A/N: Thanks to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed! It makes me very happy :)
Enjoy!
When she wraps her arms around my neck, all I want to do is protect this girl for the rest of my life. ― Simone Elkeles, Perfect Chemistry
There is something beautiful about all scars of whatever nature. A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed and healed, done with. – Harry Crews
The soul is healed by being with children. ― Fyodor Dostoevsky
Is it meaningless to apologize? Never. – Alan Moore, V for Vendetta
Home isn't where you're from, it's where you find light when all grows dark. ― Pierce Brown, Golden Son
When you fall in love, the natural thing to do is give yourself to it. That's what I think. It's just a form of sincerity. ― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood
Love is needing someone. Love is putting up with someone's bad qualities because they somehow complete you. ― Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby
"Oh, by the way…" She stopped when she handed a bag of sweets she'd bought at Moriyama's sweets' shop to Aomine. "This is Wright Derek, our driver, and Derek, this is Aomine Daiki." She officially introduced them.
They shook hands. Aomine appreciated it more than a polite bow. The handshake was strong and firm and he figured he wouldn't really mind the guy. Sure, he would probably get jealous from time to time, buuuut… The guy didn't look that threatening at all.
"Well, you can practise your English and he could learn Japanese a bit more, wouldn't you agree, Derek?" She asked and looked at him expectantly.
"Uuuuhm…" He nodded carefully. "Does anyone here understand English?" He asked, dreading the answer.
"Everyone should, on some level at least if you speak slower than usual. Kouta, Kaito and I are ready to help if there are any problems. But you're free to try Japanese too. You've been studying it, right?"
"Only for two months or so… I don't really understand yet. Let alone speaking…" Derek sighed and levelled his pace with the teenagers. He was carrying his own luggage and one smaller bag Aya let him carry. Otherwise, the girl carried her rather small bag (given she'd packed in it for three whole weeks) like it weighed nothing.
Aya shrugged. "You'll be probably forced to learn. Ah, whatever, let's go. I really want to meet everyone."
"What's in it?" Daiki peeked into the bag he was carrying.
"Sweets from Suzume's shop. I stopped by to visit and her grandparents let us stay the night."
"Is she still in the hospital?" He wasn't sure he could ask; they hadn't really spoken about it. Maybe he wasn't even supposed to know, but he did and he was curious. He wanted to know.
"Yeah." She nodded and caught Daiki's gaze. 'We'll talk later.'
Daiki nodded. 'Okay.' Then he saw her smile again. She happily entered the main house, focusing on the people who were present and waiting for her. He had no idea how she was doing it. He really admired that side of hers. And he couldn't wait until they'd be alone to talk things out properly… Not that he knew exactly what he wanted to talk about.
The sounds she could hear from the kitchen were obvious: her grandma was preparing lunch, most likely with Kiku's, Keiji's and maybe Hero's help. And maybe even Kouta's if he'd graced everyone with his presence.
Derek and Daiki followed behind here. Derek was looking around curiously; it was his first time in Japan and this house was unlike anything he'd ever seen. Elevated, huge, made out of wood but with electricity and all… Daiki was curious about Aya's bottom, mostly, and her legs and all. He'd seen the house and the kitchen already – Taichi forced him into cleaning duty in the morning – as he'd been caught by the old man outside past the curfew twice already.
"Tadaima!" Aya called out when she let herself into the kitchen.
All the work going on in there stopped. Kiku and Keiji smiled at her and welcomed her home. Hanae put down the knife she'd been using, wiped her hands and flew across the room to hug her. For an old woman, she moved quickly and elegantly, it was difficult to believe she was in her sixties.
"Okaerinasai!"
Aya was surprised by the tight hug, but she reciprocated accordingly. And she realised, she missed this. She sighed and for a moment, she rested her head against Hanae's and enjoyed the loving, welcoming hug. "Yeah, I've missed you. And I've heard Kaito's here!"
"Yeah, yeah, he's been asking about your for days! He and his little motormouth! But before you go smoke him out of wherever he wandered to… what's going on with you? Are you okay?" Only then did Hanae pull away to scan Aya. She even took a step back to see her whole figure. "You've lost weight!"
"Huh? I'm fine." Aya blinked at her and looked at herself. "I don't know about losing weight… But maybe? I've been practising a lot more lately."
"And your leg?"
Aya narrowed her eyes. "What about my leg?"
"Don't try lying, young lady. I called Haruka, he didn't pick up – nothing new, so I called the house. And I finally talked to that pleasant lady who takes care of you all."
Aya let out a long, desperate sigh. Her cheerful mood was starting to disperse. "Ah, Gabi... I'm fine. Really. Can we talk later? I want to put down my stuff and go greet everyone."
The old woman raised her hand up in sign of retreat. "Okay, but we will talk later. No flyin' away, Robin."
"No worries. But I'll have to be with Kaito until he talks himself to sleep. And he does have energy reserves like any other Kagami." She winked at her grandma and headed out.
"What a peculiar trait…"
Aya stopped by the door and turned around again. "Oh, can Derek take the other guest room?"
Hanae frowned. "Who?" Then she glanced at the two guys at Aya's tow. Aomine Daiki, of course and a handsome young man. "Who's that?"
######
They ascended to the second floor and turned left and immediately right. There were four doors on the narrow corridor and a window at its end. Aya opened the first door to her right and pointed into the room.
"This one will be yours, Derek. Mine's there," she pointed at the door at the end of the corridor on the left, "and that one is Kaito's," she pointed at the door next to Derek's. "And I believe Kouta is in the room next to me. Urgh… Never mind… The bathroom is downstairs, or outside, wherever you want to shower. You can rest and get over your jetlag, and maybe join our practise if you feel like it. Otherwise, you can do whatever you want. Go for a hike, laze around, eat whatever you want… The car is at your disposal, so if there's a place you want to go to, you can; just let me know about it. Okay? Feel like home."
Derek peeked into the cosy room and nodded. Partly, he expected to be given some tasks around the house. "Is this a sort of vacation for me?"
Aya shrugged. "If you want to call it that. But you're not taking any of your days off and your pay check won't change, but it's not considered a business trip you could charge extra, as you're provided everything and your pay check is generous enough. If that's what you wanted to know."
"Err… yeah, thanks." He smiled sheepishly. As a new employee of the Kagamis he had tons of questions, but he was too shy to ask too much.
"But of course. You can just ask that, you know?"
"I'll try to remember it, Mi– Aya"
"Finally." She chuckled. "Okay, you need your rest and I need to settle back in. See you later."
Derek handed Aya's bag he was carrying to Daiki and vanished into his room with a wide yawn. He was still very tired.
"Work stuff?" Daiki asked nonchalantly as he followed after Aya to her room. It had a huge 'Keep out' sign on the door and some other faded out stickers, which must've been quite old.
The door didn't creak at all. "Yeah, about his pay check. But I guess you could pick that up, right?"
"Not everything." He shrugged and leaned against the door frame. It was amusing watching Aya as she walked into the room and scanned it, as if she saw it for the first time.
There was a big bunk bed in the right corner from the door, a simple double desk with two chairs and one wardrobe. A small library was overflowing with books and there was something like an old wooden chest under the bed, but Daiki couldn't be sure. A bouquet of hydrangeas was nicely arranged on the desk and there were two notes next to it. Not from him though, he hadn't been up here before.
She threw her bag on the bed and turned to him. "You can come in. Put those bags on the bed please."
He did as she asked him. And he sat on the edge of the bed.
Aya wasn't sure what to talk about with him now. She was excited to greet everyone and see Kaito and at the same time she just wanted to lie down and sleep, and maybe brood a little. This room used to belong to her father, Taiga and she shared it now as the family grew bigger.
"I s'pose you don't know who put these here?" She asked. The flowers on the desk drew her closer to investigate.
Daiki shrugged, he had no idea if it was Kaito or Hanae arranging the flowers, but he knew who'd brought them. But he didn't want to mention he participated in that. "The kid went to pick 'em up the other day."
"Apparently." She chuckled, reading a happy birthday wish Kaito had tried to write, although he was just learning how to do that. It was a sloppy and childish handwriting, but the effort he put into it was so obvious; she was moved. "I should go to see him right away." She said softly, intending to crush the little motormouth in her arms once she got to him.
"He's in the gym. He can't wait to see you, nee-chan." He teased, but he had the rare kind smile playing on his lips. Daiki had no idea what to talk about either. There was so much, he couldn't pick a single topic.
She turned around and leaned against the desk watching Daiki with the soft expression she'd had. "I know, but first's first… I'm sorry for all the mess. And how I suddenly left without an explanation. I should've been there. I'm sorry."
"You've already said that." He frowned. "And I should've realised it wasn't your doing. I'm sorry too. I didn't know it'd been Satsuki…" And I promised I'd apologise in person.
She raised an eyebrow. "Did she apologise to you?"
"Yeah, more or less, she apologised… after I'd flared up... But we're not on the honest speaking terms yet…"
"At least she apologised to one of us." She liked Satsuki, but she wasn't sure she wanted to meet her now. With a sigh she ran her fingers through her loose hair, pulling at it slightly. Then noticing her scar she frowned at it. I should change into a t-shirt… "Damn it there is so much I've missed." Her cheerfulness was slowly draining away.
"Not really." He shrugged, there really wasn't much. And he'd missed about the same. When she suppressed a yawn he raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have jetlag?"
"Not really." She repeated his words. "I'm beyond exhausted though." With a proper yawn she sat on a chair and outstretched her legs. "Just too much happening in too little time. And then there's Suzu…"
"…want to talk about it?"
She shook her head. "Maybe tomorrow." A tiny voice in her head was screaming at her to tell him everything, because out of all people, she owed him all the answers he would want to get. But it wasn't that easy and she didn't want to start a lengthy discussion (likely involving tears of frustration) when Kaito was so impatiently waiting for her. "Baa-chan will interrogate me later at night anyways and everyone will want to know. And I want to think it through. I guess I won't get any sleep in some time."
He didn't like the idea of her 'thinking through' her answers, because she'd find a way to make it look simple and fine, even though it didn't have to be. But he could also feel the pressure she was under. Everyone would ask about her summer, her friend Suzume, maybe even the stuff Imayoshi had told them… Daiki himself wanted to get some answers… And he certainly didn't want to be in her shoes right now. Did she know Imayoshi had told the boys about her?
"Want another hug?" He blurted out, affected by all the thoughts and questions swirling in his head. He wanted to support her; he didn't want to pressure her even more, although he really wanted to. And those words just formed in his mouth all on its own, surprising him as well.
"Huh?" She blinked at him with a puzzled frown, not sure she heard right. With all the things he could ask and do, he asked her if she wanted another hug? Hell, she desperately needed it.
"Uh…" He bit his lip to hide a blush heating his cheeks and looked away. "Forget it… It's nothing…" He mumbled; shocked by his own suggestion and her reaction he couldn't interpret right.
Thankfully she spoke up at the same time as him, her voice overlapping his muttered words. "I guess I do…"
"Huh?" He glanced at her in disbelief.
A small blush coloured her cheeks as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Actually asking for a hug like this was a bit strange, she felt a bit shy… "I… Well…" Then she shook her head and looked at him with those burning reddish eyes of hers. She was certainly not an overly shy princess. "Damn it all." She swore and got up from her chair, making those few steps to stand in front of him. When he was sitting on the bed, she was towering him. "Yes, I want and need another hug." She said, but she didn't do anything else, not sure if she could. Then she quietly added: "From you…"
She surely was something else. Shy and bold at the same time.
Daiki didn't need to hear more, and he'd be an idiot if he didn't react to that. But right now, he didn't feel comfortable when she was standing above him, so he got up, and pulled her into his arms. That way he could be the one hiding her in his arms, not the other way around.
When her arms circled around his waist and she rested her head against his chest, he felt unbelievably happy and powerful at the same time. There was someone trusting him, confiding in him, needing him in a completely new way.
She sighed contently listening to his steady, albeit a bit quickened, heartbeat and charging her batteries from his strong presence. The hug assured her that everything was going to be okay. He didn't have to say it. No words were really needed. This was more than enough.
They stayed like that for some minutes, silently supporting and bathing in each other's presence.
"We should go." She said reluctantly.
"…do we have to?" His voice vibrated in his chest and she pulled her head away to look up at him, though she didn't let go yet.
Her eyes traced his lips for a moment then she frowned and shook her head. "Yes. I want to see Kaito, and it's only a matter of time until baa-chan comes to check up on us." I don't want another ruined kiss attempt.
He raised an eyebrow and smirked. Maybe he could tease her a little. "Mhm, that's why you're holding on like a tick…"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Not like you mind, Honey-bun."
"It's not every day that a D-cup girl comes by to hug me. I need to enjoy it while it lasts." He had no idea where he was taking the courage and blush-resistance at the moment. With her around, he didn't understand himself.
Aya didn't have a remark to beat that one. She shook her head chuckling. "Daiki:1, Aya:0." She said and finally pushed herself away.
A small chuckle escaped him too. He had no idea she was 'counting' it like that too.
She pulled a hair tie out of her bag and braided her unruly mane in seconds. Then she took out three medals and shoved them into her pocket.
"Want to show off with those?"
She rolled her eyes. "My selfish desire to win is not the only thing driving me to actually do it. And I couldn't care less about these." She patted her pocket.
"Huh?"
"You'll see why I'm taking them."
When they were about to leave her room, he caught her wrist to stop her.
"What now?"
"Err…" He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, glancing at her scar. "…don't you mind the others seeing?" He asked carefully, half expecting her to get offended.
Her eyebrows knitted in thought. She'd forgotten about the scar… "Uuuh… I do? But I keep forgetting about it at home, around you anyways… Father doesn't like seeing it at all. So I guess it's time I stop hiding it? It'll lift one worry off my back. And it's not like I need to give anyone an explanation if I don't want to."
He nodded. That decision probably took a lot of bravery. "…if anyone insults you, I'll crush them."
"You're starting to sound like Atsushi." She laughed and remembered she needed to take the sweets with her as well. "Speaking of Atsushi… take this, please."
The bag full of sweets appeared in his hands seemingly out of thin air.
"Tch. Are any of these for me?"
"Sure."
######
The dogs were at her side immediately when she walked out of the house again. "Ufff, hey girls, long time no see." She bent forward and rubbed their fur with both of her hands. They wanted to play, but she wanted to meet the others. "Yes, yes, I love you too. But I'll play with you tomorrow; we'll go for a nice long run, promise." She smiled and straightened up. She knew they'd follow her all the way to the gym, but they wouldn't go inside.
"Where do you take them?" Daiki asked curiously. He hadn't scouted the area that much, but so far he hadn't seen a track well enough for running.
"It's a secret, but you can join us if you can keep up…" She teased and entered the gym, completely missing his funny annoyed expression.
She hoped she wouldn't be spotted right away. The coaches and the boys were preoccupied by four concurrent matches so they wouldn't notice her any time soon. But Kaito, sitting opposite the gym door, was watching the entrance as well as Tatsuya's match. Kaito's attention was equally split between the two things (maybe he watched the door more). So when Aya finally walked through it...
"Aya-nee-chan! You're back!" Kaito jumped to his feet with a wide happy smile and ran through the gym to jump at her. He didn't care that the games were going on and he was running right through the middle and risking being trampled.
"Oi! Careful!" Wakamatsu shouted when he almost tripped over the boy.
"Watch where you're running!" Someone else just barely stopped before running into him.
"Aya-nee-chan!" He squealed again and launched himself at Aya like a missile.
Knowing what was coming at her, she lowered herself and opened her arms to catch the reckless boy without falling backwards.
"Ufff!" She let out when she caught him and she spun around to keep balance. "You've gotten heavier!" She accused him with a smile and shifted him in her arms so she had a better grip. Like the majority of kids, Kaito still enjoyed when he was carried around in someone's arms. More so if it was Aya or Taiga or Kyou doing it.
"You're back!" He repeated and hugged her around her neck, hiding his face in the crook of her neck.
"I'm back." She said softly, nuzzling her head against his. "And where's my welcome home kiss?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Kaito pulled back staring at her with his big eyes and then he swiftly kissed her on her cheek. She did the same. When she pulled away, the boy was frowning at her, puzzled.
"What?"
"Last time I gave kissy to a girl she hit me." He pouted. "Why don't you?"
Aya burst out laughing.
"Hey! Why're you laughing? It hurt!"
"Sorry, sorry." She composed her expression. "It must've been a shock. But don't worry, I won't hit you. You're my lil' brother and I love you very, very much. I gave kissy to you too, right? So… no problem there… And thank you for the flowers! They're gorgeous." She kissed his cheek again.
Kaito grinned widely. "I know, right? We picked them up carefully! Ne, ne? Kou-nii-chan said that you stepped on his feet! It's not true, right? Right?"
We? "Errrr…" She looked past Kaito at Tatsuya, who smiled at her in greeting. The games were already stopped. Not like they could concentrate with Kaito and Aya reuniting next to them. She had to answer the question first; she might ponder the fact that Kaito hadn't picked the flowers on his own later on. "In fact I did." She admitted truthfully.
"Eeeeh?!" He was blinking at her in disbelief and slight disappointment. "Really?!"
Aya nodded gravely. "Really. Buuut…"
"What? What? What?"
She smiled mysteriously and fished out three medals from her pocket. "We got these." She showed them to Kaito and his eyes shone in admiration. He reached to take them, but Aya pulled it from his reach.
He glanced at her. "Can I see?"
"If you promise, you'll forget about the feet stepping thingy~"
"I will." He nodded seriously and reached out again. "Pleeeease!"
"'kay, 'kay." She put him down on the ground and took the first medal. She hung it around his neck one after another telling him where they came from. "This one is for acro, this one for samba, and this one for free choreography in the camp. Take good care of them for me, please."
He clapped his hands, bowed and with twinkling eyes he started to examine the medals one after another. Then he had to go and show them to everyone, of course. Which gave her some time to greet Katsunori.
"I'm home." She smiled as she approached the coaches and Satsuki who was near them. The pinkette avoided eye contact and she seemed ready to hightail.
"Urgh, come 'ere." Katsunori grumbled and hugged his god daughter, despite his nature and everyone around. He actually came to miss her in those few weeks she'd been away. "Welcome home, Robin."
"Careful, or you'll spoil me."
"I don't think so. So? Willing to lead the afternoon practise?" He asked immediately.
"Huh? What?" She blinked at him. It wasn't like she minded, but she hoped for a calm first day.
"Your practise would be handy, for Yosen too." The whole point of the training camps was to teach the boys something new, to polish their skills. And the balance and flexibility practises Aya had put together for Touou were just the right thing for the occasion.
"You wanna help our enemies?"
"I want to see what they can do now."
"As if she could handle them…" Masako muttered loud enough they heard. "The little manager is good, but not skilled enough to set a reasonable exercise."
A vein popped on Aya's forehead. Not skilled enough, huh? "Don't forget I'm the Kagami Aya, Araki-sensei." Masako must've known her history, given she personally knew the twins and their old national team.
"Haaaah?" Masako tapped her shinai against her shoulder. "You dare trying?"
"They'll sleep like the dead when I'm done with them. Hero had better take proper notes."
"Hmph. We'll see about that." She turned and headed towards Okamura to tell him the news. She was curious and pleased with her ability to provoke yet another Kagami.
"Oh, I'll show her." Aya was successfully fired up, and all the fatigue and pain magically left her system.
"You didn't want to lead…" Katsunori understood her initial reluctance only now. "Sorry, I threw you into it."
"Never mind." She waved her hand in the air. "A missing toenail never killed anyone. Besides, was she always like this?"
"Masako? Pretty much." He sighed. "Be glad she didn't test your reaction time with her shinai."
"Believe me… She did, when I first went to Yosen."
"Aya-chan! Welcome back!" Kano shuffled to them, finally released by Imayoshi, who was trying to give them some last time warnings.
"Hey! I'm glad to be back. How was your break?" She asked cheerfully.
"Short. And exhausting with all the babysitting." He sighed and scratched the back of his hand. Unconsciously he was avoiding direct eye contact with the redhead. He couldn't help it; Imayoshi had dropped a bomb on them just the other day.
She sighed too and looked at the captain. "Was it really necessary, Imayoshi-taichou? It feels like I've grown horns or something."
"Eh?" Kano looked up at her with wide eyes. "You know we know?"
"You do?" Aomine echoed. He was keeping close to her, partly because he didn't know what to do with the bag of sweets, but mainly he wanted to shield her if necessary. He thought she didn't know and he didn't want to ruin her day by telling her.
She rolled her eyes and rested a hand on her hip. "Yeah. Thankfully, Imayoshi sent a warning message this morning." She shot a glare at the captain again then looked at Aomine. "You could've told me too, you know."
"Too much trouble." He muttered and looked away.
"Really?" She hummed and shook her head. "Ah well, okay, yes. I believe what Imayoshi told you wasn't made up."
Imayoshi nodded with his usual half-wicked smile. He liked playing around, but making up lies wasn't up to his tastes. "Don't worry Aya-chan. I only told them what you would~"
"What a relief." She said sarcastically.
"Although… it's an interesting scar you have there~" His eyes opened more than his usual slits as he was examining the new trait he noticed.
"Yeah! Right?" Kaito joined in the conversation jumping up and down to get the attention of the tall captain, who was slightly scary, but Kaito had to explain instead of Aya-nee-chan. He knew she didn't like the scar. He didn't get it, because it was so cool! "A bad guy wanted to hurt Aya-nee-chan and Tai-nii-chan, but he only left the scars. Isn't it cool? Daddy says scars are beauty marks of strong people!"
That left everyone speechless. Kaito happily hopped to Aya again, where Katsunori patted his hair. "Well said, kid." He said with a half-smile. At least Kyou was still the way he used to be. And even though Katsunori didn't like kids, all the Kagami children were his exception.
Aya cleared her throat and pulled Kaito closer to her side to give him a half hug. She so loved the brave kid. "Anyways, I brought something for you all."
"For me too?!" Kaito asked, wrapping his arms around her hips and looking up at her with puppy eyes. "What is it? What is it? What is it?"
"Of course for you too!" She patted Kaito's red hair. Then she looked at Aomine, "could you circle around so they can take the cookies? Yosen's team too and Atsushi, Tatsuya and you have two packages each."
"Hah? Unfair!" Kano protested. "How come they get more?"
She shrugged. "They need more motivation to come and practise?" She made up an explanation. There was no real reason; she just wanted to buy them something extra. Maybe it wasn't completely okay, but she didn't really care. She didn't have to bring them anything at all…
Jabber among the boys of both team started. Some were looking at her with hostility, which she ignored. Some were unsure how to look at her. And some looks didn't change. Tada, Ishii, Sakurai, Naito and the others she was close with were looking at her with smiles and warm welcome. Only Kano was slightly off his balance, but she knew he would get back on track in no time.
She chuckled and used the jabber to lean down to Kaito. "And I have some other gift for you. And we have to get you into the tree house someday soon too. Wouldn't you agree?"
"EEEEH?! YAAAAY! The tree house!"
"But first I'll need to see and test your tree climbing skills."
######
Haruka was pacing in his office like a caged lion. He was irritated, angry, worried and he couldn't focus on anything. Another terrible report had been handed in. Something Aya could do easily in two hours top now took a whole day and the work done was shitty.
And his kids hadn't called, or e-mailed in over two weeks. He had no idea if they were alive or what. He was sure they were just fine, but suddenly, he was realising their absence more than ever before. How long had it been going on like this anyways? How long had he not known about their whereabouts? He didn't know. If Keiko knew, she would probably strangle him. Or worse yet, she'd divorce him. The more he thought about it, the angrier he was getting. But first and foremost, he was angry at himself.
"Fuck!" He swore and rubbed his face. It'd been only two weeks.
Thalia, who had brought him the report, was timorously sitting in the chair. Her hands were held close to her body and she was frightened. She had no idea she'd be called in by the big boss himself. Or that he would be so… so… wild? Infuriated? Did she really mess up that much? She'd tried really hard to make it look like the report she'd received as a model work. Something her predecessor had done, but she had no idea how the other person had made half of it! Would she lose the job? She couldn't. Not again. She was close to tears, but she refused to cry. Tears usually infuriated her employers even more.
He glanced at the new girl curled in the chair trying to disappear, fighting her tears with shaking chin. Was she scared of him? Of course he would call her in when she fucked up the only task he'd given her.
He shook his head, letting the reasonable part take over. The girl had been in the company for something over a week. She needed time to adjust. It was impossible for her to know how to use all the tools Aya had used; especially when Aya didn't leave any instructions on how she'd done her reports. He was partly angry at Aya for that, but he couldn't blame her either.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and loosened his necktie that suddenly felt too tight. A deep sigh left his lungs and he looked at the girl, visibly calmer.
"I'll redo the report myself." He said seriously.
"No I–"
"It'd take too long." He didn't let her speak up. "I'll try to make some manual out of it for you. Okay?"
Her eyes widened and she nodded, unable to keep eye contact with the fierce man. "Thank you." She muttered under her breath.
"Good. Now go. You should know how to deal with the post."
The way he said it stung, but she could handle post. "Yes." She got up and escaped the office. She admired Lindsay and her steel nerves. There was no way she would ever handle being an assistant to such a man.
"You haven't fired her, right?" Lindsay peeked into the office.
"No. Why?"
"It looked like she had a horde of hellhounds at her heels."
He snorted. "I told her to deal with the post." With another deep sigh he slumped into his chair.
Lindsay closed the door behind her and looked at the man in front of her. He seemed really exhausted. Maybe not to the others, but she knew him long and well enough. "Have you slept at all?"
"…not in days. There is no message from my kids and even my mother called. And when I sleep I keep having stupid nightmares."
"What did your mom want to talk about?" She asked curiously. Haruka had never mentioned his parents before.
He avoided Lindsay's gaze. "How should I know? I didn't pick up…"
"Seriously?" She sighed and sat opposite him. "Aren't you too old to behave like a teenager?"
"Careful with your tongue, Lindsay." He glared at her. His assistant was getting too bold and he wasn't sure he liked it. Perhaps he shouldn't have let her stick her nose into his family matters, but there was nothing to be done about that now.
"Sorry, sorry." She bowed her head in apology. "But if you're worried about them, shouldn't you go see them?"
"I'm not worried. I need to have the work done, dammit!" He slammed his hand against the desk, which made Lindsay jump in shock. Then he reached for the medallion and fondled with it through his shirt. "…and they wouldn't want to see me anyways." He muttered weakly which only confirmed that he was worried.
"You can't be sure of that… And… Forgive me my boldness, but if you keep sticking your head in the sand and avoiding them, you'll hardly fix anything. Are you actually scared?"
"Get out." He growled and she knew she crossed the line, even though she'd apologised beforehand. Maybe she was allowed to speak up openly, because she was quite involved in Haruka's family matters, but now she messed up.
Still, there was one more thing she needed to add. "They're brave after you; don't disappoint them in that too." She said and got out of the room like the hellhounds she'd mentioned earlier were chasing her.
The next thing she heard was a glass crashing against the wall.
Oh boy. She thought, took her laptop and relocated to Thalia. Haruka needed to cool off and she could help the new girl. No need to risk her neck further.
######
During lunch Aya didn't sit with Aomine and Satsuki, but with Kiku and the boys. She wanted to be near them and Satsuki was doing anything to avoid eye contact or being alone with Aya. And so, she took the message and kept her distance too. Kaito was talking and asking a lot, so was she, and the conversation at her table flowed naturally. Maybe Kano was quieter than usual, but he needed to make up his mind about her all over again, Aya understood that and she didn't force him to speak.
Aomine wasn't happy that Aya was sitting away from him, but he could understand and it gave him a chance to talk with Satsuki. He wouldn't force her to apologise, but…
"Satsuki, you sure you don't wanna talk with her?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow. He was watching Aya the entire time and he could guess she wasn't happy about the drift between her and Satsuki, but if Satsuki didn't do anything, neither would Aya.
"She doesn't want to talk with me." She pouted and didn't even look in Aya's direction.
"Well, I wouldn't either, Momoi-san." Tatsuya jumped in and looked at the pinkette with knowing look. "If you kept giving me signals that you'd rather have your tooth pulled out than looked at me, I wouldn't want to talk with you either. Aya won't beg you for an apology, or friendship. So if you continue with what you're doing, you'll be short one friend by the end of this camp."
Atsushi cringed at hearing that. "Having a tooth pulled out is scary…"
"That was not really the point, but you're right." Tatsuya smiled at the giant, who rolled his eyes – he did get the point of Tatsuya's little speech.
"It's certainly scarier than Aya-chin." He said to Satsuki, stared at her for a moment and then continued eating like he'd said nothing at all.
Satsuki shook her head confusedly, she never understood the giant. He was 100% right, she just didn't feel that way, yet. But she didn't have much time to make it right.
"Jiiiii-san, I'm really trying! It just won't listen!" Kouta's voice reached them from outside as he was approaching the open door to have lunch too.
"It's a chisel for good grief! A tool! It doesn't listen! It does what you need to do!" Taichi grumbled at him angrily. He'd never seen someone so inept in wood carving. Even Taiga had done better on his first try. If only he was half as semi-good as Taiga…
"It doesn't." Kouta pouted as he walked into the dining room. His hand was bandaged as he'd cut it several times with different tools he'd tried out. "Oh, hey Lil' Monkey! I didn't know you were already here!" His face brightened up immediately and he was by her side in two jumps, hugging her before she'd managed to stand up to go greet him herself.
She grunted in annoyance, but she hugged him as much as their position allowed – it was awkward and uncomfortable through and through. "Like we haven't seen each other for years." She said sarcastically with an eye roll. "What are you doing here anyways?"
"An assignment. I'm supposed to make a sculpture, whatever size, whatever theme, I just need to work with a material out of my usual assignments. So I thought I might use wood. But it's harder than it looks." He sighed.
"Things you try out for the first time tends to be like that."
"Sex's not." He protested.
"Urgh! Really?!"
Kouta grinned foxily. "To keep you alert."
"What's 'sex'?" Kaito asked curiously, turning his big eyes at the two.
"Huh? Oh! Nee-chan will tell you." He winked at quickly retreated. Of course he earned a slap on the back of his neck from Taichi and a nasty glare from Hanae.
"Nee-chan?" The boy turned to her.
She shrugged. "Ask daddy. You are a boy; you should get an explanation from a man."
"Hmmmm… Why?" He probed further.
"Because you can't deny your daddy the privilege to explain. We wouldn't want him to miss the opportunity, and he'd be sad if he didn't get the chance…"
Kaito thought about for a bit then he shrugged. "'kay." And he turned back to his food.
Aya sighed in relief inaudibly and got up to wash her dishes and greet with her grandpa. Meanwhile, Kouta dragged a chair to sit at Aomine's table and started stuffing himself with the delicious food he fetched from Hanae. When Aya was walking back to her place she unexpectedly slapped the back of his head; he almost choked with the food. She did so nonchalantly in passing. "Idiot." She hissed and continued on.
"Serves you right." Tatsuya chuckled and slapped Kouta's back to help him get the food out of his trachea.
"What? I thought he knew." He said to Tatsuya, still coughing quietly. "They travelled around on horseback and lived in yurts. I thought there were not many secrets among the people and even the smallest kids know."
Tatsuya raised an eyebrow. "Apparently, you thought wrong. You never learn, do you?"
"Huh?"
"From tomorrow on, Aya'll be preparing meals too. Be careful about pissing her off too much." Aomine advised and got up to wash his plates in the basin. The boys (the captains and coaches) had agreed that everyone would wash their dishes after breakfast and lunch and only dishes from dinner would be washed by those caught outside after the curfew.
"Shit..." Kouta cursed under his breath and decided to serve his own food.
######
The afternoon practise was, so far, the most difficult one for the boys, especially for the Yosen team. They hadn't previously experienced the ballet and dancing inspired balance and strength practises. Passing the ball around on their tiptoes or stretching out too much weren't their fortes. But Aya managed to handle all of them, giving them tips and hacks how to get better. Not all of them listened and her courtesy was wasted on some, but she didn't really care. She'd always had a thick skin against idiots. And the boys had to admit one thing, she knew her business and she was doing everything with them.
In the last round of passing the ball around on their tiptoes, Tanaka decided to have a tiny little revenge for the humiliation from the other day. Instead of passing to Aya's readied hands, he foxed slipping and threw the ball into her thigh using all of his strength.
She let out a strangled grunt as she took the impact of the ball. The leg was healing slowly, because of her nonstop practising; her muscle was damaged, but as long as it supported her weight, she wouldn't stop practising. It still hurt, but it was much better than during the competitions, or first days of the camp.
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean it, are you okay?" He asked worriedly with an apologetic expression on his face.
Aya bit the inside of her cheek and then smiled. "It's fine, don't worry 'bout it." She said and shifted her weight, testing the leg; it felt fine enough. "Go get the ball and let's get back to practise!"
Tanaka trotted to get the stray ball with a frown. He'd expected a bigger fuss. He decided to test it again sometime later, but when he returned to the circle very nasty glares from Atsushi and Tatsuya convinced him otherwise.
At the end of the practise, after the final sprints and proper stretches, she decided to rest her right leg a bit and she was putting less weight on it while walking. It wasn't exactly limping, but doing that for she lost the dancer's grace that was connected with her gait. Majority of the guys were lifelessly lying on the ground, too exhausted to move, the rest ran away fearing she might come up with another deadly exercise; there was no one to notice her slight change in walking.
With a certain amount of curiosity she approached Aomine, making sure no one was in earshot. "So you can't walk on your hands, but you can do splits?"
"Huh?" He straightened up to look at her, firmly holding his collected stuff. "I haven't done a single one." He grumbled in response, staring at her intensely. 'Leave it.' His eyes seemed to be saying. This was the first practise he attended and didn't leave half-way through.
Aya raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged. "Maybe not, but you could if you wanted. You didn't want to be the weird one, right?"
His brows knitted in a deep frown. He thought he'd done a good job in hiding the fact. It was considered quite unmanly among the team and he didn't want the teasing. So he decided to do as bad as everyone else.
She chuckled and shook her head. "Whatever, I don't care, I'm just curious. But rather than weird, it's impressive."
"Martial arts." He shrugged. "If you want to kick high, or do other things, you need to be stretched properly."
It was the only possible explanation she'd come up with, so she was happy she had it right. "Thought so."
They headed towards the exit; Wakamatsu was the one responsible that the gym was cleaned up properly that day. There was nothing more for them to do in the gym and Aya wanted to take a quick shower and go help a bit with the dinner. At least with the serving.
"And why are you walking… differently?" Daiki asked after several seconds.
She frowned; she didn't expect anyone to notice. Not so soon. "Am I?"
"Tch, you're not the only one with the feel for others' rhythms. You don't want to burden your right leg. Did that idiot's pass hurt that much?" He'd love to pass a ball in Tanaka's face, but the guy might've really slipped… And Aya hadn't seemed too bothered before when she'd gotten hit in the limbs by some stray balls.
She stared at him for a second, and then she sighed and decided for the truth. "I fell through a glass conference table back in L.A. and cut my thigh quite nicely… Had it stitched but the stitches torn and I left it to heal on its own. But because I'm practising constantly it's healing very slowly. So, yeah, the hit hurt."
"…" He was blinking at her with a blank expression. "What?"
"Aya-chan!" Satsuki approached them by the gym's door. She was playing with the hem of her t-shirt nervously. "Uhm… Could I… Could I talk with you?"
"Uh…" Aya looked at Aomine and than at Satsuki. She wasn't sure who to pay attention to at the moment. Daiki looked like she'd dropped a bomb on him, but it wasn't that bad right?
"Tch… yeah, you two should talk." He waved his hand and made himself scarce. But he didn't forget to get Satsuki one of his 'don't fuck it up' looks.
Aya shrugged. "Okay." She walked a bit farther from the gym's entrance.
Satsuki followed after her like a puppy, thinking how to start a conversation, because Aya-chan didn't look like she'd make it easier for her. The redhead was patiently waiting for her to start and she needed to muster up enough courage. "Uhm, well…" She squeezed her eyes shut and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding I caused! I really am! I didn't realise it'd cause such a mess." She rambled out quickly.
The redhead sighed. "Well, nothing to be done about it now. Daiki and I talked it out a long time ago…" More or less. "Please, don't do such a thing next time." Though she wasn't sure Satsuki wouldn't do such a thing next time, she hoped so.
Satsuki blinked at her in surprise. Was it okay? Was it enough? "Uhm…Are we…? I-is it…?"
"It's fine. We're still friends. I won't push you into the stream or anything, don't worry. I'm not a vengeful bitch." She smiled. This dispute among them was pointless, but she wanted Satsuki to admit she'd been wrong. And besides, Satsuki wasn't a bad person, she just sometimes failed to realise the impact of her actions. Quite unusual for the intelligent girl like Satsuki.
"O-okay…"
"Good then, I need to run to take a shower and then help in the kitchen. I'll sit with you at the dinner, 'kay?"
"Y-yeah! Sure! Uh… Thank you!"
Aya shook her head with a chuckle and headed towards the house. Kaito joined her half-way. He'd been too interested in Kouta's failing with the sculpture and so he'd decided to watch him and grandpa instead the basketball practise. But now he wanted to be with Aya-nee-chan.
######
"Hey, Shiranui." Daiki walked into the workshop. Normally, he wouldn't look Kouta up on his own, but the guy was the only one who could tell him what exactly had happened to Aya's leg; he doubted the driver knew much and even if, the English was a problem there.
"Hm?" Kouta raised his gaze and a knife found its way into his finger. "Fuck! Ouch! Dammit!"
"You're not focused." Taichi scowled at his apprentice. "And watch your language!"
"He interrupted me!"
"You should've stopped working before looking up." Shaking his head, Taichi picked up the knife and wiped it clean. "We're done for today. Clean the wound; be here tomorrow after morning runs and breakfast."
"What? I don't need the runs." He protested.
The old man could be like a general at times. "You're also a dancer, right? If Robin goes, you go too. Or you'll do the dishes."
Kouta sighed and nodded. "Will I ever do this right?"
"If you don't stop trying, I'll teach you right." He smiled and walked out. It was time to feed the dogs, and the youngsters probably wanted to talk alone.
Kouta glared at Daiki as he headed towards a small sink in the workshop. "So? What brings you here to cause me harm?"
"Tch, it's not my fault you're clumsy."
"Right, Mr. know-it-all. Argued with Aya again? So soon?"
"No, I wanted to ask her something, but Satsuki got in the way. I think you can tell me too." It didn't really matter, as long as he got some answer.
"And why do you think I know the answer? Or that I will tell you?"
Daiki frowned. True, Kouta might not tell him, or the guy might make up some utter nonsense. "You lived in the same house, and she trusts you, to an extent…"
Kouta sighed and then winced as water stung in his fresh cut. He had no reason to lie and he wanted Aya to finally relax and just be happy and in love. "Ask me them. Maybe I'll tell you. Unless it's her lingerie preference! She'd kill me if she found out I knew! – Ooopsy!" He covered his mouth, laughing inwardly at Daiki's blush and following flash of anger and jealousy in his eyes.
Daiki decided to ignore that improper remark that actually fitted Kouta's character. "The leg injury… It sounded weird." Someone like Aya wouldn't 'trip' easily. He couldn't imagine it.
"Sounded? You listened to it?"
The expression on Daiki's face changed into a very dangerous and impatient one. He seemed to be saying: 'one more stupid word and I'll drown you in that sink'.
Chills ran down Kouta's spine, but he wasn't really intimidated by Daiki. He had a very thick skin and low levels of self-preservation and two older brothers. Although, for a teenager, Daiki could certainly look scary.
"Her father." He answered emotionlessly and turned back to the sink.
"What?"
"Haruka slapped her, or punched her, I wasn't there, so I can't really know, but it was strong enough to fly her through that damn table. It looked gruesome. And she actually went to a hospital." He snorted. "That in itself speaks volumes."
"…" Daiki needed a moment to process it. "…and you let her practise and compete?"
Kouta shrugged. "It's only a flesh wound and she's freaking Kagami Aya, you wouldn't be able to stop her either. That's why Taiga went with her for the acro as I would probably damage her leg more."
He could understand, but still… He didn't like it. And she led the practise like nothing, didn't tell anyone except him. "Why is it healing so slowly?"
"The stitches torn, she pulled them out and the scabs didn't hold the wound closed properly. So it kept reopening during the camp. But she took proper care of it. The small scratches and cuts are healed up quite nicely." He shrugged. "Except the two big cuts it shouldn't scar, don't worry." He looked at Daiki curiously, observing him.
He scowled at Kouta disdainfully. "Tch. I don't care 'bout that." He grumbled and left.
"Well, thank you! I'm glad you told me, Kouta! And sorry for interrupting you!" He called after the departing – stomping away – guy, who'd been the reason of his cut.
Daiki just raised an arm over his head and waved in sign he heard. And maybe agreed.
######
"Booby-chan, ya'v' been avoidin' me!" Hero accused her with a pout and dragged a chair to the table where Aya was sitting at the dinner.
All the occupants had to squeeze together to make a space for her, but Hero didn't care in the slightest. She didn't understand why was everyone so set on sitting in one spot the whole camp. She liked if she could change her company from time to time. And she could tease Atsushi this way too, and be teased back; they actually formed a strange form of friendship she didn't mind at all.
"No. I've been too busy in the past few hours." Aya protested. "But it's certainly nice to see you again!" She briefly hugged the tiny girl with one arm. "I've heard you're officially dating Fukui-senpai. Congrats!"
Hero blushed cutely and then she grinned foxily. Of course she pulled all the interesting stories out of Satsuki. "Ya should take an example!"
A short-lived blush passed Aya's cheeks when she caught Daiki's surprised stare, but then her expression went blank. "I guess so." She agreed neutrally.
Hero, not expecting an agreement continued with her lecturing. "No, really! Ya'v' been circlin' 'round one another like idiots and…" Aya was staring at her blankly and Hero repeated Aya's answer in her head and flushed, this time in embarrassment. "…oh… right… Yeah, ya should, ya should." She cleared her throat and nodded several times. Atsushi and Tatsuya were discreetly laughing at her. "What ar' ya laughin' at, huh?!"
"You should listen better, Hiro-chin."
"No wonders you stood up Fukui-senpai on your second date." Tatsuya added, knowing where it hurt.
Hero narrowed her eyes, ready to throw something at him. It hadn't been her fault; Fukui had been talking too much and she'd gotten the meeting spot wrong and had waited elsewhere. They'd stood each other up, unintentionally, both of them.
"Hey, hey, hey. Cool off, Hero." Aya gently tapped the girl's hand with chopsticks, trying to prevent her from throwing the object at Tatsuya.
"What d' ya know, Booby-chan, and there I thought he was decent." She pointed at Tatsuya with her chin and decided to ignore him.
"Why d' you call Aya-nee-chan like that?" Kaito asked with a frown, staring at the little loudmouth.
"Ain't it obvious, Squirrel?" She wiggled her eyebrows and ogled Aya's breasts.
"Squirrel? – hey! I warn you, Sumire. Touch 'em, and I'll hit you." Aya threatened, using Hero's name to accentuate the threat; she could guess the girl's intention by her expression. Then she noticed Kouta's attention was on them. "Not a word!" She glared at him.
Kouta raised his hands in defensive gesture. "Wasn't going to say anything, Monkey! But–"
It was Derek's hand that covered Kouta's mouth before he could utter some nonsense. "I'll keep an eye on him." He'd heard about the sex comment from earlier and made it his task to keep the wild man in check – as much as he could without properly understanding the language.
"Thanks!"
"So he does understand." Daiki muttered.
Aya shrugged. "Nah, I think he just knows Kouta already."
"Hey! What was that for?! It's disgusting!" Derek let go immediately with an appalled expression and wiped his hand into Kouta's t-shirt. It was obvious the dreadlock's guy had just licked Derek's palm.
"Apparently not that well… What've I done to deserve this…" Aya lamented with a deep sigh and shook her head.
Kaito had no idea what was all this about, but Aya's sigh spoke volumes. So he hugged her in sympathy. "There, there." He said patting the side of her waist he could reach.
"Yeah." She patted Kaito's head fighting off laughter. "I know, we're surrounded by lovely idiots that we call our family."
######
"Daiki?" Aya was helping him with wiping the dishes and only a few of the others remained in the dining hall.
Majority of the guys was dead tired and they preferred playing cards or reading in their sleeping space, instead of the dining hall. Kaito was talking to Tatsuya, and it was obvious that Tatsuya wanted to get away and rest already. He yawned widely and glanced at Aya, sending a 'please save me' message. He liked Kaito, but he really wanted to pass out on his futon.
Daiki, who was totally absorbed by his duty and lost in his thoughts, took a while to answer. "Hm?" He looked up, feeling her gaze more than remembering her attempt to get his attention.
"Could you take Kaito upstairs and keep him company, please? I'll finish this here and then I need to talk with Hanae-baa-chan."
"Uh…" He wasn't sure it was okay.
Aya interpreted his hesitation differently. "If you don't mind his motormouth…?" The boys weren't here to babysit after all.
"No… That's fine, he's showed me around here a bit already, but… can I go in?"
"Huh?" Was that the problem? "Why not?"
"Err, well… I'm accommodated elsewhere? Kagami-san might not be delighted by me wandering in the house…" He said with a grimace. "I don't want to do the dishes for the whole week."
"You won't. It's fine, I asked you and you'll be with Kaito. If Jii-san minds I'll be the one answering to him."
He thought about it for a moment, and then he nodded. "On one condition."
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow, "which is…?"
"I want to get into the tree house." He demanded with a childish glee in his eyes. He's never had a tree house and he was probably the only one who'd noticed the massive structure high in the trees. It was well concealed, with all the leaves and camouflage. Maybe he wouldn't have noticed if Kaito hadn't pointed it out to him. He was curious and excited about getting up there, but he hadn't found a way up there yet. Even though he'd seen Aya climb there on the video, he hadn't found the supports in any of the surrounding trees and he didn't want to break his neck.
"Deal…" She blinked at him and then smirked playfully. "…and there I thought you might want a kiss." She added quietly when he turned to go save Tatsuya from the little motormouth.
He whipped around with his eyes wide and deep blush he was trying to fight off so hard. "What did you just say?" Could he have really asked that?! It hadn't occurred to him.
"You heard me." She said with a gleeful sparkle in her reddish eyes.
"Careful, Sweetheart, my self-control can be very flimsy." He stared at her with desire and dare. Yeah, but talking 'bout it is easier than doing it…
Mine too… She thought averting her gaze, thankful for the table separating them. Those deep blue eyes could make her knees weak like none other.
The lack of retort on her side made him turn around and go to Kaito. If not for the few people in the room, he'd probably jump over the table. The girl had an unbelievable impact on him.
"He's a nice young man, eh? Handsome too."
Hanae's voice coming from behind startled Aya and she whipped around with a hand over her heart. "Don't scare me like that, Baa-chan." Then she blushed and turned around. The plates and bowls were suddenly very interesting.
The old woman chuckled. She'd witnessed the whole sparkles igniting teasing between the two and she couldn't say she minded it. Her granddaughter seemed happy, and that was a good thing. She was old, but she hadn't forgotten her youth. It reminded her of Keiko and Haruka, or her own relationship which had started during her high-school times. Oh, how much in love she'd been back then. Plus Aomine Daiki seemed to be a decent boy with good personality, even Taichi had said so, and her husband could be very strict. Maybe a bit rough on the edges, but strangely kind too.
"You two dating yet?" She asked curiously, taking another dish towel to get the work done faster.
Aya shook her head.
"Little advice from an old woman… If you like him, be with him, don't complicate it too much. Loves come and go. Some end in tears and some bloom for whole life. And who knows? This one might be like that. But you won't find out unless you try, Robin."
A small smile like kindling fire spread on her lips and warmed her already burning heart even more. "I know, but father won't be pleased. I don't want Daiki to be harmed because of me."
"Oh, he can stick his complaints and anger up his arse for all I care." Hanae spat angrily. "He's done enough wrong to you. Don't think 'bout his opinions or what he might do anymore. Because he won't. As his parents, we'll have your back. Aomine-kun's too."
She chuckled bitterly. "Thanks. That's what I've intended, but it's not that simple. It's still somewhere in the back of my head. Tch, I'm an idiot." She leaned against the sink and ran her fingers through her hair.
"No you're not, you still care. As unbelievable as it is. And that's not wrong. But start thinking about your own happiness. He is your father, he always will be and you won't get rid of that feeling in the back of your head and heart, but don't let it limit you anymore, my child. Keiko-chan brought you up with wings, use them and never forget that. Both of you, Taiga too." She was watching her granddaughter kindly.
"Yeah." Aya put down the last dried plate she'd been holding. "So what do you want to talk about?"
"I wanted to know what exactly happened and if you're alright. But I guess you will be." She smiled. It deepened her wrinkles, but it also beautifully lit up her face. Hanae was pretty regardless of her age.
"I've told you so."
"Yeah, but you always say that. And it worries us more than you think." She put a teapot on the stove and took out two cups. "Still, tell me how are things going with the company? How's your leg – I've heard something from Gabi, but I want to know your version too. What about your friends? Have you met with Alex?"
######
She walked upstairs without turning the lights on. She didn't want to disturb the peace which settled over the house so late at night. And she knew the way by heart. It surprised her how well she remembered it.
Kaito's door was open and he was vividly describing one of his adventures to Daiki. "…and that's when I figured out it was only the wind making scary sounds as it was blowing through those hollow rocks. It was an eerie mournful sound and we were expecting some weird creatures to appear there." They were sitting cross-legged on the bed and only the table lamp was illuminating the room, Kaito was facing the door. He had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders looking like some tiny mushroom with a human head. "Even daddy was frightened, though he wouldn't admit it. I know, his horse could feel it, it danced around sometimes like–" he raised his eyes noticing the figure standing in the doorway, he'd be frightened, but he knew the silhouette well. "Oh, Aya-nee-chan, I was just telling him about the strange rocks on the grasslands."
She smiled kindly. "Oh, you'll have to tell me tomorrow too."
"Not tonight?" He asked dejectedly.
"Not tonight. Didn't you want to hear a bedtime story?"
"Oh, yes! Tell me the story about Hotaru-hime! Pleaase!" It was his favourite story.
"Do you know in which book it is?" Aya knew very well which book it was in; it was one of her favourites too, but she wanted Kaito to go and fetch it. Even if she didn't have the book, she had the story memorised, but the boy didn't know that.
"I'll bring it!" Kaito scrambled out of bed, almost tripping on the corner of the blanket.
Aomine's strong arm caught him before he could crash on his nose. "Oi, oi, careful, kid."
"Ehehe." The boy laughed and wrapped the blanket tighter around his shoulder, not giving it up. "I'm Zashiki Warashi!" He squealed quietly and ran out of the room.
"Careful with that, kid." Daiki grumbled with a frown. Zashiki Warashi might've been luck bringing house spirits, but he didn't like ghost stories or someone mentioning them in eerie places. For him, this old house could very well host several spirits and he really didn't want to encounter any of them. Eh, no need for Aya to know that. He looked at her and shifted his sitting position. "How was the interrogation?"
A small smile played on her lips. "Surprisingly wise and pleasant."
"Huh?"
"Baa-chan saw our teasing earlier, so she asked me if we were dating yet." She was observing him curiously. They needed to talk about this too and grandma gave a casual impulse to start it.
His eyes widened and if he was drinking something he'd probably choke on it. "…are we?" He asked quietly, not taking his eyes off of her. In that warm little light she looked stunning. Her loose hair looked like living fire and those eyes. He was mesmerised by them more than by her boobs – though he'd never say it out loud.
"…you tell me." She matched his volume and finally walked into the room, dragged in like a snake by a flute. The atmosphere was crazily intimate and she thought her heart would jump out. She was tempting her fate, but it felt damn good, because in those dark eyes she didn't see a speck of refusal.
He smirked, but it was somewhat soft. He got up and took a step towards her. His heart was somewhere in his throat and he felt overheated, but he found enough courage to challenge her. "I say we are." His voice sounded strange, deeper, even to his own ears. He had no idea what she'd say to that, but he felt she wouldn't say 'no'.
"Mhm, I'd say so too." She agreed and had to look up as he got closer to her.
When his calloused palm gently cupped her cheek it was shaking, she'd bet her fingers would shake like that too. It was so beautiful and happy; she'd forgotten about the whole turmoil of feelings swirling in her and focused solely on this one. The one that made her feel so content and happy and safe. She needed Aomine Daiki in her life, not like just a friend, but like an equal partner.
"Aren't you scared?" She asked quietly. She had to.
Of kissing you? I'm terrified. He thought. "What of?"
"Kagami Haruka?"
He frowned. Her father's shadow seemed to be long and simply denying the worry would be a lie. He'd heard how she 'tripped and fell through the table'. It worried him…"…I won't let you leave because of him."
"Thank you." It was barely louder than a whisper and she reached up to cup his cheek too. Her thumb traced his cheekbone as she rose to her tiptoes. She wasn't a short girl, but he was so damn tall.
Their noses touched. His lips brushed lightly against hers. He had no idea what was he supposed to do. But Aya didn't seem to care. She closed her eyes and leaned into him, holding onto his shoulder to support herself. And her soft lips moved, as if showing him what to do. It wasn't difficult for him to follow.
He drove his fingers into her hair like he had wanted to do for so long. His other hand instinctively found her waist. She fitted into his arms perfectly.
Feeling his hands she sighed contentedly and stood on her toes. By holding her waist he supported her even more. As a ballerina she shouldn't have a problem with balance, but it was the last thing she cared about at the moment.
She was finally kissing Daiki. Damn, she wanted to do so for so long. His lips were dry and a bit rough. A little clumsy at first, but he was a very fast instinctual learner. With all the passion, love and excitement, he was unexpectedly gentle with her.
When they parted to breathe, their breaths were quickened and eyes shining. Their foreheads were still touching and he didn't seem willing to let her go. They both felt like bursting from all the overflowing emotions.
Aya licked her lips and smiled. "Not bad for our first kiss, huh?" She asked with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
He chuckled breathlessly. "Not bad at all."
"Glad to hear that." She chuckled too and kissed him again.
He blinked in surprise, but quickly got pulled into it. Who was he to complain when his girl wanted to kiss. Weren't they missing something?
This kiss was short-lived.
"I found it!" Kouta's loud voice – too loud for the late hour – and his running footsteps startled them.
Their faces quickly parted and Aya abruptly dropped off her tiptoes, hissing as she felt a sudden jolt of pain from her missing toenail. There runs the mood… She thought bitterly, but she wasn't really angry.
Then there was a gasp followed by a loud thud as Kaito tripped over the blanket and fell head first onto the wooden floor. Thankfully his head missed the door and he was staring into the room at the two hugging teenagers.
Instead of pushing her away, Daiki pulled her into a hug hiding her flushed face in his chest. He himself had to take a few deep breaths to calm down. The kid almost made his heart leap out of his throat. As if he wasn't nervous enough.
"Huh? What's that?" Kaito asked. The two hugging was a bigger shock than the hard impact – he'd been used to those.
"A good night hug." Aya said quickly and chuckled against Daiki's chest. His heart was beating as crazily as hers. She pushed away enough look at Kaito. "You see, I sleep better when I get a hug." Then she looked at Daiki, whose expression was a mixture of excitement, disappointment and 'please kill me'. "Sorry?" It wasn't such a colossal interruption like Kise's. They did at least settle something.
But Daiki shook his head. There was nothing to apologise for. A bit more of kissing her like that and it'd be a slight problem for him to keep his excitement in check. "Wasn't he away too long, by the way?"
Aya frowned and took a step away from Daiki, but she kept one hand on his arm. He was right. "Where were you?"
Kaito was still on the ground with a grin. "Baa-chan gave me milk with honey!" He said happily, licking his lips. "Oh," the boy blinked and then started crawling to his feet, "can I join?" He liked good night hugs.
"Once you get up." Aya stretched her hand out to invite him to the circle. "Come on, you little Zashiki Warashi."
The boy was short and reached below Daiki's hips, so he could hug just his thigh. It was a strange experience for Daiki, but he didn't really mind. "So a girlfriend… what now?" He mumbled in Thai and let out a subtle sigh.
"Hm?" Aya glanced at him.
Daiki just shook his head and strengthened his hug. "It's nothing."
She shrugged. She knew that Kaito would soon demand the bedtime story. And there was one thing she wanted to do. So she put a hand on top of Kaito's head to prevent him from looking up and quickly got on her tiptoes.
She could only reach Daiki's jaw, but whatever. A brief good-night kiss on the jaw would have to do. And so, she happily did it. His whole body stiffened, and she knew it surprised him. A content smile settled on her lips and she rested her forehead against his jaw.
Kaito stirred.
Aya sighed, she didn't want to tell him to go, but he should. He knew he should. "Didn't you want to read a bedtime story?" Daiki asked, hoping he didn't sound strange.
"Yeah! Hotaru-hime's waiting!" Kaito pulled away and looked at them expectantly. A blood dripped from his nose.
"Right after we clean you up." Aya sighed and took a handkerchief from Kaito's night table.
"Huh?" He reached up, touching his nose and then studying the blood on his fingers. "Oh… I must've hit it…"
"Must've."
Daiki shuffled out of the room, watching Aya taking care of the little interruption. He wasn't surprised that Kaito loved her so much. "Good night."
" 'night, Daiki." She smiled at him with a slight blush and licked her lips. Then she blinked as she remembered something. "Careful on your way out."
"Huh?"
"Kouta lives here." She said ominously. "He might be smaller than you… but he has the advantage of surprise."
Chills ran down Daiki's spine. He didn't feel comfortable around the guy.
She laughed at his suddenly frightened expression. "…don't worry, he won't jump you. Derek's more likely to become his victim."
Wait, was Kouta… "…is he in–…?" He looked at her meaningfully, and hoped she'd get the question. He didn't want to stir Kaito's curiosity again.
"Into both, if you get it."
He made an 'oh' face. "I'll watch my back." He said seriously.
"I'd watch the front too…" She teased.
"Tch." He clicked his tongue and vanished in the darkness of the house.
"It's stopped!" Kaito clapped happily. He had no idea what they'd talked about, but his nose stopped bleeding. "Can you read me the story now?"
"Sure, let's read."
######
"And where've you been this long~?" Imayoshi asked curiously when Aomine returned well past the curfew.
"Babysitting." He grumbled. "The kid wouldn't let me go."
"Then I presume Aya-chan saved your poor ass?"
"Who else?"
"So are you finally dating?" Naito asked in a bored tone and looked up from his book. "I swear I'll eat a toilet brush if you tell me you're not despite coming back this late."
"Careful with your promises, Shouhei." Ishii warned him with a smirk. "You might get to fulfil it one day."
Naito rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. They've been circling around each other for weeks like idiots."
"So?" Kano asked. He wanted to know. Everything about Aya-chan he'd learnt was somewhat saddening, amazing too, but saddening. He didn't really know how to act, but… Maybe he could take an example from the rude ace. Aomine didn't seem to care, although he'd known it all for quite some time and he'd always behaved like usual. And Aya didn't mind it. Well… maybe the ace softened up a bit, but he was still rough around the edges. Kano realised that he was actually waiting for this answer. As if he'd base his future behaviour solely on it, which was nonsensical, but he felt it was important in one way or another.
Everyone who wasn't sleeping was watching him expectantly.
Aomine frowned. He himself didn't quite get the situation he was in now. He'd gotten his first girlfriend fifteen minutes ago. Everything came crashing on him only then, when was asked to voice it out. So what now?
"And if we are?" He asked. Aya's question avoidance must've rubbed off on him.
"REALLY?!" Several guys shouted in disbelief. Wakamatsu was the loudest, of course. "You are?!"
"So how was the kiss? She any good?" Someone asked, which only earned them a very nasty glare from the ace.
"Oi, oi." Susa raised his hands in pacifying gesture. "Keep it down, will you? Kagami-ojii-san might appear to check up on us. And it's their business, not ours."
"Oh, Susa, don't say you're not curious." Imayoshi nudged him.
"I still think it's none of our business. He didn't confirm it, by the way." He looked at Aomine again.
"Then we'll ask Aya-chan tomorrow~" The captain smirked. "I believe she'll tell us. And if not, there's still Shiranui-senpai and Momoi-san, right?"
When Aomine heard the list of people who'd be involved in Imayoshi's investigation, he decided to answer him himself. "Tche. We are. Any problem with that?!" He barked.
"Not in the slightest~ just don't lose your edge in the matches."
"The only one, who can beat me, is me. That hasn't changed." He said coldly and slumped into his futon. "Now I'd appreciate if you shut the hell up and turn the lights off." He needed to sort out his emotions and thoughts. It'd been one hell of a rollercoaster day. But Aya's lips… Damn!
######
Derek woke in the middle of the night. He was thirsty. When he got out of his room he noticed opened door and light on in Kaito's room. But the whole house was silent, so he expected everyone was sleeping. He decided to turn off the light first.
He had to smile when he peeked into the room and saw Aya and Kaito sleeping together with an opened book resting on top of them. Aya was curled up close to Kaito, who was wrapped up in a blanket. The girl must've been cold in her t-shirt and shorts. He sighed, took another blanket lying on a chair and covered them both. He placed the book on the table, turned off the light and left.
She was cute when sleeping. But she was also a teenager he shouldn't be interested in. They could be friends, but that was it. He knew.
"She'd pass as 20 year old, don't you think?"
"Fuck!" It took him all his strength to not shout in fright Kouta gave him.
"Sorry, sorry. I was thirsty."
"That's why you ghost around?!" He whispered sharply.
"And why do you? Creep on a sleeping girl to top it."
"I was thirsty." He muttered, looking away. Not that they could see much in the darkness of the house.
"Mhm…" Kouta hummed, but he couldn't blame him. He'd have done the same; he'd just wanted to do so after getting a glass of water. Well, and he'd have drawn something on their sleeping faces. After a moment of heavy silence he chuckled and patted Derek's shoulder. "I don't blame you. She's a lovable girl, too bad she's taken, no?"
"I work for them." Derek didn't know what to think of Kouta. The guy seemed to read through him way too well, all the while being… ridiculous. His crush was gone already, he'd seen how she looked at Daiki, and he didn't want to get into that. It would've been inappropriate and desperate. And he wasn't desperate. "I don't have a crush. I just care. Is that a bad thing?"
"Not really. Those who get to really know her, and aren't idiots, do care. But broken crushes can still hurt, no?"
"Huh?"
"I can comfort you, if you can forget I have a dick for a moment."
"That wouldn't be a problem, but…" He admitted truthfully; man or woman, he didn't care. But he wasn't in the mood and emotionless sex never interested him much. "No. Sorry."
"Good to know…" Kouta mused quietly. He'd thought Derek was straight through and through. So a bi like me, huh… "No need to apologise. It was worth a try."
"Good night, Kouta."
" ' night" Kouta replied and watched Derek descend the stairs. Then a thought occurred to him, Aya's room wasn't occupied. Hmmm… Let's revive the old times… He smirked deviously.
######
"Lindsay!" Haruka wasn't surprised when he found Lindsay's office empty, but he needed her. He was sure she was still in the building and he just had to find her.
"Should we hide under the table or something?" Thalia whispered timorously, not daring to look over the screen separating her cubicle in the office. There was no one else there, so there was no one to rat them out, but still…
Lindsay chuckled. "Don't be silly. He's already cooled off."
"Damn it! Playing hide and seek?! What are you, five?!"
"Eeeh, maybe not." Lindsay reconsidered her previous statement. Then she rose to her feet. "Good job Thalia. I think you should go home for today."
"Seriously?! This is where you've been the whole day?" He asked in disbelief.
"Oh, Haruka-san. Sorry, I didn't hear you calling for me. We were trying to figure out how Aya-chan did those reports. We didn't realise the time passing so quickly. Sorry." She played innocence so well, he believed it.
"Right… I need you to get me plane tickets." He said with determination in his voice.
She blinked in surprise. There was no business trip or meetings planned for more than the next month. This was unexpected. "Where to? What date?" She asked matter-of-factly.
"Tokyo. The day after tomorrow. I'll take two weeks off." He was talking quickly; as if afraid he might change his mind if he spoke slower. Leaving the company unattended was like leaving a toddler to fend for itself, but he knew Lindsay was a capable assistant and leader if needed to be. He could rely on her wits and ability to substitute him for some time.
The young woman smiled encouragingly. "Okay. I'll get right to it. Do you want me to book you a hotel or something too?"
He thought about it for a moment. The apartment belonged to his children now, but he assumed they wouldn't dare kicking him out. "...no. I have a place to stay."
A/N: Maybe a bit too long as it covers only one day, but there's lot of characters at one place and I didn't want to ignore anyone...
Let me know what you think and remember, reviews are appreciated but never necessary.
S.