Kise's opening act for his show was some other rising pop singer that Aomine had never heard of before and didn't care about. He was too busy trying keep an eye on Hayashi, which was proving to be fairly challenging. Hayashi was of fairly average height and wearing dark clothing so he blended into the crowd easily. Aomine kept Kuroko close, relying on his observational skills to track Hayashi but in a crowd like this, even Kuroko had difficulties.

Aomine was getting frustrated. Kuroko, Momoi, Kagami, and himself were all trying, but Hayashi was moving around. He was managing to do so in such a way that people didn't pay too much attention to him because he still blended in just enough. Kagami and Aomine had previously insisted that they all stick together, but now Aomine was having his doubts about how effective that could be. Hayashi could slip out of his grasp at any time and he definitely wasn't going to send any of his friends after him. Besides, Aomine was still fairly observant himself.

In addition to these frustrations, it was getting harder to hear Kuroko over the crowd. Kagami somehow still managed to hear everything he said, but the confusion just added to Aomine's frustration. His original plan was to alert security of Hayashi acting suspiciously, but he was doubting that was going to pan out. By this point, the dream was out of his mind. It was just about getting to Hayashi and stopping him before he got to Kise.

The opening act's set ended and everything settled during the break before Kise's upcoming set. The band and singer were clearing off the stage as the crowd began to chatter amongst themselves.

The break went on for a little while and Aomine figured it would be relatively easy to keep an eye on Hayashi until Kise's set started. He was wrong.

"Where did he go?" Kagami asked, looking around.

Kuroko looked nervous. "I'm not sure."

That wasn't exactly a satisfactory answer as far as Aomine was concerned. His eyes searched the crowd but he couldn't see him either. "What do you mean 'not sure'?" Aomine demanded.

"I'm afraid I've lost him," Kuroko said regretfully.

Aomine gritted his teeth. There didn't seem to be any frantic movement near the stage, but where was he?

"Lost him?" Momoi said, looking around frantically. "Kise-san's set is starting soon."

They'd previously assumed that Hayashi would attack between sets in Kise's show or after the show. What if they were wrong and he didn't? What if he had already somehow slipped backstage?

Aomine felt something coiling inside of him and he could do little more than act on it. Without a word to his friends, he dashed off towards the exit, weaving his way through an impatient crowd who were muttering that Kise was taking too long to get on stage.

"Dai-chan!" Momoi cried after him, but he wasn't turning back now.

Aomine made his way to the exit as fast as he could, which wasn't exactly easy in a big and tightly packed crowd but goddammit if he ever needed his speed away from the basketball court it was right now. An employee at the door tried to reach out to him, something about needing his ticket if he were to come back in, but he disregarded them completely.

Outside, his dream unfurled. He heard the exact cries and words he'd been hearing repeatedly in his sleep for weeks and slowed his pace to a quiet but quick walk so he could move undetected.

He heard Hayashi: "I'm after something a little more complicated than money."

Kise whimpers filled his ears as he asked, "W-what do you want?"

"I-I've been telling you! Over and over, I've been telling you and you haven't listened to me. How do you expect this to work if you don't listen to me?!"

"Please, put the knife away, let's just talk about this. Don't do something you'll regret."

"See, you're only saying that now. I really want to believe you, but you ruined it. You don't even understand what you've done!"

Kise's whimpers got louder. "It doesn't have to be like this, please don't do this, please put the knife away."

"Shut up! You've said enough already. What happens now is up to me."

Aomine turned the corner into the alley and saw the all-too-familiar sight he'd seen over and over and had been struggling to prevent. Hayashi had Kise shoved against the wall, a knife held to his throat and he'd already broken skin, resulting in a shallow but still intimidating cut across his neck.

Now Aomine himself was slowly approaching Hayashi from behind, his gaze dark, also just as he'd dreamed. Kise saw him in the shadows and shook, his eyes wide with fear.

"W-What are you doing here?"

Hayashi turned around slowly, knife in hand. His eyes went wide at the sight of Aomine and he held up the knife, threatening him next. "Who the hell are you?"

Aomine continued to move to him, not showing any signs of fear despite being unarmed. His expression continued to remain dark as he came within arm's length of Hayashi.

"Aominecchi, get out of here!" Kise cried, remaining pressed up against the wall by his own fear. He wasn't afraid of Aomine as Aomine had feared. Instead, Kise was afraid for him.

Aomine's silence was enough to set Hayashi off. The stalker launched his arm forth towards him but Aomine's arm was quicker, managing to grab Hayashi's wrist before the knife could slice right into his chest. Hayashi gasped and Aomine moved quickly again, yanking the knife from his grasp, then launching a kick right into his chest, successfully knocking him down.

Hayashi groaned as Aomine turned him face down then pressed his foot between his shoulder blades, still holding his knife.

"Don't fucking move," he growled.

Kise watched in shock, staring down at Hayashi and back up at Aomine like his mind was still trying to piece together what just happened.

Right then, Momoi came around the corner followed closely by Kagami and Kuroko.

"Oh my god. Dai-chan!"

Kagami took in the sight before him and then turned his gaze over to Kise. "Are you okay?"

Kise nodded, still looking shocked. "I'm fine. He snuck backstage and pulled me out here before I could call anyone. Aominecchi….he came just in time."

Of course. Aomine kept Hayashi under his shoe, still holding his knife and not taking his eyes off him. "Someone call the damn cops."

Kuroko had already pulled out his phone. "I'm on it, Aomine-kun."

Kagami turned, rushing off. "I'll get security."

Pinned to the ground, Hayashi groaned. Aomine had expected him to struggle more, but he wasn't. Maybe Aomine had hit him harder than he'd thought, not that he'd have any regret about doing so.

Momoi walked over, glaring down at him to the point where she was practically fuming. She kicked right into his side, causing him to groan even louder. "Creep! I hope they put you away."

A few moments later, Kagami came rushing back around the corner with members of security.

"The hell happened here?" one of the staff asked.

Kise moved from the wall, though he was still shaking. "That man snuck backstage and came after me!" he said, pointing down to Hayashi. "He pulled me right out here and if it wasn't for him—", he pointed to Aomine, "—I wouldn't be standing here right now."

The security team glanced at Aomine suspiciously, probably because he had the knife, but they took Kise's word nonetheless.

"We'll be taking it from here. And that knife if you don't mind."

Aomine stepped off Hayashi and handed a knife over to one of the guards without any hesitation, glancing over at Kise as two other guards approached Hayashi, cuffing him.

"The police are on their way," Kuroko said, putting his phone in his pocket.

The guards lifted Hayashi from the ground. "We'll have a special gift for them when they arrive."

Hayashi kept his gaze on the ground, not acknowledging those around him as the guards carried him away from Kise so he could be easily delivered to the police when they showed up. One more guard remained behind, walking over to Kise and grabbing his arm. "Let's get you back inside so we can get ready for your show."

Kise jerked his arm away, glaring at the guard angrily. "What is wrong with you? I just had a knife to my throat! Do you not see the cut on my neck? I love my fans but you can't be serious! There's no way I'm putting that show on right now!"

The guard fell quiet. Aomine and his friends watched closely as the blond started trembling again, his eyes watering. For a moment the air was tense as Kise tried to pull himself together, but soon his face fell into his hands.

"I can't put that show on after this. I can't."

Aomine walked over to him, placing gentle hands on his shoulders. "He's gone. He can't hurt you anymore. No more text messages, no more voicemails, no more trying to meet you at your apartment. He won't reach you anymore. He tried to tear you away from something you love to do but you are stronger than that. You're shaken? Then be shaken, but if you go back inside and walk right up to that stage and put on the great show you planned, then you will have shown him that you are stronger and he has no control over you."

Kise lifted his face from his hands, looking at Aomine in shock, his face wet and puffy.

A short woman came speeding from around the corner. Kise's manager. She rushed over to where Kise and Aomine were standing, looking concerned. "I just heard what happened. Say the word and I'll cancel the show."

All eyes were on Kise as he looked at his manager, to Aomine, then back to his manager.

"No," he said firmly. "Please tell everyone I'll be on stage in a few minutes."

"Are you sure?" his manager asked.

"Yes. Please."

She nodded and turned back around, rushing off again to head back inside.

"Does anyone have a bandage?" Kise whined.

Momoi perked up, moving closer with her purse as Aomine took a step back. "I do!" She dug in her purse for some tissues first, gently cleaning the bit of blood that had dribbled down Kise's neck before pulling a bandage out and placing it across the cut with gentle hands.

"Thank you," Kise said with a small smile. He turned his gaze to Aomine. "I want you to come on stage with me."

Aomine blinked. "What? I don't dance or sing, are you kidding? No way!"

Kise giggled. "You don't have to do anything like that. I just…want you up there. Please? Just this one time."

Aomine pouted at the pleading look that Kise was giving him. It didn't help when Momoi nudged his side with her elbow, giving him a knowing look. She was going to hear about that later.

"Bring your friends. They helped too. You guys will have the best seats in the house," Kise said.

Before Aomine could answer again, Momoi gasped, her face lighting up. "Come on, Dai-chan! It'll be fun!" She turned back to Kagami and Kuroko. "Right guys?"

Kagami shyly rubbed the back of his neck. "Sure, sounds good to me." He looked down at Kuroko, who was even smiling a little, nodding in approval.

Kise smiled. "Then it's settled. Follow me." He turned and headed towards the back door, throwing a slight grin back at Aomine.

Aomine shook his head, groaning. "What an idiot," he said, following with everyone else behind him. In spite of himself though, he felt himself smiling a little.

During the show, Aomine stood with his friends at the far side of the stage, enjoying the show together as Kise gave an enthusiastic performance. Despite still being shaken, he was still able to channel his energy well enough to give a great performance that his audience loved.

Throughout the performance, Aomine caught Kise looking back at him every now and then and he wasn't sure if Kise was gauging his reaction to his music, checking to see if he was still there, or something else. Nonetheless, each time Kise looked back at him, Aomine sent him a small nod, which earned him a few of Kise's bright and charming smiles.

Aomine might have been tapping his foot to the beat of the music, and maybe perhaps enjoyed hearing Kise's sing just a little bit, and just maybe he was thinking about buying Kise's upcoming album but….Kise didn't have to know that.

The show went well and Kise's crowd loved him. He made sure to thank them all for their support, asking them to buy his coming album, and that he'd be performing again in the area very soon. Additionally, he informed the crowd that he wouldn't be doing any signings today due to "extraordinary circumstances" but he was still working on meet & greets with fans real soon. It was pretty clear that today was just not the right day to meet with fans, a sentiment that Aomine definitely agreed with.

After the show, Kise stepped backstage with Aomine and his friends, requesting to talk to Aomine alone. Momoi, Kuroko, and Kagami all seemed to understand and told Aomine they would be waiting for him outside. Kise had to talk his security into letting him talk to Aomine alone, but in the end he was dragging Aomine back with him into his dressing room.

Kise shut the door behind them, exchanging glances with Aomine. The blond's expression was soft, maybe even a little tired.

"You saved my life," he whispered.

Aomine looked down, at a loss for a response. "I…"

Kise approached him again, taking both of Aomine's strong hands into his own. "I don't know how this happened, all I know is that you saved me and you didn't even hesitate. I…I don't know what to say."

Aomine, for all of the swiftness and steadiness he'd displayed earlier when he'd confronted Hayashi, felt his hands tremble within Kise's. The truth was every time he thought about his dream and about the possibility of something happening to Kise as a result, it felt like a hole in him that he'd never be able to fill. A void he'd have to carry and live with for the rest of his life. The more he got to know Kise as Kise insisted on pushing himself towards Aomine over and over, the more Aomine's fears loomed over him. This was about much more than saving a life that he had the power to save. It was about saving a life he was afraid to lose.

He couldn't even explain why that was the case. There was no rhyme or reason for it. He and Kise barely knew each other, but there had been something between them, something beyond the comprehension of both of them, since before they even met. Each time they interacted it only grew. Kuroko was right, they did have some kind of connection, something neither of them could fully grasp.

It was kind of terrifying to think about it. Aomine wasn't exactly the kind of person who looked up at the stars and wondered about what kind of powers governed the lives of human beings but with Kise there was something powerful that he simply couldn't ignore.

"Kise…do you remember when you were at my apartment and you asked me if we would see each other again when this was over?"

"Yeah?" Kise asked, hope in his voice.

There was definitely something between them, and call Aomine crazy, but he would swear that Kise felt it too.

Aomine looked down for a moment, his nervous hands still within Kise's, but he tightened his grasp. Kise had been right before: he should embrace who he was, and when he had something so grand staring him right in the face he knew that if he walked away from this moment without doing so that he would regret it.

He leaned in, pressing his lips against Kise's in a surprisingly gentle kiss. He'd half expected Kise to push him away, but Kise responded instantly, wrapping his arms around him as he pushed back against his lips with a soft hum. Aomine held him close, deepening the kiss, allowing it to linger for a long, beautiful moment.

"I want to do more than see you again," he whispered as their lips parted.

Kise looked back at him, a faint blush on his cheeks. "Good. I've never wanted to be with anyone more," he whispered back before leaning in for another kiss.

Several minutes later, Aomine walked out of the back door of the club, his arm around Kise, and both of them were grinning. Momoi, Kuroko, and Kagami had been waiting for Aomine, but they weren't expecting him to bring a special guest.

Momoi blinked. "Dai-chan, are you two…?"

Aomine smirked. "I'll let you guess."

Everyone exchange glances and Kise couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Why don't we get something to eat?" Kuroko suggested. "Kise-kun can come too."

Kagami nodded, though he looked concerned and shifted his glance to Kise. "Sure, but aren't you worried about being followed by fans?"

Kise smiled. "I have a feeling I'll be safe with you guys."

Chuckling, Aomine led the way out of the alley, pulling Kise closer to him as everyone followed.

"I got a call yesterday," Kise said softly, his head leaned on Aomine's shoulder as he stroked the other male's bare chest with a gentle fingertip. He liked it like this, with the blankets up their hips so he could look at and touch Aomine as much as he wanted and feel his warmth.

The sunlight wasn't as bright as usual today because Aomine had actually bothered to close his curtains last night, but that little twinkle in Kise's eyes was bright enough. "Hm?"

Kise sighed. "He's not going to spend much time behind bars, but he'll have a restraining order when he gets out."

"Figures."

Kise smiled at him, meeting his sleepy gaze. "You're not worried, are you?"

"You're not?" Aomine asked, looking back at him.

Kise shook his head. "Not this time."

Aomine stretched an arm, wrapping it around his bare shoulders and holding him close. Of the two of them, maybe he was the one who was more concerned, but he'd rather have that then be blind sided. They had tried to keep Kise's story quiet from the public, but it had leaked out regardless due to his rising popularity, so Aomine was afraid of copy cats and he wasn't sure if Kise realized this. Nonetheless, he also knew that Kise's manager and the rest of his staff were taking steps to try to keep him safer in the future. It would only become more critical with the more popularity he gained, and lately he was gaining a lot of it very quickly.

But Aomine hadn't had any dreams since then, and it might not mean anything, but he was grateful he could sleep at night without worrying about what might happen to Kise. Especially when Kise was sleeping right in his arms.

"I have a confession to make," he said, voice still groggy.

Kise tilted his head, glancing up at him from his shoulder.

"There was another part of the dream I never told you about," Aomine said. "I did dream where I showed up. Not at first, but it happened after we started talking."

Kise blinked at him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid that if I told you, you would expect me to come and then I wouldn't make it on time. I just…think it's weird that I kept struggling to change the dream, but it happened anyway."

"Maybe the choices you took, like choosing to reach out to me, shaped the dream. Shaped fate."

"Maybe. I don't know."

"Well…new rule," Kise said, shifting to lay on top of him, arms folded over his chest. "No more secrets. If this is what we are now…I don't want there to be any secrets between us."

Aomine smiled softly, stroking his hair as he gazed at him. "You're a sap."

"I'm serious! I'm not completely helpless, you know. We can work together if something happens."

"Nothing better happen."

"Aominecchi, come on. Promise me."

Aomine smiled. "Don't worry. I promise."

Kise beamed, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank you. Was that so hard?"

"Very. I'm hurting," he said with a smirk.

The blond shoved him against the mattress then rolled off of him. "You're such an idiot."

Aomine laughed, pulling him close again. "Don't be mad, babe. I got a secret I can tell you right now, actually."

"What?" The blond asked, looking at him skeptically.

Aomine smirked. "I really think we should have a repeat of last night."

"You're hopeless! That's not a secret," Kise said, laughing in spite of himself.

"But you didn't know until I said it."

Kise smirked. "If you kiss me good enough I'll think about it."

Aomine placed a hand on his cheek, leaning in. "I'll consider that a challenge," he said, proceeding to seal his promise with a deep kiss.