Usually he felt safe at night, roaming the streets that he grew more than accustomed to over these last few years. Usually he was walking with his head tall, a slight grin on his cat-ish features, happy with how it's all working out.


It's only been a few years since he started to take part in drug trafficking around or rather 'under' Shibuya. His dream to spent his life playing basketball and earning a living off of it didn't work out, because his foolish teenager-self injured his own body beyond repair: ultimately ending his career in basketball. He became depressed, he felt useless. Modeling didn't pay off anymore, because who wants to have a model that is more often than not close to mental breakdowns, that isn't able to pull of cheerfulness anymore, having completely lost his former bubbly self? Right. No one. Within a breath he seemed to have lost everything. His team abandoned him. His friends did, too. Apparently he was too much of a burden for all of them, too much of a whiner, a cripple – mentally and physically. Even the one he looked up to the most, the never fading light, shining brighter and brighter with each step. Even he abandoned him.

He, who Kise will never forget.

It was during his last year of middle school; one day, after a restraining physical rehabilitation-session, one of his former friends and teammates walked up to him in front of the rehabilitation center. His hair as bright as ever, voice smooth and a malevolent, scheming shimmer in his crimson orbs. With nothing more than his pure aura he made people understand where he came from. Glory, wealth, power and the absolution of always getting what he was wishing for; never losing – always winning. It was Akashi Seijuurou who walked up to him that day, changing his life and bringing excitement back into it.

"You seem to be working tough, Ryouta", he said, his eyes fixed on the golden boy whilst drawing closer.

The blond held the piercing gaze for a moment, before breaking it off and looking into the sky above. The sky was covered in clouds, spreading signs that rain would start pouring down soon. He couldn't think of any reason for the others visit, he just hoped that it'd soon be over so that he could go home and get lost in the dark palace that is his mind all over again. With a sight he answered, voice emotionless and plain: "Akashi-chi? What a coincidence meeting you here. Are you here to make fun of me, too? Inviting me to a little one-on-one maybe?" A short snicker escaped his lips after those words whilst he tried to cover the painful sting in his chest. It was laughable. He was laughable, unable to ever play again.

It was when Akashi stood before him, holding a black umbrella over the copycats head, that Kise realized that it started to rain.

"Do not take me a fool, Ryouta. I am not here to mock you, nor steal your time. I have more but a humble request that I want you to think about.", as soon as the smooth words left the gingers mouth Kise couldn't restrain a short laugh, slowly drifting into anger. He wanted him to leave him alone like all the others did. Like he did.
Akashi disappeared out of his life shortly after it got out in the open that Kise would never be able to play again. So why is he here now? What is it that he wants from a man that's far too broken and unable to ever get fixed again?
The hands on his sides curled into fists when he angrily looked at his former teammate, words hissing between his clenched teeth: "Why should I trust you? You left me once like all the others did, never checked in on me ever again. Are you here to get a look at the cripple? Well you got what you wanted then. Leave me alone and go back to Kyoto." With this Kise turned sideways about to slip away from the umbrella and Akashi's intense eyes. He didn't want to have this conversation. It would lead to nothing and was a waste of his time and would only remind him of how the old days used to be. The old days with Akashi and the rest of the Generation Of Miracles. His plan was nullified in an instant though, as he saw the umbrella now blocking his path, a cold voice underlining the action: "This was not a mere request, Ryouta. Now wait and listen to what I have to say."

And this was how it all started.

Back then Kise listened to Akashi and finds himself now within the ranks of the Yakuza. – It shouldn't have been a surprise, really. How could I never imagine Akashi-chi being part of the criminal underworld? - He thought to himself whilst a grin flashed across his features, his footsteps echoing through the streets. The day slowly started to fade and the evening shifts into the night when Kise was on his way to meet up with one of his underlings, who sold his fair share of drugs around the Hatagaya district of Shibuya. It happened quite fast that, after a certain time of skepticism, the blonde grew accustomed to the rules of the underworld and worked itself up to his current position of handling the drug sales of Akashi's family in Shibuya. This field of work might be dangerous but it comes with a thrill that Kise lacked since he stopped playing basketball. He could lose everything in an instant if he were to mistake but could also win it all. Of course winning wasn't even part of the question, as Akashi was once very clear about what would happen to those who were to provide failure to the family.

Luckily death and failure weren't part of his priorities.

Experienced he strolled around the streets of the city, giving a charming and flirty smile to the girls who walk by him in awe, enjoying their bickering and giggling whenever he did so. After being around the young Akashi's head he started to understand what it was that made control over others so enjoyable and now that he tasted the forbidden fruit he never wants to miss it. Wrapping girls and boys around his finger was always and easy doing for him, for he was gifted by good genes since his birth. When he was younger he never had the intentions of doing so but now he learned that it came with all the right benefits. The copycat always had someone to fool around with or just kill time. He had his eyes and ears, whilst charmingly and easily keeping contact with more and more people. Controlling them was fun, drawing benefits from them was fun. Money, fame and being desired were fun and he never wanted to give it all up again.
When he crossed to road to meet up with his client he was sure that it'd be just a normal day again. Talking about how things go, exchanging money and drugs an swift and routine motions and all of that whilst being completely visible to everyone's eye. Whilst Akashi once said to him that he should be more careful and stop doing business out in the open Kise was on a totally different side of the coin. He thought that, the more visible and casually you'd pull it off the less would notice. Because who would suspect someone executing highly illegal deals in the open? Right: no one.

"So, Sa-chin, do you got what I've forgotten at your flat?", the blonde asked with a cheerful smile on his face, the white of his teeth accompanying the white of his expensive suit.

His "friend" nodded slightly irritated by Kises usual friendliness during transactions, never growing accustomed to it. "Oh I did and thank you for bringing me supplies. If my work had ended sooner I'd have picked them up myself.", the brown haired Asian said whilst keeping a friendly façade. Swiftly they exchanged their bags and whilst doing so the blonde was about to take his leave again already: "Ahh no, no problem. I don't have time to talk with you properly right now though, work is calling you know? Ok then, see yo-"

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Without Kise or his accomplice noticing they were suddenly surrounded by strangers; strangers throwing the brown haired male to the ground and cuffing him instantly. Strangers that tried to pull the very same move on him, too. Without hesitation Kise launched around the heavy bag of money, making room for himself and using the moment of surprise to dash through the three people that were surrounding him. In the distance he could hear shouting, people calling him to stop and that he can't run from the police.

He didn't give a damn. They would never catch him. He knew those streets better than they did and he, despise his injury from several years back, could still outrun them anytime. Just because he couldn't play basketball anymore doesn't mean that he stopped training altogether. With ever stepped the night drew closer and with every corner he took he grew even surer about losing his followers. After approximately 10 minutes of running he stopped in a dark narrow street, pressing his body against the wall, breathing heavily. He could still hear sirens in the distance, footsteps and the shouting of the various officers.
He was about to take another step after a minute or two, wanting to get away further from the crime scene, when a sharp sting rushed through his ankle up his leg. –This damn injury, please not now!- he thought, whilst biting on his lip to not let out a sound of pain. This wasn't a good timing. Kise needed to get away, Kise needed to run – not to stand still, because his miserable leg bringing unbearable pain over him. Frustrated he punched against the wall with the hand which wasn't holding the bag of money. His leg was shaking in agony and Kise decided that he needed a break: fast. Therefore he shuffled slowly through the alley and managed to curl himself up on the ground in an even smaller one. One that the police could easily miss, because it got nothing in it besides cables and the rest of the big heaters, cooling down the rooms in the buildings.
With a sharp sigh Kise slid down on the ball behind one of the heaters, cursing his aching leg and begging that this whole shit-show would be over soon. He wanted to go home but before that he had to call Akashi and tell him what happened. He had to, after he calmed his breath and was more like himself again.

Clumsily he searched for his privat phone in the pockets of his jacket and unlocked it, about to search through his contacts.

He stopped after he heard a voice he thought he'd never hear again.

"Whatever you're about to do: don't.", the words sounded cold and stern as they escaped from the mouth of the blue haired man, who was pointing his gun at the blonde on the ground.

Kise's eyes fixed the screen of his phone in shock for a second, before they grew softer and a smile darted across his lips. With a voice smooth as honey he replied: "And what if I don't, officer? Will you kill me? Take me into custody? Cuff me?" This whole situation was a farce. It was so laughable Kise wanted to die. –Are you kidding me? Why did I have to meet him here? Why like this? Why him? –

With a smooth and way too fast motion the officer kicked the mobile out of the tender hands, pressed his gun to Kise's head and crouched before him, staring furiously into the golden eyes. Anger was accompanying every word of his as he growled: "Don't fuck with me! I should shoot you here and now, you know that?! 'Cause that is what you would fucking deserve!"

The grin has not faded from Kises face as he looks directly into the storming blue eyes, a challenging glimmer in his own and his voice dripping with mockery when he said: "Shoot me? But I haven't done anything wrong, officer! I was just sitting here minding my own business, about to call a friend, because my leg was hurting so bad! Stop accusing an innocent civilian of evil doings! Police cruelty! He-" He couldn't finish his sentence, because the person opposite of him cut him off, pressing the gun stronger against his temple: "Stop with this bullshit, Kise! Stop mocking me or I swear to god I won't hold back. What the fuck happened to you?!" The anger and disappointment in Aomines voice was something that Kise did not expect, therefore his reaction was anything but sane. A sick smile formed in his lips, whilst his eyes were open wide and he laughing words escaped his mouth: "Stopping with what, huh Daiki?! Stopping with what?! With living my life? With somehow getting through it after all of you abandoned me?! I started living again for the first time after I went through the gutter, that is what happened to me!" Shortly after these words left his mouth he could feel a strong force colliding with his face, followed by a sharp pain. Aomine hit him. He grabbed him be the color of his shirt, now Kise positioned between his legs, the gun laying a meter away from both of them. "Stop blabbering this nonsense! We left you?! You left us! We tried to call you but you never answered! How often have I been standing in the hospital after your surgeries and heard that you denied any visitors?! Also what life are you talking about, huh? Dealing drugs, ruining lives, running away?! What happened to the guy who was once so sincere and proud and righteous?! What happened to the Kise I-" right in between his shouting Aomine stopped, a sour grin forming on his lips and as little snicker left his mouth.

Kise didn't understand what was going on but either way he stopped caring. He didn't care anymore what Aomine thought of him or what his opinion was on how he lived his life. He doesn't love him anymore. Out of cold eyes, looking through the blonde locks that have fallen upon his face, he watched the face of the dark skinned male. Kise closed his eyes for a moment and sighed before he said: "Whatever. Would you please just decide already? Let me go or take me into custody. Or do you want to beat me up some more, huh?" The emotionless but daring words seemed to click a switch in Aomines head, as his features turned neutral and his eyes cold as stone. He looked at the smaller one and said calmly: "You know, maybe that is what I'm going to do. I have spent all the years looking for you, thinking about whether to contact you again or not but now I don't even recognize you anymore." One of the tan hands found his way into Kise's hair and pulls it painfully, so that his head yanks to the right, the other pressing his left hand on the ground. Hot breath on his pale ear got his skin prickelig, as he listened to the low and husky voice of his former love. "Maybe I'm just going to have my way with you, feel you one last time and make you realize what mess you've gotten yourself into." A sad smile formed on the blondes lips as his heart skipped a beat, slowly losing all his will to fight back.


Kise never thought that he could feel fear in the streets he called home.

But maybe life is the best teacher, after all.