Unbeta'ed. Overly OOC, hating-on-the-world Akashi. Character Death. I have no more words to say. Amen.
It's a little late but Happy Birthday Akashi!
~Eternal~
"Take my hand, Tetsuya. Hold on tight and never let go"
A hand reached out.
At first, the grasp was tight. Until it started to get loose. He tried holding on, trying to not break their bond. And then he let go.
And he was left alone.
...iOiOiOiOiOi...
They're the Generation of Miracles and for years as teammates in middle school they've played side by side, teaming up and being undefeated. When they graduated Teiko they did part ways but everyone else have thought that for the sake of kinship and years of being together as teammates, they would at the very least act civil if not on friendly terms with each other.
However, no one anticipated that their gathering -as unplanned as it may be- would end with them fighting against each other. Never mind if it's Basketball however, this one is something else entirely. They, mostly Aomine Daiki and Akashi Seijuro seemed to be fighting about something...or rather someone. None of the other player's exactly knew what is currently going on. All of them were on some training camp, preparing for whatever next match their own teams will be playing at. Some, like Kaijo and Shutoko simply there to improve their players skills.
If only they knew that the situation would be as tense as it is being now, they would have refused training camp. Improvement of skills be damned. Socializing with teammates be damned. Everything else be damned. This is not what they anticipated for.
They still stood watching the entire scene anyway.
"It's been three years Akashi! Goddammit! Just fucking start moving on!"
"Aominechii stop!"
"Dai-chan that's enough!"
"Watch your words Minechin or I'll crush you"
"Kindly bleach your mouth Aomine, it's very foul and is need of cleansing"
"Oh! Come on don't tell me you're all going to tolerate his attitude!?" Aomine glared intently at Akashi who in turned looked like he wanted to murder someone, probably the tanned player at that rate. The other players who had no idea as to what was going on, each had tried to. In the end, they were "Stop babying him too much! Does he really think he's the only one who had been hurt with what had happened!? I was his light, out of all of us I was his first friend don't you think I never felt lost and lonely knowing his never coming back!?"
"We know that Aominechii, Kurokochii's my teacher you know and I've been hurt. No, I'm still hurting but-"
"See everyone's been hurt but we all chose to move on while you decided to stick yourself into the past!"
"Shut up, Daiki..." Akashi glared intently at the other.
"What was that? Can't take real shit even for just once in your life?" Aomin seemed unfazed.
"I said shut up! SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" The players who had never before witnessed this side of the infamous tyrannical captain of the generation of miracles can't help but stare at the genius player, none of them, not even Rakuzan had ever heard nor seen the usually calm and collective captain to actually yell at someone much more actually look so…vulnerable.
Just what had happened back then? What happened in the past that can actually trigger so much emotion from Akashi Seijuro?
"Now you want me to shut up? No more Akashi not unless you-"
"Move on? Who are you to tell me to move on? Don't order me around Daiki" Akashi's voice was full of venom "As you've said, you were his light. You're his first friend out of all of us but I am more than that and none of you can ever feel what I needed to go through" Akashi glared one last time before turning his back and walking away.
"Sei-chan!" Reo attempted to run after his captain but was stopped when Midorima had quickly grabbed a hand preventing him to do so. "What are you doing, I need to check on Sei-chan"
"Please don't. You're only going to cause him trouble" It was Kise who spoke, his usual cheerfulness gone in his tone. "Right now, he really needed to be alone. We know you guys are worried, we are too but please for now let's just leave him be"
"Tsch. Pathetic" Aomine was met with a flying clipboard to the face. "What was that for!? Not to mention that fucking hurts!"
"You're so terrible Aomine-kun!" Satsuki aimed her data notebook at the tanned player.
"Hah? What did I do wrong? You guys have been cooping him for far too long. What are you guys? His baby sitters?" He dodged a pen turned dangerous flying projectile from his childhood friend.
"No, you're wrong Aominechii. We're not cooping Akashichii to his past" Kise retorted as he stared at the teen. "He's the one who refuses to move on and that's his choice to do so. I know it's unhealthy but if that's his way of coping up then who are we to stop him?"
"Minechin shouldn't have done that. Minechin is a terrible friend"
"How am I terrible? I was just trying to help"
"We know that but out of all the days, why choose today?" Midorima spoke and watched as Aomine got hit with realization. "Today is…"
"You really screwed up today, Aomine-kun" It was Satsuki who muttered those words.
None of the other players spoke a word and simply watched the interaction between the former Teiko players. All of them wondering, what had transpired at Teiko three years ago?
...iOiOiOiOiOi...
It had been almost three years and yet the memories still remained intact. The feelings are still there, lingering and unchanged even by the time that had passed. He can't move on. He won't move on. He refused to move on.
If he does, he might forget. He might lose all those precious memories he's had with him. He doesn't want that. He wanted to hold longer to those moments of bliss, if not forever then as long as he can.
It was supposed to last forever. They both promised each other and yet everything had been broken and now the red-head is the only one desperately trying to keep their love burning passionately. If only the other did not-
Akashi found himself wandering aimlessly. He didn't even know where he was going, he just kept on walking. Letting his own feet get him to wherever his mind unconsciously want him to be.
"Tetsuya, why?"
There was nothing but silence.
…iOiOiOiOiOi…
"I know you guys said to give our captain some space but it's already ten in the evening and he's not back yet and it's raining hard and we're all getting worried" Midorima irritably opened the door to one Kotaro Hayama only to see him panting as if he had actually run all the way from where he was to tell Midorima of his missing team captain.
"Have you tried calling him?"
"Many times but he won't answer and the last time we tried to, he's phone was off" Kotaro explained "We know this is not your duty to do so but for the sake of your shared middle school memories, help us find our captain"
Midorima nodded briefly and turned to his roommate only to see the other putting on a pair of warm boots. "What are you doing, Takao?"
"The more people searching, the easier we'll find him Shin-chan" Takao gave a sheepish grin. "Not to mention, my ability will be quite useful"
"Fine. Do whatever you wish just don't stick to me that much" Midorima then turned back at the Rakuzan player. "Let's go ask help from the others"
"Reo and the rest are already on it" Just then Midorima's phone vibrated.
"Akashi" Both the green-head's current companions stopped their own tracks and head's snapped at the shooter. "Everyone's worried. Where are you?"
"I'm going somewhere. Don't go looking for me" And the call was ended.
"Oi. Akashi!" Midorima sighed with worry as he clutched on his lucky item.
"Is that Akashi? Where is he? What did he say?" Kotaro Hayama asked as Takao for once had a serious expression on his face. Just what's going on with the tyrannical captain of the Generation of Miracles?
"Let's just go find the others"
…iOiOiOiOiOi…
Akashi found himself kneeling down besides a gravestone. Running his calloused hands towards the name carefully carved with intricacy. He smiled bitterly.
"They kept on telling me to move on and go forward with my life but how can I when I no longer have one? You were my life, you know? My everything but you're no longer here so what am I supposed to do?"
He knew that the other won't be able to answer and yet he kept on talking. Pretending that he's right there beside him and just silently listening.
"I wanted to hate you so much, so much but I can't bring myself to do so. You're just too unfair!" Akashi felt his fists tightened. "You promised me! You told me you'll fight! You said it'll be forever that the two of us will grow old with gray hair but we'll still be holding hand-in-hand but you lied!"
He chuckled humorlessly.
"Today, I fought with Daiki. He told me to let you go but I don't want to, no one can make me and I don't even think I want to" Akashi laughed bitterly "Am I a coward for not moving on? Yes, maybe I am but do you think I really care? This is the only way I can hold on to you so why are people so keen to cut me out? Do they even understand how I feel? They're all there pretending that they do but are those for real?"
"Why do you even have to leave?"
"Why did you break your promise?"
"Just why?"
Cold droplets started pouring down and yet Akashi Seijuro paid no heed. He simply knelt down and let his tears fall down.
…iOiOiOiOiOi…
"Hey, Shin-chan?"
"What?"
"We know we're prying into something private but what happened three years ago?"
"It's none of your business, Takao" Midorima tried avoiding the question. How was he even left alone with these people? When are the other members of the GOM coming to his aid?
"Oh Come on! Tell me!"
"If you guys don't mind, we actually all wanted to know" Teppei Kiyoshi asked. "I mean, it's rare for us to see Akashi-san acting like that"
"I agree. What had happened three years ago?" Kasamatsu Yukio broke his silence. "I mean even Kise acts so strangely"
"And it's unlike Aomine and Momoi to act how they did earlier" Imayoshi added his own to cents;
"Atsushi is not being his usual self" Himuro pointed out.
"Fine." Midorima gave up. "Three years ago, back in Teiko unknown to most people, we have a sixth phantom member. He's not easy to remember due to his uncanny ability to hide his own presence and thus Akashi always uses him as our trump card. It was as if every time that the person would play in the court, victory is given. Let's just say that he's that someone who keeps the balance on our scales. He was Aomine's so-called light, Kise was his student, He acted as if he's Murasakibara's mother and he was the person who never judged me. However, it was with Akashi whom he had been attached the most. He is after all Akashi's lover "
Everyone's eyes widened as they processed the information. To find out that another member of the so-called miracles actually existed, everything is just not that easy to process.
"Where is he now?"
Midormia hesitated before finally answering "...He died three years ago, today"
Reo's eyes widened in shock. "Is that the reason why he...I thought he really just didn't fancy celebrating this day"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Today is Akashi's birthday" Midorima was the one who broke the news.
There was silence after that. No one seemed to know what to do.
It was broken however when Kise came rushing in, a worried expression plastered on his face. "Midorimachii, Everyone! Akashichii he..."
"What happened?"
"Akashi drove his car and no we haven't had the slightest clue as to how his car got here but that's not the point here! He..."
"What happened Kise?"
"I-it was s-slippery and I don't know! Someone called Momoichii and there was an accident"
Midorima's lucky item broke as it fell down. The mini ceramic vase shattering into pieces.
…iOiOiOiOiOi…
The last thing he remembered was seeing blood, his own blood and then he saw something bright and there was someone smiling. Someone who warmly reached out a hand for him to take and that person, he was just so warm and inviting. Before he can have any second thoughts, he reached back.
Then the light seemed to have and then no more.
When he woke up, he was in a completely different setting. Shouldn't he be in a hospital right now? Leaning against what seems to be a cherry blossom tree, his eyes scanned around the area. Everything his eyes could reach just look simply fascinating but nothing had been more eye-catching than the person that stood right in front, the person's back facing Akashi.
"Tetsuya."
"Hello, Seijuro"
"How? Am I...dead?"
"Not yet, Sei. There's still time for you to-
"I am not going back. Please don't ask me to go back. I've already suffered enough! I can't continue and pretend on living when truthfully everything within me died when you left" Kuroko Tetsuya gently cupped the other's chin before caging the redhead into a hug. "I know I did promise you that I'll be back and I'm sorry I was unable to. I'm sorry that I left you alone. I'm sorry that I made you cry." Kuroko broke the hug and gazed intently at the other, chuckling as he did so. "I know that it would be selfish and I'm not suppose to be doing it but..."
He stood up. "Would you like to come with me?"
This time it was the teal-head who had reached a hand out. He smiled.
"Take my hand, Sei. Hold on tight and never let go"
The red-head reached back. He won't let go and he knew the other won't too.
Not this time.
Had to be done, Okay...
Let's just say Kuroko died of some illness. Akashi died from a car accident. Both are not elaborated, let's just leave it at that.
Your opinion matters. Drop them on your way out.