Breed

Chapter 38: Freezing

"I paced around for hours on empty. I jumped at the slightest of sounds. And I couldn't stand the person inside me; I turned all the mirrors around.

"I'm bigger than my body. I'm colder than this home. I'm meaner than my demons. I'm bigger than these bones. And all the kids cried out, 'Please, stop! You're scaring me!' I can't help this awful energy. [Yes, that's] right; you should be scared of me. Who is in control?

"I'm well acquainted with villains that live in my head. They beg me to write them so they'll never die when I'm dead. And I've grown familiar with villains that live in my head. They beg me to write them so I'll never die when I'm dead."

―"Control" by Halsey

oO_Oo_oO_Oo

Fire looms over me while I huddle with my arms wrapped around my legs. I can see a cloud form in front of mouth every time I exhale, and shivers wrack my body. Everything is icy. A tear struggles to slip from my eye, but when I blink, it falls with a clink onto the cold floor as a drop-shaped crystal.

Voices laugh and echo around me, a sinister sound that made me curl up even tighter. Taunts. Mockery. My chest heaves with my strangled breaths as smoke rises around me from the blue flames lighting my surrounding.

My eyes watch in terror as the cold fire spreads ever closer.

Oo_oO_Oo_oO

When Kise bursts into Furihata and Akashi's bedroom, he does not expect what he finds.

Or more correctly, he doesn't want to see what he finds, and as he slams the door shut, he vows to never forget to knock ever again.

As he rounds the corner to the living room, Takao is coming in from the balcony. "You look…traumatized."

"Yeah, I just walked in on Furihata and Akashicchi in a…" Kise shakes his head quickly and blinks hard to get rid of the image. "Let's just leave it that Furihata is much more flexible than I had believed."

Takao grimaces. "Sorry, I didn't think that―"

"It's not your fault, and I plan to make sure Akashicchi is okay myself, but I certainly am not interrupting that again." Kise glances back towards the hallway before he walks back to his own bedroom.

When he opens the door, Momoi is writing on her whiteboard with a big grin on her face while Aomine waits beside her.

"What's going on here?" Kise asks playfully, plopping down next to his daughter.

Aomine glances over at his mate. "Someone invited Satsuki to a birthday party, and she's really excited."

"That's great, Momocchi!" Kise ruffles her hair. Her hand speeds up over the whiteboard.

"It's this Saturday for an American girl in my class named Hazel Fine. She said it would be at the roller skating rink near the school."

"Do you know how to skate?" Aomine asks.

Momoi shakes her head. "Learn!"

Kise smiles. "Well, I suppose if do all the laundry by Friday night, you can go. What do you think, Aominecchi?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Momoi tosses her whiteboard and marker onto the bed before she tackles Kise in a hug. "Love Ki-chan!" After a long squeeze to her blonde father, she hops on the other. "Love Dai-chan!"

Oo_oO_Oo_oO

While Furihata flops down on the bed, panting, Akashi simply stands, seemingly unaffected by their activities. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Sei, wait!"

Akashi pauses, already in his robe, but he doesn't turn.

Furihata quickly yanks the sheet over his lower body and fists his hands in the fabric so hard that they tremble. "I-I'm sorry…okay? I'm not mad, and I forgive you for being an idiot, so please…don't act like this anymore. Please…."

"I don't know what you're referring to, Kouki, but I assure you, I'm quite alright." He glances over his shoulder, his mismatched orbs contradicting his words.

Furihata doesn't reply as his mate closes the door behind him.

He feels dirty. Tainted. A part of him just feels buzzed from the sexual euphoria, but he knows that who experienced it with him isn't the person he wants. It really doesn't take much to understand that. There hasn't been a time when Furihata thinks Akashi just wants the physical because it's always love making. Kissing, nuzzling, marking, and sweet words. Always, even during some of their kinkier nights together. He never lets Furihata forget how much he loves the brunette.

This is nothing compared to that. A few kisses, simple demands, and sex. That's all it was.

Furihata feels sick. He can't feel Akashi's emotions, his pleasure or pain. There's nothing.

Oo_oO_Oo_oO

As I hide behind a spike of ice to escape the flames, I hear that voice. The voice of the person that I live to please. The person I need right now.

"I'm taking him from you." Another voice echoes through the chasm of nightmares.

Any fear I have flares to anger in an instant. With ice lining my tear ducts, I yell, "If you so much as lay a hand on him, I'll rip you apart!"

"He wants me more."

"Kouki is mine!" Frost spreads through my lungs with every breath I take. "He'll never submit to someone like you!"

The voice―my voice―laughs. "Oh, but Seijuurou, I am you. And believe me, he'll do anything we ask him to."

"Stay away from him!" The ground trembles at my voice, and the freezing fire dances closer, its chilly arms reaching for me.

"And if I don't? What are you going to do about it?" The voice cackles again. "Maybe you should try looking at it the way I have for six years, and you'll be able to see how nice he looks underneath me."

"SHUT UP!" I scream. The ice spike beside me shatters.

"Face it, Seijuurou. You've lost. Your precious, little Kouki doesn't love you, and he's more than okay with me. He even prefers me to you."

Rivets of blood trickle from my eyes, freezing on my cheeks, while droplets fall from my split lip, only to hit the cold floor with little clinks.

Oo_oO_Oo_oO

When Kagami comes home, Kuroko is waiting in the living room, and he's quick to go downstairs.

Kagami smiles and kisses his mate's cheek before he hands a vanilla milkshake to the other. "I'm going to take a shower and then head to bed."

Kuroko nods. "I'll come to bed in a few minutes."

The Shadow had just hit halfway on his shake when Akashi walks down the stairs. His scent is off, however.

"Akashi-kun, are you alright?" Kuroko asks from his seat at the counter.

"Perfectly," the redhead replies as he retrieves a glass from the cabinet and fills it with water from the refrigerator dispenser.

Kuroko eyes the other for a long moment. "Have you made up with Furihata-kun?"

"Made up? Kouki was simply wrong and realized his mistake," Akashi replies, taking a sip of the what.

Cyan eyes widen. "Akashi-kun…? No…who are you?"

"Of course, I'm Akashi Seijuurou, Tetsuya." Mismatched eyes stare back at the shocked younger male.

oO_Oo_oO_Oo

"Imayoshi, I have a lead," Aomine says as he enters the office.

Imayoshi looks up from the laptop screen. "What makes you think that it's not another dead end?"

"I went undercover―don't yell at me yet―and I think they have a hideout underneath the Nagasaki mall. Satsuki told me that they were kept underground."

At that, Imayoshi pauses and leans back in his desk chair. "Alright. Tell Ryo, and we'll check it out tonight."

Oo_oO_Oo_oO

Himuro doesn't immediately exit the car, which raises red flags all over the place in Murasakibara's head. So he slides back into the driver's seat and waits.

A small chuckle breaks past Himuro's lips as he glances at his mate. "Everything alright, Atsushi?"

Murasakibara nods. "I'm okay, but Muro-chin isn't acting right. You're stressed." I think. You're not giving off any sort of emotions I can pick up on.

"I'm fine. Really." Himuro closes his eye, leaning his head back on the headrest. "The house is just thick with tension, and it gives me headaches."

"Tension?" Murasakibara echoes.

"You can't feel it?"

"No."

Eye still closed, Himuro exhales. "Momoi-chan is nervous, and therefore, Kise-kun and Aomine-kun are nervous for her, which only adds to the stress Aomine-kun's under from work. Furihata-kun and Kuroko-kun are worried about Akashi-kun, and Taiga is frantically trying to figure out how to cheer up Kuroko-kun. Midorima-kun is uneasy around Akashi-kun, so Takao-kun has to work double-time to keep him and his OCD in check and can't spend much time with Takao-chan. Kira is confused beyond belief because she has no idea why everyone is so wound up, and Alex is struggling to explain it to her without sharing too much of others' business." Himuro finally opens his eye and moves his gaze to Murasakibara. "And you're worried about your brothers, trying to stay out of the way while still wanting to help."

Murasakibara pauses, staring at the steering wheel. "Muro-chin's very observant."

"I have a little brother who never knew what he was feeling until his twenties. I had to learn to read him so I could help him with most of his issues," Himuro murmurs as a car pulls in beside them, followed by a blur slamming the car door and cursing rather colorfully. After a moment, Himuro continues, "And I doubt that's good news."

Upstairs, Momoi and Kise both wince as Aomine slams the bedroom door closed.

They spend a few moments in silence, Aomine leaning his forehead against the door, before Kise finally says, "Dead end?"

"Another dead end," Aomine spits with a curse.

Momoi stands and moves closer to her seething father. "Dai-chan okay." Her hand finds its way to his shirt, pulling gently. "Dai-chan sleep; anger go."

After a minute, Aomine turns and ruffles his daughter's head. "It's not that simple, Satsuki."

"What…what happened…to me…" Momoi takes little breaths while her hands hold onto his. "…birthed Ki-chan…and Ki-chan birthed Dai-chan. It's…bad, but…okay."

Aomine bends forward to give her a kiss on her crown before he ushers her to the bed. "Alright, Satsuki, it's late, and you have school in the morning. Time for bed." He grabs a handful of clothes and heads out the door. "I'm going to take a shower."

When Kise moves to lie down with Momoi though, she pushes his shoulder. "Dai-chan shower. Ki-chan company."

Kise wants to follow Aomine. He does, but he also knows Momoi has trouble falling asleep without one of her fathers present. "Are you sure, Momocchi? I can―"

"Go," she insists, already cuddling up with her pillow―really Aomine's pillow―and closing her eyes.

A minute later, the bathroom door opens to reveal a naked Aomine. Kise quickly slips inside the bathroom and closes the door.

"Satsuki―"

"She and I both know just how worked up you are, so she told me to go with you," Kise cuts as he turns off the shower and instead twists the bath faucet.

While the blonde strips, Aomine mutters, "I don't need―"

"Daiki."

At the soft tone combined with his first name, he stops, moving his eyes to the bathtub instead of his mate.

"I don't have to be magically connected to you to know just how frustrated you are; you're practically radiating it," Kise says. He cups Aomine's cheek gently and kisses him, short and sweet. "Let me help you relax."

After a moment, Aomine nods. "Yeah, alright."

In the bath, Kise sits behind his mate, massaging the tanned male's back. The number of knots he's accumulated is rather impressive.

"I thought you were supposed to be the unstable one. Why are you so calm about all these dead ends?" Aomine asks before he winces at a particularly sore spot.

"I'm not the one chasing it down," Kise answers. "I want these guys convicted―preferably dead―just as much as you do, but you're worse about dwelling on things continuously. As long as Momocchi's not distressed, I can keep it together."

"Or maybe you're just preoccupied with Akashi."

"That's also true."

Aomine sighs quietly. "Does it ever get annoying?"

"What?" Kise asks while he reaches for the soap pump and slathers his mate with shower gel.

"I don't know…being the big brother? I know you've been blaming yourself for what happened, but―"

"It is my fault, or at least partially." Gold eyes darken. "I told Furihata to continue giving Akashicchi the cold shoulder, and that led to his…change."

"That's not―"

"Yeah, it is."

"Ryouta, Akashi doesn't have as much mental stability as he needs to. If Furihata being angry with him tips him into psychosis or whatever, there's nothing anyone can do about it, and that includes you."

Kise doesn't reply.

Oo_oO_Oo_oO

"Has this ever happened before?" Takao asks as he turns out his lamp.

"Has what happened before?" Midorima folds his glasses and sets them on his nightstand before he rolls over.

The smaller male snuggles up against the other, his head on Midorima's shoulder. "The Akashi thing."

There's a quiet sigh. "Yeah, once."

"When? How did you guys fix it?"

"It happened during the Nijimura incident. As soon as he told the police, the six of us moved from Hokkaido and found a hotel in Kyoto. Akashi held it together up until then, but when we got the rooms, he broke. Like Kise and Murasakibara both were holding him down so he wouldn't hurt someone or himself 'broke'." Midorima closes his eyes. "After hours of that, he suddenly just fell asleep, and he didn't wake up for ten days."

"Comatose?" Takao asks.

"No. I was never able to determine what it was exactly, because his body was completely awake. His eyes were open, I dropped his arm and it landed beside him, he would move to get more comfortable, and he would even get up to brush his teeth and shower. But despite that, he didn't respond to any of us. This was before Kise and Aomine Bonded, so Kise was sharing the room with him. Akashi wouldn't reply when Kise spoke to him, but if Kise stood in his path, he would go around him or push him aside.

"Through that time period, his left eye was gold, like it is now, and it wasn't until afterwards that his eye would change color when he's mad or upset." Midorima sighs again, opening his eyes. "Anyways, when he woke up, he didn't remember moving around, but he said that he was somewhere cold and that his 'other' self was taunting him."

Takao paused. "So this goes beyond magical? He really does have Dissociative Identity Disorder?"

"We haven't been able to truly diagnose that, but yes, I believe so. Magic is playing a part as well though."

"I'm not a psychologist, but have you tried talking to him in this state?"

"I don't think this 'other persona' is simple as other cases, if you can even call those simple. I really think he just needs time to sort himself out."

"What if he doesn't?" Takao asks.

Midorima doesn't reply for a long time. Eventually, he rubs his mate's back and murmurs, "Go to sleep, Kazunari."

Oo_oO_Oo_oO

Kuroko bolts straight up in bed, panting and sweating. Exhausted, he brings a knee to his chest and rests his forehead on it.

"Mh…Kuroko…?" Brick-colored orbs blink open beside him as Kagami rubs his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine, Kagami-kun."

But even as he says it, his normally flat voice wavers.

"Was it a nightmare?" Kagami asks, obviously still half asleep by the way he yawns.

Kuroko nods. "Yes, but I'm alright."

"You don't sound alright. Want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing important, just a recurring dream." After a moment, Kuroko lies down again, and Kagami wraps the smaller male in his arms. "Just…what could have happened when Nijimura discovered us. It…it changed Akashi-kun permanently, and I sometimes worry that it'll manifest in monstrous ways."

The redhead presses a kiss to Kuroko's crown. "It's going to be alright. Go back to sleep." As an afterthought, he adds, "If something was to happen, whoever tried to hurt you would have to go through me first."

oO_Oo_oO_Oo

"Isn't Kouki so peaceful when he sleeps?" The voice asks. "I wonder if he's dreaming of me or you?"

"I-if he's d-d-dreaming of you, it'd b-be a n-n-nightmare," I retort through my teeth chattering. But despite the shivers wracking my spine and the ice lining my eyes, I feel the air warming.

In a wall of ice in front of me, I can see what my body sees. Furihata is asleep, curled up with his pillow. After a moment, he whimpers, "S-Sei…."

Furihata talks in his sleep occasionally, something I find quite adorable. Sometimes, if I'm stealthy enough, I can ask questions of him and he'll answer.

"I'm here, Kouki," my voice says, even as my hands curl into fists and my jaw clenches.

But to my delight, Furihata leans away from my body. "No…you're…n-not Sei…."

The cold fire flares with anger.

Author Note: Finally, another chapter! This one I really struggled with, but I hope you liked it! Will Akashi win his mental battle? Will Aomine and Imayoshi track down Hanamiya and Haizaki? What's going to happen at the birthday party Momoi's been invited to? If you want to know, please, Please, PLEASE REVIEW!

Remember to send in questions for the Q&A!

And there's another extra up! I hope you like it!

A hint for next chapter:

Murasakibara moves quickly, and he manages to have all the bags off his arms before Kise's eyes flash a neon yellow.

"Where is she? Who did this to her?! I'M GOING TO KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE FU―!"

Murasakibara grabs the blonde from behind and holds him back as he spits curses and threats.

Crimson

A Breed Extra

"Let's talk this over. It's not like we're dead. Was it something I did? Was it something you said? Don't leave me hanging in a city so dead, held up so high on such a breakable thread. You were all the things I thought I knew, and I thought we could be.

"You were everything, everything that I wanted. We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it. All of the memories so close to me just fade away. All this time, you were pretending. So much for my happy ending."

―"My Happy Ending" by Avril Lavigne

oO_Oo_oO_Oo

Kise wonders exactly how long they'll have to stay at this hotel. It's not too bad, and due to the small complex having plenty of vacancies, the three rooms are all next to each other. It works out well. If Midorima doesn't kill Murasakibara for eating and getting crumbs all over the place or something.

Akashi has been deathly quiet, even more quiet than Kuroko, but Kise doesn't say anything as they settle in their room. If the person he loved turned on him like that….

Kise sits on the bed closest to the door, his backpack beside him with the clothes he managed to get before they ran. Starting over isn't going to be fun. Maybe they'll move somewhere closer to the coast though. That could be a good t―

Suddenly, Akashi screams. The redhead sinks down into the fetal position at the foot of the bed, his hands gripping his hair as the screech ripped through the air like a siren through a tunnel. Kise's head spins for a moment at the sound, unable to comprehend how such a high-pitched, unnatural shriek could even come from the younger male, but he doesn't dwell on it. Well, he can't, considering that the microwave flew from the side table into the wall with a loud crunch.

Beside the bed, Midorima appears before Aomine darts through the door, quickly followed by Kuroko and Murasakibara.

"What's happening to him?" Kise shouts over the screaming, aiming the question at Midorima.

A crack spider webs through the vanity mirror, millions of roads carved into a spotless landscape. The pillows begin to rise from the bed and rip themselves apart.

When there's no reply, Kise runs to his brother. "Akashicchi!"

Pain flourishes alive in Kise's stomach as he doubles over the foot lodged against his stomach. Between the hurt of being kicked by the redhead and the physical pain that has him toppling over, Kise would have received a punch in the side of the face if Aomine hadn't caught the fist mid-swing.

"Snap out of it!" Aomine yells, followed by curses as he jumps away from a near kick to the groin.

The bathroom door starts slamming open and shut.

"Hold him!" Midorima says.

Kise and Aomine grab a foot each, and Murasakibara holds down Akashi's hands. Now the redhead is pinned to the floor, but he's struggling with more strength than Kise can imagine. Even Murasakibara is jarred by the force Akashi releases.

Luckily, when they hold him down, things stop moving and the screeching stops. Kuroko has to go outside to attempt to calm the hotel owner, though Kise suspects that when the Shadow comes back in, he's used a scare tactic. It wouldn't be hard since all five of them having glowing eyes. Akashi's eyes don't really glow; they never have, but the left one has never been gold before now either.

Tears fall down Akashi's cheeks, even as he fights, now with failing strength. He's biting his lip until blood dribbles down his chin, and overall, he looks pathetic.

Regardless of this, Murasakibara and Kise have to hold him down for another two hours. Otherwise, he starts screaming and going out of control again. It isn't until he falls asleep that Murasakibara returns to his room for the night.

Kise picks up Akashi and lays him in the bed, tucking him in.

After the blonde cleans Akashi's face with a washcloth, he tosses the remains of the pillows into the corner of the room with the microwave, which looks like an oversized, crushed aluminum can.

The next morning, Akashi is reading when Kise wakes up.

"Akashicchi?" Kise quietly asks. "Are you alright?"

The redhead doesn't say anything or even move.

"I know you're probably…embarrassed, but at least tell me if you're okay."

Nothing.

At that, Kise sits up, kicking the blankets off his bare legs. With a worried frown, he sits down on the edge of Akashi's bed and waves a hand in front of the mismatched eyes.

Akashi moves the book to the side, where his eyes have an undisrupted view of the words.

"Akashicchi!" Kise says, louder this time, and he shakes the other by the shoulders. Yet, there's no reaction.

A few minutes later, Midorima pulls away from Akashi with a deep frown. "I don't know what's wrong with him. His body seems to be conscious and fully functional, but…."

"What, so he's like a zombie or something?" Aomine says. "Body awake, but no one's home?"

"He's not a zombie," Midorima says with an irritated edge.

"What do we do?" Kise asks, cutting into the impending argument.

"We wait."

oO_Oo_oO_Oo

On the third day, Akashi is drying himself off, stark naked as he looks through his clothes in his backpack.

Kise sits on the bed as usual. Each day of this is torture. Each day, he feels more and more depressed, less and less confident that Akashi will "wake up". Among other things, Akashi isn't the type to run around naked in front of his brothers; he just usually is more reserved about his body than, say, Kise and Aomine are. This isn't something he would do if he were himself, so Kise sits with his back turned, just to give him some privacy.

After a minute or so, Kise turns to see the shorter male reading again, something he's been doing even more than usual lately. Akashi has been a big reader since he was born, thinking of it as research on humans.

Kise chuckles mirthlessly. "You know, Akashicchi, when you started talking about Nijimura, I wanted to warn you. I did, but…I didn't at the same time." He sighs quietly. "I just thought…you were so excited to be around him, and I didn't want to take that from you, even though I got this vibe from him. Like he wasn't the one you were supposed to be with. I guess it's kind of ridiculous, isn't it?"

Golden eyes glance up, but mismatched orbs don't meet the gaze.

"I'm supposed to be your big brother, but I couldn't keep you safe from that. You've always listened to me ramble on and on about Aominecchi, and I always listened to you when you talked about Nijimura, but I could tell. I could tell that he didn't love you, but I couldn't…" Kise shakes his head. "I couldn't say that to you. I just wanted you to be happy, even though I knew it would break you in the end." He throws his hands in the air. "And it did!"

Akashi turns the page of his book.

"It's weird, isn't it? You always preached vigilance. 'Don't let the humans find out; it'll be the end of us,'" he says in his best Akashi voice, though the pitch is too low and it lacks the Akashi-like accent. "You were always curious to a fault, but you were still cautious until you met him. A real classic love story, isn't it?"

When Akashi clears his throat, Kise jumps at the sound and looks up. Of course, clearing his throat is all it was, not a sudden burst of consciousness.

Kise sighs again. "This changed you, Akashicchi. I know it did." He puts a hand on his stomach, right over the black and purple bruise. It crawls with pins and needles every time he moves. "You were too strong and too violent for who I know you are. Bruises aren't supposed to feel like this. You may be strong for your size, but the only way you could hit that hard and fight against Murasakibaracchi like that is if you had magic. You used psychokinesis on your body, didn't you?" He pauses, as if he expects the redhead to answer. "Your power only affects abiotic factors."

After a minute, Kise shakes his head and gazes into Akashi's eyes. The right is solid, the color of dark crimson blood, but the left flickers with golden fire, the colors swirling around each other like magma. Kise remembers the bright scarlet light that used to simmer in the depths of the orbs―playful, aware, and curious.

"Who are you now?" Kise whispers.

Akashi doesn't reply, not that the blonde expects him to.