"K-Kagami-kun, I-I..." Kuroko's mind was jumbled. 'Does he...does Kagami-kun really...th-think of me that way? I-I, I don't know what to say...what do I say? D-do I look okay? Is this...okay? I...I don't want to be hurt again...no! Kagami-kun is different...he's different than the others! He's the only one who's ever treated me this way...definetely, definetely he'll think of the same way...'
"Look, Kuroko...I'm sorry what I did back there. You don't have to pretend to be my girlfriend, my mom probably won't come back until graduation. Okay?"
Kuroko's hands dropped to her sides. 'K-Kagami-kun...why? Why, Kagami-kun? I thought...I thought you were different. I thought...' Kuroko pulled her fear and nervousness into a badly-faked smile. "Okay, Kagami-kun." Kuroko lowered her head and grabbed her things, running out the front door as tears formed into her eyes. She hid behind a nearby light post as she heard Kagami open his front door and soon afterwards close it again. Kuroko let out a soft sob before continuing down the road to her house.
'Please don't say sorry...don't be sorry...I'm not sorry...why did you have to be sorry? Why? Why? Why?'
Kuroko's eyes opened as she snapped herself awake. With a gasp, she alerted everyone in the room.
"Having a bad dream, huh? Was little Kuroko-swan having a little nightymare?" One said.
"Oh no, don't say that stuff, you'll make her piss her pants," another said while giggling.
Aomine approached Kuroko, Momoi around his arm. "It's so good to see you again, Kuroko-chan. Done it with anyone lately? Or are you having a little bit of a dry spell?"
Kuroko lowered her head. Aomine grunted and grabbed her hair with his free hand, yanking her head up, forcing eye contact.
"Why don'tcha tell us how you've been, Kuroko-chan? We've all missed you very much. We were so dissapointed when we found out you would be homeschooled...but then, by some odd chance, we happen to take a vacation to where you moved, and we happen to get a mysterious call from your parents asking us to take you out and have some fun. How coincidental is that, huh?"
Kuroko felt tears form in her eyes. "You called my parents, my parents didn't call you."
Aomine gripped her hair tighter, yanking her head back and forth forcefully. "You apparently don't know how to listen." He grabbed ahold of her neck and forced her face into his. "Your parents called us. We happened to be in town. We happened to stumble upon you, in a rinky-dink town where the sexiest thing here is the raccoon that eats everyones trash.
"Seriously, what were you thinking, moving here? It's just a huge dump. Nothing to it, nothign gained. There's one convenience store, one school, one everything. Useless. Insignificant. Oh, I'm sorry, did I offend you, Kuroko-chan?"
Kuroko's eyebrows furrowed in anger. She glared into Aomine's eyes.
"You can say what you want about me, but you can say nothing about something yu haven't even tried...unless you're a child."
Aomine gripped Kuroko's throat tightly. Her eyes widened in terror. "Listen here, you little shit," Aomine said. "You don't get to tell me what to do unless you want to face the consquences." Aomine released his grip on Kuroko's neck in order to punch her across the face.
"Oh, what happened to the balls you had earlier, Kuroko-chan? What happened?!" Aomine punched Kuroko again. His hand almost slipped across her cheek from the tears spilling down her face.
"You're just a little bitch, aren't you, Kuroko?" Aomine bit Kuroko's neck. Kuroko winced and continued sobbing. "I want to hear it. I want to hear you say it."
Kuroko lifted her head to look into Aomine's eyes. "I...I-I'm..."
"Hm, what was that?" Aomine punched Kuroko again. She cried out in pain.
"If you can complain about me, then you certainly have enough words to say about yourself. You're just a piece of shit trash. Say it! Say it!"
"Yeah, say it! Kuroko's a little bitch!" Someone in the back said.
Everyone in the back began chanting eagerly. "Kuroko's a little bitch! Kuroko's a little bitch!"
Kuroko sobbed uncontrollably. She continued staring into Aomine's eyes. "I-I'm a little-"
Police sirens began wailing in the distance, drawing closer rapidly. "Shit, it's the police!" one guy yelled.
"Tch." Aomine walked away from Kuroko. "I'll see you again, Kuroko-chan~" Him and the others escaped through the back door on the mysterious complex. After a good three minutes, the police sirens turned off, followed by a knocking on the door.
"Hello?! Hello?!"
'Is that...' "K-Kagami-kun...?"
"KUROKO!"
Someone on the other side began pounding down the door. Eventually, the weak lock gave in, and the door burst open to reveal Kagami. He ran over to Kuroko.
"Kuroko, what happened, you're-" Kagami began untying Kuroko's binds. He placed them all on the ground and began to observe her wounds.
"Kuroko, your knees are bleeding, and your head! Who did this to you-"
Kuroko leaped into Kagami's arms, sobbing loudly. She wrapped her arms around his torso, weeping into his chest.
Kagami placed his arms around Kuroko, rubbing her back. "Kuroko, Kuroko..." he mumbled. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner..."
Kuroko began rambling sentences. "You...you always...say...always say that...that you're sorry...why Kagami-kun...why are you sorry...why...do I..."
"I-I...I don't know...I mean..."
"Wh-why would you...say sorry...under those circumstances...Kagami-kun...Kagami-kun...you say things...things that make me so happy...then you take those happy feelings away...I'm sorry...I didn't want you...to be like...like the others...wh-why...
"First I'm your deskmate...then I'm on your team...then I live by you...then I eat where you eat...then I practice where you practice...then I'm your tutor...what am I to you, Kagami-kun? What am..."
Kagami lowered his head and placed his chin on the top of Kuroko's head. "Well, I...I think that..."
"Enough." Kuroko looked into Kagami's eyes, her own swollen red, still crying. "I...I really really really really like Kagami-kun. More that classmates. More than basketball players. More that Tutor and Student. More than just friends." Kuroko smiled softly. "I...I love Kagami-kun very much."
Kagami gripped Kuroko tightly into a hug. "W-well, I think that...maybe...I, uh...might like you...i think..."
Kuroko shoved herself out of the hug. "More than classmates?" Kagami nodded.
"More than basketball players?" Kagami nodded, shakily.
"More...than friends?" Kagami nodded a third time, face flushed.
"Kagami-kun...I-I love Kagami-kun. I love Kagami-kun a lot. I love-"
Kagami covered Kuroko's mouth with his hand. "O-Okay, okay, I get it!..." He turned his head, averting his gaze. "I-I love you too, Kuroko...uh..."
Kuroko snuggled into Kagami's chest. " I love Kagami-kun, too." Kagami blushed profusely.