He took the plunge and the flames took him, softening his fall before he landed on his back. He gazed up at the stars, reaching for that distant glimmer as the wind stayed silent.

The air was still, and he was finally all alone.

Let it return to ash.

-x-X-x-

Chapter XIV: Falling

-x-X-x-

"Don't think too badly of me right now, Miss Riko," the fox-faced leader of Touou smiled at her, despite him riding on their open car door, this close to toppling over the side of a cliff.

"Screw you Shouichi," the Commander returned with a leer of her own. She had a pistol fixed on him while Hyuuga took over for their fallen driver. The captain never had been the best with wheels, Riko recalled disdainfully as she lurched violently to the side. "Hyuuga!"

"They're surrounding us!"

Riko steadied her aim, half a mind to shoot their supposed ally right then and there. "Is this how you welcome us back to Osaka, Imayoshi?"

"Now if you'd let me explain," Imayoshi leered back, his ever-present grin tinged with a shade of impatience. "It'll be for your own good if you and the boyfriend stop this car and come with me right now—"

If there was one thing Riko consistently, passionately hated, it was being ordered around by other men, but before she could fire her retaliation, a tire burst, sending their caravan skipping and rolling—

She didn't get to see what became of Imayoshi as she ducked her head in, not before pulling Hyuuga with her into a protective roll.

The sound of metal, another lurch, and all was black.

-x-X-x-

He woke up on the back of someone very, very small.

"Kuroko...?"

"You're awake, Kagami-kun." His voice was strained, and Kagami felt the tremble in his lungs.

"Let me off, I can walk—" He pushed himself off the other, but his knees gave in the moment he put all his weight onto his own feet. Kuroko caught him, hitching him back onto his shoulders while his own head swam from the sudden drop.

"I'll help you," Kuroko continued, ignoring his previous struggle. Even as he spoke, Kagami caught the trickle of blood trailing from his nose before Kuroko wiped it away. "I don't understand what you've done, Kagami-kun, only that it took a toll on me. However, we don't have time to talk about it."

Truth be told, Kagami didn't know either as he recalled the fire, and a near-blinding anger that summoned the scorching heat to his fingertips. "Why... why's that?"

Kuroko's gaze hardened and it almost frightened him. The state they were both in, Kagami couldn't help but worry as there had to be a very good reason as to why Kuroko was manually dragging him around, rather than using that trick of his to get them both out of... out of wherever they were.

"Aomine-kun's after us, word was sent back to the Emperor. He'll kill you this time, Kagami-kun."

Kagami remembered him from before, the young man who looked to be his age, single-handedly tearing down a steel door several inches thick, just because he could. When they crossed paths, even for that split second, Kagami felt the difference in their power and it had brought his hairs standing on end.

"Our line to HQ was cut, and I couldn't get into contact with Kiyoshi-senpai. We're underground right now, but Aomine-kun will find us."

"Then he'll kill me."

"It's the most likely outcome."

"Bullshit—" Kagami snorted, pushing himself off a second time. Kuroko himself didn't have the strength to stop him, but there was no need when he could finally stand on his own. "Let him come. I'll deal with him, Kuroko."

He protested. "That's—"

"Didn't I tell you I was done running away?" Kagami said sharply, lifting his chin. "We can't outrun him, and you're already spent."

-x-X-x-

No matter how he looked at him, no matter how much he pulled the strings for a different perspective, it all told him the same thing.

Kagami had awakened. He was the same as him, as Himuro, as Kise, as Aomine—

But it was impossible, it had to be impossible—Kagami never went through stasis, never had a taste of the primer or serums. Riko was the top authority in Seirin, and as far as Kuroko knew, she would never put another human being through an operation that only had a slight percentage of succeeding.

...Could there be an alternate way to awakening, and did Kuroko himself have a hand in it?

"Didn't I tell you I was done running away?" Kagami was glaring at him now. "We can't outrun him, and you're already spent."

He was right. Kagami had awakened, but it did not explain why they were both experiencing the fallout of his flames. After the other had collapsed, Kuroko felt the strength drain from his body, leaving him too weak to go after Murasakibara, not that he was capable of much on his own and without a plan—Fukushima fell outside of their calculations ever since they discovered their correspondent had been long dead.

"You realize you've awakened, don't you, Kagami-kun?"

Kagami lowered his gaze, hands balling into fists. The one who had driven him over the edge was Himuro. Himuro had betrayed him, and Murasakibara had taken him away. It would have been a terrible dream, and Kuroko wondered then how many times before had Kagami dreamed of fire.

"If that's what it was, then yeah."

Kuroko pressed his back to a nearby pillar, sliding downwards as he exchanged the old air in his lungs for new. "We... might have a chance. Aomine-kun can't be killed or incapacitated so easily, but we may be able to buy enough time for ourselves."

-x-X-x-

The General of the North was supposed to be his.

Kasamatsu Yukio... was supposed to be his.

"If you tell us everything, then this could stop," he told the other, who remained slumped over in his chair, held up only by his hands bound from behind. Bruises littered the skin that Kise could see, and the smell of blood hung heavy in the air.

"Don't pretend to pity me... Kise." Even now he still called him by name.

He wanted to be the one to make the General pay. He wanted to drink in his screams, remind him of his place as any other common human, but when he's locked outside as his fellow operatives go to work, Kise could only cover his ears, the eyes of the golden Kitsune judging him from that far-off memory.

"I, I..." He wanted it to stop.

He didn't want this person to suffer.

"Kill me, Kise," Kasamatsu said, ocean blue eyes piercing him deep. "If you actually care, then kill me."

"I can't do that, Kasamatsu—" It was too late to ask that of him now. He had grown too attached, too involved, and he had fallen... much too deeply. Perhaps Kuroko had foreseen this too, for himself and for Kise.

"I've already killed one of your own," he said as if Kise needed to be reminded. "He killed the five people who were my entire world, who taught me everything I knew, so I took his head. Now's your chance to do the same, Kise."

Kise stepped back, hands rolling into fists. "No."

The other smiled bitterly. "I hate your kind, and you hate mine. Isn't this what you wanted since the start?"

For once, he was at a loss for words, his tongue lying thick in his mouth as his throat tightened with hesitation. Those words had stung, even when he knew them to be true.

"No," he finally managed, surprising even himself. The General was their greatest enemy, but Kasamatsu... Kasamatsu was...

"... Why did it have to be you?" he lowered his gaze. "... I wanted to see how far—"

"How far we could go?" Kasamatsu finished for him, eyes softening with a strange sort of pity that Kise could despise if he were in his right mind.

Perhaps in another life, things could be different, but Kise had thought he was done wishing for a different life. He had everything he wanted here, freedom, power, a family. And yet—

"I do hate humans," Kise admitted, lips pulling into a smile fraying at the edges. "As a human, I hated myself too. I spent every day of my life hating something, and I should hate you, but even if you ask me again, for some reason... f-for some reason—" His voice trembled as he brought his hands to his face.

Their lives had changed since their point of awakening. He thought only of his next kill and how he'd do it, rarely anything else. Death had been their single truth. Everyone dies, if not now, then you killed and killed until you could no longer kill.

And Kise remembered standing barefoot on a pile of corpses wearing the same gown he did. Happily, he slaughtered the other children he used to eat meals with, the ones he'd laugh and play with in the halls. Time and time again, he survived, and he had thought to himself then that he could only survive this too.

"I don't want to kill you."

For a moment Kasamatsu said nothing, only gazing quietly at the sniffling assassin before him. How many men had he lost to them? The one they called Akashi had taken out Kaijou's original five generals, and in turn, Kasamatsu had pulled his own miracle to extinguish a Miracle, and yet he found the grip on his sword weak when he faced those golden eyes.

And for the first time since they met, Kasamatsu could only see a child who had nothing.

"Kise," he murmured, voice and gaze growing softer. "You idiot, come here and look at me."

A thick sniffle. "I'm ugly."

"Kise," he tried again, even softer this time. His own tenderness scared even him, but it seemed to work as Kise lowered his hands. Kasamatsu let his face tilt forward—half out of exhaustion, half out of an empathy he never knew he had—and allowed their foreheads to touch the slightest bit. "It would've been easier for you to continue hating us, you idiot."

"Y-yeah."

They were both warm. Kasamatsu had seen him laugh, seen him smile when he humored him, pout when he didn't. They found the same foods tasty, the same coffee shop agreeable, and both of them were weak to sake.

Painting them all with one brush had been easy. Between life and death, amidst war and fighting, he couldn't afford to think "maybe this is wrong."

But many times over, he chose not to cut the other down, even when it would have been for the best. Perhaps the same went for Kise, and they had both been curious, wanting to see how far pretending could really go.

"We both know it's only a matter of time before I'm killed, even if you aren't the one to do it, Kise, and you'll have to kill again, that's what you were made for. There's no use crying about it, now is there?"

"How mean," Kise sniffed, wiping his eyes. "I'm trying to build a conscience, Senpai."

If he could, he would smile and pat the other's head as if they were really Senpai and Kohai. On death's doorstep, it was easier to take things as they came—accept others for who or what they were, rather than hate. After all, children could always grow, and Kise still had his future—murderer or not.

But as for him, it was the end of the road.

-x-X-x-

Kagami watched as Kuroko traced lines in the air. The invisible trails he left seemed to shimmer, but the effect was gone when he blinked. It was only towards the end did Kuroko double over, trying to stem the blood dribbling from his nose.

"Kuroko—!" Kagami reached for him, cursing inwardly. He was the one who needed to rest. "What are you thinking?"

Kuroko didn't laugh often—when he did, it was a soft sound that was easy to miss, but this time he could only cough before straightening up again. "I... want to see if he was right. If I could really do anything I set my ability too."

"What—" He didn't have time to demand an explanation when the air seemed to shimmer. Kuroko had moved to warn him, grabbing his wrist, but Kagami felt him too.

That unmistakable bloodlust.

They had their plan, but as much as he hated it, Kagami felt he was waiting for certain death.

Idiot, we're not going to die.

It felt like ages before Aomine reached their location, and he didn't seem like he had been in a rush either, hopping nimbly over the cement wreckage that surrounded them. Kagami tried not to eye the beams that tottered dangerously above them.

"Yo."

Kagami felt the other breathe deeply beside him before speaking. "You want to keep your promise before I do."

Aomine tilted his head, blue eyes glancing towards him before back to Kuroko again. "I don't remember any of your promises, Kuroko."

If his words stung, Kuroko showed no indication of it. "I said I'd save you, that I'd bring you back to this side."

Aomine looked as if he wanted to laugh, but what came out was a heavy snort and a broken smile that made even him feel sick. "Satsuki was right... you really want us to be human again.

I hate that about you, Tetsu. You want to be human, but you don't even remember what it's like to be human. You know nothing, you remember nothing—you don't even know who you are or where you came from."

The hesitation came and Kagami wanted to tell him to shut up and try and kill them already.

"It doesn't matter... we both know we can't continue to kill people—"

Aomine snarled, eyes flashing like cracked marbles in the sun. "Like hell it doesn't matter! You're making me sick, Tetsu—you sound just like him, that bleeding heart who got himself killed. That damn Akashi. You've never met him and you don't even know why—"

"Aomine—"

"He's your twin, Tetsu," Aomine said, chin tilting upwards as he allowed the silence to fall on them both, weighing as heavily as his words. "Anything you think you own in this god-forsaken world, you don't, and he's dead. I guess a second miracle will come to it's end with you."

Kagami glanced between them, wondering what the other was insinuation, but Kuroko only had his head down, eyes wide and fists shaking.

"Kuroko, don't let him—"

Aomine took advantage of the distraction, knocking him to the side with a single arm. Kagami went flying, colliding with the already-fractured cement before he slid back down to the ground.

"Sup, Kagami," Aomine leered at him. "You smell a bit different than last time. Have you started smoking?"

It took almost all of his strength for him to stand on his knees again. "And you're a bit mouthier. Why don't you come over here and show me a good time?"

Kagami felt something crack when the other grabbed him by the neck before throwing him back down. He tasted, iron, head pounding, but he didn't even bother righting himself as he shouted, "Kuroko, NOW—!"

The air shimmered again as Kuroko pulled those mysterious "strings". He tapped a single block of cement, that was all it took.

All it took for their surroundings to tremble. A groan roared from above and all three of them looked upwards before iron beams and rubble collapsed atop Aomine.

Kagami rolled out of the way of the falling debris. He had to focus on the strings, the chain of events—follow and trust the path Kuroko drew for him and—

Pain shot up his leg and Kagami staggered. Before he could grab a hold of himself, rubble buried his lower half, pinning him to the ground.

"Kagami-kun—!"

Before the other could reach him and pull him free, the groaning of iron split the air, and Kagami felt the ground that was pressed flush to his chest tremble with a different energy.

"Kuroko get out of here—"

But Kuroko froze, and Kagami could only watch with a mix of horror and helplessness as Aomine single handedly lifted the steel beams off himself. Broken bones that had pierced through his flesh quickly drew back into his skin, which mended itself almost instantaneously like soft wax melting together. Exposed muscles and sinew wove together again, snapping straight where they were supposed to be. Not a single scar was left.

Aomine... really was the Empire's monster.

"I expected nothing, but I'm still a bit disappointed in both of you. You were onto something, Kagami—maybe I was talking too much." He turned his gaze to the ghost-white Kuroko. "Tetsu, this is it."

There was no way for Kuroko to move out of the way as Aomine closed the distance between them in a single step. He paid no mind to Kagami as he lifted the smaller awakened one by the throat.

"KUROKO!"

"Don't hate me, Tetsu," Aomine said softly as Kuroko struggled, choking, gasping. "There's nothing left in this world anymore. Nothing to protect. If I'm lucky, maybe we can meet again."

Kagami left lines of blood where he clawed into the ground, struggling desperately to free himself. He felt something pop, but none of the pain mattered when he could only watch as Kuroko's eyes rolled to the back of his head—

And it was over, just like that.

Not with Kuroko's neck breaking, not with his throat crushed beneath that vice-like grip, but with the metallic collar that exploded.

The metallic collar that Aomine always wore.

Kuroko dropped, and Aomine fell forward, slowly, blood gushing from his neck and mouth like geysers.

Surely something had been severed, but Aomine could still choke out the words, "Satsuki, you bi—" before collapsing bonelessly to the ground.

Kuroko was choking still as he swallowed the air, curling up on himself while Kagami watched, stunned. He half-expected the other to regenerate like before, but Aomine didn't move from his place on the ground, blood pooling around him.

Kuroko crawled onto his knees, shoulders trembling still. He wiped his mouth before he lifted his gaze, glancing only briefly at Kagami before he looked past him.

"Momoi... Momoi-san."

The young woman named Momoi stepped into view, her footsteps soft taps against the floor. She held something in her hand, a small device, and as Kagami looked upwards, he saw the tears. She was crying, and crying hard.

"Tetsu-kun... Dai-chan," she hiccupped before covering her mouth. Kuroko stood up, knees shaking and eyes red, but he stood up, making his way to her.

"Momoi-san, don't cry—"

"I know," she sobbed, sniffling wetly. "I know Dai-chan can't die, but I, but I—

"...You had to do it," Kuroko finished softly, gently bringing her close.

"I... don't want you to die. I don't want us to fight anymore." Momoi sniffed deeply again, but she wiped the tears from her eyes, turning so she could make his way towards him. "Let me help you, Kagami-kun."

"You know my name," Kagami muttered gruffly, slowly growing more and more aware of the pain in his legs. At least he could still feel them.

"I know many things," she replied as Kuroko joined them both, gazing at Kagami with a deep concern. "I have medicine for you. It's a serum, it should give you enough strength to pull yourself free."

Before either of them could protest, Momoi stuck something sharp into his arm. He instinctively pushed her away, but the pain turned into fire into energy, and Kagami could feel his legs shifting when he willed them too. With a deep breathe, and the young woman's encouragement, Kagami pulled himself free.

Even more amazingly, he felt the bones in his legs tingling before they felt whole again, and he could only wonder what she just shot him up with.

"A serum we're working on right now," Momoi answered before either of them could ask. "Both humans and awakened ones can use it to mend injuries and replenish energy. You'll crash later and there might be some side effects, but we're still testing it."

"Wait—"

"Anyway," Momoi cut him off, turning back to Kuroko. Her eyes shimmered as she took him by the shoulders. "Why didn't you take me with you, Tetsu-kun? I could've helped, I wanted to help—"

Kagami wondered if this was his cue to leave them both alone now that he could actually walk.

"I didn't want to make you choose," Kuroko answered quietly. "I—it was my burden."

"You boys are always saying things like that," Momoi accused. "But... you're right, Tetsu-kun."

Her eyes softened as she stood back up, long pink hair falling to her waist. She walked and knelt beside the one who had tried to kill him and Kuroko both.

"I'm sorry Dai-chan. I'm really sorry."

"Is he...?" Kagami couldn't help but ask, eyeing them both.

"Dai—Aomine-kun can't die... not so easily at least," Momoi said. She turned her eyes towards him and Kagami felt a chill run down his back. "We combined that man's technology with... with Aomine-kun's biology to create that serum. With time, he can regenerate from anything."

"Anything?" Kagami asked, skeptical.

"Anything," it was Kuroko who spoke this time. "They... our caretakers made sure to test that theory."

"Oh."

"They didn't really expect him to survive the trials, you know," Momoi said with a mirthless smile. "They wanted to squeeze what they could out of him and... and make more who would be just like him. They didn't care if that would kill Aomine-kun since they'd have copies to replace him."

"I told you before, Kagami. Every foot soldier within the empire was based off of Aomine-kun. And... he told me they would use my body like they used his."

Momoi wiped her eyes again. "He'd would be mad at us for telling, Tetsu-kun, but... he's resting now." As she spoke, she pulled the other onto her lap, ignoring the blood that soaked her uniform to the knee.

Sure enough, Aomine indeed... looked peaceful.

Kuroko stood, and Kagami stood with him. "We... uh, we can't just leave you two here," Kagami said awkwardly, disturbed by where his medicine came from, but grateful nonetheless.

"You're sweet, Kagami-kun," she smiled at him, eyes narrowing gently. "You... have a very warm aura about you. It's not your flames, but... I think you have something very precious."

She glanced back at Kuroko. "I... I'm staying with Dai-chan. You two should find the others."

"I... thank you, Momoi-san," Kuroko said softly as he turned.

"Wait, we can't just leave—"

"We'll meet again," Kuroko said, confident as he glanced over his shoulder at the two. "Won't we?"

Momoi smiled, warmly this time. "We will. Good bye Kagami-kun, Tetsu-kun."