-Keep Close-

Summary: Kuroko and Aomine are struggling with their feelings as they look for Yuki and Kise cuts in. Kagami and Himuro also deal with their own issues.

Warning: AoKuro moments. Kagami x Himuro bromance. Conflict! Conflict!

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Kuroko no Baske. All rights go to Fujimaki Tadatoshi-sensei. ^_^

-Chapter Eight: It's not just you-

"Sorry, I need to go to the toilet for a while," Aomine said as he stood up from his seat.

Kuroko watched him leave. He turned back to Kise and saw that the guy was smiling as he was also watching Aomine walk away.

They were still at the bar and were drinking. Kagami and Himuro had already left since Himuro was already drunk. Kagami had to half-carry him outside.

The smile disappeared from Kise's face when Aomine was out of sight. It was just him and the blond-haired guy. Kise now looked serious. It made Kuroko nervous all of a sudden. This was the first time that he saw Kise with that expression outside of the court.

"Ne, Kurokocchi."

"Yes?" He took a sip of his beer.

Kise was staring back at him with arms crossed. "Do you like Aominecchi?"

Kuroko nearly choked on his beer. He put the glass down on the table and then slowly calmed himself. What did Kise just ask him? His heart suddenly beat faster as he looked at Kise. He was staring back at him with those serious eyes.

"What are you talking about? Of course I like Aomine. We're g-good friends," he said.

Kise smiled one-sidedly. "I like Aominecchi. To be exact, I want him," Kise said without batting an eye lash.

Kuroko was dumbstruck. He did not know what to say to Kise. What he said took him off-guard. He just stared at Kise for a while before Kise spoke again.

"I want Aominecchi to spend more time with me just like before," Kise said. Kuroko remembered Kise and Aomine were always playing together back in middle school. "I want him to only look at me."

"What are you—"

"I'm telling you to keep away from Aominecchi. I don't want you with him. He's mine. And I'm going to make sure that it stays that way," Kise said.

Kuroko suddenly felt a wave of resentment towards Kise. He balled his hands into fists as they were hidden under the table, He stared at Kise with an equal intensity. But he said nothing.

What could he say? That Aomine was his? How could he? They weren't in a relationship despite those heated moments. It was just him being lonely and Aomine helping him ease his loneliness. There was no other meaning to it. And besides, wasn't he in a relationship with someone else? But why does he feel his chest tightening at the thought of Aomine being with Kise? What does it mean?

"Aomine and I... We're not—"

"I'm glad you understand, Kurokocchi." Kise smiled at him as if nothing happened. That was when Aomine sat back at their table.

Aomine noticed the slight change in Kuroko's mood and looked worriedly at him. "Tetsu, are you okay? Are you drunk already?"

Kuroko glanced at Kise first before answering Aomine. He shook his head. "I'm fine."

Right at that moment, he wanted to grab Aomine and leave. But he didn't. He had no right to. If anything else, Aomine deserved to be happy. And if Kise would be able to do that, like how Aomine was smiling when Kise and him played before, then he had no right to object. He was only using Aomine after all.

He bit his inner lip and tried to hide the hurt that was starting to throb in his chest.

Kagami laid the drunk Himuro on the bed. He took off the guy's shoes. He sat beside him on the bed and tried his best in removing his jacket since the guy tossed in his drunken stupor.

Kagami was about to stand up from the bed when Himuro held his hand. "Taiga..."

He turned around to face Himuro and saw that his eyes were looking at him with a sad expression on his face. He felt Himuro's warm hands against his as it touched the ring on his finger. He sat back beside Himuro.

Himuro sat up and embraced him.

"Taiga, what are we to each other?"

Kagami's heart ached. Yes, that was the question that had always bothered him since Himuro said he did not want to be brothers anymore. Were they friends? He wasn't so sure. It always felt like they were more than friends and more than brothers all this time.

He touched Himuro's hair and caressed it. It was shorter now just like when they were kids. He preferred it that way.

"We're not—we're not brothers anymore. So we're friends, right?" Himuro said.

"Yes, Tatsuya, we're friends," he said as his heart ached.

He had buried it in his heart. He thought he was able to forget and move on when he met his fiancee Paula. But he hadn't forgotten about Himuro after all. These deep feelings of attachment and longing were still there after all.

"I want to be with Taiga forever. I wish we won't be separated ever again unlike before."

"Yeah, I wish..."

But it was not the wishes that came true. It was the choices that they made that separated them from each other. There were choices beyond their control when they were young that separated them. And it was his dream that separated them after high school. And now, after they find Alex, he knew that they would undoubtably separate. It was decided upon silently. But it seemed that their hearts resented the fact that they have their own separate lives now. And that nothing was going to change.

Himuro's embrace tightened. "Always stay beside me, Taiga. Don't leave me again."

"Yeah," he lied in a soft voice.

Himuro fell asleep. His breathing became more relaxed. Kagami carefully laid him down on the bed. He cupped Himuro's peaceful, sleeping face and smiled sadly.

It felt like a cold hand was squeezing his heart while he looked at Himuro. He sighed.

He was not good enough. He was not strong enough to protect both of them. Not at their current situation.

All he was left with were his lies. If it would save them from getting hurt any further and falling any deeper into despair, then he will continue to lie about what he felt. Even if Himuro begged, he had to turn a blind eye. It was the best way to protect Himuro.

Kuroko got drunk. Aomine had to give him a piggy-back ride up to his apartment since the blue-haired guy was no longer able to walk straight.

When they were finally inside the apartment, Kuroko held on the lapels of his trench coat and pulled him closer. The next thing he knew, Kuroko's lips were on his.

His lips were passionate and searching. Aomine felt Kuroko's urgency. It was as if he was afraid that Aomine would disappear in a second that's why he was holding on to him so tightly.

"Wait, Tetsu," he said after holding Kuroko's wrists and pulling away from his grasps.

Tears streaked from Kuroko's eyes. "I'm sorry."

Aomine was about to say something when Kuroko ran to Aomine's bedroom and locked it.

"Tetsu! Tetsu! Open the door, Tetsu." Aomine said as he banged at the door with his fist.

Kuroko did not answer.

He heard his cell phone ring. He answered it when he saw that it was Kise calling.

"Yes?" he said.

"Is this the blond guy's friend?" a stranger's voice said.

Aomine's brows furrowed. Why would a stranger call him using Kise's cell phone?

"Who are you? Where's Kise?"

"The guy's dead drunk here at the bar. I'm the manager. We're closing so I just tried the first number on the speed dial. Can you go ahead and pick him up?"

"Y-yeah." He stared at the still closed door of his bedroom. "I'll be right there." He ended the call and put his cell phone back in his pocket. He banged the door once more. "Tetsu, please open up. I want to talk to you before I leave."

There was no answer.

"Okay, let's talk when you've calmed down. I'll be right back."

He was about to open the door to go outside when he heard the bedroom door open. He looked back and saw Kuroko.

"D-Daiki..."

"Tetsu, what's wrong?" He walked back towards Kuroko and stood in front of him. "What's wrong?" He wiped away the tears that were streaming down Kuroko's eyes with his hands.

"Daiki, I'm so confused right now."

"What are you so confused about?"

"I-I don't know what I'm feeling."

"Is that why you're crying? Is this about Yuki?"

"Y-yes," Kuroko said weakly. He was about to say something more but stopped himself.

Aomine felt his heart ache. He did not want to hear anymore if it was about Kuroko's love for Yuki. He did not want to hear any of it.

He patted Kuroko's head. "We'll find her. Don't you worry."

"I just—I just feel... About Yuki... I think I..." Kuroko lowered his head. It seemed that it was hard for him to get everything out of his chest.

Was he struggling because he was missing Yuki so much? It made Aomine's chest hurt like he was suffocating. He had to leave.

"Let's talk about it when I get back, okay?" He turned around and headed for the door.

"Where—where are you going?"

He did not dare face Kuroko anymore. It was the alcohol. It was making him emotionally weak. He did not have much control over his emotions now. He had to leave. It hurt so much seeing Kuroko like that. It made him want to cry.

"To Kise. He needs me right now." He was about to walk to the door when he felt Kuroko's hands take hold of his trench coat.

"Don't go. Please don't go," Kuroko said.

He took a deep breath. He needed to control himself. Unless it was Kuroko who asked, he would not embrace him anymore. He did not want Kuroko to cry because of guilt. It was not fair to the guy. That was why he was trying to avoid being intimate with him for even just a second. He did not want to hurt Kuroko.

"I need to go. Kise is waiting for me," Aomine said.

"No!"

He turned around and faced Kuroko. It surprised him that Kuroko raised his voice. It was the first time that he heard the guy raise his voice like that.

"T-Tetsu?"

Kuroko embraced him tightly. Aomine was not able to move. "Don't go. I won't let you."

"What are you doing, Tetsu?"

"Please hold me, Daiki. I want you to kiss me and hold me. I want you. Right now."

Kuroko looked up at him with passionate eyes. He could not resist those light blue eyes. He was taken in the moment Kuroko said those words.

He lowered his head and gave Kuroko a passionate kiss.

Aomine felt Kuroko's hand inside his shirt. It was the first time that the guy took the initiative. His hand lowered down and traced his abdominal muscles down to his belt. Kuroko slowly removed it from his waist. He felt his hand move inside his pants and he knew that there was no leaving his apartment tonight.

Kise knew that Aomine would not come. Pretending to be dead drunk and asking the manager of the bar to call him was no good. It was all Kuroko's fault.

He balled his hands into fists and banged it on the counter top.

The bar was nearly empty save from the few employees that were cleaning.

Kise stood up and kicked the nearest chair his foot could reach. The employees just watched silently. They did not reprimand him.

Several men in dark suits went inside the bar. Kise faced them with a furious expression on his face.

"What do you want?" Kise said.

[A/N: Hontou ni gomen nasai. Sorry for the short chapter. Berry-tan is sick right now. My fever's been on/off for a week now. And I still need to go to work everyday despite that. T_T

I wish to say more but I'm too tired and sick to move much right now. I will edit this after I'm a bit better.

I hope to get better and post something longer next week. Let's cross our fingers.

Thank you for everyone's support. Minna arigatou.]