As Furihata went to let Kuroko in, Nina was sitting on the comfortable couch with Takao next to her, a card for Kuroko in her hands. Every few seconds the girl would glance at it, looking for flaws, hoping to find none. Nina didn't have that much time to make the card, so she knew her hand-made piece was far from perfect. She could only hope that her present would be enough.

Takao glanced at her with worry in his eyes.

"You ok, Nina?" he questioned.

Nina smiled at the boy sitting next to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

Takao, seeming relieved at her assurance, just shrugged.

"Just looking out for you," he said. "In case of, you know, another anxiety attack or something."

Nina chuckled at Takao's explanation, amused and a little touched.

"Thank you, but you don't need to do that," she said. "It's not like I'm some damsel in distress, ready to burst in tears at any second. I'm just nervous. In Poland, I never went to any party like that, let alone in another country with people I hardly knew and all of whom being boys, may I add."

Takao nodded, but was actually surprised to hear that Nina's never been at this kind of birthday party before. Didn't she want to? Haven't she had any friends? Then again, Nina did mention something about being from a small village in the mountains, so maybe throwing big parties like that wasn't very common to youths she knew. Still, it wasn't like they were going to talk about inappropriate things (baring Aomine, according to Midorima's description of the GoM's ace, assuming he'd come by) - lady or no lady in the house - or drink themselves into oblivion, especially since there was no alcohol to drink in the apartment to begin with, though Takao was fairly certain that nobody would even try a droplet if there was. Most of them were still not of age.

"Besides," Nina continued, "I'm also not so sure about my present for Kuroko."

That confession shocked Takao.

Not more than three minutes ago, he and Seirin guys were all taking turns to compliment Nina's absolutely stunning hand-made masterpiece, so why in the world would she be doubtful of it for even a second? Moreover, Nina did actually come up with some kind of idea for a birthday gift for Kuroko and then she made it herself, whereas Takao didn't bother to even buy anything for the guy. But then again, Takao wasn't really supposed to be here in the first place, any more than Nina.

Himuro was actually the one who invited them to come and he himself has only got the invitation because of his close relationship with Kagami. None of them would be here if not for Seirin's ace.

"Did I hear you right?" Himuro asked, sitting between Nina and Takao on a couch.

Shutoku's point guard yelped and was absolutely shocked that he didn't notice the guy coming, until he spoke. Was his hawkeye getting rusty after the Winter Cup or something?

"Did you sneak up on us like that on purpose?" Takao demanded, pointing at him with a finger.

Himuro chuckled and had the audacity to not look even a little sorry for the stunt he's just pulled, while Nina looked at Takao questioningly.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked. "It's not like he popped out of nowhere. He was standing nearby for at least five minutes now."

Takao blinked, looking back and forth between them in disbelief.

"For real?" he exclaimed.

Himuro and Nina nodded.

"This cannot be! My hawkeye was defeated by a pretty boy who needs a hair pin," Takao lamented, then stood and went to sit on the floor, putting as much distance between himself and the Yosen's ace as he could.

Nina laughed at the boy's antics, happy to soon be seeing him everyday at school. For the first time since coming to Japan, she found herself really looking forward to winter break's end.

Himuro laughed softly at Takao too, before looking back at Nina.

"So what were you saying about your card?" he asked her, then patted her shoulder. "Nina, trust me that there's absolutely no need for you to feel this way. Kuroko isn't going to mind your presence and even if it wasn't the case, your gift will surely be enough for him to let you stay."

Nina shot him a hopeful look.

"You really think so?

"Yes," Himuro insisted. "Your card is beautiful! Besides, it's a handicraft, so it holds much more value than any present you might have bought in a store. It shows that you care. That you took your time and used creative thinking to prepare him a gift with your own two hands!"

Takao cut Himuro off with his own train of thoughts.

"And remember that you didn't just make any hand-made birthday card, but one that is specifically for Kuroko. The little drawings on the cover are proof of it. I can see the meaning behind them. I don't know Kuroko that well, but I've seen him drinking a milkshake enough times to get to the conclusion that he likes them. I know that he has a dog he loves to death. He lives through basketball. I don't know about other drawings, but that's not the point. The point is that you did make a unique hand-made card for a guy you don't even know. There's no way that he'd reject a thoughtful gift like that! If anything, he's gonna adore it!"

Nina looked at Takao and Himuro with wide eyes, before smiling at them with gratefulness. Her eyes stung a little bit, but in a good way. Their words of reassurance filled her heart with confidence. The way they looked at her made Nina feel safe with them.

She knew that she shouldn't be putting so much trust in the people she's only just met, but nevertheless, she did. Because they made her feel things she didn't feel for a very long time.

Suddenly, Nina was reminded of two boys she used to love most.

Boys who were no longer with her, ever since her sixteenth birthday, months ago.

Nina quickly shook her head, not wanting to think of them for even a second. If she did, she'd break down and fall apart, not able to pull herself together and she couldn't let that happen. No matter how safe she felt with Himuro and Takao right now, Nina couldn't let those feelings cloud her judgment.

You can't just put your faith in people based on your emotions.

Nina has always preferred to listen to her heart's voice and her gut feeling rarely led her astray, but what happened a year ago, then not even a month later, and then on her sixteenth birthday, messed Nina's emotions up enough to change that. Now her heart was shattered under a facade she so desperately tried to maintain. She could no longer trust her intuition not to lead her astray.

Nina needed to act rationally and not emotionally.

Himuro, mistaking her eternal struggle for another anxiety attack, shot her a look full of worry.

"Nina, are you alright?" he asked.

From where he was sitting, Takao looked just as worried as Himuro. He was now tense and more subdued.

Nina honestly felt bad for making them worry about her so much. She tried to smile as genuinely as she could, hoping to reassure the two boys that she was alright. Not that she was, but that wasn't something Himuro and Takao needed to know.

"I'm fine, don't worry," she exclaimed, waving her hand dismissively. "You don't need to worry about me."

Himuro shook his head.

"We want to," he said quietly yet fiercely.

"And that's all there is to it," Takao agreed with Himuro.

Nina looked baffled at their proclamation.

"Why would you?" she asked hesitantly. "It's not like you have to take it upon yourselves to look out for me just because of what happened earlier, you know," Nina muttered, referring to her panic attack after the car incident.

Himuro looked at her fondly.

"I can't really explain it myself," he said. "There's just something about you that reminds me of a little lost boy who once upon a time wanted to make friends yet couldn't and then became my little brother after I taught him how to play basketball. I want to look out for you. I really do. I might not know you for long, but that much I'm certain. You're the person I'd call my sister, if you'd let me."

Don't cry. Don't cry! Don't. You. Fucking. Cry!

A lone tear did manage to fall, but Himuro wiped it away gently.

Takao was suddenly sitting next to Nina on the other side of the couch, holding her free hand.

"I have a younger sister," he told her. "She means everything to me. I want to protect her with everything I have and ensure her happiness, even if we do argue every now and then. And I never felt this way towards any other girl. Until now."

Nina took a very deep breath to calm herself to prevent herself from breaking down sobbing.

"Thanks, guys," she uttered once she managed to regain her composure. "It really means a lot to me."

Himuro and Takao both smiled at her and Nina was happy to return those smiles with one of her own.

Then she heard some faint sounds coming from outside of the living room and it made something completely irrelevant occur to her.

"Hey, didn't Furihata go to let Kuroko in a... rather long while ago?" Nina asked.

Himuro and Takao exchanged glances.

"Come to think of it, they should have been here by now," admitted the former. "I wonder what's taking them so long?"

Takao looked around the living room, but didn't see a single light blue hair. Kuroko wasn't here yet. The only people in his eye's range, baring Himuro and Nina, were Kagami and the rest of Seirin's players, Furihata excluded.

He was just about to make a pun about a skittish first year benchwarmer somehow managing to get lost in a ten paces long corridor, when a sound of footsteps was heard. Though there were definitely more than two people coming. Could it be...?

"There you are!" Kagami exclaimed, turning around from where he was sitting on the ground.

Like Kagami, Nina looked at the entrance's direction, expecting to see a boy she's heard so much about, but instead of a frail looking blunette, her eyes landed on a tall, tanned and seemingly bored young man who she assumed was Aomine Daiki. Kuroko's former teammate and best friend, according to Hyuuga.

"Wow, you've got some pretty sweet digs around here, don't you, Taiga," said the newcomer.

"Aomine!" Kagami cried out, confirming Nina's assumption. "What are you...?!"

He was shocked into silence when more obviously uninvited people started entering the room. Nina was actually starting to feel bad for Kagami, but his facial expression was priceless.

A handsome blond - Since when were Japanese blonds?, Nina thought - waved at them.

"Hey, how's it going?" he asked, clearly unbothered by the looks of puzzlement he and the other newcomers were receiving.

Nina's eyes landed on Furihata and was shocked to see him being supported by the giant purple haired boy, unconscious or fainted at the very least. Oh boy, was her only thought at the sight.

Then a bluenette standing in the middle of the group spoke.

"Captain, Izuki," he said, looking surprised at his upperclassmen being here. "I didn't expect you two to be here. What a pleasant surprise." His voice was monotonous and quiet with a barely noticeable, almost undetectable hint of joy to it.

"We're pretty surprised too," Hyuga uttered, looking tense. "You brought the Generation of Miracles with you?" The way he said it, the question seemed more like an accusation.

A boy slightly taller than Kuroko took a step forward.

"Nice to meet you!" he said politely, with a smile. He seemed nice enough to Nina, but the expressions on every single other face in the room told a different story, which the girl found both intriguing and unnerving. "I'm Rakuzan's Akashi."

"Yeah, we know that!" Izuki snapped.

"What's their deal, huh?" Nina whispered to Himuro. "Why are they looking at the guy like he's about to claw their faces off?"

Himuro sighed.

"Let's just say that he used to be a lot more... intimidating, for the lack of a better term, and seeing him act so friendly is rather... weird," he whispered back.

Nina didn't really understand the explanation, but decided to ask about that some other time.

"Takao!" A deep voice with a hint of both surprise and irritation was heard. "Dare I ask what on earth you're doing here?"

Peeking from behind Himuro for a better view, Nina looked at the person who said the name of one of her two new friends 

"You're here, Shin-chan?" Takao exclaimed, laughing. "Boy, this is wild! Talk about chaotic!" Takao seemed quite happy about their arrival, meanwhile Nina felt her heart stop beating right then and there.

The very first thing that Nina noticed about the boy standing on Kuroko's right side was his eyes. They were exquisite! Like emerald pools, hidden behind the black-framed glasses he was wearing. Piercing, focused and determined.

The next was his face, which was almost as outstanding of a masterpiece as his eyes as well, though Nina thought he would definitely look much better with a smile, however small it might be. He was handsome. All of the newcomers were - and to any other girl it would probably be the tanned Aomine or the friendly looking blonde that are the most attractive ones. But to Nina, there was just something about this emerald eyed boy that made him special.

Maybe it was his unusual hair, a few shades darker than the boy's eyes. Until now, Nina was certain that Takao was bluffing when he told her that Kuroko and his friend's have all extraordinary elements to their features, but now she knew better.

Of course the fitness of his body, mostly covered by his clothes, didn't go unnoticed by Nina either. There was no denying that he was much taller than an average Japanese person. He's probably had five inches on Nina, who was suddenly very glad that it was a winter and not a summer, because had he come here with a short-sleeved top, she would most likely drool and make a fool of herself in the process.

His fingers were all bandaged with white tape. For whatever reason, Nina had absolutely no clue. He was also carrying something in his left hand. A bag of dried mushrooms it seemed. Nina's eyes widened a little when she remembered hearing Oha Asa's horoscopes on the radio during breakfast this morning. Apparently Cancer's lucky item for today was dried mushrooms. Nina herself didn't believe in stuff like that in the slightest. She also wasn't religious. In fact, if someone asked her about what she believes, her answer would be: "Myself". Or "Myself and nothing else", quoting Kaz Brekker. Still, Nina always tried to be open-minded and it really didn't bother her that people nowadays still believed in things like gods or luck. Or the lack of luck. However, Nina thought that it was kind of cute that this guy believed in Oha Asa's horoscopes.

So this was Takao's teammate of whom he had told Nina about when she was making a card for Kuroko.

Midorima Shintaro.

The sound of his name was beautiful.

And then her heart was suddenly pounding like a hammer, her throat went a little dry and Nina knew for certain that she was head over heels for the guy.