Short, meaningless fluff ending to KiKuro.

Butt Monkey: The character who is always the butt of demeaning jokes (tvtrope).

Daikanransha: A 115-metre tall Ferris wheel at Palette Town in Odaiba.

Chapter 9: KiKuro – Punctuated! For! Emphasis! – Part 3

Kise Ryouta loved basketball. It usually took him forever to calm down from the thrill and excitement which engulfed his being every time he stepped onto that illuminated court. Today however, he had been especially worked up, beaming so much throughout the entire game that even his teammates had found it curious.

Kise was usually a happy bunny, but today he looked like a big, bright yellow balloon ready to detonate into a mass of rainbow-defecating kittens frolicking into the sunset on a meadow filled with daisies and butterflies.

"For some reason I feel like beating the crap out of Kise more than usual today," said Midorima as the Generation of Miracles entered their locker room.

"Don't mind him Mido-chin. Kise-chin thinks he's in love," said Musakibara as he opened his locker and took out a bag of barbecue-flavoured chips.

"Yeah, he's been a fuzz-ball of joy this whole week. You've only just realized it today 'cos he's going on his first date tonight," said Aomine as he absent-mindedly flipped through a gravure magazine.

"It's fine to be enthusiastic Ryouta, but be careful," warned Akashi. "You have a habit of falling hard and fast. She might not be all that you'd expect."

"Aka-chin's right you know, remember what happened with all those other girls?" Musakibara drawled as he munched on his food.

"This time it's different! Kurokocchi's different!" Kise insisted.

"You've already given her a nickname? Aren't you being recklessly foolish about this? She's probably just another fan-girl," reasoned Midorima.

As harsh as the viridescent shooting guard came across, he cared about Kise just as much as his next teammate. Even though the small forward had always been the team's affectionately-designated butt monkey, secretly, Akashi, Aomine, Midorima, and Musakibara would give hell to anyone who dared bully their friend.

"Forget it guys, Kise's head over heels with this girl. Like thinking-about-baby-names-out-loud-after-a-few-drinks head over heels with this mysterious girl," Aomine revealed.

"Aominecchi you promised you wouldn't tell!"

"Ahh… What were they?" Aomine tried to remember. "Asuna, Aya, Kaede, Kyoko, Mitsuko, Rina, Ryona, Shizuko, and Yasuko right?"

"Aominecchi!" Kise blushed as he protested. "And why do you only remember the girl names you pervert!"

"Priorities man…" Aomine shrugged.

"Wow… Creepy, how many kids do you want to have Kise-chin?"

"As many as I can!"

"Calm down Ryouta. At least let us meet her before you start writing your wedding vows," said Akashi.

Unlike the rest of the Generation of Miracles, Kise held and almost indomitable faith in that 'true love' nonsense. However, it was no secret that the blonde had terrible taste in women. In the past, the girls in Kise's life had always insisted upon meeting the rest of the legendary basketball team. Each time this happened, they would intentionally turn on the charm to see if the girl was a keeper. This time however, whether by Kise's refusal or the girl's disinterest, the team had yet to meet the enigmatic 'Kurokocchi'.

"No! No, no, no," Kise insisted. "You guys stay away from her, especially you!" Kise pointed at Aomine, to which the power forward smirked in reply.

"You know I'm only into big-breasted girls. Wait…" Aomine suddenly put down his magazine and asked in a serious tone, "What's her cup size?"

"Aominecchiiiii!"

It took 3 members of the Generation of Miracles to pry Kise off of a laughing Aomine. If Kise was so in love that it made him oblivious to Aomine's obvious teasing, maybe the girl really was the one after all.

*Later that night*

Dinner had been a success. Kise had taken Tetsuna to Odaiba for their date, and in a few hours had learnt that she loved vanilla shakes, spent her free time reading and creating basic handicrafts, was quite capable at simple magic tricks, and would've been a kindergarten teacher if she hadn't become a librarian instead.

After dinner, they had wandered around the artificial island until they came across the beautiful Daikanransha. Minutes into their Ferris wheel ride, Tetsuna initiated a conversation for the first time that night.

"Kise-kun, I appreciate your effort in planning such a pleasant night out, but why? Why are you courting me when we barely know each other?" Tetsuna asked. She for one wasn't a believer in love at first sight.

"It's difficult to explain," Kise blushed. He should've expected it since Tetsuna had such a straightforward personality; but still, he couldn't help but feel nervous. "That night we met, I guess I just kind of knew that you were the one. I was sad, tired, and frustrated. But, when you showed up, I was so surprised that it made me forget everything bad that had happened that day. And when you smiled, I just felt so happy, invincible; like I could shoot in a basket from a mile away and the ball wouldn't even touch the rim. When you're at work, you're always giving it your all, sometimes you're so focused that you barely give me any attention. But, it makes me want to give it my all too. I want to be the person to protect you and take care of you."

Tetsuna smiled. "I can't tell if you're a natural airhead or a genius." She chuckled lightly for the first time in front of Kise, making him break out in a toothy grin at the pleasant sound. "Now I understand why people call you the Cutie-pie Copycat. You're adorable, it's like you came out of a shoujo manga."

"Kurokocchi… Can I hold you?"

For Tetsuna, the question was merely a warning for he didn't even wait for her reply before he wrapped his arms around her. Kise knew it was a risk. She didn't seem like a girl who took physical contact lightly, but it was do or die. It was the first time Tetsuna had revealed this much emotion. If he didn't act now, he feared he might never have another chance.

Suddenly, a knock sounded the end of their ride. 16 minutes went by quicker than the both of them had expected. When they exited the capsule, they were greeted by 4 conspicuous men. Tetsuna had no idea who they were, but Kise looked like he was about to blow his top off.

"Why are you guys here?!" Kise asked. It was the first time Tetsuna had ever seen him so tense.

"Don't get your panties up in a bunch Kise. We're just here to enjoy the scenery," Aomine answered.

"Four grown men, in Odaiba at this time of night to 'enjoy the scenery'? Kise-kun, you have interesting friends," remarked Tetsuna.

The four men in question raised their respective eyebrows. It was the first time a girl of Kise's hadn't fawned over them. They had expected a more enthusiastic reaction, especially since all four athletes were present. Perhaps the girl didn't follow basketball. Still, even then, it felt almost unnatural for them that a girl was so completely unfazed by their presence.

Maybe Kise was right, maybe she was the one after all.

However, the blonde in question was far too agitated to realise his friends' good intentions. Without a second thought, he grabbed Tetsuna's hand and proceeded to drag her away from his friends. Akashi, Aomine, Midorima, and Musakibara looked on, but none of them made a move to follow, not that they could have even if they'd wanted to. A fan-girl had caught sight of them, and in moments there was a human blockade between them and the couple.

"Kise-kun, why are you acting this way?" Tetsuna asked. Kise was still leading her by her hand, and she was struggling to keep up with his long strides.

"Kise-kun!" When Tetsuna raised her voice, Kise finally released her hand.

With his back to her, Kise spoke, "Sorry Kurokocchi, but I don't want to lose you to my friends. I'm not as cool as they are. They're so cool. If you knew how cool they are, you'd leave me one day too."

"Ara ara… I didn't realise Kise-kun liked to victimise himself so much," said Tetsuna, irritated that he wouldn't even face her.

"I! I…" Kise turned around; tiny droplets of tears were forming at the edges of his eyes.

"You're so tall," Tetsuna almost pouted. "Bend down a bit." Kise did so, lowering himself so that he was eye to eye to Tetsuna. "Idiot, have you forgotten how we met? If the basis of our relationship depended upon your cool points, it would've never existed in the first place. I'll look at you and only you, but not because of how cool you are, because you're Kise Ryouta."

"But… But…" Kise was still not convinced.

"You idiot…" Tetsuna grabbed Kise's collar, pulled him in, and kissed him senseless. "You're the man who stole my first kiss within seconds of meeting me. Have more confidence in yourself you big idiot…"

Then, Tetsuna walked away, leaving a blushing Kise shocked and speechless as he contemplated how happy the rest of his life was about to become.

I finished the experiment for my research, so I thought I'd finish this little thing before I got busy again. Anyways, let me know what you thought :D