A/N:

Anyone else having problems with ff .net? Or is it just me?

...

Well anyway, enjoy!


"Midorimacchi! Kurokocchi is gone!"

Midorima glanced up from the book he was reading, watching a frantic Kise run towards him. With a soft sigh, he quickly slipped a bookmark between the pages.

"So he left, as expected." Midorima hummed, carefully closing his book. He had stolen this (and many others) from the palace when he left. They were mostly books on magic creations and highly advanced spells that not many were able to cast.

"But Midorimacchi! If Kurokocchi left, we won't be able to get what we need to stop the emperor!" Kise plucked the book out of Midorima's hands, tossing it onto the couch opposite him and settle his heavy hands on Midorima's shoulders. "What do we do? We need to get him back!" Kise violently shook Midorima, whining loudly.

"Kise, stop– Oi! Kise! Let go of me!"

With a loud boom, Kise was pinned under Midorima's green web of magic. Disgruntled, Midorima adjusted his glasses as he glared down at Kise.

"Calm down. I'm going to take a look in his room."

"Eh? What for? I just checked! There's no one there."

Midorima only turned away from Kise, heading upstairs towards the room Kuroko had stayed in.

"Ah? Midorimacchi! Wait! You can't just leave me like this! Undo this magic! Midorimacchi, don't walk away!"

"…So noisy." Midorima sighed, ignoring Kise. He slowly pushed the door open, and took in the state of the room. Everything was neat; the bed was made carefully, and the window curtains neatly placed into their holders. It didn't look like someone had just recently stayed in the room at all, except for one thing.

Kuroko's bag.

At the corner of the bed, laid Kuroko's bag. A soft huff slipped past his lips as he smiled; one of satisfaction.

"Kise." Midorima called, dissolving the magic. Kise was by his side in an instant, staring into the room and back at Midorima in question.

"What is it that you're looking at, Midorimacchi?"

"Over there, look. Kuroko's bag is still here."

"Oh! I didn't notice that earlier!"

Kise happily barged into the room, picking up Kuroko's bag. "Hey, Midorimacchi, if the bag is here, does that mean that there's a chance Kurokocchi will return?"

Midorima snatched the bag from Kise, placing it on the bed carefully. He opened the bag, digging around for something. When his fingers met something cold and hard, he quickly pulled them out, together with the items.

In his hands were the black dragon scales.

"These are still here. I was watching him earlier, and he seemed oddly attached to these scales. If he treasures them that much, there is no way he would leave them behind and disappear on us." Midorima smirked.

How tempting it was to take them away and use them to control Kuroko.

But he couldn't do that.

Because he had a feeling that Kuroko might really kill him should he attempt something like that. Judging from how Kuroko seemed to have no concept of an average mage limitations, Midorima would probably be killed even after he managed to hold his own against Kuroko. Kuroko was clearly stronger than him, but how strong was he exactly, Midorima couldn't tell. It would be good to have him fight with them, rather than against them.

"Midorimacchi?"

"What?"

"…Nothing, you got all quiet for a while so…"

"It's nothing. Kuroko will be back. I can guarantee that." Midorima threw the scales into the bag, arranging them back into their original place. A soft clink had Midorima pausing, frowning as he dug around.

"What? Did you find something, Midorimacchi?"

"There's something…" Midorima pulled out his hand, blinking at the vial he held.

Kise gasped.

"What is that? The contents are all red! …It looks like blood…" Kise lightly brushed his fingers over the vial. "Why would Kurokocchi have this?"

Midorima carefully opened the vial, sniffing it.

"It's sweet. There does seemed to be a trace of iron, but the sweetness overpowers it." Midorima handed it over to Kise, who appeared equally perplexed by the scent.

Kise studied the vial with a deep frown, "It looks like blood, smells a little like blood, but why is there such a sweet smell from what appears to be blood?"

With a sudden abrupt movement, Midorima grabbed the vial back from Kise, quickly replacing its cover and stuffing it back into the bag. After nearly throwing the bag onto the ground, Midorima sprinted out of the room with Kise in tow, just in time to see Kuroko entering from the main door.

Midorima grunted softly. It was good that he had the foresight to place some hidden magic circles to detect anyone that came near their inn.

Kise let out a soft gasp and started fidgeting with his clothes before Midorima slapped his restless hands away.

"Act natural!" Midorima hissed.

Kise nodded rapidly, schooling his features into one of complete calmness.

"Kurokocchi! You're back!" Kise smiled brightly, running towards Kuroko. Kuroko blinked, looking up at Kise. He seemed strangely lost, the quiet confidence he normally had was nowhere to be found, Midorima observed. Did something happen?

"Ah, Kise-kun. Were you looking for me?" Kuroko asked.

"Yeah! But I couldn't find you!" Kise pouted.

"I see, I apologise. I went for a walk before dawn."

"Before dawn? Why did you leave so early?"

"I wanted to watch the sunrise. And to think about certain things in a quiet environment."

"Oh, then…" Kise tilted his head, studying Kuroko. "Did you manage to do what you wanted? You seem…off, Kurokocchi."

Kuroko fell silent, looking away. His eyes shifted around restlessly, but it didn't seem like he was actually seeing what was in front of him.

Midorima approached Kuroko, stopping at his side.

"Say, Kuroko."

"Hm?" Kuroko replied, glancing at Midorima but his eyes were dazed.

Adjusting his glasses, Midorima spoke carefully, "Would you like to solve a riddle?"

Kuroko blinked, his expression never changing.

"Let's say I have something that looks like blood, smells a little like blood, yet carries an overly sweet smell that contradicts the usual scent of blood. What is it?"

Kuroko tilted his head, blinking multiple times.

"Isn't that just dragon's blood?"

Kise stiffened slightly, going unnoticed by Kuroko. Turning his head, Kise's eyes met Midorima's startled ones, though he was fiddling with his glasses to quickly calm his expression. Neither of them had come into contact with dragon's blood before, it's no wonder they could not recognise what was in the vial.

Midorima coughed lightly, and then nodded. "Yes, you're correct." He mumbled.

"Do you know the uses of dragon's blood then, Kuroko?"

Kuroko turned away, eyes never settling down. It was strange, this Kuroko was too strange. He was clearly out of it, and full of openings that made both Kise and Midorima want to exploit it as much as they can.

"Kurokocchi?" Kise called gently, probing Kuroko to answer.

"Ah." Kuroko sighed, and began to talk. "Dragon's blood? It can heal wounds, even bring one back from the brink of death instantly. And drinking it when you're healthy can increase resistance to magic attacks…" Kuroko softly trailed off.

With wide eyes, Kise and Midorima stared at each other.

This was big news. Over and over again, the emperor had always warned the people that dragon's blood was highly poisonous, even a single drop could kill a mere human once ingested. And there was not a single book that talked about the benefits of dragon's blood. This was something neither of them actually expected to learn about, it was safe to say that they even believed in the emperor's words about dragon's blood, for there was no one to around who knew the truth.

Kise began tugging Kuroko towards the couch, urging him into a seat.

"Kurokocchi, sit here. You must be tired, right?"

"I'm alright." Kuroko lightly replied, but he obediently sat down. Midorima and Kise sat on either side of him, intending to squeeze out as much as they could. Though Kuroko's state was worrying, to them the need for information was currently more important.

"Kuroko, do you drink dragon's blood?" Midorima asked.

"Not really. I would if I am near death. But usually…" Kuroko tilted his head, "my body would reject it."

"Reject? Why?"

Kuroko shook his head. "I don't know. If I were to drink it too much when I'm healthy, I would start throwing up and eventually fall sick."

"Is that the reason for your strong magic then, Kurokocchi?"

"Maybe, maybe not. That brat would sometimes force me to drink his blood even when I am perfectly fine… But I do admit feeling strangely strong for a while after drinking a little."

"Brat? As in… the black dragon?"

"Mm. That brat."

"What do you mean by 'for a while'? You are not permanently stronger?"

"Yeah… It's as though someone gave me support magic. But the effects disappear within a day."

Midorima hummed thoughtfully.

"So the beneficial effects of a dragon's blood only lasts temporarily."

"No, Midorima-kun. If it did, then I would have been dead long ago. If it's only temporarily, then those brought back from near death by using their blood would still end up dying a day later. It is me…I am different. I can be brought back from death, but I can't get stronger using their blood. …That's right…It's because I am a hideous monster…"

Kuroko eyes widened, staring at nothing as he started trembling.

"Kurokocchi?"

Kise grabbed hold of Kuroko's shoulder, shaking hard.

Kuroko jolted, looking up at Kise blankly.

Midorima immediately took over, distracting Kuroko was whatever it was that he seemed to be deathly frightened by.

"Kuroko, why would a black dragon willingly give his blood to you?"

"Don't know." Kuroko shrugged, earlier reaction completely forgotten. "He gave me a lot… usually when I was dying due to extensive magic training."

"Then, Kuroko, did he perhaps, formed a contract of sorts with you?"

Kuroko blinked at Midorima.

"Contract? No, we didn't have anything like that."

"Then why would a black dragon do that? No, it's not just a black dragon. Even green dragons who are of the lowest rank would not do such a thing…"

Kuroko shrugged, his eyes beginning to droop.

"Kurokocchi?"

"Mm. I'm tired."

"Okay, take a good rest, Kurokocchi. I will bring you up to your room."

Kuroko didn't respond, his eyes closing heavily as he fell asleep.

Kise lifted Kuroko up gently, careful to not wake him. As promised, he safely brought Kuroko to his room, tucking him into bed.

Upon reaching downstairs, he was met with the sight of a worn-out Midorima massaging his temples.

Kise settled himself into the couch, sighing deeply. After a while, he spoke.

"Midorimacchi, how much do you think the knowledge we carry are false? We grew up here, we learnt of the world here. What if we were wrong…? Are we playing straight into the hands of that bastard emperor?"

"I don't know, Kise." Midorima sighed. "I don't know."

Midorima stared up at the ceiling.

"We need him. We need Kuroko. With him, he would save us from the emperor's lies. Because, by some stroke of luck, he has escaped from the emperor. We really, really need him, Kise."

Kise nodded slowly.

"Then… Do we first find out just what exactly is wrong with him? For him to easily give out any kind of information to us when he had adamantly refused to speak even a single word just the day before… Something must have happened to him during the time he was out."

"Yes, surely that must be so. Kise, you are better at this, aren't you? Get him to spill what caused his change if you can. I will watch over him, and set up some spells to help calm his mind while you ask."

"Okay. But first… Can we rest?"

"We still have some time before we patrol the area. I'll keep watch, and you can rest. We will switch later."

"Thanks, Midorimacchi."

"Hurry up and sleep."


Four days.

Four days had passed since Kuroko started acting weird. Kise and Midorima were both at a loss of what to do. Though Kuroko responded to their questions with such scarily innocent honesty, his eyes bore a faraway look in them.

Perhaps that was putting it too nicely.

Rather than 'faraway', the best way to describe him was 'dead'. He would eat if Kise fed him, but once left alone, he would only close his eyes and sleep for long hours. His reactions were more based on instincts than anything else.

Kise may pull weird faces or attempt to tell Kuroko numerous jokes, and Kuroko would sometimes present the appropriate reaction; a smile.

But it was a completely empty smile that chilled Kise to the bone.

And to make matters worse, Kuroko would shut himself away whenever Kise tried to get him to talk about the day he had left to go outside on his own. Kise was used to human relations, dealing with smitten ladies and jealous men was an easy feat. But Kuroko's current state was one that Kise had no experience in at all.

A walking, talking human doll.

Say the wrong commands and it shuts down on you.

Kise sighed, stretching out his limbs. He threw his head back, staring up at his room's ceiling.

"Damn, what is it that I need to do to get him to talk? And Midorimacchi is not even helping me!" He moaned pitifully.

Tousling his hair in frustration, Kise flung himself onto his bed, screaming into his pillow. Turning his head to the side, Kise stared at the sky filled with bright stars through his open window.

"Kurokocchi… Just what is it that caused you to be like this?"


The loud, piercing roar of a dragon ripped through the silent night, sending both Midorima and Kise jumping out of their beds and racing straight for the door.

A sword was clutched tightly in Kise's hand as he scanned the area outside their inn.

Midorima was alert as well, though he was rapidly processing the roar he had heard. Minutes passed and nothing else happened. Kise softly exhaled as they both retreated back into the inn.

"What was that?" Kise grunted.

Midorima hummed. "Did you noticed, Kise? The sound did not come from the direction of the palace. Though there are countless dragons living away from the palace, that roar bore a deep, gravel like tone to it. It is a characteristic of high-ranked dragons. In other words, only white and black dragons."

Kise flinched. He did not like either of those dragons. They were too troublesome to deal with.

Midorima headed to the kitchen as Kise sank into a couch, dispelling his sword.

With the sword gone, an earring appeared on his left ear. This was a special magic created by that person, where their weapons are hidden within simple accessories. This way, they could carry their weapons on them at all times, even at areas where weapons were prohibited.

Kise's was in the form of an earring, while Midorima's was a thin ring.

Kise sighed, but before he could close his eyes, Midorima returned and promptly shoved a hot cup of tea into his face. Kise yelped, grasping the cup tightly while his other hand massaged his burning cheek.

They quietly sipped at their hot drinks for a moment before Kise spoke.

"Midorimacchi…"

"What?"

"You know, when we questioned Kurokocchi a few days ago… Didn't he call the black dragon a 'brat'?"

"Hm. He did."

"Kurokocchi addressed such a fearsome dragon in a manner that no one else would even dare to think of… And that roar we heard just now, do you think there is a relation?"

Midorima paused, frowning hard.

"Perhaps, there may be. There are too many black dragons out there for us to assume that that may be the dragon Kuroko was talking about. It might just be a random black dragon. And to add to that, I am not too knowledgeable in regards to all the different sounds and calls a dragon makes, so it's a very difficult question to answer."

Just as Kise was about to reply however, the door the Kuroko's room slammed open and within seconds, Kuroko was outside the inn, staring at an unknown direction.

Kise nearly dropped his cup on himself in his haste to stop Kuroko. Midorima was already chanting, and thin tendrils of green magic lightly curled around Kuroko. They were not meant to hurt, just to restrain. It would be dangerous to head out at this time of the night.

"Kurokocchi! Wait! What is it?"

Kuroko clearly ignored Kise's presence as he took a few more steps out of the inn. Midorima's magic was straining around Kuroko as they attempted to hold him back. But Kuroko took no heed of them and instead, kept turning his head from left to right, searching the dark skies.

"Kurokocchi!" Kise encircled his arm around Kuroko's shoulders, trying to tug him back into the inn. "Kurokocchi, it's dangerous to leave at night. And you're not even wearing shoes!"

Kuroko struggled hard against Kise, soft whines spilling from his lips.

"Kurokocchi! Let's go back inside, okay?" Kise pleaded, though it fell on deaf ears.

"Kise! Get him back in quickly before the Dark Creatures picks up the scent of a human being!"

"I'm trying! He won't listen to me!"

Midorima hissed in frustration, adding more green ropes of magic to stop Kuroko. He was not going to take the chance of creating a block in front of Kuroko, for that might cause him to feel trapped and he might end up using deadly magic to destroy both of them.

"Kurokocchi! Let's go back!" Kise desperately dragged Kuroko backwards. "Come on, Kurokocchi! There's nothing there!"

Like a switch, Kuroko suddenly stopped struggling. Kise's eyes widened at the change, but he quickly took that opportunity to bring them back into the safety of the inn. Just in time too, for the very second he shut the main door, countless shadows sprang up and the soft growls of the Dark Creatures could be heard.

They will not be able to touch the inn covered with Midorima's protective magic.

Kise sighed, collapsing from relief.

"Kuroko?"

Midorima made his way to where Kise was, with Kuroko still collapsed on top of him. He lowered himself down to look at Kuroko, gently lifting his face. Kuroko's blue eyes were vacant and lifeless. Midorima frowned. He lifted a hand to Kuroko's forehead.

It was hot.

Kuroko had a fever.

But that did not concern Midorima as much as the turmoil in Kuroko. He could sense a mess of emotions, swirling around, unable to settle down. He easily picked up on the stronger ones like anger and disgust. It would be bad for Kuroko to remain like this.

Yanking off the bandages around his hand, he rested his palm on Kuroko's forehead once more. Midorima's palm glowed a soft green as he tried to calm Kuroko.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as his lips set into a deep frown. But it still wasn't enough. Usually, an average human only needed about this much of healing magic. But Kuroko was like an endless abyss; it was as though he wasn't human. With a frustrated click of his tongue, Midorima started the chant for the healing spell he hated to use.

A large green complex magic circle appeared beneath them. As the words for the spell spilled from his lips, the magic circle started to glow. Little balls of green light floated up from the glowing circle, enveloping Midorima as the rest of the green light began disappearing into Kuroko's body.

Eventually, he managed to restrain most of Kuroko's swirling emotions, pushing them back using his magic. He then proceeded to feed him peaceful, relaxed energy in a steady stream. He also brought down the fever at the same time.

Kuroko's eyes fluttered, and closed.

Soon enough, he was in a deep sleep.

Midorima lifted his hand away from Kuroko's forehead, ending the spell. He stumbled towards the couch, falling back into it.

"Are you alright, Midorimacchi?" Kise asked, watching Midorima worriedly.

Midorima just grunted in reply.

"Midorimacchi?"

"I will be fine. That technique just exhausted me, that's all."

Kise was clearly unconvinced, but he didn't probe any further. He knew that healing technique was one that Midorima hated to use, though he did not know the full extent of the price Midorima had to pay for using it. He silently shifted to stand, hold Kuroko carefully.

"I'll bring him up." Kise said.

Midorima opened an eye, and with a wave of his hand, he cleaned up the dirtied soles of Kuroko's feet.

Kise smiled a little. If Midorima still had the ability to cast other magic – no matter how simple it was – that must mean that he was alright. Kise could actually cast something that simple, but Midorima was a step faster than he was.

Feeling a little more relieved, Kise lightly climbed the stairs.


It's painful, so painful.

Suffocating.

Where am I? It hurts, it hurts. There's no exit, I can't leave.

Enough already, please release me from this pain.

Drowning. I'm drowning; there's no light.

Why am I here? For what purpose am I still living for? I don't have anything…

There's no one who needs me, no one who wants me.

I don't belong anywhere.

Should I disappear like this?

It would be good if I can just leave everything behind.

Yes, there isn't any need for me to continue like this.

Just like this, I will close my eyes. I will block my ears. Envelope my entire being with this agonizing darkness, and go to sleep.

That…

What was that? There was a strange noise.

Ah… That sound, what a nostalgic sound. Where have I heard it before? Though it sounded slightly different from the one in my memories, but I know this sound.

That's right, this sound. I remember; that is a roar. The roar of a dragon.

Where… Where is it? My dragon, where is it?

Only the dragon would stay by me, loyal and unwavering. I may be an unneeded child, a being that should not exist. But only the dragon would understand me, stay with me, watching me through pure, untainted eyes. I will not be judged no matter what I may be.

How could I have forgotten?

I still have you.

…Yes, together, we will live together once more. Within that gentle expense of greenery, a peaceful world with just me and the dragon. That is the only place where I can belong.

Once more, once more.

To go back to that time…

Where is the dragon? I must find it quickly.

The sound earlier, where did it come from? Quickly, quickly, follow after it.

Where is my dragon?

"Kurokocchi, it's dangerous to leave at night. And you're not even wearing shoes!"

Who are you? Let go of me, don't stop me. I need to find my dragon. Only the dragon would accept all of me. This anguish is consuming me, I can't breathe.

"Kurokocchi! Let's go back!"

No, no I can't. I need to find…

"Come on, Kurokocchi!"

Stop it! Let go of me!

"There's nothing there!"

Ah, that's right. Nothing, there's nothing there. You're not there. My dragon, did you abandon me too? Why haven't you come to me? Do you not need me anymore? Am I only a nuisance to you now?

"Kuroko?"

Enough, stop calling me. I don't want to do this anymore. This hurt, this pain. This suffocating emotions, I can't free myself from them. There's no one…

…What's this? What a strange green light.

Ah, it's receding. The pain is slowly, slowly, going away.

Pushing everything away, filling me with such warmth.

Ahh. Finally, finally…

I can breathe.

Such a soothing green light; whose is it? Who is the one helping me?

This gentle energy…

…Thank you.


T.B.C