Author's Note: I'm so sorry for such a late update! My summer course work got really heavy the last two weeks thus I couldn't write much. Next week will be my final week of the course then I should go back to the normal updates but I will be moving so that may delay another chapter or so. The last chapter was originally for my other story Accounts but I figured you guys deserved something for waiting for it. Anyway, thank you guys for the favorites, follows, and reviews! Enjoy this chapter!


I do not own Kuroko no Basuke.


Hair

Chapter 27: Mother


Emi and Momoi quietly walked along the beach with many different popsicles and desserts in the two bags they got from the stand and Momoi bit at her lip harshly at the fact that Aomine had found out about the files she took. Her mind was a mess after hearing how angry Aomine's father was and learning about some of Emi's past too.

She had not thought about the consequences of her actions and now she deeply regretted what she did.

"Momoi-san, are you alright?" Emi asked and Momoi blinked out of her whirling thoughts, turning to her and gave her a struggling smile.

"I'm fine, Emi-kun Thank you for asking." She answered and brushed some of her longer hair back while Emi frowned at this, clearly knowing that she was lying. She stared at her and they continued on until she stopped suddenly, looking at the hunched over back of the pink haired teen and how weighed down it looked.

It reminded her a lot of Kenshin when things would get tough.

"Momoi-san…please be honest with me." Emi stated and Momoi too stopped, her heart racing against her chest, "Did you take those files from someone else?"

Momoi swelled at the suggestion before her hand trembled at Emi's question, trying not to freak out about what happened but her body couldn't control herself.

"…Emi-kun, the files I got where from Aomine-kun's father." She told the brunette who held a blank expression before frowning at this, her eyes losing a small amount of life in them at this comment.

"Why would you take that from him, Momoi-san?" She asked and Momoi glanced away, nervousness building up in her.

"I-I was curious…Plus, Dai-chan wanted to know more about you and your brother. He gets too curious sometimes but…I always dig deeper. You know I didn't mean to stumble upon what I read. Dai-chan wanted to know so I-" Momoi tried to explain and saw how haunted Emi's gaze looked as she stared at her, which caused her to stop mid-sentence.

She looked like she hardly believed her words.

"Emi-kun…" Momoi said but Emi glanced away before a rush of wind brushed up her sweatshirt, slightly exposing her back to the pink haired teen whose eyes grew wide at the small scars that marked her upper back.

"Do you find out that information for Aomine-san because he loves you, Momoi-san?"

The sudden words that Emi spoke caused Momoi stare at her in confusion.

"Huh?" Momoi spoke out and Emi's blank gaze stared at her.

"It is interesting as Atsushi-san has told me that the two of one have been friends since you were both five years old. For everything you have done for Aomine-san, I am not surprised that he has fallen for you. Even his actions, he hovers over you and will do things he normally does not. Although, he does seem out of place on certain things as he may realize that he's acting out of place of a childhood friend compared to a lover." Emi explained from her thoughts and Momoi's eyes grew wide with each word.

"But he doesn't-" She tried to say but Emi pointed over to the direction where the rest of them where.

"Have you ever asked him about that, though, Momoi-san? He seems like someone who held keep a secret to himself and never tell them." Emi stated and Momoi opened her mouth to respond to it but then started to think harshly on her statements, biting her lip deeply that she drew blood out of it.

She was incredibly smarter than she assumed and her theories…strangely enough sounded pretty close to the truth. Daiki had been acting stranger than before as if he was trying to keep up a facade.

Perhaps she was right.

"Momoi-san, what do you feel about him?" Emi asked her and Momoi narrowed her eyes, thinking of Kuroko as she did so.

She did love Tetsu-kun but…Daiki…

She honestly never thought of Daiki like that.

They were always childhood kids, and nothing else.

"Momoi-san, you are extremely smart and beautiful but you didn't notice the looks he gave you or how he acted towards you, did you?" Emi again questioned her and her breath caught in her throat at this.

She couldn't answer the question.


"Isn't that Kiyoshicchi, Murasakibaracchi?" Kise questioned as he stared at the photograph and Atsushi blinked at it before nodding, staring at the photo of Emi. Her hair again was short that reached up to the bottom of her ears with strong hints of black in her hair too and a gentle smile was seen on her features. She bore the familiar Yosen high school uniform and a soft blush was also on her cheeks.

"Ah, you do know my precious figlia!" The woman exclaimed in joy and Kise gave the woman a smile before pointing over to Atsushi. She blinked at this before staring at him and she snapped her phone shut, tapping it against her chin.

"Are you Atsushi Murasakibara by any chance?" She asked and he blinked at this before slowly nodding at her question, her smile grew at his answer and she clapped her hands together, "So you are the young man that my daughter talks about so much! It's so nice to meet you!"

Atsushi blinked at this and thought back to when his sister and brothers mentioned that he would talk about her too.

"She always compliments you!" Emi's mother told him and Kise grinned at this.

"Murasakibaracchi does enjoy your daughter's food very much!" Kise exclaimed and Atsushi glared at the blond before Emi's mother allowed at this.

"Really?!" She exclaimed and clapped her hands together while the dog looked to Aomine, staring at him and Aomine had a feeling that the dog clearly didn't like him, "No one has appreciated her food like Kenshin or Teppei! She's always nervous about making them since she doesn't have the recipes on hand!"

The group blinked at this before Atsushi said, "So Emi-chin makes the desserts from her memory?"

Her mother nodded at this and brushed her long hair behind her ear, soft features appearing across her face.

"Yes, my figlia remembers how to make the desserts I made for her and my figlio when they were both bambini." She said with a hit of nostalgia and sadness in the last part and then her misplaced emotions disappeared as she smiled again.

"So, Murasakibara-kun, would you mind if I talk to you privately?" Her mother asked and he looked like a spooked cat, his back straightened at the mention of being alone with the mother of the girl he had a crush on.

"He would love to!" Kise spoke for him and Atsushi glared at the blond as Emi's mom gave a small head tilt with an innocent smile.

"Great!" She exclaimed and Atsushi slowly stood up, glaring at the blond for his assertion, "Let us go by the waves to speak in full privacy if you don't mind."

He shrugged at this as she then whistled to gain the dog's attention, who followed in her lead as did Atsushi. He stared at her with curiosity as she stood shorter than Emi, not by much but he could definitely tell after spending so much the with the brunette. She stopped once reaching the gentle waves rolling up and looked to him, her eyes that once held such excitement turned dark.

Much like her daughter's.

The haunting look stared up at him before she then asked, "So, Murasakibara-kun, what do you know about my figlia?"

He blinked at this as he then scratched his cheek and looked away, trying to think of answer.

"…Her braccia…ah, arms." She said as a starting point and she looked up to him, trying to see if he knew of her scars. He frowned at this and remembered how she had pulled off her sweater revealing her scars to him with her shaken and terrified features.

"Emi-chin told me she got them for protecting her brother." He answered and Emi's mother narrowed her eyes at this.

So she had not told him the whole truth.

"…I see." She spoke in a soft whisper and he gulped, slightly nervous at her presence, "Do you know who did it to her?"

He blinked at her next answer and the thought never occurred to him.

He never knew who had done it to her.

Who had done that to her?

He didn't realize that anger crossed over his features and his stature turned quite threatening at the mere thought of who had done that to Emi. Her mother stared up at him with wide eyes and didn't notice some of the locks many people gave them.

"So, you don't know." She said and bite her lip as her own anger about the monster who had hurt her figlia was brought up to the surface.

"Murasakibara-kun…"

The words of the brunette's mother snapped him out of his angry and mad thoughts and he looked to see her gently place a hand on his arm. Her hand looked and felt smaller than Emi's and it seemed to be gently trembling too.

"Please, don't try to find out who did it. Emi…doesn't need to be reminded about it. She has been trying so hard to move past it that she doesn't need to remember it." She told him and he stared at her blankly for a second before nodding in agreement about it.

"Hai, I won't ask Emi-chin about who hurt her." He said and her mother released a breath, calming down after realizing he would keep his promise.

"Ah, good now that weight is off my chest." She said a quite voice then the dog rubbed up against her leg, as if it were trying to comfort her, "My figlia and figlio(1) desire a good and peaceful life. I hope she has been having a good time in Akita."

She sighed and looked over to him again with a smile gracing her features, "Now, Murasakibara-kun, what is your intentions with my daughter?"

He stared at her before shrugging and responded, "Emi-chin says I'm her best friend."

She suddenly stepped closer to him and pointed up at him, a smile still on her face as if she didn't believe his answer.

"Now, I said your intentions, Murasakibara-kun. I already know what my daughter thinks of you. I want to know what you think of her." She spoke and he glanced away, trying to see if Emi had come back with the drinks, yet she was nowhere to be found in his sight, "Now, now, Murasakibara-kun. I just want to make sure you aren't going to hurt my precious daughter."

The last phrase had him even more concerned about what she was wondering about him before he scratched his cheek, looking away from her as he thought about Emi.

She would look up to him with a gentle smile and a glimmer in her eyes that made himself smile too. She looked up to him like he was some sort of hero.

And he knew that he was no hero.

"Atsushi-san!"

"Hm…you must be pretty fond of my figlia to think so long about her." Her mother said and snapped him out of his thoughts as she grinned at this, "Ah, perhaps you have fallen for my daughter?"

Atsushi stared at her suggestion and didn't realize he started to blush at the fact she mentioned, shocked at what she said out loud.

"Did I guess correctly?" She questioned him and he remained silent, trying to not look guilty, "I never would have thought that my figlia would have an admirer. She prefers not to be noticed and simply go on with her life."

Then she grabbed one of his hands and hope filled her eyes, brightening them that she looked so much like her daughter to Atsushi.

"I hope you can give the happiness she deserves, Murasakibara-kun." She said then a dark look covered her eyes for a quick second while her grip on his hand tightened, "But if you break her, I have some people come break you instead, understood?"

Atsushi never thought a woman like her size could give off such threatening message before releasing her grip on his hand and backed up a little as he nodding at her message.

"Great! I'm glad to have met you, Murasakibara-kun! Please take care of my daughter." She said and started walking over to the group again as he stood there for a few seconds to process what happened.


Momoi blinked at the sight of Aomine scowling with his head turned away from any line of seeing them approach them with the food requested. Her mind was still crazed and stressed over what Emi had told her.

Did he truly love her more than a friend like Emi said?

Then he snapped his gaze over to them and blinked at the fact that Momoi was staring at him with a wide and confused gaze. He blinked at her odd notion before she whipped her attention away from him then looked behind him, seeing the giant with some woman near her.

The woman looked over to them and long burnt orange hair flowed up as she turned her head towards him and large doe like brown eyes stared at the girls. She looked foreign to Momoi but oddly familiar as she then noticed the brunette's own large doe like eyes stare at the woman before she had the widest smile appear on her cheeks.

"Mamma." Emi spoke in a whisper and Momoi realized that the woman was Mimi De Campo, the mother of Emi.

The woman then dashed towards Emi and a dog woof also caught the attention of Momoi, seeing the large animal ran towards the brunette. The dog tackled her and she let a laugh escape her lips at this, happiness bubbling up at the surface. She didn't collapse under the weight of the dog and she continued to giggle.

"Maria!" Sh exclaimed with happiness as the dog woofed with slobber dribbling down its face and scratched the dog's body as it rubbed against her.

"You've grown so big!" She said and the group of teenage boys with Momoi and Yuki stared at her. She gave the dog attention and affection as she rubbing its ears and petted it, her fingers running through the heavy fur of the dog. She captured the dog's face between her hands and smiled down to it.

"I hope you've been behaving!" She exclaimed with a giggle as the dog licked her hand in response to it before the woman appeared before her. She stood still and looked at Emi while a gentle smile creased her features, making her look older than she seemed to be. She gave a quick peck on each cheek of her daughter as she backed away a little to stare at her whole body.

"La mia bellissima figlia (2)." Her mother spoke in a soft tone then glanced over to the pinked hair teen with a crinkle in her eyes, observing the other girl.

She knew something.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Mimi De Campo, Emi's mother." She said and Momoi gulped a this, feeling like something was weighing down on her back as she remembered what the documents said.

Domestic Abuse. Substance Abuse.

"Ah…you too…" Momoi mumbled and looked away, her heart racing at the sudden appearance of the woman whose life she took interest into.

"I hope I didn't impose on you all!" She said and waved her hand, looking to all of the teens, "I haven't been able to see my daughter for a while so I'm going to take her for a walk."

Atsushi walked over to the group and Emi smiled at the giant while holding out the bag to him.

"Here are all of your popsicles, Atsushi-san. I won't gone for to long." She said to him and he stared down at the bag before grabbing it from her hand, nodding at this. He slowly dug through it before pulling out her small cup of Italian Ice and also dug out one popsicle holding the two out to her. She blinked at this before a gentle and soft blush caught her features as she took the two out of his hand.

"Thank you, Atsushi-san!" She exclaimed in realization of what he did.

Her mother blinked at this before clapping her hands together, "What a gentleman! Thank you for giving up one of your popsicles to me! You don't have to do that for little ol' me!"

He nodded at this and looked genuinely sincere at the comment Emi's mother spoke.

"Eh, I don't mind." He said softly and many stared at the giant as if he were lying.

It normally drove him to anger at any attempt of him giving away his snacks.

"Well, thank you very much, Murasakibara-kun. Now we'll be out of your hair for some time. Enjoy the beach since it is such a beautiful day!" Emi's mother said as she and her daughter started walking in the opposite direction that Emi and Momoi just came from. Emi glanced behind her and gave a small wave to Atsushi.

Once the two women were gone, Momoi's knees felt extremely weak and her head was twirling with the comments Emi spoke to her about.

The absolutely dead look in her eyes as she told her what she thought of Aomine seeming to be always listening and obeying her.

"Sa-chin, are you ok?"

The sudden question from Atsushi brought her back to reality and she gave him a struggling smile to him, trying not to look shaken.

"I'm fine, Muk-kun." She said to reassure him but Aomine, who took note of her words and her hidden shock, realizing that she was lying. He scowled at this and stood up, walking over to the pink haired teen but when he moved closer to her, she took a step back. He blinked at this while Kise, Yuki, and Shintarō stared at her in confusion as she bite her lip harshly, looking away from her childhood friend.

Had she honestly never noticed it before?

Had she been so blind on focusing her affection on Tetsu that she never noticed Daiki's before?

"Satsuki…" Aomine called and she slowly looked to him, seeing the confusion crossing over his features.

She looked exactly like how she looked when he had told her "don't show your ugly face around here again".

That was a moment he still was haunted by.

Devastation and absolute sorrow.

Momoi-san did you learn something that you did not want to know?

The kanji written on the whiteboard in Yuki's hand as she stood up near the two childhood friends had Aomine's eyes widen and realization coursed through him.

Something was said when she was changing her clothes with Emi.

That girl did something.

"What the hell did she say to you, Satasuki?" Aomine questioned her and she whipped her head up in his direction, terror striking up on her features.

"Nothing! Emi-kun said nothing!" She exclaimed and the mention of Emi's name had Atsushi's interest peak. Aomine scowled at this and moved closer to her but she moved back yet again, trying to get some distance from him. Aomine gripped his fists tight and snapped towards the giant with anger burning in his eyes as he now stalked towards him.

"Oi, Murasakibara, the hell did she do to Satsuki?" Aomine demanded and Atsushi narrowed his eyes at this.

"Aominecchi," Kise began as he too stood up and walked over to the dark skinned teen, knowing the tension between the two was becoming thinner and thinner, "Take a deep breath."

Aomine scowled at the blond's say and glared at the teen.

"No, that girl said something!" Aomine exclaimed and pointed to Momoi's shaken figure, "Look at Satsuki! She had to have done something!"

How do you not know that Momoi-san started it from digging up information on Kiyoshi-san?

The written words on the whiteboard caused the blue haired teen's next thought pause and snapped back in the direction of Momoi. Midorima scowled at his sister's input and knew she was again playing strings. Aomine scowled at her words and many emotions twisted in his head.

"…I…I didn't think I would find such things." Momoi said in a soft tone and released a harsh breath, "Dai-chan…wanted to know so I dug and dug but…I dug to deep."

"Sa-chin," Atsushi said before looking wildly at her with eyes starting to fill with anger, "What did you do?"

Her lip trembled and looked away from the group of teens, remembering every detail she had read from the police reports.

She knew in much detail what happened to Emi, her mother, and her brother.

And it was sickening with what they dealt with.

"I didn't mean to…I only wanted to help Dai-chan." Momoi continued to mumble and Atsushi stepped towards her, "I never meant to learn about what happened to her or her family. It was an accident reading about the reports."

Midorima looked away at her statement as he knew of some of the documents were recorded because of the incident with Emi's arms.

He too remembered the blood that stained her arms from the wounds she gained that day.

How could he too forget about the dreaded August 15th?

The world was spiraling out of control for the teens and it looked like any moment they would all snap.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything about going to the beach if this is what would happen."

The soft and somewhat timid voice of Emi caught the group's attention as they looked to see the brunette by herself with a look of sorrow filling her entire features.

"Emi-chin," Atsushi began but the haunting look in her eyes caused him to close his mouth. She looked back to the group while gently tugging on the ends of her sweatshirt and released a tensed breath.

"People have their reasons as to what they do. I see my reasons, that are hidden, justified. I…understand the curiosity I have brought with me but…it is for me to tell." She said and didn't notice she started trembling across her entire body, her nerves tingling across her body. She didn't realize that a flashback was taking over her sight and hearing before she was sucked into it without another thought rushed through her mind.

"What did he do to you prior to the incident, Kiyoshi-kun? If you can give us any details, that help the case against him."

"The more vivid of details, the better the case will go against him."

She stared at them with wide eyes and the two cops waited for her to say something but she looked at them as if they were crazy.

Did they know what they were saying to her?

One cop narrowed his eyes and scowled, clearly annoyed that she wasn't saying anything to him.

"Come on. Time's ticking and we have other things to do." One hissed in a fierce tone and terror struck her features, memories slashing across her.

Blood and bruises and cuts and terror and shock and PAIN.

SO MUCH PAIN.

IT WAS TOO PAINFUL.

Tears streamed down her face and the cops blinked at this, completely shocked and unsure what to do as she cried but no words escaped her lips.

"The hell?" One cop whispered and something flew at their heads, causing a hiss of pain. They looked to see a young man, probably twelve by the looks of it, with short extremely dyed blonde hair with large brunette eyes and wore a hospital gown with a scowl crossing his features.

"Stay away!" He shouted at them and moved to cover her as she continued to cry with barely any expression on her face.

"Who the hell are you? We're conducting an official investigate! Get out!" The cops exclaimed before a cough came from behind them as they looked to see a massive figure shadow over them. He had angry dark blue eyes glaring down at the cops with black hair sticking in every direction as if he had just woken up. He was clearly taller than the average Japanese man and looked somewhat foreign too with his dark skin and receding cheekbone with a more prominent nose than normal. The man looked like he was in his early forties and wore a police uniform with his badge of a clearly higher rank than the other cops.

"The hell are you treating a child abuse victim like that? Did any of you read the packet on what happened? Probably not because you're a bunch of lazy asses." The man spoke with a hiss as the cops glared at him before standing up with annoyance and exited the room while cursing away at him.

The boy blinked at the appearance of the man and said, "Eh, Cop-san?"

The cop blinked before pulling the chair over and sat down in it, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sorry 'bout 'em. They weren't there during the situation." He said and glanced behind the kid to see Emi still frozen but the kid continued to shield her, "Sorry about relapsing her into a flashback. I'll make sure the two get the proper penalty when they get back to the station. Now, kid, maybe you can fill me in on what you want to tell as of right now."

"…eh, Aomine-san?"

The sudden voice that escaped her lips caused the boy to look at her and the tears finally stopped, losing the lost gaze. She looked at the cop who reacted to the name being called and gave him a gentle smile.

"Is that your name, Cop-san? The man who saved me?" She asked him and he chuckled at this, running his fingers through his hair.

"Indeed. You are quite perceptive, kid." He said and folded his hands against his chest, "Now, even after the flashback you just got out of, will you be willing to give some information on what happened to you and your brother?"

Emi looked over and stared the boy, her little brother who still looked like he was starting to slowly grow up. She released a tense breath and looked to the cop with sorrow filled eyes.

"I will tell you, Aomine-san." She said and her brother frowned at this, clearly not happy about it, "I will tell you of the story of my life. The story in which my brother, my mother, and I are the victims of a man who is much like the serpent that cast Eve and Adam to damnation."


(1) Son

(2) My beautiful daughter.