I'd like to start off by saying thank you to you for clicking on this little story of mine. This is my first attempt at a Kuroko no Basket fanfic (also my first new fic in about 3 years) so please bare with me. This story will be totally unbeta'd and will most likely have mistakes as I will probably write the majority of the chapters when I'm sleep deprived. Hope you like!
"Kuroko, we're almost there."
A light blue-haired figure shifted slightly in his saddle as the group of horsemen made their way down the mountainside. The moon was but a sliver of light in the dark, cloudless sky. A slight breeze rustled the leaves on the ground as the hooves quietly glided over them. It was a quiet night as if to calm the storm that was raging inside of the light blue-haired figure's mind.
Scaling the wall of the city should not be an issue since we have the proper tools. We will only have to knock out a handful of guards that are stationed on the wall in order to get access to the city. From there, the palace should be in the dead center. Kiyoshi, Hyuuga and Izuki will distract the guards and whoever else happens to be awake. From what I have been told, his room should be on the third floor and heavily guarded. Kagami should be enough to hand-
A swift change in the wind and a taller figure suddenly appeared next to the light blue-haired person.
"I would appreciate it if you went back into formation, Kagami," Kuroko said softly to the taller figure whose hair was colored akin to that of a rotten apple.
"Screw formation, you've been quiet the whole ride," Kagami replied with a scoff as he trotted beside Kuroko's horse.
"I have a lot to think about," Kuroko said with an edge in his voice.
"I know you do. We all do," Kagami responded and gestured to the three people behind him. One of them reacted to the statement with a small smile, another with a scowl and the last one didn't say a word.
Kuroko took a long look at his entourage. He had grown up with these four people that currently accompanied him on this godsforsaken trip. He had an incredible amount of trust in all of them and were grateful for their loyalty as well as their friendship. In the sudden turn of events, he was glad that they were the ones to help him through it.
"I appreciate that all four of you decided to come with me on this journey despite knowing the risks," Kuroko said loudly enough for everyone to hear.
One of the men that had responded with a smile chuckled and said, "We would gladly follow you to the ends of the earth if it came down to it." The men around him offered grunts and words of agreement.
"I hope it never comes down to that, Kiyoshi," Kuroko replied with a small smile. Despite his years of training, he never really learned how to convey his emotions through expression alone so he opted for words instead.
The men were quiet for a few minutes as they proceeded out of the woods and into the countryside. They began traveling down a thin road that sat in between rice fields. The peaceful water reflected the night sky beautifully. The air was even quieter than in the woods with a small buzzing sound of a dragonfly's wings every once in a while.
One of the men, the one that had a scowl on his face the whole trip, spoke up. "So what's the plan again?"
Kuroko remained quiet for a long while before speaking up. "Kiyoshi-senpai, you and Izuki-senpai will cause a ruckus in the front of the palace. Then Kagami-kun and I shall infiltrate the palace while everyone is distracted and find him." Kuroko's voice tensed up at the word "him".
"This is gonna be fun," the man who asked the question replied, a smirk clearly visible on his face.
"Now, now Hyuuga, don't get too excited. We're only distracting them for as long as we need to and then hurry and find Kuroko," Kiyoshi said with a wide smile.
"He can't help getting excited, Riko forbade him from going on any other missions because of what happened on that last one," the man named Izuki said.
"I've been fully recovered for weeks now," Hyuuga replied in an annoyed tone.
"She's only looking out for you since you obviously have trouble looking after yourself," Kiyoshi responded with a laugh.
"Let's spar so I can wipe that dumb grin off your face, Teppei," Hyuuga said as he reached for the sword at his side.
"Guys, it's really not the time to be doing this," Izuki said with a sigh as he pushed himself between Kiyoshi and Hyuuga's horses.
"Stop your arguing 'cause we're here," Kagami shouted hastily from the front of the line as he pulled on the reins to stop his horse. He looked to Kuroko for direction but Kuroko was already lost in his own world as he looked ahead at the structure that stood in front of him.
The large city was surrounded by an enormous stone wall, one meant to protect the citizens from any outsiders. Despite it being the middle of the night, certain parts of the city were ablaze in light and lively sounds could be heard from the people inside. Guards were lined up equally apart along the rim of the wall and three stood in front of the large, stone doors that led into the city.
"I'm assuming getting in won't be as easy as knocking on the front doors and politely asking," Izuki said exasperatedly.
"If it was that easy, we wouldn't have waited to start the mission until it was the middle of the night," Kagami-kun replied and then looked back at Kuroko who was staring intently at the city.
Many moments passed before Kuroko turned to face his men. "You all know what you have to do. Let's see to it that this mission ends successfully."
With those words, the men all smiled proudly and proceeded to get off their horses as did Kuroko. After they had released their horses, the men grouped back together.
"Try not to take anymore casualties than you need to. Remember why we are here in the first place," Kuroko stated swiftly as he adjusted the sack on his back. It carried the tools he would need to climb the building and then some.
After adjusting their own bags, the men looked at their leader as if to confirm the start of the mission.
"I want all of you back alive," Kuroko said with a note of finality in his voice and then turned to face the city, a fire ablaze in his normally cool, blue eyes.
"Let the fun begin," Hyuuga stated with an smirk and the group began to walk towards the city.
The palace was bustling with desperation as everyone ran around frantically trying to deal with the situation. Kuroko ignored the excessive noise and instead focused all his attention on the figure lying on the bed before him. He held her hand tightly with both palms as if she might disappear if he loosened his grip even a little.
"Mother..." he said quietly as he bowed his head on the bed.
The leader of their clan, Kuroko Chizu, was motionless in the bed, her chest lifting up ever so slowly. She was a fragile woman due to the sickness that had stripped away her life over the past decade. Her long and pale blue hair, even lighter than Kuroko's, was limp and fell in a circle around her even paler face. She had her eyes closed shut for the time being which only frightened Kuroko even more. She could be gone any moment now and he wouldn't even be aware of it.
The two stayed in that position until the door of the Chizu's master bedroom burst open and in came Kagami.
"How is she?" he said quietly as he quickly made his way over to Kuroko's side.
Kuroko lifted his head slightly, his forehead furrowed as he stared painfully at his mother. "The physician said she only has a few more hours. Her body can't fight the sickness any longer and as of now, we have no way to treat it." He brought his mother's hand to his lips and kissed the worn out knuckles tenderly.
Kagami looked to Chizu and then back at Kuroko whose sky blue eyes were semi-glazed over with tears that were too stubborn to fall. Kuroko was the only one that Kagami had sworn to follow but the leader was always like a second mother to Kagami. He, as well as everyone else in the castle, was having a hard time dealing with their leader's situation. Kagami lifted his hand to rest on Kuroko's back as the only form of consolation he could offer him.
Time passed and people went in and out of the leader's bedroom to say their goodbyes. Sniffles were heard all over, especially from the young children who Chizu had taken under her wing because their parents neglected them. Everyone, from the maids to the cooks to the members of the counsel, offered their good wishes and blessings as their beloved leader made her way to the next world.
After everyone had said what they wanted, Kuroko was left alone with his mother. Even Kagami left, to give the two some space.
Kuroko looked solemnly at his mother's face and was overwhelmed with emotion as he saw her slowly open her eyes.
"Mother!" he said in relief.
Chizu turned to face her son and with all the energy she had left in her, smiled tiredly.
"Mother... Please..." Kuroko pleaded. What was he pleading for, he didn't even know.
His mother looked at him with all the love she could muster and opened her mouth slightly. "My sweet... Child..." A single tear began to trail down her cheek.
"Please, don't try to speak, Mother," Kuroko whispered hastily as his own tears finally released from his eyes.
"I have... One last thing... I must... tell you," the leader said in between gasps of air. Just breathing was becoming hard for her to do.
"What is it?" Kuroko said softly as he leaned in to his mother's face and committed every word she was saying to memory.
"Kill the... leader of the... Akashi clan..." she said slowly before a cough that felt like a storm plowing through her chest interrupted her.
Kuroko hurriedly let go of his mother's hand to reach for a glass of water at her bedside table, raised her head with his palm and lifted the water slowly to his mother's lips. She managed to swallow only a little before she brushed the glass away.
"You must... complete ... this mission... without fail..." The leader looked at her son with tearful eyes and Kuroko, who could no longer contain himself, allowed even more tears to fall. His mother slowly lifted her frail hand to caress his cheek and wiped away a few tears before she spoke again.
"You are... the only one who... can end this... tragedy..."
And with that last word, the leader of the Kuroko clan passed away peacefully.
Kuroko stared at his mother's lifeless face with wide eyes and with all the restraint he could muscle, tried not to scream out in agony.
He sat there in the chair placed beside his mother's body as he firmly grasped her left palm with both hands, the heat still radiating off her body. With his forehead lying on the bed, he whispered quietly to himself.
"I will complete this mission without fail, mother."
"Are you sure you're ready?"
Kuroko was currently in the stables behind the palace and stopped adjusting the reins on his stallion. He turned around to look at the person behind him.
"I am sure. Everyone has packed what they need, Riko," Kuroko said as he stared at the slightly shorter brown-haired girl.
"I'm not talking about supplies, I'm talking about you. The leader just passed and you're already leaving," Riko said with a furrowed forehead.
"There is no time to waste," Kuroko said simply as he turned to finish adjusting the reins.
"You cannot rush into this with a clouded mind," Riko said sternly as she reached for Kuroko's shoulders to turn him around to face her.
Kuroko stared at her blankly for a moment before he gently reached to move her hands from his shoulders. He held her hands and squeezed them tightly then said, "I am not rushing into anything. The relationship between our clan and the Akashi clan has always been shakey even from the time of our first leader. It was only a matter of time before one of us killed the other."
"Even so, why do you have to go? How is the clan gonna handle everything when we have no leader?" Riko said roughly as she stared worriedly at Kuroko.
"My cousin will handle everything for now. He is as well-versed in the legal procedures as I am. Maybe even more," Kuroko said with a soft smile.
Riko stared at Kuroko for a long time before sighing and releasing his hands. "I'm aware that Mayuzumi can handle the paperwork but our people would feel a lot better with their new leader here."
"I know they would but this is Mother's final request and I'm sure the clan understands that," Kuroko said, the memory of his mother's last smile still fresh in his mind.
Riko stared long and hard at Kuroko before sighing once again.
"I'll ensure that she is buried peacefully next to your father's grave and hold the fort down along with Mayuzumi," Riko whispered as she quickly wiped away a stray tear. She loved Chizu just as much as Kuroko did.
"I know you will," Kuroko said gently as he smiled as his childhood friend.
"You and everyone else better make it back alive or I'll kill you," Riko said as she lightly punched Kuroko's left arm.
"No way we're gonna die," a random voice shouted from behind Riko and Kuroko.
Kagami came out of the shadows while carrying a sack as he made his way to the pair.
"What have I told you about that cocky attitude, Kagami?" Riko said and jabbed Kagami in the side which he was too slow to avoid.
While Kuroko waited for Kagami to heal from Riko's attack, Kiyoshi, Hyuuga and Izuki came from the palace with their respectable bags as well as their choice of weapons.
"Here's that thing you asked for, Kuroko," Izuki said as he handed Kuroko a short object wrapped in a dark blue cloth.
"Thank you, Izuki," Kuroko said with a soft smile as he took the object.
Kuroko whistled and said, "Whoa, so you're finally bringing that out, Kuroko?"
"What is it?" Kiyoshi asked as he stared blankly at the wrapped object.
"Something my father left me," Kuroko said quietly. He untied the thick leather and proceeded to remove the cloth. A black sheath with a sky blue emblem etched into it emerged.
Kuroko took the sheath into one hand and with the other, grasped the handle and pulled. He held the sharp blade firmly and stared intently at his reflection in the metal.
You will be put to good use.
And that's it for chapter 1! Sorry if it's a bit confusing and OOC and fast-paced, I'm very rusty. Reviews and constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated! I am hoping not abandon this fic like I have all my past ones and reviews really help push me along! Thank you again for reading!