Ello. Two chaps-one night. Clap for me if you will. Also follow me on tumblr at .com
Kuroko had too many thoughts to sift through all at once. He had never felt so conflicted in his life. He pulled out his cell phone, and scrolled through his contacts. He picked the one he thought would know what to do most, one trustworthy and heartfelt Coach.
"Hello, Kuroko-kun? What's up?"
"Coach… would you mind meeting me somewhere?'
"Eh?! Well… sure, Kuroko-kun. I'll see you at… Maji Burger? In twenty minutes."
"Well, actually, can you meet me there in about… seven hours?"
Riko agreed, and Kuroko flipped his phone shut and sighed. He was nowhere near Maji Burger, he had just slept over at Akashi's house. He paid for his bus ticket, slowly sifting through his thoughts.
He arrived at Maji Burger fifteen minutes late, despite taking the three fastest buses home—and Riko had already ordered herself some food.
"Kuroko-kun, you are—"
She stopped talking and covered her mouth with her hands, trying not to laugh.
"Your,er—your hair! Pfft!"
Tears threatened to fall from her joyful eyes, and Kuroko tried to pat his hair down. His eyes became downtrodden, and Riko sat down carefully. This wasn't much like Kuroko, not at all.
"Kuroko-kun? What's wrong?"
"…I need your advice."
She nodded, passing him the vanilla shake she had ordered for him.
"Thank you. And, what I tell you must be kept completely secret. Please don't be mad that I can't give all the details, but you were the only one I could think to tell."
Riko smiled sadly, and popped a fry in her mouth. She had reverted from being a friend to being his confidant, and there was no one in the world who took this more seriously than Aida Riko.
"Go on, Kuroko-kun. I'll help you as best as I can."
Kuroko's small mouth sipped on his vanilla shake, but it didn't taste as good as usual.
"I slept over a friend's house last night. I found their suicide note," Kuroko watched Riko's eyes widen, then continued.
"But it was from six months ago. They're still around, and didn't seem any different to me. I… I care about this person. I know a number of people who do."
"What was the date? Of the note, I mean."
Kuroko blinked, then asked her to turn around momentarily.
"You took a picture of it?!"
"…I took… it…"
She wanted to slap him, but turned around with a sigh instead. She would berate him about taking other people's things another time—she knew he was simply concerned.
"December 26th." He said, and Riko turned back around.
"The day after Christmas, huh…" She leaned on her palm, but Kuroko's eyes widened.
"Ne, Kuroko-kun? What is it?"
"…T-this person invited us over on that day."
Her eyes watered, but she quickly wiped them away. She quickly realized that Kuroko said us, and considered himself as part of a group of something.
"Anything else I should know?"
"…He mentioned me, well, us, in his note."
"A he," she thought. "Definitely one of the Generation of Miracles."
"I see. Kuroko-kun, does this person seem to care about… all of you, particularly?"
"…No… he usually doesn't actually interact with us often."
Riko ate through more of her fries in thought.
"He invited you over on the day he was going to kill himself. He obviously wanted you all there to secure that he wouldn't. He must put a lot of faith in you guys. It's my guess that he cares a lot more about you guys than he's letting on. Was that the last time you talked to him?"
"Yes, actually. Until yesterday."
She nodded.
"He must want you guys around whenever he's feeling particularly… well, I don't know how he feels, numb?"
Kuroko shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't guess how Akashi felt, either. He was glad for his Coach's perception though.
"Kuroko-kun, are you going to tell an adult? His parents?"
Kuroko bit his lip, and Riko fought the urge to rake through the mop of hair on his head.
"I-I don't know…" he said.
"If I tell, he could get into some serious trouble; they could send him away to a mental hospital. If I don't, I might pay the price in time to come."
"…Can you trust this… group… of his, can you tell them about it?"
Kuroko stared at the ceiling. Would they even care? He knew they admired him, but Midorima and Aomine didn't seem particularly attached—in fact, Midorima seemed to hate him.
But he knew better than to have so little faith in his former teammates—if Akashi was relying on them, Kuroko knew he could too.
"Yes," he decided.
"Well then, your little group has to be his support. Don't pester him. Just… be his friend. Now more than ever."
On his walk home, Kuroko pondered her words.
Had Akashi—no, had any of them ever considered themselves as friends?
"Aomine-kun, it's important. Please."
"N-no, Kise-kun. Please don't come to my house right now."
"Murisakibara-kun, will you come? Thanks."
"Midorima-kun, please, despite us being on indifferent terms…"
Kuroko wondered how Akashi so simply collected his former teammates. It was hard enough to get them all to agree to meeting, and even harder to get them to agree to meet all at once. They agreed to meet tomorrow in the morning.
Kuroko sighed and paid for his bus ticket, to the mall closest to Kise. He was in the middle of a job this morning, so they agreed to meet there. He had to wait thirty minutes before the entire group—minus Akashi, was present.
"Kurokocchi, your face smells so good!"
Kuroko had to calm all of them down, sit down Kise, and make certain they were in a tight circle.
"Okay," he said timidly. He wasn't used to leading the group.
Akashi sat on his couch, hunched over a shogi board. He leaned back, glancing with an almost smile at the messy pieces of board game left on the kitchen floor.
He flipped out his cell phone.
"H-huff-Hello?"
"Taiga Kagami."
"Yeah, who's this?" He breathed heavily, and Akashi guessed that he had been playing basketball.
"Does Seirin have practice today?"
"'Dunno, who's this?" He replied, and Akashi could almost see that annoying, and cocky-ass smile on his face.
"Don't forget you are beneath me. Tell me, are you practicing with your teammates or not?"
Kagami's face fell on the other end.
"Bastard! How did you get my phone number?!"
Akashi rolled his eyes, his feet curling together. He pulled his sock off with his toes, and twirled an unruly strand of red bang between his fingertips.
"Practice, or not."
"Why th' hell do you need to know?!"
"It's important."
"Why? Rakuzan plannin' on crashing in?"
Akashi said nothing.
"Where's Kuroko?" He asked, when he thought of a plan for admittance.
"Huh? Dunno. Don't lump me with that guy."
"Don't you care where he is?"
"Like Hell I do!" Kagami screeched.
"I see. You might care if there was practice, now wouldn't you? And I see no reason for your Coach to let you take such a long cell phone break. Goodbye, Taiga. You've been most helpful."
Akashi slid his cell phone down, and stared up at the ceiling.
Kuroko had lied.
The former Generation of Miracles were completely sober. Even joyful Kise's eyes watered, and his hand stayed clasped over his own mouth. Aomine stared down at the table ferociously, and he held his own hands in fists. Midorima's elbows sat on the table, but he tilted his head past his group, his face emotionless and hollow. Murisakibara gnawed on his own finger, his eyebrows knitted together.
"So you see…" Kuroko said timidly.
"We need to be his support."
Aomine hit his hands against the table angrily.
"Damn it, Tetsu! Of COURSE we fucking see that!"
He stood up angrily and paced, turning his back to them.
"We can't tell Aka-chin about this…" Murisakibara said sadly, replacing his finger with a stick of pocky.
"Kurokocchi, what exactly did the letter say?"
Kuroko shook his head.
"I don't remember it all. I was shocked."
He had to keep his ownership of the note a secret, even though it sat under his bed as they spoke.
"Oh, Akashicchi!" Kise cried, his tears overflowing as he sobbed relentlessly. His stomach heaved up and down.
Kuroko looked over at Midorima, who was particularly silent.
"Midorima-kun… I know you aren't on the best of terms with Akashi-kun, but I hope…"
Midorima sharply turned his gaze to Kuroko.
"He invited me over that night, the same as you four. I have sympathy, you imbecile. I wouldn't leave him alone in this state."
Aomine returned to the table, but Kuroko could tell with one look that he was conflicted.
"Damn it, Akashi!" he cried, pounding his fists against the table once again.
Kuroko felt his insides twisting, and he looked down.
A tear slipped out of Murisakibara's eye, but he quickly brushed it away, before anyone could notice.
"W-we-we h-have to c-cheer him u-upppppp," Kise cried loudly.
"It's not that FUCKING SIMPLE!" Aomine yelled, making Kise cry even more.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Each of their cell phones rang in succession, and Kise scrambled to open the message first.
"Dear Boys, I don't know what you're all currently doing, but come around and play basketball tomorrow. Yes, it's a long drive. You can all sleep over. –Akashi."
Kuroko reached for his phone to make sure his message matched Kise's, and Aomine nodded.
"We're going."
"Shutoku has practice..." Midorima whispered.
"Fuck it!" Aomine said emotionally, willing himself to not punch Midorima.
Midorima pulled his cell phone, and shot an email to his captain, Ootsubo.
Sent: Ootsubo Taisuke, shutokushoots
Topic: Selfish Act 1
Skipping practice tomorrow. Consider this my selfish-unselfish act of the day.
FIN. FOR NOW. Please pretend that a six-seven hour drive is not as short as I may make it seem, ONEGAI? Well, R&R.