AN: Hello! Yes, another huge gap. So sorry! And I know I'm postponing it, but "The Oath" will be updated too, soon! I'm not abandoning any fics, that is for sure!

Enjoy~

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"Dialogues"

'Thoughts'

Chapter 3

"Daiki! Get up or you'll be late!"

Daiki only grumbled something that sounded like 'Five more minutes' before snuggling deeper into the covers. They'd just played a huge match yesterday and he deserved a bit of extra sleep. Besides, he was sure they didn't have morning practice today –

"Daiki! Get up! Satsuki-chan is here already!"

He was also sure that it hadn't even been five minutes. Geez, didn't his mom know there wasn't morning practice? Why wake him up at six in the morning? Before he could ponder that any further, the door to his room banged open before being shut equally loudly.

"Wha –?"

"Dai-chan! Wake up, you need to see this!"

'See what?' Daiki opened one bleary eye, Satsuki's worried face coming into view. Then, as his eyes travelled over her, they snapped open completely.

"Satsuki!" Daiki yelped, pointing one accusing finger at her chest, "What happened to your boobs?!"

"Huh?" Satsuki looked down at her now larger breasts, before glaring at him, slapping the offending finger away, "Shut up, Dai-chan! Besides, hear yourself, would you?"

"Hear myself –?" Daiki paused, "Ahh! My voice!"

"Shh!" Satsuki flapped her hands to calm him down, "I know! And speak softly; we don't want your Kaa-san to know you're actually going crazy!"

"Maybe I am!" Daiki hissed, clambering out of his bed, making to enter the bathroom to take a better look at himself. If Satsuki had suddenly grown, in height and other…areas, then did that mean he had too?

"What the hell is going on?" Daiki emerged, shirt in hand as he ran his fingers over his abs, "I don't remember having them so well defined,"

Satsuki sweat-dropped as Daiki put on his shirt, "That's not the only thing," she said softly, a serious look in her eyes, "Look at the date."

"The date?" Daiki raised an eyebrow, unwilling to believe what she was suggesting.

Okay, so with the abnormal growth spurt and sudden changes, Daiki could guess what Satsuki might be alluding to, but did that mean he had to believe in this crack pot theory?

"It's the 11th of April, Dai-chan. And not the year we were in," Satsuki said, pulling out her phone to show him, "Something's wrong. Very wrong."

Daiki's eyes widened in disbelief at the numbers blinking on her phone screen and then he snatched up his own mobile to re-check.

"Shit."

"Exactly, Dai-chan," Satsuki pursed her lips, "and surely the both of us couldn't have forgotten the last two years, so this – whatever this is – is actually true."

Daiki gave a weak laugh, plopping down on his bed, "I'm…I'm not even sure what's happening. Yesterday we'd just played in the finals and now? This is so crazy…"

"And that's not the only problem," Now Satsuki looked even more distressed, "Why don't I have Tetsu-kun's number in my phone?!"

Daiki barked out a laugh – seriously?! That is what caused her to look so worried? – before pausing. The notion was odd, Tetsu's number not in Satsuki's phone? He scrolled down the contact list in his own phone, but it seemed like it was the same for him.

"Eh," Daiki dismissed, "Tetsu must have gotten a new number or something; we'll just have to ask him in school today." And that gave him a pause, "Wait, Satsuki…which school do we go to?"

Satsuki sighed, "Mou! Dai-chan! It's really a good thing I'm with you – you're such a basket-baka, you wouldn't have been able to do anything were you left alone!"

"Oi!" the tanned ace protested, "That's so not true!"

"It certainly is." Satsuki retorted, flipping her hair over her shoulder and turning to leave the room, "Get changed into your uniform. It must be in your closet, a dark navy blazer and trousers. I'll go home and do the same. Meet you outside in twenty minutes, okay?"

Daiki nodded; glad she stayed close by to his house. He truly wondered what would have happened if she'd not visited so early in the morning. Then he sighed, dropping his head onto his arms, what was this mess they'd gotten into?

"This is ridiculous," Aomine hissed, glaring at nothing in particular as he ate his lunch.

If the start of their day had been bad enough, the rest of it was terrible. Both Aomine and Momoi attended Touou High School, a school that was not prestigious enough for its sports but was certainly gaining that reputation slowly. They'd skipped out on morning basketball practice to re-acquaint themselves with the school's huge campus. The two of them were in different classes, they'd learned and Aomine had apparently joined the school with a sports scholarship. Okay, that was good. But still…

"Just how invisible can that guy be?" Aomine asked, shoving a bit of rice in his mouth, "I've combed through all the classes there are, the library, the music rooms, the secluded spots – everything!"

Momoi briefly scrunched up her nose in distaste as he ate and talked at the same time before sighing, "When did you have time to do that? Don't tell me you've been ditching classes!"

Aomine scowled, "What's the use anyway? It's not like I'll be able to understand anything."

"And you'll ever understand if you ditch, baka! We can't suddenly drop our grades –"

"Yeah, yeah," Aomine waved a hand dismissively, "That's really not what I'm worried about, okay, Satsuki? What's bugging me is that I really can't find Tetsu, or that even Tetsu's not come found me. We usually eat lunch together!"

Momoi let out a confused noise, "I know. I'm really wondering now; perhaps Tetsu-kun doesn't attend Touou with us?"

"No!" Aomine protested, "We're a team, aren't we? Why would he not come to Touou with us?"

"Yes," Momoi agreed, "but Dai-chan, neither do any of the others come to Touou as well. Perhaps Tetsu-kun just shifted out of Tokyo?" She frowned, "But how will we even contact him? I don't even have his number!"

"Satsuki…" Aomine began, putting his bento down, "Have you thought about this – we're the only ones experiencing this shit?"

"Language, Dai-chan." Momoi murmured automatically, her analytical mind already considering the possibilities, "I only have Midorin's and Akashi-kun's number right now – we couldn't all have changed phone numbers simultaneously, could we?"

"No," Aomine agreed softly, "What are you saying? We're – we're not friends any longer?"

Momoi looked conflicted, "I don't know, but that would at least explain why you and Tetsu-kun are not on the same team, wouldn't it?"

Aomine scowled, "Nonsense! Tetsu and I – not friends? He's my best friend; seriously, Satsuki, don't joke!"

"Dai-chan, think about it," Momoi urged, "I can't count on you to have anyone's phone number but Tetsu-kun's, so you not having Midorin or Ki-chan or Muk-kun or even Akashi-kun's number is believable. But I make sure to gather everyone's data – why wouldn't I have their number unless we've all separated after middle school?"

Aomine pushed off his chair, dropping his chopsticks onto the closed bento box. Ignoring the stares of both, Momoi and other students in the cafeteria, he stalked off, too incensed at his childhood friend's suggestion to stay and talk about their unusual situation any longer.

"Aomine."

The sound of his name made him stop, even though he'd no idea who it was. Best not to act any differently; he'd never hear the end of it from Satsuki if he messed up whatever he was supposed to not mess up. Looking behind but unable to distinguish which of the numerous students called out to him, Aomine shrugged and walked on, giving up.

"Oi, Aomine!"

This time a light-blond haired, muscular student pushed through the crowd to come to stand next to the tanned player.

"What?" Aomine scowled, not caring how rude he was. He didn't even know this guy.

"The coach wants you at practice today," the blond responded with a scowl of his own, "He has something to say to the team, so be on time."

"Whatever." Aomine replied, walking away and ignoring the other teen's shout of respecting his seniors. He'd respect them some other time, right now he was pissed. 'Seriously, man, can't you leave a guy alone? I was going to come to practice either way, he didn't have to come and tell me personally…who was he anyway?' Aomine shook his head, sighing, 'Geez, Tetsu, you really aren't in Touou, are you? And have we actually stopped being friends? I find that so weird…playing on the court without you, without my shadow…I can't even imagine that.'

And then came the startling thought – what if Tetsu hadn't travelled to the future with him and Satsuki? What if Tetsu was fine, normal, or exempt from whatever mess he and Satsuki had found themselves in? That was a scary thought; because if that was so, and Tetsu and he really weren't friends anymore – Aomine didn't know how he would handle it.

Momoi Satsuki may have been his childhood friend and best friend, but Kuroko Tetsuya was his best guy friend. Their friendship was different from his and Satsuki's but equally as precious. Tetsu, for all his weak stamina and less capable body, was still as passionate about basketball as Aomine and they had bonded over it. They'd practiced together, played with each other, been completely in sync with the other on court; shared ice-lollies and water-bottles, jokes and secrets, fears. Tetsu had been more than his partner-on-court; he'd been Aomine's best friend and despite his perpetually blank expression, Aomine could still read him the best. Even better than Akashi, and wasn't that something?

Aomine scowled at the mushy turn his thoughts had taken, "Gah, whatever. If Tetsu and I aren't friends, well, we'll just have to become so again, won't we? He's just as much of a basket-baka as me…a couple of games and we'll be fine."

Giving a decisive nod to himself, he began his way up the stairs and towards the roof. Nothing better to do than take a nap when his mind was muddled.

"– and that's all they had to say. I re-established my network and asked around, apparently you skipping classes is not a big deal –"

"See?" Aomine cut in, "It's all fine."

"No, it's not, Dai-chan!" Momoi paused, hands on her hips as she glowered at him, "This is not Teiko and you may have a sports scholarship, but you still need to maintain your grades. Which, I'm frankly worried about, we can't really ask for help without sounding odd," she frowned a bit, "and it will be unusual if I slip up in my work…"

"We'll figure something out later," Aomine drawled, "What about basketball?"

"Ah," her expression turned thoughtful, "You seem to have gained a reputation for bunking practice. Even if it's only been a week since school began, you've not gone again after the first day here."

"What?" Aomine sounded shocked, "Me? Not going to practice?"

"Aa, and Dai-chan, most people wouldn't tell any more. So, it seems I know about this and it must be a sensitive matter. I think you shouldn't play today," she raised her hand at Aomine's enraged face, "or at least till we go for a check-up. You might have had an injury or something that forces you to stop practising as you usually do."

"I feel fine, Satsuki!" Aomine protested, "And Kaa-san didn't mention anything about going to rehabilitation or something, did she?"

"Yes, but why else would you skip practice?" Momoi asked in return, "And while I couldn't ask more – I'm supposed to know all this, after all – with the way people behaved, it seemed as if the reason you don't go to practice is not really known." At Aomine's confused expression, she elaborated, "Not the basketball members; I couldn't ask them, could I? The other students know that you skip but not why you skip – that can only mean you might have had an injury that's still healing, right? Such a thing wouldn't be very common knowledge to anyone outside the team, but it would still garner interest because you're one of the Generation of Miracles."

"Fine," Aomine replied grudgingly, "we'll go to that check-up. But," he paused, "whom will we go to? And what will be the reason? The doctor won't just do a check-up without getting a cause, ya know?"

Momoi bit her lip at that problem, "I don't know Dai-chan. Let's just go to practice first and see what the coach has to say, okay?"

"Okay," Aomine exhaled, running a distressed hand through his hair, "Okay, let's go. I don't really like this, Satsuki."

"I know, Dai-chan, I know…I just hope we're not alone in this."

"We'll be having a practice match with Juuniji High this weekend," the coach said, Aomine hadn't caught his name yet, he'd have to ask Satsuki later, "Their starter players are a strong bunch this year. And they have a new captain too, a second year by the name –"

Aomine tuned out then; it was just a match and if he really had an old injury that he couldn't feel, but may impair his ability to play basketball in the future if he didn't let it heal now, he wouldn't be playing in that match anyway. He brought himself back to the conversation when Momoi prodded him sharply under the ribs. Barely supressing a hiss, he refrained from returning the gesture and looked at the coach.

"We'll be having our regulars play the match." The coach was saying, "Aomine, you'll go in for the second half, I want to see how well the team plays against Juuniji without a Miracle,"

Aomine blinked at the order before shrugging. He couldn't say anything or protest lest they find it odd, "Fine."

Momoi looked perplexed at the coach's decision before turning contemplative. The others seemed content with Aomine's assent and paid no more attention to the navy haired teen.

"Imayoshi, I'll be pulling you out for one quarter. I want to see how Nishido fares as a point guard. A practice match will be the best time –"

"This makes no sense!" Momoi huffed.

Aomine grunted and kept walking, eager to simply go home and sleep. The day had been mentally tiring; they had to keep acting as if they knew what was going on and Momoi had made Aomine attend English class (You barely passed in the midterms back in Teiko, Dai-chan! You can't do the same in High School!), and frankly, Aomine had no energy left. Even though he'd bunked basketball in the end – no one had been surprised, though he'd caught that blond, Wakamatsu, Aomine remembered, looking at him with annoyance – he still wanted to simply sleep now, too tired to even listen to Satsuki.

"Harasawa kantoku wouldn't have asked you to play at all if you were injured," Momoi continued, "So, if you're physically fit, why don't you attend practice?"

"So we're not going to that check-up, then?" Aomine interjected.

"No," Momoi agreed, "And that's not important, Dai-chan! You need to go to practice; your body needs some exercise, especially if you're going to play a demanding sport like basketball!"

"Geez, I know that, Satsuki. Stop screeching like a harpy." Aomine lightly rubbed his ear, grimacing as her tone reached a few decibels below 'squeal'.

"But, people are going to talk if you suddenly start attending practice," Momoi said, "and what excuse can we give them for it when we don't even know why you stopped attending in the first place?"

"Simple," Aomine shrugged, folding his hands behind his head, book bag hanging lightly from his fingers, "I'll practice after official practice ends. No need to attend the school practice, is there?"

"Yes!" Momoi beamed, "That's brilliant, Dai-chan! For an ahou, you do have a few good ideas at times –"

"Oi!"

"– only, we need to find a place," Momoi went on, heedless of Aomine's reproach, "The school gym will be locked by then,"

"Eh, we can always go there," Aomine suggested after a while.

"Where?"

"That court near the children's park."

"Ah, yes! That will be perfect! We can go there tomorrow," Momoi suggested, "Start slowly to confirm you really have no injuries before beginning practice. I'd like to re-take your data now. The one from middle school is of no use, what with your growth; I want to see how much more you can do!"

Aomine sighed, he should have expected that.

"I still have a low presence, Kagami-kun and I are in the same class and we're good friends, and I apparently joined the basketball club after drawing a huge message, 'We will be the best in Japan', with chalk on the school grounds."

Kise let out a low whistle at that, dribbling the ball as he prepared to dash past Kuroko, "That's some odd stuff you found out, Kurokochhi. How did you find out that last thing anyway?"

Kuroko jabbed his hand to steal the ball, but Kise expertly pulled away, turning and making a run for the hoop around the phantom player. Kuroko ran after him but Kise soon out-paced him and dunked the ball in.

"I only asked a couple of questions to Kagami-kun," Kuroko replied as they took a small breather, "Not obvious questions, but he ended up telling me about our 'initiation' on his own."

The two of them had been at it for half an hour now, relaxing in the company of a friend they didn't have to pretend in front of. They could talk normally, but in the end, they were all basketball lovers at heart and best connected through the sport. Besides, it was different to practice with a new team and practicing with old ones. Their two year growth had increased their stamina and Kuroko and Kise found themselves doing some instinctive moves that their older bodies were used to but their middle school minds had no idea of.

Muscle memory was both a pain and a boon. For one, it helped them become aware of a few new technical skills they'd learned in the past two years but at the same time, they had to stop themselves from being surprised when they did things on automatic or in reflex. Playing together in this manner allowed them to discover these skills safely, without curious eyes looking on and wondering why they were acting so differently.

"Kasamatsu Yukio is my new captain and for some reason, he has this weird threat of kicking me if I don't come to practice or obey him. I entered Kaijo with a sports scholarship, I still work as a model," Kise supplied, "And Rumi-nee-san has gotten engaged to some guy I've never heard of before. Apparently we get along well, but I've no idea about it now, do I?"

Kuroko hummed in agreement, dribbling the ball back and forth, suddenly changing gears, speeding up and ducking past the blond on his less dominant side. Two years ago, this move would have caught Kise by surprise and he would have had to force himself to shift his weight onto less dominant foot and counter the move; now, his body moved instinctively as he made to block Kuroko again.

Two years ago, Kise's immediate response would have surprised Kuroko enough to make him stop; now, Kuroko simply shifted again, spinning the ball and passing through Kise's now less guarded side. Then, both of them paused in surprise. The ball hit the netted fence and dropped down, rolling slightly as it came to rest beside them.

"Ha ha," Kise laughed nervously, "still in the habit of passing cross and forth, Kurokochhi?"

Kuroko's lips turned down ever so slightly, not a big change at all, but Kise managed to catch it, "It has only been two days for me, Kise-kun. I expected Aomine-kun to be there to catch it and go for the hoop."

Kise didn't know how to respond to that. While he could pass off his shift to Kanagawa as a necessity due to his father's job and explain the reason he went to school without his old team mates, Aomine not going to school with Kuroko was a slightly more complex thing.

"Have you tried calling him?" Kise ventured.

He hadn't done that, because for one, Aominechhi was more likely to hang up on him before entertaining the notion of 'time travel' and two, Kurokochhi was already in the same boat and could relate to him. He didn't know about Aomine's situation.

"Kise-kun has Aomine-kun's phone number?" Kuroko asked with slight surprise, his face morphing to match his tone.

Kise blinked at the obvious show of expression, "Of course, I have everyone's phone number. Why wouldn't I?"

"Oh, no," Kuroko shook his head, masking his face again, "My phone seems to have only yours and Akashi-kun's number."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Kise asked, confused, "You don't have Aominechhi's number? Or not even Momoichhi's?"

"No." Kuroko sighed, "I don't even know which school he goes to."

"Huh." Kise plopped himself down on the ground, bending his knees and hooking his arms around them, motioning for his friend and mentor to do the same. When Kuroko complied, he continued, "This is why you must keep yourself updated with the help of social media groups, Kurokochhi!"

"You know, then?" Kuroko asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Kise grinned, "We're apparently rather famous, Kurokochhi!"

"As the Generation of Miracles?" Kuroko asked dryly, "Yes, I know that. My team mates wouldn't stop gushing about that title and your supposedly genius skills in our practice match."

"Eh! Kurokochhi~! What's the 'supposedly' for?" Kise whined playfully, "I am a genius!"

"Of course, Kise-kun," Kuroko nodded amiably, "Let me not shatter your daydreams."

Kise narrowed his eyes, "Well, Kurokochhi will be figuring out Aominechhi's high school on his own, then, won't he?"

"Come now, Kise-kun," Kuroko looked at him pleadingly, "You'll help out your friend, won't you? Kise-kun is such a kind hearted soul."

Kise laughed at Kuroko's attempt puppy eyes. "It'd be more successful if you didn't say it all monotonously, Kurokochhi!"

"Well," Kuroko said, schooling his face and ceasing his attempt at making puppy eyes, "I know when something's not my forte. I suppose Kise-kun's does that best."

"Eh! Are you being mean, Kurokochhi~?"

"Now, tell me where the others are," Kuroko continued, ignoring Kise's pout.

The blond laughed at his friend's deadpan expression and got up to grab his phone from the bench, "Finding out where Murasakibarachhi and Aominechhi attend high school was slightly tough. Apparently that's not so well known, but I scanned through a few old mails we exchanged –"

"Akashi-kun is at Rakuzan in Kyoto, Muk-kun is at Yosen in Akita, Ki-chan goes to Kaijo in Kanagawa, Midorin goes to Shuutoku and Tetsu-kun goes to Seirin. Both are in Tokyo and Seirin's a very new school," Momoi rattled off.

"A new school?" Aomine repeated in disbelief, "Why did Tetsu go there? Does that school even have a basketball club?"

"They do," Momoi nodded, waiting at the crossroad for the signal to turn green, "and for a new school, they're pretty good."

"Huh," Aomine huffed, "Seirin, is it? We're paying them a visit tomorrow, Satsuki!"

"Are you sure, Dai-chan?" Momoi asked, "We don't know if Tetsu-kun has come to the …future …with us or not."

Aomine tsked at her, "Sheesh, Satsuki, I thought you'd be more eager than me. Besides, that guy's got a pretty vivid imagination. He'll believe me regardless."

"Okay!" Momoi brightened up immediately, encouraged by his words, "And if Tetsu-kun has not time travelled, he could tutor me for school work!"

Aomine sweat-dropped at her abrupt change in behaviour but he knew his friend's antics better than most and let it be.

"Let's hope the court is empty," Aomine said, "I don't want to share today."

The words had barely left his mouth as they turned a corner that a flash of yellow caught his eye. One – no, two – two figures were stretching themselves inside the court, as if just about to enter into a game. Two figures – Kise Ryota and Kuroko Tetsuya.

"I thought Kise was supposed to be in Kanagawa?"

That was the first thing that came out of Aomine's mouth and then Momoi was tearing across the court, ready to jump at Tetsu. Aomine wondered where her inhibitions went, thinking whether Tetsu was their Tetsu or a different Tetsu, but then he figured that Satsuki would still jump him regardless.

"Momoi-san." Tetsu's bland expression was expected, the slight surprise in his eyes was not.

Aomine narrowed his eyes – why the surprise? Was it his Tetsu? Or was it the new Tetsu that might or might not be their friend?

"Aominechhi! Momoichhi!" Kise was beaming, "How come you're here?"

"Oh, we're here to practice too," Momoi said, pulling her face away from Tetsu's shoulder. She still clung onto him, not minding the light sweat, as she hesitated to say anything more. Giving a pleading glance at Aomine, she said, "Dai-chan and I didn't expect to see you here. And isn't Ki-chan supposed to be in Kanagawa?"

"Ah, yes," Kise scratched his head, laughing lightly, "I came over to practice a bit with Kurokochhi –"

"Aomine-kun."

Aomine's eyes snapped towards him, "Tetsu."

The other two stopped, falling silent.

The pale blue haired teen looked carefully at his friend, not dislodging Momoi from where she clutched at his arm, "It felt nice…"

The phrase was odd; so odd that both Momoi and Kise turned to look at them with confused expressions; but Aomine remembered it despite the fact that he had been half-asleep then. Kuroko rarely spoke of something that 'felt nice', so when he did, it stuck in Aomine's memory.

"Your first national win?" Aomine grinned now and Tetsu answered it with his own.

Immediately figuring it out, Momoi let out a huge squeal, hugging Tetsu once more, "Then, Ki-chan too?"

"Yeah," Kise nodded dumbly, surprised at the turn of events before smirking, "Looks like that's four of us, now, isn't it?"

"What are the odds the others are in the same predicament?" Momoi asked, smiling as she let go of Tetsu to hug Kise.

"No idea," Kuroko replied, face neutral as he bumped fists with his light.

Aomine could still make out the happiness in his eyes though and he nudged Kuroko teasingly. Kuroko simply retaliated with a jab under his ribs that had the ace grimacing with pain as he doubled over. Kise laughed out loud at their usual interaction before slapping Aomine in the back as a greeting. Aomine slung an arm around his shoulders and idly commented that Kise had grown taller.

For a moment, it all seemed normal. It was still them, hanging out together on a basketball court, laughing and joking together. Perfectly normal. And had it not been for the absence of three of their number, it would have been so, too.

AN: So? How was this? And did Aomine's pov come out right?

Also, anyone wondering why Aomine and Momoi could see Kuroko so quickly, it was because they saw Kise first and he was helping him stretch. Plus, Momoi seems to find him and squeeze him to death all the time anyway :P And you can say Aomine is much more in tune with his shadow than in canon.

I hope you guys are liking this! Please let me know, alright? A small review doesn't take much long, but greatly encourages me! So, a review, please?

.

To Lalalu Thanks for reviewing! If only it was a single worded expression, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

To guest - Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the story and that all are 'in character', so to say :) Yes, high school life is certainly going to be difficult, in more ways than one! Hope you liked this chapter too! :)