A/N Well, here we are with my second chapter. I surely do hope that you will read, review and enjoy!
Warning: This story is un-betad. If you want to complain about it, then please find me a beta whom will work with my hectic schedule and eccentric personality!
Chapter two…
Saturday 10:00 A.M.
Riko sat within a small coffee shop, where she sipped casually on a steaming cup of coffee, with just the perfect amount of cream and sugar.
Tenderly she placed the now empty cup down onto the table and released a long sigh while then resting her head on the back of the chair.
Another cup of coffee was soon placed down in front of her, causing the brunet to glance up at Hyuga whom sat down across from her.
"Isn't that your third cup of coffee today? You do know that consuming high amounts of caffeine is bad for your health." Hyuga stated plainly, while watching Riko pull the new cup up to her lips and take a slow sip of the steaming beverage.
"Don't start with the whole 'coffee is bad for your health' talk. My dad tells me that every morning." Riko stated as she took another sip.
Slowly she lowered the glass cup back down onto the table, completely unaware of the cream that was over top of her lips.
"Um… You have a little something," Hyuga began, as he leaned over the table with a napkin in hand and gently wiped away the substance. "right there."
A small smile crossed Riko's face, as she watched Hyuga's cheeks flush with embarrassment.
"I'm going to um go and… um… I'll be right back." Hyuga said sluggishly, as he slowly stood from the chair and walked away.
Riko chuckled at the boy's stuttering words and watched him make his way towards the restrooms before she slowly sat back in her chair.
Her mind drifted to their resent game against Yosen high. It was a rather stressful game and had taken quite a toll on her players. However, she knew that with a little bit of motivation and some much-needed rest that they would be ready for their next match against Kise.
She let out a long sigh, while then leaning forward within her seat and glancing out the nearest window to watch as people made their way through the busy streets, moving from store to store.
A small smile pursed her lips as she watched two young teenage boys walk past her rambling on about last night's game, while referring to the 'Light and Shadow' duo.
Now that the subject of her two players popped into her head she began to wonder what the crazy teens were up to on such a mundane Saturday morning.
4:00 P.M.
A loud and anguished cry pierced the air as Shogo slowly glided the knife down the boy's leg. Penetrating through the skin and causing red liquid to ooze from his parted flesh.
Shogo laughed at the silent whimpers that soon followed after the scream, as his hands slowly traced over the wound, coating his fingers with blood. A scoff then leaving him while he slowly leaned in towards the boy, whose breathing was forced and uneven, while his body shook beneath his hold.
Dilatorily he glided the sharp tip of the knife over the side of the boy's face, causing him to shy away from the cold touch.
A soft noise escaped Tetsuya's lips, as he closed his eyes and tilted his head off to the side, only to have Haizaki grab a fistful of his hair and force his head back in his direction.
"Aww, are we tired?" Haizaki queried, earning nothing but silence in return. "Well, I can't stand for that."
Haizaki slowly stood and walked over towards a bucket that sat across the room from them.
Slowly he grabbed the handle to the bucket hoisting it off of the ground and walked back over to the teen, whose teal eyes slowly slithered open to stare up at him, and without warning the boy dumped the bucket of glacial water onto his battered form.
The small teen gasped, as the water struck his bare chest and soaked into the newly opened wounds.
"That's more like it!" Shogo chirped, while glancing over towards the other teen, whom glared in his direction. "Oh, don't look so glum. I know it's hard watching someone else having all the fun."
"You bastard…" Kagami grumbled through gritted teeth, as he watched a virulent smile form on Haizaki's lips.
"Very cute," Shogo replied as he delivered a hard kick to Kuroko's side, causing the boy to release a tired yet shaky moan. "Aw, come on Kuroko! I know you have something louder to offer."
Slowly he bent back down beside the boy, where he gently glided his fingertips over the bleeding wound across his leg, and then swiftly forced his fingers through the parted flesh earning a sharp cry in return.
He scoffed, as he pressed his fingers deeper into the wound causing his cry to turn into a cacophonous scream that pierced through the air and echoed throughout the still room.
Dilatorily he removed his hand and watched attentively as the red liquid dripped rhythmically from his fingertips and onto the floor beside Kuroko's pallid form.
Tears seeped from the sides of Kuroko's glassy eyes and glided gently down the side of his face, while his teeth were gritted tightly together, as though this action would sooth the searing pain that tore through his beaten body.
Blood covered his ashen form, additionally caused by the wounds that had slowly accumulated. His arms and legs were covered in elongated slits and dark red spots in which were beginning to take on a dark black and blue like hue.
A hiccupped sob slipped past Tetsuya's thin lips and sent chills through Taiga's spine.
Every part of Kagami begged to be released from his restraints as every hiccupped sob slipped past Tetsuya's thin lips. Therefore, Taiga wanted nothing more than to tear Haizaki apart and make him pay dearly for what he was doing to Tetsuya.
Without warning Haizaki pierced something through Kuroko's upper hip causing another scream to fill their ears, and was soon followed by a desperate plea.
"Do you want me to stop?" Haizaki teased, as he pulled the sharp object from the teen's hip, earning nothing in return. "I thought I asked a question, didn't I?"
The boy then grasped a handful of Kuroko's teal locks and gave his head a forceful yank, causing him to yelp.
"Come on Kuroko, I just asked you a question," Shogo stated while dragging the knife over Kuroko's white cheek and smearing the crimson liquid as he guided it over the boys trembling lips. "Do. You. Want. Me. To. Stop?" He said mockingly, treating the boy as though he were retarded.
"Please, Haizaki-kun…" The boy choked out, as he tried to flinch away from the knife that was dilatorily dragged down the side of his neck, and rested lightly against the center of his throat.
"You know; I really haven't put much thought into how I'm going to end this. A simple slit to the throat could do the trick. After all, I would get to see you writhe around and choke on your own blood for a few moments longer. But that just seems to old school, you know?" Haizaki added, while then trailing the sharp edge away from his neck and down the center of his chest. "So many simple ways of doing this, and yet I cannot decide."
"I swear to God, if you lay another hand on him I'll kill you!" Kagami grumbled.
Haizaki just smiled at the teen, while he slowly stood, and delivered another hard kick to Kuroko's side.
"Oh Kagami, you're not at all intimidating," Haizaki said as he gave his hands a light shake, causing droplets of blood to spray across the small space. "God, I'm a mess." He stated, while glancing down at the blood that stained his white shirt. "Guess I'll go get cleaned up, before I grab some caffeine. I mean, after all of this excitement and everything, you start to get worn down. You know?"
Leisurely the boy brought his thumb up to his lips and gave it a slow lick before scoffing at the bitter taste of iron against his tongue.
Quickly he threw a brief glance at the smaller teen, before he bent down near the teal haired boy and dilatorily turned him over to his side earning a soft moan in return. Haizaki then reached for the ropes that were bounded tightly around his bloodied wrist, and gave it a tight pull, making sure that they were secure before he allowed him to roughly fall back into his original position.
Shogo then made his way over to the redhead who stared at him with a look of utter malignancy and hatred.
Laggardly Shogo kneeled down behind him and also gave his restraints a tug before he made his way towards the exit, where he grabbed a hold of the large black duffle before making his way to the door, when suddenly he came to a halt and snapped his finger.
"Ah, I knew I was forgetting something," Haizaki added, as he stepped back and walked over to a corner of the room where he left their sports jackets lying lazily against the wall and quickly fished out Kuroko's small one. "I'll be needing to borrow this."
Haizaki then walked back over to Kuroko, and leaned down beside him, where he took the silk like material across the floor sopping up the small amount of blood, and then pulled it up to stare at it for only a moment before standing back up, and making his way towards the door.
"Try not to have too much fun without me. I'll try to make it a quick trip." Haizaki called back, while sparing Taiga one last glance before he opened the door, which sent a cacophonous creak throughout the still room and ended with a brash slam once the boy had left.
Taiga hesitantly looked over towards the still form, where Kuroko's head was tilted to the side so that he was facing Taiga. The child's teal locks laid gently against his forehead, while his unnaturally pale body shook tenderly, as his chest rose and fell at an unsteady pace.
Kagami wanted so desperately to break free from his restraints and run to Kuroko's side, but he knew that things would not go that smoothly for him; due to the ropes that were bounded tightly around his wrist.
Teal eyes meant red ones, and Kagami could feel a horrible pain in his chest.
It hurt watching the small shadow dilatorily being tortured to death in front of him, knowing that there was nothing that he could do but lye there and helplessly stare on, while listening to Tetsuya's screams.
"Kuroko…" Kagami uttered, forcing his voice past the lump that had formed in his throat, as tears spilled down either side of Tetsuya's bruised and bloodied cheeks. "It's alright; I'm going to get you out of this, alright?"
The teen moved his lips to speak, but the only thing that seemed to leave them was a silent whimper, as pain tore throughout his small frame, due to the slow movement of his legs that had shifted ever so slightly to the side.
Taiga winced at the sight of Kuroko's decrepit form. The shadow was hardly able to move, let alone speak without having to suffer through every word.
"Kagami-kun…" Kuroko breathed out. "I… I'm s…sorry."
Kagami's heart ached at the boy's apology. What was he apologizing for? He did nothing wrong, and yet he felt the need to say sorry?
Kagami drew in a deep breath which sent an agonizing jolt through his chest, additionally causing him to wince while his inhalation quickened to an unsteady rhythm.
"God…" Kagami gasped out, as he gritted his teeth tightly together. "Don't apologize you idiot. You didn't do anything."
A hiccupped cry left Kuroko as he squeezed his eyes closed eminently trying to conceal his emotions and hide the discomfort that he was feeling.
Taiga's eyes softened at the sight of the pale shadow who gradually broke down in front of him. However, it was quite distressing to watch as the boy bit hard into his lower lip to silence the screams of both anguish and rage that threatened to escape them, and to prevent himself from causing his demolishing form anymore discomfort.
"Why?" That single word sent a different type of chill through the redhead, for Kuroko's voice was filled with so much lament and incomprehension of the situation at hand, but something else in his tone seemed bitter with indignation. "Haizaki-kun… h…he…"
Kuroko's voice trailed off, as a pained yelp slipped past his tremulous lips.
Taiga opened his mouth to silence the teen but, Tetsuya had already continued.
"Hai…. Haizaki… w…couldn't do something l…like this…" Kuroko choked out, as his body twisted to the side where another faltering sound left him.
Taiga couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did he really believe that there was still good in the teen after everything that he had just done to him? And yet, he still called him 'Haizaki-kun'. Additionally leading Kagami to wonder if the young boy was not comprehending the fact that his former teammate had just harmed him in every dehumanizing way possible.
"Kuroko…" Kagami began, his red eyes searching him observantly. "Kuroko, do you even hear yourself?"
"He… he did… didn't…" Kuroko began to stutter again, but his words did not quite match up with his earlier statement, and he seemed to be reiterating himself which sent Taiga into a small state of bewilderment.
Slowly Tetsuya's teal eyes meant Taigas red ones and Kagami could instantly tell why the boy's sentence was incoherent; for the boy's eyes were glassy and distant and did not once meet his gaze. However, the slurred words were not only caused by the pain, but could also be the beginning signs of shock and blood loss.
From Taiga's point of view (aside from the bruises and blood) he could see that his body was pale and clammy, while his lips were split and lacking moisture.
"Kagami-kun…" Kuroko whispered his voice quiet and broken as a new round of warm tears strained slowly down either side of his cheeks. "It hurts…"
"Oh, Kuroko," Kagami replied gently, his eyes filling with moisture as he watched Kuroko's body tremble with pain from his silent cries of suffering. "It's alright; I'm going to get you out of this. Alright?"
Kuroko slowly nodded while he squeezed his eyes shut once more, causing the tears to come faster.
Swiftly Kagami began forcing his hands through the rope, gritting his teeth as he did so to prevent himself from making any sounds that would cause Kuroko to feel uncomfortable.
He had to get out of this situation, he needed to get Kuroko out of this, before Haizaki killed him. Taiga was going to save his small shadow no matter what the costs were.
Suddenly Taiga stopped dead in his tracks and began feeling around for the knot that tied the ropes together, in hopes of being able to use the trick that Tatsuya had once shown him, for reasons in which he did not Kagami did not quite fathom.
Kagami's fingers gently glided over the rough material for several moments before his fingers made contact with the end of the string that led up to the tangled mass. Once he had reached the end he began to tug lightly at the thick edge to drag the rope down his wrist.
As soon as the teen had the rope at the desired length he then began to untangle the knot, while ignoring the pain that shot through his wrist as it dug into his flesh from the pressure that he was applying to it.
Silently he cursed beneath his breath, praying inwardly that he would be able to remove the restraint before the baleful psychopath returned.
Minutes passed on as Kagami continued to fiddle with the ropes while still keeping a close eye on Kuroko, whom now laid still with his eyes near slits and his breaths now forming a steady and rhythmic pace.
Taiga continued to play with the rope for nearly ten minutes more before he had finally untangled the knot and felt the ropes fall limply from his wrist.
Taiga gave an appeased sigh while inwardly thanking Himuro for that small lesson, in which had scared him half to death.
Sluggishly Kagami sat up, only to have a foreboding feeling shoot throughout his chest in waves, causing him to release a loud shriek, as his hands gripped around the throbbing area.
Black spots instantaneously blurred his vision, as he fought past the feeling of exhaustion that swept over him.
The boy blinked his eyes rapidly trying desperately to clear the fog; he repeated the action several times before he was finally able to see Kuroko's small frame that moved ever so slightly.
Laggardly the boy stood, and nearly lost his footing, but was quickly able to regain his composure before he fell back onto the cold flooring.
Taiga took a few hesitant steps forward before he fell to his knees beside the pale boy, who had begun to breathe forcefully through his mouth.
It was evident that Kuroko was awake, thus he appeared to be incoherent due to shock, or perhaps it was just from blood-loss. However, Taiga did not have time to piece this perplexing puzzle together, for he knew that Shogo would return at any moment and he was determined to get the small shadow out of his harmful grasp.
"It's alright Kuroko…" Kagami whispered, his eyes searching Kuroko glassy blue ones. "I'm going to have to move you, alright?"
Kuroko remained silent, as Kagami dilatorily maneuvered him onto his side, which earned him a silent whimper in return
Kagami spoke a soft apology, trying his best to hide the anxiety that laced his usually casual tone.
The boy's skin was covered in blood, that had begun to dry and had now taken on a crusty like appeal near the older wounds that were no longer exuding crimson liquid.
"God, Kuroko." Kagami uttered, his voice laced with sympathy as he began to toy with the ropes that bounded his bruised and bloodied wrist behind his ashen form.
Taiga glanced down at the thick material to see that the ropes were covered in what appeared to be infinitesimal pieces of his shadows flesh that had been torn off due to the extent of the torture that Haizaki had put him through; leaving anyone with the strong assumption that Tetsuya had torn through his own flesh while trying to remove his hands from the restraints to stop the brutal event.
Shakily the redhead began to pull at the end of the rope that held it together and watched as the restraints began to loosen around the boy's frail wrist.
After a few minutes more of fiddling with the stranded cords they had finally come loose and were instantly thrown to the side so that Taiga could maneuver Kuroko into his grasp.
Carefully Taiga turned the boy over onto his back and reached his hands beneath his underarms where he then pulled him up into his arms and rested Kuroko's chest against his own. Once Kuroko's head was situated on his shoulder Kagami then reached his right hand up to rest against the back of the teal's head, whilst his other hand laid beneath Tetsuya's bottom so that he could keep him situated against his chest.
Kuroko's knees now dangled alongside Taiga's hips, while his feet were suspended behind the redhead. His breaths brushed lightly over his Lights neck, while silent yet strained sobs escaped him.
"It's alright… I've got you." Kagami whispered into his ear, while trying desperately to ignore the pain that tore through his chest, as he slowly stood from the ground. "I've got you."
Taiga could now feel the warm liquid that was seeping from Kuroko's opened wounds, soaking into his shirt, as his feeble form trembled against his chest.
Every part of Kagami ached to demolish his shadows pain and to put the small boy at ease. Thus, he knew that the only way of executing that task was to get him as far away from this hellish place.
Dilatorily, the tall teen took a few hesitant steps forwards, while putting it into consideration that Kuroko was still in a great deal of pain.
Nevertheless, Taiga began quickening his steps, and stopped only a few feet ahead of the metal door where he began contemplating his next move.
Gradually Taiga grabbed a hold of the handle with the hand that had been resting upon Kuroko's head, praying inwardly that the door had not been locked from the outside, and to his luck it was not.
Quickly he gave it a hard pull and watched as the door opened to reveal the surrounding area.
Taiga only stared for a moment at the several storage lockers that were surrounding the outdoors, before he was brought back to the situation when a bitterly cold blast of air brushed past him and caused the hairs on his body to rise.
Dilatorily the boy stepped outside onto a patch of snow that instantly dampened his white socks.
Taiga then swiftly turned to the left to come face-to-face with Haizaki, whom had a perplexed yet shocked look plastered upon his hideous features. For a moment, Haizaki watched as the redhead stumble backward, and nearly tripped over himself while still holding his disconcerted stare.
"Wow…" Haizaki began with an amused smile tugging at the sides of his lips. "It appears that I may have underestimated your intelligence Ba-Kagami."
Kagami continued to step backward while tightening his grip on Kuroko's limp form that seemed to have stiffened at the sound of Shogo's sinister tone.
Without a moment of hesitation, the boy turned and began running down the empty path, completely oblivious to the pain that nagged at his swiftly moving form.
Hurriedly Taiga rounded the corner to one of the abandoned lockers, forcing himself to move faster as his feet grew numb from the fringed snow that had dampened his socks.
Suddenly Kagami skidded on a small sheet of ice and went falling to the ground where he twisted his body to the side so that he would land on his back in order to prevent Kuroko from sustaining any further injuries.
Taiga could feel his head collide with the ground as Kuroko's body slipped from his grasp and was now lying at his side.
Everything around him faded in and out of his view, and Taiga fought every instinct in him that beckoned him into the darkness that was threatening to consume him.
Slowly the redhead turned over onto his side and stared at his unconscious shadow, where his eyes then ventured to the blood that exuded from a gash in which he had received when he fell from Taiga's arms.
Swiftly Taiga tried to stand once he heard Haizaki's footsteps approaching; however, the teen fell back to the ground once a sharp jolt of pain tore through his ankle.
Inaudibly he cursed beneath his breath as he swiftly reached out and grabbed Kuroko beneath his frail arm and began dragging him towards the deteriorating storage locker.
"Wow, I actually had to start running back there," Haizaki stated in a mocking tone. "You really are something; I'll give you that. However, I knew that you wouldn't make it far." The boy cackled at his last words, as he then slowly began to approach them, only to have Kagami begin scooting backward while dragging the teal haired boy with him. "Aw, how pathetic. You're actually trying to get away from me?"
Haizaki reached down to grab Taiga's foot, when suddenly the boy kicked out at him hitting him in the shin and causing the boy to growl in anger.
Suddenly the teen caught Kagami's foot again and this time he was successful in pulling him in his direction, causing Taiga to lose his grip on the teal.
The redhead kicked out at the teen in hopes of breaking free from his hold. However, Kagami was instantly overpowered by Haizaki when he received a hard hit to his bruised side and was left breathless.
"You little brat." Haizaki spat as he dropped down over top of the redhead, whom instinctively tried to claw away at whatever he could manage to grasp on the boy.
Haizaki succeeded in gripping a fistful of Taiga's red locks and before the boy was able to react Shogo had already pulled his head up and had forcefully pushed him back to the ground causing Taiga to lose his grip on his arms.
A sharp and blinding pain tore through Taiga's head and without warning, something was being placed over his mouth and nose. Thus, the fumes coming from the rag like material caused him to gag while it sent a paralyzing feeling throughout his entire body.
Suddenly everything around him went black, and the last thing to be seen through the teenager's eyes was the appeased look that washed over the other boys face.
To Be Continued…
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