The Beauty and the Giant
The dead can't see, but her eyes were open. And she was staring straight at him. Kuroko bolted into the bathroom, and saw her white and lifeless in a sea of her own blood. Dozens, if not hundreds, of cuts and puncture wounds covered her arms and legs. The worst of her wounds was her chest. Someone, with the precision of a surgeon, carved her beasts off. He screamed, "No! No!" and jumped into the tub, in an foolish attempt to revive her. The thick, acrid smell of decay assaulted his senses. He sobbed hopelessly. He refused to believe so much life, so much kindness was gone, forever. He had to get out. He stumbled out of the bathroom in an daze, covered in her blood. Somehow he ended up outside, wandering barefoot in the snow.
In the distance, he heard the sound of a police siren approaching. Did he call the police? He couldn't remember. The police car pulled up with lights flashing, blocking his path. Two officers exited the car. The men pointed their flash lights in Kuroko's face, blinding him. Their questions accusing. He couldn't take it anymore. He just wanted it to end.
"The body is inside." he said. His voice flat, without emotion.
Kuroko awoke and sat straight up, sweat trickling down his cheeks before disappearing down his neck. He slumped back down on his mattress. The memory still haunted him. He tried to hold back his tears, but his strength wavered. He whispered her name to the darkness.
It had been a very long time since Kuroko cried, so long he thought he had forgotten how. But he began to cry then, in painful sobs. Kuroko spent the rest of the night, crying silently, listening to Kagami grunt and snore in the bunk below him. Several cells away a man screamed obscenities and howled like a animal, from time to time someone would scream at him to shut the fuck up. Kuroko blocked that noise out. Instead he focused on the soft sounds of Kagami's snoring. The minutes passed painfully, lonely and slow.
Three hundred and sixty-three days to go.
In the exercise yard the wind gusted. Kuroko watched silently as little snowflakes danced in the breeze. It was going to be a long, chilly day. He huffed hot air onto his hands. He was losing feeling in his fingertips.
"You cold, Kuroko?" Kagami asked him softly. He studied Kuroko intently, and Kuroko stared back at him blankly.
Midorima huffed sarcastically. "Of course he's cold. Everyone is cold!" he snapped. " The warden doesn't turn on the furnaces until the first of December."
"Is he trying to freeze us to death?" Kagami asked him, irritated.
"That's the system." Midorima replied, in a matter-of-factly, giving Kagami a cold smile. "It's a simple and efficient way to save money which means more money in the wardens' pockets. I would do the same thing in his position."
"You're heartless."
Kuroko ignored their chatter, instead he watched the body movement of the guards, of the other inmates, searching for any sign of what was to come next. He couldn't explain it, but he had that feeling again. There was a hollowness in the pit of his stomach. He could feel eyes on him. Kuroko scanned the prison yard searching for the one man who always watched him from afar.
"He isn't here." he whispered softly. Kuroko's soft voice silenced the bickering between Kagami and Midorima
"Who isn't here?" Kagami asked. Kuroko gave him no answer. Kagami's frowned. Sometimes he felt like he was talking to a wall. Midorima let out a sigh and gestured to prison gate. "Look."he said. "They're bringing in the new inmates."
Kagami, Midorima, and Kuroko all turned their attention to chained gate, and silently watched as the guards marched the chain-gang by. The other inmates hooted and hollered at the newly sentenced like madman, it was some sort of sick orientation that every inmate had to go through. Chained together, with only five feet of space between them, the new arrivers shuffled awkwardly through the prison gates. Most of the new arrivals were repeat offenders. Kuroko recognized all of the men passing through expect for two. The first man was handsome, and Kuroko found himself staring. He had short blond hair and hazel eyes so stunning Kuroko mistakenly thought he was wearing gold tinted contacts.
"He's too pretty." Kagami said, voicing everyone thoughts. Midorima shook his head sadly. The first rule to surviving in prison is avoiding the attention of the other inmates. This man would have no such luck.
"You gonna be my bitch, Blondie!" Someone called out. The man simply ignored their catcalls and whistles, which only seemed to infuriate the other men. "Hey! Hey! Don't fuckin' ignore me, pussy!"
The second man was impossibly tall. Kuroko figured he had to be around seven feet tall. He had long, violet hair that was pulled back in a loose ponytail and unexpressive violet eyes.
"Motherfucker big!"
"Fee-fi-fo-fum!" One of the inmates shouted, and the hacklers exploded into laughter. The tall, muscular man gave no response. Not one reaction. He appeared utterly bored with the entire situation.
"He's trouble." Midorima said suddenly.
Kagami lifted an eyebrow, curious. "Mm. He's huge but he seems harmless."
"His hands." said Kuroko.
"Ah. You noticed it too." Midorima said, impressed.
"Wait. What did he notice?" Kagami asked.
"Look for yourself."
Kagami stared at the man's massive hands, his hands were trembling. It wasn't the tremor of alcoholism or the timid shake intimation. He was not afraid. This man was overwhelmed by rage, too furious to control his involuntary twitch.
Kagami smirked. "Interesting."
"I suggest avoiding him, Kagami." Midorima paused, then said, " The guards are breathing down out a necks as is. We don't need anymore trouble. "
Kuroko continued to watch the chain-gang march by with a expression that betrayed nothing.
In the food hall Kazunari Takao slide next to Kuroko and smiled, showing off his pearly whites. Takao's smile was big and contagious, and Kuroko couldn't help but offer a small smile at his arrival.
"Welcome back, Takao."
"Glad to be back, Kuroko. Did you guys see the new meat? Interesting pair, right?"
He sat down between Kuroko and Midorima and began to eat his rice. "Hmm.. this food is… still shitty as ever." he said, with mouth full of food. Midorima frowned, and Takao simply snickered at his disgusted face.
"Hey Shin-Chan, did you miss me?"
"No."
"You're a lying fuck. If I didn't sneak in your lucky items, you would be locked up ding-wing with all the other loonies." Takao said with a smirk.
Takao was known as a packrat. By the age of twenty, he had been arrested seventeen times. Once released, Takao would get the requested "goods" for the other inmates, then he'd commit another petty crime. Takao would smuggle in all sorts of contraband goods like magazines, love letters, gum, narcotics, and even cell phones. He was well respected within all the prison gangs, and was under the protection of some of the most dangerous inmates.
"Did you get it?" Midorima asked, bluntly.
One blue eye closed in a slow wink. "Of corse, Shin-Chan. I wouldn't let my favorite customer down. "
"What do you want?"
Takao smiled at Midorima's question. There was something off about this smile. Kuroko didn't like it. "This time it's free of charge." Takao said.
He pulled out a small coin and flipped it at him. Midorima caught the coin, examined it, and quickly hid it within his prison jumpsuit.
"How did you get it past the guards?" Kagami asked, amazed. Coins were contraband. If you were caught carrying one, they would lock you up in solitary confinement for weeks. Coins were a popular weapon choice. You could sharpen the edges against stone, slice someones face open in a fight.
"I have my ways." Takao said, still smiling his odd smile. " You should really join my crew, Kuroko. I have good eyes, and I've seen some of your tricks. Your misdirection could really come in handy with the guards."
"No thank you."
Takao snickered. " I just don't get you."
"What's not to get?"
"You. You're too polite. Too quiet. You wait like the old guys, but you can't be any older than me. I just don't get it. What the hell did you do to end up in here?" Kagami stopped eating, he ruby eyes narrowed, dangerously. Takao fidgeted nervously under his heated gaze.
Midorima frowned at Takao. "Don't pester him."
Takao raised his hands in mock surrender, and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for asking." He shoveled the rest of his food in mouth and then got up. "It's been a pleasure gentlemen." He said sarcastically. He then glanced at Kuroko sharply. "You should really reconsider my offer. You can't hide forever."
" I wont have to. I'll be out in one year." Kuroko replied, full of resolve.
"Sure." Takao said, eyeing him keenly. "Be careful, Kuroko. I'm not the only one who has taken an interest in you."
Kuroko felt his stomach lurch inside him. The voice in the back of his head whispered the bad thing was coming. He told himself he was being stupid, but his heart was pounding out of his chest. Takao left Kuroko alone with his fears.
"You didn't have to drive him off Kagami. " Midorima said in a disappointed tone.
"Yeah I did. He was being an ass." Kagami answered. "Fuck! I forgot to ask him he any Sports Illustrated magazines."
"He wouldn't trade with you. He doesn't like you."
Gah. I'm so sorry about the lateness. I have no excuses really. I'm just a slow person. I get distracted really easy. I don't have the mad skills to update regularly like most of the authors on this site. Well I introduced all of the GOM expect for Aomine. He be in the introduced in the next chapter, and he'll be trying to kill Kise. Sorry for killing off Momoi, guys. She was poor victim of Kuroko's dark past which you'll learn more about later. Riko will have a much bigger role in this story. :)
Thank you guys for all your suggestions. I decided to use all your ideas.
Kise- Conman/identity thief
Aomine- Fan accuses him of rape
Murasakibara-Beat someone to death in a candy store...lol. The owner ran out of lollipops, so it's understandable.
Oh... The jerk guard is Makoto Hanamiya. He will be return too, sadly.