Summary: Kuroko dreams to marry his stepbrothers. As they grew up, Kuroko realized it was impossible. But it didn't stop him from loving them in a way it is forbidden. He knows it's wrong and he wants closure. But, what if his brothers were as confused as he is? GOM+Kaga/Kuro AU
Author's Notes: Yay! I'm back from the graveyard called college and barely made out from the hell called One Piece. I underestimated the readings of my courseworks, so yeah, I wasn't able to update according to my schedule. But now that I have a one month break, maybe I could squeeze in two updates during vacation. Hurray.
Okay, so I wasn't really active in this site for so long, and I was really happy and surprised that a lot of you guys reviewed. The previous chapter was just half of the story, and now we're at the part we're all waiting for: Kuroko's character development arc. Yay. Who's gonna be paired with Kuroko? the GOM and Kagami. How is it gonna play out? You'll see.
Anyway, this is really, really short. Like shortest after Prologue. I know guys, I'm disappointed too. I wish I could've written this longer, but my Outline for the fic doesn't permit me. Also, I lost half of my Outline so I still have to write (again) what happens next after this chapter, but I can assure you that the next chapter will go back to its original 10,000 + words.
So, thank you for keeping up with me and this fic. I will assure you that I am going to finish this fic this year.
Anyway, Koganei was very fun to write. Kiyoshi too. I wished you liked the way I wrote them both; I'm trying to tie them up with the canon in this.
Warnings: Minimal grammatical errors, REALLY SHORT CHAPTER I'M SO SORRY, really vague Seirin team and sick Kuroko.
Sorry for not being able to reply on the half of the reviews. Still working on the replies.
Forbidden
禁じられた
Chapter 9
Shinji Koganei considered himself as a free-spirit. Throughout his life, he has never stuck into one hobby or one lesson. He always found adventure in the simplest of things; thus, he always believed that spending time by lounging around or taking a nap was no good. He needed to be awake and aware of every single moment because he feared that he might miss out on a great opportunity to learn. Yeah, he sounded like a cat (that never wanted to nap) but that's how he is. While some people see that as unnatural, his teammates still accepted him, which led him to decide – 'Maybe I'll stay with them a little while longer.'
It was a decision he has never regretted.
Staying with the Seirin basketball team – with Riko, Hyuuga, Izuki, Kiyoshi, Mitobe and Tsuchida – was almost like freedom itself. They let him keep his playing style of never mastering any move, a Jack of All Trades, and gave him ample time to discover more moves. They understand that he might quit if he gets interested in a new sport, but Koganei gradually learned that he's stuck with them, whether he likes it or not.
And for once, he's okay with being stuck.
Well…more often than not. For some rare moments, his teammates have to chain his free spirit. It was really ridiculous; it was only a sprain, nothing to worry about. They really didn't have to tie him up and bring him to the hospital using Riko's scooter. They really didn't have to send Kiyoshi to guard him like how Princess Peach was guarded by the horrible Bowser. Kiyoshi really didn't have to tuck him on bed and stay inside the room to guard him just as Riko asked. Well, if Koganei has to think about it, it was better than Izuki. He loved the man like a brother, but when it comes to puns, he'll choose to jump out the window than listen to one.
Being unable to play with his team felt so constricting, and Koganei wondered if this was what Kiyoshi felt when he was confined in the hospital for three months because of that injury.
The memory was fresh into his mind – burned into his frontal lobe by that man who does not deserve his last name – and Koganei promised, a silent and unspoken promise that the rest of the team also held, that it will never happen to Kiyoshi, ever again.
Pushing that horrible thought aside, Koganei's stomach grumbled and Kiyoshi gave him an amused look from his book. Koganei wasn't sure if Kiyoshi was actually reading the book – wait, isn't that Hyuuga's?
Koganei mentally shook his head. Kiyoshi really liked to annoy Hyuuga…
"Are you hungry? Do you want me to get something to eat?" Kiyoshi asked as he stood up from his chair. Even if Koganei says he's fine, Kiyoshi won't take no for an answer. He's like the mother hen of the team – the type that would allow them to a long, long journey of trying to catch all Pokemon in the world with nothing but the clothes in their back and the ultimate faith that they'll achieve their dream. Hyuuga, on the hand, is a mother hen similar to Jessica Huang of Fresh off the boat – pragmatic, strict but all 'tough love'. And he would never miss them for the world.
"Thanks," Koganei said as Kiyoshi smiled before he disappeared from the doorway. He heard the refrigerator open and close, then Kiyoshi appeared again at the doorway with a sheepish smile. Koganei pursed his lips. Kiyoshi did something again, didn't he? "Is something wrong?"
"Looks like I forgot to do grocery shopping again?" Kiyoshi said, half-amused and half-sorry. Koganei sighed. Good thing Hyuuga wasn't here or there'll be a shouting fest. Koganei was about to say it's fine; but if he thought about the situation very carefully, once Riko and Hyuuga gets home and no-one has food to eat, Riko will have the idea to– oh no.
"Kiyoshi, you have to go to a department store, real quick!" Koganei said, desperation written on his face. If they were in a manga, Koganei's face would be ridiculously accentuated with bold lines and details while sweat ran down his face. "If Riko were to find out that we don't have dinner, she'll…do the unspeakable!"
Kiyoshi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What unspeakable thing?" Ah, sometimes, Koganei wondered how this guy was able to be an Uncrowned General with how an airhead Kiyoshi was sometimes.
"You know what I mean!" Koganei said, and he mustered all his courage to say that word. "She'll…c-cook…"
Dozens of emotions flashed on Kiyoshi's face like the time that they accidentally fostered Kiyoshi to have musophobia by making him watch that B-list mutant rat horror movie. It was funny at first, but the several days after was pure damage-control. Koganei would've laugh at Kiyoshi's reaction – it's very rare to see Kiyoshi not smiling – but if he would, he'd be a hypocrite. Riko's cooking was something to have a phobia of, and the number of times that he'd acquired stomach aches and mysterious side effects was a sure testament of that. (There was one time Hyuuga's hair turned into an afro after having a stomach ache from Riko's cooking. Kiyoshi, the person whom first tasted Riko's cooking and the subject of the coach's culinary experimentations, said that hair transformation was just one of Riko's cooking's normal side-effects. No-one wanted to know what kind of side-effects were the ones that were considered above normal.) Koganei thought that someone should make a horror movie about Riko's cooking; surely, it won't be classified as B-rated with how much pain and suffering the whole team had to endure under her culinary escapades.
"That's…" Kiyoshi spoke when he regained composure. "A bad idea."
"Very bad." Koganei agreed.
Kiyoshi gulped. "I'm going to go grocery shopping now."
Koganei nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea."
"A very good one." Koganei won't care to eat cup noodles as long as they have something to eat besides Riko's cooking.
"Wish me luck!" Kiyoshi said before he saluted, grabbing his wallet and Nigou's leash. Seeing the leash, the dog obediently followed one of his masters. Koganei casted a worried glance at that.
"Hey, wait! Don't you think it's too soon to let Nigou out already?" The recent escapade of the little Husky had put the whole team in a frenzied search-and-rescue operation, which almost flipped the whole school upside down if it not for Kiyoshi to be their voice of reason. Hyuuga was the loudest of them all, eager and almost desperate in trying to find Nigou, which was ironic given the fact that he was the one who was the loudest in voicing out his disapproval in keeping Nigou as Seirin's mascot. It's amusing to see how much Nigou fitted into the whole team like a puzzle piece.
Though, sometimes, Koganei thought that Seirin is still incomplete.
Kiyoshi smiled, which reassured the Jack of All trades. "Don't worry, I won't let him run off," the Center said. "Besides, it would be wrong to chain Nigou's free spirit, isn't it?"
With those words, Koganei can't help but smile. As the person who is the most passionate about the prospect of being free from anything, Koganei very much understood what Nigou wanted. Being kept in this lofty apartment, despite being kept clean and nice, was simply boring and unfit for someone that wants to feel the wind and the earth shift under his feet. Nigou was just as adventurous as he is, never really liking to stay in one place for too long, and that might have been the whole reason why they found Nigou, sick and dying, along the street on a rainy day. It had been a sight that has been burned into their minds and would resurface whenever they find Nigou missing, but, despite the scares and the worries, Nigou always comes back, in one way or another. Koganei would've thought that the whole team was already used to Nigou's disappearances already, but Nigou's last escapade showed him that they weren't…at least, not yet. Koganei was already used to it, as he already knew from experience.
Nigou is a free animal, but no matter where he goes, he'll always come back to Seirin. He's stuck.
Just like him.
"Alright. Take care. And don't take too long!"
Kiyoshi smiled, one that the Center uses when he knows something Koganei doesn't, and waved. "Okay!"
When Kiyoshi had left the dorm and locked the door behind him, Koganei sank into the pillows with his arms crossed behind his head. And he wondered.
Who would be the next (not really) unfortunate person who's going to get stuck with them?
Koganei prayed that they surrender to his fate to Seirin more quickly than him.
OOOOoooOOOO
Koganei had dozed off when Kiyoshi had returned from the department store. Kiyoshi was silent in his entry, but Koganei's hearing was sharp. He pushed himself to wake up to greet Kiyoshi. His sights were still blurry, but he can clearly hear the soft pitter patter of the rain against the window. Koganei hoped that Kiyoshi brought his umbrella.
"Kiyoshi," he called, rubbing his eyes as his visions cleared. While he was able to see Kiyoshi quite clearly now, Kiyoshi was standing very weirdly. The 11-7 grocery bag hung on his elbows, while his arms were stuck out. The more he blinked, the more a figure in Kiyoshi's arms became clearer and clearer. "Were you – what is that?!"
Kiyoshi let out a sheepish smile as Nigou barked happily at him, seemingly proud of what had Kiyoshi brought. And Koganei has a feeling it's not the grocery bag…
"Hey," Kiyoshi started. "I was able to buy all the stuff we need for dinner, then I met this guy along the way. Isn't that great?"
Ignoring the happy tone in Kiyoshi's voice, Koganei shouted. "Kiyoshi! Did you just – did you kidnap a person?!" Everyone in the Seirin team knew that Nigou was seemingly rescued by Kiyoshi, but not everyone knew that Nigou was not the very first animal Kiyoshi had picked up along the road. Even at their first few months as an official basketball team, Kiyoshi had been picking up stray animals he could find and insist that they become the team's mascot. He had 'rescued' kittens to puppies; parrots to goldfishes. There was even a time that Kiyoshi brought a horse to the dorm! Thankfully, all of the animals that Kiyoshi picked up already have owners, so they didn't really have to keep all of them. Nigou was the only exception because Nigou's owner had probably abandoned him at the street or Nigou had wandered off too far from his home, and the whole Seirin team didn't have the heart to have someone adopt the dog, not when they got too close to him. Even with their adoption of Nigou, Kiyoshi's tendency to help abandoned animals in the street didn't stop – he had brought a carp home just a few days after he was discharged from the hospital and wow the look on his face was really funny and the same time scary when he saw Hyuuga frying what it seemed to be the poor carp – and by seeing this human being in Kiyoshi's arms, Koganei realized that Kiyoshi's habit turned in for the worse.
Kiyoshi Teppei, their reliable Center, faithful believer of his abilities, the standing mother and brother of the whole team, and the person who's perfect to work as a veterinarian or zoo keeper if he chose to stray from the basketball career path, was a kidnapper.
His thoughts ran from the nonchalant 'Riko's going to kill us' to the dramatic 'WHERE DID WE GO WRONG – ' and finally to the important 'Should I be a bro or a responsible citizen? Think, Shinji, think!'
His love for the country and for his life wavered more than having the chance to be Kiyoshi's best bro. Koganei mentally murmured an apology to Kiyoshi, because, as much as Koganei wanted to be a bro by helping Kiyoshi in his kidnapping schemes, he didn't want to get run over by Riko. It's a great sin to the bro code, he knew, but he likes to be alive thank you very much. Koganei slowly and dramatically lifted a hand to him. Maybe, after a few years of imprisonment, Kiyoshi would understand why Koganei chose to report him to the authorities; maybe, they'll be able to play basketball together after that.
But, that happy ending won't happen if he's just going sit on the bed and let Kiyoshi continue in his kidnapping deeds. He puffed his chest out and pointed a finger towards Kiyoshi, just like what Ace Attorney would do. "Objection!" Koganei shouted. "There's no way I'm gonna tolerate this! Kidnapping a poor child, how could you?! Give him back! Return him from where he came from!"
Kiyoshi didn't seem to like the idea of that. "But, Koga! I found him sleeping at the playground. He's cold and he's shivering, and I think he has a fever. Who could've abandoned him like this?" Koganei was about to counter the Center's explanation – 'You can't just take sick people from a public park and bring them here; how did you even get past the guards?' – but the Center's face contorted with an expression of pity and sentimentality, and it doesn't take Koganei a minute to understand what's going on.
Oh, Kiyoshi… He thought. Someday, Koganei knew, that Kiyoshi's self-sacrifice and chivalry was going to land him into serious trouble, but he also knew that their team will most likely try to bail the Center out.
Well, at least, the good news was Kiyoshi is not a kidnapper…Even if what Kiyoshi did was, technically, kidnapping.
If Kiyoshi was like this already, there's no choice for Koganei but to follow the bro code.
"if that's the case, then I guess he could stay. Riko and Hyuuga will understand." He said, which prompted Kiyoshi to smile. Koganei knew that Riko and the rest will understand the situation once its explained to them, but it doesn't undermine the fact that this is a real human being with real human parents who were probably running in the rain to find this kid. Kiyoshi laid the kid on his own bunk before he placed the grocery bags to the kitchen. Koganei took this time to inspect the kid further.
As he took a closer look at him, the kid didn't look like a child at all. The teen looked like a 3rd year Middle school student, quite possibly an athlete because of the muscles on his arms and legs. He looked unnaturally pale, which contrasted on his red forehead, cheeks and neck. His light blue hair was wet with the rain, but Koganei has a sick feeling that it's also wet because of his sweat. His breaths were deep and haggard, and when Koganei touched the teen's forehead, it was hot! He had to guess that this teen was above normal body temperature now. This teen really has a fever. It's lucky that Kiyoshi came when he did. By the look of the rain outside, Koganei bet that no-one was daring to come outside now.
He hoped that his team is okay amidst the strong rain. They need to if they're going to be greeted by this kid.
Nigou barked beside him. The small puppy tried to climb on the bed where the teen lay. Koganei took hold of the puppy and put him down to the floor. "You'll only disturb his sleep; it's best if you stay with me." When Nigou folded his ears, Koganei patted Nigou's head. "Don't worry. He'll be alright. He just needs rest." I think.
With the help of his crutches, Koganei gently kneeled himself to the floor, careful not to sit down on his ankle. He opened the built-in drawers under their mattresses and pulled out some clean clothes. It was important that the teen changed into dry clothes; not only was the teen drenching Kiyoshi's bed, but his temperature will only rise if he's cold. Because the sick teen was so small and lithe, Koganei's clothes, no doubt, were big. But, comparing to Kiyoshi's or Hyuuga's, his clothes were the best option – not that he would mind letting this poor kid borrow them. As Koganei gave a pitiful glance at the sick teen, he wondered what could've happened with him.
Seeing the kid like that made him remember a lot of memories, and Koganei wondered, is that why Kiyoshi chose to help this kid? Kiyoshi could've easily brought him to the hospital. Kiyoshi could've just called the parents of this kid and everything will be solved. But he didn't.
Kiyoshi didn't want to. And that was saying something – a lot, to be precise.
Kiyoshi rushed to the sick boy with a basin full of water and a towel. "Do you have a thermometer or something we can use to gauge his body temperature?" Kiyoshi asked.
"I think Mitobe has one. But, first, we'll have to change his clothes," Koganei explained. Kiyoshi only nodded before he put the basin and the towel down, and sat on the bed. He gently took hold of the sick teen.
"Sorry that we have to do this, but it's for your own good." Kiyoshi said to the unconscious teen as he rolled the shirt over the teen's head with much carefulness. Koganei's suspicions about the teen being an athlete was confirmed when he saw the teen's torso, but Koganei hoped that this guy was just really pale because no-one has that kind of skin color without being submerged to icy temperatures. He had seen someone like that when Mitobe was in duty in the clinic. When he was hanging out with Mitobe in the clinic (Mitobe was a member of the school's health committee), some first year students came with their half-frozen friend, whom was doing his club entry ritual by staying inside the cafeteria freezer for two minutes. Said friend was thankfully alive and well after Mitobe's continuous treatment but boy did it give the school a good opportunity to abolish all kinds of club entry rituals. Seirin basketball team will, however, continue their ritual of screaming their dreams to the rooftops for new club members since it gives Riko the chance to see how much her team is willing to stake everything to win.
It's also a good chance to rile up the new club members.
But, anyway.
Once the teen's wet clothes were off, Kiyoshi took the dry towel and wiped the teen's body. Thankfully, the teen's boxers weren't wet so they didn't have to go through the embarrassing process of stripping the guy bare. After he was dry enough, Koganei gave his clothes to Kiyoshi one by one, until Kiyoshi was able to fully clothe the boy. Koganei pulled off the thick cover which Kiyoshi laid the teen onto, so that the teen was lying on the mattress now. Koganei simply flipped the cover to its dry side and Kiyoshi laid it on top of the teen. Since Kiyoshi's blanket was really thick, the teen didn't really drench the cover all throughout, so the other side was still dry.
Koganei volunteered to put a wet towel on the teen's forehead to cool his body down while Kiyoshi went through Mitobe's drawers to get a thermometer. Kiyoshi placed the thermometer underneath the teen's armpits. After three minutes of waiting, Kiyoshi looked at the reading.
"38.7 celcius. He has a fever, alright." Kiyoshi said. "We should probably make him drink medicine when he wakes up." The taller brunette pulled the cover until it reached the teen's sternum, and made sure that no limb was left uncovered by Kiyoshi's blanket. The teen was sweating and flushed, but that was a good sign to see if they wanted the teen to break his fever.
The brunette took notice of Koganei's bandaged ankle and smiled. "Sorry for making you help me. Your ankle must be still painful."
Koganei waved it off. "It's nothing. Plus, I got something to do." The Jack of All Trades was never good at sitting still anyway. "How about I watch over him for you, while you make dinner for the team when they get back?" Koganei was going to snag the chance while he has it; he was sure Kiyoshi was going to owe the responsibility of taking care of this sick teen and making dinner just as he owes almost every chore in the house. It's similar to the way he would owe the position of Center and Point guard at the same time. Although it's very helpful and quite amazing of him to be so versatile during basketball, it's a different issue in real life. The whole team wanted to help Kiyoshi in some way, but he would just smile and say he's fine. It's a trait of his that makes him nice, but also a pushover, and Riko and Hyuuga were adamant on making Kiyoshi rely on them, even at least on household chores. The rest of the team shares the same sentiments.
Kiyoshi opened his mouth to reject the proposal, but he paused and gave a sheepish smile. "Is it okay for you?" Koganei smiled. At least they were making progress.
"Of course! Leave it to me!" Koganei interjected. When Nigou barked, Koganei lifted the puppy. "And Nigou too!"
Kiyoshi chuckled. "Well then, I'm leaving the rest up to you guys!"
Koganei and Nigou made a salute before Kiyoshi retreated to the kitchen to cook.
The Jack of All trades looked at the bluenette and touched the teen's skin. He smiled.
The teen's temperature seems to come down. It's good to know that they're also making progress on him.
As Koganei looked through the window and the rain droplets that run down on it, he wondered what his team is doing right now. He hoped that the game was exciting as everyone imagines it to be.
At some point, Koganei had dozed off again, and he had woken up to the sight of Nigou pulling off the towel with his teeth before jumping back down on the bed to wet the fabric in the basin just below the bed. Koganei felt a bit guilty for letting Nigou do all the work when he had promised Kiyoshi that they'll both take care of his patient, so he gave a Nigou a pat on the head before he drenched the fabric, squeezed the excess water and put it on the bluenette's head. Koganei could feel the heat that the towel had absorbed, but when he felt the bluenette's forehead, he wasn't that hot anymore. In fact, the bluenette's flushed face seemed to have calmed down. That was a good sign. The bluentte should be waking up soon, if this continues.
The doorknob clicks open and he heard a tired chorus of 'I'm home!' at the doorway. Koganei wanted to greet them, but the ache of his ankle made him remember of his injury, so Kiyoshi was the only one who greets them.
Kiyoshi's greeting stopped mid-way, and Kiyoshi's silence unnerved him.
"What's with the long faces?" Kiyoshi asked, the earlier enthusiasm gone.
"We lost." Riko answered, but Koganei knew that there was an unspoken word after that because whenever they lose, Riko doesn't answer like that – so forlorn and disappointed of herself. What could've have happened during that practice game?
"Don't beat yourself up for it coach," he heard Hyuuga say as he marched to the shared bedroom. Even Hyuuga sounded so different! "Anyway, Koga, how are you feeling?" his captain said. Koganei stilled when he realized that he was supposed to be tending to a sick teen, but Hyuuga made no movements to acknowledge the teen.
Koganei took this as a good sign. "I'm okay…" he answered nervously, to which Hyuuga threw a curious glance.
Hyuuga shrugged. "Don't forget your scheduled check-up is tomorrow. We'll accompany you there," he said as he faced away from Koganei as he started removing his jacket. Half-way through the process, his captain stilled. The way Hyuuga's head turned towards him reminded him of those creepy mutant rats in the B-listed movie that they showed to Kiyoshi. Koganei wasn't scared of that when the rats did it, but seeing Hyuuga do it is a different issue. Koganei gulped when he saw the pure shock coupled with the small embers of anger in his captain's eyes.
" .That?" Hyuuga asked. By the tone of his captain's voice, he already knew that Kiyoshi had something to do with this.
The others must've gotten wind of Hyuuga's question and peered through the doorway. After a few blinks and squints, they all gasped when they realize that a teen – who was not Kiyoshi – was sleeping on Kiyoshi's bed.
Koganei started to sweat.
"W-What's he doing here?" Riko gasped as she stepped closer. "It's Kuroko-kun!"
The embers of anger in Hyuuga's eyes disappeared when he adjusted his glasses and stared at the sleeping teen. His expression melted in a pleasant surprise. "Kuroko? What's he doing here?"
Koganei blinked. "You know him?"
"He's one of the General of Miracles: Akashi Tetsuya. He was our tour guide when we visited Teiko," Izuki explained, and something flashed on the Eagle-eye user's face when he talked about Teiko. "Though how did he end up here, I wonder? Teiko isn't really near from our school." Mitobe nodded in agreement.
"He's actually from Teiko? That's a nice surprise. I just saw him at a playground and decided to bring him home!" Kiyoshi explained as he scratched the back of his head when he appeared at the doorway. Everyone gave him surprised looks – varying from looks that say 'You can't be serious Kiyoshi' to 'I KNEW IT WAS BAD IDEATO LEAVE YOU ALONE' – except for Hyuuga, who seemed to have his embers of anger rekindled by Kiyoshi's words. Hyuuga looked like he was going to blow up, and Koganei was thankful that the juniors are not here, else they'll be thrown in the middle of the crossfire. Unlike their seniors, their juniors were new to the team, and new to the dynamics of Hyuuga's and Kiyoshi's relationship. They are yet to learn how not to get involved into Hyuuga's and Kiyoshi's arguments and how to do damage control when it happens.
Tick marks appeared on Hyuuga's forehead as the captain entered into his famous clutch mode. "You…bastard…" and in a second, Hyuuga grabbed Kiyoshi's collar, swinging the Center back and forth. "HOW COULD YOU?! KIDNAPPING THE GENERATION OF MIRACLES' BROTHER, SHAME ON YOU! WHAT KIND OF SPORTMANSHIP ARE YOU TRYING TO SHOW, HUH?!"
Kiyoshi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about – "
"Wait, you kidnapped Kuroko-kun?" Riko interjected. "Why?"
"OH YOU FULL WELL KNOW, RIKO. THIS GUY HAS GONE NUTS. NUTS, I TELL YOU."
"It isn't – "
"AND YOU DRUGGED HIM TOO, Poor thing!"
"No I didn't!"
"OBJECTION! DON'T TRY TO LIE TO ME!"
"Keep your voices down, you'll wake him! – "
"I never really thought that you're this kind of person, Kiyoshi," Izuki said, crossing his arms. "Your heart is as cold and hard as Iron."
"Oh Izuki, shut up. This isn't really the time for puns."
"This isn't a pun – "
"That was a good one, though – "
"SHUT UP, KIYOSHI. I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU – "
"What did I ever do wrong?"
"THIS. THIS!"
"Well, about that – "
"NOPE! I AM NOT LISTENING TO YOUR EXPLANATIONS! RIKO, CALL THE POLICE!"
"But – "
"NO."
"I was trying to help!"
"THIS ISN'T HELPING THE WHOLE TEAM! KIDNAPPING ONE OF THEIR MEMBERS IS NOT GOING TO BUILD OUR SELF-ESTEEM!"
"I didn't kidnap him – "
"LIES! TELL ME THAT YOU DIDN'T CARRY THAT BOY ALL THE WAY HERE."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Kiyoshi!"
"How can you even kidnap someone from a school that's surrounded by the sea?"
"HIM AND HIS YAOI HANDS, THAT'S WHY."
"…What."
"He was sick! And sleeping in a deserted playground! I couldn't help it!"
"…What in the world were you doing in a playground?"
"IF YOU BROKE ONE OF THE SWINGS AGAIN, I SWEAR – "
"That was your fault! If you hadn't pushed me that hard, it would've never broke!"
"…Are you blaming me?!"
"I gotta say, Hyuuga, Kiyoshi's right, you did break that swing."
"NO I DID NOT – "
"Uh, yes you did. Your eyes were so bad you overdid it and – "
"Leave my eyes out of this."
"You mean don't talk about your life choices?"
"I WAS BORN WITH BAD EYESIGHT. IT'S A GENETICAL CONDITION!"
"Whatever, you say."
Amidst his teammates' loud banters, Mitobe started flailing. "He's waking up!" Mitobe said through his actions.
"What?" Koganei gasped as he turned around, only to see his sleeping patient to be sitting upright already. He didn't looked surprised about this new environment – which Koganei found odd because any normal guy has to look at Hyuuga and Kiyoshi's argument with bewilderment or 'I'm judging you' look – and even seemed unfazed when Nigou had climbed on the bed and was nudging the kid with his nose. There was a look in his eyes that Koganei found strange, found very concerning. This teen, Kuroko as Riko called him, didn't look…alive, in a figurative sense.
And as he pieced all the connections together, it dawned to him. Oh no. He was more thankful Kiyoshi had found him as quickly as he did.
"H-hey…" Koganei called. No response. He gulped. "…Kuroko, right?" At that, Kuroko casted him a glance; poor kid looked exhausted despite sleeping just recently. The screaming had stopped as his teammate's eyes pointed at him. Kiyoshi went past his teammates and knelt beside the bluenet.
"How are you feeling? I saw you passed out at a playground earlier and you looked like you had a fever, so I brought you here," Kiyoshi explained. When Kuroko looked at his clothes, Kiyoshi rubbed the back of his head. "Ah. Your clothes were wet so we had to change your clothes to warm you up. Hope that we didn't do something you didn't fancy."
"…Thank you…" Kuroko slurred, and judging by his pinkish face, he still looked sick.
Riko took this chance to sit next to Kuroko. "Hey, Kuroko-kun. Do you remember me?" she said softly. Kuroko looked at her and nodded. She smiled. "You should rest up a bit more. I think you still have a fever," she took out her phone from her bag. "If you like, you can call your brothers and tell them what happened. They can fetch you here if they like…But I think they should because you're not in a position to walk freely…"
Kuroko looked at Riko with dull eyes. "B-brothers?"
Riko sensed something was wrong as she visibly flinched under Kuroko's gaze. "…Yeah… Or you can call your parents or relatives, or anyone who in your family! Just so you can tell them that you're alright." Riko handed him the phone, but the bluenette didn't move.
The Seirin coach casted a worried glance at Hyuuga and Izuki, who opted to stay near the doorway. They also shared worried glances about their sick guest.
It was Kiyoshi who broke the tension.
"Let's…not overwhelm our guest, shall we? He's still sick and he might get sicker if we continue to disturb him," Kiyoshi said as he gently pushed the bluenette down on the mattress. Koganei found Kuroko's non-existent resistant to be concerning. He looked at Kuroko and smiled. "Dinner is almost done. For now, just rest a bit, okay? I'll wake you up when dinner is done." At that cue, everyone left the shared bedroom to gather at the living room – which was also their dining room and kitchen. Koganei and Kiyoshi were about to leave when Kuroko's hand shot out of the sheets and held Koganei's wrist. His hand was really cold.
"…Can…Can you not call my brothers…or anyone…please?" he murmured. "I just want…to be alone from them…for a moment…"
Koganei wasn't sure how to respond to that. By Kuroko's words, Koganei knew that the bluenette had somehow ran away from home – from his brothers, probably – and this was probably a matter of family issues that he has no right to be involved. As much as he wanted to help the kid, Koganei wasn't sure if complying to this kid's request was a good thing to do. First of all, Family was family, and it's not good to make family worry. Second, he really doesn't know anything about Kuroko except for the fact that Kiyoshi picked him up from the street. This kid might be a serial killer and all of them may just be sitting ducks. And third, leaving him a state like this alone wasn't really a good thing to do. Koganei wasn't a psychiatrist, but he had seen the look of people who wanted to die, who wanted to disappear. That look absolutely mirrored what this Kuroko person was showing, and the number one lesson he had learned from his family was that when people look like that, they need family.
But then again, that doesn't apply to everyone, especially those who were hurt by their own family.
Koganei's thoughts were interrupted when Kiyoshi sat beside Kuroko's lying figure and patted the bluenette's head. "Okay. Tell us if you're ready to call them, alright?"
With that, Kuroko gave a small smile – and Koganei took that as a really, really good sign – before the bluenette's eyelids fluttered close. Kiyoshi ushered Koganei to leave the room as the Center closed the door behind him.
The whole team unknown of the bluenette's situation gathered outside the shared bedroom, looks all darted to Kiyoshi and Koganei. Riko had her phone out.
"He said not to call his brothers." Kiyoshi said, which prompted their coach to sigh and pocket her phone. He spoke more softly than normal.
Koganei dared to speak. "Who…was that guy, exactly?"
"Akashi Tetsuya," Izuki repeated. "But he likes to be called Kuroko, for some reason. He was our escort in Teiko. Judging by his last name, he's probably siblings with the Generation of Miracles. He also looked like a regular in Teiko's basketball team." Expect Izuki to be the most observant of them all.
"What I don't understand is," Hyuuga started. "Why is he here." All eyes turned to Kiyoshi for an explanation.
"I found him at a playground while I was shopping for groceries – " "Wait, didn't you do that yesterday?" " – and he was alone and feverish. So I took him home."
Their Captain sighed in relief. "I thought you kidnapped the poor kid just to do vengeance to the Generation of Miracles."
Kiyoshi furrowed his eyebrows. "I would never do that." Then, he blinked. "Wait. What exactly happened to the pr – "
The Center was cut off when Mitobe started showing hand gestures. "Mitobe says: Even so," Koganei translated. "Would it be better to rush him to a hospital than here?" No-one was going to question how Kiyoshi was able to get past security. No-one knew how he does it; they learned not to question Kiyoshi's ways when he was able to sneak a horse in the dorms.
Kiyoshi shrugged. "He looked abandoned." Riko and Hyuuga visibly flinched.
"Are you…" Izuki started, but he decided not to continue. "What are we going to do with him, though? I don't know if he can even stay here…or if he wants to."
"If his family comes, then we'll give him to them." Kiyoshi simply stated.
"What if they don't?" Tsuchida asked.
Kiyoshi looked dejected at that. "…Then…his brothers didn't really care much of him," That sent any objections or questions silent.
Riko broke the tension by sighing. "I don't know what happened, but he certainly isn't in the shape to come back home or make sound decisions," she started. "We'll fix him up. After that, we'll ask if he wants to come home or not. If he wants to come home, he comes home. But, if he doesn't…we'll give him three days. After that, we call his brothers. How does that sound?"
Whenever Riko makes a decision, the team listens and never questions it. They learned not to question her anymore. Kiyoshi smiled. "Sounds like a plan."
The tension earlier was relieved and Riko visible smiled at the two. "Well, I'm going back to my dorm. It's almost seven." She said as she slung her bag on her shoulder. Tsuchida and Izuki, who belong to different room, also prepared to leave. "Call me if anything happens."
Kiyoshi nodded at that and showed them the door. After bidding short good night greetings, they left and Kiyoshi promptly locked the door shut behind them.
Kiyoshi looked at his dormmates and gave a sheepish smile. "I – " he started, but Hyuuga had cut him off.
"If you get jailed for kidnapping, please don't point fingers at us," Hyuuga said.
Kiyoshi was silent for a moment, but then his smile grew warmer and Koganei thought that everything was going to be okay. "Of course, who else will bail me out from jail?"
The captain smirked. "Someone's sleeping on the floor, thogh." Hyuuga said as he crossed his arms. Everyone already knew who that person will be.
Said person only chuckled – a form of his appreciative gesture for his team's acceptance of keeping a kid who they knew nothing about from his family just because he asked them to – and smiled. "Can we sha – "
"No."
Mitobe smiled and Kiyoshi let out a hearty laugh, and Koganei decided, yeah, this was one of the reasons why he never regretted being stuck with this odd-ball of a basketball team.
He hoped his guest would think the same way too. The look on their guest's face, Kiyoshi's decision to take care of him, and his desire to part from his biological family even for just a second – it's like watching back-to-back episodes of Koganei's favorite reality TV show. Koganei knew how this would end.
It seemed that Kiyoshi found a puzzle piece; though, Koganei wondered, if he would fit their puzzle.
Author's Notes: Thank you so much for reading! Next (really long) installment will come soon.
On another note, a lot of people like Jealous!GOM. Ohhh, they're gonna be more than just jealous (evil laughs)
Unfortunately, I don't think I can squeeze Ogiwara into this. Maybe in an Omake chapter? I wrote this before I even knew he existed hahahaa.