Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke and its characters rightfully belong to Tadatoshi Fukimaki.

You are cordially invited to the wedding of
Hyuuga Junpei and Riko Aida.

Momoi Satsuki hates weddings with a passion.

It isn't to say that the dislike was always there. Like many other girls, young Momoi would spend hours dreaming about her own wedding, thinking about the pretty white dress she would put on during her special day, the bouquet she would have. She would imagine her walking down the aisle, her father gently holding her by the hand. Then Satsuki-the-Bride would look up meekly from underneath the veil, only to see her Prince Charming standing at the end of the walkway, patiently waiting for her arrival.

She never did manage to picture the face of her groom clearly, that part of her dream was always blurred out. But Momoi did realize one thing at one point, the silhouette of her groom always resembled a certain tanned-skin, blue-haired basketball player who just so happened to be her faithful companion from childhood till high school.

The thought caused a corner of her to curve up. Momoi turned to said companion who was usually seen by her side.

"Ne, Dai-chan, do you think it would a good idea if we got married?"

Aomine Daiki grunted, his eyes never meeting hers. "Hah? As if I would ever marry an annoying brat like you."

And then Momoi puffed her cheeks and pouted. "Fine then! I'll go fine Tetsu-kun. He's so much more sensible than you, he's cuter than you and unlike you, he treats me like how a woman should be treated, while you're just a stinking douchebag who will be forever alone with that rotten attitude of yours." With a huff, Momoi stomped away and the boy never attempted to stop her. But unbeknownst to her, Aomine would sneak a glance at her leaving form, a sigh escaping his lips, mentally reprimanding himself for fucking things up. Again.

By the end of the day, Aomine found Momoi sitting by herself in the gym, watching her boys—sans Aomine—play, occasionally barking out orders to them when she saw fit.

When she realised his presence, Momoi turned away from him. "I'm not talking to you." She muttered with her arms crossed before her chest. Without saying a word, Aomine tossed her a packet of drink and sat down beside her. Momoi knew that she could never bring herself to hate her best friend since childhood, so instead she sighed and accepted the drink as a peace-offering, the Aomine-way of apologising and making up.

"Idiot-mine." And then they went back to being friends. Just like that.

But as Momoi clutches onto the invitation card to Hyuuga Junpei and Riko Aida's wedding in her hands, unconsciously squeezing too tightly and crumpling the edges, her thoughts are not of the silly times spent with Aomine. Momoi closes her eyes as the tears threaten to fall.

The wound from a year ago is still very much raw.

If she can have it her way, Momoi would rather lock herself in her house along with her soaps than attending a wedding. Unfortunately for her, it was Tetsuya Kuroko who passed her the invitation and she just couldn't bring herself to turn it down, because despite the fact that he was never her romantic interest, Momoi was at one point infatuated with the former phantom sixth man.

"You will go right, Momoi-san? It would be a chance for us to catch up."

Staring into Kuroko's innocent blue eyes, it was certainly hard for her to say no. Not to mention that she and Aida had become rather close because after spending most of her times with a team of sweaty boys, it was a nice change to hang out with someone from the same sex who shared the same passion as her.

Besides, Aida will come at her with a knife if Momoi dared miss her wedding.

So in the end, she nodded. "I will see you then, Tetsu-kun."

As Momoi stands outside the church where the wedding was to be held, with the wind tousling her hair and lifting the edges of her orange sundress, she feels sweat breaking out of her forehead and on her palms. The sight of the groom in his fine suit, the sound of wedding bells chiming and the overall atmosphere all sent a cold chill down her spine.

Momoi Satsuki wants nothing more than to run away.

"Momoi-san?"

Too late, as Momoi turns around to see the groom staring pointedly at her. She forces herself to smile at him and sends words of congratulations.

"You're really lucky, Hyuuga-san."

"Thank you, Momoi-san. I think so too." Hyuuga Junpei laughs sheepishly. "But I'm worried that I might not think the same thing a few months later."

Momoi wags a finger and winks. "Ah ah ah, Hyuuga-san. You are not allowed to think that. And if you dare break dear Aida's heart, you will not survive under my wrath."

Hyuuga laughs nervously at her comment, half-wondering if she means it. The tone was a joking one but he doesn't miss that strange glint in her eyes. "I'll be sure to remember that."

At the end of his sentence, Hyuuga hears his name being called from right behind him.

"Hyuuga-senpai,"

And that's when he jumps with a shout.

"Hello, Tetsu-kun." Momoi greets with a smile.

"Argh! Do you have to keep doing that, Kuroko? Even on my wedding day? Argh! So frustrating, so frustrating." Hyuuga recollects himself, smoothing his clothes and calming himself down all the while glaring at his former teammate. The wedding was already driving him half mad and he doesn't need Kuroko to make things worse. The groom pushes up his glasses with a scowl, trying to hide the pink tinge on his cheeks due to the embarrassment from his outburst.

"Sorry, Hyuuga-senpai." Kuroko apologises then stretches out a hand. "Congratulations."

Hyuuga doesn't manage to hold his scowl for long as it breaks into a grin when he accepts Kuroko's hand. "Thank you." When he hears a bark, Hyuuga reaches out to pet #2 on the head. "How are you, #2? Has Kuroko been feeding you well? My my, you are certainly big now, aren't you? There's a good boy, good boy, #2." The dog responds by licking Hyuuga's face enthusiastically—although the latter was less than happy at the dog's display of affection.

"Hyuuga-senpai, I've sent out the invitations to the others."

"Ah? Really?" Hyuuga pulls out a handkerchief to wipe off #2's saliva from his face. "And?"

"Kagami might be a little late; Kise said he will be here; Akashi declined, saying that he was busy but he sends you his congratulations; Midorima declined because today is not a good day for Cancers and Tauruses to meet, also because he doesn't want to see you while Aomine—"

Upon hearing his name, Momoi's back stiffens and she immediately looks away. "—Aomine-kun didn't reply."

Hyuuga scratches the back of his head. "Ahh… Can that Midorima be any more tactless? But anyway, perhaps you and Momoi-san should go in to have a seat. The ceremony should be starting anytime soon."

Kuroko nods and turns to Momoi. "Momoi-san?"

When she doesn't reply, he reaches out to pat her gently on her back, startling her in the process. Kuroko stares right at her with concern. "Are you all right, Momoi-san?"

Then Momoi flashes him one of those fake smiles she had spent hours and hours practicing in front of a mirror and links her arms with Kuroko's. "Of course I am. Let's go in!"

As Momoi holds onto Kuroko and Kuroko pulls at #2's leash, the trio enter the church. As her eyes fall on the pews decorated with baby's breath, the long white walkway covered with rose petals and the photo of the happy couple displayed on the big screen for everyone to see, it takes every single fibre in her body to stop herself from collapsing.

Kuroko notices the change in her expression and when the two of them move to their seats he stares at Momoi's face so intently that she thinks he might as well just burn a hole into her head. "Tetsu-kun...?"

"Momoi-san, what happened?"

"What are you talking about, Tetsu-kun?"

"Aomine-kun…"

There it goes again, hearing his name feels like a punch to her stomach. Momoi looks away, blinking back tears. She directs her attention towards #2, the only safe place for her eyes to land and when she holds out her hand, he licks it affectionately. She smiles.

"You never said what happened between you two."

Momoi doesn't even glance at him, pouring all her attention towards the dog. "You're a good dog, aren't you, #2?" She coos.

"Momoi-san, it isn't like you to ignore someone so blatantly."

Momoi turns to glare at him. "Have you ever thought that it might be because I never want to tell, Tetsu-kun?" Kuroko's eyes widened, slightly taken aback by her reaction. "If you're so interested, perhaps you should go ask Aomine himself."

"I did, actually. But he always hung up on me."

Momoi scoffs. "It's so him to do something like that." Then in an undertone, she adds, "Idiot-mine."

Kuroko is about to speak when the host of the ceremony announces, "Can I please have all the guests be seated as the ceremony will begin shortly. Thank you."

Kuroko sighs then turns his attention to the front of the room.

"You two were a good match," Kuroko says softly but since Momoi is sitting right next to him, she hangs on to every single syllable. She looks at Kuroko who still has his eyes fixed straight in front of him. "Momoi-san and Aomine-kun, you two were a good match."

Momoi smiles wearily. "You know what? There was a time I thought so too. Guess we were both wrong, terribly so."

"Am I missing anything?"

Momoi jumps with a sharp cry, startled by a sudden presence beside her.

"Ki-chan?"

Kise Ryota gazes at his former manager as well as his former teammate. The corners of his lips turn up to form a grin on his pretty little face. His hair isn't as long as before, the tip of his hair barely reaching his earlobes and his fringe no longer touches his eyebrows like how it did back in high school. Nonetheless, Momoi still thinks he looks more dashing than ever. Kise waves at them. "It's nice seeing you guys again, Momoicchi, Kurokocchi." Then he extends his arm over to squeeze Kuroko's cheek. "Did you miss me Kurokocchi? I bet you did, didn't you?"

Kuroko leans way from his reach, thankful that Momoi is sitting right between him and Kise. "I didn't, Kise-kun."

"But I'm your best friend!" The golden-haired lad wails.

"You're not, Kise-kun." Kuroko replies in his usual deadpan voice, unaffected by his former teammate's dramatic display.

Momoi watches in amusement as the two members of Teikou's Generation of Miracles bicker over Kise's status as Kuroko's best friend. A sudden pang of longing grows in her chest as she remembers the days where scenes like this were a daily occurrence. She misses those days.

The things she would do to turn back the time. But as she's travelling halfway down memory lane, her journey is cut short when the audience is asked to rise from their seats. Momoi, Kise and Kuroko all get up from the seat and turn to the door expectantly, moments before it pushes open to show Riko Aida in her full bridal glory. Standing right beside her is none other than her dear father, one hand holding onto Riko while the other is furiously dabbing the tears away from his eyes.

I could have been like that, Momoi thinks sadly. She watches with an ache in her heart as both father and daughter walk down the aisle hand in hand, and when Riko's hand is passed from her father's to Hyuuga, Momoi thinks that her heart might as well stop beating right then and right there.

For months that very scene had played in her head over and over again, but instead of Riko, Momoi was the one that was wearing the wedding gown and instead of Hyuuga Junpei, it was him who was waiting for her at the end.

But what kills her the most is the fact that her dream was so close to becoming reality, if only…

Momoi finds herself blinking back tears once more but before anyone can notice them, she hastily wipes them away with the back of her hand.

She is reminded of why she hates weddings, it's because it brings back such unpleasant memories. Memories that Momoi had tried to keep locked away for as long as possible.

As both bride and groom begin to exchange their vows, repeating after each word uttered by the priest, Momoi finds herself whispering along with them. Neither of her friends notices this, their attention solely on the main highlight of the event.

"I, Riko Aida,"

"I, Momoi Satsuki,"

"Take you, Hyuuga Junpei,"

"Take you, Aomine Daiki,"

"To be my wedded husband,"

"To be my wedded husband,"

"To have and to hold,"

"To have and to hold,"

"For better, for worse."

"For better, for worse."

"For richer, for poorer,"

"For richer, for poorer,"

"In sickness and health."

"In sickness and health."

"To love and to cherish."

"To love and to cherish."

"Till death do us part."

"Till death do us part."

Momoi was prepared to utter those exact words a year ago but was robbed of the chance in the very last minute. The heavy disappointment and grief in her heart is enough to crush her when it is Hyuuga's turn to speak his vows. No one is there to respond to Momoi's pledge.

As the newly wedded groom and bride seal their vows with a kiss and the crowd breaks into a thunderous applause, Momoi wonders briefly why she's still standing. It feels weird to be clapping along with the rest when her heart is about to give out; part of her is burning with jealousy.

Tears of joy roll down Riko's face but Hyuuga is right there to wipe them away with a smile on his face; but the warm tears that cloud Momoi's vision are far from joy and there isn't anyone to wipe them away for her.

How she wishes he was here.

"Oh, Momoicchi, are you crying? Ahh, you must be so happy for them too, huh?"

Momoi forces herself to smile through the pain that's eating her heart away. She accepts the extended tissue from Kuroko then hastily smudges away the tears. "Thanks, Tetsu-kun. Is my make-up still okay?"

Kuroko nods. "It looks fine."

"Oh, look, everyone's leaving for the reception hall. We should go too." Without any warning, Kise holds Momoi's hand and pulls her up from the seat, dragging her towards the flow of the crowd.

Momoi is conscious of the warmth of Kise's big hand. And though he isn't the person Momoi longs to see, his hand isn't the one she wants wrapped around her fingers, she decides that this will suffice. For once, Momoi thinks that she will be fine. She smiles.

The walk to the reception hall from the church isn't a long one but it's enough to pacify her tumultuous emotions. She takes her time admiring the view while listening to Kise and Kuroko banter back and forth.

"Ki-chan, you two sound like a married couple." She comments lightly, not giving it much thought but it was one that brightens up Kise's face immediately.

"See Kurokocchi! Even Momoi thinks we're a perfect match!"

"Momoi-san," Kuroko says, his tone a slightly exasperated one, "please do not encourage Kise-kun's delusions."

The trio along with #2 step into the reception hall that's already filled with guests from the wedding. "Kurokocchi, I—" Then Kise pauses mid-speech, his eyes fixed on somewhere else. "Aominecchi? Kagamicchi?"

The effects are instantaneous. Momoi's shoulders stiffen immediately and she keeps her eyes glued to the ground. She mentally prays that Kise was wrong and his eyes were playing tricks on him. But her hopes are dashed as Kuroko begins to move forward and Kise pulls her along with him.

"Kagami-kun, Aomine-kun."

"Ah, Tetsu, Kise," Aomine Daiki greets coolly. Momoi can hear her heart pounding furiously against her ribcage.

"Yo. Kuroko."

"You guys weren't at the reception," says Kise.

"Ah, our flight was slightly delayed." Kagami replies.

"Kagami!"

Everyone turns their head around to see Hyuuga walking towards them with Riko's arm linked around his. When he's close enough, Hyuuga, who is almost a head shorter than the towering Kagami, manages to pull Seirin's former ace into a headlock. "You little rascal, why didn't I see you during the service? The entire team was back together and where were you, huh?"

"Let go! Let me go! Captain!"

"Kagami! It's nice seeing you again. How's America?" Kiyoshi Teppei strolls over casually, hands in his pockets with a smug look on his face as he watches Kagami getting tortured by Hyuuga. "Hey, Aomine."

"Kagami-kun, Kagami-kun! We haven't seen you in a really long while." Koganei Shinji as well as the rest of Seirin's former basketball team appears from behind Kiyoshi. "Oh, Aomine-kun, you're here too?"

Aomine just nods and sips his wine. "Aomine! Help!" Kagami calls but his pleas only fall on deaf ears.

"What say we go take a group photo, huh? Just like old times. Sounds like a good idea?" Kiyoshi's suggestions is received by a chorus of agreeing voices and so everyone from Seirin shuffles away while carrying Kagami above their heads and pulling Kuroko and #2 with them.

And so all that's left are Kise, Momoi and Aomine sitting at the table. Tensions run high and even Kise begins to shift uncomfortably in his seat. Momoi has her gaze on everyone and everywhere except Aomine who's sitting across her while he keeps his focus on his wine glass. No one speaks.

Finally, not being able to handle the palpable atmosphere any longer, Momoi picks up her clutch then rises from her seat. "I'm heading to the ladies'."

Momoi flees from the hall without looking back, running off in a blur of pink and orange. Kise looks at her, surprised, but Aomine keeps his gaze firmly on his glass, his expression inscrutable.

"Oh, Aominecchi?" Kise watches as Aomime rises from his seat, his hands in his pocket. "Where are you going?" But he never receives a reply as Aomine heads towards the direction Momoi ran off to.

Once safely inside the washroom, Momoi holds onto the wall for support as she allows herself to cry. Emotions that she had kept locked up for so long are once more released from their captivity, suffocating and drowning her in her own grief, leaving her gasping for air. Momoi clutches at her chest and slowly sinks to the ground.

"Who do you think you are, you jerk. Who do you think you are, waltzing in like that as if nothing has happened." Momoi cries out, fists hitting the ground again and again.

The screen of her phone flashes. Momoi, still in a mess, picks it up weakly. Someone just sent her a text.

We need to talk.

She stares at the screen, dumbstruck. For a year now she hasn't heard from him. No texts, no phone calls, no emails, no letters. It was as if Aomine Daiki had disappeared completely from her life. The only chance she could see him was when his team in America was playing and the match was being aired on television. Even then, Momoi made a point to switch channels or turn off the television completely.

But now he's here, she saw him in flesh and he's sent her a text. It takes her a while to process through the events, and despite her brilliant talent in analysing information, Momoi notices that she's having a bit of trouble doing just that.

She gets up to her feet, steadying herself against the sink and forms a reply.

Why should we?

Barely five seconds later, Aomine texts back.

You know why.

Before Momoi could even type a letter, her phone vibrates once more in her hands.

Come out.

Her mind warns her against complying with Aomine's command but her heart is begging to see him again, to hear his voice. Lovers or not, Aomine was the person she had grew up with, he was the only person she could call her best friend. Momoi trusted Aomine as much as he trusted her. She knew that if needed, Aomine would put his life on the line for her.

Taking a deep breath, Momoi walks out from the toilet and is surprised to see Aomine already standing there, his back leaning against the wall while his arms are crossed before his chest. His eyes are closed.

She looks away and blinks back tears for the umpteenth time. I can't do this. When she finally gathers her wits to return her eyes to him, his blue ones are already staring right at her.

A wave of goosebumps runs up her skin as she stands there awkwardly under his intent gaze.

Her breath hitches as Aomine closes the distance between them with three long strides. Their bodies are almost touching and she can feel his steady breaths on her. Momoi takes a step back, only to realise she's already standing against a wall.

She's trapped.

"Satsuki,"

Her legs give out from beneath her immediately when she hears her voice uttered in his voice. But as always, Aomine has his grip tightly around her arms, keeping her from collapsing.

Momoi realises that he was always the one to catch her when she falls.

When she's sure that her legs are functioning properly, Momoi shakes his grip away. "Thanks," she mutters. Aomine places his hands into his pocket and bends his head to the floor.

"Satsuki, I'm sorry."

The words bring forth a fresh wave of tears to her eyes. For months she had longed to hear him speak those exact words, she had waited so long for this. Hearing his apology straight from his mouth and not a pathetic text message was the only thing she had been begging for after all this while.

"It's fine, Aomine-kun." She takes in a deep breath. "I need to go."

But when she turns, Momoi doesn't get to take a step forward because Aomine is already gripping onto her arm tightly. "I won't let you go, not until we sort this out."

She whips her head around to look at him straight in his eyes, hers are burning with anger. "You speak as if I'm at fault. Is that what you think? It's all my fault?"

"Satsuki—"

"I wasn't the one who left a girl standing all alone in the registry office, I wasn't the one who sent her a pathetic text message. 'I can't do this I'm sorry'? Was I the one who crushed a girl's hopes and dreams?" The words pour out from her lips, Momoi can't stop herself. "You're such an idiot, Aomine. You're always so selfish, so self-centred and sometimes I wonder why I stuck with you all this time."

She pulls her arms away from him. "There are two types of assholes in this world, Aomine-kun; one that has a conscience and one without. Why don't you take a guess at which category you belong to."

It's supposed to feel good to express months of pent-up emotions in one explosive speech, but the pain in Momoi's chest doesn't subside; if anything, it just grows stronger.

She's just so tired.

At that moment, Momoi Satsuki breaks down completely before Aomine Daiki, the man who had left her waiting all alone in the registry office, when he had already promised her that he'll make her his wife.

If there's someone who can completely destroy her, it's him.

Momoi curls up into a ball and buries her head in her knees, crying her heart out. Aomine just stands there awkwardly, not knowing what he should do. Every time eight-year-old Momoi Satsuki cried, eight-year-old Aomine Daiki would be scared shitless, especially when he was the reason behind her tears. Aomine Daiki at fifteen years later is not much different.

He scratches the back of his head then kneels so that they're both at the same level. "Ugh, why are you so much work?"

That's when Aomine gets his face slapped by Momoi and his eyes widened when her palm comes in contact with his skin. Aomine has received plenty of beatings from Momoi when they were younger as his childhood friend was prone to become violent at times, not to mention he knew exactly which buttons to push to fire her up and nothing amused him more than doing just that. But as far as he could remember, there were only two occasions he was a big enough asshole to earn a slap from her.

Once when he made a joke about Momoi's breast size. (Back when her chest was still rather flat.)

Once when they were in high school, where an Aomine Daiki that was blinded with rage called Momoi a 'dumb bitch'.

This would be his third.

"You're terrible with girls, you stupid ass. Idiot-mine, how do girls tolerate you? How do you even get a girlfriend with this assholery of yours?" Momoi yells into his face.

Aomine merely smirks and touches his cheek gently. "I don't. Because the only person who was able to put up with me was you."

Momoi is caught off guard when both of Aomine's arms stretch out then pulling her into his embrace. For a moment, she struggles against them but Aomine keeps his grasp firmly around her, even tightening his hold with her every struggle. Eventually, Momoi gives up and just lets him hold her as she cries into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Satsuki."

"I hate you." That's a lie and both Momoi and Aomine know it better than anyone else. Momoi may be angry at Aomine, she may be disappointed, frustrated or annoyed at him, but hate was never a word that was passed between them.

Momoi Satsuki could never bring herself to hate Aomine Daiki, no matter how much he hurts her; she could never bring herself to shut him out. Momoi knows that it's impossible to hate him.

"I'm sorry." Aomine tightens his arms around her some more and Momoi soon find hers travelling up his back. "I'm so sorry."

Momoi closes her eyes, taking in his scent, feeling the familiar warmth of his embrace. Her fingers travel up to the nape of his neck and she curls a strand of his hair around her finger. This is the Aomine Daiki she knew, her Dai-chan.

She misses everything about him.

"I'll kill anyone who has made you cry."

"Then I'm afraid you would have died more than once."

Aomine grins and runs his hand through her silky pink hair. For twenty years and counting, her hair had stayed the same."It's all right, love. I'm a cat with nine lives."

The corners of Momoi's lips begin to twitch and she can't help herself and burst out laughing at his comment. Aomine smiles and plants a kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry, Satsuki."

Momoi pats his back gently. "Aomine-kun, maybe we should go back." She says, her voice muffled by his clothes.

Reluctantly, Aomine releases his grasp and Momoi can feel her heart falling. But when she sees the smallest of smiles appearing on his face, Momoi can't help but smile back as she lets herself be pulled to her feet by her childhood companion, her best friend and the love of her life.

So as the two head back to the reception hall, ignoring the gazes being directed to their interlocked fingers, Momoi relishes at the fact that all is well once more.

"Ne, Kurokocchi, don't you think something's up between those two" Kise looks at the couple then back at Kuroko who's sitting beside him. Kuroko shrugs then secretly feeds #2 another piece of meat from his plate. The dog laps up the food happily.

When Aomine returns to the table (Momoi having already seated herself a while ago), he places a glass of wine in front of Momoi without saying a word. She doesn't miss the meaning behind the simple gesture.

The Aomine-way of apologising.

"I'll make things right, Satsuki. I promise you." Aomine reaches over and his large, rough and tanned hand covers her small, delicate, white one.

Momoi pick up the glass, swirls the wine inside it then places it to her lips before taking a sip. She smiles at the refreshing, sweet aftertaste on her tongue, then looks over to Aomine whose eyes linger on her.

"I don't doubt it."

This fandom needs more Aomine x Momoi pairing. Seriously.