A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter!

As it turned out, their destination was none other than the Takei residence. Kagami sucked in a breath, taking in the extravagance of it all – the massive driveway, the generous lawn, the ornate fountain – and they had not even set foot in the mansion. "Holy shit."

"Do you like it?"

At the sound of her smug voice, he immediately wiped the admiration off his face. "What's there to like? This is such a waste of space. I can't believe they let you build this."

Mitsuki clucked her tongue in mock disapproval. "Is that how Americans address their hosts? By insulting their homes? How rude." She turned to Kuroko. "We should teach him some Japanese manners, shouldn't we?"

"Ah…" Kuroko turned to give him a look that said 'I have no part in this'.

Kagami narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "How did you know I was from America? Have you been stalking me?"

"Do you remember what you said to me when we first met?" When he made no reply, she continued in a deep voice, doing her best impression of him. "Even if you were the President's daughter, I would still cross you a million times for my friends."

"What about it?"

"There is no President in Japan, silly. So I just guessed."

Kagami merely grunted. It seemed obvious when she put it like that, but he was still secretly impressed that she had accurately extracted an important piece of information from just a passing remark.

Mitsuki nodded at the smartly dressed middle-aged man standing by the doors to the house. He bowed slightly, acknowledging the unspoken command before opening the grand double doors, revealing the white opulence inside.

"Come." She strode into the house, Kuroko trailing behind her. Kagami, however, stood rooted in place. It felt to him like another world lay beyond those doors, one that was both seductive and corrupt, and once he entered there could be no turning back. His instincts screamed at him to run, to return to the humble comfort of his apartment and never return. She frowned at him. "Are you coming, or must I roll out the red carpet?"

Kagami took a tentative step back. "Just give us the data sheets," he said hoarsely.

She seemed to sense his discomfort, and when she next spoke it was without her usual cutting tone. "Come with me," she coaxed, slowly bridging the distance between them until she was whispering beside him. "I promise not to hurt you." Her voice was a soft, playful caress that seemed to turn his insides to jelly. She laughed lightly and grasped his hand, tugging him forward. "Come on."

As he crossed the threshold, all he could think about was how much he detested that voice.

The day seemed to be characterized by unnecessary waiting. Kagami paced restlessly up and down the hall, dress shoes clicking away on the white marble floor. He stared down at his outfit. "Tell me I'm not the only one feeling like a clown."

"You're not," Kuroko assured him.

Kagami had thought Mitsuki was bossy, but her servants proved to be worse. Upon arrival they had been ordered this way and that – scrubbed up and stripped down, until they were finally deemed to be in a presentable state. That apparently meant being stuffed in a bowtie and suit. They would have gelled his hair back too, but Kagami's menacing stare changed their mind.

"I still can't believe we're skipping practice for this." Kagami shook his head irritably. "Where on earth is she taking us?"

"This is black tie attire." Kuroko chewed his lips thoughtfully. "Definitely a formal event of some kind."

"So, nowhere we would want to be, then," he returned drily.

"It could be interesting."

Kagami tugged at his bowtie. "I don't know how long more I can stand being in this."

The sound of slow, unhurried footsteps from upstairs signaled her approach. "You certainly took your – " He inhaled sharply as Mitsuki came into view.

"I will be the luckiest girl in the room," she said with a charming laugh, descending the stairs in a leisurely manner. "Both of you look very handsome."

Kuroko stood up from where he was, ever the gentleman. "You look very nice yourself. Don't you think so, Kagami-kun?"

Kagami hated to admit it, but she did, and that was putting it mildly. She was a vision in gold and diamonds, the clear stones sparkling and shining, surrounding her with an aura of radiance. Set against the gleaming marble backdrop, Kagami suddenly realized what she looked like. "Money," he whispered, so only Kuroko could hear. "She looks like money. That's all."

His friend glanced up at him, an unreadable expression on his face. "If you say so."

She walked up to them and paused, looking at Kagami expectantly. He broke away from her gaze uncomfortably, not knowing what she wanted and opting instead to stare down at the leather shoes he was wearing. He gave his toes a little wiggle; the shoes were unexpectedly comfortable, though not as comfortable as his Jordan's, of course.

Kuroko cleared his throat after a few moments and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Mitsuki seemed mildly surprised by Kuroko's gesture, but broke into a grateful smile. "We shall." She took his arm and gave it a little squeeze as the two of them walked out hand-in-hand. Kagami trailed behind them sourly, recognizing his faux pas. Of course, that was what she had been waiting for. And of course, Kuroko proved himself to be the perfect gentleman.

He really wasn't cut out for this.

The ballroom was already crowded when they arrived. It seemed to Kagami that the whole occasion was just an excuse for society ladies to wear gowns and jewels and have their pictures taken, while their men stood beside them inconsequentially. The photographers seemed particularly keen on Mitsuki and she gladly obliged, pulling him into the frame every now and then. Kagami was sure that, within that short span, he had been photographed more times than in his entire life.

"Mit-chan!" A group of girls about their age waved her over enthusiastically.

She turned to Kagami and muttered something insincere before walking excitedly over to join them, as if they were an exclusive fellowship closed to outsiders. All of them seemed cut from the same cloth – pale, slender, and possessed of an arrogant confidence that came from being born into privilege. They huddled together and exchanged hushed whispers before breaking out in raucous laughter, sounding rather like a pack of hyenas.

"It's the golden girls!" It wasn't long before the photographers descended upon them like vultures, and the cameras clicked away as they posed with practiced smiles.

Kagami regarded all this contemptuously. "The golden girls? Seriously?" he whispered sidelong to Kuroko.

"Ah, no wonder her name sounded familiar. I read about her in the papers."

Kagami raised a bushy eyebrow. "Which papers have you been reading? The Girly Times?"

"It was an article about women inheriting businesses," he clarified. "None of them have brothers, so they stand to inherit everything. Or – they could be passed over in favor of a male relative."

"That's kind of sexist."

"It's a cultural thing."

"Well," Kagami shrugged impassively, "it's not like they did anything to earn all that money anyway."

"What are you boys discussing?" Mitsuki glided over.

"You and your friends," said Kuroko. "I remembered reading about you in the papers."

"Oh– that. That article was nonsense," she said scornfully. "There's no way any of us will inherit."

Kagami frowned. "You're not bothered?"

Mitsuki uttered a cynical little laugh. "I'll settle for not being hawked to the highest bidder. That's how we know each other," she pointed back at her friends. "Every summer we go on a little tour to visit the rich male heirs. Our parents hope that we'll catch their eye, of course. It's all very tiring."

She leaned forward suddenly, face glowing with excitement. "That's why you're here, Kagami-kun. I want you to meet my father."

"WHAT?" he cried incredulously.

"Didn't you say you would defend me?"

"I – you're not even being bullied!"

"Semantics," she waved dismissively. "Kuroko-kun, you won't mind?"

Kuroko shook his head, regarding Kagami with pity.

Kagami could hear his heart pounding against his chest as she led him across the ballroom in search of her father; they spent several minutes wandering around before she finally came to a stop. "He's there," she whispered. "Don't look."

"This is crazy," he argued. "Why am I meeting your father?"

"Sh." She placed a soothing hand on his chest, as if to slow his heartbeat. "Just follow my lead. It mustn't look like we sought him out."

"Mitsuki?"

She spun around. "F-father!" she exclaimed with feigned surprise. Her father was a handsome man in his mid-40s, with salt and pepper hair and a tanned, cruel face. "I didn't think you would be here."

"Of course you knew." Her father narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Kagami. "Who's this?"

"My date," she declared. "Kagami Taiga."

"Oh?" The older man regarded him with a forced civility that made Kagami stiffen. "What do your parents do?"

Mitsuki spoke up. "He's from America –"

"I was asking him, not you."

Kagami squared his shoulders and stared back at him defiantly. "My father works in Los Angeles."

Amidst the tension, Mitsuki suddenly burst forward and embraced her father. "Father," she called with a sigh, "I've missed you. Why haven't you been home?" Out of the corner of her eye, she gave Kagami a sly wink.

The man's cold mask seemed to melt away. "I haven't had a chance, my dear. I'll be travelling again soon." He took her face in his hands. "Let me have a look at you. Have you been well?"

Mitsuki shook her head and whispered pitifully: "I've been hurt." She lifted her right hand and Kagami went cold. That's what I get for trusting her, he thought wildly. She's going to tell her dad I did it and he's going to kill me.

"Who did this?" he roared furiously. "Tell me."

"Some- some crazy old man broke into school and grabbed my hand and refused to let go," Mitsuki sniffed artfully. "He kept saying I had hurt his friend. It was horrible." She turned to look at Kagami with adoring eyes. "Kagami-kun saved me."

As Kagami watched her spin her little tale, he suddenly remembered a piece of chilling advice his father had given him. Never trust a beautiful woman, he had said. The more beautiful she is, the more deceitful her heart.

"Did he?" Her father sounded slightly skeptical as he turned to Kagami, breaking his train of thought. "If so, you have my thanks. Kagami Taiga, was it?"

"Ah – yea."

"Right," he said, sounding as if he had forgotten it already. "Mitsuki, I have to go rejoin my associates."

"But –"

"Be good. And remember– we'll be visiting the Akashi's this summer." He gave her a brief pat on the head and was gone. She stared disconsolately after him, all her charm and radiance deserting her, replaced by a muted sadness that cast a shadow over her face.

Kagami walked up to her and placed a tentative hand on her head. "What was all that about?"

His touch seemed to jerk her back from whatever unpleasant place her mind had transported her to. "Nothing. I was naïve, that's all."

Kagami couldn't help but let out a dry laugh. "You are one of the least naïve people I know."

"I shall take that as a compliment," she replied with a grin.

They rejoined Kuroko and proceeded to the dinner tables, where food was presently being served in ridiculously small portions. "I'm so hungry," Kagami complained. "All this food isn't filling at all."

"Why don't we head to Maji Burger? I know of one that's open 24 hours," Kuroko suggested. "That is, Takei-san, if you don't mind."

"Maji Burger?" she cried incredulously, but Kagami's eyes were shining with blind desire and she relented. "I- I suppose we could. Yes, let's go."

Mitsuki sat very still, trying to mask her unease with a haughty indifference. She had never been to one of these awful burger joints, and to compound the awkwardness was the fact that they were ridiculously overdressed. She could feel the weird looks and sniggers behind her back, but the humiliation was made bearable by Kagami's look of sheer contentment as he made his way through the mountain of burgers on his tray. The sight of it made her smile – a crazy, foolish, unreasonable little smile.

"Does he always eat that much?" she asked Kuroko.

Kuroko nodded, taking small bites out of his one burger. "Are you sure you don't want one?"

"No, thank you."

"You really should try," said Kagami, waving a half-eaten burger at her. "They're delicious."

"Is this your favourite food?"

Kagami chewed thoughtfully. "The special sandwich is probably my favourite, but it's so hard to get."

"Special sandwich?"

"They sell it at the school canteen on the 25th of every month," Kuroko explained, "but they're nearly impossible to get. It's so good that everyone wants them, and they sell out so fast."

"I still remember the taste of it." Kagami spoke so passionately that it was funny to think he was talking about a sandwich. "All the flavours just... blended together so damn well."

Mitsuki processed this bit of information. "The 25th is… this coming Wednesday!"

"Yea. We're going to get the freshmen to buy them." Kagami and Kuroko exchanged knowing looks and broke into broad smiles.

"I know what I'll do." She leaned forward excitedly. "I'll buy one and give it to my cooks so they can replicate it. Then we can have it whenever we want."

Kagami shook his head. "That's cheating. Part of the fun is trying to beat the lunchtime rush. If we could have it anytime, then…"

"…then it wouldn't be special anymore," Kuroko finished.

Mitsuki frowned, not understanding. "If something is that good, why wouldn't you want to be able to have it anytime?"

"Sometimes it's not just the destination that matters," said Kuroko sagely. "The journey matters, too."

"Don't bother explaining, Tetsu," said Kagami dismissively. "People like her won't understand what it feels like to work for something."

Mitsuki bristled. "What do you mean people like me?"

"You know, rich people."

"That's unfair," she retorted.

"Really? What was the last thing you worked for?"

Mitsuki fell silent, soon coming to the startling conclusion that she had never worked for anything in her life, and would probably never have to. Whatever she wanted, she had gotten with ease: there was nothing that money couldn't buy, and so everything was meaningless. It was a sad thought.

"See? I knew it."

She knew Kagami meant no malice, but it hurt all the same.

Kuroko seemed to sense her sudden shift in mood. "Takei-san –"

Mitsuki stood up abruptly and muttered a hurried "excuse me" before leaving the joint. Once outside, she immediately retrieved a cigarette and lighter from her purse and lit up. Smoking always did help to calm her. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, as if every sweet breath was her last, falling into a familiar comforting rhythm.

Kuroko came out first, waving the smoke away in barely-concealed disgust.

"Don't lecture me," she warned tiredly. "I know you, you're the lecturing kind."

He sighed. "Fine. I just came to see if you were alright."

"I'm fine." She took a puff from her cigarette and went on incoherently: "I have no right to be anything other than fine. I have everything, don't I? And I didn't even have to work for it."

"You're clearly upset."

"Upset? I'm beside myself with joy," she cried in a strained exuberance, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "Don't you see, Kuroko-kun? Everything in this world can be bought. I'm all set for the rest of my rich, meaningless life."

Kuroko approached her carefully. "That's not true. You can't buy people. You can't buy friendship."

"I can, and I have." Her fingers trembled as she took another unsteady puff. "Anyone will be your friend for a price."

"Not me." He reached out to tousle her hair. "If it helps to prove a point, I shall forever refuse to be your friend."

Mitsuki stared at him blankly for a few moments before bursting out in laughter. "I believe that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." She wiped away a few stray tears and felt her spirits lifting. "You're so sweet, Kuroko-kun. Let's never be friends."

"Never," he agreed with a grin.

Kagami strode out at that moment, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking a little like a sorry puppy that had just been reprimanded. "Oi…" he began awkwardly before noticing the cigarette between her fingers. "Oi! What are you doing?"

Mitsuki laughed and brought the stick to her lips. "We were just saying– "

He grabbed her hand with one swift motion and snatched the cigarette, throwing it angrily to the floor. "It's so bad for you," he muttered, stamping it out with his shoe. "Don't do it again."

The ferocity of his concern left her paralyzed with a strange wonder. He was always so fierce, like a bright fire, and she would willingly be burned over and over. A flood of emotions threatened to overwhelm her, and they felt a lot like…

"I want to watch you play basketball," she said suddenly, feeling restless. "Let's go."

"Are you crazy? I just ate like, twelve burgers!"

"But I've never watched you play," she sulked.

"And whose fault is that? You could've just come to watch our practice today. Instead you dragged us god knows where – "

"I'll come next time, then."

"Our coach is really pissed with you," Kuroko told her.

"Why?" She was puzzled for a moment before remembering what she had done. "Oh, that." She laughed with unfathomable optimism. "I'll return it and it will all be fine."

Kagami cut in impatiently. "Can you return it now? It's getting late."

"What are you talking about? It's not even midnight!" Her voice was filled with fervent excitement. "Let's go somewhere else."

"You two go ahead." Kuroko yawned and gave her a knowing glance. "I'll walk home from here."

Kagami turned to Kuroko with a look of horror. "Don't abandon me," he croaked, but nobody seemed to hear.

"Are you sure, Kuroko-kun? I can give you a lift."

"It's okay, I live nearby." He waved at them. "Good night."

Mitsuki waved back cheerfully. "Good night, Kuroko-kun!"

As her never-friend disappeared into the distance, Kagami asked glumly: "Where are we going now?"

"The top of the world," she replied vaguely, eyes gleaming.