Momoi slowly walked towards Tōō's gym, trying to process the information she had received from Kise. Kuroko has been found. After a year of no calls, no messages, or a hint of where he was, he wasn't found out.

It still surprised Momoi how Akashi himself couldn't find Kuroko. He knew everything, but he couldn't even find his closest friend!(1) It was either he really couldn't find Kuroko, or he was busy enjoying his sweet time with that unacceptable replacement.

Momoi was upset with Akashi. He was scary, sure, but even Momoi could stand up to him. She remembered the time after Kuroko had left them.

"Why would you do that, Akashi-kun?!" Momoi demanded an answer. She was near tears. She knew how important Kuroko was to Akashi. She also knew how much Kuroko had trusted the red-head.

"I merely did what was right for this team, miss Satsuki." Akashi answered with venom, yet that annoying smirk she so wanted to slap off him did not vanish. "After all, we must prioritize the process of our teamwork, am I not correct?"

"If that was what you really thought, then why did you make him leave?" Momoi asked. "Why… Why did you replace him?!"

He fell silent for a few moments, frowning when he found his voice. I did not replace him. He gave up his position willingly."

"Willingly, my ass…" He could hear her mutter. She looked up at him with tear-stricken eyes. "You don't even care what he feels! You're the worst! I hate you!" She exclaimed, small droplets of hot tears falling from her eyes.

"M-Momoicchi… Calm down…" Kise tried to intervene. Momoi ignored him. She was slightly angry at him, too. He was Kuroko's friend. Why didn't he try to stop him? She was feeling bitter at every single member of the Generation of Miracles.

"Momocchin, scary." Murasakibara murmured. "It's not our fault Kurocchin is so weak he couldn't keep up with us." He said naively. "Besides, Akacchin has no reason to keep someone like him in the team. He'd only be dead weight."

Momoi glared at him, making him slightly straighten up his body. Midorima was the only one silent out of all of them, and Momoi appreciated that.

"Hey, Satsuki," Aomine walked up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You should calm down. Tetsu can take-"

"To hell with you!" She screamed, slapping his hand off her. Everyone stared at her in shock. Of course, this is only normal. Her beloved Tetsuya was slipping from her hands because of them, and they didn't know. She loved him dearly, even if Kuroko showed no sign of the same affection she has for her. It was natural for her to be so upset, but hearing her curse at her own friends was shocking enough.

"You… You're the reason Tetsu-kun cried that one time!" She revealed. "If you hadn't been such an 'oresama' in front of him, he wouldn't have found a reason to think of leaving the team." She cried even more.

Aomine stared at her, his eyes unfeeling. For once, Momoi hated seeing those eyes. She faced everyone else. "If only none of you changed…" She shook, her hands travelling to her head. She remembered seeing Kuroko cry after he told her about what happened between him and Aomine. She remembered the heartbreaking tears that escaped her Tetsu-kun after the match with Meiko. Remembering them all at once made her want to cry herself and be angry at her team for shattering him.

It was all their fault to her eyes.

"If only none of you changed, Tetsu-kun would still be here with us right now! If only you didn't act like a bunch of arrogant dimwits!" She screamed. "Because of you…"

"Tetsu-kun may never be the same again!"

"I hate you. I hate you all…" Momoi cried, her heartbreaking sobs echoing throughout the gym. Realizing she couldn't stand in the same place with them anymore, she left, running away from them.

The Generation of Miracles stared at her, realizing they have lost two of their friends in only two days.

'Tetsu-kun may never be the same again!'

How right she was.

"…Tetsu-kun…" Momoi muttered sadly. She sighed, sitting on a bench. She was at the gym now. Seeing she has nothing to do, she decided this would be a good time to relax her nerves. She has never forgiven any of the Generation of Miracles at all. Yes, she was talking to Kise rather nicely, but that was because she knew he was really trying to help her find Kuroko. The others, she has not forgiven. She wondered what could have been the life of her old friends if none of them had been reduced to overpowered dummies.

She sighed to herself. "…I'll meet Tetsu-kun again." She smiled optimistically. "Ki-chan found him, and he knows where he is. I can finally see him again!" She said silently, the happiness in her voice barely contained.

"And then we'll date… Get married… And have babies…" She squealed. "Ah~! The idea of being the one to have Tetsu-kun's first and vice-versa is so… Invigorating!" She said, feeling as if she'd have a nosebleed if she thought even further.

"Ah, Momoi-san!" One player of Tōō called, interrupting her.

"What is it, Sakurai-kun?" She asked sweetly.

"Coach wants you to find Aomine-san." He said sheepishly. "I'm sorry for interrupting you! I'm sorry for existing…"

'Gloomy mushroom.' Momoi thought, a bead of sweat dropped on her face.

"Thank you for the reminder, Sakurai-kun!" She said cheerfully. "I'll be leaving now."

"Y-Yeah."

-+-

"Aomine-kun." She called softly. She was on the rooftop, where she suspected her idiot childhood friend would be.

"Huh?" A lazy voice replied to her. "Oh, Satsuki. It's you."

Momoi frowned. Sure, she was mad at him for hurting Kuroko, but she would still respond to him and will be worried about him since she was still acquainted with him.

Aomine didn't look at her. He knew she hated him. Hate was a strong word, but Aomine felt like he deserved it. He didn't like how she looked so depressed whenever she was around him. The girl used to smile a lot back in Teiko. Back when they were still good friends.

Too bad, their relationship broke apart after they had abandoned their real sixth man.

"…Hey, you still hate me?"

"…" Momoi didn't reply. Even if this was the case, Aomine took it as a yes and sighed.

"Coach wanted to know where you were." She said glumly. "Since I know you're here now, I guess I can come back." Momoi proceeded to walk off.

"Wait."

Momoi halted. She looked at Aomine in the eye.

"…Satsuki, I have to ask you one thing." Aomine started. Momoi's gaze didn't waver.

"What?" She asked.

"…Why did you attend Tōō with me?" He asked curiously. "Wouldn't you rather be with Tetsu?"

Momoi looked down.

"If I knew where Tetsu-kun went, then I probably wouldn't be here right now." Momoi said softly.

Ouch. She made a point. None of them knew where he went. He just disappeared, not to be seen until their graduation.

"…Why, do you want me out of your circle, too?" She asked bitterly. Aomine grumbled. "No. Never said that, did I?" He rolled over his back, swinging his magazine back and forth lazily.

"…Do you think he'd like to see me again?" He asked. Momoi blinked. "Tetsu. I want to see him." He said casually. "But will he want to see me?" How surprising.

Momoi felt a bit happy. She smiled. "If you truly regret your actions and make sure you make it up to him, maybe he will." She said as advice.

"Make it up to him, how?"

Waiting for an answer, he realized Momoi had already left.

Momoi knew the right way Aomine could apologize to Tetsuya.

He had to change back.

Only one problem lies within this method: Will Kuroko forgive him that easily?

After Kaijo's Practice Match With Seirin…

Kise could not believe it.

Kaijo couldn't believe it.

Even Seirin didn't believe what happened.

Seirin won.

"Hell yeah!" Hyuga cheered, snapping out of his trance first. Soon, the other members followed, feeling proud of being able to beat Kaijo in a match. It was not officially a real match, but hey, it's something.

Kuroko, who had been present in the game, could feel the satisfaction running in his nerves. This was what he wished for.

This was also what Kagami wished for. So that means:

one down, four more to go.

He heaved for air. He forgot: He wasn't supposed to be too stressed out. Feeling woozy, he carefully sat himself on the ground. Riko immediately noticed, and asked Mitobe to bring Kuroko over to the bench.

"You did a great job, Kuroko-kun!" Riko said with a big smile, ruffling the young boy's head gently. He got injured by Kise –this was an accident—during the game, and he got subbed out. After overhearing that he was needed to win the match, he forced himself in. Riko knew he shouldn't be pushed in so quickly after being injured, but Kuroko was persistent. He just promised her that he'd immediately let himself be subbed out if anything too harmful crosses his path.

At first, Kaijo's team didn't pay much attention to Kuroko. He was just the manager of the group, and this made Kise feel disappointed. He wanted to have Kuroko join in since if he ever beat him, Kuroko will have to comply to him –not that Kuroko would follow him. Kise was the dog, not the master.- and join Kaijo. How surprised they were when the score was 23-32 (Kaijo's favor) and they were so sure the match was one-sided, Kuroko had been added to the game. He completely controlled the flow of the game, turning the tables and winning with the score of 100-98.

Kise found himself silently crying from losing. "…Huh?"

Kasamatsu immediately noticed this, and sighed. He smiled slightly, patting the younger blond on the back. "What are you crying for?" He grinned at Kise. "This is just a practice match. We'll pay them back at the Finals."

Kise wiped away his own tears, smiling a real smile. "Yeah!"

Kuroko watched them, remaining impassive. He, along with the rest of the team, lined up with Kaijo to thank them for a good match.

How tortured poor Kuroko was when Riko put him in a tight hold, he almost broke his spine. Maybe he should have told Riko in the first place that he doesn't last too long with his misdirection….
Before he had left, Kise had caught up to him, eyes looking quite sad and humble. "Kurokocchi…" He started, not tough enough to look Kuroko in the eye.

"I'm sorry for everything." Kise said, smiling sadly. Kuroko remained emotionless. "I'm sorry for not being able to stop you." He said, voice wavering slightly. "I'm sorry for not backing you up back in Teiko."

Kuroko didn't say anything. It seems like Kise hadn't learned. Even if this was the case, Kuroko did not think Kise crying earlier and apologizing as if he murdered someone-that's how he sounded to Kuroko- . Thinking for a few moments, he just let out a small breath, jabbing Kise in the ribs.

"Oww! Why are you so mean, Kurokocchi?!" He asked, tears streaming down his face in a comical way.

"…Stupid Kise-kun." Kuroko mumbled, walking off.

Kise blinked. "…Huh?" He murmured in confusion. Kuroko didn't say anything about his apology. He frowned. Did that mean he didn't forgive him yet? Then again, Kuroko wouldn't jab him in the ribs without a good reason…

Kise's eyes widened.

Had Kuroko forgiven him already?

"Kicchan, you moron!" Momoi shouted at him. "I've been waiting here for 40 minutes! Where were you?" She demanded. Kise bowed in apology. "I'm sorry! We had a practice match!"

"And Kurokocchi's team won." Kise said, smiling. Momoi halted from hitting Kise's face. She never realized she started smiling, herself.

"Tetsu-kun… Won?" She repeated to herself. She laughed happily. "Haha! Kicchan! Kurokocchi and his team won!" She started jumping like a little girl. She faced Kise again, who was staring at her weirdly.

"So, Kicchan. Did you learn your lesson?" Momoi asked. Kise looked confused. "…I dunno what you mean, Momoicchi, but Kurokocchi jabbed me in the ribs earlier. I didn't know if he still hated me or if he forgives me."

Momoi blinked. Kuroko had a tendency to be a bit violent to get his point across, but this time, neither of them knew. She sighed. "Anyway, let's go somewhere." She said.

"So, you said earlier that you know where Tetsu-kun goes to." She said.

"Yeah, he went to Seirin." Kise said. "He has a good team…" He recalled the way the group had defended Kuroko from him. Seirin did deserve Kuroko after all.

"And you know what, Momoicchi?!" Kise exclaimed like a little kid. "He's the manager! "

Momoi stopped, almost tripping on her own feet. "What?! But you said he won against you-"

"Yeah! Wrong words were used, sorry!" Kise said. "He's still a player."

"That's nice." Momoi smiled. "He hasn't given up on basketball…" 'Trust Tetsu-kun to keep his promise.'

"Yeah." Kise grinned. "He could actually be as good as you, if not better."

He was expecting Momoi to fume, but she only fangirled harder. She and her 'lover' had the same positions, after all.

Both of them ended up going to a restaurant-café. "I wonder what must be going in Tetsu-kun's mind." Momoi wondered out loud. "Sometimes, he's so unreadable." She said, smiling fondly. Kise pouted. "Sometimes? More like always." He whined. Both of them sat on a seemingly empty table. "Even so," Kise started. "That's what we love about him, right?" He laughed. Momoi smiled gently. Kise might be the only one who's off of her 'I-want-to-kill-for-hurting-Tetsu-kun' list. "I hope he forgives me…" Kise said, smiling sadly. "But it seems impossible… Not after what I did to him."

"Can't Say No Sundae for table 6." A waiter announced, going to their table. Kise and Momoi let out a confused sound. "Um, excuse me, but we didn't order a sundae." Kise said. The waiter blinked. "But the roster said it was for table 6."

"It's mine." A voice between them said. Both froze.

"T-Tetsu-kun?!" Momoi exclaimed in shock. The waiter had left them already, leaving the two teenagers in shock.

Kuroko smiled gently. "It's been a while, Momoi-san."

Momoi felt silent tears of joy fall from her eyes. She went to hug her beloved Tetsuya, who didn't move and accepted the affection she displayed.

"Tetsu-kun, I missed you!" Momoi said through sobs. Kise looked awkward, especially since he had just met Kuroko earlier and had apologized in such a corny way.

"…I missed you, too." Kuroko said near her ear, making Momoi blush. "T-Tetsu-kun, such a gentle, passionate man…"

She fainted.

Before she could fall, Kuroko caught her, and placed her in her seat.

"…Kurokocchi…"

"Kise-kun." Kuroko said in acknowledgement.

"Do you forgive me?" Kise asked. Kuroko stared at him with no emotion.

"I do not."

Kise hit his head on the table. "Kurokocchi! Stop being so blunt!" Kise said, nursing his hurting head. Kuroko remained expressionless. "Do you really think I'd be able to get over what you did that easily?" Kuroko asked with narrowed eyes.

Kise looked so ashamed.

"Kurokocchi, I know what we did was unforgivable." Kise said seriously. "And I don't expect you to forgive me so easily, either."

Kuroko listened with interest.

"But I just want you to know that I'm so ashamed of myself for deserting you." Kise said. "I want you to know I'm really, really sorry that I didn't stand up for you when Akashicchi had taken an imposter to take your place."

Kuroko didn't seem convinced, but he was listening. Kuroko appreciated his words, but he still isn't hearing what he wanted to hear.

Kise stood up, and bowed to Kuroko.

"Kurokocchi, whether you forgive me or not, I'm very sorry for what the Generation of Miracles did, "

Closer…

"I'm very sorry for trying to poach you into Kaijo,"

Closer…

" I'm sorry for becoming such a big arrogant bastard,"

…Okay, not the words he wanted, but it passed. Just a little bit more...

"and I'm sorry for what I have done to your old friend from Meiko!"

Kuroko's eyes widened. He felt his breath hitch a bit at the mention of his friend. Kise was truly regretful.

"Kurokocchi, I didn't realize before." Kise started. "I never realized. I thought at first that you only left because of Akashicchi. But after our match today, I learned why." He said.

"You left because we left you behind. You left because you couldn't take how our heads have been growing too big." Kise said, looking Kuroko in the eye.

"I get that you might not want to see me anymore. So if that's what you truly want…"

"I'll gladly not bother you again."

Kuroko and Kise had a staring contest for a few seconds. Then, Kuroko looked up at him. His blue eyes were not as cold as Kise saw earlier. Instead, they held warmth.

"Kise-kun, you jerk." Kuroko said out of the blue.

"That wasn't the answer I was expecting…" Kise mumbled hopelessly.

"My ice cream melted from your talking." Kuroko announced, his brows furrowed, and was he pouting? Kuroko stood up, pushing his cup of melted ice cream towards Kise. "You have to pay me back for that." Kuroko said bluntly, turning to Momoi.

Kise stared in shock as to what he did.

Kuroko placed a small, gentle kiss on her forehead. Smiling. Oh. My. God.

His smile then faded, turning back to Kise. "Do not forget that you owe me another sundae, Kise-kun." With that, he turned, and left. Kise stared in surprise. After snapping out of his trance, he found himself smiling in a victorious way. "Kurokocchi…"

He turned to Momoi. Her face was red, hearts forming in her eyes. "Tetsu-kun kissed me! A PROPOSAL!" She screamed, earning weird looks from the other customers. "You were awake the whole time?!" Kise asked in shock. Even so, one thought made him feel an unseen weight be lifted from his shoulders.

He was forgiven.

IMPORTANT: No, Momoi x Kuroko isn't decided! READ THIS FOR FECHS SAKE

(1)- Momoi doesn't know that Tetsu and Seijuu are in a relationship~

Yeah, I can't really describe basketball scenes well… I hope this was okay enough!

Congratulations to Kise-kun~~

I hope this didn't thread too fast! Please tell me. Now this one is the more rushed-feeling. Please tell me what you think! If you think it's rushed, tell me immediately so I can change it.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! 50+ FAVES, 70+ FOLLOWS, 70 REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU GUYS! Thank you for supporting. TT^TT

Also, I am already thinking of a sequel and I ain't even done with this yet. Darn it, brain.