Okay, I'm back!So sorry for the 3 month+ delay, I have more major subjects in my sched now, but the shortest class period lasts four and a half hours... Maybe I can just write during the lessons, if I don't have notes to take. (Which is not often, but I'll try to be more consistent this time around...)

I'm so sorry, guys, I just went through half a semester of hell. I went from six hours a day (at most) at college for five (maybe six) days a week. As soon as break was over in November, my schedule changed to 12 or 13 hours a day Monday through Saturday. I basically get home, eat, do homework, and pass out for four hours if I'm lucky.

I am slowly adjusting to the life of a nursing student, so hopefully I can have the next chapter up soon. (Actually, I just finished midterms week, so I have time to type it up maybe...)

And this chapter has a whole crap ton of stuff that goes on, so let me know if anything is unclear... (I tried my best to make it make sense.)

Also, for anyone who's interested, I made a Tumblr! It's all the things relating to my writing progress and my art, so check it out if you have time. If there's a particular scene from a chapter you'd like me to draw manga-style, let me know by dropping a comment, a PM, or an ask!
Please ask me to draw the fluffy parts I really want to draw them!
tumblr dot com/blog/xxrandomnessprevailsxx

Here we go!

Chapter 10

Into the Fire

Kuroko was still a mite peeved at what Naoya had tried to pull at the amusement park. Sure, the Phantom could understand why he would do such a thing, but it was a drastic measure that was simply uncalled for. Not to mention that it had cost the bluenet his first kiss (sort of)! A cerulean eye twitched lightly; he would have to concentrate on other things in order to flush the memory out of his brain. It needed to be replaced with something more shocking.

The burly elderly man who had been standing behind him in line hobbled past, greeting the cashier softly. Kuroko raised his hand to protest but ultimately decided against doing so. He couldn't bring himself to disturb the old man. Besides, he couldn't take too long...

"H-hey, Kuroko," Kagami stammered from behind, approaching his partner cautiously. The woman behind his Shadow began to argue that Kagami cut in line until the ace pointed out the fact that Kuroko had been in line long before her. Flabbergasted, she allowed the redhead to join Kuroko.

"Hello, Kagami-kun. I take it Naoya said something to you?"

"W-why do you say that—"

"Kagami-kun, your face is beet red. And I highly doubt you were out running around the city."

Was there no getting past his Shadow's powers of observation? He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "...yeah, Naoya said something. I won't tell you what it was, but it wasn't anything particularly... bad."

Kuroko squinted at his Light's choice of words, deciding to let the matter go only because the old man ahead of them had finished with the register and was hobbling towards the side of the counter.

As Kagami ordered for the three of them, Kuroko felt a pang of guilt surge through him. Maybe he had been too hard on Naoya earlier... The boy was only trying to assure that there was a good relationship between his mother and father, after all. He made a note to himself to go and apologize to the teen when he and Kagami returned with the food.

Just then, he felt another pain; however, this one was harsher, sharper, and more powerful than the one before. In addition, it seemed to have darted from his stomach to his left shoulder. The Shadow inspected his chest briefly; there was no indication that any physical damage had occurred, but there was the lingering feeling of total grief that came unexpectedly from nowhere. Sheer agony weighed down his chest.

Kuroko would have brushed it off as nothing if Kagami hadn't met his eyes with a devastated grimace. That was the expression he had worn when he lost against Aomine at Inter High, a look of helplessness, sorrow, and needless apology. There was nothing more that he could do but promise to try harder the next chance they got.

But why had the both of them felt that way?

Panicked shouts of "coming through" and "'scuse me" rang through the restaurant as someone battled through the crowd. Kagami's order was interrupted as Aomine Kei shoved through the mass, eyes wild and out of breath, wheezing, "Mai didn't... Naoya was... there was a car, and—" The apologetic dimness in his eyes was all they needed to burst through the door.

Outside, a different crowd had gathered, but the foreboding whispers and tell-tale sounds of distant sirens raised their hair on end.

Kagami pushed through first, creating a way for Kuroko to follow. The vague idea of what had happened was echoing in the contours of their minds, but they dreaded that it might be true. Kuroko could feel his throat tightening up and breathed with difficulty.

I shouldn't have been so hard on him. I should have listened.

Instinctively, the ace reached back to grip his Shadow's arm as he saw the damage first. It was a warning that whatever had happened was...

I should have been there for him.

Terrified, light blue eyes took in the scene lying before him. A car lay crooked but upright on the street, its hood and bumper dented and striped with traces of blood. A man was on the phone, a hand in his hair, grabbing desperately at the strands. He hung up and approached the dark-haired girl sitting some ten feet in front of the car. She was hunched over something, apologies bubbling out of her mouth. Hands busily wiped at the scratched and bloody face of the person in her arms. The crimson fluid seemed to be everywhere: it stained the girl's clothes, streaked the ground, and soaked into a mess of dark red hair...

I should have been a better parent.

Kagami squeezed Kuroko's arm one last time and rushed forward. He needed to make sure that Naoya was still breathing, if his skin was still a temperature high enough to sustain his life. The dark-haired girl leaning over him looked up in tears, sobbing and trembling.

The ace took hold of Naoya's limp body, assessing the damage. The details of what had transpired could wait until later; right now, he just needed to ensure that his son was still alive. Air was trickling in and out of his nose, but just barely. His heart was still beating and his skin wasn't too cold for the time being. He shed his jacket and used it to cover Naoya in hopes that it would better isolate him, pressing it against some nasty, bloody scratches on his arms.

An explanation was needed. He turned to the girl who had been cradling him and asked; she did, after all, seem to be involved enough for there to be snot dribbling over her lips as she wailed.

"I... I pushed him and I couldn't reach him before the..." Her wide molten eyes glanced at the car and Kagami looked on in surprise. There was only one family in all of Japan he knew had eyes that color.

By the way she was falling apart and her brief recollection, he figured she had pushed Naoya without the intention of putting him in harm's way. It had been an accident with dire consequences. Kagami felt badly for Naoya, of course, but how much worse did this girl feel knowing she was the cause of it? She didn't need a lecture. She needed to know that everything would be okay—though Kagami wasn't sure how true that reassurance would be in the end.

He stepped aside as the paramedics came into the picture, letting them strap Naoya down on the gurney and load him into the ambulance. Afterwards, he ambled into the vehicle, knowing one person was allowed to travel alongside the patient, giving only the explanation that they were family. One glance at their crimson hair was all they needed for proof.

Surprisingly, he was able to bargain clearance for a taxi to follow them in order to transport Kuroko and the two reality-jumpers. The paramedics had informed him that under normal circumstances, such a thing would never be allowed, but they would let it slide since the nearest hospital in the area was a privately owned one. They explained that Naoya would have to be moved to a public hospital once his emergency care was done and his condition stabled, but Kagami didn't care at this point. As long as Naoya's safety and life were guaranteed, he could deal with whatever came after.

For the duration of their speedy trip down the road, the ace's eyes flickered from his unconscious son's pallor to the window at the back of the ambulance, more specifically at the taxi that tailed them. He knew Kei would be rational enough to hold down the fort, but Kagami worried for the other two.

Kuroko was, for the second time in his life, completely petrified.

The first time had been at the end of Teiko's final championship game, when he learned of the score that had ended his friend's love of basketball and the score that had destroyed him inside.

This time, someone supposedly much closer to the Shadow had been the victim, but what made it worse was that it had been an accident. What made it worse was that the damage could be fatal.

He vaguely recalled being dragged to the hospital in a taxi by a frantic Kei and a sobbing Mai. Once out of the car, Kei pulled a cellphone from the many plastic bags adorning his tan arms, dialing a number written on a piece of paper. The blond handed the phone to Kuroko, saying only, "Momma will take it better if it comes from you."

Mechanically, he accepted the device. Kuroko tried to think of how to explain the situation they were in. But instead of some eloquent response he was only able to mutter out:

"Kise-kun, it's me. Mai and Kei are with me at the Midorima family's private hospital. …no, they're okay, they're fine. We… Mai pushed… She didn't mean to, but… Naoya… My son got hit by a car." He was practically lifeless, staring blankly at what lay before him. The white walls of the hospital looked no different from the bleakness of his thoughts.

Kuroko only broke out of his stupor when he saw Naoya's gurney being rushed past him in the hallway. The lively, headstrong teen was struggling to even breathe. His eyelids were sallow and bruised. Blood caked his tanned skin, now shadowed and gray in comparison.

Tears stinging at the corners of his eyes, he chased after them on the path to the emergency room, only to be barred from entering. Kagami held him back as he started to crumble, yelling and kicking the doors to the emergency room and causing a scene in general. The ace ushered him to a less crowded hallway and rubbed circles hesitantly across the Shadow's back. This was what Alex did to calm him down when his own emotions were out of whack and he hoped it would work for his partner as well.

A while later, its effects were seen; Kuroko's hysteria had simmered down to dry heaving and choked whimpers, but the ominous pit in both their stomachs kept them from even speaking.

They moved to settle in the relatively empty waiting room where the Aomine siblings were already idling for news. Mai looked terrible–worse than Kuroko–at least as far as Kagami knew about feminine appearances. Her eyes were puffy and red, leaving a glistening trail down her cheeks where tears had traversed. Kei was murmuring things softly to his baby sister but she seemed to be ignoring his words.

Kagami sighed. This situation was surreal and horrible, yes, a complete tragedy they were never prepared for, but it was also overwhelmingly sad. Not pitiful, not ironic, just… sad.

They were, all of them, teenagers. This wasn't something they were even supposed to experience. His and Kuroko's son was in emergency care because of an action an acquaintance regretted. They were all more or less sixteen. Hell, Naoya was in the same class as them! He didn't know the first thing about taking care of a son, much less one who was the same age as him.

Mai and Kei, he was sure, had their own drama to deal with, aside from whatever existing problem they had that caused Mai to shove Naoya in the first place. If anything, we was sure as hell that Mai didn't mean to put Naoya in harm's way, if her crying was any indication.

Then there was Kuroko. The bluenet hadn't even mentioned anything about accepting Naoya as his son, so why was he so shattered by this? He'd cried for a while, sobbing incoherent things and covering his eyes as he did so. Kagami just didn't understand what his Shadow was thinking.

And that terrified him.

As the Light, he should've been able to read Kuroko's mind without even so much as looking at him. Now, he could stare at the fluffy cloud-colored head and not know a thing circling in that cryptic little brain of his. What was Naoya to him, anyway?

A nurse came into the waiting room with a clipboard of papers in hand. He approached Kagami with caution and purpose.

"Excuse me, are you the relative that accompanied Kagami Naoya-san?"

"Er, yes, I am. What's going on?"

The nurse shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, the situation is still being assessed. I cannot disclose any information right now, but I'll let you know when the doctor can see you. In the meantime, I'd like to ask if there are any parents or guardians you can contact." Upon seeing the bewildered look on Kagami's face, he elaborated. "Naoya-san's a minor and needs a parent or legal guardian to stand in for any legalities we need to settle, like informed consent of any procedures that may come up or the medical bill, for example."

Crimson eyes widened and the ace's mind completely blanked. "But I'm his– I mean, Naoya's parents aren't exactly… here. They're practically worlds away at this point."

How was he supposed to hide the fact that he was technically the father of a kid the same age as him? And how was he supposed to handle things like informed consent or medical bills?

The nurse didn't say anything about it, but Kagami knew he knew about the internal turmoil and panic that was ransacking his insides. Instead, he grinned a little and said, "Don't worry, I'll give you time to figure things out. If there's an adult you can trust in the area and we get the okay from Naoya-san's parents, they can stand in as a proxy guardian. You can fill out the paperwork yourself, but the information has to be reviewed and signed by the proxy. I'll be back in an hour or so, but if you manage to finish before then, you can just bring the paperwork to the nurses' station through this door and down the hall."

The ace held his head in his hands. How was he supposed to tell them he and Kuroko were Naoya's parents? And where would they get the money to pay for the medical bill? There were no adults they could entrust with their secret, and he doubted they would foot the bill even if they bought into the alternate universe explanation.

Before his rumination could lead him anywhere, a woman burst through the waiting room doors. Kagami's head snapped up out of curiosity. The woman was older, enough so to be a mother, and walked briskly over. Though she may have seemed a little out of breath, everything else about her person was flawlessly and meticulously manicured. She sent one sweeping, emerald-eyed scan over the four occupants of the room and softened her expression, beckoning the Aomine siblings to sit with Kagami and Kuroko in a motherly fashion.

"i see we have some familiar faces, some more so than others. Kuroko Tetsuya and Kagami Taiga, I must ask you a very, very serious question: are you or are you not the parents of Kagami Naoya?"

Himuro Tatsuya wasn't really sure about what he should do. After he saw Taiga and his blue-haired crush (he could tell, Taiga was obvious as hell when it came to his romantic interests) out of the Labyrinth, he'd been put in charge of taking the nosebleed girl to the hospital. He didn't know how she got into the park at all—it was couples only that day, plus she wasn't wearing the Labyrinth uniform—but it seemed of little consequence when her nasal orifice was dripping blood.

Well, in the meantime, a full hour had passed since the little episode occurred. The girl—who refused to say anything at all to him and only communicated in nods or shakes of her head—had gotten her nosebleed under control. They sat at a bench just outside the gates of the amusement park since Atsushi still had to pick him up. Himuro had had to explain why he was off work early and what they had to do and Atsushi had been really understanding… for the most part. His boyfriend had whined a little about having to rush to get over from Himuro's parents' house, but he said he knew a hospital nearby where they wouldn't have to worry about nosebleed girl after they dropped her off.

The raven-headed teen sighed for the umpteenth time that afternoon. He'd tried to open up a conversation with the nosebleed girl several times already, but she made no effort to communicate verbally. She only answered yes or no questions, which was how Himuro learned she couldn't tell him why she was there, she was here alone (he couldn't tell if that meant she was by herself for the day or she was homeless), and she would not disclose any more information.

There weren't really any defining features that he could point out, either; her auburn hair was either natural or dyed, but Himuro couldn't tell which it was. Her figure was thin and her skin a little pale, but that was how girls these days wanted to look. And she turned away from him every time he tried to get a look at her face. Really, the only thing that made her stand out was her elaborate flower ornament, an expensive-looking hairpin she wore to keep her side ponytail held up. Other than that her khakis were ordinary and her white button-up was inconspicuous.

"Muro-chin," Atsushi called. Finally! Himuro stood to greet the plum-haired giant and the nosebleed girl followed suit. "Is this her?"

"Yeah, we have to take her to the hospital to make sure she's alright. Nothing serious, just a physical exam to make sure she doesn't have a hemorrhage or a concussion. By the way, which hospital are we going to?" They started trekking towards the train station side by the side, the girl trailing not too far behind.

"Mido-chin's family has a private hospital near downtown. He said we could use it if we ever needed help."

"Wow," Himuro commented. "The tsundere actually said something like that?" Atsushi cocked his head thoughtfully.

"No, he bit his tongue and took it back, but we can go there anyway. Mido-chin's mom is the hospital director and she can help us. I just hope she's working today."

"Sounds fair. Wait, um…" Himuro turned to look at the nosebleed girl, not sure what to call her since all he had was his rude nickname. "Are you okay with going to the Midorima private hospital?"

She nodded slightly and didn't do anything more. Atsushi stared at her a while and looked to Himuro. "Can't she talk?" Himuro shrugged.

"She hasn't talked since she woke up an hour ago... Why?"

"She looks familiar somehow. Do I know you?" Murasakibara asked the girl. She froze and slowly shook her head. "Well, do you know me? Do you know who I am?" This time, she nodded.

"Maybe she's related to someone we know," Himuro hypothesized. "I guess we'll find out sooner or later."

The rest of the way to the hospital was relatively quiet; the only words exchanged were between Himuro and Atsushi, with only a few questions directed at the nosebleed girl. They knew that she wasn't speaking for some reason other than she didn't feel like it, but they didn't pry. Himuro knew what it felt like to have a secret he didn't want to share, but in the end showing what he was hiding had turned out well and his parents were very accepting of his boyfriend.

Still, something troubled the auburn-haired girl. It probably had to be a family issue or something since she was so uncooperative, but Himuro didn't want to push prejudices onto her. Besides, Atsushi was apparently being invited to be a permanent addition to the Himuro family–which mortified Himuro since they'd only been dating for about two months–and Atsushi was tempted to oblige because of the edible, sugary souvenirs Himuro's parents brought from overseas. It wasn't really a lovers' quarrel, it was like dissuading a child from entering a stranger's house because they were offered candy. Nonetheless, it was quite a challenge and kept the three of them distracted from the wait.

Once they were at the hospital, they had trouble finding someone to help them out. The nurses were rushing about, transporting stacks of paperwork and medical instruments from place to place. Other personnel in white coats puttered across the hallways, and from the snatches of their conversation, Himuro gathered that there had been a teenager in a car accident. Apparently, the director of the hospital had taken a special interest in the case because of a personal connection with the family involved, or something of the sort. Even Atsushi refrained from complaining about the wait, sensing that this was far more urgent. Himuro nearly smirked; at least the Miracle was starting to learn to consider the needs of others.

They stood by patiently until a woman who seemed less frazzled than her peers noticed them. "Sorry for the wait, we had a bit of an emergency, but I can help you if you need assistance with anything." She beckoned them into what the American guessed to be an examination room.

"We're actually here for her," Himuro explained once they were seated. "She passed out earlier and we just wanted to see if she's alright." The nurse furrowed her eyebrows slightly.

"Was there any reason as to why she would have passed out? Where and what time did this occur?"

Himuro thought a while before answering. "She passed out at around 1:30 after a co-worker of mine had a nosebleed and it dripped onto her shoulder, which is the bloodstain on her shirt. I work at the amusement park south of downtown."

The nurse pondered this for a bit and reached a conclusion. "Alright, since we've got our hands a bit tied right now, I'll see if I can have the hospital director come in and take a look-see. She'll be able to assess if this young lady has a concussion or needs any additional care. Miss, I'll need to know if you have any conditions or allergies that may pertain to this incident and your name, birthdate, height, weight, and… Perhaps I should just let you fill out this paperwork. But I'll need your name, at least, for the sake of Director Midorima."

Murasakibara cocked his head curiously at Himuro; did "Director Midorima" mean Mido-chin's mom? The junior shrugged his shoulders and awaited the girl's judgment. She had the right to refuse treatment, after all.

"I'm hemophobic," she finally revealed. "And my name is A—Furihata. Furihata Kimiko."

Furihata? That was the name of the mousy-haired freshman on Taiga's team, wasn't it? Were they somehow related?

"Alright, thank you. Now, gentlemen, I'll have to ask the both of you to sit in the waiting room while the director makes her way over. Please stay until we can for sure get a hold of Furihata-san's parents."

The Yosen pair looked wistfully at Furihata Kimiko, unable to help but feel that they did indeed know her.

Neither Kagami nor Kuroko were able to concentrate on the woman in front of them. How had she known enough to even suggest that two sixteen-year-old boys were the biological parents of another sixteen-year-old boy?

"Please, I need to know the truth so I can help Naoya without any raised eyebrows concerning his legal information. Are you, Kagami Taiga and Kuroko Tetsuya, or are you not the biological parents of Kagami Naoya?"

Kagami shot a glance at Kuroko; the latter hadn't fully accepted Naoya as his son, so what would he do about this situation? Would he accept the reality-jumper or continue to reject? Either way, Kagami would respect his partner's decision.

Even if that meant he had to raise Naoya by himself.

"Yes," the Phantom affirmed. "We are."

The redhead turned in surprise; he wasn't expecting for this to happen. Kuroko's small hands took the Light's and squeezed lightly, massaging the knuckles. At that moment, he understood that Kuroko was claiming them both to be Naoya's parents.

And perhaps then they could also be partners.

Oddly, the woman clad in a lab coat nodded as if she comprehended everything and she kneeled down in front of them. "I see. I suppose an introduction is in order, then. I am Midorima Chieko, owner and director of this private hospital, as well as the mother of Midorima Shintarou. I believe you both know him through your sport of choice," she said to the Seirin duo. Her emerald eyes turned to the Aomine siblings. "But I have reason to believe you two know my son as an uncle. Am I wrong?"

Kei's and Mai's wide cobalt and gold eyes only stared back in response. They were afraid that there would be trouble for them if they answered anything at all.

Chieko only grinned at them. "I understand if you don't trust me. But please rest assured that I will speak to Aomine Daiki and Kise Ryouta to ensure your safety."

Kagami was confused now, too; how did she know all that?

"Midorima-san—"

"Kuroko-kun, please, I know we've only met twice before, but there is no need to be so formal. Call me Chieko."

"Chieko-can, how do you...?"

She scoffed as she stood, tossing aside a few stray chestnut locks. "Do you honestly think that Shintarou and Kazunari would be able to hide my own granddaughter from me? I know about your reality-jumpers and your being parents, in a manner of speaking. My son and Kazunari are on their way now, and please call the parents of these two—"

The waiting room door burst open and a frazzled Kise dashed through to Kei and Mai. "Are you okay? Are you alright?"

Mai could only break into tears as she shrunk into his chest. As the blond soothed the girl, he looked to check how Kuroko was holding up.

The quiet fire in the Phantom's pale blue eyes had grown dim, but... this was new. Kuroko was clinging to his Light. Kise knew the blue Miracle was very particular about his space and was uncomfortable with high levels of bodily contact unless he himself was the one to initiate.

Aomine followed soon after Kise, cursing under his breath as he struggled to pocket his wallet. Once he had it secured, he jogged to the two reality-jumpers looking relieved.

"What the hell, so you two are okay... Don't freakin' scare me like that, Kise! I thought..." Aomine cut off his sentence and sighed, running a hand through his hair. Protectively, he put a hand on Kise's shoulder as the blond hugged their children. He caught sight of the Phantom on Kagami's arm. This really affected him, didn't it? "It doesn't matter what I thought; the both of you are okay. Tetsu, how are you holding up?"

Kuroko only nodded at him, trying his best not to look as despaired as he really felt. He opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by the arrival of Midorima, Takao, and Suzume, who were out of breath. Chieko padded over and rubbed her granddaughter's back soothingly, knowing how much it must have hurt to have so many of her friends go through a disaster like this.

"Mother," Midorima greeted briefly. "How is he?"

"He's in surgery right now for the more urgent wounds. Once he gets a little rest, we'll reevaluate for any additional issues. I can't promise anything right now, but I think Naoya will be fine. There wasn't any significant trauma to his skull or spinal cord. On an unrelated note... I don't believe I was able to foresee Aomine Daiki and Kise Ryouta being romantically involved."

Aomine look at the hand he'd placed on Kise's shoulder and retracted it to his pocket quickly. "We're not romantically involved!" At least, not anymore.

"Yes," Chieko tutted, "because the blush on Ryouta-kun's face is extremely convincing. How foolish of me to think that two people who are not involved could possibly have not one but two children."

"B-but they're not-! I didn't-! Ahomine, this is your fault!" Kise sputtered, turning and hitting the navy-haired teen in the stomach.

Aomine caught his fists and pushed back, his face only inches away from the Copycat's. "How is this my fault alone?! Last I checked, it takes two people to make a baby!"

Takao smiled mischievously, hissing "Now kiss!" rather loudly. Aomine and Kise glared at him, but ultimately stopped when they realized the grinning hawk everyone else in the room was still watching.

Chieko sighed. "Well, it appears that all parties involved are now present, so I assume we won't be further complicated or disturbed—"

As she spoke, Himuro and Murasakibara strolled in. They froze as the registered their company, not believing such an incredulous sight.

"Taiga?"

"Eh—Tatsuya?"

"Kuro-chin..."

"Murasakibara-kun."

"Shin-chan!"

"Shut up, Bakao!"

"I don't get it," Aomine complained quietly to Kise. "Who's this guy?"

"Bro, what are you doing here?" Kagami asked the tear-moled Junior, approaching him without loosening Kuroko's hold on his arm. Chieko's widened in surprise—"bro"? Did Kagami have a familial relation to this newcomer?

"The girl at the Labyrinth earlier—the one who passed out—we brought her here to get checked out. We were told to wait until her relatives could be contacted, but we weren't exactly expecting… this rather ridiculous gathering."

Chieko sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I stand corrected," she muttered. "This situation is far more complex than I originally appraised it to be, if my assumptions are validated.

Kise piped up out of curiosity. "Why? What's going on?"

The hospital director ushered the eight boys to one side of the waiting room and had the three reality-jumpers sit.

"Now, what do you all have in common, beyond physical traits?" she clucked.

"Basketball?" Aomine offered. Chieko nodded: go on, she seemed to say.

"The Generation of Miracles," Takao stated, narrowing his eyes in thought. "…kind of."

Chieko nodded her agreement and continued explaining her deductions. "Each couple here has at least one member of the Generation. Now, excluding Murasakibara-kun and his boyfriend—"

Kagami erupted with, "Wait—BOYFRIEND?" Kuroko pressed in to his side lightly and he went quiet.

"—what do you six have in common?" she queried, motioning to the Kuroko, Kagami, Kise, Aomine, Takao, and Midorima.

They studied each other briefly—two pairs of the three had one member of the Generation of Miracles. Only Kuroko really constituted as short. But they were all here for a common reason, and that was:

"The kids," Kagami ventured. He furrowed his brow as he spoke. If he included his surrogate brother and the giant in with that single differentiating similarity, it would mean… "Tatsuya and his boyfriend must have them, too. And the girl they brought in is…"

"Wait—KIDS?" Himuro sputtered, not really understanding what was being insinuated. "But you— With Kuroko— Kagami Taiga, you're sixteen! What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Then the girl from the Labyrinth isn't yours, then?" Kuroko asked nonchalantly. "I guess we assumed wrongly, Kagami-kun."

Himuro continued glaring daggers at his little brother. "Taiga Marcus Davenport Kagami, don't you dare ignore me! What do you mean by you having kids? Why does your teammate think that girl was mine? If you haven't noticed, she's about the same age as us!" he yelled in English.

"Calm down, Tatsuya! And please don't use my full name, only Mom does that… well, except Alex did it once, but that doesn't count! And the kids aren't ours. Not really, at least. This… I… How do I explain this?" Kagami sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "This is gonna sound crazy, but those other three kids there" —he motioned to Suzume, Kei, and Mai— "are from the future of an alternate universe. And so is my son, Naoya."

Himuro narrowed his eyes at the ace, not out of anger, but in disbelief. "Taiga, you're not on drugs, are you?"

"OF COURSE I'M NOT!" he burst in response. "I'm telling the truth, unlike a certain somebody who couldn't even tell his little brother about his new man!"

"I would appreciate it if you both could please stay calm!" Kuroko cut in in slightly accented English, visibly distraught. "There are more important things to worry about than drugs or being butthurt about your brother liking it up his ass!"

The two Americans froze and stared at the small Shadow, wide-eyed in disbelief. The blush started to settle on Himuro's face, intensifying when Murasakibara asked him what "butthurt" meant. Kagami hadn't even known that his rude speech was actually rubbing off on his partner. He made a mental note to watch what kind of language he used in front of Kuroko later. Kuroko went quiet, fuming about the stupid argument and sulking at the same time, his emotions a complete mess.

"Now listen: Kagami-kun, I'm sure there's a reason Himuro-kun didn't say anything to you about himself and Murasakibara-kun, but that is a private matter between brothers. Don't settle this in a hospital waiting room. And Himuro-kun, Kagami-kun may be a dummy, but he's not a liar. Please go along with this until we have time to properly explain. For the time being, please assume that this situation is plausible. We need to figure out who is who right now."

Chieko cleared her throat as a warning to them. "Like I was saying, it seems that there is a connection between the Generation of Miracles and the reality-jumpers. Therefore, I can only assume that not only have we yet to discover Murasakibara-kun's children, but also this unclaimed girl they brought belongs to one of you."

"Don't look at us," Aomine said, hands up. "We've got a full house. Naoya said only one boy and one girl for each couple, and we got both Kei and Mai."

"And we have Suzume-chan, so the other one isn't ours," Takao added.

"Kuroko, do you think… she could be ours?"

"I don't think she's yours, either, Taiga," Himuro reasoned, catching on a bit, "because she said her name was Furihata Kimiko. And since Furihata's not a Miracle, I think it could be her mother's maiden name."

Chieko gasped, causing the others to look her way. "If she doesn't belong to the Miracles here, she belongs to the only Miracle absent, and that would be…"

"No way," Kise gaped. "But he wouldn't… He doesn't… Does he even know Furihatacchi that well?" Aomine frowned at Kise a bit; since when did he recognize that Chihuahua player as a worthy sportsman?

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko dared to say. "Akashi-kun is the girl's father. And Furihata-kun is his wife."

Dun dun daaaa super lame ending (cliff hanger-ish...?) that will lead to yet more complications in this very long Find the Kids arc. I'm really sorry I couldn't get it done sooner (I really wanted to update waaaay before I realized I missed Takao's, Furihata's, Akashi's, and Kuroko's birthdays) and I am lame. Boo. I'm sorry about life, I hope it gets better. Q_Q

Anyway, what do you think will happen in the next chapter? Half the kids are found, but Akashi and Furihata have yet to meet!

BUT I WILL HAVE SOME FLUFFY FLUFF IN THE NEXT CHAPTER WHICH WILL DEFINITELY BE POSTED IN TIME FOR VALENTINE'S! I'm also taking requests of manga-style scenes in the story you want to see drawn out. And I'm doing a collab with some friends of mine to post some fanfics (maybe smut fics?) on Valentine's. Yaaaay. (I'm mostly writing the story, some are tumblr prompts, other are my ideas. But Viris and Vylan are writing the smut parts 'cuz I can't do it.)

-Randomness OUT~

akafuri412: I love your username! XD I tried to make the Labyrinth interesting since it showed the strain on the KagaKuro aspect of the relationship. Din't worry, they'll get to the lovey dovey someday~ (But it was mostly just a shameless excuse to write fanservice hahaha) And the AkaFuri has been formally announced! I can't wait for the confrontation between our Emperor and Chihuahua~

WinterRaineeDay (chapter 1): XDD

xXToraUchihaXx: Aw, thank you~! And yes, KagaKuro feeeeels~ Kagami thinks Kuroko is completely against being with him, but Kuroko's scared of not being a good enough Shadow (which we know is not true) and they're both just scared but they really wanna make out and adlkcflkjdnk yes. I will make them kiss eventually... I hope I can give you guys a great story! And the kids' reason will surface throughout the story.

Fantita: Woot! Yes, the fanservice was fun to write! I'm glad you caught that line, it's one of my favorites. :3 Himuro's involved now, more than he thought, and KagaKuro feels be everywhere lately, so... Yeah. I hope you enjoyed!

Rie-chi: Yaaay! Wahh, please don't kill the guy that hit Naoya! He was just innocently driving by and he tried to brake... But yes, the KagaKuro will intensify soon~

nyunyunkyunkyun: Aww, thanks~ I try. Please continue to read the story, and yes, Naoya is human Nigou... kind of. (This will be explained when all the kids arrive.)

hitomi65: Thank you! :3

nhimcon: The ninth obstacle was so fun to write! I really hope someone requests that part to be drawn... (Though I'll prolly end up drawing it anyway.) And I won't tell what Naoya did YET! But I will eventually! The Reasons arc is the third arc, but we're still in the Find the Kids arc and the Falling in Love arc is after~ And the Reasons arc is kinda angsty, so be warned. But no one dies! It's not THAT angsty!

Nuriko Kurosaki: Woot woot~ Everything will be explained in time, duckling! The other kids aren't far behind now. I hope you'll stick around for the rest of the story!

cattocracy: Yeah, I wanted them to kiss at first, but I thought that would be rushing it a bit... Plus, I want to write out their relationship progression! (Jealous!Kuroko will be seen in the future chapters, muahahaha!) All the things here will be explained in time. Please continue to read the story! :3

Xxferessa-TanXx: Nooo Naoya won't die! I can't kill characters I just introduced! (This isn't Shingeki no Kyoujin!) The next chapter will see Naoya through recovery, so please stay tuned!

JustAStupidAnon (guest): Whahaha! XD You're right about Becky! I love her so much, she gets me motivated to write things. Please continue to enjoy! (And let me know if you actually get to making that time machine! XD) (Also PS you're not stupid you're a wonderful human being and thank you for taking the time to review!)

Firevein: HAHAHA! No need to censor your language, I am an adult! (Not really, but still feel free to cuss.) Thank you much for your praise and I hope you stick around!

kroscetish: Haha, no kissy faces yet! It'll be a while until our boys get to play smushface, but they will eventually! And the girl you're talking about? Not Naoya's biological sister, but everyone looks up to her... (Though you are correct in assuming she's important!) The Naoya/Nigou thing will be explained once the Find the Kids arc is done, but we've still only got half of them, so please hand on! X3

HannakoKagamine: Kyaaaaaaaaa thank youuuu~ I love shipping poeple, it's so FUN! And I really do try to make sure there are few to no typos and that the characters are in character and thank you so so much! (Akashi's level of perfection?! I'm honored!) I'm glad you like my OCs, I worked hard to make them likeable! Thank you! And yes, even the characters in the story are confused and curious about the AkaFuri, so please enjoy the show! X3

anais( )barray: Yeah, I feel bad for doing that to him... But fret not! KagaKuro will prevail!

CookieloverWHIPEDCREAM: Thank you! I hope you keep enjoying the story!

ririnto: Haha, you caught me! I couldn't help writing Aki and Tomoharu in, I just love them too much! (No copyright intended!)

ririnto (chapter 1): Ahh, don't worry, I've submitted my fair share of unfinished reviews also. It's not that Naoya's not eager about finding his sister, it's that he has a one-track mind... He tends to worry about the matter at hand before anything else, though he'll remember about his other goals from time to time. And as for the sister? Don't worry, you'll know what she looks like soon~

KurosakiCrystal18: Thank you~! And yes, all the endings! (*diabolic laughter*) Sorry, it HAS been three months, hasn't it? *nervous sweats* But chapter 11 will be out on Valentine's!

Stupiak Kitty (chapter 6): Thanks, duckling! I really like writing MidoTaka fluff, there are WAY too many possibilities for this tsundere and his hawk, hohoho...

Stupiak Kitty (chapter 8): Woot woot, KagaKuro all the way! (But they haven't gone ALL the way, if you know what I mean...) And Mai pushing Naoya will be revealed in the future!

Point Guard (chapter 1): Hahah, yes. Our resident idiot ace will be the butt of many, many jokes to come...

TheQueenofBlossom: I'M SORRY! I UPDATED! I just had things going on, but those things are half done so they're not too much in the way anymore!

WolfPacFaan: Cliffhangers, dear duckling, are how authors keep the readers hooked! Trust me, we don't like doing it (okay, so maybe we do) but it's all to keep the ducklings guessing and excited for the next part! Keeping the readers excited makes the writers excited! And fret not, I will never give up this story!