Title: Four Mistakes of Haizaki Shougo
Writer: Amariys
Words count: ~7000 words
Fandom/Characters: Kuroko no Basket/Generation of Miracles.
Pairings: KagaKuro, AoKise, slight AkaMido.
Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket is not mine. No trademark infringement or profit taken from the writing of this story.
Rating: M
Summary: In which Kuroko finally meets with Haizaki and everything comes to an end. Sequel for The Third Time is The Charm, the fourth and final part of my AU!Yakuza fic.
Warnings: AU!Fic, slight gore and cursing.
A/N: This is the fourth and final part of my AU!Yakuza fics. It starts with First Interrogation, followed by Second Lie and then The Third Time is The Charm. If you are interested, please do take a look at the other three parts of this universe as it may become a bit confusing to read this before you read the others. Thank you for the interest and support that had been showed for this little series of mine.
Special thanks for hitomi65 for her suggested idea and to Manzzeii for being my fabulous beta!
Kagami Taiga entered the Maji Burger brusquely. His long legs strode across the crowded restaurant straight to a table placed right on the back and near the window—a perfect place to chat without being the other customer's center of attention. It was the usual place Kagami met with his childhood friend, Kuroko Tetsuya, and so the red head was quite surprised when he found out the table was already taken by two men whom Kagami, unfortunately, knew very well.
"Aomine Daiki, Kise Ryouta," Kagami just couldn't help the low growl escaping from his throat as he greeted the two men sitting on his table.
"Kagami," Aomine was the one who returned Kagami's greeting, dark blue eyes narrowed suspiciously as his body tensed. "Why would a high-rank Seirin member intentionally greet us here?"
"Don't flatter yourself, Aomine," Kagami snarled, baring his teeth in obvious distaste. Out of the Teikou's generals, Aomine was the one he hated the most—ironically because he was the one closest to Kuroko even outside their work. "I have a meeting with Kuroko here."
"Kurokocchi knows you?" This time, it was Kise who had spoken. The blond man was looking a little subdued, his voice lacking the enthusiasm usually pouring out of him, unlike his usual cheery self and Kagami took note of that. A silent Kise Ryouta was a lot more dangerous than the happy-go-lucky one, after all.
"Yeah, he didn't tell you? We are childhood friends and I'm helping him searching for Haizaki. That's the sole reason I entered Seirin." The red head dropped his heavy body down onto a seat in front of Kise, already he could feel the beginning of massive headache. Damn Kuroko. If Kagami had known the teal haired man would bring Aomine and Kise along, he would have rejected the invitation at the first place.
"Haizaki again," Aomine furrowed his brows in distaste, crossing his arms on his chest. "I know that man is a trouble maker, even I don't like him, but why would Tetsu be looking for him this desperately? He even accepted Akashi's offer to join Teikou if he could bring him Haizaki."
Kagami's eyes widened. "Kuroko did what? He didn't tell me that! Bastard!"
"It's not that I'm not telling you, Kagami-kun. I'm just waiting for the right time to tell you that."
Kuroko's sudden voice from his back managed to make Kagami spluttered and jumped slightly, his heart racing like mad. Turning around, the red head gave Kuroko—who was calmly sipping at his newly acquired vanilla shake—a glare. "Kuroko! How many times should I tell you not to do that?!"
"I apologize," Kuroko said simply in the most insincere tone he could muster, even though his expression remained blank. "Seeing your reaction every time I do that is quite interesting, though, Kagami-kun."
Kagami's glare intensified as the smaller man calmly took the seat beside him. When he saw the tiniest bit of smile lifting the corner of Kuroko's lips though, the anger dissipated like always. In the end, he could only sigh. He would never really win from Kuroko. Unfortunately, the teal haired man also knew that fact really well.
"So? What did you want to tell me? Oh, and you'd better have a good explanation for this!" Kagami rudely gestured to Aomine and Kise who were sitting in front of them, looking quite content to join in their conversation.
"Aomine-kun and Kise-kun are here because I need to explain about Haizaki to them too." Kuroko's light blue eyes shifted to the two Teikou members. "They insisted to know, actually."
"Hell yeah I insist! You had a murderer's eyes back when Akashi said his name, Tetsu! That was the first time I saw you like that and, frankly, it worried me. Of course I want to know what the bastard had done to make you wanted to see him dead that much!"
"Aominecchi is right, Kurokocchi. Besides, if I really should kill someone, I'd like to know the reason to do so." Kise added calmly, even though his eyes had a sharp glint in them, as if he was already planning the best way to get Haizaki and to kill him slowly.
Kagami lifted a skeptical brow. "Are you sure you want to kill Haizaki only because of Kuroko? Somehow, I sense a personal grudge here, from the both of you."
Kise's smile was slow and lazy, but it made him looked even more dangerous as he leaned forward and rested his chin on his palm. The answer came in a light drawl; intentionally uncaring that it could be anything but. "I do think I have a grudge on him. After all, Shougo-kun shot me few years ago. Every time I see the scar, I do feel my fingers itch to do … something. This is a perfect opportunity to take my revenge too."
"He shot you?" Kagami looked appropriately surprised. "Why would he do that?"
"Haizaki was one of the Teikou generals before Kise came. I believe he felt quite threatened by Kise, since this man here," Aomine explained as he pointed at the blond. "is a freak when it comes to blood and he's far more meticulous than Haizaki. Kise, most likely, would be accepted as the generals soon, taking the bastard's place. Akashi had been waiting for the opportunity to kick Haizaki out since he was too bothersome, so in his bouts of insecurity, that bastard thought killing Kise first would be his way out. It was too bad he couldn't even aim correctly. The shot missed vital parts. Kise survived while Haizaki … well, it put him in bad spot for everyone in Teikou. We may be murderers, but even we have our honor. Attacking your own friend is a big taboo."
"Akashicchi told Shougo-kun to leave Teikou. Because of that, we couldn't do anything to him—we are forbidden to kill outside of our territories. So, yeah, this is my chance to take revenge too. However," Kise's face turned bright again, dispelling the murderous aura around him instantly. "That's enough about me! We're here to find out about you, Kurokocchi."
Kuroko nodded, his expression not changing at all even after he had heard what Haizaki had done to Kise. The teal haired man calmly pushed away his milkshake, lifting his head to gaze at both Kise and Aomine and said, "Haizaki Shougo killed my parents."
xXXx
"You intentionally wait for this long to settle things with Haizaki don't you, Akashi?" Midorima didn't lift his head from the shogi board as he asked. Akashi was having the upper hand in the game. Midorima didn't want to miss the chance to calculate at least three moves ahead from the red haired man. Fortunately, he could do talking and thinking at the same time.
"What makes you think that, Shintarou?"
Not a denial, neither it was a confirmation. Typical Akashi. Sometimes Midorima thought giving a straight answer was the only thing Akashi wasn't capable of doing. Sadly, he also knew Akashi would be content with his answer and didn't say anything further until Midorima responded to that rhetorical answer. The green haired man heaved a long suffering sigh, all too familiar with his leader's habit by now. As he expected, when he lifted his head, Midorima's dark green orbs were met with Akashi's heterochromatic irises immediately. The red head even had a smirk gracing his face. Bastard.
"I guess Haizaki should be grateful for the extra years he had gained. I almost thought you actually going to let him walk away alive after what he did."
Akashi's lips lifted further until he chuckled softly. It was a sound that could bring shivers down to even the strongest man's spine. Akashi only found great amusement when he was thinking about gory, terrible things. Midorima didn't mind, though, because this time that thought was directed at Haizaki.
"You really thought so? Very amusing, Shintarou," Akashi moved his piece, directing Midorima's attention back to their game for a moment before continuing, "I will not let anyone who hurt my generals be unpunished, although perhaps I did have a soft spot for Shougo. He was, after all, a part of my elite team. That's why I simply watched him all these years. Now, though, I think it's about time I let you all get your revenge. Hurting Ryouta is one thing, because despite his appearance, Ryouta is strong, but Shougo had sealed his fate when he touched Tetsuya. I can no longer let a man like him walking free and dirtying Teikou's name further."
Midorima allowed his lips to form a faint smile as he heard the promise of pain in Akashi's voice. Good. He had wanted to be the one who would take Haizaki's life for so long. He might think Kise Ryouta was an annoyance most of the time, but the blond was still his friend—sometimes a little bit more than that—and he had dreamt of giving Haizaki a hole right where he had shot Kise. Only of course he wouldn't make such a ridiculous mistake like missing the vital organs.
None of them had taken lightly to the sight of the blond man lying on his own blood with Haizaki standing proud beside the fallen, an arrogant smirk lifting his lips as he thought he had retrieved his rightful place back. Truly, if Akashi hadn't been there, Midorima and Aomine would have beaten Haizaki into unrecognizable pulp right there and then.
Akashi's eyes glinted knowingly, almost as if he was reading Midorima's thought. "I take it you'll take an exception to your rules of not dirtying your hands with blood directly, this time?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Akashi," Midorima shrugged lightly before moving his piece. "After all, I'm sure his blood won't even get onto my hands."
"Ah, that's true," Akashi responded in a soft hum, as if the thought had just occurred to him. As if. There was almost nothing in this world that Akashi didn't know already. It was the reason why people are so afraid of him. The Teikou leader then moved another piece before giving an arrogant smirk to Midorima. "You'll enjoy the show I'm planning, then, Shintarou. As for now, it's a win for me. Check mate, my dear general."
Midorima's eyes widened. No way! He had at least three more moves before Akashi could claim check! Lowering his gaze to the shogi board, Midorima found that Akashi was right. He was already on checkmate. Cursing lowly, the green haired man could only glare at the dual-colored eyes that stared up smugly at him.
"I swear I will defeat you next time, Akashi."
Akashi chuckled in amusement. "I'll look forward to that time, Shintarou. I find it entertaining how you are so stubborn about that even when you know I always win. Now, I trust you have something to do after losing the game."
A faint red hue crept up Midorima's cheeks as he heard Akashi's last statement. He pushed his glasses up with his fingers while standing up. "Don't get used to this," he murmured before easily closing the small gap between their bodies. Midorima leaned down, placing a kiss on top of Akashi's lips. He had meant it to be a chaste kiss, but Akashi's hands around his neck prevented him from pulling away and soon, their tongues met as the kiss became more passionate.
When the smaller man finally let Midorima broke the kiss, both of them were panting, although the red hue dirtying Midorima's cheeks was considerably few shades darker than the faint flush on Akashi's face. A thin string of saliva still connected them together; making Akashi's lips curved in a rare soft smile as he wiped the saliva away from Midorima's chin.
"I'm looking forward to our next game, Shintarou." The emperor whispered before letting his general go.
xXXx
Kagami Taiga stole a glance at his silent companion. Kuroko hadn't said a word after he finished recounting the tragedy they both experienced seven years ago, not even when Kise Ryouta and Aomine Daiki finally excused themselves. It was to be expected though, because Kagami knew remembering that day always opened a never-fully healed scar in the smaller man's heart.
Sighing softly, the red head reached out his hand to gently pat Kuroko's soft blue hair. He had always loved the feeling of those silky strands slipping between his fingers. Kagami felt rather than seeing Kuroko leaning slightly towards his caress and, judging from the soft sigh escaping from Kuroko's lips, Kagami could imagine the other male had his eyes closed. Unbidden, Kagami's lips pulled upwards into a smile.
He loved it when there was only the two of them, because then neither he nor Kuroko would have to put up their defense. They had always thought other people were their enemies since that day and that they only had each other in this world. It was tiring, to be in constant alert, and thus they cherished every moment spent between only the two of them.
"You are okay." It was not a question. Kagami knew Kuroko was strong. Just bad memories wouldn't be enough to destroy his partner.
"Yes," Kuroko nodded, confirming Kagami's thought. "I just need some time to control my rage. I apologize, Kagami-kun."
Kagami snorted. Kuroko would always be too polite for him. "You don't have to apologize, Kuroko. It's perfectly normal for you to be furious. If it was me, I'd probably already destroy half of this restaurant out of blind anger."
"You're exaggerating. Even if it's Kagami-kun, who is known for his short temper and stupid head, I'm sure you're not that stupid as to destroy a public place,"
"Oy! Is that supposed to be a compliment or what?!" Kagami protested, hitting Kuroko lightly on the head. He tried to stay angry, but the small smile curving Kuroko's lips made it hard to do so. He was only glad Kuroko was back to his usual stoic, albeit annoying, self.
"But still, are you sure you can trust Aomine and Kise? Both of them are Teikou's generals, you know?" Kagami's brows furrowed as he remembered their previous guests. "Don't think I've forgotten about your ridiculous agreement with Akashi either! What the Hell were you thinking, agreeing to be part of Teikou only to get Haizaki? We'd be able to find him, even without Akashi's help."
Kuroko didn't respond to the questions, opting instead to reach for his almost forgotten vanilla shake to sip at the no longer cold liquid. Kagami waited impatiently. He knew Kuroko was purposely ignoring him. Sometimes Kagami wondered if he was the only unlucky person being privileged to see this devilish side of Kuroko. The smaller man, apparently, loved to tease him far too much.
Silence surrounded them until Kagami couldn't help growling. Kuroko's eyes twinkled in amusement before he finally gave the red head his answer.
"I do trust Aomine-kun and Kise-kun. From what I've seen, there was no love left between them and Haizaki, despite being acquaintance for years. Besides, I've a feeling Aomine-kun isn't really happy being Akashi-kun's subordinate, so he would probably side with us if the worst happens. I'm quite sure Kise-kun would follow where Aomine-kun went, too. More importantly, they are professional assassins, Kagami-kun. Having people like them helping us wouldn't be so bad," Kuroko paused. "Besides I don't believe the system enough to let them handle Haizaki."
Kagami scoffed, but didn't say anything. Kuroko was right. It was better having professional assassins as your allies rather than enemies and justice could always be bought. "Alright, I'll give you that. What about the agreement with Akashi, though?"
"Nothing, I just think it'd be interesting. After all, Kagami-kun also entered Seirin. I want to know how it is to be a part of yakuza." The answer came in Kuroko's usual calm, innocent tone. The tone that, strangely, made Kagami's blood boiled faster than anything else.
"Kuroko …," Kagami was too furious for words. He could only gape at his old friend for a minute or so, before finally he exploded. "What are you, an idiot?! What if Akashi told you to kill people, huh?! Besides, you're supposed to be a police, you bastard, not a yakuza!" The red head grabbed Kuroko's shoulder and shook the smaller male's body harshly; thinking it would return some sense of sanity back to Kuroko's twisted mind.
"I'll just have to decline that order, then. I've agreed, after all, and it's not nice to break an agreement like that," the blue haired male frowned lightly. "Please stop shaking me. It hurts, Kagami-kun."
Sometimes, Kagami thought it was a miracle he could still have his sanity intact whenever he was around Kuroko, considering how he could never follow the other man's logic. Relenting to Kuroko's request, he heaved a loud sigh as he let the teal haired man go. Kagami then stood up briskly.
Kuroko tilted his head, watching as Kagami walked away from their table with curious eyes. "Kagami-kun?"
"I'm going to buy some burgers. Talking with you always makes me hungry," Kagami grumbled in answer.
xXXx
Kise heavily dropped his body face down onto the bed, uncaring that he was still fully clothed, and closed his eyes. Faintly, he could hear Aomine walking towards the kitchen, probably to make coffee or something. A faint smile curving his lips, but Kise didn't move from his position. He felt tired already, even though practically all he had done was listening to Kuroko's story. The scar on his stomach tingled, as if simply remembering Haizaki had reopened it again.
Rolling onto his back, Kise's eyelids fluttered open. He gazed at the ceilings, watching the refraction of light playing there. He almost didn't want to believe the story stumbling out of Kuroko's lips—how the teal haired man could recount the event where his parents were killed calmly like that, Kise would never know—but it wasn't really surprising.
Haizaki Shougo was bad news.
He wasn't particularly cruel or anything—Hell, compared to him, Kise perhaps was even more of a sadist, what with his love to blood and all, but Haizaki did love to take people's precious things away far too much. It didn't matter whether it was something simple—like candies or snacks—or something truly important, Haizaki only wanted to see people's anguished faces once he took that thing away.
Apparently, Haizaki had seen how important Kuroko's parents were for the teal haired man and that made him wanted to take them away. It was as simple as that actually, but still Kise couldn't forgive his ex-acquaintance for that. It somehow made Kise wondered why Haizaki had shot him. If Haizaki's sole purpose of killing someone was to take them away from the people who loved them, then what about Kise? He surely didn't think someone would think of him as their most precious person.
"Thinking about Haizaki again?"
Aomine's voice from the door way made Kise lifted his head. He hadn't even heard the creaking of the door, too absorbed in his own reminiscence, thus the blond was fairly surprised to see Aomine leaning on the door frame, a cup of steaming beverage—coffee, judging from the rich scent Kise could smell faintly—in hand. From the way Aomine's brows were furrowed deeply, Kise could tell he was not happy.
"Not really," Kise answered with an easy smile. "Why would you say that?"
"You're touching your scar again, idiot."
Kise's eyes widened as if surprised to hear Aomine's statement, but then he found the other man was right. Even without his conscience, his own hand had slipped under his shirt and was rubbing the slightly smoother abdominal skin where Haizaki had shot him before. It was a habit Kise had never really managed to break.
Caught red-handed, Kise could only smile sheepishly while retracting his hand away. "Um, sorry?" he offered hopefully. Aomine never liked it when Kise became gloomy while remembering Haizaki.
Aomine rolled his eyes expressively but didn't say anything. He simply strode towards the bed, footsteps silent on the thick carpet covering the room's floor. The tanned man sat on the edge of the bed, making the mattress sunk down under his weight. He didn't say anything, simply watching Kise who was still lying on his back, with searching eyes.
After a moment of silence between them, Aomine finally scoffed. He then reached out a hand to smack Kise's head none too gently. Aomine's lips curled into a smirk when he heard Kise yelped at the sudden pain.
"Stop overthinking, stupid. Your pretty head is not made to think hard."
"Aominecchi, that's so mean," Kise pouted, rubbing at his abused head. "If you're worried about me, you really should have said so. I promise I won't tease you about it."
Aomine almost choked on his coffee. "Idiot! Why would I ever worry about you?! You're delusional, Kise."
Kise laughed at the reaction, but he gave a cheeky grin at Aomine nevertheless. After all, despite the denial, both Kise and Aomine knew the tanned man actually did care about the blond. Sometimes, Kise couldn't help thinking Aomine cared too much. Not that he would complain, since Kise loved being spoilt by Aomine.
A comfortable silence fell between them. Aomine calmly finishing his drink while Kise happily watching Aomine. That silence stretched a while longer before finally Kise opened his mouth to ask, "How long do you think it will be until we see Shougo-kun again?"
"This is Akashi we're talking about. I won't be surprised if tomorrow we get a call from him telling us to gather." Aomine hold his cup with both hands on his lap. "Personally, I prefer to settle things sooner than later."
"Hmm. I agree with you," Kise then rolled to his side, looking up at Aomine from under his lowered eyelashes and asked in a low voice, "Ne, Aominecchi, will you help me forget about him tonight?"
Aomine's eyes darkened in response. "I'll make you forget about him forever, Kise," he growled before leaning down to capture Kise's lips with his own. The cup he once held dropped, spilling brown coffee on the expensive, ivory Persian carpet, but they both were too busy to even care.
xXXx
Haizaki Shougo never regretted a thing in his life. He knew he was not a good person. He had done many horrible things, starting from stealing, robbing, raping and even murdering, but he didn't regret any of his actions. After all, Haizaki knew he was basically immune from the law because of his past connection with the Teikou Group.
Teikou. Ah, that one word always brought forward some memories Haizaki would rather forget. They were not exactly bad memories, since he had had some fun while working under Akashi's orders. At least until the bitch Kise had arrived. Since the very beginning, Haizaki had known he and Kise wouldn't get along. The blond was, ironically enough, too similar with him. People usually didn't see it, but Haizaki knew. The blond was just as unstable as he was. Kise only hid it far better than him.
His prediction, naturally, was true. Up until now, Haizaki could still remember the hatred he felt towards the blond when Akashi called him into his office and told him he no longer had a place in the elite team. Haizaki had known anger and even fury, but the feeling he had when he heard that news was even beyond that. It made his blood boiled; it fogged his mind with a primal urge to maim a certain blond head.
So, of course Haizaki had gone in search for Kise Ryouta. The blond was alone, probably just coming back from a mission, judging by the blood splattered on his shirt. The stupid man had even smiled at Haizaki when he approached, only to frown minutes later when Haizaki took out his gun and shot him without prior words.
The expression Kise showed when the hot metal pierced through his abdominal flesh would always be burned into Haizaki's memory like a cherished treasure. He had laughed after that, seeing Kise curling into himself on the pool of his own blood. Of course, the others had ran towards them soon after—Haizaki hadn't even bothered to use a muffle for his gun—and most of them were furious once they saw Kise. It was all worth it, though.
Haizaki had actually thought he would be killed right there and then, but Akashi, surprisingly enough, had just told him to leave Teikou's territories and to never show his face ever again. He had lifted a skeptical brow at the command, but Haizaki was not foolish enough to miss a chance. Ever since then, he had been moving around the country, wreaking havoc wherever he went and being perfectly content with his life.
He had thought his past with Teikou would no longer haunt him. Although Haizaki never stopped being wary since it was almost impossible for Akashi to leave anyone who had hurt his precious generals unscathed—that possessive bastard—but he really thought he had broken all chains that once tied him to Teikou. That thought was proven wrong when he saw Akashi and Murasakibara actually waiting for him in front of his current apartment.
"Long time no see, Shougo," Akashi had greeted very calmly, as if they were old friends who had just met again. "I see you're well."
Haizaki knew he should run or even take out the gun he always brought with him, but Akashi's heterochromatic eyes made him freeze in place. He hated how Akashi could control people with fear so easily. He forced a smirk to appear on his face as he ground out, "What are you doing here?"
Akashi shrugged lightly. He didn't even bother to move from his leaning place against the apartment's door. "We're here to pick you up, Shougo. You have made four big mistakes. First is for displeasing me with your behaviour, second for shooting Ryouta. The third mistake is when you went back to Teikou's territory after I've banned you—don't think I didn't know about that. However, your fourth and biggest mistake is killing Tetsuya's parents. It's about time you pay for your sins."
Haizaki couldn't stop the loud laughter stumbling out from his lips as he heard Akashi's words. "Pay for my sins? That's rich hearing that from you," he sneered hatefully towards the red head.
Akashi's smile was full of ironic amusement. "True, but you should have known I won't let someone who had hurt my generals walk away freely, Shougo." Heterochromatic eyes closed as if Akashi was tired with their conversation already.
Murasakibara took a look at Akashi's expression and he immediately walked towards Haizaki. The giant cracked his knuckles in a threatening manner. Akashi had decided the conversation was over. "I want to hurry up and eat the cake Aka-chin had promised," he mumbled lazily even as he loomed in front of Haizaki.
To Haizaki's credit, he didn't let a sound left his lips even as Murasakibara lifted his hand high and punched him hard on the head, knocking him unconscious immediately.
xXXx
Three days after Kuroko told Kise and Aomine of his past, Kagami's cell phone rang even before he had woken up. The red head groggily answered the call, grumbling at Kuroko for the time. Kuroko had apologized in monotone, Kagami found it hard to believe he meant it at all, and said that Akashi had contacted him. It was enough to chase the sleep away from Kagami's brain. He immediately jumped out of the bed and walked towards the shower, assuring Kuroko he would meet him in just few moments.
True to his words, Kagami took only ten minutes to rush towards their agreed meeting place. Kuroko greeted him with a small nod, seemingly deep in thought. Kagami could only sigh softly. He knew the day they would meet with Haizaki again wouldn't be easy for Kuroko.
"Don't worry. Everything will be alright, Kuroko. You'll see." He murmured, ruffling Kuroko's soft locks in order to cheer him up.
"Kagami-kun, it hurts. Please let go of me." Kuroko replied as per usual, but when Kagami grumpily obeyed, he could see faint smile curling the smaller man's lips and it was enough.
The trip towards Teikou's base was shorter than Kagami had initially thought. Their destination was a huge traditional house. Even just looking at the gate was enough to make Kagami gape. Teikou, apparently, was frigging rich. Then again, it was to be expected from the organization that had the whole drug markets under their control.
"Tetsu-kun! I'm glad you are not lost!" Momoi Satsuki greeted cheerfully, immediately hugging Kuroko before the teal haired man could say anything.
Kagami's eyes widened in shock. Who the Hell was this woman? Without thinking, he had stepped towards the couple and pushed the pink haired girl away from Kuroko. Gently, of course, because Kagami wouldn't hurt a woman. "O-oy! Let go of him! Don't you see he can't breathe?!"
Momoi blinked when Kuroko was suddenly gone from her arms. She pouted, turning her attention at the red head who had pushed her away. She tilted her head aside a bit, as if assessing Kagami, ignoring the way he fidgeted under her sharp eyes. After a moment, she grinned widely.
"You must be Kagami Taiga! Welcome! Dai-chan has been telling me a lot about you! I don't expect you to come along with Tetsu-kun, but I'm quite sure Akashi wouldn't mind! Oh, that's right, everyone has been waiting inside! Come on, let's go!"
Momoi was a bundle of energy, Kagami realized from only the first five minutes he spent with her. After welcoming them, she had already dragged both Kagami and Kuroko into the huge house. For someone who looked small and frail, Momoi surely was quite powerful. Their walk was filled with Momoi's voice telling them about the various flowers they saw as they passed the garden. Kagami listened avidly, amazed by the sheer amount of flowers there were. Kuroko was still silent, but neither Momoi nor Kagami forced him to talk. After about ten minutes of a walk, they both arrived at what looked like a storage room separated from the main house.
"Here we are! Everybody is already inside!" Momoi pushed Kagami and Kuroko towards the door before stepping back.
"You are not coming inside?"
"Nope. I don't like to see blood. I will leave it to you guys, okay? Tetsu-kun, I will see you later!"
"… Yes, I will see you later, Momoi-san." Kuroko replied politely before pushing the door open. He didn't hesitate at all as he entered the dark room, leaving Kagami behind.
"Oy, Kuroko, wait for me, bastard!" Kagami immediately ran after his childhood friend, grumbling all the while.
xXXx
"Ah, Tetsuya, welcome." Akashi's soft voice greeted them first and foremost. The red head was standing in the center of the room, a calm smile on his face. He moved closer to Kuroko once he saw him. Heterochromatic eyes shifted to Kagami for a moment before, almost dismissing, returning their attention to Kuroko again. "You are quite late. All the others have been having fun for a while, now."
"Akashi-kun, what are you—" Kuroko's words died when Akashi stepped aside and both he and Kagami could finally see what was in front of them. Amber and teal eyes widened in surprise. They hadn't expected the sight at all.
Haizaki Shougo was there, just few steps away from them. He was suspended from the floor with a chain hanging from the ceiling that was binding his wrists. His upper body was naked and decorated with bruises and cuts. Some cut wounds were so fresh, blood still flowing from the open wounds. Behind him, Kise Ryouta hummed softly as he moved a knife in caressing movement on Haizaki's chest, leaving more of blood trails on the pale canvas. Two knives were stabbed into Haizaki's legs, just above his knees, and left just like that.
On the corner of the room stood MIdorima, his face expressionless as he kept his eyes watching both Haizaki and Kise. He seemed calm, if not for the handgun he held loosely. Everyone in the room knew Midorima wouldn't hesitate to shoot Haizaki at any moment. Beside him, Aomine stood while leaning on the wall. His eyes dark as they watched Haizaki, but he looked composed. Both of his hands were crossed on his chest, dry bloods staining them even though he didn't seem hurt at all. Murasakibara was nowhere to be seen, but Kuroko didn't take much notice about that.
"Haizaki … Shougo." Kuroko finally found his voice again. He hadn't even realized he was trembling until Kagami put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Akashi watched all of this with an amused smile. "Yes. I have told you I will give him to you, Tetsuya, and I always keep my promise. Of course, Shougo is not on his knees, but I hope you will overlook that small detail."
"Of course," Kuroko took in a shuddering breath. "Can I speak to him, Akashi-kun?"
"Do as you wish."
After he received Akashi's permission, Kuroko gently shrugged Kagami's hand off of his shoulder and stepped forward. Kise noticed him first, turning his face towards Kuroko and beamed brightly. There was blood on the blond's cheek and his hand was covered in it, but he didn't seem to care at all.
"Kurokocchi! Do you want to join me here? I'm working hard to make Shougo-kun pretty, you see?" Kise skipped towards Kuroko, blood, knives and all. His topaz orbs shone brightly. In Kuroko's eyes, he almost looked like a happy little kid who had just finished drawing. Too bad Kise's canvas was human's body and his paint was blood.
Kuroko shook his head with a faint smile. "No, Kise-kun. I don't think I will be able to do that."
"Eh, that's too bad!" Kise pouted. "What do you want to do, then, Kurokocchi?"
"I just want to talk with Haizaki-san. Akashi-kun said that's fine."
A crease formed between Kise's brows. He appeared annoyed by something, but before he could open his mouth once again, Aomine's voice cut him,
"Just shut up and let Tetsu does what he wants, Kise. Step aside for a bit, you've had your fun."
Kise's pout became even more pronounced, but then he sighed and shrugged lightly. "Oh, well, if Aominecchi said so."
Kuroko murmured a soft thank you when Kise finally stepped aside. He continued to move forwards until he stopped just few feet away from Haizaki. Being this close, Kuroko could see clearly the injuries that had been inflicted on Haizaki and they looked bad. Kuroko was quite sure some of the stab wounds managed to nick the internal organ. It was a wonder Haizaki hadn't lost his consciousness yet. Haizaki's dazed grey eyes cracked open after a moment, staring a little bit unfocused at Kuroko's face. He frowned. Who was this kid? Haizaki didn't remember ever seeing him while he was in Teikou.
"What d'you want?" Haizaki slurred in pain. Damn, but Ryouta and Daiki surely didn't hold back.
Kuroko was amazed Haizaki could still talk. "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. I doubt you still remember me, Haizaki-san, but we have met few years ago. You killed my parents and when I found you standing beside their bodies, you just looked at me and laughed. Ever since then, I couldn't forget about you."
"What is this, a confession?" Haizaki smirked faintly. "Sorry, kid, but I can't exactly remember the family of my victims. Hell, I can't even remember all of my victims. So you're angry I killed your parents? I won't apologize. I think I remembered you now. You were crying back then, weren't you? Your face was so precious back then, it thrilled me so—GAH!"
Haizaki shouted resounded in the room just a second after loud gunshot was heard. Kuroko jumped in surprise, as was Kagami, but neither of the Teikou members as much as batting an eye. Haizaki groaned, the pain from where the bullets had pierced through his shoulder hurt like bitch.
"Midorima, you bastard!"
"You are talking too much, Haizaki. I got sick of hearing your words." Midorima hissed, smoke could still be seen faintly from the gun in his hand. The green haired man hadn't moved even an inch from his place.
Kuroko breathed deeply, trying to calm his racing heart down, before speaking once again, "I have always wanted to ask you … why? Why did you kill my parents?"
Gritting his teeth in pain, Haizaki glared at Kuroko. What the heck was this boy talking about? It was such a stupid question. It was obvious now that this Tetsuya Kuroko was the reason Akashi came at him. Haizaki couldn't understand what was special about him, but if he wanted answer, Haizaki would surely give one.
"There is no reason, you stupid boy. I just saw you the three of you one day, laughing like the perfect fucking family and I imagined how your expression would look like if I took the parents you obviously loved so much away from you. I was sure you would look so pretty and I was not mistaken. You wanted to know why I killed your parents? The answer is this: it was because you loved them so much! You thought of them as the most precious things in the world and I wanted to take them away! So, basically, if you wanted to blame someone, you should have blamed yourself!"
"Why, you—!" Kagami snarled, lunging forward to punch Haizaki. How dared this filth talked like that about Kuroko! Kagami wouldn't forgive him. He would never forgive the man who had ever made Kuroko cried. He would never let Kuroko feel sad anymore. Not again!
"Kagami-kun, stop it! STOP IT!" Kuroko shouted in panic as he tried to hold Kagami back from punching Haizaki to death, but he was too weak against Kagami's larger form.
"Tetsu, let go." Aomine had stepped towards them, gently pulling Kuroko away from Kagami before wrenching the red head from Haizaki. Kagami struggled against Aomine's holds, but the officer didn't budge a bit. With relative ease, Aomine had pinned Kagami on the ground, hissing against his ear, "Control yourself, you damn idiot! Tetsu wouldn't want you to dirty your hand with the bastard's life!"
Kagami glared mightily, but then he caught a glimpse of Kuroko's pale face as he was being reassured by Kise and it made all the fights leave him. He fell limp under Aomine, turning his head away in shame. Fuck it all, but Aomine was right.
Aomine grunted something about stupid red head before releasing Kagami. He then turned around towards the only green head in the room. "Midorima, how is Haizaki?"
"He's still alive, but only barely." Midorima answered after he found the weak pulse on Haizaki's neck. Kagami really punched Haizaki without restriction; the face was almost unnoticeable now. "I think it's about time we end this, Akashi."
Akashi's heterochromatic eyes returned Midorima's stare calmly before shifting towards Kuroko. "Do you want to kill him with your own hands, Tetsuya?"
The question was fair. This was all about Kuroko's revenge against Haizaki and the greatest punishment that could be given to the livings was death.
Kuroko could only shake his head slowly. He didn't even know what he currently felt. His emotions were the mix of shock, anger, sadness and disappointment. He didn't know what he expected from this meeting, but he certainly hadn't expected to feel numb like this.
"… I understand. Shintarou," Akashi nodded towards Midorima who then placed a clean shoot on Haizaki's head. Just like that, Haizaki was dead.
Silence filled the room. All of the occupants turned their attention at Kuroko, worried of the teal haired man's condition. Kagami stood up, slowly coming towards Kuroko. He stopped in front of him and then ruffled Kuroko's hair before pulling him into a tight hug.
"It's over, Kuroko. Your search is over."
Kuroko closed his eyes, grateful for Kagami's warmth that surrounded him and of the soft words whispered against his ear. After years, their search was finally over. It was both relieving and strange at the same time. Slowly, Kuroko lifted his arms to return the hug, gripping tightly on Kagami's back just like what he had done after he found his parents' bodies. It was over. Everything was over. Kuroko sure he would feel satisfied about this later on. For now, though, he just wanted to bask in Kagami's warmth a little bit longer.
xXXx
"Oy, Kuroko, will you seriously join Teikou after this?"
"Of course, Kagami-kun. I've promised Akashi-kun and it will be very impolite for me to break my own promise when Akashi-kun had fulfilled his."
"But … are you sure you will be able to kill people?"
"Whoever said about killing, Taiga? I have lots of assassins already. I don't need Tetsuya's skill for such simple tasks like that."
"There you have it, Kagami-kun."
"Wait a second, since when killing people is a simple task?! You surely have lost your mind, Akashi!"
"Whoaaa, Kagamicchi, it's not a good idea to talk to Akashicchi like that!"
"For once, Kise is right, Bakagami. You better shut your mouth before he gets angry!"
"Who cares if he gets mad—hey! Let go of me, you two! Where are you dragging me to?! Kuroko, help me!"
"Be careful on your way back, Kagami-kun."
"Wha—?! Oy, Kuroko!"
"He is quite interesting, isn't he? I can see why you take a liking to him, Tetsuya."
"… Yes. Kagami-kun really is interesting."
"Lucky, too, for having you by his side." Akashi finally offered a small smile. "Well then, welcome to Teikou, Kuroko Tetsuya."
Kuroko returned the smile. "Please take care of me, Akashi-kun."
—End.