AN: Hello everyone! This is another new multi chapter! Hmm, that'll be fun to juggle... Anyways, while And Who Are You, Exactly? Is a once a week story, this one will be every two weeks to every three weeks, depending on the chapter. This is really strange, so please please please review! I really want to see what people think and how I do with writing longer chapters. This one is three times the length of what I usually right, and I'm not sure if that's good or bad...
Just to explain, I'm going to have a little contest with this story. It's called Untitled because I was having trouble coming up with a name. So, leave your suggestions in the reviews! The winner gets an 100 word sneak peak of the next chapter. That being said, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basuke.
The lights were down low in the room. After all, it was four in the morning. Lying in the bed was a man on the older side, probably around fifty or sixty. But to the man about to kill him, he was just a nameless and faceless target, someone towards the end of a long list of jobs he had been assigned that night. Of course, the man did have a name, Hayashi Fumio if you were wondering, and a small family. But to the man about to kill him, none of that mattered. To the man about to kill him, no one mattered except for one other man who was safely asleep in their apartment, his red and black hair sprawled across the pillow.
Hayashi Fumio didn't have time to scream. It was already over for him by the time a sounded attempted to reach his lips. His last sight wasn't pretty, but it wasn't terrible as last sights go. His last glimpse of the world was an emotionless face and a head of navy hair.
…...
"Good morning, Taiga!" Aomine exclaimed, kissing the sleeping Kagami on the cheek.
"Eh, Daiki, it's too early. We've still got time."
"Unfortunately, it's not the weekend. We'll be late for work." This, of course, was a lie. Aomine had been up all night working, and he'd be settling in for some sleep as soon as Kagami left the apartment.
"Work isn't important, you're important!" he groaned sleepily, trying but taking to pull Aomine back into the bed.
"You're much more important to me too, but work is how we pay for this beautiful apartment and all of our things." However, he was beginning to give in. After all, it wasn't like he had somewhere to be.
"I'd much rather be the poorest man on earth with you than the richest man on earth without you," Kagami explained without hesitation. "Although I guess we should get ready... I've grown rather fond of this apartment, it has a nice view."
"Nah, you're the only view I need," Aomine said matter of factly, giving Kagami one last sloppy kiss before pulling him out of the bed.
"What do you want for breakfast?" asked Taiga, by far the better cook of the two.
"Omelette sounds good," a voice replied from the other room, struggling to pull a dress shirt on.
"Look at this, Daiki!" Kagami blurted, pointing at an article on his phone.
The headline read: Man Found Dead in Apartment Near Shibuya, Akumu Assassin suspected. On the inside, Aomine scoffed. "Suspected" Of course it was him. Who else would it be? On the outside, though, he put on the most horrified face he could imagine.
"Someone should put a stop to this," he commented. Of course, he hated falsifying words or opinions to Taiga, but in that instance he really had no choice.
"I just don't understand. What kind of person would kill others for money?" He shook his head, his recently styled red hair falling out of place.
"Maybe he had a reason," Aomine rationalized. His heart pounded a bit. That last comment hasn't exactly made him feel good. Didn't he know he was doing it all for him? Mentally, he slapped himself. Of course he didn't know he was doing it for him. He didn't know who this "Akumu Assassin" was, and Aomine was working hard to keep it that way.
"Their reason is money, and that's no reason at all," Kagami affirmed.
"Anyways, is breakfast almost ready?" he replied cheerfully, skillfully changing the subject. He was quite the expert at masking emotions, but he wasn't really a fan of using that on Taiga. However, it was necessary in that instant.
"Oy, Daiki, you're so impatient," he said jokingly. "It'll be ready in a few minutes I think," he added.
"It's your fault, I'm impatient because you give me food that's so good! If you gave me crappy food I'd never be impatient!"
He walked back into their room, opening their closet. Immediately, he found the corner where he had placed his work cellphone. He checked it for texts every morning, even though it almost always only buzzed at night. This time, however, there was a message. It read: 34 Takashima Street, male with black hair and brown eyes, about 30 years of age. Someone sighed. Change of plans, it looked like he'd be going another 24 hours without sleep.
"It's ready!" called a voice from the kitchen.
"Sorry, I'll have to take it on the road! Apparently I have a meeting in fifteen minutes.
"Oh, okay," replied Kagami, slightly disappointed.
"I love you!" exclaimed Daiki, grabbing his omelette and running out of the door.
"Love you too!" replied Kagami, but the door was already shutting.
...…...
He slipped into the window of the house, munching on the last bits of omelette. In his left hand was a medium sized ceramic knife. After a few minutes of searching, he found the described man in the kitchen, his back to the door.
Aomine shuffled towards him, making so little noise that even he could only barely hear the movements. Finally, he was right behind the man, close enough to hear breaths and even see the slight rise and fall of his body.
He raised the knife, but the man turned around, probably looking for some type of ingredient. However, Daiki was faster. With one slash, a life was taken. Once again, his target's last sight was extremely dark blue hair and a face free of all emotions. After a pretty uneventful night, he could finally go home.
He got into his car, taking a quick look at his personal phone. He had one text from Kagami. 'Good luck with your meeting! I'll be home at around 7:30.' Smiling, he typed a reply. 'Thank you! I'll be home at around 7 tonight, so I guess it's my turn to make dinner. See you then!' Humming a bit, he commenced the short drive back to their apartment.
...…...…...
He flopped onto the pillow, hair splaying everywhere. He flicked an unfocused eye towards the clock. 10:13 am. Plenty of time until 7 when he would get up and prepare dinner. His eyes shut, presumably for the next few hours. There was no trouble falling asleep, but Taiga still pricked at the assassin's mind as he always did.
...…...
Aomine was awakened by nothing more than a sensation. He was awakened by nothing more than the feeling that something was simply not right. Maybe it was a creak, or the air simply shifting more briskly than it usually did, but something had changed. Something was different, and he was not a fan of that. The average person would probably just shudder and ignore it, but Daiki knew enough that was sometimes the line between life and death for his targets. If he wasn't wary, he could end up just like them. Kagami could end up just like them, and then was something even the dauntless Akumu Assassin hesitated to face.
He shoved himself out of the bed, noticing it was over an hour before he had planned to awake. Scanning the room, his observant eyes noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Quietly, he pushed his legs into the main area of their cozy living space, affirming his realization that everything was seemingly okay. Seemingly was the key word. He had always been cautious, but he forced himself to vow to pay more attention to everything. He had been gaining recognition in the media lately, which would be great for some power hungry idiot, but was not great for a person who would do anything to keep his job secret.
He sighed, stepping into the kitchen. Since he had so much time he decided he might as well try to prepare something a bit more elaborate for Taiga since he was always doing all of the cleaning. Thinking about the choices, he picked Omurice. It wasn't hard to make, but it was delicious when prepared right. Daiki would try his best. Taiga deserved something special. In Daiki's mind, everything about Taiga's life should have been special. While he couldn't quite provide that, the little things were the least he could do in exchange for his complete and utter happiness.
...…...
A clicking sound was heard, presumably Kagami's key in the doorway. The door opened, and there he was.
"Taiga!" exclaimed Aomine excitedly. "Come sit down! I prepa- er, I tried to prepare a special meal for you." Looking down at the dish, he realized it wasn't the greatest, but it would have to do.
"Ah, Daiki, you didn't have to do all of this for me! Something simple would have been perfectly fine."
"I wanted to surprise you," he admitted, blushing very slightly. "Well, let's eat!"
"Itadakimasu!" they shouted in synchrony.
"So, how was your day?" questioned Taiga, munching on a peace of egg.
"It was pretty calm," he explained, thinking of the many hours of sleep. "How about you?" he questioned.
From somewhere in the apartment, a phone began to buzz. Aomine sighed, not really wanting to be interrupted during something that was supposed to be a rather special night. Taiga reached into his eyes pocket, preparing to silence his phone, but it wasn't his. Daily got up, looking where he had placed his phone, but it was off. The buzzing didn't stop. There was no other phone in the apartment, except for his work phone. His stomach began to do flips worthy of an Olympic gymnast. It never rung. It never EVER rung. When he had received it from his boss the orders were that it would get texts that he was never to reply to. It would never ring, no matter what. It would never ever ring.
And yet, it was. The noises that he could now tell we're coming from the bedroom closet weren't being made by nothing. He had to answer it, he could risk missing precious information if he didn't, but then was the absolute worst time. Taiga would be curious. He'd follow Aomine into the bedroom. In that situation, the only way he could get away would be to go into the bedroom, immediately lock the door, and then climb out of the window. In his imagination, that scenario didn't play out very well. It ended in a splattered Aomine and a cracked relationship.
"What's that? Is your phone ringing, Daiki?"
"No, but please excuse me for a second. I have to go to the bathroom." He pushed himself up from the table before retreating into the bedroom. Thankfully, there was an ensure which meant that he could still use the bathroom as an excuse. Once out of range, he ran towards the closet. Still, the phone rang. Incessantly. He pawed it out of its hiding spot and looked at caller ID. There was none. In the space where it would display a name, number, or even just the word Unknown, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.
There was no choice but to answer it. He couldn't risk missing crucial information from his boss. He clicked the answer button, but it was no voice he recognized. There was a suspicion that the voice he gone through a machine to alter it.
"Hello, Aomine-san, or Akumu Assassin as the media asininely calls you. I'm guessing you don't remember, but you recently happened to murder my brother. It would only be fair if I killed someone you loved, wouldn't it? In related news, maybe you should return to your dining room. It's not good to leave your boyfriend all alone."
Everything inside of him was screaming to yell back, but when he heard a noise in the kitchen he abandoned the phone and sprinted back into the kitchen faster than he ever had.
What his eyes landed upon made him even angrier. Kagami was backed against a wall, his face confused and rather frightened. Pinning him back was a man Aomine didn't recognize. He was holding some type of small knife. Grabbing the nearest weapon like object, which happened to be a letter opener, he slipped behind the man. His instinct was to run up and push him out of the way, get the man away from Taiga as quickly as possible, but that wasn't an option. It would alert the man to his presence and would most likely end with blood spilled all over the rug. He slipped slowly behind the unfamiliar man as he had done countless times before.
Usually, the people he killed saw only an expressionless face and his memorable hair. This time. it wasn't the image that mattered, for the man was facing away. The man's last memory was a sound, a voice. It was a voice more vicious than he had ever heard before in his life.
"Never touch him again." The words were absolute, as if no argument could ever be made against them. However, it was a rather unneeded sentence. The man would never touch anyone again, let alone Daiki.
It was quick, faster than the last few jobs he had been on.
"D-D-D-Daiki?" a trembling voice asked. "Did you just murder that man?"
"Yes," he responded unflinchingly and with no remorse, this was no longer a new sensation to him.
"W-w-why?"
"He was going to kill you, so I killed him first," answered Aomine, trying but failing to make his voice more gentle.
"You s-sound like you've done it before," he whispered, desperately hoping to find some way to refute the proof that was right in front of him.
"Well, er, I have," he said. Taiga said nothing, but looked the most horrified and scares Daiki us ever seen. "I'm sorry, uh, I have absolutely no idea how to explain this. I'll do my best soon, but we have to clean up, and then we have to get out of here."
"Excuse me, what?" asked Kagami, the shock slipping up behind him and tearing at his skin.
"Put gloves on, and go to the bathroom. Take the letter opener with you. Clean off the blood and my fingerprints. I'll take care of the body."
Tears were welling up in Taiga's eyes. He was gazing at Aomine not with love as he usually did, but with a look that suggested they had never before met in their lives.
"Crap, Taiga. This isn't what I ever wanted to happen. This isn't what I wanted for you. This isn't what I wanted for us. You have to understand, I was doing what I had to in order to protect you. He threatened your life. It was a revenge job."
"Revenge for what?" questioned Taiga, but he sounded as if he was much happier not knowing the answer to the question.
"I, um, I, I apparently killed his brother recently," he admitted, not wanting to lie but not really wanting to say it out loud.
"H-how recently?"
"I think it was this morning..."
"This morning?!" Taiga screeched.
"Do what I said with the knife. We can talk on the road."
"The road?" he asked obliviously.
"Yeah... I'm thinking a more rural area. Kitanizawa?"
"Tokyo is home!"
"Really... I just told you that I'm an assassin for a living, and that's your response?"
At that, the tears welled up again. He'd meant it as a joke, but it had been the most idiotic thing he could be possible said. It seemed Kagami had given up holding them back, for they began to stream down his face steadily.
"Oy, Taiga, c'mere..." Aomine whispered, pulling Kagami into just about the biggest hug you can possibly imagine. It had been a terrible fifteen minutes for them, but that moment was everything. Still though, Daiki knew there were preparations to be made.
"I really do need you to go handle that letter opener. I'd do it, but then you'd have to do the body, and I don't think you're quite up to that..."
"You mean you want me to handle the murder weapon," Taiga whispered coldly, stalking to the bathroom and beginning to perform this task.
Turning back to the body, Daiki looked at it questioningly. Body cleanup had never been his job. His boss had another person to do that. In truth, they he never actually met. However, they'd given everyone some basic emergency training, so he knew vaguely what to do. Was it dispose of body then clean crime scene, or was it clean crime scene then dispose of body? He wasn't quite sure. Did the body go in or a river, or a landfill? He decided for lack of a better option to clean the crime scene but leave the body since they were going to be departing anyway. It was a rather sloppy job, but it was the best he could do.
Taiga came out of the bathroom, sparkling letter opener in gloved hand. Aomine marveled. He had done a very good job. In a sick way, he was proud of him.
"Wow, Taiga. Not bad for a first try!"
"Don't you dare praise me for something like this..." Kagami whispered, his voice heavy with the shock of the unknown.
And so they departed. Where, neither were sure yet. Taiga's brains told him to run away without Daiki and never come back, but the idiot in him said that he couldn't just cut ties with this man. For a few years, they had been each other's everything, and Taiga wasn't quite willing to give that up just yet. He had once promised Daiki he would follow him anywhere, and he now had to honor that promise. A normal person would've been gone already, but Taiga wanted to wait it out a little bit more. Maybe he would soon leave Aomine, and if not maybe they would never be the same again. They would most likely never be the same again. Just the same, Kagami drudged slowly out the door behind Aomine as they made their way to the car.