I GOT IT OUT! I thought I wouldn't make it this month, but I did it! Whew! Sorry about the delay, everyone, but studies come first!

As always, I want to give my sincere gratitude to those who reviewed. They are: KurokoTetsuya101, shiskanae242, kairenayui, CassieFujho12, MySa (thank you for pointing out my mistakes! I really appreciate it.), JokerValshe, Flow . L (this is Flow Love, right? :)), mitsuyo-chan, NekoNyapii, Scarlet Aki-chin, Swtazngrl5, Killua17, and Guest! You guys are awesome! Especially those who were there ever since the beginning, I just love you all!

Also, I'm quite proud of myself. I didn't know that my story would reach 60 reviews, 204 followers, and 144 favorites! I'm completely blown away! Thank you so much!

Warning: Grammatical errors, limited use of vocabulary, OOC-ness, profanities, and violence. This is not edited.

Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket was not mine, is not mine, and will never be mine.


Inescapable Prison


Chapter 6: The Ones Who Escaped

Akashi sat on the bed with his back leaning against his the headboard. Kuroko, who was still sleeping soundly, had his arms wrapped around his waist. A dark red blanket covered Kuroko's entire body while it only covered half of Akashi's. The red-haired teen absentmindedly twined his fingers through his lover's soft hair. It would be a perfectly sweet picture if it weren't for the sad look the other was wearing.

You were wrong.

"Am I?"

Yes. Kuroko would never cheat on me.

"Well, of course he wouldn't."

Akashi's eyes widened before he gritted his teeth, a hand clutching the bed's sheets tightly.

Then why did you do that to Haizaki. There was no need to, he already quit as per agreement.

"You don't have to worry about him. I just warned him that's all. It's just a precaution. Don't worry, he's alive."

Akashi's lips thinned at the hostile tone the voice had. He wondered just how 'alive' Haizaki was.


Haizaki inhaled sharply as he opened his eyes. He was in a daze. It took a while before he managed to find out just what was happening. He was lying at his side down the ground, somewhere behind a building. He slightly shifted to get into a more comfortable position. He felt sore and numb at the same time; there was also a throbbing ache at the back of his head. The pain wasn't unbearable, but he felt so weak that it seemed like it is.

After a few minutes of rest, he gathered enough energy to slowly sit up. He hissed at the stinging pain he felt. He panted as he leaned back on the wall. He exerted too much effort just to sit up—he was probably in a really bad shape. He felt the back of his head, grimacing as he realized that there was blood. Closing his eyes, he suddenly felt nervous to find out the extent of his injuries. He inhaled deeply before opening his eyes. And then he just stared.

He was stunned at what he saw. He was covered in blood and was surprised that he didn't die from blood loss. Different cuts were all over his body, thankfully though, most of it were a little would need stitches—it was deep, but not deep enough to be fatal. Apart from the cuts, he was also covered with bruises. His uniform was in tatters too, but he didn't really care. He was just relieved that he didn't fucking die. He vaguely remembered what happened. He remembered those heterochromatic eyes gleaming with malice— something glinting and then there was pain.

Who was that? He thought, staring at the wall in front of him, face scrunched up in confusion. That couldn't be…Akashi, could it? If so, then I have to warn Tetsuya! His eyes widened in realization. Panicking, he moved to stand up and winced as intense pain shot through his entire body at the sudden movement. He collapsed at his side on the ground.

Damn! He tried to move again and froze as he remembered his and Kuroko's conversation. Wait, why the hell should I? Wasn't he the one that said that I couldn't be trusted? He glared at the wall in front of him. Besides…His thoughts slowed into a halt as he remembered why he was in pain. I…I can't. Even if I want to…I can't…not anymore…

He was lucky he was even alive at this point. Once he saw that knife, he was sure that he wouldn't wake up anymore. He didn't know that shorty could even fight like that. He was so fast that, even with his fighting experience, he couldn't respond properly. His movements were fluid, trained— as expected he was a member of the Akashi family, not to mention the heir.

His thoughts wandered back to Tetsuya. That stupid kid! I hope he knows what he's doing. There's nothing I can do…but he still has his other friends, so…Please be safe, Tetsuya.

He closed his eyes. As much as he didn't like the others, he knew that they cared for the teen. He could entrust him to them. They would be able to take care and protect Tetsuya better than him. He opened his eyes again. Good luck, Tetsuya

He slowly sat up and leaned back again on the wall for a few moments— his earlier actions seemed to have taken a toll on his body. He sighed; he didn't really want to rot here. He prepared himself to stand up, but froze when a shadow loomed over him at his side. He stared ahead, terrified at the thought of him coming back to finish his job. He prayed that it wasn't who he thought it was. He gulped. He slowly turned his head, drops of sweat threatening to fall from his forehead and temple, and blanched at who it was.

Oh, God…This is much worse.

"Yo, Nijimura…" A glare. "—senpai!" he quickly added, a nervous smile on his face. I'm doomed.

There was silence. Nijimura, proudly wearing Teiko's basketball club jersey— a white and light-blue jacket and pants, just continued to stare down at him and frankly, it was freaking him out. He jerked back when Nijimura strode towards him, a hand reaching out. Shit! Shit! Shit! I'm going to die! He shut his tightly, preparing himself for more pain. He could sense the dark-haired teen stop beside him. And now pain is coming in three…two…one! A hand was placed on his head and it started…patting him? Eh?

"Senpai?" He glanced up to see Nijimura staring at him. He furrowed his eyebrows. What the hell is going on? Am I dead?

"Haizaki…" Nijimura whispered. "Are you alright?"

"Sen…pai?"

"Tsk! I asked if you're all right." Nijimura glared, irritated at the younger teen's reaction.

"I'm..fine." Haizaki replied slowly, staring bewildered at the raven-haired teen. It was weird, the way he was being…gentle. Usually, he would beat him up. It wasn't like he disliked it, it was more of how uncharacteristic of the other to be like this—and frankly, it was creeping him out.

Nijimura patted the stunned teen one last time before grabbing him by his collar and pulling him up. Haizaki yelped, both in surprise and with the sudden pain that came. Once he could stand without support, Nijimura let him go. Haizaki was still a bit confused. Why the hell was his senpai acting weird?

"Hey, "Nijimura called out. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, his tone as serious as the look in his eyes.

"…Yeah." Haizaki answered warily. He still wasn't sure what was going on.

"Are you really sure?" Nijimura stressed.

"I said I'm fine already!" Haizaki snapped, irritated with the repetition. Nijimura didn't look like he was planning something, so maybe he was just concerned. He was covered in blood, that was something to be concerned about. He felt himself relax, all the tension leaving his body. There were a few moments of silence— Nijimura staring at him with an unreadable expression. He was observing him or something, he was kind of freaking out inside. Haizaki opened his mouth to say something—anything, to somehow make it less awkward when Nijimura responded.

"Good."

Before Haizaki could wonder what that was about, a fist suddenly smacked into his face— sending him stumbling down the ground.

"What the fuck!" Haizaki yelled as ignored the pain and sat up, wincing as he wiped the blood on his now busted lip. Before he could say anything more, he was suddenly grabbed up by his collar and another punch was delivered on his face, followed by a knee to his stomach. He gasped at the pain. He staggered up, clutching his stomach. He didn't know what he did, but this was uncalled for.

"What the fuck is your problem?" He coughed out, glaring at his former captain's imposing figure. To say he wasn't terrified was a lie— he was absolutely scared shitless right now.

Nijimura just stared at him in silence.

Frustrated at the lack of answers and the sudden onslaught of undeserved violence, he growled, pushing himself off the ground to retaliate with a punch. All pain he felt was temporarily gone with all the adrenaline he was feeling. Nijimura, who predicted the move with a roll of his eyes, caught Haizaki's fist and dragged him close to him, eliciting a yelp from Haizaki.

Haizaki stared horrified as he came nearer and nearer to the older teen, his senpai's glare spoke enough— clearly he was going to die.

Haizaki closed his eyes tightly at the pain that was sure to come. And it did—came in the form of one hard headbutt that sent him reeling down the ground. He didn't even have time to get a hold of himself when he quickly got lifted up by his collar and slammed on the wall.

"What the fucking hell were you thinking?" Nijimura asked in a quiet, chilling tone, slamming him again on the wall.

Still disoriented from the beating, Haizaki could only respond with a, "Wha—?" before he was promptly kneed on his stomach. He slid and slumped down on the ground after Nijimura let him go.

"Get up!" Nijimura ordered. Haizaki quickly stood up, knowing that if he took so long he would get beat up again. This was not normal—the raven-haired teen seemed extremely angry at him. He got beat up by Nijimura before, but it was never to this extent—not to mention he was already injured.

"Answer me!" Nijimura demanded. "Why the fuck did you quit?!"

Haizaki winced. So, it was about that… He looked down at the ground, biting his lower-lip in frustration. This conversation was pissing him off. He tried to look anywhere else but at Nijimura as he spoke.

"Why do you even bother?" He muttered with a bitter tone and gritted teeth. "It's not like you're my captain anymore or something. You don't have to pretend that you actually care."

Haizaki lifted his gaze to Nijimura only to flinch at the older teen's vicious glare. He averted his gaze elsewhere and put a clenched fist inside one of his front pockets. He turned to leave when a hand gripped one of his shoulders tightly.

"Let me go." He quietly said, his voice shaking with barely controlled frustration. He shoved the hand away and continued to leave. He bit his lips as he tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. He had to go now. He didn't want to suffer anymore. He didn't want to hope that he could have something more with the older teen. Everything he wanted— everything he had…they always, always, get taken away from him. His father, his mother, his friends, his sport, his team, his regular position…He didn't want anything else to be taken away. He was tired— tired of losing everything.

Enough was enough.

Haizaki had enough. He tried to ignore all the pain he felt, both physical and emotional. He heard faint sounds of thunder and looked up at the sky. It seemed that the sky knew what he was feeling. A few drops of rain fell on his face, flinching at the stinging pain it brought. With all this turmoil, he almost forgot that he was injured.

"Wait." A voice called out making Haizaki freeze in his steps.

No…Stop…Please…

A pang of anxiety overcame him and frantically, he ran hoping to get away. He was almost out of the alley, but his injuries slowed him down and a hand caught his clothes, yanking him back and slamming him on the wall for the nth time—this time though, it was less painful. Haizaki grabbed the hand and tried to peel it off, struggling to get away.

"Let me go!" Haizaki growled and looked up to face Nijimura, who was wearing an unreadable expression. "What are you tryin—?"

Haizaki's eyes widened as a pair of lips crashed onto his. He closed his eyes tightly as he tried to push Nijimura away, hitting the other's chest with his fist, kicking him, but it seemed that Nijimura was not having any of that and just pushed his body against Haizaki's—effectively limiting his movements.

Haizaki didn't give up, he was still struggling, but the lack of air, his injuries, and his limited movements put a strain on his body as he moved, weakening his already weak state. Tears fell down his face as he tried to resist. And soon, his struggling slowly came to a stop and he could do nothing but clung to the other teen's shoulders, trembling at the sweet bliss the pleasure was giving him. Why did this have to happen? He slowly succumbed to the pleasure and kissed back. And he continued to kiss back, pouring all his frustrations, his anger, all his feelings as the rain poured down on them.

After a while, when he was sure that Haizaki wouldn't act rashly, Nijimura slowly parted from Haizaki, lips lingering for a moment. His face impassive as he watched the tears flowing down the other's face and the sobs that came out from those bruised lips. He stayed silent.

"Why…" Haizaki whispered, sobbing on Nijimura's chest as he pounded his fist on it. "Haven't I suffered enough? Why are you doing this? You don't have to care anymore. It's not like you're my captain or my friend…Just—"

"Why, you ask." Nijimura glared. "Shouldn't it be obvious by now?"

Haizaki glared weakly, eyes red from tears. "Wh-What do you mean...?"

Nijimura rolled his eyes, irritated at how dense Haizaki was.

"Idiot, I just fucking kissed you! Get it through your head! I love you!" Nijimura practically yelled. He gritted his teeth when he saw that confused expression on the other's face— like he was completely lost. Oh my fucking shit! How idiotic could he get?!

"Stop it." Haizaki quietly demanded with quivering lips. "What are you saying? Why are you saying that? Do— do you think it's funny? Playing me like this... I— Why—"

"Shut up." Nijimura interrupted with a roll of his eyes. "You clearly are an idiot, aren't you? Shouldn't it be obvious by now? I care about you a lot! Why do you think I wasted all that time finding you when you're not in practice, dragging you back to the gym, and taking care of you when you're injured?"

Haizaki stared, stunned at Nijimura's confession. It wasn't romantic—okay, it was a little romantic, only a little, it was direct to the point and was filled with verbal abuse and curses, not to mention the physical abuse he received—the confession was so…Nijimura and it made his heart beat more than it should have. It was perfect. Although, he did feel his eye twitch at the last part—the reason why he was even injured in the first place was because of him. Still, he didn't know what to think. But, if his upperclassman really felt this way then he only had one more question left unanswered.

"If you care about me as you said, then..." Haizaki furrowed his brows. "Why the fucking hell do you beat me up?!" he yelled incredulously.

"It's because you're irritating." Nijimura answered bluntly.

"What!"

"Also, it's because I know you." Nijimura said softly, a small smile on his face. "I know that you find it hard to handle your own emotions. You freak out when people are nice to you, you don't know how to handle it. It just stresses you out and in the end, you'll act violently not because you want to, but because it's the only thing you know and understand when interacting with people. Why do I beat you up? Why not? It's the language you're most comfortable with and it's the language you understand the most. Also, it's fun treating your injuries after. You have this peculiar look when I do it. Like, you don't really trust that I won't beat you up again, but you're alright with it. It's quite adorable actually." He said, a teasing smile on his face as he pecked Haizaki on the lips.

"You…" Haizaki stared at Nijimura, face red from embarrassment. He punched Nijimura on the chest, earning him a growl before he whispered, "I love you, too…." his voice fading into something inaudible.

"I know." Nijimura tilted his head to the side, a cocky, know-it-all smirk on his face.

"Shut up!" Haizaki yelled, infuriated, but inside he was smiling. He never thought that he would feel this happy before, he guessed that even he deserved something good.

"Well, now that all the crappy, corny shit is done, let's get out of the rain, shall we?" Nijimura said.

"…Umm.."

"What?" Nijimura asked, raising a brow.

"I'm injured and in pain. I don't think I can walk back home."

Nijimura felt a vein throb. "And you had the nerve to try to walk away earlier?! I'm not helping you!"


'Oh? How weak, worrying for those who don't really deserve it'

Akashi glared.

'Besides, why worry? You're the one that did that to him. In the end, no matter what I do, it was you who truly did it.'

'Oh? You're quiet because I'm correct, aren't I? After all, I'm you…'

Akashi narrowed his eyes as the voice faded with a chuckle. It was very disconcerting. He was getting stronger, he could feel it. He felt…afraid. Whenever he did something, it felt like it was him yet it was not him. The thought of slowly losing himself to his other persona—it paralyzed him. But most of all, he was afraid because his other was correct. He was him, and he was him. But, for Kuroko, he would do anything. He loved Kuroko, and he would continue to love him. He was prepared to do everything and anything just to have his lover by his side. Anything.

Akashi closed his eyes before opening them to stare at Kuroko. He continued to run a hand through his lover's hair, mind too deep in thought to notice the other stirring awake.

"Akashi-kun?" Kuroko mumbled softly, snapping said redhead out of his thoughts.

"Yes, Kuroko?" Akashi murmured quietly, his hand gently running through soft hair, trying to soothe his lover back to sleep.

"…Why are you awake? Come back to sleep…" Kuroko yawned, tugging at Akashi's hand.

"Of course…" Akashi whispered while softly chuckling at his lover's cuteness. He slid back down underneath the blanket, encircling his arms around Kuroko, who, in turn, snuggled his chest.

Akashi smiled and then, he slept.


In the end, Nijimura ended up carrying Haizaki on his back.

As they continued down the streets—nearly empty because of the harsh downpour of rain, they passed by an old lady giving them strange looks. Haizaki felt one of his eyebrows twitch.

"What! Never seen a guy riding piggy back on another guy before?!" he shouted, glaring at the lady.

The old lady stared wide-eyed at the outburst before she scampered off in fright leaving behind the two teens. Nijimura glanced back and stared deadpanned at Haizaki.

"What?!"

"…"

"What did I do?!"

"…"

"Well, she was asking for it!"

Nijimura sighed, wondering whether or not he made a right decision. He glanced back again to see the younger teen sulking and smirked.

"What did you say?" Haizaki furrowed his brows when he saw the other teen's smirk.

"Nothing." Nijimura replied with a roll of his eyes. "Don't make me drop you."

"Hey!"

Nijimura ignored Haizaki's complaints about him being an awful, sadistic boyfriend. He was too deep in his thoughts. He didn't know what to think if he didn't come earlier. It scared him, seeing Haizaki covered with cuts and blood. Thankfully though, they weren't too life threatening as long as they didn't get infected. He had an inkling on what happened, but he didn't know whether he should do something or not. Usually, these things needed to be handled carefully or else it could get worse. Still, he wasn't even a hundred percent sure. It was best to thread carefully.

It seemed that he would have to—

"Oi!" Haizaki yelled, snapping Nijimura out of his thoughts. "Are you okay? You have this weird look on your face."

"It's nothing." Nijimura shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Let's just get your wounds taken care of."

Haizaki stared worriedly before resting his head on the other's shoulder. "Whatever…" He muttered.


The ones who escaped, were they truly free?


I apologize for the lack of AkaKuro and for focusing more on NijiHai, but it's part of the plot!...maybe.

Anyway, Bokushi and Oreshi had a conversation, hmm... I actually took a risk there. I wasn't planning on them talking to each other, but for some reason I still wrote it out. Don't worry it won't happen regularly. Nijimura and Haizaki are finally together! And Nijimura is planning something.

Sorry for making Haizaki like...well, like that, but give the guy a break! He's a wreck! He deserves some love! xD

Anyway, I'll try to work on the next chapter as much as I can. We'll be following the direction of the manga...uhhh.. or not. It depends. My college is a trimester, and it's our finals soon! Like, the first week of September. But, we mostly got projects so it's like it's our finals right now! Hopefully, I'll have free time. Let's cross our fingers and hope I finish the chapter soon. I already typed a scene out, but don't get your hopes up.

SPOILERS TO THOSE WHO DON'T READ THE MANGA:

On other news, Rakuzan vs Seirin has finally ended and I've never been so disappointed in my life. Sometimes, I ask myself why I bother to get my hopes up because seriously, it was bullshit! Fujimaki-sensei, what were you thinking?! A lot of people were mad that Seirin won against Kaijou, what will people think now that they won against RAKUZAN?!

I really don't mind if Fujimaki did it like the first Touou vs Seirin game, it made the second game awesome! But, seriously?! Winning against Rakuzan?! Well, whatever. I would like to know what you think about it though

Please review and tell me what you think of the chapter! :D

Also, what did you think about the Rakuzan vs Seirin match? I'm quite curious.