To Save this Goddamn Town (3)


Despite a slight wobble at first, Taiga was relieved to find he could stand on his own two feet without help. Not that that stopped Tatsuya from hovering like a fretful mother.

"For the last time, I'm fine," he said, shoving his brother's jacket at him, "Here, put on your jacket and stop walking backwards. I don't need you to monitor me, Tatsuya. I'm not a little kid anymore."

"I know that," Tatsuya said defensively, "It's just you only woke up an hour ago and Midorima-san said you should stay in bed for another month."

Taiga's eyes bulged.

"A month?!"

"Ah, Mido-chin tends to be overcautious," Murasakibara said, "Nothing vital was hit, so you'll probably be okay in a week or two."

As he spoke, he swept past them and Taiga couldn't help noticing again the rippling muscle that moved beneath his long sleeves, even more noticeable when he had to hunch over for the doorway. Whatever Murasakibara had been in the past, it sure as shit hadn't been a medicine-maker.

"Fine, but I want you to take it easy," Tatsuya was saying, shrugging into his jacket, "Don't push yourself."

Taiga almost rolled his eyes.

"Hai, hai, Tatsu-nii."

His brother gave him a skeptical look, before turning and following Murasakibara out. Kuroko slid his chair back against the wall.

"Shall we go then, Kagami-san?"

Taiga nodded. "Yeah," he hesitated, "And…drop the "san," huh? It sounds weird."

Kuroko looked at him, surprised, and Taiga quickly explained.

"I mean, I just figured…since you saved my life and everything, that we don't have to be so formal. B-But it's not a big deal, sorry if that was too forward."

"No, of course not, Kagami-kun." A small smile formed on Kuroko's lips and Taiga's heart skipped a beat. What the hell was going on with him?

Kuroko broke their gaze.

"News from the empire travels slowly around here, but I have heard a lot about Seirin," he said, two pale fingers reaching for the light switch, "It's very admirable, what your team has been doing for people. We are truly grateful. All of us. I hope you will remember that."

Taiga's eyebrow rose at the odd, almost sad words, as if they were suppose to mean something more.

But Kuroko was already walking out, and in his effort to catch up, the thought faded from Taiga's mind.


His initial perceptions of the room aside, the shop itself was actually quite big, with multiple doorways lining the winding hall and even a staircase indicating a second floor. Random carts and boxes of herbs littered their path and there was another shelf of weird-ass porcelain ducks against one wall.

Adorned on the opposite end was a wide, glass-less window. The shutters had been pushed open, letting in a fresh breeze that swept away the scent of medicine and antiseptic. The moon beamed in from outside, full and bright, while Kiseki Mountain loomed like a great shadow in the backdrop.

Taiga shuddered. How anyone could stand to live up here was beyond him, freaking magic soil barrier or not.

They followed Murasakibara and Kuroko down several different halls, before arriving at a set of wooden doors. Muffled voices could already be heard inside and Taiga inexplicably began to feel anxious. Why did Kuroko say this was going to be uncomfortable?

Murasakibara grabbed the handle, sliding the door open.

A man was slouched at the kitchen table, a half-eaten chocolate bun in hand. He had tan skin, midnight blue hair and was dressed in a sleeveless black shirt that accentuated every rope of muscle in his arms. A large, white bandage was wrapped over his arm, near his elbow. Taiga tried not to stare, though it was kind of hard when the guy was looking directly at them.

"Oi, Tetsu, where have you been?" he said.

"Over the hill," Kuroko stepped in, "Doing your job, Aomine-kun."

Comprehension dawned on Taiga at the name. This must've been the "Aominecchi" he'd heard through the walls earlier.

Aomine cringed, "Fuck, Tetsu, I said I was sorry. I'll go tomorrow night."

"You mean two weeks from now." Midorima was standing behind him, pouring a cup of tea at the counter with his ever-present scowl on.

"Don't take these kinds of injuries lightly," he snapped, "I don't need the trouble."

The reprimand was apparently not a new one as Aomine just rolled his eyes and took another bite out of his roll.

"Yeah, yeah, calm your tits, Midorima."

Midorima made a choked, half-enraged sound, but was overshadowed by Murasakibara, who slid the door shut, looking annoyed.

"Mine-chin, those weren't ready yet."

Aomine waved him off, mouth full, "They're fine. A little raw dough never killed anyone."

Taiga's pretty sure it has, but Kuroko was already changing the subject.

"Where is Kise-kun?" he asked, looking around the kitchen, "I never thought he would leave at a time like this."

Both Aomine and Midorima scoffed.

"He's coming," the former said, "Wouldn't miss this shit."

Taiga blinked again at the vaguely mocking tone. Aomine's dark blue eyes slid over him like he was the tiniest of bugs, as he continued sitting there, refusing to acknowledge their presence. Irritation began to surface in Taiga. What the hell? Had he done something to this guy?

At the same time, Tatsuya shifted next to him, looking similarly peeved. His brother had an even lower tolerance than him for disrespect, no matter how veiled.

Before things could quickly degenerate however, a sudden, loud gasp came from across them.

Another man stood at the opposite door, holding a gigantic bowl steeped with rice. He was tall and blonde, with long-lashed amber eyes that Taiga swore had freaking sparkles in them. A high-pitched rumbling noise was coming from his throat, like the kind beehives made when they were about to explode.

"See?" Aomine stuck a pinky in his ear, "Told you."

Without a word, Murasakibara suddenly took three giant strides toward the blonde. He stuck out his hand, catching the bowl just in time before it shattered all over the floor.

"OH MY GOD!" the blonde shrieked and Taiga and Tatsuya jumped as he teleported in front of them, "OH MY GODOHMYGOD, IT REALLY IS YOU! I DIDN'T EVEN—I THOUGHT-!"

He grabbed Taiga's hand suddenly, making him flinch.

"Hi, I'm Kise Ryouta," he said, leaning in with huge eyes, and Taiga noticed rather randomly that he had a little pink lunchbox hanging off his wrist.
"I am the biggest fan of Seirin. Thank you so much for all your hard work. Your exploits and accomplishments are an inspiration to all. I know that one day when the Empire falls, Seirin will be at the forefront leading the ranks."

"How about a little more glitter over here?" said Aomine, "I don't think I'm buried yet."

Not even sparing a glance, Kise pointed a thumb at him.

"That's Aomine Daiki by the way," he said, still cheerful, "You can just ignore him. In fact, it would probably be best if you didn't associate him with any of us."

Aomine snorted. "Well, fuck you too."

Taiga glanced around helplessly. Tatsuya was too surprised to be of much use, while Kuroko was tranquilly observing them.

Midorima looked like he was judging every single person in the room and Murasakibara set the rice bowl on the table like it was his new-born child.

For the nth time already, Taiga pondered what the hell was going on.

"A-Ah, thanks," he ended up saying, "That means a lot."

Kise practically beamed.

"Holy shit," he squeaked, "He's speaking to me…!"

"Good god, Kise," Midorima muttered.

"Kise-chin's embarrassing himself again," Murasakibara agreed, padding out of the room, "Maybe he needs to be kicked out for his own good."

To Taiga's relief, his hand was dropped so Kise could turn and pout.

"So mean Murasakibaracchi!"

Instead of replying, Murasakibara returned with two large plates, brimmed to the top with steaming meats and vegetables. That got everyone's attention real quick. Tatsuya's mouth opened slightly, having never seen so much food in one sitting, while Taiga's stomach suddenly and rather embarrassingly made him aware of how long it's been since he's last eaten.

The sound thankfully was drowned out by Aomine's even louder stomach.

"Finally. I was starving my ass off."

"As if that were possible," Midorima snapped.

"Muro-chin and Kuro-chin come eat too," Murasakibara said, "And Branchbrows. I made a lot."

"This is very kind of you, Atsushi," Tatsuya said at the same time a horrified Kise cried out, "Murasakibaracchi, you can't call a hero that!"

At that point, Taiga wouldn't have cared if he'd been called Pretty Pink Princess. There was so. Much. Food. And it looked fresh for once and smelled like Heaven. How was this even possible? With the barren fields and the Teikou's strict rationing system, even bread was a luxury under the Empire, never mind meat and vegetables.

Taiga wondered if he should pinch himself.

"Please help yourselves, Kagami-kun, Himuro-san," Kuroko said, coming up next to him, "Murasakibara-kun is an amazing cook."

He shot a weirdly insistent glance at Kise and Aomine.

"Aomine-kun and Kise-kun should sit with us too."

Kise didn't have to be told twice and rushed to snatch a spot next to Tatsuya. Aomine turned around in his seat at a more reluctant pace, as if acquiescing just for the food.

"You guys eating?" he asked, looking at the two taller men at the counter.

Midorima shook his head curtly, almost hurriedly, "No. We ate earlier and there's still work to do."

"What?" Tatsuya said, surprised, "Come on, Atsushi, it wouldn't be right for us to eat all this without you."

Indeed, Murasakibara looked crestfallen as he gazed at the dishes and it was with great painful difficulty that he finally shook his head.

"No," he said, "Not when Kuro-chin is about to make a mess."

Whatever that meant they never knew, as Midorima actually moved to grab his wrist.

"Come on, Murasakibara," he said, and dragged the giant out.


Thanks to a combination of the incredible food and Tatsuya and Kise's congenial personalities, the meal had gone pretty smoothly and Taiga found he rather liked the blonde. He was chatty as hell and looked a little on the flakier side, but he was a decent guy and Taiga could see the sincere admiration in his eyes when he spoke to them.

He was also, as they learned, another person that seemed to have his own bunk at Midorima and Murasakibara's shop, though unlike Kuroko and Aomine, he usually stayed in town at the tailor store he worked at.

For that matter, Kuroko ghosted around town a lot too, doing odd jobs and tasks Midorima needed him to do, as well as occasionally manning the shop.

It left Taiga wondering what exactly Aomine did beyond going up the hill to get Murasakibara ingredients. He sure didn't seem like he would've been any help with customers, given that ugly-ass face.

Well, that was a lie. Aomine was far from ugly, but Taiga still thought it on principle.

The jerk had been subtly glaring at him for the past forty minutes now and Taiga had no clue why. He barely said a word to anyone during the meal and just continuously stuffed his face, replying in grunts and the occasional one-word answer whenever prompted by Kuroko.

Taiga's mood soured further just at the thought. The way he looked at Kuroko also pissed him off. All hungry and pining like some crazed dog would view a steak.

…Okay, that wasn't fair either. There was nothing shallow about the way Aomine looked at Kuroko. In fact, one could almost say there was something akin to sadness in his eyes, whenever it flickered by, and a part of Taiga wondered if there had been something between them in the past.

Still, it didn't mean he had to keep looking at him like that though (not that Taiga cared for any reason beyond propriety).

"…and I've heard a lot about you specifically, Himurocchi!" Kise was saying, having already dubbed them with nicknames (what was with the nicknaming obsession around here?), "You were on the front page once for fighting off a whole horde of sentinels by yourself. I think some of the girls in town still have Mirage Shooter action figures."

Tatsuya chuckled, sounding somewhat embarrassed, "Oh, that wasn't really as big of a deal as people made it out to be. There were only about five of them and they were all V units, which I have a lot of experience dealing with."

For a second, Kise looked puzzled and Aomine broke his silent glowering at Taiga to actually pay attention to the conversation.

"V unit?"

"V59, the serial code," Kuroko explained, looking at them, "Thor's Hammer."

Taiga's eyebrow rose at those strange words, but Kise and Aomine seemed to understand immediately. If possible, Kise seemed to get even more adoring while Aomine actually appeared taken aback. He was staring at Tatsuya with a dumbfounded look.

"Thor's Hammer?" Tatsuya asked, "Is that how people here classify them?"

Kuroko nodded. "I suppose you could say that. Thor's Hammer is one of the names of the attacks the five different types use. There are also High Projectiles, Formless Ones, Perfect Copies and Emperor Eyes."

"Sounds like a mouthful to me," Taiga said, before he could stop himself. Tatsuya glared at him, but Kuroko just nodded.

"Yes, it is."

"The designer was a little sentimental," Kise sighed, "He ended up making the sentinels sound like superheroes."

His eyes slid to the table and for an instant looked almost saddened. As if he knew what the designer had been feeling. Personally, Taiga didn't think the designer, or any of those bastards involved with making the sentinels, had been feeling anything. No one who gave the slightest of a damn would have ever created those monsters to begin with.

Aomine placed his chopsticks down with a loud 'clink,' "Shut up, Kise. You wouldn't know anyway."

He was back to glaring death at Taiga. Instead of getting offended though, Kise merely blinked.

"Right, haha," the blonde scratched his head, "What am I saying?"

Kuroko was silent and Tatsuya gave him a kind smile.

"It's remarkable how much knowledge you have on them though," he said, "I wouldn't have thought so, considering the circumstances."

It was meant to be an innocuous comment, Taiga could tell. For some reason, Murasakibara's disappointment earlier had really seemed to bother his brother, causing him to rein in the suspicions for now.

Not that that stopped Aomine from perceiving otherwise however.

"The hell's that suppose to mean?" he said, turning his glower to Tatsuya, "You think just 'cause you have fancy names and prance around trying to save the world that you know everything about the sentinels?"

An expression of pure dread fell over Kise's face almost at once, while Kuroko's eyes slid toward Aomine silently. Tatsuya looked startled.

"I…No, that wasn't what I was implying. It's just that I was told they aren't seen much around here."

"You bet your pretty ass they're not," Aomine snapped, "Or at least they weren't, until you all showed up."

Taiga's eyes widened in anger and he cut in.

"What the hell are you talking about? It's not like we meant to get stuck up in the mountain."

The look that was sent at him was of pure, almost startling resentment and suddenly it was like the floodgates were opening.

"Everything was fine, you know. Everything was going fucking swell," Aomine said, voice low, "Then you and your motley little crew come up here making all this fucking noise and leaving your iron-laden shit everywhere. If the sentinels didn't bother with this place before, they sure as fuck are going to now."

"You can't blame us for things like that," Taiga snapped, "We were attacked and got separated. I'm sorry we inconvenienced you guys and we'll get out of here as soon as we can, but I don't want you assuming shit or talking to my brother that way."

"Taiga—"

"Aominecchi, can't you just—"

"I'm not assuming anything," Aomine spat back, "I see what I see, and that's a bunch of self-righteous assholes shoving how great and noble they are in everyone's face. You talk about the sentinels like you understand, when really you have no fucking clue."

Something inside Taiga snapped.

"What the fuck is your problem?" he yelled, shooting to his feet, "You've been glaring at me all night for no reason and now you're suddenly spouting shit at us!"

"You are my problem!" Aomine roared, looking just as livid, "Haven't you figured that out yet? Are you retarded too on top of being an ugly-ass, sanctimonious prick?"

He shoved himself up as well and the violent fumbling of movement sent the plates at the edge sliding off the table. Kise yelped, trying to grab them, but he was too late. With a clatter, they fell onto the floor, shattering with a thunderous crash while leftover food and sauce splattered everything else.

Silence.

A minute must have passed before heavy footsteps were heard in the distance. Midorima slid the door open.

"Kuroko, can't you keep it—"

He paused, staring at the mess.

"Huh?"

"Well, this has been awesome!" Kise chirped suddenly, with a grin so forced it looked painful, "But it's getting pretty late now, so Aominecchi and I will just be on our way! Kurokocchi, please thank Murasakibaracchi for the great meal and that we'll be replacing the plates. Good night and hope your shoulder gets better soon, Kagamicchi!"

Without waiting for a reply from anyone, Kise grabbed Aomine's arm and began yanking him towards the door. Taiga thought he was going to protest, but Aomine just let himself be dragged, turning from him wordlessly.

With a bang, the door slammed shut after them.


"I knew Murasakibara kept saying it, but I never thought he'd be so accurate," Midorima said, watching as Kuroko and Tatsuya mopped up the spilled food from the floor, "Perhaps Libra will be ranked higher tomorrow."

"Midorima-kun, you are getting in the way," Kuroko said simply, scrubbing away the sauce around his shoes.

"I'm so sorry for this," Tatsuya said, for the fourth time now in clear distress, "I really did not mean to offend anyone."

"Do not trouble yourself, Himuro-san," Kuroko offered a small smile, "Aomine-kun is a difficult person at the best of times."

A derisive noise escaped Midorima. "That's putting it mildly."

"Yeah, Tatsuya, forget that asshole," Taiga said, temper still flaring even as he picked up stray glass shards, "He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about."

Tatsuya shot him a reprimanding look.

"You didn't have to shout back at him, Taiga."

"He started it though!" It took him a minute to realize how childish that sounded and he went back to scouring the floor, frowning sulkily.

Tatsuya sighed.

"Anyway, we appreciate all of your help, Kuroko-kun. Midorima-san and Atsushi as well, but it looks like it would be best if we did not stay here much longer."

Kuroko nodded, "Of course, Himuro-san. You are welcome any time, despite what Aomine-kun says, but we do not want you to feel uncomfortable. I will go speak to Akashi-kun tomorrow morning and see if he can find you a place in town."

Another foreign name. Taiga looked at him warily.

"Akashi-kun?"

"The headman," Midorima explained shortly, pushing up his glasses, "He's in charge of all the residents that live here and would usually like to be informed about new arrivals."

That last part seemed to be more pointed than normal, but Kuroko ignored him.

"You can stay in town," he reassured them, "And please do not let Aomine-kun get to you. He is slow to trust strangers. Especially ones that come from the heart of the Empire."

Taiga failed to see how that gave him the right to act like a rude, presumptuous ass, but Tatsuya gave him another look of warning.

"Thank you, Kuroko-kun," he said, bowing, "You really have gone to so much trouble for us."

"The pleasure is mine," Kuroko replied, "It is a rare treat to meet people who want to make a difference."

His cerulean eyes glided over Taiga as he spoke. Taiga quickly looked away, feeling blood rush to his cheeks without knowing why. Behind him, Midorima narrowed his eyes.


It was midnight by the time Atsushi finished the last batch of burn ointment for selling tomorrow. Standing, he stretched, making a series of cracks and pops go down his back. His stomach too, joined in on the chorus.

Atsushi frowned, his mind wandering to the big bowl of rice in the kitchen. They must be done by now, if the loud crashing and shouting earlier had been any indication (good thing he and Mido-chin escaped when they did). Maybe he could go and eat whatever was left…

The door slid open.

"Here," Mido-chin said, walking in with a tray of chocolate buns, "Don't bother going for leftovers. Aomine got into a fight with that other hot-head Kagami Taiga and they knocked over the plates."

Atsushi stared at him for a beat.

"Mou, what a waste," he murmured, grabbing four pastries at once, "I never thought Kuro-chin was going to make a literal mess too."

"He's up to something," Mido-chin said, his scowl deeper than usual, "The way he looks at them is questionable. Especially Kagami Taiga."

Atsushi took a big bite, chewing thoughtfully.

"Mido-chin, you make it sound like Kuro-chin is a pervert or something."

Mido-chin sputtered, turning red, almost like a strawberry.

"N-Not like that, you fool! I just meant it's strange. He was insistent on saving the other ones too, but with Kagami…" He paused. "He wanted to save him for a reason."

Atsushi swallowed, popping another pastry into his mouth.

"Hmm…"

Truth be told, he had also kind of noticed how fixated Kuro-chin was on Branchbrows (and no doubt Mine-chin had noticed too). Not that he thought it'd been a big deal though or even really cared. Muro-chin had been so much prettier.

"As long as Kuro-chin doesn't get annoying about it," he said, shrugging, "And Aka-chin says we don't have to do anything, why does it matter?"

Mido-chin sighed, like he had missed the entire point of what he said, but didn't press further.

"Speaking of Akashi," he said, "You remember what he told us about leaving things up in the mountain?"

Atsushi froze.

"That was just once. I couldn't help it, my arms were full and I didn't wanna carry a big empty chocolate bag all the way back here. Did Mine-chin tell on me? I'll crush him."

"No, not that!" Mido-chin pinched the bridge of his nose, "They left their car up there, Murasakibara. And a gun."

Atsushi blinked. "Oh."

He supposed he should find that way more serious, but he was honest-to-god relieved Aka-chin hadn't found out about the littering.

"Ugh, so annoying," he mumbled, shoving another pastry into his mouth, "Can I go get them later?'

"No you cannot! They are starting to circle."

Atsushi glanced at Midorima, who had tilted his glasses up onto his forehead. The green of his irises glowed faintly in the dark.

He pouted. It looked like he didn't have a choice then. Stupid Muro-chin and Branchbrows.

"Are there a lot of them, Mido-chin?

"Not at the moment," he said, turning his glowing eyes to the right, "But there are more on the way, so you should hurry up and go."

Atsushi sighed long and hard. He really hoped Mine-chin's elbow got better soon, because this job sucked.

"Fiiiine, are they Perfect Copies?" That would just be so incredibly troublesome.

"Formless Ones," Mido-chin said, before his eyebrows furrowed, "And a few High Projectiles."

"I think you mean B and G units, Midorima-kun."

Mido-chin jolted, leaping up so high Atsushi was impressed he didn't hit the ceiling. He had to grab him by the collar before he could fall on his face.

"Kuro-chin," Atsushi said, "When'd you get here?"

Kuro-chin bowed, his face blank as ever. In the moonlight, he looked even tinier, Atsushi's shadow alone engulfing his entire body.

"Good evening, Murasakibara-kun," he said, "I have been here the whole time."

He turned to Mido-chin.

"I was not aware that you thought my interactions with Kagami-kun were coming off as strange," he said, "I assure you it was not my intention to express anything but general concern for his well-being."

It was kind of amazing how Kuro-chin had the best poker face Atsushi had ever seen and yet still be so obvious when he lied.

"Stop trying to fool us, Kuroko," Mido-chin snapped, the glow in his eyes stopping as he slid his glasses back on, "You know I normally don't agree with Aomine, but this is not a game. Seirin is known throughout the empire. If word gets out that they're here, the Teikou will—"

"Do not worry, Midorima-kun," Kuro-chin said, in that flat tone he used whenever he wanted them to stop talking about something, "They will not find us. Or the town. I have made sure of that."

Mido-chin went quiet, but he didn't look satisfied at all and though Atsushi really did not care that much, he decided to help him out.

"You can at least tell us why you want them to stay here so bad, Kuro-chin," he said, "That lie you gave about iron in the soil was way too good."

Not that he would've minded Muro-chin staying a little longer, but seriously, he wouldn't be surprised if half the empire was up in the mountain by next month trying to find this place.

Mido-chin gaped. "You said that? Kuroko, if Akashi finds out—"

"I will speak to him, Midorima-kun. About everything," Kuro-chin said, using his best Aka-chin voice to signal the conversation was over. (Though the first time Atsushi heard that voice it was from Kuro-chin, so he guessed it was Aka-chin who was always using his best Kuro-chin voice?)

All this thinking and secrecy was making him hungry.

"Maa, it doesn't really matter," Atsushi said, taking the last pastry, "Just don't get me in trouble, Kuro-chin."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Murasakibara-kun.'

Mido-chin stammered out something else about how it did matter and they were not going to blow over the topic like this, even though they kind of just did.

"I'm gonna go now~"

"Please be safe," Kuro-chin said, now in his Okaa-san voice, "And be careful with the car. Knowing Seirin, they have likely lined parts of it with iron."

Atsushi rolled his eyes.

"Hai~" he said, dragging his feet to the door, "I won't touch any of it. I'm not an idiot like Mine-chin."