A/N: Hi guys chapter four is now up! Warning: lots of stuff happens here :) Anyways, thank you to all my lovely reviewers because you guys are super sweet and really motivate me to keep writing! I'm considering doing a Q & A session for anyone who wants to know a bit more about the story, the AU world, the characters, etc. Tell me if you guys feel like you'd be interested in having one! Enjoy~
P.S. This chapter is kind of sad-ish after the first 500 words or so… but it features all the main pairings.
I also created a poll for my next KnB fanfiction I choose to write, and you can view it on my profile! Open my profile in a new tab and complete the poll when you're finished reading if you'd like to! Because I do take requests but only occasionally, this is a good chance for you guys to tell me what pairings you are interested in seeing fanfiction about. Thanks! Enjoy~ (for real this time, unlike the above enjoy)
Chapter 4: The Sky is Crying
"Ow ow ow Kurokocci! Kagamicci! Save me!"
"Stay still, you stupid blonde!" Aomine growls, carefully cleaning the end of his metal tattoo gun. "It'll get messed up if you move."
"It hurts!" Kise wails, flailing violently as Kagami and Kuroko struggle to hold him down.
"Kise-kun, we haven't even started yet."
"Ah? Really? Oh. Whoops!" Kise relaxes and calms down noticeably, winking cheerfully. "Ok then. Tell me when you're going to start, Aominecci!"
Yes, Aominecci. Dear lord.
Aomine sighs. As if he doesn't already have enough trouble dealing with one nickname addict (hint: 'Ao-chan! Shin-chan!) "Alright blondie, get ready. I'll start on the count of three," Aomine warns.
"One." Kise tenses up very slightly, but retains his relaxed posture.
"Two!" And Aomine immediately begins the tattoo without any further warnings, pressing the cold metal against Kise's pale skin.
"AHH? But you said on the count of three-"
"Shut up and stop moving. Tetsu, Bakagami, restrain him." Aomine works as quickly as possible, hoping to finish before Kise loses his patience. Or his nerves. After a mere five minutes, he finishes and wipes his hands down on a nearby rag. "Finished."
Kise sits up slowly and looks in the mirror at the three small stars inked low on his prominent hip bone (mainly since Kise claims that his mother will throw a fit if she notices anything, and apparently he often does shirtless shoots). "Wow, it actually looks nice!" he exclaims excitedly.
"Excuse me?" Aomine growls, wondering whether the statement is meant to be taken as a backhanded comment.
Kise continues, ignoring Aomine. "I'm so glad Kurokocci told me about you, Aominecci! As soon as I heard about your parlor I knew that I wanted to get a tattoo here! And also…"
Aomine tunes out Kise's continuous rambling and focuses instead on Kuroko, who's smiling slightly. For some reason, he feels weirdly proud that Kuroko told Kise about him. Maybe because this means that he and Kuroko are actually pretty close friends?
Aomine is brought back to reality when Kise stands up and charges towards the door, dropping a wad of crumpled cash onto the counter as he passes. "Sorry Kurokocci, Aominecci, Kagamicci- I gotta run, I have a shoot in like 10 minutes!" The rambunctious, hyperactive blonde dashes out the door before any of them can even bat an eyelash. Just as Aomine is about to speak up, Kagami's phone rings, the familiar Green Day tune filling the room.
"Sorry, you guys hang out for a second while I get this call," Kagami mutters as he too steps outside. As he and Kuroko wait, a soft yet comfortable silence descends over them. Everything's great for a moment; Aomine mentally makes plans for all three of them to grab some dinner together before he takes Kuroko to an abandoned park. He's 99% sure that Kuroko will like it, with its slightly rustic yet timeless charm and the gentle breeze in the air.
And then Aomine looks outside and his life seems to end. It begins raining. Again. "God dammit, why is it raining!" he snarls loudly, startling Kuroko next to him. "Oh shit sorry Tetsu.."
"Aomine-kun should use less vulgar language."
He shrugs. "Just can't help it."
Then, Kagami comes back inside to finish his call, and Aomine knows something is wrong just from the way his eyebrows furrow and his fingers clench.
"I don't care about him," Kagami snarls. "I don't want anything to do with that dirty fortune, the mansion mice can have it for all I care!" And with that, he hangs up, sighing heavily.
"Bad news?" Aomine raises his eyebrows.
"…My mom… wants me to go to Tokyo."
"What?" Kuroko looks equally confused.
"Does this have to do with how your dad disowned you or some crap like that?"
Kagami's fingers are trembling slightly, just like his voice when he finally speaks. "Y-yeah. My dad disowned me, but it isn't official or anything. There aren't any records, w-we just kind of… drifted a-away- apart from each other. But now… apparently he's in the hospital because of some stupid sort of medical disease thingy… t-the one where your blood is too thick or something? A-a… s-stoke? Stock?"
"Stroke," Kuroko corrects immediately. "It's actually also when your arteries narrow and blood can't flow as normal anymore."
"Y-yeah, that thing. Anyways, the doctors think it may be life-threatening, and my parents want to s-sort out all their legal affairs before… well.. you know. So-"
"The inheritance," Aomine interrupts immediately. He might not be as book smart as Kuroko or as well read as Midorima, but he can connect the dots, and he is almost certain that the Kagami family is worried about their heir. And their fortune.
Kagami blinks, surprise flashing over his glum face. "Yeah. How'd you know? Whatever. Basically I'm the closest living relation, as a direct descendant. Screw that, apparently I might be the only living relation. I think my aunt passed away a few months ago from a car accident."
"So Kagami-kun is going back to Tokyo?" Kuroko questions, tilting his head inquisitively.
"I don't know…"
Aomine's shrugging and nodding along until Kuroko suddenly straightens. "You should go." They both stare at him. "Kagami-kun, your parents must be under a lot of stress at the moment. Regardless of whatever they've done to you, they're still your parents. And trust me, no one will ever be able to replace them in your life. You don't want to have any regrets."
He speaks softly, in a measured and careful voice, and Aomine notices that partway through, his eyes drift downwards to focus awkwardly on the ground. His baby blue hair sweeps forward to hide part of his face, but Aomine is pretty sure he's either tearing up or becoming nostalgic. Aomine should probably do something.
"Well, I'm with Tetsu on this one." Aomine slings his arm around Kuroko's shoulders and yanks him over. "Parents are important sometimes, and you should try to mend your relationship with yours while you can. Everything'll be fine here, we'll make sure of that."
Both Kuroko and Kagami look.. surprised? No, touched.
"What? Don't look at me like that. I'm just speaking my opinion," Aomine snaps, feeling a slight blush rise to his cheeks. "Just go dude."
"Ok, well then I'm leaving right now."
"What?" They both say simultaneously.
"My mom wants me to head out right now. Like, this minute right now. This second. She told me not to pack stuff." Kagami sighs and feels around his pocket for his keys. "Where did I put my keys again, Ahomine?"
Kuroko rolls his eyes and nudges Aomine gently, gesturing to a pile of papers near him. Flipping through, Aomine finds Kagami's keys hiding between a few loose leaflets. "Here you go, Bakagami. When you gonna be back?"
"I don't know. Maybe not for a long time. Why, gonna miss me?" Kagami smirks at them both, trying miserably to remain upbeat.
"You wish," Aomine snaps. "A-anyways, you never returned my umbrella."
"Oh shit sorry. I'll get around to it as soon as things calm down a bit-"
"It's fine. Just keep it," Aomine interrupts. "If you didn't borrow it, I think I wouldn't be as close with Tetsu here as I am now." He ruffles Kuroko's soft hair locks out of habit.
"Goodbye, Kagami-kun." Aomine doesn't dare look towards Kuroko, because he knows somehow that the smaller boy is tearing up, and if he looks, his eyes might just start reddening as well.
"Bye Kuroko."
All three of them hug for a moment or two, and then Kagami grabs his backpack before pushing the door open and jumping into his car. "I'll definitely come back some day, whenever I have time. Call me, both of you!" And then he's gone, driving far away. Far, far, far away, to somewhere Aomine and Kuroko can only visit in their dreams.
It's ridiculously bittersweet, and Aomine honestly tries his hardest not to cry, more for Kuroko's sake than his own. Although honestly, they both know that's just a mere excuse he tells himself in his mind; just another lie in his attempt to bury the truth.
As they turn to go back inside, Kuroko swears he sees a flash of blonde off to one side. He whips around, straining his eyes while trying to see if he can make out anyone in the dark alleyway across the street.
"Oi, Tetsu, come on. The over-hang won't keep us dry forever. Get in before you catch a cold."
Kuroko nods and follows Aomine back into the shop, assuring himself that there definitely isn't anyone outside. Not anyone he knows, at any rate.
And then…
Kuroko's phone rings. Aomine's heart sinks to the bottom of his chest like a 30 pound anchor, because god if Kuroko is leaving forever too-
"Ah, it's just a reminder. Today's Midorima-kun's birthday."
Aomine relaxes, until he realizes. Turning to look at Kuroko, the stricken expression he sees explains everything.
"Takao," They both say exactly at the same time.
Really, Aomine prefers not to make a habit of shutting all his blinds and turning off all the lamps except one old-fashioned one that runs on kerosene (A/N: it's this black lamp oil stuff). But then again, Aomine also does not know anyone as paranoid as Kuroko about lightening. "You never know, it could kill one of us at any time. Does your parlor have a lightening pole?"
"The hell is that? You know what, just chill. I'll grab some food and we can snooze a bit under some blankets on the couch, alright?"
And so, minutes later, Aomine somehow ends up building a mini-fort out of blankets and pillows, while Kuroko watches judgementally. "Aomine-kun, I don't think-"
"Shh. Don't say anything. I'm trying to concentrate." He licks his lips while trying to balance a larger pillow perfectly on top of a thinner, smaller one. "This is the finishing touch."
He sees Kuroko's lips twitch up slightly in his peripheral vision.
"Come on, get in here, it's warm." After Kuroko crawls in (because no matter how silly it looks, Aomine's fort really is like a portable furnace), they both end up falling asleep while listening to the rhythms of the rain.
"Come on, pretty boy. Come at me now." The voice sneers deep into Kise's ear, the unknown man's hot breath puffing disgustingly on his neck.
"Let go of me-"
Crack!
"Oops! Looks like I used to much strength, there goes a finger bone!" The man cackles as Kise holds in a whimper, wondering whether his finger is broken or just dislocated.
"Hm, you should teach him a lesson. This boy has too much nerve, trying to stop us from getting high."
"It's not good for you, it's illegal-"
Crack!
"That's a second finger broken now. This'll teach you to think before you act, little blondie."
A wet, grimy boot pushes into his stomach, digging so deep that Kise thinks he's going to pass out. And then suddenly everything is woozy. His vision isn't really blurring, but his limbs feel heavy like he's just woken from a deep, long sleep. And he can faintly hear the voices of the three men in the background, taunting him. Sneering at him. Mocking him.
Then the flashback starts. The first day of first grade- Kise remembers it all too well. In fact, it's sometimes still the cause of his nightmares; the ones where he wakes up in a cold sweat and is unable to fall asleep or even close his eyes for the rest of the night.
The ones he is absolutely terrified of.
The ones he hates.
They all come from that one day…
"Hi everyone, I am Kise Ryouta! I love my mom, my sisters, and my dad! My family is the coolest! When I grow up, I'm going to be famous and act as a role model! My favorite color is light blue, and I like kittens!"
"Wow that boy is so lame. He'll never be cool."
"Yeah, I can't believe he talks like he's some big shot. He's not even an upperclassman in elementary school yet."
"He's so lame."
"Who would ever be friends with him?"
"I hate him."
He can't stop the words from echoing in his head. But he's different now. He's a model, everyone loves him, and yet… and yet…
"Oi damn pretty boy, head in the clouds?" A voice snaps as a bony hand yanks his blonde hair back. He shivers as the fingernails rake over his scalp.
"Hey you. Thanks for letting me borrow a pen in class. As repayment… Wanna sit with us?"
"Sit… with.. you guys?"
"Yeah. I'm Kasamatsu Yukio, and these are my friends. We noticed that you normally go out somewhere else to eat your lunch, so we thought you might enjoy some company if you're going to eat inside today."
"Really?"
"Yeah come on."
"But we're not allowed to sit here, the-"
"Upperclassman? Listen. You can't let them push you around! We third graders have to unite and show them that we ARE strong!"
Kise remembers giggling at the time. But…looking back…
He starts to shake.
No.
This isn't him.
He isn't a wimp, or a loser.
He is Kise Ryouta.
And Kise Ryouta is strong.
Kise Ryouta will never go down without a fight.
He reaches out with his arm that isn't pinned down and lands a decent blow on one of his captor's ribs. Taking advantage of the distraction, he jumps up and tries to get into a better position. A well-placed arm is all he needs to block the next enslaught of kicks and punches, mostly aimed towards his torso area.
But in the end, he realizes that the bigger group always has the upper hand.
As if their three to one advantage isn't enough, he's never even seen a street fight, nevermind been in one. Because ultimately, Kise Ryouta is not a boy meant for violence. He's a boy meant for cakes and phone charms. He's a boy who flirts sweetly with girls and openly cries when getting his first tattoo.
And he's also a boy who is currently about to pass out from pain.
He feels his vision begin to blur, when suddenly…
"Stop!" A voice calls out. "Leave him alone. Now."
He can't really see anything in the dark alley. But the dim street light illuminating his savior from behind makes Kise feel..
Happy. Warm. Fuzzy.
"An angel?" he groans dizzily. "Are you… an angel? No wait… you don't have.. you don't.. have.. arms.. I mean … wings?" His brain is sluggish and barely even functioning right now. He feels like he's falling- free falling down a chasm of shadows. "Wait… no.. are you human… you can't be… you're… glowing.." He feels a hand, cold and smooth, against his cheek. "Are you god?"
The last thing he remembers is hearing a strangely familiar snort and getting called an idiot by whoever his savior is before completely passing out and losing his grasp on reality.
"She's singing baby come home in a melody of tears as the rhythm of the rain keeps time…" Himuro mumbles drowsily to himself as his head nods along dully to the beat of the music coming from his lopsided headphones. Suddenly he starts awake, jumping, and hoping that no one has come into the shop while he's been asleep.
Stumbling drowsily to his feet, he reaches for a misplaced record on the cash register only to slip on a puddle of.. Water? From his awkward position on the ground, he looks up and realizes that the ceiling is leaking. Great.
This is brilliant. After stacking 6 differently shaped chairs and climbing on top of them (not the safest thing to do, considering he's still half asleep), he manages to reach high enough to examine the leak. It's not terribly bad, but it's not all that great either.
In other words, it's like a metaphor for his life. Except right now, his life is leaning more towards the 'terribly bad' end of the spectrum. Himuro reaches into a cabinet and pulls out a roll of duck tape along with a blanket. He's never fixed a leak before, but duck tape is supposed to fix everything, right?
After finishing his… repair processes, he flips the sign for the shop to read 'closed', and settles into the back room. He wraps the blanket tightly around himself while still nodding along to the beat of the song. And then it changes to.. Ugh. Upbeat music. Immediately, he turns off his headphones and decides to turn on the old fashioned radio in the corner of the room. A familiar tune begins to fill the room.
I don't know where you're going,
But do you got room for one more troubled soul
I don't know where I'm going,
But I don't think I'm coming home
And I said, I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead
He recognizes it, and finds himself mumbling along half heartedly."This is the road to ruin, and we're starting at the end…"
Lately he's been terrified of letting his thoughts wander, because they tend to rebelliously drift towards a certain purple giant that he's supposed to be mad at right now. In fact, his is technically still mad at said purple giant right now. He just can't be bothered to do anything towards sorting out his emotions.
He checks his phone. Nothing.
Perhaps he should drop a call?
And then comes the irrational surges of anger. Why should he always be the one to mend the relationship? Why should he be the one bowing down and surrendering?
Jumping out of his bed, Himuro pulls out a worn leather album of photos that Kagami got from his friend (who's apparently a photography major) and begins pulling out all of the ones with Murasakibara in them. He leaves one picture. Not because he's still hung up or anything.
No, Himuro tells himself, it's a reminder of the lessons he's learned.
Slowly, he rips them one by one until he's surrounded by a sea of scraps.
And for the first time since kindergarten, he feels something wet and heavy slide down his cheek.
A tear.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Takao can barely hear the rhythmic slapping of his feet on the slippery wet cobbled pavement over the blood roaring in his ears as he sprints towards the antique shop. But hearing his own footsteps is ten times better than hearing sirens. Especially police sirens, considering he may or may not be running from them at the moment.
A right, a left, and.. yes, he sees it. The green 'Midorima Family Antique Collections' sign glowing dimly in the dark rainy night. He grimaces as his soaked plaid shirt sticks uncomfortably to his skin and his jeans get heavier and heavier as they saturate with rainwater.
He ducks carefully into the narrow alley and shimmies through, coming out straight into the back patio-overhang area of the antique store. Panting slightly, Takao wrings out his shirt, watching the water dribble down like a mini waterfall.
"What are you doing here?" A voice behind him demands.
Turning, he sees… "Shin-chan! I-"
"How many times have I told you to stop calling me that? My name is Midorima Shintarou." The green haired boy pushes his glasses up his nose and glares. "Now what do you need?"
Takao decides that actions are worth more than words. Instead of answering, he moves to the back wall, covered by a heavy gray-tan tarp. Wordlessly, he pulls it off, and proudly exhibits his masterpiece.
It's a large, life size mural of the entire Midorima family, with 'Midorima Antiques' in large fancy lettering. Knowing that his 'Shin-chan' doesn't like gaudy graffiti, Takao feels proud that he's managed to do it so well, it looks expensive and professional. He waits eagerly for Midorima's comments, leaning forward slightly.
Finally, after a long moment of silence, he decides to ask. "So? What do you think? Any good? You like it?"
"…Do I.. like it..?" Midorima repeats.
Takao grins and nods enthusiastically.
"…I… I hate it!" Midorima snarls suddenly.
Takao's grin slides off his face as fast as it had appeared. "W-what? I-is that supposed to be a joke? H-hehe, t-that's not a very funny joke, y-you should work on your h-humor-"
"It's not a joke." Midorima speaks in a dead serious tone of voice. "Who gave you the right to.. to.. to.. vandalize my family's property? Y-you've completely ruined the store's image!" he thunders, feeling his fist tremble in anger. "I can't believe you thought I would like it, when.. when it's.. it's hideous."
Each word strikes like a dagger blow to Takao's heart. The time, sweat, and efforts he put into creating the mural seem to have gone down the drain faster than the rainwater that is pouring around them. "I-I-I thought you would like it, Shin-chan-"
"Stop with the annoying names!" Midorima yells. Takao immediately takes a step back, having never seen his childhood friend lose his cool like this.
"B-but w-we're friends, and friends have nicknames f-for each other-"
"We are not friends, Takao Kazunari. I will tell you once and for all. We are not friends. We used to be friends, before you decided to… throw away your education and your future for some useless form of fake art. We. Are. Not. Friends." Midorima's eyes are cold- colder, Takao thinks, than any ice.
"But Shin-Midorima," he corrects hastily, "We were friends for so long. Don't you remember how we used to walk home together after school, or-"
"Stop."
Takao continues. "Or how we used to sit together at lunch while other kids tried to steal your lucky items?"
"Stop."
"Or how we used to spend nights in your room while you tried to make sure I would pass every class for the year?"
"Stop!" Midorima's voice is forceful and hard, like steel. "I told you to stop."
Takao can't stop the surge of anger that rises up to meet the equal force of hurt in his heart. "So are you going to throw all of that away now? Are you going to deny all the great times-"
"They weren't great," Midorima snaps. "I was merely humoring you and your immature antics."
"I can't believe you."
"I can't believe you," Midorima retorts. "We are done. I don't want you to come here ever again, and I don't want to hear any rumors about how we are friends. I don't want to hear you call me Shin-chan. I don't want you to talk to me. I don't even want to see you. We don't know each other anymore."
Takao is silent for a moment. And then..
"…You're right. I don't know you. You're not Midorima, you're not Shin-chan. I-I don't recognize you anymore. You don't even recognize yourself. But please, if you just hear me out-"
"No. Leave."
"But the police-"
"That's your problem, not mine. Get out."
"Can I at least cover the wall so the drawing won't run? It's not set yet-"
"I don't care! I said GET OUT!" Midorima thunders, looking beyond angry.
Slowly, Takao begins to back away. Away from the sheltered dry area. Away from the mural. Away from Midorima. Away from everything he's ever known. He wants desperately to say something, but he can't figure out what to say. The words just won't come, and even if they did, Takao doubts that anything will be able to move past the lump choking him in his throat.
He swallows, still unable to say anything. He's backed away so far, he's just standing in the open, pouring rain now. Finally, he does the only thing he can think of:
He turns around and runs.
Takao runs hard, ignoring the cold water seep through his previously drying shirt and running in thick trails down his smooth back. He runs fast, ignoring the buildings and street signs flashing by him in a faint blur amongst black shadows. He run far, ignoring the splashes his soaked shoes kick up whenever he passes through a puddle. He's wet, but weirdly warm, wondering if maybe this closure is all he's ever needed.
And Midorima stands alone under the overhang, dry but oddly cold, watching Takao's back as he plows through puddles and sprays water everywhere. He watches until he can't see anything anymore; whether it be from his poor eyesight, the dark, or the rain, he doesn't know.
When Takao finally stops running, he doesn't know where he is. But he knows that the rhythm of the raindrops have changed. Like the sky is crying, trying to sob a river of tears to mark the ending of a 2 decade long friendship.
Yes, the sky is crying.
Crying for them.
A/N: Finished. I did warn you guys that this one would have a lot of sad-ish stuff in it.. Credits to Fall Out Boy for the lyrics that I used! I see Himuro as the type that would listen to Fall Out Boy, Muse, Pink Floyd, maybe some AC DC, All Time Low, Blink 182, etc. That stuff.
Anyways, this was a difficult chapter, and it's now 1:30 AM so I will sleep.
Also, I mentioned this in my A/N at the beginning of the chapter, but would you guys be interested in a Q & A session? If so, would you prefer it to be only about the fanfiction or about other things like me (favorite KnB character, OTPs, fandoms, etc.)?
My friend is doing one of these so I wonder sometimes if I should. Except no one would be interested in my slightly monotonous life T-T
Anyways, the character bios will also be posted next chapter after two more characters are introduced :)
See if you can guess who the two characters that will be introduced are, who rescued Kise, and which two fall out boy songs I used!
I'll give virtual cookies to anyone who gets it right, with extra large digital chocolate chips :3
Ciao!
~Vieux
