Happy Halloween to those who are celebrating and a happy Tuesday to those who are not

They're in a secluded section of the training grounds, cordoned off by ropes of magic to afford them some privacy. They can still hear the cacophony of sound from the rest of the training ground. They can even see the archery field.

Kagami's muscle mass is still abysmal, but he can stand with help from Momoi's magic. It was easier to accelerate strength in his arms so they'd focused on that before moving onto his legs. Kagetora had built a structure for Kagami to work with. Two parallel beams of wood with enough space for Kagami to walk between them, propped up with stone blocks so they leveled at Kagami's waist. With Momoi's magic supporting a portion of his weight, he walks back and forth between the boards, holding onto them to keep himself steady. They work in increments, slowly, slowly increasing how much weight Kagami is working with.

Kuroko's job is to watch, fixate on his ribbons and gauge his levels of fatigue. How long until Kagami has to rest? What's his break point? Is he in pain and not saying anything? It's nothing new, this job is one he's done for a while now.

"Rest," he calls when too much grey begins to seem into Kagami's ribbons.

Himuro helps him sit down and Momoi disperses her magic.

"You're making progress," Riko says, writing something down in a journal. "One you can carry yourself, we can get you into a more substantial training regimen. You've been working on your motor function, right?"

Kuroko eases the rest process, grabbing onto one of Kagami's ribbons and introducing a few strains of pink to combat the fatigue. A few strains of gold to handle the small roses of pain that have started to bloom, and he's right as rain.

On threat of physical harm via Riko, they're uninterrupted as they continue to work.

As apprehensive as Kuroko had been at the start, he's started to enjoy these sessions. He has Momoi's ribbons, and Riko's too, add to that Kagami and Himuro's ribbons, and Kuroko feels absolutely fine. The energy is high, and everyone's in a good mood, optimistic. It's doing wonders for him.

None of the others have come around during these sessions. Kuroko doesn't think any of them will fess up to being afraid of Riko, but she has no qualms about yelling at them, Akashi being the Baron doesn't seem to matter to her. Besides, she's too good of an asset to get rid of. If they did, there would be public outcry. More realistically, they simply don't have a reason to come by. In all seriousness, these sessions aren't for frivolous reasons, and by all accounts, Kuroko and Momoi are doing legitimate work.

So, maybe he'd been wrongfully apprehensive when Riko brought up the topic.

When they finish for the day, Riko thanks Kuroko and Momoi before helping Himuro get Kagami back inside. Kagami's ribbons immediately wind around the two of them, again merging seamlessly with Himuro's while there's a bit of color bleeding with Riko's. They walk him back to the interior of the castle, toward the infirmary where he's been staying. Once he's more or less stable, he'll return to his own home, where Himuro's been staying since Kagami woke up.

Momoi leans against Kuroko, looping her arm through his. Her ribbons have been brighter lately, not necessarily changing in shade, but they've been maintaining a healthy soft glow over the past weeks. One of them wraps around Kuroko's arm, another draping over his shoulders.

"You've been doing better lately," she says.

"I suppose so, yes."

She laughs and they begin walking home. Given that they've had to close the shop for these sessions, their traffic has swelled when they are open. So they'll have to do some cleaning and restocking, their day is nowhere near done.

"He's moving on a lot faster than I thought he would," she says. "You think he was a good knight before?"

"He must have been. He was the only rookie in that group."

"Hmm, I have a feeling he'll do great things. How are his ribbons?"

"They're fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine."

Momoi doesn't push it but he gets the feeling that she knows exactly how Kagami's ribbons are.

When they arrive home, Momoi settles herself in the backroom, tugging on her apron and getting to work. Kuroko sets to tidying up the shop, taking down notes of what needs to be restocked. He relays the information to Momoi before joining her in the backroom. It's mostly used as a workshop, but it doubles as Momoi's second study. All of her books line the low shelves and a spelled cabinet holds any number of magical ingredients.

Kuroko's magic isn't suited to potion making, but he can act as a second pair of hands for Momoi. He can also amplify her magic and focus it. She's forearm deep in a sticky purple liquid and he's refilling an inkwell when the bell above the front door rings.

"Tetsu?"

"I've got it."

He doesn't have to move to know who it is, the ribbons speak for themselves. Nevertheless, he steps out of the backroom and winds his ways between the shelves toward the front door.

"Himuro, was there an issue with Kagami?" he asks, wiping ink from his fingers.

"Oh, uh, no. I wanted to talk to you but you were gone by the time we got Taiga settled."

"Okay."

"I just wanted to thank you for- well, for everything really."

"There's no need to thank me. It's really Momoi and Riko who are doing the work, I-"

"No, not for that. I mean, yes, also for that, but I meant before. That you even thought to try and wake him up and that you didn't give up on him- thank you."

His ribbons glow, sheens of blue and pink rippling through the grey.

"Of course," Kuroko says simply.

Himuro only nods before turning right around and leaving.

Kuroko returns to Momoi and she gives him a questioning look.

"Himuro?"

"Yes, he wanted to thank me for waking Kagami up."

Momoi smiles before returning to her concoction. Her eyes begin to glow and Kuroko amps up the power as the once sticky purple turns light blue and oily.

They work until sundown, bottling and inking labels before locking up the shop. They eat a quick meal before going to bed, both of them more tired than usual.

Momoi's finishing up her last set of clients for the day, and there's only one other customer, debating between charms. It's quiet.

The front door swings open and the bell nearly breaks.

Kuroko drops his head onto the counter.

"Kurokocchi!"

"Kise."

Kuroko props himself back up before Kise gets to the counter, closing his book and setting it off to the side. Momoi had made him a calming draught earlier, he imagines that he should be fine, it will keep the nausea at bay anyway.

Kise's in his training fatigues, his swords at his hip and a wide smile on his face. His ribbons are streaked in pink, no other colors to contradict it. None that Kuroko can see anyhow, the film of grey is thick. He truly is in a good mood, bubbly as he's ever been.

It's a little frustrating though. The ribbons know what they want, they keep trying to move closer, straining to wrap around Kuroko. But they can't. Ribbons are more intelligent than their owners in a way. The ribbons know exactly what the person wants, they betray the truth in a spoken lie. And Kuroko can see that, can see how they're acting. All of their ribbons act the same way, they all reach for him, but the people they're attached to have placed a subconscious lock on the ribbons.

"What brings you here?" Kuroko asks.

"I can't come just to say hello?"

Kuroko's eyes are fixed on his ribbons, reading the lie as it slips from his mouth. Well, it's not a lie exactly, it's an evasion, it reads almost the same way. Kise's used to Kuroko looking at someone's ribbons rather than the person themself. He knows exactly what Kuroko's doing right now.

"Okay, fine, Akashicchi sent me."

"I'm not sitting in on training."

"Oh, no, he just wanted me to check on you. I was planning on coming over anyway."

Kuroko arches a brow, but he doesn't see anything in Kise's tinted ribbons. Nothing that would give away a lie anyway. But, barely visible beneath the film of grey, there are numerous roses of pain blooming all along a good number of Kise's ribbons.

His reaction is automatic, his brain turning off for a moment or two as his body moves.

He grabs Kise's wrist and pulls him around the counter, the colors flash for a half second but the grey still holds, forcing Kise to sit down on a stool. It's not until he's mixing up something to help with the pain that he realizes what he's doing. With a shaky breath, he finishes up, handing Kise the cup.

There's only a moment of hesitance before Kise downs the concoction.

Kuroko can't feel how bad the pain is, he's going off what he can barely see and hoping that he was accurate.

"What happened?" he finds himself asking, leaning against the counter and folding his arms across his chest.

"Uh, I pushed myself too far." Kise rubs at the back of his neck, suddenly very uncomfortable if the way his ribbons are snapping is any indication. "Just hurt my leg is all, I figure it should be okay soon, before we have to leave again anyway. And if it's not then I'll just deal with it."

If it's anything like Kiyoshi's injury, there's a high chance that Kise won't be able to fight at all. He won't be stripped of his title, not officially, but if he's not careful, the damage could be irreparable. Kuroko knows for a fact that if Kise's legs do get worse, then Akashi won't let him go on missions, not to be cruel but to avoid the injury from growing worse. Doing so would absolutely crush Kise.

"That's dangerous, have you told Momoi?"

"No, please don't tell her though, I don't want her to worry."

Kuroko sighs. Momoi's not stupid, and he has to wonder if Kise's forgotten about the rings she wears. When they'd returned, her yellow ring bore a scratch, blatant evidence that Kise had been injured in some way. It's possible that she could have chalked it up to the new scar he'd gotten on his jaw. But if his legs give out on him when he's around her, she'll put two and two together in a heartbeat.

"Just, take care of it, if you don't it will be worse in the long run."

"Thanks, Kurokocchi! I knew I could count on you!"

He's back to bubbly again and Kuroko can't see any nuanced colors beneath the grey.

Kise hops up onto the counter, about to speak but he's cut short when the customer approaches, having finally settled on a few single use charms.

Kuroko handles the exchange and sits down on the stool Kise had just been in when the customer leaves.

"So, how have you been, Kurokocchi?"

It's easier like this, just one of them, Kise especially. Blocked off though he may be, he's still highly receptive to Empaths, so the nausea isn't as bad. If they keep coming around, Kuroko's just going to have to keep a flask of calming draught on him at all times.

Maybe that's the answer, just be magically intoxicated at all times.

He smirks at the thought before answering Kise's question.

"I've been fine."

"How's training with that new knight going?"

"Fine."

There's something akin to jealousy in Kise's tone, even if Kuroko wasn't an Empath, he would have picked up on it. Aomine's asked why he doesn't go with them on missions, Kise hasn't yet. He wants to though, Kuroko can tell. Today might be the day. But it's laughable, Kise thinking that Kuroko would jump at the chance to sync up with another person.

After last time? He's not so keen on even thinking about it.

"Ki-chan!"

Momoi is showing her latest clients out, walking them to the door before catching sight of Kise. Once the couple is gone, she hurries back to the counter.

"I didn't know you'd be coming today, did you bring anyone else?"

"Nope, just me."

"Oh, well, I was going to close up early today. I have a few things I need to pick up, want to come?"

"Sure! Kurokocchi?"

"I'm going to stay. The last time I came along, I ended up spooking half of your suppliers."

Surprisingly, Momoi doesn't try to fight him on it, she just rounds the corner to give him a hug before heading for the door. Kise ruffles his hair, there's not enough space to move back, then follows Momoi.

The bell above the door rings as they go and Kuroko stays at the counter for a moment.

It could have been nice.

It could have gone better.

If they'd just told him they didn't want his help, they could have avoided all of this.

Maybe he's grown bitter in this severed off state. His days as a knight were surrounded by the most wonderful of ribbons, bad days were few and far between, and they were always resolved quickly. His current state of perpetual exhaustion could be due the difference in input. He was so used to the emotional energy he received in excess, and now, it seems like a deficit.

WIth a sigh, Kuroko moves from behind the counter, wandering about the shop to straighten things up. There's not much to do, a few bottles are out of order but he and Momoi had done a deep clean the day previous.

He makes his way out to the river, sitting down on the bank. The shop is within his range so he's not worried about it. His reach stretches to the edge of town and into the forest, no one will get anywhere near the shop without him knowing.

Laying back in the grass, Kuroko closes his eyes.

Empaths are shrouded in abstract, Kuroko found that out early on. He thought it bizarre that no one understood him when he told them about the ribbons. He tried explaining, telling them how the colors bled together, telling them how the roses bloomed and the colors changed and the ribbons reacted. It's all conceptual, and given that he's the only one who can see the ribbons, he's not surprised that no one understand what he's talking about.

When Akashi introduced him to the team and told them he was an Empath, they wanted to know more. He'd tried his best but they couldn't grasp it.

He's never known another Empath, he had to teach himself everything. He spent a good portion of his childhood bothering the old sages and record keepers for any information they might have on Empaths.

Everything about him is abstract, and he hates it.

Kuroko doesn't sense the ribbons so much as he senses the voided space they produce.

He sits up and focuses on the voided space, grateful that the calming draught is keeping the nausea at bay. The most powerful voided spaces belong to Kise and Aomine, and the former is with Momoi. It's not any of the others, their voided space has a different feel to it.

Damn it.

Kuroko stays where he is, Aomine will know where to find him.

Maybe Momoi's right. Maybe he should try and interact. If he can just get it through their skulls then maybe the voided spaces would go away. At this point, he doesn't care if he can't sync with them anymore, he just wants the locks gone.

"Tetsu."

"Aomine."

Aomine looks uncharacteristically tired and Kuroko can't make out any of the blue beneath the grey. There are light shadows beneath his eyes and the way he moves is unusually slow and measured, nothing fluid about them at all.

He sits down beside Kuroko, leaving an arm's length between them, and he leans back on his hands.

"I passed Satsuki and Kise on the road, they told me you stayed at the shop."

"She's on a supply pick up," Kuroko says with a shrug.

Aomine just nods, easing onto his elbows and then to his back, folding his hands behind his head.

Kuroko doesn't bother asking if there's a reason that Aomine has sought him out, the conversation wouldn't go anywhere. The smart move is to wait until he talks on his own.

"What are they like?"Aomine asks at last. By this time, several clouds have covered the sky, halfway hiding the sun.

"What are what like?"

"The ribbons. You've never explained them."

There was never a reason to, never an occasion. Akashi brought him in one day and told the other four that he'd be part of the team. 'This is Kuroko Tetsuya,' he'd said, 'Kuroko is an Empath and we will be utilizing his abilities.' That had been the introduction. From there, he'd mentioned the ribbons once, but that was all. From that point on he hadn't bothered elaborating, mainly because when Kise joined, he got the wrong idea in his head and had spent a week trying to interact with his ribbons. Those efforts ended disastrously and the idiot had to be on rest for three days. It was just easier not to bring them up and reassure everyone that his abilities would let him know how they were feeling and allow him to interact with their emotions.

That was it.

"They're different for everyone," Kuroko says simply.

"How?"

"Color, shape, size, everyone's ribbons are unique. Why the sudden interest?"

"Satsuki mentioned them when she was by the Castle a few days ago."

"What did she say exactly?"

"Nothing important really."

Kuroko sighs, shoulders hunching forward a short ways. Momoi probably brought up the ribbons to tip Aomine off to the root of the problem. Kuroko's not really mad, but it does no good for them to be given the answer, it won't help with the gray. It's something they have to realize for themselves, otherwise it's going to be that much harder.

I hope you guys liked this chapter, I had to finish it before my brain was cool with me doing my essays. Let me know what you think!