CHAPTER ELEVEN

Hi I truly do apologize for the long wait, I have no excuse as it is my own fault. Here is the next chapter hope you guys will like it. I apologize if there are any errors or stuff it was all on me.

To all of you who left reviews, followed and favorited this story and even just gave it a read I am eternally grateful for it.*bows*

Hope you guys are going to like this chapter and feel free to leave reviews( anything really even if there are any criticisms or such im fine with it) its been a long time since I wrote this so if there are some anomalies on it please point them out so that I will fix them..and the plot might've changed a bit cuz its hard to remember the whole plotline of this.

"Kuroko..", before Akashi could even finish his sentence he was stopped by the voice of Midorima, who's scream, pained every single one of them. All eyes snapped to his direction where he held Takao in his arms so tenderly.

"Kuroko..please, save him", Kuroko looked toward Akashi with a look that says 'we will talk about this later', as Akashi nodded to allow Kuroko to approach the distraught Midorima. Kuroko approached them and as he saw how badly Takao looked, he slowly placed his hand on Midorima's shoulder.

"Let us first transport him back to Headquarters, you could use a bit more of rest as well Shintarou-kun", green eyes looked up from where he stared at Takao's unmoving form and Kuroko felt a spark of pain as his eyes saw what his green eyes implied. Midorima allowed it and nodded his head, without a word Aomine opened up a passage. Midorima entered it wordlessly, Kuroko gave Akashi one last glance and then he followed Midorima into the portal.

As soon as it disappeared, Aomine released a huge sigh and scratched the back of his head as he looked at the destruction that Midorima has wrought. Akashi also scanned the room for any clues left but found that there was once again gone. All the dolls that were controlled were now all lost their function as soon as the man they faced disappeared. A huge cry of victory was heard; from all over, the castle and Akashi could not even have the strength to feel happy about it. Because it would feel like a victory won at the cost of another friend.

"What did Kuroko mean by what he said? It was as if he was implying that the dead came back to life", Aomine began breaking the huge pregnant silence, Akashi's sharp eyes found his blue ones and Aomine could not look away as those red-eyes pierced him where he stood, but his eyes said it all.

"I don't know", those words stunned Aomine and if the situation was not worse than it already is, he would have gaped and asked Akashi once again to repeat himself. "..but as soon as I find out I will put a stop to all this madness and find out the truth and never again will I be fooled this way"

Aomine looked at their leader whole red-eyes glinted in the light, determination filled it and he remembered the reason why he decided to follow on his lead. 'He truly is born to rule', those thoughts flashed to Aomine's head, as he looked toward his Prince the one he swore his life, his allegiance to. Instead of finding sorrow or frustration in the unknown Akashi challenges it and faces it head on, all in order to seek out the answer beyond the tunnel.

However, Aomine wondered, after Akashi has found the answer that he seeks, will he find peace in it? Or more destruction? He shook his head his mind was already made up, ever since the day he met Akashi, he knew, he would follow the redhead to the ends of the earth itself.

Midorima placed Takao slowly on the comforts of his bed, he did not mind if it ever got dirty from Takao's blood. His hand caressed the cheek of Takao in the most gentle of ways and he closed his eyes to feel the beating of his lover's heart.

Thump-thump….Thump-thump

As he opened his eyes tears was beginning to fill, and he could not stop them from falling, as they fell to the pale cheeks of Takao who is now barely breathing. Softly once again, he took Takao into his arms and cried at his shoulder, sniffing the familiar scent he has.

When he did, all he could smell was something pungent, he eased himself away from his lover's body as his hand flew to his mouth. What he smelt was different, it was fire and blood and ash. This was something else, something much darker and sinister than he had ever felt before.

Darkness so malevolent it reeks, it's mixed with something sickeningly sweet that makes you addictive to it. As soon as he could smell it, once again, he leaned away despite wanting to touch his lover once again but he knows, if his heart were to waver, to wish for something, that darkness would feed on his weakness and thrive on it making it grow until no one could stop it.

"Shintarou-kun?", a voice caused Midorima to turn back and he saw Kuroko behind him staring at him in confusion and something that Midorima could not place. It was a hint of something that is not supposed to belong in the expression of the emotionless Kuroko.

"No-nothing, Kuroko.", then Kuroko nodded at him before he approached the body of Takao only to be stopped by the hand of Midorima who held him by his wrist.

"Don't", Kuroko looked at his wrist only to see Midorima holding onto it and stopping him. He looked towards the eyes of the greenhead only to see something there that he never expected Midorima to show—fear.

Then Kuroko's eyes followed to where Midorima was looking at only to see the body of Takao engulfed by something dark, like a shadow. How could he not see it before?

Kuroko covered his nose and mouth at the smell that emitted from the body of Takao, the darkness—no more like a shadow was still there. In addition, as he and Midorima looked at it properly, it looked as if it was poorly tethered to the soul of the Karasu. Slowly seeping in but also slowly being plunged out of the soul, as Kuroko saw it, it was as if they were fighting each other on who gets to take over the body.

Kuroko knew Midorima could see it, knowing his ability to be able to manipulate the life of other objects, Kuroko was not surprised. However, this would probably be the first time that Midorima have seen something like this. The reason why Kuroko banned the manipulation of the soul was this. It was possible that the darkness would take over the soul of another person and take it for themselves.

"NO!", Kuroko was pulled from his thoughts when he saw the light of Takao's soul was about to be shut down. Midorima made an attempt to approach, to help, to stop the darkness from taking over the soul of his lover but Kuroko stopped him.

He pushed Midorima back and created a barrier between them, Kuroko and Takao in one side and Midorima in the other. Midorima banged the barrier so hard that Kuroko was sure he hurt his hands on the process. Kuroko turned to look at him and Midorima's expression made Kuroko's heart clenched, the shadow that loomed over Takao was now growing and it's winning in the battle of the souls.

"It's okay, Midorima. I will bring him back to you, no matter what", Kuroko touched the barrier where Midorima's face is and the greenhead's eyes grew even wider.

"NO! KUROKO! Get back that is…", he banged on the barrier multiple times that he was sure his hands would have bled now. However, the teal-head seemed to have not heard his plea. There has to be some other way, Kuroko might be the King, but that this is different, it is something that does not belong in their world.

Aida Riko was panicking, she began pacing the sealed room while, Alexandra Garcia faced the cracked box and reinforcing her barriers on it, her eyes closed and focused. Hyuuga Junpei stood by the door and watched the scene with guarded eyes and an alert mind. The way the box spiked just a few moments ago was like a warning—a beacon of what was to come. Something like that is never allowed to step even one foot of the box where it is sealed.

Wrinkles formed on his forehead as he thought he was thinking too much on things, but if that thing do get to be freed. The only one who was capable of sealing it is already dead and if what Alex-sama told them about that box is true. It would lay waste to everything, sucking the life of every living thing until there is nothing left.

Hyuuga stood up straighter as he was sure he felt something move just a moment ago, he looked towards his surroundings, and widening his scope. Aida is right now thinking and when she does everything that happens around her does not matter. Before he knew it Aida was falling to the ground, her eyes widening as she never anticipated such an attack coming from behind.

Hyuuga ran to her side to catch her from falling but what he did was a huge mistake as he was hit with something blunt that made him faint. 'Who—no one knew of this place other than…it cannot be-?', his thoughts were cut off as soon as he hit the floor with a thud.

Alex looked behind her only to see a man wearing a cloak that covers his face stand where her allies had fallen. They were knocked out precisely and swiftly leaving no places to defend. She casted the strongest barrier she knew behind the box in order to protect it, by adding her blood on the barrier.

"It has been a long time since I have seen you working stealthily, Tatsuya", the man looked up only to reveal his face and Alex could never have understood things at that very moment.

'Why Tatsuya, you who has been loyal our King be doing such a thing? How did he know of this place? Is he a traitor? Would I be capable of killing him?', her thoughts ran wild and without her knowing as she was caught up in her mind, Tatsuya began to attack.

"You are thinking too much, Master Alex", she was barely able to defend as her hands turned into a scale to defend from the blow of a sword that is still sheathed. She pushed him away only to step silently on the ground unscathed and Alex growled at him.

"Why are you doing this, Tatsuya? Have you now shame, betraying our King who gave you a name and raised you!?", Alex shouted as her feet now turned to scales, and now half her body is snake-like. Her tail swishing to attack her ex-pupil and Tatsuya was able to defend easily as if he knew her every move.

'Ah, of course he knows, I trained him after all', she once again thought and she stopped attacking when her ex-pupil spoke.

"How can my actions be betrayal, when this is the order of his Majesty, himself?", Alex was frozen. Kuroko-sama never ordered such a thing. He never even knew such a place exists, yet how? How can Tatsuya say such a thing?

Laughter filled her mind as she clutched it—a child appeared—,it seemed like a distant memory that she never even knew just floated up her mind but soon disappeared like a bubble.

"What—what did you do?", Tatsuya looked at his mentor who is now clutching on her head in pain as the curse took on its victim, tying away its memories as its owner ordered it to.

"I did nothing, I am merely following my orders as you did yours, Master.", Alex panted as she shakily stood up now in her kimono and her snake-like features gone, her hair mussed up from its usual bun.

"Is—is it an order from the late Ogiwara Shigehiro-sama?", she wheezed out as she stared at the eyes of her once pupil, whose face now emotionless and empty. Tatsuya merely shook his head, closed his eyes as if steeling his will. Moreover, when he opened his eyes determination was all that was reflected in it and Alex could not look away. Her once young pupil has grown and where was she when the child she called her own had.

"I am afraid I cannot answer your question.", Alex smiled at this as she then challenged.

"Then you will have to go through me to get to that box", with that settled she summoned a sword given to her by the late Ogiwara Shigehiro along with his strictest orders to never allow Kuroko-sama in the room and know of the box's existence, to protect the box with her life at stake, that was her life mission. As she accepted the sword, her life had been tied to the room never leaving it, even at the cost of never seeing the pupils she once taught.

Tatsuya saw the determination in his mentor's eyes as he thought—forgive me Master, but it seems we both cannot go against the orders of the people we loved most, and if it is our fate to battle then so be it.

Kuroko approached the body of Takao where the shadow is now beginning to manifest itself in the body of the Karasu. He activated his nullifying magic but as soon as he was near the shadow to nullify it he found out that his magic was futile against the darkness.

And so he did the only thing that he thought he could do, he grabbed the hand of Takao who is now in the moment of awakening and a huge magic circle appeared below them. Kuroko began to speak in an ancient language that Midorima could not comprehend he could only watch as the darkness began to remove its hold onto Takao.

Midorima watched as the pure white magic that enveloped Kuroko was now getting tainted by the darkness, by the shadow that took a hold of Takao. 'Isn't Kuroko's magic nullifying it?', Midorima thought. As he watched the shadow slowly but surely absorbed by Kuroko there was a huge light that appeared, along with a huge gust of wind that seemed to envelop them and Midorima looked away and shielded his eyes from it.

When he felt the wind gone, he also found the barrier to have been broken. He looked toward Takao only to see the darkness gone from his soul. He released a huge sigh of relief but then turned toward the direction of the teal-head only to see him on the carpet his hands clutching on his head.

He approached Kuroko, slowly even thought his instincts were kicking in telling him to go away, telling him to run. But he consumed it all and approached the teal-head, he crouched down.

"Kuroko?", and there he felt it once again, smelt it even as he touched the shoulder of the Demon King. The same darkness that enveloped Takao now enveloped Kuroko, he jumped back following his instincts and used his ability to create a barrier on the sleeping form of Takao to protect him.

'What happened Kuroko? What did the darkness whisper to you that made you wish? What did you desire that allowed your soul to be overrun by the darkness that you could have easily trampled on?',Midorima asked no one in particular as his mind raced with these questions with no answers to them.

"Hey, it has been a long time since we have seen each other, haven't we?", Midorima was shocked as he Kuroko spoke but the voice sounded not him and him at the same time. He found himself confused as he thought that the darkness that overtook Kuroko was now communicating with him.

"We haven't met", obsidian eyes, snapped at his direction, the soft teal-eyes were now gone and the Kuroko he once knew was no longer in control and Midorima now know he was not talking to Kuroko but the darkness that took over Takao and now has taken over Kuroko.

"Funny of you to say that", and like the shadow that it was, Midorima did not even realize it when Kuroko was now in front of him. He was about to cast his ability for protection only to have his ability, the flowers around the whole room die.

"Now hush, little lamb, this will be over before you know it", a sinister smile appeared on Kuroko's face as his hands began to barely touch Midorima's head. Then without an order nor anything he was already on his knees and the one manipulating Kuroko's body now used his hand and clutched Midorima's head.

Midorima did not know what to do his plants died before they even reached him to push away Kuroko from him. His body shook from the pressure of the power and a green magic circle appeared below them and Kuroko spoke so softly and Midorima wanted to cover his ears as the darkness that moved Kuroko was using his voice to cast something. He could not concentrate but he did his best to hear the words to no avail. All he understood was the repeating words 'release' . he saw the magic circle below them shatter to glass and disappear like nothing before he passed out.

"Brittle", obsidian eyes regarded the passed out green-head before he slowly approached the sleeping Karasu.

"Shame, you could've just yielded your body to me temporarily.", the not-Kuroko stretched and sat on the edge of the bed swinging his dangling feet to it, then he began humming a song that made him smile.

"Ah that made me feel better", he jumped from the bed and held his hands behind his back as he stared one last time to the Karasu. "..had you yielded your body to me your soul would've been still intact but now." An evil smile graced his lips as black eyes stared down as if making the raven-head regret his decision. "One touch from me and poof…you will never reincarnate ever again"

Before he could even touch the chest of Takao where his heart lie a voice rang to his mind like a bell awakening him.

'Monsters are not born they're made, and you are not a monster….you were just sad and lonely and you had no one…and everyone made you the bad they made you do it. They pushed you too far until you broke and gave in to their desires…but I will never do that to you..because…because—I love you..'

As if awakening from a long lost dream black eyes were now being over taken by teal once again as tears sprung from his eyes.

"NO!", Kuroko screamed at the memory as it pained him so, he clutched his head as the memory began to pour in his mind, denying what it contains and what it meant.

"I—I am. I am Kuroko.", he whispered to no one and convincing himself. "I am Kuroko, right?", his eyes widened as he felt the aura of another person in the room and he clutched his head harder trying to remember but all he could voice out was his name—his beloved's name.

"Shige—hiro", his voice whispered before he passed out on the floor a new comer arriving, carrying him to one of the chairs, and settling him there, comfortably. A hand brushed the fringe that covered his eyes and the newcomer voiced out.

"Soon, I will free you soon. Please wait for me till the end my …", the last words were whispered as a single tear escaped from the eye of Kuroko as if in that moment he remembered what he lost and lost it all over again.

A defeated Alex now lay at the ground, Tatsuya slowly picked up his previous Master and placed her on a trunk of a tree and laid her there by the grass. The sword she held so tightly was there by her side.

"Forgive me, Alex. But this is necessary", he whispered as he then unsheathed the sword that was given to him by Chihiro. Silver magic flashed upon it, and his wounds forgotten as they healed quite fast. He then swung his sword at the barrier and with one swift cut, the barrier was broken along with the box. A huge black flame appeared from the broken box and Tatsuya covered his eyes from the scene and the black flame suddenly dissipated disappearing somewhere, back to its rightful place.

"It has begun. The time that have stopped has now begun to move", he sheathed back the sword as he turned his back at the scene and he left through a portal, to his Master's side he returned.

As soon as he stepped out of the Portal he found himself in Teikou the current headquarters and face to face with one of the cloaked men and Haizaki Shougo in the right corner. Hie eyes searched for Chihiro only to see that he is not in the room.

"Where is Chihiro-sama?", Mibuchi spoke with a huge smile on his lips as he clapped his hands.

"Chihiro-sama is resting for now", Tatsuya's eyes found Mibuchi's easily and he glared at him intensely, which only made the other man's smile grew even wider.

"Don't worry too much, Tatsuya-chan. He just had a bit of a breakdown.", Tatsuya smiled at this as he now know. 'Chihiro-sama must've went to that place', his thoughts was once again interrupted when another voice began to ask him.

"How was the box?", all eyes then found Tatsuya along with the other two who remained silent.

"It was already on the brink of breaking when I released him", another clap and cheer erupted from Mibuchi who seemed pleased at this.

"It seems all our endeavours have succeeded", Haizaki spoke stiffly and the others were grinning save for Tatsuya who is still puzzled and so taking pity on him one who was wearing the cloak began to tell his story.

"The other interesting thing that happened was the remnant of him that I left in the body of the little Karasu transferred itself to another and thus the breaking of one of the seals. Four more and we will accomplish our purpose", Tatsuya's eyes widened they were close to what they have all planned, and if this goes well even Chihiro-sama would be able to get what he fully wanted.

"It truly is a good day", the man who just previously spoke removed his cloak only to reveal himself to Tatsuya who no longer was surprised at who he was.

Kiyoshi Teppei, one whose ability is to have complete control of gravity. With their strength their enemies would not stand a chance.

"Ah, Akashi-kun. Welcome back"

"You guys are late", Midorima appeared and was fixing his glasses by the bed was a sleeping Takao, who seemed to be dreaming a good one.

"What the—", Aomine began before Kise jumped to his heels to grab Midorima in a hug only to be foiled by the green-head as he moved to one side making the blonde fall face-first to the ground. Akashi looked at the scene quite oddly as if it was too normal, he could not place what was wrong but he knew there was something wrong in the picture he could not just figure it out.

Murasakibara was on the edge of the bed offering the sleeping Takao food while Midorima berates him. Momoi going on and on, on how cute how Midorima spoils Takao now but when he is awake Midorima acts all tsundere. Aomine has a pissed off face but in his eyes happiness is reflected as Kise tries to offer him food as well by eating the one on his hand.

On his peripheral view he saw Taiga approach his King, but that was something he expected the idiot always stayed close to Kuroko no matter what. He could not shake the odd feeling in his mind that there was something wrong—something happened that he did not witness, something important.

"Something wrong?", Taiga's voice came from beside him and he glanced up at the ex-guardian.

"Nothing"

"Good, because this is just the beginning", Akashi did not get to ask what the other redhead meant as he instantly was at the teal-head's side. He supposed he would have to ask the man some other time when they are alone in his office to discuss Yosen.

"Is everything alright, Your Majesty?", Taiga did not even look down at Kuroko to gauge out his expression, because he could feel the aura around him as much as he could the others in the room.

"Perfect", the teal-head replied a weird smile appearing on his face as his eyes suddenly flashed black before the scene in front of him.