She flew as fast as she could, aiming for the lodge where ley-lines told her her beloved Tetsu-kun was. If only, if only she had the power to help, but with the look on Dai-chan's face when he first sniffed the air and smelled-him, she knew she couldn't stay.

"Dai-chan, Dai-chan!" She was glad for her tiny size, so small that she looked like a bright light streaking through the forest. Her legs often failed her in times like these and she wanted, no needed, to get someone.

How such joyful tidings could be immediately followed by the worst sense of foreboding she'd had in years, the fairy didn't know. She just knew that each flutter of gossamer wings, it brought her closer to both. If Dai-chan wouldn't listen to her, then she would find the person he would.

And in the process, mend some of her own broken heart.

Tetsu-kun, you have to stop him, please! That was the thought that was sustaining her all this time. If not, Ki-chan might…

It was a race, and one Momoi was determined not to lose, if their names of Kiseki had anything to do with it. Unfortunately for her, Kise had shown up right when she didn't want him to, and with the way Aomine and him had broken off, only tragedy was about to occur.

It was these thoughts alone that fueled her, and distracted her enough she barely saw the large moving body she almost ran into. Veering to the side, she crashed into the snow dusted ground, before fluttering up in indignation.

"Midorin! When did you get here?"

Kuroko didn't sleep well that night, and he didn't know if it had anything to do with the fact he could feel the linger warmth of Kagami's fingers on his skin, or the reminder of what Aomine had told him, said to him, when his eyes went that horrid yellow.

And Kise, Kise, the boy who had loved too much and trusted no one in return, whom forever annoyed Kuroko, but in return, couldn't stop worrying about him. In a way, he was almost glad when Kiyoshi knocked on the door and his partner tumbled out of his blankets with a groan.

If anyone noticed his fatigue, they didn't tell him, just gathered everyone in the lounge to eat and discuss the mission. Midorima and Takao were still missing in the night, though the white mage was relatively sure that they were okay.

Izuki and Kiyoshi were serious for once. "We asked around, and a bunch of the locals have seen Kise heading off into the mountains, so for right now, he's the only lead we got."

"It's very true. Kise-kun is a flashy person and has no reason to hide. We should follow his trail to Aomine-kun's base," Kuroko said, tapping a finger to his lips. He had expected Kise to show up, but be so sloppy to leave an obvious trail? Either he was too distracted-a valid assumption-or he purposely knew someone would follow him.

"Wait, didn't you guys say this asshole travelled with a gang? What's the deal with that?" Kagami blurted out, leaning forward from his seat on the couch next to Kuroko. Everybody in the circle pretty much shrugged.

"It's just a group of dragoons, but Aomine's their leader, from what I've heard. He's the one we've got to worry about," Kiyoshi said.

Aomine-kun likes to travel alone, though. I wonder if that is Momoi-san's influence…

"Is the rabbit Kiseki gonna join us for this fight?" Izuki asked, glancing out the window, where a bit of snow was starting to fall. "Extra firepower would be nice with his friends."

"Asshole just left last night," Kagami grumbled, still upset about all of that. Kuroko could see why, but he couldn't help but think Midorima was up to something, as the Bel'ua rarely wandered.

Speaking of the devil, not a few minutes later they heard a distant shouting and two large figures burst into the lodge, followed by a sparkly light that made a beeline straight for Kuroko's chest. Kagami yelled and tried to swat it away, only to have it turn into a teenage girl with pink hair.

"TETSU-KUUUUUN! TETSU-KUN, YOU'RE ALIVE!" All of a sudden, Kuroko had a sobbing Momoi in his arms and no idea what to do about it.

"Momoi-san, it's okay. I've been alive this whole time," he said, his eyes still sort of wide. Her wings fluttered and she looked up at him with tear-stained eyes.

"You always say that, you always say that and I thought you were dead for so long! What was I supposed to tell Dai-chan? What was I supposed to do?!" She punched his chest, but Kuroko barely felt it, it was so lacking in venom. Instead he merely brought his arms up behind her in a soft embrace.

"I'm sorry, Momoi-san. I never meant to do this to you," he mumbled into her shoulder. "I'm very sorry."

She didn't reply to that, merely holding him tighter as her shaking increased. Midorima, who was the one who had burst into the lodge with her, was trying to do his very best to not look in their direction, while kicking Takao until he did the same.

It took less time than Kuroko thought, but eventually Momoi pulled away, folding her delicate wings behind her and wiping her eyes. "Tetsu-kun...I'd be madder at you if I didn't know you were alive somehow."

The white mage gave her a slight smile. "I'm glad Momoi-san has faith in me. But I need to ask: what about Aomine-kun?"

Kuroko could feel the glare in the side of his head coming from Kagami's burning eyes, but he didn't have time for the tank's jealousy right now. He could explain later. "I know Tetsu-kun, but I was just so happy to see you!"

Everyone was sharing confused glances at this statement-surely how could this pink-haired fairy be related to the Kiseki? Kuroko, again, ignored them, and waited patiently.

"Dai-chan…well, Dai-chan has been the same way too but he's even more closed off than normal." Momoi had finally settled down and sat on the table rather than on his lap, her voice still thick with feelings. "That's why I came here, Tetsu-kun. I'm afraid of what he's about to do, and you're the only one who can stop him!"

"Okay that's it. Somebody is telling me who this is and its gonna be you!" Kuroko heard Kagami's voice before he felt the giant hand clamp down on his skull, practically crushing it in his vice grip. Momoi of course, gasped, yelling at him to 'stop hurting Tetsu-kun!' while he just took matters into his own hands and ducked his way out of it.

"Kagami-kun needs to stop being impatient," He said, mustering up a dignified glare at his partner. "Momoi-san is a very important member of the Kiseki. She was-and is-our information expert."

With that explanation she giggled, her wings fluttering slightly. "That's right. I already know who you boys in Seirin are, Kagami, Izuki, and Kiyoshi. Tetsu-kun is the surprise here."

Said Seirin boys were taken aback at this revelation, ending with Midorima rolling his eyes and muttering something under his breath.

"I heard that Midorin!" Momoi shot the rabbit a glare before returning her attention to Kagami. "I'm Tetsu-kun's girlfriend, and Dai-chan's childhood friend!"

If Kagami didn't look pissed off before, he really was now-if it wasn't for the quick flash of panic and fear in his partners eyes, Kuroko would've even laughed it off. But it was there too strong and too genuine for him to do so.

Did he actually believe-wait, did that mean he-

"Wow, Kuroko, you didn't tell me you had such a pretty girlfriend!" Izuki exclaimed, shattering the moment and whatever internal crisis the pair were having.

"She's not my girlfriend," Kuroko tried to explain. He understood that Momoi really liked him, but he wasn't cruel enough to lead her on, though she seemed to always take it in stride.

"I hate to interrupt your loving moments," Midorima said, with as much venom as his giant body could hold, "but Kise is probably fighting Aomine as we speak."

His crass statement brought them all back down to Earth, Momoi looking tearful again. "Sorry Midorin, I was just so happy Tetsu-kun was alive…"

"Momoi-san, it's okay. I'm very happy to see her too," Kuroko said, smiling slightly to cheer her up. "But Midorima-kun is right. After we rescue Aomine-kun, we can all catch up on everything. How does that sound?"

And to that, she smiled, tearfully and joyfully. "You always know what to say. We can do that. I can't allow Ki-chan or Dai-chan to hurt anymore. They've been at it for long enough."

Her wings fluttered to life again and suddenly, she was all business. "I can lead you to where Dai-chan is, but the rest of you will have to take care of Imayoshi and the other dragoons he has with him, okay? I'm counting on Tetsu-kun and Kagami to take care of Ki-chan and Dai-chan."

Midorima did nothing but adjust his glasses. "Of course I will do my job to the very best. Takao and I will be more than a match for them."

"Don't forget about us, either!" Kiyoshi said, clapping a large hand on the Bel'ua's shoulder and causing him to flinch. "You go get your friend back, Kuroko-kun. We'll hold down the fort."

Kuroko nodded at their hesitant plan, worried about how silent Kagami was being. It wasn't normal for him to be not shouting his brags and insults-had Momoi's innocent statement, really bothered him that much?

He could only hope that Kagami could resolve his issues before they consumed him.

Kise slid back on the snow from the next impact, his breath fogging in the low temperature. Their last few exchanges were just testing out each other's power, and from the strength behind Aomine's spear, he could only tell that it had gotten stronger in the months they'd been apart. It made his heart thrill in fear and excitement at the prospect of fighting him for real-he couldn't even feel the cold at this point, or the slight scrape across his cheek.

"Come on, Aominecchi, I know you're better than that. Don't hold back for my sake." Kise grinned, wiping his face with his sleeve, before kicking his heels into the ground and flipping up into the air. In the middle of the spin, a cascade of magic arrows fell down, reminiscent of one of Midorima's finishing moves, which Aomine had to dodge by leaping backwards.

Good. Right there where he…Kise came down on his feet, only to be blocked by Aomine's spear and equally steely gaze. It was immovable, so he flipped backwards, firing off another blue arrow as he landed. The dragoon just carelessly deflected it to the side. "Why the hell do you think that bastard's cheap moves are gonna touch me?"

"Because yours will." Kise took a deep breath, and all he could see was Aomine's eyes widening before he let out a stream of blue fire out of his mouth. It was one of the signature dragoon moves, the dragonbreath, and it had taken Aomine forever to master it-Kise hadn't told him he'd copied it just a few days later.

He didn't see it hit, but knew it did as he rushed forward through his own flames to bring his twin blades to bear against Aomine. The flames had startled him enough to let one of Kise's blades glance off his side, but already the spear was up, the yellow eyes burning at him through the smoke.

"How dare you. How dare you how dare you HOW DARE YOU!" He was yelling, throwing a crushing blow out at the blue mage. His blades were crossed in an x pattern but the force of it still violently shuddered his whole body.

Kise wanted to get sick-it was such a disgusting look in Aomine's eyes right now, he could barely handle it. As they began their dance once more of spear against knife, it rang even worse. The Aomine he knew had a burning fire in his eyes whenever they fought-whether it was a wild grin or his fierce concentration, it always made his blood boil either way. But this was cold, unforgiving, and the demon looked as if he turned into the monster everyone thought he was.

Was this how I looked to Kurokocchi? I couldn't stand it if I had to show him what Aominecchi had become.

It seemed memories were not enough-this fight wasn't for fun-it was for life and death and it made Kise sick to his stomach to think that. He was on the defensive right now-his blades were fast enough to block Aomine's piercing blows, but with each passing second he was getting faster and his eyes were gaining a glow-it was only a matter of time before the dragoon activated his demon aura and then Kise didn't even know how he'd do against that.

But either way, he gritted his teeth and fought on.

Kise had always hated his job. Sure, being an assassin for the king wasn't all that bad, but he'd been born into it and had no choice in the matter. Instead of making him brainlessly loyal, the rebel child he was wont to be just protested against how the king had always held him on a gold leash.

It didn't matter what punishments his teachers and sisters would come up with-how hard they had tried to condition him to kill, and only kill what they wanted to, he still looked up at the night sky and wondered what it would be like if he could just run around all he wanted.

He supposed in the end, it had worked somewhat-lives were just pieces in a game to him sometimes, even his own-after all, blue mages were assassins. They were a tool and royals didn't cry when it got broken and replaced by a shiny new one.

Perhaps they'd wanted to get rid of him, sending him on a suicide mission, but Kise either didn't realize, or care at the time. It got him out of the castle and it got him fighting, and that was good enough for him.

His mission? Attack and infiltrate the Kiseki to help take them down from the inside. He'd been told even thinning their ranks was a great accomplishment, but the dark elf was bored as ever when it came to these jobs. Nobody he'd ever been sent after could even put up an ounce of a fight to him-they were all so weak and helpless they almost deserved to be put out of their misery. Especially the ones who offered him money as a bribe-it was disgusting.

So why would this be different?

Well, he'd never been more wrong in his entire life.

It was through some strange twist of fate that he'd found one of the members of Kiseki at that time, Aomine Daiki, fishing for crawfish in a river. He seemed to be laughing at having a good time, and there was something about his good looks and open nature that drew Kise to him, and drew the assassin to attack.

He lost almost instantly.

It wasn't quite true-Kise had lasted for several moments and even landed a powerful blow to his chest before he was trapped against the ground by the boy's spear.

"How the hell did you ever think that was gonna work?" He'd asked, and Kise had just stared. Not because Aomine was so close, but because he'd lost. He'd lost, with barely any effort! How had that been possible? Had he picked the absolute wrong one to fight?

(Later he learned that it was true, though any of the Kiseki at that time would've murdered him.)

But that had only lasted for a second before Aomine let out a grin that could light up his whole world. "You're the first person to give me that much of a challenge."

Kagami would later wonder how the entire group of them moved that fast in unison, with the streak of light that was Momoi leading the way, but he didn't have time for that now. If it wasn't for the impending sense of doom in his gut and the strange smells that suddenly hit his nose, he'd be worrying over just how the fairy had said she was Kuroko's girlfriend.

It was stupid really, to get annoyed at such a small thing, but part of him wondered if Kuroko had just been playing with him. That thought was snuffed real fast-Kuroko didn't have a deceitful bone in his entire body. But still, it had to make him wonder. First the deal with his paladin, and now with Momoi had him thinking if he was anything special to Kuroko at all, especially now that they were about to fight his old partner.

Kagami didn't need those thoughts. He needed to concentrate because whatever relationship issues he had weren't fucking important, so he decided that he could be as oblivious as his brother always said he was, trust in Kuroko, and wait until everything died down. So that's exactly what he did, as they raced through the forest, and lifted up the side of the mountain by a combination of Momoi's magic and Izuki's wind summon.

His nose flared up, and his ears could pick up the sounds of battle in the distance, the clashing of metal against metal and slight tang of blood. It was nothing serious yet, but the noxious scent of another demon was clinging to his face.

"They've already found each other," He growled to everyone's surprise.

"How do you know that? Only Shin-chan can hear them right now and that's because of his huge ears," Takao said, looking quizzically up at him. Kagami didn't care-he was starting to feel itchy and hot all over. It was driving him crazy and if he didn't do something to fight, he was gonna go insane.

"I don't know, but it's not that hard to guess, okay?!" Kagami snapped back in return, his eyes trying to peirce the veil of snow and wind. Izuki was using his Eagle Eye power to figure out just where they were situated from here, and Momoi seemed to be helping from his shoulder. So right now, they were just standing a bit in place, though Kuroko seemed like he was about to vibrate out of his skin.

The duo didn't comment anymore on that, though Midorima gave him a strange look as he sniffed the air again. Thankfully, it wasn't like the forest Seirin had designed for the Festival of the Hunt and he could actually sense things. Unfortunately, with it came the sudden scent of the sticky darkness that had possessed Kise and those creatures, radiating off in waves.

Kuroko had noticed how he suddenly froze, asking a silent question. "Something bad happened, "he answered, and not waiting for Izuki to finish, he took off into the snow with Kuroko in tow.

There were a few shouted protests, mostly from Midorima, but they all ran after him, apparently trusting enough that he knew where he was going. And he was, because the sounds of battle were getting louder and the rabbit man easily overtook him in his flight.

It was only up one more rock formation and onto a huge outstanding ledge to find where the battle was going down. All of them could see the giant swirls of white dust rising into the air from the two figures engaged in a deadly dance before the view was blocked by four other dragoons.

"Momoi-san, I thought something like thought something like this was going to happen," The leader said, causing Kagami to draw up short. The fire in him hadn't died, but he knew enough to not rush ahead into any battles.

"Dai-chan isn't in his right mind, Imayoshi, and you know that! So of course I was going to get help from Tetsu-kun!" She said from her tiny form on Izuki's shoulder.

So this must be Aomine's gang everyone was talking about. They look like a bunch of assholes. It was probably better to keep that thought to himself, but it didn't stop Kagami from making a face at the squinty-eyed bastard named Imayoshi.

"It definitely makes sense, now doesn't it? However, I can't just let you past. Orders, you know," Imayoshi said with a smile. Kagami wanted to punch this guy's face in almost more than Kise.

"Aomine can shove off, but hell if I'm letting someone like you cross us!" Yelled another huge dragoon from the back.

"Fuck off, all of you, or I'll make you get out of my way!" Kagami roared as a challenge, reaching for his sword when he suddenly noticed a very important fact:

Kuroko was gone.

"Shit. Kuroko!" He called out, but other than Aomine and Kise's continued battle, the tank couldn't hear any sign of him. The dragoons even looked shocked at the mage's sudden disappearance, but it didn't last long when Imayoshi pulled out his spear and crossed it in front of Kagami's path.

"Didn't you hear me? We all have pride as a dragoon, and we certainly aren't going to let you-"The squinty-eyed bastard never finished his sentence as a green-fletched arrow buried itself in the shaft of his spear, right next to his face.

The whole party turned back to face Midorima, standing there with his bow drawn, and a deadly look on his face. "Those borne under the sign of the Crab are ranked second today, and I have been blessed by my phoenix feather. My shots will not miss."

Next to him, Takao had flipped a long-barreled rifle up to his shoulder. "What he means to say is we are your opponents. Don't take us lightly."

"Don't forget us either," Kiyoshi said, smiling anything but gently. Momoi had taken this time to fly to Kagami's shoulder, whispering at him to just run, run and don't look back.

"Well…" Imayoshi seemed pretty put together for someone with an arrow pointed at him, since all he did was shrug. "At least entertain me, Midorima."

It was after the Bel'ua released another arrow that Kagami took off with the fairy on his shoulder, racing towards Kise and Aomine's fight.

It wasn't until he spoke that Kise had realized there was another boy with Aomine at the time. He was tiny, had sky blue hair, and never spoke, preferring to hide behind Aomine who talked enough for both of them. At first Kise had thought he was weak, if a bit curious, but soon amended that thought when Aomine dragged him back to Teikou to present him to their 'leader.'

Their leader, Akashi, wanted nothing to do with the would be assassin, even if Kise was rapidly losing interest in killing someone or even infiltrating their mass. He knew opportunities when he saw them, and if there was anyone powerful enough to save him from the life of torture and conditioning that awaited him after he succeeded his mission, it was Akashi Seijurou and his gang of misfits.

Of course, he hadn't trusted a word of what Kise said-the dark elf didn't blame him, he would never trust it either. But Aomine wanted him to stay. It wasn't enough, but it made him feel almost slightly guilty for actually attempting to murder him in the first place.

In the end, it was the tiny weak blue-haired boy that allowed him to stay, because Akashi would listen to him. And the tiny boy told Akashi that Kise seemed lost and lonely. He'd scoffed and laughed at that, but on the inside, he was screaming about how this kid could have known from seeing him for one day. But it had worked, and Akashi had allowed him to stay on one condition: Aomine watched him, and he fed information back about the king.

Kise was more than happy about both, and never called the blue haired boy anything but Kurokocchi afterwards.

Truth be told his feelings had been confusing. It had been another boring mission for him and they had sent him on something he hadn't wanted to do, but Aomine and Kuroko had been the first people who had actually cared about his wellbeing in his entire life.

It wasn't long after that he genuinely became a double agent. Akashi must have took the years of correct information and lack of ambushes in the night as a fact he could be trusted at least a little bit.

Besides, he was enamored with Aomine. Ever since he first laid eyes on the boy, he could tell that the demon was amazing, in both looks and ability, and as time went on, his skill only grew. The idiot way he acted and how cute he was with Momoi and Kurokocchi belied any godlike figure that Kise could ever assign to him, but it didn't lessen his admiration any.

It was really only after they started fighting for real that Kise realized the depths of his feelings.

Normally, he'd constantly challenge Aomine to fights, whether it was physical, or something stupid like who could steal the most chicken pieces from Murasakibara's plate before he murdered them both. (Hint, it was only three.) And he loved every moment of it, and thought Aomine did too. After all he was smiling and laughing constantly. Even all the stupid squabbles they got into in a constant basis gave him the sort of effect of wanting to spend more time, even if it was just to steal all of his socks.

Eventually though, like all good things, it came to an end as Aomine got too strong for his own good.

Kise could no longer keep up with him-no one could. He still challenged him to fights, copied every move he could, but it was less a fun fight and more Kise desperately trying to one-up Aomine, who'd become lazy and pissed off.

It angered Kise to no end to have the person he admired so much, loved so much just toss him out into the trash. He'd given up a life to come here and get a new one! The dark thoughts weaved their way farther and faster, and it wasn't long until both their eyes turned a disgusting yellow.

It was around this time that Midorima and Kuroko had started questioning what was wrong with the rest of the Kiseki but they were too wrapped up in their own problems to care. He himself was to tangled in his own affections to Aomine to even notice how hard Kuroko had been working to get them to see eye to eye-and it hadn't been until Kuroko died that he realized how much he'd hurt the tiny blue-haired boy.

But by then, it was already too late.

The surrounding area was littered with patches of water and mud, as Kise flung every fire spell he'd ever copied towards the dragoon. And Aomine countered every single one of them with a lazy flick of his spear.

"Kise, did you really get this boring? I almost can't stay awake through this fight," Aomine said, accenting it with a yawn. Kise's eyes narrowed into slits as he growled, deep in his throat. How quickly love could turn to hate, he mused as he once against snapped his fingers, causing bolts of fire to fly at high speed towards the demon.

He allowed no room for him to breathe, but used the balls of his feet the jolt himself forward, chasing after Aomine as he rocketed back from the series of explosions the pounded into the ground. He swung his blade around in a backstab, which glanced off of Aomine's armor before he dodged to the left.

Too soon afterwards, the dragoon spun his spear around, aiming it straight down at Kise's head, who had to backflip to avoid it. They went on like this a bit longer, Kise fencing at the chinks in Aomine's armor, kicking snow up in his face to throw him off and slice at his exposed stomach. To his surprise, it connected, and drew away a line of blood on Kise's blade. He couldn't celebrate for long though, as the dragoon recovered insanely fast and all of a sudden, spears were exploding out of the snow around him.

Kise used his agility to avoid the sudden special attack, one catching his forehead, causing him to stumble ever so slightly backwards. "Don't you dare underestimate me, Aominecchi!"

Aomine's breathing was more ragged now, with slight red dripping out onto the snow, but his eyes looked wilder than ever. "That's more like it. Hurt me and I'll hurt you back even more. I'll show you what the type of monster I've become!"

The demon's words chilled Kise more than the weather ever did, and he almost missed blocking Aomine's neck blow by a hair's breadth. He'd heard Aomine called a monster so many times and-was this what the darkness had done to his friend?

The attacks came more furious and suddenly than ever before and Kise could barely keep up. The only reason he wasn't more injured was of how light on his feet he was as a dark-elf, and he still had lines of red all over his skin. On the other hand, Kise could've been fighting with a brick wall for all his attacks did for him. No matter how he struck with his blades, Aomine's spear or hand was always there to stop him.

He jumped back, ready to try his one last ace in his sleeve. No time to catch his breath, as Aomine was only getting faster with each passing second, but he'd slipped on a patch of mud and that gave Kise a few more precious seconds.

In one smooth motion Kise flipped his two blades together, attaching the hilts and extending them with a bar to make a pseudo-double bladed spear. The aura around him began to glow yellow, lifting his hair up a bit from the sheer electricity. He only got to enjoy the shocked look on Aomine's face for a second before the spear twirled in his hand and he was there at the dragoon's side, barely anything more than a streak of gold.

"What the-" Aomine's voice got cut off as the spear swung around and knocked him backwards off his feet. As Kise landed, he almost immediately jumped up again, high in the air for the dragoon's signature move, coming down inches away and sending out a shockwave into the ground. It shook, and cracks appeared, throwing the dragoon off balance once again. The light returned to Kise's eyes, confident he now had the upper edge. The spear spun around in his hands once more, kicking up a line of golden flames that Aomine once again dodged to the side from. And like a flash, the blue mage was there, spear swinging down in copied move. Lance glanced off lance, but Kise quickly put pressure on the bottom half, causing it to flip upwards and the other blade cut off a bit of the demon's hair.

His Perfect Copy wasn't complete yet, nor was it anywhere near a full Limit Break, but Kise was close. Close enough he could drink off its power and spin around in a circle striking at the dragoon's back before using it as leverage to flip over him once again and strike from behind. Aomine was dodging more than blocking now, his blows missing by hairsbreadths.

The double blades allowed him to spin the spear more and attack from both sides, especially when he stabbed down at Aomine, broke the blades apart in the middle of it faking him out before spinning them around backhand, blocking the lance and kicking Aomine straight in his wound.

The demon let out a roar, his aura finally starting to glow a faint blue, which Kise took as a good sign. He was actually seeing the dark elf as a real threat. Kise flipped one blade around, striking with one and blocking the other, as Aomine retaliated with a series of lightning-fast moves. His own aura grew bright with each successful block, even if his arm muscles screamed at him for each one. He kept up a flurry of cuts, deflecting the lance, jumping over it and making two large swipes at Aomine to back him up, before he let loose his next attack.

The dragoon had backed up, and so did Kise, but as he did so he hooked a new attachment stored in the hilt to each end of his blades. There wasn't even a moment of pause before one of them was suddenly thrown at Aomine's head, a golden chain trailing behind it. Like he had predicted, Aomine raised his spear to counter, but Kise sidestepped, flicking his wrist so the chain wrapped around the lance the dragoon was holding and ripped it from his hands. As quick as that happened, Kise detached the chain spinning them to backhand and raising the blades above his head to bring them down on Aomine's armor.

Only, in all of that, Kise had made one mistake. First, the dragoon had always been faster than him, especially when Kise left himself open for attacks like that. And second, Aomine had been carrying a second, small spear, which was now piercing his thigh.

The blue mage let out a cry as his leg collapsed underneath him, causing his double blades to fall out of his hands into the snow.

"Not bad, not bad, Kise, but you're still no match for me." Aomine said, walking leisurely over to where his real spear was laying in the snow. The blue mage tried to stand up but his leg just wouldn't work, he couldn't stand up and just sat there, breathing through his mouth and trying not to cry in pain.

It wasn't like he'd never gotten injured before, but this is the first time it had been done so intentionally by Aomine, and the first time it had hurt so bad. Seeing the terrifying look in Aomine's eyes had multiplied it ten-fold.

Kise fished for a way out. His blades were lying on the ground, he had a few more daggers in his coat, but in his condition, Aomine would just easily block them and laugh them away. He couldn't-it was always so painful, the fact that nothing Kise could do would ever match up to his rival. Nothing, nothing at all.

And besides, there was another reason he was angry at Aomine, not just for abandoning him.

"Why." He spat out, his limbs twitching uncontrollably as he bit back another scream.

"Why? Are you askin' me why, Kise? You're always so fuckin' annoying, that's why. Following me around, with 'Aominecchi', and 'fight me!' and you never fucking gave up no matter how many times you lost!" It was a psychological thing, he was sure, how slow the dragoon was moving, but it was like Kise was frozen in time. The spear had him pinned to the ground, as well as Aomine's eyes.

"You were having fun. We were both having fun! I thought you- you loved-" Kise choked out, the tears finally blurring his vision.

"I loved you? Don't be ridiculous. I only acknowledge people who beat me, and the only one who can beat me, is me!" Aomine's spear was in his hand, raised again to the sky. Kise could curse his bad luck, blame everyone else, but he knew deep in his heart it was his fault for running off the way he did. He was delusional to think he could beat Aomine alone, but his fragile heart couldn't take another minute.

"I was right. You are a-"

"Say that again, and I will kill you where you stand." Aomine's voice had gone cold, like the air around him. Kise couldn't move, couldn't speak or anything, he was too captivated by the rage behind those yellow, horrifying eyes.

You don't understand-

Kise's admiration of Kuroko only grew the more he'd interacted with the boy. He looked weak and useless, but he was a bundle of fiery sarcasm and wit, wrapped up in a gentle and sweet disposition-at least, that's how he put it. But Kuroko was good, so good at reading people and even if he didn't know what to say, he'd know when Kise was upset, or had a bad fight with someone and just sit there and pat his head.

And an amazing healer too, of both mind and body. He owed his life to the small boy, as did the rest of the guild. He was a friend of Aomine's too. Best friend, even, and Kise had always been jealous. Of who, he didn't know, but for right now what he had was enough. They were both precious.

Except Kuroko kept getting in between their fights. A cruel person he may have been, but even Kise didn't want Kuroko stuck in the middle of the shit they pulled and tried his best, but no, they wouldn't leave. And they fought and fought, and sank further, and he saw the light in the white mage's eyes grow dimmer and dimmer.

"Shut up Tetsu!" Aomine yelled. Kise had walked in on a rare sight-the dragoon actually being mad at his friend. They normally got along so well.

"Aomine-kun, you can't just give up. I could never be like you, but you can't just abandon everyone-" Kuroko had gotten no further before the dragoon slammed his fist into the wall right next to his head, leaving a huge dent.

"Kurokocchi!" Kise had called, and ran over to him. The boy was shocked, his eyes huge, but that wasn't the worst thing. That came next.

"I don't even need a partner like you." At that, the tears had sprung to Kuroko's eyes and fell silently and it pained Kise to this day. How dare anyone make his precious friend cry, especially someone as sweet as Kuroko? How could he. This was Aominecchi he was supposed to love both of them!

It was in that fight that he'd gotten the scar on his shoulder, and the one where he'd called Aomine a monster.

Because he was a monster, for making Kuroko cry.

"You're a monster, and you know it, Aominecchi." Kise said, not even caring about the tears squeezing out of his own eyes anymore.

That's when the horrifying expression fixed itself on Aomine's eyes and lips and he brought the spear down. Kise closed his eyes and waited for it to peirce his skin.

Only.

He heard the noise. Of metal on flesh and bone.

Only.

After a heartbeat, he opened his eyes, only to stare down at the bloody body of Kuroko Tetsuya.

Kagami had tried his hardest to catch up to his partner after Midorima gave him an opening, but the little shit was fast. He'd already lost sight of him by the time he'd passed Imayoshi and the others and didn't regain until he reached the battleground.

And when he did, Kagami wished he'd never seen him.

Impaled under the dragoons spear was none other than the body of his partner himself.

For a long time to him, Kagami couldn't move. He couldn't breathe, or think, just watch the vicious red blood as it dripped down the shaft of the spear, his arms falling nearly limp at this sides. Kise was under him, covered in the white mages blood, and above was Aomine himself, the first time Kagami had laid his eyes on the guy.

Aomine looked just as horrified as Kagami felt, but that didn't matter. "Kuroko…"

Oh dear gods, please let him be okay. He's my partner, he can't…

Kagami took one stuttering step forward, Kise's voice bringing him back to the present.

"Kurokocchi, Kurokocchi! Are you okay? Please! Say something, please, just anything. I don't care if you insult me, Kurokocchi, just say something!" He was sobbing, but Kagami's face felt too cold to do anything. He was an ice block and Kuroko's blood was draining out of him as the dragoon who stabbed him stumbled backwards.

"Tetsu…why?" His voice was deep and hoarse, and the ringing in his ears grew so loud he couldn't even hear what the fairy at his shoulder was screaming anymore. It spread from his ears to his eyes, and to his lungs, and the rest of his body.

He made eye contact with Aomine, and in a split second, he saw the monster inside him that had caused this. "You…"

The spear slid out of Kuroko's back and he collapsed onto his side, Kise and Momoi's arms catching him. In that moment of movement, seeing his partner fall nearly lifeless to the ground, something broke in Kagami's self-control.

The heat that was threatening to consume him raged wild as he let out a scream that sounded more like a roar. His aura burst to life in a blinding red as his head filled with thoughts of his partner covered in blood. How dare he, how dare he, I WILL RIP HIM TO SHREDS!

Aomine was no longer backing up, but he looked as shocked as ever, and Kagami was pleased. Good, he should run from him, he should fear him. His claws were growing, stretching out of his fingers, and teeth sharpening to points. His back cracked, spines ripping out through his armor as his eyes gained the glowing light all demons had.

"How. You're a demon?!" Aomine said and it sort of echoed through his brain. Kagami didn't care. He'd always been half-human and no one but Kuroko had noticed-he'd just finally let his demon side take over.

He leapt forward with the feral grace of a tiger, his aura fully out, only to be met with the crashing blue one of the dragoon that was his prey. For a moment, their dual wills fought against each other, before Kagami came crashing down and Aomine had to dodge back.

He didn't know where Kuroko was, but as long as his partner was behind him, he felt confident. Protect. Kill. Destroy. Those were the only instincts running through his head. His sword lay forgotten in the snow as he rushed towards Aomine again, punches soaring through the air. The dragoon caught the first one, pushing his fist down, before headbutting the larger tank. It phased Kagami only slightly, as he aimed a kick straight for Aomine's stomach not moments after.

If he was in his right mind, he would admit his movements were slow and instinctual, and the dragoon was able to block them with ease-after all, he was used to fighting as a human, not as a demon. Aomine however, had no qualms about using his aura and making the best out of the enhanced speed and agility, nearly running circles around him as they fought.

He got faster and faster as he got angrier and angrier, the red glow around him getting brighter. He wasn't agile like Kise, but he made up for it in brute force, swinging his arms around in blows that left Aomine reeling backwards, the claws raking his skin and leaving trails of blood. Both of them were covered in marks, and to the outside, it looked like two wild animals fighting.

Kagami returned the favor earlier, ramming into Aomine's chest, before jumping up, grabbing his arm, and using it to slam both of them down on the ground. The dragoon let out a groan as he hit the floor with a resounding clang of armor, but before he knew it, Aomine had rolled away, aiming a sharp-edged boot towards his face.

His aura shielded him, catching the blow with his fist and sending another streak of purple into the air, like the rest of their collisions did. With that, he blocked two more blows rolling upwards to take his feet again, sinking even further into the feral instincts of a demon. Aomine wasn't smiling anymore, nor did he look bored.

Good. This is fun. Kagami grinned, a mad and savage thing, before sending an earth shattering punch into the ground and cracking the stone beneath Aomine's feet. He'd ended up standing at the edge of the cliff, and it broke off under him, sending the dragoon down into the abyss.

There was a moment of horrid, deadly silence-not for him, the beast inside roared victory-but for the rest of them. Aomine had just disappeared in a blink, and no one knew if he could survive a fall like that. Was the fight over?

Kagami turned towards Kuroko, breathing a mist out of his mouth. His arms hung loosely at his side, eyes unfocused. His partner was still laying on his back, surrounded by the stained red snow, Kise and Momoi at his side. Seeing him approach, Kise tried to situate himself between the two, but Momoi's delicate hand stopped him.

"Ki-chan…I think it's okay." Her voice sounded like she had been crying again-after all, Kuroko had nearly been killed in front of her again. But Kagami wasn't there to hurt him. He growled at Kise, who was in his way, hand raised to attack.

"Kagami-kun." At the sound of his name called, the hand dropped, glowing red eyes piercing the figure who had struggled to sit up behind the blue mage. It was Kuroko…he was awake. Alive. The eyes flicked down to his stomach, but there was barely any wound-that could be seen through the cloth, anyway. He sniffed the air.

"I'm a white mage, remember? I can heal myself. And Kise-kun too. Momoi-san shielded us and soothed my pain so I could focus. We're fine," Kuroko said, speaking the way people did to animals.

Kagami was an animal, a raging one, but the blue one's voice calmed him down. His aura was dimming ever so slightly, but a cloying scent hit his nose again-Aomine. He had to rip him, tear him, he was still there-

There was a rumbling sound, and Kagami ripped his eyes from Kuroko's healthy face to see a figure suddenly shoot up from the cliff, clad in black armor. There was an electricity in the air, and it made Kagami's hair stand on end as he let out another fearsome roar, shaking the ground around him.

The dragoon landed in a graceful impact, kicking snow dust up from the rocks. It was then that the side of Kagami's rational brain noticed the lightning shooting out of Aomine's eyes-the blue lightning, signifying he had entered the Zone.

The world narrowed down to just him, and just the slowly standing figure, sheathed in blue and streaks of light. His prey. His prey had arrived and this time he would kill him.

Kuroko couldn't say anything, he was still too weak from healing the wound on his abdomen to speak more than a few words, and he was struck speechless anyway by Aomine's entering the Zone. He cut a beautiful figure, the lightning from his eyes leaving after-images as he leaped into a deadly dance. The dragoon had always been an amazing fighter, but for him to enter the Zone like this…

"Amazing…" Kise breathed out, holding onto Kuroko's other hand. "He really did it."

That wasn't all. It was only a moment he had stood still, silhouetted in the swirling strands of snow, but Kuroko was sure he'd seen a huge difference.

First, Aomine was smiling.

Second, his eyes were blue.

Also as a side note, i forget if i mentioned this here, but i have a tumblr at Xardogn that you can always talk to me at and i will be more than happy to say hi. sorry for any delays!

~Xar