Seirin had organized a practice game with Touou. By the end of second quarter, everyone on both teams was already shaking from the effort, soaked in sweat, but Seirin quickly fell behind, and Touou won by a wide margin.

Aomine paused on his way out the door. It was pouring rain. He looked up at the dark, billowing clouds and took another step, stopping to let the cold raindrops wash over him. After a minute, he turned and walked slowly down the sidewalk, not headed anywhere in particular. He saw someone sitting on a bench a little ways down, and squinted through the rain. It was Kagami, slumped forward and staring at the ground, his hair soaking wet and dripping over his eyes.

"You played like shit today." Aomine sneered. Kagami glanced at him but didn't respond. Aomine stood over him, glaring in silence. The water was starting to soak through his jacket. "You lied to Tetsu," he said. Kagami stiffened, clenching his fists.

"I didn't lie," he growled.

"You think I'm gonna believe that, asshole? Anyone could tell you're still head over fucking heels. Why the hell did you tell him you don't like him anymore?"

"I don't like him anymore." Kagami spoke through clenched teeth, glaring at the ground.

"Do you have herpes?"

"I don't have herpes!" He sat up straight to face Aomine, drops of water flying off his hair. Good. He was finally reacting.

"Then what the fuck is wrong with you that's so bad you can't tell your own boyfriend? Huh?" Aomine was leaning over him, his voice raising with each word. Water dripped off his chin onto Kagami's face.

"He's not my boyfriend anymore, Aomine." Kagami's eyes burned into him.

"Why did you lie?"

"Fuck off!" Kagami swung a fist at him and stood up, trying to walk away, but Aomine stepped in front of him and cornered him against the bench.

"Why." Aomine leaned in closer, their chests touching. "Did." In an instant his voice had gone from wildly loud to dangerously quiet. "You." He was almost whispering now, inches away from Kagami's face. "Lie?"

They stared at each other, red eyes meeting dark blue. Aomine scowled. Kagami's expression was blank.

"You really wanna know?" he asked slowly, his voice low and challenging. Aomine raised a disgusted eyebrow in response, refusing to break eye contact. "It's fucked up," Kagami warned.

"Tell me."

"You'll hate me," he snarled, straightening his posture, leaning into Aomine's face. They stared each other down. A drop of water rolled off Kagami's eyelashes.

"You broke Tetsu's heart," he said slowly. "I already hate you." Silence. Kagami finally looked away.

"You're right," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"About?"

"I still love him," Kagami said, gritting his teeth. "Of course I do, but it would be cruel to stay with him."

"Why?" Aomine demanded. His clothes were soaking wet now, puddles starting to form in the bottoms of his shoes.

"Because of you," Kagami snapped. "I have feelings for you, too." His teeth were chattering, the cold finally getting to him. "He's not enough for me. The only times I really felt happy with him, you were there too. I love him. I know I do, but I guess it's not real love. My feelings are all fucked up and I'm just gonna hurt him." Aomine huffed. He stood back, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking away.

"Fucking dumbass," he muttered. Kagami wrapped his arms tighter around himself, trying to stop shivering. For a long time, the only sound was the pounding rain. "I can't believe you broke up with him over that," Aomine said.

"What else was I supposed to do?"

"Talk to him, maybe?" Kagami laughed dryly.

"As if you would know anything about talking about your feelings," he hissed. Aomine shot him a glare, a shiver shaking his body.

"Maybe you just need to learn to play with three people," he said quietly.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Aomine ignored the question, turning around abruptly.

"Talk to Kuroko," he said, then walked away.