a/n This was totally supposed to be a one-shot but my brain won't allow it. The idea came to me as a dream when I was taking an afternoon nap. I woke up sad and the idea won't leave my head. I somehow began to incorporate it with AoKise as the characters. And then I thought, 'oh let's write this! It'll be a short work.' (yeah, right. As if.)

Before I could even realize, it became a full blown multi-chaptered fic. I wanted to post this as a gift to the ones who read Anomaly 'cause I won't be able to update it anytime soon but it is in the works. I'm starting to think that my brain isn't wired for one-shots. Anomaly was supposed to be a one-shot too!

RL just won't let me breath at times. Anyways, please do enjoy it~

Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki-sensei.

Trigger warning! suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, depression

Angel

27thSky

There is not much I can recall of that time. I know it was significant and yet for the life of me, I cannot remember. Every time I would try to recall it, I would be left with a vague feeling of a gentle warmth, a shadow of smile that rivalled the sun and profound nostalgia. Damn. He isn't one to spout poetic nonsense and yet he cannot help himself. Simple words weren't enough to define it. No, it wasn't enough to describe that person.

The pain was too much.

He wasn't used to feeling this much. The feelings were too sharp, he can almost feel it underneath his skin.

He cannot do this.

He wants it to end.

I'm sorry, [ ].

The next time he was aware of his own bearings, he found himself the park that he frequented as a child. It was the one located at the top of a three hundred-step stairs. The one they called Park in the Sky*. Climbing the stairs has always been bothersome for his mom who was the one that usually brought him there but the view from the top was all worth it or was supposed to be. In his current state, the view is insignificant. It was already early evening and it was supposed to be the ideal time to visit the place. The park was well lit by lanterns that were designed to look like those from the streets of Europe giving it a romantic atmosphere. As proof, the dismal people remaining in the vicinity were mostly couples. They were in several states of displays of affection but he did not care for that. It has no connection with what he had in mind.

Remembering an ideal place for what he had in mind, he walked with a purpose. He found himself in the area near the old gazebo that looked like it has been forgotten by time. The place was pretty deserted most likely due to its distance from the newer amenities of the park. He did not get close to the gazebo instead stopped in the edge of the park balustrade. Looking ahead of him, he can see the blinking and colourful lights of the city. From his current position he can clearly feel the chill that the cold breeze brought to his skin. For a moment, it alleviated his pain. He wanted to drown in the cold. It was far better than the haze of hurt and pain. Better than the crushing memories he wants to forget. Better than remembering the words he failed to say. Looking down at the edge, he can feel the heaviness in his stomach. He recognized this the instinctual fear of falling but he wasn't afraid. He welcomed it. The view down below was like an abyss that seemed to beckon him to come. He can almost see it. What he desired was down below. The end. My end.

"The view here is amazing, don't you think?" He heard a voice behind his back. He whipped his head so fast he almost felt dizzy.

"Hey, careful now. I wouldn't want to cause you to fall. Imagine the headlines, 'Mr. Whoever-you-are falls to his death due to a sneak attack'," the stranger continued mirth evident in his voice.

"Now that's quite morbid of me. Anyways, don't get too close to the edge now, mister."

He was so startled that he only registered half of what the stranger was talking about. Absentmindedly, he followed the instruction. In the back of his mind, he recognized that stranger has a nice voice. The type that can calm crying children or maybe make young girls swoon.

Squinting his eyes to see from the distance and the dismal lighting, he can make out a figure sitting in the bench adjacent to his current position.

** "Who are you?" he found himself asking with a scowl marring his face. If I scare him, the better.

He heard the man give out another chuckle which only pissed him more. "I'm sorry but my mother told me not to talk to strangers," replied the stranger.

There was something about his last statement that seemed odd to him. It sounded rehearsed. The stranger's reply was pretty normal so he can't find a concrete reason for what he thought. In the end he only shrugged it to him imagining the oddity he heard.

"You're the one who talked to me first." He let the irritation paint his voice. He wasn't sure in the dark but he felt like his eyes met those of the stranger. He knew what he was doing was foolish just like what the stranger said, any sane person does not simply talk to someone unknown in a deserted park with no people near his vicinity.

The man did not reply, he simply stood up from the bench and walked slowly towards me. If he has any desire to run, that moment would've been a good time but he found himself glued to his spot. He was standing somewhere in between the bench and the edge of the balustrade that still beckoned for him at the back of his mind.

As the man got closer to his position, he finally saw his face. Their current position was ideal. The dismal lighting the place had was concentrated there. And what he saw almost took his breath away.

The stranger was striking. He cannot make out the exact colour of his eyes but his hair was blond that probably shone like gold when the sunlight hits it right. He also noted that the man was almost as tall as himself with only a couple of inches behind. He was straight, he's sure of that but he wasn't blind. He knows to appreciate beauty when he sees it. The shadows casted on his face made him look more handsome.

Their eyes meeting, the stranger gave him a smile. Had there been enough light, it would've been captivating. He was then quite surprised by the next action the man took.

"Its quite a cold night. You must be freezing," the stranger simply remarked and took off his scarf and draped it on the other's neck. He was too stunned to say anything. Silently, he took on the man's appearance for a second time. The stranger was wearing a long trench coat with a shirt underneath probably colored blue but he can't be sure with their current lighting paired with faded jeans and the scarf that the man was wearing were currently resting on his own neck. Compared to what he currently wore which was a simple shirt and jeans, he was indeed underdressed for the cold. The scarf which was still warm from the stranger's body heat indeed helped him fight the cold somehow.

He's a pretty guarded person. He hates people invading his personal space. Usually his scowl and unfriendly demeanour were enough to scare any unwanted attention away but this stranger seemed to blow it all away. He didn't feel threatened to him at all. And that was probably the reason why he let him get so close and let him do as he pleases.

After the initial surprise, he was able to collect himself and scowled even more strongly at the stranger. "I asked you a question. Who are you?"

"Wouldn't you want to know~?" the stranger playfully replied. "Well, it pretty late you know. We might miss the trains," the man simply continued glancing briefly at his watch.

"Meet me here tomorrow if you're really interested. You better start getting home." The man was now walking away from him. As the man was a few feet away from him, he looked back and continued, "Stay warm, okay? Colds are terrible at this time of the year."

It was only when he finally arrived at home that he realized he failed to do his original purpose. The blond had completely distracted him. Damn.

As he lay at his bed that night, he was surprised. The pain was still there but it was somehow overshadowed by the puzzlement a certain stranger evoked in him in the sparse minutes of their acquaintance. He didn't necessarily like it but it was infinitely better than the excruciating pain of his current reality.

*The name of the park was inspired from a real one I went to when I was still a kid also with my mom in a school trip. The park was called People's Park in the Sky. I only used the name not the description of the place itself. Honestly, I can only remember the name but not the place anymore. I do remember the view though. The park overlooks a beautiful volcano surrounded by a lake so it really was beautiful. I went there again two (?) years ago, not in the exact park sadly, but the view was still breath taking. Those who are from the same country as me might know of the place I'm talking about. It is beautiful, isn't it?

**Writing this part while watching the Super Blue Blood Moon. Did you guys get to see it? It was beautiful. (It would've been totally awesome if we had a telescope!) I was outside our house watching the moon as I was typing this.

a/n Somehow, I'm not quite satisfied in portraying Ao's sadness here. I guess I find it hard to relate to?

Reviews are love~