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?

54. Chapter 54: Ice breaking

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed, it makes me very happy! I'm sorry I took a month to update this time. At first I thought I'd manage on time, as I had half of the chapter done quickly, but... Then I had a lot of work, some family drama and such...

Ah well, the chapter got long, a lot of things going on, and there's a little treat, so I hope you'll like it... :)

Enjoy!

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Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place. ― Zora Neale Hurston

I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I'm out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best. – Marilyn Monroe

I see martial arts as moving forms of meditation. When you're sparring or drilling techniques, you can't think of anything else. – Joe Rogan

Joy comes to us in moments – ordinary moments. We risk missing out on joy when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary. – Brené Brown

Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad, and that's why I call you dad, because you are so special to me. You taught me the game and you taught me how to play it right. – Wade Boggs

To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking. – Agnes de Mille

I like a man who looks like a bad boy but knows how to treat a woman like a queen. – Candice Swanepoel

Your naked body should only belong to those who fall in love with your naked soul. ― Charlie Chaplin in a letter to his daughter Geraldine

Love is a strange emotion. It is ever evolving. Lust is transient. With time, one realizes that love and togetherness are two different things. Very few people are lucky enough to experience the two emotions simultaneously. – Randeep Hooda

---

After talking with Haruka she ended up texting with Suzume a lot (the girl had strange sleeping habits when in the hospital) and pointlessly watching youtube videos until she realised it was time to get up and prepare breakfast and bentos.

She yawned and stretched. Her head hurt, probably from getting no sleep that night. Thankfully, she didn't suffer from cramps. After downing her morning coffee she took a quick shower and feeling a bit better, she prepared everything else.

She might've waited for her boys in the morning, but she wanted to be at school early and get everything ready. And she didn't feel like dilly-dallying at home. So she left home together with Taiga and Senri earlier than either of them had to. Senri parted from them almost immediately, so the twins could peacefully discuss Haruka's newly discovered fatherly responsibilities. When Taiga had to make a turn and go in a different direction, he slipped two chocolate bars into her bag: 'To save Ahomine' – he teased, which made her laugh.

Once she prepared everything for the practise, she stretched herself on a bench in the changing room and closed her eyes for the remaining 20 minutes. Someone softly rapped on the door but walked in right away. She sat up, knowing it was Daiki. Satsuki wouldn't knock and anyone else would wait until invited.

"Hey." Daiki greeted her, standing in the door with a slight hesitation in his whole posture; like he wasn't sure if he wanted to be there.

"Hey." She smiled and couldn't suppress a yawn.

"Haven't slept?" He asked neutrally, walked in and closed the door behind him. He hadn't gotten much sleep either, thinking about weird scenarios and stuff…

She shook her head sheepishly. "I couldn't…" She felt awkward, suddenly not sure what to say, or do. For once she couldn't find words to bridge and make it easier for him to speak up. It wasn't the best state when he obviously wanted to talk.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He had no idea how to word his thoughts. And she wasn't helping him in any way, but he could sense it wasn't on purpose. He sighed and crossed the room to stand in front of her, when she looked up he grabbed her wrists and pulled her to her feet and into a hug.

That was one way to start.

"W-what…" She tensed in surprise, at the sudden movement, but soon she found herself relaxing, melting in his arms. 'Give me a hug tomorrow first'; she knew why she'd asked for this. It was home. Warm and strong and welcoming. She rubbed her forehead and nose against his chest, taking in his scent that could calm her down instantly.

He could feel her slowly relaxing in his embrace and when her arms finally circled around his waist and squeezed him back, he let out a sigh of relief.

It served like an ice breaker.

"Sorry for Miki, you shouldn't have seen that." She mumbled.

Daiki fought the annoyed 'tch' trying to get out of his throat. "…nothing to apologise for. You could've told me though...how bitchy she was…"

She shrugged. "Nothing Taiga and I haven't dealt with before… I didn't want to sour that little time we had together by complaining and bitching about her myself."

"A-about that–"

"Aya-chan, morning!" Satsuki burst into the changing room with a cheerful smile on her face, just to freeze right away, blushing. "O-oh, sorry… I didn't mean to interrupt…?" She half-asked when the two jumped away from one another.

"Really?" Daiki snapped at her with a blush on his face too. Just when he wanted to apologise for his avoidance, the pinkette had to walk in on them.

"Sorry?" she peeped, "this is a changing room, unless you sent me a warning text…" She defended herself with an innocent shrug.

"It's fine." Aya said with a crooked smile, and Daiki thought he wouldn't get the chance to explain himself at all. Again. "We were just hugging. I needed it." She continued and from her expression Satsuki could tell that not everything was okay yet. "But we need to talk. So, if you could change and leave us, I'd be grateful…" Maybe it wasn't a tactful way to approach it, but whatever… Satsuki should be used to that.

She was; with an 'oh' face and nodded. "Turn around." She barked an order at Daiki, who speechlessly complied. And she started to quickly change into her practise t-shirt. "Then are you skipping the practise?" She asked Aya.

The redhead shrugged. "Most likely. Everything is ready though, I came early because I couldn't sleep again."

"The Miki-person?" Satsuki was aware of the problem for some time. And the girls have gotten a lot closer since the training camp and their shopping spree.

"They broke-up yesterday, dramatically. But yeah, sort of. Senri's crashing at our couch and, well, I might've had a late night talk with father, and now I'm not sure what to expect and it's freaking me out." She groaned and sat down, hiding her face in her hands. "I've gotten used to the idea I didn't have a father who'd care, but I'm kinda happy? we're not warring anymore. Or… I don't know. Urgh, I'm so conflicted."

"And a bit too emotional right now?" The pinkette asked with a knowing look in her eyes. Then she smiled encouragingly. She was done changing and she should probably clear the space. "What do I tell the coach? And Imayoshi-senpai? Cramps?" She suggested spontaneously.

"Uh, no. Tell Katsu I need to talk with Daiki, he won't make a fuss. And Imayoshi… Shrug it off that you don't know, I'll tell him something in the afternoon. But he certainly does not need to know when I have my period." She shuddered. The captain was someone who'd remember, and the idea creeped her out.

"Ah…" She thought about it for a moment and shuddered. "You're right, sorry. Well then, I'll go…" She passed by Daiki who was standing there listening, blushing. She knew very well, why she'd mentioned Aya's period. "Good luck." She whispered and left the two to their business.

He turned around to face Aya again, but after hearing their conversation, the avoidance problem looked kind of unimportant...

"So…" She looked at him and waited until he sat down next to her. "What were you about to say before the pink interruption?"

He looked away. "It's nothin'…"

Aya sighed. "It's not nothing. I told you to talk to me, so please, tell me. I'm not tearing heads off on my periods, you know… If that's what freaked you out…"

"N-no, that's… fine… I guess…" He muttered, feeling his cheeks heat up again. He wasn't freaked out; he just didn't expect to be informed about it yet, and then he thought he probably should've known already. He shook his head to refocus on the main problem. He'd be gone for the weekend again, so he needed to get it out of his chest. "Uhm… sorry… for before. The avoiding and all that…"

She nodded. "I've been wondering, did I do something?"

"What?" He looked at her immediately, noticing the worry in her eyes. Maybe Miki wasn't the only person keeping Aya awake… Shit… "No! 'f course not." He protested immediately and blushed, turning away.

"Then, what is going on?" She asked softly. "I can't do anything if you don't tell me."

"Uhm, well… I… Er…" He blushed terribly, and then he blurted out: "I want you. Be with you. Do things to – with you. And I got too busy, not able to make up the time, cancelled dates and then… Tch… It's hard to control. And I was angry at myself for that… You sitting in front of me, that expression of yours then… You wanted more, and I just…" He felt he wasn't making any sense at all, he squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose desperately.

She blinked at him in surprise. So he was worried, because he hadn't had enough time for her, and as a result ended up cutting it down even more? Because… he had a problem controlling what? Himself? Wait what?

She cupped his cheeks and forced him to look at her. She didn't get half of it. But he wants to do things to/with me. At least some good news. "So… Just to make it clear, you were angry with yourself, not me, right?"

He nodded.

"Okay… It's hard to control, what? The business?" It was strange dissecting the little speech like this, but she didn't want to misunderstand anything.

"No… the… well… myself." He admitted trying to avoid eye contact but he couldn't. "When it comes to you…" He wanted to disappear.

That made her blush and want to kiss him. Instead she took a deep breath; there was no point in talking if they ended up making out. "Is that why you stopped, on the rooftop?"

"Mm… I didn't want to get a boner." He blurted out honestly through gritted teeth and looked away. Feeling his ears turning red. She could totally make fun of him; because he might give out an impression he was all in for sex and stuff at weird places, but in fact, he wasn't. Not really. Not when he had no idea what to do. "… or… dunno… I just… sorry?" He tried to make that previous sentence disappear.

Her thumbs traced his cheekbones in a comforting gesture and a soft smile settled on her lips. "It's fine. Don't apologise. But you should tell me these things. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. That sudden anger, it confused me, because I didn't understand." She admitted. "I thought you were totally going to lift me up…"

His eyebrows arched up and he stared at her for a moment. She read that right… We're already at the demon gate, why not? And he was curious as hell. "You'd want that?"

"Definitely." She answered without hesitation, seeing that hunger sparkle deep in his eyes. "…when we're somewhere more comfy… But, just so you know and don't feel bad about it… Back on the rooftop… I would let you lift me up and go a little bit further, and then I'd stop you myself." She blushed. "The idea of getting further than that on the rooftop is just… I don't know. Maybe once we get somewhere further it'll be fine, but right now…"

He nodded, making a mental note. Somehow, he felt the same. It might've been his rooftop, but it wasn't his bed. "How much further…?" He asked quietly. There was no room for awkwardness anymore, and since when was he ashamed about speaking up his mind?

She glanced at him in surprise, all the wild ideas running through her mind. '...you're a little whore…' rang in the back of her mind (in Miki's screechy voice) and she bit the inside of her cheek, her hands slipping off his face and settling in her lap quickly. She'd heard that so many times, from various people, it was still a lie, but... Why do I even care? Teasing, flirting, all that; it was fine, safe, funny, but getting real, intimate…. She wanted to. She really wanted to. But she didn't want to make him feel like she was a… push too much, too far. Obviously she had her boundaries stretched a little further than Daiki, she'd noticed. And she knew once he'd get past this 'I'm embarrassed about a boner' line then his boundaries would be further than hers…

Her silence stretched unusually long, so he reached out and cupped her face; this time he made her look at him. She was obviously confused, blushing, but her eyes were scared. He didn't know of what exactly. Him, maybe? That was the last thing he wanted.

"Aya?" He asked softly, his expression matching his voice.

He rarely used her name, so it carried a strange power. She closed her eyes for a moment and then looked at him, with something close to desperation, but she answered honestly: "…what's the right answer, so I don't sound like a… well… a whore…?"

If she wasn't honest it'd get them nowhere and she'd only make it all worse. Lying, or trying to look cool when she wasn't… There was no point it that. Not with Daiki. Because he'd figure her out. But she felt so damn vulnerable. It was probably more embarrassing than standing in from of him naked. She looked down, waiting for his reaction.

At that moment he wanted to kill every single person who ever dared putting that label on her. Haruka being the first. He bit his tongue to stop the stream of swears rising in his throat, because that wouldn't lead anywhere and if he said something harsh or made fun of it, he'd crash her. This time, he couldn't stammer and let her put a sense into it. Think how you say it… He couldn't have been more grateful for his dad.

"…the one you'll give me. Whatever it is." He said gently, keeping his voice down.

She exhaled softly, closing her eyes. Tears were welling up in her eyes again; she was touched and overly emotional at the moment. But more than anything she felt so dearly loved and adored and treated with such a care… Especially when she knew how harsh and crude Daiki's words could be.

Then he rested his forehead against hers. It was easier to keep his hotheadedness in check when holding her so close. "I've never once thought that about you, and I never will. You're mine, and how far we go, or when… it's our decision. And I'm glad you want to do things with me. God, do you even know what you're doing to me? How… enchanting you can be?" He breathed out.

Yeah, once Aomine Daiki started to care, really care, he was fully in. No turning back. But he wouldn't show that to just anybody, because that made him vulnerable. And he'd been hurt before. So he showed bits and pieces easily overlooked, quickly hiding it behind his attitude, arrogance, jokes and jabs. He didn't mind showing her, though. But he also wanted her to finally smile.

So after a little while, he added: "But I swear to god; if I hear one more person suggest something like that about you, I'll end up in prison." He grumbled under his breath, sounding like a pouty child. He just couldn't help it. No one would speak ill about his friends, let alone about the one he loved.

She pulled away to see how much the expression matched that pouty undertone in his voice and chuckled. Of course he had to say something like that. "Please don't. What would I do if you ended up in prison?"

"Visit me? I hope." He shrugged. "…or in your case… sit there next to me."

"Hey! Daiki!" She exclaimed accusingly, but she was laughing with unshed tears shining in her eyes.

"What? It's true."

She shook her head, giving up easily. It was true. "I love you so damn much; I don't know what I'd do without you."

Mission accomplished. He leaned forward and kissed her gently instead of answering. He found it much more fitting than words. And when they parted, a corner of his lips twitched upwards. "You still haven't answered." He nudged her softly, but half-teasingly.

She tilted her head to a side after a moment of hesitation and stared at him curiously. "And you?"

"…I want to see you… all of you…" And the blush was back. "And then touch, and kiss, and taste, and explore…" He as looking straight at her as he was saying it, her blush seemed to be getting deeper with every word. And it was damn cute. "… and make you swirl under my hands in pleasure never wanting anyone else…. how's that sound?" He asked with a satisfied smirk but it was much gentler than the usual one.

"Hmmm…" She put her hand on his knee and started tracing up his thigh. "Like I'd kidnap you, crash yours or Hikaru's place, whichever is vacant, and let you do all you want to do. Right now. And then I'd repay the favour…" She grinned back at him and stopped centimetres from his crotch. "If I didn't have the period, of course…" She pulled her hand back.

"Tch… You're such a quicksilver."

"Always was~" She hummed. "But seriously… I don't want to go all the way yet. If you know what I mean." She bit her lip glancing at him blushing and sighed. "It's okay with you, right?"

"Yeah." He nodded, looking at his feet blushing crazily too. Hearing it like this was strange but quite calming, because he knew where they stood and he knew she was being honest. Of course it was okay. Besides, it was still in the future and he definitely wouldn't push her into anything; not when he knew the whore stuff was bothering her.

"Thank you." She smiled at him feeling relieved. "Uhm… But, other than that, I don't mind doing stuff, in some pace, someplace; we're both comfortable with… There are preliminaries in everything after all."

He blinked at her. And stared. He didn't know what to say. What stuff was on her mind exactly? He inevitably thought back to his birthday. Or naked stuff? But he wouldn't ask. He'd figure it out once they actually got to something more than these stolen kisses and hugs. He was curious. And excited. And a bit scared at the same time. Talking like this, it made him want her close. Real close.

And those red eyes were staring right back at him filled with love and trust. He wasn't sure how he looked at her, or what expression he had at the moment. His eyes glided all over her face, settling on her lips. Her lips seemed too good that day.

"What?" She asked with a slight blush settling on her face again and she glanced at his lips too.

"I want to kiss you."

"Go ahead." She hummed and leaned in to meet him halfway.

Yeah, preliminaries seemed like a very good idea.

######

The day dragged on too long. The classes and then the practise. Aya was tired, she wanted to go home and sleep. She was so glad she talked things out with Daiki. At least some. She believed there were many other questions that'd come up at some point, but for now, it was okay. And if she was being honest, she couldn't wait for some alone, private time they so longed for.

"Eh, Aomine-kun?" Satsuki asked in surprise when they vacated the changing room after practise. "I thought you had your practise and wouldn't wait for me."

"Not for you exactly." He said with a shrug. "Sorry."

"Oooh… Uhm… Do I go ahead?"

"Wait for us at the school gate. I'll walk you home."

"You're ditching the practise then?"

"Tch, yeah. I told dad, and today's practise is more or less informative before we head for the seminar."

"I'll wait at the gates then." The pinkette nodded and made herself scarce.

"Good." He hummed and stared after her. Then he looked at Aya who was standing there, looking like she was ready to fall asleep on her feet, but refusing to admit it.

"Is it really okay for you to ditch?"

"Yeah." He pulled her into a tight hug rested his chin on top of her head. He had to slouch a little to manage that, but it was doable. And her hair smelled so good. He inhaled deeply and kissed the top of her head. "This is more important before I leave." He could feel her chuckle as her arms wrapped around his waist.

"It's just two days." She knew that despite first impressions Daiki was cuddly and physical. She liked it. The evenings were getting chillier and she appreciated his body heat. And his scent. She just loved that. "And where are you even going? I know it's a jiu-jitsu seminar, but… where?"

"Nagoya."

"Hmmm. That's quite far." She hummed. "Let me know when you get there."

"'kay."

"And be careful. No sprains or broken bones, okay?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, Satsuki made that clear. I had a lecture."

"Good."

"And you get a proper sleep."

"I will. Promise."

"Mhm… About the entrance permit…"

"Monday?" She suggested. "We don't have a practise then."

"You do, right?"

"Not right away. I need to get my things from home first anyways. And you could pop up in the gym too. To watch. I won't force you to dance."

"All right. Sounds good."

She pulled her head away from his chest and looked up at him expectantly. At his lips, specifically. She wanted a kiss. But she needed him to lean down for that. With a soft smile and his heart feeling lighter after their talk and all, he leaned down and kissed her. Gently. None of them wanted to make this heated. Yet.

---

"Aominecchi!"

When Daiki heard that, he rolled his eyes and groaned. It was too early in the morning, after over three hours in the car. He really wasn't in the mood for Kise.

"Seriously?" He looked over his shoulder to see Kise crawling out of his dad's car to come greet them. Aiko got out right after Kise and stretched. With bright smile she waved to him in greeting. "And her too?"

"He's your friend and your roommate for the night. And Aiko-chan's been to all the previous seminars, so you can't be really surprised to see her here." Daisuke patted Daiki's shoulder and headed to the inn to get their room keys.

"Mornin'." Kise threw one arm over Daiki's shoulders with sunshine like smile on his face. "It's been a while again."

"Tch," he shrugged his friend off and followed after his dad. "No photo shoots?"

"No. And two seminars a year are a must, if I want to take the exam for next kyuu." The blonde pouted. He glanced back at Aiko, who was chatting up with a few other girls who happened to show up at the same time, relieved she was out of earshot. If she heard he wanted to take the jiu-jitsu exams, she'd totally attack him whenever she'd get the chance.

Oh? That was interesting. Daiki guessed that Kise was probably planning it, but the blonde missed out too many practises. "When?"

"Not this year." He sighed. My ankle doesn't feel that good yet… "With the winter cup prelims and all, I don't see it possible. But February-ish sounds good."

"Figures." Daiki'd taken the exams in March, when they'd had little to no club events. Noticing Kise's pleading gaze on him, he asked: "What?" He had an idea what this would be about, but he wouldn't ask first.

Kise grinned, of course he'd have to ask himself. "Will you be my uke then?"

"Tch," he rolled his eyes, it wasn't enjoyable to be Kise's demonstration dummy, but it was a necessity. And if Daiki wanted to move further, he needed to know how to grit his teeth and do it. "Yeah. But you'll need two others for free attacks and weapons."

"I know, I'll ask around. When are you planning to take the next one anyways? You could go for it around the same time as me."

"Nah," Daiki shrugged, "I'll do it, when dad forces me again." He knew that around one year after the blue belt, he could go for another exam. He'd had enough seminars, and he was technically skilled enough. But it wasn't something he'd chase after. Not when his dad would sit in the committee. They always worked him to the point where he thought he'd throw up; he never actually did, but it was highly unpleasant and way too exhausting.

"I'll be your uke then." Kise offered himself with a smile.

"Whatever you want." He waved his arm and fished out his phone to write Aya a simple message that they had arrived and that a certain blonde was going to torture him for the whole weekend.

"Ayacchi?"

"Yeah. Shouldn't you update your instagram or something?"

"Aiko confiscated both my phones."

Daiki cackled at Kise's dejected whining, glad he was an only child. "Serves you right."

######

"Uhm…" Aya stared at breakfast she hadn't prepared and Haruka holding a spatula. He was occupying her kitchen space and he'd actually made pancakes. "Mornin'?" She greeted, unsure if she was dreaming or not. For a second she considered returning to her bed, staying there for 5 minutes and coming back, just to see if the scene wouldn't change.

"Hey." He turned around with a sheepish smile. Was this too much after all? He didn't know. "Oh, I made coffee too. Sugar, milk?" He asked.

She blinked and ran her fingers through her dishevelled hair, trying to tame it a little. "…neither. Just black's fine." She answered hesitantly and sat down, letting him serve her the coffee. She was too confused to do anything else.

"Have you slept well?"

"Yeah, finally a whole night's sleep. Speaking of which…" she looked around, "where's Senri?"

"Went to check up on Miki's leaving process. Just in case. Derek drove him."

"Right." And Taiga's at his practise. She noted inwardly glancing at the clock. "So…"

"Do you have any plans today?"

"Not in particular, no."

"Would you go to the beach with me then? For a walk…" When she didn't reply straight away, Haruka quickly added: "you don't have to; it's not an order or anything. It was just an idea… to talk, about business too…"

"No, no… I was thinking. That's all." She'd feel better with Taiga around. But Haruka was determined, she saw that. "It's… I don't know how to behave around you." She admitted honestly. "I really don't."

Instead of commenting on it, he placed the pancakes in front of her and sat down with his own coffee. Finally, he'd gotten to the point where he was willing to listen.

"I mean, few weeks ago, you wanted to sell me off to Fairchilds, you slapped me and I wanted to see you six feet under. I'm not saying it because I'm still angry or anything… And now you're making pancakes and want to hang out with me. I know, I agreed, yesterday, it's just… I haven't completely caught up with the situation yet."

He understood; he felt confused and awkward too. He hadn't caught up either. "So…"

"So… Maybe, we could start by business? Enlighten me about the gym and stuff. Who's living in our house? How's Thalia doing? And Lindsay? Gosh, I've never met the woman."

"What?" He snapped his head at Aya. "Really?"

"Really. I talked with her over the phone and in e-mails, but that's that."

"Well, okay then. Let's do that today." Business was a safe ground for both. They knew the company, they knew the people, and he'd relied on Aya with important tasks. Then, he hoped, they'd slowly get from business back to family. "But first, eat your breakfast in peace."

She smiled and tested the pancakes. Haruka was always a better cook than their mom, but she couldn't remember the last time he'd cooked something. Still, she had her expectations high. And she wasn't disappointed.

######

Daiki and Kise were dead tired in the evening. After dinner they went straight to their room and plopped down on their beds. Kise harboured several bruises on his limbs and quietly envied Aiko and Aomine their already nurtured bruise immunity.

He glanced at his tanned friend who was once again fiddling with his phone, which was highly unusual for Aomine; and that almost soft smile even more so. Kise smiled under his nose, but he was glad for his friend. Maybe he even envied him the happy relationship a little.

With a quiet sigh he turned to his side and observed Aomine. It was obvious the bluenette didn't feel the need to fill the silence with discussion. But his curiosity was over the roof.

"So? How far have you gotten with Ayacchi?" He made sure; his tone of voice told exactly, what about he was asking.

Daiki blushed for a second, then he come to a conclusion that it was just Kise, and there was no need to be ashamed or embarrassed. So he calmed down and hoped that his tan had concealed the blush from his overly curious friend. "Not as far as you're thinking." He grumbled, not feeling comfortable with this talk, but refusing to lie.

"You don't know how far I'm thinking."

Daiki gave him of the 'really?' looks and rolled his eyes.

Kise chuckled. "You still haven't answered."

"I haven't seen her naked yet. If that's what you're so curious about." He sighed, not sure why he even replied, or why he was being honest.

"Hah? I thought that on your birthday-" He blinked in surprise.

"You thought wrong." Daiki cut him mid-sentence. "I believe you didn't share any of your thoughts with anyone." There was a clear hint that he wouldn't discuss this further and if he found that the blonde had shared his assumptions (which could easily be misinterpreted as real events) with Kuroko, or Murasakibara, or whomever, he was dead.

"Eh," he knew Daiki too well to get the message. "Well, it's none of my business after all. And I have not discussed what I think or don't think about your sex life with anyone." Except Satsuki, but you probably know that… "Your doubts are offending my pride, you know." He blamed him with a saddened expression.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry." He grumbled.

Kise rolled his eyes and yawned. "But I hope you're not forcing yourselves to keep your hands off, because that always tends to backfire in one way or another."

"Personal experience?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sort of." A heavy sigh escaped his lips.

"What?" Daiki rarely go to see Kise conflicted or worried. The blonde was usually cheerful, optimistic, jovial and annoying; without a single worry in the world. Then there were scarce moments like these, when he was reminded that Kise wasn't an alien.

Kise shook his head. "It's nothing…"

Daiki raised an eyebrow at him. If Kise wasn't all whiny about it, it wasn't nothing.

"Reina-chan doesn't want to hear about dancing with me… at all."

"Your annoying persistence doesn't work this time?"

"Why are you teasing me?"

"It's kinda unbelievable that you have trouble with a girl."

"She's different. She doesn't want to be popular, though she works in the magazine with me. Sometimes it seems she'd love it the most if we had nothing in common at all. And then there are times she forgets or what, and it seems she enjoys spending time with me."

"Do you actually like her or are you just pulling her leg 'cause you find her interesting and different?"

Kise turned his head and stared at his friend. Since when was the grumpy ace willing to discuss love matters? And since when could he have on point questions? Probably always… There just weren't reasons for him to show it… "I guess it was curiosity that got me interested in the first place, but now I can't imagine I wouldn't have her in my life. I want her to feel the same about me."

"Have you actually told her that?"

"Uh… no." He mumbled. He'd never had to go out of his comfort zone and confess. The girls usually did that for him. And he either accepted or rejected them.

"Then what do you expect?"

"I want to be sure she won't say 'no, thank you'. I thought that dancing practises could sort of help it…"

"Why don't you release Aya on the girl? Maybe she'll change her mind."

"I've thought about it, but I fear it would be contra productive. Ayacchi can be quite intimidating and she is pretty. Reina-chan could get the wrong idea… Any other tips?"

"From me? No."

"Geee', talk about lame, and you're the only one of us who actually does have a normal relationship."

"Tch, maybe, but you're the one who's chased around by crowds of girls and knows how to sweet talk them to do whatever you want."

"Once it gets to that point, I get bored and leave. I'd rather have a partner, like you do, not a lapdog waiting for my commands and bragging about dating a model. Urgh, I'm tired of that."

---

"I did it!" Aya shouted happily and threw herself on the bed, observing the carved wooden box puzzle she'd gotten from her grandpa. She finally found the lock hidden under one of the movable pieces that made up the outer layer of the box. But the lock seemed too delicate to be picked. So she'd have to find the key if she wanted to open it.

Now she could see a picture on the top, but also on the sides and the bottom. She had no idea how Taiki had managed to carve it and put it together. And she'd bet he hadn't used a drop of glue or a single nail.

She couldn't figure out what place was on the picture. With a frown she got up and barged to Taiga's room. "I did it, but where's this?" She asked and plopped on the bed next to him.

He took off his headphones and took the box from her hands to examine it. He'd tried solving the puzzle, but he hadn't had the patience. Though he'd helped her too, it took over a month for them to solve.

"Where does it lead to?" He asked tracing the shapes with his fingers. The idea of hidden treasure excited him like a little kid. He wanted to go treasure hunting right away.

"That's what I'm asking you."

"No idea… Try asking father?"

"Hm?" Haruka stopped and peeked into Taiga's room. He was just passing by to get a tea while reading a book, when he'd heard the last suggestion.

Taiga held up the box, so Haruka could see what they had. "We solved it, but we need a key. Any ideas what's on the map?"

His eyes widened and he walked into the room. "Where'd you get that?"

"Grandpa made it for our birthday." Aya shrugged. She left out the fact she almost killed herself while getting it from the top of the tree.

"So he can still make those? Wow…"

"Any ideas where it is?" They prompted him in unison.

"Uuuhm…" He was turning the box in his hands to see the whole picture. Damn it'd been years, decades even since he'd last seen this level of craftsmanship from his father. "These are pines and flowers." He pointed at one picture. "These symbols, we used those to mark dangerous places, dark, slippery, and such… This was for streams and water sources. Is this a frog?" He pointed at one edge; he wasn't sure what the shape should be.

"Huh…" Aya's mind was working trying to imagine the place the box lead to. Pines and flowers, she'd seen on her own, but not the rest. Taiga and she didn't have any special secret symbols to mark places on a map; apparently, Haruka and Kyou had had them.

"Where there are flowers, could those be hydrangeas?, it looks like that, and pines, it's dark and dangerous with a water source nearby?" Taiga summed up. "Could it be that little cave-ish thing? You know… a mile or two north, past the meadow with hydrangeas."

She blinked at him. That place was creepy. She didn't like going there. "You think?"

"Worth a try." He suggested.

"The wolf's den?"

"The what?"

"The wolf's den. Kyou and I called it that. We used to hide things there. Once, we were caught there by a storm. Even though it was a day it felt like a middle of a night." He scratched his neck. "Well, depends if we're talking about the same place."

"I don't know the coordinates."

"Me neither." Haruka shrugged.

"So when are we going?" Taiga asked, looking at both of them. "Friday evening?"

"What?" Aya asked him in disbelief. Sure, she didn't mind last minute plans, but this time she really didn't want to go. Especially when Daiki would finally have a free weekend and there were middle school preliminaries she needed to go and watch.

"You said you wanted to visit grandparents." He glanced at Haruka and then at Aya, "and you want to find the key too, right? So why not? And we could go visit Suzume when we're at it."

"I can't." She sighed.

"Why?"

"You know I have the middles school prelims to watch. But you can go. I found the box, so you find the key. And we'll open it together. And you can say hi to Suzu for me too. I'll go some other time."

"Hm… then you'll stay back, whatever." He shrugged, but watched her, he had a feeling that Aomine was the real reason she was staying back.

"Who's Suzume?" Haruka asked curiously. "And I mentioned I wanted to see my parents, but –"

"Oh, scared much?" Taiga teased.

"No!"

"Then let's go. Derek's at disposal anytime. What's the problem?" He'd already made up his mind.

"Who's Suzume?" He asked again.

The twins rolled their eyes. "Our best friend. She's been coming to summer dancing camp for years. But she's currently in a hospital after a car crash. She'll soon start learning how to walk again, right?" He waited for Aya's nod, as his sister was more in touch with Suzume.

"In a week or so, she'll try how her legs work… it seems some nerves don't respond as well as they should and her muscles atrophied, in over two months."

Taiga just hummed with a deep frown. "Rehabs are gonna be hell…"

"Yeah, but the chances she'll fully recover are huge."

"Thankfully." He sighed and looked at Haruka, who was blinking at them as if he heard Suzume's name for the first time. Maybe he did. He wasn't sure.

"Oh… I didn't know."

None of them was surprised by that. "Figures."

"Stop doing that sync talking." Haruka protested, having the last word.

######

"Aominecchi!" Kise shouted the moment he felt the savage impact the bridge of his foot made with Daiki's jaw. The bluenette tried to pull back in the last second, but it wasn't enough.

Daiki fell on the ground with a grunt under the force he hadn't expected from that kick. Immediately he saw stars dancing in front of his eyes. He blinked, trying to focus on his surroundings, checking if all teeth were still in place. Metallic taste of blood filled his mouth as he bit the inside of his cheek. He swallowed it with a distasteful grimace. He didn't feel the pain yet as the adrenaline kept it at bay. For the time being.

"Are you okay?" Kise crouched down in worry. "I'm sorry! I thought I could stop it."

"…yeah...fine, I guess…" He was too shaken to yell at the blonde. Everything around him was way too colourful. "…whoah…"

"It's not broken, is it?"

He carefully ran his fingers along his jaw. It felt normal. "…no..."

"I'm so sorry."

"Tch, shut up, will y'? I'm fine." He grumbled, finally feeling like his vision was getting back to normal.

Daisuke was by the two almost immediately, checking if Daiki didn't have a concussion. But it seemed like his son had a hard skull and no real damage had been done. Though there would be a bruise. Just in case, he forbade Daiki to continue practise. The teen protested, but it was only two more hours and once Daisuke decided, there was no real arguing.

"Tch, fuck this…" Daiki muttered and went to get his stuff. He could spend those two hours wandering around the area.

---

"Whoa, man!" Kano whistled in the morning when he spotted Daiki by the shoe lockers. "What have you done?" He asked, staring at a deep purple bruise on the left side of Daiki's jaw. The tan couldn't possibly hide it.

"Tch." The ace turned his face to hide the bruise from sight; at least it wasn't swollen anymore. "Nothin'."

Kano frowned in worry. "No, really. It doesn't look that good."

Daiki inwardly rolled his eyes and then smirked. "You should've seen the other guy." He grumbled and left Kano standing there in shock. No, the team had still no idea about Daiki's other free time activities.

######

Aya was chatting with girls from some other class, when Daiki stopped by to greet her. "Morning'." She smiled at him but then her eyes widened as spotted the wound. "What…?"

He just shook his head and continued to their class. No, he wouldn't talk about it with the other girls eavesdropping. Damn… He'd planned to hide the bruise from her as long as he could, it was so embarrassing, but he turned the wrong way.

That day, almost everyone stared at him, but only a few dared to come up to him and ask about the bruise. Each stare made his mood sourer and his don't-come-near-or-I'll-bite aura stronger. He could see that Aya was burning with curiosity and worry, but she didn't poke the bear; at least not while they were surrounded by the others.

After school they went straight to Aya's place. The train was unusually crowded. They were standing over one free seat, but neither of them felt like sitting down, until another group of students hopped on and they had to use every centimetre of space available. Aya forced him to take that seat as she wanted to talk with him and if he remained standing he'd be too far for any private conversation.

She shuffled closer to him, taking the space between his legs as people pushed her closer to him.

"Does it hurt?" She asked and gently brushed the bruise with the tips of her fingers.

"No." He shook his head, but winced when, as result of his motion, Aya's fingers pressed harder against the abused jaw.

Of course. She thought and moved her hand away. "Can I ask, or not?" She asked carefully.

He sighed and yielded. He couldn't possibly be in the bad mood when he was finally alone with her. "It was Kise and it was an accident. I expected he'd stop… Or so he'd said before." I should've paid more attention...

She blinked in surprise. "Model-kun, huh?" It was hard to imagine.

"I'll return the favour next time." He huffed. "But they forbade me to practise after that…"

"Figures. But, it's good you didn't underestimate it. So… Joint, bone and teeth intact?"

"Thankfully." He nodded.

"No concussion?"

He rolled his eyes. "I have a thick skull."

"Really?" She chuckled. "I'd never guess."

"Tch."

"So, other than the obvious disturbance, how was your weekend?"

As if on command he yawned. "Exhausting, but interesting. Oh, I brought you something."

Her face lit up immediately. She'd get a gift? "Eh? Really? What is it?"

He blushed and looked down. At first he hadn't thought much about it, but now when he'd told her, it suddenly got a different meaning. "You'll see once we're at your place."

######

"Okaerinasai, Aya-chan." Chiba-san greeted her when she entered the building with Daiki at her tow. "Welcome back, Aomine-kun."

Daiki blinked at the old man in surprise. He remembered his name? "Uh, good afternoon."

"We wondered when you'd come to fill the papers." That foxy grin the receptionist had on his face made a chill run down his spine. And the old man looked so harmless at first.

"R-right…"

"Don't scare him away, please, Chiba-san." Aya scolded him kindly.

"Oh, no. I wouldn't. Besides," he leaned towards her conspiratorially "Haruka-kun is not delighted about it, is he?"

She laughed. "I believe he isn't."

"Well, all the more reason to make this," he pulled out the papers and set them in front of Daiki to fill missing information and sign it, "official, no?"

"Definitely," she nodded and looked at the papers too, "fill in the info about the dogs too. The pets are not forbidden here."

"Tch, I forgot their papers."

"Hmmm… I need to make a copy though," Chiba hummed, "but if you bring it with you the next time, we can deal with it then."

"…okay." He handed his ID to be copied and signed the papers.

"And that's all. Next time, I'll just give you the keys. Tsubaki-san might ask you for the ID, because he is the old grouch, but… Don't worry 'bout him. Deep down he is a good guy." He smiled at the teenagers. "…really deep, deep down…" He muttered.

"We know."

Daiki nodded and put his ID back into his wallet. With that he turned to Aya with a question in his eyes. What now?

She smiled and turned to head into the building. "I'd say bye, but I'll be right back and leaving, so…"

"Sure." He chuckled and held the buzzer to open the door for her, so she wouldn't have to fish for the keys just yet.

"Stairs or lift?" She asked Daiki once they were inside.

"…" He didn't want to look weak, but he was really exhausted. "Lift."

"Thought so."

She pressed the number 14 and the door closed. It was probably the first time she was using the lift. She wasn't claustrophobic, but she didn't like lifts; she connected it with hospitals. And she hated those. But being in confined space with Daiki… They hadn't kissed that day at all; and now she couldn't get it out of her head.

He glanced at her, at her lips. And that delighted smile was an invitation he wouldn't decline. His jaw hurt, but he couldn't care less. He missed her. Only when he pressed his lips against hers he felt he was really at home. And the way she kissed him back, softly, warmly, like saying 'welcome back, I missed you' too. It was something new and he actually liked the feeling. He'd gladly get used to it. When she licked his lips, wanting to deepen the kiss, he bit her lower lip instead. Oh, he wanted to respond, but he wasn't sure the wound he'd caused himself wouldn't start bleeding again; it still felt strange and he doubted she'd appreciate tasting his blood. Then he gave her last soft peck to the corner of her lips and parted.

"How much time do we have?" He asked, holding her around the waist. He really couldn't get enough of her. One kiss certainly didn't cover it.

She chuckled. "I have to disappoint you, but Derek and Haruka are at home… So… none, really…"

Ding.

"Tch." He clicked his tongue and followed after her. How much more would they have to wait with everything?

"Tadaima!" She called out when they entered the apartment. "Daiki's with me." She warned them, but no one responded, though someone was obviously at home as they could hear voices. Exchanging surprised glances, they took off their shoes and walked in, to see both men glued to the screen and watching the match between Touou and Seirin. They barely noticed the two.

"Interesting…" She muttered, placed her bag on the chair and pulled out her bento box to wash it. She cocked her head to Daiki to hand her the one she'd brought him.

"Oh… Hey." Haruka greeted them and paused the game, when she turned on the water. The huge open space had this advantage and disadvantage at the same time. Then he frowned at Daiki, zooming on his bruise. The boy was already invading his home?

"I didn't know he was aggressive too." He commented in French so Daiki wouldn't understand, but he kept staring at him as if waiting for an answer to confuse him.

"He isn't. And I didn't know French was allowed again." She frowned at Haruka. Like a kid…

"Hm?" Daiki glanced at her.

"Where'd you get the bruise, kid?" Haruka asked him before Aya could translate his previous comment.

Oh… "Jiu-jitsu seminar in Nagoya." He said staring at Haruka in challenge. "I went there with my dad."

"So martial arts, huh?"

"Yeah. Any problem with it?"

"Why do you do it? To win fights?" He wanted to be mean, but honestly, after watching the match he started harbouring some respect towards Daiki. On a professional basketball level at least... And that also piqued his curiosity about the young man.

Daiki snorted, what the hell was wrong with this person? "No." He glared at Haruka. "To be able to protect myself and the people dear to me." That was something his dad had been drilling into his mind ever since he'd first stepped into the dojo. "And you know what? I'll tell you a secret trick. The best thing you can do is to walk away from a fight, because you never know how it can turn out." He said arrogantly and a tad more aggressively than he intended, but the man was just getting on his nerves so much.

Haruka blinked at him, the provocation he had prepared turned out useless and the boy actually surprised him. The Seth had once told him the same thing. 'The best defence is not offence, it's running away from a fight whenever you can.' And Seth was one of the strongest men he knew.

Aya chuckled and dried her hands. She was so proud of Daiki at the moment. Not everyone could shut Haruka up like this.

"Well… With this settled, what's up with that?" She cocked her head towards the screen.

Haruka glanced at her and sighed. "Thought I'd give it a look. None of them have obvious openings."

Only then she noticed some notes on the conference table. "How many times have you watched it already?"

"Ah…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "A few. But the game's above the high-school level. I mean…"

"Just play one-on-one with Taiga already."

"Want me to lose that much?"

She rubbed her chin pretending deep thinking. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. The idea is as satisfying as you stepping on my feet while dancing."

"I would not step on your feet."

She raised an eyebrow. "If you think so. Anyways, we'll do some homework in my room, don't be disturbed by us."

She took her bag and headed to her room, Daiki quickly following after her.

"Leave the door open." He grumbled and started the DVD again.

"Homework?" Daiki asked with a sigh looking around the room. This time he'd been officially invited in.

"Yeah, I need to do at least some, because I don't feel like getting up at 3:30 AM."

"Can I just watch?" He asked and sprawled himself on her huge bed as if he owned it. Honestly, he'd wanted to do that even before and he was tired; and the bed was humongous, like two of his, high, inviting and so soft. Like calling him to lie down. And it smelled so nice.

She chuckled. "Whatever. Didn't you have some gift for me?" She asked curiously.

"Oh…" He sat up and rummaged through his bag, fishing out a pack of sweets, handing it to her. "It's Sasaragata, uhm… jelly bars." He specified, because he wasn't sure she knew.

"Thank you!" She smiled widely and took the box examining it for a moment. The package seemed so luxurious, and when she opened it, there were five bars, each wrapped individually. It was cute and thoughtful. "I've never heard of it, or had it…"

"Me neither…" He admitted. It hadn't been his first trip to Nagoya, but he'd never tasted these sweets.

"Oh, so which one should we try first?" All except one were different adzuki bean flavours.

"Hm?"

"You haven't tried it either, so we're doing halves, of course."

######

The dancing practise was actually interesting. Daiki was sitting on a bench and watching what was going on. Everyone was giving him curious glances, but he didn't care. And watching Aya dance was always enjoyable activity. He was glad he dropped by.

Senri sighed in relief when it was only the four of them left and the three were mopping the floor. "I'm so glad she's gone. It's like they all magically improved."

Aya shrugged and took a mop. "Punishments never solved anything. Did she leave your home too?"

"Yeah… she didn't forget to flood the tatami in the living room… I need to replace them. At least I have wooden floors or tiles everywhere else, and there was no other damage, so I'll be leaving your home tomorrow."

"I'm not asking that to kick you out." She chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, I know… Damn, why did I sacrifice two and half years of my life for her?"

The twins shrugged. "Love can be blind." They said at the same time and laughed. They blinked at each other and laughed, because this time it wasn't planned.

The guys went to take a shower and Aya sat next to Daiki with a content smile. "So? What do you think?"

"It seemed fun. But your twin sync is kind of creepy…" He grumbled. It wasn't just that synced sentence, when they danced together it was as if they were reading each other's minds. When she was explaining Taiga's movement, it looked like she knew what he was doing without needing to look.

"Yeaaah… Sorry, 'bout that, we can't really help it."

He snorted and looked at the ceiling. "But I'd like a private lesson first."

"That's a given. Though we might end up doing everything but dancing…" She looked at him with those burning red eyes. "Anyways… Do you have some weekend plans?"

"No. Satsuki wanted me to join you two at those matches… why?"

"My apartment's free the whole weekend. Those three are going to our grandparents on Friday afternoon, or early evening, so…" She blushed, but then she smiled at him coyly, "if you want to come and maybe stay over after the matches…"

"Yeah," he said without hesitation, "I want that." He knew right then they'd cross some lines.

---

Though Daiki had agreed and couldn't wait to stay over at Aya's he was also a bit scared, nervous and excited at the same time. It'd been a month since his birthday and getting intimate again was so tempting, but he also wasn't sure what exactly he should expect from it. He certainly wanted to do her this time around. She deserved it and he was curious. He wanted to explore. At the same time he didn't want to be like an uneducated caveman.

He'd once overheard some guys wondering if periods were really 'periodical' or just an excuse to avoid sex and whether they could occur on weekends… At the time he'd remembered his mom rolling her eyes. She'd explained things to him the moment they'd had it at school; making it her personal goal that Daiki didn't believe medical hoaxes.

So after a while of inward arguing to not overdo and overthink anything, he went to search the library. His mom had a stash of all sorts of medical books, and medical books written for dummies and mortals who did not spend years of studying medicine. He knew there were some sex/penis/vagina specialised books in the library somewhere and they were actually written in a funny, interesting and readable way. Michiko had told him to read it after giving her explanations, but maybe because she'd said it, he'd felt too embarrassed to actually read it. Probably he should give it a go at least now. And then watch some porn… Or just think about Aya, he wasn't sure yet.

He supposed that once he was with Aya it'd all go down the drain and he'd act on instinct, but he needed to calm his nerves a bit. And extending his knowledge seemed like a good idea. Shit… I probably won't be able to look her in the eye tomorrow…

"Don't stare at me like that." He snapped at the dogs and took the book out of its cover, putting the cover back on the shelf. His parents didn't need to know he was self educating.

---

"Uuuhm…" Reina walked into the dancing gym on Thursday afternoon, not sure what on earth she was doing there. There was no one in there except a redheaded girl with huge busts and a perfect figure, who was warming up before the practise. Her confidence got a reality check.

Aya turned at the voice. And she blinked at the girl her age and height, she'd never seen before. "Hello, welcome to Shiranui's dancing school. I'm Kagami Aya, I teach here." She greeted her with a smile and looked her up and down. The girl was pretty, with big warm brown eyes, olive skin and chocolate brown long curly hair. Really curly. Though she had it tied in a tight bun, a few strands escaped, framing the girl's face. She didn't seem to be 100% Japanese, but she wasn't too exotic either. "How can I help you?"

So this is Ayacchi? She wondered, hell how she hated those nicknames, she was never sure who he was talking about. She cleared her throat. "Hello, uhm, could I watch your practice today?" She asked and her eyes once again stayed on the redhead's boobs; she cursed herself for that. Her B-cups were nice shaped and much more comfortable!

"Yeah, sure. Can I ask your name?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Nanase Reina."

Reina? Could it be… No… not a chance… "Nice to meet you." Aya bowed with a smile, she wasn't sure what to think about the girl, but she was interested. "Would you like to start dancing?"

"Not in particular, but I was asked to join some course. And I want to have an idea what I'd be getting myself into, if I agree…" If the offer still stands…

"Then I hope, you'll agree. It's nice to work with new people."

"Aya-sensei! Hello!" Two kids arrived with wide smiles.

"Hello! How was the school?"

"Goood! What are we doing today?" The girl asked excitedly. "Something new?"

Aya chuckled, "first we'll repeat what we've learnt on Tuesday, and then we'll learn something new. And at the end I have a surprise activity for you."

"Yaaay!" Their eyes sparkled. "What surprise activity?"

"If I told you, I wouldn't be a surprise, would it? Now go change."

"Haaaaai!"

Witnessing that exchange, Reina was sure the redhead loved dancing and working with people from the bottom of her heart. She'd felt a bit intimidated at first, but now she was really considering Kise's offer. If these practises were as cheerful as they appeared, she'd love to try them.

######

The curly girl was stuck in Aya's mind the whole evening. Then she typed a message to Kise:

'What's your Reina-chan's full name?'

The reply came just a few seconds later:

'Nanase Reina, why'd you ask?'

'Nah, just curious. Is she curly? Brown eyes? Pretty? My height?'

'…yeah… why?'

Before she could type him back, her phone rang.

"Ayacchi! You can't write messages like this to me so suddenly! What's going on?"

She laughed at the offended but curious tone. "Ah well… I think I've met her today."

"Huh? Where? How? She's avoided me the whole day!"

"Have you asked her to come to those dancing courses with you?"

"Yeah! A million times, she declined all of them… I was thinking of asking someone else instead… Or you."

"Hmmm… have you told her which club it was? Where you'd take her to?"

"Yeah, I asked Shiracchi to help me out too, but she still declined." He sighed dejectedly. "I guess it's time to stop barking at the wrong tree…"

"Ask her again tomorrow." She said decidedly. If the girl went out her way to come and check out the club on her own, she must've been really considering the offer.

"What?"

"Ask her one last time tomorrow. And tell her it's the last time you're asking. I think she might agree. She came to the club today and watched the whole practise. If she refuses again, then… Sorry? I guess…"

---

After the morning practise, Katsunori called both managers to him.

"I want to take a shower." Aya protested immediately, she only had about 15 minutes until the first class and they needed to clean up too.

"I'm not forcing you to practise… Anyways, I only need two minutes." He said with a sigh.

"Okay, so we can go?" Satsuki asked excitedly. This whole plan stood on Katsunori's ability to free them from classes in order to scout. The girls didn't think he'd manage, but…

"Yes. They need you on the first two lessons – pop quiz from biology, but you didn't hear it from me. Then you're free to go."

"Oh, fuck!" Aya swore, knowing very well she hadn't even opened biology, as there hadn't been any homework. "I need to go and read it!" And she was half-way out of the gym.

"I'll come fetch you then!" Satsuki called after her, laughing. She was sure Daiki hadn't read it either. Ah, sometimes it was good to have free evenings and no real relationship. "So, it's all covered?"

"Yes, please take care of her. And it's just the two of you. Too bad it's only local teams…"

"Well, the final competition will be six weeks after, basically after our winter cup prelims. And it's always easier to catch local guys than persuade someone from another side of the country to come live in the dorms."

"At least five of ours do live in the dorms."

"But only three are from different prefectures."

"Okay, I'm not arguing with you, Momoi-san. If there's some really interesting match today, let me know, I'll give it a look. And do watch them all, if you can. There should be only two matches going on at the same time, so you should manage."

"All right. I believe some guys will join us after school too."

"Mmm, that's why I cancelled today's afternoon practise."

"I thought it was just you saying Good job after the multiple hellish practises they'd had."

Katsunori chuckled. "I usually give them free weekends and Mondays, they need to earn it."

######

When Daiki walked into the classroom, five minutes before the class, everyone was sitting on their butts cramming the last topic they'd gone through. He dragged his feet to his seat and sat down with a yawn. The morning run with the dogs had been tiring.

"Hey. What's the deal?" He nudged Aya's chair with his foot.

"Hey." She turned around with a sigh. "Biology quiz."

"Uh, so? It's probably just a test, multiple answers to choose from; you can always guess and pass."

"I don't get that luck of yours, really…"

He smirked, "I'm naturally intelligent," he said smugly. Her comment was too good to pass.

She stared at him for a moment, but he was actually right. He certainly wasn't stupid. "Well, I need to pass for sure, Mr. naturally intelligent. I wonder how you'll do if she gives us open answers."

"She wouldn't do that…"

"Eeeh… Last time we weren't exactly attentive to that movie."

"It was about plants, what did she expect?"

Aya shrugged and returned back to reading her notes. At least she took proper notes from all subjects.

######

"So? How were the open answers?" Kano teased Daiki after the lesson. "Did you choose anything?"

"Tch… Shut up." He grumbled, remembering all the blank space he'd handed in.

Aya laughed. "Well, you definitely got the test questions right. So you should be safe."

"With the probability of 20%." Ishii added. "But if he answered correctly all of them, he'd get 50% of the mark… That's not so bad."

"Thanks for warning us, though…" Kiku hummed smiling at Aya. "I wouldn't have known how to answer if I hadn't read it one more time."

"Ah, yeah, but you didn't hear it from me. It was just a hunch." She grinned.

"Of course it was just a hunch. Any other hunches for the next class?"

"No. Not that I know of."

######

"So you're really freed to watch the matches?" Kiku asked at the bathroom while washing her hands. They were there alone. For Kiku, bathrooms were a scary place, or very unpleasant, so she was always grateful when she didn't have to go there alone. "I'd like to be freed for 'club activities' too…" She pouted quietly.

Aya was standing next to Kiku with her bag and redoing her braid into a bun, using a pencil as her hair band had broken. "Mhm… Can't complain about it." She smirked at Kiku's pout.

"Hmmm…" Kiku looked down at her hands and blushed. "I might come in the afternoon too… with Kousuke-san and–"

The redhead blinked at her. "Ooooh, the first name basis? When did that happen?"

"Recently…Yeah, uhm… I… Well…"

Aya turned her full attention at her friend. "What is it?"

"I…" The blush deepened. She wasn't sure how to ask this, but it'd been on her mind for some time now. And now she had the right moment to ask. "I m-might need your… a-a-advice." She stuttered out, not meeting Aya's eyes.

"My advice?"

"Errr… you know… on things… Past holding hands and kissing… I-I-I have no clue what to do." She admitted, feeling mortified. "A-and, I don't have anyone else to ask."

"Oh." This was probably not an easy topic for Kiku to bring up. "I didn't get much further with Daiki yet, so I'm not sure I'll be of much help, but I can try answering your questions."

"Eh? Really? I mean… the way he looks at you, especially the past few days, I thought… and you had Himuro-san before… So…"

"Ah, Tatsuya, yeah, sure. We did some things too…" She hummed, thinking back to it, but honestly, she felt there was a thick line between Tatsuya and Daiki. Tatsuya definitely wasn't the first one on her mind when Kiku mentioned the topic. "And does Daiki look at me differently? Really? I haven't noticed." Well, maybe he seemed at loss of words at times and a bit impatient, but it wasn't unusual.

"Mhm… It made me think that you… Well…" Sometimes, her ability to observe the people around her took the best of her imagination.

Aya chuckled. They must've been giving off that vibe for quite some time, actually. "Hmmm… Well, he's coming over tonight, so..." She shrugged with a grin. She was trying to keep her imagination and expectations in check, to avoid disappointment, but… The week for her imagination to work… She was excited and she couldn't completely suppress it.

"Oooh…" Kiku was now red behind her ears. "So… Uhm…"

"We're not gonna do it. If that's what you imagined right now." The redhead laughed, but if it was someone else and not Kiku, she wouldn't feel that comfortable with talking about her intimate life. "But if you wanna talk, then Sunday? Are you free then?" She wasn't sure she wanted to educate the cute and delicate clueless girl about such things, but it was also a privilege to do so.

"S-sure. I-if you're okay with it." Only then Kiku realised that Aya might not want to give her the talk. But she needed someone to talk with her, and she wouldn't go to her mom or her brother. Gosh, not in a million years. "You could finally stop by my place?"

"Sounds good. You'll show me your bows, and how to use them."

"At your service, miss Aya." She bowed with a teasing smile.

The redhead rolled her eyes and laughed. She liked when Kiku was relaxed and joking around her.

######

The first rounds of preliminaries weren't that interesting. Aya and Satsuki separated and each of them watched a different match, taking notes. Once Aya felt the match she was watching wasn't going to have any flow change, she went over to Satsuki to check up on the pinkette. They met during every break in the middle of a game, to discuss if there were some interesting players.

Actually they took a notice of a few, but it was still too early to determine their real skills.

The boys joined them once the classes ended. They divided according to their preferences. Daiki, of course, joined Aya with some complaints and yawning. He wasn't that interested in middle schoolers, he had played against majority of them just the previous year and he knew there wasn't anyone interesting for him.

They all met in the hall of the stadium during the break. There was one and a half more matches to go for both groups.

"No one seems to be going all out. At least not on our end." Satsuki sighed. "But maybe tomorrow… As there are two matches in a row for the better of them..."

"Oh, you're not giving them enough credit, Momoi-san. There were four to five guys worth giving a closer look on our end." Imayoshi hummed. He chose to watch the matches with the pinkette.

"Nothing that interesting on our end either. But I had two or three guys who were skilled, seemed confident enough too. I'm curious how they'd do tomorrow. And… Teiko's playing the last match; I kind of can't wait to see them. Against…"

"Keio middle school." Kano filled in and proudly added: "I'm definitely rooting for my lil' bro." Though their opponent was Teiko; the famous school that was connected with the generation of miracles, and even if the team wasn't that overwhelming anymore it still incited fear in those facing them.

"Your brother there?" Aomine asked, glancing at him.

"Yeah, no. 17. He is a different kind of player." He said mysteriously. "I'm not sure they'd let him play at all though."

"Hmmm… Something I should see?" The captain's curiosity was piqued.

Kano shrugged. "Dunno. As I said, he might not play."

######

"Oh." Daiki straightened up in his seat, staring at Kano's brother. The only reason he waited for the match. And the second quarter. "That's…" His eyes widened when he recognised the tap passes. It was almost like Kuroko. Different, not perfect yet, but it was the same style. He couldn't believe there was some other player having guts to specialise in that.

"Mhm." Aya hummed with a proud glint in her eyes.

"Tch, and there's no proper light." He grumbled.

"Well, there should be one next year."

He looked at her. "You don't mean…"

"Yep, he's definitely coming to Touou if he makes it past the entrance exams."

"Urgh… I don't need it."

"Never said you did. I just think it might be interesting, how far he'd get with you… Besides, he can use the others as lights, our team has plenty of good players."

Daiki's ego was poked. He didn't want to be the light for Kano's kid brother; on the other hand he didn't like the idea of someone else taking that role. It was his role. Exclusively his. He stared at the redhead, she didn't flinch, and she didn't look away. She had meant it.

Then a wide grin appeared on her face. "Don't like the idea?"

He clicked his tongue and turned back to the game. Teiko was really weaker than he'd remembered, but it wasn't that surprising. He watched for another three minutes; then he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhm."

Aya turned back to him. "Yes?"

"I need to stop by at home first." He said, lowering his voice so the others didn't hear. "To drop the bag, walk the dogs and change into something comfy." Take a shower…

She blinked at him, but it made sense. "Oh, okay. We can meet at my place then. But I'm not sure who's gonna be there sooner."

"You're staying till the end, right?"

"Yeah, and then we have a small meeting to sum it all up."

"See you later then." He said, feeling his throat tighten up a bit. He briefly kissed the corner of her mouth and got up to leave.

"See you." She smiled and turned her attention back to the game.

"Oooh, evening plans~?" Imayoshi asked with a foxy glint in his eyes.

"Maybe~?" That was the moment her phone chimed. Taiga was letting her know they were leaving and that the air was free. He'd also inform her if there was any change of plans. She smirked at the phone. Her brother was simply the best, even though he didn't like Daiki at all.

######

"Staying over at Aya-chan's?" Daisuke asked, making sure there was no change in plans.

Daiki nodded and threw a few clean things into his bag. He raised his eyes at his dad. "You're not gonna forbid me now, are you?"

The older man ran his fingers through his hair and chuckled. "I could, but no. You're teens; I don't doubt you'd find a way regardless of our bans and interfering. Besides, the only thing bans would do is creating a wall between us and I don't want that. I want you to come to me, if there's any serious problem and I appreciate you're not trying to lie."

He blinked at his dad. He didn't need the lecture, but it somehow reassured him that this was the right way to deal with his parents. That they had his back.

"Just in case, do take condoms with you."

"Tch." He blushed and looked anywhere but his father. "W-we aren't planning to… err… you know…"

He laughed at the embarrassment. "Well, once you do, you're certainly not going to schedule it in your calendars beforehand... So. You might not need them tonight, but better be safe than sorry."

######

"Aya-chan arrived at home an hour ago." Chiba-san at the reception winked at him and handed him the keys, once they were done with the paperwork regarding Aomines' dogs.

Daiki just nodded and disappeared in the building. He was a bit nervous, expectant… In front of her door, he hesitated. Staring at the key, he wasn't quite sure it was okay to enter like he was coming home. But she did say it was completely okay, and none of them (except Haruka) minded.

So he inserted the key and turned it. Then he stepped into the dark, small entrance hall and searched for a light switch, closing the door louder than he needed. He didn't want to scare the shit out of her by materialising in the huge open kitchen-dining-living room like a ghost. What should he call to make her know he'd arrived?

Aya solved the worry for him as she automatically called: "Okaeri'." from somewhere down the narrow corridor.

He finally found the switch. "…Tadaima." He answered, surprised, but happy. A smile settled on his face as he took off his shoes.

A soft latin music was playing in the background. He'd never listened to it on his own, and he hadn't exchanged songs or favourite music with Aya yet. But it was strangely relaxing. As he walked down the corridor, he wondered whether she understood the lyrics. When he spotted her, he stopped at the doorway.

She was doing the most mundane task she could – hanging laundry on the drying rack. Her hips moved to the rhythm. For a moment he just observed her and appreciated the sight. She was wearing black shorts, a wide knitted ivory sweater with black tank top underneath it or otherwise it was see-through and knee high fluffy socks. It was almost October and as far as he knew, she didn't like cold. She had her hair loosely tied in a bun, but it was spilling out and he wanted to free it.

"What's the music?"

"Hm?" She turned around with a smile and blushed. She thought he was taking longer than usual, but she had no idea he was watching her. "Oh, it's a Cuban band. Buena vista social club… Do you like it?" She asked curiously, looking at him. Damn, that white t-shirt which was a bit tight around his chest and shoulders looked so good on him. Especially with his tan.

"It's not bad at all." He hummed. "I might even take up that private lesson offer."

She smirked. "Everything we do tonight is kinda a private lesson."

He held her eyes for a moment then raised an eyebrow. She could be shy and vulnerable, and then there were these times, when she could turn him on just with her look. "Right off the bat?"

"I missed you." She shrugged then chuckled. "But if you're finally willing to give in and learn a few dancing steps, I'm not going to turn that down." And she was a bit nervous, so dancing, which was like breathing to her, seemed like a very good idea. She knew it'd dissolve her nerves and ease her up.

Without asking, he allowed himself to go put his stuff to her room and came back, thinking this through. He was certainly more nervous about the dancing part now. He'd make an idiot out of himself, because he knew nothing… But… It could be fun too. And Aya wasn't the one to make fun of those she taught.

"What is it anyways?" He cocked his head towards the stereo. "Uhm… the dance for this…"

"Could be more of them, but salsa, mainly. A slower one. So... I'll just show you the basic steps, 'kay?" She glanced at the basket half full of freshly washed clothes. "But first I'll finish this. If you want something else, kitchen's at your disposal…" She smiled, and he followed her gaze to the wooden coffee table where were two tall glasses, mango juice, water and a bowl of gummy bears.

He chuckled at her choice of sweets and took some. Once she was done with the laundry, she invited him to join her. There was plenty of space, and now he understood why they had it.

"Will I get a greeting kiss too?" He asked teasingly.

With that hot smirk too… Instead of answering she stood up on her tiptoes and forced him to bend down so she could kiss him properly. He responded to her more than happily, but he couldn't get the grin off his face, so the kiss got clumsy. She didn't mind it at all.

"Well, just the basics."

"Now I'm not sure I want to." He licked his lips.

"Oh yes, you do."

He pouted, but complied. He'd promised after all.

She muted the music for a moment, to not confuse him. Then she explained and showed him the basics. To his surprise the basic steps of the LA style, what she called it, were not that difficult. It was mainly going forward and backward and a spin here and there, and a cross body lead… The cross body lead took him a bit longer to understand, but her explanations were easy to follow. She counted the rhythm for him, and he could try everything right away with her. It was a bit strange without music, and he was sure he was like an overgrown toddler learning to walk. These steps were something so different from anything he'd ever done… But it was fun.

"Music?" She asked when she was more or less satisfied with what he learnt.

"Sorry if I step on your feet." He grumbled.

"You didn't so far, and I won't let you." She found the slow music she had in mind and smiled at him encouragingly. "I'll still count the rhythm for you, 'kay?" She knew it wasn't that easy to hear it right away, but she knew he'd pick it up eventually.

"Thanks…" He gulped. Learning it was fun, but now that he should actually lead her to the music… He felt like before some exams he couldn't afford failing. And it was Kagami Aya!

She saw that uneasiness in his eyes, she could feel it from the way he held her. "Don't be intimidated, Ace. I just want to dance with you, that's all." She smiled at him lovingly. "No need to overthink it."

He took a deep breath and grinned back; his usual confidence settling in. There was no reason to be self-conscious. If she thought he could do it, then he probably could. And so, he danced with her, following her voice. She let him lead, though sometimes she took over, when he mis-stepped, but she didn't scold him, she simply said and showed how to do it right. It was a new experience for him, different from that one party he'd been to with her. Even though she didn't have any shoes, he'd swear she was on her tiptoes as if wearing high heels; but he couldn't look, she'd forbidden him to look and focus on their feet.

Daiki was far from being good; he'd need a lot more than half an hour crash course, but surprisingly, she felt relaxed and confident in his arms, following the slightly ragged lead. This, it didn't need to be awesome or perfect for her. At first, he wasn't sure by his steps, but he picked up the rhythm fast. Well, he'd always had a sense for rhythm; how the others moved, how to use it to his advantage... She thought that more than hearing it in the music, he picked it up from her movements. And the longer they kept dancing, the better he was getting at it.

She enjoyed dancing with Daiki. That was a huge praise coming from her; she'd danced with some dancers who had made her feel insecure and annoyed with their lead. Dancers. Daiki wasn't one, and she felt comfortable. Maybe it was because she loved him? She wasn't sure. But he just radiated confidence, even when he had no idea what he was doing.

Cross body, turn and – Daiki pulled her against his chest, quickly grabbing her around the waist, before she'd wiggle away. He had an idea that once she started dancing it was difficult to make her stop.

"Eh?" She blinked at him, immediately realising he would not let go. "Enough?" She asked, looking up at him, resting her arms on his chest.

"More than enough… for the first lesson." Thankfully he wasn't completely out of breath. But he had to acknowledge that this could be indeed labelled as sport.

"You did very well, for the first lesson." She hummed with a wide grin.

He raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously.

"I mean it."

"Am I really getting praised by the world champion here?"

She laughed. "Yes!"

"For what? It was far from what I've seen you do." There was a teasing, provoking undertone, but he was genuinely curious. He had his doubts about that, though she didn't make him feel like he lacked. Not once.

"It's not about that." She shrugged and smiled. "I feel comfortable with you, I had fun, and you actually picked up the rhythm in this short crash-course. Trust me, not everyone can do that. So yes, I am praising you." She could easily imagine him gaining 100% of her trust in his lead at some point.

Pride swelled in him. Those red eyes staring at him were completely honest and confident. Dancing was like a diversion from their original intentions, but it had dealt with their nervousness and now, when they were so close, the tension and desire were back full force if not stronger. He was much aware of every Aya's curve pressed against him. And he couldn't hold back any longer.

He leaned down to kiss her. As he was bringing one of his hands up along her waist to cup her cheek, his fingers got tangled in the big eyes of her sweater. "Tch," he let out against her lips and frowned.

"Take it off, if it's in the way."

No, he didn't need another nudge. He found the hem of the sweater and with a bit of struggle (he certainly wasn't used to undressing girls he liked) and some help he pulled it over her head. Despite it having a wide collar, it messed her hair, loosening the bun further. But she was laughing. When was the last time someone pulled off her top like she was a kid? Oh, she loved him.

"Tch, I want to see you pulling my t-shirt off."

"…should be soon enough." She licked her lips, knowing she'd probably have just as much trouble, given his t-shirt was tightly wrapped around him.

He chuckled and shook his head at that. He couldn't wait for her attempt either. With a flick of his wrist he threw the sweater on the couch and his hand returned to her face, tucking the loose strands of hair behind her ear.

Her hands cupped his face and she traced the yellowish bruise with her thumb. "Does it still hurt?"

Daiki shook his head. He hardly felt it anymore and with him being quite excited already; the bruised jaw was the last thing on his mind.

She nodded with a smile and her grip got a bit stronger as she forced him to bend down for another kiss.

~~~~~Lemons~~~~~

The kiss almost knocked his breath away. Damn, he missed kissing her like this. Their lips and tongues moved together in sync. In very passionate and very hungry sync. Her fingers dived into his short hair, massaging his scalp and the back of his neck. He let his hands roam around her frame; the strands of loose hair tickling his palms here and there. He traced her jaw with kisses, which made her tilt her head backwards. She sighed contently, but had to shift on her feet to keep balance. Daiki adjusted his hold accordingly and shifted too, but as a result, their bodies weren't touching as much as before. He was too tall for this, and he certainly couldn't feel comfortable. She frowned at that letting out a sigh of frustration.

"What?" He breathed out against her neck, his voice sounding unbelievably hot.

"…I'd need a step stool."

He chuckled and with one swift movement he lifted her up, like she weighted nothing; he'd wanted to do this for so long. She squealed in surprise, but her legs instinctively wrapped around his hips. This actually made her a little bit taller than him and by the strength of her grip he knew he didn't have to support her, but he kind of enjoyed cupping her butt for the first time. And the feeling of her legs around him were enough to warm up his crotch.

"Better?" He asked with a smirk, finally having her pressed against his body again.

"Much better." She had a slight blush, but those red eyes could positively set him on fire.

He kissed her jaw and then got to treating her neck and collar bones. His hands slid up her back, rolling up her tank top. No, she really didn't need his support. When he used his tongue, she let out a satisfied moan. But then she leaned back, stopping him. He blinked at her with question in his eyes.

"D-Don't leave marks on visible places." She said and rested her forehead against his, to catch her breath.

"Uh… sorry?" He blushed, he wasn't fully aware he was leaving marks. "Wait… visible?" His eyes widened. "What do y'…?" He didn't dare finishing that question.

A playful smirk appeared on her lips. "You know… the bed isn't that far away..."

That voice and expression almost made him hard then and there. He raised an eyebrow at her. "…someone wants to be carried to bed?"

"Mhm, or am I getting too heavy?" She teased, knowing he wouldn't complain, but also knowing her own weight. There was no wall behind her back to give her further support this time.

"Tch… if only you were ticklish…" He mumbled under his breath in Thai not knowing why the language popped up here.

"Hm?"

He shook his head. "You sure about the bed?" He asked seriously and stared into her eyes, looking for signs of hesitation. The idea excited him beyond anything, at the same time it scared him too. It was a new, unknown territory. He wouldn't mess up too much, right?

She smiled at him, there was no hesitation. "Yes. I want this off you already." She pulled at the front of his t-shirt. Yeah, he wanted it off too; he was feeling way too hot in his clothes. Then she added: "well, if you don't mind." Her lips twitched as she was fighting the teasing grin.

He gave her a 'seriously?' look. "Do I look like I mind?"

She stared at him for a second. "Not at all." She said overly seriously and hid her face in the crook of his neck, silent laughter shaking her body. Even though she wanted to get intimate and wasn't scared, it was kind of new for her too.

He shook his head and walked them to her room.

On their way she automatically stretched her arm and turned off the main light in the huge room, leaving only a small kitchen light on. She closed the door of to her room behind them too. No one was at home, but seeing the dark corridor wasn't exactly pleasant. He looked at her with amusement; he shouldn't be surprised by how much she could control her body. A tall lamp behind her night table was on, giving off a warm light. The daylight would've been better, but not like he could protest.

When he was at the bed's edge, she held onto his shoulders, her legs untangled from around his hips and she kneeled onto her huge bed. The short pause allowed them to cool off a little and the room changed the atmosphere. It got more intimate, safer, calmer, more private but not less desirous. Now they were about the same height.

He was looking into those huge red orbs that seemed like living breathing wildfire in this dim, warm light. She was mesmerising. Her flushed face, messy hair, slender neck… His fingers brushed the side of her neck wandering to her hair, where he found the hair tie and freed it. A sigh of pleasure escaped her as he gently combed through her long thick hair.

Then she kissed him. She had to; those dark clashing waves in his eyes were threatening to drown her and she wanted to give in, she couldn't stand it anymore. She was just as desperate for this as him. She loved him and she wanted to be closer to him than anyone, to let him closer than anyone.

Her hands could finally wander under his t-shirt and touch his burning skin, caress his muscles. When he let out a growl, she decided the t-shirt had to go off immediately. And with a little of his cooperation it did. She took a moment to just stare and appreciate that perfectly refined pectorals and abs, and that trail of dark hairs under his navel. And he let her, because that admiring gaze could almost equal touch. Wandering under his t-shirt and having him displayed like this… It was different. Then she reached out and traced his collarbone, her hand stopping above his frantically beating heart. His heartbeat could match hers; it amazed her to no ends.

The touch was making his skin tingle. His jeans and boxers were starting to feel tight. Tch, not yet... He thought, but she was irresistible. "Unfair." He breathed out, realising that he held his breath until then.

She let her hand travel down his chest to his abs, noticing the slight bulge in his jeans. Already getting there, huh? She hadn't directly touched him or anything. It pleased her. Then she raised her eyes and a playful smile appeared on her lips as she leaned forward: "Then even it out." She whispered, planting a kiss right behind his ear, which made him growl and sent shivers down his spine. She'd just handed the lead over to him.

Her tank top ended up thrown on her chair the next second. He didn't give her any time to voice objections; not like she would... And he sighed dreamily looking down at her body, glad he'd been prepared for that. She looked exactly the way he remembered; beautifully perfect. Her full breasts were hidden by a dark, wine red part-lacy bra, curves, soft skin... The boyish necklace that was resting on top of the crease between her boobs caught his eye. He didn't like seeing it in this situation. Selfish and childish as it might've been, the necklace bothered him. He'd rather see it resting on the night table than on top of her chest. But he decided to ignore it for now, because he felt that if he told her to take it off, he'd kill the mood. It wasn't that much in the way… So before she could take a notice of what he was staring at, he pulled her towards him. He loved her; he wouldn't care about a freakin' piece of jewellery. Still… his arm wrapped around her waist a tad more firmly that he intended and he hungrily kissed her on the lips.

Aya gasped at the force of his kiss, letting his tongue in. His strong rough hands wrapping around her and feeling every inch of her exposed skin made her moan in pleasure. She let him push her back against the covers and she pulled him to follow her.

She had to untangle her legs without kicking him and he had to climb up; her bed was huge, but also freaking high. They chuckled breathlessly at the clumsiness of that. Despite the chuckles, she stretched her arms towards him with an inviting smile on her slightly swollen lips.

He had all the advantage right now. He could do so much more. He wanted to see more of her. Hear, more of her voice. He had a good idea how to do that already. A teasing, loving grin spread on his lips. Her eyes widened as she saw him lean down to kiss her lower belly, just above the waistband of her shorts. He felt her muscles tighten under his lips, but she didn't stop him, so she probably didn't mind it. Her skin was so warm and soft.

He kissed, licked and nibbled his way up, enjoying every movement, every encouraging touch she gave him and every sound he lured out of her. This time he didn't shy away from touching her breasts. He hesitated for a moment but then he gently explored them through the fabric of her bra and kissed the exposed skin; finding his way back to her neck and lips.

Then he stopped and propped himself on his elbow. "I-If… you don't l-like something…" He was slightly out of breath. "Just kick me off."

She chuckled and pulled him down on her level. Yeah, it was difficult to keep steady when there was so much more to do, but he rested his forehead against hers for a moment, pushing her down with more weight he'd like, but apparently it was okay. His eyes were glazed over with lust and desire, but caring enough to make sure she was comfortable... That he was actually still thinking about it and told her that now… It surprised her. She smiled and kissed him tenderly.

"Don't worry... I'd do that even if you didn't say it." She said half teasingly, half seriously. "But the same goes for you." Though you probably won't let me do that much tonight…

He nodded, but she could probably do whatever and he wouldn't stop her. He hooked one of her bra straps with his finger. "Can I get rid of that?"

"You have my blessing." She wanted it off too.

He pulled that strap of her bra off her shoulder and kissed it. Then the other. He tried not to touch her biggest scar, but he accidentally brushed it anyways. And she jerked her arm away as if he pricked her with a needle.

"Sorry." He apologised immediately.

"Sorry." She said at the same time; it wasn't his fault she was weird about that one scar.

They both chuckled at that, knowing that despite being on the cloud nine at the moment, it was fine to be them, to mess up a bit too. He kissed her left shoulder as in apology, avoiding the scar and got back to his previous intention. He frowned when he felt there were three hooks fastening her bra. He knew how that magic worked, but one handedly, he could only manage two hooks. He hoped to undo all three at the same time, but…"Tch." Only two it was. With a bit of struggle he undid the last hook which was persistently resisting him.

She raised an eyebrow at him, but he ignored it too immersed in finishing his quest of freeing her boobs. She didn't hinder him, nor tried to cover herself. She wouldn't have let him take it off, if she'd been too shy about it.

Finally… He'd wanted to get here for so damn long. She was all and more he'd imagined. Beautiful. Just perfect… Goddess… His goddess and little teasing witch, he loved. He licked his lips, wondering how it felt to touch. But first, he leaned over and kissed her softly, as thanks for granting him this blessing.

The reverence in his eyes made her feel like the most beautiful being out there. Like she didn't have a single scar or flaw on her body. She blinked under the rush of emotions and chuckled against his lips. He was unbelievable. Truly…

His hand moved again, caressing her sides, working his way to her breasts. Thankfully, his boner wasn't that desperate yet and he was determined to ignore it for as long as he could, because Aya's body was way more interesting at the moment. He started touching her boobs carefully, like treating something very precious, slowly figuring out how a woman's breasts felt. It exceeded his expectations and he felt self-conscious, almost guilty about his rough hands. The area right under the breasts seemed especially sensitive and when he caressed her nipples, she gasped, arching her back and leaning into his touch. He couldn't resist the urge to kiss and taste, giving special attention to her sensitive nipples, varying between kissing, licking and sucking. Her fingers dived into his hair and scraped the back of his neck, which only encouraged him further.

She moaned in pleasure. Daiki had probably no idea how good he was with his tongue, her hips rolled against a thin air and she bit her lip.

Her leg bent and pressed against his side. He brushed her thigh and grabbed her hip pushing her down. And then he let her feel his teeth. He didn't want to hurt her; he hoped he didn't. It was just a light bite, but he wanted to see her reaction, even if he'd gotten slapped.

She squealed at that light bite. It didn't hurt… but damn, she felt like she could melt. She wanted to melt under his hands. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and she felt the satisfied smile on his face. Unbelievable, cheeky, little… Urgh… But she didn't kick him off.

He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow, like wanting to know if what he'd just done was okay, or way over the line. But he quickly buried his face between her breasts muffling his groan, as she brushed against his boner looking straight at him with so much passion and lust and love, it almost made him come. But not yet. She's unbelievable… That was 100% the payback for that bite. And he still didn't know if it was okay, but she didn't kick him off… His jeans felt way too tight, so he absent-mindedly undid his belt and buttons of the fly to relieve some pressure off him. He tried to collect his breath while doing that, but her intoxicating scent wasn't helping it. When he exhaled through his nose, she laughed breathlessly and tried to retreat into the mattress.

"T-that… tickles…" She squeezed out.

"Huh?" He looked at her and then back at the place he'd unintentionally assaulted. He chuckled at that, his breath tickling her again. She tried to squirm further away – unsuccessfully.

"Daiki!" She scolded him accusingly. "Stop it."

He smirked and crawled higher, kissing her neck and lips. "I'm not apologising." He murmured, his thigh boldly pressing between her legs. He wasn't sure what reaction he expected, but she let out the sweetest sound and her hips moved against his thigh in response.

He probably didn't know what he was doing to her. Not with just his body, but with his voice too; that deep hot husky voice of his. She felt so hot, she'd swear that in that moment she wasn't just wet, but dripping. Instinctively or maybe just wanting more pleasure she rubbed herself against his thigh again, kissing his jaw. Part of her wanted to push him off change their positions and take charge, part of her wanted to give in and let him do whatever he wanted, and part of her was aware that he probably wasn't sure what to do with her from this point on. Please don't make me beg…

"U-uhm…" But Daiki caught on quickly, taking her hint. His hand wandered down to her shorts tucking at the waist band. Was he allowed that far? Should've asked that before getting to this point… She didn't seem to mind, on the contrary, and he was the one who wanted to see all of her. Finally he had a chance and her blessing – though that one was for bra, but whatever, unless she protested, he wouldn't ask further. He pulled back from her to actually see what the hell his hands were doing.

She propped herself on her elbows and watched him with an amused smile. He gave her time to protest if she wanted. His fingers shook when he pulled the zipper down, she wasn't sure if he was nervous or that turned on. She opened her mouth to tease, but then she bit her tongue and changed her mind. She couldn't be impatient.

He hooked the sides of her shorts and she lifted her bottom from the bed in cooperation, letting him pull them down together with her fluffy socks. She let him have a moment to stare at her panties with lacy edges, matching the bra which was god knew where now…

But there was one thing… "Daiki," she called out softly, making him look at her, but failing to realise how erotic she sounded. And looked… "…I'd take off the jeans…" she said with a coy smile, hoping she wasn't going too far and staring straight at his crotch with a blush and genuine curiosity, "…things might get… a bit messy." She hadn't seen him either…

His mind went blank for a second. He blushed, his throat feeling dry and his boner close to unbearable, but he refused coming first again. Just, no. Then he looked at the necklace, it sort of served like a tiny turn-off, or a cool-off point in his overly aroused universe. And he was glad he didn't ask her to take it off.

"Tch," the protest hardly held any weight. And his jeans and socks ended up on the pile with her shorts. He kissed the inner side of her thigh his hands caressed her legs. She sighed contently. This close he caught her scent, giving a very curious look to her woman parts hidden under the thin fabric. It was… unusual, something he'd never smelled before, but so tempting at the same time. He glanced up at her, not quite sure how to approach this whole new and unknown territory.

She reached her hand out, "I want to kiss you."

Gratefully, he complied. It was something familiar... Their hands were once again feeling the other up, bringing back the previous heat, and easing up his nerves. Her lips were like home, confidence booster and everything in between. What the fuck was he even overthinking?

Very soon, they were breathing heavily. She could feel the burning hot erection in his boxers, though he tried to avoid rubbing against her, it made her want to tease it a bit. But she knew better, and he was giving her so damn much attention; touching her, kissing her everywhere he knew she liked… she couldn't tease. And then he found the bold curiosity to let his hand wander down, to her most intimate parts, touching her through the panties. Pressing her slightly.

Whoa… She was dripping wet; he could feel it even through the fabric.

She tensed a bit at the sudden feeling shooting through her as he did that. "Damn, yes…" She groaned; her voice laced with so much pleasure… It left her mouth before she could bite her tongue and stop it, earning her a surprise look from Daiki. She covered her face, red in embarrassment. "Sorry?" She peeped, wanting to disappear.

His surprised expression turned into a wolfish grin. Aya losing her constraints like that? In front of him? Because of him? That expression of pleasure… it totally knocked any possible restraints and considerations he still had. "Oh, damn yes…" He echoed in a deep low growl, vibrating deep in his chest.

Her eyes widened, not sure if she should get scared, but her body decided to respond to that erotic voice on its own and her hips moved against his hand almost desperately. She grabbed the forearm of the arm he was using as his support. Her other hand left his back; she didn't want to scratch. "Whoa…" She blinked, probably surprised by her own reaction.

Encouraged by that, he slipped his hand under the last piece of fabric covering her. He was partly expecting hairs, but he only felt soft smooth skin like everywhere else on her body. "You can still… kick me off." He reminded her, the words felt heavy on his tongue. Then he wandered further between her other lips hesitantly, trying to remember everything he could about her anatomy, and how to make her feel good. He knew he had to be gentle… Not that it was easy when she was so warm, and so wet, and so inviting.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the electrifying sensation he was giving her. "Y-you know, I won'–" She gasped, her words cut off when brushed her clit in a particular way. Not that it was easy to talk when he was touching her like that.

That was a pretty clear indication for him. "Here?" He asked, trying to do the same thing as before, having an idea that what he'd just blindly discovered was a golden mine. Her moan and the way she moved against his fingers, was all the answer he needed. But he still wandered lower, where it was a bit wetter, to finish his blind exploration.

He considered sticking a finger in, but she seemed to be so close to coming, that he returned back to the magical nub.

"S-stay there…" She breathed out, meeting him in the movement. She wanted him to touch her there, to get her over the edge, no more delays. "Y-you… mmm… can go faster…." She bit her lip, not embarrassed by her inability to speak like a person anymore.

And he did what she asked.

Watching her, feeling her and hearing her… She wasn't loud, it was just enough between content sighs and soft moans. And he'd swear he heard his name escaping there somewhere too. Her grip on his arm got stronger, then she let go and rather clutched the cover on her bed. She didn't need much more to come. Honestly, neither did him. The satisfaction of getting her to this point, was…

Daiki's hand driving her to the edge… It was probably the only thing she could focus on. Him, and the pleasure he was giving. Just a bit –

With very sharp intake of breath, her muscles contracted in the familiar way. She tried to close her legs, but her knees bumped into his hips that were in the way. He felt her clit pulse, was that fine? …his mind went blank… And since she couldn't close her legs her own hand automatically shot down, entrapping his hand in her panties, because it felt much better if something pressed against her. He wouldn't fight with the grip she had at that moment. It pulsed down there like a heartbeat a few times and she rolled her hips against their hands. It didn't feel like intentional movement, but he couldn't care less; he was fascinated. So this was Aya's orgasm…

Slowly, she let out that breath, calming down, freeing his hand. He was fairly satisfied with his work here. …maybe not as smooth as he would've liked, but highly gratifying. His fingers were covered in her juices. How did it taste? The thought crossed his mind and he stared at his hand. It smelled considerably tempting, did it taste like that too? Would he be too weird if tried it? The temptation was too strong, and he gave it a hesitant lick. A content, low grunt left his lungs. It was nothing like anything he'd ever tasted, but just the way he thought it was. It was her.

"Tissue?"

It snapped his attention back to Aya, who was curiously watching him. She was smiling contently. He probably turned as red as her hair. "U-uhm… W-was that too… weird?" He didn't dare meeting her eyes.

"No. A bit… Nah, no." She shrugged. "But tissue?" She asked again, not expecting him to lick his hand clean. That would be weird.

"Uh…"

She kissed him to get rid of the awkwardness. He was still very hard and she felt bad for her negligence. She blindly pulled out a tissue from the box on her night table and wiped his hand. She ran her hands down his torso to the hem of his boxers.

"Can I?" She asked against his lips, caressing the hairs on his lower belly. Gently pushing him up, she wouldn't mind him rubbing himself against her, but she wanted to touch him too.

His mind was blank, but the sheer idea of her touching him there, her kisses and that hand of hers were driving him crazy already. "Y-yeah…" He breathed out. Please do. His boner was almost painful already, he desperately wanted to release.

Kissing his neck, her hand dived into his boxers, freeing his cock from his underwear. It was an unbelievable sensation, having someone else do it. A content grunt left his throat and he closed his eyes in pleasure. Finally. It was some real trust that she could play with the most sensitive part of his body. He let her change their positions without any struggle, barely noticing that his boxers followed after his jeans. He couldn't care less.

She allowed herself to stare at his proud erection for a second. This was her man. His shyness gone. She grinned at his appreciation, planting a kiss on his hip bone, while her hands felt all of his width and length. She loved the sounds, almost animalistic growls, he made. His scent, his godly refined muscles that were covered in sweat. Seeing him like this because of her, for her… It turned her on again and he wasn't far from coming.

No, he really wasn't far. She was too gentle to his tastes, it wasn't bad, but he really wanted to just get off. His mind was too focused on the pleasure to form a sentence, so he gripped her hand around his cock, showing her how firm she could be.

She smiled, glad for his guidance, licking his nipple, which made him gasp. It was bold, daring, she wasn't sure he'd like it, but she couldn't resist. He pressed her against him firmly, not to stop her; he just couldn't take the teasing anymore.

With a few more strokes, and her lips on his neck his body tensed. He let out a breathless groan as he came. When he caught his breath again and loosened his grip, he realised he was clutching at her hair too. He hoped it didn't hurt her too much.

~~~~~End of lemons~~~~~

She rested her head on his shoulder with a content sigh and threw her leg over his thigh. He made a mess, he could feel they were stuck together not just with their sweat, but whatever. It didn't matter. Having Aya cuddled against him so relaxed, drawing lazy circles on his chest, as if it wasn't the first time they did something like this… This was the best. He gently brushed her side sighing as a familiar, but strangely more intense sleepy warmth spread through his veins.

Still… "Uhm… we should clean up…" He grumbled in complaint. He was more than comfortable, but having his own stuff drying up on him… Eh, he wasn't fond the idea.

She sighed and leaned over him to snatch another tissue, wiping what she could see. She didn't quite care; as long as it wasn't on her face or in her hair… This was supposed to be messy. And she was just that comfortable with him. "Good enough?" She asked with a teasing undertone and threw the tissue on the ground, returning to her previous warm spot next to him.

"Damn, I love you…" He muttered, burying his nose in her hair; it smelled so nice.

"Damn, you do." She laughed, still embarrassed about her loose tongue. He cracked opened one eye and heaved up on his elbows to glare at her. But he knew that glare had no real power in it. It made her laugh more. "Don't tease me for that."

"Huh?" He blinked at her, "I wasn't…" then remembered… and smirked. Was she self-conscious about it? "Oooh. I didn't know you talk dirty." It had surprised him, but…

That wolfish grin again… She blushed furiously. "I don't! Didn't! I-i-it wasn't intentional, okay?!"

"Mmmmhm…" He hummed, pushing her back. She stared at him with wide eyes, but didn't stop him. He kissed her cheek and leaned to her ear, "I didn't mind it. I'll make you talk more next time." He whispered and pulled back. She shuddered at his low voice and breath tickling her ear. He laughed at that mixture of surprised, offended and turned on expression of hers. "Oh, Aya, I just love you so much." He rumbled through the laughter. He certainly hadn't meant to tease her before. Then he focused on her face again. "… all of you." He added lovingly. Yep, he was positively madly in love.

She couldn't even pretend to be offended at those words. She kissed his lips tenderly in response. "I love you too, Daiki."

At that surge of goofy fluffy emotions he squeezed her into a tight hug, making her squeal. She laughed and wrapped her arms around him.

"You know-"

-To be continued in the next chapter-

---

A/N: Sorry for ending it like this, but it was already freaking long and I didn't want to split it. I hope no one was too OOC or anything, like always. I'm also not that confident with smut, so (took me too long to write it too), eh sorry; I've tried.

Next chapter might be mainly fluff, not moving the plot too much (I don't think Daiki will be eager to go watch the matches they should). But, we might get to see Seth. Finally.

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

S.