Nearing the end of summer break, Mitobe opened the gate to the (surprisingly large) Tachibana household and went through, holding it wide for the rest of his team, minus the girls, and shutting it after. Kasumi had sent out a mass text, telling the males her address and they'd be celebrating from when they won against the kings.

"I thought yakuza had a lot of guards," Fukuda blurted out, voicing the thought all but Mitobe had in their heads. Fukuda shrugged sheepishly at the flat look said teen gave him. "In my defense, the only yakuza I've seen have been in movies, games, and manga."

That earned nods of agreement from the others and Mitobe rolled his eyes as he headed to a stand on the porch. Kouki watched with the others as Mitobe dumped out birdseed from a container and whistled. His jaw dropped as almost twenty bird shot out of the surrounding trees and landed along the stand, one by one landing on Mitobe's shoulder and pecking lightly before getting food from the stand. Glancing back over his shoulder, Mitobe motioned them closer and forced them to get acquainted with a parakeet.

His finger gently smoothing down the fluffy feathers on the head, Kouki looked at Mitobe. "What kind of parakeets are these?"

"And why do we have to be near them?" Hyuuga added, uneasily resting a finger on one's back.

Mitobe made a few gestures and Kouki frowned slightly, looking at Koganei for a better understanding.

The teen had a weird expression as he stroked the cheek of his bird. "They're monk parakeets. Uh, Kasumi and her mom use them as an alarm system."

"Explains why they were in the trees, then," Kawahara mused.

A few more gestures from Mitobe had Koganei gaping stupidly at him. "What."

Izuki nudged Koganei's shoulder and he blinked at them blankly. "Apparently, if someone were to try breaking in that isn't friendly with the birds will make them screech and the yakuza who live along the block with act as the guards."

They stared wordlessly at Mitobe as he stepped away and rang the doorbell. A loud dong followed and Kouki shared a look with his teammates when there was the sound of steps pounding on wood.

The door flew open and a younger male Mitobe look alike appeared in the door. "Hey, I'm Shiro," he greeted them quickly and held out an airhorn to his brother. "The girls are in the living room - they binged on ice cream, even Riko-senpai."

Mitobe disappeared as quickly as Kuroko did, his shoes thumping on the floor. Shiro motioned them in, whistling the birds away and the majority disappeared back into the trees. He closed the door after

A loud noise sounded from the inside of the house followed by four shrieks and a thud.

"MITOBE RINNOSUKE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Chigusa howled and the team paused in taking their shoes off, looking at each other warily before continuing to put on slippers and move down to what was the living room.

"Why do I feel like I have a hangover?" Aida groaned. "All I had was ice cream?"

"Ice cream binge eating," Kasumi corrected as they all stood in the large doorway. The manager was dressed in a Snorlax onesie, hair messy as she blinked dully at their coach, who was in an eevee onesie. Suzuki was in a Snorunt onesie and Chigusa in a Absol onesie. "Lasting brain freeze that turns to mush overnight. Needs caffeine."

She staggered off the large bean bag and past them down the hall. Kouki looked at Fukuda and murmured, "I'm going to make sure she doesn't hurt herself."

Fukuda nodded silently before looking back into the living room. Kouki quickly hurried after their manager, jumping slightly when Kuroko appeared with Nigou in his arms and a bag on his hip. At his confusion, the phantom shrugged.

"Nigou needs food and water since it's almost lunch."

Kouki nodded and whistled as they entered the large, fancy kitchen. Kasumi squinted at them before shrugging and downing a bottle of cherry ponta. "Is that okay for you so early?" He blurted out as she finished it off, slightly horrified.

"I've been doing it for years, Furi-kun. If something were to happen, it would have by now." Kasumi looked through her fridge before pulling out an orange ponta, blueberry ponta, and a carbonated water. "I'll be back with everyone. Kuroko-kun, you can put Nigou's stuff over there."

She left and the two settled at the large table, Kuroko having done as she suggested. Kouki pulled out the notebook with the foods she'd left him, having asked for him to get any allergies and Kiyoshi's favored food. A low hum escaped his throat. "I wonder how she plans on getting all these?"

"The Ishida Delivery service," Kasumi answered from behind, accepting the notebook as he lifted it up to her. "They're a favorite of mine when it comes to huge gatherings, which is what mama usually does with her employees."

"Isn't she an oyabun?" Kiyoshi asked as he settled between Hyuuga and Tsuchida.

"Yeah, but employees is a lot less terrifying for people to hear," Kasumi said with a smirk, heading to a landline on the island counter.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Taiga stepped up beside Tachibana, her landline in hand and notepad in front of her. "Hey."

She looked up at him, head tilting and onesie ears flopping. "What's up?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Do you have any of those chopstick clip things, kinda like trainer chopsticks? I want to try improving my left handling skills."

Tachibana stared up at the ceiling as she tapped her finger. "I think we do…" She put the phone down and began looking through drawers, muttering. "Ah, here we go." His brows went up at the tiny penguin on the end and she shrugged. "One of mama's old friends lost a hand in construction and he had to train his non-dominant hand. Tenji-ossan got those to mess with Jinga-ossan."

A small chuckle left him as he picked up the penguin chopsticks. "Thanks for this, and the food."

A shrug as she went back to the phone. "By the way…" Tachibana started in Spanish.

"Yeah?"

"I know you guys saw me and Sushi kidnapping Snorlax after the Touou-Kaijo game."

His eyes widened, knowing Snorlax was her boyfriend. "You mean…"

"Yes. Dai and I have been dating for nearly two years," she confirmed, her eyes focused on the notepad.

Leaning against the counter, he squinted down at her. "Why tell me?"

"Because you're a hothead and I don't want you trying to argue with him if you see us in public," Tachibana deadpanned and he grimaced, knowing she was right. "'Sides, our residential phantom doesn't know and I can trust you to calm him if he gets upset."

"He doesn't know?" Taiga blinked at her in shock.

"No. When we got together during Teiko, things weren't good between them. So far only Piplup, Pikachu, and Steelix know and the first two by accident, and Steelix because he's the one I squealed about to." At Taiga's choked laugh, she grinned. "He's like my brother, my partner in crime since before elementary. It was only fair that he knew about it. Delcatty doesn't know, either."

"Huh." He shrugged and straightened, turning back to the group. "Well as long as you're happy."

"I am." He ruffled her hair as she turned back to the notepad. "Now shoo so I can order lunch."

"Hai, hai."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"You know it's supposed to be a holiday, right?" Riko asked above her stir fried vegetables, staring at Furihata in mild exasperation.

Kasumi watched the teen shrug. "Yeah. It's just only Kagami and Kuroko play in games, aside from our practice matches."

"You should let them," Amaya advised. "Otherwise they'll be twitchy with a lot of suppressed energy. Not to mention, I need your help for the articles."

Riko eyed her then the male first years of Seirin. "Fine. But only if Kasumi goes with you and you make it far in the tournament."

"I'm fine with it. I've no plans for tomorrow but sleep anyway." Kasumi added.

Their faces lit up and they shared grins.

Kasumi eyed Kiyoshi as she messaged Kawahara's sister, asking how he was.

From: Lapras's older sister
'He's down for the count. Just a guess, but I think he'll be better in a day or so.'

From: Uxie
'Alright. Tell him we wish him better soon.'

An affirming response, she looked up at the boys. "Kawahara-senpai said he'll be better in a day or so."

They nodded and followed her, Fukuda and Furihata on either side as she lead the way to sign up. When they approached, she greeted the man as she began to sign them up, passing over the permission slip from Riko. Kasumi ignored the fuss behind her as she wrote down the information needed. She blinked in mild surprise when she saw the regulars from Seiho before swiftly bopping her teammates. "Move it, boys, others are waiting, too."

Grumbles were heard and Kiyoshi blinked down at her as they moved. "Why did you hit me, too?"

"I hit you? Sorry. Guess it's because you were close by?" He pursed his lips, but rolled with it. Kasumi settled in the grass, neatly swiping Nigou from Kuroko to lean against the tree. He was on her left while Kagami was on her right. Fukuda and Furihata were beside the older years of Seiho, Omuro and Sakamoto. Tsugawa was beside Kasuga and had Iwamura on his other side. Kiyoshi was on Iwamura's other side.

The girl looked through the map as she bit into a harumaki Chigusa had made for her before disappearing to wherever she went to get away from people (she thought it was her shed, but didn't look). Kasumi looked up at Kagami's questions and Tsugawa's outburst. Tapping his side, he looked back her, head tilting in confusion.

"Athletic third years from both middle and high school tend to retire early if the season is over for them," she explained for the redhead, knowing he wouldn't know from being too used to America. "Seniors still tend to visit the clubs to make sure they're doing well."

His brows furrowed more. "Cup?"

"Out of our division, only Shutoku and Seirin made it through," she answered. "The top eight teams from Inter High can get in for the Tokyo region. From there, it's the prelims and final league for entry, then the first through three rounds to get into the actual Winter Cup. From there, quarter finals, semifinals, and lastly the finals. This year, a lot of teams are going to be there for some kind of anniversary."

Kagami nodded in understanding, turning back around to continue eating only to choke and whirl back around. "You two brought him?!"

"Of course." Kasumi ruffled Nigou's fur before he bounced over to Kuroko, the redhead head leaning into Kiyoshi with a scowl. "Anyway, anyone want something from the vending machines? Seiho, you guys, too."

They blinked at her in surprise as her boys began placing down drink orders, which went into her phone notepad. Tsugawa blurted his out first and his seniors followed.

"Okay, I'll see you all in a bit, most likely at the court." She stood, carrying her bento in one hand as she headed off.

The weather was humid and Kasumi wondered when it would start raining - she could taste it on her tongue. A smile made its way onto her face as she neared the vending machines. One way or another, her and Daiki would gravitate to their spot. Looking up at the sky once more, she hummed and went to the vending machines, pulling out her coin purse.

"Kasu-chin?"

Jabbing the button for a lemon tea, she turned. "Sushi? Hey!"

The giant leaned closer, hugging her back. "You have people here, too?"

"What do you mean, too? The Seirin first years wanted to play, but a senpai had to take Kawahara's." He helped her slide the drinks in a spare plastic bag.

"Ah. Muro-chin wanted to sight see, but we ended up here," Atsushi said, disgruntled. "And I got lost."

"Do you know the team name?"

"Nope."

Kasumi chuckled lightly as they left the area. "Well, you can come with me. Maybe you'll see him or vice versa."

"Maybe… How's Snorlax? He seemed upset about being unable to play."

"He's twitchy and grumpy. You three didn't play in the finals, right?"

"Mmm… Mewtwo told me not to. Thought it was too early to try going against him again."

She nodded in understanding and looked forward. "Ah, we're here… is that Himuro? He's prettier than I thought." Kasumi looked up at Atsushi with a squint. "He'll be my brother-in-law, right?"

"Mmm."

"You don't even take the train to see me, so you doing this…"

"Kasu-chin talks too much, have some pocky."

Her eyes went wide as he abruptly shoved a couple pocky sticks into her mouth, a smaller bag of snacks into her hands, and she glowered at him as he went to interfere with the tip off. A huff left her as she went to where the Seiho team was, grumpily biting into the pocky. Tsugawa took the drink bag from her and passed out the drinks to the older males, setting it by their feet.

"You know the center?" Iwamura asked, looking down at her as she dug through the bag of snacks, grinning when she found a konpeito bag.

"Yeah. He's my partner in crime," she answered as she opened the bag.

"Why didn't you join him at Yosen?" Tsugawa blurted out.

She wiggled her fingers in greeting at Himuro. "Well, for one, Yosen wouldn't be running anymore if we went to high school together. Two… Tokyo is where it all started. Three… uh, how to put this... " Kasumi scratched her cheek, watching Kagami begin to egg Atsushi. "Me n' Atsushi did something relatively stupid in our final elementary year and some investigator was getting a bit too close."

"You make it sound like you blew up the school."Sakamoto said with a small laugh that faltered at her silence. "Ah… you didn't really blow it up, did you?"

Kasumi straightened as Atsushi passed her his bag, the giant answering with, "Fireworks send out a lot of sparks; we overestimated it."

"Atsushi!" She squawked and he blinked down at her.

"I overestimated it," he corrected and patted her on the head. "If you want to know more, look up Teiko Elementary Scandals."

The girl slumped against the rail with a groan, Nigou pressing against her leg. "You're going to get us caught," she complained. "And Tenji-ossan's gonna make us run laps for taking his stuff."

"Not my problem, I live in Akita." Her head jerked up and she gaped at him as he wandered back to the court. The teens from Seiho snickered and smiled.

"Traitor," Kasumi grumbled. A vibration from her hip caught her attention and she looked to see a message from Daiki.

From: Snorlax
'Do I seem like a kid still?'

From: Uxie
'Only when it comes to food, why?'

From: Snorlax
'Delcatty seems to think that I won't take care of myself because of my injury.'

From: Uxie
'Did you yell at her?'

From: Snorlax
'Almost did, but I remembered to breath.'

Feeling the rain start to pour, she knelt and pulled her umbrella out over her and Nigou. Atsushi and her boys, minus Kagami and Himuro, came over. The giant took back his snacks and the others their bags. Seiho left soon, the boys still giving her and Atsushi odd looks.

"Sushi, let's meet up soon, even if it's over webcam, ne? I gotta jet." He ducked his head under her umbrella for a hug. "See you, tell Himuro-san it was nice to see him in person!"

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Junpei watched as Momoi rubbed her cheek against Kasumi's large fuzzy hoodie the manager had left in the office. "Thank you," she said to Riko, who had lent the younger girl a pair of sweats Riko had in case she ran with them.

Riko waved a hand. "It's fine, Momoi-san. I have your clothes in the dryer. We're lucky Kasumi-chan left her hoodie, I doubt my shirt would fit you."

Momoi smiled faintly in understanding and looked towards the door when it opened. "Tetsu-kun!" She rushed to hug the phantom, face pressing into his shoulder.

They listened as she explained, Kagami shifting slightly beside him. "Captain," he said softly and Junpei lifted a brow. "Did you know Snorlaxes come in dark blue?"

He blinked and nodded, immediately understanding Kasumi must have told their residential hothead.

Kagami relaxed and looked at Momoi, listening again as she told them why she came to see Kuroko. "He… he didn't yell at me," she said, confusion plain in both her voice and face. "He simply said for me to buzz off and left."

"Did he not tell you about what happened after the game?" Kagami asked, puzzled.

Momoi locked onto the redhead, worry filling her face. "What do you mean?"

"Tachibana and Murasakibara kidnapped him, took him to the hospital."

Pink locks shook slowly. "No. He didn't tell me nor coach." She blinked. "How is Mukkun involved?"

The question directed at Kuroko, he said, "They're childhood friends like you and Aomine-kun."

A vibration from his pocket made Junpei step away, pulling the device out.

From: Uxie
'Hey, is Delcatty at Seirin?'

From: Uxie
'Sorry, I meant Momoi.'

Confusion gone quickly, he messaged her back.

From: Magnezone
'Yeah, she's here.'

From: Uxie
'Mind telling her Aomine is safe? That my Snorlax of a boyfriend ran into him at the store and he was alright.'

From: Magnezone
'You two need to tell her soon, you know. And I will.'

From: Uxie
'Hah! I told him the same, but he's worried my mom will influence her weirdly. Thanks for backing me up on that!'

He sighed and shook his head. "Momoi," he called and they looked at him. "Kasumi said her boyfriend ran into Aomine at the store and that he's fine."

"Ah, really?" She smiled in relief, shoulders relaxing. "Tell her thank you."

Junpei nodded and carefully ignored Kagami's slightly amused expression. 'Honestly, Kasumi and Aomine need to get it together. Others are going to find out eventually. Brats.'

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"I can't believe you," Kasumi smiled lightly as she leaned into Daiki, the male swinging them in a tight circle.

"Yeah, yeah." He huffed, but when she looked up he was smirking. "I had to do something since I couldn't sleep. Putting up glow in the dark stars sounded like a good idea."

"In constellation form?"

"Shut up and dance, Uxie."

Kasumi squinted at a shockingly happy Kiyoshi before silently putting her bag in Kawahara's arms and moving to scurry up the tallest teen.

"K-Kasumi-chan?" Kiyoshi faltered, grabbing her to steady her as she hovered over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Your face is too cheery." The bandana hiding his face, she hopped down and moved to gather her bag from an amused Kawahara.

"Suzuki-senpai keep you up again?"

"Yes." Her brow twitched. She did smile when Kagami called Kuroko out. "Hey, is our child at home?"

"Hai. His great grandmother is watching him." Kuroko paused then buried his face into his hands with a sigh.

They laughed at him, knowing their manager was rubbing off on them with her quirks.

"By the way, Kasumi-chan," Riko started as they began moving. "How exactly are you getting away with wearing pants?"

"I threatened to run around boxers." At Riko's bemused stare, she shrugged. "Lot less leg showing than if I threatened to run around half naked."

Riko choked on a laugh. "And you're able to run around in a hoodie, too. You're unbelievable."

"I live to serve and cause confusion."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kiyoshi whistled as they listened to Riko explain the Winter Cup. "Wow, it's like Kasumi explained at the tournament. We face Josei, right?"

"Un." Riko nodded. "Let's win!"

"Hai!"

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi shrugged lightly and pulled her hoodie slightly down, sitting between Mitobe and Tsuchida on the other side of the bench from Riko, Koganei, Fukuda, Furihata, and Kawahara in between.

"Is Kiyoshi-senpai going to be okay?" Kawahara wondered.

"Ah. He's just excited." Riko faltered as Josei's number nine suddenly yelled.

"SHE'S NOT SEXY AT ALL!" Kasumi and the team froze, eyes widening in horror. His finger jabbed at Kasumi next. "AND HER HOODIE IS TOO BAGGIE TO TELL - CAPTAIN, GIVE BACK THE EXCITEMENT YOU STOLE FROM ME!"

Ignoring what he said about her, she promptly slid over Tsuchida to sit on the edge of the bench. "I'm not involved, I'm not involved, I'm not involved," she muttered repeatedly, ducking behind Tsuchida.

"My heart isn't strong enough for this," Kawahara mumbled as he pressed into Furihata.

The people on the bench wheezed in silent terror as Riko fumed.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi held out an ice pack to Kagami, giggling lightly. "Furi-kun, we have more, right?"

"Hai," the teen said after looking through the kit.

"Does this mean I have to jump farther away?" The redhead mumbled as he slumped against Kiyoshi, ice pack against his forehead.

The other freshmen shared looks and Kasumi turned away with a snicker, hands pressed against her lips.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

She leaned forward, eyes widening slightly. The same feeling she had when Giratina was awake and her heart began to race in her chest. 'Giratina version two…?'

Spending time with Daiki had let her see him in almost all states except for Giratina; the beast she had only experienced a small part. In the moment Kagami had jumped, she'd felt something slightly. It wasn't quite the beast, but it let Kasumi know just how close Kagami was to Miracle status.

It faltered when Kagami hit landed on the floor on his back.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"At least Kagami-kun got a better handle on jumping," Kasumi said as she fist bumped the freshman trio.

"I'm still going to keep the ice packs, though," Furihata said with a small grin before they all turned to look at Shutoku.

"Let's go," Riko said, starting to the locker rooms.

"Hai!"

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Standing in the main foyer, she listened as Hyuuga explained the generals.

"Mama's been keeping an eye on them," Kasumi said as she sipped her ponta. "The current regulars of Kirisaki Daiichi."

"Eh?" They looked at her in surprise. "What, why?"

"They have potential to be baby yakuza and one of them, the center Seto, supposedly has a high IQ. That, combined with Hanamiya's planning skills and their willingness to get dirty would help take out the darker parts in the yakuza territories." A bitter smile lifted her lips. "Mama thinks they'd be great acting as left hands."

"What are the darker areas?" Tsuchida asked.

"Human/sex trafficking and drug trafficking." They blanched and she pulled her phone out, tapping for a link she'd gotten a few days ago. "Here."

The teens moved closer, Koganei reading it. "'After two years of Police collaborating with a yakuza clan, a raid reveals a drug trafficking ring in Okinawa.' Is that your mom and her clan?"

"Have you not seen her for two years?" Fukuda asked after she nodded.

"Kinda. I mean, we spoke over the webcam and letters through proxies. Since she works with the police, she sometimes goes undercover for them. The Tokyo and Akita prefectures have been her territories since before I was born." She nodded to Kuroko. "Atsushi's parents, Rina and Tsubaki, are in charge of the Akita territories while the two older sons, Akihito and Zenichi are in charge of the Tokyo while she's gone. Okinawa is her newest one."

"Is she trying to stop the trafficking?" Riko asked, pressing against her shoulder.

"Yeah. You know Hanamiya's spider web?" The seniors nodded. "Mama wants to replicate that only in the areas that are heavy with the trafficking."

"It would be slowed or stopped completely." Hyuuga realized.

"Only if the imports are stopped, otherwise it'd only be slowed and maybe caught." Kasumi pressed a bit into Riko. "Akashi Masaomi, Akashi Seijuro's dad, is a silent supporter, using his business to move things for the clan. 'S why me and Atsushi were able to get into Teiko without a scholarship."

"Why do I get the feeling it's a bit deeper than that?" Kagami asked quietly.

"Mama said Masaomi-dono was head over heels for his wife. One of his competitors had a maid poison her lethally and she died when Akashi-san was five. Masaomi-dono pushed his son hard and remained distant to make sure he didn't lose him either." She looked at Kuroko. "Atsushi pushes people in basketball to make them realize their limits. The game against Kiyoshi-senpai in middle school was to see if he could stand up against the pressure from Atsushi, to see if he could be a diplomat for either Masaomi-dono or the clan."

"That guy?" Hyuuga looked at her in disbelief.

She shrugged her free shoulder. "Mama likes to think ahead." Her head drooped. "I don't think she counted on Sushi forgetting about it though, that blockhead. Or for senpai to rile him up again." She groaned and pressed a hand to her head.

They snickered and Rin patted her head lightly.

"Tachibana-san," Kuroko said after a moment and she looked at him, brow going up. "You said it was the willingness of them getting dirty that caught your mother's attention." She nodded, curious to see where he was leading. "Does that include Haizaki-kun?"

Kasumi blinked, lips pressing into the cold can. Finally she hummed. "Did you know golden blonds like Kise-kun are rare, even more so with matching eyes?"

Kuroko blinked at her, stoically lost. "No."

"They are, even outside of Japan. Add in his rather pretty genes and you get someone who would be a rather high seller in the human/sex market." Riko breathed in sharply, her hand catching Kasumi's and squeezing, blunt nails digging into skin, and they all paled. "The girl who was spreading rumors about being his girlfriend, the one Shogo-kun "stole," was the daughter of a human trafficker. She was to lure Kise-kun out of the public areas at Teiko and they were going to kidnap him, but Shogo-kun interfered and if Aomine-kun and Atsushi hadn't been there to witness it with me, he would be dead for messing with a sale."

"What happened?" Furihata asked, eyes wide. Kiyoshi, having arrived, leaned over to speak with Izuki, who quickly caught him up.

"Well… Shogo-kun was known for being a delinquent, getting into fights and truancy. So, the girl had like seven guys waiting. Two had Shogo-kun down in the grass, blood coming from a wound on his head, and another was hitting him. Two more were prepping the van they had gotten onto school property and the last two were speaking to the girl as they got things needed to hold down a body." She paused and blew out a breath, Riko squeezing again. "It, uh, gets a little blurry. I remember body slamming the one hitting him and swinging my bag at the other two before checking Shogo-kun over and calling the clan's doctor, who lived nearest to Teiko than the hospital. Atsushi and Aomine-kun had taken out the others, making sure they all stayed down. I think Atsushi sat on the girl and Aomine-kun called his dad, who's a cop."

"So they were arrested? And Haizaki was okay?" Koganei reiterated.

"Them and the small group they had. Shogo-kun had a concussion, but recovered smoothly. He's at Fukuda Sougo now in Shizuoka, Chubu." She smiled reassuringly. "Mama's got people watching over him and his family since they aren't in her territory. Daisuke-dono makes calls down to the police force there to check over the yakuza syndicate there, making sure none try picking a fight with them."

"That's good to hear," Fukuda said then looked around. "I think we need to leave, though. The janitors seem to be waiting."

(WILD OMAKE APPEARS - IF KASUMI HAD WORN HER SCHOOL OUTFIT INSTEAD OF CHANGING):

"Only their manager is sexy-!"

Smack!

The teens and referees on and by the court startled and turned to stare at the manager, who was smiling as dangerously as her coach. "Say it again," she invited as she bounced a small rubber ball in her hand. "Say it again, I'll aim lower so you won't really be able to tell sexy to non-sexy at all."

Narumi groaned helplessly from his spot on the floor, a dark red mark appearing on his forehead.

Rin silently took the ball away from her and replaced it with the spray bottle, knowing it was less dangerous. Furihata grabbed the ball from him and tossed it to a person in the stands, motioning for them to keep it.

The refs sort of stared at her then each other before slowly starting the match (they didn't really know how to act since her throwing the ball at Narumi wasn't totally uncalled for, but the rules mentioned violence meant a suspension from the court, yet she was the manager…? As long as she didn't try anything else…)

Kasumi and Riko swiftly checked the bottles (drink and spray), towels, and first aid kit. "We're good. At halftime, I'll get the drinks replenished and new towels."

"Alright. Chigusa-chan's bentos are in the locker room? And the juice?" Riko asked and twitched as Furihata answered from behind them.

"In the cooler Tenji-san brought." He smiled nervously under Riko's annoyed look. The others chuckled as they joined them at the bench.

"Kuroko-kun is rubbing off on us," the brunet noted and sighed before beginning the pregame talk.

Soon their regulars headed onto the court.

Kasumi was in between Riko and Koganei, listening as she set up her camera and rested a knee on the bench (just like during Josei, she had a Seirin hoodie and pants). The game was begging, with Seirin taking the ball first. She began focusing for her pictures, eyeing Midorima oddly from time to time as he seemed different from usual.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"Takao-kun's being a leech, again," she noted softly, watching as Midorima faked yet again and Kagami jump a second time.

Her eyes snapped to Kuroko, seeing him by the ball and quickly aimed her camera at Izuki as he caught the ball, clicking.

"He's mixing in fakes," Fukuda noted.

"What's he doing?" Furihata wondered, staring at Midorima with a frown. "He's not taking the shot, so what- oh."

They stared in surprise as Midorima passed to Takao.

"Endurance training, adding in fakes, and now passing? Midorima-kun's changed." A small wicked grin came to her lips. "This will be a fun game."

"Eh? Kasumi?" Kawahara stared at her.

She winked. "Don't forget, Shutoku isn't the only team to have grown."

"She's right. Mitobe-kun, get ready." The two stood, heading to the score table.

Kuroko settled in Mitobe's seat.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kagami and Kiyoshi double teamed Midorima.

Hearing Tsuchida, Kasumi wondered, "I thought Seirin's play was run and gun?" She looked at Riko and earned a nod.

"Our play is more offensive. You could say our true form," Riko said, continuing. "High-paced score wars are our specialty. Teppei-kun on the inside and Hyuuga-kun on the outside."

When both Kagami and Midorima were both being patted (read - smacked) by their seniors, Kasumi was taking pictures, finding their faces funny.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

A noise left her throat in surprise.

"Kasumi?" Koganei looked at her.

"He smiled," she said, lowering her camera so Kuroko and Koganei could see.

They looked back at the court.

"... think I could sell it to Takao-kun?"

"Isn't that extortion, Tachibana-san?"

"... forget I said anything."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kuroko switched with Rin. A small smile formed at the determined look in his eyes. Fukuda passed Rin a towel and bottle when the teen settled on the bench.

A giggle left her when Takao vertically face planted against Kagami when he tried moving after Kuroko. Said phantom was facing down Midorima and she whistled lowly as the teen used his new drive.

The others cheered.

"He perfected it!" Furihata fist pumped the air.

Seirin was slowly catching up.

"We're tied," Riko breathed, excitement in her trembling legs.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi wiped at Kagami's face. "You know, you can breath while having fun," She teased lightly.

He made a face at her before standing. Hyuuga led a quick cheer before they headed out. She catcalled him when he pushed his hair back.

"Nice look, Kagami-kun!"

"Keep your eyes on your Snorlax!"

Those on the bench laughed at her pout. "How rude, can't even accept a compliment."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

She growled. "Stupid Midorima-kun, blocking my shot."

"Little low there, Takao-kun," she grumbled, brow twitching as Izuki was forced to turn. Furihata wheezed quietly.

"Miyaji-senpai, seriously? Kimura-senpai, you too?!"

"Kiyoshi-senpai, are you mad at me or something?"

"Damn tall people and their damn heights."

"Nooo. Midorima-kun, that's inappropriately way too close, what about Takao-kun? And in front of him, for shame…"

"Kasumi-chan, breath." Fukuda cut her off, smiling lightly at her.

"Look though. They made my pictures weird!" Kasumi wilted onto the bench sideways to aim at Kiyoshi. "Amaya-senpai threatened to cause a racket if I didn't get a nice picture of Kiyoshi-senpai to prove he's back in action."

"He's getting ready," Koganei warned and she swiftly held the camera to her eyes, clicking it just as the ball went in. She eyed it and sighed in relief, quickly focusing on the second shot.

"Make it, make it, make it," the other three freshman chanted.

"Rebound!" Riko yelled when it hit the rim. They watched silently. "It's a tie."

Kasumi burst out laughing as Hyuuga, Izuki, Kuroko, and Kagami stormed up to an unsuspecting Kiyoshi. Confusion swarmed above the five as they spoke.

"Oh thank Arceus. I got a picture!" Riko saved her camera as she doubled over, wheezing against Koganei.

Rin picked up their giggling manager as they all left the gym, tossing her over his shoulder.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"I can't believe we lost our baby," Tachibana muttered as they looked around outside. "I can't believe we haven't got caught with him, too."

"I may or may not use misdirection to hide him," Tetsuya told her, making her stare at him in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes. The app that has animal noises is a great cover."

"Huh. Never thought to do that."

"That's because you supply him with treats, mom."

"Like you don't after Nigou-chan has chased Kagami-kun?"

"You have no proof."

A huff of laughter left her. "At least he gets enough exercise. Chubby animals are cute until they have health problems."

They looked ahead, seeing Momoi ahead with Midorima and Kise. Nigou noticed him, wriggling and forcing the girl to set him down. Tachibana swept the puppy up.

"Nigou-chan, you worried us!" She chided as Nigou licked her nose and rubbed their cheeks together.

"Tetsu-kun! Kasumi-san!" Momoi beamed at them.

"Kurokocchi, Kasumicchi," Kise waved slightly.

"Hello," he greeted, eyeing how annoyed Midorima was and looked at the cart. "Did Nigou use your cart as a bathroom, Midorima-kun?"

The megane promptly bristled. "He peed in it!"

Tachibana shifted the bag on her hip closer to Tetsuya and he opened it, pulling out wet wipes and paper towels, the girl plucking a bottle of air scent. "Midorima-kun, you and Takao-kun okay with lavender?"

He nodded as Tetsuya moved to clean up the mess, spotting a trash can nearby. "You might want to bleach it still," Tetsuya advised as he jogged over to the trash can.

Midorima settled. "Thank you," he said, stiffly.

"Oi, Shin-chan!" Takao called from behind. A buzz from Tachibana made Tetsuya look at her.

"We have to go, dad," she said and waved at the puzzled teens. "See you later!"

"Please stop calling me that, mom."

"Eeeh? But we shared a bed, Kuroko-kun!"

"Without consent. You broke into my house."

"You didn't kick me out nor call the police."

"I shouldn't have to."

"I made breakfast!"

"You nearly gave my dad a heart attack in your Pikachu onesie."

"It was the only one clean. Stop being so mean!"

"Please stop touching me."

"Denied! Admit it, you love me!"

"Give me back my child."

"Wha- Hey! Stop it!"

"I'll fight you."

"In court, maybe. Kuroko-kun, STOP BEING MEAN!"

"Denied."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi grinned as she went through the photo album Riko had from her first year at Seirin. The duo were at the coach's house, lounging on her bed in their pokemon onesies. "Riko, his hair was as bright as Kise's!"

The brunet laughed. "I know, it was so dorky, especially on him with his glasses!" Her smile faded slightly. "He didn't seem like himself until Teppei got through to him. I can never thank him enough for that."

Tilting her head sideways on the pillow to stare at the girl, Kasumi blinked. "You like them, don't you?"

"Eh?" Riko gazed at her in surprised confusion.

"You like them romantically," Kasumi repeated, sure of it after seeing the blush beginning to build along Riko's cheeks.

"I… I am…" Her face darkening, Riko tossed a wary look at the door before focusing on her feet as she hugged her knees. "And I dated Teppei last year, but…"

"It could have been seen as favoritism," Kasumi finished.

"Yeah…" Riko sighed.

"You guys fit each other, though. Like the Aura trio. You push the team, Hyuuga-taicho pulls, and Kiyoshi-senpai keeps them steady."

"I never thought of it like that."

They looked at the door, hearing a knock and Kagetora opened it. Offering a faint smile, he looked between them and leaned against the doorway. "I noticed you two were still up. Everything settled for the game tomorrow?"

"Un. Tenji-san is going to drop off the cooler and Kohaku-baa-chan has the bentos, food, and bottles. Amano-shishou has the towels and first aid kit. He'll be watching from the crowds." Kasumi sat up with a sigh. "They'll meet us at the entrance so the team and Riko know who to look for."

The man nodded and looked at his daughter. "You know you'll have to sub Air Head out if it gets to be too much for him."

"I know," Riko said, meeting his eyes evenly. "And I will if I need to."

Kagetora nodded solemnly. "You two better get to sleep soon. Night, love you, Riko."

"Night, Kagetora-shishou!"

"Night, Papa, love you, too."

Daiki followed Satsuki, their team, and Shutoku's team with a tired sigh. His friend had dragged him along like he was unwilling, but having seen who his girlfriend and friend's team would be going against, decided he needed to be there just in case Kasumi got pissed. He recalled what happened two years ago with a grimace. She hadn't even got fully physical like him and Murasakibara, but it had still been bad. Kasumi had refused to leave her house for most of that week, missing three school days.

He slowed, seeing two familiar people. "What are they doing here…?" He mumbled before his eyes widened and quickly began heading over. "Hey!"

"Aomine-kun?" Satsuki sounded from behind, puzzled, but he ignored her.

"Jinga-ossan, Tenji-ossan!" He called, shifting to a run to grab Jinga's hook hand before Tenji could send it flying with his cane. "What is wrong with you two? Are you trying to kill someone with this?!"

The old men averted their eyes sheepishly and he eyed them as Satsuki, his team, and Shutoku came up. Tenji looked at Satsuki curiously and Daiki stepped in front of her.

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Tch, fine. She'd make a great thief, though," Tenji said quickly before clambering back into the van. Daiki groaned when Satsuki poked his back in answer. "Brat, get in here for the cooler. Jinga-baka can't get it with you holding his hand."

"Aomine, won't you introduce us?" Imayoshi asked curiously.

He tossed him a dirty look as he jerked the slightly heavy cooler out of the van. "That's Jinga-ossan, that's Tenji-ossan. Tenji-ossan's a former thief of the Ryuuzaki clan and Jinga-ossan's a former shingiin."

"Just because I lost my hand, doesn't mean I still can't go through the courts," Jinga grumbled as he snatched his hand back.

"Clan, as in Yakuza?" Nakatani asked, blinking.

The old men stared at him, puzzled. He shrugged and set the cooler down. "Tachibana Kasumi, Seirin's manager is the oyabun's daughter. My dad usually works with her mom to stop the darker parts of the yakuza."

"The raid in Okinawa, for example," Tenji said. "Oyabun had some undercover cops in the crew she took down to the island, Daiki's dad was one of them."

"Eh? Aomine-kun acted like he didn't recognize her, though." Satsuki noted with a frown.

"There was an unsavory incident in our second year of Teiko. Neither one of us really wants to remember it." The teens and Nakatani looked at him in confusion, but he averted his eyes with a scowl.

"Amano-shishou is going to be here, by the way, along with Kohaku-shishou."

"Eh?" He looked at Jinga in surprise.

"Ah. He's the only one Kasumi-hime trusts outside of Midorima-sensei and she's got surgeries all day. Not to mention, Kirisaki Daiichi has people Oyabun is worried about in the future." Jinga looked at the other teens. "You already know about Kiyoshi and his injury from last year, right? It's the same team today that fucked up his knee."

"Is Tachibana going to cause trouble?" Midorima asked, pushing up his glasses with a small frown. "And do you mean my mother?"

"She Kaede Midorima? Then yeah. And I don't know about the hime, but that's why Shogo is going to be here just in case." A feral grin turned Tenji's lips up. "I'd advise you to warn Kirisaki before Kasumi-hime goes postal on them if her team gets hurt."

His face paled, remembering just how violent Kasumi could get in protective mode. "Please tell me Kohaku-baa-chan is going to go through her bag."

"That's why she's going to be here." Jinga snickered. "Anyway, we have to leave. Make sure Seirin gets their cooler, yeah?"

Daiki nodded, still a bit worried as the old men drove away in the van.

"Aomine-kun," Nakatani finally said and he looked at the coach. "If Tachibana-san does go postal, what should we expect?"

Grimacing, he pulled the wheels out for the cooler and moved with the large group. "Tachibana's way of revenge has two mode. Pettiness and pain. If she goes with being petty, Kirisaki will be humiliated. If she goes with pain, we'll need to make sure ambulances are on the way beforehand."

"Tachibana doesn't seem violent," Takao noted.

"Neither does Tetsu, but both get pretty pissed when their friends or classmates are hurt. I'm gonna go find Seirin, Satsuki, and don't worry about saving me a seat."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." He waved slightly before heading away, frowning. 'Wish Steelix were here, he's better than me or Haizaki at getting Kasumi out of her boss mode.'

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"Baa-chan!" Kasumi cheered despite her voice being muffled as she was squished into a shoulder. She flapped a hand at the man behind the old lady. "Hey, shishou!"

Kohaku laughed as she let the girl go. "Hello, darling. And it's nice to see the rest of you outside of pictures," The woman said, smiling at the team.

"Yo." Amano said plainly, wiggling his fingers as he carried his large first aid kit. He looked at Furihata. "Furi-kun, Kasumi-hime said you usually help her and Riko with the health stuff. Where should I put this?"

The mousy first year lead the man into the locker room and Kohaku walked with Kasumi into the room, her cart trailing behind her. The team followed behind. "Riko-chan, Kasumi-chan, I have the bottles and towels in two different bags for the first and second half to make it easier. I will need my cart back by next year during the spring, so you lot can keep it till then."

The girls stared at her in surprise then the cart. Kasumi and Riko looked at each other. "Why haven't we thought of that?"

Another laugh left the woman and she kissed the girls on the cheeks after checking Kasumi's bags, both duffle and camera. "I can't stay to watch, but I know you'll win. Have fun, alright? And remember to breath."

"Hai!" The group chorused as she left.

"I'm going to find Daiki," Amano told Kasumi, patting her head. Switching to Spanish, he headed out. "And don't break them. Don't need the stupid trio worrying."

Her eyes lowered at the words and Kagami ruffled her hair. "Don't worry. We'll kick their asses in the game so you won't need to after."

"Hey." They looked up to see Daiki in the doorway, tugging a cooler through the open doorway. "Tenji-ossan and Jinga-ossan had to leave so they asked me to get this to you guys."

"Ah, really?" Riko smiled and accepted the cooler (Kasumi had told the girl about the couple the night before). "Arigato, Aomine-kun."

"Did they say anything?" Kasumi asked and he smirked wryly.

"Wanted me to warn Kirisaki about boss mode, but I'm not mature enough to do that this early." With that said, he held up a peace sign and disappeared.

Slowly, Kasumi smiled. "Heh. How nice of him."

"Boss mode?" Fukuda asked as he eyed the girl suspiciously.

"I'm mama's heir," Kasumi said simply. They eyed her dangerous smile and sighed.

"Troublemaker," Riko groaned and they laughed, Kagami pulling Kasumi closer to muss her hair.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi swiftly prevented the boys from going crazy on the taping with a snicker. "He won't be able to play if you turn him into a mummy. Furi-kun, you should know better."

"Eh, Kasumi-chan is being a mom. How creepy." Kawahara blinked up at her innocently when she poked his forehead.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She squinted at them.

"Nigou is your child, not us." Fukuda grinned. "It's weird for you to mother us."

"Would you rather I smother you?" She retorted.

"Done," Furihata said, cutting their bickering short.

"Thank you," Kiyoshi said, accepting the knee sleeve from Riko.

Hyuuga was soon leading the pregame talk and the game was beginning.

Kuroko swept past Yamazaki and Kiyoshi dunked the ball when he received it, earning the first few points. "Let's win," she breathed out silently, staring hard at Hanamiya beneath her bangs. 'We have bandages and ice pack, Amano-shishou in the crowd somewhere. Please, let's not need more than that.'

From the beginning, Kirisaki was playing dirty. Her camera was taken by Kawahara and she looked at him blankly. "Let's just get pictures from the photographers they have here," he suggested as he passed the device to Tsuchida who put it away quickly. "No need for you to accidentally break it."

She could only nod and look down, Furihata taking and squeezing her trembling hands in his.

"You know," Fukuda began as Kuroko stopped Kagami from punching Hara, "I think I can understand how Momoi is in love with Kuroko."

A laugh escaped hers and the others in surprise as Riko called for a time out, her head shaking lightly. The seven got up and grabbed the bags and small first aid kit. All of them glanced at Kiyoshi in surprise at his words. Kasumi stilled at the words he aimed at Riko. She remained quiet as they moved towards the court, sharing dark looks with Kuroko and Kagami. 'Make it hurt.'

'We promise.' Kuroko had a hard gleam in his eye and Kagami a wicked grin.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"Taicho, breath!" Fukuda called out to the megane. "Kagami, you too!"

Red and grey eyes flicked to the bench and both gave weak nods and Tsuchida huffed. "I think they'll just get more frustrated."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"Strike one," Kasumi said placidly as the ref called a time out, sending them into the break for ten minutes, and those on the bench faltered at the angrily cold air she was exuding. "Two more and they're dead." 'Go ahead, Hanamiya, make it to three.'

Rin squeezed her shoulder lightly as they moved.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"Aomine," Susa said and he hummed. "How close is Tachibana to going postal?"

"Postal?" Kasamatsu asked from beside Imayoshi (Kaijo had been in the seats and Satsuki had gotten them to sit nearby). She swiftly explained what Jinga and Tenji had told them.

Daiki stared at her, the way she was touching her charm necklace he'd gotten her for their first anniversary. The way she did only when truly aggravated. "Two more strikes," he answered after a moment. "She isn't in boss mode. Not yet anyway."

"We'll trust your words for now, Daiki-san." The teens turned to see Haizaki Shogo and his older brother, Tenshin. Shogo nodded absently to Satsuki and Kise when they blurted out his name.

"You're late," Daiki said and straightened in his chair as he looked at them, standing to have Tenshin take his seat at Shogo's odd look.

Shogo ignored it as he looked down at Daiki. "Did you know there's a Dratini colony near by?"

He blinked. "No. Is Amano-shishou with Seirin?" They walked towards the larger halls, leaving behind Tenshin, Kaijo, and Touou.

"Yeah, he is. The Dragonair in charge said word had gotten around and thought it best since Tachibana tempers are legendary." He grimaced. "Not to be rude, but I kinda hope she doesn't get to how she was the first time."

"Me neither… Let's hope one of her teammates don't set her off though." Daiki rubbed the back of his head. "Check on her?"

"Planned on it." They separated.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

'They work well together,' Kasumi thought as Kuroko was benched, handing him a towel and bottle.

"Thank you," he said as he sat beside her.

She watched as Seto came out onto the court at the same time, making a hand gesture for her team to play it safe.

"Kasumi?" Tsuchida looked at her in confusion.

"Seto is the major reason mama wants the KiriDai regulars as his IQ is large. Combine it with Hanamiya's brains and they're monstrously dangerous together." Her head nodded at the court. "See how Izuki-senpai is unable to make a pass? He's their trap's target."

"Seriously?" Kawahara asked. "What do we do?"

"We wait, see how it pans out fully." Kuroko squeezed her forearm, letting her know he had an idea forming and she hummed lowly, their anger simmering.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Tetsuya passed Izuki a bottle and towel, motioning with his eyes to the stoically fuming Tachibana and Izuki smirked wryly, understanding she was ticked off for half the team.

"You had that same gleam in your eyes during the two Shutoku games," Tachibana said abruptly, drawing their teammates attentions. "What is it, Kuroko?"

Absently, he noted that she tended to drop honorifics when agitated. "There might be a way if I stop playing with the team," he answered, looking at Aida.

The coach shared a silent conversation with Kasumi after his explanation and she nodded. "Do it."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Daiki watched Kasumi tug her basketball charm as he trailed off. The leather rain drop anklet rested on his right ankle.

"Strike two," Shogo said as Kiyoshi was prevented from blocking. "They really want to die."

Aida called a time out once more. The duo tried melting into their seats when Kiyoshi stood, protesting against Aida. "That idiot." They cringed as Kasumi's temper snapped and she dumped the contents of her spray bottle over Kiyoshi's hair. Her frigid aura (Daiki saw the outline of the image lying over her) could be felt from across the court and he noted even Shutoku had looked over.

"W-would that be strike three?" Sakurai asked nervously.

"But they're teammates!" Hayakawa protested weakly.

"Disrespect of any kind is a trigger for her," Tenshin said, leaning forward worriedly. "Her mom is the only official 'female' oyabun and she gets shit from the other male oyabuns. It's worse since Kasumi-hime is her heiress."

They fell silent to watch with all their attention, Daiki worried for his girlfriend. 'Kasumi…'

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Stepping onto the bench, Kasumi upended her spray bottle over Kiyoshi's head, temper burning hot. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

The team froze, Kiyoshi faltering beneath her furious glare.

"You are not the coach. You are not the captain. You are neither vice captain nor manager. You are not in any position of power on this team. Where do you get off thinking you can make orders off court?" Her hand snapped out, preventing anyone from interrupting her. "It's selfish of you to ignore not only Hyuuga-taicho's promise to you, but also the wills of the others."

Shame filled his eyes and he averted them. Her voice lowered to a whisper so only their team could hear.

"Do something like this again and you won't have to worry about Kirisaki Daiichi."

"It won't just be Kasumi, either, idiot!" Hyuuga snapped at him, sliding out of his frozen state to step up to Kiyoshi with a scowl. "It'll be us, too!"

"Kiyoshi-senpai is what I imagine an older brother to be like," Kuroko said quietly, adding to guilt trip the brunet. "Aren't siblings supposed to help each other out in rough times?"

Rin moved and held his hand out to Kiyoshi, who sheepishly accepted it. "I'm sorry. I'll leave the rest of it to you."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

When Hanamiya brought his elbow down on Kuroko, speaking to the phantom after he dodged, she yelled for them to focus. But that was the only time she spoke after the game restarted, instead staying quiet and ignoring any attempt to speak to her, sitting at the farthest end closer to the Shutoku-Senshinkan game with her hands pressed together on her lap.

Kasumi felt drained, all of her frustration having been in the water she dumped on Kiyoshi. She hated getting angry, not having felt this level of angry since Shogo had been attacked. Half a week had been spent in her room hiding with Naomi Murasakibara, Atsushi's only older sister, making sure she was still active. Daiki and Atsushi had made appearances binge watching anime and binge eating ice cream (hence the term ice cream hangovers). Kasumi didn't understand how some people could be angry all the time - it was mentally exhausting. Her eyes drifted slowly up to find Daiki's, fingers brushing her charm. He nodded and leaned over to speak to Shogo and Tenshin. She refocused on the court as the game ended. Kasumi stood and walked to Riko as the coach wiped her eyes.

"Hey," Kasumi smiled wanly at her. "After the bow, I'm going to go on ahead. Amano-shishou should be in the locker room waiting."

Riko surveyed her and nodded, gently, but firmly hugging her. "Take your phone, well deal with the bags. Remember, hot springs in three days."

Leaning into the hug, Kasumi nodded. "Hai."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kaijo and his team were following him as he headed to the east exit. Shogo and Tenshin hand gone to speak to Akihito and Zenichi (who'd been the ones with the few men they'd brought) so as to head them off of going after Kirisaki Daiichi. He wondered for a moment then sighed. "Oi, Kise."

"Yeah?"

"You know that thing I threatened you about a couple months ago?"

A stumbling noise and snickers sounded. "Y-yeah…?"

"Be free with it."

"... I can keep my toes?" One of the members of Kaijo snorted and another wheezed.

"I don't know voodoo anyway."

Satsuki broke in. "Mou, what are you two talking about?" Kise slowly began speaking, as if Daiki was going to change his mind.

Daiki frowned as he spotted Kasumi up ahead. She was leaning against the door, staring at her phone as if puzzled. Her face seemed paler than usual, her bags not on her sides. "See you later." He picked up his pace, not hearing them following, and paused in front of her. Teal eyes connected with navy, slow in moving.

"You free to binge?" Kasumi straightened, arms going out loosely as her phone went into her pocket.

He stepped closer and pulled her up into his arms. "Always." She pressed her cheek to his shoulder, above his heart, as he set her on his hip. "You were good today."

Air warmed his neck when she sighed. "I wanted to strangle them."

He kissed her forehead and began to walk. "But you didn't. Want a fried food night?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright, then."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"They're really dating?" Wakamatsu asked, the blond utterly flummoxed as the couple disappeared into the night, Aomine cradling Kasumi.

"Un." Ryouta shrugged apologetically at Momoi's bewildered and hurt expression. "They're private. Sorry, Momocchi."

Her expression shifted to something more wistful as she gazed after them. "Do you think she's why Aomine-kun is sort of like his old self?"

"Probably." He glanced after the couple himself.

"Then I can't really be upset." Her wistful smile turned mischievous. "And I can always show Kasumi-san his baby pictures if Aunty hasn't, yet."

All the males reeled away, Sakurai latching onto Ryouta in his terror.

"I'm not sure if it's obvious yet, but Momocchi has the most blackmail on us Miracles," Ryouta whispered. "Kurokocchi the second most."

"Looks like you owe Aomine an apology for thinking Momoi completely innocent," Susa muttered to Imayoshi. Ryouta looked at the Touou captain, unimpressed.

"I suppose I do."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Seirin slowed down when they spotted KiriDai standing near the hall entrance by the main foyer. Amano had given Kiyoshi an all clear but wanted to see him again the next day and given him crutches to prevent putting too much pressure on his knee. The man had left after getting a call.

"Hanamiya," he called and the opposing team looked back at them. "Is something going on?"

"There's yakuza in the foyer," Hara answered for their distracted captain.

"Yakuza?" Seirin exchanged knowing looks.

"Do you guys know something about it?" Yamazaki asked them warily.

Hiroshi and Kawahara watched in amusement as Furihata ignored their question and pass his bag over to use Seto as a stepping stool to see the yakuza.

"Oi-!"

"It's Akihito-senpai and Zenichi-senpai," Furihata said and dropped down to take his bag. The team made noises of realization. He motioned Aida forward. "Want to meet them?"

"Sure. I wonder if they have anything Kasumi we could use." Their coach mused as she lead the way past a bemused KiriDai. She did cast the three a curious look. "Have you three met them?"

"At the candy shop in the mall." Kawahara scowled. "They took all the strawberry yan-yan."

"Which you swore at them for," Hiroshi added and snickered at the exasperated looks from those who weren't there.

"You did the same when they kept bugging you at the game store," Furihata pointed out.

"They took it with ease," Hiroshi replied, wincing as Hyuuga bopped him.

"Oh, it's you three," the twins chorused as they looked up at them from the bench and stood, both tall but still a bit shorter than their youngest brother. Both had dark jeans and hoodies on, the clan symbol on the front. "And team. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too."

Akihito frowned and tilted his head, dark purple-black strands shifting with the motion as Zenichi frowned. They both drooped comically. "Kasumi really went on ahead, huh?" Akihito puffed his cheeks out.

"So we can't scare KiriDai? How boring," Zenichi grumbled, then straightened. "Want us to take you back home? We've got the buses with us."

"Buses?" Hyuuga repeated.

"Ah. When Atsushi mentioned your team was playing KiriDai, we figured it'd be best to have one bus for the men and one for you guys in case of injury." Akihito nodded to Kiyoshi.

"Yes, please. I believe Amano-shishou needs to know Teppei's address for his exam tomorrow," Aida said with a thankful smile.

"Follow us then." The twins made a motion to their guys who disappeared with the ease of Kuroko and began leading the way out. Zenichi turned to walk backwards, grinning wickedly. "Wanna hear some stories about the accidents Atsushi and Kasumi caused?"

"Yes, please!"

Akihito laughed as his brother asked them, "Did you know Teiko used to have an elementary school?"

At the hot springs, a recovered Kasumi followed Riko on her way to check on the boys (neither didn't really care if they were naked - Riko having been desensitized when she was younger and Kasumi having had shared a bath with Atsushi as kids). She was examining the camcorder in her palms that Amaya and Chigusa had gotten her for her birthday (a small celebration on November 22nd with friends). "Blackmail, blackmail," she hummed, both girls studiously ignoring the four startled Touou regulars.

"At least it's waterproof," Riko said as they peeked out, leaning over Kasumi when the younger girl crouched to turn the camera on and use zoom. "Is swimming even allowed here?"

"Isn't this sexual harassment?" Imayoshi asked before Kasumi could answer.

Said girl waved a hand dismissively, focusing on Hyuuga scolding the freshman. "The granny running the place is a yakuza, she doesn't care so long as there's no blood or sex."

Riko dropped her chin on her head. "Rather blase."

"Blood is hard to clean up in a hot spring, bodies only less so. Aww, look at Nigou-chan and his papa," Kasumi cooed. "Sakurai-kun, breathe. We won't do anything to you guys."

"That still sounds ominous," Wakamatsu muttered. The girls glanced at him flatly.

"Your freshman duo is coming," Susa warned and the six promptly disappeared, hiding as the two changed and left.

"What are they doing?" Sakurai squeaked in panic.

Kasumi snickered as Izuki yelled at the others. "At least Izuki-kun, Tsuchida-kun, and Kiyoshi-kun aren't joining in. C'mon, Kasumi."

"Hana-senpai will be happy," Kasumi noted as she did, camera going to her eye and catching Kiyoshi, Tsuchida, and Izuki's faces as they walked up. She winked and wiggled her fingers.

"You seem to be having fun." The six males froze in dawning horror. "Let us join you."

They whirled around, zoning in on Riko's darkly sweet aura with fear. "C-c-c-coach!"

"All of you, clench your teeth."

Kasumi whistled as she looked at the older girl's work, nodding to the trio as they left. "That was terrifyingly amazing."

"Thank you." Riko smiled at her. "I'll meet your at the hot spring."

"Un." Kasumi rushed to their room to put the camera away (their towels and yukata were already in the changing room).

In the changing room, she noticed an extra basket full of clothing and figured, since Touou was there, it might be Momoi. She made a face as she freed herself from her chest binder (a con of having a large chest) and made sure her yukata was close by before twisting and pinning her hair at the top of her head and walked out towel in hand to put in a splash free zone. Her steps slowed and stopped as she blinked.

"Are you two having a yuri moment? Should I come back later?"

Riko and Momoi looked at her blankly then each other, eyes going down. They released twin squeals and jerked away back into the water. "Kasumi!" Riko squawked.

Their protests faltered when they took her in, eyes a bit lower than her face. Momoi was a bit awed, Riko a bit jealous. "You're bigger than I thought, Kasumi-san."

"One of the reasons I wear a binder," she replied dryly. "Too huge for me to move around safely."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Riko asked, jealousy fading as Kasumi joined them in the spring.

"Only if you don't wear it properly or it's on for eight hours. That's why I only wear it for sports stuff and if it's too hot for hoodies." Kasumi melted as the warmth began seeping into her back.

The other two nodded in understanding and Momoi splashed the water a bit. "So when did you meet Aomine-kun? And the dating?"

"Met during… early summer? After the game with Inoue-san." She considered the events before continuing.

Kasumi glomped Riko from behind, beaming at Kagetora innocently. "I saw her naked!" The brunette buried her face in her hands to muffle her laughter as Kagetora whirled to them only to falter at the sight of Kasumi. Their team fell over.

"You…" Kagetora blinked stupidly at her. "But…"

She held out a hand, away from Riko. "Give me the gun before you shoot one of us," she chided and he did so before turning on the boys, ordering them to strip.

Releasing Riko, she quickly unloaded the gun, sliding the ammo in her pocket with wry amusement and hooked the gun on a ribbon connected to her bag. Kasumi looked up and smiled wistfully at the sight of the father-daughter interactions and cleared her throat, pointing a thumb behind her. "I'm gonna check our lodgings, see if we need to get anymore food before three days are up, and put the gun away."

They nodded. She wiggled her fingers and began walking to the door before a sudden rush of anxiety filled her, turning around. "Hey, Riko?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay away from the powders!"

"W-what?! … h-hai…"

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi walked beside Riko, protein bars in Riko's hands and grape fruits in hers she convinced the older girl to get instead of powders.

"I've given him some advice, but that's all I can manage for him," Kagetora said, rubbing his head.

Humming, Kasumi said, "He has passes and a new drive. He needs to add to that… maybe a way to make a basket? Even if it rebounds… Tsuchida-senpai and Fukuda-kun could work on getting the rebounds…" She tapped her chin, the last part muttered.

"He'll find a way," Riko said, nudging her shoulder. "We just have to find a way to help when we can. Your idea with Tsuchida-kun and Fukuda-kun is good."

A scream built in Kouki's throat as a dangerous gleam lit Akashi's eyes as he moved closer to the three of Seirin. The scissors shone in the sun as they were lifted high in the air-

"RIVAL!" The shriek filled the air and he breathed in sharply as the manager of Seirin (their brilliant, eccentric, overprotective manager) crashed into the shorter redhead squeezing him. Kouki latched onto Kuroko and Kagami's jersey, jerking them backward as Kasumi distracted Akashi by squishing his cheeks. "You lost your baby face!"

The gleam and sadistic smile disappeared from Akashi's face as he looked down at her. "Tachibana-san. Shouldn't you be acting with more decorum?"

"Hah? But that wouldn't match my style at all," she replied as she let him go, stepping firmly in front of the trio as Akashi gathered up the scissors and began cutting his bangs.

"Aka-chin knows Kasu-chin?" Murasakibara asked, tense as he watched. Kagami and Kuroko pressed back against him.

"We used to play shogi in Teiko." Akashi said, not looking away from Kasumi. "Neither of us ever did win."

"Only because my quirks ruined your rules," she returned, swaying slightly. Midorima looked surprised, as did the other Miracles. Aomine seemed ticked as he looked at the redhead.

Head tilting, Akashi began smiling dangerously again, but he thankfully passed the scissors back to Midorima (he didn't even look at the megane, Kouki noticed nervously, wondering if he was like Takao (but stronger)). "I see you're as protective pawns as ever." Kagami bristled and Kouki ruthlessly dug his toes into Kagami's foot.

"Promoted pawns, actually, and why sacrifice them when they have their uses?" She paused and tilted her head, strands swinging lightly from her messy bun. Kasumi hummed and chuckled softly. "Have you noticed that I got more promoted bishops?"

The air got heavy again and it was only because she retained the pressure Kouki didn't collapse. "Hoh?"

"You left your base, after all, Akashi-kun."

The gleam reappeared. "That doesn't mean anything, Tachibana-san."

Kasumi straightened, saying something in a different language that Murasakibara seemed to know and understand, his face turning to stone.

Akashi straightened as well, looming over her while speaking. Aomine and Murasakibara seemed ready to lunge and Kouki wondered why Aomine, then blinked. 'Aren't Snorlaxes blue?'

Her next words were sharper and they stared at each other, neither giving in until Akashi chuckled lowly and switched back to Japanese. "You've gotten braver. I can't wait until our next match." He said nothing more, turning and walking up the steps, swiftly disappearing from sight. Silence remained until there was a soft noise.

Kasumi's legs buckled and Kouki dove to catch her under her arms, lowering them to the ground as she giggled hysterically. "How am I supposed to be a yakuza boss when he still scares me?!"

Kouki wilted against her, face pressing into her hair. "You're insane, please stop laughing, I'm going to have a heart attack and it will be all your fault." She giggled harder and he looked up at Murasakibara, who had come down the steps with the others. "Why is she laughing?!"

Murasakibara seemed exasperated even as he reached out to stretch and squish her cheeks, making her laughter falter. "I think Aunty dropped her on her head when we were toddlers. Kasu-chin, if you do something like that again, I'll squish you like a bug."

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!" She tried kicking him, but he was too close. "Off!"

"Stop being stupid."

"Kay, kay!"

The giant released her an she slumped back against Kouki, rubbing her cheeks. Kouki blinked at Murasakibara when he patted him on the head, but the giant didn't say anything, taking his snacks back from Kise. Aomine and Kagami pulled them up to their feet and Kuroko moved close to them, hovering a bit. Kasumi squawked as Aomine jerked her close, headlocking her and ruffling her hair harshly as he scolded her. Kouki looked at the other Miracles, who weren't trying to help at all, Kagami, who seemed to be fighting a laugh, and Kuroko, who he couldn't read still. Kouki looked at Murasakibara.

"Are they dating?"

Purple eyes blinked slowly at him, then a nod. Kuroko twitched in surprise but the other three didn't react aside from Kagami snickering at something Kasumi yelled.

Kouki looked at the couple once more, brows furrowing before he paled as he refocused on Murasakibara. "Please tell me Kasumi doesn't need biological children for heirs."

They all froze at the sudden question, but Kouki could only focus on how terrifying it would be if they had children. With Aomine's (presumably) short temper and Kasumi's yakuza and overprotective tendencies (she broke into all of Seirin's houses and forced them to have charm bracelets with leather wrist straps that could go on anything), Kouki could only wheeze. "Tokyo is doomed…"

-LIR(tS&tU)-

The freshman quartet set up the bench, looking around in wonder.

"So many people," Furihata mused, calmer from earlier.

"Shame they're here more for Touou," Fukuda added.

"We'll change that," Kawahara said firmly and they shared grins before turning to their starters.

"Do your best!"

"Fighting!"

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi snapped a picture from the end of the bench, humming. "They're not underestimating us. They're going full out."

"Shouldn't that be done at the end?" Fukuda wondered.

"Maybe. It depends on the flow of the game and the teams," Riko said absently. "Not unexpected."

Click!

A wry smile tugged at her lips at the surprise on Daiki's face. The Ignite Pass Kai was a lot more improved than the normal one thanks to Kagetora helping the phantom. Seirin could catch it but only due to being the ones who had practiced with Kuroko. "We'll need to keep an eye on Aomine-kun."

"What makes you think that?" Koganei asked.

"It's a little frank to say this, but he's a Miracle." She blew out a breath. "They tend to be geniuses when it comes to basketball."

Riko hummed noncommittally and rose to call a timeout. The others copied, clearing the bench to help pass out towels and bottles. She wiggled her brows when Kiyoshi agreed with her, earning eyerolls.

"Go confuse the Oddish, taicho!" She cheered lightly as he walked back onto court.

"Of course!"

Kasumi frowned in confusion, seeing Sakurai get an odd look on his face and wincing when Hyuuga twitched in annoyance, starting a shootout with the brunet.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

The girls glanced at Kuroko when he spoke, sharing a quick eye conversation. "Be careful."

"They'll figure it out if we use it too much, but it's a gamble we'll need to take," Riko said.

"Are you sure?" Kiyoshi asked, eyes concerned as they flicked between the three. "What if one of them does figure it out?"

"As long as it works on one person or more, it'll be high-stakes, but I think we can manage it," Kasumi replied.

The five nodded.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Teal eyes flicked from Aomine to the hoop, lingering, and not for the first time, Junpei wondered if Kasumi would make it through with them playing Touou, more specifically Aomine.

She had Kuroko pressed against her side, hand on his towel-covered head as she stared blankly at the hoop. Her hand lowered to the back of his neck as Kagami spoke to him, blinking back into focus to share a look with the redhead.

"Black hole," Kasumi muttered as they passed each other, her on the way to the cart and him to the court. "Light can't escape a black hole… but how…"

His lips quirked up as he caught gazes with Imayoshi. Then again, Junpei couldn't think of anyone else to support their phantom on the bench when they were on court.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Fingers rested on cool metal as Kasumi focused on the court, Kuroko leaning into her in surprise as Kagami blocked Daiki. 'I love Daiki, but even I can say he needs an ego busting.'

"Giratina…" Kasumi breathed against her camera, fogging it lightly. A giggle escaped at Koganei's reaction at being stuck between the two aces.

"Who's Giratina?"

A wicked grin crossed her lips as Kagami blocked Daiki once more. "A Miracle beast. Kagami-kun has a thing for riling them up."

"Kasumi?" Riko hedged.

"Aomine-kun showed me once, just a bit. Furi-kun, that pressure you felt when you were with the Miracles? It gets more intense in the best way."

Furihata eyed her warily. "You better not be saying that because you're friends with half of them and dating one."

"... dating?" Tsuchida repeated slowly as the buzzer sounded.

"Snorlaxes are blue," Furihata answered flatly.

At first they looked at Kuroko, then realization hit and they jerked to stare at Aomine. Fukuda stared at her in mild horror. "You don't need biological children for heirs, right?"

She stumbled in getting up. "What's wrong with us having kids?"

"The apocalypse of Japan."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Making their way to the locker room, Kasumi swung her and Kuroko's hands slightly. "Do you know what startles me the most in ghost movies?"

All easily understanding there was more to the question, Kiyoshi asked, "What's that?"

"Ghosts usually hover at the edge of the character's awareness before disappearing when they turn to look."

"You don't get frightened with Kuroko," Kagami pointed out. "Not unless he's directly behind you."

"With a camera, you usually focus on what's in front of the lens and keep it a bit away from my face to make sure nothing comes up and blocks my view. You guys don't take pictures like an actual photographer, like me, and directly behind me is sort of like my blindspot. And in movies, it's usually from the character's perspective, so it's a bit harder to see where the ghost will appear at. Anyway, when the ghost does appear, the character tends to focus fully on the ghost and thus loses track of whoever's with them." She answered.

"Tachibana-san, you must be a mind reader." She blinked at him and his lips twitched up as they entered the locker room, the three freshmen moving to pick up the new bags with towels and bottles to switch them with the used. "I was just thinking of something very similar."

"Did you notice a problem with the aftermath, though?" Kasumi raised a brow and released him to motion him to a bench, dragging the cooler to the middle of the room.

He nodded as he sat down and accepted a bento from Riko. "They will be able to sense me afterwards."

"Another gamble, then," Kawahara noted as he checked the energy drinks.

"If the misdirection fails, we'll try it then," Riko finally said after thinking and getting a full explanation, not just the brief overview. "For now, focus on regaining your strength. It'll be brought up again when it does."

"What if they're on court when it happens?" Fukuda asked.

"This," Kagami said after a moment, bringing his hands up in a square, like a photographer checking their view. "A camera to the eye, since Tachibana brought it up."

"That'll work," Hyuuga said after looking around.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Hand pressing to her mouth, Kasumi said, "Maybe more hand strengthening exercises or simply catching."

Riko watched in wry exasperation as Hyuuga shook his hand out. "I'll ask papa."

They collectively blinked in shock at the court. "Imayoshi-san's marking Kuroko-kun? Does this mean…"

"Misdirection Overflow." Riko nodded as the Barrier Jump was shut down, too.

Kagami went after Daiki only to falter when the other teen moved midair.

"No way…" Kawahara breathed.

'Giratina…'

Seirin stilled when Kuroko turned away from Susa, hand in front of blue eyes as he ignored Imayoshi.

"Go for it, Kuroko!" The players on the bench yelled, shooting to their feet.

"Ippon!" Izuki called out before disappearing.

"Kuroko might need to be carried," Tsuchida mentioned, eyeing their phantom.

"Yeah… so let's put everything on the line." They collectively scowled at Imayoshi's buzzer beater.

Kuroko leaned into her as he panted, letting her rub a towel along his face and hair. Fukuda switched Hyuuga's bottle as the captain spoke.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up when she looked at Daiki. "Ano…"

"Kasumi?" Rin touched her shoulder, Koganei peering past him to look at her.

"What is it?" Riko asked, glancing at her and following teal eyes.

"Giratina is coming." She licked her lips. "The Zone is coming."

Hyuuga began shooting threes, going head to head with Sakurai once more until Daiki got his hands on the ball.

"It counted," Fukuda muttered, teeth gritting.

"Triple-team?" Furihata wondered.

"A challenge." Kasumi adjusted her camera. "Won't work… what is he doing?"

"Pressure," Kawahara voiced after a moment. "Kuroko threw him off by appearing after Aomine was mainly focused on Kiyoshi-senpai, Kagami, and the hoop. Fooor… high speed shots, right?"

"Basketball has a lot more intricacies than I thought," Kasumi grumbled, watching as Sakurai fouled on Hyuuga. Her eyes lingered on Daiki as Hyuuga began his free throws. "Giratina's out completely."

They stared in shock as Daiki immediately took back two points. Kasumi put her camera away before she dropped it, taking a pen out to nibble on since candy wasn't allowed on court. Her lips were a worried line as she moved to help pass out bottles and towels.

She glanced at Riko then at the five players. "Don't get injured," Kasumi said. "Amano-shishou will be ticked if you do.

Izuki chuckled as he headed back to the court. "That's a horrible way to encourage someone."

"Welcome to a yakuza's doctor care."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi flinched when Kuroko rolled, Furihata and Rin preventing her from going after him. Her legs stopped shaking as her eyes landed on Kagami. "He's in."

"Two minutes," Tsuchida breathed as the trio cheered for the redhead. "He's got two minutes to make sure it counts."

"He will. He's our ace, after all," Riko said, hands curling into fists.

They watched as the game went high speed. She winced as the ball nearly beheaded on of the pro photographers. "Getting a little dangerous there."

"Aren't Giratina dangerous?" Koganei asked her absently.

"Un." Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Daiki smiling. Her lips formed an 'O' and she was a bit dazed as Kagami passed Daiki not once, but twice. 'Daiki…'

Kagami jumped and smacked the ball. Izuki grabbed it and tossed to Hyuuga, making it 97-98. Kasumi didn't resist making a face when Daiki's eyes went over her face, earning an eyebrow twitch.

"Kasumi, stop it."

"Hai, Hai." Her hand gripped Riko's as she settled beside the brunette. Her leg began bouncing again.

"Kagami!" She called. "Senpai!"

Their hands released, hers going up in a fist pump and Riko's clutching her own palms.

'Let's win, Seirin!'

"Kuroko, do it!" They yelled. "Kagami, go!"

The timer hit zero just as the ball made it.

She was squeezed between Koganei and Tsuchida as they cheered. But her eyes remained on Daiki, tears brimming and falling as he fistbumped Kuroko.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"Momoi, are you going to go after Aomine?" Imayoshi asked as they prepared to leave the room. Daiki had already taken his bag, so she didn't need to carry his.

"Yes, but… I'm going to give him and Kasumi-san a bit." She shrugged at his confusion. "Aida-san wants to go over there next opponents tomorrow and Dai-chan wants to go shopping."

A small smile came to her lips as she followed the boys out of the locker room. 'Dai-chan does owe her after all.'

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"Daiki!" He heard her call and turned to look, spotting her bags swinging on her waist. His lips twitched at her outfit now that he took it in properly. "Oh, stuff it."

Dark blue ripped skinny jeans with lime green legging peeking from the rips. Black converse with red laces and a Seirin hoodie covered slightly by a light blue scarf. Her hair was pulled back by a hair clip, falling over her shoulders and scarf and he spotted eyeshadow.

"What's with the make-up?" Daiki asked, cupping her cheeks as she stopped on the steps and leaned into him.

"You guys made me cry. Not cool, Snorlax." A wide grin rested on her pink lips despite her words. Her arms went around his neck and he navigated the bag straps to hold her in return, face pressing into her hair.

They swayed in silence for a moment.

"Kasumi?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

They stilled and she pressed her face against the top of his head. Distantly, he heard rain.

"I love you, too."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi laughed at the pun Izuki made as she walked up to the team and nodded in agreement with Koganei.

"Fine, but we can't keep asking Kasumi to get our meals. Even with discounts and coupons it's still expensive. I know you've got the money, but…" He flailed a hand and Kasumi understood.

"Then what's the plan?" She asked, leaning into Kawahara.

"Well… my place is nearby," Kagami said, averting his eyes and scratching his cheek. "If Mitobe-senpai and Tachibana helps, we can make dinner."

"I noticed you didn't include me," Riko noted dryly and made him flinch. "Sounds like a plan. Let's head to the store.

"Hai!"

Kawahara tugged her sleeve, making her look at him. "Ano… Kasumi, could I ask a favor?"

"Favor?"

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi and Kagami stared as their seniors and classmates lost their shit. Riko had wilted by the island counter, leaning into Kagami's legs. He glanced at Kasumi as he lightly patted Riko on the head. "They do know she only carried them, right?"

She wordlessly pointed as Koganei tripped over Kuroko and narrowly missed the coffee table, Rin lunging to catch him. Kagami cringed and Kasumi prodded Riko carefully with her toes. "I know the idiots are ego destroyers, but will you still make your special hot pot?"

"Hai…"

Soon, the three called out, "Its ready!"

Koganei gaped at it. "It looks good!?"

Kasumi threw a leftover potato at him. "Kagami-kun and I cooked, baka!"

"Why are there fruits in here?" Hyuuga asked dully, holding up a raspberry.

Biting into a mango, she shrugged. "It works. Now eat." She jabbed her chopsticks at the hot pot.

Finishing off two bowls, Kasumi stretched her arms and legs as she stood. "That was pretty good, Senpai, want me to take your bowl?"

"Ah, thank you, Kasumi," Kiyoshi said, passing his bowls and chopsticks over.

Making her way to the counter, she said, "No… problem…?" Dots danced across her vision, dark little bubbles, and the plastic bowls and chopsticks left her strangely numb hands, bouncing off the floor.

"Kasumi?" Tsuchida caught her arm, but she saw his legs buckle and they crumpled to the floor.

"Kasumi/Tsuchida!" Everything went dark.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"I want you to repeat after me: I will no longer go near the kitchen."

"I will no longer go near the kitchen."

"Mitobes, Kagamis, and Tachibanas are the only ones allowed without supervision."

"Mitobes, Kagamis, and Tachibanas are the only ones allowed without supervision."

"I will not use supplements for revenge against my team."

"I will not use supplements for revenge against my team."

Kasumi released the unbroken chopsticks she'd used to flick Riko's forehead with and let them fall onto the coffee table. "Good."

Riko grimaced as she rubbed the red spot on her forehead, pausing as Koganei suddenly screeched. Jaws dropped as a blond bombshell walked into the living room, pulling on a tank top and beaming just before kissing Kagami. Kasumi had her phone out in time to take a picture of Kagami's reaction. Kuroko nudged her and motioned to it, so she sent it to not only his phone, but the team's group chat.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"Eh?" Riko blinked at Kagami right when Alex pulled her into a kiss.

Yet again taking a picture, she quickly hid her phone in Kawahara's bag. Furihata shook his head as Fukuda shook in silent laughter. Kawahara looked at her in exasperation.

"Take me with you!" Alex said, smiling.

"Only if you have Tachibana on speed dial," Kagami replied with a scowl. "I know you've got a thing for gambling."

Alex twitched violently. "That was years ago!"

"You still buy, and lose, lottery tickets."

"You-"

"I have a better idea," Kasumi cut the blond off, tapping her chin. "I've been meaning to give the team something anyway."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Koichi followed Kasumi into her yard. "Thanks again for this. I really thought Uncle Tadashi's trip was next week."

"It's fine, Kawahara-kun." She pulled her keyring out after they greeted a few birds. "Did you want a futon, bean bag bed, or actual bed?"

He opened his mouth to answer, faltering at the many pairs of shoes resting in the genkan. Koichi looked at her, but she was staring at the largest pair of shoes, brows furrowed. "Huh." They changed into slippers and went down the hall, her a bit in front, and stepped into the living room doorway.

"Atsushi?"

The taller of the duo stared at ten of Yosen's players in surprise as they stretched in her living room. Their coach was to the side with the couch and coffee table, the latter covered in papers.

"Kasu-chin, welcome home." The giant shifted eyes to Koichi, head tilting and eyes squinting. "Kawahara?"

"Hai. Nice to meet you." Koichi dipped his head to the whole Yosen group, absently noticing they were all huge. 'His arms are really long…'

Murasakibara nodded before scowling unhappily at Kasumi. "Do you still have the Banned PDA here?"

"Yeah. In the pantry by the potatoes." Murasakibara stood up and they sidestepped to let him through.

"Why's it by the potatoes?" The, well, buffest player asked.

"Naomi-nee likes messing with the lists on there to get her brothers in trouble and it's easier to hide it in places she doesn't expect. Not that I mind, but why are you guys here?" Kasumi asked and noticing Koichi's confusion, said, "The Banned PDA contains the places the Tachibanas and Murasakibaras are not allowed at anymore."

He squinted at her suspiciously as the lady coach answered, sighing heavily. "The hotel we were meant to stay at said all purple haired Murasakibaras are not to stay the night due to some mishap a while back. They were agreeable to our other players staying there, except for those usually on the bench and court."

Kasumi blinked as they sidestepped again, Murasakibara moving to hand the PDA over to the coach. "Was it the huge one to the east?"

"Yeah," Murasakibara answered as he sat down. "And before you start asking, we took the three guest rooms and living room basement. Araki-chin's in Aunty's room and Kawa-chin will need to use a bean bag since we took the futons."

She glanced at Koichi and he nodded. "What about your guys' dinner?"

"Ishida on dad's account."

A relieved nod. "Alright. Well, it was nice seeing you all, but we've still got school. Don't expect us for breakfast. Goodnight." Kasumi moved to hug Murasakibara and lead the way up the stairs after they both waved to the rest.

"Guess I get a bean bag bed?" He wondered.

"It's comfy, I promise. Do you mind sharing a room?"

"Nah. Had to share with Nee-chan on vacation trips, it's fine."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"Did you really have to tape it? Furihata asked petulantly, rubbing his red cheek.

"Of course. I want the later generations of Seirin to know and understand what the first generation is about." Kasumi tucked her camcorder away.

"You mean the things we do to go far?" Koganei asked for Rin, since she couldn't see the teen's gestures.

"Exactly. I mean, last year Seirin had the potential to be a dark horse last year, but failed. We've got it this year. I want the next generations to know that."

"Mom sounds old."

"... heh? Is there a fly around? I think I need a fly swatter."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Atsushi caught her eye and she blew a raspberry, earning an eye twitch as the game began. "Kasumi," Furihata said warningly.

"It was only once, I promise…" They paused as Atsushi got a jumper violation. "That asparagus idiot."

Fukuda let out a strangled laugh at her words. Tension rose as they focused on the play.

"He must have worked on his reflexes," Kasumi said, lips pursing. "I'm thinking the three point line, Riko."

"His reflexes weren't good before?" Kawahara asked as Fukuda took control of the notes.

"Atsushi had a hard time estimating how hard or soft to throw light and heavy things. A basketball he understood how to throw for the most part since it's huge and heavy. Everything else… we had to replace a lot of things." Kasumi switched her knees, camera up high. "He must've trained them while in Akita.

"Yosen is preventing the offense rebounds," Tsuchida muttered.

"It's a good thing we all went through hand strengthening exercises," Furihata sighed as the first quarter ended, all standing.

Riko began explaining when the players sat, only to pause to stare at Kuroko. "Eh?"

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"I didn't mention this during the Touou game, but I'm surprised you aren't worried about playing against Murasakibara," Koganei said as the game began again.

"I've never won against him during physical challenges unless his build prevent him from winning," she admitted. "His limbs were always longer and stronger, the only things I ever won against him was running and climbing."

"Running?" Kawahara glanced at her oddly.

"Mama threw squishy tipped darts at me and had me climbing things with different or no holds, like trees and brick walls. With Daiki, my swimming and baseball skills are better. So, while I'm not physically playing… I still want to kick their asses." She grinned impishly, aiming the camera at Kuroko as he prepared to shoot, then Atsushi. "And I definitely want teasing rights."

Click!

"You go, Kuroko!" The boys cheered.

Kasumi snickered. "Sushi didn't expect that." She stared as Okamura ticked off Kagami. "Okamura is getting a little personal there."

Rin flicked her cheek.

"Sorry… kinda…"

He sighed.

They cheered as Kagami and Kiyoshi successfully defended, followed by Kuroko scoring and the halftime break began. "The worst is coming," Kagami noted as he wiped his face.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"It won't have the same effect," Kasumi said and Riko expounded.

"Kasumi, you spoke a few times with Araki," Riko said, looking at her. "Do you think she's thinking the same way?"

"Yeah. She reminds me a bit of Momoi-san. They'll definitely use Himuro-san." Kasumi pushed a new battery into her camera. "Kagami-kun, expect to go against him quickly in the third quarter."

He nodded, then tilted his head. "You three saw the last shot at the street game, right? What'd you think of it?"

The black haired girl shared a look with Furihata and Fukuda, the taller brunet answering. "It's got something to do with his hands. That's all I could distinguish through the rain.

"Himuro clearly doesn't have misdirection like Kuroko, so it's got to be some kind of technique," Furihata added.

"Himuro-san is really good at faking," Kasumi mentioned. "Probably something to do with that or related to it. Also, if Atsushi gets pissed, be careful. He's got the tendency to mess with people mentally, something Daiki pointed out after the Shogo-kun incident."

"How bad?" Kiyoshi asked, knowing he'd be the one to possibly face a pissed off Atsushi.

A bitter smile. "The Teiko mentality has nothing against it."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kagami moved in front of Himuro pretty fast in the third quarter.

"He really has the fakes down," Fukuda said, jotting down on the paper.

"His transition was smooth. Unlike Aomine-kun, he's fully orthodox," Riko agreed.

They fell silent, then Furihata said, "There it is."

"Tsuchida-senpai, get ready." The older teen nodded.

Kagami made a face at Koganei, but sat where the teen patted the bench. The freshman trio cheered at the three Kiyoshi got. "Go for it, senpai-tachi!" They crowed as Kiyoshi took over as point guard. The group whooped and hollered as the brunet dunked.

"One digit gap!" Furihata said gleefully as Araki called a timeout. Seirin moved for the players.

Teal eyes moved over between Atsushi and Kiyoshi, pausing in saying anything at hearing Kagami speaking to Kuroko. The buzzer rang. "Be careful, Atsushi is getting mad."

"Hai!"

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"Go, Kagami!"

She cringed as Kagami landed hard. "So close. Alex-san must have been teaching him some kind of dunk.

"What makes you think that?" Furihata asked.

"How he moved. Like a dunk with a far jump." Kasumi frowned in thought. They watched as Kiyoshi was once more triple-teamed, but still managed to dunk Izuki's rebound. Her camera dropped into Kuroko's lap and she stepped over the bench.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

His knee faltered and he could see the ground rushing to meet. Him, only to pause as thin dark-clothed arms caught him around the middle, bright neon red peering through rips as legs steadily lowered him to the ground. "Easy, senpai, there's a lot of sweat on the ground."

"Referee timeout!"

Tachibana let him pull away, rising with him. "Sorry. I tripped and fell dramatically." Teppei lied as he pulled himself up (his knee ached). Her hands pressed lightly against his arms before she moved away and he continued to speak.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"Atsushi's angry," Kasumi noted absently, eyeing the invisible sweat she could feel through her hoodie.

"Senpai… he'll fight harder than the KiriDai games, won't he?" Furihata asked quietly and she nodded silently. Both listened to Kuroko as he spoke.

"I never went to the games he was active in." Her fingers curled around her camera. "Suppose I should have, since Akashi-kun clearly enabled him."

"You shouldn't have to control him," Riko said absently. "What about his parents or siblings?"

Furihata was the only one to notice how tense she got, eyes lowering. "There was an incident right before middle school began, so Aunt Rina and Uncle Tsubaki had to focus on Akita, leaving Akihito and Zenichi to the parenting. I'm sure you noticed, but Naomi-nee and Nitori-nii are also shorter than Atsushi. They couldn't really control an angered Atsushi without the power and he only listened to me because I get violent when I'm truly pissed." Her head jerked up, startling the listening teens before they followed her gaze.

Several pairs of eyes widened as Atsushi broke the hoop. "He's not even going full out…" She chuckled weakly as the referees called a halt and they gave her incredulous looks.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi swallowed as the game restarted, Fukuda having put her camera away and replaced it with her scarf, nails digging into fabric.

Atsushi kept preventing Seirin from scoring and scored himself. Kiyoshi and Kagami fell hard and she frowned in confusion when Atsushi held a hand out to Kiyoshi, then picked him up while speaking.

The sound of fabric made her look down at the suddenly torn scarf. She breathed in carefully as she folded it, not looking at Atsushi. Kuroko lightly touched her shoulder before switching with Kiyoshi. She shifted so he could sit between her and Riko, his knee being taped by Furihata. Her hand connected and squeezed his, scarf dropping onto her lap. She pursed her lips when Kuroko moved and got Atsushi fouled. Kasumi wanted to be angry, but knew she couldn't do much without getting her team in trouble (it was their last year with Kiyoshi and she would not let anything interfere with it).

The new formation was in play and time blurred to the end of the third quarter.

Kiyoshi's grip was slightly tight; Fukuda's light touch to her shoulder told her silently that her duties would be taken over.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

They moved to the circle when Kuroko asked. Kasumi looked up at Riko when the brunette stood after hearing Kiyoshi's favor. "Kasumi, if I need to, I'll send orders."

"I'll take care of them," she promised.

The brunet duo left and Kasumi focused totally on the game.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"They're amazing, aren't they? Especially Yosen's number 12, his moves have no hesitation." A deep, slightly gravelly voice came from behind her.

Alex couldn't help grinning smugly. "I'd hope so, I'm his and Seirin's number 10's teacher…" She trailed off as she stared at the (holy shit, he's huge!) speaker. "Oh… are you…?"

A faint smile formed on his lips as he leaned closer, eyes lowering. "I see Kasumi lent you one of the charms. Try not to cover it if you visit the north side of Tokyo."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi delivered Riko's orders, crushing the paper and handing it to Kawahara, who slipped it into her bag. "Use the clan's SL, Atsushi never payed attention to it."

"Hai!"

"Kick some ass."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Riko returned in time to see Kagami enter the zone.

"That's what I meant earlier," Kasumi said as Kagami pulled off the dunk. "That's what Alex-san must have taught him.

Kagami messed up her hair when she grinned at Himuro punching Atsushi. "Stop grinning like that or I'll end up leaving the Zone, midget."

"Excuse me?"

"Tachibana-san is resembling Akashi-kun."

"I'll show you resemblance, get over here."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Kasumi bared her teeth slightly as the light and shadow duo went onto the court. "Riko, please show me the Boston Crab Hold."

"You're chopsticks are more dangerous," Riko deadpanned, hand going up to her forehead.

Koganei covered Kasumi's mouth. "Stop talking and watch." He yelped when she licked his hand, jerking it away in surprise and gaped at her, hand wiping on his shorts.

"Ew, gross," Kasumi gagged, wiping her tongue on her sleeve cuff.

Riko ignored them. "Kawahara-kun."

-LIR(tS&tU)-

The freshmen on the bench began cheering as Kiyoshi said, "Let's have some fun."

"Taicho, taicho!" She cheered.

"Let's do this!" Koganei whooped. "Only one point difference. Make a basket, minna!"

"He's in the Zone?!" Fukuda screeched slightly, leaning forward and nearly falling off the bench.

Rin squeezed her shoulder as Atsushi went on the defense. "I know."

"Go, Kagami!"

"Is that what you meant earlier? The technique?" Tsuchida asked as Kagami slammed the ball in a dunk.

"Un." Her brows furrowed in concern as Atsushi didn't jump and relaxed as Kuroko knocked the ball from the giant's hands. A cheer left her and she returned Koganei's hug tightly, Rin ruffling their hair before hugging them to him.

-LIR(tS&tU)-

"Hey!" Alex peeked into their locker room, smiling brightly. "You guys were amazing!"

"Thank you!" The more verbal members said.

"I'm going to go find Tatsuya, but I wanted to pass on my congratulations and lead a guest to you guys."

"A guest?" Riko repeated.

"Me."

"Tsubaki-ji!" Kasumi squealed in surprise, lunging at the giant man for a hug.

He swept her up in a hug, kissing her head. "Kasumi, Seirin, congratulations on winning.

"You're huge!" The freshman trio shrieked, yelping when Hyuga smacked their heads.

Tsubaki let out a rumbling laugh. "It's in my genes, he answered shamelessly. "Would you mind leading me to my son's team? I believe he needs to be embarrassed."

"Tsubaki-ji, I love you!"

"I was thinking that place on block 78."

She giggled wickedly, smirking dangerously as she dropped to the floor. "He's going to hate you."

"What's on block 78?" Tsuchida asked.

"A vegetarian place."

"Murasakibara-kun hates vegetables," Kuroko added after thinking. "That's horrible, Murasakibara-shishou."

"I'm paying for the meal, so I don't mind," Tsubaki replied.

"Cool!"

"We still need to see our next opponent," Riko popped her bubble and she wilted.

"Oh, yeah…"

-LIR(tS&tU)-

Shogo scowled darkly to himself, worry lighting his nerves as he walked around outside, looking for anyone connected to Kasumi. 'Fucking hell! Of all days to leave my yakuza cell at home! Where the fuck is the hime?!'

Voices caught his attention and he looked over to see a teen from Yosen and a blonde bombshell. He did a doubletake. 'Blonde bombshell? I wonder…'

"Hey you! Blonde bombshell!"

The duo turned, the teen shifting into a protective stance that Shogo blew off as he rushed closer, stopping in front of her. "Yes?"

"You're Alex Garcia, right?" He asked even as his eyes caught her hand rising to her choker. Her recognizable choker and relief filled him. "Tell hime to look in the bleachers to the north. Tell her he's here and not prison."

Her eyes flashed in recognition. "Yakuza?"

"Alex?" The teen voiced his confusion.

She flapped a hand at him. "Are we talking some kind of yakuza showdown or what?"

"There's only one guy," he answered grimly. "Tell her Yamamoto Yoshiro is here."

"Hey, what's going on?" A voice cut in and they looked over to see a dark redhead walking over. A glint of gold made Shogo realize Kise was there and he let out an internal litany of cursing.

Pulling on his asshole act, he leered and wrapped an arm around Alex's neck. "Ain't it obvious, baka, I'm switching numbers with miss hottie here." To Alex, careful not to move his lips, "Hurry."

Alex pretended to jerk roughly from his arms, scowling dangerously dark at him. "Watch the hands, buddy. I sure as hell ain't exchanging numbers with a goon like you."

Lifting his thumb up to his lips, he licked it and let a lecherous smirk take over. "You say that now, just wait till I kick Kise's ass during our game." He tossed said teen a mocking smile. "Hope you can handle the heat, Ryou-ta-kun."

Turning around, he swaggered away, smile being replaced with a worried frown. 'Please let her understand and call for help.'

Okay…

First of all - a list.

I do not know where the yakuza stuff came from.
I do not know where the B&E came from.
I do not know where the Atsushi-the-childhood-friend came from.
I do not know where the Akashi-is-her-old-shogi-partner came from.
I do not know where the Shogo-is-actually-a-good-kid came from.

There are a lot of things I don't know where they appeared from. That's why it has been a long waiting period, because of my confusion. I DIDN'T MEAN TO AND I'M SORRY.

I'm focusing on FOTH and AA next, even though I've gotten back into Criminal Minds (anyone else see the Season 14 finale?). Please, wish me luck.