"…Night Training?" Kagami repeats with a derisive snort. What kind of name is that?

Kuroko frowns at Kagami's dismissal at one of the school's most important dates. "It's an event held for the senior class, though it was canceled last year due to renovations on campus."

"An event? Isn't it just like another class, just…you know, at night?"

"In a way, yes, but no." Kuroko rummages through his bag and pulls out a sheet of rules that he's sure Kagami has neglected to read. He slides it across the table to his roommate, who glances at it for a minute and then raises a brow as if to ask – you expect me to read all this?

Kuroko stares back, unmoved.

"Just give me a summary," Kagami groans, resting his forehead on the paper in something of a resigned bow.

Amused, the Sacrifice obliges. "It's a battle royal among all the seniors. In addition to the seniors, there are always a few guests who are invited by the headmaster. - usually someone strong or influential from the military. "

Kagami is up and attentive. He punches his open palm and cracks a few knuckles in the process, already itching for the fights to come. "Sounds just like my kind of training."

"But," Kuroko emphasizes, "it is no longer just a one vs one match. Conditions are made to simulate a real battlefield in enemy territory, and all students are randomly separated at the start. Please do not take this lightly, Kagami-kun."

"I won't. We're gonna win this, aren't we?"

They share a smile and their fists brush against each other in promise.

"Yes."

That night, Kuroko sits awake in bed contemplatively. Things are going well for him lately – Kagami is a supportive partner and a good friend, and his fighting has improved – but something still nags at his consciousness.

He clenches his fist. His hand is still warm with the memories of his fist bump with Kagami. It is an action that is full of memories, both old and new, though Kuroko doubts Kagami notices the significance behind it.

Out of sheer habit, Kuroko flips over his hand. The skin on his palm is as blank as ever.

He closes his eyes and pulls his blanket more evenly over his body, wondering if it has always been this cold in his bed.

"Atrocious."

Midorima makes his presence at their training room known with that single word. It is so full of pompous scorn that it can't have come from anyone else.

"Midorima-kun," Kuroko acknowledges.

Kagami glances at Midorima's eyelashes and looks to Kuroko, his eyes silently asking – Are all your friends so weird? What the hell are those eyelashes?

The Sacrifice quirks a brow – I'm sure Kagami-kun's eyebrows are considered quite unnatural as well.

Scandalized, Kagami glares back in defense of his eyebrows.

Midorima clears his throat. When the two return their attention to him, he is visibly annoyed.

"Did you need something, Midorima-kun?"

The fighter pushes his glasses further up his nose. "No," he says. "But I can't just stand by and watch such futile training efforts."

Kagami steps in defensively. "It's not futile at all! What would you know?"

"With a monkey like you teaching, it is. I know far more than you about spellwork, enough to know that your methods of casting are far too forceful for Kuroko to mimic."

Before can Kagami bursts at Midorima with his indignation, Kuroko hits him in the back of the knees. Kagami stumbles, but doesn't fall. With his partner distracted, Kuroko asks, "Midorima-kun, are you saying that you can do a better job in teaching me?"

"Obviously."

"…are you offering?"

When the other fighter actually agrees, muttering out some excuse about having nothing better to do, Kagami openly gawks. Midorima is fooling no one with that weak act.

Apparently, indirectness is another trait common in Kuroko's friends.

Midorima is a surprisingly good teacher. Even though he tends to be socially awkward and withdrawn at times, he has keen senses of observation and a vast store of knowledge to put his observations to optimal use.

"Despite whatever impression your last two partners have left you with their crude spellwork, force is not always the answer to a fight."

Kuroko knows this already – he thinks to point out that he is usually the half of the team that didn't rely on force, can't rely on force, but he allows Midorima to continue.

"Yet that's what you're trying to do. No matter how hard you try, your offensive spells will never be as strong as a true fighter because, simply by nature, your presence fails to evoke fear. It's fate."

"Midorima-kun, is this a sermon or a lesson?"

"Hmph," Midorima fiddles with his glasses to hide his slight surprise at Kuroko's unusual impatience. "My point is, you should learn supportive spells rather than offensive ones. Most fighters don't bother to learn them because they require a more delicate touch, but perhaps that's the type of spell best suited for you. Healing, Enhancement, Illusion - the world of spells is vast. The only limit is your imagination."

As Midorima leaves the room, he takes note of the Kagami leaning against the wall. The exchange student's exotic striped tail swishes back and forth slowly, as if waiting to pounce on prey.

Midorima continues to walk without hesitation, unintimidated by the display. He almost makes it to the end of the hall when Kagami finally speaks.

"What's your motive?"

Midorima and Kuroko never gave the impression of being close or being friends at all. They are close acquaintances at best, and there is no benefit to Midorima if he helps one of his competitors in class. It just didn't make sense.

"Kagami Taiga." The sound of his name causes his ears to twitch in response.

"…and Aomine Daiki. Did you know, you two are the only partners Kuroko has ever had? Both relationships have been close, and yet, he still hasn't displayed a matching name to either of you."

"And how does that matter?"

"Perhaps you two are special, or…perhaps Kuroko is the one who is special. He is, after all, the only one left in our year without a name. He's almost past the age where it normally manifests, but I suppose are ignorant to what that means."

Kagami folds his arms across his chest and insists, "It just means he hasn't found his partner yet."

"There's no use in arguing with monkeys," Midorima sighs. He begins to walk again, but adds, "In two weeks from now, Aquarius is last on Oha Asa's ranking for the first time in a month. Coincidentally, that day happens to be the day of Night Training."

"…Oha…Asa…?"

"Oha Asa's predictions are never wrong," Midorima declares with more fervor than Kagami's ever heard from his fellow student. His silence must have given his disbelief away, because Midorima turns around, demanding an astrological sign.

"Leo," Kagami answers.

Midorima makes a small tsk as he pulls out a notebook. He never did get along with any Leo. Perhaps this, too, is a working of fate. "Today," he declares with all the importance of a prophet reading the gospel truth, "You are last on the rankings. How fitting. Stay away from phones."

"Kagami-kun, you've been staring at your phone like it's possessed."

The words snap Kagami out of his distraction and he hurriedly shoves his phone aside. "It's nothing. That four-eyes just said something weird."

"Ah." Kuroko puts aside his book in favor of examining Kagami's agitated expression. "Something about Oha Asa?"

"Yeah. Some weird fortune. He told me to stay away from phones."

"And you're not following his advice?"

Kagami tail bats irritably against his legs. "Of course not!"

"Kagami-kun, if it bothers you so much, then," Kuroko picks up the abandoned phone, "I'll just hold on to it for-"

Briing, briing.

The two freeze at the sound. The phone's number country code is foreign to Kuroko – it's a call from outside Japan.

A strange expression overcomes Kagami's face. "Excuse me," he says, taking the phone form Kuroko's hand and disappearing from the room for better signal. Kuroko's eyes trail after him as he leaves.

Try as he may, the Fighter is simply terrible at keeping a stoic face. Kuroko recognizes the traces of worry in his expression, but at the same time, Kagami's eyes beg for privacy.

As much as it frustrates him, the only thing Kuroko can do is sit and wait.

A 9-by-9-tile board is spread out over an immaculately polished wooden table; it serves as the humble battleground for a fierce but silent war.

The shougi pieces make small clicks as they are shuffled across the board in premeditated movements.

Pa-chi.

His opponent is invisible, but as sly and cunning as they come. They will make their presence known soon. The thought of someone attempting to challenge his rule on his home turf is almost laughable, but Akashi is not one to underestimate his opponents.

Pa-chi.

A smirk.

Pa-chi.

His enemies think themselves to be a step ahead, but Akashi is two steps ahead of them, if not more.

Pa-chi.

The pieces are in place. In a few days, his trap will spring. They didn't stand a chance.

In the last week before the festival, the professors cancel their classes for the sake of festival preparations. It is a welcomed break to many, but Kuroko has no time for breaks. He trains from day to night with Midorima and comes back home to a pensive Fighter.

Kagami insists on remaining tight-lipped about the phone call.

It reminds him too much of Aomine, but the words he has said to Kagami remain true – he believes in them both. So Kuroko waits and trains, preparing himself for anything that may come.

It's not until the last day, hours before Night Training is scheduled to begin, that Kagami confronts him.

"Kuroko…" The Fighter hesitates, but a thought runs across his eyes in a flash and gives him the courage to continue. "Can I ask you for a favor?

"I was never an unnamed Fighter," Kagami confesses shortly after their main discussion.

"I knew," Kuroko says with a smile. "And I was never really your Sacrifice."

The event ranges across the whole span of Teikou's campus, which rivaled the size of twenty football fields. The only part of campus closed off to the event is the dormitories; the rest of the campus, from the classrooms to the fields, is all fair game for use as a battlefield. Courtesy of the teachers, magic coats every surface, ensuring minimal damage to school property.

The most dangerous part of the event, Kuroko figures, is the beginning. Fighters and Sacrifices are separated from the start, and since he and Kagami are not a named pair that could "hear" each other like almost all their other classmates, they are at a distinct disadvantage.

Sacrifices are practically sitting ducks in a sea of Fighters, but Kuroko has a weapon in his low presence. He can and does slip through the notice of everyone around him, steadily making his way to their promised meeting spot.

The air around him is far from peaceful, but under all the struggling efforts of students striving to better themselves, Kuroko senses it – a deep maliciousness that sends a shiver through his spine. His pace quickens.

He prays that Kagami's plan works as well as Kagami hopes it will.

His plans for taking a lazy catnap through this pointless event are completely and utterly dashed.

Aomine damned Midorima for his stupid uncanny predictions and damned Akashi for taking advantage of his concern, but most of all, he damned Satsuki for luring him into a spell-resistant bag and dumping in this stupid damn event. What is he? Some kind of wild animal?

The dark aura that hung over his head chases away opponents from yards away. In such a large campus, very few pairs have found their partner this early and, one-on-one, everyone knows they didn't have a ghost of a chance against the school's top Fighter even if Aomine has taken a break from the title recently.

From his surroundings, Aomine knows he's near the edge of campus. The chain linked fence enfused with warding spells is a familiar sight. Once upon a time, he and Kuroko had tried to sneak off campus, only to be met with a literally shocking denial.

Well, he had been shocked. Kuroko, being the smarter of the two of them, had only watched and dragged back Aomine's body to the nurse's office afterwards.

Aomine isn't sure what possessed him to do so, but he found himself raising his hand at the fence once more. What has changed in the last year? Could he break down this fence now?

Well, destroying the fence would definitely serve Satsuki right for forcing him to partake in such a stupid event. Maybe they'd even cancel it.

He leans forward, readying to punch through it. His body sprang…

…and completely went through the fence. Aomine almost fell face-flat on the other side.

The fence is an illusion.

Shit, had someone broke it already? It's impossible for such a large security detail to have been missed, especially with someone as meticulous as Akashi.

He supposes he should tell someone, but-

'Aquarius is last on the rankings today.' Midorima had told him.

Tetsu.

Aomine doesn't need to debate his course of action. He knows who he needs to find, and it damn well isn't Akashi.

At exactly midnight, two hours into the event, a tremor runs through the ground, temporarily halting battles.

"An explosion – there's been an explosion at the cafeteria!"

The throbbing in his head feels like a jackrabbit is using it for a trampoline. A very obese jackrabbit made of steel. Kagami groans, trying to free himself from the heavy table that has him pinned to the ground.

He had intended to set off a few sparks at most to draw attention, but it looks like that had been unnecessary. Their enemy had already found them and set off a spark of their own. A damn big one.

"KUROKO!" He shouts. "OI, KUROKO."

No response.

"Damn it Kuroko, now's not the time to be pulling off a disappearing act!"

"He's not here."

That voice-

"Aomine?!"

The tan male leans over his trapped body with amusement. "Yo," he says.

"Why-Argh, nevermind." Kagami maneuveres his left hand out into the open and offers it to the other Fighter. "Take the watch, it'll take you to Kuroko. He might be in trouble right now."

Aomine glances at the watch, then back at Kagami. "Aren't you supposed to be his Fighter?"

"Aren't you?" Kagami throws the question right back. He doesn't have time for this. "Just take the damn watch."

With one swift movement, Aomine does so. It's a radar of sorts, and it's beeping grew fainter by the second.

"Well? What are you waiting for?"

Aomine secures the watch on his wrist. "I'm not his Fighter," he clarifies.

Kagami snorts. "Does that matter? He needs a Fighter right now. He needs y-."

Before Kagami can even finish, Aomine is gone.

The plan has gone wayward fast.

Neither he nor Kagami had expected that the enemy would find them so soon after they met. It really is an unlucky day for Aquarius.

His captor looks ridiculously pleased with the ease of capture. All that's left is to wait for transport to whisk them both away from the warehouse being used as a temporary base of operations.

"I'm sure you'll fetch a good price," he says as he assesses Kuroko's ears with cold hands. Kuroko flinches away at the unwelcomed touch. The gag around his mouth stifles his protests, but it doesn't block out the Sacrifice's searing glare.

The captor merely laughs. "My, what a nice glare. I've made quite the haul tonight. A Blank with ears still intact. I wonder how much you would sell for, hmm?"

Kuroko only glares harder.

Where is Kagami?

No matter how much he's improved, it'd be neigh impossible to take on an adult fighter by himself, even if the Fighter doesn't seem to have a sacrifice around.

"Or maybe…" The unknown Fighter creeps uncomfortably close to Kuroko's face. "Maybe I'll take you as my own. Having two sacrifices…imagine how useful that would be."

Kuroko's expression is absolutely glacial.

"All I'd have to do is carve my name right here…" Kuroko feels a hand trial his arm slowly, stroking it with deceptive tenderness. "Or perhaps…" The hand trails up to his bare neck. "I'll carve it right here for everyone to see."

No. Disgust rises up Kuroko's throat. No, he will never be this man's Sacrifice. There is only one person in the world whose name Kuroko would be willing to accept. His eyes close, not wanting to see the other's sickening face anymore. There is only one person he wants to see right now, and that person…

As if answering his prayers, the door to the warehouse burst open.

"Get your filthy hands off Tetsu!" Aomine snarls.

"Oh? It looks like a shining night in armor has come for you," the man mocks. "But lover-boy, I'd suggest not taking another step, or else something unfortunately might befall…what did you call him? Tetsu?"

Aomine clenches his teeth. His body is wild with barely restrained magic that wants nothing more than to rip the man apart, but in between them is the one person he will never hurt. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Hanamiya. And yours?"

All the man offers is half a name, but Aomine immediately hates it with all his soul. Everything about this "Hanamiya" is disgusting, from his greasy hair to his pale skin. Also prominent is the lack of a set of ears on his head – unsurprisingly, the man is not a virgin.

The thought of that kind of man being anywhere near his Tetsu makes his whole body shake in anger. But there's a knife in the man's hand, and fear in Kuroko's eyes.

"Aomine Daiki," he says grudgingly.

"Ah." Recognition appears on Hanamiya's face. "That talented young Fighter I've heard about. Perhaps I should take you along too, I'm sure you'd fetch a nice price too."

Aomine raises a clenched fist. "Want to come closer and see some of that talent?"

Another laugh. "I'll pass, it seems that my ride is here."

For the second time that day, the abused doors of the warehouse slammed open.

They have Aomine surrounded, four to one. It's not a fair match at all, no matter how good Aomine is at fighting. Aomine-kun is bleeding, and Kuroko can't help but think: that should have been his blood.

"Well then, shall we go?" Hanamiya says, helping Kuroko off the chair that the Sacrifice had been confined to.

Kuroko sees it then – his one and only chance to use what Midorima has taught him.

He breaks the illusion he had set up ever since Hanamiya had captured him.

The handcuffs and gag that previously bounded him disappears into thin air. The revelation shocks Hanamiya long enough to allow Kuroko to wrench the knife from his hands and palm him in the gut in the process.

"Aomine-kun!" He shouts, drawing everyone's attention.

"T-Tetsu?"

"There's nothing that hurts more than seeing you in pain," Kuroko says, clutching the knife tightly. "That's why…I'm your Sacrifice."

Kuroko stabs the knife into his palm.

Everyone is in a stupor over the Sacrifice's actions, but Aomine…Aomine only feels a warm link connecting Kuroko's bloody palm to his own. Foreign thoughts and emotions rush into his head from the link – love, warmth, protection, and a stubborn refusal to give anything less.

"Tetsu-"

The men around him quickly regain their priorities, deeming Kuroko's recapture as paramount. They lunge for him, but Aomine won't let them.

"Walls of wind, entrap," he commands, generating a gust that halts the men in their tracks. As they mutter a counter spell, Aomine jumps forward and uses his momentum to kick one down while at the same time using the grunt as a springboard to make it to Kuroko's side.

"Tetsu I-"

There are no words needed. Kuroko offers his hand to Aomine who takes it gingerly with his own. They intertwine their fingers and something in both of them seems to click like the last piece of a puzzle falling in place.

"I'm an idiot," Aomine says.

Kuroko doesn't deny it, but he loves Aomine just as much regardless. He squeezes the other's hand in reassurance.

"That's why I'm here, Aomine-kun. My strength is your strength."

Aomine smiles. "My pain is your pain."

"We are One."

And no one else ever stood a chance.

With Kuroko's illusions and Aomine's pure offensive power, their opponents didn't even know where to hit before they were knocked over twice as hard as they could hit. By the time the police arrive at the scene, Aomine is wrapping up Kuroko's bloody hand in a room full of unconscious bodies.

It's only when they get back to campus that Aomine learns that Night Training has been canceled – no surprise there.

"It was all a trap," Akashi explains when Aomine accuses the headmaster of a security breach. "Hanamiya is part of an international slave market for Sacrifices and Fighters. We leaked information ahead of time about Tetsuya and Night Training, the perfect bait and the perfect time to attack."

"You can't just use Tetsu as-"

"I agreed to it," Kuroko interrupts. "Kagami-kun explained it all to me before Night Training started. One of his reasons for coming here was for back-up in this case, though it got personal more personal than he expected when one of his own friends was taken by the ring."

"Kagami you bastard, you were in on this too?!"

"He was the best one for the job, if Kagami had not asked, I would have ordered it anyways." Akashi points out, much to Aomine's irritation. "An earred Blank fetches around five million in the market. It was a good incentive for their organization to show themselves."

Blank. That word nags at the edge of his memory. It implies an unnamed Sacrifice, but he has never heard it used much before. "Tetsu's my Sacrifice though, not a Blank…whatever that is."

"He was a Blank. He's not anymore." Akashi motions Kuroko to show his hand to Aomine and the Sacrifice obliges. The bandages unravel to reveal fresh scar tissue, carved with a near identical likeness to the same words on Aomine's own palm. "A blank is a special type of Sacrifice, one that never has a fated partner. That's why they are so popular in the market: they can bond to anyone, given that a strong enough physical link is forged. Such a thing happened last night when Tetsuya stabbed his hand for you."

Aomine frowns at the memory. "But then...does that mean Tetsu's not my real sacrifice?"

Is there a third person in the world with the same name carved on their palm? Is the bond between Tetsu and him so frail?

"You're still going on about that after all of this?" Kagami asks disapprovingly. "Look, maybe you have another Sacrifice, or maybe you're just a freak of nature and weren't ever meant to have one. What matters now is that Kuroko is your Sacrifice."

Aomine opens his mouth, ready to protest, but he catches a glimpse of worry in Kuroko's face and swallows his words then and there.

"It seems we're finished with this game of 20 questions now, so if you'll excuse me," Akashi says, rising from his seat. "I have a school to run and prisoners to interrogate."

Kagami follows suit, but Aomine stops him with one last question. "Midorima. Was Midorima involved in this too?"

"Midorima?" Kagami snorts. "No, his predictions are just too frighteningly accurate."

Aomine can't get enough of looking at his Sacrifice. He wants to be by his side, now and forever, to make up for that long year they had spent apart.

He cups Kuroko's bandaged hand in his own and leans down to gently kiss it. They can feel at ease now; they both know what's under the bandages.

"I'm yours," Kuroko fiercely reminds him.

"You're mine," Aomine agrees.

A/N: I'm FINISNDifalskjdf wow first long fic I've ever finished hallelujah.

I AM REALLY UNCONFIDENT WITH WRAPPING UP FICS. Like I keep wondering if I forgot to conclude something (I know I could have gone more in depth on some parts but I'm pretty satisfied with this much detail). So if you could give me some feedback that would be lovely thanks for reading!