Death

" For...How long?"

Akashi asked a question, even if he already knew the answer.

"You already heard the story from someone...Kagami-kun?"

Kuroko blinked his eyes in question at the last part.

"Yes, I did, but I want to hear it from you too"

Kuroko looked at him intensely and then nodded.

"Fine, just ask and I'll tell you anything"

There was a moments silence as Akashi let it sink in again...that his love was actually dead. It was very confusing.

"I have been dead for over three years, since an incident about two and a half months after the occurring of our first meeting"

Akashi nodded - this fitted in with everything else he knew.

"That phone call - was it you?"

This was something he actually didn't know, but suspected very strongly, he wanted to know for sure, because that was a thing that he had worried about for a long time. He had never found out...And now the answer might be standing right in front of him.

"Yes...In a way that was me. But the calls arrived late. I did call you...but that was before my death and not after it"

Akashi looked puzzled at Kuroko again, but moved his head slightly as to acknowledge what he had heard.

"Then...What about how? What was the cause?"

Kuroko smiled sadly and spun a round before he started replying to that one. The cause of one's death might be a bit of a sensitive matter sometimes, maybe?

"I have been weak since birth - I had not actually been given a proper condition or diagnose, so it came as a surprise, when I started collapsing after even as little effort as walking home from school. Everyone was really worried, but I wouldn't take it - I even continued with Basketball, which I now of course realize was extremely stupid. But in any case, I kept losing consciousness for a quite long time, and once I just didn't wake up. Nothing too dramatic. I was later diagnosed too, with-"

"Shhh..."

Akashi put his finger over Kuroko's lips with a dark look in his eyes. He didn't want to hear any more...He had expected it...to become sad, hearing it again, this time recognizing it as the truth. But still, it was barely bearable. Kuroko's words faded away into silence. Akashi broke it with yet another question.

"Where do you go when this world disappears?"

Kuroko looked more down than earlier and laughed quietly.

"I am dead. When this word disappears, so do I"

Akashi was actually a bit shocked by this, he hadn't expected it...He hadn't expected anything... He had still somehow lived in the illusion that when he woke up, so did Kuroko. Now it all shattered, the sweet dream he had spent so many years living.

"...Then...Is everything just a lie?"

Kuroko looked at him with pity in his eyes, and Akashi hated it.

"That is for you to decide, Akashi-kun"


It felt obvious that the next night, he wouldn't get there...he wouldn't meet Kuroko...His unconscious would give him time to think of everything.

He still had no idea what brought him to their dreamworld, if he was to be perfectly honest. What had caused their meeting - their connection in the first place? Had it been such a ridiculous thing as 'true love' or had it been fate...or perhaps its desire to mock Akashi and make him suffer?

Because surely that was the only thing this could lead to - suffering?

When he thought about it...Even if only for a second, it made him terrified to think that in this moment - Kuroko Tetsuya was dead, and in a way, didn't exist.

And he existed only when Akashi dreamt. Did that make Kuroko but a mere dream of his.

No, he has existed, i have proof of that!

So it happened that he really did sleep a dreamless sleep that night. He wasn't sure if regretted it or not. The problem remained: What would he do from now on?


He made his decision after a good while of thinking. His decision was something he would have never considered...even now it was his last resort. But he decided to rely on people. He would ask for advice.

He made his calls, he actually called all of his high-school time friends. Daiki, Ryouta, Shintarou, Atsushi...He asked if Daiki could organize for Taiga to come - he was probably the most familiar with Kuroko, and could be a help. Even though he couldn't stand the guy, it was a good idea, he must admit to himself.

They would all meet up the next day, all of them were coming, none really daring or even caring to defy - or more like deny, Akashi.

He hadn't still wholly made his mind up on the exact questions, or how much he would revel of the situation - Kuroko's friend would be there so it seemed pretty difficult... But the only one directly affected by the revelation would be himself - knowing the fact that Kuroko was dead. It was all up to him.

He would have to carefully think this through...Why oh why had he decided to interact with people who - (hopefully) - considered him their friend? It made everything so complicated.


"Akashicchii...Why did you call us here? I'm pretty busy too~" Kise Ryouta asked in a whiny tone, sitting around a table filled with colorful heads.

They were in a very nostalgic place - A place they always went during middle school, when Akashi still lived in Tokyo too. It was a fast-food restaurant surprisingly enough, you wouldn't think it suits Akashi's tastes. He had, in fact, suggested it only as most of them (excluding Kagami probably) knew where it was and could arrive there at a day's notice.

They were already adults and it was more of a habit to follow Akashi's lead than anything else.

"I need advice" Akashi calmly stated looking around forming eye-contact with everyone on their turn.

A loud gasp was heard, and the makers of this noise were none others than Akashi's former teammates. They couldn't believe what they had just heard. The great Akashi asking for advice!? It was unheard of. A loud and not-so-secretive whisper was also heard, and it included Kagami asking 'What the hell had happened?' and 'What was so shocking about that?'

Aomine clearly hadn't spoken too much of Akashi to him - save for the slight incantations that he was a mild psychopath control-freak with a superiority- and height-complex. He didn't seem that bad though.

...Back to the current topic.

"You...You need advice?"A brave Aomine Daiki finally stuttered, a very uncharacteristically suspicious expression stuck on his face.

Akashi raised one of his red eyebrows, stifling a smile...It was pretty amusing. When he spoke his voice was as cold and collected as always.

"Didn't I just say so?"

"Yeah, you did..."

The shock from the other people present's faces also started to fade, and Midorima Shintarou opened his mouth to ask a question.

"So, what is this all about, Akashi?" He looked at Akashi straight in the eyes, correcting the position of his glasses on his nose - a habit he apparently still hadn't gotten rid of.

"It's about this one person" Akashi had hesitated a bit...which was unusual enough, but adding to that he was being very vague. He looked uncertain and uncomfortable...No one from there had ever seen him like that. The were silent and stared at him again.

The silence was pressuring.

Suddenly Kagami, who didn't understand why everyone was so quiet (plus he was frustrated) stood up and slammed his palms on the table, making a loud sound.

"What's with this!? Is this about Kuroko!? How did you even know him!?" He shouted angrily, confronting Akashi, who didn't look away.

Akashi blinked slowly and then a confident expression returned to his face and a smooth voice came out "Yes. This is about Tetsuya" He smiled that good old smile of his, eyes turning into slits. He really didn't like this person.

"Haaah!?"

"Why do you sound surprised, I only confirmed your assumption"

The voice flowed out of his mouth, sounding like a melody...One that would be heard on the phone in a horror movie. Kagami grunted and looked away, not knowing how to react...Akashi had a certain aura of authority surrounding him.

"What about Tetsu?"

Aomine after a while asked, gaining a reaction from Akashi. A rather quick one.

"Tetsu?" His tone was questioning, the question behind it obviously being 'Why do you call him that? Do you know him?'

And the sad thing was that Akashi still spoke in present and not past tense when talking - or thinking - of Kuroko.

"Yeah? We were in the same middle school? You were too, ya know?"

Akashi hid his emotions well, but he couldn't help but be utterly overwhelmed by factor that he had been that near Kuroko for so long...and hadn't even known about it...He wondered if Kuroko had recognized him and pretended that he never knew...

"Of course, yes, it escaped my memory"

At this point Kagami had regained his energy and decided to bother them again. "HAH? You didn't even remember him!? And now ya want to know? YOU didn't even tell me how you know him now then!"

"I remember him very well, better than I would like to, I know him - probably better than any of you, just from a different time. And..." He hesitated, his words fading away again, his gaze wavering a bit, using up concentration on holding back tears. He managed, and looked back up. "I love him"


It was fairly unbelievable, Midorima Shintarou thought as he made his way home, that Akashi actually loved someone. Never mind it was someone he met in a dream and who happened to be dead (Shin-chan believes in horoscopes you know?) but the fact that Akashi had softened, put down his walls enough and actually let someone in - without closing the door after them and telling them that there was no escape now. He had freely accepted his own feelings, that Midorima had gotten the feeling were returned, and let go, doing all in his power to reach happiness even in such a situation as this.

He recalled what had happened after Akashi's surprisingly bold statement.

"WHAT!?" The question echoed for a long while in the -for some reason - empty room (Maybe it was all the noise, look even the waiters are shivering over there!) before Akashi nodded and made a confirming 'Mm' sound, nodding. That was very uncharacteristic of him too. The silence that ensued was very uncomfortable.

"You...Love him...But you don't even remember him?"

"I told you already, Ryouta, I remember him"

"From where!?"

"From my dreams"

What the actual...? That was idiotic, to say something like that, could Akashi be serious? Or was he just kidding...? Scratch that Akashi wasn't capable of something like that. But he was wearing such a neutral expression...Anyone would be embarrassed to say something like that!? Had he turned into Kuroko or what?

No just picked up a few traits...It didn't make him any less scary.

"...Excuse me but, what might you mean, Akashi"

"Exactly what I said...Or actually, in the beginning it was our dream. I met him in a dream."

The complicated explanations, confusions, nervous laughter and wondering on if Akashi had finally lost it, that had followed were too much to think about. The advice Akashi in the end seemed to get was near to none.

What Midorima didn't know was that Akashi had gotten all the answers he needed.

Too bad that neither did Akashi.


"If you love him then that's it"


But it would still take time for even Akashi to realize his true intentions, and to know what would be fine to do from now on. He decided that he'd have to get back to sleep. He needed to see Kuroko.

The second he got home he laid down on his bed, not bothering with anything, he didn't live at home anymore so no one would know, no one would care. He had no orange pillow anymore either...It was black as the night, contrasting his hair-color perfectly...Not that anyone would ever see.

He clenched his eyes shut, trying desperately to drift away once again.

Tetsuya...


Okay, been busy, still not done editing through the earlier chapters either, but hey! I've started! I'm doing this because for your sake...I admire you way too much . Okay no one knows what I'm talking about...Annywaaayyys, this chapter's sorta strange and written 100 words at a time so it's a bit...confusing, and yeah...Nearing the end here...3 chapters at most I'd say. The reviews are always so nice~ There were a lot of you who guessed this outcome! Let's see who can guess the final end? I didn't actually come up with it, but only after I'd started writing this I told a friend (who's not in this fandom btw) and she just continued! Thanks friend. I'm guessing you will...?

Well again, Reviews are the thing that keeps me going!