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Aomine darted into his dorm, disinterested. Yet another boring day at school and practice. Nothing new seemed to happen. Everything was the old, boring way… since… well, he didn’t even know how long.
“Aomine-kun? For a moment.”
The Miracle looked up, dark eyes darting to the elderly woman always sitting by the dorm entrance to greet the incoming students. “Shimizu-san,” he greeted half-heartedly. “What’s it?”
“You have a package,” she said with a smile, and reached under her desk for something.
The ace blinked, surprised. ‘A… packet? I hadn’t ordered anything,’ he mused, striding over.
The woman pulled out a huge white envelope, turned towards him. The Kanji on it were small and neat. Familiar. He could only name one person on the whole planet, who wrote the first Kanji of his surname with such care.
After Aomine had mentioned the hilarity of all of them having colour Kanji in their names… he’d taken special care to ‘emphasise’ those.
“Please, sign here,” the woman asked, sliding a paper to him. Aomine reached for a pen, slightly dated and crawled his name on it, snatching the envelope.
“Arigato.”
He tore it open, only to find a small blue-eyed panther figure in it, painted glimmering black, carved from wood. A small folded note fluttered to the desk and Aomine put the figurine down. He grabbed the paper and unfolded it. Doing so brought a tiny puff of familiar vanilla scent with it and his eyes widened involuntarily. The message was brief, as expected, but neatly crawled.
Please take good care of Kage
Aomine blinked at the note and then the figurine. A black panther. With striking blue eyes.
The Power Forward laughed, shaking his head.
“You’re crazy, Tets’,” he muttered under his breath, grabbing the envelope and carefully pocketing the figurine. He nodded to the woman and darted up the stairs to his room.
For a long while, the panther figurine would sit in the pocket of his jacket, but he’d remember it right before going to sleep, so he’d place it on his nightstand and fall asleep, with the briefest of smiles.
Aomine fiddled with the little panther figurine he’d received from Tetsu a few days ago, sunbathing on the rooftop.
“Hey, Aomine-ku— !” the pink-haired manager stopped, bending down to look at her childhood friend. “Huh? What’s that you’re playing with?”
Aomine looked up, carefully holding the figurine by a leg, to better show his friend. “Tetsu sent it a few days ago. Been in the dorm.”
Momoi blinked owlishly and then smiled brightly. “That’s thoughtful of Tetsu! It even reminds me of… that time when someone likened you to a panther mid-game. Think it was a Second String player.”
The ace hummed. “They’ve got wild imagination, for sure…”
“Did you send something to Tetsu?”
Aomine blinked, his eyes sliding from the figurine to the girl. “What?”
The manager glared half-heartedly. “Baka Dai-chan! Tetsu was thinking of you, so he sent you a gift! It’s nice to send one back and ask how he’s doing!”
“Uh?” he blinked thoughtfully. “AAh, suppose…. I’ll gotta look for something then. After… I had enough sunbathing. It’s nice here, now.”
“Mendokuse… ” Aomine murmured under his breath, as he prowled the shops near his school, looking for something .
Some gift that screamed enough Tetsu to be given to the Phantom.
He’d spent the better part of two hours out here, with no luck so far. But, the thing was, Satsuki was right. He should send something back to the Shadow, just to show he’d received the gift. Sure, he could just… send a message, but knowing Akashi, the bastard had their phones and email watched. Traditional mail and packages were less likely. Not even Akashi was that… paranoid. Or whatever to call that.
He trudged past another shop that sold small trinkets, and he paused. Navy eyes zeroed on a little silver statue, slightly bigger that the one Tetsu had given him. A sitting wolf, howling at the unseen moon.
“Tetsu,” he whispered, eyes widening.
It was… ridiculous… but the pass specialist had always reminded him of a wolf. A lone wolf that still prowled with a pack, unlike himself, yet still one of them. He hurried into the shop, barely noting the little bell chiming above his head as he entered.
He strode towards the wolf statue, noting how cold it was to touch, slightly heavier than his own. Made of metal. He snatched it from the shelf, his free hand already digging into his bag for his wallet.
Kuroko walked in silence like he always did when walking down his neighbourhood. The street was silent, and Kuroko didn’t mind it all. He never minded the silence, but he did miss the more chaotic times back at Teikō. Back before all that…
He arrived at the small gates in front of his and his family’s home. He was sure his father was out with his mother right now, so he strode into the home, making sure to make some noise when closing the door after him. “Tadaima,” voiced Kuroko as the door closed behind him.
“Okaeri,” came a raspy female voice from inside. Out from the hall going to the kitchen came his grandmother to greet him. A small package in her hand. The package looked to be a small box, though it seemed rather messy. Brown package tape covered the edges, but far from neat, as sharp wrinkles of the tape bent out at places. “You seem to have received a gift, Tetsuya.”
Kuroko gave a small hum in response as he nodded while taking off his shoes. “It would seem so.” His grandmother handed him the small box when he stepped over to her, and he gave her a small smile back.
With the package in hand, he walked to his room. Entering his room, he placed down his school bag and focused on the object in hand. It would be difficult for him to open it as it was by hand, so he searched his desk briefly to grab the pair of scissors he had.
Carefully, he cut the tape and created a grip to open the top. And when looking into it, a smile appeared as he took the figure. The metal fur of the wolf shone in the light as he turned to study it.
Looking into the box, the passing specialist noticed a folded piece of paper. He raised an eyebrow at it and took it out, to find his friend’s (Light’s) messy Kanji on the paper.
Wolf for a wolf, you’re all about the team — uh, pack anyway. Watch Hikaru for me, huh? Hope you’re okay. Don’t you dare lose before we stand eye-to-eye on the court.
“We will try our best, Aomine-kun,” answered Kuroko out loud with a smile. He knew his Light couldn’t hear him, but he felt like he would know the answer even so. “You do your best as well.”
I assure you, Dai-ki, we won’t lose. Won a practice against Kise-kun recently. How is Tsuki doing? I do hope you’re not leaving her alone too often, skipping practice?
And please, do not be violent with your new team. I know you can be temperamental even on the best of your days.
PS, a wolf, while capable alone, is not a panther and prefers to prowl in a pack. You know that from personal experience.
Against Kise, good. Not a surprise though — you know his every move, mentor and all. I never leave her alone, we walk back together. And … I only tried to break my Vice-cap’s nose once, after… he implied some nasty shit about you, tho I don’t think Tōō believe in our Maboroshi. Up for a surprise later.
PS, pack is only good if they know who’s the top dog. And there, I’d say it’s you. Saw Tsuki’s data about them.
Passion is a fire which is kept alive by hope for something better. The wonderful memories are the long shadow dancing along with the flame. Let us make a picture like this, to mark the passing of time. With all of us on it.
Have faith, Daiki, Satsuki
Aomine darted into the gym, reading the latest message from his brother in all but blood, and laughed as he looked into the envelope. Hope stirred in his heart, though that wasn’t a surprise — Tetsu had a way with words.
The message was on the back of a picture of all seven of them in swimsuits and the Teikō sweaters thrown over their shoulders after an early victory. A beach trip the school funded, as an appreciation of their team’s growing fame. Also, there were some vanilla candies, enough to split between Satsuki and himself.
“Aomine, nice to see you coming to practise,” Imayoshi drawled, glasses glaring sinisterly.
The Power Forward looked up. “Ah~, training’s just a drag.”
“What are you reading, Aomine-san?” Sakurai asked, glancing at the letter Aomine held.
The Miracle shrugged. “A letter from a friend. Oi, Tsuki! Tetsu’s got a message!” the ace called, gaining the girl’s attention, who was on the other side of the room, talking to another student… and from the looks of it, not a club member.
At Aomine’s call, though, the Taurus turned around, her magenta eyes alight. “What? Another letter?” she asked, skipping happily.
Aomine hummed, taking out some candies for himself and then offering the envelope and the picture. “Here, read.”
Momoi snatched it from his grip as Aomine popped a vanilla-tasting sweet into his mouth. Momoi did the same, humming appreciatively, as she started reading. Then she turned it around to look at the picture and gave a watery smile.
“I hope we can take that picture soon, Tetsu-kun,” smiled Momoi as she read the text of the letter. “And when it comes, we’ll all be together, like how we were in this one.” Holding the picture in her hand, she gave it a gentle hug before turning back to her childhood friend.
Seirin were all fired up, ready for their semi-finals, determined to win. But none were as determined as Kuroko Tetsuya.
The Maboroshi of the Miracles sat on the locker’s bench, gazing at the small silver wolf his brother had given sent him. ‘Bring me luck, Hikaru?’ he thought, gazing fondly at the silver wolf.
“Huh, what do you have there, Kuroko?” Izuki asked, peering down at the tiny statue.
Seirin all turned towards their pass specialist and Kagami raised an eyebrow. “What? Have you become like Midorima, carrying around random items?”
Kuroko looked up at his new partner with a deadpan expression, but his tone carried a subtle frostiness. “Iie. However, this is a charm — because I've got it from a friend. From someone for whom basketball is as important as it is for me.”
“A— friend?” Kagami repeated, almost sounding befuddled at the idea that the Phantom had friends outside of their team. (Kagami, of course, didn’t count the Miracles. Kise, while clingy, seemed oddly distant from Kuroko, and Midorima had only barely attempted to be civil, for all they’d seen.)
Kuroko put the wolf back into his bag and then stood up, giving his partner a look, which Kagami thought might have been ‘Are you an idiot?’... if it had been anyone else but Kuroko. Kuroko’s expression was always unreadable. “Hai, Kagami-kun. A dear friend.”
Before any more could be said, the teal-haired First Year marched past the rest of his teammates and stepped into the corridor.
Aomine bit his lower lip as he jogged through the corridors towards the court. ‘Shit… if I’m too late, Tetsu’s gonna have my head…’
The ace breathed a sigh of relief, as he stepped out, only to see the teams gather on the side. He hurried over to their side, giving the briefest glance to his brother from the corner of his eye. Kuroko’s eyes fluttered ever-so-slightly in greeting, but they had no time to exchange words.
Aomine dropped his bag on the bench next to their manager. The team looked up at him, surprised to see him make it just on time.
“Aomine, what are you doing here?” Imayoshi asked, more surprised than he’d ever be willing to admit, to see the ace arriving in the nick of time. Aomine didn’t care much for games and often he was there only for half the time of their matches.
The Miracle undid the zip of his sweater and peeled it off, dropping it next to his bag, just as the manager reached into his bag. “Come to play,” he drawled, feigning disinterest, as Satsuki cradled Kage.
Aomine’s eyes twitched a little, knowing the moment someone noticed they would make a snarky —
“Huh, is that some mascot , Aomine?” Wakamatsu asked, amused, glancing at the panther statue.
The ace growled, pinning the Center with his gaze, letting the full force of his aura crash on the blonde. Wakamatsu gulped, taking a step back. ‘What the hell… Why does it feel like I’m staring at a hungry panther?’
“None of your business,” the ex-Teikō hissed through clenched teeth. “Satsuki, don’t break it,” he threw over his shoulder, as he walked to the court.
The manager huffed, puffing out her cheeks in offence. “Baka Dai, I would never let it break. It was a gift from him.”
As he lined up, he caught the briefest shadow of a smile on Tetsu’s face, as Seirin’s Nr 10 stopped opposite him.
The redhead studied him and grinned widely. “Aomine Daiki, right? I’m going to beat you!”
Aomine gave the redhead a bored once-over. There was the briefest shadow of familiarity in his aura, but it was too weak to be of interest. Tetsu would make the game fun, and that was enough for him. “Who the hell are you?”
“Kagami Taiga…”
Aomine released a breath through his nose, as they gathered their belongings and walked down from the court. They won the match.
‘Not unexpected… But Tetsu… why did he… play that way? He… either fucked up that Ignite Pass, or held back on the strength.’ One opinion was less likely, than another, but Aomine couldn’t decide which occurred during the game.
Although, admittedly, his hand hurt from catching it while standing in one place… Tetsu’s passes were made to be caught on the move, after all.
As they walked towards their locker, they came across Seirin and he could immediately feel the tension skyrocket, as the white-wearing team glared towards him. The Miracle ace ignored them, sharp dark-coloured eyes seeking familiar clear blue.
“Tetsu,” the Tōō ace greeted, tone a friendly drawl, gaining the attention of both teams.
Seirin’s 11 nodded back, an amicable expression on his face, masking his exhaustion just barely. “Daiki.”
Seirin went wide-eyed at the use of given names, mostly because, for what they knew, Kuroko was way too polite and private to call anyone by their given name.
“Tetsu! Nice to see you!” Momoi greeted cheerily, practically jumping Seirin’s pass specialist, making the teal stumble.
“Watch it, Satsuki,” Aomine grumbled. “He’s down after the game anyway. Geeze, woman, why torment him more?”
Momoi stopped and turned to her friend, glaring and puffing out her cheeks childishly. “I’m not, Dai! You’re being mean.”
Aomine crossed his arms with a scowl, though his team could tell there was no real force behind it, this time. “I’m honest. That’s different.”
Momoi rolled her eyes and turned back to the Phantom, beaming as she let go. “Anyway, Tetsu… Thanks for sending Kage when you did! Dai-chan hasn’t left him more than he had to, and it’s helped him ever since!”
Aomine scowled. “That’s not exactly true, Satsuki.”
The manager turned to the ace with a raised eyebrow. “Then why do you keep bringing him everywhere, Dai-chan?” she asked in a challenging tone. “And don’t think you can fool an analyst, especially if they’re your childhood friend!”
Aomine’s eye twitched violently. “Oh, you damn woman! ” he snarled, reaching for her, only for Kuroko to step between them with near-blinging speed Aomine himself was known for, an amused glint in his eyes.
“Is that so, Daiki?” asked Kuroko, glancing over at his former Light. ”I’m glad to see you enjoy Kage’s company so much.”
Aomine rolled his eyes. “Uh, says you. You probs don’t have… right? You didn’t bring him, did you?”
The teams shared glances with each other, eyeing their former opponents and then all eyes settled on the three ex-Teikō.
While the teams focused on each other, Kuroko had taken a hold of his bag to get access to the pocket. “Of course I have Hikaru with me,” informed Kuroko and took out the silver wolf. “He’s my charm, after all. A Light from my Light.”
Aomine blinked, taken aback for a moment, and then laughed a little, pulling the Phantom into a loose, one-armed hug, as his free hand sneaked into the pocket of his bag for his own little statue.
Momoi looked at the two charms and shook her head in amusement. “They even match in being opposites. Dai’s is dark in colour and Tetsu’s is light… while you have the exact opposite… monikers . How did you do that?”
Aomine and Kuroko shared a look, and the dark-skinned ace shrugged. “No idea. Maybe there’s something to Midorima’s… fate talk.”
Before anyone else could comment, the red-head of Seirin stepped forward with a glare. “Oi! What’s going on here?!” he barked out. The loss from the match they just had was probably a reason behind his annoyance, but the second party being the cause of that loss made it hurt all the more.
Aomine glared, pulling the Shadow closer to himself, the oppressive aura the teams tasted on the court coming back almost tenfold, causing several players, especially the benchwarmers on both sides, to back away.
“Tetsu’s my friend and that’s that. You don’t really get to question any of us, much less him ,” he growled, narrowing his eyes.
“Daiki, that’s enough,” warned Kuroko. The Shadow threw his former Light a stern look, but immediately turned it over to his current Light as well. “Kagami-kun, Daiki is a friend. There is no reason for interactions between us to be restricted just because we aren’t on the same team anymore.”
Seirin studied their Phantom with shock. The interactions Kuroko had with the Miracles they’d met before… would have given them, one might say, the wrong clue. That the team was no longer on friendly terms after splitting up. Maybe… they weren’t, although Kuroko seemed friendly enough with the Miracle that was rather unmistakably hugging him.
And Kuroko wasn’t protesting. He hadn’t even tried to pull away once. For a long moment, the pass specialist remained by the ace’s side and Aomine seemed to… relish the contact, before they pulled apart.
“Daiki…”
The ace hummed, raising an eyebrow. “What?”
The Phantom smiled a little as he turned, ready to leave. “I’d say… good luck … but you don’t need that.”
Aomine snorted, humour and arrogance mixing in the dark gaze. “Iie, Tetsu. I don’t.”
The Phantom hummed, nodding his head. He knew his Light well enough. “But… I also know you’ve got a tendency to lose your head on the court. Keep a cool head, will you? I’ve a feeling you might come across Akashi-kun… and we know how he is.”
Aomine stiffened, eyes narrowing, a desire to murder rolling off of him in palpable waves. Aomine threw a glance at Momoi and then scowled, eyes almost shooting lightning. “Iie, Tetsu. You… don’t have to remind me. Unlikely, that I’ll forget soon.”
The Phantom raised an eyebrow. “Then… how about you stop skipping practice, starting today?”
The dark-haired Miracle frowned, but didn’t say a word. He was far too used to some people knowing things they shouldn’t, to be surprised by it. “Fine. But just cause I might end up trying to glare Akashi to death before our match… that doesn’t mean I don’t have time to answer letters.”
The Phantom’s passive features were coloured by amusement for a second. “I never said we have to stop exchanging letters, Dai.”
Teikō’s Panther smirked. “Good.”
I've seen the records of your game against Akashi-kun. Well done, Dai. Worry not, we’ll still have a chance at the Winter Cup. Just keep training and please, do NOT terrify your team to death. Tsuki told me how you trained for the match against Rakuzan.
Stay safe and please skip less.
Wari, Tetsu. Didn’t exactly mean to… lose, but you’re right. The year’s not over and one of us will stand holding the gold of the Winter Cup. Akashi was right, about that one. What we won’t let him be right about, is which team becomes the champion.
As for that training… I got a little carried away. Akashi can get under my skin like that, but I’ll try.
You stay safe too, Tetsu
As both sat with their letter, during writing and reading, their charms of Shadow and Light sat right beside them, giving them company, as if their partner was right by them the entire time.