I tried, and therefore no one should criticize me. I confess that the first part of this was written when I was in a pretty dazed frame of mind, so I hope that it doesn't seem completely retarded. I don't know, I should probably change it. Maybe in the near future if I can bring myself to do it mnf.

Spoiler alert; no one dies. Yet. We need to build anticipation so that you will be more devastated when it happens. *cue evil laughter* I'm sorry, I get more sadistic when I'm tired. School's been interesting.

I apologize if this doesn't seem up to par. I'm not very happy with it, honestly. A cleaned up version may or may not be uploaded some time from now.

As always, enjoy and lemme know what you think!

"Sensei?"

Coming to his senses, Kuroko glanced down at the tiny figure that had been tugging at the hem of his shirt for the last few minutes in a futile effort to gain his attention.

"Sensei, are you okay?" Mustering a small smile, he nodded reassuringly at the child.

"I was just thinking about something," he explained as he crouched down so that he was at eye-level with a pair of golden eyes. "What was it you wanted to ask me?"

"Did Aomine-san forget about me?" Taken aback, Kuroko blinked at Ryouko's words.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because he promised that he'd come and teach me basketball but he hasn't come yet." Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she looked so dejected that Kuroko wanted to promise her that she could keep Aomine locked up for eternity so that he would teach her basketball whenever she wanted.

Reaching out, he ruffled her hair comfortingly, and felt his heart crack at every small sob she tried to hold back. He hadn't realized how attached she had become to the tan man in the short time they had spent together. Finally, she looked up at him, eyes swimming with unshed tears. His own smile was jerky, but he knew that she most likely wouldn't notice it with the way her vision was clouded.

"Aomine-san didn't forget about you. He's just really busy at work."

"R-Really?"

"Yup!" He returned with an enthusiasm he didn't feel.

Considering his words carefully, she stared at her shoes in silence for a bit, occasionally reaching up to wipe away the tears that overflowed. When she looked at him again, there was a curious pursing of her lips. "Policeman work is really difficult, isn't it?"

"It is," Kuroko agreed, thinking back to the night before when the dark-haired man had appeared at his door in the wee hours of the morning and then had left just as the sun's rays were breaking through the dense darkness outside. "It's very stressful."

"Why does he do it then?" She queried.

"Well," he mused thoughtfully. It wasn't like they had discussed why Aomine had gone into that profession. The only thing he was absolutely sure about was that the other man was perfect for the job. Regardless of his personal faults. "Someone has to."

xx

"Yo. We brought breakfast." Satsuki stared blearily at the two men in front of her door, wondering for a moment if she was having one of those harem-themed dreams that left her feeling guilty in the morning.

"Dai-kun? Midorin? What's going on?" It was barely seven in the morning, and she had a photoshoot later in the day. Something had to have happened for both of them to show up unannounced.

"We need to talk." Midorima said. "May we come in?"

"Sure…" she moved out of the way to allow them room to pass. Shutting the door after them, she gestured towards the kitchen. "I'll go freshen up a bit. Help yourselves to the coffee. Dai-kun should remember where everything is."

With that, she disappeared into a room further down the hallway. The two detectives busied themselves with setting the table, unpacking the multiple buns and pastries they had purchased from a bakery near the station before they had made their way over to the pink-haired model's home. Silence filled in the gaps between them, familiar and companionable. However, there was also an anticipation that flickered in the air around them. Both knew that this was the calm before the storm.

When Momoi reappeared with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and looking much more awake, the trio settled down and dug into the pastry of their choice.

"So," she began, munching on a powdered donut. "What's this about?"

"It's about the case we're working on." Midorima replied, dunking a chocolate covered croissant into his coffee. His companions didn't comment. The green-eyed man had always had strange habits. "We have a request for you."

"Request?" Momoi looked apprehensively between their impassive faces.

"We want you to get out of the limelight for a while." Aomine explained.

"What? I can't do that!" The untouched half of her donut was dropped unceremoniously onto her plate. "I have a party this Friday!"

"We know," Aomine interjected. "And I know it's a big deal, but you need to take a break from modeling."

Momoi pursed her lips in thought as she considered her coffee mug. "Is it really that bad?"

"It's getting worse. We can't tell you anything because this is an ongoing investigation, but right now, the odds are not in your favour." Midorima admitted frankly.

Looking up with a frown, she said, "But I can't cancel on this party. It's too late; all the arrangements have been made."

The two detectives shared a look between them. Aomine leaned forward. "We'll compromise. After that party, you take a while off."

"How long is a while?"

"At most, it'll be a month."

"A month?" She exclaimed, horrified. "My Dior shoot begins in two weeks. I can't give up something that big!"

"Satsuki," Aomine's voice was urgent, and he waited for her to meet his eyes before he spoke again. "Your career is not more important than your life."

xx

"Good day," Two pairs of eyes looked up at the chirpy greeting. Standing in the doorway to the small room that Aomine and Midorima occupied stood a man of around average height with a shock of brown hair and half-moon spectacles, smile expectant. The detectives shared a questioning look. This was not the person they had requested to meet. The man let out an embarrassed chuckle at the confused looks on their faces. "As I expected, Aomine-san and Midorima-san don't recognize me."

"I'm sorry," Midorima said politely. "Who are you?"

"Ah," the newcomer rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Kou Shougo."

"Oh!" Aomine stabbed a finger at him when the name clicked with a memory in his rusted brain. "You went out with Satsuki!"

Kou nodded enthusiastically, evidently pleased that he was still remembered. "It isa surprise seeing you two here."

"I could say the same," Midorima replied, a smile he usually reserved for people other than Aomine gracing his lips. "What are you doing in a modeling agency?"

"I work here. I'm in the marketing department downstairs." He explained.

"Oh yeah," Aomine mused. "Satsuki told me that you two met at work."

"That's right," Kou nodded again. Suddenly, he looked rather uncomfortable. "So, uh, how is Momoi-san?"

"Eh? Don't you see her around?" Aomine asked in surprise, yelping at the heel that landed on his toes. Dark eyes glared daggers at his partner who looked as though nothing had happened.

"She's doing fine," Midorima responded, tossing a cold glance at Aomine. "I'll be sure to pass along your regards."

"Sure, thanks," he returned with a thankful smile. Just as quickly as before, he brightened up. "So, what brings you to Starlight? Planning to audition?"

Aomine laughed heartily at that. "No, we're here to see someone about an investigation."

"I see," Kou snapped his fingers as something dawned on him. "Could it be about that serial killer?"

"Yes," Midorima answered with a raised eyebrow. Catching the look from the green-eyed detective, Kou shrugged carelessly.

"Since we manage models all employees are encouraged to keep up to date about the case." He elaborated. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to see a well-dressed man approaching from the elevators, flanked by two bodyguards and a secretary. "The President is here. I'll see you two around."

Waving, he turned on his heels and vanished as quickly as he had appeared. The man that took Kou's place was short and stubby, and in addition to a fondness of expensive clothing, had a taste for outrageous jewelry.

"Gentlemen," he greeted, voice as greasy as his hair. "I hear that this matter is urgent."

"Good morning, President," Midorima replied politely as the duo stood and bowed slightly. "Indeed, this is a delicate matter. We were hoping to be able to speak to you in private."

The President nodded compliantly, and with a wave, dismissed his entourage who took a few steps back and shut the door behind him. "This concerns the serial killer?"

"Yes." Aomine said as Midorima pulled out a file marked with the word 'confidential' in block letters across the front. "We believe he is targeting models of this agency."

"Only my models?" The President asked with a dubious look. "Why is that so?"

"Profiling indicates that he has history with someone within the agency, likely a model, but for reasons unknown is unable to touch her, therefore he is taking his rage out on easier targets. It could be any sort of relationship, perhaps a difficult break-up or an unpleasant experience as a fan." Midorima stated. He pushed the file across the table towards the President. "These are the reports of the latest targets. It seems that he is now stalking his prey, meaning that he has gone past killing in anger, and has evolved into planned and calculated murders."

"You mean he is enjoying this?" The President looked concernedly at them.

Nodding, Aomine said, "Yes. We have four potential victims now, and all of them are from within your organization."

The President was starting to sweat, and he pulled out a monogramed handkerchief to wipe away the perspiration on his brows before he replied. "What do you suggest I do?"

"We believe the best course of action to take is to withdraw them from the limelight for the time-being."

"That will do," he agreed readily. He glanced again at the names listed on top of the reports and frowned at them. "These three will be no problem at all, but Mari is one of our biggest assets."

Aomine recognized the name as the hysterical lady that he had interviewed the day before while Midorima had been sifting through the archives. The two men shared a glance. Midorima pushed up his glasses, and locked a sharp gaze onto the President's worried face.

"I apologize if this sounds crude," he began. "But she won't be much of an asset to you if she was dead."

xx

Hoisting the duffel bag onto his shoulder, Aomine shut the car door and locked it before making his way towards the elevator lobby. He felt nervous, and rather anxious. Kuroko had told him to leave some clothes at his place, but his mind kept telling him that he had somehow misheard or misinterpreted the other man. It had also only just occurred to him that he had been spending a substantial amount of time at Kuroko's place when the security guard had waved him in the second he caught a glance of Aomine behind the wheel.

He rang the bell, fingers twiddling with the strap of the bag. Kuroko opened the door with a pleased smile. The tan man felt his lips curling upwards in an answering grin without any conscious effort on his part.

"Ah, you remembered to bring clothes," Kuroko noted happily. Aomine was glad that he had brought it up. It would have been awkward if he really had somehow misinterpreted Kuroko's words the night before. "I made some space in a drawer."

Aomine felt a tingle flash down his spine, at the words. He had his own space in Kuroko's drawer. He had his own space in his life. He bit his tongue to prevent the obscene giggle that tried to escape. Shutting the door behind himself, he followed Kuroko down the hallway, unable to break his silence for fear that he would say something infinitely stupid.

"It's not a lot of space," Kuroko was saying as he indicated the drawer to Aomine. It was about a meter long and seemed rather deep. Half of it was unoccupied. "I didn't know how much you were bringing. I can move more things out if your things don't fit."

"No, no," Aomine interjected hurriedly. He had only brought along two pairs of shorts and boxers, three shirts, and a toothbrush. It was more than what he took for a week-long vacation.

"Okay. I'll leave you to your unpacking," the pale man looked much too pleased about that. Should he have brought his furniture as well?

"'Kay," he intoned dazedly as he freaked out internally at the thought that had just flashed through his mind. Bring his furniture? What the hell?

With a chaste kiss planted to his lips, Kuroko left the room, and Aomine began his unpacking. It didn't take a lot of time, or much effort, but he remained in the crouching position beside the drawer as he stared at his toothbrush, for some odd reason unsure of what to do with it. Kuroko reappeared minutes later, an indication to just how long he had been there being an idiot. Pale blue eyes blinked at the taller man's position and he reached forward to pluck the toothbrush from unresisting fingers.

"This goes in the bathroom," he said unnecessarily. As he turned to leave, he added over his shoulder, "Dinner's ready."

Aomine walked into the kitchen, feeling very much like a newlywed husband who was disoriented and trying to adjust to a life of home-cooked meals and shared closet space. He shook his head in denial. Kuroko was a guy. He probably wouldn't like being referred to as a wife.

"Oh, I finally bought that frying pan." Kuroko entered the kitchen behind Aomine. "What?"

The latter stared at him, expression torn between humour and disbelief. Aomine was finding it hard to not mention how domestic Kuroko seemed. Especially after the display of excitement over a frying pan.

"Nothing," Aomine replied, plopping himself down at the dining table. "Everything looks good."

"One of the parents gave me some vegetables that she had grown in her garden," Kuroko said as he mirrored Aomine's actions and picked up his chopsticks. Before either of them could reach for the food, the doorbell rang, prompting a surprised look from both men. Kuroko stared wordlessly at Aomine who just stared right back.

"It's your door." The taller man pointed out. Kuroko made a vague noise and got up to go answer it. Aomine snagged a piece of chicken and began eating as he strained to catch the conversation. Luckily for him, the door was located right next to the kitchen, and since there was no background noise from the TV, the words were easy to catch.

"Murasakibara-kun," Kuroko said. "You're early."

That comment made Aomine pause. Had Kuroko been expecting him to leave before this newcomer arrived?

"Aka-chin let me off early," the faceless man's voice had a strange sing-song quality to it, and it sounded like he was chewing on something. "Ah, but I can't stay."

"I didn't expect you would be able to." Kuroko replied. Aomine heard the door shut. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"Nope~ Is Kuro-chin having dinner right now?" The man's shadow preceded him into the kitchen, and Aomine stared in morbid curiosity as the man appeared slowly around the corner. The detective's eyes widened to a comical size as he looked up and further up into the face of a giant. A curious face was shrouded in a mass of unruly purple hair, and his jaw worked as though he was chewing on a piece of gum.

"Hello," the giant greeted. Aomine put down his chopsticks when it dawned on him just how ridiculous he looked with his jaw hanging open and a piece of chicken hovering in front of his mouth.

"Hi," he replied, feeling the room shrink as the giraffe of a man moved into the kitchen completely. He could probably clean the top of Kuroko's cabinets without breaking a sweat.

"This is Murasakibara-kun. He works for my brother," Kuroko introduced. The purple-haired giraffe waved at him lazily. "Aomine-kun is the guy I'm dating."

Aomine liked that. It was like Kuroko was stating ownership. He would try that when he introduced him to his friends.

"Mine-chin is a cop?" Aomine blinked at him for a bit before he realized that 'Mine-chin' was himself. Kuroko's friends had weird choices in nicknames.

"Yeah," he replied cautiously. If Murasakibara worked for Akashi, it probably wasn't a good idea to tout his profession. The giant man nodded.

"Cool~ Do you eat a lot of donuts?"

"I'm not too big on sweet stuff."

"Eh~ That sucks," Murasakibara pushed the hair out of his face with a pout. "Kuro-chin shouldn't date someone who doesn't like sweet things."

"I'm sure he takes the occasional donut." Kuroko answered. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"Nah," he shook his head. "I promised to meet someone."

"Then please wait for a moment." The smallest man turned and walked into his bedroom, leaving the two men in awkward silence.

"Aka-chin asked me to pass this to you." Aomine looked up at the small thumb drive held out to him. He took it, directing a questioning glance at the hovering man.

"How did he know we'd meet?" Murasakibara shrugged, pushing a lock of hair behind his ear as he checked to see if Kuroko was returning yet.

"He also asked me to tell you that you should be completely honest with Kuro-chin."

Freezing, Aomine's eyes turned sharp. "What does he mean by that?"

"Dunno," the other man shrugged idly. "I'm just the messenger."

"Sorry," Kuroko's voice preceded his figure, and Aomine instinctively thrust the small device into his pocket as Murasakibara leaned away. When Kuroko came back bearing a large box, both men looked as though the exchange had not just happened. "It'll take a while for the rest of the things to arrive, but you can have these first."

Accepting the box that had looked huge in Kuroko's arms, he opened the lid and inspected the contents. Happily, Murasakibara shut the lid again. "I've been waiting for these for a long time. Thanks, Kuro-chin~"

The blue-haired man escorted the giant to the door, looking impossibly tiny beside him. When he returned to the dining table it was to see nearly half the food gone, and Aomine was chewing on a mouthful, looking completely unaffected.

"I hope you don't mind," the pale man inquired as he resumed his seat and finally began eating.

"S'fine," Aomine shrugged nonchalantly. "It's your place after all."

In return, Kuroko hummed, and their meal continued in silence for a while.

"What was in that box?" Aomine couldn't resist the urge to find out. He was nosy, yes. It was why he'd become a detective.

"Snacks from Europe."

"What?"

"Murasakibara-kun likes to munch on snacks," he explained. "Kise-kun travels a lot, so he helps me buy snacks that aren't available in Japan for Murasakibara-kun."

"Oh." Again, they returned to silence.

"Did he tell you something?" This time, Kuroko was the one to speak.

"Nope," Aomine replied, years of practice making it easy for him to appear guiltless. "He just asked me about my favourite snacks."

"I see," Kuroko nodded in understanding. The taller man wasn't used to the squeezing feeling in his chest. He wanted to admit that the purple-haired giant had passed along something from Akashi, and he wanted to confess to a secret that he had forgotten he was hiding. But he bit his tongue and mentioned the first unrelated topic his mind could conjure up. He wasn't ready to reveal all of himself just yet.

xx

"Can I go home?"

"We've only been here for thirty minutes."

"This tie is killing me."

"Well too bad, suck it up."

"Insensitive bastard."

"Could you at least refrain from crude comments tonight? Momoi-san would like to leave her guests with a good impression." Midorima snapped at him. Aomine paused in the motion of tugging at his tie to return the glare.

"What the hell does my language have to do with her?"

"You're her friend, it reflects on her character." The green-eyed man replied with a long-suffering sigh.

"Her character is pretty rotten." Aomine muttered.

"Ahomine!"

"What?" he protested. "It's true!"

"At any rate," Midorima said, ignoring his comment. "See anyone suspicious?"

"Nope," Aomine returned to tugging at the suffocating piece of fabric wrapped around his neck. He was dressed in a black suit, the only set of clothes that he owned that was not store-bought. Momoi had insisted on him buying one for the event and for future occasions where he would be threatened into attending similar functions. Takao had helped him do up his tie, and his comment on how Takao would make a good wife for Midorima might have pressed the wrong buttons.

He wasn't very happy with the fact that he had to wear two layers that night, but after getting dressed, he had to admit that it at least looked good on him. When he had walked in escorting Momoi who was dressed in a tailored gold dress that clung to her curves with a small train that swept after her, they pair had gotten audible gasps, something that they had shared a grin over.

Soon after their entrance, the two had drifted apart, Momoi capturing all the attention in the centre of the room while Aomine retired to the back where he could keep an eye over the whole floor. Girls had fluttered over to him, but he'd smile and tell them straight up that he was taken. They left pretty soon after.

"Shin-chan, there you are!" Midorima froze at the sound of his boyfriend. Aomine glanced over his partner's shoulder and proffered a grin that was not the slightest bit sympathetic. "I want you to meet some people."

With Midorima dragged away, Aomine continued to observe the people milling around the room, filtering the sound of faint music and random chattering. He was pleasantly surprised at the get-up. It was the most normal party that Takao had ever planned.

"Aominecchi!" The said man huffed out a sigh. He had caught sight of the bob of blonde hair occasionally throughout the night, but he had hoped that the other man hadn't spotted him. Idle chatting was not on his list tonight.

"Kise," he returned with a strained smile. The blonde man hopped to his side, so full of energy that Aomine felt like his own was being sapped away.

"What are you doing in the back here?"

"I'm not into this kind of scene." He mumbled in reply.

"That's too bad." Kise's range of expressions was amazing. "Momoicchi told me that you told her to take time off modeling."

"Yeah," Aomine nodded. Kise had gone quiet and looked like he wanted to say something but was hesitant.

"Can I ca—"

"Ryou-kun!" The duo perked up as Momoi approached them from the other side. "Masamune-san is looking for you."

"Ah," Kise shot Aomine an apologetic look. "My manager. Excuse me."

"You look like you're enjoying yourself," Aomine noted as Momoi replaced Kise beside him. She smiled charmingly at him.

"Most of them are only asking about you. They're enchanted by the mysterious enigma who retires to the side of the room and spends his time broodily watching others as he sips on a single glass of wine." She said, voice low for dramatic effect. Aomine laughed, the sound and sight turning several heads.

"Since you've said that I can't go mingle now." He retorted. "I have an image to keep up."

The pink-haired model laughed with him, and the two settled into a companionable silence.

"What do you think of Ryou-kun?" Satsuki asked, her voice soft, almost tender.

"He's like a giant beach ball," Aomine mused, earning himself a whack on the arm. Laughing, he asked, "Does it even matter what I think?"

"Of course," she admonished. "Your opinion always matters."

"I can't say anything bad about him. You're already calling him 'Ryou-kun'." Aomine smirked down at her. "That's pretty much like getting married to you."

Satsuki stuck her tongue out at him, looking petulant. Even though she looked away, Aomine saw the faint blush that crept up her cheeks, and he ruffled her hair playfully, gaining another smack.

xx

It had been a week since he'd last seen Kuroko. Their investigation seemed to be leading them around in circles, and all the women who had reported being stalked were safe and out of harm's way. It was bittersweet, to say the least. Aomine sighed heavily, in a rare contemplative frame of mind. The alcoholic drink in front of him offered him no solutions. Kagami's bar was noisy, despite it being past midnight on a working day. He was brooding, and had rather rudely turned away nearly everyone who had approached him.

"Mine-chin?" Dark eyes glanced up at the unusual nickname.

"Murasakibara?" he returned, frowning. He'd never run into the man in Kagami's bar before. Could it be that he lived nearby?

"Wah~ I wasn't expecting to meet you again so soon." His sing-song voice was starting to grate on Aomine's nerves. He wasn't at his most charming right then.

"Me too," he replied as cordially as he could manage. "What brings you here?"

The purple-haired man settled onto the vacant stool beside Aomine, scrutinizing him thoughtfully and completely ignoring his question.

"Here." The tan man blinked at the envelope that was pushed across the bar towards him.

"What is it?" He picked it up and squinted at the contents. The lighting was dim, but he had seen his fair share of the world to recognize the shape in the envelope. He pulled out the wad of notes to confirm his suspicion. There was at least four million yen bundled in there. Shoving all of it back into the envelope, he tossed it back like it was poisonous.

"What the hell are you trying to pull," he hissed at the taller man who returned his glare unperturbedly.

"If you leave Kuro-chin alone." A cold shiver ran down his spine at Murasakibara's words. "Aka-chin promised that you'll get more."

The drink that Aomine had been nursing toppled over with a clatter and spilled onto the counter. Eyes glanced at the pair, a result of the sound of Aomine's fist slamming into the wood.

"Who the fuck does he think he is?" He struggled to keep his volume down, but the tension between them was obvious and the noise was starting to dwindle as the crowd sensed an encroaching fight.

"He's looking out for his brother." Murasakibara leveled a serious look at him, expression vastly different from the indifferent child that he had initially appeared to be.

"This isn't how you fucking look out for your brother," Aomine spat. "What does he hope to accomplish by doing something so backhanded?"

Murasakibara contemplated him for a bit. When he spoke again, his voice was low. "Are you really in a position to say that?"

"I don't do things behind his back."

"Keeping secrets isn't that much better."

"I'm not obligated to bare my soul yet. We're not fucking married."

"Kuro-chin deserves more." Aomine was taken aback by the sudden fierceness in the huge man's expression. "If you're not willing to commit then leave him alone."

"I—" he began, but bit his tongue. He wasn't ready to admit his feelings to anyone just yet. Even with himself, he was having trouble grasping the magnitude of it. "I don't want to rush this. It's different."

Murasakibara calmed slightly at the quiet admission. "Kuro-chin has been through a lot."

Leaving the words dangling in the air around him for Aomine to ponder over and interpret as he found suit, the purple-eyed man stood and left, taking the package with him.

"Eh. Where'd he go?" Aomine didn't bother looking up.

"Who?"

"Atsushi."

"You know him?" The navy-haired man looked up with a surprised frown.

Himuro blinked back at him. "Yeah, we're going out."

Aomine groaned and buried his face in his hands. Whoever came up with 'it's a small world' was probably chuckling away at him. Bastards. He checked his watch and decided that the only way the day could redeem itself was if he could hide in his bed like the child that he felt like right then. As he got up to leave, he paused, and turned back to the raven-haired man who was wiping up the spilt drink.

"Where's Kagami?"

"Out back."

"Could you get him for me?" He asked, leaning forward onto the bar. "I need a favour."