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?

60. Chapter 60: We play fair and square

A/N: Hi, I'm alive! just took a long time to complete this one. Thanks to everyone who followed and favourited and reviewed! I'm very happy that there are still some new readers! Thank you for the support.

The title is debatable, I'm open to better ideas, if you have some ;)

Enjoy!

---

Chase your stars fool, life is short. ― Atticus Poetry, Love Her Wild

Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. – Pele

All she wanted was that cozy love the kind that felt like hot chocolate, rainstorms or wood fires in small houses. Hard to describe but you know when you got it. ― Atticus Poetry, The Truth About Magic

Dance to inspire, dance to freedom, life is about experiences so dance and let yourself become free. ― Shah Asad Rizvi

Loving him was like sinking into a warm bath; lying there in the soft safety of his silence. ― Atticus Poetry, The Dark Between Stars

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot. – Kobe Bryant

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game. – Michael Jordan

---

Kouta was really trying to make his weird-ass long distance relationship work and last. But it'd been two months of occasional phone calls and texts, and he was getting edgy, dissatisfied, frustrated and overall angry that he couldn't meet with Shun, that he couldn't hug him, or kiss him… and the damn time difference was making it all so much worse.

I knew I wasn't cut out for long distance relationships… He let out a long sigh, staring into his glass of vodka in his usual gay bar.

"Love trouble?" Bartender asked him with a smile, he'd known Kouta since the guy moved to L.A. and he knew that he was rarely this gloomy.

"Mmm… Long distance… Not even sure we can work as a couple… Aaaah, I might as well become a monk now."

The bartender shrugged, "well, isn't love always physical for you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kouta tilted his head to look at him. It was true. Love meant sex. Sex didn't always mean love though. This time… He was trying to stay true but he wanted to feel something. Some connection; not necessarily emotional. He was fighting it, but temptations seemed too strong and he'd had enough drinks to do something stupid.

"What eyes don't see… How long have you been together? A month?" He guessed that was the time some of Kouta's usual hook ups started complaining that he was turning them down. The bartender didn't butt into anyone's business; he just kept tracks of his regulars and their affairs. Offered well meant advice when he thought he could. "How well do you know each other? Are you sure the other party is being faithful to you? If you can't know, why suffer?"

He stared at one of his first friends in L.A., and then downed his vodka in one gulp. "Maybe you're right." He turned around and scanned the bar, was there someone available? There were several people, not too many. His eyes landed at a guy fairly similar to Shun. Kouta didn't know him and the guy was sitting alone with a half empty bottle of wine. "Who's that?"

"Showed up last week. His name's Josh and I saw him leave with Drew once."

"Drew, huh?" Drew was a known bottom around here. Kouta'd given him a go once or twice; enough to know that Drew was close to mysophobic and he had certain requirements of his partners. "Hmmm…" He scanned the guy. Josh was taller and definitely bulkier than him. Bulkier than Shun, and older than both of them, but… Maybe…

Josh looked at him; measured him up curiously. Then he raised his glass, calling Kouta over.

"I don't say no to an invitation like this."

---

Tada's phone buzzed at a crazy early hour.

"What?!" He picked up, half-asleep, without looking at the screen. If it was an emergency, it would only be Wakamatsu, or someone from the team.

"Uh…" Shun heard someone sniffle on the other side.

"Who is it? What's going on?" He asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Shun… I need to see you." Kouta said in a weak voice, which almost broke at the end.

"Kouta-senpai? What do you mean? What happened?"

"I've done something stupid… I need you."

"…" He had no idea what that meant. Kouta was in L.A., that was a half day flight away.

"I'm comin' home. Can I?"

"Wait what? Don't you have school?"

"You… don't want me to come?"

"No! No! Of course I want to see you! I miss you! I'm just… worried. Is everything okay?" He facepalmed and growled quietly. Of course something was wrong, if Kouta called him in the middle of the night and was coming back on impulse.

"Not over the phone… Are your folks home, can I crash at your place for a few days? I don't want to bother my brothers."

"…you can stay over."

"Good. I should be there around 6PM… Sorry for waking you up." Kouta hung up as suddenly as he called.

Shun blinked at his phone. He had no idea what was going on or what to expect. Thankfully, his father wasn't home, or he'd kill Kouta at sight and then he'd beat Shun senseless. What on earth could have happened…

######

"Oooh, this brings back memories." Aya grinned as they approached the huge stadium. It was the first time Seirin would play here and they were all excited. This was the place of the Winter cup too.

"Have you been here before, Aya-chan?" Riko asked her curiously.

"Mmm, there were a few dancing competitions here that I attended." For a second she actually missed her stupid dancing partner. She remembered all the excitement and nerves before a competition.

"Really?" Taiga asked, surprised. He knew she'd had a few competitions in Japan, he just couldn't remember where exactly. He'd never accompanied her to abroad events.

"Why am I not surprised you don't remember?" She laughed. "But it's funny… Our roles made a 180°."

"What do you mean?"

"You're the star ace of the team which is a black horse of this competition. And I'm just a spectator."

Taiga blushed. "I'm not a star ace!"

"You're the ace though…" She teased with a grin and scanned the people around her. She was surprised by how many people gathered to watch matches that were just high-school preliminaries. A notch better than prelims, but still prelims.

"Do you mind it, Aya-san?" Kuroko made her flinch, when he spoke from behind her.

"Mind what?"

"That you're just a spectator now?"

"Jealous of my spotlight?" Taiga returned her teasing.

"No! I'm not jealous. I'm not you." She stuck out her tongue. "I'm happy for you, dumbass."

Instead of bristling up, her twin hummed with his hands clasped behind his back. His expression was saying he saw through her. "You're thinking 'bout him, aren't ya?"

"Mmm, I miss it a little. All the thrill. And I wonder if he's alive or what… If that's what you mean by thinking 'bout him."

Taiga laughed. "I certainly miss the constant arguments."

"Bottomless pit of creative insults aimed at me… Sure you miss it."

"They're in their world, right?" Koganei asked no one in particular. As they all noticed, the twins sometimes wandered off track and no one knew what or who they were talking about anymore.

"Probably." Kuroko nodded. This side of Taiga amused him to no end.

"Aaah, I'd like to have someone reading my mind during the games like that." Hyuuga mused, admiring the same wavelength of the twins.

"You think he knows when she's with Aomine?" Koganei wiggled his eyebrows.

Riko slapped the back of his head, with a blush. "Shut up."

"What? I'm just curious. Curious."

"What was that?" Taiga turned to his teammate, when they got off their memory train.

"Nothin'." Hyuuga shrugged, hiding his blush. "Just discussing your obvious connection."

"Really, I'm curious." Koganei protested, stepping away from Riko. "How far does it go?"

Taiga's brows furrowed in thought. How far…? He didn't get the question.

"You knooow… When Aya-chan's with Aomine… Do you know?"

"HAH?!" He shouted. "What nonsense are you asking?! Of course I don't! It's not mind reading! We're not in some weird ass fantasy! I'd rather die than know that?!"

Aya chuckled and rather avoided the topic. To an extent, Taiga could tell when she was on her high; if he was thinking about her, if he wanted to know whether she was fine. He hated the fact he'd noticed it, he'd blamed her for transmitting her dirty personal matters to him… But she knew they'd cope and learn to ignore it. It was better the team didn't know any of that.

She let her eyes scan the crowd again. Feeling someone's gaze she turned to her right. "Shit…" She shuddered, when her eyes met Hanamiya's. Yes, she was aware his team was in the competition, but she hoped she wouldn't meet him at all.

"Ah, so they're here too." Kiyoshi, standing by her side, smiled at Hanamiya with his goofy, welcoming smile. "Did you have some conflict with him?"

"Not exactly… He just makes my skin crawl. They were trying to gang up on Daiki in the Interhigh."

"Huh," he rubbed his chin, "I suppose they didn't succeed."

"Not in the slightest."

Kiyoshi nodded. Hanamiya must've been holding a grudge against the whole Touou's team. "Are you going to be fine on your own?"

"I think I'll bump into some of my teammates here too." Aya nodded. "Plus, he should be playing on the court, right?"

"Should be–"

"Done with your argument?!" Riko asked the boys, and both Taiga and Koganei had the same red marks on their cheeks from the slap she'd given them in order to stop their silly banter.

"Ossu." They stood at attention, not looking at each other, or they'd probably get a laughing fit.

######

"Aya-chan!" Tada called out to her when he was looking for a seat with Wakamatsu, who dragged him to watch the matches. Imayoshi and Susa had joined them half-way to the stadium.

She turned at the voice and smiled. "Hey! Glad to see you." At least she wouldn't be here all alone. The matches were about to start and Hanamiya was not on the court, which meant he was somewhere around and she hadn't spotted him yet.

They made their way towards her and took vacant seats around her. Imayoshi and Susa sat behind her, while Wakamatsu and Tada took the seats in her row, next to her.

She felt safer with her guys. "Who did you come to watch?" She asked curiously. It was unexpected that someone from her team actually showed up. As far as she knew, no one was planning to come.

"Ah, I was bored in the dorms." Imayoshi shrugged, "so I decided to see how Hanamiya will cope with Shuutoku, but I see it's a waste of time." He adjusted his glasses and glared at the court with distaste.

"Urgh, and Kagami and Kuroko are benched." Wakamatsu grumbled. He was curious about those two and how much they'd improved. "Any chances of them playing?" He turned to Aya.

"I don't know. Depends on the match, but I don't think so."

"They shouldn't play. If Seirin can win without them, they should stay benched."

"What do you mean?" She turned around to look at Imayoshi.

"Hanamiya is deliberately throwing the match. Kirisaki can't win against Shuutoku with those guys. They don't even have a chance. And Hanamiya's not down there. You know, he is their captain and coach... If he isn't down there, he's leaving them alone."

"Coach too, huh? Then why is he doing that? I mean, I know he's a terrible person, but that's just cruel."

"That's Hanamiya, Aya-chan. I think he wants to observe for a future advantage. And there is only one team worth observing." He gave a sly look at the Seirin players.

"Oh, shit…" She muttered. So Hanamiya was observing Seirin to make a plan for his foul play. At best… Shit!

"Kuroko and Kagami shouldn't play, for their own good. They'll have a better chance on Monday if Hanamiya doesn't know their tricks."

"Easier said than done, captain." Shun mused, "they'll be facing Shuutoku tomorrow, and they can't win that one without Kagami and Kuroko combo."

"Yeah, well… Monday will be interesting then."

######

Aya was watching carefully, but she wasn't really into the matches. It wasn't boring per se; Seirin versus Senshikan was actually nice to watch. Senshinkan was obviously surprised by Seirin's development and so far, Taiga and Kuroko were sitting out.

"They should've expected it." She grumbled.

"They still like to believe to be kings of the west." Imayoshi snorted. "How short-sighted."

"Yeah, well… it'll be an easy win for Seirin." The game was led by Seirin from the start. The score was so far balanced, but Senshikan was struggling to keep it that way, while Seirin scored and played with ease.

"That other match is a catastrophe." She cocked her head towards the other court. "It's pain to watch the struggle."

"You know what that means?" Imayoshi smirked.

"What are you thinking?" Susa asked, already suspecting Imayoshi's answer.

"Hanamiya's team will thin out after this match." His smirk widened into something malicious. "Who'd want to stay in a torturer's team?"

Aya grimaced at their captain. "Please, don't make a face like you're delighted about it."

"I am. Maybe next year, he won't have a team to lead anymore, because of his own stupidity. That's a good thing."

"Eeeerr…" Aya turned back towards the game, trying to forget Imayoshi's expression. She knew the guy had a foul personality too, but… poor guys in Kirisaki who actually liked the game.

"Just ignore him. He's on cloud nine, seeing Hanamiya's possible trouble." Shun told her and looked at his phone again.

"Is something going on?"

"Ah, no, nothing. Just checking my messages."

######

During the mid-game break she decided to go check up with the Seirin's team. Not like they need your insight… She thought as she turned around the corner and came to a halt.

"If it isn't Kagami?" Hanamiya was staring her down with a fake smile. "What are you doing here? There are no matches for you any time soon."

She bit her tongue and forced a smile. "Hello, Hanamiya-senpai. It seems I took the wrong turn, if this is your team's changing room… Which reminds me…" He made her skin crawl, but she wouldn't show it at any costs. "How're your teammates doing? All injuries healed?"

His eyes narrowed, disgust rising within him. "No lung cancer yet, I see." [A/N: She gave Hanamiya a cigarette back when they first met – CH22, I think...] He'd love to pay back the whole Touou team for that stunt, especially Daiki. But despite his inner anger, he was still smiling at her.

Chills ran down her spine under his stare. "None indeed." She replied, but she knew it was time to leave real fast. "Well, I'll be heading to Seirin." She turned on her heel to go back the way she'd come.

"…" He was staring at her. "Seirin, huh? Changing colours?"

She stopped and tilted her head. "I'm still Touou's manager, but… Let's say I'm an interested party."

He thought about it for a moment. "Kagami Taiga… Huh, the match suddenly seems more appealing." He licked his lips. "Is he your little brother?"

She didn't agree nor disagree. "Don't do anything that might come to bite you back~" She hummed with her chin stuck out. No one would threaten Taiga on her watch.

"Is that a threat, Kagami?"

"A mere friendly warning." She smiled and walked away.

######

"Where were you?" Taiga scolded her when she slipped into their changing room.

"Met an acquaintance." She shrugged. "I got the wrong corridor. Sorry."

"And you claim you've been here before…" He shook his head.

She laughed. "And I've been. I know all about the security cameras thanks to Ray, but I messed up your door number."

"Any observations from above?" Riko cut in, before the siblings would wander into their world again.

"Not really. Kirisaki's regulars are all observing you though. I don't recommend Taiga and Kuroko-kun to play."

"It's true, we're handling fairly well without you," she glanced at the two, who were fidgeting to get out and play. Then she rubbed her chin in thought. "It can't be prevented tomorrow though. We need the best players against Shuutoku."

"Yeah, I know. But Midorima will take some attention off your team. And if they learnt something new as well… No matter how smart Hanamiya is, his attention will waver."

"I wouldn't bet on it, Aya-chan." Kiyoshi said with a sigh. He knew Hanamiya too well already.

"Mmm… True. But, he is shooting his leg by throwing the match against Shuutoku. The guys playing are not exactly delighted by the absence of their captain and coach on the court."

"You mean he is dissolving his own team?" Hyuuga asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Imayoshi-taichou thinks so. And if it comes to reading people, our captain is scary… Anyway, I do believe him."

"Ahomine?" Taiga cocked his head in question.

"Not here." She shook her head. "He wouldn't come. He said you'd win and that it was a waste of his time. Basically."

"Heeeee…" All the boys were blinking at her. Then Kuroko voiced everyone's thoughts. "Aomine-kun said we'd win?"

"Mhm. He's the way he is, but he does recognise and respect the strong ones. … in a way…"

######

"As expected." Imayoshi sighed, looking at the final scores. Seirin won by 17 points. And Shuutoku won by an unbelievable 72 points. "A waste of time, really."

"It was interesting!" Wakamatsu protested. Kiyoshi caught his attention and made him look forward to their match. If they'd get one… "Kiyoshi seems really good."

"Heh, then pray Hanamiya won't break him. If I remember well, there's bad blood between the two." The captain said and got up. "Anyone who'd join me for a match in darts?"

"Sorry, I've got a date." Aya grinned and waved to Taiga. She signed him their twin gesture for 'see you later' and she was gone.

"We've got plans with Yuuta." Wakamatsu shrugged, pulling Tada with him. Everyone in the team knew that it was best to avoid playing any games with Imayoshi.

Just like they knew it was unwise to join Imayoshi, Susa knew it was also unwise to turn the captain down every single time. He sighed. "I'll go."

"Do they think this so badly of me?" Imayoshi asked his friend, who decided for a very strategic shrug.

######

"Sheeesh, we don't even have time to celebrate. Tomorrow will be an extremely tough battle, without a doubt." Hyuuga sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. They were already leaving the stadium to get their well earned and deserved rest before tomorrow.

"But..! We've got Kiyoshi-senpai now. And we're completely different from before!" Fukuda protested.

"We won the last time too." Furihata supported his friend.

"I have a feeling the next match will be much tougher exactly because of that." Kuroko popped their bubble of confidence.

Riko nodded. "Looks like Kuroko-kun is realistic. We won the last match by pure luck. In terms of strength, they're still much better."

"But they won't be thinking like that anymore. They are not the opponents who would look down on us with authority anymore. They'll come at us with everything they've got." Hyuuga summed it up. Even he was getting chills from the match awaiting them. "To add, our opponent is not some average Joe, but Midorima. It won't be easy." Now he successfully scared the first years, but Taiga was seriously staring ahead. The ace was ready and the frustration from not playing against Senshinkan was fully aimed at Shuutoku. Seems good.

Kiyoshi wanted to cheer them up, when he noticed Hanamiya sitting in one of the dark corridors. "Uhm, sorry guys, go ahead, I need to do something."

"Errr, okay. We'll wait for you outside." Koganei assured him.

He waited for his team to be out of the earshot and then he turned to face his enemy. "Long time no see, Hanamiya."

"Hey… I was dying to see you." Hanamiya greeted him with his vicious grin.

"I saw you during the match. You weren't playing on purpose."

"Yup, something wrong?"

"I don't care if it's right or wrong, I just don't like it. You let down your team."

"Hahahaha!" He cackled. "As usual, your goody-two-shoes personality is so lame, Kiyoshi. If I try hard and reveal all my cards today, then all 3 matches will become serious fights, and that would be tiresome. You saved your trump cards too." He gave Kiyoshi a sideways glare. "I don't care about the immediate victory. Since in the remaining matches, you guys will lose by yourselves."

Kiyoshi frowned. "What does that mean?" He hated Hanamiya's mysterious talks.

"Oops~ I said too much." He got up. "Shuutoku's next, right? Please do your best, I'll be cheering!"

Kiyoshi was staring at Hanamiya's leaving back with mixed feelings. The guy seemed to remember something and turned around. "Ahh! I almost forgot… heal your wounds; I'm pretty concerned."

######

Daiki was just delivering the last bowls with dinner to the dogs in the shelter when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He quickly set the food to the kennels and picked up.

"Hey, sorry, I got held up." He apologised immediately as he was supposed to be on his way home by now.

"Ah, good. No worries." Aya chuckled on the other end. "I figured I forgot something at home, so I'll be a little late too. I just wanted to let you know."

"Uhm, I still don't know anything about your plans."

"Great, we'll meet at your place."

Her tone was playful, but he wasn't sure he wanted to go into this with blindfolds, whatever it was. "Aya. Spit it out already. Where are we going?"

"Please?" She reminded him and he groaned in reply. Then it took her a moment until she finally told him: "…Hiroto's."

"What's there?" He asked suspiciously.

"Uuuuh… A tiny little party?"

He groaned again. That meant dancing. He'd only had a few dancing lessons. "I'm not mentally prepared for that."

"I know. I know… eh, sorry?" She said and he could hear her sheepish smile. "But I need that party. And I want you to accompany me. If you don't want to dance with me, I won't force you… Just, please, be there with me. It'll make me feel much better."

He loved her too much. "Fine. We'll meet at my place." He gave up with a sigh. If this was Satsuki, he'd flat out refuse her.

"Great! Love you." She said happily and hung up.

"Sure you do…" He sighed heavily, shaking his head and staring at his phone. He didn't even try to put up a fight. He knew she'd go even if he refused and he wasn't willing to sacrifice the little time they snatched for themselves. And he certainly didn't want their time to be given to anyone else; because she'd find someone else to go with her, he had no doubt about it.

"Love trouble?"

Daiki almost jumped out of his skin. "Fuck! Don't do that to me, Nakamura-ossan."

The man in his mid-thirties laughed at the teen and his typical rudeness. "Sorry, sorry. I came to remind you that you should be heading home already. Thank you for your work Aomine-kun, I really appreciate the help." He looked at the dogs contently munching on their food. "They do too."

He nodded. "I'll be heading home then. Tomorrow?"

"It's Mirai-chan's shift, but if you can help with the morning walks, it'd be great. She is not that good when handling the big ones."

"How can she work here then? Half of them are big…" He glanced at the dogs.

"That's why she's not the only one helping out here." He smiled. "Don't be too rude to her tomorrow. She's still a kid."

Daiki rolled his eyes. "I'll try… If I feel like it."

######

"Aya! I'm so sorry! I can't come after all!" Hikaru called her completely out of breath. "I know we agreed to go to Hiroto's together, but Emi-san scheduled more photo shoots and I can't get out of here before midnight."

"Oh… Daiki's coming with me. It's fine."

"Huh? So it's a date? You didn't tell me!"

"I told you I'd ask him to come; you were coming just so I had someone to dance with. Someone he knows. I doubt Daiki will appreciate the dancing part too much."

"Eh?! What?" Someone spoke to him so he covered the microphone to reply, though Aya heard it all. "When? Wait… Ah, uhm, yeah." He answered the other person. "You can be pretty dumb, Robin. I have to ruuun. Bye!" He hung up.

Aya blinked at her phone. "Dumb?! What was that?!"

######

"Ah, nice timing." Aya chuckled when they met in front of Daiki's house.

He smirked and looked her up and down. The light jeans and warm leather jacket surprised him. "Not dressed up for the party yet?"

"I thought I'd get ready here." She said with a tiny hint of blush. "Your parents are not home, and I don't want to just torture you with the party and nothing else."

"So we're not in a hurry?" He blinked at her with a blush and a broad smile graced his lips. He hadn't thought they'd have time to get hot'n'heavy. It immensely improved his mood.

"Dancing parties of this kind… it's a norm you come late, or whenever you want." She winked at him as they approached the door, already hearing the happy dogs bouncing behind it. "We have as much time as we want."

He was grinning like a kid when he unlocked the door, and pushed the dogs inside with his body. Aya waited for a moment outside, until they calmed down and then walked in to pet them. Daiki had explained to her how he wanted her to reinforce and participate in the dogs' training and what the rules in their house were, and she was now trying to follow it properly.

"Besides…" She got up from the dogs, looking at him.

"Hm?"

She walked towards him and pulled him down to her level by his t-shirt. "I'm not leaving the country without marking you mine." She hummed into his ear and gently kissed the side of his neck.

He blinked in surprise. What? Eh? Aya was always pretty forward, but it felt… different from usual. And she made a super cute face when pulling him down to her level. Her lips…

Her lips trailed down to his collarbone, leaving a mark. It was childish; she knew, that's why she didn't leave marks on him, but this time, she couldn't help it.

A mark? For real? But the stinging place just under his collarbone was very much real. He was in bliss. More… I want more. Give me more. He pushed her against the entrance door, ravishing her lips, touching her through the clothes. Her soft moan was drowned in his mouth. Which made him move to her neck; he wanted to hear her more of her voice. It sounded so erotic.

He unzipped her jacket and his hands wandered under her t-shirt.

"Ar-woo~" Shiro forced her nose, and then her head and body between them, sniffing Daiki's clothes and enthusiastically wagging her tail.

"Hey! What're you–!" He snapped at the dog, but noticed that Kurome was just as interested in sniffing his pants.

Aya chuckled breathlessly. "Are they jealous?"

"Huh?" Her subtle blush was so cute, he forgot about being angry at the dogs. Besides, he must've smelled from all the animals in the shelter.

He took a step back and pulled away, thinking about all the slobber he had all over him. Gross… "Tch… I should take a shower first. I was slobbered all over today, and I stink." He frowned, sniffing his t-shirt. He pointed at the dogs, "they think so too."

She leaned closer to sniff his t-shirt too; she wanted to say she didn't care about that, but he really did stink of dogs. Maybe the interruption was for the best… She smirked, "well then, I'm coming with you."

######

Daiki was sprawled on his bed wearing only his boxer briefs and watching her in satisfaction as she was getting ready for the party. He knew he'd be ready in 10 minutes or less, but Aya needed more than that. In his opinion, they didn't need to go anywhere and she didn't need the make-up, but she insisted. It fascinated him how many procedures girls could go through to get out of the house. And there was the fact that Shiro and Kurome were resting their heads on Aya's thighs, while she was working on her make-up and she didn't mind one bit. It was certainly an image he'd like to remember for the rest of his life. It just warmed his heart seeing her like that.

"What?" She turned from the mirror she set on his desk. It was right under the window, where she had the best light there.

"Nothin'." He smiled softly. He was considering pulling her back to the bed, but he blinked, seeing her make-up done. Her artwork was finished, and her eyes looked stunning; smoky eye shadows going from dark grey on the outside to the dark red on the inside. Her eyelashes were surprisingly long once she put on mascara and she didn't use all that much make-up on her skin. He loved it. "You look great." He complimented.

She smiled happily. "Thank you. Are you okay if I wear blood red lipstick?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Because… it can look a bit…" She turned back to the mirror and applied the lipstick she wanted, and then turned back to Daiki. "…dangerous."

"Damn…" He breathed out. He couldn't take his eyes off Aya's lips. It was the first time he saw her wearing such vivid lipstick and make-up. Even when show-dancing those few times, she chose rather gentle make-up and colours, so this was new for him. And she looked ravishing, intimidating even. If she wasn't his woman and if he met her at that party, he wondered if he'd find the courage to go and talk to her. She was in a league of her own.

"In a good way or a bad way?"

"In a… I want to pull you back to the bed way?" He blushed. "Tch…" And honestly, if he hadn't come twice before, he'd really do that again, not caring how much he'd mess up her artwork.

"Great." She smiled widely. "Now I wonder what you'll say when I get dressed." She chirped teasingly and pulled a small neatly folded pile of clothes out of her bag.

His eyes narrowed when she pulled on a tight off-shoulder long sleeved black crop top, showing her midriff from waist down. Then she put on stay ups with a lacy top and a tight black skirt that concealed the stay-ups just enough. If she wanted the lace to show, it would. And there were also ankle strap high heels.

"Can I just lock you in here?" He asked, looking her up and down. "That," he pointed at her whole outfit, "should be illegal for you." It looked amazing, but she was showing quite a lot of skin. He certainly wouldn't let her go dancing with anyone he didn't know.

Aya laughed. "That's why you're coming with me, right?"

"Heeeh?" He tilted his head to a side curiously. "Would you dress differently if I wasn't coming?"

"Most likely." She shrugged. "Depends on who would be with me… If no one I trust, then I would probably be more careful with choosing my outfit and make-up. I'd cover myself more than this."

He stared at her for a moment, not having any comment on that. Then with a groan he sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. "What do I wear?" He wasn't sure he could match up to her looks.

She hummed, braiding her hair into a messy French braid she loved to wear. "White fitting t-shirt and jeans would do, y' know… And some accessories, like bracelets or something."

"White?" He raised his eyebrow; she was wearing black.

She grinned. "You look incredibly hot in white t-shirts."

"Do you want to leave the house today or not?" He wouldn't admit it, but he loved when she complimented him too. It soothed his ego.

"I wonder…" She put a finger to her lips in pretended thinking. "But I need dancing! Come on, I'm calling a cab."

"Hai, hai." He started dressing, when he stopped and stared down at the hickeys, "you left quite a few." He hummed, tracing the one on his chest. All the marks would be hidden under his clothes, but it was unusual for Aya.

"You too." She reminded him, showing him a few marks on her waist, barely hidden by her top. Then she shrugged, looking somewhere past him, as she petted Kurome's head. "Felt territorial today." Like a kindergarten kid writing her name on her possessions…

Daiki raised an eyebrow at her. He wanted to tease, but couldn't; he'd left his marks too. It wasn't like he thought she'd cheat on him in that one week of absence, but he wanted her to think of him every time she was alone and saw the hickeys. Not seeing her for a week or more made him feel a little lonely and anxious. She was probably thinking along the same lines.

"I didn't think you would…" He murmured.

"Would what?" She tilted her head in a question. "Leave marks? Be territorial? Get jealous?"

"Mmm, all three?"

"Of course I am. I mean," she laughed quietly and lowered her head, avoiding his gaze. For a moment she felt like an idiot. "I always try to reason with myself and I totally trust you. But… you know… I get anxious too. You're super hot, and kind, and gentle, and you don't show those sides too often. It makes me feel kind of privileged. And…" her eyes narrowed, "just the idea of some other girls getting their claws on you, or seeing that side of you while I'm not here makes me want to murder them." She rambled the last sentence so quickly he almost didn't catch it.

Eh? His eyes widened. Aya could be jealous? Of who? There were no girls interested in him… But she was so cute right now. He ruffled her hair. "Thankfully they don't exist." He laughed heartily.

She shook off his hand with a frown, but she kept holding his palm in hers. She traced the bracelet he was wearing, the one she'd given him. (And she was wearing hers too.) She pouted her lips, "hmph, you'd be surprised."

"And what am I supposed to say, hm?"

"Hm? Why?" She finally looked at his face in obvious surprise.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Now he felt embarrassed under her stare. "The number of guys flocking around you is freakin' unbelievable at times."

"Oh… I guess it's always been like that. I'm a manager in the boys' basketball team, so the majority of those guys are the team, ours or Taiga's. I'm not completely clueless, but they're friends. And I love just one of them in that way. You. That's that." She grinned, unconsciously fiddling with her necklace.

"Hmmm," he pulled her closer by the chain. "So if something happened, you'd tell me?"

"Something like what?"

"If someone confessed to you, or kissed you?"

She blinked at him, and then rested her forehead against his in a comforting gesture. "Yeah. It's better hearing it from me than some strange rumours, right? But I doubt I'd let it go as far as being kissed by someone else."

He wanted to kiss her again. Did she understand how much this meant to him? When her hands cupped his face, he felt like she understood.

"Would you tell me too?" She asked curiously. "If something like that happened?"

"Yeah."

######

At the bar, Aya led the way confidently, pulling Daiki behind her. She smiled and saluted the guards at the entrance who didn't question her anymore and they didn't ask for her ID either. They simply let both teenagers in, as per the instructions they had. Plus, they didn't have the time or capacity to check IDs of all people flowing through the entrance.

She was aiming for the "best" table, to check out the situation. She wanted to watch the people for a moment, get the feel for the music and she wanted Daiki to relax a bit. She could tell he was stiff; this kind of environment was completely out of his comfort zone. It felt unreal that he even agreed to this; she'd expected him to refuse. And after their eventful afternoon, she needed to switch into her party mode. Maybe, we should've stayed at his place… The things they'd shared shook her previous intentions, and took down another wall. She felt too vulnerable now and she was worried the vulnerability was oozing off her. Such things could be dangerous at parties like this one. And Daiki was the only person who was allowed to get that close, to see all that. For a long time, she really did love him. He's the one by your side right now, so get a grip, stupid. It's not like you have a neon sign saying 'COME EAT ME I'M WEAK' over your head.

When she noticed a couple occupying the 'best' table, she came to a sudden halt and Daiki bumped into her.

"Uh! What're y'–" He looked down at her, but she was staring at someone, so he followed her line of sight, and... "Oh." He blinked.

Tada and Kouta. They were leaning close to one another, holding hands and discussing something. It seemed intimate and serious. Even if they weren't that far away, Aya and Daiki couldn't hear the two over the music. She was hesitating to approach them.

Then as if feeling their stares, both men looked at them. They were obviously surprised. Tada blushed and immediately pulled his hand away from Kouta's. He was unable to meet Daiki's eyes.

Kouta clicked his tongue at Shun's startled reaction. He couldn't care less about Daiki's opinion, besides, Daiki already knew about his preferences. Still… "Lil' monkey?! Hey! What're you doing here?" He greeted them cheerfully.

Aya shook her surprise off and approached the table with a smile. "We're having a date night!" She immediately matched Kouta's energy. She could get the message. "And what are you doing here? You didn't tell me you were coming back? What happened? Do you need to couch surf?"

Kouta laughed and hugged her briefly in greeting. "You look dangerously stunning." He complimented her, "I might even get hard for you." He whispered to her ear, which earned him a nasty glare. He shook his head, laughing and continued: "No, no. I couldn't have told you, I made a last minute decision to come. I'm staying at Sh– Senri's." He swiftly corrected himself, taking Shun feelings into consideration, though he had no idea why he was doing it.

Aya's red eyes stared into his knowingly. She doubted Kouta's brothers knew he was back.

Sharp as ever… He thought, staring back at her shamelessly. He had nothing to hide from her, but he'd respect Shun's wishes. And he knew she'd play along, she was that kind of a person.

"Hmmm… Whatever you say… Then I guess, tonight's on you then!" She decided and pointed at the two empty glasses on the table. "Would you mind getting us something?"

"Eeeeh?! I'm a poor student!" Kouta defended himself.

"A poor student who can fly here on a whim!" She clapped.

"Tche! You rich kid ordering others around, having dudes paying for your drinks..." He pretended to be deeply offended. But he knew she was teasing him and she knew he didn't mean anything mean by his words either.

She laughed. "I have the looks for it tonight. Come on! Chop, chop!" Kouta's presence somehow dispersed her feelings of vulnerability and boosted her confidence. Like he put her back on her tracks just by acting like his usual idiotic and perverted self.

Kouta shook his head and turned to go. Suddenly, she pulled him back by his crooked medieval-looking linen shirt; "Hah?! What?"

"Get us something good." She winked at him, slipping money into his back pocket and pushed him into the crowd towards the bar.

"Did you just slip him money?" Daiki looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Into his back pocket? Tch… Did you touch his ass?!"

"HAH?! That's the problem?!"

"Yeah! You shouldn't–" Shouldn't what? He blushed and glared at her.

"Oh, come on! It's Kouta! You know him! He's family."

"He's a pervert."

"A family!" She repeated.

"Tch! Whatever, a perverted family."

They glared at each other for a moment, and then laughed at it together. It seemed to be Tada's best opportunity to slip away. The two sure had an interesting relationship, all three actually, and he felt like the third wheel. If he wanted to be honest; he didn't know Kouta all that much, he didn't even know those two all that much. Sure, they shared club activities and friends; they could even be called friends, but…

Aya shrugged. "He wasn't lying, he is a poor student. And last minute plane tickets are expensive. Which means…" she grabbed Tada's wrist when he tried to vanish in the crowd, "where are you trying to run to, senpai?"

"Ah, uhm…" He was looking everywhere but Aya's face. She looked so different from the usual manager he knew. "I wasn't… It's…" He forgot how to talk. Everything that was happening, everything he talked about with Kouta, he needed to process it. He felt overwhelmed. He was on his personal emotional rollercoaster and looking composed in front of his kouhais suddenly seemed like an impossible task. "I should go help him with the drinks." He muttered, but in reality, he wanted to leave this place. There were too many people for his tastes, and what if they met someone else from school? What if someone saw him?

Tada was so uneasy that it wasn't difficult to read him. Even Daiki could feel his intention to hightail; he couldn't blame him. Daiki didn't interact with Tada that much, but he found the senpai tolerable and respectable in a way. He didn't mind his presence and the guy was cool and had some good basketball skills too.

"He's here with you. Most likely he flew half a day to be here with you. I don't know what's going on, but whatever it is, for him it must be very important. I know he is an idiot who does what he wants… But he hates flying more than anything. And he still came to see you. Just… don't run away like this, please. Face him seriously."

He blinked at her. It was the first time he met her eyes. There was no disgust or disdain, only kindness, care and worry. Well, she had shown him the back door during the training camp.

She smiled. "I'll go help him with the drinks!" She decided and looked at Daiki, "guard him for me."

Daiki sighed and rolled his eyes. She was leaving them alone on purpose, dragging him closer to the team and he wasn't sure he liked it. If he knew them better, he'd care more. He shouldn't care more. But was it really so bad?

"Uhm…" Tada fidgeted and didn't dare raise his gaze to meet Daiki's.

He sighed again and rubbed the back of his neck. This was awkward and embarrassing. "Tch. Look man, I don't give a damn who you're sleeping with. Do what you want. If that creep is your choice…" he shrugged, "I couldn't care less."

Tada's head snapped up and he was staring at Daiki with his eyes wide. From the arrogant ace he expected judging insults, not… acceptance? "…you knew." He accused him.

Daiki shrugged again a tiny blush tainting his cheeks, but the darkness of the room concealed it.

"Aya-chan told you?"

Oh… "Huh? No. I knew about Kouta, and I made a guess in the training camp. Aya just told me to keep it to myself."

He blinked. "Really?"

Daiki nodded. "Tch. She ain't a traitor." He said protectively and looked over Tada's head watching the crowd.

"She really isn't." He smiled shyly. "Ne?... uhm…"

"What?"

Are you okay with this? Why can you, out of all people, be so cool about it? He wanted to ask, but something in Daiki's eyes persuaded him otherwise. "No, it's nothing." He didn't want to provoke the ace. It wasn't every day that Daiki showed his kinder side to others.

Daiki sighed for the nth time that day. He was starting to feel drained and tired, but then he spotted Aya carefully threading her way towards them while balancing two tall glasses in one hand and three bottles in the other and he smiled softly. "You don't need to validate yourself."

"I think I'm starting to like this softer, 'in love' version of you." He teased, but tears of gratitude welled in his eyes and he lowered his head to hide them behind his hair. If only his father could at least ignore it…

"HAH?! Who's softer?!" Daiki snapped at him.

"We are baaack?!" Kouta slammed the glasses against the table, miraculously not spilling anything.

"Thank y-"

"Damn it, Hiroto took his sweet time!"

Maybe Kouta's loudness drowned Tada's thanks, but Daiki heard them and he smiled for himself as he took his drink – whatever it was and hugged Aya around her waist. "What did you bring me?" He eyed the drinks. He had a feeling that there was definitely alcohol involved in all of them.

"Highballs for us and a fancy cosmopolitan for Mr. I-need-to-have-something-special."

"Uhm… Highballs?" Tada blinked at her and turned the glass in his hand. He was worried about the contents, though it was clear.

"Spirit and a mixer like soda or something. Gin and tonic for us, and whisky and ginger ale for Daiki," she explained and then she turned her mischievous eyes to him, "since I've learnt you quite like the whisky here, dear."

"Tch." He blushed and glared at the bartender, who waved him with a grin. "That traitor."

"Uhm… We are underaged, Aya-chan…" Tada reminded them.

Kouta laughed heartily. "Does she look 16 to you?" He pointed at Aya, then seeing the guys, he had to rephrase: "Do any of you look underaged?"

Tada narrowed his eyes at Kouta. "Aren't you a bad influence, Kouta-senpai?"

"Always been!" He rolled his eyes. "Oh please! No need to be so uptight. This won't get you drunk and you'll get it out of your system in an hour or so. Plus the three of you won't get another one. That man," he pointed his thumb at Hiroto who was making drinks at the bar and chatting with some of the patrons, "is Kagamis' and Katsunori's good friend. Mine too actually… Well. He'd kill me if something happened to you… Or if I got you drunk."

"The idiot means you can drink it if you want, but if not he'll have it, because we also brought ginger ales and coke." Aya shook her head and put three ginger ales she was carrying in her free hand on the table and Kouta added the cokes and a bottle opener.

Tada smiled at her, he was glad there wasn't the usual pressure he'd get from his peers. Then he stared at all three of them, especially Daiki. "So you all drank before?"

"I'm the worst influence, right?" Kouta grinned.

Aya and Daiki nodded in agreement, though Daiki looked a bit embarrassed about the fact. Tada wondered why. "Hmmm… it doesn't really surprise me that much."

Aya shrugged and raised her glass. The droplets of water on the glass were pretty. "Haven't you tasted your dad's beer when he wasn't watching? Out of curiosity?"

He had nothing to say to that. He had. "I got accidentally drunk when I was eight." He made a grimace at the memory. To this day he couldn't smell beer or he'd get sick.

Aya laughed sympathetically. "We were four, Taiga and I. A cousin of ours thought it was a good idea to drink everything from adults' glasses while they weren't looking… It even has a commemorative photo. I feel you. I really do."

"Adrien?!" Kouta asked, laughing his head off. "Oh, I really need to meet with him! The other older brother who caused you misery. I bet I'd love him!"

Aya punched his shoulder. "Sure you would!"

"I know! But that's the older sibling's purpose! To annoy! We have a privilege in that. And so because of that, we then protect you from other bullies." He grinned and winked at her. She huffed but smiled back at him. Content with that reaction, he raised his glass. "So… Kanpai?"

The teenagers exchanged glances and followed Kouta's example. "Kanpai," they toasted and tried their drinks.

"Mmm… It's not bad…" Tada hummed. He liked the slightly bitter taste of his drink and herbs it was made from.

"I know it's not." Aya nodded and turned to Daiki. "Is that good?"

"Better than the last time." It didn't burn his throat as terribly as the last time and ginger ale made it kind of sweet and he liked it.

They started chatting about trivia, while slowly downing their drinks. Then Aya decided it was time to go dance and she pulled Daiki into the crowd. The ace didn't protest all that much, although he had no idea what she'd want him to do.

"Hm… she's actually taught him something." Kouta pointed out, watching the couple. They were smiling and laughing. Daiki was blushing and frowning at times, but overall, he looked happy. Kouta envied them a little.

"Don't you want to dance too?"

Kouta's eyes bore into his. "Would you go with me, if I asked you?"

"Errr… that's… we're both men."

"So is that a no?"

"Yes." He looked into his bottle of ginger ale. "Errr well, I mean… It's a no. I… I don't think I can do that… handle the judging stares… yet…"

Kouta rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. He got it. It wasn't easy being gay, he knew that himself. But he'd learnt to not give a fuck about what the others might or might not think of him. For Shun though… The young man needed to sort it out himself first. Pushing him into something wouldn't do any good. "If it's Aya? Will you go?"

Dread reflected in Tada's eyes. "I've never danced. And she's… no… I don't get how he does it." He stared at Daiki, who was still out of place on the dance floor, but was obviously trying to make his girl happy. And he didn't look too bad while dancing.

"He loves her, that's how…" Kouta rubbed the back of his neck dejectedly. Then he turned his pleading eyes to Tada. "And what if you have to choose between me and her?"

Those eyes were too much. Shun blushed and bit his lip."You're being unfair, senpai."

"Don't call me that." Kouta snapped a bit harsher than intended. "Just call me by my name."

"Ah…" Tada blinked at him and then averted his eyes. What was so wrong with calling the senpai, well 'senpai'? "You're still unfair." The couple had broken their overly serious talk and now he was grateful for it. He was still worried and troubled, and he had to think things through but he felt a little lighter.

"You don't seem to mind it too much, though." Kouta smiled at him.

######

"One more, and then go attack those two." Daiki grumbled, when she asked him to stay for 'one more song' for at least the hundredth time. At least this one was slower, calmer and he could just hold her close and sway with her. But he was sweaty, he wanted to drink something and relax for a moment. Where she took all the energy was beyond him.

"Hai, hai." She replied with a grin and rested her head against his chest. She appreciated the calmer music too and Daiki's presence soothed her.

Ever since she'd learnt about her necessary 'business trip', she couldn't stop thinking about it. It was a stressfully big responsibility. Especially because she was aware of her position; a teenager acting on behalf of her father, of their company… She could already hear all the sexist comments and see degrading looks and glares she'd receive. Her knowledge and understanding of their business wouldn't matter to the wolves. She needed this evening to stop overthinking, relax and do something she was really good at. Parties like this one were always her way to vent the stress. And she really needed to get rid of it, because her stress was affecting Taiga to some extent too.

But she wasn't really in the party mode she'd expect. She couldn't push everything out of her mind like she'd want to. But with Daiki by her side, she didn't really mind it. He made her feel like her worries were no big deal, like she could easily overcome it. Maybe I've changed a bit…

"I really didn't expect to run into anyone here…" Meeting Kouta and Tada was unexpected, but it diverted her attention. They were surely facing their own problems she'd ask Kouta about later on. If she could, she wanted to help, or at least listen if they needed it.

"Me neither. Tch, he was supposed to be in America." He grimaced. He didn't hate Kouta per se, but he didn't particularly like him either.

"Mmm… Coincidences can be funny. Thanks for being so open with them." She was so thankful he was there with her without too many complaints. She appreciated it, and she wouldn't forget that he was doing this for her mostly.

"Hm?"

"I mean… I hope it's not gonna be too awkward between you and Tada-senpai from now on."

He shook his head. "I think we'll be just fine… By the way, who else knows he is that way? "

"Wakamatsu-senpai, Susa-senpai and I bet Imayoshi-taichou too… About the rest, I don't know. Maybe our gang is having a hunch after the camp; Kano can be scarily accurate at noticing love matters, but… they can hide it well and I'm not telling anyone."

"I imagine some of the guys would be utterly disgusted."

"I'm aware. Kouta's been through that shit too… But it's just sad. It's not like he'd do anything to those not interested."

Daiki shrugged. "Live and let live. Idiots just don't get it."

She smiled kindly. "I love you so much." Her man sometimes didn't know how mature and wise he sounded. If she pointed it out, he'd huff and puff and think she was teasing him.

"Hm? I didn't hear you."

"You did."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I love you too."

######

In the end, after tiring Kouta out, Aya did kidnap Tada for a few 'dancing lessons' as well. Daiki was eventually glad that they'd run into the two and Aya wasn't dancing with random strangers while he had his rest. He'd hate seeing any other guy touching her.

"I've wanted to be alone with you too, but she is guarding you well." Kouta looked Daiki up and down and shuffled towards him. "You're really hot, you know."

"Keh! Get off me." He growled and took a step away from Kouta. The guy still made him feel uneasy. And having a man hitting on him, even if it was pretence, weirded him out. "Tche. I tolerate you, doesn't mean you can get into my space."

He chuckled. "That I'd be tolerated by you… Hmmm, she found herself a good guy."

Daiki huffed. It was obvious. "So… what happened to you?" He asked, eyeing Kouta's freshly bruised cheek. No one commented on it and even Aya acted like she didn't see it, but she must've asked while she'd danced with him. And he desperately needed to divert the pervert's attention from himself.

"I led someone on and it backfired." He shrugged. "I won, of course."

"You led someone on? Like… you were gonna cheat?"

"Keh, I wouldn't phrase it that way," he grumbled, he'd told Aya, he might as well tell Daiki too, "but the intention was there, so I suppose you're right. I was gonna cheat. I'm not cut out for long distance love. I need the physical connection." He looked at Shun longingly, sadly. "But I couldn't bring myself to do it and..." he turned his eyes back to Daiki and pointed at the bruise. "I didn't expect the bastard to turn all violent on me. In the end, nothing of the sort happened and I'm glad it ended with just the bruise." He sighed, downing his drink. He stared at the bottom of his empty glass. Maybe he should stop drinking; his tongue was getting too loose for his tastes. "I wonder if I won't break him… I really don't want that again."

Again…? Daiki was genuinely surprised by the man's unusual seriousness and honesty. "What are you gonna do? It's not like you can take him to America."

He chuckled. "Move back here? That's the plan in my mind and that's what I needed to discuss with Shun in person. Where we really stand… If he even wants me around. My home is still here, so I guess I'll go check out if I can transfer to some uni here. Senri-nii wouldn't mind another person helping with the dancing club and I'd be with Lil' Monkey more as well. I hope you won't mind."

"Tch, as long as you won't do anything to her…"

Kouta laughed. "Don't worry. She'd fuckin' kill me if I tried. Besides, I don't really like women's breasts. Honestly, I probably wouldn't get it up for Robin… For you though…"

"Geh," Daiki blushed and then glared at him. "You're really terrible." And there I thought you were being serious for a moment. He really wanted Aya to come and get him very quickly because the glint in Kouta's eyes suddenly turned devilish. "Don't you dare try anything."

"Don't worry, don't worry. I'm just teasing you. I love Shun already." Kouta laughed, and then he switched back to his serious expression. "So… Daiki-kun, tell me, are you two using protection properly?"

He almost choked on his ginger ale. "Stop it already! Dammit!" He growled and hit the top of Kouta's head. Please save me, Aya.

######

"The last ten minutes and we're leaving. Who wants to have the privilege?" Aya asked when they all gathered at their table again.

"Definitely your man." Kouta was grinning at them.

Aya narrowed her eyes. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing you need to worry about. Nothing at all."

"That's even more suspicious." She looked at Daiki, who seemed really drained and she couldn't blame him, being with Kouta must've been tiring. "Will you dance with me a bit more?"

Daiki took her hand; it was much better than spending another minute in Kouta's presence. The man was savage. "That's why I'm here, right?"

Her face lit up in delight. "Aren't you two going for a dance?"

Kouta and Tada exchanged glances. "It might cause a little confusion and some bad attention. I'm not sure Hiroto would appreciate it…" Although, Kouta was sure that Hiroto didn't give a damn.

"Hmmm… Why don't you go upstairs?"

Kouta blinked at her. "Isn't the rooftop locked this time of the year?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you a Shiranui? Since when has a locked door stopped you from going somewhere? And besides, I give you permission."

He chuckled, and looked at Shun. "What do you say? There are no people up there and you can still hear the music well."

Aya, seeing the hesitation, took Daiki's hand, "we're going. Maybe we won't see each other to say goodbyes, so… Have a nice… night? Early morning? Bye-bye." She grinned and together with Daiki, they let the crowd swallow them.

Kouta made a decision and looked back at Tada with the question in his eyes. "Will you give me one dance?"

Tada was not sure how to respond. It almost sounded like: 'Will you go out with me?' He was frustrated and still a bit angry at Kouta. Yet, he couldn't really resist Kouta's pleading eyes and soft smile. A part of him also wanted to try it. Aya had taught him some basic things, but dancing with another man... What would the roles be?

Pushing the weird thoughts out of his head, he took Kouta's outstretched hand.

######

Taiga woke up in the middle of the night, hungry like a wolf. He yawned widely and sat up, his stomach rumbling. For a moment he considered ignoring it; it was around 1AM and he knew he shouldn't eat so late, but… He got up and decided to make fish and chips. He'd kill for it.

On his way to the kitchen he checked Aya's room, even before entering, he knew it'd be empty. "Not home yet, huh?" He could as well wait for her, but he could feel she was just fine.

######

"You sure he won't tear my head off?" Daiki teased, when they entered Aya's apartment building.

"He should be sleeping." They greeted Tsubaki-san and headed towards the elevators. "They're playing against Shuutoku tomorrow; I don't think he has time or energy to fight with you. And you'll be leaving early anyways, right?"

He groaned. "If I'd known I'd be spending the night at your place, I wouldn't have agreed to work tomorrow."

"That's fine. I think we had a great time covering for it." Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction. She really felt calmer and more relaxed than before.

The elevator door closed behind them and she yawned. "I hope we won't wake him up, I need a shower."

She unlocked the door and they stepped in. The smell of fried food and dim light coming from the kitchen greeted them. "Hm… Tadaima!"

"Huh, Okaeri'," Taiga's head appeared in the doorway and he squinted to see in the dark. "OI! What's he doing here?!" He glared at Daiki for a second, and then turned attention to his sister. "You didn't tell me anything!"

"I thought you were sleeping." She grinned and walked down the corridor first.

"That's not an excuse! You're supposed to tell me these things, dammit!"

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry." She waved her hand at it; her eyes already zooming in on his food. "Why are you eating something this greasy?! It's almost 2AM!" She scolded him with hands on her hips. "It's not healthy!"

"I'm hungry!"

"There're leftovers from lunch in the fridge! Some onigiri too!" She was agitated. "Why didn't you heat that up?!"

"Keh, there we go again… I wanted this! I'll burn it all tomorrow anyways!" He protested, holding spatula like both; a possible weapon or a necessary shield. He didn't like these arguments they were leading lately. With more people in the house, there were more mouths to feed, so she cooked more, they all cooked more, too much sometimes.

"That's not my point! You eat whatever you feel like eating and then you complain I'm throwing out food that's gone bad!" She threw her hands in the air, frowning at him. "It's not like I can eat it all myself."

"Then don't cook so much. I'm fine with cooking for myself." He spread his arms in the It's-obvious gesture. And he immediately regretted his words, seeing the hurt in her eyes. "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean it like that…" Finally he took in her outfit and make-up. He blinked, looking her up and down.

"What?!" She glared at him with her arms crossed. It hurt; she was happy when they enjoyed her food. "Cook for yourself if you want, I don't care." She pouted.

A corner of his lips twitched upwards and he started laughing. It was rare to see Aya's pouting face.

"What are you laughing at?!"

"Mmmm… You're pouting!"

"Ha?! Who is? I don't pout!" A vein popped on her forehead.

"You totally do. Right?" He looked at Aomine looking for support. When the ace raised an eyebrow at him, Taiga made a grimace, realising that the two of them were enemies. "Keh, forget it."

But Taiga's laughter was contagious for her and the corners of her lips twitched upwards too. Especially when she saw the exchange between the two. Maybe one day they could become friends… "Whatever, do we have some too?"

"Hm? You are hungry, right?" He asked automatically, of course he made some for his sis. He could tell she was starving. "I bet you didn't have dinner at all."

"No time for that." She grinned and sat at the table.

"Where's mine?" Daiki protested when he didn't get anything.

"Huh?" A vein popped on Taiga's forehead. "Nothing for the freeloader."

"Tche… you really have a sister complex."

She raised an eyebrow at them. "I'll share, and there's more food in the fridge. I can always heat it up."

"Hmph." Taiga made a face.

They were eating in awkward silence. The two most important men in her life and there was this impossible pressure hanging in the air between them. She'd bet they were wrecking their brains on how to annoy and insult the other. They finished the food in that heavy atmosphere. I hope my stomach won't hurt from eating in this atmosphere.

When Taiga took a breath to say something, she thought: Oh well, here it comes…

"Alex called a moment ago. Why the hell do you keep sending her my matches?" He switched to Spanish to leave Daiki out on purpose.

"Eh?" She blinked in surprise at the normal question. "But she was your coach. And she wants to be updated on your progress." Aya's mind accustomed to the language choice automatically, she didn't think of it as provocation at all. "Isn't she like a motherly figure to you?"

"Keh, she's unfit to be anyone's mother…"

"Now that's rude. She'd hit you for saying that. So? Any news? Did she praise you?"

"Mmm, sort of. There are some new guys under her wings now. And well…" Alex had made an offer to coach him more. But he needed to think it through on his own before telling it to Aya. If his sister knew, she'd throw him onto the first plane back to L.A.. "She sends her greetings. You should call her later on."

"I will, I will." She glanced at Daiki's aloof expression, realising the language change, "oh, sorry, sorry. I kinda… switched on the reflex."

Taiga smirked at him victoriously; it irked him. "Mhm," he waited until Aya turned her face to him to explain their previous conversation. Her lipstick was long gone, thanks to the dinner, and before she could open her mouth to speak, he kissed her. It wasn't a peck, it was a full-fledged kiss and he kept staring at Taiga by the corner of his eye. That stare was like saying 'She's mine.'.

"W-what–" she blushed and covered her lips with the back of her hand when he pulled away. Kissing in front of Taiga was kind of… Yet, she couldn't resist Daiki's lips. She couldn't push him away.

"All forgiven." Daiki said with a satisfied expression. Seeing the two siblings speechless, dumbstruck and blushing was refreshing. It improved his mood and he was laughing inwardly. He teased them both in one go. He'd never expected Aya to be shy about it.

He held in a happy whistling as he nonchalantly got up and took the dirty dishes to the sink.

When Taiga returned to earth, he slammed his hand against the table. "WHAT WAS THAT S'POSED TO MEAN?! HAH?!"

---

In the morning, Aya and Daiki got up together. She needed to take the pill and he needed to leave to be at the shelter on time. Instead of going back to sleep Aya made breakfast and even prepared lunch for him.

"When's the wedding?" Taiga asked with an eye-roll when he shuffled from his room, yawning and rubbing his stomach. The sounds and nice smell from the kitchen woke him up.

Daiki was sitting by the bar table, while Aya was making sunny-side ups and toasts. They were talking, smiling. It looked so cozy and innocent, Taiga got the impression they were a perfect image of a married couple on a casual Sunday morning. It reminded him of their parents. And he was suddenly jealous. Tch… What a big kid I am…

"Huh?" The two glanced at each other. Daiki blushed and quickly looked away.

But Aya… Aya turned her eyes to Taiga and stared at him. She totally saw through him. Instead of lashing at him, she smiled kindly. "I made your share too, you know. You can join in."

"No need, I'm going back to bed."

They stared after him.

"What's up with him?" Daiki asked. They were enemies, but Taiga was rarely… cold… to his sister.

"He didn't sleep much. He'll be fine by the match."

"Huh? … Oh, could he be jealous of me being here?"

"Uuuhm…" She scratched her cheek. "Not really jealous, I think he remembered mom. We used to have Sunday breakfasts like this all the time when she was around…" She shrugged. "He lost her too."

"Right…" It made him feel self-conscious, like he was barging into their family without being invited. But it was nice. Waking up with her, having breakfast together. It made him feel like he could handle anything the day would throw at him. He could easily get used to it.

Aya saw him off, kissing him before he left. She asked him to come to the match, but Daiki didn't want to push Taiga too much that day, Shuutoku was no easy opponent after all. It was for the best. Besides, he wasn't really that interested in the match.

"Don't be too nice to that girl."

"Eh?" He grinned at her. "Are you –"

"A tiny bit." She admitted begrudgingly. "But don't scare her off too much either." She mumbled.

He kissed her one more time. "Don't worry. I'm properly marked."

She laughed and closed the door. Then she marched to Taiga's room and plopped on the bed next to him. "What's wrong with you? You're not seriously jealous, are you?"

Of course he wasn't sleeping. But he was facing the wall, completely wrapped up in the blanket. He felt like sulking for a bit. "Huh?! Who'd be jealous of that guy?"

She poked his shoulder. "I know you were thinking about mom."

"Witch."

"No. You had that look in your eyes…"

"…sometimes you look too much like her." He said softly.

"I don't. Not really. We took after our father."

"You do. You smile just like her. And then I think… A-ah, I wish she could come watch my matches."

"Who says she isn't watching?" She smiled and rested her forehead between his shoulder blades. "That's why you need to give it your best today."

"Are you coming?" Aya was not his mother, she was his sister, but she was just as important. It always made him feel better when he knew she was there watching over him, supporting him.

"Of course I am." The smile was audible in her voice. She sat up, patting his shoulder. "You'll do just fine. Sleep a few more hours; I'll wake you up for lunch."

He didn't think he could sleep, but he'd try. Aya had always been able to nap and sleep until the last minute. "How can you sleep before big competitions?"

"It's not sleeping. It's charging. You'll need the energy against Midorima."

######

"Mornin'."

"Ah, good morning Aomine-kun, you're early today." Nakamura-san greeted him from the kennels. He was distributing food to the animals. "Go get changed, it'll take some time until they're finished eating."

"Ossu." He hummed and headed towards the lockers to change his t-shirt. As for jeans, he came straight from Aya's place, so there he didn't have any pants he could change into. So… he hoped mom wouldn't kill him if he came home dirty and covered in fur.

He was thinking about Aya when he was changing. He was also thinking about Taiga's match in the afternoon. He wondered what changes Midorima made after the loss. Part of him was curious enough to go and watch, the other part just didn't want to meet with Midorima.

"Aaah…" He sighed, pulling his work t-shirt over his head.

The door clicked.

"Hm? Need anything, Nakamura-ossan?" He turned around, with his t-shirt hanging around his neck.

A tiny skinny girl with her hair tied in pigtails was standing in the doorway. Her face was completely red, but she was staring straight at his bare torso, unable to turn away. Like a deer staring into headlights. He did a quick evaluation. She was hopelessly flat, but her face was nice. He gave her a 'cute little kid' label.

"Oh." He blinked and pulled down his t-shirt, hiding his body and the marks Aya had left. "You're the girl?"

"Ah! Yes!" She immediately bowed deeply. "Kamiyama Mirai. Please be nice to me!" She shouted overly seriously.

"Yeah. Aomine Daiki." He replied simply and nodded. He closed his locker and headed out. Without adding anything more, he left her in the locker room, so she could change her t-shirt peacefully. Please don't be a pain in the ass.

######

Taiga took a deep breath before entering the court. I'm ready. Aya gave them amazing encouragement, she helped him get over his moods in the morning and he was eternally grateful for a sister like that, who could understand what it meant to be an athlete and compete.

When he saw how much his entire team was trying to help the main players and how everyone was excited, but also nervous, it actually made him feel stronger. He was the ace. He knew his role, but he also felt the pressure coming with it. He couldn't lose against Midorima.

And Midorima's eyes…

"Kagami-kun?"

"Hm?"

"Did you see Midorima-kun's face when he entered?"

"…Yeah…" The guy looked like a completely different person. Like a beast. For a moment, Taiga couldn't believe he had won against him before.

"Those of the generation of miracles we've fought so far were not only undefeated, but they also possessed some sense of superiority. There are sayings about 'meaningful defeat' or 'getting stronger after a loss', but do you know what they mean?" Kiyoshi joined in, he felt the pressure just as much. "In nature for organisms, winning means life and losing is death, although the example's a bit extreme, humans too, possess some of those instincts. People who learned the fear of defeat thirst for victory."

"Hmph," Hyuuga adjusted his glasses, "they aren't the only ones who have suffered a loss."

Kiyoshi smirked. "Yeah, you're right."

######

On the other bench, Midorima was shaking. Takao chuckled at seeing that, "awwww, Shin-chan, what's wrong? Maybe you're scare–"

"Don't talk to me." Midorima snapped at him. "Right now, I don't have any room for dealing with your jokes."

Takao gulped at seeing that face. They say starving beasts are dangerous, wow, now I sort of get it…

"Destroy them; that's the only thing on my mind right now."

Takao smirked. It was good to see Midorima so fired up. "Ah… Yeah, same here."

######

This is gonna be intense.

"This is gonna be intense." Kise muttered as he entered the spectators' area. He wasn't going to look for seats; he had the best view of the court from the place where he was. "Ah, Ayacchi! You're really here! Why did you ignore me?"

She blinked at the blonde, who voiced out her thoughts. "Model-kun. Oh… I ignored you? When?"

"I texted you; whether you were coming or not. Since Aominecchi isn't coming, I thought you wouldn't either…" He grinned.

"That," she pointed at Taiga, "is my twin. Of course I'd be here. But…" she took out her phone to make sure, "sorry. I saw the message, but then I was too busy and I forgot. I wanted to reply, sorry."

"Is Momocchi coming too?" He asked curiously.

"She should. But she's been ignoring my texts. Why are you here alone?"

"Aaah, I asked all my senpais to come along, but they all turned me down. It's disheartening."

"You're the one to say." She laughed. "No one from my team is coming either, except for Satsuki. After yesterday's match they decided it would be a waste of time. I highly doubt that's true."

"Still, isn't it weird to watch the match with an enemy?" He looked at her seriously.

"Huh? Aren't we both already in the Winter cup? Call it a truce, Model-kun." Aya grinned. "Besides, I'm much happier than watching it with Hanamiya. I saw them a while back and successfully avoided their attention this time."

Kise frowned. "Kirisaki Daiichi is here to observe?"

"They have their match later on and they are playing against Seirin tomorrow, and Taiga and Kuroko didn't play yesterday. So…"

"Ah, then I'm glad I bumped into you. But if you said it to Aominecchi, I bet he'd be here too." He grinned at her.

"It's better he doesn't know." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at the court. "Ah, here they come."

He chuckled. "Right." He liked Ayacchi, so it was hard to see her as an enemy. She probably didn't tell Aominecchi about Hanamiya, to prevent a possible fight. He'd do the same if he was in her place. He shook his head and focused on the starting match. I wonder how you've changed, Midorimacchi~

The first ball went to Seirin, but they had it stolen right away. Kuroko tried to take it back, but Midorima got to it first. He didn't hesitate to take a shot and score the first points. However, Taiga was ready for him and he blocked the attempt. Then the same scenario repeated.

"Uhm… I know Midorima wants to win but–" shouldn't there be something more?

"It's gonna be stamina trial." Kise grinned, seeing how heated it was right from the start. "Midorimacchi is not the type to go for new skills or tricks, he likes stability and stereotypes. I bet all he's done since he lost was shooting three pointers until he dropped. It is frustrating to be stopped over and over again, but Midorimacchi's gonna be persistent. I wonder, which one of them will last longer?"

"I guess we'll find out." She nodded seriously. Both teams were generally offensive and she knew it would turn out to be Taiga vs. Midorima. Kuroko-kun had played against Shuutoku too many times, so unless he pulled off his new move, his effectiveness dropped drastically. Especially when Takao was marking him.

After the first quarter, Seirin was in the lead by 7 points. But it wasn't that simple. Something was off; Aya got the feeling that Shuutoku had something up their sleeve. They were obviously trying to wear Taiga out. In the beginning of the second quarter, Midorima started to mix in fakes, forcing Taiga to jump even more. At the first such attempt, Taiga forced two super jumps out of himself. He didn't completely stop Midorima from shooting the second time, but he grazed the ball and made it miss. It resulted in Seirin scoring. But…

In the next play, an impossible thing happened. Midorima faked a shot, making Taiga waste his energy, then he made another attempt to shoot, luring Kiyoshi in (which effectively took out two tallest guys in Seirin) and then he passed.

He passed the ball to Takao.

"What the…" Aya blinked in surprise. Seirin certainly wasn't expecting that. It was a possibility, but it was so thin that no one wanted to think about it. "He passed."

Kise had a dangerous grin on his face. "Way to go Midorimacchi."

"Hn," she smirked, "now I wonder who'll win. With Midorima no longer fighting alone and joining in with his team, they're a real deal."

"And of course that's what they'd do." He pointed at Kuroko leaving the court.

"Getting rid of a liability." Aya hummed.

"That was mean, Ayacchi."

"That's the reality. Kuroko-kun can't help them much, but… Maybe it's for the best for now. He seems content about it." And Kuroko was really smiling. He believed his team would do just fine even without him.

"Haaaa, Argh! I knew it! I'm late!" Satsuki stopped behind them, bending forward to catch her breath.

"Momocchi?" Kise turned around with raised eyebrows. "You found us right away."

She straightened up, blinking at Aya and Kise, and then she smiled widely. "Ki-chan, Aya-chan! Good, I don't have to look for you."

The blonde sighed. "Can you please stop with that nickname?"

"But why? Ki-chan is Ki-chan, right? No one else from our teams is here?" She was looking from one to another.

"Not one. We were turned down." Aya chuckled. "Why are you late?"

"I tried to drag Aomine-kun here, but he wouldn't budge." She pouted. "What's with it, letting a girl go by herself without thinking twice about it? Hmph."

"A-ah, I think it's partly because he was considerate of Taiga."

"Hm?" The pinkette blinked at her with a question in her eyes.

"Daiki stayed the night at our place, and the two are not exactly compatible… I think he wants to have that match with Seirin in the winter cup, so putting Taiga off right now wouldn't be a good idea. Seirin needs to win to get there."

"Hmmmmm." She thought with a finger on her lower lip; then she suddenly turned all red. "Dai-chan stayed over at your place?! While Taiga-kun was there?!"

"Shh!" Aya covered Satsuki's mouth. "Don' shout. It's not like he hasn't stayed over before."

"Are you here to watch, or gossip, Momocchi?" Kise interrupted them with a raised eyebrow; though the story of Aominecchi staying over at Ayacchi's was worth remembering.

"!" Satsuki was immediately by the railing, analysing the match.

"Oh. Taiga and Kiyoshi-senpai double teaming Midorima, huh?" Aya leaned next to those two. "They don't want him to shoot much."

"But if they just stop Midorimacchi, they're a goner. They won't be able to do much about the others."

"Then, they'll run." Aya grinned, watching how her team no.2 invaded Shuutoku's inside in a few seconds, by rotating the ball among the second years. With Kiyoshi's senses, they scored easily.

Satsuki's eyes widened. This… the shape's different, but they're the same as… us?!

And then Seirin did it again. Aya nodded to herself, high-speed point wars were Seirin's speciality. "Better than trying a pathetic defence."

The second quarter ended with Midorima getting three points by shooting across the entire court.

"They can do so much." Kise sighed. Midorima's shots were truly admirable, and he observed them very carefully. Maybe one day…

The ten minute break started.

"Wooow, the crowd's heated up." Satsuki took in the atmosphere in the spectators' area. "Ki-chan? What do you think will happen in the second half?"

"Eh? Hmmm… No clue!"

"Honestly, you're no use…"

He chuckled. "…the second half will definitely be a point war. But Seirin's at the disadvantage here. They have no method of stopping Shuutoku, but it's not like Shuutoku can't stop Seirin. So the one who'll crumble first will be Seirin." He smirked, looking at Kuroko. "Well… that's only if Kurokocchi isn't there. No way will he remain silent. The title of the phantom 6th man of the generation of miracles isn't just for show."

"Mmm, too bad they're not leaving the court this time." Aya sighed, she wanted to go join Seirin. At least Taiga looked her way, so she sent him signed encouragement.

######

"Keh," Takao wiped the sweat off his forehead during the break. Seirin's speed of passing was on a different level now. "So this is the new Seirin!"

"No, that's not quite right."

"Eh?" Takao blinked at his captain in question.

"To be exact, they're back." Ootsubo stared at Kiyoshi with respect. "Seirin's style is offensive team basketball. But Kiyoshi's team last year was much faster. Using Kiyoshi's and Hyuuga's in-and-out double highlights, along with a five men footwork and fast passing to compete for points, they managed to specialize in offence, despite their overwhelmingly shallow history. By forcing their opponents into rapid shoot-outs, they succeeded in rising up to last year's Tokyo best 4. That's their strength, Run&Gun basketball." He explained to the first year point guard. "That's their true fighting style."

Takao nodded. It wasn't the first time he'd heard of that style. "So fast paced point wars are their speciality."

"We're going into the point war." The coach warned them. So far, the game was almost even, 45 to 43 with Seirin in the lead. "Don't fall behind."

######

The third quarter was just like Kise had predicted. It was a point war, but even if Seirin was fast, they'd been studied thoroughly. In the end, no matter how fast, once Shuutoku knew all the patterns, they could stop it.

And Midorima wasn't the only heavyweight in the team. All Shuutoku's players were of a high calibre. They were all capable of scoring and assisting. Shuutoku pulled ahead, and the gap between the teams was slowly increasing on Shuutoku's side.

One minute before the end of the second quarter, the score was 68:76 for Shuutoku.

"You know, seeing him play now, he's changed. Midorin." Satsuki watched Midorima's team slapping his shoulders after a good shot. And Midorima didn't mind, he even smiled. The pinkette couldn't help, but think about Aomine. If only he wasn't so hellishly stubborn!

"Really?" Kise turned to her curiously. Sure, Midorimacchi was now passing and obviously enjoying the match more than before, but… Was it really that big of a change?

"Ki-chan changed too."

"Huh?! Where? When?" He played dumb. "Well… if that's so, than it's not that we changed, it's probably because he made us change." He stared at Kurokocchi. "And these two too." He pointed at Aya.

"Hm? Oh," she raised her hands in a defensive gesture, "I have nothing to do with Midorima. I don't know him well at all."

"Ah! They're switching Kuroko-kun in!"

"So he's finally ready to change the tides." Aya hummed.

And indeed. In the very last minute of the third quarter, Kuroko introduced his new 'vanishing drive' by passing by Midorima. Then he repeated it again and thanks to him, Seirin pulled their score higher.

The third quarter ended up tied.

"Amazing." Satsuki stared at the court with her mouth open. "They're at square one."

"Hmmm…" Aya stared at her twin. He looked exhausted. Doing all the jumps must've been very taxing on his legs, but he still stretched, rubbed his head, slapped his cheeks, and stepped onto the court ready to withstand all the pain and overcome all the fatigue. She was happy to see him so serious and fired up. The generation of miracles was slowly changing because of Kuroko, yeah, but Kuroko himself would achieve nothing without Taiga.

Right off the bat, Taiga dunked over two huge Shuutoku's guards, earning himself a punch from Hyuuga. Aya laughed. "He's impossible. But I love watching this."

The clock was ticking steadily, the game was flowing quickly. It was a clean, fair game, amazing to watch. All the players were top notch, and the score was tied almost the entire game. The atmosphere of the stadium was corresponding. The crowd was cheering for both teams equally.

But the ones who are really enjoying it are the players on the court. In these conditions, their concentration would've reached its peak and everyone gets high… and uhm… "Aaaargh! I really wanna play basketball!" Kise rubbed his hair violently, startling the girls who were completely sucked into the game.

Aya chuckled, not taking her eyes off the court. "Yeah, you don't often see the game so amazing. It's beyond high-school level."

"I don't want it to end." Satsuki muttered.

It was 26 seconds until the end. The score was 103 for Seirin and 104 for Shuutoku. No team was backing down. Both wanted to win.

The last shot was Kiyoshi's, but Midorima accidentally jumped too forcefully to stop him, and fouled, which resulted in Kiyoshi getting two free throws (each worth 1 point). He made the first tying the score at 104.

The second shot of fate, with the clock stopped at 2 seconds, missed.

"REBOUND!"

With two seconds left, the time ran out before anyone could score.

"It's… a… draw?" Aya blinked. "It's a draw." She repeated, there were no overtimes in qualifiers.

Kise was grinning like an idiot. This match pumped him up. "That was a great match, no matter how you look at it, Ayacchi."

"Naturally. Taiga's the ace after all." She bragged, but then she smiled widely, "you can't say which team is better at all."

######

"Kagami!" Midorima approached the ace. "Don't tell me you're satisfied with this."

"No way in hell!"

"We'll let this sit for now!"

"There aren't any draws in the winter cup. I'll definitely stop you next time." Takao had his eyes set on Kuroko. "Let's settle this in winter."

Kuroko smiled at him. "Bring it on."

######

The teams bowed, the results were announced and the court was being prepared for the next match.

Kise and Satsuki left to find Midorima, while Aya ran to Seirin's changing room to congratulate them and squeeze Taiga in a sisterly-bear hug. With Taiga she went to vending machines to get some coffee and then they headed out. Aya wanted a cigarette to mentally prepare for the next match she was about to watch.

"Aaaah… Thinking I'm going to watch Kirisaki's match now, it makes me sick." She leaned against the wall, dejected that she couldn't join Seirin at their celebrations.

"Want me to stay with you?" Taiga offered himself. He was curious about that team.

"Nah, go celebrate with your team. I'll give you a report, I already talked with Riko about it. Tomorrow's match will be a decisive one."

"Decisive how?"

"Two schools from Tokyo are going to the winter cup. One will surely be Shuutoku, the second will be either you or Kirisaki. Please, let it be you."

"Hm? Isn't Touou already there?"

"We had the second place in the Interhigh, it's an exception." She didn't get it either, but whatever.

Taiga's phone chimed. "Shit! #2 is lost! I have to go."

"The team's dog?"

"Yeah, sorry!"

"Sure, go. I'll finish this and then I'll look for some seats close to the exit, in case I want to run away."

"Yeah, thanks! Call me if you need a pick up." He reminded her, already halfway gone.

"Hai, hai."

######

Taiga was going back to the changing room to get his stuff and report that the #2 was found in Midorima's rickshaw.

"…Kiyoshi, don't play in the next match."

"No way in hell! Are you telling me to retire at the preliminaries like last year?!"

Taiga came to an immediate halt. It was rare to hear Kiyoshi-senpai yell at the captain like that. Retiring? What is that about?

"This year is most likely my last chance, Hyuuga. I'll play even if my knee gets broken!"

######

"Is this a celebration?!" They all deadpanned, when Riko led them back to school to their clubroom.

"Hm, hm?" She smiled at them innocently. "It's still only 4PM, and the clubroom needs some thorough cleaning."

"It's completely fine!" Koganei protested.

"Mmmm…" She opened one of the lockers containing a sea of fungus, old bread and several cockroaches. "I think… You. Need. To. Clean it." She said calmly with a murderous glint in her eyes. "Afterwards, we can go grab a meal.

I should've stayed with Aya… Taiga regretted his choices immediately.

######

"Aominecchi!" Kise dropped by Aomine's place right after the match. "Let's play for a bit!" He nagged.

"Huh? What's gotten into you?" Daiki asked, looking at him with the usual boredom while he was watering their bonsai trees by the entrance.

"I wanna play! If you went to watch the match with Ayacchi you'd get it!"

"Why would I go watch those two idiots?"

Kise's eyes narrowed, "so you could protect Ayacchi if she got bullied by Hanamiya, for example?"

"Tch, that bastard was there?" Aya hadn't told him, but she'd already texted him; she was safely at home. If not, he'd probably forget all about Kise and head over to the stadium.

"Naturally. Seirin is their enemy tomorrow. Are you going?"

He made a face. "I'll probably be dragged there." Then he sighed and picked up a ball, throwing it to Kise.

"Your passes suck, Aominecchi!" The blonde complained childishly.

Daiki glared at him. "Ten minutes at most."

"Hai, hai."

######

"Hey, I'm home." Taiga greeted her, when he returned from their after-party-team-meeting. She was sitting at her desk going over some matches and writing notes.

"Oh, hey." She blinked at him. "Welcome back. You stayed out longer than I thought."

"We had to clean the clubroom." He shuddered at the memory. Due to losing in rock-paper-scissors, he had to clean up the worst dirt and mould. "Then we went for burgers and then we talked. We have to win tomorrow, no matter what. Did you watch the whole match?"

"Yeah." She was just going over her notes from that. But the urgency in Taiga's voice… There was something more to it, than just passing to the Winter cup. "What's up?"

"You heard about Kiyoshi's injury, right?"

"Yeah, what about it? He's fine now…?"

"He isn't fine. This is his last season. And it was Hanamiya's doing."

"Huh?" Her eyes went wide. It shouldn't have been so surprising, but it'd mean that Hanamiya was playing his dirty games for much longer than anyone anticipated. "Tell me everything."

And he did. He told her everything he'd learnt from Hyuuga-senpai that evening. "… so, we have to win no matter what." He concluded.

"…and without any serious injury." She added with a frown, biting her thumb. "They played dirty against us, and they will do so against you. Hanamiya will mainly target Kiyoshi and you."

Taiga sighed heavily. "I know."

"Fuck." She grumbled.

"You're coming to the match, right?"

"Of course I am. I think the majority of my team is coming. Daiki too."

"Urgh…" He ran his fingers through his hair and threw himself on Aya's bed, keeping his legs hanging over.

"Are you scared?" She asked and stretched herself next to him. She could feel his unease about the upcoming match.

"I need more practise. I need to get stronger. If this is Kiyoshi's last season, we have to win even if it kills us." He groaned. "Tch… I'm still pathetic. I bet Aomine wasn't fazed by Kirisaki's dirty plays in the slightest."

She thought back to their match against Hanamiya's team. "Actually… Daiki caused them a few injuries too. But he wasn't happy about it."

Taiga was quiet for a moment, thinking. He already decided. "I need to go see Alex. There are things she can still teach me."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What? When? How?"

"She offered… And if I remember correctly… our school has some exchange program with one high-school in L.A. How long do you think would the paperwork take?"

"It usually takes some time. Evaluating you, if you're good enough, what are pros for the school, what are the costs… But if you grease the right wheels… Maybe you could be flying home in a week?"

"I'm not bribing anyone."

She shrugged. "I didn't say bribing, but… maybe if the school doesn't have to pay for your plane ticket and accommodation… Try negotiating. The American school might appreciate the token of gratitude for taking you in on such short notice."

"I'll go ask some teachers and maybe the principal tomorrow. If it's to help us in the Winter cup, it might be enough motivation for them." And he just wanted to get better on his own. He felt he needed it.

"It actually might. If you win tomorrow's match…" It was noticeable that Seirin was the black horse of this year, right after Touou with Aomine. For high-schools, having a strong sports' team was a prestige. And if Seirin could win in the winter because of Taiga's additional practise with his old mentor, there was no reason Seirin's principal would refuse his request.

"We will."

"Are you ready to train under Alex again, though?"

He glanced at her and then back at the ceiling. "Urgh… gambling matches. I know."

"Fine, if you're ready for that, I'm willing to let you go on your own."

"Not like you could come with me. You have the business to deal with too. And does Touou have some relationships with foreign schools?"

"Never wondered about it, but I might ask. Wait… I'll be here all alone when I come back?"

Taiga shrugged apologetically. "Highly possible, 'sis. But you can always ask that idiot of yours to stay over. I bet he'll be delighted."

She laughed. "I bet he will."

---

A/N: That's about it, I made a few minor changes compared to manga/anime, I thought would be ok. Maybe Daiki was a tiny bit OOC at the party, I admit...

This chapter is sort of packed. And I just like all of my character, even the side ones (Like Kouta nad Shun). :) I hope it's not getting boring yet, or too long. And at this point I hope I'm not forgetting / or repeating myself. Dragging the story for three years (whoa... I just realised this) means I'm forgetting some details too, though I'm trying to keep a track of it.

No promises regarding the next chapter, but I expect it to be shorter. I want the match with Kirisaki Daiichi in a separate chapter.

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

S.