(A/N: I have serious concerns regarding this chapter actually... Sat on it for quite a bit but it doesn't seem like I will be able to improve it for now. So here it is. Hope it is not as poor as I think it is.)

"Kagami-kun, I really do not think that this is a good idea."

"Come on. Even Momoi-san agreed."

"It is because she is not the one doing it."

"She would come if she didn't have work."

"You do know that I have work too, right?"

"It is the lunch break."

Kuroko sighed loudly,

"Why do we have to follow him? Maybe he just wanted to have lunch by himself."

"No way. Hearing that I would be meeting with you for lunch but not jumping on the opportunity to hang out together and get me to pay for his lunch? Nope. There is something definitely weird."

"It is unusual, sure, and he has been acting weird... But he is an adult."

"Is he entering the sports complex?"

"Oh... Perhaps he likes to train during his lunch break?"

"No way. Plus we have a training room at the station since we are the district headquarters. And you know how lazy he is better than me. Come on let's go in as well."

"I still don't think this is a good idea."

"Hmm he is going towards the courts?"

"Can they be used during the day freely like that?"

"Well they have courses in the afternoons in certain days but yeah, they are open to members I think, especially at noon."

"So he comes to play basketball in his lunch break? Not expected but not surprising either. Shall we leave now?"

"No way! You know how he complains about even playing with us at the weekends. Why would he come to play basketball during his lunch break?"

"You do realise that he likes playing basketball right? He is usually reluctant out of laziness or his own arrogance. Let's go."

"Well... Doesn't he hate playing by himself?"

"So, he probably plays with others?"

"Yeah but he is not satisfied with playing with weak guys... Right?"

"Oh..."

"Could it be that he found some really strong guy and he plays against him?"

Now this interested Kuroko. He stood there slightly and entertained various possibilities for about 5 minutes, then a glint appeared in his eyes,

"Let's wait for five minutes or so and then go in."

"Hah! Suddenly you are interested?"

"Be quiet Kagami-kun, we should enter carefully or else he may realise us sneak in."

"Whatever."

When they finally pushed the door of the small basketball court that Aomine had entered they witnessed something they had never seen before. A young man probably around the same age as them jumped almost carelessly but at the same time mysteriously meticulously such that his shooting form was completely... formless. It was almost like a copy of one of Aomine's signature moves that defied laws of physics and mocked the limits of human capability. It was particularly strange and one could not help wonder how come Aomine never fell down doing it.

However the man doing it now, though the move looked so peculiarly exact it was at the same time peculiarly different; unlike the bewildering careless free fall of Aomine, with this person it almost looked like as though he was some sort of magical being falling from the heavens. Almost everything about the shoot was perfect too... Except one glaring difference: the end result. Instead of smoothly going through the hoop like every time Aomine pulled it, this time ball missed it with a few millimetres.

"Damn!"

"I told you it was not possible." Aomine snorted,

"Come on Aominecchi! It was almost perfect."

"Almost...? As long as it does not score, it is useless."

"You are so mean you know."

"I am realistic. Plus why are you trying to so hard to copy me? I bet you worked on this like whole night..."

"Quite a few whole nights actually... It is really hard. It is not like copying other things. Tomahawks or windmills were so easy... Why are your weird shots so hard?!"

"Jeez... You know many people play for years but cannot even do those and you have mastered them in just two months. Stop whining. And my shots are not weird."

"Really? Surely I am very talented but I thought anybody would be able to do them..."

"Nah... Tetsu has been playing for years but he has not dunked even once. Well... He is a hobbit so I guess that's half the reason. But Akashi is pretty short too and he can dunk."

"I am not a hobbit Aomine-kun."

Aomine jumped in surprise to see a scowling Kuroko who cleared his throat rather loudly and a Kagami palming his face in what seemed to be part embarrassment and part surprise.

"What the hell are you two doing here?!"

"What are you doing here?"

Kuroko asked his face slightly moving to the side in a questioning manner at which Aomine gulped. There was no escape now. Not that he specifically wanted to avoid introducing Kise to his friends. He had deemed it inevitable. But he had simply enjoyed being the sole basketball idol in Kise's life so much and had almost regarded their time together on the court as some kind of a special place only for them... Now that he thought about it, it sounded really corny.

"Playing basketball, duh."

He shook his shoulders and tried to look as unfazed as possible. He was fazed deep inside though, Kuroko and Kagami meeting Kise meant Momoi meeting Kise which would inevitably lead to Midorima and Akashi and thus Murasakibara knowing Kise. Anything Midorima knew, Takao would know which meant even Takao would know Kise. It was not that he was jealous or possessive but the possibilities of the complexities the new set of relationships would introduce just bothered him to no end... How nice would it be if he could just get to spend time with Kise alone, play basketball with him... Yes, he was being awfully corny, in a very uncharacteristically and untimely youthful manner too.

"With a friend, I see." Kuroko said and turned to Kise who was smiling like a child without a single care in the world as he played with the ball in his hands,

"Kuroko Tetsuya. I am an old friend of Aomine-kun."

"Kise Ryouta. I heard a lot from Aominecchi about you actually."

"Ao-Aominecchi?! Hahaha..." Kagami burst into laughter and Aomine glared, his cheeks donning a particular red shade, Kuroko just looked at Kagami disapprovingly and Kise gave a confused look.

"And this is Kagami Taiga. He is Aomine's partner at work. We are all friends."

"Oh I heard about you too! You are the guy who won against Aominecchi in high school the first time, aren't you?"

Kise's eyes turned a little narrower as he pronounced the last part and a strange tone settled in his otherwise amicable voice. Both Aomine and Kagami missed it, Kuroko did not and it piqued his interested too.

"Kagami and Tetsu, did. Alone he is useless..."

"Oi! Arrogant words coming from a guy who miserably lost to me on court just this weekend."

Aomine shook his shoulders in indifference,

"Again, it was you and Tetsu. And it was just a fluke."

"Yes, somehow every time Aomine-kun loses it turns out to be 'just a fluke'."

Kuroko's sarcastic comment seemed to enjoy Kise quite a bit for he chuckled and Aomine gave a dirty look at him then he turned back to Kuroko,

"Well none of that explains why you are here though?"

"Oh... Well... We... Um..." Kagami had always been a terrible liar and it took all the strength Kuroko had to just not hide his face in shame then. He himself was not the best of liars but his neutrally indifferent facial expression did help a lot; a great poker face.

"We met for lunch and were walking near when I realised my yearly membership was about to end. So I came to renew it."

"Hmm... Didn't know you had a yearly membership here? It is rather far from your house."

"But we do play here every weekend and it is close to Kagami-kun's work so we both have membership here. Plus they have a great olympic-size swimming pool."

"They do?!"

"You didn't know?"

"Not at all! I live relatively close too but I used to always go to the training centre suggested by my agency... Wow I can't believe there is an olympic-size swimming pool so close by! I should definitely try it out. Aominecchi, we should definitely try it out!"

"We?"

"Yeah. It will be good for your body. You keep complaining about sore muscles."

"Isn't more physical activity going to make it worse?"

"It is different when you are in water. It is calming and it is not like we are going to train for competitive swimming or something. It helps to the mood too you know, you are always scowling."

"I am not always scowling. I don't know man... I think I would prefer sleeping."

"You sleep too much!"

"No I don't."

"Yes you do! When I call you, 80% of the time you receive the call yawning."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do!"

In the midst of their bickering they had completely forgotten Kuroko and Kagami's existence and it rather endeared the scene to Kuroko even further. It was going to be even more entertaining once Momoi learnt of this.

So Aomine made a friend... By himself and somebody so unlike him too... Well, in most aspects at least.

He cleared his throat to remind the duo of their presence to which Aomine reacted like a teenager caught doing something childish whereas Kise was slightly pouting.

"Well it was good to see you Aomine-kun. Nice to meet you as well Kise-san. I think we can take our leave now."

"Oh you guys don't want to stick around? We could play basketball."

There was some honest disappointment in Kise's voice,

"We don't have proper clothing with us and my stamina is not good enough to play a game with these guys and then go back to work to be honest."

"That's too bad... I would like to play against you, to be honest. I have heard quite a bit from Aominecchi so I am curious."

Kuroko knew that Kagami was already tingling with anticipation and would not mind running around the court now in his formal attire but it was truly not the time so he held on to Kagami's arm to ensure the other would not jump at the offer,

"We are sorry but we will have to decline. Right, Kagami-kun? But if you would like, we would be more than glad to have you play with us this weekend?"

"Really?"

The way Kise's eyes shone so bright one would assume he was given a large sum of money or received the love confession of his life, not an offer of playing basketball.

"Definitely. If Aomine-kun also agrees, of course."

"Sure, whatever." Aomine dismissively agreed; part of him was happy to show off his new friend's peculiar skills to his old buddies but part of him was frustrated that he would have to share Kise with them... Probably the whole day too since Momoi would also be there. He knew deep inside of him that the two would probably hit it off very well given their personalities and hobbies.

"Good. We will see you later then."

"Ah! But it would be so good if you could stay... Aominecchi was going to take me to this crepe place too."

Kagami's eyebrow rose in surprise and suspicion whereas Kuroko's normally senseless eyes donned a glint of amusement,

"Is that so? How unlike him. Well, next time, perhaps? Thanks for the offer! See you."

"See you."

Once they were a couple of metres away and by the door of the court Kagami whispered as silently as he could,

"Wasn't that weird? Was he weird... with him? I don't know. It felt weird."

"Oh it was not weird at all." Kuroko said as he took out his mobile from the pocket of his jeans and started typing a message,

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I am. I have known Aomine-kun longer you know."

"So? What is the verdict? What is this all about?"

"It is really simple, actually. He fancies Kise-san."

"He does what?!"

Kuroko chuckled instead of saying anything about Kagami's surprised expression while he sent the message he typed to Momoi:

"We were right, he is infatuated with somebody. And I think you will really like this person too."