Okay this was…this was unplanned. I spent the whole day writing this. I can't believe it. But it's here…so I hope you enjoy it! It's horribly unedited, so let me know of any mistakes/inconsistencies.

Chapter Six: Reunion

"Takao."

Grey eyes flitted to the tall figure in the doorway. The smaller man, dressed in nurse scrubs, looked over his clipboard and grinned at the irritated man in front of him.

"Where is it?"

Takao raised a brow, scribbling notes on the chart in his hands. "Where's what? Oh, your daily charm?" he chuckled. "Only you could lose a rainbow abacus in a hospital. Have you checked the children's ward? Maybe they thought it was a toy-"

"That's not what I'm talking about." A hand gripped the clipboard and pulled it down so that Takao could see green eyes blazing at him, assessing. "Where is it?"

"Where's what, Shin-chan?"

"Please call me Doctor Midorima when we are working," Shin-chan scowled, looking over his shoulder at the door of the hospital room before leaning in closer to Takao. "Ten grams were missing," he hissed. "I told the buyers I needed some for medical purposes, and paid for it. But I didn't. And the only other person in this entire hospital that knows about this is you."

"You gotta trust me more," Takao shrugged, but broke his gaze.

Midorima's eyes narrowed further, but there was a pained light in them. "You told me you were clean, Takao! You told me you never used!"

Takao frowned. "I didn't!"

"Then where is it?!" Midorima snapped, raking a hand through his grassy hair. "If someone found it, if someone used it in this hospital…I don't want my patients affected!"

"So now you're acting like a Chief Surgeon? That's rich!" Takao huffed. "So you don't care about the people you're selling it to?"

"Who I'm selling it to…Akashi has it under control! I'm..." Midorima gritted his teeth. "I don't want to do this. But I have to."

Takao bit his lip. "Fine. I took it."

The doctor's shoulders slumped. He was relieved it hadn't been lost but angry, and disappointed, that Takao would do such a thing. "Why?"

Well, I can't exactly tell you who I gave it to, Takao thought bitterly. "I wanted to try it. But I changed my mind before I did anything, and flushed it down the toilet," he lied instead.

Midorima looked at him suspiciously, worriedly.

Takao held out an arm. "Test me if you need to. I'm clean. I swear," he added, gently.

The doctor pushed his hand away. "I believe you."

Takao's chest hurt at the declaration, the plain words of trust.

Midorima continued. "I believe you, Takao. You're the only person I trust, with everything. I trusted you to tell me when you met up with Kagami, so I could shoot near him and send a clear message to Aomine to remind him who was in power. And you know who's in power." Midorima's expression shuttered and he turned around. "Akashi. Akashi controls everything. He controls me, and by extension he controls you. I don't like it, but that's how it is. That's how it's always been."

And with that he left.

"It doesn't have to continue being that way," Takao whispered to the empty room. He looked out the window, up at the clear blue sky and the warm sun.

Come on Kagami. Hurry up.

Find us.

Save us.

"This is such a bad idea," Kagami muttered as a crimson tie fell on his head.

"There's more where that came from, so hurry up!" Momoi's sweet voice chirped from the other side of the changing room curtain.

"I think I've tried enough ties already," Kagami sighed, pulling a purple striped one off and pressing the new deep red one against the dark grey of his dress shirt. "Hey, this one doesn't look half bad," he mused to himself.

"Really?" Momoi squealed. "Let me see!"

"Hey, hey wait!" Kagami hastily grabbed the curtain to keep it closed. "Stop, Momoi-san, I'm not wearing any pants!"

"Oi Satsuki, stop being a peeping tom," Aomine's gruff remark was followed by the clattering sound of a curtain being drawn back.

Momoi let out a breath. "It's not every day you get to see a great body. But fine, I won't ogle your boyfriend."

Kagami groaned mentally, securing the near-black pants with a silver buckled leather belt and shrugging on the matching suit jacket. "I wish you wouldn't talk as though I weren't here," he said, stepping out from behind the curtain and into the hallway where all the changing rooms converged. Momoi stood in her dress suit, eyes scanning his getup, an approving smile on her face. Kagami's gaze drifted to Aomine.

Aomine in a suit.

The last time Kagami had seen Aomine in a suit was the evening party after the Academy graduation, and that had been a simple black tux. Aomine had looked great in it, of course, but today…

Aomine had his brows raised in obvious appreciation, a hungry glint in his eyes. Kagami was too busy staring at what the other was wearing to notice.

A deep blue suit, a few shades darker than his hair, covered the crisp white shirt underneath. An elegant silver striped tie hung around his neck. It was classy, with the right amount of evening sophistication and business.

Kagami was trying very hard not to look impressed.

Aomine's smile slowly morphed into a frown. "I don't like it."

Momoi scrunched her eyebrows. "Why? He looks downright sexy!"

"He looks like a fucking host!"

"That's the point, Dai-chan!"

"But I don't look like a host!"

Momoi rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to attract the more serious types. You've got some experience in infiltration, so you'd be more believable acting as a man interested in business. Kagamin is going to go after the ladies with his natural charm."

Aomine scowled. "He's going after the ladies?! How does that make any sense? I'm more suited for something like that! Kagami isn't even interested in women!"

"Ladies are just going to think you're good for a one night stand, nothing serious," Momoi explained brutally. "They won't talk to you about serious things, let alone trust you. Kagamin has that angelic and trustworthy feeling about him. Anyone would tell him anything! You want to talk to him and confide in him!"

"Can you please stop talking like I'm not here?" Kagami sighed. "Also, Kagamin?"

"It's because you're cute," Momoi said offhandedly. "Any other questions? You should leave soon if you expect to be there on time. Oh, I forgot something," Momoi started rummaging in her bag.

"You're sounding bossier than usual," Aomine rolled his eyes.

Momoi lifted her hand and sprayed something directly in the face. As he coughed and spluttered, she sprayed more of the cologne on his suit, handing it to Kagami so he could apply some as well.

She grinned. "Ready?"

Aomine and Kagami exchanged glances. Kagami adjusted his tie and Aomine pulled his sleeves straight.

Kagami's red eyes blazed. Finally. Some action. "Yeah. Let's go."

Lights. Crowds. Noise.

The entire street was packed with luxury cars and limos. Mobs of people were held back by tapes and security guards as they screamed when every new celebrity, sports star and model stepped out onto the path leading to the grand event hall situated at the top of a low rise hill. Kagami peered out the black tinted limousine with some interest and a lot of apprehension. He'd never been to a fancy event, let alone one full of famous figureheads. He also wondered how much it had cost the precinct to rent such a fancy car. The driver was Imayoshi, whose squinty eyes winked at them from the rear-view mirror as they approached the entrance. Kagami felt a hand on his own and he turned to his left, surprised.

Aomine smiled at him and gently squeezing his hand in a rare show of comfort. "Relax. You're supposed to be a voice actor!"

"One that nobody's ever heard of or seen before," Kagami muttered. "I don't even know how to act around these people. Do we actually lift our pinkie when we have a glass in our hands?"

Aomine snorted. "What? Where'd you hear that?"

Kagami shrugged.

"We're here, boys," Imayoshi chuckled, parking in front of the carpet. "Get out there and make us all proud."

Kagami took a deep breath and opened the door. He was promptly blinded by flashing lights, but he held a hand in front of his face and stalked to the entrance. Aomine trailed behind, flashing a grin to the cameras before meeting Kagami at the top of the stairs, handing his invitation to the guard.

"Sure enjoying the attention, aren't you?" Kagami muttered.

Aomine placed a hand on his upper back and pushed him in. "I'm just trying to direct it away from you."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Kagami rolled his eyes, but his gaze stuck on the ceiling of the domed hall, high above him.

It was huge.

Windows at the ceiling showed a small sprinkle of stars, and the intricate designs on the bannisters and marble columns were beautiful. The domed hall they were in seemed to be the main event area, with hallways leading off to the sides, and stairs curving up and away into hidden areas upstairs. The curved stage in front was closed off with heavy red drapes, and round tables had been placed thoughtfully over the tiled floor. There even seemed to be a garden out the back for outside functions.

"This is supposed to be a fundraiser, right?" Kagami breathed. "I think most of the money raised will go to renting this place! It's like a palace!"

"It would have, except Akashi owns it." The words left Aomine's mouth before he could stop himself.

Kagami's head jerked to look at Aomine. "Uh, sorry, what?"

Aomine looked a bit taken aback, then shook his head and shot Kagami a grin. "Nothing. I'll leave you here, I…need to go find someone." And with no further explanation, he ducked out of sight, mingling with the other people in suits and gowns.

Kagami pressed his lips together. What now? He had a feeling that this wasn't some wild goose chase. That there was something here for him to find. But what was it?

He'd brought the bottle of heroin with him, tucked in his jacket pocket. Chances of that anonymous tip being Takao were low. The man didn't like being involved more than necessary, and Kagami believed him when he had said that there would be no more help form his side. But there was a chance it was. And Kagami was going to take.

"Taiga?"

Kagami jumped at the familiar female voice, turning around to see a busty blonde twirling a glass of champagne in her hand, green eyes twinkling with amusement. Kagami's mouth dropped open.

"It is you! What are you doing here? Aren't you with the force? And you're looking absolutely delectable. Love the tie."

The accented English jarred Kagami back. "What the actual fuck?" he hissed. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Because the gorgeous woman in front of him was no other than his basketball coach from America, the one and only Alexandra Garcia.

Aomine wove through the crowd, eyes scanning for a head of unmistakable blond hair. Nobody here but Kise knew him, so this was as close as he was going to get to a perfect opportunity to talk to him in private, not under Akashi's constant surveillance. It was true Akashi owned the hall, but he doubted Akashi would have his own men here. And even if he did, Aomine was sure no one knew him. But the main problem was getting Kise alone.

A flash of blond caught his attention, and his face slackened as he saw Kagami, talking with a woman who was clearly a foreigner and very high on the…attractive scale. She was also very close to Kagami, grabbing his elbow and grinning up at him, handing him her glass.

Aomine squashed the feeling of jealously that clenched his stomach. He wished he could go up there are tear that delicate hand off of his man. Stop being a fucking retard, he scolded himself. Kagami is just doing his job as a…host. Now you go do yours. He continued his search, feeling more determined to finish it quickly just so he could go back and show that woman exactly who she was touching so blatantly.

There were security guards, dressed in inconspicuous black suits just like the waiters, save for the earpieces. Kise probably had one or two flanking him at all times, but that just made it easier to spot the celebrity. Aomine made his way forward, towards where the blond was shaking hands with people Aomine couldn't care less about.

As he approached, a man suddenly stepped in his way. He was about a head shorter – few people were taller than Aomine, including names he didn't wish to mention – but he glared with sharp grey-blue eyes at Aomine like Aomine was the embodiment of personal insult.

He was also dressed in security black.

"May I help you?" Aomine asked, eyes flitting over the man's head to look at Kise. The idiot hadn't noticed him yet, talking to another woman about how the day's program was going to be 'absolutely stunning'.

"Yeah," the man snorted, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "You were stalking towards my client like you had a bone to pick."

"Your client…?" Aomine saw the badge on the man's coat. Kasamatsu Yukio – Kaijou Security Services. Aomine tried to give his most innocent smile. "No, nothing like that. I just wanted to meet him."

The man – Kasamatsu – lifted a thick eyebrow in absolute distrust. "With a face like that, I think you'd punch him before you'd talk to him." He heaved a sigh. "Don't blame you though. A lot of people want to punch him. I wouldn't mind getting a kick in myself," he muttered offhandedly. "But it's my job to make sure that doesn't happen. Oh the irony."

Aomine smirked. "Yeah, he can get pretty irritating. He wouldn't stop following me around all throughout middle school."

Kasamatsu chuckled dryly. "Don't I know the feeling. I was actually his senior in self-defence classes a few years back, and he wouldn't stop acting like a puppy, even after I tried kicking some sense into him. Literally. Now I'm hired to guard his ass."

Aomine smiled, genuinely this time. The guy wasn't half bad, except for the fact that he was still blocking Aomine's path. "So listen, I really need to see-"

"Senpai!" a voice called, and Kise came walking over, a smile on his face. "Who are you talking to-" His grin dissolved just as fast as it had appeared as his golden eyes met Aomine's.

"Stop calling me your fucking senpai, Kise. I'm working for you now," Kasamatsu grumbled, although his language and tone of voice couldn't be farther from a subordinate to his boss. "This guy says he knows you from school."

"Suwabe Junichi," Aomine held out his hand, stressing the name. "From your basketball team…remember?"

Kagami was dreaming. Please let him be dreaming.

"Is this how you greet me, Taiga?" Alex leaned on his shoulder, her rose red lips pulling into a smile. "I was going to drop by your apartment after this whole shindig anyway. My flight landed this morning. Can you believe I had to cross the Pacific for – what is this even, Perrier-Jouët?" she scrunched her nose at her champagne. "At least serve me some Moët & Chandon, Japan. Here try it."

Kagami took the glass from her hand, and also took in a deep breath. "Just wait a minute. Why are you here?"

Alex looked at him like he had grown another head. "I've told you time and time again, Taiga! I help out charities. Don't you know women like men who listen? No wonder you can never get a girlfriend."

"I've never gotten a girlfriend because I'm gay," Kagami muttered under his breath.

Alex giggled. "I know, I'm just messing with you. I'm here as the US representative, though to be honest I hadn't even heard of this organisation before. Japan Natural Disaster Relief or something? Looks like they wanted a Red Cross contact," she snorted. "I have to give a fucking speech and everything." She took the glass back and downed it. "Waiter, another!" her eyes turned to him. "So what are you doing here?"

"I'm undercover as a voice actor," Kagami explained in hushed English. He trusted Alex, just not anyone around them. "We got an anonymous tip about this event, so I'm here with my partner to see what's going on."

Alex pursed her lips. She didn't seem surprised. "I've been feeling like something is a little off too, to be honest. I've been chatting up some people here and they…seem strangely tight lipped." She shrugged. "I might be overthinking it, but this whole atmosphere seems a bit…fake to me."

"They're actors, their job is to be fake but look real while doing it," Kagami countered. "And if it was fake they wouldn't have invited you."

Alex hummed noncommittally. "Yeah, but that's a good cover, isn't it? So they have a real operation under another one. Sounds dangerously exciting," her teeth flashed. "Come on, I'll introduce you to some people. Maybe you can use your natural charm to get some answers outta them."

"Why do people always go on about my natural charm? I think you're just imaging it," he complained, but followed her nonetheless.

Looks like we're on to something.

Kise's mouth was opening and closing, but he was speechless. Must've been magic. He cleared his throat and shook Aomine's hand, grip a bit tight for comfort. "Oh yes! Of course. I'm sorry if Senpai was a bit aggressive, he does that sometimes," Kise smiled, and it looked so natural even Aomine was nearly fooled. Nearly. "What are you doing here…Suwabe-kun?"

Thank fuck for Kise's acting abilities, Aomine thought. "Oh, well, since both of us are here, I just wanted to catch up."

"Well, it's been years, true," Kise nodded. "But there have been reasons for that. Is the conversation urgent?"

"Yeah, pretty urgent," Aomine looked him straight in the eyes. "Red hot urgent."

Kasamatsu was looking at the two strangely. "You guys speaking in code or something?"

Kise frowned at him, confused. "Senpai, what are you on about? What code?"

"For an actor, your acting sure is shit," Kasamatsu snorted. He held up his hands before Kise could rebuke. "My job is to protect you, what you talk about is not my concern." He pressed his lips together. "But if you really want privacy, my boys found a couple of empty rooms at the back when we scoped the place out." He jerked his head down one of the hallways. "We'll will be patrolling like usual, so do what you want." With a curt nod, he stepped aside.

Kise deflated a little. "Thanks for understanding, Senpai," he whispered, and Kasamatsu rolled his eyes, lips twitching.

"Get out of here, just be in time for the events. You're supposed to be hosting them," he mumbled. "And stay safe or I'll kick your ass."

Aomine followed Kise as they discreetly slipped past a roped off hallway. "He sure doesn't talk like a bodyguard."

"Senpai shows affection in mysterious ways," Kise replied as they walked down the hallway. It seemed to curve back and behind the stage, with doors leading off to storage or changing rooms. Kise opened one and let Aomine through before closing it behind him, flicking the lights on. He turned to face him, golden eyes blazing. "What's going on, Aominecchi?"

"Still calling me that, huh?" Aomine snorted, leaning against a wall. The room was empty, save for a few cupboards that were probably used to store props, and a mirror that covered a whole wall.

"Well, I still respect you, although I don't exactly respect our…work," Kise gritted his teeth. "What are you doing here? Akashicchi told us specifically to stay away from each other."

Aomine rolled his eyes. "Of course I know that. And you know why." He stepped closer to Kise. "It's because we all know little bits and pieces of his plan. If we all talk to each other, maybe we can piece it together. Like a puzzle. Alone, we're powerless. But if we work together, we can…" he broke off.

Kise was silent.

"We can what?"

The words were soft, delicate, like a sliver of an idea that could be easily crushed. Aomine opened his mouth to answer when his phone went off. He cursed the interruption, pulling it out. His mouth went dry. Motioning to Kise to be quiet, he picked up.

"What do you want now, Akashi?"

"The same thing I wanted last time, Daiki," Akashi's voice was muffled, and there were sounds of chatter in the background. Maybe music. "Hacking into Kagami Taiga's phone. You haven't done it yet."

Aomine sighed. He couldn't have kept it off for long, he knew that. He was surprised it took this long for Akashi to notice. "I didn't know the password."

"You don't need one to download the application," he replied, voice irritated. "Can't any of you do as you're told?"

"Not the download, his phone. It was locked."

Akashi was silent. "Is it a word?"

"Uh no, four numbers. Why?"

There was a noise on the other end that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle. "Alright. Try zero-three-one-five."

Aomine frowned. "Why?"

"Just get it done," he snapped. "At least you succeeded in bugging Aida's office. That has been somewhat useful. Don't disappoint me again." With those kind words, he disconnected.

Kise let out a deep breath when Aomine pocketed the phone. "That had nothing to do with me, right?"

Aomine pressed his lips together. "Nothing. Strange, since Akashi should technically know where I am at all times, if he wants to. But he didn't even mention the gala."

Kise rolled his eyes. "He's the head of one of Japan's richest tech companies. He owns venues, banks, I think he even has a clothing line! He can do whatever he wants. So what happened?" he added, hesitant.

"He seemed uneasy on the phone," Aomine voiced his thoughts. He also said he knew Kagami's password. Guess I shouldn't be surprised though. But I can't help but wonder how. "Like he was stressed. Annoyed."

Kise leaned against the door. "Maybe things aren't going as smoothly as he expected."

"And what is he expecting, Kise?"

The blond narrowed his eyes. "Why should I tell you? Are you planning on going against Akashi's orders?"

"I just wanna know what I'm working towards," Aomine shrugged. "All I know is that Akashi has been buying all the drug dealers and gang bosses, keeping them quiet and in line. Hell, I helped him do it months ago. But if he's got you running around like a dog, then I want to know why."

"Why are you so interested all of a sudden?" the model snapped. "Had a change of heart? Suddenly you're gonna start behaving like the enforcer of law that you are? You going to arrest me, arrest Akashi?" Kise's tone was aggressive. Kise rarely got aggressive. "You want to be Tokyo's saviour? I heard from Akashi, by the way. About your new relationship. Apparently he's the same guy that got you back into basketball," he spat, anger sparking in his gaze. "You know how basketball brought us all together, and ironically, got us into this in the first place! So now that you've got someone to love and protect, you're going to sell us all out, and all this work will be for nothing-"

"I'm not arresting anyone," Aomine hissed back. "If I arrest you, then I've got to arrest myself for all the shit we've been through, and I'm not doing that. Not if I can help it. And Kagami…he doesn't change anything." He felt how wrong, how false, those words tasted in his mouth, but he kept going. "We're all on the same boat here. If one of us sinks, we all do. I'm just trying to make sense of this, Kise. I feel like you don't understand-"

Kise's dry laugh interrupted him. His eyes were cold. "You want to know what I'm doing? What he asked me to do? Some of those people out there," he jabbed a finger at the door, "they're Akashi's funding. This may look like a fancy fundraiser, but they're being used. In money laundering."

"…what?"

"The money they 'donate' comes from illegal sources. Drugs, weapons, you name it. When Akashi bought off all the suppliers, he also got all their dirty money. That dirty money is what's being donated today," Kise bit out. "Fundraising is the best way of doing it, right under everyone's noses. The celebrities get money regularly wired to their accounts, and then they donate it. Only they can give away such vast amounts of money without it looking strange. And if they tell the police, it looks suspicious on them too, since they get connected to illegal money directly." It was as though once Kise started, he couldn't stop. All this information, bottled up inside of him, and he could finally let it out.

"How can Akashi even access all their accounts?"

Kise snorted. "Akashi is one of the richest men in Japan. Did you forget he owns the Akashi Kyoudai Baking Corporation? He can do whatever he wants," the blond repeated. "So you may think I've got it easy, but I had to become friends with those people. I had to form relationships to get information, relationships with no meaning behind them but ill will because Akashi needed the connections and the funds. And it's…it's hard, but I've got to do it."

Aomine couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Akashi is rich. Why would he need money?"

"He's not going to use his own money to buy off drug dealers and gang leaders! He needs the money back to fill up the hole in his accounts. A fake fundraising organisation with a believable cover is perfect for this," Kise threw his hands up. "I don't know much else, but even though Akashi plans to throw Tokyo to the wolves, he isn't going to do it to himself."

"And the government has no idea…?" Aomine breathed. He knew something big was going down with Akashi, but not this big.

Kise bit his lips, and he looked tired. Tired of everything. "That's…that's not my job. I'm in charge of the entertainment industry. The government is that guy's field."

"So I'm spying on the police, you're laundering money using Japan's most famous, and Akashi is pulling the strings of this whole puppet show while the rest of us are left in the dark. And the dirt."

"That pretty much sums it up."

Well. Their lives were shit.

"Please have a seat."

Kuroko closed the office door behind him and sat down in front of his boss's desk. "Yes Boss? What do you need?"

Riko looked over her files at him. "How was the prison visit?"

Kuroko shrugged. "Nothing much. Furuhashi-san didn't provide any information. He seems to be unaware of anything."

"Even adding 'san' to convicted criminals," Riko shook her head, smiling. "I guess I didn't expect much from him. But I think you'll have more luck tomorrow. I've got a good feeling," her lips quirked.

"Tomorrow?" Kuroko looked at her curiously.

"I want you to go alone this time. Yokohama Prison, little farther off."

Kuroko's eyes narrowed fractionally. "Who's at Yokohama Prison?"

"Our biggest lead yet." Riko leaned back and grinned. She closed the file and tossed it over to Kuroko, who slowly flipped it open.

A picture of a man with a cornrow hairstyle and dark narrow eyes stared back at him. His name was in capital letters underneath.

Kuroko swallowed. "Haizaki Shougo."

Yeah, lots of things were unplanned in this, but I hope it still worked out. They happened, so now they're gonna keep happening. XD

The party arc was honestly supposed to last just one chapter. But this happened. And yet again it's nearly 5000 words. So I guess the rest will have to wait until chapter 7!

And now I'm thinking maybe it will just be 15 chapters, since each chapter is so long, and I don't want to drag the story on and on with no meaning. It's pretty fast paced, since things only happen a couple of days apart from each other, but I also want to try moving their romantic relationship along. We'll see how things go, because even though I've planned out the main storyline there might be things I want to shove in here and there just to fuck with the characters XD

Thanks for reading!