Title: Statice (1/2)

Writer: Amariys

Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke

Character/Pairing: Generation of Miracles, Momoi Satsuki/OT7

Rating: T

Words count: 6145 words

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke, but I do own this fic and the idea. Any plagiarism will be very frowned upon.

Summary: Somethings were never meant to be changed. GOM-centric.

Author Notes: This fic is so late. As in, more than a month kind of late. It's based on Valentine's Day and we all know when the day was actually celebrated. I'm sorry for that. Also, this fic is self-indulgent which turns as a little gift for popsky, who's also my proofreader. Originally, it's a long oneshot (11k words) but then I decided to split it into two parts for readers' sake.

The next part will be uploaded in three-four days. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this fic. :)

-:-:-

It all started with a simple message from Kise Ryouta:

Kise Ryouta (13.15): What plan do you all have for V-Day~?

Which of course usually would be ignored, but Kise had put up the message in a group chat and everyone knew he had this annoying habit of spamming whenever he was ignored. Leaving the group chat room was inconvenient too because sometimes Momoi would still post useful information for them. So in the end the rest of Generation of Miracles decided to humor Kise—even if they didn't necessarily do it in a nice way.

Kuroko Tetsuya (13.32): There's a practice that day.

Kise Ryouta (13.33): It's on the weekend, Kurokocchi.

Kise Ryouta (13.33): You won't have practice on the weekend.

Midorima Shintarou (13.33): I don't celebrate Valentine's Day.

Midorima Shintarou (13.34): It's a ridiculous propaganda from the chocolate factories.

Aomine Daiki (13.34): For once I agree with Midorima

Aomine Daiki (13.34): It's too bothersome

Kise Ryouta (13.35): Aominecchi and Midorimacchi are so boring!

Kise Ryouta (13.36): Valentine's Day can be delightful you know!

Aomine Daiki (13.36): no it won't

Midorima Shintarou (13.36): Go die, Kise.

Momoi Satsuki (13.38): Well I kinda agree with Ki-chan

Momoi Satsuki (13.38): V-Day can be … interesting.

Murasakibara Atsushi (13.38): I want chocolates

Kise Ryouta (13.39): See! Momocchi and Murasakicchi agree with me!

Murasakibara Atsushi (13.39): Kise-chin will give me chocolates then

Aomine Daiki (13.40): that's because Satsuki's a girl

Aomine Daiki (13.40): murasakibara only wants the chocolate, idiot

Kise Ryouta (13.40): Doesn't mean anything!

Kise Ryouta (13.41): Come on you guys, I know you all are free that day!

Murasakibara Atsushi (13.41): Kise-chin, chocolates

Midorima Shintarou (13.41): I'm too busy to play along with your stupidity, Kise.

Momoi Satsuki (13.42): it depends on what kind of stupidity Ki-chan has in mind I guess

Aomine Daiki (13.42): Satsuki don't drag me into this

Kise Ryouta (13.42): Yes, Murasakicchi, I'll give you chocolates later

Kise Ryouta (13.43): Midorimacchi, it's not good to lie. I've talked to Takaocchi. You're free this weekend.

Kise Ryouta (13.44): Momocchi should REALLY drag Aominecchi into this

Kise Ryouta (13.45): It's not stupid I promise

Kise Ryouta (13.45): Where's Kurokocchi?

Aomine Daiki (13.48): turning his phone off I guess

Aomine Daiki (13.48): gonna do that too

Kise Ryouta (13.48): AOMINECCHI THAT'S MEAN!

Kuroko Tetsuya (13.50): I'm still here

Momoi Satsuki (13.50): Tetsu-kun! Do you want chocolates from me?

Kuroko Tetsuya (13.51): That won't be necessary, Momoi-san

Akashi Seijuurou (14.05): You all are noisy.

Akashi Seijuurou (14.05): What do you plan to do, Ryouta?

Kise Ryouta (14.05): Akashicchi!

Kise Ryouta (14.05): Well, you know since WC has been over and all

Kise Ryouta (14.05): We haven't met again since then right

Kise Ryouta (14.06): I was thinking that maybe we can all have a trip to Kyoto to visit Akashicchi

Kise Ryouta (14.06): Then we can exchange chocolates once there.

Kise Ryouta (14.45): Umm?

Kise Ryouta (14.45): Anyone still there?

Midorima Shintarou (14.50): I refuse.

Midorima Shintarou (14.50): Kyoto is too far.

Momoi Satsuki (14.52): But that sounds exciting, Midorin!

Momoi Satsuki (14.52): It's been a while since our last trip together!

Kuroko Tetsuya (15.06): Why Kyoto?

Murasakibara Atsushi (15.10): It'll be nice to meet Aka-chin again~

Kise Ryouta (15.11): Because I know Akashicchi will still have practice even on the weekend

Kise Ryouta (15.11): And he's captain he can't skip practice

Aomine Daiki (15.11): you only want to see the geisha don't you

Kise Ryouta (15.11): NOT TRUE!

Kise Ryouta (15.12): Aominecchi stop teasing me

Aomine Daiki (15.12): stop being so easy to be teased then

Aomine Daiki (15.12): idiot

Akashi Seijuurou (15.12): I see.

Akashi Seijuurou (15.12): That's not a bad plan.

Akashi Seijuurou (15.13): You all can come to Rakuzan before we go anywhere else.

Momoi Satsuki (15.33): What about our lodgings though?

Momoi Satsuki (15.33): We'll stay for the weekend, right.

Kise Ryouta (15.35): I thought we can stay in Akashicchi's place?

Kise Ryouta (15.35): If that's alright.

Akashi Seijuurou (15.50): Of course.

Kise Ryouta (15.50): Yay! Thank you, Akashicchi!

Kise Ryouta (15.50): So who's in?

Momoi Satsuki (16.01): Aomine-kun and I, of course.

Aomine Daiki (16.01): oi, satsuki!

Kise Ryouta (16.04): Murasakicchi you're coming too right?

Murasakibara Atsushi (16.05): Will there be chocolates?

Kise Ryouta (16.05): Yes.

Murasakibara Atsushi (16.05): Then I'm in~

Kise Ryouta (16.06): Kurokocchi?

Kuroko Tetsuya (16.10): Yes, I'll be there, Kise-kun.

Kise Ryouta (16.10): Then there's only Midorimacchi.

Kise Ryouta (16.10): Are you sure you don't want to join us?

Akashi Seijuurou (16.12): I'll prepare a shogi board for you, Shintarou.

Momoi Satsuki (16.12): Yes, Midorin, you should come with us!

Kise Ryouta (16.12): Yes, Midorimacchi, stop being a tsundere and just come with us!

Kise Ryouta (16.12): Please?

Midorima Shintarou (16.45): Fine.

Midorima Shintarou (16.45): Only if I have the time!

Kise Ryouta (16.46): That settles it then!

.

xXXx

.

"So … now you're going on an impromptu trip to Kyoto with the rest of the Generation of Miracles?"

"Yes. Kise-kun will come to pick me and the others up. We'll meet with Murasakibara-kun in Kyoto though."

"Huh. I didn't expect you'd agree with it." Kagami Taiga murmured thoughtfully as he and Kuroko walked towards Seirin's front gate. It was Valentine's Day and since it was Saturday, they only had half a day of school and there was no club practice since Winter Cup had just ended. The phantom had told him about his trip plan and Kagami was still a bit in awe at what seemed to be a reckless decision.

"Kise-kun can be annoying when he doesn't get what he wants." Kuroko shrugged as if it was the most logical explanation.

Unfortunately, it was. Kagami snorted in agreement. He had known Kise well enough by now to realize how stubborn the model could be. Considering the fact Kuroko had known Kise for even longer, maybe agreeing to his silly ideas like this really was the less harmful way in dealing with Kise Ryouta.

"Figures if any of you were going to be excited about Valentine's, it'd be him. Do you really bring chocolates for all of them then?"

"No, buying chocolates for all of them will be too expensive. Besides, Kise-kun will bring enough chocolates for us. I particularly like the white ones."

"Wait, did you always exchange chocolates on Valentine's Day? All of you?" Kagami's steps slowed down as he gave Kuroko a look of total disbelief. "I hadn't thought you were that tight of a group."

"It was a tradition. Although I'd thought we'd never do it again."

A hint of sadness that could be heard in Kuroko's voice made Kagami fall silent. There were still a lot of things he didn't know about his shadow. Despite the story Kuroko had recounted to them—Seirin basketball team member—before the final of Winter Cup, he still couldn't even fathom how close the Generation of Miracles really were to each other. They must have gravitated towards each other, Kagami thought, what with being geniuses among all the commoners. It wouldn't be so unusual for a bond to forge from their interaction and considering how broken Kuroko evidently was when they started to fall apart, Kagami suspected Kuroko considered them as something more than friends.

Fortunately the silence between them didn't have a chance to be awkward. They were approaching the front gate and already they could see a circle of female students surrounding a certain blonde model. Kagami rolled his eyes. It was far too easy to spot Kise in the crowd. "Well looks like your picking up is here."

"Apparently," Kuroko agreed with the faintest of frown on his face. He increased his speed, face set in almost determination as he easily slipped between the crowds which parted unconsciously for him. He certainly didn't have any regret using his misdirection even outside the court. It took him no time at all to arrive at Kise's side and once he did, Kuroko called out in his usual monotone, "Kise-kun."

Kise's eyes widened. For a second, the honey brown orbs were searching for Kuroko before finally they found the teal haired man almost glued to his side. Immediately, a big grin appeared on Kise's face. He then proceeded to tackle Kuroko's smaller body in a tight hug. There was collective gasp from the girls around them, but neither Kise nor Kuroko seemed to care about it.

"KUROKOCCHI! It's been a while!"

"Yes, it has. Can you please let go of me now, Kise-kun? I can't breathe."

"OH! I'm sorry!" Hastily Kise let Kuroko go. He pushed the other at arm length and inquired, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," answered Kuroko although he still didn't look pleased. He could feel Kise's gaze, the intensity of it made him feel as if needles were pricking on his skin, until finally he had no option but to return the gaze. "What is it, Kise-kun?"

Kise didn't answer immediately. His eyes still seemed searching for something within Kuroko's gaze until finally he quirked up the corner of his lips into a secretive smile. "Nothing~" he hummed in response, ignoring Kuroko's sharpening gaze in order to pull out a box of white chocolate from the big paper bag he brought. With a flourish he gave the box to Kuroko. "For Kurokocchi, a box of white chocolates. I still have more if you decided one box wasn't enough."

"Thank you," Kuroko said in his usual monotone. Although he was sure to Kise's trained eyes, his happiness while receiving the box wouldn't go unnoticed. He was grateful when the blond didn't say anything though, merely smiling even wider as if a simple gratitude was an equal gift for something so expensive. He couldn't resist the small smile at that. Kise always gave more than he'd take. Casually he put the box of chocolate into his bag before looking up at Kise once more. "Do you still have business with your fans here?"

"Ah, no, I'm done. If Kurokocchi doesn't mind waiting a little longer, we'll be able to go soon."

"I understand."

Once he got Kuroko's agreement, Kise turned back towards his fans. He flashed them his most charming smile, the kind that made some of the girls swoon literally, as he said in apologetic tone, "As you can see, lovely ladies, I have important business to attend. Deeply apologize because I can't stay any longer. Thank you for your support all of this time!" He immediately grabbed Kuroko's wrist and walked away from the circle of fangirls, still with the same smile on his face which evidently worked well enough to keep the girls from following them.

Kagami watched with undisguised amusement when Kise and Kuroko approached him. When they were far enough from the girls, the smile on Kise's face changed into pained cringe. The model obviously couldn't stand his fangirls that much no matter how grateful he was for their support. "Nice safe there, Kise."

"Heh, thank you, Kagamicchi. I didn't think it would be that bad, actually."

"Yeah, well, you've come here often enough. No wonder the girls have become bolder. You should really consider wearing disguises in the future."

"Disguise, huh. I sure have the props for that, but it's far too bothersome. I'll note that though."

"Kise-kun, I think we should go now. We still have to pick Aomine-kun, Momoi-san and Midorima-kun, right?"

"Right! Aominecchi will be pissed if we made him wait for too long! Sorry, I can't chat any longer, Kagamicchi!"

"Ah, no, it's fine. You should go," Kagami frowned when he noticed something. "By the way, you said you're going on a trip to Kyoto, right? You're staying for the weekend too?"

"Yes. What about it?"

"No, I just wonder … where do you put your clothes? Kuroko only brings his usual school bag and you're more or less the same except for that big paper bag which holds the chocolates, I guess. So, where are your clothes and the other necessities?"

Kise and Kuroko exchanged a look. There seemed to be a silent conversation between them, until finally Kuroko simply turned his gaze away and Kise shrugged as if coming to a conclusion. It was the blond who decided to answer Kagami's question, "We don't bring any."

"Huh?"

"We don't bring any," Kise repeated. "because we don't need them. We're going to stay at Akashicchi's place."

Kise didn't give any further explanation, as if his words were enough to answer Kagami's question—which they really weren't. He could only stare at the blond, silently wondering if maybe there was something wrong with his head, but he just followed silently when Kise and Kuroko started to walk away. This wouldn't be the first time he felt bewildered after talking with a member of Generation of Miracles. As sad as it might sound like, but Kagami was already used to their quirks.

"Well, I hope you all will have fun there."

"Oh, don't worry, Kagamicchi, we will." Kise answered with a sly smile that implied something naughty behind his words. Even Kuroko was smiling as if enjoying an inner joke Kagami wasn't privileged enough to know. Before Kagami could inquire anything more, Kise suddenly stopped as if remembering something, then he turned just enough so he could face Kagami while still walking. "That reminds me. What kind of chocolate do you like, Kagamicchi?"

"Chocolate? Uh, I don't know. Milk chocolates, maybe?" Kagami stuttered, caught off guard by the unexpected question.

Somehow, his answer made Kise giggle—actually giggled like he was some silly teenage girl—even as he took one box of milk chocolate from his paper bag, "I knew you'd say that! Here, Kagamicchi, you can have this since you're always looking after Kurokocchi!"

"You make it sound as if I were his babysitter," Kagami rolled his eyes. He didn't refuse the chocolate though. "Thanks. Why did you giggle anyway? I didn't see anything funny with my answer."

"Oh, yeah, it wasn't funny. I just thought milk chocolate fit you well. After all, Kagamicchi is actually really sweet beneath his tough appearance. Right, Kurokocchi?"

"I agree, Kise-kun. Kagami-kun will make a perfect wife someday."

"OI! That's not exactly flattering!" Kagami roared in protest. Of course, his annoyance had no effect whatsoever on the other two who just laughed happily at him. Well, Kise did laugh while Kuroko only smiled in that thin-yet-amused way of his. Arguing with the Generation of Miracles was even more difficult than beating them on court, Kagami decided. It was a good thing he knew when to withdraw from a losing battle.

.

xXXx

.

Aomine and Momoi were already waiting when they arrived at Touou's front gate. The tan male looked annoyed as expected, his navy blue eyes narrowing when they caught sight of both Kise and Kuroko, but the pink haired girl was the exact opposite of him. When Momoi saw them coming over, a bright smile formed on her face and she immediately ran towards them only to engulf Kuroko in a tight hug.

Wisely, Kise took a step aside from the duo, eyes catching Aomine's as they shared exasperated expression. This, also, was a tradition for them.

"Tetsu-kun! I've missed you so much!" Momoi gushed out, tightening her grip even more around Kuroko's lithe body and Kise thought he might hear one or two bones cracked under the force. Amazingly, Kuroko's expression didn't change even the slightest under the assault. He certainly looked as if he tolerated Momoi's hug more than Kise's previous one.

The only sign of Kuroko's discomfort was a slight tilting of his head right before he murmured in strained voice, "Momoi-san, it hurts."

Momoi gasped before letting go of Kuroko as if burned. Immediately her expression turned into worried. She patted his arms to search for any serious injuries and, upon finding none, heaved a relieved sigh instead. She smiled thinly in apology. "I'm sorry, I was too excited to see you again, Tetsu-kun."

"It's perfectly alright, Momoi-san. It's been a long time indeed since we last met." Kuroko answered plainly. Although there was a hint of warmth in his voice.

"It's been a while since we met too, Momocchi. Don't you want to give me a hug?" Kise asked with a mock pout as he stepped forward. "That's so cruel!"

"Mou, Ki-chan don't say that! I've missed you too!" Momoi said before giving Kise the demanded hug. Only this time she held the other loose enough and it went for a shorter time than her previous hug with Kuroko. It was obvious which one of them Momoi was fonder of. Not that it was unexpected or offending in anyway.

"Are you done acting like a bunch of girls in public? Seriously you all are too damn embarrassing."

Kise lifted his head up towards Aomine when he heard the disgruntled words. A grin firmly fixed on his face as he opened his arms wide. "Aww, does Aominecchi feel left out? I can give you a hug if you want~"

"Do that and I will beat your ass so hard in our next one-on-one you won't be able to stand afterwards." Aomine warned with narrowed eyes, looking at Kise as if he was something infectious.

Of course that had never deterred Kise before. So he merely blinked twice before his smile turned sly and he slowly approached Aomine, wriggling his fingers while his arms were still wide-opened. "Is that an invitation? Because you know I always love our one-on-one."

Aomine's expression was that of stricken horror even as Momoi squealed in delight. The ace of Touou then wrinkled his nose in disgust. "You're shameless, Kise. Utterly shameless."

Of which Kise only replied by a bright laughter, not at all offended by the words. After all, he had seen the smirk Aomine was unable to hide and knew, without doubt, the other wouldn't want him any other way. Batting his eyelashes with much exaggeration, Kise bowed down as if he had just performed the greatest act ever. "Why, thank you. I do try to fulfill everyone's expectation!"

"Yeah, yeah, well enough with that. Let's go now. I don't want Midorima to bitch at us more than necessary."

"Ah, I must agree with Aomine-kun. Midorima-kun is … quite unpleasant when he's annoyed."

"That's true." Momoi smiled thinly. She loved all of Generation of Miracles, including Midorima of course, but still she couldn't deny the green haired man could be … difficult sometimes. She turned towards Kise with a smile. "But before that! Where's my chocolate, Ki-chan? You don't forget them, do you?"

"Of course not~ how can I forget about a lovely lady like you?" Kise winked as he fished out a box of dark chocolate for Momoi. "Here you go, Momocchi!"

"You remember what I like! Thank you, Ki-chan!" Momoi squealed, taking the chocolate, standing on her tiptoes to give a chaste peck on Kise's cheek. He deserved it simply for remembering her preference to dark chocolate all those years ago.

"How could I forget? Although I still think you don't need to worry much about being fat, Momocchi. Oh, and I still remember what you like too, Aominecchi! Chocolate coffee, right? Here, my friend recommended it, but I haven't tried it yet so hopefully it tastes good enough for you."

"I'd be fine with the usual," grumbled Aomine although he still took the chocolate from Kise. Not that he'd ever refuse it—since everyone knew Kise would only bring chocolates of high quality (most of them usually imported from some fancy country like Swiss) for this tradition. In a way, it had always amazed him, since no one actually bothered with chocolates except for the blonde. Inwardly, he could admit it fit Kise's personality though. The model would always give and give without expecting anything in return.

Oblivious with Aomine's inner thought, Kise merely shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah well, apparently they don't produce that product anymore. Don't know why though, so don't ask."

The pointed look thrown at him made Aomine roll his eyes, but he was saved from retorting when Momoi latched onto Kise's arm with a grin and dragged the willing man away from him.

"Don't mind Aomine-kun, Ki-chan. He's just too shy to admit his gratitude. Honestly, sometimes I think he's caught Midorin's tsundere virus."

"Oi Satsuki! Don't spread strange rumors about me, you idiot! Besides, there's nothing such as tsundere virus!"

Aomine's protest was met with laughter. None of his companions seemed particularly afraid of him or his threatening growl as they continued walking away from Touou's front gate. Even Kuroko, who had been following them in silence, had small smile playing on his face and after a moment of scowling, Aomine finally sighed softly. Keeping up his annoyance would be too tiring and besides, Momoi had a point. He didn't particularly hate this tradition Kise had initiated and revived. If pressed (or forced by Akashi), he might even admit he had missed this sense of camaraderie between them.

Putting the chocolate onto his bag, Aomine allowed a thin smirk to form on his face as he watched Kise and Momoi bantered quite naturally in front of him. The smirk only widened when he felt Kuroko's presence beside him and, in a moment of consideration, he shortened his strides so the teal haired man wouldn't be left too much behind. In return, Kuroko brushed his shoulder gently against Aomine's arm, a small gesture of gratitude, and at that moment it truly seemed as if time had been reversed.

.

xXXx

.

"You all are late." Midorima said as a greeting when he saw the quartet approaching his rickshaw. He was obviously displeased. The frown between his brows impossible to miss. Sadly even his expression of severe irritation didn't seem to faze the other at all.

"Yes, thank you for stating the obvious, Midorimacchi." Kise replied without any guilt in his voice. He gave Midorima a box of milk chocolate with a cheeky grin, waiting only long enough for Midorima to accept it before approaching Takao. He brightened immediately. "Takaocchi! Thank you for keeping Midorimacchi here until we arrive! That must be hard for you."

"Not really! I'm used to Shin-chan's grumbling and besides, I'd actually proposed to just go home since you all certainly took your sweet time, but Shin-chan insisted to wait a moment longer~ I think he's really looking forward to this trip."

"Don't talk nonsense, Takao! I merely agree with this stupid idea because I want to buy a charm from the Heian Jingu to re-stock my lucky items!" Midorima snapped harshly after putting the chocolate into his bag. He really didn't like the way Takao was talking with Kise—because the both of them were trouble maker and they shouldn't even be given the chance to be friends—especially when the two menaces only shared a knowing look before dissolving into chuckles.

Midorima could feel his irritation quickly escalated into anger, but before he could say anything further to make Takao remember his place, a flash of soft pink entered his field of vision, effectively distracting him from the annoying duo. Reluctantly he turned his attention at Momoi, always the voice of reason in their little strange group, only to see the girl smiling warmly at him.

"I'm glad you decided to join us, Midorin! It won't be half as fun if you weren't there!"

"Hmph. It looks like you all misunderstand. Like I've said, I only join because I have business in Kyoto. Otherwise, I wouldn't agree at all!"

"Right, and your lucky item for today coincidentally is a set of wristbands. Funny how fate works around you, Shin-chan~"

Midorima's frown, if it even possible, became even deeper. He crossed his arms and turned his face away. "Today lucky item is a green wristband. Unfortunately, the shop I went to only sold a set of rainbow colored wristbands. It's a waste, but I have no other choice."

"Hey, it's not a waste! Midorimacchi could give the rest of the wristbands to us!" Kise suggested excitedly. This might very well be the first time someone else actually brought a gift for them.

Unfortunately, the idea only made Midorima look as if he had just swallowed a sour lemon. "No. Go die, Kise."

"Midorimacchi that's cruel!"

"Aww, that's too bad. I wouldn't say no for a free wristband," Momoi added with enough disappointment in her voice that made Aomine immediately whip up a glare for Midorima.

"Oi, Midorima, no need to be so stingy! It's just a silly wristband, why can't you at least share one with Satsuki?"

"There should be a peach or orange colored wristband in that set right, Midorima-kun? I think it will fit Momoi-san better."

It took all of Takao's power to hold back his laughter seeing Midorima being cornered by his friends. He could rarely see this side of Midorima, especially because the green haired man was considered as aloof in Shuutoku, so understandably the black haired point guard was enjoying the scene unfolding in front of him. Deciding it was better to sit back and observe everything, Takao did just that.

The changes in Midorima's expression was really fascinating. At first he still managed to keep the scowl on his face, totally unaffected by Momoi's tone of voice, but as Aomine and Kuroko started to speak up, the scowl melted into something akin with confusion and then hesitation. Even as Takao watched, Midorima fidgeted a bit before finally he closed his eyes almost in resignation. The grin on Takao's face widened as his ace finally fished out one orange wristband out of his sport bag and gave it to Momoi—who in contrast, accepted with a really bright grin on his face.

"Thank you so much, Midorin!" Momoi gushed out with pure happiness.

Midorima turned his face away from the pink haired girl. "It's nothing, Momoi."

Takao finally gave up and snickered quietly into his hands. "Oh, God, Shin-chan's face is hilarious! He actually looked pained!"

"Mm, yeah, you're right," commented Kise, who was still staying beside Takao the whole time and thus managed to hear what Takao said quite clearly. He leaned slightly towards the smaller male before continuing in hushed voice, "but let me tell you a secret: Midorimacchi had planned to give the wristband to Momocchi later. In fact, I won't be surprised if by the end of our trip, we all will have a new wristband. He's just too awkward about things like this."

The soft tone and evident fondness in Kise's voice made Takao stop laughing. For a moment he could only blink as he stared at the blonde. Kise returned the stare evenly until finally Takao's lips twitched into a thin smile. He hummed in agreement. "Can't deny that. Shin-chan tongue is sharper than a knife, but we all know he's a softie inside. After all, he's the tsundere type that would rather swallow his own tongue instead of being honest about his feelings. I can't say I hate him though. As a matter of fact, I think I'm quite taken by him."

"I know Takaocchi would understand!" claimed Kise in his usual exuberant tone. He took out another box of white chocolate before presenting it with a grin at the other. "Here, my thank you gift for staying by Midorimacchi all of this time! Happy Valentine's Day, Takaocchi!"

"Well, this is unexpected, but thank you!" Takao gladly accepted the chocolate. "Try to return Shin-chan in one piece and without any brain damage, okay? I still need him to win against you all!"

Kise laughed brightly. "We'll do our best~!"

.

xXXx

.

The train ride went uneventfully. By miracle they managed to get a whole bench to sit. Their conversation stayed light and mundane until, naturally, they started to doze off. Kuroko's head rested on Kise's upper arm while the blond leaned against Aomine who slouched in his seat and slept with his mouth open. Momoi giggled at the sight and took candid pictures while Midorima, who sat beside Momoi, remarked how embarrassing they were. Momoi chided him half-heartedly before striking up another conversation for the rest of their ride.

They had promised to meet with Murasakibara at the station and it was easy to spot the purple haired man once they arrived. Murasakibara towered above everyone else and the shade of his hair was so uncommon it'd immediately capture anyone's eyes. When Momoi first saw him, Murasakibara was leaning beside some product promotional poster while eating potato chips, but then he looked up, noticing the colorful group, and approached them.

The purple haired man made a beeline straight towards Kise. He loomed right in front of the blond, looking down at the other while the potato chips crunched noisily inside his mouth. Only when he had swallowed does he speak up his demand, "Kise-chin, chocolate."

Midorima scoffed, "You could at least greet us first, Murasakibara. Your manner truly is atrocious."

"Mido-chin, don't be so noisy. You made me want to crush you."

"Oi, better not do that here, idiot. I don't want to gather any more crowd."

"Aomine-kun, I don't think that's what you should worry about."

"Don't worry, Tetsu-kun! I'm sure Mukkun didn't really mean that!"

Murasakibara paid them no heed. His attention still focused solely on Kise. His eyes had taken on a hungry glint in them. "Kise-chin. Chocolate."

Kise laughed. "Yes, yes, give me a moment, Murasakicchi," he searched around the paper bag for a moment before finally finding a box of chocolate-green tea which then he pulled out. He kept that one box while giving the whole bag to Murasakibara. "There! You can have all the chocolates there. I have some unusual ones, like orange flavored chocolate. I'm not sure how it'll taste, but I think you'll enjoy it, Murasakicchi."

The way Murakibara's eyes started to sparkle like a kid when he took the bag from Kise was quite hilarious considering the man's height. However, all of the Generation of Miracles was used to it so they just rolled their eyes good-naturedly. Murasakibara outside the court had always been childish, especially with his lazy way of speaking and obsession to snacks.

"Thank you, Kise-chin. I'll give you this in return," said Murasakibara as he gave Kise his half-eaten potato chip. The giant man didn't waste any time before taking a box of chocolate from the bag and opened it. After that, he didn't say anything else, content on munching at the sweet delicacy instead.

"You're actually going to accept that garbage, Kise? It's totally worthless." Aomine said with spite even as he slung an arm around Kise's shoulders and stole a chip. He ducked when Kise, quite annoyed, swatted at him half-heartedly.

"You could at least give him a new one, Murasakibara." Midorima remarked without bite. He knew the probability of Murasakibara actually listening to him was slim to none.

"Eeeh, but Kise-chin is happy with what I gave. Right~?"

"Right. It's good enough for me. Thank you, Murasakicchi." Kise answered dutifully while feeding Momoi another potato chip. He decided to give the rest of the bag to Aomine, who hadn't stop stealing the chips despite his earlier protest.

"You really should stop eating too many snacks. It wouldn't be good for your health."

Murasakibara spared Midorima a glance before shifting his gaze away and drawling insincerely, "Riiight."

Hearing that, Midorima's face turned sour. He looked as if he had a thing or two to say to Murasakibara, but Kuroko's sudden appearance beside him startled him so much he automatically turned to face the teal haired man's calm expression instead. Midorima crossed his arms defensively. "What?"

"I'm sure Murasakibara-kun appreciates your worry for him, Midorima-kun. Please don't be dishearten just because he didn't respond accordingly."

"I don't particularly care whether he heeds my advice or not. I just don't like his attitude. He really should have a lesson in manners."

For a few heartbeats, there was silence between them, until finally the softest of sigh broke it. Kuroko Tetsuya's voice was full of sympathy as he said, "I think you'll have to work harder if you wanted to achieve that dream."

Silently Midorima agreed whole-heartedly. Teaching the giant man manners was impossible—unless maybe if you were Akashi, then it became almost impossible instead. Of course, there were a lot of impossible things that became almost impossible whenever Akashi was involved, especially when it concerned any members of Generation of Miracles, and Midorima had accepted that fact really well.

He was in no position to change any of them, not even if he wanted to. The only thing he could do was letting their unconventional relationship sweep him along, enjoying the ride and maybe the scenery if he could. Midorima thought he should be grateful for that. At least it meant he was still a part of them.

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xXXx

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Akashi didn't bother waiting for them at Rakuzan's front gate. None of them was surprised by it. Kise calmly took out his mobile instead, dialing Akashi's number, making small talk, before announcing they were told (or more precisely: ordered) to go directly to the gym; the basketball gym, as per Akashi's words because apparently Rakuzan had more than one gym for their sport clubs. Of course.

They shared a look, because they knew there would be commotion once they arrived at the gym, but then decided there was nothing they could do about it. Akashi's words were … well, not exactly absolute, but still compelling at the very least, and besides they were used to be the center of attention.

With that collective agreement, the colorful bunch started to walk towards the basketball gym. Momoi, as the only girl in the group, took the initiative to lead the way and to ask direction once they felt quite lose in the big school area. Murasakibara lingered almost at the back of the group, almost apathetic to anything other than the chocolate (the third box he had eaten today) in hand. Beside him, Midorima was still berating the purple haired man occasionally, although he looked more resigned than determined. Right behind Momoi the Kise-Kuroko-Aomine trio was bickering amicably. The blonde male had his arms looped tightly around Kuroko's arm while saying something towards Aomine beside him who, in return, just yawned widely.

The people who passed them by would always turn to look at the strange group, but they didn't bother to acknowledge it (except for that one time when four girls recognized Kise as a model and were brave enough to ask for his autograph) until finally Momoi managed to get the right direction to the basketball gym.

("So we should've turned left back then instead of right."

"See? Told you, Kise. Your sense of direction sucks."

"Shut up, Aominecchi! I thought it would be similar with Kaijou!"

"Where were we heading then, Momoi-san? There's a separate building over there too."

"Oh, that's the cafeteria, Tetsu-kun."

"Can we stop there first? I'm hungry~"

"No, Murasakibara. You've eaten more than enough. In fact, you should stop eating. Now.")

Fortunately, the basketball gym wasn't that far for their current location. It was quite identifiable too since it was the largest gym there—it was even bigger than their gym in Teikou and that was saying something—and the sound of routine practice that could be heard clearly from the gym's open doors were helpful too. When they arrived, Momoi once again decided to be the spoke-person for their group and went first inside the gym. The rest of them waited for a moment until finally the pink haired girl walked back out with a smile and a certain red head following her.

"Akashicchi!" greeted Kise when he saw the other. He was about to approach and hug him when he realized there was a third person following the duo. He tilted his head when Hayama Kotarou stopped beside Akashi. Kise noticed then that the older male had few training jerseys in hands. This prompted him to quirk his brows inquiringly. "What's with those jerseys, Akashicchi?"

By now, the rest of Generation of Miracles had also come forward, gathering around Akashi, Hayama and Momoi while waiting for an answer. Even Murasakibara had actually stopped eating. The box of chocolate was dutifully returned back into the paper bag.

Akashi smiled seeing their questioning look and Kise knew he wasn't the only one who shivered when seeing it. Then Akashi spoke up for the first time and Kise knew the dread they all felt was very, very warranted.

"Those are for you. Since you all have gone all the way here, I thought a little game won't hurt. Of course, I'll be leading Rakuzan now." The smile widened fractionally and it was decidedly scheming. "Well then, I'll wait for you in the court. Don't take too long."

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-TBC-