" He said and blushed even more.

"Yeah." She breathed out. "I-I did." And she blushed too, hiding her face again. "It was weird. I knew it."

"No, no, no!" He leaned forward abruptly, grabbing Kiku's hands impulsively. He wanted her to look at him, so she wouldn't misunderstand. And he wanted to see her face too. He liked those deep brown eyes hidden behind thick-framed glasses. "It was great."

Her eyebrow went up in doubt.

"I mean it! I wouldn't have made him sit without it! Thank you!"

Honesty was the only thing she could read in his eyes. He was blushing too – he probably wasn't used to these kind of talks. He was still holding her small hand in his huge palms and he didn't seem willing to let go. She didn't really mind.

"Uhm…" She fondled her fingers and brushed Wakamatsu's skin. She blushed and wanted to pull back, but she forced herself not to. She moved her palms so she was actually holding his hands too.

He blinked in surprise at their, now intertwined, hands and then at Kiku, who lowered her gaze, blushing furiously.

"I-I… I'm not scared of you…" She said timidly. "I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. I just… I'm not used to this." She squeezed her eyes shut.

For a moment he was speechless. Then a wide grin settled on his face. But when she looked up at him again – hesitating, worrying – she could only see a soft smile.

"I'm too loud, right?" He asked sheepishly.

Kiku shrugged. "More than most."

"So…" He cleared his throat.

"So?" She asked and tilted her head to a side.

"Uh…" He took a deep breath. "What are you doing the day after tomorrow?"

"Eh? Uhm…" She looked at their hands. Her heart was beating like crazy. Was this a date invitation? "I'm working from 5PM."

"So uh… Wanna hang out somewhere before that?" Urgh, so lame! He thought and closed his eyes in hope she'd agree. This was the first time he tried to ask her out like this. Only the two of them…

A wide smile spread on her face. "Yes." She said and her voice sounded unbelievably happy.

His eyes snapped open and after seeing that excited smile and sparkling eyes he fell in love all over again. He nodded with an excited smile too. "I'll pick you up at two then?"

"Okay." It was easy to agree. She was excited, and scared at the same time. It was the first time she was asked out. She wanted to go with him, and she was anxious at the same time. But Aya would tell her to go, she knew. And she wanted to try it.

"Kousuke!" Tada's voice interrupted them. "Come on, we wanna go home!" He shouted at his friend in scolding. Then he noticed Kiku and his frowned changed into grin. "Oh, I see…"

"Shut up!" Wakamatsu jumped to his feet and grabbed his bag. "Come on." He pulled Kiku to her feet.

She stumbled in surprise and bumped into his side.

"You know –" Tada started, but Wakamatsu's palm covered his mouth. – you could just hug her there if you wanted to. After seeing his friend's murderous glare he decided not to finish the sentence. Ever. At least someone's happy. He thought and headed out.

"Sorry." He apologised to Kiku. "I didn't want to pull you up that hard."

She nodded. "It's fine. But please don't do it too often."

Wakamatsu chuckled. "I'll catch you if you fall."

######

"I'm really sorry, we can't stay longer, but we need to go to catch the plane." Aya looked through the window one last time, partly hoping that Suzume would wave her goodbye with a smile on her face. But the girl was lying still, eerily quiet.

"It's all right, Aya-chan." Saeru patted her shoulder with a forced smile. "I'll call you if something changes, okay?"

"Thank you."

"Where's the cat?" Naoto asked out of nowhere. They were sure he wasn't listening to them, but apparently he was.

"What?" Taiga blinked in surprise. He'd completely forgotten about Dorian in the car – thankfully, Mayu was checking up on the kitty once in a while.

"The cat." Naoto said, his eyes now more focused than before. "You were supposed to bring the cat for Suzume."

"Oh…" Aya nodded. She'd forgotten too. "I considered it inappropriate to bring it up. And well… we can put him in a shelter. You have enough worries as it is."

But Naoto was shaking his head. "We'll take him. In fact, I need to go home and take a shower, we can't close the shop for too long, and there are orders in place and all…" He said his voice breaking. He couldn't help his granddaughter, but he could make sure she still had a warm welcoming home to come back to once she healed.

Saeru was staring at him for a moment. And then she nodded. As if the cat would ensure Suzume's return. "Yes, we'll take him. I'll stay here a bit longer, and then we'll meet at home, okay?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure about the cat?" Aya asked. "I really don't want to add another burden on your shoulders."

"Yes. We're sure." The old man nodded. "We promised her she could have the cat, so she'll have the cat waiting for her at home."

A small smile appeared on Aya's face. She'd probably do the same. "Okay. Come with us then, we'll tell you everything about Dorian."

######

At the airport, while waiting for their plane, Aya received a message quite some time after the match. She hadn't bothered the boys before, and they obviously didn't want to bother her, but she was curious now.

It was from Aomine. That alone made her hesitate, but she opened it.

'We lost 102 to 109. Coach updated the video on cloud.… And… I'm sorry.'

She shook her head but she smiled. Curt as ever.

'I want to hear it when we meet again, Aomine. Still… I know it was just a stupid misunderstanding. And I'm sorry about the loss.'

Then she opened the group chat and wrote a message for all the boys and Kiku (who'd been added some time ago).

'I heard you did well. I'm sorry about the loss, but... Congratulations on second place! 102 to 109 against Rakuzan, without Aomine playing, is a stellar result. I bet you caused some real confusion among them and I'm proud of you for that. I'll watch the match on the plane. See you in the summer camp.

P.S.: My friend should heal, eventually, and Dorian has a new home. Sorry I couldn't be there with you.'

######

Aomine read both messages thrice, before letting the phone drop on his pillow. He was finally at home. Shiro was lying beside his bed and he was absent-mindedly stroking her soft fur with the tips of his fingers. He hadn't told her he'd played a bit. There was no need to.

She called him Aomine again. In both messages. He didn't like it anymore. She'd started calling him by his name so naturally and it felt so good that it was hard for him to get used to family name basis again. But it had been his initiative to go back, not hers… She was just doing what he'd asked her to.

He sighed. Those few weeks before the training camp would be torture for him. At least he was going to Thailand to visit his grandma in three days.

Still, he couldn't leave it at that. He picked up the phone again and replied to her message.

'You will. I'll make sure of that.'

---

A/N: So, that's it for now. Quite a lot happening. I hope Aomine wasn't too OOC, but I think that he cares a lot in his own way and that he could very well realise his mistakes. Also, I'm not sure about the match as it isn't in the canon, so I tried my best to give it some justice - and hey, Aomine got his two minutes; why should the coach obey a student anyways? And on the medical condition of Suzume, I'm no doctor, so I sure as hell don't know if that's okay, but I tried to do some little research while writing it.

And some WakaKiku appeared, as I'm really neglecting the other fic, but I just don't have the time (or the mood) to sit down and write it. This story is kinda my priority now (sorry).

Let me know what you think but remember, reviews are appreciated but never necessary.

S.