Not Even Death…

Kurokocchi wasn't meant to die like this. Alright, so he wasn't meant to die at all, not one bit, and if Kise had ever found a way to make his beloved Kurokocchi immortal, he'd do it in a heartbeat—perhaps even less, or more, depending on whether or not he got distracted by the Shadow player's cuteness.

But that still didn't change the fact that this was just plain wrong.

On so many, many levels.

It wasn't that Kurokocchi couldn't have been saved, it wasn't as if his wounds were exactly life threatening, and it's not like help didn't come.

He was simply…forgotten.

The Generation of Miracles had gone on a field trip you see, gathered together simply by Momoi's insistent begging, for it was her birthday, and she wanted to spend it with her old team. And no one, no, not even Akashicchi, would dare deprive her of such a simple wish (even though he had swiftly taken control, set up the trip, the transport, the rooms, and such). However, sadly, on the way over, some drunk buffoon—who died of mysterious and painful means soon after—crashed into the bus and sent them flying into the mountain side, said mountain also happened to have avalanche warnings and, sadly, rocks—that were mysteriously, and happily, pulverized soon after—rained down and practically smashed the bus.

By a grand stroke of luck (most likely due to a certain green haired teen's lucky items—which he'd given everyone upon the start of the ride) none were badly damaged and the Generation of Miracles was eventually dug out and sent to the hospital within five hours. However…

Kuroko had been left behind.

Kise wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry. Sure, Tetsu-chan's presence was almost non-existent, easy to miss, but being forgotten when he was bleeding and right beside him, holding Kise's hand? That was taking ridiculous to a whole new level.

Sure, the team had been asleep when they were finally saved, but they had huddled together, cramped and aching, joking and eating what was left of the Candy Master's stash.

How could they, how dare they, miss him?

And then they, those fools who died by rather painful and perhaps not so mysterious circumstances, had the galls to simply state they were sorry?

Kise let out a bitter laugh as he read the article before him. Depicting the horrid misfortune that befell the star team and how purely wrong it was that Kuroko Tetsuya died due to a high fever brought on by the cold and blood loss, only because the rescuers forgot that he was there.

Their rescuers dared, dared, forget him? Dared forget that they had a sixth player, dared forget that they had tickets, seats, rooms for seven people?

And the reason why he was found?

Because the GoM, upon waking up (several hours later), asked for him. Because Kise refused, completely and utterly refused, to calm down and simply rest until his, his, Kurokocchi was found.

Tears began to stream down his face as he choked back sobs, Kurokocchi had been found on the side of the road.

He had crawled. Crawled his way out of the bus and down the road, dragging his fevered body back home, leaving smears of blood and puddles of throw up in his wake.

His phone, apparently, had been broken.

And he had crawled.

His beloved Kurokocchi, his beloved Tetsuya had died, trying to reach them, trying to get home.

"It's sad, isn't it, Kurokocchi" he asked thin air, "that you are finally noticed, finally acknowledged, by the world only after you're dead? Only after your body was found, cold, lifeless, on the ground, decaying? "

"It was in rigor mortis."

The blunt answer did not disturb Kise, rather, it brought a small, happy, almost insane, smile to his face, "But that doesn't change the fact that it's wrong. They should have noticed you sooner. They should have been—they should be—talking about your life."

"There wasn't much to it beyond basketball."

"But Kurokocchi~" Kise whined, tears still streaming down his face, face set in a pout, and eyes looking dazed, crazed, lost, "they only talk about how wrong and sad you're death was—which I completely agree with—but they never mention how amazing you were, you are."

"Kise-kun" the voice, soft, almost sad, trailed off, "Kise-kun, I'm incapable of being amazing anymore."

It was just like him, just like Kurokocchi, to say such things, and Kise laughed, shakily, a tad-bit too high, too loud, too lost, but with a margin of true joy as he skipped to stand before his, his, Tetsuya, his Kurokocchi. "But you are amazing," Kise corrected with a smile, tilting his head and almost, almost, cupping Kurokocchi's cheek, but not quite, not completely, as if he was afraid by touching, by feeling the all to smooth skin, the one before him would vanish, break, disappear, or, even worse, be cold, or, even worse than that, finding out that he could not touch him. "Even though you're dead, you're still here, with me. You came home."

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A/N: *laughs* I'm horrible aren't I? Well, anyway, I was cleaning the refrigerator when this idea came to me, and not even I know whether or not Kise has gone insane. But, yeah, hope you enjoyed. Though, actually, if I get enough reviews (which I probably won't) I was planning on turning this into a crossover with Danny Phantom…or…something. So tell me what ya think.