Kuroko had been feeling jittery all day - he simply couldn't shake the feeling something terrible had happened.
He had tried to call Akashi, but there had been no reply.
Calm down. This wasn't the first time Akashi hadn't answered the phone.
And yet, a terrible sinking feeling was suffocating him.
When his phone buzzed, he answered it without even a single glance at the caller ID. "Thank god Akashi-kun, I was so worried -"
"Kuroko, this is Midorima. You need to get to the bullet train station, Akashi… is in bad shape. We need to get to Kyoto, now."
Kuroko felt the world around him stop.
"What? How?"
"I don't know, but we need to get to the bullet train. I'm calling Kise and Aomine as well."
And that was the end of the worst conversation in Kuroko's life. Wordlessly, he snatched up his wallet and bolted out of his house, sprinting towards the train station - a 10-minute run away from his house.
It took Kuroko just 5 minutes to get to the train station. Tears were streaming down his face and he scanned the busy station, instantly spotting a green head.
Midorima was doing his best to remain calm. As vice captain in his Teiko days, he could only do his best to maintain his composure in front of the others.
"Midorima-kun!" He saw Kuroko weave through the crowd and appear before him, his eyes were bloodshot and he was panting furiously.
"Kise and Aomine are on the way -"
"Kurokocchi!" Kise called loudly, urgently, as he and Aomine materialised before them.
Somewhere at the back of Midorima's head, he realised this was probably the fastest Aomine had ever arrived for anything, and that fact itself almost made him lose his cool.
Midorima forced himself to take a deep breath, handing them the tickets before stepping into the train.
"What happened?" Kise dared ask first.
"My father called me from work. Akashi had been admitted to the Kyoto Regional Hospital because of hypovolemic shock - the significant decrease in blood volume. They called my father because Akashi's records mentioned that he'd been admitted to my father's hospital a while back… I don't know what happened, but my father told me that Akashi is alive… for now," Midorima finished. He uneasily pushed his glasses up, almost feeling like he wanted to vomit.
"For now," Kuroko echoed, voice empty; eyes empty.
"We can't think like this, we just have to get there and keep hoping," Midorima stressed, even though he knew cracks were appearing in his calm demeanour.
Kuroko was in shock, staring out the window. He desperately gulped in deep shaky breaths to calm his breathing. "Decrease in blood volume" - Akashi must have done it again.
What did I do? No… What didn't I do?
He thoughts were desperate and foggy.
What happens if Akashi-kun… if … - No. I can't think like this.
A small, almost childish part of him thought, if, if he forced himself to imagine the old, okay Akashi, then the current Akashi would be back to… normal.
Or whatever normal meant anymore.
He closed his eyes, images of Akashi flashing through his mind, like an old-fashioned projector.
His first meeting with Akashi.
Akashi helping Momoi carry equipment.
Akashi lifting the trophy in middle school.
The warm aura of his body radiated with life, like an angelic halo emanating from him. The life in him simply couldn't die.
And before Kuroko knew it, tears were escaping his shit eyes, and he put his head in his hands, gasping for breath.
It was as if a cold hand had ripped his heart out, and he clenched his fists, clenching fistfuls of light blue hair.
Please, God, or someone, anyone.
Please, save my Akashi-kun.