Himuro Tatsuya was standing in the living room's corner, silently observing Nina, while she was busy making what looked like a hand-made card, which was for Kuroko no doubt. It was nice of her to make something like this for a person she had yet to meet. He even heard her asking the boy's teammates a couple of questions about him, so that she'd know what to put on the card's cover and what to write in her birthday wishes to him. It honestly was very sweet and considerate.

Despite knowing Nina for only a couple of hours, Himuro was already very fond of her and by no means was he the only one. Takao and Seirin guys, Taiga included, have all fallen under the girl's charm, but that wasn't really a surprising outcome. Nina was a very nice girl. Mature, well behaved and a little mischievous. However, at the same time she could be fragile and timid. One thing Himuro noticed about her was that Nina seemed to be wearing masks, covering her actual face. Not the physical masks, but invisible ones that hid her true self. So far Himuro only saw a glimpse of her actual face and it was in no way a pleasant experience. Quite the opposite actually.

He couldn't erase the image of Nina's tears and fear out of his mind. He probably never would. At the same time, somehow Himuro knew that it hadn't been Nina at her worst or weakest. If anything, that panic attack showed him that she was a tough girl, who sought to be strong and wise beyond her years, but something was weighing on her shoulders. Something heavy.

Himuro tried to pay attention to little details and almost immediately noticed that she didn't like sharing anything too personal. Not that she was particularly shy. While Nina didn't have problems with talking about her origins, she clearly disliked the idea of talking about her past and family. That much was written all over her face. Nina didn't say anything about her mother or siblings, if she had any, and only shared one piece of information about her dad.

She didn't have one.

Whether he left her mother and Nina for someone else or was dead, Himuro didn't know, but could imagine that it might be a sensitive topic.

And there was the matter of her coming to Japan. Nina did say she used to live in Glinno, which apparently was a small village in southern Poland. Himuro checked on the internet for confirmation. Glinno was smaller than small. A mall wouldn't fit there. But just as Nina said, the village was very beautiful, according to photos he saw. Himuro really had no clue how to answer himself the following question: what were Nina's mother and Nina's reasons for coming to Japan? What could possibly drive them away from their peaceful life in Poland's mountains to a completely unfamiliar country on the other side of the world?

Himuro was certain that whatever their reasons were, it wasn't a decision made in the heat of a moment. Nina spoke Japanese like a native, which Himuro knew she wouldn't, had her moving here was a last minute call.

And there was also another problem, which bothered Himuro to no end. Why on earth was Nina left alone in Japan, while her mother went back to Poland for a week, with no one to look after the girl? What sane parent did something that foolish, for the lack of a better suited term? Just an hour ago Nina had a panic attack, because a crazy driver had almost killed her. And she experienced said panic attack, while being on her own in a foreig country she just moved into. Himuro wasn't positive that Nina would've been alright, had he and Takao not gone to check on her. He was so glad that they did.

Himuro was glad that he and Takao met Nina.

If they haven't...

"Wow! What a masterpiece, Nina! Kuroko's gonna be ecstatic when he sees it!" Hyuuga exclaimed, pulling Himuro out of his thoughts.

He blinked once, then twice, and then looked at what Nina created. A masterpiece indeed, he thought, smiling widely as he watched the card she made with an immense interest.

It was beautiful.

A light blue paper in Nina's hands was folded. On the outside, the cover was outstanding! On a small piece of white paper, Nina drew the inscription with a dark blue felt-tip pen. The edges were filled with drawings of basketball balls, but not standard orange ones, but red, light and dark blue, pink, green, purple and yellow, which were the colors of Generation of Miracles' members, including Momoi Satsuki. The paper was glued to the card and the remaining space was filled with small drawings.

Himuro could see some of them from where he was standing. A dog, a ball, a rim with a net, milkshake, a rainbow. Small drawings of things important to Kuroko.

What a thoughtful idea! He could only imagine what was written inside of the card.

Himuro was amazed by Nina's obvious talent in art and couldn't wait to see Seirin's shadow's reaction at receiving such a gift. He was fairly certain that no one has ever done anything like this for Kuroko, maybe except Momoi, who was head over heels for the guy.

"You keep staring at the girl and you'll burn a hole in her," Kagami said suddenly, standing beside him without Himuro noticing.

"Taiga," Himuro exclaimed, putting his hand where his heart was. "One of these days you're gonna give me a heart attack, brother."

Kagami smirked at him.

"No, seriously," he pestered. "Why are you staring at the girl like there was no other on the planet?"

Himuro shrugged.

"You know, one could think that you've got a thing for her," Kagami said bluntly.

Himuro gave his brother a look.

"If I do have a thing for Nina, it is not what you're thinking, Taiga. I've only just met her. So it's not like that, but there is something... rather magneting about her. It feels familiar, yet different."

Kagami looked at Himuro with confusion matching one that Himuro himself was feeling at the moment.

"I don't get it," he said.

"Neither do I, Taiga," Himuro confessed. "Like I said, I do have feelings for Nina, but they are definitely not romantic. In fact, they're more like what I feel for you. Like with our bond. Our brotherhood." Himuro held the ring on the chain around his neck and saw his brother doing the same. He smiled fondly. "She reminds me of you. When we met for the first time, you were lonely and out of place. Now she's like that and..." Himuro didn't dare to finish the sentence, knowing that if he did, his voice would break, betraying his emotions.

Kagami's eyes widened.

"Tatsuya..." he whispered.

"She's from a small village, Taiga. She hates big cities. And she's all alone, because her mother went back to Poland for whatever shitty reason and left Nina in one of the biggest cities in a foreign country. She's going to be alone for another five days."

Himuro was whispering in a low voice full of venom. Kagami was finally beginning to understand what his brother's feelings towards Nina were. 

"Who the hell leaves their child alone in a foreign country with no one there to care for them?" Himuro spat, his voice shaking. "Me and Takao have only met her because she screamed, terrified, when a car almost hit her! She could've been seriously hurt or even killed and her blasted mother wouldn't even know and I had to talk her out of a panic attack and..."

"Tatsuya!" Kagami hissed. His brother turned his face to him sharply. "Stop talking and calm down!"

Himuro, following his little brother's advice, closed his eyes and took a very deep breath. Then he looked at Kagami apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Taiga," he said. "I guess I got a little more than a little bit too emotional."

Kagami shook his head, looking serious.

"No, you didn't," he said. "I get it. I imagine it wasn't a very pleasant experience for any of you, even Takao."

"It was awful," admitted Himuro. An image of scared, crying Nina was still too fresh in his mind.

"You care for her, like you cared for me when we lived in America. Like you still care for me."

Himuro looked his brother in the eyes as he said the most truthful words he was capable of saying.

"And there is nothing that will ever make me forsake our brotherhood ever again, Taiga!"

Kagami smiled at Himuro and was very moved by the sheer force he said those words with.

"Right back at you, big bro," he said. He may be now taller and better at basketball than Himuro, but he would never stop thinking of him as his older brother. Kagami would never stop loving Himuro like a younger brother does his older brother.

They shared a smile, before looking back at Nina, surrounded by Seirin's players and Takao, who were taking turns looking at her present for Kuroko and complementing her skills in art.

"They fell under her charm," Kagami stated.

Himuro chuckled.

"Yeah, that was to be expected. There is something about Nina that makes people want to be close to her."

Brothers shared another look.

Kagami touched his ring again and so did Himuro.

"Am I to guess that there won't be the two of us anymore, but three?" Kagami asked.

Himuro looked at Kagami, shocked.

"You would consider something like this?" he asked.

Kagami shrugged.

"You said it yourself, Tasuya. Nina is all alone in Japan until her mother returns. You've told me that your team will have a practice match with Rakuzan tomorrow, but in two days you're going back to Akita. Someone's gotta keep looking out for her."

Himuro smiled widely at Kagami, love and gratefulness in his eyes.

"Thank you, Taiga," he uttered.

Kagami put an arm around his brother's shoulders.

"Don't mention it, Tatsuya. That's what are brothers for, right?"

Himuro swallowed, then nodded.

"Right."

"Oy, Kagadummy!" Hyuuga suddenly yelled, causing the two brothers to look away from each other. "Quit the reunion and come look at this!"

"Alright, alright!" Kagami growled at his captain. "No need to yell at me, damnit!"

While his little brother made his way to the rest of the group to look closely at Nina's card, she and Himuro made eye contact for a few seconds. Her face was rid of all negative emotions. Her eyes were bright and full of life. She was beaming and laughing, with Takao's arm around her shoulders as he continued telling her something that was funny to both of them. Izuki made some puns and while his teammates scolded him, Nina burst out laughing harder than any of them heard her before. Her laugh was captivating and beautiful.

And then she got up from the floor and high fived Kagami.

And Himuro was never happier to be looking at his smiling little brother and a girl who in a matter of not even a full two hours had warmed her way into his heart as his new little sibling. His little sister.

And then the doorbell rang, which meant only one thing.

The birthday boy arrived.