Something weird was definitely going on about. They noticed this but they just couldn't fathom what but the pass was circling the ball around from the other team and before they would realise it they would have scored another basket. Koganei made a pass but the ball was intercepted by Hyuuga. Koganei cursed and ran towards the captain to steal it back when miraculously the ball slipped off from the Hyuuga's hand. "Eh?" Koganei was puzzled when the ball was already in his hand.

"Koganei! Pass it." Tsuchida yelled and caught the ball in his hand. Unfortunately when he had turned around Mitobe was guarding him and to his sides are all guarded people and he made a risk by passing the ball back wards without looking.

The ball was now in Kagami's hand. The usually idiotic Kagami is beginning to form theories in his head on how miracles are happening on their team. He was cornered by three and made a blind past towards Fukuda who caught it cleanly and immediately made way to the basket. Just as he almost got to the three pointer line Hyuuga came and stole the ball which bounce in a random direction. Kagami ran pass Fukuda and the captain, jumping high up in the air as he shouts, "Kuroko, the ball!" And 3rd quarter ends with a nostalgic alley-oop.

"Kuroko!" The game was put into a halt as everyone now notices his presence and flock about him. Kagami was the first one to reach and gave him the widest grin. He held out a fist bump and Kuroko smiled at the giant redhead, fist bumping his partner. "Long time no see." And Kuroko agreed although in reality it hasn't been that long but being so far away from his partner for a time longer than a day feels…different. They spend their time with each other daily even though most of the time they would bicker about the smallest of things.

"Hai."

"So how've you been doing in Rakuzan, Kuroko?" Hyuuga asked as wiped off beads of sweat from his face.

"Not so great."

"Are you on the starting line, Kuroko-kun?" Riko tried to dig in information.

"Don't know, but…Akashi-kun made me the vice-captain." Kuroku sounded a bit confused by his own words, he was still wondering why did the redhead did as so.

"WHAT?!"

"Well…Akashi-kun, never does anything wrong. So he must have his own reasons."

"For the team's importance…or his?"

Kuroko thought about it for a moment and gave them the most serious look. "His."

"Nee, Kagami-kun. I think, I will change my basketball style." Kuroko started as they made their way to the train station.

"Huh!? Why?" The taller redhead was surprised but also genuinely curious.

"I…have no light there, and I want to create a new basketball style for me. One that has no need of his guidance." Because I don't want to be his phantom 6th man anymore. No longer.

Kagami was deep in thought. "Creating a new basketball style is not something so easy, you will need another person to be there and help you to create a new style, Kuroko."

Kuroko was silence for a time before nodding. "I know." Unknowingly a heartfelt smile crossed his face. "Someone is helping, someone who understands."

"Mayuzumi-san?" Kuroko asked to no one in particular at the figure slumping on his door, sitting on the floor, asleep. The senior had a small frown on his features. Kuroko crouched down in front of him, wondering what was he doing there and for how long has he been there? He needs to get in to his apartment but he needs to get his senpai awake. "Ano…senpai?" Kuroko Mayuzumi's body a little in a weak attempt to wake him up and theolder phantom shifted in his sleep. "Senpai, you need to wake up." Kuroko said again in his quiet voice.

The grey eyes fluttered open, looking up to him with a little confusion. "You're back? What time is it?" He stood up with a little help Kuroko could offer him. He took out his keys and walked a few steps to the next door but as he took it out the keys immediately slipped off his fingers.

"It's almost one o'clock in the morning, senpai." Kuroko walked forward and picked up the keys and offered it back to Mayuzumi.

"Ah, thanks." Mayuzumi said as he slowly pulled up his hands to take the keys, their hands touched and Kuroko felt a cold shiver on his palms. Kuroko closed his palms and kept the keys in his pocket before pulling on to the older phantom's hands.

"Mayuzumi-senpai…how long had you been outside?" The question was sharp and his voice had a little urgency in them.

"When you walk out of Maji."

That was almost six hours ago and the round blue eyes widen a bit more. He kept a firm hold on the unnaturally cold hand and unlocked the door to his apartment before pulling the other inside with him. Locking back the door Kuroko shrugged off his winter coat.

"Mayuzumi-san wait at the table." Kuroko directed as he headed off to the kitchen. He brew some water and made two cups of it before returning back to the table with the two cups in hand. He pushed one of it towards the still dumbfounded senpai. "Drink." Kuroko said. "It's just hot chocolate."

Slowly his hands reached forward and took the cup into his hands. Blewing a little into the mug before taking a few sips and let off a sigh. The drink had helpd to warm up his insides a little bit. It coursed through his throat and the heat went to every heat nerve in his body. Kuroko got up from the table for awhile and returned back with a blanket, wrapping it around Mayuzumi's shoulders before returning back to his seat.

"Better?" The bluenette asked.

Mayuzumi nodded silently and took another sip.

They drank in silence and each was simply satisfied with the silence. Temporarily. As their drinks finished Kuroko stood back up from his chair and proceed to wash both of their mugs whilst the brunette moved up to the front as Kuroko had directed in a quiet voice. He settled to seat on the couch, feeling warm enough he shrug off the blanket and his winter coat off and neatly folded back the blanket and hanged his coat next to Kuroko's.

When the bluenette had came back from the kitchen, deeper silence permeates the air. There was only one couch in his apartment though it was meant for three. Both sat on the couch with a space seperated between them, looking at each other expectantly.

Kuroko opened his mouth first. "What were you doing? Out there?"

The grey eyes look at him. "Waiting for you."

Kuroko's eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

"Worried."

"It's unneeded. You should be concern about your health instead. You needn't need to worry about me, not to that extent at least." That kind of concern should come from someone else. From Akashi-kun, not from you Mayuzumi-san.

"Why?"

Kuroko couldn't answer that question. He just can't. He doesn't have the answer. Even if he did, what kind of answer wouldn't offend him?

"Being concern for a friend, a kouhai, is not that strange." Mayuzumi urged on.

Kuroko pursed his lips. "Yes, but friends concern doesn't take much, it would not make you stay out in the cold winter for six hours straight."

"Well then maybe it's not a friends' concern. Maybe it's something more." Mayuzumi moved closer to Kuroko. He stared deep into the teal blue eyes, his blank gaze against Kuroko's empty ones. His hand drove up to touch the soft teal locks.

"Mayuzumi-san…what are you saying…?!" Kuroko was confused, he sat unmoving and just stared into the piercing, immobilizing gaze.

The brunette sighed. "I'm saying that…" He moved closer to Kuroko and brushed their lips together, their lips touching as he spoke his next two words. "Consider me."