Chapter 3: Fate

Aomine's first year of middle school concludes with him growing accustomed to his new normal, which includes the occasional nighttime visit from Kise. Each encounter aids their rapport; however, he can tell the ghost acts cautiously, mentioning their future together sparingly out of respect for Aomine's comfort level. Although this behavior brings relief from feeling responsible for the blond, Aomine has a burning sensation that he is foregoing an opportunity to learn more about himself as well as the other.

Tonight, when Kise enters his dream brimming with positive energy, the blue-haired youth feels his lips quirk upwards. Brows furrowing, he wonders at what point the blond's moods began to affect his own.

"Aominecchi!" the ghost exclaims cheerfully, as he closes the distance between them. He then skids to a halt as he surveys the other's face. "What's with that weird expression?"

"Weird expression?" Aomine echoes slightly offended. Various sarcastic retorts spring to mind. Instead, he replies, "I was just thinking that you look happy. It's kind of nice."

Kise's eyes widen, and the surprise holds momentarily before a bright grin spreads across his face. "You're being kind today," he observes beaming.

Embarrassed by the other's delighted reaction to a few considerate words, heat rises to Aomine's cheeks, and he ducks his head to hide the flush. "So why are you here tonight? Is there something you want to talk about?" he asks to divert the ghost's attention elsewhere.

"Oh, yeah," Kise says sheepishly. "I was going to tell you right away, but you distracted me."

"Don't blame me for being scatterbrained," Aomine shoots back, unsure why the blond elicits the response of gentle mocking. Looking at Kise, whose lips curve upwards in an affectionate smile, he determines that this type of exchange must be typical for them.

Without losing an ounce of joy, the blond continues, "Before you distracted me, I was going to tell you that we're going to meet for real tomorrow!"

"Hmm, really?" Aomine comments curiously.

"Do you doubt me?"

"How can you be sure?" the blue-haired boy asks.

"It's the day we meet in my timeline, and I can't imagine that your routine would change," the ghost replies. As if struck by inspiration, he whimsically adds, "Think of it as fate!"

"It's funny that you remember the day we meet, but not something more important, like when you die or who kills you."

Kise's expression sours. "I take back what I said before, about you being kind today. You're as mean as always." To accentuate this point, he pushes his lips into a quivering pout and turns puppy-dog eyes on the other.

Aomine meets the gaze with an emotionless stare, but his resolve soon wavers. Swallowing hard, he averts his eyes.

Upon winning this battle of wills, laughter bubbles from Kise before he addresses Aomine's previous comment. "I wish I could remember events surrounding my death more clearly, too, but I've got to make the best with what I can do for myself."

"Which mainly consists of annoying me," Aomine teases, his fiery spirit flaring again.

With an exasperated sigh, the blond rolls his eyes. "Just keep an eye out for me, okay?"

"Sure," Aomine agrees with a lazy wave. Although his tone sounds casual, his stomach turns, and gooseflesh rises on his arms and neck, a sure indication of something important to come.


Unable to disregard the ghost's prophecy, Aomine heads to school with anticipation coiled within him like a cobra ready to strike. Maintaining a heightened awareness of his surroundings, he waits for the blond to cross his path. The effort steadily drains his energy. When his last class draws to a close, only irritation and fatigue course through him.

"Fate, my ass," he mutters, adding his own sarcastic remark after the ghost's claim. Gathering his books, he heads to basketball practice.

Momoi follows him. "Dai-chan," she approaches gingerly. "You seem tense today. Are you feeling okay?"

He complains in a non-descript manner to relieve his frustration. "Something was supposed to happen today, but it hasn't. In the end, I'm just pissed off that I wasted a day waiting."

"That's natural; your expectations weren't met," she sympathizes. Then her eyes narrow, as if attempting to grasp the meaning behind his vague statement by examining him. "Wait a minute, are you talking about fate or something like that?"

"Something like that," he mutters embarrassed at the admission.

Pursing her lips together thoughtfully, Momoi offers, "Maybe fate needs a little help. You can't spend all of your time waiting for things to happen to you. I never thought you were the type to believe that you don't control your own future." With a little laugh, she continues. "The day isn't over yet, and there's always tomorrow. Why don't you just get to basketball practice and worry about this later?"

"Yeah, you're right," he concedes. "Practice should take my mind off things."

Once the pair part, Aomine vows to focus on physical exertion in order to keep his thoughts away from topics he is not sure he believes in, like ghosts and fate. This mindset vanishes, when he glimpses a familiar crown, shimmering like golden thread, aligned with the opened gym door.

"No way," he breathes his mouth dropping open with shock. In that moment, his mind replays the conversation he had with Momoi moments earlier, about fate perhaps needing a little help.

Before Aomine can decide on an action to take, a teammate passes him the ball. Distracted, he fumbles, and in an attempt to regain control of the basketball, he sends the sphere sailing out the door. Stunned, he watches the ball arc towards Kise and speculates if this situation is purely accidental, or if a greater force had compelled him to direct the projectile towards the other to initiate their first meeting.

"My bad!" he exclaims sprinting out the door before anyone can beat him to the task. Amused he watches the ball slam into the back of the blond's head.

"Ow!" Kise exclaims rubbing the point of contact.

"Sorry, sorry!"

Turning around, the blond shoots a withering glare.

Aomine pauses as he takes in the other's appearance. Although he understands Kise's annoyance, the dispassionate sheen in the other's eyes catches him off guard. Although he has witnessed several facets of the blond's personality, this cold, detached Kise is completely new.

'Don't just stand around like an idiot. Say something!' he urges himself. Before he can overthink the situation, he blurts out, "You're that famous model, Kise Ryouta."

With an exasperated sigh, the blond picks up the ball and tosses it back to the instigator of his injury. "What's your problem?" he mutters.

With the basketball in his possession and an unfriendly Kise in front of him, Aomine balks at the prospect of prolonging the awkward encounter. "Thanks!" he says before turning around and jogging slowly back to the gym.

With a glimpse at yet another side of Kise, Aomine finds himself more confused than ever. "How many Kises are there?" he mumbles under his breath. Frowning, he wonders if the question is merely self-reflective, or whether he is addressing someone else.

'It's hard to deny that Kise's ghost from the future is haunting me,' he admits. 'The fact that I've crossed paths with Kise today, just like he predicted, proves it.' Acceptance solidifies in both his head and heart. As a test, he continues to pick on the blond's disparate moods by asking, "Out of all the Kises I've seen, which one is the real one?"

"That's rude," a bored and sarcastic voice comments from behind him. "Every aspect you've seen of me has been "real." Just because I just have a complex personality doesn't mean I've been fake in any way. Maybe the problem is that you're too simple to understand me."

Upon hearing the expected, biting response, Aomine turns his head and embraces the image of the ghost tailing him. "The things people say when they think nobody is listening," he remarks with a teasing grin and a raised eyebrow.

Eyes widening with disbelief, Kise points at himself and asks, "You can hear me? You can see me? You believe I exist now?" This discovery causes a slow-spreading smile to illuminate his face.

Aomine concedes, "I suppose I do. We'll talk, but after practice, okay?"

The ghost pouts at being deprioritized but grudgingly consents. "Fine, but be sure to show me something cool on the court!"

Rolling his eyes, Aomine picks up practice where he left off. The tension that had previously held him hostage evaporates now that he has met the Kise of his timeline, as foreseen. He may be putting too much stock in the words of a ghost, but he gets the feeling that things are clicking into their rightful place. Consequently, he moves with more freedom, easily dodging fellow first-string teammates that attempt to stop him. Effortlessly, he makes his way to the basket and tosses the ball into the waiting hoop.

As he scoops up the ball, one of his teammates, a third year, approaches him. "Is it just me, or have you gotten faster?"

Aomine laughs in response. "I don't know," he admits. "I just really wanted to let loose." The conversation turns to small talk about the NBA playoffs, which holds his attention until the ghost only he can see straightens in posture.

The spirit's face brightens, and he begins gesturing enthusiastically towards the door. "There I am!" he exclaims blithely, like a child on a sugar high.

Aomine automatically responds, "Huh?" With a puzzled expression, he turns around to find the schoolmate he had just injured staring at him with lips drawn into a tight line and eyes narrowed.

'I really don't understand you, Kise. You just seem like a jumble of conflicting emotions,' he thinks a frown marring his face.

From across the gym, the blond purposefully catches the taller boy's gaze, while retaining that intense expression. In the span of a heartbeat, Kise's seriousness melts into a radiant smile, as if he has discovered the answer to an important question.

This short, non-verbal exchange leaves Aomine with the impression that he has started something that can no longer be stopped.


Once Aomine retreats to his room for the evening, he finally feels like he can properly converse with the ghost. "Is what you told me before true, that you've been with me since my first dream of you?" he starts.

"Yup," Kise confirms with a cheery nod.

"That's embarrassing," Aomine mutters considering all the things he has done in the past several months under the pretense of being alone.

Comprehending the middle school student's apprehension, Kise flushes. "I distance myself when you need privacy. Obviously, I don't follow you into the bathroom, and when you have certain magazines out or certain things pulled up from the internet, I sit outside," he reassures awkwardly, while waving towards the door to emphasize his point.

"I'm not sure that makes me feel any less embarrassed," Aomine mumbles barely resisting the urge to cover his face with his hands.

Kise continues to focus on logistics of his conduct instead of letting discomfort derail the conversation. "I can't leave you, though. I have to stay within a certain radius around you. When I get too far away, I feel dizzy. I even blacked out once."

"It's like you're under house arrest," the blue-haired boy comments latching onto the new topic.

Chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully, Kise agrees, "Yeah, it's something like that."

"I don't know how you managed to get through the last year," Aomine says. "You're by yourself all day, and you haven't always appeared in my dreams."

The blond nods. "I try to communicate with you most nights, but sometimes I don't manage to break through. I've been so bored," he confides mournfully. "I've been passing the time by talking to myself or making snarky comments to you, as you heard this afternoon. Clearly, I wasn't expecting a response today, which is why I was so thrilled that you acknowledged me!"

"You said you were a complex person earlier, but you seem pretty simple now, wanting attention just like a puppy," Aomine teases.

"That's not true!" Kise protests automatically. He takes a moment to consider the assessment, and a frown surfaces. "Maybe there is some truth in what you've said, not about me being simple, but about me wanting attention. It's not my fault. Spending countless days in isolation is hard! And…" He pauses, as if pondering whether to continue. Hardened control flashes across expressive features halting the discussion.

Curiosity motivates Aomine to prod the ghost. "You clearly want to say more, so you might as well spit it out."

With a tragic expression, the blond confesses, "I've been really jealous of Kurokocchi! You two seem to have lots of fun with basketball, and you're so nice to him. I feel left out!"

Aomine bursts into laughter at this unexpected revelation. "You're jealous of Tetsu?" he manages between snickers. "Have you always been this childish? Or is this another facet of your personality that I get to experience?" he jokes.

The blond defends himself with a wide grin, "It's part of my charm! You and the rest of the team will see it once I join first string!"

The ghost's promise strikes Aomine oddly, and he questions, "Why did you feel the need to tell me to watch out for our first meeting, today? Wouldn't it have made more sense for you to make a bigger deal about the day you, meaning the alive you, join first string? I can't imagine us interacting before then."

"Our first meeting is important," the blond replies.

"With the way you built it up, I was expecting something epic. All that happened was me hitting you in the head with a ball."

"Our first meeting is important to me," Kise reiterates with a pout.

"So, are you in love with me already?" Aomine asks.

Kise regards the other suspiciously. "Is this a trap? You know how I feel about you."

Aomine chuckles at the misunderstanding. "No, I didn't mean ghost you, although I see how you'd get confused with two of you interacting with me. I meant the you I met today. I'm kind of curious, and you should know the answer. Was it love at first sight for you?"

"Love at first sight?" the blond repeats incredulously, his gaze darkening. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't believe in that concept. Interest or curiosity at first sight, yes. Love means something to me. I wouldn't use that word lightly."

The blond's reaction causes guilt to gnaw at Aomine's gut. Treating this topic frivolously seems discourteous to the ghost upon further consideration. "Sorry," he mutters. "I wasn't trying to imply that you view love as trivial."

"I know," Kise says. "You said what you did, because you haven't experienced love. You don't know how special it is. I didn't mean to snap at you. As an apology, I'll answer your question. No, I wasn't initially attracted to you in that way. Feelings take time to develop and realize. That's all I will say about that matter."

Although the blond's eyes hold a wistful light that piques Aomine's curiosity, the firmness in the other's tone tells him that the subject is closed for discussion.

The ghost continues the chat without missing a beat. "We've previously discussed how me having expectations of you is unfair. I understand and respect your concerns, so I'll refrain from talking about the future I've experienced. I'll try to minimize my influence on you. I want you to make choices about what you want in this life."

"Free will is important," Aomine agrees.

"We'll find a way to coexist," Kise says with a shrug. "We sort of have to."

"Don't be too noisy in my head, okay?" Aomine requests. "Especially when other people are around. The last thing I want is to start talking to you and have others think I've lost my mind."

"Is that your only rule?" Kise asks with an amused smile.

"I don't know. It's a start, though. We'll figure things out as we go," he replies wondering what being haunted for the next few years will be like. When Kise's features soften at the accepting response, Aomine thinks that he could perhaps get used to having a constant companion.


Author's notes: I think the fun can really being after this… =D (Is it bad that I have mental images of Aomine being driven crazy by two chatty Kises?) Hope you all enjoyed!