Thank you for the 100+ followers!

NOTE: This chapter folds into the end of the first semester for their first year – the reason the chapters are quite fast-paced is because the first book (this one) has 3 years of their middle school year to cover, and during their first year (before Kise enters the team) nothing major happens.

Also, this chapter wouldn't include a lot of scenes told in Kuroko's perspective as my previous chapters. But anyway,

Enjoy.

Chapter 5

"A father – meant to protect their children, love them, and take care of them. However, that definition is rather foreign to my ears."

The usual uninteresting mornings.

The usual dull sunshine, the usual boring routine, and the usual lonesome emptiness.

Aomine Daiki had completely melted into his new lifestyle, which had been altered for quite a while now. His days didn't start with basketball, or waiting for his dad to return from his trip back after an important game. It didn't end with his parents wishing him good night before going to sleep (well, maybe he was too old for those), or his dad chattering off about another miraculous story from the games.

Now, his life started with the thoughts of a certain girl, and ended with her, too.

Of course, he did other things. It was just that the female had taken up such a large portion of his life now, that he couldn't possibly get her off his mind. The thought itself was a ridicule to laugh at if Momoi should ever know. Aomine Daiki, passionately in love. Life couldn't possibly take a more unexpected turn than that.

His mom didn't seem to care anymore whether he was late to school or not. She had stopped preparing his breakfast all of a sudden at some point in time, and he had naturally gotten along with it. It was smoothly performed, just like that – after his dad's death; nothing was out of the ordinary for the Aomine household.

Great, I might be a little earlier to practice than usual. He thought to himself, not certain whether that was a good thing or not. The male was practically in love with coming late to practices – before Kuroko had decided to enter the first string, that is, and before his morning routine was edited as whole.

Locking the door behind him, Aomine enjoyed the cool breeze hitting his face. It had been about a week or two since Kuroko had joined them during practice sessions. It was evident that she was having much difficulty ever since she joined, since first string practice menus were about the triple the amount of what third string had done. Being naturally born with lower stamina that others, the female was always out of breath on her eleventh lap around the court.

"'M here." He creaked open the gym door, his eyes instinctively searching for Kuroko as soon as he entered.

"She's not here yet." Midorima grunted, obviously annoyed as he threw another ball into the hoop from the three-point line. "At least try making it not so noticeable that you have a crush on her, Aomine." Akashi chuckled in amusement, as Nijimura proceeded to humming the childish "sitting-in-a-tree" tune.

The captain jumped into the air and dunked a basketball through the net before speaking up. "Our newbie seems to be popular, you know? Lots of boys like her over here, including a few third-years. And of course, I enjoy having her around as well."

"Just don't sexually harass her, and all your limbs should be safe and sound." Akashi glared with meaningful mannerisms at his captain, and Nijimura just shook his head.

"Just what do you think of me, Akashi?" The raven head simply clucked his tongue. "There's a reason why people are fond of others. Kuroko has the ability to attract surrounding beings that pay enough attention to notice her, but for those who care less, she is just nothing but…a "nobody". Which is why, all of you –" Nijimura stopped himself abruptly as he attempted to shoot another ball from the three-point line, but missing as it hit the backboard and fell to the ground. "– you should care most for her."

"Us?" Midorima made a face, as if he couldn't comprehend his captain's words at all – in which he couldn't. "What does she have to do with us?"

Nijimura just cracked his neck. "You'll see what I mean…not anytime now, but soon." With that, the bell rang, and the four first years were left in confusion and bewilderment. Aomine narrowed his eyes and finally turned to Kuroko, who was cleaning up in the corner. Not waiting for her this time, the male went ahead and joined in with the other four individuals.

"What do you think he meant?" Murasakibara, who arrived last minute, questioned – although not as curious, he couldn't understand what Nijimura really wanted to get through them. "Why would we be acquainted with her that far to even care?"

Akashi glanced at the giant. "Don't say it that way, Murasakibara. I am sure Nijimura-san had a message he wanted to get through." Although quite mystified himself, the red head remained polite to his upperclassmen. "He probably just meant that we have to take care of her, being in the same grade and same string now and everything. Don't think too deeply about it."

Midorima agreed accordingly. "Considering the fact that some of your brains might implode if you ever think too deeply, that is."

"Just how lowly do you think of us, you imbecile?" Aomine spat, as Midorima just skillfully avoided the question by ignoring him. Murasakibara didn't exactly seem to care – more like he was too distracted by the phone in his hand. He was scanning a message busily, and then released a tired sigh. His frustrated expression resembled a that of one's mom when they were dealing with a troublesome child.

Momoi, who jogged up to them and walked alongside Aomine, tilted her head to the side. "What's wrong, Murasakibara-kun?" The purple head looked up and blinked, as if he just noticed the pinkette.

"Nothing." He then paused and stole a quick glimpse at the school gates. "Ne, Aka-chin…" So far, Murasakibara only addressed the redhead with such a suffix. He had obviously taken a great liking and respect in the latter, trailing behind his footsteps every single minute. "Would you mind informing the captain that I would be missing out on practice today?" Akashi gave a look of disbelief to Murasakibara. There were several reasons for this; Nijimura and the coach was extremely strict about being absent from practice without a reasonable excuse. Furthermore, Nijimura was already trying to handle Haizaki, who always managed to escape the fearful grasp of the captain. The list went on, but in conclusion, it was not extremely beneficial for a member of the basketball club to miss out on practice.

"Your reason being?" At least attempting to hear the giant out, Akashi inquired – but only received pursed lips and silence. Murasakibara was always like that when the situation he was required to clarify was overly complicated. His behavior still within the line of being amicable, the redhead waited. The others went ahead, coming to a conclusion that it wasn't a place for them to be standing between.

While the two were conversing, Aomine couldn't help but think about all the conflict and problems everyone around him seemed to be going through. Everyone had their own issues, like how Kuroko always seemed bright and optimistic, but had her inner demons pulling down her self-esteem and confidence. Kise, albeit the fact that Aomine barely knew anything about him, seemed to be dealing with rather problematic matters. Then there was Murasakibara, who was always meddled up with chores and cleaning up after his family – or at least, that's what it sounded like, from most of the excuses he made for being late.

Then what about me? Something echoed within his head, bringing several thoughts and memories flowing into his mind. The Aomine household had definitely transformed into a somewhat cold and foreign place, ever since his dad had disappeared from his life. Everything, everywhere, and everyone – all the good times he had spent with his family all replayed in his brain like an old movie, whizzing with black and white images.

Nothing was the same.

"Dai-chan?" Momoi peeked her face in front of the male. "What's wrong? Your classroom is that way, isn't it?" She pointed at the long hallway, across the lockers and toward his homeroom, where it was labeled "1-F". He groaned, pulling down the urge to complain to his friend why she hadn't warned him earlier. He stepped back, his bag slung over his shoulder as he rubbed the back of his neck.

His eyes widened with anticipation when he saw Kuroko's figure being reflected on the windows next to him. She walked up the stairs and headed the opposite direction, not noticing the male's back facing towards her. Aomine turned around to see if she as still there – but Kuroko had vanished. She's going to disappear too. Whispering against his ear, his inner thoughts tempted his pessimistic side to reveal itself. Just like he did.

Clenching his fists, Aomine said nothing.

~TLTS~

Summer break had begun. Hot wind entering the dark room, Akashi Seijuro savored the lonesome silence he rarely received. The flamboyant residence was for once calm and quiet, nobody present except for him. Exams were over, and a mass of pressure as now temporarily removed from his lean shoulders. His father was out at Sapporo for a business trip, and wasn't going to come back in a while.

To be easily worded, it was heaven.

His body ached from his father's so-called disciplinary works the previous day before his departure to the airport. Bruises varying in size dotted his body, though not his face – he avoided that place as much as possible, just not to gather much attention from others. Now, this wasn't very often – since Akashi was in a basketball club, his father had attempted to lessen the amount of…bluntly saying, beatings done to the poor boy. But it didn't stop him from what he was doing.

He glanced at the clock cautiously. It was still nine in the morning – Teiko still continued to hold afternoon practices during break. Akashi was fully aware of the fact that Nijimura would question the bruises (that covered his arms and legs, so those were kind of challenging to hide) and he wasn't looking forward to that happening. It also wasn't quite possible to skip practice, because that would simply ruin the reputation he had carried along the semester.

Amidst all his groaning and frustration, his phone beeped.

From: Midorima Shintaro

To: Me

Akashi, I think you might've forgot, but the first day of practice begins at eight-thirty. Hurry up, the captain's shouting at me right now.

Akashi cursed. Loudly. Ruin his reputation? He already did, apparently.

Throwing his phone into his bag, Akashi quickly changed into his T-shirt and pants. It was really too hot outside for long pants, but he really had no choice. The bruises on his arms just had to be covered with a clumsy excuse. Brushing his teeth, the redhead started wondering over the fact of why his house had to be so freaking humongous when only two people dwelled in it.

Just when he was running towards the gates, closing the double doors behind him, his phone rang. The ID read as Nijimura Shuzou. He regretted exchanging his number with the captain immediately. Normally he would go to school with his butler, but he had no alternative. Swiftly getting in a taxi, Akashi picked up his phone – only to be greeted with a scream to his ear.

"AKASHI, WHAT THE FUCK HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?!"

Even the driver winced at the volume. Akashi sent the guy an apologetic expression, and lowered his voice as he sunk into the cheap leather of the seat. "I'm sorry, captain – it seems like I wasn't keeping track of time." He actually was – just forgot. "I will get there in about ten minutes."

A low growl tickled the tip of his earlobe, as the first year just patiently waited for the latter to respond. "…I will assume you have some reasonable explanation for this, or maybe some inconvenience – but there are no seconds, Akashi. Understood?" The response was rather late, but it satisfied Akashi anyway. Ending the call, the redhead placed the phone back into his bag and stared at the scenery outside. He had never bothered to actually take a minute to look around his surroundings – too many thoughts usually overwhelming him with pressure.

The taxi came to a stop after a while, and Akashi paid the driver the money necessary. He stepped out of the car and winced as his bruises rubbed against the seat as he got off – it truly was the worst time to be moving when you were injured, when the bruises were all turning purple and yellow. He clucked his tongue as he realized that the color was becoming more and more visible on his arms.

"Akashi, you're so late." Midorima grunted, throwing his basketball to a senior and walking toward him. He then came to an abrupt stop and paused to scan at the red head's attire. "Long pants? Are you serious? During this weather?" A comment was made from the brief observation, and then a more concerned one tagged along. "What's with the bruises on your arms?"

"I forgot to put my short ones in the laundry." Lies. "And I accidentally tripped down the stairs yesterday, when it was still slippery." More lies to follow. Seeming dubious, the shooting guard just fixed the position of his glasses as he raised his left brow. He had witnessed many cases of his father's patients when they were heavily injured. Bruises didn't appear in such a way after simply falling down the stairs.

But not interrogating any further, the two resumed into practice. Nijimura seemed prepared for another admonishing statement, but held himself back when seeing the physical state of Akashi. "Clumsy day?" He asked, and the redhead nodded glumly. "Well, be careful the next time you fall down the stairs. Thought you had experience with martial arts?"

"I do. Just couldn't get into the stance fast enough." In rebuttal, Akashi lied. Well, it was true that he had experience with martial arts – it's just that his father was way more skilled than he was. The head coach didn't utter a word as he blew his whistle for the members to continue, and Akashi and Midorima joined the crowd as they started running.

Aomine was running in front alongside Nijimura and the vice captain, while Murasakibara was simply taking his time around the middle. Akashi and Midorima stayed behind due to having a late head start, and Kuroko (as always) was dead last. Then the indigo-haired slowed down to Midorima and Akashi's line, and started off with a frown on his face. "Rare to see you late." Clearly directed at the redhead, Aomine commented, and Akashi wondered how many times he would have to repeat the same lies to people for the day.

"I wasn't keeping track of the time." He flinched as his foot came in contact with the ground and a painful sensation rushed through his body. Practice was truly unbeneficial for wound treatment. Aomine gave a nod, though seemingly unconvinced. Akashi never missed a minute on the clock – he was accurate, exact, and absolute. He kept track of time almost to the point it could be labeled as perfect. It was rather tough to imagine the male not doing so.

Midorima on the other hand, was certain that Akashi was spurting lies from his mouth – and that something was just wrong, but couldn't quite place his finger on what it could be. 'I fell down the stairs'…eh. Jogging past a gigantic sakura tree that now was dotted with green leaves, the spectacled male reminded himself of something that had been mentioned on the Internet.

I fell down the stairs is such a cliché excuse.

Practice ended on a friendly note, with coach Shirogane bidding the members farewell. Each of them all headed home, wet towels around their necks with water bottles in hand. Chattering off in the corner were the managers, and laughing their heads off down the pavement were the seniors. The colorful bunch gathered around and decided to unknowingly form their own crowd.

"Kuroko, how 'bout going to convenience store?" Aomine asked, and Kuroko nodded in agreement. Midorima shrugged, and Murasakibara tagged along. That left Akashi, who usually never went on any outings with any of them.

"…Sure." The redhead smiled, "It's not like I have anything better to do." Seemingly startled with this friendly answer, the others glanced at one another. Kuroko led the way, as the others followed behind her steps, talking quietly amongst themselves as they crossed the road. Akashi had never actually hung out with other people, so this experience was quite new to him. As he looked up and examined his friends, he could feel the warmth and fervor illuminating from their expressions. He wondered if he looked like he was a part of them, too.

The door automatically opened as the group set foot on the doormat. A female welcomed them in, wearing the apron and cap. "Is that guy not here today?" Aomine questioned, as the female expressed bewilderment with her whole body in response. "The blonde model." The tanned basketball player added on, suggesting helpful descriptions.

Catching up immediately once he had mentioned 'blonde', the female shook her head with disappointment. "My deepest apologies, sir…Kise-kun's shift doesn't begin until three."

"Oh." Aomine shrugged his shoulders, "No need to apologize. I was just curious." Then he turned around and faced the others. "So, are you guys going to buy anything? We're at a convenience store, ya' know." He wobbled down the freezer to reach the popsicle located in the very corner, then stood up straight again. Midorima also reached down to grab the red-bean flavored soft ice cream that had a plastic cover over it.

Kuroko just grabbed her usual vanilla milkshake from the fridge, as Murasakibara roamed through the chips and snack section delightfully. He seemed to be stuck between his usual original potato chips and the strawberry-coated maiubos, but then eventually went for the cheaper potato chips.

"Akashi, how about you?" Midorima tilted his head to the side. Akashi shook his head.

"I don't have anything I want –" Before Akashi could properly finalize his sentence, a white horse was pulled up in front of him. Well, more like a small figurine of a white horse. Kuroko had picked it up from the shelves that had a neat line of different animal figurines sitting on it. "What's this?" He caught the horse as Kuroko dropped it on his palm.

Midorima cleared his throat, making it his cue to provide an explanation. "It's a general lucky charm for Sagittarius, the archer. White horses represent elegance, purity and beauty – or even mysterious. I am presuming you have looked through the Oha Asa homepage, Kuroko?" The female nodded vigorously.

"I thought it would suit you, Akashi-kun." She then walked to the cashier and took out her purse.

"Wait, Kuroko," The red head grasped her arm hurriedly. "You don't need to buy it, honestly –"But Kuroko had already paid for the figurine before Akashi could utter another word. She silently hooked it on the zipper of the male's bag, and then gave her work a satisfied grin. Aomine also leaned in to take a look, and patted Akashi's shoulder.

"Looks good with the bag, Akashi!" Fully aware of the fact that Aomine was half-teasing him, the point guard elbowed him in the stomach and released an inaudible 'hmph'. Then he faced Kuroko as his expression turned somewhat softer.

"Thank you, Kuroko." The female just sent him a curt nod, as the crowd stepped out of the store. Eventually they all split up and headed separate ways, their houses all located in different corners and roads.

Akashi slowly opened his door as it made a small 'creak', it moving to his right. His hand was still was on the cold brass doorknob as he stared at the dark hallway that seemed endless in front of him. He had never realized how desolate the residence looked – not even when he was in his thoughtful moods. He closed the door behind him and locked it, and turned on the lights, lighting up the hallway.

Then he proceeded to glance at the gigantic portrait of his mother that dwelled on the side of the wall, just before he entered his room. His mom looked amicable – and she actually was, when she was still alive. Akashi Shiori was her name, and according to his relatives, "Elegant" was her middle name. She liked to keep a very optimistic and positive attitude to everything, and was gentle.

But death took her away, and fate was cruel to Akashi.

Opening his door, Akashi realized he had left the window open before leaving. He found that odd somehow – he never opened the windows. He stepped towards them and locked it, shutting the curtains close as well. Beneath his feet was a pile of clothes that he had thrown on the floor before rushing outside, and a random emergency kit that was lying upside down with a roll of bandages sprawled all over.

Picking up the rubbish and blood-soaked towels, Akashi tossed them into the pile of laundry outside his room. It was rather troublesome that he had forgotten to clean up his room yesterday. No, he reminded himself, I just couldn't bring myself to do it, that's all. Staring emptily at the stack of clothing, Akashi heaved a sigh and slammed the door shut behind him as he departed.

~TLTS~

Kuroko Tetsuya tapped her pencil rhythmically on the wooden surface of the desk, unable to concentrate on her homework. She still had a pile of essays to complete before summer break ended (even though there were still about 3 weeks remaining) and basketball practice was tiring her out. First string training menus were simply too challenging to be completed at her level, but she also couldn't just expect the coach to lower the standards for her just because she was a 'girl'.

Hm…The algebraic equations seemed like mere alphabets and numbers to her eyes, as she drifted off into more trivial thoughts.

Then her phone buzzed. Kuroko picked it up, and opened it without any suspicion – the reason being that she was too distracted to even care.

"Ah – no, Soji-aniki, that goes to the cabinet. Wait, not there it – you know what? I will fix it later on." Ranting and complaints were muffled in the background as Kuroko heard a small click on the other side. "Uh…is this Kuroko Tetsuya?"

Not knowing how to respond to the unknown number, the female had no choice but to reply with a polite greeting as well. "Yes, and just who might you be?"

"This is Murasakibara Atsushi." Blinking endlessly (almost as if she was clueless), Kuroko tried to think of at least million reasons why out of all people in Japan, Murasakibara would be the one to call her. "You see, it turns out that Momoi-chan planned for us to go to this new mall that just completed their construction near Tokyo Tower, and she was asking if you wanted to come with us. Tomorrow we have a day off of practice, so…"

"Sure, why not?" Kuroko answered, "But how did you get my phone number?"

"Midorima-kun didn't have the guts to call you, so he gave me your phone number."

"Oh." That explained everything. Kuroko didn't question further and eventually they hung up, and the girl casually walked up to her closet. She pondered on what to wear for the tomorrow, as she never went out on an outing with a bunch of club members or anyone her age that were mostly males. Finally picking out a normal white T-shirt and jean shorts, she placed her purse right next to it and got ready to go to sleep.

The next morning started out wonderfully. Kuroko was the first one at the train station, wearing her pink cap as she stared at her phone and the time. Was I too early? They were supposed to meet at ten, and then leave to the mall together. Akashi did have his own private van that could hold more than ten people with ease, but Momoi insisted that they had to take the train for the anticipation that awaited them, along with the fact that Akashi had never went on a train before.

"Kuroko." Midorima's low voice boomed throughout the vicinity. He stood next to her and leaned on the pillar she was also leaning on. Then he pointed at the benches, and motioned for them to sit instead after a while. So they headed to the empty bench and sat next to each other, as some random middle schoolers whispered begrudgingly about Kuroko.

Soon after Akashi and Aomine arrived, the tanned male obviously frustrated about something that the two had argued on their way. Momoi came running with Murasakibara by her side. They all got tickets, with Midorima doing Akashi's, only because the redhead didn't know how. The group came to a conclusion that a struggling Akashi was rather adorable too.

The mall was gigantic.

That was the only description that could be made. People were milling inside with massive crowds and circles, and newly opened shops and stores were starting new events and sales as customers rushed in to try them out. As the group walked around, pushing through people in attempt to find a more unoccupied area, Kuroko realized that there were several screens all around the mall that were displaying different photo shoots for the month of different magazines – mostly from Zunon Boy, the infamous magazine that was going crazy between teenagers.

Among the variety of female and male models, one screen showed Kise Ryouta, smiling with a scarf around his neck. He looked great – a perfect model, with a perfect smile.

Just then-

"OHMYGOSH –"

"KISE RYOUTA! IT'S RYOUTA-SAMA!"

Speak of the devil. Kuroko turned around dubiously, as her eyes widened at the sight of the blonde. Suddenly taken aback from the entrance of the model, (though they were technically friends) Kuroko was pushed to the side. That's when she realized – she was separated from the others. Before she could trip on the piece of cloth that was on the floor, someone caught her by the shoulders as Kise's lean figure vanished from her eyes.

"Hey, watch your step." A gruff voice warned, though their hands still on her shoulder firmly. Kuroko stood up and thanked the stranger – only to notice that he wasn't a stranger at all. The male in front of her looked just as startled. "Tetsuya?"

"…Haizaki-kun?"