A/N: Thanks to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed! It makes me very happy!
Originally I wanted to update during the weekend like usual and have the CH45 ready as a christmas gift for you, buuuut I failed at that. With all the christmas parties and baking and tidying up and helping around my family, I had no time to write more than this. I'm sorry for that.
But, it's Christmas! Soo... Enjoy your holidays, gifts, food... the new chapter... :) Merry Christmas to you all!
Enjoy!
There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent. ― Gandhi
Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow. ― Anita Desai
She was powerful, not because she wasn't scared but because she went on so strongly, despite the fear. ― Atticus Poetry
I've learned that home isn't a place, it's a feeling. ― Cecelia Ahern, Love, Rosie
It was such a radiant smile, without a trace of shadow, that I couldn't help smiling myself. ― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood
One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving. ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
The doorbell interrupted his reading. Daiki groaned in annoyance. He was idly lying in the shadow of their back porch with Shiro and Kurome lazily spread on the ground around him. He shut the book loudly and got up. Then he decided to go through the garden gate.
The gate creaked, making him cringe. He only wanted to see who it was so he could comfortably ignore the person. It surely couldn't be Satsuki, because she knew where the spare key was. There was only one person he could think of…
"Aominecchi!" Kise took a few steps from the front door and looked at him accusingly. "You wanted to ignore me?!"
Daiki made a grimace. "If the gate didn't creak… What are you doing here?"
Kise made his way towards the garden gate and pushed his way around him to greet the dogs. "I'm here to save your ass. I heard from Momocchi you're leaving tomorrow."
"And?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Do you have a gift for Ayacchi?"
"Hah? I'm not giving her anything at the training camp!"
A wicked and very suggestive smile spread on Kise's face. "So it's like thaaat ~?"
"Like what?!" He asked and regretted the question immediately after because it took too long for him to get the message. He blushed. "Wha– No! Stupid! It's not like that!"
"I'd gladly get a gift like that~" He said with a dreamy face. "Not from you, of course!" He added quickly noticing Aomine's raised eyebrow. He cleared his throat. "Anyways… You should have at least something prepared. Just in case the right situation will occur."
"…What's the right situation?"
"Oh boy… I forgot you're terrible at giving gifts."
Daiki rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. He didn't have to be reminded about it, he knew. "I don't know what to give her." He admitted begrudgingly.
"Me neither!" Kise agreed. "Let's go shopping!"
"Hah?! You don't know what to give her either, but we are supposed to go shopping?! I don't wanna go shopping with you. You drag too much attention."
Kise smiled and pulled out his big sunglasses. "I have a disguise. Don't worry, Aominecchi, it's gonna be fun!"
I'm already regretting it…
######
"Daiki? Where've you been the whole day? You missed the dinner."
He walked into the kitchen totally drained. Shopping with Kise was the worst experience. The blonde dragged him through several malls, they had to run from fangirls several times and the vultures did sniff them out even in the toilets.
"The girls are scary…" He muttered when he slumped to his chair putting a small paper bag on the table.
"What? What happened?" Michiko looked at him confusedly.
He sighed heavily. "Kise dragged me through some stores."
She laughed. Daiki truly hated shopping unless it was for something he needed or wanted. "I'm surprised you went. What did you buy?"
"Uh…" He glanced at his purchase with a frown. He wasn't sure if it was a good gift or not. But it'd simply caught his attention, so he'd bought it. "Errr... It's for Aya… It was her birthday…"
"Oh!" Her eyes sparkled happily and her childish side emerged. "Can I see? Can I see?"
"I guess…" He grumbled not meeting her eyes and pushed the gift towards him mom.
"Some jewellery?" She asked when she pulled out a white square box.
"I didn't know what to get… and she was wearing something like this before… So…"
"Hmmm…" How unusual for him to notice that… I wonder what face he made when purchasing it. She thought with a smile. Her little boy was growing up way too quickly.
She opened the box and examined its contents. It was a black relatively thin leather bracelet with a silver clip, wrapped around a small cushion twice. It seemed to be tightly braided from several strings of dyed leather. On the bracelet there was one silver dangling bead – a basketball depicted to the smallest details. She wasn't that surprised by his choice, she just hoped the girl would appreciate the sentiment of her boy. Of course she will; what am I thinking?
"You know… Bracelets are handcuffs." She teased, watching is face going red.
He grumbled something incoherent under his breath and tried to snatch the box away from her.
She pulled it further away. "No! I'm not done admiring it."
"Tch, just give it back!"
It took a couple more seconds until she closed the box and neatly returned it to the small paper bag. "You really must treasure her. I believe it wasn't exactly cheap, even though I don't know the brand." She really wasn't someone who wore jewellery.
Daiki shrugged. "What did you get from dad?"
"Huh?"
"The first gift…?" He nudged her curiously.
"An umbrella!" She said happily.
"What?!"
"What, what?"
"How did that happen? Such a lame gift."
"Lame? It was very thoughtful of him." She smiled softly remembering the gift she still had stored somewhere. "It was in high school. I was the silly freshman, who kept forgetting her umbrella. And every time it rained I waited for your dad, because I knew he'd take a pity on me and accompany me home. I liked him, and I had no other way to talk to him. He complained all the time, because I lived in the opposite direction, but every time he delivered me home sharing his umbrella with me. And when he learned my birthday, he got me an umbrella, so I wouldn't have to always rely on him."
"True…" Daisuke's voice came from the door. He wanted to fetch himself some tea, but he happened to hear a very interesting story. "And that very day it rained terribly and I forgot my umbrella. So your mom had to accompany me home instead. That was so embarrassing." He said with a chuckle.
"I learned where you lived that day. So it was a win for me!"
"And you kept forgetting the umbrella anyways." He looked at his wife lovingly. Sometimes he couldn't believe he got her and sometimes he was very glad they managed to stay together for such a long time.
It was strange for Daiki to listen to his parents' dating stories. But it was oddly interesting too and he realised there was so much he didn't know. He'd never asked them before; it was something he didn't consider necessary to know. And picturing his parents as silly high schoolers falling in love was just weirdly unpleasant.
"Ah, can I see it?" Daisuke pointed at the gift.
Daiki let out a resigned sigh. "…go ahead…"
He went through the same stages at Michiko. "Wow, you must really like her. Stepping up the game like this…"
"Tch, do you have to tease me?"
"No," they both chuckled, "but it's brightening our days. Twenty years of marriage is no fun, son."
"Sixteen." Michiko corrected him.
"Details, we've been together for twenty, so twenty it is."
Daiki's eyes narrowed. He was just about to turn 16. If he did the math… "Sixteen? Really?" He asked his mom with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh." Her eyes widened and she blushed covering her face.
Daisuke burst out laughing, their son got them beautifully.
"Ara, ara… My tongue slipped." She hummed and turned around. "Do you want the dinner?"
"Sure." Daiki smirked, exchanging secret glances with his dad, who was always in when they could tease mom.
"Don't forget it at home." Daisuke added when he returned the box into the bag.
Derek had a hard time finding Aya in a hotel or even finding the hotel and their current training place. Everyone he'd asked sent him in a different direction. But finally, someone pointed him towards a gym where she was still practising. It was well past dinner time, or even curfew for the little kids attending the training camp and Kouta and she were still on their feet and working out. And it was the last day. They should've taken it easy. He would have.
He didn't get it.
"Miss Aya!" He called out to her to alert her of his presence.
They stopped mid step and looked his way. But they didn't seem surprised or startled by his interruption.
"Time to wrap it up, I guess." Kouta said in English to accustom to Derek and turned down the music happily. He was dead tired, doing a lot of stupid mistakes caused by fatigue and he really wanted to sleep before travelling.
"Fine." She agreed and wiped her face. She was exhausted too, but this was her way to turn down her mind. "But what are you doing here?" She was staring at Derek with something close to annoyance.
"Uhm… Mister Haruka told me to come help you? He said you'd need a driver." He said and shifted his weight uncomfortably. This was his first time out of California, he felt strange, stressed and slightly lost.
Aya laughed and picked up her water bottle. "No. He sent you to keep an eye on me. Right now, I don't need a driver, or your help. So you should probably head back home."
"Whoa." Kouta turned to her with his hands up. "You're sure in a head-biting mood today, Monkey. Soldier boy doesn't look like he's got any ill intentions."
"I don't get what he's thinking! Sending him here, to what? Watch over me?" She flared up quickly. "He's never done that before–"
"Seth used to be with you then." Kouta cut her off. This wasn't Derek fault; he was merely doing his job. "And don't be bitchy towards him just 'cause you miss Daiki and worry 'bout Suzume. It's not like you."
She stared back at Kouta, who was usually teasing her or taking everything easy. He withstood it and stared back with unwavering steel in his eyes. Then she sighed. "… and my toe nail finally came off yesterday." She added. "You're right. Sorry, Derek. You're just doing what you're paid for. Still, you could've called first."
"Yes Miss, I'm sorry Miss."
Aya rolled her eyes. "Stop with that."
"Yes!" He saluted automatically.
She shook her head at the gesture and went to collect her stuff.
"Uhm…" Derek shifted uncomfortably again. "So… Uhm… What now, Miss?"
"Just call me Aya." She turned to him again. "And what, what now? We're leaving tomorrow morning at six. I'll get you a plane ticket. The hotel's full, so you'll stay the night with Kouta."
"Oh, with me?" The prankster smirked and looked Derek up and down. "I don't mind that. I really don't mind that."
"In Kouta's room." Aya corrected her previous statement. "And FYI, be careful, Kouta swings both ways."
"…" Derek looked away, but he nodded. "…I know."
"Oh, all's good then."
Kiku was so nervous. She never thought she'd truly join a sports club as their cook! Yes, it'd been settled a long time ago, but she still couldn't believe it. And Wakamatsu-senpai was going too. She'd basically spend 8 whole days around him.
She hid her face and squealed quietly.
"I really don't want to know what's going through your head, sis'."
She jumped in fright. "Ryuu-nii! Knock!"
Ryuunosuke laughed loudly. "I came to help you with your stuff. I really don't get why you're leaving on Thursday afternoon, but whatever…"
"They decided to take the school bus… It's over five hours and they don't want to waste a day of practise." She said, still frowning at her brother who so boldly barged into her bedroom.
"Are you taking any bow with you?"
"Uh… no…" No one knew; except those in their class, Wakamatsu and Tada.
"I think you should. You're used to practising every single day, why make an exception? I'm sure you could find or make some targets there."
"Hmmm…" She wondered which bow she could take. Definitelly not a daikyuu.
"Well then, if you're ready, we should go. I hope you haven't planned to go together with your boyfriend, or have you?"
Her face turned red instantly. "He… He isn't… No… T-t-that's…"
He laughed again, his little sister was cute. "Ah well, sorry, my mistake." He apologised, not feeling sorry at all. They should just get on with it…
######
"Aya-nee-chan's coming today, right, right?" Kaito asked expectantly, playing with his food. The last time he'd seen Aya-nee-chan was… a long time ago… He was so excited to tell her everything about his adventures with daddy; he couldn't wait until she'd arrive.
Hanae sighed. Her grandchildren surely had a habit of playing with their food once sad or excited. "She'll come in two days, not today, Kai-chan. And you should eat you food like a good kid."
"But Aya-nee-chan is in Touou High, right? And they're comin' today, right? So is Tatsu-nii-chan. But he's… elsewhere? Why is he elsewhere? Ah, so she must be comin' today!" He answered and gobbled up several mouthfuls at once.
Hanae sighed and looked at her husband who just shrugged. "Don't look at me; he's got the motormouth from you."
Hanae frowned deeply piercing her husband with a glare. "Motormouth you say, huh?"
"Eek… Sorry honey, I didn't mean it wrong."
"Who's got what? Motor-what?" The little boy asked curiously.
"Mo-tor-mouth… When someone talks a lot." Taichi explained patiently.
"I don't talk a lot! I just have to tell you eeeverythin'! Coz' you're old and don't leave the house anymore."
The old couple exchanged glances and they laughed. The little kids were really something.
######
"Everyone's here?" Katsunori asked and looked at Satsuki for approving nod. She was in charge of the attendance list.
"Yes." She nodded. "Those three who excused themselves are not coming but Kiku-chan's here, so we're all good."
"Good. Then we're all set to leave." He glanced at their driver. "I hope none of you gets motion sickness and if you do please ask Momoi-san to give you a pill for it."
"I'd like some!" Kano raised his hand immediately.
"Yes please!" Ishii pleaded. "I don't want him to vomit on my pants again."
Daiki rolled his eyes and seated himself comfortably. They had around five hours of travelling ahead, and then it'd be only a day or two until he could see Aya again. Thinking of Aya… He sprang up reaching for his back with a very bad feeling. He rummaged through it looking for the gift he'd bought for her.
"What's up, Aomine-san?" Sakurai asked leaning over his seat.
"It's not here…" Daiki muttered angrily. "Fuck!" He slapped his palm against his forehead.
"What's not there?" Imayoshi asked curiously.
"None of your business." Aomine grumbled, hiding the contents of his bag – there was nothing to hide but he didn't like the wicked captain staring at his stuff.
Dammit! He hastily zipped his bag and pinched the bridge of his nose. I'm and idiot. He thought desperately.
######
In the evening, they arrived at the small village which was the closest to their final destination. The bus driver parked the bus right next to another one and set them out. He'd comfortably stay in an inn in the village, while the boys could walk the rest of the way. There was no way he could get the bus through those hairpin turns safely. And it was getting dark already, all the more because they were in the mountains which cast long shadows at sunset.
"Eh?!" The boys voiced their surprise when they got off the bus and stood face to face with Yosen's team. Sure, they knew they'd be there together, but so soon?!
Then a loud discussion and introductions broke out. Many boys didn't know the others and they probably wouldn't remember all the names, but it was a must to introduce.
Kiku kept half hidden behind Wakamatsu or Tada-senpai, whichever was further from the biggest guys from Yosen. But she wasn't hidden as well as she thought.
A huge shadow loomed over her. "Eeeh? Another Chibi-chin." The giant drawled bending forward to see Kiku better.
"Eeeek!" She startled, bumping into Wakamatsu's back.
"Hm," Wakamatsu turned around with a frown, ready to protect Kiku from whatever that startled her. And then he blinked at Murasakibara. "Hey! Long time no see."
Atsushi straightened up looking down at Wakamatsu. He frowned. "Hmmm… Hi. I was talking to Chibi-chin though. She is a bit taller, so I thought Hiro-chin should stick around her, if they do that maybe they won't tangle between our legs that much."
Hero's ears prickled at hearing him, and that she could always hear when he made fun of her small frame. "What did ya say?! No one's tanglin' between your overgrown sticks!"
"Hiro-chan!" Fukui appeared to rein in on the little demon from the basketball club; she quickly earned the nickname in the school. "Be nice to Kiku-chan. She's not their manager as far as I know."
"Huh?" She finally zoomed in on Kiku. "Oh! Sorry, sorry!" She laughed and outstretched her hand. "I'm Hironaka Sumire, hope we can be friends!"
"…Mhm…" Kiku accepted the vivid handshake, not sure what to think. "O-Ohno Kiku." She stammered.
"Why ya stutterin'? I don't bite." Hero smiled, but then added: "unless ya try to make a move on him." She pointed her thumb at Fukui, who chuckled desperately. He had no idea how he fell in love with this spitfire.
"N-n-no, no, no." Kiku shook her head immediately. "Don't w-worry, I'm not interested."
"Ya say he ain't interesting?"
"T-t-that's…"
"Chill out, Hironaka." Aomine's voice drawled as he shuffled to greet Murasakibara. "Ohno is definitely not a threat to your love life."
"What?!" She turned red instantly.
Aomine raised his eyebrow and gave Fukui a sympathetic look. "She contradicts herself often?"
Since Hero wasn't looking, Fukui nodded gravely. But he found it adorable at times but also unbearable at other times too.
"Gee'… And there I had a calm summer." He complained (not that his summer was actually calm) and nodded to Atsushi in greeting.
The giant nodded back.
"Hey. I was surprised you didn't show up at the streetball venue." Tatsuya joined the party.
And Aomine turned his eyes to heaven. "I wasn't in the mood to play with those pathetic opponents."
"Oh… but Taiga and us were there."
He raised an eyebrow at Tatsuya. "Like I said… Unimpressive." But he wondered how good the guy could actually be. He hadn't seen Tatsuya playing for real yet.
"Because Muro-chin forced me to come."
"I didn't force you. Wasn't it Taiga who provoked you into playing?"
Atsushi frowned and fished out a snack from his pocket.
"Huh…"
"ALRIGHT!" Masako's sharp voice cut off all the babble. "We're leaving! Take your stuff and start walking!" She pointed at the dusty path snaking into the forest. "And we'd better hurry before it gets dark. You never know what monsters might be lurking in the mountains." She smirked when she saw some of the boys go pale. Ghost stories were her favourites.
"Eeeeh? We thought it was just a stop!" Several first years and guys from Touou complained. They'd never been in this camp like the senpais from Yosen.
"What was that? You want to run?" She asked annoyed by their.
There was a collective silence. No one wanted to provoke Masako.
A bike came hurtling towards them from the forest with a cloud of dust. It came to a sudden halt. A boy with his hair tied into a bun jumped off and smiled.
"Hi! You must be the clubs going to Taichi-sensei, right?" He asked. "I'm Aiba Keiji." He kept looking around, searching for someone familiar, but when he didn't spot them he shrugged. Kaito will be disappointed.
"You weren't here last year." Masako pointed her shinai at his face.
"Huh?" He looked at the lady coach clueless.
"What's your business?"
"I'm the apprentice. It's my second year actually. Aaaand Taichi-sensei kicked me out to come meet you. I'll go get the car and I can at least drive your bags there. Wouldn't it be more convenient?"
"How old are you even?"
"Seventeen in a month." He said seriously and a wide grin broke on his face. "But driving is nothing unusual 'round here. The serpentine is safe unless it's raining, don't worry."
"Can I take a ride with you?" Katsunori asked suddenly. He didn't feel like walking six miles, or how much it was. He'd done that when he'd come for his training camps.
"Oh, Harasawa Katsunori-sensei." Keiji blinked at him and bowed. "It's been a long time since you last stopped by. Gramps are gonna be happy to see you. Sure, I'll give you a ride. You too, sensei?" He looked at Masako.
"No. Someone has to herd the kids."
And so, Katsunori waited for Keiji with all the bags while the group proceeded into the forest. It was getting colder in the evening and the girls took their warmer jackets. The car passed them soon after they got going and Katsunori didn't forget to wave Masako with a smirk.
The big group broke up into smaller groups with similar pace and Masako walked at the back, maintaining a steady pace through the forest. Wakamatsu kept close to Kiku, steadying her up every time she tripped over some pothole or occasional stray root. In was impossible for the girl to keep steady on this unknown road and in this dim light, all the while trying to keep up with everyone.
Aomine walked alone. Satsuki was close by, but she was still keeping her guilty distance. And she was trying to talk with Hero about the upcoming training regime, her plans and opinions. The little demon had become a good manager so the conversation was beneficial for both.
Tatsuya and Atsushi kept going behind Aomine in silence. Tatsuya was curiously looking around. The forest around was beautiful and eerie at the same time. It closed up around the path creating a slightly claustrophobic feeling. There was a stream close by, because they could hear the water but they couldn't see it. Tatsuya didn't like hiking in nature that much and it wouldn't surprise him if some bear popped out at some turn.
By the time they reached their destination, it was already dark, but the place they discovered was magical. Suddenly at the last turn a huge open area appeared in front of them. Opposite them, at the right end there was a big traditional house. Next to it were two smaller two-storey buildings separated by not more than 1.5 meter gap. There was a concrete basketball court and a huge gym. The meadow was surprisingly big and flat, given the location. There was also a tiny parking lot for three cars at most.
A gravel path connected all the buildings and it was outlined with tiny solar powered lights. The sliding door at all three houses were wide open and the light was pouring out. An old couple was discussing something with Katsunori. When they noticed the big group they waved at them.
Keiji ran towards them and opened up the car so they could take their bags. Afterwards, both teams assembled in front of the main house.
"Okay boys!" The old man spoke up with a surprisingly strong voice. His shoulders were stooped and his back seemed to be bent to one side. "Some initial rules! Girls will be living in the main house with us! This house," he pointed at the closer building, "is prepared for Touou, the next one is for Yosen – like usual. Baths and showers are half-open at the back of the houses. Curfew is at ten, if I see anyone out past that hour you'll be running rounds 'round the house and chopping wood. Understood?"
When he saw everyone nod he continued.
"Breakfast is at seven, after your morning runs. Lunch at noon and dinner at six. Whoever is late will do the dishes – and I don't give a damn if it'll be one person every single day. Another warning, I have four bee hives that way," he pointed somewhere behind them, "so I'd like you to keep your distance. There should also be two huge black dogs running around somewhere. They're sweethearts, but don't spoil them and don't provoke them. Yosen's been here before so they know how things work around here, they can enlighten you. If you have any questions or demands past that; ask me, Hanae or Keiji."
The boys nodded again and hummed in agreement. They were sure the threat of running 'round the house weren't just empty words.
"Okay guys," Hanae smiled at them warmly, "put your bags in your houses and come eat dinner. I wouldn't like it go cold."
"Uhm…" Keiji raised his hand, "Baa-chan, where's Kaito?"
"Huh?" She looked at Taichi who looked around and then shrugged: "Where are the dogs?"
The old woman shook her head in resignation. "He should be back with them… Yui and Ai never miss the dinner."
"Aren't you worried? He's just a kid." Keiji was slightly panicking.
But Hanae just raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Young man, you and Aya used to wander those woods for days too! You've always returned even without the dogs. So Kaito will be fine. Mothers have the sixth sense." She wasn't worried, because the forests around were safe and Kaito, despite being a little kid, knew how to take care of himself.
Taichi shook his head in warning. You don't want to argue that. He meant.
"Can I stay for dinner too?" He asked instead.
"Won't your mother be worried?"
He shrugged. "I basically live here anyways."
Hanae nodded and then showed girls to their room upstairs. After that they helped with setting tables. Satsuki was banned from the activity right after five minutes when she managed to break four plates.
Food was piled up in huge bowls and trays and everyone could take as much as they wanted – provided they left enough for the others. And Hanae's food was heavenly delicious. It was too good to waste time talking. So the teenage boys were downing it quietly without leaving any leftovers.
The door suddenly slid wide open, hitting the wall and a small red haired boy, no older than seven, appeared in the dining room panting heavily.
"Aya-nee-chan?" He asked, looking around. He was covered in mud from head to toe and his knees and hands were scraped and bruised. In one hand he was holding a small battered bouquet of flowers. When he noticed all the strange faces and no Aya, he took a step back and tears welled up in his eyes. He must've cried before too, because snot was dripping from his tiny wrinkled nose, but the boy just wiped it with the back of his hand again.
Two black dogs slipped their huge heads into the house looking around curiously, but they didn't step in. They'd been forbidden to enter the house, so they patiently waited for someone to notice them. They were wet too and covered in mud.
"Kaito!" Hanae gasped and stood up. "What were you doing?"
Keiji raised an eyebrow. "Not to worry, huh?" He quickly coughed hiding those words.
The boy sat on the ground with a loud thud and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. The flowers he was still holding were put on the floor at his side. He sniffled dejectedly. "Aya-nee-chan was supposed to be here." He muttered and his stomach rumbled loudly.
"Honey," Hanae crouched next to him, "I told you Aya will arrive two days late."
"B-b-but she's in their team!" He threw his hand in the direction of the Yosen boys. No one corrected him. "She promised she'd come."
"And she will. The day after tomorrow." Hanae patted his head. "Are the flowers for her?" She looked at the poor pink and purple hydrangeas the boy brought.
He sniffled again and nodded. "I don't have another gift. And Aya-nee-chan likes these." He lifted them up and then let them hit the floor again. The flowers were ruined, he knew. If only he hadn't slipped down that hill.
"We can put them into the water and they will look much better in the morning. I promise." Hanae told him warmly. "Aya will be happy to see them. So what happened to you? Did you fight with a bear to get them?"
Kaito pouted. "I went too far looking for these. Then I got hungry and I wanted to be on time for dinner. Ai and Yui too… So we ran. But it was dark and I slipped, going all rolly-rolly-rolly down a hill…"
Taichi laughed at the description. Sure, Kaito looked slightly ragged, but it was nothing too serious and the boy seemed to be okay enough to talk. "I swear I'm having a déjà vu now."
"Oh, shush it." Hanae frowned at him. Then she turned to Kaito again. "We should get you a warm bath, what do you say?"
Kaito pressed his lips together and his stomach rumbled again. "Can I eat first?"
Taichi shook in laughter. "You can't deny it! He's just like the two."
"Bath first! If you waited this long, ten more minutes won't kill you, young man." She pointed at the door and sighed. "Those kids will be the death of ours one day. First the tree climbing monkey and now down the hill rolling mole. What've we done to deserve this?"
Kaito hung down his head and slowly walked towards the door and a bathroom on a corridor behind it. "Eh, Tatsu-nii-chan?" He noticed Tatsuya sitting at one of the tables he was passing by. And his face suddenly brightened. He got up and ran towards Tatsuya, hugging the surprised teenager.
"Heey." He wrapped one arm around Kaito, already picturing how dirty his white t-shirt would get. "It's been some time. Do you still play guitar?" He asked randomly.
The boy's eyes shone. "Yes! I already know the song you showed me! And –"
"The bath!" Hanae reminded him strictly.
"Haaaai! But Baa-chan! It's Tatsuya-nii-chan, he used to spend loooots of time with Aya-nee-chan and Tai-nii-chan, can he come with me?"
She frowned at Tatsuya. "Really?"
He smiled politely, but he felt strange under the woman's gaze. "Yeah. I've returned to Japan just the other day."
Taichi looked at Katsunori. "Does Aya know he's here?" He asked grumpily and Tatsuya suddenly knew that the grandparents knew and that they didn't like him.
"Yes." Katsunori nodded. "As far as I know there's no bad blood between them."
"Eh?" Kaito was blinking from one adult to another. He didn't understand. He loved Tatsu-nii-chan. "Come on…" He pulled Tatsuya's t-shirt.
But Tatsuya smiled and pushed the small hand away gently. "Maybe tomorrow. You're a big boy already, I'm sure you can take a bath on your own."
"But –"
"Be a good kid and listen to your grandmother, okay? I'm not going anywhere."
"…okay." He mumbled and shuffled out of the room.
Tatsuya breathed out in relief. "Sorry, I didn't know Kaito-kun would be here."
"Whatever." Hanae waved her hand. "We had no idea you had such a deep bond with the twins. I'll go help Kaito." She said and left.
"And I'll feed the dogs." Taichi got up and sighed looking at two muddy beasts. "And spray them with a hose."
"You know the kid?" Atsushi asked curiously.
Aomine and Satsuki happened to sit at the same table. They arrived last, so they took the last free seats.
"He's Kagami Kaito, their cousin."
Satsuki pouted. "Aya-chan didn't tell me her cousin would be here."
"There's a possibility she doesn't know. Kyou, uh, his father, brings and takes Kaito as he likes." He said with a shrug. He was aware of Kyou's strange upbringing and he considered it rather cool.
Kagami Kyou, Haruka's twin and former pro basketball player, was now a freelance wildlife photographer and author of several travelogues. He also tended to his numerous bars spread around the world. That meant he had to travel a lot. For the past three years the man was taking Kaito, his son, everywhere with him. There were only two of them and Kyou wanted to be with his son as much as he could, but sometimes he left him with the grandparents, the twins and even with the twins' grandparents in France. It was for Kaito, so he would know his whole family and learn languages.
But Tatsuya had no reason to tell them that.
The pinkette's eyes were staring right at him. "Aya-chan never mentioned him."
"You probably didn't ask. And besides, the twins have 18 cousins, Kaito included. Though Kaito is the only sibling from their father's side and he is somewhat special. More like their younger brother, really." Technically, he is their half-brother… He thought, but decided not to confuse Atsushi, Satsuki and Aomine with genetics.
"Whoa… That's a lot…" Aomine whistled. "You know them all?"
Tatsuya chuckled. "Not at all. I know only Kaito. I've never been with them to France."
"Tatsu-nii-chan!" Kaito returned with a plate full of food and a cushion. First, he set the plate on the table then he put the cushion on the chair and then climbed up. He was a small kid and the table was still too high for him, so he needed the cushion to properly reach up. He was all cleaned up and wearing green pyjamas with monkeys. He wasn't crying anymore; grandma had explained that Aya-nee-chan would really truly come and that she loved Kaito very much, so the boy was satisfied. And he had one more day to get the flowers.
"That was quick." Tatsuya praised him.
The boy nodded. "I was hungry! Hmmm…" He was staring at the other three teenagers around the table. They didn't scare him; he was already used to meeting strangers. "Friends?" He asked.
"Oh, yes. This is Aomine Daiki." He pointed at the grumpy guy sitting opposite Kaito. The boy nodded and looked at the pinkette. "…and Momoi Satsuki" Kaito nodded again and leaned forward to look at the huge guy sitting on Tatsuya's other side. "…and Murasakibara Atsushi."
"Hm, hm…" Kaito hummed and munched on his dinner contently. "I'm Kagami Kaito."
"With the introductions done… Where have you been? I haven't seen you for ages!"
"Mongolia! We travelled 'round and 'round with a nomadic tribe!"
That was how Kaito's long monologue started. He simply had to convey his adventures to everyone sitting at the table. He was eating and talking, and surprisingly, all the teenagers were listening to him with interest. Sometimes they even asked him something.
Kiku, Tada and Wakamatsu joined them when the others started to leave. Even Hero and Fukui squeezed themselves to the table with Kaito. The boy was cute, jovial and he certainly knew how to talk a lot. Sometimes he didn't know a word or mixed up languages, but it was cute and Tatsuya always helped him out. Kaito could draw them right into his stories. Maybe it was partly caused by his resemblance with Aya. Or maybe the boy had some special spark that affected them.
They spent hours in the dining room, listening to the stories of a six year old.
Hanae shuffled towards them with a kind smile on her face. She patted Kaito's head – finally there was someone else listening to him.
"It's curfew, guys. You should go or Taichi will make you run 'round the house."
"But baa-chan! I'm not finished with how daddy fell off that tiny horse!"
"Tomorrow honey, you'll tell them tomorrow. But you need to go to sleep now."
Kaito whined, but he yawned widely too. His day was filled with running around and falling and excitement and right now, he was exhausted. "'kay." He agreed and hopped off the chair, taking his cushion.
"Good boy."
"Good night." She told to the teenagers.
"Good night!"
The girls headed after Hanae further into the house and the boys went outside.
Aomine stretched his back and yawned. He was tired and strangely amused by the kid. A soft smile appeared on his face as he watched thousands sparkly stars above his head; he couldn't see them from the city.
Some guys from both teams were chilling on the porch watching the starry sky lazily. Some were playing cards by a small lamp inside, but the big lights were out already and the sliding doors were shut to keep all mosquitoes and bugs outside.
"You didn't tell us you had a kid with her, Himuro!" Some guy from Yosen sat up grinning at the group which returned from the main house. At least they suspected him to be grinning; the stars were the only source of light out here and it was quite dim.
Tatsuya frowned. He knew some of the guys on the team didn't like him. As far as they practised with him just fine, he didn't care. But…"What nonsense are you saying, Tanaka? Kaito's her cousin."
"Can't be. The kid totally looks like that redheaded chick. Except that lead-grey eyes. " He mocked. "Those are yours, aren't they, daddy. Hahahaha."
"Very funny." Tatsuya said irritably.
"Oh, we've seen the articles." A boy sitting next to him laughed too. "I'd bet there is some kid, probably on an adoption list."
"Right. She would never lower herself to changing dirty diapers." They both laughed loudly. It was an unpleasant laughter.
"Hey!" Aomine snapped at him, trying to get to the front, but Murasakibara was damn huge. His good mood was quickly destroyed and he couldn't believe that Himuro was just taking that. Aya was still his friend, wasn't she?
"Ohooo! So she fucks you both?!" Tanaka asked and laughed even more.
"Can we share your cute lil' Robin?"
Aomine sprang forward, but Atsushi grabbed his shoulder and held him at place. He glared at the giant, but Atsushi just shook his head. It was probably the first time that Aomine saw Atsushi really pissed off. The giant was easily annoyed and could be quite childish, but it always passed quickly. Now it seemed that Atsushi was ready to break someone's neck.
Then, to Aomine's surprise…
Tatsuya's hand shot forward and he grabbed the closer guy by his collar and violently pulled him off the porch. The porch was a good meter above the ground and the guy stumbled falling on his ass. But Tatsuya yanked him to his feet.
"Don't call her that." Tatsuya hissed furiously and glared at the boy. "You know nothing about her, so shut your mouth."
Tanaka tried to free himself, but Tatsuya had an iron grip and his visible eye was murderous, cold and scary. So far they had Tatsuya as someone friendly and easy-going. How wrong they'd been.
"It's the truth!" He protested weakly and his voice jumped embarrassingly high.
Tatsuya chuckled icily. "Just because you read some made up bullshit, doesn't mean you know it all. This," he threw his arm to point at everything around him, "is her home, her family, her friends and her team. You are just one little cockroach running under her feet. Think twice before you try to badmouth her again."
"Why are you protecting the bitch?" The other guy asked. He still had some courage as he was quite out of reach. But he forgot how quick the giant could be if he wanted…
With one step Atsushi pulled the boy off the porch too. Unlike Tatsuya, however, he raised the boy up with one arm. The boy kicked his foot above the ground helplessly.
"Like a bug." Atsushi drawled and a very dangerous light shone in his amethyst eyes. "If you insult Aya-chin one more time, I'll crush you."
That threat from Atsushi was a serious one.
"Tch." Aomine was the only one left out. But it was probably for the best, because his blood was boiling and he could feel that Tada and Wakamatsu were ready to restrain him if he made as much a step forward. This was Yosen's dispute. No matter how much they wanted to protect Aya. They shouldn't be involved in a fight with the other team. Besides, Tatsuya and Atsushi had it under control.
"What is going on?!" Okamura's deep voice thundered over them. He was frowning at his guys causing a ruckus on the first night. He hadn't heard what it was about, but he didn't like the looks of it. When Tatsuya and Atsushi joined forces, they were basically undefeatable and he wondered what caused the giant to act out.
"Those two were insulting our Aya-chan~" Imayoshi's joined them and one door on the Touou's house slid open. His voice was polite but there was a threat and a razor blade hidden in it. "This is her home. A little respect… So could you please deal with them, Okamura-taichou? Preferably before our ace knocks out their teeth? And I won't stop him. Or maybe your own guys will deal with it?" He glanced at Tatsuya and Atsushi.
"Hmph," Okamura sighed, "let them go."
"Huh?" Atsushi looked at his captain with displease. "They insulted Aya-chin."
"So I heard." The bulky guy said and cocked his head to reinforce his original order. "And I will deal with it."
Atsushi clicked his tongue. "Don't forget, once more and I'll crush you." He threatened one more time and released the boy who crashed to the ground.
"Himuro-kun."
Tatsuya was staring at Tanaka hatefully. "Don't you dare talking with Kaito." He growled lowly and let go. He didn't forget to push Tanaka as he released his grip. Tanaka stumbled over his own feet and crashed to the ground next to his friend. Tatsuya spit in their direction. "Bastards."
"Oi." Okamura didn't like disputes in his team, but he was much aware of the rivalry and hostility among some players. "That was unnecessary."
"Maybe." Tatsuya admitted, "but they insulted my family. They should be glad we're here and not back at Yosen…"
The captain sighed. "You two. Get up your asses and come with me." He pointed inside with his thumb. "There won't be any fights or provocations here. Do you understand?"
They gulped and got up. Their captain was a nice guy… Unless they pissed him off. They were only first years, but they knew what it meant to disrespect the captain. It was one thing to tease the big gorilla guy, but disrespecting him and angering him by causing problems to the whole team was something wholly different.
They exchanged glances. They'll regret this…
######
"What articles?" Kano asked when Aomine, Tada and Wakamatsu closed the sliding door. It was thin and they heard the entire scene.
"It's nothing." Aomine grumbled and slumped onto his futon. He was pissed off and in a new place. He knew he wouldn't sleep at all.
"I think they should know." Imayoshi hummed with a deep frown. "From us. Because I don't think those two are done."
"…you know too?"
"Of course I know, Aomine. I'm the captain. But don't worry, you knew it first."
"It's not our thing to share."
Imayoshi had to agree with his ace. "No, but neither it's their. At least we know it's bullshit. Those two…"
"What are you talking about?" Naito sat up and stared at the five guys who seemed to know it all.
"Tch," Aomine clicked his tongue and got up. He didn't want to hear it again. He didn't want to deal with the idiots in his own team who didn't like Aya, because he wouldn't be able to hold back if they insulted her.
"Where are you going, Ahomine?" Wakamatsu grabbed his elbow. It was against the rules they'd just heard.
He yanked his arm free. "Out." He said and left.
######
"Hey, you."
Aomine closed his eyes. Damn. "Yes?" He turned around to face the old man who was apparently checking up on them.
"Name? And team."
"Aomine Daiki, Touou." He said; there was something in Taichi's voice that didn't tolerate disobedience.
"It's way past the curfew, kid. Eh… Come with me." He motioned his hand for Daiki to follow him and headed towards the dogs' shelter.
"Huh?" For some reason it freaked him out.
"I ain't gonna murder you boy, don't worry." Taichi cackled and kept walking.
Aomine shook his head confusedly and caught up with him. "Where are we going?"
"Dogs. I heard you liked them."
"Uh… yeah… I have two…"
"I know. Aya told me. For some reason she suspected you might bring your dogs here, so she let me know. Just in case."
Daiki chuckled lightly, he'd been thinking about it, but his parents had talked him out of it. They walked towards the shelter.
Yui and Ai were both up. They yawned, presenting their fangs and licked their noses. They shook their fur and then lazily walked towards Daiki to greet him. They smelled other dogs on him, but they didn't mind.
"Hey there." He said softly and crouched down. Those black dogs were huge as bears, but their eyes were kind. "Sorry for waking you up." He let them sniff him and then he gently patted their thick fur.
Dogs are great judges of character… Taichi nodded approvingly and leaned against the shelter staring at the starry sky. "I've heard what they said about Aya."
Daiki's head snapped his way. "What?"
"I always check up if you boys are not wandering around. The forests are safe – if you know them. I can't have someone wandering off in the middle of the night because you want to have fun with some stupid ghost stories or whatever."
"Oh…" He had no idea what to say, so he returned back to petting the dogs. They were surprisingly cuddly and he was soon sitting on the ground, suffocated by them.
"My son is an idiot who failed to protect her. Those articles should've been long gone. He could've taken care of it, but he didn't. Ah… Never mind…" He looked at Daiki and his piercing eyes judged the boy. "I'm glad those two stood up for her."
Daiki was looking back at him. The old man's eyes were red like embers and flames and it looked like the flames were alive, slowly moving and observing him. He usually didn't care about stares he was getting, but these eyes were judging his worth. He wanted to be deemed worthy.
"Me too," Aomine said levelly "because I would've beaten the crap out of them."
"I saw the posture." Taichi nodded and looked at the sky again. He sighed deeply. He was worried about what was going on with his family. But there was nothing much he could do, he could only be there and watch over them. "I believe Robin had a very difficult summer she won't want to talk about. Because it's just like her. She doesn't want others to worry," he chuckled, "which worry us even more."
Daiki nodded and listened. It was the first Aya's family member besides Taiga and Katsunori (who didn't really count), he met. He was curious, a little bit afraid and very surprised. Why was the old man talking with him? Why not Tatsuya, or Katsunori?
The ember eyes turned to him again. "Wondering why am I talking to you, instead of punishing you for wandering 'round past the curfew?"
"…yeah." He answered honestly.
"I wanted to see what kind of person you are."
"Why?"
"Aya talked about you when she was organising the camp. Some others too, but when she talked about you, she sounded… happy. It made me curious."
Daiki's throat dried up and he suddenly felt nervous. "So… what did you found out?" He asked, trying to sound as calm as he could. Maybe he was a bit rude, but…
"I don't know yet." He chuckled. "I've only just met you, kid. But there's something I'd like you to do."
"What is it?"
"Make sure those two dickheads won't hurt her when she comes. Otherwise, I'll bury them where no one will ever find their bodies. And she wouldn't be happy if her old fragile grandpa ended up in jail, would she?" The old man grinned, showing his teeth.
Daiki laughed at that. "I'd gladly help you, but okay."
"Don't you live in Tokyo?" Derek asked confusedly when they ended up in Akita. Aya was handling all the tickets and he was stumbling after her like a lost puppy the entire time.
"We're going to visit my friend and then we're heading to Hanamaki and further. We have a training camp there."
"Another one?"
"Yes. I'm a manager in Touou's basketball club."
"…really?" He asked with wide eyes. That was unexpected.
"Really. Come on, I want to be on the way to the hospital already."
"Hospital?!"
She rolled her eyes and quickened her pace. Derek was a nice guy, but he didn't know much and he kept asking a lot of questions. Questions, Aya didn't feel like answering. And sometimes he cared too much. She didn't need him to bring her food or whatever. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. Still, she was trying her best to not lose her nerve. He's just doing his job…
######
In the morning, Daiki was forced to run with everyone. Masako with her shinai turned out to be a very persuasive element for the ace.
When they returned for the breakfast, the atmosphere was tense.
"What's up?" Kaito asked Tatsuya in a whisper. The seating was the same as the previous day and it'd probably remain like that for the rest of the camp.
"There was a small dispute. Nothing to worry about." Tatsuya whispered back and smiled at the boy.
"Over a girl?" Kaito guessed excitedly.
"I don't know. It was probably over some card game."
"Hmmm… Boooring."
######
"Hey! Where're you running to?" Daiki shouted after Kaito when he spotted him disappearing in the forest with the dogs. He ran up to them curiously.
"Uuuuhm… To get another flowers. Aya-nee-chan will be here tomorrow, maybe today evening? If she really wants to see me. She can do miracles. And since I've ruined the flowers yesterday." He looked at the sun and nodded, "I should have enough time to get there and back in time for dinner."
Daiki's eyes narrowed, "you judged the time according to sun's position?"
"Yeah, daddy taught me how to. Come on, I'll teach you! And you can help me with the flowers!" The boy impulsively grabbed Daiki's wrist and pulled him into the forest. The guy reminded him of Taiga and he looked really fierce, like some hero from a fairy tale. Tough but nice. Kaito was curious.
"Tch." Daiki didn't have time to protest. But he didn't feel like practising – there were no Yosen vs. Touou matches planned that day. He'd rather spend the day exploring the surrounding forest and he certainly had an adventurous spirit; so long as there was daylight and no creepy ghost stories. And Kaito's excitement was contagious just like Aya's. For some strange reason he liked the kid. Kaito was a cool little fella, not a spoilt little brat.
After a few paces Kaito stopped and turned around, staring with his big grey eyes at Daiki. "You don't wanna?"
He sighed and a grin settled on his face. "I haven't said that. Lead the way, kiddo. And don't get us lost." Daiki's orientation skill weren't terrible, but this was an unknown forest with no phone signal. He didn't want to risk the night out there.
"Yay! Don't worry! These two can always find a way home!" He patted Ai's head.
######
Aya's fear of hospitals was back, or rather, she was realising it again. Taiga was not there and the scent of disinfectant was ever present. She forced Derek to stay in the hospital's cafeteria; he was really the last person she'd lead to her best friend who was still unconscious. But going to Suzume's room alone was scary.
There were other people around; patients, doctors, nurses and other staff but it was suffocating for her. She stuck her hands into her pockets and curled them into fists to hide her shaking fingers. It was August, but she was cold.
Flashes of bad memories were appearing in her mind and she was trying to shut them out, keep them at bay. But…
She felt like she was eight years old again. Tied to a bed at night because she was having night terrors, during which she fell off the bed or scratched and opened up the shot wound on her shoulder, or she sleepwalked around, and the responsible head nurse was too indolent to keep an eye on her. The same nurse yelling at her and Taiga in the morning for dirtying the new bed sheet with blood because Taiga had untied her and she had scratched at her wound in her sleep again. Then Taiga being tied to his bed as well, so he couldn't help her… And their father came to see them just once in those treacherous two weeks. He didn't believe her when she accused the nurse. 'You know kids; they make up lots of things…' The little kid, who died in that room with them… Because they couldn't go and get help at night… No one answered to their screams. 'Just another night terror', the nurses believed...
She felt like she suddenly couldn't breathe. The world spun around her. She quickly crouched down and stuck her head between her knees. She knew what this was. She knew damn well, yet she couldn't help it. She was drowning.
"Hey!" Someone grabbed her shoulder. "Aya."
She turned and caught that hand. The girl with her hair dyed half blue was bent over her worriedly. "Y-Yomi…" Aya took a deep breath.
"Heey," Yomi patted Aya's shoulder and didn't let go of her hand. She'd never seen a person drowning on land. But now the redhead seemed to be getting better. "It's alright. You're alright. Suzu's right there." She pointed at the door at the end of the corridor. "I was just leaving, but do you want me to go with you?"
Aya nodded, took several deep breaths and got up, not letting go of Yomi's hand. "Thank you." She said quietly, feeling so embarrassed by this episode. "Sorry… I'm useless in hospitals."
"I've heard." The girl smiled and squeezed Aya's sweating palm encouragingly. "Taiga-kun told me when he stopped by."
"Eh? Taiga was here?" I didn't know.
"Well, of course. We're all worried."
"Any news?" Aya asked when they walked into the room.
Suzume looked like she was just sleeping. The bruises on her face were now gone and she looked much better. But she was still unconscious.
Yomi sighed. "Doctors said it's a coma. They said it might last a few days or a few months or a few years. No one really knows why it happened–"
"It won't be years."Aya cut her off and took Suzume's hand in her own. "I know it won't."
"I want to believe it too."
The red eyes turned at her. "Then why don't you?"
"I don't know." She shrugged. "My mom never woke up. I hate hospitals too. But I really want her to get up and annoy me again."
"Sorry."
Yomi smiled. "Yours is dead too, no need to apologise. They say she can hear us… Do you believe that?"
"Yeah." Aya was drawing circles on the back of Suzume's palm with her thumb. "That's why, the idiot who's scaring the crap out of us, should just quit and wake up quickly." She said looking at Suzume's calm face. "And if she is in there somewhere she should know that she isn't alone and there are people waiting for her. And the cat."
"The cat that tore my curtains." Yomi joined the redhead. So far she was only staring at her friend with worry and pity. But Aya's worried, yet so different approach surprised her. A moment ago, the redhead was suffocating with fear and now she was lecturing the unconscious girl. Her best friend, where there were no walls kept up. "You owe me for that, so you should hurry up and come home. Dorian's been waiting to meet you, stupid."
The girls spent in the room hours. Talking to Suzume, to one another, laughing, crying, worrying… Yomi felt she found another friend. Another kindred spirit. She wasn't jealous anymore. When they were leaving, they both kissed Suzume's cheeks.
They said goodbyes and announced they'd be back again. And again. Until they annoy her enough to wake up and send them to hell.
They didn't notice a tear streaming down Suzume's face.
"I've been thinking." Aya said as they headed towards the cafeteria.
"Hm?" Yomi squeezed Aya's hand she was holding again. She didn't want to see the redhead suffocating again.
"Couldn't you bring her some music?"
"Music?"
"Yeah. Maybe it could help?"
"I will. Send me some songs you two shared. I know she has a special playlists for each person she loves."
Aya smiled. "Sure thing. Oh, there's the guy." She pointed at Derek, sitting in the cafeteria and staring at the clock.
"He's cute."
Aya raised an eyebrow. "Shall I introduce you? Though he doesn't speak Japanese just yet."
"Gosh no. My English is terrible."
The redhead chuckled. "See you in a week then?"
"Yeah, see you in a week, Aya." She slipped her hand out of Aya's and turned to leave. The day was emotionally exhausting for her.
"You can call me Robin, if you want."
Yomi blinked at the redhead. From Suzume, she knew the nickname was special. Then she grinned widely. "I will! Bye bye!"
Aya waved her goodbye and walked to Derek. "Sorry for the wait. I think we can go now."
"Oh, yes. It's fine. I didn't mind the wait at all." He murmured staring at her eyes. He could tell she was crying, but her eyes were clearer than before. Livelier. He really didn't understand the girl.
"I've made another great friend today." She smiled. "I just wish it was under the different circumstances."
"Are you sure you don't want to go anywhere else?"
"Actually… Let's stop by Moriyamas. I want to buy something for my guys." As they walked out she took out her pack of cigarettes and lit one up. She didn't care about Derek's opinion in the slightest.
######
Daiki and Kaito walked into the dining room just in time for dinner. They were carrying flowers, carefully tied with a shoelace. Some guys snickered, but it went over Daiki's head. He had a great day with the kiddo and the dogs.
"Those for Lil' Monkey?" An eerily familiar voice cut the air.
Daiki turned around and stared at the guy with pink dreadlocks comfortably sprawled on a chair, playing with his hair.
"Kouta-nii-chan!" Kaito squealed and ran to the guy. He carefully put flowers on the table and then launched himself at the young man.
"Urgh. You're strangling meee!" Kouta teased and then he hugged the little boy tightly. "I had to come to see you. So you wouldn't forget my face."
"And because you need my help with your university assignment." Taichi grumbled when he shuffled out of the kitchen.
"That too." Kouta admitted.
"Aya-nee-chan's not with you?"
"Unfortunately, she needed to make a stop in a hospital to see her friend. She should be here later tonight or tomorrow around lunch, depend if they stay the night somewhere or not. More likely they will. The Soldier boy isn't used to travelling and jetlags like your nee-chan, so he might need the rest."
"Who?" Kaito and Daiki asked at the same time.
Kouta smirked devilishly. He wanted to tease the hot ace so much, but he didn't want to cause another dispute. A little jab wouldn't hurt though… "Derek. The new driver, Haruka sent him over to keep an eye on Aya. I think he is doing a good job~"
Kaito frowned. "Huh? Who's that? Never heard of him."
"Neither has she, until they went for that crappy party."
"Meh," Kaito shrugged. The driver or whoever wasn't important. He wanted to see Aya. And hear stories from the dancing camp. "How was your camp?"
"Your nee-chan tried to kill me every day. My feet are a mess and I'm glad I can walk straight, but it was very enjoyable. And you wouldn't believe it, but Aya-nee-chan stepped on my feet a couple of times."
"That's a lie!" Kaito protested vehemently. "Nee-chan's the best! You made that up… Or it was somehow your fault."
Kouta laughed. "I think she wanted to be here with you," he looked at Aomine meaningfully and winked, but patted Kaito's head, "so much she messed up a few times."
Aomine shuddered. Kouta's attention sure didn't feel good. But he got the message.
"Really?! Really?!" Kaito grinned happily. "I can't wait to tell her eeeverything! And I really want to go the tree house!"
"Keiji-kun hasn't shown you how?"
Kaito shook his head. "He said it's Aya-nee-chan's… uh… privilege."
######
"Yo." Kouta walked up to Satsuki and Daiki, who were obviously bickering. He had no idea why, and he didn't really care. He wanted to properly talk with the ace.
"Uhm… hey…" Satsuki looked at her feet and blushed. The guy was quite overwhelming and quite shirtless…
"Shiranui Kouta, I supposed we weren't properly introduced at all, right, Takano-chan."
"Eh?" She looked up at him. "I… It's Momoi Satsuki now."
"Oh, I thought something was different. Sorry 'bout that, Satsuki-chan." He flawlessly switched to her name. "Do you still dance?"
She shook her head. She knew the name; she just couldn't connect it to anyone from her past. It was awkward.
"Would you mind if I talked with him?" He asked pointing at Daiki.
"N-not at all. I'll go to talk with Sumire-chan and Kiku-chan." She said quickly and walked away. Her ears were burning red from embarrassment and guilt, because Kouta surely knew how stupidly she'd behaved back then.
"What's up with her? She didn't eat my desert or anything…" Kouta wondered and shook his head.
"You should wear a t-shirt." Daiki commented dryly. "What's up?"
Kouta raised an eyebrow.
The expression made Daiki realise who he was talking to. He half-hid his face in mortification."You know what, don't answer that."
A smirk settled on Kouta's face. "I rather won't." He agreed; he didn't want to scare off Aya's 'boyfriend'. "Just wanted to assure you, Derek's not an issue. I'd love to tease you, but you two had a big enough fight as it is, right? You don't need to make some jealousy scene or whatever."
"I wasn't going to." Though he had to admit, he was jealous.
"Good to hear that."
Daiki nodded. A weird silence settled over them. Then Daiki blurted out: "Why Soldier boy?"
Kouta burst out laughing.
"So you're practising today?" Tatsuya asked him when they assembled in the gym after breakfast.
Daiki shrugged. "Today are the matches. And kiddo wanted to stay here."
"He's waiting for Aya like a little puppy. But he's still a son of a former pro-player, he knows a lot about basketball too. Kyou will certainly hear about this camp."
"Like I care."
"Aomine! You're in the first mini match!" Naito called out to him.
"Hah?!" A vein popped on Aomine's forehead. Was he seriously playing with Susa, Oyama, Naito and Tada? What a weak little team, it could've been much worse though. "Are you serious?!" He glared at Satsuki.
The pinkette shrugged. "No one can beat you but you, right? It shouldn't be a problem."
He narrowed his eyes. This was something Aya would do. But he smirked at the challenge. In the opposing team were all regulars: Tatsuya, Okamura, Fukui, Liu and Muri. Only Atsushi decided he was 'overheated' and would sit this one out. Daiki never had a need to face off Atsushi, but he would gladly try it during the camp at some point.
"I'm marking Himuro!" Daiki called out.
"Oh?" Tatsuya smiled. "That's interesting."
"You lose."
The tip off went to Yosen. Oyama was not good at it yet and Aomine was ordered to let Oyama try. It was a practise camp; they were supposed to learn firstly, competing was on the second place.
"Tch." Aomine stopped Okamura's dunk somehow, with luck, speed and nimbleness. But the bulky captain was crazily strong.
"Impressive." Okamura muttered. Atsushi could stop him with force, but Daiki… The ball just suddenly disappeared from his hand. "Why don't you guard him tighter, Himuro?"
"Eh, sorry!" Tatsuya hummed and caught up with Daiki.
The ace narrowed his eyes. "You let me pass."
"Wanted to see if you could stop Okamura-san." He smiled and caught a pass from Muri. "Now let's see if you can stop me."
A chill ran down Daiki's back. That was a feeling he didn't expect. Excitement? These were unknown waters. He could feel Tatsuya's level and he'd never seen him play. He stood comfortably, ready to react. His left hand was still a bit sensitive because of the stupid burn. But he didn't care. It couldn't affect him.
Tatsuya dribbled comfortably, smoothly, with ease. Then he quickly went right, jumping for a shot.
Daiki reacted to that, but it was a fake. Tatsuya never jumped it just looked like it, instead he turned around, passing Aomine, who had instinctively leapt up.
"Shit!" Daiki muttered, trying to speed up his landing.
Tada managed to free himself and he went for Tatsuya. But he slipped past him with another couple of fakes.
Daiki caught up again. The fakes were incredible and incredibly annoying at the same time. How come he fooled me?
"Welcome back." Tatsuya smirked. And tried the same sequence again, just to see if Aomine could be fooled by the same moves twice.
"I don't think so."
They danced around one another for a moment. The focus and pressure were tremendous. Tatsuya, however, felt that Aomine had a foot on his breaks that the ace wasn't really playing. Only fooling around. It angered him.
"Neither do I." He muttered and jumped to shoot.
This time, for real.
Aomine jumped but the ball seemed to pass through his hand. He landed and stared at the ball passing through the hoop. Mirage shot… He can really do it. He stared at Tatsuya with a slight respect. Something like that took years to master, he knew.
"Aomine!" Kano shouted, he thought the ace didn't see the ball flying his way.
"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes and caught the ball easily. Tch. His burnt left hand, mostly healed up, stung. Don't think about it. "Let's see how well can you guard."
The sudden, almost predatory, aura surprised Tatsuya. Aomine loosened the pressure he was putting on the breaks. And then he showed Tatsuya a bit of his streetball; a sequence of totally unnecessary and tricky movements accompanied by some fakes which confused the hell out of Tatsuya much more than fakes similar to his own. Tatsuya knew fakes, he'd faced streetball too, but Aomine Daiki's style was his own, exceptional, unpredictable, unguardable, unique. Aomine Daiki's… And no one else's. Tatsuya had never seen something like that. Similar to Dominic, but yet so different…
Aomine made a shot out of the blue, from an angle and distance which other players wouldn't even try, let alone make.
"I ain't looking down on you." Daiki said with a smirk. "But you won't win."
He was surprised by Tatsuya's skills. They were admirable, but he felt those skills weren't completely Tatsuya's, that the boy was still hesitating, unsure, comparing himself. Asking if he was good enough. Daiki could tell that much just from this one game. And he understood what Aya'd meant when she said Tatsuya had 'self-esteem issues'. But he wanted to stop one of those Mirage shots.
Maybe not that day, but till the end of the camp… He had to.
No one really expected Touou to win. It was a very tight 2 point difference. The center was still weak and the skill difference was big. Even Daiki was somewhat, unconsciously, ready to lose the practise match. But the others made really great improvements he hadn't expected. And he was a goddamn ace of the generation of miracles, who was everywhere where the ball appeared. He sure as hell wouldn't let Tatsuya win. Not in basketball, not in anything. That feeling alone pushed him into playing for real.
"That was crazy!" Kano hung his arm around Aomine's shoulders. "How'd you do that?"
He shrugged off Kano's arm. They were both drenched in sweat and it was disgusting. "I don't lose," was his simple answer. He was exhausted. And he could see Tatsuya was half-dead too. And the match only lasted 15 minutes.
"You have a monster on your team too, Katsunori." Masako said.
"Jealous now, Masa-chan?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No. I made my choice. And would've made it again. Mine's stronger. And bigger. And better."
Katsunori rolled his eyes. "What's with you and the size? It matters, but not that much." Then he noticed some teenagers sniggering behind their backs. He deadpanned at the wording they'd used. "Maybe I could change your mind?" He asked with a completely straight face, half expecting to be hit by her shinai in that moment.
But she was completely oblivious to innuendos. "I don't think so."
He raised an eyebrow at her, but when she still didn't go red from embarrassment he sighed in resignation. His attempt to make a joke came out ineffective. "Never mind…" He breathed out under his nose, ignoring all the boys making fun of them. "You do realise that Aomine managed to win with a team of benchwarmers, while you used the majority of your regulars, right?"
"Your benchwarmers are that good." She said simply. "And you'll see the difference once I use Murasakibara."
"Can't wait to see that." He muttered and turned to go to his team.
As he was passing by her, she told him: "I don't think you can change my mind, but you're welcome to try."
Feeling the heat rising to his cheeks he rubbed his face and ran his fingers through his hair. No one would see Harasawa Katsunori blushing. Certainly not a bunch of teenagers. She could always get you like this, man up, stupid.
######
"Ne?" Naito nudged Imayoshi while drinking. "If Aomine played with us…"
"A-a-a. We don't do teamplays much, Naito-kun."
"I know, but if he did… What he showed today… I've never seen him play like this before. Even with Kise, it was somewhat different." He didn't want to say 'weaker', but that's what he felt.
"Kise is his best friend, and he dislikes Himuro. He just loosened his breaks more than before."
Aomine was replaced by Ishii, Tatsuya by Tanaka. The others weren't as exhausted and another game continued. This time, it was Yosen's win. But Touou held up well.
Daiki sighed and headed out. This was enough of practise for the day. He hadn't expected Tatsuya to pull that out. And he certainly couldn't get used to it again. The teams he'd face… they weren't this strong. It excited him, and disappointed him again. If he got better, he wouldn't even be able to pretend he was playing with those flies…
Kaito didn't follow him, and he was glad for that. He lied on the porch of the main house and listened to the steady sounds Kiku, Sumire and the old couple made in the kitchen. It was nice and warm and he enjoyed the sunrays drying off his sweat.
######
"Are you sure it's this way?" Derek asked for the third time.
At that moment Aya wanted to hit him. But she took a deep breath; she wanted to be home already. The Moriyamas persuaded them to stay the night. Derek seemed to have jetlag, so she agreed. Tired driver was a dangerous driver. "Yes. And if you're scared to take the road let me drive please. I'm home here. I know the way."
"As you say, Miss."
Nope, she didn't manage to keep her calm. "Aya!" She snapped at him and wondered how he could get on her nerves, while all he wanted to do was to be helpful.
When they finally parked at the huge meadow, she jumped out of the car, leaving Derek to deal with the GPS and collect his stuff. She basically ran towards the main house, unsure who to greet first. Probably her grandma, but she didn't care.
"Oh." She stopped on the spot when she noticed Aomine sprawled on the porch, idly basking in the sun like a very content overgrown cat.
"Hm?" He cracked opened his eyes, interrupted by the sound and looked in the direction of it.
She surprised him. He impatiently wanted to see her, but he kind of expected her to come during some of their meals, or something... "Oh…" He echoed hastily stumbling up to his feet to greet her, but suddenly he didn't know what to say, what to do. Should he hug her, should he not? What should he say? He was tongue-tied. How did I manage to call her?
It didn't really matter.
He was glad to see her. Her hair was loosely tied in a braid; her eyes were lively and cheerful. Compared to the last time he saw her, she was shining like a little happy sun. She was wearing a white tank top with a generous cleavage with a strange long rust-coloured baggy skirt. She was wearing her bracelet and the ring on her necklace was resting on top of her breasts. Quickly he tore his eyes off of there; he found it inappropriate to stare at her boobs at the moment.
Her scar wasn't covered. Has she forgotten 'bout it again?
She noticed where he was looking. Sticking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear she looked away. And then back at him again.
"Uhm… hey," she wasn't sure how to behave either. But she had to say something, because the staring was getting really awkward. "You've been practising." She stated the obvious, judging by his loose shorts and t-shirt.
"…obviously…" His lips curled into a small teasing smirk. But those deep blue eyes looking at her were softer, happier than usual. She was glad to see that.
"–" There was something else he wanted to add, but didn't get the chance.
With a few steps she erased the distance between them. After all the shit, she needed to make sure he was real. She needed him. Because of their previous fight, she wasn't sure if it was completely okay to hug him, even though they had more or less made up, even though they had previously agreed that hugging was okay…
So instead, she rested her forehead against his chest, leaving her hands freely hang at her sides. It was a safer choice, a compromise. If he wanted, he could simply step away and they'd avoid a totally mortifying situation. She closed her eyes, enjoying the closeness while it lasted.
He didn't step back, but he didn't hug her either. He just stood there. Surprised and happy, feeling like a total idiot unable to do anything. She must've felt his heart hammering like crazy against his ribs and he realised he'd been holding his breath up until now. How pathetic…
His uncertainty and embarrassment were cute. She sighed in relief.
"I'm home." She said quietly with a relieved inaudible chuckle. She said it mostly to herself. One thing was sure all the stress, worry and hurt seemed to be washed away by Daiki's sheer presence in her space. But you've known that before…
He almost misheard her.
She had a need to say that to him? While lightly nuzzling her forehead and nose against his chest? As if he was her home? He must've smelled from the practise, but apparently she didn't mind or she didn't care. It was weird, but… Could he really hug her? Oh, fuck this. A wide grin settled on his face and he squeezed her with his arms almost crushing her for a moment.
She was back.
"Welcome home, silly."
A surprised squeal escaped her. But when loosed his grip a bit she hugged him back and laughed. It was daft how everything seemed so small and unimportant, how light and strong and protected she felt with him. Loved even? She couldn't even describe it properly. Being with him was natural. Like breathing. And it felt so right.
She didn't quite understand, but she knew she didn't want to let go. Ever.
"I've miss–"
"Miss Aya! Oh! Uh, sorry!"
"–missed you, I wanted to say." Aya grunted and pushed herself away from Daiki. "Sorry, for that."
She turned to Derek, who didn't know where to look.
"Nothing to apologise for." She said. "Though I'd like you to withhold the report from my father."
"I was never going to report anything, Miss. I was asked to help, and I'm just doing my job." He stood at attention trying to act like he was staring at something past the teenagers. He surely didn't expect Aya to hug a strange guy, someone like Aomine… And he felt jealous, because he'd had no idea. She'd never said anything. Not like it's any of my business… He thought bitterly. His affection for the girl was short lived. It was stupid, really, he barely knew her.
She narrowed her eyes at him. He looked angry? Why would Derek be angry with her? Maybe I was too impatient with him? Rude? "The name is Aya, not Miss. I've already told you that."
"Errr… Right. I'll go get your bags; I just wanted to ask where to take 'em."
"I'll help, there' not that much of it anyways."
"Can I help with something too?" Daiki asked with a raised eyebrow. He vaguely understood the context, but he knew his limitations, so he didn't try speaking English with them.
Aya nodded with a smile. "There's not much to help with, not really." They turned to walk back towards the car.
"You know your cousin and the dreadlock guy are here, right?"
She stopped mid-step. "WHAT?! Kaito and Kouta are here too?! I have to see Kaito right away! Hey, wait! What the hell is the Shiranui doing here?" She rambled out, suddenly not knowing which way to run first. Get her stuff? Go find Kaito? Go kick Kouta in the ass for not telling her he was coming here? See how Kiku was doing? What about Tatsuya and Hero and Atsushi? Or should she see grandma first? Katsunori? The dogs?
Daiki sighed with and shook his head in desperation. He knew what this meant. He'd just met her again, hugged her again, and now she'd run off for gods knew how long to catch up with everyone.
This is gonna be one hell of a loooong afternoon and night… He thought, but decided to play her shadow for a while. He was curious about her family dynamics too, and there were those dickheads…
A/N: Soooo... They meet again... And other stuff... I hope I didn't overdo anything. :)
Let me know what you think and remember, reviews are appreciated but never necessary.
S.