Heyo~ Hope you lovelies didn't wait too long for the chapter. It was so much fun writing this one and reading all your reviews! Thank you all so much. You just make my day. XD
Also, I hope you don't mind that the first thousand and a half words are kinda angsty... it's just the way that I have the AoKise plot planned out, but it'll get better as the story progresses! X| Sorry if angst isn't your cup of tea, but it's necessary for their character development! And Aomine might seem OOC, but I have my justifications for it! It'll come in time.
Anywho, here we are, Chapter 3! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 3
Girl (?) Troubles
Earlier that Thursday
Aomine Daiki was, as usual, bored the hell out of his mind. Momoi and the rest of the team had gone off for a practice match against some loser team in Kanagawa that he didn't bother to learn the name of. She was finally starting to give up on him, realizing after Winter Cup that the only person he considered rival-worthy was Kagami Taiga. Make no mistake about it, he didn't like the brat; the two-toned redhead was a strong opponent, and that was that. Besides, it seemed like Tetsu kind of had a thing for him.
Well, Kagami being the only challenge was sort of a half-truth. But the only other person he'd deemed as worthy was… he hadn't talked to him since Winter Cup. Because he'd chosen to avoid him altogether.
If that hadn't been the case, he wouldn't be bored to tears now, lying in the middle of Touou's gym floor, absently twirling the ends of his short fringe between his dark fingers. He'd be slamming dunk after dunk, endlessly frustrating his competitor.
He laid the backs of his hands against his eyes, smiling lightly to himself as he went through match simulations through his head. That person always surprised him, being as unpredictable as Aomine himself at times, and he never really knew what the outcome would be unless either one of them faltered. That was what made basketball so exhilarating, the reason why he stuck to his fantasies and stayed on the team despite pushing away who he wanted to play with the most.
Yeah, he admitted that his days without Kise Ryouta constantly dogging him were the worst.
But he'd only admit that to himself.
Besides, it was for the blond's own good that Aomine was keeping his distance, what with the incident during Winter Cup and the repercussions that followed. He shook off the ominous feelings of foreboding.
It was then that Aomine was suddenly aware of a second person in the gym with him, breathing calmly next to him as though he'd walked in normally. But when the hell…?
"What are you smirking to yourself for, old man?" a gruff boy's voice sneered. But he sounded older than just a kid, maybe around his age? Nonetheless, Aomine moved his hands up to his forehead in order to get a glance at the stranger; maybe he could destroy this punk in one-on-one.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a teenager sitting cross-legged next to him, saw flaxen locks that seemed all too familiar, and jolted upright. There was no way—
And there wasn't. Aomine stood to calm his nerves. It wasn't Kise, thank God. Then who was it?
He gave the stranger a critical eye, wary of who he might be and for what purpose he was here. The boy's skin was dark, but not as dark as his. Perhaps he'd bleached and dyed his hair—tresses that color were rarely natural in Japan. He had roughly sideswept bangs almost covering his right eye, the rest pulled back into a small, messy ponytail. The newcomer only sighed, slouching over more—as though that were even possible—in a lethargic manner, finding Aomine's evaluation of him dull business.
"You done yet, Pops?" he slurred, meeting his eyes lazily. The Touou ace was staggered by this in two ways: he was called "Pops" (despite being only 16) and he felt like he was looking in a mirror. The outsider's eyes were twins to his ebony-cobalt own.
The boy took Aomine's silence as a "yes."
"Alright, then, shake a leg. We have a few things on our to-do list before I head out." He pushed Aomine towards the door of the gym, but the ace turned a fake and the boy lunged forward to break his fall.
"Who are you?" the tanned ace asked. "And what does it have to do with me?"
"Actually, who I am has everything to do with you, Pops," he answered nonchalantly. "The name's Aomine Kei. I'm your kid." He thought for a second before adding, "From the future. Of a parallel universe."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Aomine grabbed him by the collar of his white t-shirt, not buying his explanation for a minute. "Cut the bull," he spat. "What do you want from me?"
"Pops, calm down," Kei sighed. "I'm not out to get you or target Kise or—"
"What's Kise to you?" the ace demanded, eyes narrowed. Kei took a lock of blond hair between his fingertips, coiling it indifferently.
"My momma." Aomine opened his mouth to challenge the preposterous claim, only to close it again. That glint of a deep cerulean stud in Kei's left ear stopped him short. He studied the piece of jewelry more closely; it was a square-cut gem set in white gold, flanked by two tiny leaves of yellow gold.
He recognized this earring. His breath shook as he inhaled and exhaled slowly, releasing Kei's shirt from his fists. It was impossible for that to exist here when he had so carefully hidden and locked the commissioned work away (1).
And the confident glare Kei was sending his way made his spine crawl. This was the feeling, he realized, that plagued his opponents when he played against them, the fear that he saw in their eyes surely present in his own. This was perhaps the one guy who was capable of beating him soundly in a one-on-one match. That much he knew. And there was only one way anyone besides Aomine himself could do that.
"You're telling the truth, aren't you?"
Kei raised his shoulders dismissively, smoothing out the collar of his shirt. "It's up to you whether you believe it or not," he retorted. "But let's get a move on. We're burning daylight, Pops." The blond began pushing him out towards the exit again. Aomine complied, not really sure what was going on, though he decided it would be better to play along and see how things turned out.
"And where are you going?"
"Kaijou." Aomine's skin prickled. Kaijou was where...
"Like hell we're going to Kaijou!" he snapped, digging his heels into the floor. Kei stopped pushing, running a hair through his bangs in exasperation. "That's—"
"Where Momma is," Kei cut in, "and the reason why we need to go there in the first place." He caught sight of the grimace on Aomine's face. "Pops, I know you're not exactly on speaking terms with Momma, but you need to talk to her—sorry, him—if you want things to change."
Aomine blanched. This kid knew more than anyone should have known. "What proof—"
Kei flicked at the lobe of his studded ear. "This is all the proof I need, Pops. I know you haven't given the earrings to Momma yet in this world, but you did back home. You got in a fight with her there and gave these to her when you made up. Circumstances are a bit different, given that I exist (2), but the general plot of things is the same where you stand."
"No," Aomine refused, heading the opposite direction for the locker rooms. "I can't do that. Not now, not ever. It's for the best. Sorry, kid."
"Kei, not 'kid,'" he corrected. "And you're going to make up eventually, whether you like it or not. I'm going to make it happen. After all, you loved Momma enough to have me, didn't you?" The dark-skinned ace flushed slightly. Was he really having this conversation with a boy who claimed to be his son? Suddenly, Kei yelled out something unintelligible, mussing up his hair in frustration. Aomine stared blankly; was he okay?
"Pops, you're too damn stubborn!" he shouted, putting his father into a headlock and dragging him along. "We're going to Kaijou no matter what you say! You're talking to Momma and sorting out your problems so I can concentrate on finding—" he stopped short, releasing his hold on Aomine's head and dropping him without warning. "Oh, hell, I forgot about Mai! I gotta find her!"
Kei readied himself to sprint out of the building, but Aomine yanked on his wrist before that could happen. There was no way in hell that this twat was going to just burst in his life with all this cryptic shit about him, Kise, and their future and then just leave when he felt like it!
"Who's Mai?"
"My sis," Kei replied, "now shove off, Pops, I gotta—" Aomine stood up, putting Kei in a headlock similar to the one he'd experienced only moments before.
"Hold it, brat!" he exclaimed. "You can't just go blitzing off by youself after dumping this info on me, and you definitely can't go charging into Kaijou, either! Kise'll think I put you up to this!" Kei pouted childishly at this, obviously wanting get over and done with all this.
"Then what do you think we should do?" he jeered. "You're too damn stubborn to talk to Momma, let alone ask for her help, and you think your team would only blow the situation out of proportion. Who else is there?"
Aomine loosed the headlock and pinched the bridge of his nose. Kei was right; the only people who were remotely quirky enough to try understand this predicament were the other members of the Generation of Miracles. Akashi would ignore him. Midorima would be annoying, not to mention he'd probably rant about how illogical Kei's existence was. Murasakibara wouldn't care. Kise was... also not an option. Momoi was out, since she'd want to see if this universe's Aomine and Kise could reproduce such offspring—which was definitely out of the question. The only person left was—
Of course! If anyone could accept the situation at hand calmly and react accordingly, it would be Kuroko! Aomine flipped out his phone and frowned at what little battery life was left. It wasn't enough to sustain a call, and he didn't want to blatantly summon him over. He settled for a brief text requesting advice. If Kuroko could get back to him with answers, he'd take them.
Message to:
Tetsu
Tetsu, I have a bit of a problem. There's a kid here who says he's mine.
And Kise's.
What the hell do I do?
-Message sent-
"Pops, who was that to?" Kei questioned, peering over Aomine's arm at the screen. His eyes instantaneously lit up as he gasped, "Was that to Momma?" The bright gleam in Kei's eyes reminded Aomine of Kise and his heart dropped. He averted his gaze.
"No, sorry," he apologized. "I just asked a friend for help in dealing with this." Kei's excited expression waned into understanding and he nodded in acceptance of the fact. Aomine sighed; this silence was making him antsy. Kei wandered around the gym, checking the space out. Aomine relocated to a bench and, not knowing what to say, let a good fifteen minutes pass in smothering quietude; he still didn't entirely comprehend how he had a son... with Kise.
"Kid," he started. No, that was wrong. "Er, Kei, how do you... exist?" How the hell was he supposed to phrase this question without being awkward about it? Luckily, the shorter boy seemed to understand what he meant.
"The Kise in my universe is female, Kise Ryouko. You're still... well, you, but there are others who are guys here and girls over there. I know some of your Generation of Miracle buddies are girls where I'm from and they have kids." He snapped in a sudden epiphany. "By the way, there are others who traveled here with me! Maybe I can go find them while you make up with Momma!" Aomine's navy eyes snapped to Kei in an instant. There were more than just this kid and his sister? "I wonder if any of them have found their parents yet. I hope none of them are in trouble, especially Mai."
It occurred to Aomine then that Mai was not only Kei's sister, but also his own daughter. With Kise. And hell, God forbid she looked even a fraction as beautiful as—
"Kei, what does Mai look like?" He rose to meet Kei where he stood in the center of the court, studying the painted boundary lines.
"Mai's real pretty for a middle schooler," he admitted. "She looks just like Momma! Well, except her hair's blue like yours and her skin looks like the mochas I get from Maji's. But she's got Momma's figure and face, especially her eyes and smile. She's really shy about it, though, so she tries not to stand out. Thank God you taught her self defense just in case." A pit formed in his stomach; was she really so much like Kise that she'd need to know self defense at her age?
"Oooooooi!" someone called. Aomine and Kei turned to face the door of the gym. Kagami poked his head through the doorway, holding the entrance open when he found Aomine and Kei standing on the court. Kuroko passed through, leading another stranger who seemed familiar somehow. The other person's face lit up upon recognition.
"Kei!" he called out. "You're here! Have you found anyone else yet?" Kei went over to greet the other boy warmly, accepting a handshake mixed with a one-armed hug.
"No, not yet," Kei confessed, "just Pops. You?"
"Same, kinda; only Mom and Dad. But the rest of the Seirin team plus this universe's Nigou knows I'm here."
Now Aomine was more than confused as hell. Was this one of the others Kei mentioned had traveled with him? This universe's Nigou? And did he just call Kagami and Kuroko his mom and dad? And the odd Seirin duo was okay with that? But the two teenage boys went on with their light-hearted conversation, discussing and wondering who would show up where and when. They sidled off the bench, leaving Aomine to talk to his former Shadow and his new Light.
"Hello, Aomine-kun," Kuroko addressed him casually. "That was Naoya-kun, our son. We got here as fast as we could."
The tanned ace sputtered, struggling for a response. "That's your kid? You married Kagami?"
The redhead seemed to take that as an insult and flushed slightly, retorting with, "Don't give us that crap! Judging by the looks of things, you hooked up with Kise!"
"He did," Kei called from the bench. He smirked as he watched his dad's face redden and returned to his banter with Naoya.
"Yes, well, we came over because you rarely ask for assistance in anything and because we're dealing with the same situation ourselves," Kuroko continued. "Actually, you're the only other one we know of so far."
"Only other what?" Aomine asked.
Kagami gestured to their sons, chatting away on sidelines. "Only other parent to the reality-jumpers. Naoya said there'd be ten of them total as far as he knew. But he didn't mention who the others were or who their parents are, besides the fact that he's got a younger sister." The redhead frowned about something he was going to say, ultimately choosing not to add it. "The squirt said it'd be more 'fun' that way."
"Not true," Kuroko argued. "On Tuesday, he told us about Furihata-kun and Ryuu-kun." He clarified for Aomine. "The Ryuu-kun he talked about was the only other name we got. Apparently, he's Furihata-kun's son." Aomine attempted to put a name to a face, but he only got a vague impression of the Seirin player the Phantom was talking about.
"Is Furihata his dad?"
Kagami shook his head. "Mom, like Kuroko. And Kise, I guess." The Touou player ignored that last jab at his pride.
"And what about this Ryuu kid?"
"He can explain their purpose here and their means of... transportation better than any of the other kids that jumped, including Naoya himself."
Aomine bowed his head, indicating his comprehension of their enlightenment. He let the new intelligence sit for a moment before emitting a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"Aomine-kun, is there something else bothering you?"
The dark-haired ace sighed, deciding that if he couldn't confide in these two, he couldn't begin to start making things right. "I'm worried about my other kid, my daughter, Mai."
Kagami and Kuroko both looked taken aback. "You've met her?" Kuroko inquired. "Where is she?"
Aomine shook his head at their misunderstanding, correcting them by explaining, "I haven't met the kid yet. Kei's told me about her, that she looks a lot like Ki—er, her mom (3)." They sent him puzzled looks.
"Isn't that a good thing, that she looks like Kise? She's probably real popular, then—"
"That's exactly what I'm worried about!" Aomine grumbled. "Mai apparently knows self defense because I taught her 'just in case.' She's only a middle schooler! What do I do if that's not enough to protect her? What if she gets hurt and it's my fault? What if—"
"—she gets charged for assault, even though she was the one getting harassed in the first place?" Kagami interrupted, annoyed. "Ahomine, you think too much sometimes."
"And you think too little," he muttered in response.
Kuroko, however, sided with Kagami. "Aomine-kun, if you taught her self defense, it's because you trusted her enough to look after herself and you understood that you can't be there for her all the time, even if you wanted to."
"Besides, she's your kid as well as Kise's," Kagami argued, "so she's most likely got a knack for handling herself just fine."
"You really should have more faith in yourself and Kise-kun," the Phantom clucked. "I know Kise-kun can be a bit stupid at times, but he's not stupid stupid. He would have made sure any child of his can be confident on their own. Speaking of, where is Kise-kun? Shouldn't he be here fussing over Mai-san as well?"
"Momma would be here if Pops wasn't so damn stubborn," Kei cut in out of the blue. He popped up next to Kagami, who, out of habit for being startled, immediately turned to grab the head of whoever stood next to him. The blond ducked in time for Naoya to become his scapegoat, letting the normally cutting remark end in a sort of amusing muddle.
"Dad," Naoya yelped, "DAD, let go, calm down!" Kagami complied, unsure of how it came to be that his son's head was victim to his vice grip. He crumpled suddenly with a weak howl, cradling his side.
"Kagami-kun, please refrain from reacting in such a way when caught off-guard," Kuroko reprimanded.
"Whose fault do you think this is?" he countered.
Aomine chuckled faintly, hiding his smile behind a smirk. Even if they didn't get along 100 percent all of the time, Kagami and Kuroko seemed to hold their own just doing what they felt was right. And if it wasn't, they changed that. It was a simple and effective strategy that worked wonders for them, and Aomine hoped that going about things so headstrong for once would yield the same results (4). For all the trouble they were, the Seirin duo proved the efficiency of their teamwork in more way than one.
"Alright," he agreed, "I'll play it your way, Tetsu. But just this once."
A loud bang from outside prevented any questioning that followed Aomine's enigmatic declaration (along with any potential coolness that might have occurred).
"What the—" cursed Kagami. He'd heard that noise enough times to know what it was, covering Naoya's ears and bracing himself for the sake of his own sanity.
"Dad, what are you—"
"Just cover your ears, Naoya-kun, it's for the better."
Aomine picked up on what they meant. Oh, Goddammit, he swore, I forgot he might get mixed up in all this! He began to tell Kei to follow suit, but decided that the brat would have to learn something.
So long as Aomine was his father, Kei would have to live with a little hell if he was going to meddle in his affairs.
"AOMINE!" a voice thundered. The blond reality-jumper flinched at the sudden summons of his last name, confused momentarily before realizing that it must have been geared toward his dad. And then again, that voice sounded awfully familiar...
The door to the gym slammed open, unveiling one absolutely livid—and sweaty—Midorima Shintarou. He was out of breath, shoulders heaving quite dramatically as he pinpointed the tanned ace and pointed an accusing finger. "You— you have something to do with this, don't you? Like it wasn't bad enough that today's Oha-Asa reading for Cancers was ridiculously harrowing! Even worse, I had to drag both of them here in that forsaken cart because Seirin's too far!"
"Hello, Midorima-kun," Kuroko welcomed, never forgetting his oddly immaculate mannerisms. "Please quiet down and explain what, exactly, Aomine-kun did now." That earned him a glare from the aforementioned ace.
"I did nothing to him!" Aomine protested. "I don't think I've even seen him since Winter Cup!"
Midorima narrowed his eyes at the power forward, snorting in incredulity. "Lies. If you didn't do anything, explain that!"
As if on cue, Takao Kazunari strolled calmly through the doorway, escorting a girl of about fourteen or fifteen. They were deep in conversation about something significant, but all others present doubted that that was the case. After all, the choice words that drifted out to them were "Midorima", "cute", and "unbelievably tsundere."
Upon a closer look, they noticed the girl had hair the same shade as Takao's, wore glasses, and had incredibly green eyes.
Comprehension of Midorima's accusation formed in Aomine's mind, and he was furious that the shooting guard would think he was the cause of all this mayhem. "Midorima, your daughter suddenly appearing doesn't make me responsible for it! She's your kid, so you own up to it!"
Takao bounced up playfully, pushing Midorima's glasses back up the bridge of his nose after noticing they had slipped. "You know," he hummed, "they're right, Shin-chan. If anyone's to blame, it's you."
"Or it could be yours, Mommy," the girl joined in giggling, clearly enjoying her father's flustered state. "After all, you were the one that got pregnant."
Aomine stared dumbly at the scene unfolding. This family was dysfunctional as it was, no Miracles added.
"Suzume-chan!" Kei and Naoya chorused. They bounded over and sandwiched her in a hug. "You're alright!"
The Touou player exhaled heavily, trying to expel the stress that was starting to build up just being near these people.
Suddenly, confronting Kise and all his demons didn't seem like such a bad idea.
(1) the earrings: Part of the plot I have in store for our AoKise babies~ The earrings don't exist in the anime or manga, they're something I decided Aomine still has as Kise's present.
(2) given that Kei exists: what Kei means is that the relationships and personalities in either the AU or this universe remain mostly, if not wholly, unchanged. The only difference is that the MiraGen girls can get preggo and have babies. :D
(3) Ki—er, her mom: As exhibited in the story, Aomine and Kise kind of have a fight going on that's lasted a while. Since they're not talking, Aomine feels awkward trying to address Kise by name, especially because he's the mother of Aomine's children.
(4) being headstrong: When it concerns people close to him, Aomine has a kind of roundabout way of doing things (or so I've noticed). He's going to try do what Kagami and Kuroko do and face his problems head on.
Well, I hope you liked it! (And I'm sorry if you didn't!) It was fun writing this chapter (even though there's angst) because it means that eventually, everyone will be lovey-dovey and I shall smother you all in fluff. Yay!
Honestly, though, I feel like maybe I'm not living up to people's expectations on this story, but hey. It's my story! I've got almost everything planned out, so it's entirely up to you readers if you want to sit back and watch it unfold.
And I'm really sorry for not having review responses here! It's 11PM right now and I've got a long day ahead of me, so I'll work on them tomorrow and repost the chapter.
I'll try to keep updates on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Does that sound decent?
Thanks to you all! I hope you keep enjoying this chaotic plot as much as I enjoy writing it. :3
–Randomness
xOwleX: XD Thanks for liking it so much! And don't worry, I haven't revealed why Naoya and the others are here and trying to get their parents together. You haven't missed out on anything. I don't know what Dead Week is, but I hope this story was able to give you relief. :)
LoveGonzo2: E-eh? Really? You were giggling? Thank you...! It makes me happy when people tell me a fic of mine reduced them to babbling fangirl/fanboy nonsense. It means I'm doing something right! XD And I hope you liked Kei as much as I liked making Kise give birth to him! (?) Please look forward to Tuesday's update as well!
Kirie Mitsuru (1): X3 Thank you for thinking it's cute! It makes me so happy that my writing has that effect on people. And yeah, Naoya's being a little poop and making them all wait 'til they can find Ryuu, which is kind of a downer because they don't know who's going to pop up next. Don't worry; this is the one story I'm determined to keep on a constant update sched!
jenrose257: BECKY! Thanks for dropping a review! X3 And don't hurt me for the cliffhanger, jeez! Yes, I am aware about your bugging me for updates, but I have a schedule going and... what does it matter to you? You get free previews! I'll see you Monday with what I have of the next chapter!
Guest (guest): Oh, gosh beans, thank you! vuv I hope you liked Kei, he's such an oddball. And about Furihata's husband... you guys REALLY ship AkaFuri hard, huh? XD I won't give anything away, you'll have to wait like Naoya said. And yeah, there IS a definite reason as to why they're all there, which is why Naoya's worried about what goes on in the parallel while they're there. Don't worry about the confusion, I do that to myself sometimes, too. And THANK YOU for leaving such a long reply! It makes me blush to think that you'd take your time to drop off such an awesome review. Did I make it in time not to be spammed?
fujushi-tan (guest): /bow I'm glad my story was to your liking! I'll continue to do my best and keep that update schedule I have! Please look forward to Tuesday's chapter.
Little Strawberry RiRin Chan: Thank you! X3 Update in more or less 2 days, so look forward to it!
Ryuuichi Seijuro: Hrm... Ryuu's dad? I wonder... Thanks for liking the story! And I wish I could update sooner, but I have three weeks 'til I'm off school and it's crunch time for end-of-year projects and Finals. /sobs But I will do what I can! Look forward to my free time!
Fantita: XD Yes, Naoya is in their class now! I might have something (evil) planned for this development... and yeah, I hope Aomine's reaction was somewhat funny, if Midorima's wasn't enough.
lito . dellamas: YES. Cliffhangers are awesome. XD I can't wait to get the AoKise story rolling so we can have Kise meet his babies~ And there's going to be a bit of a break from school, since story-wise it's almost spring break. They only have Friday for school and then they have two weeks off. But don't worry! We will return to the classroom once all the other kiddies are found.
Crazy anko (guest): As AoKise's kid, I hope Kei lived up to expectations. He's really eccentric and does things at his own pace. He's so fun to write because he's so unpredictable! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the replies! I think communicating with the readers is important, since you all give me motivation to keep writing. If you guys didn't let me know what you all thought, my only motivation would come from how hard I ship things ATM and my friend, Becky. XD So thank you!
DivineCluster: Awww, thank you! You make me blush. vuv Angst? Well, it's kinda AoKise centered, but I was planning a little something for KagaKuro... /wink wink And I hope you continue to anticipate updates! And I do have a Gaia, but I haven't played in almost four years... OTL Maybe I'll make a new one and restart, but I'll let you know if and when that happens! Thanks!