It had been a few minutes since Kuroko regained consciousness, and he still couldn't tell if his eyes were open or closed. He was sprawled out face first on the floor of wherever he was because it sure wasn't it cell. Even if it was pitch black, Kuroko could tell that the room was bigger, but he didn't have the energy to explore further right now.

He figured he passed out part-way through his punishment since he only remembers the beginning, but with the way the skin on his back felt like it would peel off with a simple touch, he assumed that Akui hadn't stopped on his account. The bluenette was glad he hadn't been wearing a shirt because he wasn't confident that he'd be able to get it off without the skin coming with it.

"Unngh…" Attempting to get up, Kuroko collapsed back down into a boneless heap. He found it ironic that he could even feel the pain on his back, and he didn't know if he should be happy or disappointed that he could.

The whole situation was laughable. He had been in hell for the last twenty years, he didn't know why he still even felt emotion. Everything would be so much easier if he would just let go and let the wind take him where it will. If Kuroko just submitted and helped draw in more people, his own life would be so much easier. But why? Why did he still care? No one had ever given a damn about him, so why should Kuroko give a damn about anyone else? Survival of the fittest and all that jazz, right?

But even if he had these thoughts, never once could he bring himself to act. The bluenette would find himself time and time again in this sort of situation, where he was nothing more than a sack of bones. Kuroko had heard others describe his eyes as "soulless", but were they really? If he still felt, did he really not have a soul? There is a thin line between life and death, and Kuroko just couldn't find where he stood.

…..

When Akashi arrived back home, he found Midorima waiting in front of his door. Internally sighing, the red-head walked over and retrieved his key from his pocket. Glancing over at his co-worker, he motioned with his hand, telling the green-head to follow.

Akashi had guessed that Midorima would show up eventually, but not quite so soon. He wanted to at least rack up some solid evidence before telling anyone in the department, excluding Momoi. Don't get him wrong, Akashi was under no illusions that Midorima didn't already know of his recent activities. Not that it mattered though; he would work the case no matter what anyone thought.

"Shintarou…" was all the red-head said as he sat on the couch, loosening his tie. Believe it or not, Akashi never really liked this particular article of clothing. It was symbolic to a leash for him; one that his father was holding.

Midorima spared no formalities and got straight to the point. Typical of Akashi's straight-laced subordinate. "Akashi, what in the world do you think you are doing?" He questioned, not bothering to sit down. His mannerisms were like that of a caged animal, and the red-head could only guess how much courage it took for him to ask that question.

Since the green-head had showed up to his home uninvited and even dared to confront him, Akashi felt like letting him stew a little while longer. Akashi caught Midorima's eyes and didn't let go, giving him an intense stare-down. He could see Midorima beginning to sweat, and inwardly smirked when he averted his eyes. 'Checkmate…' The red-head chimed in his mind before sighing and running a hand through his gelled-back red locks.

"What do you intend to do once you have found your answer?" Akashi finally parried as he threw his neck-tie off to the side. He had finally got a lead on the case, and the red-head was in no mood to share. Normally he would at least disclose minor details, but today he felt agitated for some reason. Perhaps it had to do with the events at the bar, or more likely that blood-curdling scream. Akashi never thought there would be a day where he felt chills run up his spine, but there was just something about that voice that resonated deep within him. He didn't know how to explain it…it just…called out to him, he supposed?

"...ashi!"

"Akashi!"

Coming out of his thoughts, Akashi found that Midorima's face was just a bit too close. He must have been lost in thought since it seemed that the green-head had been calling out to him for quite a while.

Seeing Akashi's eyes focus again, Midorima sighed and crossed his arms.

"What is up with you, Akashi? You never usually space out like this. Something must have happened for you to continue to pursue the case and to lose focus."

Locking his eyes with the green-head once again, for some reason Akashi got irked. It was late, almost two in the morning, and he didn't feel like playing twenty questions. Midorima wanted answers, but Akashi wasn't accepting interviews.

Running a hand over his face ⸺ a sign that he was stressed ⸺ the red-head lazily stood up.

"Nothing happened, and nothing 'is up', as you put it. I am not going to answer your questions tonight. All I want right now, is for you to go home, Shintarou." Akashi huffed. He knew he was acting childish, far from his norm, but he couldn't help it. He wanted a shower to wash away the germs of the filth from the bar, but more importantly, the red-head had things to go over while they were still fresh in his mind.

Akashi almost wanted to laugh at the put out look on Midorima's face, but instead he walked him to the door. Midorima knew there was no room for argument, and didn't put up much of a fight.

When the green-head was finally gone, Akashi quickly grabbed a pen and note-pad and sat down on the couch. Okay, maybe he didn't sit as much as he gracefully flopped ⸺ but the devil is in the details, right?

This was something Akashi always did when he was working a case. He trusted his mind 100%, but just being able to see all the details written out helped him to make connections faster. Of course, he had no doubt that he would make them anyway, but the visual allowed Akashi to piece the puzzle together much easier and much faster.

After about thirty minutes, the red-head had written out all that he heard, even the most insignificant of conversations. One never knew what could be helpful, after all. He packed away the note-pad with the rest of the information about the case before heading to his bathroom. Akashi really needed a shower. He disliked being in crowds to begin with, but a sleazy bar with even sleazier patrons? The shower would need to be scalding hot to rid himself of those germs.

Stripping off his shirt, Akashi turned on the shower after he retrieved a towel from the closet. Discarding the rest of his clothes, the red-head stepped under the spray of water, washing away all his present thoughts. Sometimes he needed to empty his mind before reorganizing; it actually helped him to better sort his thoughts. While hard-work certainly helped solved cases, over-working could potentially be detrimental…

…..

After a few hours of attempting to recreate the Mona Lisa on a dirt floor with his finger, Kuroko decided that if he didn't move his body right now, he'd lose what little sanity he had left. He hadn't moved much more than his arms in that period of time, so the bluenette wasn't sure as to what his current condition was. Well…he wouldn't know unless he tried.

With that 'strong' motivation, Kuroko began to gingerly lift himself off the ground, not without face-planting once or twice due to his limbs falling asleep, of course. When he finally managed to get himself into a sitting position, he tried to glance around the dim room to discern his location. The darkness didn't really help, but the room had no otherwise outstanding details that could help the bluenette determine where he was; one thing was for sure though, he had never been here before.

Surveying the room once again just in case he missed something, Kuroko realized that he did miss something. That something was, in fact, a door. 'There's no door in here? Then how'd I get in?' With that thought, Kuroko glanced towards the ceiling, and a vein in his head nearly burst.

'They freakin' dropped me in here?! Are you kidding me?'

Right over his head, about two feet or so above his reach, was a steel hatch. Kuroko didn't even know why he was shocked, he should have expected this from Akui. He was assuming that he probably wouldn't eat for a few more days either; more punishment was the most likely of reasons.

All that effort in pushing his body in an upright position was a waste, there was no way he could reach the hatch, and the room wasn't big enough to allow much movement. Mindful of his injuries, Kuroko slowly and carefully scooted himself to lean against a wall. At least this place was bigger than his cell. Every cloud has a silver lining, right?

'Ahh…just another day in paradise…'