Sitting in the corner of his cell, Kuroko absentmindedly threw small pebbles against the door. It had been a while since the last time a guard came by his cell, whether it was to give him food or to mock him. He couldn't be exactly sure as to how much time had passed since he didn't exactly have a clock or anything, but the bluenette was certain it had been a few days.
Kuroko guessed that they were punishing him. It wasn't unusual to go without food or water for a couple of days after acting up, so his body had grown somewhat used to it. It's not like he had a big appetite to begin with anyway. The point was, no food and water for a while wasn't that big of a problem for the bluenette. What was a problem, though, was that he had absolutely nothing to do. He could only sit in the darkness of his cage.
The one thing Kuroko had discovered in all his years of captivity, was that he hated being in the silence of his cell. Not being able to see or hear anything for extended periods of time was unnerving. The reason he hated it was simple. He couldn't tell if he was still alive or had died because of his last beating. Every time he was alone with his own thoughts, the bluenette wondered if he had finally gone to hell, and he was forever condemned to the silence.
But every time ⸺ every time ⸺ he was about to accept his fate, he hears chains rustling and the bolts on the door unlocking. Kuroko is always yanked out of his cell by his hair, and thrown back into the mud of the Earth once again. It's an endless cycle, one he can't escape. No matter how much he wants to give up, for some reason there's this little voice in his head telling him 'A little more…Just a little more', and he must pick himself up once again.
Resting his head against the stony wall, Kuroko stared off into space. Being left to his thoughts like this got him thinking about a lot of things, mainly about his situation.
He was sold off at the age of five, but never once did he blame his parents. He respected that his father had ambition, and that his mother stood by his father no matter what. The bluenette also found that he never thought of himself as unfortunate. Kuroko was sure that there were probably a lot more people going through worse situations than himself. He had been imprisoned for nearly twenty years, but at least for most of it only his body was ever injured. He knew that there were things worse than pain, or even death.
…..
Walking up the stairs towards the roof, Akashi could hear voices filtering in from the crack of the door. Reaching the top, the red-head leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. It wasn't right to eavesdrop, but sometimes it was good to know what your subordinates thought.
"Man, what's Akashi's deal? I don't know why he's so damn hung up on this case! I mean, it's a human trafficking ring, and yeah that's bad and all, but don't you think it would be more beneficial to be stopping murderers?"
Flopping down in frustration, Aomine directed his question to Midorima. Pushing up his glasses with his middle finger, the green-head responded in exasperation.
"Fool. Stopping this trafficking ring is just as important, but I do ⸺ reluctantly ⸺ agree that Akashi is indeed too involved with this case."
"Aww c'mon guys! I'm sure Akashicchi has his own reasons for wanting to solve this case! Like maybe it's personal? I mean, maybe he knew somebody who was kidnapped or something?"
Flippantly dismissing Aomine's complaints, Kise sat next to Murasakibara who seemed to have absolutely no interest in the conversation. He was too busy eating his snacks anyway.
"But he's driving me nuts! Just yesterday I asked him about it, and I swear he was stabbing me in his mind! He's freaking insane, I don't see us solving the case anytime soon…He must have hit his head or something cuz I think he's got a few screws loose."
"Mine-chin…Another word on Aka-chin and I'll have to crush you." Putting down his bag of chips, Murasakibara directed a glare towards Aomine, who in turn raised his hands in surrender. Everyone knew it was time to change topics when the purple-haired giant stopped eating his snacks.
"…Hmph…"
Seeing as the conversation was leading into meaningless chatter, Akashi huffed and turned on his heel to make the hike back down to his office. Now he knows what they all think.
Aomine flat out thought he was nuts to continue the case.
Midorima trusted him but did have some doubts.
Kise didn't seem to care much either way, and Murasakibara was always on his side, giving his 100% of his trust.
Well, it's not like it mattered what they thought anyway. Akashi said he would solve this case, and the only thing that would stop him from doing so would be his untimely demise. Heck, if he had to, he would take time off and complete this case as a civilian.
…..
Hearing footsteps echo down the hallway, Kuroko jerkily shot awake. He had never been a heavy sleeper, but lately he had been waking up to the smallest of sounds. It was quite a bother, but it's not like he could go get sleeping pills or something.
Focusing his attention back on the footsteps, the bluenette listened carefully. There were two…no, three different sets of footsteps. They got closer and closer until they eventually stopped in front of his cell. Backing up as far as he could go, he put his head against the wall and feigned sleep. If Kuroko acted weak, the guards most likely wouldn't bother hitting him. It's not much fun hitting a stationary object after all.
Not long after the door swung open was Kuroko seized by his upper arm and hauled onto his feet. Observing the three guards that came and got him, the bluenette cocked an eyebrow. Were these guys new? He didn't recognize them, and they didn't jeer at him either. Well, it's not like it mattered anyway. Just more people to piss off in the future…or he could have a little fun now.
"So…You guys are seriously the best they could find? Wow…Looks like the criminal pool has thinned quite a bit, huh?"
"…"
"Really? Not gonna take the bait? Or could your brains not process the insult?"
"…"
"Seriously? Are they just skipping the interviews and hiring straight up muscle? Heeelllooo? Do you have anything between those ears of yours?"
"…"
Usually when Kuroko made a smart-ass comment, whatever blockhead that was guarding him would react. Don't misunderstand, he only teased in situations where they couldn't hurt him too badly. For example, if he was going to work or meet the boss, like he assumed was happening now. The bluenette definitely wasn't a masochist.
Anyway, it was always fun to see the guards blow a fuse and desperately try to hold back, but these guys didn't even so much as flinch. 'Well this isn't any fun…' Internally pouting, Kuroko heaved a sigh and reverted into his usual walking-corpse-mode.
'What's a guy gotta do to get some kicks around here?'
'Piss off a guard, that's what…'
Oh boy, now he's making jokes out of his own thoughts. Maybe he went too long without some water…
…..
After lunch break was over, Akashi returned to his office. He had some paperwork to complete, but what he really wanted was to follow up on a few leads for the trafficking case. The red-head had received several anonymous faxes, all untraceable. He wasn't sure if the information was trustworthy, but something was better than nothing.
Akashi had decided to work the case on his own time, under the guise that he had put it aside. If everyone thought he was crazy for continuing it, then so be it. Akashi would investigate by himself after work.
So as for right now, he had other cases to solve. That in mind, the red-head took the faxes and placed them in his brief case. Since the case was technically "on hold" no one needed to know about the new information, did they?
…..
"Akashi-kun…"
Picking his head up from the paperwork he was currently working on, Akashi directed his gaze into pools of pink.
"Yes, Satsuki?" He questioned with a patient tone. Momoi was technically another one of his subordinates, but didn't work under his direct command. She worked in the IT department, with computers and other electronics. Computer forensics, as she liked to put it.
Akashi had been almost done with his work for the evening when she burst into his office. It had taken the pinkette a good fifteen minutes of what seemed to be internal debate before she had apparently worked up the courage to speak. Since he was almost done anyway, the red-head thought it wouldn't hurt to indulge the girl for a few minutes.
Seeing that Momoi was waiting for him to give her his full attention, Akashi sighed and put down his pen. Leaning back in his chair, he idly waved a hand, telling her to continue. What she said next, Akashi didn't expect. Although he wasn't particularly surprised by it, either.
"I know you wouldn't just put that human trafficking case aside, Akashi-kun. You worked on it for over five months, after all. So tell me, do you plan to work on it while you're off-duty?"
Pinning her with his eyes, the red-head didn't speak for quite some time. Usually others would squirm under his intense stare, although to the girl's credit, she didn't flinch away like most others would. She held his gaze, urging him to answer.
Sighing, the tension dropped considerably as Akashi folded his arms.
"If you're asking me this, I suspect you already have an answer."
"I know…I know, but I was hoping it wasn't true! Akashi-kun, you can get fired for this! I know you're hiding information, I know you received an anonymous fax recently. If anyone finds out, you can lose your shield!"
Momoi spoke as loudly as she could without being heard from outside. Akashi knew she was worried for him, and he knew the consequences if he were to be caught. Especially if his father found out. He was the commissioner after all. But he just couldn't bring himself to stop. The red-head was already too deep, he couldn't get back out.
Carefully lifting himself out of his chair, he strolled over to the pinkette. Placing a hand on her head, he gave her a gentle smile.
"Satsuki, I know that already…But you know that none of that will stop me from working this case. I'm sorry, but please keep the information I received a secret, okay?"
Softly patting her head, Akashi felt bad for bringing her into this, albeit indirectly.
Giving him a watery smile, Momoi walked towards the door, laying her hand on the knob. "I know, I know…Fine. I'll keep this a secret…But come to me if you need help, okay? Free of charge! Deal?"
Seeing the door shut, Akashi dragged a palm over his face, responding to the silence.
"…Deal."
