This took a lot faster than I thought it would ouo
but its still kinda crappy o3o. plot holes. plot holes everywhere /shot
I'M SO SORRY I'LL TRY HARDER NEXT TIME PLEASE FORGIVE ME QAQ
that moment when I realize that the number of words for each chapter is decreasing OTL I blame it all on a writers' block :I
Thank you for all the responses, everyone! :'D Your support is what keeps me going!
Excuse my mistakes. KuroBasu is not mine. kbyeee
Kagami's life was going well for several days. He hung out with the Generation of Miracles during mealtimes (after being pestered and dragged there by Momoi). They still looked like they were holding a grudge against him for his disappearance with Kuroko, but at least they weren't hitting him. Kagami sometimes stayed at Kuroko's place during the afternoons to entertain the kids that always gather there, and sometimes he would just go wander around the village when he doesn't feel like facing a bunch of noisy children.
After wandering round and round the place for quite a few times, Kagami soon found out that not everything they had were stolen. He had been daydreaming when he bumped into a couple of guys.
"Whoa!" One of them reached out and grabbed his hand before he could fall flat on his butt. "Careful."
He helped Kagami back onto his legs.
"S-Sorry about that," the redhead apologized. "I wasn't looking."
"Clearly," The other boy grumbled. He was the shorter of the two. He had short, black hair and wore rimless spectacles. His companion was a brunette and he was tad taller than Kagami. The difference in air between them was baffling. The specs guy looked really grumpy for some reason. The tall guy had a goofy smile constantly plastered on his face.
"Sorry," Kagami said again.
"Nahh. It's okay," the brunette grinned. "I'm not the smartest guy around, but I'm guessing you're the foreigner we've been hearing so much about?" he asked, taking note of the clothes Kagami was wearing.
"Unless there are others, yeah," Kagami said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. So news about him had already spread. That didn't really surprise him. He'd made himself quite a show on the first day he arrived.
"I'm Kiyoshi Teppei," the brunette said amiably. "And this guy's Hyuuga Junpei." He gestured to his friend, who glowered at Kagami and said, "Yo."
Kagami decided that that face was natural.
"I'm Kagami Taiga," he said, though he was pretty sure they knew that already. The things the duo were holding in their hands caught his eye. Before he could stop himself, he asked, "What are those?"
"These?" Kiyoshi held up a dozen strings of fishes. "Dinner."
"We can't let those cocky Generation of Miracles brats do all the work now, can we?" Hyuuga said. There was a hint of grudging respect in his tone. "They steal things that can be kept. We do our part by hunting for fresh meat and growing vegetables or fruits."
Now that he said it, Kagami vaguely remembered seeing some small orchards and vegetables gardens near certain areas.
"Oi Hyuuga-kun! Teppei!" A female voice sounded. "How long do you plan on standing there and chat? You guys are already late!"
Kiyoshi and Hyuuga tensed simultaneously. Kagami turned to see a slender girl with brown hair standing outside one of the nearby huts. She was shaking her fists in the air, and she looked really angry. Judging by the mentioned boys' reaction, she must be really scary.
"We're coming!" Kiyoshi yelled back, a drop of sweat trickling down the side of his face. He faced Kagami. "Well, that's our cue. See you around sometime."
With that, the two boys turned and hurried off.
"..Hunting, huh?" Kagami muttered to himself, a smile of anticipation tugging the corner of his lips. "Maybe I should ask to join them one day."
His hopes were crushed the very next morning when Akashi presented him not one, not two, but three stacks of paper right after breakfast. Each stack was tied securely with sturdy strings, and they reached up to Kagami's knees when set on the ground.
"Your script," Akashi said, his expression betraying any signs of sympathy. There were faint purplish bags under his eyes though, like he'd spent several sleepless nights to get then done. Huh. Kagami thought Akashi was more to the kind of person that orders people to do something rather than doing it himself.
He stared at the ridiculously huge stacks of paper. Suddenly, he was afraid his breakfast would not stay down. "Do we really need that much?"
"There are many possibilities, Taiga," Akashi said, making it sound like it should be obvious. Kagami flinched at the way he called him. No one actually referred to him by his given name except for his family. "We have to be prepared everything."
Kagami stared some more, as if willing them to disappear. "I will not be able to memorize all that in just two months," he decided.
Akashi gave him a look that might've been disgust, like, Isn't there someone else we can use other than this idiot?
"Just the first stack should be enough," Midorima materialized behind Akashi. When he reached up to readjust his glasses, Kagami noticed that his eye bags were even more prominent than the shorter redhead's. "The other two are just worst case scenarios, but you should read through them just in case."
He made it sound so damn easy. Kagami sighed in defeat. What choice did he have? He had agreed to help knowing that it probably wouldn't be that good for his health. He stood back, and thought of a way to transport the stacks of script back to Kuroko's home. The people before him certainly wasn't offering any help, since they walked off as soon as they finished what they wanted to say.
Kagami let his gaze roam around. And then he caught sight of a mop of blonde hair, and called out, "Kise!"
Kise paused in his tracks and turned, his eyebrows raised. Kagami waved to get his attention. The blonde saw him, and trudged over.
"Yes?" His face was a cold mask, much unlike the one he'd used to greet him the first time they met. Apparently, Kise was still feeling bitter over the disappearing incident.
Kagami hesitated, but another voice argued at the back of his mind. Nothing had happened that night. He had no reason to feel guilty. If Kise was angry at him then that's his problem.
"You free?" Kagami asked, trying to keep a monotone.
"No," Kise answered flatly. "I'm on my way to Kurokocchi's."
"Then we're going the same place," Kagami grabbed his shoulder before he could walk off. "Do me a favor."
Without waiting for his reply, Kagami held up a stack of papers before him. "Help me carry this to Kuroko's place."
Kise was still staring at him with that 'I hate you and don't ever expect me to forgive you' look. "Why should I?"
"Because the fate of the country depends on it." Kagami huffed as he dropped the stack in the blonde's reluctantly outstretched hands. He bent down and carried the remaining two in each of his hands. "Now come on. These are heavy."
xXx
Kuroko was having a quiet time reading when his house was invaded.
Well, invade wouldn't exactly be the correct term since Kagami lives with him (only temporarily) and Kise tends to visit at the most unlikely hours. What unnerved him was when the blonde stepped foot inside.
Upon seeing his precious friend, Kise's pouting face brightened into a sunny smile, and he promptly dropped the item he was carrying onto the wooden flooring with a really loud thump. Kuroko realized that it was a stack of paper. He silently hoped it wasn't enough to put a hole there. Fixing it would be a bother.
"Kurokocchi!" Kise tackled him into a hug. It's a daily routine, really. "Kagamicchi is bullying me!"
"Kise-kun," Kuroko's voice was muffled under Kise's clothes. "Please release me. My book is tearing."
When Kise pulled back, his eyes were teary. Kuroko's eyebrow twitched slightly as he recalled. "Did you just say you were bullied by Kagami-kun?"
Kise opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything, Kagami entered, heaving a sigh.
"Geez," he set down two stacks of paper identical to the one Kise had abandoned on the floor at one corner. "I only asked you to help me carry some things."
He must've heard Kise whining.
"..What are those?" Kuroko inquired, genuinely curious. He made a doggie-ear on the page he was reading and closed his book.
"My script," Kagami answered without enthusiasm.
Kuroko blinked. "All of them?"
"Yep," Kagami did a bad impression of Akashi's voice. "There are many possibilities, Taiga. We have to be prepared everything." He made a face, sank down on the floor, and crossed his arms. "What does he think I am? Some kind of superhuman?"
Kuroko's expression didn't change, but he had an amused glint in his eyes.
"At any rate, I suppose I should start memorizing," Kagami exhaled, before reaching out to undo the knot on the strings that tied around the first stack of paper. He pulled the first few sheets free, made himself comfortable, and began to scan his eyes across the contents.
A frown slowly made its way to his face. Having three stacks to read and memorize was bad enough, but Akashi and Midorima had to make it worse with their annoyingly tiny and neat penmanship. Kagami squinted at the words scribbled on t he paper. The sentences were filled with words slightly too complicated for his simple mind. He doubted he could memorize two pages in two months, let alone three whole stacks.
Kise scooted over, his curiosity taking over. He picked up a random piece of document and briefly went through the contents.
"Akashicchi and Midorimacchi really likes to use big words, huh?" he observed, whistling.
"Tell me about it," Kagami grumbled, his eyebrows knitted with concentration.
"I give up," Kise said after facing the paper for about another five seconds. Instead, he averted his attention towards the person he was meaning to visit (or annoy).
"Nee, nee, Kurokocchi?" he said, rocking back and forth with excitement. "You free this afternoon?"
Kuroko had resumed reading. He glanced up at the blonde over his book. "Why?"
"I heard they are having some kind of festival at the city today," Kise said, eyes shining enthusiastically. "So I was thinking maybe we could sneak in together and explore or something?"
He looked at his pale friend expectantly, but Kuroko only shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, Kise-kun. I can't go."
Kise's face fell. "Eh? But why?"
"I'm going there right after lunch with Murasakibara-kun," Kuroko explained. "Apparently, an accident the other day had spoiled at least half of our cooking equipment. Akashi-kun wants us to go get some to replace them."
"Can't Aominecchi go instead?" Kise whined, his mouth set in a pout.
"I'm sorry," he said again.
"You can just go by yourself if you want to see it that bad," Kagami suggested indifferently, not taking his eyes off the text.
"That defeats the whole purpose," Kise sighed dejectedly.
"Go with Aomine, then."
"Aominecchi's the last person you would want to go with to a festival," Kise complained. "He's not the least interested with events like these and is boring to hang out with."
"Then don't go, sheesh." Kagami massaged his temples, trying to get rid of the headache that was developing there.
Kise heaved another sigh. "I'm going to rot today."
"Why don't you help Kagami-kun with his script?" Kuroko said, noticing the fact that the redhead was sweating buckets despite the fine weather.
"Ehh?" Kise looked like he would rather lick someone's shoe.
"You can't possibly be mad at him for something he didn't do for so long," Kuroko chided lightly. "Besides, Kagami-kun looks like he would need some aid in memorizing all that." He gestured to the papers.
Kagami looked up from his script. "I thought Kise specializes in copying things."
"You need to remember to copy something, you know," Kise muttered. With some effort, he tried to regain his cheery composure. "But since Kurokocchi asked nicely unlike a certain someone," he glared at the redhead. "I'll do it."
Kuroko smiled slightly. "Thank you, Kise-kun."
Kise's face brightened a little. He moved a little closer to Kagami. "So. How's your progress?"
"Not good," Kagami admitted.
"Try reading it out loud," Kise said, adjusting his position to get a better look at the text.
Kagami did as he'd suggested. He struggled at pronouncing some complicated words, but otherwise read with a tone that was so flat he might as well be chanting. Kise couldn't resist facepalming. Kuroko kept his eyes glued to his book, but he looked like he was suppressing a smile.
"That was.. okay," Kise said when he'd finished. The word 'okay' seemed to be the least harsh word he could use. He was having trouble keeping a straight face. "But try again. This time with more emotion."
"Emotion?" Kagami frowned.
"This," Kise huffed and muttered to himself. "Is going to be a long day."
xXx
Kagami was left alone with Kise.
Kuroko had left for the city with Murasakibara, so Kagami figured there won't be any kids flooding the place soon. He studied the script again, trying to get at least some of it into his head. At one point, he lost his temper with Kise after being told again and again to use his brain, and had told the blonde, if he was that good, then why don't he try it himself?
Kise did, and almost effortlessly, he memorized half the page with only a few glances. Kagami's mouth hung open.
"As I said, you need to remember to copy," Kise said with a sigh. "You need to see and understand something to reproduce it. So basically, copying is a way of memorizing."
"The problem is," Kagami grunted. "I don't understand a shit about all these." He glared at the stacks of paper with distaste.
"Then you have no choice but to shove it all in your head," Kise said.
"This is going to take forever."
"What choice do you have?"
Kagami looked at him. "For once, you're actually talking sense."
"I don't just sit there and whine the whole day, you know." Kise smiled wanly. "I can use my brains when I want to."
Kagami didn't argue. He saw firsthand how the blonde had memorized half a page without even breaking a sweat while he would probably need a few hours.
They were silent after that, starting conversations only when necessary. Kagami had no idea how much time had passed when he'd finally got the first two pages into his head. Minutes? Hours?
"I won't take Kuroko away," he said suddenly, breaking the tranquil silence that had formed. Kise raised his eyebrows at him and blinked.
"Sorry?"
"I won't take Kuroko from you guys," Kagami repeated.
"Ehh," Kise searched for any signs of joke on the redhead's face, but Kagami was dead serious. "How can you be so sure, Kagamicchi?"
"I just won't," Kagami said. "That's what I promised to Aomine."
"After he gave you that bruise?"
Kagami winced, touching the fading mark on his cheek. The bruise had already started to turn yellowish, which was a good sign.
"Yeah," Kagami said after a pause. "When Akashi made us wash those dishes together."
Kise smiled, amused. "You'll have to prove it to us then. The rest of us aren't as easy to convince as Aominecchi."
"I will."
"I'm not so sure about that," Kise muttered wistfully, almost to himself. "You never saw how Kurokocchi looked at you, did you?"
Kagami's face caught the last few words, though barely. He could feel his cheeks growing warm. "What?"
"Nothing," Kise dismissed with a shrug. "Just thinking aloud."
Kagami was certain it was more than that, but he decided not to ask.
"Why is he so important to all of you, anyway?" Kagami blurted out. He belatedly realized that he'd just touched a sensitive topic. "I-If you don't mind me asking, that is."
Kise glared at him so hard that he considered taking back the question. But before he could, the blonde spoke up.
"Kurokocchi probably told you that it was Akashicchi that saved us, right?"
"Huh?" Kagami vaguely recalled the conversation he had with the boy in question when he'd first arrived. "Yeah. I think so."
"I'm not sure about the others," Kise continued, bringing his legs to his chest and hugging his knees. His golden eyes had a faraway look in them. "But the one who held out his hand to me when I had given up on life wasn't him. It was Kurokocchi."
He trailed off. Kagami did not urge him to go on.
"I was the last one to join the Generation of Miracles," Kise went on. "It was about a year after the group was formed. I had just lost both my parents to the plague. I was left alone, helpless, and hungry. I wanted to give up. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't stand the suffering anymore. But he found me," he paused, smiling softly at the memory. "Kurokocchi had knelt down before me, holding out a piece of bread in his hands. He told me to stay strong and live on. I was so surprised that all I could do was accept the bread and eat it." He laughed at the memory.
"And then you joined them as thieves some time later?" Kagami guessed. Kise nodded.
"Part of it was because I owed it to them for saving my life," he explained. "Part of it was because I was tired of seeing people die from starvation and diseases." He stopped, then blinked as if realizing something. "But I've said enough. We should stop wasting time. Akashicchi would want to know your progress tonight, I expect."
Kagami shuddered at the thought. No doubt Akashi would've expected him to have memorized at least half a stack by the time they meet during dinner.
"Time to get serious," Kagami agreed.
And when Kuroko returned, somehow, he wasn't surprised to see the two of them working together like long time friends.
xXx
Kagami was declared hopeless, not that he took offense. He knew he had a bad memory.
Fortunately for him, Akashi was in no mood for threats. He and Midorima could hardly keep their eyes open by the time they were half way through dinner. Apparently, the all-nighters they'd pulled off to complete the script had drained them. Akashi began dozing off before Kagami could even finish his report on his progress.
"You should get some rest, Akashi-kun," Kuroko said worriedly.
"For once, I agree with Kuro-chin," Murasakibara said between bites, pulling Akashi towards him and encouraging him to lean on his shoulder. The shorter redhead didn't even complain before he closed his eyes and passed out.
"Midorima-kun too," Kuroko turned to the bespectacled boy. "You look terrible."
"Nonsense," Midorima yawned. "I can stay awake for another night if I have to."
Who could blame him with he fell face first on the ground - practically snoring - about five minutes later?
If he didn't fall so close to the fire, no one would even be obliged to help him up. But since they didn't exactly fancy Midorima turning into a human torch either, Momoi asked (read: ordered) Aomine to drag him out of the way.
Kagami pitied the unconscious guy. But at least his glasses were safe.
When they were done eating, Murasakibara volunteered to carry Akashi back to his home. Receiving no objections, he effortlessly lifted the redhead into his arms, and trudged off. Aomine and Kise were forced to transport Midorima back home by a certain pinkette - which, they did not look too happy about. Momoi herself ran off somewhere right after dinner, probably to go help with something.
Kagami walked back with Kuroko, struggling to stifle a yawn. His head hurt. He felt like he had just overloaded his brain capacity. He probably did. He couldn't wait to reach home and faint right there on the floor.
But living at Kuroko's place wasn't exactly free of charge. For some reason, Kuroko really enjoys listening about Kagami's life. In return for letting the redhead stay, he would ask him to tell him something about himself every night; from Kagami's adventures in the woods, to the stuff they sell at his family's sweet shop. Never anything personal. They'd been using this system ever since the disappearing incident, which meant Aomine and Kise had listened to some of his stories too, since they refused to leave them alone together for the following nights. It suddenly dawned Kagami that maybe that was why Kise was willing to talk about himself earlier.
The redhead sat down heavily on the wooden flooring, exhaling wearily. He leaned against the wall. "So what do you want to hear about?"
Kuroko sat facing him, his pale blue eyes intense and studying. "Kagami-kun is tired," he pointed out.
"Well," Kagami let out a wide-mouthed yawn, revealing a pair of particularly sharp canines. "I can still stay up for one more story, I suppose," he said. "I need to let the food go down a little first anyway."
"Don't push yourself."
"I'll be fine."
Kuroko knitted his eyebrows doubtfully. "Then.. do you have any childhood friends or anyone of that sort?"
Kagami chewed his lip in thought. "There was one person," he began. "His name is Himuro Tatsuya. He's a year older than us, and he was like a brother to me."
He paused, trying to decide what else to say. "He was my neighbor back then. I was seven when I met him. I was asked to deliver some custom ordered goods to his place, you see. He was one of the very few people who were willing to befriend me despite knowing about my family background. We started hanging out together and became really close." Kagami sighed. "But I haven't seen him in a while now. His family moved to another country three years ago."
Kuroko tilted his head slightly and asked softly, " Do you.. miss him?"
"..Yeah." Kagami took in a deep breath. "I miss him a lot."
He didn't realize just how much he wanted to meet his surrogate brother again until that moment. Nostalgia washed over him, making his heart sting. But Kagami couldn't afford to choke up. Not in front of someone.
He heard Kuroko standing up, and before he knew it, the shorter was squatting in front of him. Kuroko was so tiny compared to Kagami, that even when both of them were on the floor, he had to look up to meet his eyes. He reached out, and patted his head gently.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Kagami raised his eyebrows at him. "What for?"
"For asking," Kuroko said, a tinge of guilt in his voice. "And for everything."
"Meh, it's no big deal," Kagami said, trying for a smile. It was surprisingly hard. "You can't have everything forever. We just.. have to accept changes."
Great. He faltered at the last few words. Kagami hated himself for that. He didn't want to look weak. He didn't want to go back on the choices he made. He definitely did not want anyone pitying him over small matters like this.
But the stress was beginning to get to him. Even more so now that he'd been given an almost impossible task to complete within a short amount of time. Kagami felt suffocated even when he was not confined. He used to have a gigantic appetite, but could only stomach about half the amount now. He was starting to doubt himself too, always wondering if he really could do it and save so many people.
Kagami figured it must've shown in his face, because Kuroko said once more; "I'm sorry."
"Stupid," Kagami muttered. "It's not your fault at all."
Kuroko did not meet his gaze. Kagami felt a smile tugging the corners of his lips. Kuroko was just so strange sometimes. Kagami lifted his hand, and flicked his finger on his forehead.
"Don't look like that," he said when the pale boy stared at him questioningly. "That expression doesn't suit you."
Kuroko stared at him some more in stunned silence, before breaking into a soft smile himself. "I could say the same for you, Kagami-kun." He retracted his hand. "A sad face doesn't suit you."
Kagami blinked, feeling color rising to his cheeks. His heart did an involuntary leap as it always did every time he sees his companion smile. He really liked that smile. Probably a lot more than he should. To add to his embarrassment, he noticed that Kuroko was blushing faintly as well.
"We.. should sleep," Kagami said, anxious to change the subject. He prayed his face wasn't as red as he thought.
"..Yes," Kuroko agreed, standing up. Kagami watched as he made his way to the other side of the room, and retrieved his pillow. His gaze flickered away when Kuroko lowered himself on the floor, facing his guest.
"Good night, Kagami-kun." His voice was barely audible, but Kagami heard it.
"Ah," Kagami too, lay on the floor. Another yawn escaped his lips. "Night."
He closed his eyes, but all tiredness had left him. Instead of finding sleep, Kagami found himself staring at the smiling face of Kuroko Tetsuya behind his closed eyelids, as if the image had been permanently burnt there.