Kuroko no Basuke

Mad Love

Chapter Eleven: Aomine IV

The crowd stirred when Aomine single-handedly past by three players on the court. He had the ball and there was less than ten seconds left running; all that kept Aomine from the basket was Kagami and Kuroko. The boys standing beside Tora grew restless as they watched their fellow Kiseki overpower the two boys standing in his way and make a buzzer beater dunk. A silent echo resounded in the hall after the buzzer went. The crowd was silent for a good few seconds before they erupted into loud cheers for Touou's victory. Everyone knew from the moment Aomine showed up that Seirin wasn't going to win, but no one expected such a disastrous score difference with Touou doubling the number of baskets Seirin had. Tora watched on anxiously as Aomine spoke bitter words that were unheard by them.

The teams lined up to bow, Tora briefly glanced over to her boyfriend and almost shook when she saw that he was completely agape.

"… Ryou-kun?"

"Huh?"

He immediately turned to her, his eyes were still glazed, but he recovered quickly and gave her a quick smile.

"Y-Yeah Toracchi?"

"Are you okay?" she asked uneasily. "You look unwell."

"I'm fine!" he nodded. "… But Aominecchi is amazing as usual, huh?"

"… Yes," she turned to watch the players leave the court. "That's the Aomine-kun we know."

"Looks like you were right Midorimacchi."

"Naturally."

Despite Midorima warning Tora to keep a distance from him if she were to go come with Kise, she couldn't stop her boyfriend after he took notice of his former teammate. In Tora's defense, he had the worst disguise she had ever seen. Large purple sport sunglasses did nothing to hide his height and unusual green hair. Before the match started, Kise and Midorima had a short discussion on which they favored in the upcoming match. Kise chose Seirin after playing them in the practice match, but Midorima decided on Touou. Tora had replied she'd like Seirin to win when Kise asked her cheerily, and when Midorima asked for her reason she could only mutter a quick: 'my gut instinct'. Kise had laughed at that, but she just couldn't bring herself to say that she didn't want Kaijo and Touou to play each other anytime soon. It was selfish of her, but with such a final score, it seemed pointless to have even discussed it.

Tora remained silent as the boys spoke a few more words on the game before Kise put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey Toracchi, I'm going to head out first okay?"

"Already?"

"Yes, I'm going back to school to see senpai."

"Back to Kasamatsu-senpai? Are you reporting back to him or something?" she put on a quick smile when he nodded. "… Well alright… will you be okay?"

"Yeah!" he sighed. "This just means we'll be playing Aominecchi sooner than we thought."

"I see."

Kise paused for a moment; for the first time since the game ended did he notice that Tora looked rather skittish. From the corner of his eye, he saw Midorima watching him carefully, he had almost forgotten just how close his girlfriend was with the difficult green-haired boy. Kise returned a knowing look as he put his arms around Tora, pulling her into his chest.

"I'll be going now, okay?"

"Alright. Bye."

He leant down so she could reach up to give him a kiss on the cheek. The moment was sweet but ended far too quickly; in spite of the shortness and modesty of the gesture, Midorima cleared his throat behind Tora. The girl peeked behind her shoulder and saw that the boy was frowning at them.

"Jeez Midorimacchi… It was only a little kiss on the cheek," Kise chuckled. "I'll see you soon, make sure Toracchi gets back alright, okay?"

"Isn't that the boyfriend's job?" Midorima noted the imploring look on Tora's face. "... Nevermind. I'll let you off today but next time you mustn't leave her behind you understand?"

"Uwah! You sound just like Reicchicchi when you speak like that," Kise laughed. "Alright! I'll be leaving first!"

"Take care," Tora gave him a sweet smile. "I'll call you tonight."

"Yup!"

This time Kise bent down and captured her lips momentarily before taking off. It all happened so quickly that Tora hadn't a clue what had just happened, she only saw Midorima's gasp turning into a stern glare directed to the exit. And just like that Kise was gone. Midorima noticed her lingering gaze on the door even after the blond had disappeared through it; from what he saw earlier the two looked better than ever. He wondered what her sudden anxiousness was about. Maybe she was just upset that he bolted out right after the match, but he couldn't be too sure about this couple anymore. Especially not when Aomine was somehow involved in everything.

"Shall we go, Ikeda?"

"Yes, lets."

The two left the stadium through the back exit and Midorima made Tora wait at the back gate with him. According to Midorima, Takao was to come pick him up after the game and he also one-sidedly claimed that Takao wouldn't mind going the extra two kilometers to drop Tora home. She knew that Kise had asked that he made sure she got back home safely, but she was perfectly capable of going home herself without having to trouble Takao. As they waited in silence, Tora wondered what she could say to convince Midorima to let her go home on her own. For some odd reason she felt as if she was preparing to speak to an authority figure or sorts - maybe even her dad on a bad day.

"Um… Midorima-kun?"

"Hn?"

"Can I please go home by myself?" she felt like slapping herself for sounding like a child asking their parent for permission. "Uh- please."

"No, we can drop you home on the way."

"... God, you're always so-."

He gave her a side-glance that immediately shut her up. She wasn't upset with him, perhaps more bothered than actually angry, she had always felt somewhat amenable towards Midorima. It wasn't in the romantic way, but they were rather affectionate towards the other. He had always said it was because Cancers and Virgos had a high compatibility rate, but she wondered if that was the case. Tora took a peek at him, but he caught her almost immediately and let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head. Just as she was about to speak again, they heard footsteps approaching the gate. The two immediately turned back and Tora paled as she saw Aomine heading towards the gate. She took a deep breath as she looked away; the last thing she wanted was to speak to Aomine in Midorima's presence.

"... Um…"

"What is it?"

"Midorima-kun, I'm going to hide around that corner over there okay?" she pointed to her left. "Don't tell Aomine-kun I was here. I promise to explain later."

"... Do what you want," he gave her a look. "You should hurry if you plan to hide from him."

Midorima watched her run and disappear behind the corner. He had his concerns, but this was beyond him. He's decided that once Aomine leaves, he'll have a proper talk with Tora about this. Chances were that she won't make it easy, but he'll get her to explain what was going on and sort this mess out. He can't tale all the guesses and assumptions that go through his head anymore. If there really was a problem between Tora and Aomine then he'll see it solved.

When the footsteps got close enough, he looked backwards and saw Aomine come through the gate.

"Oh, you were here Midorima?"

"Yes."

"You came to watch?"

"I had time," he replied. "It was an unsightly game."

"Whatever," he scoffed. "Say, you seen Tora around? I thought I saw her with you during the game."

"No, we went our separate ways afterwards."

"Oh, nevermind then," Aomine turned to leave. "See ya."

"Hmph," Midorima turned around as Aomine walked away, but his eyes shot open when he realised that he was heading around the same corner Tora ran to. "Wait, Aomine!"

"What?"

"... U-Uh… Virgos shouldn't go left today."

He could only hope that Tora heard him, maybe it'd buy her time to find a new hiding spot.

"Huh?"

"It's bad luck and you don't have your lucky item."

"... Yeah whatever, I'll be fine."

The tanned back ignored the warning and went ahead. Midorima was at a complete lost of words, he could only watch in defeat as Aomine too disappeared around the corner. Just when he thought Tora was found, Aomine's footsteps began fading and then there was silence. Midorima let out a breath of relief when he checked that Tora was indeed unfound and Aomine was going his way. He walked back to the front of the gate and pulled his phone out. Tora would have at least left a message if she decided to leave first but there was no such message, which meant that she was still somewhere around. After close to another two minutes of waiting and worrying, his phone chimed and he immediately flipped it open: 'Kidnapped by Aomine-kun - I'll be fine, speak later!'

Midorima's hand shuddered ever so slightly as he reread the message carefully. It was short, to the point, and it only made him worry even more.

X-X-X

They've been walking in silence for the last five minutes. Unfortunately for Tora, Aomine spotted her even after she sprinted away when she heard Midorima warn her about him about to come her way. As soon as he got her in sight, he began chasing after her and she had no chance of competing with the power forward. He had simply said that he needed to speak with her and dragged her along with him. She had no idea where they were going and her wrist was growing sore from his heavy grip. She wriggled her hand a bit to loosen his hold but he only turned around to look at her.

"Can you please let me go, Aomine-kun?" she spoke carefully. "It hurts."

"Right, sorry," he released her. "Why didn't you stop running when you saw it was me?"

"... Who would stop running when there's a monster chasing them…" she looked away awkwardly. "Uh… so good game."

"Midorima said it was distasteful," he snickered.

"Of course he did," she nodded slowly. "Um… so where are we going?"

"Haven't decided yet."

"What? Really?"

"Well all I was thinking about before was getting you to stop running," he walked ahead. "Should we go get some ramen?"

"... Yeah sure."

Aomine led the way while Tora followed. She really hadn't a clue how she was supposed to act. She had spent the last few days practically avoiding him (well she was properly avoiding him on the day of her date with Kise) and he must have realised that she had been ignoring his calls and occasional text messages. The fact that he had chased her down and claimed that he needed to speak to her must have been that he wanted to properly talk. Whatever it was that he wanted to talk to her about, she had a feeling that she wouldn't able to talk her way out of it and even if she tried somehow he'd see through her.

They finally stopped outside a small ramen store and Aomine led her inside. She didn't often eat at ramen stores and so she was at a lost of what to order; she just picked the first thing on the menu while Aomine chose the largest bowl of ramen that had to offer. Things got quiet again after the waiter left with their order. She knew that she was to try to play cool, but she couldn't help herself from shifting in her seat and playing with her chopsticks, especially when he was watching her so closely.

"I didn't know that you were coming today."

"... I only told Midorima-kun that I was planning to come."

"You usually don't go to matches unless Kise plays in them," he said. "Why'd you come to this one?"

"... Seirin was a team that beat Kaijo in that practice game…" she turned away from his gaze. "I just wanted to see how they would fare against your team."

"And?"

"I was a little disappointed with the results… but that doesn't matter anymore."

"You wanted Tetsu to win didn't you?" he leaned back in his seat. "Can't imagine what you must have been thinking when you saw me on court."

"It's not important anymore," she narrowed her stare at him.

"Whatever you say."

They stared at each other, and they only looked away when their food arrived. Tora was glad when the ramen arrived, at least there was something to fill up the silence between them. He scarfed down his bowl greedily and Tora wondered just how he was managing without burning the inside of his mouth. Eventually she began to make a start on her own bowl and the two proceeded through the meal in silence. When they were finished with their food Aomine paid for both their share as he could already guess that Tora carried her usual amount of change with her.

It was already getting dark by the time they left the restaurant. Tora thought that she'd be able to go home then but he asked for her to follow him. She wasn't about to run off after he's treated her and she knew that she'd eventually have to face whatever was coming for her anyway.

"Where are we going now?"

"Just follow me Tora."

"The least you could do is tell me where you're planning to take me," she huffed.

He ignored her comment and walked ahead. Tora trailed after him, but she struggled as he took long strides; she wasn't sure if he was even aware of his speed or perhaps he was doing it in spite, she had no clue. After a while of walking, she recognised the route as the one that led to the park they always met up at. It was so predictable of Aomine to bring her there, but it's also so like him. He bought her a canned juice before they sat on one of the benches.

"So how are you and Kise going?"

"Very well," she nodded.

"Is that so? Good for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he shrugged back. "It just explains why you've been ignoring me."

The words felt suffocating. She took a long sip from her can and she looked to him nervously. Much to her dismay, he was staring right back at her. There wasn't even the slightest chance of her avoiding this.

"... I'm sorry, I've just been busy with Ryou-kun."

"Is that what you call him now?" Aomine snorted.

"What's wrong with the way I call him?"

"Nothing, it's the perfect sort of sappy nickname for a pretty boy model."

Tora bit back a comment.

It was painfully quiet and the silence only made the atmosphere more awkward. Tora really wished he'd just start speaking to her like normal again; she might say differently if she were asked, but she's always liked their conversations, the snappy remarks they shot at each other, it was always fun (and sometimes frustrating) when she spoke to him.

"Aomine-ku-."

"Wait before you say anything can I ask you one thing?"

"… Of course."

When she said those words he turned and looked at her.

"Is there really no chance of you coming to like me?"

Tora's chest thumped as his heavy gaze met hers. Her fingers grasped the hem of her skirt as she bit her bottom lip. There was a listless look in his eyes; it was as if he had already prepared himself for her answer. She felt incredibly guilty; even though she wasn't the one that initiated it, she went along with their little affair (if it could even be considered that). While Kise was busy with basketball, she had felt lonesome and Aomine was there for her. He paid her the attention that she missed having and she grew to be attracted to him. The worst part of the whole situation was after she had managed to secure her boyfriend's attention back on her, she practically tossed Aomine aside. For the first time in a long while, Tora felt her chest squeeze up in shame and disappointment in herself.

"… I'm sorry, Aomine-kun…" she whispered, her fingers continued to clench the fabric tighter. "I've been really unfair to both you and Ryou-kun… I can't take back what happened, but I know I need to put a stop to it…"

"Tora wait, don't just say you'll-."

"I have to!" she snapped. "This has gone on for far enough. It doesn't matter that I've got these incomprehensible feelings for you, we'll never have anything together and I can't just keep leading you on."

"Tora, I'm not asking you to choose me. I know you're in love with Kise, and you can have the both of us if that's what you want. You don't have to pick between anyone," he grabbed her hand. "We can just go on like we have before."

"… How can you be satisfied with that? If you claim to like me so much then why would you be okay with having a half of me?"

"Tora, I've wanted you for so long I don't care how much of you I can have anymore."

"… Stop, please…" her lips quivered and her eyes began to sting. "I won't deny that I feel something for you, but right now it's just impossible… I have a boyfriend and my place is with him. If I took up on your offer, the one that'll end up getting hurt is you Aomine-kun."

For a moment Tora thought that he was going to yell at her or maybe grab at her. His expression was completely unreadable but then he broke eye contact and released her hand. Without a word, he looked down towards the ground and sighed. She held her breath as she anticipated his reply, but when he didn't move she shakily reached a hand towards him. Suddenly his back shook, and then she heard his laughter. She flinched backwards as he sat back up and turned to face her again.

"You say that I'll be hurt in the end, but it feels pretty brutal right now," he spoke softly. "… If you ever get tired of him my offer still stands."

"… Yeah… I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's not like I'm a victim or anything," he rubbed the back of his neck. "… Let's go, I'll walk you home."

He stood up and immediately began walking even before she had the chance to reply. Once again, she found herself fumbling after Aomine as they made their way through the park. Even though they had just supposedly resolved the issue, it still felt as if the air hasn't cleared between them. If anything, things felt even more delicate.

"So what are your plans for golden week?"

"… What?"

"Golden week," he repeated as he glanced back at her, his tone returned informal. "Got any plans?"

"… I've got training camp with my school," she replied, a little surprised by his sudden question. "You?"

"Something similar," he shrugged. "Not exactly looking forward to it."

"They're making you go?"

"Satsuki's making me go," he grumbled. "Where are they taking you?"

"We'll be staying in an onsen somewhere in Gunma."

"What the hell," he frowned. "We're staying in some crappy hostel."

"Well, it can't be too bad," she smiled at his retort.

"… Yeah we'll see," he spoke after eyeing her. "And Kise's birthday is coming up as well."

"Yes, he's already begun sending out invitations," she sighed. "It's still a month away!"

"Tell me about it," he pulled out a crumpled envelope from his pocket. "And he had to make it look super flashy as hell."

"Good god," she examined the letter. "… If I had gotten the same invite from anyone but my boyfriend I'd probably just toss it out."

Aomine snickered lightly and nodded along. She passed the envelope back to him and he tucked it in his pocket. Tora stared at his back as they walked; she hadn't expected the conversation that had just occurred. It was almost as if they were speaking back to the way they used to, but she couldn't help but notice the large gap he put between them. She didn't have to guess the reason for that, and though she was glad that they finally came to an understanding, she also knew that things would never quite be the same between them.

"Tora?"

"Hm?"

"… I've got to get back first so I won't be able to walk you all the way back."

"Oh sure," she said. "And you don't have to walk me back, I'll be fine."

They had stopped by the entrance of the park near where the playground was. Even though it had gotten dark there were still a couple of children running about and their guardian somewhere close by. She felt slightly antsy knowing that they've stopped in a rather busy area of the park. Tora eyed the boy before her closely as she fidgeted.

"Well I guess this is it."

"… Yeah, I'll see you then," Tora smiled briefly before she turned to leave but before she could take a step, Aomine's hand flew forward to grab her and pulled her back. "W-Wha-?"

He had ignored her startled expression and pulled her forward into a tight embrace. The proximity was much too close for her liking, when she struggled to protest she felt him tilting her face up to meet him. The moment she realised what was about to happen, it was already too late for her to stop him.

"W-What did I just say?!"

She cried as she jerked away from the kiss. She raised a hand and had every thought to send a heavy slap where it deserved, but her hand stopped half way when she took notice of his expression.

"… If it was gonna be the last one, I might as well have made it good. I won't do it anymore," he gave a bitter smile. "… I should go."

Tora was struck speechless. With those words said, he simply turned around and left. Not another word more or even a glance backward. The hand that was still held up began jittering as her emotions rocketed. She brought the shaking hand close to her chest as she tried to suppress her silent tearful shame. She stood still for a little over five minutes before she pulled herself together and rubbed her eyes dry of any tears.

It was over now. And she was only glad that Aomine had come to a resolve like she has and she'll be able to put this behind her without the guilt of betraying her boyfriend.

Well that was rather eventful yes?

I apologize that I've been rather inactive on all of my stories for a while. I've been rather busy with school and all that. Just a note that I have been writing new chapters, they've just been moving rather slowly and I've been sidetracked with some new story ideas. Anyways, thanks for the usual support!

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