WARNING
SORRY ABOUT THIS BORING CHAPTER
THIS CHAPTER MAY OR MAY NOT SUCK
I feel completely disappointed in this chapter. I did this in a rush. I didn't want to be late again DX (butiupdateevrydaypleasedunthurtme) I'm sorry if this is far from what you expected. This was actually ten thousand words +, i had to cut it into three because it was too long.
'Please don't go near me.'
"Tetsu…"
'Get away as far as possible.'
"We've been looking for you like hell!"
'No one told you to.'
Momoi stood there, completely unsure of what to do. She knew Kuroko didn't expect them to be there, much less be spotted by the first place. It was purely fate that brought the three of them altogether. Aomine shouldn't have approached Kuroko. That was one thing Momoi knew he shouldn't do. It would only chase Kuroko away. Said young man was going to leave, but Aomine stopped him from doing so.
"Tetsu! Stop avoiding us." Aomine shouted, although it was loud enough to only bring attention from the other table. Kuroko had flinched slightly from the loudness of the shouting. He was facing the ground. He couldn't bear to look up to those eyes after seeing the terrifying glow from him that cannot be unseen.
''What do you know about me?'' You don't know about me, either.
''Teamwork, teamwork. It's not important if everyone's too strong. You're just being clingy.''
I'm trying my best not to be useless here. ''I don't remember how to receive your passes anymore.'' ...I cannot recall the face of the real Aomine-kun, either.
Momoi noticed the hard gaze of Kuroko when her eyes met his. She saddened. It seemed like he was thinking, and whatever it was, it's definitely not good. "Tetsu-kun, we're sorry we interrupted you! Aomine-kun was being stupid!"
"Hey!"
"I swear, Tetsu-kun, this meeting was unplanned for and-"
"Why would you suddenly leave the team without our consent?" Aomine cut her off, not wanting to hear her nagging. Kuroko didn't say a word. What could he say? He had told them his reason, didn't he? And he was sure Akashi had already explained the reason of his unknown departure. Why would they care about him leaving? They said it themselves. He was a weak, untalented coward who didn't deserve to be a part of their team. He didn't deserve their care, and he most certainly did not deserve being somewhat of a part of the Generation of Miracles.
All of this was confusing him. They threw him out. Called him weak, used him, thrown away like a toy that was unfixable. They betrayed his trust, humiliating his one true friend that made him leave Kuroko behind. They even brought a new Phantom Sixth Man to light, and the sudden revelation that no one in the team save for Momoi had any real bonds with him had broken him.
Aomine had blatantly told him indirectly that he didn't need him as a partner anymore, that he was too weak to support someone already as strong as him. It hurt too much, especially that one time when Kuroko had met Aomine under that bridge. It was too much of a nightmare for Kuroko to handle. All the poor boy could think was 'You're not Aomine-kun'.
Midorima wasn't one to toy with a person, but when he had said to Kuroko that no one needed him anymore in the team, and that Akashi has already got bored with him, it made Kuroko lose 20% of his respect for him. Kuroko thought he really couldn't blame Midorima, because all of what he had said was true. He just wished he sent the message to him more gently than sounding like he was mocking him right in the face.
Murasakibara used to be the sweet, childish giant Kuroko knew. Everything suddenly changed after each of them had found their potentials. Murasakibara was cold, un-caring and downright lazy. He was the very reason Akashi had changed, actually. He heard from Momoi that Murasakibara had dared defy Akashi, saying he had no intention in listening to someone smaller and weaker than he is. The very reason Akashi had become a demon was because of him. Kuroko wondered: If Murasakibara didn't provoke Akashi, would he still be the Akashi he used to know and love? To be honest, Kuroko had been pissed when he had learned about this. It was the giant who had changed Akashi for the worst. If Akashi never became Demon-kashi, the redhead would be the caring, mother-like, gentle-yet-strict Akashi he had fallen for. Kuroko wasn't one to blame other people, so he can't really outright point all the reason that Akashi had been demon-ified was because of him. (1)
Kise was… Well, Kuroko never really had much of a grudge with the blond. He just annoyed Kuroko, glomping the smaller boy randomly whenever he feels like it, and he had grown as arrogant as the others. But still, Kise still agreed with him on the idea that practicing was still something to be taken seriously, ever since that time Akashi had proposed that they need not practice just as long as they win. Kise was the only one who truly showed he was regretful for what he and the others had done, but the blond mutt still owed him that wasted sundae. Yes, Kuroko will bug him for that, later.
He didn't know where to start with Akashi. It pained Kuroko whenever he thought of his ex-captain and ex-… You get the point. He used to be calm and reserved, cared for his teammates and always took training seriously. He had loved basketball, and he brought out Kuroko's true potential. Each food Akashi had made for Kuroko always tasted the way he liked it, even better when Akashi was with him. They were all so satisfyingly sweet, something that Kuroko had thought to be the proof of true love. Those red eyes that had greeted him with such warmth he had never given to anyone except to Kuroko…. Became the fearful red and gold he had seen when he had been too late to save Aomine from falling into a pit of arrogance and pride. He hated how Akashi had become, but he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. Deep down, he knew there will always be a part of him that will love the demon, but even that small, faint glow of raw emotion has begun fading. So, did he love him, or did he not? Kuroko didn't want to find out the answer.
He truly was a coward.
Whatever happened to those precious memories he had obtained with each of them? What happened to the basketball loving idiot Aomine? What happened to the caring-yet-tsundere-ish Midorima? What happened to sweet, baby-ish Murasakibara?
What happened to the Akashi he once knew?
Every memory, every moment, every second of their friendship, every damn heartbeat that passed whenever he and that cruel bastard were secretly together… All of those were just fabricated from the very beginning. Why bother trying to cover it up?
Every single moment they shared together was all a lie.
"…tsu…"
"Tetsu!"
He snapped out of his trance. Aomine seemed like he had been calling for Kuroko the entire time. Kuroko's eyes narrowed dangerously, looking away to hide the sudden emerging of resentment that had built up in his system.
"Tetsu, I asked you a question." Aomine said firmly. Kuroko looked at him with empty eyes.
"This is odd. Why are you talking to me, Aomine-kun?" The blunette had asked tonelessly.
Momoi frowned, her own eyes shook slightly, fearing what might be the outcome of this conversation. She couldn't do anything at this point. What else was she supposed to do? Momoi thought she might just be a third wheel at this point, and so decided to sit it out, only to stop them if things became worse.
It was already worse from the start, genius.
"Huh? What are you-"
"From what I know, members of the Generation of Miracles do not speak to insignificant people." Kuroko reminded him of their rule coldly. "Much less someone who had been deemed as trash by the captain himself."
Aomine's eyes widened. "Tetsu, what the hell are you saying?" He shook the boy roughly, as if doing so will cure the boy from whatever 'sickness' he might have caught. "You know very well you're a part of the team yourself!"
"…Part of the team?" Kuroko repeated, once again, void of emotion. Even so, both Momoi and Aomine had felt uneasy with how he was talking.
"You are mistaken." Kuroko continued. "I am not acquainted with any other members of the Generation of Miracles in any way whatsoever." He sat down wobbly on a chair. "You should know who your teammates are, Aomine-kun." He said dryly, watching the evident guilty expression on his former teammate's face. "That way, you won't mistake them for a useless person."
"Tetsu, I don't know why you're doing this, or why the hell you're saying that nonsense crap," Aomine said sternly. "Aren't we partners? You should have told me what was wrong. You shouldn't have left without telling me, damn it!"
"Partners?" Tetsuya repeated, his rage slowly increasing. "From what I have seen last time, you told me I shouldn't accompany such a strong light. You told me I cannot keep up with you anymore."
"That doesn't mean I said you weren't my partner anymore!" Aomine countered. "When have I ever said that? And I never implied anything!"
Tetsuya breathed in.
"Didn't you also say you do not remember how to receive my passes anymore?"
Momoi stopped her breathing.
Aomine fell silent.
Kuroko side eyed him. "What did that mean, then?"
No answer.
"What did that mean to you?"
'It didn't mean anything!' Aomine wanted to scream out, but he couldn't find his voice.
Kuroko's face contorted into an obvious show of frustration, almost near tears.
"Then why? Why would you say everything you have said back then? Why did you break your promise?" Kuroko had asked, as if it was a direct response to his thoughts.
"Tetsu, I…" Aomine bit his lip. He couldn't counter that. Back then, he thought he had the right reasons to cut the binds between them. It seemed like his pride has got the better of him.
"…You don't know how much it hurt me." Kuroko said emotionlessly. "You don't even know what you have caused back then in the match with Meiko."
Aomine looked at Momoi questioningly. She mouthed: 'I'll tell you later!' in a somewhat dreadful way.
"…Please, leave me alone." Kuroko had said, regaining his composture. "I don't want to see you again." Both Tōō students could hear the slight breaking in his voice, making Aomine feel like shit.
"T-Tetsu, wait a second-!"
"I thought I had reminded you already, Aomine-kun." Kuroko said, walking off coolly. "We are not acquainted. You have all abandoned me, and I have abandoned you." He gripped his own arm tightly. "Please do not come after me. It will be a waste of time and effort." He said smoothly.
"Besides,"
Aomine and Momoi's eyes widened.
"I don't remember how we have become a team anymore."
Aomine didn't move. Guilt was the only emotion he could feel right now.
What has gotten into Tetsu?
He felt guilty. He was one of the people who had done this to Tetsuya, after all. He wouldn't be forgiven as easily as he had thought.
Momoi watched with a heartbroken expression as Kuroko left. Even so, she knew very well that Aomine and the others deserve this. 'You reap what you sow' was the right thing to describe the current situation.
This is what happens when you deem the person you care about as 'worthless'.
"….Damn it…!" Aomine exclaimed, punching the wooden table beside him.
"D-Dai-chan!"
"I can't believe I just did that." Kuroko thought to himself out loud.
'Somehow, this situation feels familiar...' He thought grimly, remembering the last time he walked home soaked from the rain.
Kuroko kept walking, even though his soaked clothes had slowed him down. It was tiring, running around in a weather like this. Nature hates him, he guessed. It wasn't what he planned. He was supposed to go to some sheltered area. He knew Aomine was an idiot, but he could find Tetsuya wherever he planned to hide. Especially with Momoi around. She had something like a 'Tetsu-kun radar' in her mind or something.
How did they pop up all of the sudden?
He stopped in his tracks when he heard whimpering from the side of the road. He back-tracked, looking down to see a shivering, black-and-white dog looking at him with such pleading eyes.
"Hello, there…" Kuroko mumbled, petting the little dog lightly on the head. The dog nuzzled its cheeks on Kuroko's palm, licking it, almost as if to say 'please take me with you'.
Kuroko looked up, which was a bad idea since the raindrops got in his eyes. He had put the small little dog in his bag, losing his only way to stay at least half-soaked from the rain. He smiled at it. "Well, I can't leave you nder such a horrible weather now, can I?"
He pat it on the head once more before running again. Right, he had no choice.
He was running back home.
Well, he had already guessed it.
His mother was going to kill him.
"Tecchan!" She shouted, snuggling her baby boy like a teddy bear. She didn't even mind that he was soaked as a sponge, and proceeded smothering him with motherly love.
By 'kill', he meant 'suffocate-until-I-pass-out-before-I-even-get-to-say-something'.
"M-Mother, please let go." He requested with a voice that sounded like he was choking… Or wheezing…
His grandmother was kind enough to bring him his house-clothes down from his room. "Oh, my. Miho, please let your son dry himself. He might catch a cold." She said, and the woman immediately let go.
After a few minutes, Kuroko came down looking more refreshed.
His mother, Kuroko Miho, looked a lot like him. The shape of his eyes, shape of his face, hair and eye color, even the lack of presence. Even so, Miho was the exact opposite of her son and husband. She was cheerful, lively, hyper, and deep down scary. Kuroko had seen her messages to him. Asking if he wants a baby sibling as a reward for doing something good. Yes, even Kuroko can get traumatized.
He had earned his personality from his father. Polite, quiet, calm, reserved, blunt, straightforward… The saying 'opposites attract' wasn't for show, after all. His name was Kuroko Hayato.
Grandmother Nana was a sweet, old woman. She had lost her husband over a year ago, but she never lost her sweet, understanding nature.
Miho frowned when she saw her son. He looked…. Tense. Uneasy, perhaps? She knew something was wrong.
"Did something fun happen at school today, Tecchan?" Miho asked with a smile, handing Kuroko hot milk. Kuroko smiled slightly. "Nothing much, actually." Miho laughed lightly. Even so, she knew when his son would lie. No matter how blank faced he might look, Miho would always see that something was troubling him. She knew her son too well, perhaps. She decided to drop the subject and looked at the furball on top of her son's head.
A pregnant pause between them.
"So what is that cute little thingy on your head, Tecchan?"
Kuroko blinked. He looked up, only to see the dog he found resting on his head.
"Ah, I found him in the streets while on the way home." Kuroko explained. "He looked so cold and hungry, so I had to take him with me. I hope it's alright."
Miho shook her head, taking the wet dog from Kuroko's head. "Mm-mm, he looks a bit like you."
"Mother, if he looks like me, he looks like you, as well." Kuroko said, pouting slightly. Miho blinked, and squealed in delight when she saw the childish look on her son's face. Yes, she was a Tetsuya-fangirl, too.
"So, mother,"
Miho petted her son's head. "Hm?"
"Can I keep him?" Kuroko asked, his eyes shining hopefully like an excited little puppy. It didn't help that the dog was giving her the same look, as well.
"Yes! Yes you can, my lil' angel!" Miho agreed immediately.
Kuroko gave her a gentle smile. "Thank you, mother."
Miho's eyes widened at the sight of her baby smiling a very rare and familiar smile.
"R-Right, ehehe!" She said awkwardly. "I'm going to get a towel for him."
When Miho entered the kitchen, she smiled softly.
"Such a spoiled little eggplant." She chuckled. "Even so, I can tell something is troubling you."
In the living room, Kuroko was mentally exhausting himself with thoughts from the previous encounter.
Too OOC? Too quick? Sorry, DX I'm having a bad day, since my vacation is going to be boring. Mom would always ALWAYS pass up the opportunity to go somewhere fun with our whole family. I think the farthest she'll ever get is the mall. *grumbling noises*
(1) This was what I thought while watching the latest episode. I started feeling murderous when I learned what caused Akashi to become a moron.
sneak peak because this chapter sucked:
"If only I didn't become such a bastard towards him..."
"Kagami-kun, can I punch you until you cry?" Kuroko asked politely, but the dark atmosphere that surrounded them failed to ease their fear.
"We're fighting against Shutoku in the next two weeks!" Riko said determinedly. Kuroko felt something switch inside him.
"…Takao-kun's school?"
Silent tears fell from his face.
You will only regret the choices you've made when they have been done.