Special Thanks to my wonderful beta and amazing friend Roselilia for helping me edit this chapter and for having limitless patience and understanding in dealing with me and my mistakes, and also a huge thanks to all of you readers out there for your continuous support. I hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter as much as we enjoy bringing it out to you all.
Chapter 9 – A Dying Reunion
"Kise-kun" Kuroko repeated the words while slightly shaking his familiar's arm, who had regained his senses and turned to look towards Kuroko with an apologetic smile that seemed somewhat stiff.
"Oh… right, sorry I got distracted for a minute there."
Kuroko wasn't convinced by Kise's excuse and frowned a little before deciding to inquire about the latter's whispered words just before.
"Are you ok? And what were you-" Kuroko never got to finish his sentence when a loud scream broke out from the crowds at the front.
All four of them got up from their seats while trying to see through the throngs of people that were currently yelling in panic and fighting to get out of the room in that instant.
"Fuck!" Kagami exclaimed loudly before tearing the mask off his face while trying to see the obscured view through the mass of crowds and darkness of the room.
Kuroko and his familiars followed by taking their masks off their faces and immediately shuffled out of their seat row, trying to break past the countless people fighting to go the opposite way towards the exit.
Kagami ran closely behind while cursing under his breath at the current mess of their situation.
This wasn't looking too good and from what he could see and feel of the gem from the distance, if there is a demon residing inside of it; it's going to be as powerful as Kise or Midorima, or maybe even more.
Eventually they manage to break free after shuffling and dodging past the obstacles and immediately stopped short in their tracks once they get close enough to see what's happening.
There was dark liquid pooling down on the floors, even in the darkness they could tell that it was blood staining the carpets. A man was lying still on his stomach while his face was morphed into one of shock and agony. He was trembling from the blood loss and even Kuroko could tell that the man didn't have long left to live.
Their gazes turned simultaneously towards the auctioneer instead who was standing next to the man with a sickening grin on his face while his eyes were glowing with madness. Insanity was reeking out from his entire being and in his hands was the dagger stained with the red liquid dripping from the tip of the blade.
Kuroko frowned deeply at the scene in front of him; this man has been completely consumed by the demonic aura from that dagger and they needed to detain him and separate him from that gem before anything else happened.
The auctioneer turned his gaze towards the four of them while still having a crazed smile plastered on his lips.
"This dagger is mine, and mine only! I'll cut and slice through anyone who wants to separate it from me!" He hissed the words out and cackled in a shrill voice dripping with malice.
Kagami clicked his tongue with annoyance, not only they have a murder case on their hands and now they also need to detain this insane man.
The auctioneer then charged towards them while cackling loudly like a maniac, intent on stabbing whoever was standing close enough to him.
Kise went and shielded Kuroko from the dangers in front of them while Midorima moved quickly and was about to shoot one of his arrow beams aiming it towards the man's hands to make him drop the dagger and separate him from the demonic influence within the sapphire.
His task got interrupted though when a woman suddenly came out from the shadows and gave the auctioneer a swift chop on the neck that immediately immobilized him and made him drop to the ground.
The woman slowly bent down to pick up the dropped dagger and cradled it in her hands before turning and gazing towards the four of them with her magenta orbs.
For a moment Kagami thought that they would have another insane demon influenced person on their hands, however the eyes that stared at their direction seemed composed and somewhat calculating.
The woman smiled towards the four of them before taking her mask off with one of her hands revealing a petite and attractive face framed by rose coloured locks.
Kagami immediately recognized the woman as the one he bumped into at the banquet within the party earlier. He was about to call out to her to stay away from the dagger before she became consumed by the constantly growing demonic aura surrounding it, when Kise suddenly stepped forward and levelled a clouded gaze that revealed his inner turmoil at seeing the mysterious woman.
"Momo-cchi…" Kise spoke with a low and uncertain voice while the pink haired woman turned her gaze towards Kise. Her eyes widened in slight surprise before narrowing down into a somewhat friendly gaze.
"Ki-chan, it's been a while." She spoke with a hint of familiarity in her voice towards the blond demon who seemed somewhat conflicted at the current development.
"Yeah, it has been a long time." Kise said with a nostalgic sad smile on his face.
Kuroko and Kagami widened their eyes in shock at the current scene in front of them while Midorima narrowed his eyes with apprehension at the fact that the blonde knew of the woman in front of them. He also suspected that Kise knew more about the dagger and the gem than he let on.
Kagami decided to voice out his bewilderment towards the two acquaintances.
"Wait, you two knew each other? And lady, you need to stay away from that dagger and hand it over to us, it's dangerous and you might turn out like that guy." Kagami explained with all seriousness within his voice as he gestured towards the auctioneer near the bottom of her feet while locking his gaze towards her.
The woman smiled before she giggled with amusement tinting her voice as she gazed straight at the redhead with her magenta orbs.
"Oh my, you're a kind person aren't you, but you don't need to worry about me, after all…" The woman's silvery and light voice dropped an octave lower while her gaze turned rather predatory as a demonic presence seemed to surround her entire being, revealing her true nature towards the four of them.
Kagami and Kuroko immediately took a defensive stance while Midorima narrowed his eyes towards the woman in front of them, preparing to act in case the worst happened.
Kise hardened his gaze as he raised his hand in a silent request while staring straight at the woman's magenta orbs.
"Momo-cchi, I need you to hand over that dagger to me, you know how dangerous he is if he ever awakens into this world once again." Kise spoke towards the woman with an unusual grave seriousness in his voice to which she returned with a pained look for a moment before straightening her expression back to its indifferent mask.
"You know I can't do that Ki-chan, besides the seal won't even break in the first place if not for these humans interfering and taking what isn't theirs. Now, if you'll excuse me I shall take my leave before anything else happens and before he wakes up." She said as she turned to walk past them towards the entrance. Kise immediately moved to block her way while Kuroko and Midorima stood firm in their place preparing to resort towards violence if needed be.
"We can't let you do that Momo-cchi." Kise spoke with a serious tone while his amber eyes remains locked onto her magenta ones.
Kagami's hands immediately went to his silver bracelet while keeping his gaze locked on the woman in front of them as he summoned his familiar.
"I call upon thee, he of the netherworld and spawn of the Devil, heed my call and appear upon my words, Draco."
A bright light shone throughout the entire place until it faded down, revealing Himuro who immediately went to stand beside his master while preparing for battle.
The pink haired woman then widened her eyes with feigned surprise before smiling as if she wasn't at all perturbed by the appearance of Kagami's familiar.
"Oh, so you're a summoner, no wonder I felt something weird when I bumped into you at the party earlier. Well then, I guess I have get serious now." The woman's eyes glowed within the dim lighting of the room as the demonic aura that surrounded her seemed to intensify in return.
Kagami and Kuroko widened their eyes with alarm while Midorima, Kise and Himuro stood in front of their masters protectively.
"I'll ask you one more time, move out of my way." The pink haired woman stood with a cold expression that befitted her chilling tone.
"Momo-cchi, please we don't have to do this, just give us the dagger." Kise tried to convince the woman one last time, even though he already knew what her answer will be.
"Sorry Ki-chan, you leave me with no choice." The woman said as she raised her hands, creating tendrils of whip like beams that lashed out towards the five of them with incredible speed.
Kise blocked her attacks by forming a shield on time while Midorima parried by shooting his arrow beams to counter her whips.
Himuro stood in front of Kagami while forming a shield of his own that managed to stop her attacks as well.
Kuroko and Kagami were feeling quite restless by this development. While they knew they were in no immediate danger since their familiars were strong enough to protect them, they were rather frustrated at the fact that they couldn't do anything at the moment to help counter the attacks the woman was throwing at them.
They were basically useless without their proper equipment and weapons with them, and that didn't make them feel any better about the escalating situation at hand.
The woman kept lashing her light whips in their direction while Midorima and Kise parried and dodged the attacks swiftly, shielding Kuroko in the process with absolute caution. Himuro and Kagami stood farther from the woman's direction therefore the attacks weren't as intense on their side and were easier to block.
Midorima suddenly narrowed his eyes as he saw an opening and started to form a light beam to shoot it directly at the woman's head from behind her, however the woman moved just seconds before the light beam managed to hit her.
She turned her eyes towards Midorima and narrowed her calculative gaze dangerously while smiling with a sense of comprehension in her expression.
Midorima furrowed his brows deeply while returning her gaze with a fierce one of his own.
"Woman, how did you dodge my attack just now? It is the first time I've seen someone escaping cleanly without parrying with a shield." Midorima uttered the words with a disgruntled and curious tone. The woman smiled wider in return as she tilted her head while acting as if she were trying to choose the right words.
"Well, let's just say it's a woman's intuition." She replied towards his inquiry with an amused and secretive tone. Midorima was not pleased nor was he convinced of her answer towards his question.
Kise entered the conversation as he stared straight at the woman's magenta eyes while explaining to the rest of them.
"Momo-cchi, I mean Momoi Satsuki, is a demon that specializes in analysing the opponent's strengths and weaknesses, her true ability lies in the fact that she can predict the future, which means she can see and dodge our attacks before it actually happens." Kise said as he narrowed his gaze while Momoi's innocent smile turned into a wicked one.
"Well Ki-chan, I'm glad you still remember me from the old days, however, I have no more time to waste with you all." Momoi's voice became colder as she started to form more light tendrils and aimed them towards her opponents with a speed much greater than before.
While her appearance seemed to be misleadingly pleasant and gentle, Momoi Satsuki was not to be taken light of. Her fast attacks combined with her future insight has made her an opponent to be feared.
Kise and Midorima had no problems in parrying and dodging her attacks, however their counter options were also painstakingly limited since they had to ensure Kuroko's safety. At the same time, they also had to make sure that their attacks won't damage their surroundings too much since they were on a ship at that moment and one careless move could be fatal for all of them on board.
Kagami and Himuro tried their best to help with the situation but they were also quite restricted in their course of action since Himuro wasn't as strong or fast as Midorima and Kise in shielding them from the pink head's attacks and Kagami didn't have his weapons with him at that moment.
All in all, the entire situation didn't appear advantageous for them at that moment, neither side was doing any damage to the other and they were both equally matched.
Kuroko knew he was only being a burden towards his familiars as they tried their best to apprehend the dagger from Momoi while protecting him from harm at the same time. He needed to figure out how to be able to make use of himself while also contemplating a way to bring advantage to their side fast.
Kuroko considered Momoi's ability using his sharp skills of observance. While Momoi's attacks were not as lethal as Kise's Perfect Copy or Midorima's arrow beams they were still quite deadly if combined with her future sight and considerable speed.
He needed to find a way to immobilize Momoi's future insight somehow, since that was what's really hampering their efforts at the moment. From what he could see, Momoi's insight ability worked on any attacks thrown at her, but even so, sometimes she would throw a shield out just to block some attacks from hitting her, but why?
Normally Kuroko would attribute it to Midorima and Kise's speed being much faster than hers, and so she couldn't help but throw a shield out, but that didn't make any sense. It's not like she wasn't moving fast enough to dodge the limited sets of attacks thrown at her, and she only ever did it when Kise decided to replicate Midorima's arrow beams and aim it at her in succession after Midorima's attacks.
Kuroko's eyes widened as a certain realization dawned upon him. 'That's it!' he had found the loophole to Momoi's ability, now he just needed to get the message across towards Midorima and Kise somehow without the pink haired demon knowing, and that's where the hard part was.
What on earth could he possibly say or do in this situation to convey the whole idea to both his familiars who were busy with protecting his life while fighting the woman that couldn't know of his plan. It was a ludicrous task but he had to do it somehow, and after mulling his ideas for a while he only had one option left, he wasn't sure if it's going to work but it is worth trying.
Kuroko stayed directly behind his familiars and turned his back towards the battle happening in front of them while touching his bracelet as inconspicuously as possible. He tried to be subtle and utilize his lack of presence to bring attention away from himself as much as he could. Faint enchantments rolled of his tongue and past his barely moving lips in a feather soft whisper.
Kuroko fully concentrated on what he was doing and he didn't have time for distractions, especially since this current spell was one of his weakest points. If everything else failed he was going to blame Kagami for it, since the redhead was the one who had the gall to invite him out to skip their class during the lecture when the spell was being taught.
'I swear I'm going to give him a massive scare once we get out of this alive, or maybe just drop Nigou off to his house for a couple of days and see how that work-' Kuroko's fleeting thoughts were interrupted when he felt another voice echoed through his mind as his finished the last words of the spell.
'Kuroko-cchi?' The voice had called, and Kuroko immediately wiped his thoughts clean of anything else other than the message he wanted to convey to the both of them.
'Listen well both of you, I found a way around Momoi-san's precognition ability. I'm not sure if this is going to work but I want you both to try it out.' Kuroko revealed his thoughts and waited for a response, just to make sure they understood what he was thinking at that moment.
'Continue.' Midorima's voice echoed through his mind in confirmation and so Kuroko went on with revealing his plan to his familiars.
'Basically, I want the both of you to attack her at the same time, however bring her attention towards one of you only and don't let her know there's another attack coming.' Kuroko finished his sentence and paused before he prepared for his next instructions.
'The way her precognitive ability works is that she is able to see the immediate future of your actions. However she can only predict one future at a time and therefore she will only be able to anticipate a single attack within an exact moment. So if she has already predicted Kise-kun's attacks she cannot see into the future of Midorima-kun's attacks at the same time.' Kuroko finished relaying his thoughts over to his familiars and waited for their response. Midorima was the first to react as he then broke the silence between their telepathic communications.
'Understood, I shall try to divert her attention towards me.' Midorima delivered his thoughts with a decisive tone. Kise cut in soon after and also gave his affirmative as to their next course of action.
'Okay, I'll attack her from behind at the same time. I'll follow your lead Midorima-cchi!' Even in his thoughts Kise still maintained his cheerful and sing song voice, just how he managed that Kuroko didn't know.
'Hmph, just don't get in my way.' Midorima replied with his own thoughts in a tone that left no room for arguments.
Kuroko smiled slightly before he broke his concentration in maintaining the spell and cut off their communication. He slowly turned around again while trying to look past the broad shoulders of his familiars towards Momoi.
She wasn't making it easy for them, and somehow her attacks seemed to get faster and faster, but from what he could see from within the distance her gaze seemed somewhat worried and desperation was marring her features.
'Just what is her purpose in doing this?' Kuroko wondered to himself, however he had no time to think about the answer, and so he dismissed his thoughts and turned to look towards the intense battle that was happening in front of him with cautious eyes.
Kise and Midorima were moving fast while dodging and parrying the attacks Momoi had whipped out towards them. However Midorima then raised his speed as he prepares his arrow beams to shoot at the woman from various angles.
Momoi looked unperturbed at the attacks that were going to be thrown at her; instead she threw out a shield while shifting her position to avoid the main point of the concentrated arrow beams.
It was looking good for her as she dodged the attacks entirely, but what she didn't expect was for another set of arrow beams to shoot from directly behind where her shield didn't cover her.
Momoi turned her head at the attack with wide eyes, she knew it was coming but it was too late for her to move anywhere else or create a barrier to shield herself. She closed her eyes as she felt the impact of the beams hitting her shoulders and legs.
Momoi's body dropped and rolled on top of the ground as she shut her eyes tightly over the pain coursing through her wounded legs and shoulders. Even without seeing she knew that the damage inflicted was quite serious and won't be healing as fast as usual.
She still hadn't given up though. No, she wouldn't give up, she thought as she held the dagger tightly within her hands and brought it closer towards her body, determined to protect it even if it costed her own life in the process.
Kise and Midorima approached the fallen woman with caution in their steps. While they were glad that Momoi was now subdued, they also knew that the woman wouldn't give up so easily, it went against a demon's prideful nature to do so.
Momoi turned her eyes towards the both of them while glaring with an intensity that spoke of her strength and unbreakable will. She was not going to hand the dagger over to them and she would fight until the end to protect it.
Kise stopped short in his steps as he looked at her, his gaze brimming with regret and sorrow. Midorima stood next to him while observing the both of them with something akin to curiosity and wariness within his eyes. He didn't know what kind of past the two shared but if it would get in the way of their mission of securing the dagger then he would not hesitate to end her in Kise's place.
"Momo-cchi, please just give us the dagger, I don't want to have to do this to you." Kise said with warning and something akin to hesitation within his voice. Momoi only shook her head slightly with resolution and regret also marring her features.
Midorima only narrowed his eyes at their exchange, he had reached the limits of his patience as he then stepped forward and decided to end their prolonged fight.
"You're taking too long, I'm ending this battle." Midorima said as he aimed his hands out towards Momoi intent on finishing her off while Kuroko and Kise widened their eyes in shock.
Kuroko didn't want any murders happening within this mission, especially not caused by his familiars. Momoi didn't seem like a bad person, she must've had a reason as to why she would fight until the death to protect the gem. He was about to call out to Midorima to stop the latter from killing her when Kise beat him to it instead and yelled out from the top of his lungs while grabbing the green head's sleeves.
"No! Midorima-cchi! Please stop you don't have to kill her!" Midorima ignored the yells of desperation from the blond beside him and was about to aim for the final blow when he was disrupted by a blinding light which covered the entire room in a flash.
Everyone shielded their eyes in the process, waiting for the bright light to fade away. As they were about to lift their hands from their eyes, a cold shiver ran over their spines making them freeze for a moment while widening their eyes and causing forced gasps to leave their lips.
It wasn't like anything they had ever felt before; it was dreadful and suffocating and it seemed to wash over their entire beings, seeping into their very soul and drowning them in endless despair and hopelessness.
Kuroko then realized that Momoi's objective wasn't only to protect the dagger from them, she was also trying to protect them from the demon inside of it.
The new demonic presence that had entered the scene was very powerful and alarmingly dangerous. It made Midorima immediately fall back and to stand protectively in front of Kuroko's form, prioritizing his master's safety at the newest revelation.
Kagami who had been silently watching the scene in front of them with Himuro by his side immediately ran towards Kuroko's direction as well, intent on keeping the latter safe while also regrouping against the formidable threat has revealed itself to them.
Kise was paralysed, as he gazed at the figure standing between Momoi and him. Both of their eyes were widened with shock, disbelief and dread is written across Kise's features while Momoi's forlorn gaze was filled with sorrow and pain.
"I was wondering what all the noise was about out here." The blue haired stranger spoke first as he stood tall while looking around at their surroundings with curious eyes. Kise took a step forward as he faced the stranger while staring straight at his navy blue orbs with a hard gaze and a stiff smile forming on his lips.
"Aomine-cchi…" The blonde said to the other in a low and bitter tone that spoke of his chaotic feelings and thoughts at that moment. The tanned stranger shifted his gaze towards Kise and widened his eyes slightly in immediate recognition before his expression broke into a surprised smirk.
"Well, if it isn't Kise. It's been a while huh, so how long was I out for? Guessing from your appearance it has been a damn long time." The stranger named Aomine spoke in a low baritone with a hint of amusement tinged with sarcasm in his voice.
It was true though, Aomine's appearance and demeanour differed greatly from Kise's fashionable white dress shirt and grey trousers or Midorima's neat set of monochrome suit.
Instead Aomine was sporting a bare muscled torso with baggy white cotton pants which contrasted him from the rest of them. It was as if he had just came straight from some distant era in the past.
"It has been five hundred years, Aomine-kun." Momoi called out to the blue haired demon with familiarity and a somewhat nostalgic smile on her face as she got up from the floor. Her previous wounds were almost healed already, all that was left of it now was just traces of blood staining her lilac dress.
Aomine turned his head to face Momoi and slightly frowned when he saw her wounds before his gaze then hardened.
"Satsuki, who did that to you?" Aomine uttered the question with the same low baritone however his tone lost all of its earlier playfulness and became somewhat chilling and dangerous. Kise answered his question without blinking as he stared straight at the man in front of him.
"I did." He replied with challenging eyes and cold voice that almost matched the bluenet's own. Aomine turned to look towards the blonde at his response with a terrifying gaze that would make anyone else flinch and turn their tails if they valued their lives.
For a moment it seemed like they were on a silent stare down, intense gazes meeting each other's own while conveying emotions that were indecipherable to those who were watching. Aomine was the first one to break the silence as he then scoffed and smirked in response while staring at the blonde with a mocking gaze of his own.
"Heeeh, so you actually managed to hit Satsuki? Damn you must've improved quite a bit Kise, why don't you fight me instead? I need to warm up my muscles after all those years of sleeping." Aomine said while he cracked his neck and stretched his arm muscles just to prove his point as he then strode closer to face the blonde directly. His steps were light and lithe like a predator approaching a cornered prey. Kise didn't back down though as he met the other's gaze head on and stayed still on his spot.
"Don't take me lightly, Aomine-cchi." Kise's voice dropped an octave lower as he discarded any and all pretences while facing the other demon with a fierce and intense glare that spoke of his burning determination and fury. Aomine saw the other's gaze and widened his eyes before he broke out into a loud laughter.
"Hahaha, you're speaking as if you can actually win, did you really forget after all those years Kise? You couldn't manage to beat me even once in battle." Aomine smirked arrogantly as he stood in front of Kise levelling him with a gaze that seemed to be insulting the blonde in its own way. Kise ignored the latter's comment and narrowed his eyes in return as he spoke resolutely towards the other.
"I'm different now, I've got Kuroko-cchi and Midorima-cchi, besides I really don't feel like losing to you again, Aomine-cchi." He said while glancing fondly towards Kuroko's direction before turning to face the bluenet in front of him again. Aomine followed his gaze towards Kuroko and Midorima's direction.
Midorima frowned and narrowed his eyes as he stood protectively in front of Kuroko while obscuring him from the other's view. Aomine widened his eyes in return at the dawning realization of Kise's words before sounds of booming laughter filled the entire room making the bluenet's shoulders shake and hunch from the uncontrollable amusement he found within the situation.
"Bwahaha, you actually serve humans now? Oh my, that's quite the joke right there…" Aomine said as he settled down, wiping his eyes from tears of mirth at the revelation before his expression changed drastically as he stood tall once again while staring straight at Kise's amber eyes with an intense menacing glare in his darkened navy blue orbs. "Don't fuck around with me Kise, you'd even stoop so low as to serve a human, I'm disappointed in you."
His voice lowered as the demonic aura that surrounded him seemed to thicken considerably in return, causing Kuroko to softly gasp and Kagami to frown deeply while their familiars resumed a defensive stance intent on protecting their masters from the mysterious and dangerous demon named Aomine in front of them.
"Say what you want to say after you defeat me." Kise replied with a fiery gaze of his own while he stood still in his stance, ready for battle.
Momoi looked at the scene with desolate eyes before she closed them with resignation as she walked over to stand beside Aomine. Once she opened her eyes again they were cold and hard as stone, no traces of emotions or hesitations could be seen within her gaze. She was ready to support Aomine until the end.
Aomine gave a feral smirk as he started cracking his knuckles before approaching closer to all of them with slow and steady steps, his gaze burning with raging intensity as he prepared for battle.
"Oh, I'm going to have fun destroying all of you."
A/N: As some of you might notice, my update schedule got wayyyyy pushed back compared to my previous chapters. I sincerely apologise for this, I have no excuse for posting late other than having a writer's block and some other... distractions. Anyways, THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU READERS, FOLLOWERS, AND REVIEWERS OUT THERE I am honestly surprised that I have this many subscribers to my story now lol it's kinda like a wishful dream lol.
On another note I have some interesting reviews, one of them actually asked me what Kise and Midorima looked like in the previous chapters, I was like uhhh did I describe that? Oh shit, I didn't, well fuck I screwed up (so sorry to the anon who reviewed lol) so I made a quick description for them in this story and for Ahomine as well. I feel like I did a major screw up as an author lol I mean who the hell forgets to describe their own characters *shoots self*
Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope you'll continue to support me and be patient through all of my swings and random moments. Thank you again for your support I hope you'll enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it and bringing it out to you.
