Would you dare?

by Sonya06

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

47. Chapter 47: Guests

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

I'm sorry, I'm posting the new chapter a bit late (two days is not that much), but I really wanted to wait for my both beta readers to go through the chapter, point out some things... You know, I didn't want to post a half-assed chater just to keep my schedule. I was still editing some parts yesterday. And the chapter got long again...

Anyways, enough of that.

Enjoy!

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The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore. – Vincent Van Gogh

Strong people make as many mistakes as weak people. The difference is that strong people admit their mistakes, laugh at them, learn from them. That is how they become strong. – Richard J. Needham

Every team deals with obstacles throughout the course of the season, and it's as a unit that they need to be worked through. Injuries are part of the game, just like facing tough teams on the road or having one of your best players get into foul trouble. – Scottie Pippen

But you, you're special to me. When I'm with you I feel something is just right. I believe in you. I like you. I don't want to let you go. — Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache. ― Marjorie Pay Hinckley

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It'd been 8 years since Haruka had come to his home country. He threaded his way out of the airport, carrying only a small handbag with necessities. He didn't want to think about meeting his children, because he didn't know how to feel. He was worried and anxious, he wanted to apologise, but he was also angry. Especially angry at himself, but it was hard to admit.

No one knew he was coming, no one was expecting him. He wanted it like that; he'd forbidden Lindsay and Gabi to warn the twins. They'd obeyed him, he knew, but still… It was lonely. It was early morning, and he easily caught a taxi. The ride through the streets of Tokyo was nostalgic. It reminded him of their departure. Many things had changed since then. Him included.

He arrived at the apartment building as the two receptionists were changing shifts. They were discussing something. He walked towards them and waited until they'd notice him. At first he wanted to demand attention but this was their territory and they'd been working here since the building was constructed. He felt a strange respect for both of these men.

"Oh," Chiba looked up first, "if it isn't Kagami Haruka-kun? Welcome home. It's been a while…" He greeted him with a smile.

"I'm home, Chiba-san. Thank you for your supervision. I believe my kids gave you much trouble."

Chiba was about to protest, when Tsubaki spoke up in his usual grumpy tone: "You didn't call in advance." His tone was scolding and he was frowning.

"It was a last minute decision." Haruka answered calmly, but the scolding surprised him. Then again, Tsubaki-san had always been a gruff, he should've expected it.

"And not a wise one."

"Oi, Tsubaki-san. Can't you a bit more friendly to the inhabitants?"

"What? They aren't home. And they didn't sign the form. Legally it's their apartment and they need to sign the written permission if we are to give the spare key to someone." Tsubaki protested. He didn't dislike Haruka; he was just really set on following the rules and well, given Haruka's often annoying calls if his kids 'behaved'… Tsubaki fancied the kids more, not that he liked them much either.

"Oh, come on. He is their father. We both know that." Chiba protested; he was like the polar opposite of his colleague. "We can surely make an exception."

"I won't, only if he comes with someone who has the key or permission."

"What?!" Haruka frowned. "You are telling me I can't go into my own house, because you don't have some permission?!" Now that was unexpected and it surely angered him. What a welcome?

"Not some permission. The owners' permission." Tsubaki said calmly, staring back at Haruka without flinching.

"I think –" Chiba started, but Haruka halted him with a motion of his hand.

"Fine." He retorted. "Who is someone with the permission?"

"Let's see…" Tsubaki took out a thick file and put it in front of Haruka, and then he started looking for the form he wanted to find. He was doing it purposefully slowly. For no real reason, he just wanted to annoy the man. Besides, both receptionists knew who was visiting the twins often. "The apartment 148… 148… Ah… Here it is." He flipped through several signed forms. "People with free access are Harasawa Katsunori, Amane Hiroto and Amane Mayu. Limited access was granted to… Shiranui… brothers," he summed up when he saw all three Shiranui's there.

"What does that even mean?" He didn't remember there'd been such a procedure before. Sure, a visitor had to sign in, but still…

"Those with free access can come and go whenever without previous notice. We give them keys once we see their IDs, the limited access… When the twins are at home, we let them in. If they aren't home they have to let us know in advance and the twins have to okay it. And all the others have to be announced in advance or come with them. Oh…" He zoomed on another permission under the ones he'd just read to Haruka… "Free access to Aomine Daiki?" He flipped the paper around, looking for some additional info except the name, but there was none. Just the name and Taiga's signature. He looked at Chiba with a big question in his frowning eyes. "Who's that?"

"Oh, that one…" A guilty expression passed the old man's face. He didn't want to tell it to his colleague until Aya-chan filled it and signed it too.

"It's empty and Aya-chan hasn't signed it yet. Who's that?"

"That's why I haven't said anything. Taiga-kun had brought it here before he left for his camp. He said something about this being a gift to Aya-chan or what… But she has to complete it."

"Aomine Daiki…" Tsubaki was thinking hard about who it could be. He was sure he'd heard the name before, but he couldn't remember.

"Who's that?" Haruka asked, obviously displeased. So I was right about the boyfriend…

"Oh." The receptionist remembered with a clap. "The boy who brought her home on his back when she passed out in school? The one you told me about, right? You think he'll start coming more often?"

Chiba shrugged with a furtive smile. "Taiga-kun thinks so. Well, it depends on Aya-chan too."

"Whatever. It's their business." He grumbled and took his bag. Teenage romances and juicy gossip weren't his cup of tea. "I'm going home."

"Sure. Thank you for your work." Chiba waved him goodbye and sighed. Then he looked at Haruka.

But Haruka was staring at the reception desk with an empty look in his eyes. Aya passed out? Why? How? Why didn't he know? Why she hadn't been more careful? Now she owed the guy. Who was he anyways? He'd never heard the name before… Maybe she mentioned him in the e-mails… He wondered; he still hadn't found the courage to read them.

"Haruka-kun?" The old man addressed him kindly. "Is everything all right?"

He looked up, anger flashing in his eyes. "Why haven't you told me about it?" He raised his voice, overwhelmed by emotion he couldn't even describe.

"They asked us not to–"

"They asked you?! They're just kids? I asked you to inform me!"

"Yes. They asked and we decided to listen. Because they're not kids. Not anymore. I've been watching them from the sidelines since they came." Chiba was kind, but like his gruff colleague he was immune to Haruka's anger. He was looking back at the younger man evenly. "They can take care of themselves. And besides, what would you do if you knew? What could you do? You were so far away with your business to attend to. It wouldn't do you good if you were worried about them."

There was nothing Haruka could retort. He should learn to control himself better, but when it was his children, he just couldn't.

The keys jingled against the cold glass of the reception desk. "Tsubaki-san doesn't have to know, right? But he'll be back. My shift is 12 hours, so unless you can get someone from those with permission to come and accompany you…"

"I understand. I'll leave until then." Haruka took the keys carefully, as if they could burn him. There was no way he'd ask Hiroto's or Katsunori's help. He'd ignored their calls and messages for too long. "Thank you."

The old man gave him a knowing look. "You've come here with a resolve. I'm not the one to judge."

"Ah, don't you know where they are?"

"No. I didn't ask. Aya-chan hasn't returned since she left for the Interhigh, although she should've. And Taiga-kun left in hurry. He didn't even say goodbye when he rushed out. Then he was here for around two weeks, but he was barely at home and he left again three days ago for a training camp, but he said he'd had no idea where they were going."

That made him frown even more. They'd come to L.A. after they'd rushed out, but they'd said nothing. What could've happened? He looked at Chiba again. "Do you know when they return?"

"Not a clue. But the school's starting in no time, so I believe they'll be home by then."

Haruka nodded and disappeared in the building. He took the lift which was finally working – not that he knew it'd ever been out of service – and got out on the top floor. He wondered what had changed in the apartment since he left. It'd been rented to some family before and from the bank statements he knew the twins had done some, not minor, renovations.

He turned the key in the lock and let himself in. The dark entry hall was just like he remembered it. A faint, lingering scent of coffee and some fresh clothes detergent welcomed him into the quiet, empty home.

"I'm home." He mumbled as he took off his shoes and stepped up into the corridor.

The walls were newly painted. Some of the photos hanging on the wall to his left were new, or he'd never seen them before. There were his kids, with their friends or just them. His old basketball club… next to it was a photo of Taiga and his current club. It was probably Aya who put it there, but she wasn't on the photo. He studied the boys for a moment and wondered if some of them could be the previously mentioned Aomine. Taiga's number was 10… like his. So Taiga was really playing.

And then there was a photo of him. The photo had been taken by Keiko at his parents' place. The twins were around three or four years old. They were all wet and dirty from building miniature dams in the stream. He was carrying both of them on his strong shoulders and they were laughing. It tugged at his heart; not only the memory, but also the fact that this picture was still hanging on the wall here. After all… but Aya hadn't been at home since the incident, so she couldn't have taken it off…

Then he continued further to the big place of the kitchen-dining-living-room. The place was too silent and too empty. And surprisingly neat. He half expected to find Keiko in the kitchen cooking, like he'd been used to in the past. It wasn't possible. But he could almost feel her presence in the apartment. Despite that, he felt out of place and like he didn't belong there anymore. He wanted to leave, yet, he'd come with a resolve. There was no running away. Nowhere to run to.

The huge room had changed the most. The floorboards, kitchen utensils, couches, stereo, screen, library, coffee table and even plants were new. The colour combination surprised him the most; grey with white, orange and navy-blue. He wouldn't even think of such a combination, yet it suited the place. There were three more pictures in the library – even from a distance he could see Keiko's bright smile and he decided against giving it a proper look.

He studied the kitchen. A pile of schoolbooks was resting on the bar-like table with one dirty coffee cup. A math book was opened and a pen was stuck into it like a bookmark. The notebook underneath it was empty, except for some doodles around the edges. He snorted and studied it more. It was Taiga's. Then he looked up and noticed two planning calendars hanging on the wall.

Both were thematic, one basketball, one dancing. It was obvious which was whose. Both were filled with scribbles and crossed-out dates, but Aya's was visibly more filled.

He took it off the wall to have a better look. Tests, deadlines, camps, dancing practises and other events were written down in different colours. Only now he realised how many things Aya was doing. And for how long. Some days, if she managed to pull off everything she'd planned, she must've stayed up the whole night. No wonders she decided to quit working for the company; the pace would exhaust anyone. The day when she'd passed out was marked by Taiga – and his mark was crossed out by Aya. Keiko's anniversary was painted black.

The schedule of the past weeks was marked out in both of their calendars. It was packed. In Aya's there was: Interhigh – France – UK – L.A. – Dancing camp – Summer training camp (mountains) – Homework. In Taiga's: Training camp (ocean) – France – UK – L.A. – Dancing camp (?) – Training camp (mountains). He put the calendars back where they were.

He continued to check out the bedrooms. He glanced into all four – quickly hightailing from his former bedroom, because it looked the same, although it was newly painted and the bed was obviously new, but the same old model. The guestroom looked the same too.

And the kids' rooms… They were more adults' rooms than kids'.

It was like he was getting to know two strangers just by going through the place where they lived. The painful thing was that those two strangers were his kids. And he didn't know them anymore. Did they argue often? Why had they chosen different schools (he saw the different uniforms)? Could they cook? How did they spend their free time – if they had some?

Aya had a laptop and some work papers folded neatly on her desk. There was a bunch of folded clothes and her dancing shoes – for practising and competition, prepared on her bed with a bigger suitcase; she'd probably been planning to repack before leaving. But she hadn't had the time… He noticed black air Jordan's in the corner of her room. He'd never think she played basket seriously. Sure, he was aware she played from time to time for fun, but that she'd actually buy specialised shoes…

Taiga's room was a bit messy, with t-shirts thrown over his chair. Two basketballs were lying around the room, his wardrobe was half-opened – it looked like he packed in a hurry again. Basketball magazines were spread on his table. A bass guitar was resting in its stand and a cajón next to it. When…? And there was his laptop with a DVD next to it. Seirin vs. Touou – qualifiers. That caught Haruka's attention. Taiga had some notes scribbled down, but it was unreadable for Haruka. He was tempted to watch it.

CRASH

"AGH! Fuck!"

"Gah!" Haruka jumped away from the desk and whipped around to face the person that almost caused him a heart attack. Water was pouring on the ground from a bottle Hiroto dropped.

"What the hell are you doing here?! Do you want to kill me?!" Hiroto accused him first holding a rolling pin like a weapon – he wasn't sure why he took the water bottle too though. "I was so surprised to see those foreign shoes in the hallway. I thought you were some intruder," which was a really stupid thought, given the reception system downstairs.

"I could say the same!" Haruka thundered, holding a hand over his heart. "Do you often sneak into their house when they're away?!"

"You're the one to say! You are scarce for years and now you come back?! Why bother?!" Anger bubbled in the bartender and his veins were still filled with adrenaline. He had no idea why, but he wanted to throw that rolling pin at his senpai. And hit him in the face.

"I have my reasons!"

"Pche, reasons!" Hiroto snorted and grimaced. "What reasons?! You didn't even come to my wedding! Ignored us, walked out on us! Hid behind that business of yours! Call yourself a friend or a father? You took so much from them! What else do you want?!" He shouted angrily and the hand holding the rolling pin was dangerously shaking, still ready to throw the make-shift weapon.

"To apologise!" Haruka thundered truthfully under all the accusations. "I fucked up! I know! Dammit!"

Hiroto blinked in shock, breathed out slowly through his nose and lowered his weapon. He was flabbergasted. "Chiba-san didn't warn me! That old fox… I knew something was off with him. But you? I've never thought I'd see you here." He said and bent over to pick up the bottle. "I've made a mess. What the hell…" The chuckle leaving Hiroto's lungs sounded desperate.

"Why are you here?" Haruka asked, lowering his voice to a normal volume. There was a lump in his throat; it was difficult to talk to his old friend again. And hearing all that… It was much, much worse than any scolding Lindsay could've given him.

"Why, you ask…" He rolled his eyes. "Watering the plants of course. We have the key and Taiga asked us to."

It took Hiroto less than ten minutes and both men, former teammates and friends, found themselves standing on the big balcony and staring out at the street and people passing by below them.

"I didn't plan to go and meet you." Haruka said; he was calm now. Around Hiroto, he didn't feel like the big boss. And he was remembering his wife, realising his mistakes. Maybe that's why he'd avoided them, so he wouldn't lose his air of superiority and oblivion he grown so used to and so fond of. It was probably the reason he'd pushed away everyone. How stupid…

"Trust me, I wasn't expecting it, Haruka-senpai. It's like seeing a ghost. I'm not sure if I shouldn't go get the salt." He smirked.

"You're still angry at me." He said levelly. It was surprisingly easy to accept the fact.

"You don't say. How could you guess that?" Hiroto asked sarcastically. How could Haruka be so calm? Almost resigned. Then he frowned, the former captain, the big boss, wasn't protesting. "I am. And you know why. I respected you, senpai. And you walked out on us all. We were your family too."

"You can still be… I hope…" He mumbled sadly, remembering how he'd been ignoring all the calls and e-mails. I should really read all those e-mails. He regretted.

"I'm not sure. It's not that simple."

"I know. But I'm allowed to try, right?"

Hiroto shrugged. "Suit yourself. We're not kids anymore, we can talk things out, but the twins…"

"Do you believe me when I say I regret it?"

He looked the man up and down. There were dark circles under Haruka's eyes, he had quite some stubble on his face and his wrinkles stood out. The big reliable captain he'd remembered looked almost fragile. "I do. You've got a lot to regret."

Haruka nodded with a grim expression. "I don't know them anymore." He admitted and sat on one chair, resting his feet against the railing and rubbing his face with a deep sigh. "And I don't know what to do."

"What?" Hiroto blinked at the older man in disbelief. What on earth had happened to him? Haruka wasn't the goofy, good-hearted and wise captain he'd known, and he wasn't even the unapproachable stone-cold big boss. Just a broken man, who desperately hoped he could mend what he'd destroyed and dreaded he couldn't. What could've happened to cause this change? "Er, I mean, you're probably right. But what… What happened?" He asked carefully. "You haven't cared for years, so why…now?"

"What did they tell you?"

"Who?"

"My kids?" He explained and frowned at the ashtray on the table, he noticed only now. It was empty, but obviously used.

"Nothing. I've never heard them complain about anything. But they didn't have to. I read the articles; I talked with Seth from time to time, your brother... Your kids didn't have to say anything. I know it isn't pretty."

Haruka sighed heavily and pulled at the medallion he'd gotten for his birthday. "I'm such a fool."

"That's an understatement." He said before he could stop himself.

Haruka cackled without a speck of humour, but his kouhai was right.

A surge of sympathy crossed Hiroto's face. That was the flicker of the old senpai he'd known and respected so many years ago. And he felt he could speak to him like before. Maybe… if Haruka really tried… The twins weren't exactly hateful. "So? What happened to change your heart? It's surely not just the old medallion."

So Haruka told him the whole story. Not just about the disastrous party, but all the things from before. He needed to get it off his chest. And Hiroto being the greatest bartender – and occasional psychologist – was probably the only person he would talk to like this. He had no idea why it was like that, but Hiroto had some weird charm that compelled people to trust him, to open up to him. And he wasn't trying to make himself look better.

He'd messed up and there was only so much he could do to make it right. And stopping blaming his children was the first step. Apologising, was the second. Because all his anger was actually aimed at him and he'd done the horrible mistake of taking it out on them and ignoring them eventually. And he could only hope the twins would somehow, slowly, miraculously, take him back like a lost dog. Because that was how he felt. Like an abandoned, old dog.

Hiroto was silent after hearing the news. He couldn't believe his ears. Then he got up.

"Hating me now?"

"No. I'm just sorry you haven't opened your eyes sooner. I'll tend to plants and leave. I'm needed at the bar. But you know where to find me."

Haruka nodded. It was the first time he'd opened up in years. Strangely, he didn't feel weak afterwards. More like, he knew what he needed to do. And drinking it down, wasn't the answer. He finally found the courage to do what he was supposed to do a long time ago; read the e-mails.

"Can you sign the permission for me to stay?"

Hiroto blinked at him. "You want to wait for them here? Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"It's a terrible idea. But I want to do it. Please, don't warn them."

"Okay." Hiroto nodded and left the balcony. "Oh… by the way, Kyou was at the bar yesterday, said he wanted to visit your parents… Maybe you could reach out to him too."

"Thank you. I'll think about it."

######

Kyou arrived at his parents' house just as the breakfast was served. He announced himself as he walked through the widely open sliding door to the dining hall.

"Tadaima."

Aya had her back to the door and at hearing the voice, she dropped the cup she was about to put in front of Daiki. The glass shattered against the hardwood floor. What was Haruka doing here? She closed her eyes, not wanting to turn around.

"Daddy!" Kaito bolted from his chair with a big happy grin on his face. "Okaerinasai!"

"Eh?" Aya turned around, to see her little brother jumping into the outstretched arms of his father, who crouched down to greet his son. She made a mistake?

Some of the guys who loved the sport enough to be aware of the past "legends" recognised Kyou and started whispering, enlightening those who weren't as informed… But Kyou didn't care. He was here only because of his little boy and his old parents.

"Ugh! You've gotten stronger in those few weeks I haven't seen ya!" Kyou chuckled as Kaito landed against his broad chest. And with his child safely in his arms he got up and looked around, smiling at all the teenagers around.

Kyou was a huge man; at least 195cm tall, broad and still very muscular. He was wearing loose linen pants in colour of sand, a simple white t-shirt, which was a bit too tight around his biceps, shoulders and chest, and moccasins. A pair of stylish sunglasses was hung at the collar of his t-shirt and he was tanned. He could be a scary hoard of muscle, but his face ruled it out. He was grinning widely and his ruby-red eyes were kind, albeit a bit mischievous, and smiling too. He kept a stubbly beard and his red and black hair was cut short at the sides, longer in the middle. It was threaded with grey and silver. With the wrinkles of laughter on his face and the slightly mischievous light in his eyes, he was very handsome and attractive. It was hard to believe he was already 46 years old.

Daiki was staring at the man and he couldn't fully suppress awe. This was one of the men he considered heroes when he was a kid. Their basketball skills were distinctive and unique, flowing and changing with the game. So this was Kagami Kyou in flesh and blood… He couldn't believe the man still looked like this in his age. But Aya's reaction worried him. She was looking towards Kyou and Kaito, so he had no idea what face she was making, but...

"Robin, you've grown so much. I've missed you! Come 'er too." With a grin and stretched his free arm so she could hug him too. It was a norm after all.

"Uhm…" She was staring at him, like he was a ghost. She knew it was Kyou, she loved Kyou, but she was still so hurt and so disappointed. And he looked so damn much like Haruka, even sounded like him. Or… he looked like what Haruka could've, if he hadn't become that ignorant and angry brick-wall. They were identical twins… And her cheek and thigh still remembered her last 'talk' with Haruka very vividly. "I'm too big for that." She grimaced apologetically and took a step back, the glass crunched under her feet. "Oh! Sorry! Your tea."

"It's fine." Daiki said with a frown when she crouched down and started collecting the shards with her hands.

"Baa-chan! Could you bring me a rag?" Aya called out.

"Sure!" Hanae shouted from the kitchen and was on her way. "What happ–Kyou?!" She gasped and dropped the rag. "What are you doing here?" She was partly glad Taichi was out with Keiji, because her husband tended to confuse the identical twins, even though they were his offspring.

He smiled at the small woman. "I'm home, mom. But why do you two look like you're seeing a ghost? I told you I'd be back for Kaito."

Hanae quickly fetched the rag and handed it to Aya, while taking the broken glass from her. Thankfully, it didn't shatter into tiny little pieces. She exchanged looks with Aya, and then she smiled.

"Sorry, Kyou, it's nothing. We just haven't expected you so soon. But I'm sure Kaito is delighted to have you back."

Kyou just shrugged and looked around, happy to see some old familiar faces. "Katt-chan,"

"Do you have to call me that, senpai?" Katsunori rolled his eyes in annoyance, but watched Aya. It seemed like Kyou was out of the picture.

"And Masa-chan, Tatsuya-kun, and hey, Kouta-kun you're here too. But… Where d' you leave Seth, Robin? He owes me a chess game."

Aya's hand froze for a second, and then she furiously wiped the floor dry. When she got up her expression was scarily stiff. She was staring at Kyou with her hard red eyes, clenching the rug in her hands. Kyou had no idea. He'd left over a year ago. He couldn't have known, yet, his question squeezed her insides. And she felt like throwing that rag into Kyou's oblivious, smiling face. Where did I leave him indeed?

"Aya-chan?" He raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "Did I say something wrong? If so, I'm sorry–"

"I can't do this." She stormed out.

"Aya!" Hanae called after her.

Daiki's body rose up and followed after Aya on its own. He hated that expression on her face. When he was passing by Kyou, their eyes met and he wasn't sure what to think. The man was confused. But Daiki didn't have time for introductions. If Aya disappeared in the forest he wouldn't find her.

"What did you do to nee-chan, daddy?" Kaito asked, just as confused.

"I don't have the slightest idea…"

"Nothing." Tatsuya smiled at Kaito and hoped it was reassuring, but his fists under the table were clenched. "Your dad did nothing wrong, Kaito. Maybe he was just gone for too long. And missed out too much."

Kyou narrowed his eyes at Tatsuya and looked over his shoulder at the boy who rushed out after Aya. The look that youngster gave him was… it made a chill run down his spine. "You two–"

"Broke up last August." Tatsuya nodded.

Kyou's shoulders slumped and he sighed. And that sneaky bartender said nothing at all, well, I didn't ask… "Nothing beats family drama. What did my stupid twin do now?" He asked and threaded his way to take Aomine's place, motioning for Katsunori and Kouta to join them.

Atsushi got up and left with a frown. This was none of his business. On his way he grabbed Satsuki by her collar like a kitten and dragged her away.

"Muk-kun!" She protested.

"That's not your place now, Sa-chin." He drawled and shoved her towards Kiku and Hero.

"But –"

"He's right." Kiku said with an apologetic smile. "It's a family thing."

"But Himuro-kun…"

"Muro-chin has a past with them." Atsushi nodded and squeezed himself next to Fukui.

Satsuki whimpered one more time, but gave up. Maybe this was truly none of her business. But she so wanted to know.

"I can feel something is wrong. I hoped it was nothing serious." Kyou started when he put Kaito next to him. Even if the kid wouldn't understand half of what they would discuss, he didn't want to leave him out. He didn't want to make Kaito feel like he didn't belong or couldn't know. "So? I'm listening. What happened?" His eyes hardened when he looked at Tatsuya.

Tatsuya gulped; he'd rather the earth opened up and swallowed him than telling Kyou about the articles and brake-up and all that… At least he could filter it because of Kaito. But he wondered if Kyou really knew nothing.

When Tatsuya was done, Kyou rubbed his stubble thoughtfully. He had doubted their relationship, but he also rooted for them. Still, he couldn't blame Tatsuya for backing away from it all and Aya for making her decision. He was sad his brother played his role in all that. And hurting Aya like that? And firing Seth? What the hell? How far have you drifted, how blind have you become, brother?

"And this summer, he wanted to try and marry her off to a Fairchild…" Kouta mused, telling them his piece of the story.

Even Katsunori's jaw dropped and he rubbed his face. "I can't believe that."

"Want to see the dress?" Kouta raised an eyebrow, keeping his voice quiet. They didn't need the boys to overhear this.

"I don't want to." Kyou said, his voice sounding almost like a growl. He had a very distinct idea what a father should be. And he'd learnt that from none other than his brother. He knew that Haruka's relationship with his kids after Keiko's death was bad, but he'd never thought it was this terrible. He'd been hoping Haruka would come to his senses eventually… I shouldn't have left…

"And you look and sound like him." Katsunori muttered. "No wonders she ran away. You even had the guts to say 'sorry' to her that easily…"

"I've always claimed he was damaging my reputation…" He complained.

Katsunori only raised an eyebrow.

Kyou rolled his eyes and added. "…in the past few years… I managed to do that just fine by myself before…" But he could feel something was happening with Haruka. It was a faint sense of remorse that panged at the back of his head, even though he wasn't regretting anything. When he focused, it became more urgent and obvious. They, just like Taiga and Aya, had a very tight bond, a deep understanding even if far away. Kyou just felt, he couldn't prove it, that something was changing within Haruka.

But there was so much, he couldn't choose one emotion. Realising your mistakes, big brother?

######

"Hey! Wait!"

But she didn't. All he saw was a flash of her red hair when she threaded her way through the thick forest. She wanted to be alone. At the same time, Daiki didn't think it was a wise course of action.

"Tch." He put in more effort and he finally managed to grab her elbow. "I said wait, dammit!"

"And I want to be alone!" She protested and tried to break free from him, but Daiki had an iron grip. The treacherous tears were welling up in her eyes, and suddenly she wasn't so sure about her words. She wasn't even sure if she was angry or sad or what.

"No you don't." He said almost softly, when seeing the tears she was fighting. He had no idea what was going through her head. But he pulled her closer and embraced her, hiding her face in his chest.

"I do…" She protested weakly again, but then she collapsed into his arms and grabbed at the t-shirt at his back. "I mistook them. I thought…I don't want to see him."

At least he already knew enough to guess. Otherwise, he would've been utterly confused. "It's not your father." He reminded her gently.

"He looks and sounds like him."

That he couldn't know. He hadn't seen the Kagami twins since they were 36 or so… "It's not him."

She took a deep breath, but didn't pull away from him. Daiki could really be a miraculously calming lighthouse. After a moment she shook her head, rubbing her forehead against his chest. "I'm being stupid, eh?"

"You've been hurt, Aya, you're not stupid."

"Still… I should probably apologise for overreacting. Kyou's been nothing but nice to us."

"Why'd you run then?" He asked, feeling that it was important. That he wanted to know the reason, because Kyou had truly done nothing but greeted her.

Now she pulled away to look at him. She took a step back and paced around a tree. Daiki was ready to catch her if she tried to run again, but he felt she wouldn't.

"Where d' I leave Seth?" She threw her arms in the air flaring up again. The prickling tears were not gone from her eyes. "Fuck, I'd love to know it too! He's my fault. He is gone, because he protected me. And Kyou could probably find him, or he knows where he is! There was no ongoing chess challenge the last I knew. So why ask me? With that goofy grin of his. To mock me?"

Okay, now he needed to tread carefully, because angry Aya was unpredictable Aya. And he could end up as the worst. But still, the girl valued truth, right? Daiki took a deep breath. "I don't think that was his intention." He said calmly.

That burning glare scared him a bit, but he remained acting as calm and careless as he could. It wasn't good that she was spiralling into these dark feelings. Then, an idea struck him. He raised his palms and showed them to her. "Punch."

"Huh?" She stopped her irritated pacing and stared at him. It was such an unexpected demand she momentarily forgot her name too.

"Punch. I mean it." He moved his hands up and down. "Let it out." He shrugged. "You won't be any good to them in the match if you're like this."

She raised an eyebrow. "To us? You meant?"

"Whatever." He avoided her look. "Come on, your brother said you could throw a good punch. Show me… If you dare." He smirked in a challenge.

And regretted it a second after when Aya's knuckles met his palm. He had to take a step back to absorb the strength she put into it. He surely hadn't expected it. And he was glad he offered his palms instead of his abs. The girl knew how to use her whole body strength, not just her shoulder. Her stance was solid, but flexible enough; she could attack as well as guard herself.

Where'd she learn that?

But before he could say or ask anything another curled fist was coming, and he had to cover. And again, and again. It was something he was used to do with his dad; though usually it was him, who was punching and his dad was covering. Sometimes, he launched at her too, to force her back; he wouldn't actually hit her, but he wanted to see if she could react.

Their little sparring took on longer than he'd anticipated, but by the end, she was avoiding him and hitting his palms he set as targets with smirks. She was more focused on him and his actions than any bad feelings. His little idea was a success.

"Haaaa..." She breathed out and bent forward, catching her breath. "That was good!" She chuckled.

Quicksilver… "Mhm. But it's not the first time you've done that…"

"No it's not. But how did you come up with it?"

He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "My dad forces me to train or spar when I'm angry, thought it could help you too."

Right, he does jiu-jitsu… She smiled and her eyes were smiling too. "Makes sense. It's been a while since I was forced into this. So, what's your conclusion?"

"That your brother was right. You can throw a good punch." He chuckled. "Who taught you?" He asked curiously, though he could probably guess the answer. She was far from perfect, and he went easy on her, but still… If someone actually attacked her, it'd give her enough factor of surprise to get away. The person who taught her must've been crazily good if he managed to teach this to a dancer.

"Seth, mostly. Tatsuya got roughed up and we got into trouble with Fairchilds when we were like 12 or something so Seth set his mind to teach us how to fight properly. Easy effective basics, nothing fancy, but I believe Tatsuya used it quite a lot."

"As long as it can protect you, it doesn't have to be fancy." He agreed. "But that guy doesn't look like he'd ever get involved in a real fight."

Aya laughed at that. "You'd be surprised, Daiki. Looks can be very deceitful. It's especially true in Tatsuya's case. And yours too!"

"Hah?!"

"You're kinder that you look, shyer than anyone would expect." Her eyes were sparkling. Their newly set relationship overruled all the stormy feelings. Love could truly be magical. "And you care a lot more than you let on. Should I continue?"

He blushed and looked away. It sounded awfully like praise and he wasn't sure how to cope with it, but it certainly flattered his ego. Although those weren't traits he put on display, it was heartwarming that she noticed.

She chuckled; he really wasn't comfortable with open praise. "Anyways. Thank you for all this."

Daiki shrugged regaining his composure. "Happy to help."

She turned to head back. She wanted to be there on time to talk with the guys about the match. They only had an hour and something. But Daiki's hand catching her own stopped her. She looked up at him, "What?"

"Do we have to go back now?" He asked with a sigh. There was still enough time, and well… his eyes wandered to her lips and he looked away again. He wasn't sure he could demand a kiss after he'd stopped her like that the other day…

She intertwined her fingers with his and answered with a thoughtful expression. "No, but it'd be unwise to get you overexcited before the match."

"Tch." Disappointment passed his face, but she was probably right.

"But if it could work as an encouragement… I won't stop you." She said innocently and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Heck, of course she'd love to use any free minute to kiss him and touch him, now that she could.

He stared at her mischievous smile with surprise, and then a confident smirk settled on his face. No, he didn't need to be nudged more than that. He pulled her towards him and leaned down to meet her inviting lips. Kissing her was surely becoming his favourite activity; true, he was still nervous, felt like his heart could jump out and butterflies in his stomach were untameable, but it was fine. It was Aya, and he loved her.

This time his hand didn't roam under her t-shirt and he stopped himself before it became too much. He didn't want to let go, but she was right; he had to focus on the match; it was Murasakibara and he couldn't wait to figure out which one of them was better.

######

The game between Touou and Yosen was a game between two completely opposite teams. One specialised on offence, the other on defence. While Aomine, Wakamatsu and Tada didn't make a big deal out of it, Kano and Naito were trembling at the thought of facing the giants from Yosen. Well, Yosen wasn't called the shield of Aegis for nothing; they looked intimidating.

"Gee', stop fretting so much. It's just a practise match." Aomine grumbled at Kano, who was furiously fidgeting and wiping his sweating hands into his shorts. "You've trained with them for days. Chill out."

"…Easier said than done. They have three players over two meters. Three. And even Muri-san is over 190cm. We're doomed." Kano protested with pale face.

"Shut up." Naito slapped the back of his head. "You're still 10cm taller than me, idiot. How am I supposed to feel?"

"Like a dwarf?" Kano tried and avoided another well aimed slap from his friend. "Still, wouldn't it be better to put Ishii in, he is taller than me."

Katsunori sighed and looked at Aya with a certain level of despair. He'd chosen this team-up because it was the second most effective after the full regulars. And he really hoped none of them would chicken out. They were good, he trusted them.

Aya shook her head and patted Kano's shoulder. "Yes, and he and Daiki would try to kill each other on court."

"It's not that bad–" Ishii started, but quickly shut his mouth when Katsunori gave him one of his sharp glares.

"It's gonna be just fine. You just need to find a way to break through their defence. Maybe you didn't get any research now, but you'll figure it out. If anything, you have quite a reliable ace."

Aomine wasn't listening anymore. He was frowning in the direction of Yosen's team. He hadn't faced Murasakibara before and he rarely faced players taller than him. If anything his opponents were of similar height. He wasn't nervous, just curious. And even if it was just a stupid practise match, he wasn't willing to lose it.

"So we just pass to him?" Naito asked sceptically.

Wakamatsu frowned at that. "Even he won't handle three guys that tall on his own…"

"Careful Kou, if he heard you, you'd argue again." Tada smirked at him. At least he felt a bit comfortable with his mark. Unlike Sakurai, he could quite easily handle Muri-san, who was only two centimetres taller than him.

The vice captain rolled his eyes. "Oi, Aomine!"

"Hm?"

"Any advice?"

"Hah? You asking me for advice?"

With a huge self-denial, Wakamatsu nodded. "I'm marking him. And you've been on one team with him, no?"

"Tch. And you've trained with him for the past three days, no?" He raised an eyebrow in a mocking expression, but then, noticing coach's scowl he shrugged. "Don't let him crush you."

He frowned, what did that mean? But he knew it was the best he could get out of the arrogant ace. Whatever… "Aaaargh! Let's do it!" He shouted to encourage everyone, himself included – he was about to face Murasakibara in the tip off.

"Do you have to?" Naito rolled his eyes and the boys went to line up.

Kyou was sitting on an elevated part of the gym with Kaito, Kiku and Derek, who'd returned from his short trip in Hanamaki. He had no idea how good these boys were, but he was curious. As a former nationally recognised prodigy center / power-forward himself, he could feel they were more than just good. And because of Aya, he was especially interested in Aomine.

Though she had apologised to Kyou, she was refraining to look his way. He was still eerily similar to her father. And even Derek had been confused for the first few minutes after meeting the man. She was watching Kano worriedly, the boy was too nervous that day and she feared it wouldn't do him much good.

"Would you, or should I?" Imayoshi asked Fukui and looked at the ball he was holding. The regular point guards were decided to be the referees for the game.

"Go ahead." Fukui nodded. "But throw it high enough. Atsushi tends to tip it before the ball reaches its pinnacle."

"Wouldn't that be fortunate for us~?" Imayoshi hummed with a smirk and a chill ran down Fukui's spine.

Imayoshi crouched down to use his body strength to throw the ball high enough. He prepared his ears for Wakamatsu's roar, which he knew would come.

And the ball was up.

"ORYAAAA!" Wakamatsu roared as he leapt up.

But Atsushi won the tip off easily, passing the ball to Okamura, unusually making sure his timing was right. The sneakily grinning Touou's captain made him watch his actions. He wouldn't give Imayoshi the satisfaction of losing the ball to Touou right in the beginning. But that loud center…

"Another annoying one." Atsushi muttered as he made his way under the basket he was to guard. He didn't care that his teammates were on the offence. Mine-chin would get the ball soon enough, and he would be needed.

Aomine followed Okamura. At first he was a bit wary of the bulky captain; Okamura was huge and heavy and most likely correspondingly strong. That was perfectly fit for a good center, but as Aomine quickly noticed, the bulky guy lacked speed and agility. And those were Aomine's fortes. As long as he could use that, Okamura on the offence wasn't a problem.

"Too slow." With that, Aomine snatched the ball from the opposing captain and bolted towards Yosen's basket; it wasn't all that difficult.

But it was one thing to get past the big, but rather slow Yosen guys, scoring was another matter altogether. Murasakibara was standing under his basket like a brick wall, waiting for him to come closer. Still, Aomine was determined to try it. He was far from warmed up. Maybe he would be stopped, but he wanted to test if he could dunk.

Atsushi narrowed his eyes; Mine-chin was fast and could shoot from the oddest places. But the head on attack without any tricks… He could stop that without much effort.

"You sure you're not gonna run?" Daiki asked and leaped up and forward, to use his whole weight against Atsushi.

With Mine-chin he had to jump too. "Hah?!" He slapped the ball away, but Aomine's strength surprised him.

"Aomine was stopped?"

Daiki scowled almost rolling his eyes. "I'll make the next."

Kano blinked at the ball flying past him and he quickly reached to grab it before Yosen did. "Got it!" He called, but suddenly found himself surrounded by Liu and Okamura. "Eek." He wanted to pass to Naito, but the ball got stolen by Suzuki, the substitute PG of Yosen and they went for counter attack.

Muri went for a three pointer and he made it. Although Tada tried to stop him, he was a second too late in his jump.

But Touou didn't stop to brood about it. Wakamatsu propelled the ball for a fast break. He didn't pass to anyone in particular, but he knew that someone from his team would catch it. Preferably Aomine.

Naito got it. And he was immediately marked by Suzuki, he made his way around him. Maybe he was the shortest of them all, but he was fast and his dribbling and fakes got much better. He wasn't naïve enough to go for a shot though, not with Atsushi under the basket, but Tada-senpai could very well succeed.

And he would have, if he hadn't been too hasty and eager to make it. But it was a tight miss. And Wakamatsu, knowing his best friend through and through, knew the ball would miss before Yosen's defence realised it. They didn't have time to push him off his position and he had the best timing for catching Tada's misses. With a loud roar, Wakamatsu snatched the ball from Atsushi and Okamura and threw it to Aomine, who was already leaping up to slam it in.

It was only two points, but Aomine scored back.

"I told you I'd make it." Daiki told to Atsushi with a smirk.

"Really? Do it alone then, Mine-chin." Atsushi drawled.

"Tch." Aomine clicked his tongue in annoyance and chased after the ball, leaving Atsushi standing under his basket like an overgrown scarecrow.

The first quarter then turned into Aomine running himself warm, trying to score against Murasakibara, and Murasakibara trying to guard against the ace. Both teams managed to snatch some points. And the more Wakamatsu and Murasakibara clashed for rebounds the more Atsushi got annoyed. He hated the loud and excited types like Wakamatsu.

There were two minutes of the first quarter left and the score was 15 to 17 for Yosen. It was really difficult to score. What Yosen lacked in offence, they compensated with size and what Touou lacked in defence they compensated with speed and agility. They were Aomine's team; it wasn't only the ace who was fast.

"You won't get it." Atsushi frowned at Wakamatsu after another stolen rebound. He's had enough of him.

"Huh?" Wakamatsu blinked at him. "So?" He didn't get the point.

"You won't get the ball. Don't you get it? Why don't you stop trying?"

Wakamatsu shrugged. "It's centre's job, isn't it? And I got that first one. What if I get another? If I stop trying I won't find out. Besides… It's fun."

Atsushi narrowed his eyes. He was facing another tough thickhead, who didn't know when to stop. "Is struggling fun for you?"

"No. The game is. Is it fun for you standing here alone like this?"

Atsushi didn't respond to that. He didn't like running. This was only an unimportant practise match. And if he ran around, it would mean more opportunities for Mine-chin to score.

"Whatever." Wakamatsu said and jogged to help out during their defence.

Although Aomine seemed to be handling it quite well. He was cornering Muri, who was desperately trying to shoot or pass, but couldn't find the right moment to do either. And ultimately, Muri had the ball stolen.

A few more shots were attempted, even less of them successful, but no one called a timeout. They were leaving the players to cope with the situation on their own.

Once the first of the three quarters ended, Touou was leading by 1 point. The score was 22-23.

"The longer he plays the better he's getting…" Tatsuya muttered, admiring Aomine's ability to score against Atsushi. The giant wasn't used to guard against someone like Aomine, who could shoot from the oddest positions and places, though he was doing a fairly good job so far.

"Aaah. It's Mine-chin. He has to run warm." Atsushi complained. "Can't you swap me? That center is annoying."

"No." Masako glared at him. "And if you lose, I'm confiscating your sweets stash. Don't think you can replace it here."

"But Masa-chi–"

Smack! The shinai hit his shoulder. "Don't call me that!" She growled.

Atsushi narrowed his eyes maliciously, but remained quiet. He really didn't like basketball. How could anyone take this unfair sport seriously? And seriously enough to threaten his sweets stash… He glared at Touou's team taking their rest on their bench. He'd show them.

"You're doing surprisingly well." Satsuki said to them with a smile. "I would expect them to double or triple team you in the next quarter, Aomine-kun."

"Hah?" He blinked at her, then wiped his face and stared back at Atsushi sending them murderous glares. A smirk slowly formed on his lips. "What d' ya know? I might finally get entertained." He cocked his head towards the giant.

"Ow, wow… I've never though he could make a face like that." Aya commented. "How good is he on the offence?"

Satsuki's eyebrows knitted in worry. "Better than on defence."

"Interesting. Is he faster than you?" Aya asked looking at Daiki.

He shrugged. Whether Atsushi was faster or not, he didn't care, all he wanted was to have some fun. "He wasn't."

"But with his long legs, he can cover the court's distance like nothing." Satsuki added. "His wingspan is unusually wide and well… When he gets running, he is practically unstoppable. Breaking a hoop is a child's task for Muk-kun."

"How are we supposed to face that?" Kano peeped.

Aya sighed. "It's a game. And I think Daiki will be on him all the time. So don't be so scared, no one's trying to kill you. If you're this stiff you'll only make unnecessary mistakes. You're good; trust your skills, okay?"

He nodded, not meeting her burning eyes.

"And besides… short people have advantages too. Because you're shorter, they have to be more alert, keep better check on you, and bend down more. Plus it's quite hard for a growing teenager to control their strength." Aya said, remembering how Atsushi feared petting the kitty, or how Daiki thought he had hurt her during their little bed fight. "They are aware of the strength difference and most likely, you and Naito-kun are forcing them to hold back. Maybe not Okamura-senpai, but Liu-senpai and Atsushi…"

"You think Muk-kun is holding back?"

"I believe so. Maybe not consciously, but he is. Oh," she turned to everyone except Daiki, "and one more thing, If you're trying to guard them under the net, lower your centre of gravity more, otherwise they'll push you around like pesky insects." She noticed Kano taking breath to protest, but she didn't let him. "I know they're big, and you can't forget that. But if you keep trying to match their height you'll have no effect whatsoever."

"She's right." Naito frowned. Not that it would help him. He was too light and someone like Okamura or Murasakibara could probably lift him up one-handedly if they wanted to.

Fukui blew the whistle to announce the start of the next quarter.

Tada got up and sighed with an excited grin. "Let's get on with this." He slapped his hand across Wakamatsu mouth, before his friend could shout another encouragement. "Really. Don't."

Wakamatsu let out a muffled protest and complain but gave up.

The second quarter started rather calmly. Atsushi was, so far, not going offensive, but it was only a matter of seconds until he would. With Tada, Kano and Naito in the game, the Touou's teamwork was better than the regulars' and slightly better than Yosen's. Suzuki-kun wasn't a bad PG, but he didn't really have the sense for his teammates' rhythms and habits. And he could make some really unfavourable decisions to pass.

Soon enough, Aomine found himself double teamed by Okamura and Liu. He could usually cope with that without breaking much sweat, but those two were huge and knew damn well what they were doing. And that was the moment Atsushi used for his first attack to show off his full power. With Aomine in check, Wakamatsu and Tada were of no use in stopping the giant and Naito and Kano didn't even try. Daiki cursed and wiggled his way from the guards, but Atsushi was already at the basket; and going for his Thor's hammer. He was reckless, but not suicidal. He just had to score back. The hoop creaked ominously under Atsushi's weight and additional force he used, but miraculously, it didn't break.

"Throw it!" Aomine shouted at Tada who caught the ball under the basket.

"Huh? Oh!" He grabbed it and passed over the half court to him. Yosen's basket was unguarded.

"Mine-chiiin!" Atsushi sprinted over the court in a surprising speed for his huge body, but he was a second too late to stop the ace.

"Ready to face me yourself, big guy?" Daiki asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll crush you, even if it's you."

"Woah." Kyou was blinking at the players in disbelief. Those two were on the whole different level from their teammates. For Aomine to break from the double team, and for Atsushi to almost snap the hoop…

And then a tight game between Atsushi and Daiki started. Atsushi, despite his reflexes, couldn't quite grasp Daiki's ever-changing rhythm and those weird shots the bluenette could make. And once Atsushi went for his shots, Daiki simply couldn't reach, or if he could, he was pushed back by Atsushi's sheer strength.

"Are we even needed?" Naito wondered, not even trying to follow the ball. He'd simply be in the way.

"It always happens when two of them clash." Imayoshi sighed from the outside of the court. "At least we can see just how good they are." He was waiting for any foul play, but none had occurred so far, which was quite unusual. He'd expected Murasakibara to make some fouls, even if unintentional. But the giant was watching his actions well.

"Truly incredible… But I wonder how long they can keep it up…"

The score difference wasn't changing much. If anything it was tied and that was it.

"They're incredible." Aya breathed out, admiring them both. But she was admiring Daiki a bit more. He was coping exceptionally well with someone quite taller than him. She knew first hand it wasn't easy, but it wasn't impossible.

"It's obvious they hadn't played against each other often. If only Muk-kun could win this one…" She sighed.

"You think Daiki would take it seriously if it's just a practise match?"

"It's his match, practise or not… I think he'd take it seriously. If it's them, he respects their strength. And maybe enjoys the game too."

"I still think that losing an official thing is more of a blow for someone of his calibre, who loves the sport more than anything."

The pinkette tracked Daiki with her sad eyes. "Does he really, I wonder…" She said but a small teasing smile was playing on her lips.

"He wouldn't play otherwise." Aya smiled at her encouragingly. "Besides… Even though we hone individual skills, the team's not bad at all."

Satsuki's eyes suddenly widened and she yelled: "KANO-KUN, DON'T!"

"Huh?" Aya turned her head to look at what was happening. Then her eyes widened and she wasn't sure she wanted to see the outcome.

Daiki jumped to try and stop Atsushi's one handed dunk – which he'd learned was possible, once he got the timing of his jump right. Kano, however, thought Daiki might need help, or he just reacted instinctively, no one could really tell, but he jumped up too. And using more strength than usual – given it was Atsushi – he bumped into Daiki from behind, pushing him further forward. The ace couldn't possibly avoid it mid-air. And as a consequence, Atsushi rammed into both of them, sending them down. Atsushi was so surprised he almost missed the hoop; he'd seen Mine-chin, he'd known they wouldn't collide like that, so why…? Atsushi grabbed onto the hoop as he slammed the ball in and hung there.

Daiki desperately twisted in the air so he wouldn't crush Kano with his full weight. The ball fell on them and then the hoop finally broke with a loud CRACK. Atsushi hadn't expected it (he'd tried to break it before and failed – obviously his attempt hadn't been that futile) and with a surprised grunt, he fell down. He landed on his feet weirdly and tripped over Daiki's and Kano's feet, lost his balance and fell forward. He tried to avoid the two, especially with the hoop still in his hand. He really did. It seemed like a slow motion and yet happened too fast. He saw how Mine-chin turned to his side even more and braced himself, but the other guy had probably his breath knocked out and didn't try to get out of the way.

Despite Atsushi's try, one of his forearms ended on Kano's upper torso, the other hand holding the hoop slammed against the floor a centimetre from Mine-chin's face.

Daiki's heart missed a beat when the metal ring crashed on the ground so close smashing some planks on the wooden floor of the gym. And then…

CRACK!

The sound was sickening; worse than the hoop breaking.

And then Kano roared in pain. His collarbone snapped under the pressure of Atsushi's hand.

No one cared about the game after that.

Atsushi rolled away and got up in a lightning speed, so did Daiki. He threw the hoop away and stared down at his huge hands. He'd felt the bone breaking. It was one of the worst feelings he'd felt. He injured someone during a stupid practise game. Because he went for that attack. Because he couldn't keep his balance. Because he broke another hoop. It wasn't important that he couldn't fully control the situation. Still, it was his hand doing harm.

Daiki was staring at Kano with a mixture of surprise and worry and anger. He couldn't quite comprehend the situation. He was shaken by the hoop that close to his face and he'd never seen anyone break their collarbone like that. The one who used to be always cheerful and grinning and who used to pester him into playing, into 'teaching'… And now this guy was so shocked and hurt he couldn't move.

Everyone clustered around Kano worriedly.

The coaches, Kyou, Aya and Hero seemed to be self-collected enough to get the boy sit up and talk with him. Hero was forcing him to calm down, the pain was excruciating and she knew it was hard for him to do anything but adrenaline would soon kick in to numb it. Actually, she was surprised Kano's adrenaline hadn't kicked in yet.

Aya looked at the two aces with an unreadable expression. She was worried about how they would take it, at the same time, she knew she couldn't show it, or she'd only make it worse. It wasn't their fault. And she didn't want to yell at Kano for being stupid, because he was the one getting hurt.

Masako and Katsunori were trying to investigate what had happened, as calmly as possible, though they were really worried too.

And then something in Daiki snapped. His expression darkened.

"TCH. WHY'D YOU DO THAT?! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" He shouted at Kano angrily.

Kano looked up at him with eyes of a frightened, injured and very guilty roe deer. "I-I'm s-s-sorry…?" He stammered out. He wasn't even sure what had happened. Was it really his fault? "I-I di-didn't…" He blinked away the tears of pain.

It only angered Daiki more. Who was he really angry at? Kano? Himself? Murasakibara? The situation? The game? He had no idea. But everything inside him was boiling. This didn't have to happen. It shouldn't have happened. Kano shouldn't have interfered with HIS game!

"DAMMIT! OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T!"

He lowered his head in shame and bit his lip, drawing blood. It helped redirect at least some of the pain. "I wanted to help." He muttered dejectedly.

"And where did it get you?! I don't need your help! Any of you!"

Katsunori looked at the ace with hard eyes, but he essentially agreed. There was nothing Kano could've done to help and the boy should've been skilled enough to know it himself. Still, Aomine's shouting wasn't helpful. "At least the two of you are fine." He said pacifyingly. Anger and blaming wouldn't solve anything.

"Tche!" He turned on his heel and stormed out of the gym.

"Great." Aya muttered. Then she clapped her hands. "He has to go to hospital. Without a question. Let's hope it won't need surgery." She looked at Derek. "Could you please take us to the closest hospital?"

Derek nodded.

"You're not going." Katsunori told her in a tone that didn't take any protests. "Kyou and I'll take him." He looked at his senpai.

She opened her mouth to protest, but Kyou patted her head sympathetically, ignoring the fact she tried to avoid his hand. "You're needed here more, Robin. We'll take good care of him, don't worry."

"Atsushi! Where're you going?" Masako called after Murasakibara, who was shuffling out of the gym.

He looked at her angrily, his amethyst eyes blaming her for blackmailing him into offence. "I'm done with playing. Don't try to force me next time, Masa-chin." He said in a rather dangerous tone and disappeared outside.

Kyou straightened up and looked at Masako. "Just what have you used to make him run?"

Masako blushed and averted her eyes guiltily. "His sweets' stash. Maybe it was my mistake…"

"No…" Kano huffed as the girls helped him to his feet. "I did something unnecessary." He tried to force a smile. Aomine yelling at him like that… It hurt.

"Maybe, and you're suffering because of it." Kyou said with a crooked smile. "Injuries happen. Accidents happen. You didn't mean to make a mess. It's just bad luck. Come on, let's get you x-rayed and patched up."

Kano nodded and looked away. He'd had no idea about the legendary basketball Kagami twins. Now he felt embarrassed that one of them was trying to cheer him up.

Kyou looked at the coach who would stay behind. "Masa-chan. Get the others playing on the half courts and get dad to look at the planks and the hoop, he might be able to repair it. They have to keep moving, even if they don't feel like it. The whole practise shouldn't be stopped. Someone should go after Murasakibara-kun, make sure he doesn't get lost in the forest. Robin," he sighed, "a moment, would you? Take the boy to the car, I'll catch up with you!" It was easy for him to organise people. He wasn't bossing anyone, they were simply grateful that someone took the lead in the situation.

Katsunori nodded and he started walking, accompanied by Derek and Kano. Tatsuya slipped out after them. If Atsushi would listen to anyone, it was him.

Aya followed Kyou into a corner of the gym where they'd have some privacy. Kaito joined them right away, but he wasn't listening; he was looking at the injured boy.

"What?" She asked a bit sharper than she intended. Realising that, she looked away and bit her lip.

"Robin," he let out a heavy sigh and scratched the back of his neck, "I know I look like him, we're twins. Can't help it. And I know he's hurt you in a way no father should be allowed to. But please, will you talk with me when we return?"

She sighed too. "I'll try… I'm sorry, it's just…"

"I get it; I'm not taking it personally."

"Thank you…?" She peeked at him timidly.

He chuckled heartily at that expression. It was so unusual for her and so cute. "Besides, shouldn't you go after him?"

"I'm not sure I should. There's nothing I can do or say to make him feel better."

"So you get it, don't you?"

"Huh?"

"He yelled at him, because he was worried and shocked and didn't know what else to do. And well, Kano-kun, was his name, right?, kinda caused the mess himself. I don't think he should be blamed, he did what he saw fit, but still…"

"Well, yeah. That's why I think it's for the best to leave him to cool off. It's Daiki. Short fuse and all… I've been on the receiving end once or twice too."

He raised an eyebrow; that was interesting. "And you're scared you'll find yourself there again?"

Was she? "Well, no…" she frowned, "but… What am I supposed to do?"

Kyou shrugged and looked somewhere past her. "Maybe all you need to do is be there? We men can be stupid sometimes."

"Heh, I know that."

######

Daiki didn't feel like talking with anyone, so he was looking for a refuge in the surrounding forests. But as he was passing under the tree house, Keiji's stopped him.

"Wanna come up?"

"Huh?" He looked up, to see Keiji leaning over the railing.

"I heard that outcry all the way here. What happened?"

"None of your business." The ace barked and continued in his way with no goal.

"Oya, oya… I won't pry then. Still, wanna come up? It's a good hiding place."

"Not from her."

"You think she'll come after you?"

Daiki bit his lip. He had no idea. Kano was, after all, her friend and he'd taken his frustration out on him. He wouldn't blame Aya if she was angry with him. Still, a part of him hoped she would come, though he had no idea what she could do or say. He didn't want her to say anything, he didn't want her to try comfort him, or persuade him to go back…

"Throw me the ladder." He said finally.

"No." Keiji grinned. "I have something better." He said and disappeared. In a moment he was by Daiki's side. "I'll show you our way up. You good at climbing?"

He snorted. This was surely one way to distract him. "Quite decent."

"Should be sufficient. Come."

######

"Atsushi! Wait up!" Tatsuya called after the giant, who was walking down the only road to the village. One road without any sideroads had one advantage - Atsushi couldn't get lost. But the giant ignored him, and continued pacing forward. With Atsushi's long legs, Tatsuya had to jog to catch up with him.

"Go back, Muro-chin. I wanna be alone." He drawled with a frown.

This wasn't his fault. He knew. But that helplessness, that moment he was out of control, was terrifying. Mine-chin wasn't his best friend, but he was his friend and the thought of injuring him... How did he even avoid that hoop? And why it came to that?! Because an idiot without a real talent tried to 'help'. Oh, how much those players annoyed him. Trying to help, trying to shine, even though they couldn't! Endangering themselves and those around them.

"I won't leave you alone though."

Atsushi huffed and quickened his pace.

"It's not your fault."

"I know."

"So? What's the problem?"

Atsushi stopped and Tatsuya almost ran into his broad back. He turned around, really angry. "What's the problem?! It could've been Mine-chin's head that got smashed instead of those planks."

"That'd be difficult to clean up." He commented dryly before he could stop himself. These 'bad' parts of his were showing only around people he really cared about. It was a shame, but he needed to make the whole drama a little bit lighter. He wondered what went around in Aya's head. She probably hadn't realised how serious it could've been...

"You're terrible at comforting people."

"So I've been told. But Aomine is fine, isn't he? Nothing happened."

His amethyst eyes narrowed into slits. "To you. Certainly, nothing happened. You're safe and sound." Then the giant turned on his heel and started walking again.

"Oh, come on. You know I didn't mean it like that!" He had to jog to catch up again. "Where're you heading anyways?"

"None of your business."

"I'm gonna follow, you know."

"Suit yourself." With that Atsushi started running, stretching his long legs as much as he could. Muro-chin couldn't keep up with that, he was aware.

"Hey! Slow down!" He shouted and sprinted after him. He had no idea why he cared about Atsushi. The huge guy could take care of himself, yet he felt like a huge dog you just couldn't leave alone. "I'll buy you cake in the cafeteria!"

Atsushi didn't slow down, but he started listening. That was his destination. He needed sweets. He needed cakes. He didn't want to think about it. About how huge he was. About how easy it was to injure someone, to lose control, to slip up. That's why he'd refrained from playing offence in the first place. He feared seriously injuring strangers, and when he'd almost injured his friends… Stop thinking! He growled at himself inwardly and blinked furiously, because he was actually getting teary out of frustration.

"As many cakes as you want!" Tatsuya shouted at the top of his lungs, so Atsushi would hear him over the distance that grew between them. "And I won't preach or pry!"

Atsushi slowed down a bit.

"Thank gods." He sighed in relief. Sometimes, it was difficult dealing with the overgrown kid.

"As much cake as I want?" Atsushi asked suspiciously when Tatsuya aligned with him.

"As much as you want." He nodded, really hoping that whoever worked in the cafeteria knew the Kagamis and he could put the expenses on them. Of course he'd try to pay her back, but he doubted Aya would accept it.

But Atsushi already knew Tatsuya's thinking - and his financial possibilities. With a frown he rubbed his chin. "It'll be on Aya-chin, right?"

"Huh?" Tatsuya paled. Why could Atsushi see through it? He chuckled and tried to wiggle out of it. Which only ensured Atsushi more.

"So it will." He drawled and then shrugged. He wanted the sweets, on whoever's expense. "You're the one telling her." And he decided he wouldn't eat THAT much.

"That I will. Promise."

#####

"Keiji!" Aya called out to him an hour later. "Have you seen Daiki?" She'd gone to fetch Taichi and she'd stayed in the gym for another mini match, thinking about everything. And when she went to search for Daiki, she couldn't find him. He could be anywhere.

Keiji's head popped up over the railing. "Why'd you ask?"

"Just answer, please."

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"Yes or no?"

"Hmmm… I'm not sure."

She rolled her eyes. "Are you enjoying it?"

"What do you want with him?"

"So you have seen him."

"Haven't said that."

"I don't know, okay?"

"Don't know what?"

"…what do I want with him! I just want to be with him… So… I'll ask again, and if you won't give me a proper answer, I swear I'll come up and strangle you. Have you seen him?"

"Define a proper answer."

A vein popped on her forehead. "You're dead." She growled under her breath and found her way up the tree in seconds, driven by her frustration. She'd expect answers like these from Kouta, not Keiji.

Keiji sighed and turned to the ace. "You heard her, man. She doesn't know; that can mean anything, but she won't preach. I know that much. So… before she catches me, I'll make myself scarce." He winked at him and threw a rope over the railing.

When she reached the deck, she saw the rope and no Keiji. She rushed to the railing and looked over it to see him safely landing on the ground. "Hey!"

"You've found what you were looking for. Bye bye~" Keiji waved her with a grin and ran away.

"What?!" She asked no one and then she sighed and pulled up the rope. When she turned around and noticed Daiki sitting on the ground leaning against one of the beams, she almost jumped out of her skin. "Kyah!"

He made a grimace. "Didn't mean to startle you."

She crouched down and shook her head. "So you've been here the whole time?"

Daiki shrugged. "Nowhere else to go, really."

"I'm glad you didn't wander away. I hope Tatsuya's found Atsushi. I heard his sense of direction is terrible."

"He left too?" He asked in surprise, though it probably shouldn't surprise him. Then he looked at Aya warily. What was she going to say? He wasn't sure he wanted to hear it.

Aya nodded and closed the distance between them. "He said he was done playing offensive." She sighed and sat next to Daiki. "I'm not even surprised."

Other than that, she said nothing. She had no idea what to, and she doubted that asking him how he felt would do any good. She could tell he was feeling crappy, she was too. She was worrying for Kano and praying he wouldn't need a surgery and screws to put the bone together. She was worrying about the talk she'd have to have with Kyou. She was also unbelievably relieved that Daiki didn't get injured. If the hoop had hit him… No, she couldn't even imagine it.

So they were just sitting there quietly, thinking. It was comfortable for both.

Daiki was appreciating her silent company. She was probably worried the same as him and he was wondering why she hadn't gone to the hospital with them. Then he remembered she couldn't handle hospitals. Why though? He sighed and closed his eyes. It was pointless to think. He was tired. He hadn't slept properly since they'd come. He hated sharing the room with the entire club and those few snoring bastards. And her kisses were keeping him awake too. Now it all came crashing down on him.

He turned and lay back, resting his head on her thigh. It was just like a comfortable pillow.

"Hm?" She blinked at him.

"Let me nap." He glanced at her and drawled quietly, a slight blush that was masked by his tanned skin passed his face.

"If you can relax like this… But can you move a little bit higher? The scabs are still sensitive…"

"Oh, sorry." He moved a bit higher towards her hip. "Is here fine?"

"Mhm. It's fine like this." She smiled at him and stroked his hair gently, resting her other hand on his chest. "I'm so glad you're safe." She breathed out quietly.

"Thank you." He murmured and closed his eyes enjoying the soft, comforting touch. Maybe this was all he needed. Soon he drifted off into a dreamless sleep. If he couldn't sleep around 25 other guys, he felt safe and comfortable with her. He was out cold in seconds.

"Sleep well." She said softly and brushed his cheek with her fingers. He looked so cute and peaceful when sleeping. And she was sure he needed it. So what if they missed lunch? Everyone would only talk about Kano anyways.

She closed her eyes and rested her head against the wooden beam. She was exhausted too. There was so much happening in her life that she needed to rest from it all.

If anyone saw them, they'd probably take a picture to commemorate their comfortable mid-day nap. But no one came to the tree house. No one could get there and Keiji told them that Daiki ran off and Aya went looking for him. Which meant the two could be gone for the whole day.

...

Chirping of a bird sitting on the railing woke her up. She rubbed her eyes and stirred, which probably disturbed Daiki enough that he rubbed his face and yawned.

When he sat up, Aya could feel her leg went numb for a moment.

"How long were we out?"

"Hm?" He was still half-asleep.

"Mmm." She shook her head. "It's nothing. Was your nap fine?"

He smirked. "Quite refreshing."

"Glad to hear I'm comfy." She chuckled, stretched and yawned. "I guess we both needed the rest."

He nodded, remembering everything again.

They remained silent for another couple of minutes, waking up from the sleepy haze.

Aya conjured some juice and small snacks from her wooden chest and offered some to Daiki. He gladly took it. And then he stared at the empty package.

There was something he wanted to tell her. But he was hesitating. He wasn't sure of her reaction… Still, he'd decided. So he took a deep breath, bracing himself for her persuasion, he knew would come. "I'll stop coming to practises completely."

"Huh?" He blinked at him, but he had his back to her.

With a frown she crawled her way over to him, to look at him, to see his expression. At first he avoided looking at her, but when he did, his eyes said it all. He was firmly set on this decision. There was a swirl of so many things, she couldn't really decipher and she couldn't claim she understood his feelings right now, but she would respect his choice. Still, there was one thing she had to try.

"Okay." She nodded. "Thanks for telling me."

His eyes narrowed. He could sense and hear some 'but' in her tone. "Okay?" He drawled.

"Okay. I'm not gonna make a big deal out of it, if that's what you've decided… But…"

"Tch."

"I am respecting your choice, but I have the right to voice my buts, okay? Just hear me out; I won't force you or blackmail you into anything. Promise."

He sighed. "Fine, I'm listening."

She was quiet for a moment, putting her 'but' into words. "If we happen to face Seirin in the Winter cup… And if we'll know about it in advance, which we will, could you, please, consider coming to practises at least three weeks before that one match?"

"…"

"Just think about it and let me know, it doesn't have to be today."

He could do that at least, right? It was Tetsu… And her brother. He'd won once. But there was something persisting at the back of his mind he couldn't grasp. A vague sense of threat? Excitement? Possibly both. "…a week before." He agreed reluctantly.

"Two weeks." She knew why she'd said three in the beginning.

"One and a half." He negotiated.

"Okay." She nodded and grinned. "And one more but."

"Urgh, really?"

"Sorry, Honey-bun." She shrugged but grinned at him.

"Hey!" His silly nickname was back? He didn't like it, but it made him smile nonetheless.

She chuckled. "The other but is… I will be attending practises even if you don't. I'm the manager and I won't skip because you will. Katsu's relying on me."

"Okay." He nodded; he knew she took her responsibilities seriously. He respected that. "I don't expect you to skip."

She smiled at him and rested her chin on her knee, watching him. She really admired him. This side of him. Although he could make fun of those who took things seriously, he also deeply respected them. Because he knew what it meant. What an amazing person.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just watching."

"Why?" Do I have something on my face? Did I drool in my sleep?

"I want to. Can't I?" She raised an eyebrow teasingly. "Still processing that you're really my… boyfriend." The word was weird. She would definitely find a better one, but not at the moment.

A barky chuckle escaped his lungs. "Regretting your choice already?"

She blinked in surprise. "Huh? What? Why would I?"

He shrugged and looked away.

"Aomine Daiki, dammit, what happened wasn't your fault, or Atsushi's fault, or anyone's. Well, maybe Kano's own… Really. No one is to blame. Least of all you."

"I shouldn't have yelled at him…"

"You've had all rights to yell at him, actually, I was surprised no one else did. It wouldn't help, but... If you'd gotten hurt instead, I would've yelled at him." She said with a slight hint of anger in her voice. "But still... he knows you already; he won't take it that personally. And you can always apologise for yelling–"

"Hey you two!" Kyou's voice shouted from outside, interrupting their discussion. "Is it safe for me to come up?"

"You're back already?!" Aya shouted back. "Sure! Come up, if you can find the way. Or do I need to throw you a ladder?!"

"Don't underestimate the old dog!" He said laughing.

"Whatever you say…" She hummed and glanced at Daiki with 'Let's see what happens' expression.

They waited silently for couple of minutes, trying to hear any sound Kyou might make, but he was unusually silent.

"He can climb trees, right?" Daiki asked in hushed voice. It was quite a difficult climb, and Keiji made him climb up and down several times, making sure Daiki would remember the safe way up.

"Of course. They've always been athletic and could do just about anything." But she got up anyways. "But he's taking way too long."

With a sigh she walked towards the door and on the deck. The tree house was supported on three trees, and she and Keiji discovered several ways up already. All of them lead to the deck. The sliding door wasn't fully open and part of the deck was hidden from their sight.

"BAM!" Kyou jumped at her when she got close enough.

"KYAH!" She jumped backwards. "Do you want to kill me?!"

But the old man was laughing heartily, his shoulders shaking with uncontrollable laughter. "Your face was hilarious, Robin."

Aya frowned at him and crossed her arms on her chest.

Kyou really tried to straighten his face. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Won't do that again… But…" He started laughing again. "You should've seen yourself."

"If I had something to throw at you…" She said, but then she smiled and shook her head. "Whatever. How's Kano? You're already back? Wait, what time is it?"

He raised his hands in a defensive gesture and let himself into the house. "Prrr, Rob, one question at a time."

"Don't call me that. I don't like it when you shorten it. I'm not a guy."

"Robin, sorry." He apologised in a placatory tone. "So, it's five PM already. Kano is fine. It was a clean fracture, they corrected it, he's got a sling and he shouldn't move his arm. With the pain he probably won't. It'll take around 6 weeks of healing, then some rehabs." He shrugged; he knew the process from the first hand. "Nothing out of the ordinary. But the lady nurse and the doctor were very nice to him and he is quite a charmer. I suspect he might have a crush on the nurse."

Aya chuckled, that sounded like Kano. "He doesn't have much of a choice with four younger siblings. But if he could get a crush, it's not that serious after all. It just looked so terrible."

"Looked worse than it actually was. They loaded him with painkillers and whatnot so he went to sleep right when we returned. You can talk with him later." It was meant for both of them. And now he was finally meeting Daiki up close. He wasn't sure he liked the wild light in the boy's eyes, but then again, there was something safe about him too. "And you're Aomine Daiki, I suppose. I heard a lot about you on our way to Hanamaki and back."

"Uh…" Surprised by the man's attention Daiki scrambled to his feet and actually bowed. "Yeah, that's me." Meeting Aya's family was stressful. He could totally see where she got her guts and personality from. Kyou appeared funny, easy-going and cheerful, but Daiki felt the edge in that somewhere.

"Oh, how rude of me!" Aya facepalmed at her own negligence. "Sorry! I should've properly introduced you."

Kyou motioned his hand and tilted his head. "Go ahead then."

She took a deep breath. "Kyou, this is Aomine Daiki, my man. Daiki, this is Kagami Kyou, my uncle. Which you both already know…" She frowned, embarrassed by the whole situation.

So your man, huh? Kyou nodded. "Well then, I'm pleased to meet you, Daiki-kun." He approached Daiki for a handshake.

"…nice to meet you too." He shook the man's big rough hand firmly. It took a lot of effort to answer like a normal person, because Kyou still had his aura of the prodigy very similar to Daiki's own, plus Kyou was a season veteran with experiences beyond Daiki's imagination. And Aya labelled him as 'her man', not a boy or a boyfriend. It made his heart jump. He liked the sound of that new label.

The boy in front of Kyou had rough hands too. Years of handling the ball. He'd seen him play and he knew the boy had hardly shown what he could really do. Wild, unpredictable, ever-changing basketball was something his former team struggled with when he and his brother were benched or couldn't play. And Daiki set his whole style a notch or two above the twins'. The new generation is always better… He wanted to try playing against it.

She could feel the silent conversation going on between them and she had no idea if it was good or bad. She shifted her weight and cleared her throat.

"You wanted to talk?" She asked, looking directly at Kyou, refusing to avert her eyes again. She was stubborn. And he wouldn't have climbed into the tree house if he hadn't wanted to talk now.

"Yes. Katt-chan, Tatsuya-kun and Kouta-kun have enlightened me earlier about some things I should've known…"

Daiki shifted on his feet, he wasn't sure he was welcomed at the moment. Should he go? "Uh, maybe I–"

"Stay."

They said in unison, interrupting him.

He froze on the spot. Really?

Kyou raised an eyebrow at her. "So he knows you that well…" He nodded approvingly.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you testing us?"

He shrugged with a crooked smile. "I don't know. You've changed and I've just met your man. I kinda rooted for Tatsuya-kun back then." He rubbed the back of his head, but he could already feel that Daiki was probably much better match for Aya than Tatsuya.

Aya sighed and shook her head. She set the small table into the middle of the room and took out three cushions to sit on. She and Daiki had had none before. "You really thought we would stay together?" She asked finally.

"Eeeeh, that's… I like him, but I guess you are too similar and too different at the same time." He gladly occupied one of the cushions and took a juice Aya poured him. "But that's not important now. I've heard their version of the story; I'd like to hear yours too."

"What's there to add?"

"What happened between you and Haruka? Tatsuya, your friends, the articles were one humongous reason for disputes, and then Seth… that was almost a year ago. But what happened now? Kouta-kun was unusually vague for his standards."

"The Fairchilds' party happened." She said and looked away. She felt too ashamed by the fact her own father had wanted to marry her off to that disgusting spoiled bastard. For a contract…

Kyou raised an eyebrow in question. "Kouta said the same thing. Have you two conspired?"

She shrugged. Despite all the pranks and dirty talks, Kouta's loyalty and wit were priceless. "I don't feel like sharing it."

"Robin, you promised."

She sighed deeply and looked somewhere into the tree crowns surrounding the house. "I don't even want to say it. But if you insist. I'll let you guess. You can probably get his thought process right away. And maybe explain what the meaning of it all was." Her voice was bitter and resigned. She refused to cry or anything of the sort. But a dam of words broke free. Kyou was someone who would listen. Despite the resemblance, or maybe precisely because of it, she could tell him many things. He'd even allowed her to take out her anger on him in his twin's stead a couple of times. "Let's say your daughter is a publicly declared whore, you believe she's had all the experience and then there is your business partner with three sleazy, disgusting and spoiled sons, out of whom the youngest took interest in the girl. You trust them and think they are actually decent. There's an engagement proposal… You want to clear your name, get rid of the girl… and there's also some good business deal in it. The girl's far away, can't voice any objections… What do you do? You agree, right?" She forced the whole thing to the back of her mind, but now the feeling of betrayal grew only stronger. Rational thinking didn't ease it in the slightest. She had thought she couldn't let go for some reason before, but with Kyou here, it was becoming easier. She couldn't understand it.

Kyou hid his face in his palm and Daiki's jaw hit the ground. They were speechless. Kyou couldn't believe his ears and Daiki couldn't even think. His brain and heart froze at hearing that. Her father had done what?!

"Fuck…" Kyou muttered finally. "It's worse than I thought. So? How did it end?"

"What do you think? I'm here. Dating the one I love, the one I've chosen myself long before Haruka's proposal package." She addressed him by his name, not like father.

"Well, I can see that. But what about the Fairchilds? They're not to be trifled with; you know that better than anyone." He said bitterly.

Daiki snapped his eyes at Kyou. What?

"Haruka called it off. There was no way I'd agree. Not if he was the last man on earth. I'd rather be in jail for murder than breathing the same air as Peter." She shuddered at the memory. "Taiga didn't take a step away from me at that party and well… Peter tried to totally humiliate me, but Helena, his mom, intervened and made him look like a little kid. That was actually worth going there for. True, we'll probably need to watch our backs for some time. The company… But we're relatively out of their reach here and he can handle it."

"Heh, Helena is the sanest of them. Maybe my brother has realised it too." Kyou nodded. "I'll make sure they won't have any reach here. But what was the business deal?"

"I don't know. And I don't want to know my market price. Although I believe it's not much." She bit her lip and looked at her hands.

"Aya-chan," he finally understood that feeling he was getting from Haruka. His brother had betrayed his child and he was regretting it.

"Well, when he came up with his proposition I lost it, we argued… I shouted out a lot of wrongs he's done to me…" She didn't want to hear Kyou's apologies. "As for his very clear response, I ended up with a bruised face and in that atrocious glass table in the living room – at least it's finally gone. I've never liked it or that white carpet anyways."

Kyou blinked, his expression going paper white. "He hit you?"

Unconsciously she touched her abused cheek and a crooked smirk graced her lips. "Wasn't the first time. But hey, I'm the bad and useless kid. I'm just glad Taiga wasn't there to make it worse with his temper."

"If I kill my own twin, will it be like killing myself?" Kyou wondered out loud. But there was one more thing he wanted to know; "what did you use to make him call it off?"

"The company. I can take his leading position from him… with Taiga's help, and honestly, Taiga would have my back if it came down to that. And after all that, he still told me to cover the scar in the morning." She chuckled at the irony of that. When she was done with bottling it up, it was easier to set the bridge on fire. The lingering feelings she had were towards her dad, and her dad had been long gone. Haruka had no right to be called that. She needed to accept it.

"Kaa-san told me you've lost weight, no wonders…"

She rolled her eyes at that. Maybe grandma was right and she might've lost a kilo or two; she simply wasn't that hungry and she practised a lot, but it wasn't that bad. "Baa-chan is exaggerating. I've known for a long time that Haruka doesn't love me. But I was really trying to reach out, only so it would come to this… I was an idiot."

Kyou really felt like killing his own brother for all this. He also felt responsible in a way, like he should repair it, make it better. Those two were like his own, genetically, he could very well pass the paternity tests. And he'd been away for a year. He'd never thought so much could change in one measly year. Not with their family… Yet it did. "Ne, Aya-chan… I'm his twin. If I told you that he's really low right now?"

"I probably wouldn't believe you. He isn't someone who'd have a guilty conscience."

"Then how's Taiga doing right now?" It was an order. He knew she would respond automatically and then understand what he was saying to her.

"Hungry and tired." She blurted out without thinking.

"How do you know?"

She shrugged. "I do."

"I do too. One of the perks and curses of having a twin. You're always connected in a way. I'm not asking you to forgive him, but –"

"No. I'm done trying to understand him. I don't! And I won't. And why should I? To get stabbed in the back again? I'm not that strong, Kyou. My dad died eight years ago with our mom. Then I had Seth I could probably call dad and he is gone too. I'm done with this."

"He's regretting it." Kyou finished his previous sentence with a hand on his chest.

"I guess it's too late." She said bitterly.

The sentence was a final. There was nothing else to add to that.

Daiki felt like he got hit by a train, it didn't make him love her less, more like he'd break a nose to the person who dared to claim her like those Fairchilds or whoever they were, had done. He had no idea what he would do. Why didn't she tell him before? What if she hadn't managed to get out of it? How would he react? He had tons of questions in his head now. And yet, the sun still shone and she still walked with her head held high, told him she loved him. And he truly believed it. If it weren't for Kyou, she'd probably never tell him this. So he wouldn't worry. He loved her too, he knew her. He'd felt there was something off, but she was genuinely happy around him, he could tell that much. And he didn't pry into it much. He wouldn't want to ruin their moments with this kind of shit either. So he didn't blame her for not telling him. He hadn't talked with her about Klahan and the youtube channel and all. And he hadn't walked in her shoes.

Maybe all she needed was to have him close. More than ever. Like he did.

"Well, let's get to something happier…" Kyou broke the silence abruptly, forcing the atmosphere to change. He was a quicksilver too. "I can try to find Seth. And if I do, I promise I'll get him back."

"If he's alive." She said dryly.

"Of course he is. That man has nine lives. I'll spread the nets. A worldwide chain of bars can be quite a good source of information."

"Good luck then. But I doubt you'll have any luck."

"Don't be pessimistic! That, and… Kaito will get a horse too. He's being trained now and should be in France by November, I guess."

"Really? So Adrien will have three subjects to try and ride."

"He's still on it?"

"Stubbornness runs in the family. What's the horse's name?"

"Kite."

After the previous discussion, she finally smiled nicely again. "It suits. They'll be inseparable."

"That's why I was planning to go to France, and stay there for some time. Kaito needs to go to school soon, and I don't want to leave him behind. And Ayame-obaa-san said we could live there for some time. I could write my book in peace, with good wine and beautiful nature."

"Sounds like a good plan. You want him to learn French?"

"He already knows it thanks to you, but I want him to get it better. And who knows, maybe I'll find a step-mom somewhere there." He smiled and sighed. He didn't mind being a lone parent, but sometimes he missed a woman's presence in their home.

"Don't let him forget Japanese though. Oh, will you help us with the lift for Kaito? We want to get him up here tomorrow. Keiji had done a lot of preparations so…"

"Sure, are you involved in it too, Daiki-kun?"

"Hm?" A direct question shook him out of his pondering. "Oh, the lift, yeah… I was helping him a bit today."

Kyou sighed and smiled at the young man. "I hope we didn't freak you out with my brother's behaviour too much…"

"…I knew it wasn't nice… but engagement?" He looked at Aya with an unreadable expression. His eyes were like a swirling ocean in the storm and she couldn't decipher anything.

"I didn't want to ruin the moments…" She admitted. "And I could forget about it with you, so… Aaand I didn't want to freak you out."

Daiki sighed. "I already know you well enough. I wouldn't freak out. Maybe a bit… But… I've made my choice too." He shrugged and looked away with a slight blush. "And there aren't many things I take seriously."

She blushed, but smiled at him. Aomine Daiki was the most amazing, and also contradictory, person she'd ever met. Sometimes she felt she could read him like an open book and then there were times when he totally surprised her with something.

"What? You expect me to run away now? I've been thinking about all that since… Ah… It's nothing." No way would he tell her he'd gotten drunk at Hiroto's.

"Since when?"

"The bartender-san hadn't told you?"

"Hiroto? What should he tell me?"

"It's nothing."

"Daiki! Tell me."

He shook his head vehemently, like a child refusing to eat broccoli. "No."

Kyou laughed at them.

"What?" They both snapped at him.

"I totally approve. You remind me of–" He stopped. Keiko and Haruka. He wanted to say. Instead, he rubbed his stubble and grinned. "Anyways, I hope I don't need to give you the talk, right? I've had enough of explaining what 'sex' is to Kaito."

Both teenagers went red. Then as quickly they lost the furious blushes. "No. You really don't."

"Awesome." The older man flung to his feet easily. "I'll leave you two. Maybe you want to talk more, or… Well… Daiki-kun. Tomorrow you will play one-on-one with me."

"What?!"

"I'm not asking you. It's a must, kid. Plus I'll show you some of her childhood photos as a reward – if I'm in a good mood afterwards. Dinner's in fifteen minutes!" He nodded and got out before the stunned youngsters could raise any objections.

---

A/N: Phew... A lot of things happening in this one. I hope that no one was too OOC and that it was enjoyable, although I might've not given 'space' to all characters...

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

S.