Shin-chan missed basketball practice.

Shin-chan never missed basketball practice.

Takao arrived at his house to find Shin-chan in the entryway, putting on his shoes. His movements were sharp and jerky, agitated, and his face was set in a scowl. He barely looked up when Takao came in the door, just gave him a glance, then stared down at his shoes again. He pulled the laces so tight that they cut into his fingers and turned them red and white. "Of course you didn't knock," he griped. "You never knock."

Takao paused inside the door, staring at him. "You played hooky," he said. He tried to sound accusatory and disgruntled, but it came out more worried than anything else. "You never play hooky."

Shin-chan straightened up to his full height, which was even more impressive now, and looked down at him over his nose. "It would have been useless to stay at school. I didn't want to waste my time."

He brushed past Takao, reaching for the door. Takao barely got out of the way in time, then scrambled to follow him out. Shin-chan's movements were still hasty and sharp, lacking his usual graceful efficiency. Something was seriously wrong here.

"Hey, hey, hey." He lunged for Shin-chan's arm and managed to snag it. Shin-chan halted on the path outside his door, standing straight and rigid and still. His arm trembled in Takao's grip, though Takao had no guess as to why. Fear? Anger? Was Shin-chan hurt or sick? Why was he in such a hurry?

"Hey," Takao said, more gently this time. He gave Shin-chan's arm a tug, trying to reel him in. He expected Shin-chan to resist, but instead he turned back to face Takao on the path. His face was wrenched up in some strange emotion, and Takao's heart sank like a stone. "What's going on, Shin-chan? Are you okay?"

"It's not me," Shin-chan said. "I'm perfectly whole."

Takao tilted his head. This did not strike him as being particularly truthful. "Where are you going? I'll come with you."

Shin-chan snorted and looked away, his eyes glinting behind his glasses. "Of course you will."

"Yeah, of course I will. So don't try to get away from me, huh? You know I'll chase you down."

Shin-chan held still for a moment longer, then suddenly seemed to deflate. His shoulders relaxed and his arm stopped trembling, and he faced Takao fully again. His face looked more like his usual expression, though even more tight-mouthed and grim than usual. "Yes, I know."

After a considering interval, Takao let go of his arm and stuck his hands in his pockets. Sunset was dying in the west and streetlights were starting to come on, casting Shin-chan's face in a strange mixture of dark red and soft yellow light. "So where are you going, Shin-chan? What's the big rush?"

"I have to do something. This is...unconscionable."

"What is?"

Shin-chan shook his head and turned away, but this time he motioned with his head for Takao to follow. "Let's talk on the way to the bus stop."

"The bus stop? We're not taking the rickshaw?"

"It's too far away."

"Oh, and you're in a hurry. All right, I understand. Tell me what's going on, Shin-chan."

The story didn't take long. Still, Takao found himself having some difficult taking it in. "Kagami Taiga...was stabbed," he echoed when Shin-chan finished. They were walking side-by-side down the sidewalk. Takao's elbow kept bumping Shin-chan's arm. "He was stabbed in the street. By an unknown assailant."

Shin-chan nodded sharply. "Yes. That's what happened."

Takao laughed, but not because it was funny. "That's amazing. Just how much bad luck can one family have? Does the universe have it out for them or something? First all of that with poor Tetsu-chan two years ago, and now this..."

Shin-chan grunted.

Takao looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "I get why you skipped school and basketball practice. So are we gonna go visit them at the hospital?"

"No. I sincerely doubt that I could offer any assistance in that setting."

Takao's eyebrows rose. "Then...where...?"

Shin-chan paused abruptly. Takao took one further step, then caught himself and turned back, staring at him. Shin-chan looked even grimmer than before. "I'm sorry. It occurs to me that this might be dangerous. You shouldn't come."

Takao had to laugh again, mostly at the utter seriousness in Shin-chan's face. "What? What are you talking about?"

Shin-chan just tightened his lips more. "I'm going to go to the neighborhood where Kagami was attacked."

Takao gaped at him. It felt like the breath had been punched out of him. After a moment to process, though, his hands flew out of his pockets, his arms flailing at his sides. "What? Why? What could you possibly hope to accomplish there?"

Shin-chan's jaw clenched. "I don't know. I'm aware that it's a fool's errand. I'm aware that it's the police's job to look into what happened and prevent it from happening again, not mine. But I can't stay here. I have to go."

Takao stood still for a moment longer, breathing in gulping gasps. He'd always known that Shin-chan was a kind of a hard-headed idiot, but this really was too much. "You...you're really set on this, aren't you?"

Shin-chan nodded, sharp and hard. Then he turned and kept walking. "You don't have to come with me. You probably shouldn't."

Takao stared after him for a moment, still standing stunned as only his head moved to track Shin-chan's progress. Then he broke free of his paralysis and clambered to catch up again, once again walking at Shin-chan's side. "Okay, did something else happen? Besides the whole...stabbing...thing? You seem weirdly stuck on doing this."

Shin-chan shook his head. "Nothing more than what I already told you..." He hesitated, head tilting to the side. He continued to stride purposefully down the street. "Well, I suppose there was one other thing. Kise texted not long ago to give us all an update. He's being staying at the hospital keeping an eye on things. And according to him...Kagami doesn't feel safe."

Takao blinked. "Doesn't feel safe? How would Kise know that?"

"Apparently he keeps waking up periodically and rambling for a while, though he's still quite confused and incoherent. And when he does...he seems afraid."

"Oh." They had reached the bus stop. They came to a halt. Shin-chan looked at his watch.

Takao shook his head. "So you want to make sure that he has no reason to be afraid. That he won't be attacked again. You want to protect him, even from far away." You ridiculous, ridiculous tsundere, he thought but didn't say.

Shin-chan was silent for a moment. "It sounds stupid when you put it like that."

Takao managed a smile, though it was small and tight and barely reached his eyes. "No. It's not stupid at all. And of course I'll come with you, Shin-chan. Why wouldn't I?"

Shin-chan glanced sideways at him. Then he nodded and looked ahead again. "Very well. Do as you please."

"I always do," Takao said cheerfully, bouncing up on his toes. An adventure with Shin-chan! It was shaping up to be an interesting night.

X

Taiga woke with a gasp, clutching at the sheets. Himuro had been slumping in his chair, his vigilance wearing thin after more than an hour of doing nothing but watching Taiga's chest move up and down. Now he jolted forward, all drowsiness banished. His hands wrapped around Taiga's clenched fingers without conscious thought. Taiga's eyes were wide and wild, flipping around the room, but at the touch he started and trained his eyes on Himuro. Then he went still and his breath halted in his chest. He seemed even paler than before.

"Aniki..." It was a bare breath, choked and hushed. His hand was cold and rigid under Himuro's, his fingers crabbed from clutching too hard with not enough strength.

Himuro nodded and tried for a smile. The room was getting fuzzy, and his throat felt tight. "I'm here. It's okay." Taiga continued to stare at him, his breath coming in short, painful-sounding gusts. Himuro made a guess as to why he had woken in such a panic and tried again. "It was only a dream."

"Aniki..." Then, to Himuro's shock and horror and complete, overwhelming pain, tears flooded Taiga's eyes and began to spill over. They tracked over his temples and began to wet the pillow beneath his head. His face screwed up in distress, and his chest jerked as he tried to contain a sob, but he couldn't quite do it. "Aniki...I thought..."

"Taiga..." Himuro pulled himself closer to the edge of the bed, jamming himself into the rail hard enough to hurt. He pried Taiga's cold hand free of the bedding and pressed it between his palms, desperate to warm him, to comfort him, to chase away that look of terror in his eyes. "Taiga, it's okay. It's okay. You're safe. Tetsu-chan is safe, too. I know you've been worried about him. But it's all right. It was only a dream."

"I thought... I thought..."

Himuro bent closer, almost bowed in half as he tried to catch every small, half-choked word out of his little brother's mouth. "What is it? What did you think, Taiga?"

"I thought...there was a knife... He... He had a knife..."

Himuro pressed his hand even tighter. "Who had a knife, Taiga? The person who attacked you?"

Taiga squeezed his eyes shut, causing more tears to spill out, then opened them again with a cut-off sob. "No, him... That guy... He had a knife, and he was gonna do it. He was gonna kill Tetsu-chan, I was too late, I didn't get there in time, I didn't figure it out... I thought there was a knife..."

"Oh, Taiga..." Himuro could barely breathe. "No, Taiga... It didn't happen. It didn't. Tetsu-chan is fine. He's safe. Kuroko-san is in Russia, remember? Akashi gives us reports on his activities every month. He's seeing a doctor. He's actually... He's actually getting better. Tetsu-chan was planning to contact him after he turned eighteen. It was... It was a whole plan. A whole... Taiga, it was a dream. I swear to you, it was a dream. He's nowhere near Tokyo. Tetsu-chan is safe, I swear to you."

Taiga gasped for breath. Himuro could see in his eyes how he struggled to understand this, to believe it. He stared at Himuro without blinking, his chest shuddering as he tried to breathe.

"I was too late... I didn't get there in time..."

Himuro shook his head. "Never happened. You were there for Tetsu-chan, remember? You stood in front of him in the hall so his father couldn't hit him again. Tetsu-chan has told the story more than once. He loves bragging about you, about what a wonderful big brother he has. You got there in plenty of time. Because of you, Tetsu-chan is safe now. He's safe, and he's healthy, and he loves his nii-san very much."

"But I thought there was a knife," Taiga said again, his voice hushed and terrified, meant only for Himuro to hear. "I thought there was a knife, Aniki. The kid...the little boy was in danger. And Nigou was barking..."

"It was a dream. I swear it was a dream."

"It seemed...so real..."

"Kaga-chin."

Himuro looked up, startled. He'd been so focused on Taiga that he hadn't even heard Atsushi get to his feet and lumber around to the head of the bed. Now he was bent over, staring into Taiga's face. Himuro had rarely seen such a grim expression on Atsushi. Atsushi was concentrated, completely in the moment instead of letting half of his attention fly away as usual. His eyebrows were lowered and his mouth was set in a scowl as he studied Taiga intently.

Taiga dragged his gaze to Atsushi's face with difficulty, letting go of the lock he'd been keeping on Himuro. He gaped at Atsushi for a moment, unable to take him in. "M-Murasakibara? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take care of Tetsu-chin," Atsushi said. "Just like Muro-chin is here to take care of Kaga-chin. So I want you to know. Tetsu-chin is safe. I am taking care of him. That means he is safe."

"O-oh..." Taiga continued to stare at him, unblinking. Still, Himuro thought that perhaps his breathing had eased. "You... You're sure about that?"

Atsushi nodded, slow and ponderous. "Yes. Tetsu-chin is safe. So is Kaga-chin." He lifted one enormous hand and placed it on top of Taiga's head. Then he patted him, three times, very gently. Atsushi had gotten a lot better at moderating his strength over the years, especially since Tetsu always complained when his Mura-nii was too heavy-handed.

Taiga breathed, slow and careful. Some of the tension that had held him like a man on a rack began to ease. His hand, still held tight between both of Himuro's, loosened, too. "Okay," he said. "Okay. If you're sure."

"I'm sure." Atsushi patted him again, running his long fingers through Taiga's hair. Or maybe it was more like petting, at this point. "Tetsu-chin and Kaga-chin are safe. I'm sure. I'm making sure."

"Okay. Okay." Taiga's gaze returned to Himuro's face, pleading. Begging for confirmation.

"It's true," Himuro murmured. "You're both safe. You can rest. We're watching over you."

Taiga's face crumpled, and he turned his head against the pillow and closed his eyes, breathing in shuddering gasps. Himuro continued to hold his hand, his heart aching, and Atsushi patted his head. "Aniki, I want my dad," Taiga whispered.

"He's coming," Himuro said. "He's only a few more hours away."

"It's just that I...I was so sure there was a knife."

Himuro clenched his teeth. He didn't want to say this. But it wouldn't do any good to withhold the truth. Taiga was confused enough without them making it worse. "Yes, there was a knife, Taiga. But it was never anywhere near Tetsu-chan. He's perfectly safe, and he always was. That part was a dream."

"Okay." Taiga blew out another long, shaking breath, and he relaxed. In moments his eyes were drooping. He was still utterly exhausted, and the broken sleep was not helping.

As Taiga relaxed, so did Himuro. He still held Taiga's hand pressed in his, but he dared to lean back in his seat. Atsushi remained standing at the head of the bed, still petting Taiga's hair. Himuro let his eyes stray over to Tetsu, and he found him awake, staring at him with those big blue eyes, though he hadn't moved a centimeter from the last time Himuro had looked at him. When he saw Himuro watching, Tetsu gave him a slow nod, thanking him.

Himuro sighed and looked back to Taiga again. Taiga was almost asleep, now, letting himself be lulled by Himuro's protective grip, by Atsushi's fingers in his hair. But he saw Himuro looking and stared back at him, dull and drowsy, his eyes half-lidded. "Tetsu-chan is safe?" he whispered one more time. He had to be sure.

Himuro nodded with as much certainty as he could muster. He needed to be reliable right now. He needed to be a mountain. "Tetsu-chan is safe. So are you."

"Okay." Finally, finally, Taiga's eyes drifted all the way shut. "That's good. But what about...the little boy?"

Himuro froze. "Little boy?" Taiga hadn't been talking about Tetsu-chan when he said that? Then who...

He shared a wide-eyed look with Atsushi. Then he leaned forward, closer to Taiga's face again. "Little boy, Taiga? What little boy?"

But Taiga was asleep. And Himuro certainly wasn't going to wake him up just to satisfy his curiosity. It would have to wait.


Thank you so much for your comments and feedback! They really keep me going.