Update time: 21:56 7/29

Warning: Unbeta-ed


Breathe.

A deep inhale. It felt like the last time he had breathed was long ago. His throat and his respiratory tracts felt wider and looser it made him want t o swallow a big gasp of air into his lungs. It could cause him a great pain in his chest, but it was worth it. He needed that.

He could breathe freely. Damn, he always had been able to, but now it felt so different. It was starting to terrify him, feeling so strange and touched about every least thing he once did and now it seemed so new to him. The first time he had opened his eyes in the hospital, his vision was blurry and his eyes were sore like it was the first time he was using his them. No matter how much he had blinked and tried to clear his sight, the watery layer kept making the white scene in front of his eyes unclear. Still his mind had managed to capture Kuroko-cchi and Kasamatsu-senpai's faces looking down at him somewhere safe and remembered. Back then, he couldn't understand why he was down, and why the two were looking down to see him. But the next few times he had opened his eyes to see no one he knew other than a couple of nurses that came to check on him and leave right after, he had figured that he was in a hospital. Some of the nurses would sometimes talk to him with a warm smile, ask him if he was feeling any better even though he couldn't talk yet. But even those warm smiles or greetings were not enough to soothe the loss feeling he was surrounded by…

The first time he got to utter his first words, shaky and unclear, he had asked one of the nurses why he was there. She had answered him with a sorrowed and sorry look in her face, and it had been there where he had found out about the car accident. The nurse had left, not letting him ask anything further. But the next time he had gotten the chance to enounce his words, more accurate and understandable, he had asked about his family. The first nurse he asked about that from, claimed that non of the blond's family members had been in her duty to check on, so she was totally uninformed. But the next couple nurses that had been asked about the same thing, promised to get some information about them for him. Although, for some reason, the nurses that checked him regularly, were never the same as the ones he had met before. And not to mention each time he tried to make an attempt to talk he got so exhausted that he fell asleep right away, not even getting the opportunity to try moving his muscles other than the ones that supported his jaw.

He tried to exhale, and got surprised by how easily and softly the air flowed in his breathing ducts. It sometimes made a burning feeling in his chest, but it still felt good to breathe smoothly. Oh… the conduit was no longer in his mouth and throat, as the nurse that he had met yesterday had promised him. Through the three days since his first time of wake, the conduit had helped him breathe. He had gotten used to the awful tightness it made in his mouth because without it, breathing could get even harder than how it was for him now, maybe even impossible. But now it was no longer there, and this tiny change made him feel hopeful and refreshed.

He was awake. But his lids felt so heavy and persistent to keep his eyes covered. Though he wanted to open them. Because since he had seen Kuroko-cchi and his captain beside his bed there had no familiar faces appeared again in the room. He had started to wonder if he had really seen those two or if it had been just an illusion. But Kise Ryouta was too far from giving up on hope, even with the situation he had. He needed to know. About his family. And their wellbeing. He needed to know. Even if trying to utter his words as clear as he could, meant using all the energy he had to save for his body to get healed. And so he wished for familiar faces. Familiar faces weren't the ones that made you hopeless. They would definitely help you. Kuroko-cchi would definitely help him. Kasamatsu-senpai would definitely help him. They would get him news of his family…

The keen light that pierced through his now parted eyelids, passes his iris and hit his retina straightly. The same sore he felt the first time his lids uncovered his eyes was now back in them, making him shut his eyes close. Were the lights in the room brighter than the last time he woke up?... Maybe... But maybe he had just slept longer than the last times, and so his eyes once more needed time to get used to… lights.

As he tried to open his eyes once again, he felt a sudden warmth on top of his face, there… on his bandaged forehead. The warmth was strange. It contained a softness. And it was landed widely on his forehead. Not too heavy to bring him in pain, and not too light to stay unnoticed. Just like a… palm?

"Kise?..."

Kise…

Kise?...

"You don't need to open your eyes if it bothers,"

The words started spinning in his mind, the voice ringing in his ears. He kept his eyes closed, not making any more attempt to open them. Now he needed his ears and sense of hearing more. Was it… the voice of a familiar face he just heard?...

"…I know you're awake."

I know you're awake…

He knows he's awake…

'Talk more please!' He mentally shouted, not that he could really do it. He knew the voice. He needed to make sure of it. He needed the guy to talk more so he could make sure that he was awake and he was not just dreaming of… Kagami-cchi's voice…

'Talk to me please…' He begged. It couldn't be just a dream now that his hopes had gotten to their climax. He could not end up with opening his eyes and seeing the same white ceiling of the room, lonely and desperate. Not now that he had found life and light in that voice. A mixture of heat and burning sensation annoyed his eyes as he felt them getting more and more wet, until he felt his face being brushed.

"Hey… It's alright, we're here for you,"

It didn't help, not at all. It just made him fear more about it being a fading dream. More tears pushed their way out of his closed eyes.

"You're such a crybaby even at a time like this…" The voice softened, a small bubble of humor added in it. He felt the warmth move down to his right eye, brush the corner of it and lower on the right side of his face, then stop there. Another feeling on his left shoulder informed him of it being lightly gripped and caressed as the harsh light that was awaiting his eyes behind his eyelids lessoned. He couldn't wait anymore. If it was a dream, he wanted it to be gone right that instant, and if it was reality, he wanted to greet it with his own eyes… right that instant. He carefully, slowly opened his eyes… and they caught the sight of a tanned man slightly hovering his head down.

"Ao-Aomine… cchi!" His voice turned out into a cracked whisper. So finally God had granted his wish. The familiar faces were showing up.

"Yo." Aomine-cchi grinned. It wasn't a real grin, it was small, shadowed, and pained. Still, it was a grin.

Not that he had gotten hopeless, Aomine-cchi was one of those familiar faces he had wished to see. But… Why was he hearing Kagami-cchi's voice?

Feeling the warmth on the right side of his face being removed, he painfully and very slightly moved his head to his right side, spotting firstly Kaijou's captain an then… Kagami-cchi standing on the right side of the bed.

"S-senpai… Kagami-cchi…" Tears began to flow on his skin once more.

"Come on, you spoiled brat." There was a little smile on the red head's face as well. But at least it seemed more genuine than Aomine-cchi's. The tanned guy's hand on his left shoulder started caressing soothingly again. It helped Kise to hold the tears back, gather his strength in his throat and shove out his words in a low and weak voice. He looked back at Aomine-cchi.

"What… ha.. happened… to my fa… fami..ly?"

Aomine-cchi's expression worsened. His left arm that was hanging loose on the side of his body now raised to scratch the back of his head. "Your family… you ask…" His eyes escaped the honey orbs filled with need and appeal. At first he stared at somewhere at the end of the room. But then, like it took his life out of his body to do so, his sight landed on Kagami-cchi intimately.

Their eyes entangled together for seconds before Kagami-cchi looked at the senpai, but what Kasamtsu senpai did much to Kise's surprise, was to tighten his fists and murmur a "I can't…" with gritted teeth and dropped head. Kagami-cchi sighed, deep, long and exasperated. Then he tilted his head lower to catch Kise's eyes. What the blond saw in his face was… morn. Did he ever mentioned to God that the familiar faces he had wished for never had such a… scary expression?

"I'm sorry, Kise…"


Akashi was standing. Straight and firm. His thoughts were arranged, his plans were made, his face was calm,… but his heart was burning. He couldn't believe what he had done. Was it him to always worry over Tetsuya's health? Was it him to always care for Atsushi's improper meals? Was it him to always think of Ryouta's overworking? Was it him to always care about the high schools Daiki or Shintaro attended?

So what on earth had he pushed that awfully heavy responsibility off his own shoulders and to his former teammates'?

Akashi was a coward, that was what he now believed. He had never done something worse than what he had done to those guys and specially Daiki. It was shameful. So shameful it could be published as the head title in newspapers and magazines: Akashi Seijouro has turned to a disaster and a shame to his family by RUNNIN AWAY.

What everyone believed was that what Akashi had brought up between those guys who wanted to take care of Ryouta had been the best and worst way to decide for the matter. But what Akashi himself believed was that he was a coward… Because despite what everyone thought, the reason behind what he had done was that… he had gotten tired; Of being the first one to tolerate the worst things. He had been the first one that was informed about the accident, he had been the first one to hear about Ryouta's family's death, he had been the first one to get to know about the problem Ryouta will have after his wake. He was just fed up with it and he knew that there won't be any volunteers to tell Ryouta about his family, and he didn't want to be the first one for that…

He walked toward the glass window, where the three rivals were handling the burden he had put on them. He regretted that in no time…

Ryouta was staring at Kagami Tiaga, his body was tense, his eyes were wide. So wide it pained Akashi's heart. His face was so pale, almost as pale as the first time they saw him on the bed after the surgery when he had lost much blood. Soon after, he could hear the guys shouting "Kise! Oi Kise! Breathe! Come on mate Breathe out!". The crimson haired teen cured himself mentally, and when he was done, he started cursing whatever he saw or thought of. The doctor and the nurses that were standing outside to manage any coming problems, rushed in and pushed the teens out.

Akashi shut his eyes, wondering if he wanted to kill the one who had told Ryouta about his family, or the one that had caused the car accident, or… himself. Tetsuya, Shintaro and Atsushi who were standing behind looked at Akashi and then at the teens that left the room. Akashi for a second wished to be invisible like Tetsuya…

Aomine-kun rushed away and left the area as he came out of the room. Kuroko just stared at his back. He wanted to follow him, tell him it was alright and cradle him the way the tanned guy had done the same through all that time that Kuroko was trying to get used to the condition and get back his balance. But he also knew that Aomine-kun needed to take his time in private as much as he wanted at times like that. The Kaijou members had surrounded the captain, probably murmuring comforting words to him and giving him supportive hands.

Kuroko looked back, at where Kagami-kun had walked to and sat right after exiting the room. The ace's head was dropped, his hands forcefully covering his face. The bluenette walked closer, careful and watchful to see if he wasn't supposed to do so. His current light seemed to be having hard time, and he didn't want to let him be in that state, alone. He walked closer, and silently sat next to Kagami-kun. His hand raised, and hesitantly landed on the red head's shoulder patting it warmly. Kagami-kun's body was rembling. He flinched Kuroko's touch at first, but then his hands moved up and his fingers merged in his hair, clutching it hardly, and Kuroko saw his damp face and widen eye…

"Kagami-kun…"

The next thing Kuroko understood, was Kagami's head pushing on his shoulder…


A/N: Hey guys! It seems that I finally got to update sooner than before! I'm so happy!

So many thanks and much regard to the people who reviewed the last chapter:

Victorious-Mind, AlexCub, TheOtakuMageofAwsomeness, prettylittleliers, Bloody Rose 16, and other lovely readers who have reviewed for most of the chapters! My senscerest thanks will be announced to them in later chapters!

Thank you all for reading, look forward to the next chapter!

Later!