What Lies Beyond the Plum Tree (READ CHAPTER 6 AN!)

by silkhidingrose

Haikyuu-Kuroko no Basuke Crossover OC / Various in Military!Dystopia Fujisaki Kotomi thought all she needed were her closest friends, her home, and that special place beneath her favorite tree. But when the war finally finds its way to her and her family, a strange encounter under that special plum tree threatens to reveal what was best kept away.

5. Changing With the Times

Author's Note: Oh god, longest chapter. I had so much fun with this one I got carried away. Please leave reviews, guys? I don't know if this is being received well. I'm not going to stop if people don't like it, but I would like to know what you guys are confused about, as well as what you guys like. Who do you like with Kotomi, so far, for example?

EDIT: 8/26/2020

A/N: I really like how the new version turned out, so I hope you guys like it too! Honestly, with all the formatting errors I had, I'm really touched you guys still liked it! I hope I can continue to improve however, and do right by you and my vision of this long-time project.

Enjoy!

Love, Silky!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basuke or Haikyuu, the characters or make any profit from this story. All characters and concepts belong to their respective owners. I just like writing. Please support official releases.

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Chapter 5: Changing with the Times

Everything was not fine. Far from it. The furthest extreme from 'fine.' Fine was an unknown, unreachable concept the entirety of the week Kotomi spent with her long-awaited best friends.

As of now, Kotomi groaned just recalling it as she hid her face. She sat under the tree with Oikawa and Iwaizumi sitting on either side of her, while Kuroo and Bokuto sat across from her. They looked a range of worried and sympathetic, furrowed brows and tight lips out in varying degrees of intensity.

"It must have been a lot of work. I've never seen you complain so much." Iwaizumi commented, letting Kotomi tip over sideways and lean on his shoulder.

"It was awful." She moaned. Oikawa chewed thoughtfully and silently on a cookie and touched his shoulder to hers as wordless support. Ever since she saved Iwaizumi, it was as if the ice separating them melted.

Now, at age 16, Oikawa Tooru was clingy, whiny and fussy if Kotomi couldn't come by for any reason. He was also typically incredibly talkative; so today, his silence was strange. Kotomi liked to think it was because he was giving her a chance to vent.

"You wouldn't stop talking about how excited you were to see them again; I can't believe it didn't go well!" Bokuto said, his voice thick with emotion. Kotomi's and stared at the ground in half-lidded sadness.

In response, Kuroo nudged his best friend with a raised brow and gestured to a downtrodden Kotomi as if to say: 'Well? Do something!' Bokuto made a strangled hooting sound before he stretched his hands out to her.

"B-but you know! Maybe it's their fault! They've probably changed a lot, huh?" With a loud grunt, Kuroo slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Dude, you're not helping." Iwaizumi pushed Kotomi's hair behind her ear, neatly tucking it away. Kotomi leaned into his hand, which softened Iwaizumi's ever-present steely expression. He tapped her cheek with his fingers before he pulled away.

"S-Sorry! I just..." Bokuto whine and shut his eyes while pressing a finger to his temple.

"No, you're right…" Kotomi admitted. "I was naïve. I thought things would be able to go back to normal once they came back, but I underestimated what they all went through."

"There's nothing wrong with a little hope here and there, "Kuroo spoke up, which earned him an upward turn of Kotomi's lips. "That's what I like most about you, little bird~" But the relief was too transient, as Kotomi felt another worry bubble to the surface.

"I just…something doesn't feel…right." This caused the three of them – excluding Oikawa—to look at her with some confusion. One by one, Kotomi met each of their gazes, apprehension registering in the girl's eyes before she took a deep breath and retold the events of her friends' return that night.

---

At the Party, 1 Week Ago

"Are you still shaking, Kotomi-chan?" Kotomi shook her head and smiled politely at the bluenette, whose expression remained mainly impassive. Ironically, he was the easiest to read among the lot of them thus far.

"I guess I really did overdo it, today. All I could think about was tonight." She picked at a thin slice of beef; despite not having eaten, Kotomi couldn't find the stomach for the feast before her. When she thought of her rebel friends, she wanted to eat even less and just give it to them to bring home.

"That's not enough, Koto-chin," Murasakibara complained while he leaned over across the table toward her. He held out his chopsticks, which had fried chicken wedged in between them. He smiled childishly, in that adorable way she knew so well.

"You should eat more. I'll be really angry if you starve yourself~" Kotomi giggled and nodded, opening her mouth and leaning forward as well. Kuroko tensed, and Kise stopped bickering with Aomine over the last bit of potato in his soup to gape. Momoi, who was sitting beside Kuroko, turned pink and covered her mouth.

"Wait." Kotomi turned her head to the bespectacled young man, who glared at Murasakibara from across the table. Murasakibara didn't move his chopsticks away. His brow furrowed, and his grip tightened on the wooden sticks, which looked closer to long toothpicks in his massive hands.

"What?" He asked, already incensed.

"Fujisaki has not left the city since she came here as a child. You've been outside exposed to who knows how many diseases and bacteria out there. You can't casually share food and utensils with her like that."

"But I take medicine and I'm not sick. She won't get sick, either." Midorima audibly clicked his tongue in irritation.

"That's not how the immune system works. Put it down." Murasakibara quite literally growled, Midorima's eyes narrowed, and Kotomi returned Momoi's alarmed expression. They both thought the same thing.

Did they always get along this poorly? Murasakibara was indisputably childish, but he was typically sweet and listened well. Midorima was strict but respectful, only looking out for the best interests of his friends around him.

At least, they had been at one point. But this tension in the air, and the looks the two gave each other were foreign. There was so much hostility. Kotomi looked to her other friends for help. Kise looked concerned, but Aomine was scratching his ear and yawning while Kuroko stared at his food with resignation etched clearly into his apathetic disposition.

"We checked out, don't worry, Kotomi-san…" Kuroko responded to her concern.

"I wasn't really worried about that..." Across from her, the tension only escalated.

"Mido-chin, you're just pissed because you're too scared of being nice to Koto-chin. It's no wonder she hates you."

"Mukkun!"

"Murasakibara..." Midorima seethed through grit teeth. Kotomi's mouth fell open to gape. His face went red in both embarrassment and anger. Momoi left Kuroko's side to stop Midorima from standing up.

Kotomi's eyes immediately searched for the red-headed heir, only to find his usual seat at the head of the table empty. Akashi had greeted them and immediately departed for his father's office.

Akashi Masaomi had always been distant with the children who lived under his roof and even with his own son, especially after his wife's' death. But she hadn't expected him to call Akashi to his office when he should be reuniting with his friends.

Kise finally stepped in, his fake liveliness augmenting his voice just a decibel too loud.

"H-Hey, Kotomicchi! Tell us, how is your training as a medic going?" Cornflower blue shot up to meet golden brown honey. She appreciated the late assistance, but she so dearly wished Kise had chosen a different topic.

Suddenly, all eyes were on her, again. She tried in vain to silently plead with Momoi, but the young woman merely glanced away, giving her a pointed look.

Now's a good time to bring it up, isn't it? Do your best! Kotomi wanted to slam her head into the dining table and knock herself out.

"It's…good. Really good." Kotomi admitted, her smile grew more genuine and less forced, as it always did when she talked about work. She was able to help the people she cared about, even if it wasn't Kuroko and the others right away, like she had expected. It was those skills that made her useful to Oikawa and the others, and what brought them together as friends.

"I think I'm really good at it." At everything about it.

"And I want to keep doing my best and keep aiming to make a difference." And I don't want to stop here.

"Lots of people have helped me so I can make an effort as well." I have a way to stay by your side.

"I'm really glad to hear that, Kotomi-chan." Kuroko smiled softly. Everyone but Momoi had similar expressions.

"What medical sector will you work in?" Midorima asked, to which Kotomi responded by trying not to make a face at the dreaded question. Her palms felt sweaty as she tried to salvage what was left of her fleeing confidence.

"I bet pediatrics, right? Kotomicchi is good with kids! Or maybe she'll work at the nursing home?"

"That's a nurse. It's not the same track, Kise-kun. Maybe Kotomi would work in the trauma sector." Kuroko suggested. "It must be really rewarding work."

"No-yes, you're right. I'm sure it's rewarding work, but that's not where I am." She struggled to find the best way to open the proverbial can of worms. If she tried to push it off, they might try to look into it themselves.

No time like the present. Rip the Band-Aid off. So she took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders and puffed out her chest as she spoke loudly and clearly, relieved that her voice didn't waver.

"I'm not assigned to an on-site sector. I'm going to be an on-field medic for Warzone 13 with you guys." Almost immediately, the harsh scraping of several chairs echoed through the dining hall. Kotomi flinched and shut her eyes, steeling her nerves before she opened them again.

Midorima, Aomine, and Kuroko were all standing with tensed, angry, and horrified expressions, respectively. Food fell from Murasakibara's chopsticks, uneaten. Kise was sitting in shock, eyes wide.

"No." Kuroko's voice was firm and final, so unlike him.

"That will not be happening." Midorima agreed, fixing his glasses. They had almost fallen off in his haste to physically object.

"Uwah, Koto-chin, when did you become stupid?" Murasakibara asked gruffly, stabbing a piece of his spread with his chopsticks. Kotomi bristled at the condescension, emphasized by her furrowed brow.

"I'm not stupid. I've worked really hard to get this far."

"Koto-chan has been working really hard while you guys were away. You can ask Aida-san and Garcia-san at the facility, she's better than anyone! You know, she even-"Kotomi shot Momoi a look. Now was not a good time to bring up what she did about the bomb incident.

"Kotomicchi, you don't know what you're agreeing to." Kise's voice was strained again, as if he were holding back more. Luckily, Aomine was there to explode on his behalf.

"You must have fucking lost your mind while we were gone. We don't need you out there, so don't bother!" Kotomi shook her head and bit her trembling lip. She knew they wouldn't be happy, but the outright denial made her feel more like a burden.

"It's already final. I'm going." She retorted, as she knew she could be helpful.

"Kotomi-chan, we've been to Warzone 13, we're the ones that cleared it. It's not safe for you there." Kuroko pleaded to her.

"If you cleared it then I have faith I'll be fine."

"Faith won't get you anywhere." Kise insisted. "Nothing is guaranteed out there. You don't need to worry about a thing outside of the Citadel, you can still help here!"

"That's not good enough, I want to…no, I need to do more." Kotomi said this with certainty, but she still refused to look at any of them. Her eyes remained trained on her lap.

"I've worked with injuries from all kinds of situations, under different circumstances." Granted, the two conditions were isolated from one another, as patch-up sessions for Oikawa and the guys and simulations with the people at in the medical sector, respectively.

"I can help. And I will. And there's nothing you can do to stop me, so don't make such a scene." It was wishful thinking, but at this point, Kotomi was grasping at straws to keep control of the situation.

"Hell no. We're strong enough that we don't need a medic. You'll just be a nuisance." Aomine growled. Kotomi twitched, and then finally looked up. Her expression was calm. So calm, in fact, that he was the one who was taken aback. Had this been three years ago, maybe she would have cried. But they weren't not the only ones to have grown.

"Then I definitely won't have to worry about a thing, won't I?"

BAM! Everyone's head snapped to Kise, whose voice was tight in his throat. He slowly slipped the fist he slammed under the table again.

"You're underestimating this, Kotomicchi. Since when have you talked like this? Don't you trust us?" Kotomi clenched her fists, wondering why their words were irritating her like this. Momoi took the pregnant pause as a chance to stand up, hands raised for peacemaking.

"Okay, guys! Let's talk about this another time."

"No," Aomine pushed. "You're not going."

"It's not up to you." Kotomi responded as she stared ahead. "I don't have to answer to you." Oddly enough, the more hostile they became, the less she worried about their concerns on the matter. She wondered when it was that she became so defiant?

It was her only advantage in this current predicament, as the pressure in the room threatened to crush her. Suddenly, Aomine vaulted over the food to the opposite side of the table in the blink of an eye.

Kotomi slowly raised her head and stared with intent as he glowered down at Kotomi. Royal blue sparked against its lighter colored opponent.

"Hmm," He drawled lazily, feigning intrigue, but his irritation was clear as day. "You've gotten even cheekier without anyone to put you in your place." Kotomi's mouth twitched downwards.

"I don't have a place for you to put me in. I decide where I go." Aomine scoffed.

"Being cheeky won't protect you from the scum out there. You think a pretty, tiny thing like you can protect yourself from guys like me? "He suddenly snatched her by the collar of her sweater and tugged her upwards. The heels of her feet just hovered above the ground as he pulled her closer. A chilling smirk spread across his lips.

"In fact, your feisty little mouth makes me want to have my way with you right now." Kotomi swallowed hard, her expression wavering. He had a point. Even so, she wasn't going to back down, even if she didn't have an answer.

"Aomine!" Kotomi only faintly heard Midorima's outrage, and she felt hands pry the two apart. Kuroko used a sharp tone with Aomine, who merely shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged innocently.

"I was being honest." The navy-blue haired teen watched Kotomi for her response, eyes unapologetic.

It's like what Oikawa-san did to me. He's trying to intimidate me. She concluded, not letting her show any sign of being perturbed by his actions and words. But she felt a beat of sweat form at her temple and tickle her heated skin as it traveled downward. She merely narrowed her gaze.

"You wouldn't. You're not like that." Aomine's eyes widened again, and maybe for a moment his expression softened just a little, but it soon hardened again as he scoffed and fell back into a chair with his arms crossed.

"Fine. Have it your way." He grumbled. Kotomi calmly pushed her hair behind her ear, making her way toward the door.

"Koto-chan?" Momoi called in a weak voice, almost pleading.

"I'm tired, after all, I think I need to go to bed."

"Fujisaki! We're not done talking about this." Midorima called after her, but Kotomi turned her head to snap at him. However, the words never got to leave her mouth.

"No, Shintaro, we're not." Kotomi's stomach dropped as all eyes in the room turned toward the origins of the smooth, silky voice. Akashi stood in the way of Kotomi's exit, and looked down at her with a serene, unreadable expression.

"Akashicchi!"

"How much did you hear?" Midorima asked, now calm which tested Kotomi's composure. He was calm because he thought that Akashi would be able to tell her what to do, didn't he? No matter how much she glared, no one was going to answer and she knew it.

"Enough." The redhead answered back.

"Akashi-kun, please speak to Kotomi-chan." Kuroko requested. Kotomi shot Kuroko a glare as well, but found herself unable to look Akashi in the eye. That splash of gold amongst all his crimson made her stomach ache, but she felt a gentle pressure underneath her chin that coaxed her to look up.

"Kotomi…"

"Did your father tell you?" Kotomi felt ridiculous even asking. Of course he did. He probably knew and just chose not to do anything about it. Because he knew he could leave the issue to his son, as he always did.

"He felt that allowing you to make your own decisions would foster your growth, and he encouraged your career as a medic. And I agree. I can see that you've made so much growth. I'm very impressed." He smiled at her, but she felt no comfort or pride.

"So let me-" Akashi pressed a finger to her lips; his expression tender, but chilling.

"But what I can't agree with is you coming with us. The others are correct. That world is not a place for someone like you. And unlike Daiki, I can ensure that you will stay here." Kotomi opened her mouth to protest yet again, but what he said next had her question dying in her throat and birthing a new one.

"Besides, your future has already been decided." Akashi smiled at this, almost excitedly, gleefully, as if he was expecting her to rejoice at the news. "Father has decided that you'll become my fiancé. An Akashi."

---

"FIANCE!?" Iwaizumi covered his ears as Bokuto interrupted Kotomi's recollection to screech his outrage. Kuroo sat there with a dumbfounded expression. Oikawa's expression had darkened considerably. Bokuto stood up, throwing his fists in the air as if he wished to fight the sun.

"That Aomine guy is no good! And who the hell does this Akashi guy think he is!? He can't just decide shit like that!"

"He can," Iwaizumi said calmly, but the vein in his temple was pounding, and his fists were tightly clenched.

"I'm basically owned by the Akashi family, since I was taken in by them." Kotomi explained, pulling her knees closer to her chest as she sighed. "It's never felt that way until now, though."

"You can't marry him!" Bokuto roared.

"It doesn't sound like you to be a trophy wife, little bird." Kuroo said lightheartedly, but Kotomi knew by the flexing of his forearm that he was angry. Kotomi laughed without humor, nodding.

"No, I don't think it sounds like me either. But…they're not giving me a choice."

"Komi-chan," Bokuto called her by his newfound nickname, having insisted upon it upon learning that Momoi already called her Koto-chan, "What's with these friends? I thought you said they were good people! What kind of good guy forces a girl to marry him!"

"I don't know…I don't know who these people are. Not completely, at least. Especially Seijuro. It doesn't make sense but," she brought her knees to her chest and clenched her fists, bunching up the fabric of her pants. "I think he's not himself."

"Then come with us." Kotomi's eyes found a previously silent Oikawa, who glanced at her from the side before he stood up and stepped out of the shade of the tree to look up into the sky.

"What…?" She asked faintly.

"Come to where we are. Run away from them and come with us, live with us." He repeated.

"Hey, hey, hey! That sounds like a good idea! The best idea!" Bokuto cried, throwing his fists into the air.

"But, I- "

"Oya, to have little bird beside us all the time, don't wake me from this dream~" Kuroo sighed dreamily. Kotomi looked to Iwaizumi, who merely nodded and offered a rare smile, and then back at Oikawa. He was now facing her head on, chocolate brown eyes intense; the light from the sun illuminated his silhouette, and for a moment Kotomi found herself considering it.

"I'd never tie you down like that." Oikawa insisted. "We know better than anyone that you're meant to be free. So fly with us, Kotori-chan." He offered her a hand. Kotomi bit her lip.

"I can't. I can't leave them." She answered. Bokuto squawked in disbelief and gaped at her.

"What? But you just said-"

"We're adjusting," Kotomi interrupted Bokuto, hand raised. "I'm touched, but you can't just whisk me away from my home to a place that you still won't tell me about." At this, Oikawa flinched and lowered his hands. The others felt the guilt of their secrecy as well. Kotomi crossed her arms and kicked at loose dirt.

"Just because I don't ask, doesn't mean that I'm not aware of our positions. It isn't that I don't trust that your people are safe, but will they trust that I'm safe?" She asked, and she knew by their silence that whereas Momoi was at least aware of their existence, Kotomi was still a complete secret to her friends' loved ones.

"So, you'd rather take your chances becoming this Seijurou guy's dutiful wife?" Oikawa crossed his arms and turned his back on her.

"I'd rather take my chances on trying to understand my friends and the trauma they went through." Kotomi crossed her arms as well, eyeing the green grass with dejection. She couldn't just give up on them because of a fight.

"They're still in there," She assured everyone, including herself. "I just have to find them again, that's all."

---

Akashi Manor, During the Party

"Marry you?" Kotomi repeated faintly, having to sit back down. Kise talked about marrying her all the time, of course, but she never took him too seriously. But Akashi was dead serious. He didn't seem at all surprised by her lack of jubilation. In fact, it seemed like he expected it. It took all about 5 seconds for everyone else to react as well.

"Oi! Akashi, I didn't hear about this!" Aomine snarled, standing up from his seat. Murasakibara kicked a chair into the wall, breaking off one of its legs. Kuroko looked paler than normal, but his eyes blazed with shock and anger as he pursed lips tightly.

"Akashi, when were you planning to tell us?" Midorima was the calmest, but he gripped the foldable fan, his Lucky Item, so tightly it looked painful.

"You're all my precious family, I thought we could all gather and celebrate this occasion together." Akashi held his hand out for Kotomi to take it. When she grimaced at his hand and made no move, he chuckled softly.

"Daiki is right. That feistiness of yours is quite lovely."

"You can't just decide my future like this." Kotomi spoke through gritted teeth as her composure crumbled beneath Akashi's intense stare. She always felt more exposed when she was with Akashi, and his intimidation was extra potent tonight.

"I can. Don't misunderstand, I am also putting your future into consideration, of course. You were raised by my family; so, you have the proper etiquette, your scores have always been at least top in our class, and you inherently possess all the proper skills of a fine medic, which mean you have the makings of an excellent career path within the Citadel. You don't belong anywhere except the side of those who win, Kotomi. And no one wins more than I do."

"Just who are you, anyway…?" Kotomi sounded sick as she looked to every face in the room. She realized with a chill down her spine that she almost didn't recognize any of them.

"What a silly question to ask, my dear fiancé." Akashi brought a hand to his chest and smiled eerily: his heterochromatic gaze of crimson and gold sucked the breath from Kotomi's lungs.

"I am Akashi Seijurou." After a moment, Kotomi suddenly bolted from the room, so fast she almost stumbled on a raised part of the carpet before disappearing down the hallways.

"Koto-chan!" She heard Momoi call after her, but she didn't stop. She ran straight for her room and slammed the door behind her, where she childishly kicked and stomped once she was in private, before she finally collapsed in front of the door and hugged her knees while rocking back and forth. Kotomi eventually fell asleep like that, a single tear slipping from her eye and onto her lap.

A few hours later, she was awoken to the sound of knocking at her door. It took her a few minutes to acclimate herself to reality as she slowly stood up and turned to the door. Her hand hovered over the knob for a solid 10 seconds, but eventually she found the courage to open it.

She suspected it to be Momoi checking in on her after she stormed out. Her apology was already on her lips, but it was quick to die when she spotted not one, but two young men standing outside her door.

"Tetsuya…Ryota…" The bluenette and blonde stood there quite sheepishly, both dressed in their pajamas. Kuroko was in his t-shirt and blue gym shorts, while Kise wore a green and white striped sweater with gray sweatpants.

"Kotomicchi…sorry to bother you." He sounded tired, like he had been crying up until now.

"I actually just woke up…I'm sorry." She said, letting the ensuing silence rest before she suddenly bowed her head to them. They both jumped when Kotomi bowed her head to them. "It was supposed to be a welcome back party for you, but I went ahead and made it all about myself."

"No, Kotomicchi! We- "

"It was troublesome to have brought that all up." Kuroko cut Kise off, which caught the blonde off guard.

"Kurokocchi!" Kotomi didn't flinch, nodding in agreement as she kept her head lowered.

"But after 3 years of missing you, I was really happy to see how much you've grown. You got stronger, standing up to Aomine-kun and Akashi-kun like that." Kotomi popped up to find Kuroko looking at her in affectionate exasperation. She didn't get a chance to notice earlier with all the commotion, but Kuroko now stood a few inches taller than her. He reached up to pet her head with a gentle curve of his lips. The gesture was enough to melt her heart.

"That's right!" Kise reassured her. "Don't worry about that stuff right now. What's important is that we're all together again, right? It was really tough without you, Kotomicchi." He reached into his pocket and presented a worn, but familiar makeshift charm, the golden color faded slightly from having it rubbed so often. Biting her lip, Kotomi placed a hand over his and squeezed both him and the charm.

"You kept it…?" She looked to Kuroko as he produced his as well, equally as worn. Both of them smiled at her, and Kuroko's soft turn of his lips and Kise's bright grin made her realize that she had been the one who was being unfair.

Three years they spent apart. It would be strange if they hadn't changed at all. She expected them to accept the things that changed about her, without considering their changes as well.

"Just like you said, we thought of you anytime we saw these, and it felt like you were there encouraging us."

"Eh? Kotomicchi? Why are you crying!?" Kotomi touched her cheeks and realized they were wet. She sniffled and wiped at her face, giggling at her own foolishness.

"Kise-kun, what did you do?" Kuroko asked Kise with clear skepticism in his voice. It was hard to tell if the man was sarcastic or not.

"What!? Me?" Kotomi laughed again, not noticing how their cheeks darkened slightly in color. She threw herself into their arms, feeling them both place a hand on her to catch her. Kuroko's was at the back of her head, and Kise's between her shoulder blades. She nuzzled Kise's chest affectionately, sighing softly.

"Ah, I missed that sound…so noisy, even though it's so late at night." She seemed quite content, which pleased both teens as they returned her hug, enveloping her in warmth and security. Someone ran their fingers through her hair.

"We should probably head to bed, now…" Kuroko didn't sound too pleased about it, even if he was the one who suggested it. Kotomi opened her eyes, pursing her lips slightly as she looked up at both of them. Kise continued to stroke the hair at the middle of Kotomi's back, running his fingers through it.

"Ah, but I could stay here forever like this…" The blonde hummed pleasantly.

"Can't we sleep together?" Kotomi asked innocently.

"Hah…?" They both voiced their confusion in unison, Kise being the first to turn bright red. He waved his hand frantically. His eyes darted everywhere but in Kotomi's direction as he shouted incoherently.

"K-K-Kotomicchi…! We, uh..haha…er…I-I mean, if you- I want to, that is to say-!" Kotomi tilted her head at him, brow furrowing as she tried to decipher his gibberish. Her face became crestfallen, brow relaxing and eyes finding the floor.

"Oh, I guess you guys are too old for that, huh…?" Kise sputtered as she played with a lock of her hair, twirling it and tugging lightly.

"Kotomi-chan…" Kuroko looked slightly uncomfortable, but there was something else lurking in the depths of powder blue irises. Kotomi couldn't quite place it.

"Please be more careful how you phrase your questions." After a moment of self-reflection, Kotomi's face turned bright red as she gasped, shaking her head.

"N-No! I…I didn't mean it like that! I just meant-! Like when we were kids! Mou, forget it!" Kotomi turned away, holding her cheeks. There's was soft, sharp exhale, like a laugh.

"It's okay. Let's go to sleep." The powder-blue haired boy finally said. Kise took her by the shoulders, leading her into the room.

"But you should put on pajamas first, Kotomicchi! Be comfortable!"

"Oh! Okay…"

"Kise-kun…please don't be indecent…"

"Eh!? Kurokocchi, don't look at me like I'm trash, I was going to wait outside!"

Later that same day

"Are you comfortable, Kotomicchi?" Once she was in her pajamas, they settled into Kotomi's bed. It was a tighter fit than their days as children. Kise's feet were just short of dangling off the end. She faced Kuroko, one arm tucked under Kotomi's body while the other rested on his chest. Kise was on her other side, much bigger than her, so she could feel the warmth of his body from the top her head down to her toes.

"Very…" Kotomi murmured. She felt Kuroko shift to face her as well: a hand reached up to push her hair behind her ear and cup her cheek affectionately. Though her vision was blurry, it was easy to make out the familiar silhouette.

"It's okay to sleep, Kotomi-chan…we'll be here in the morning." As if he could read her mind, he reassured her that he wasn't going anywhere.

"Mm…" Kise nuzzled the back of her neck, sighing himself. The bed shook and she felt Kise flinch and she suspected that Kuroko kicked Kise.

"Ow! Kurokocchi!"

"Keep your hands and face in respectable places, Kise-kun."

"I am!"

"You are not."

"I missed this so much," Kotomi breathed. "Every day, I woke up and worked so hard so that I could fall asleep without realizing that you weren't here…and now you're back…" She nuzzled Kuroko happily, missing the way he tensed.

"When you're okay to talk about it…tell me about what happened…when you went to war…" They must have thought she had fallen asleep, because she felt something soft and warm on her temple, and then another on her fingers, before she faintly heard their reply.

"We did what we had to do, and that's all you need to know…"

"We'd do anything for you, Kotomi-chan." Kotomi wished she could have woken up right then to ask them what they meant.

Morning, The Next Day

"Kotomicchi, where are you going...?" Kotomi jumped a little, hand still on the doorknob as she turned to face a slowly waking Kise.

"I was going to go study under the tree…" Actually, she was planning to give the leftovers from the party to Oikawa and the others take home, but last night's events suggested that it wasn't quite time to meet yet. The bliss lasted up until she woke up before reality came crashing down on her that she was going to find some way out of the marriage and some way into Warzone 13.

"Eh…? It's so early in the morning…" Kise whined, Kuroko just starting to stir. "Plus, you shouldn't go out, we just came back after all."

"I'll be back soon; I just have to look over some procedures and I won't be able to concentrate here."

"Notes? You're not going to need them." There was a pregnant pause as Kotomi realized what he meant by that.

"So... you agree with everyone else?" Kise nodded, sighing dramatically.

"But that was too much drama for the night, seriously…right, Kurokocchi?"

"Mm…Kise-kun, shut up a little please. It's very early…" Kise puffed his cheeks out indignantly before he looked at Kotomi again, opening his arms. He smiled radiantly.

"Just come back and let's sleep some more, okay?" Kotomi sighed, pushing some hair behind her ear…before she threw the door open and dashed down the hallway, ignoring Kise's shocked cry of betrayal.

"Kotomicchi!"

Sorry, not sorry! Kotomi thought, amused. But as soon as she was rounding the corner, she slammed right into a hard mass. The impact was so solid and sudden that it knocked the air right out of her chest, but a pair of arms caught her by the waist and forearm.

"Fujisaki!" Midorima was looking down at her, stunned and cradling his chest. There was a little bit of pride in knowing that she had gained enough muscle to make him feel the impact of her body. But then Kotomi blinked a few times, glancing down at their positioning. The bespectacled teen grunted and pulled her upright before he sighed, holding up a book of poems to bop her on the head with it.

"Don't run in the hallways so carelessly, you could have gotten hurt."

As if a little bump like this could compare what Iwaizumi and Oikawa do during training... Kotomi thought with a shiver before she shook her head. She maneuvered around him, planning to continue her fast walk to the kitchen to retrieve the leftovers she instructed the maids to leave in the storage room.

"Wait." Kotomi stopped and glanced back who pushes his glasses up his nose. He held up the poem book, refusing to make eye contact with her. "Where are you going, so early?"

"I'm going out to study." Midorima scoffed and Kotomi got a bad feeling that she wasn't going to be able to just walk away.

"Fool. Libras have the worst luck today. If you simply must go out, you should carry your Lucky Item around. It's an orange lily. I can help you find one." Kotomi raised a brow.

"Oh, um, that's alright. I'm in a bit of a hurry—"

"Your health and well-being are not something that should be hurried." He marched over and took her hand. He pulled gently as if she were glass, though his taped fingers were clamped around her smaller wrist like a handcuff.

"Wait, Shintaro!" He led her out to the garden behind the property, releasing her only then. Before she continued her protest, she noticed the tea set surrounded by varying kinds of bread, jams, and fruit waiting on a silver tray under the shaded awning of the backyard. Kotomi glanced up at him to see that the tips of his ears were bright red. Kotomi covered her mouth to hide her teasing grin.

"You're so cute…you could have just said you prepared breakfast for us." A choked splutter ripped from his throat as his head snapped away from her gaze.

"You didn't eat enough before running off like a petulant child. A-And last night's events occurred because you didn't have your Lucky Item for the day, which was a pair of pink spotted socks. This is an efficient way of handling both problems so nothing like yesterday happens again."

"Yes, yesterday was...unlucky. For a lot of reasons." She wasn't sure if he knew that she was also talking about the marriage, but Midorima stiffened. He murmured something about the location of the lily bed somewhere in the garden.

"Many unreasonable things occurred last night. But the most unreasonable one was you. You seem intent on belittling what we went through by putting yourself in a situation you don't need to be in."

Kotomi deflated, unable to argue with that. She couldn't possibly understand what they went through and she could see how ignorant she looked from their perspective. Kotomi clenched her fists and bit her lower lip, brow furrowed.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention." Midorima watched her from the corner of his eyes, slowing his intense search.

"I know, and I understand your desire to try and make yourself useful, but you should mind your words; the other have suffered too deeply to understand." Her heart lurched at his. She glanced at the breakfast as she realized she wasn't the only one who wanted to feel normal again. Oikawa didn't usually come around until later in the day, so she could spend a few hours with Midorima.

"Well, I can't eat all this by myself, so why don't we find a proper lily and then treat ourselves to some breakfast?" The tension around them finally cleared. There was time to argue about this later, even if the both of them seemed certain about their stances on the matter.

Kotomi folded her arms behind her back and walked amongst the blossoms, scanning the area. Other than collecting a few blossoms here and there for her makeshift remedies, this place was a bittersweet symbol for her.

"It's been a while since I've taken a stroll here." She commented wistfully. Midorima was examining each lily he found with the intensity of a scientists on the verge of discovery while he spoke to her.

"You didn't come while we were gone?"

"I already missed you, I didn't want to start missing Shiori-san, too. She was the closest thing to a mother that I can remember, so it's a little painful at times."

" ...Hn..."

"Do you remember your mother, Shintaro?" There was a long pause before Midorima answered.

"I do."

"What was she like?"

" ...A lot like Shiori-san. Perhaps a bit quieter." Kotomi hummed curiously, smiling at the thought of a beautiful woman with Shintaro's features and the kind and gentle Shiori's personality. But she just ended up imagining Midorima with long hair, which made her giggle to herself.

"Here." Midorima's voice pulled her out of her thoughts as her turned her head with one hand, allowing him to slip the brightest of the blossoms behind her ear with the other. Kotomi immediately reached up to brush her fingers against the blossom.

"Does it suit me?" She asked playfully while looking up at him. He paused and stared at her much longer than she thought he would. His expression was unreadable, but suddenly he ran his taped fingers through the stray locks that clung to his fingers, each individual strand slipping through his digits like water, and leaving behind the faint scent of roses.

"Shintaro…?" After just another moment, he finally retracted his hand and turned to the food he had the maids prepare.

"Let's have breakfast." He retreated back to the table, sitting down with Kotomi right behind him, still fingering the lily. She pursed her lips as she briefly recalled the way her heart pounded just a little faster than before.

But soon she forgot about it, choosing to just live in the moment with him. It was a lovely day, and it was quiet…she sipped at her tea in the peace. At least this was familiar. Kotomi closed her eyes and listened to the birds, the breeze, and the sounds of the manor slowly stirring to life.

Time with Midorima was always so serene. She heard the sound of pages turning, which brought her attention to the poetry book Midorima was reading. By the wear and tear of the book, she put together that it was the same one she gave him right before he left. Kotomi giggled softly, which made Midorima's pink warm cheeks to a pinkish rosy color.

"W-what are you laughing at?"

"I was just thinking that Shintaro is still so cute." He turned even redder and he huffed indignantly.

"And you still have a penchant for speaking like a fool."

"Aw, so mean." She joked, but it made Midorima twitch, as if the memory he recalled pricked him. "Fujisaki...do you...ever feel hurt by what I say to you?" Kotomi looked up from the jam she was spreading on a croissant with a surprised raise of her brows and parted lips.

"Hm...? Not particularly. You've always had a rough way of speaking, so I don't take any of it to heart. But if you think that is the case, why not just speak more kindly?" She glanced at Midorima to watch his reaction, which was a blend of serious consideration and anxiety. His intensity drove a fit of laughter from Kotomi's stomach, to which Midorima jumped and glared harshly at her.

"I-I'm trying!" He almost whined at her. But Kotomi held her stomach and wiped a tear from her eye, scooted closer to Midorima and leaned up against him.

"I'm joking, you don't have to change the way you speak for me. I know you're a good person deep down, so as long as you can convey that to people, it's okay to be a little prickly. At least with the people who love you." Midorima's expression melted into one of contemplation, slowly lowering his head to rest it on top of hers, a rare moment of indulgence for both of them.

I like how prickly he is. It makes moments like this even more special. She knew if she said this out loud, it would ruin the moment.

"I want to be able to speak to you more informally..." He admitted while sounding like he was being strangled and held at gunpoint. "And... perhaps, Murasakibara...had a point."

"Is that what this is about? Ahahaha!" Kotomi laughed behind her hand. "You sound like you're in pain; Atsushi has good points! He's simple, but not dumb." The look he gave her questioned her sanity without him needing to say a word. It was probably better to stay away from the topic of the purple haired giant.

"Okay, then let's practice, then? You wish to speak more intimately with me, correct? Why don't you start by...calling me 'Kotomi?'" She heard Midorima choke on his breath, which caused another fit of giggles to bubble up inside her chest. How could she not think he was cute? Soon, Midorima's expression steeled over, becoming so determined that Kotomi had to pinch herself not to react.

So serious about calling me by my first name, I can't-!

"K...Ko..." Kotomi straightened herself up so she could look up at him with hopeful eyes, hands clasped in front of her.

You can do it! She rooted for him silently while Midorima stared right back at her. His face was the same shade as the roses in the garden. "K-Ko-koko-...to... Koto..." He babbled, which didn't help his wavering confidence. He was starting to sway in his seat.

"Um...Shintaro...?" Kotomi held out her hands, as if she was ready to catch him if he collapsed.

"Koto...koto...ko...to..." He shut his eyes and clenched his fists; Kotomi pursed her lips, and she was shaking just as hard as he was trying to contain her laughter. She couldn't handle much more than this.

"Okay!" She suddenly clapped her hands, which snapped him out of his self-induced trance. "So that's a bit much now." He looked down, ashamed, but Kotomi's eyes traveled over to the poem book. She picked it up and flipped through it curiously. When she found a good one, she took a deep breath and filled the quiet air with her voice:

Will I forget, I wonder,
Hollyhocks for my pillow
Plucked and twined,
Sleeping briefly in the fields
On this dew-drenched dawning.

skks-iii-182/

Turning to Midorima, whose gaze never left her while she read, Kotomi returned the book to him.

"Maybe reading this will help you get used to it?"

"How so?" Kotomi hummed and smiled, pressing herself closer to him, which only made him tense.

"Imagine it's me you're reading them to?" At the mere mention of this, the fireworks seemed to short-circuit the green-haired teen entirely, as he went completely stiff and then stopped moving altogether. "Shintaro?"

Kotomi raised her brows in concern, as she tapped Midorima on the shoulder.

"Hey, Shintaro?" Like a stone statue, Midorima toppled over, completely frozen and still in his sitting position. Kotomi screamed and jumped up, flailing her arms. "Shintaro!? Shintaro! What's wrong!?" She tried to prop him back up, but even with her training, he was practically dead weight.

"Hey, there you are, Kotomi-cchi! What did you-" As Kise and Kuroko poked their heads into the garden, Kotomi looked up, almost in tears.

"Ryota, Tetsuya, help!"

"W-whoa! Midorima-cchi, what happened!?"

"I-I don't know, we were just having breakfast and reading and-" Kise gasped, hand on his chest like she had just broken his heart.

"So you lied and snuck off to hang out with Midorima-cchi instead instead of cuddling with me!? You're so mean!"

"Never mind that, how do I fix it!?"

"He did it to himself, Kotomi-chan," Kuroko deadpanned. "You should just leave him like this." Kotomi and Kise stiffened and clung to each other, shaking.

"Uwah, Kurokocchi's mad! I understand why, though!"

"But why!? Ah, Sa-chan!" As if there wasn't enough chaos to go around, Momoi walked by the entrance to the garden, dressed for work. "Help, it's Shintaro! I don't know what happened, but he suddenly-!" Momoi took one look at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Koto-chan, you really need to be more aware of yourself."

---

Present Day

"In the end, we never figured out what happened to him, but the maids said he would be fine." She placed a hand on her cheek as she sighed.

"Little bird..." Kuroo placed a hand on her shoulder, a shadow casted over his eyes from his messy eyes. "You're completely to blame, there."

"What-!?"

"I don't think I would have survived an attack like that." Bokuto noted with a hand under his chin. Iwaizumi nodded in agreement.

"Can you guys focus on the point of the story?" She deadpanned. Kotomi glanced over to Oikawa, who still looked disappointed in Kotomi's response, before she continued.

"My point is they're still my friends. Yesterday proved it. They just need time. I'm sure they're worrying about things they don't want to tell me about yet. I just have to be patient and wait for them."

"But what about marrying that guy? Or the other two guys?" Oikawa asked urgently, his shoulders tensed with a note of desperation. Was he really that worried?

"Like I said, they need time. I'll talk to them about everything else, but for now, I want to make them comfortable."

"We get it." Iwaizumi spoke for the rest as he ruffled her hair with a large, calloused hand. "Just don't let them order you around, okay?" Kotomi smiled tenderly. Oikawa reached out and tugged on Kotomi's cheek with a defeated sigh.

"The minute something seems wrong and you're not okay, let us know, okay? We'll come and help you." He added. Bokuto and Kuroo nodded in unison and offered her a thumbs up as support.

"We've taught you well, little bird. If those friends of yours give you trouble,"

"You kick their asses!" Bokuto and Kuroo finished in unison again and Kotomi laughed, her nose crinkled at the bridge.

"Mou, you guys!" She threw an arm around the both of them. Bokuto turned red and practically melted in her arms, while Kuroo returned the hug with a shit-eating smirk directed at Oikawa.

SNAP. Iwaizumi shot a seething Oikawa a bland look as his eyes traveled down to the stick he had been holding, now snapped in half.

"Just ask her and don't take your anger out on those poor sticks." Kotomi looked back at them. She already knew Oikawa well enough to know what he wanted to ask. She ran over and hugged him and Iwaizumi, who accepted with a small grunt as her small but compact body practically slammed into him.

"You happy now, you damn gorilla?" He asked. Oikawa didn't answer, as he preferred to keep pressing his face into Kotomi's shoulder like a child who finally released from time-out.

"Shut up, Iwa-chan."

WHACK. The fist raise meant to find home in Oikawa's side drove Iwaizumi's shoulder up, which then slammed into Kotomi's nose. Iwaizumi flinched and jerked his head toward her, but his forehead made contact with her temple instead. All three of them parted as Kotomi held both assaulted areas with a cry of pain.

"Owch!"

"Little bird!" Kuroo gasped, but he was obviously holding in laughter.

"Shit! I'm sorry!" Iwaizumi cried, also holding his forehead.

"Iwa-chan, you monster-! Don't try to hit me again!"

Akashi Manor, Same Day

Kotomi rubbed the side of her head, wincing at the soreness of the spot. There was going to be a bruise tomorrow, she was certain. Oikawa's response was even more panicked than the victim herself. Kotomi laughed to herself as she remembered how he sounded more like a monkey than a gorilla at the time. The only good thing that came from getting punched in the head was that it stirred Oikawa out of whatever bad mood he was in.

Once she finished assuring everyone she's okay, and convinced Iwaizumi to stop glaring at his fist like he was going to chop it off, they parted ways for the day. Regrettably, she couldn't stay for as long as she used to, now that Kuroko and the others were home.

At the very least, she needed a clearer image of who exactly Oikawa and the others were. How she explained them to Akashi and the others was key to setting the foundation. As she considered her options, Oikawa's expression when he offered her a place among them came to mind yet again.

His serious side was so rare, Kotomi even ventured to say that he almost looked like a different person. But the image of Oikawa nagging Iwaizumi while he dodged his fists quickly tore the image apart with its rough gorilla hands.

"Even though he was trying to act so cool, earlier…" Her cheeks warmed at his offer as she giggled to herself. It didn't seem like long ago that he wanted nothing to do with her. And yet here he was, offering her a place amongst them. She was touched. If it weren't for her place here…would she fit in with people like that?

"Kotomi." Recognizing his voice almost immediately, Kotomi slowly faced a sweaty and reticent Aomine standing behind her. He was in a tank top and shorts, drenched in sweat. She nodded politely, still incensed by the way he spoke to her two nights ago. Even now, she wished that he would go back to wherever he was that he was hiding from her these last few days.

"Daiki…" He seemed just as tense as she was, rubbing the back of his head. Kotomi's lips twitched as she recognized his demeanor well enough to cool her hostility, just a little.

"You…what have you been up to? What were you laughing at?" He asked, still not meeting his gaze.

"I've been out."

"Where to? Alone?"

"That's none of your business, Daiki." With her patience wearing thin and no apology in sight, Kotomi dismissed him in a clipped tone before she started to move her feet again.

"I'm sorry." She paused and looked back at Aomine, but he avoided her gaze. A light dusting of red stained his cheeks. Her lips twitched. She still had a soft spot for those bashful, boyish faces.

"I still don't want you out on the field, but I hate having you mad at me, too. Satsuki won't shut up about apologizing to you, either. I know I went way overboard."

"I'm not too concerned about your reaction, but more about the fact that you don't think very highly of me." When Aomine had nothing to say, Kotomi's chest ached with disappointment. "I still want to talk more about this, but not now. I just want to enjoy that fact that you're all home." Kotomi looked him up at down, and then after a moment, she grinned. It was time to change the mood.

"Now what are you grinning about?" Aomine asked wearily, glad that she chose to change the subject.

"I was just thinking you came to me as you left: sweaty and gross."

"Hey!" Aomine 's glaring softened as Kotomi laughed.

"You still laugh the same way." He noted with clear relief in his voice.

"Really? I used to put it up because that's what Shiori-san used to tell me that ladies do, but now I just do it unconsciously."

"Don't become all prim and proper with a stick up your ass, Kotomi." He nudged her lightly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Kotomi held her fingers over her eyes in the shape of circles, and deepened her voice to emulate their bespectacled friend.

"Aomine! Don't use that kind of language, it's indecent." Aomine gaped.

"Whoa! That was good!" He laughed boisterously at this, grinning wide. Kotomi smiled right back, her heart warming.

"Eh…is something interesting happening?" Kotomi turned to face Murasakibara, who was chewing away on snacks already and coming from the direction of the kitchen, staring down at Kotomi. A massive hand ruffled her hair and offered her a cookie.

"Just joking around." She responded, waving the cookie away in a polite refusal. Murasakibara expressed how pleased he was by ruffling her hair, which made her laugh.

"Atsushi!"

"Koto-chin is the best when she's smiling and laughing…" But Kotomi flinched when Murasakibara's finger brushed against her sore spot. She unconsciously turned her head away from his hand, revealing the red mark to Aomine. Rage flared up in his eyes as he gritted and bared his teeth.

"Oi…Kotomi, where the hell did you get that?" He asked, the purplish veins in his tightly balled up fist popping out on his warm brown-toned skin.

"Huh?" Kotomi's followed his gaze before her hand flew up to the side of her head. The look in his eyes made her entire body stiffen with hesitation. When she didn't answer his question, he grabbed her by the upper arm to hold her in place as he pushed her hair out of the way with his other hand.

"Ow! Daiki, let me go!"

"You were punched?" He interrogated.

"I-I fell, I'm fine!" His eyes narrowed slightly, grip loosened at the sight of her wince, but he didn't let go.

"If someone hurt you—" He snarled, but Kotomi snapped at him out of the fear and pain.

"The only person hurting me right now is you!" His grip loosened to a bearably degree, which gave Kotomi the opportunity to shake him off. His eyes widened as she yanked herself free with just a touch more force than necessary. She looked to Murasakibara, whose eyes were trained on the side of her head.

"Guys, I'm fine, really. I'm not some kind of glass princess who can't take a fall or two. You're overreacting."

"Koto-chin, we have to be careful with you. You're small and weak, you know?" Murasakibara reasoned. She bristled and her eyes narrowed. She didn't train for the last 3 years to be treated like this.

"I'm not weak." But neither of them seemed convinced.

"Weak people die easily, if they don't have strong people protecting them. But you have me, so don't worry too much." With the way the purple teen spoke, she knew he chose not to hear her, and repeated his point like it was just the law of the universe. She opened her mouth to retort, but the dark look in his eyes froze her tongue.

"And anyone who would hurt you…I'd crush them with everything I have." Kotomi pursed her lips.

"Well you don't need to. I fell." Neither were going to budge, which made Kotomi sigh in frustration, running her fingers through her hair. It was the first thing she came up with, so she couldn't find a better lie at the moment. The best thing to do here was probably to retreat.

"Enough. I'm going now." She walked past them both, until she felt someone grab her arm again. Ready to snap at them, Kotomi yanked her arm free and whipped around, but her voice dried out at the sight of crimson and gold.

If Murasakibara and Aomine's glares were piercing, then Akashi stared down at her with an eerie scrutiny that peeled the layers of her skin back inch by inch. It was a chilling emptiness that ate up her insides, froze her thoughts and turned her muscles to ice. It was that eye of his, golden, not like KIse's which was akin to honey or sunshine.

So cold. Even as he reached up and pressed a gentle hand to her face, Kotomi felt nothing but numbing iciness. She tried to speak, but found her voice caught by the unseen tundra of his gaze.

"I wondered what this commotion was…you fell, you said?" As if his question granted her permission, her voice returned.

"Yes, and that's all. Please let go of me, Sei. I don't like being grabbed by you guys so often." A powerless squeak came in the place of what was meant to be a sharp tone. He knew she was lying. She didn't need animal instincts to know that. But he refused to say anything.

All the while, he caressed her cheek, stroking one spot up and down with his thumb. Akashi wore an expression layered with some kind of shadow that warped its appearance before her eyes to something less wholesome than just pure affection.

"I see." His voice was even, and his smile only grew as he embraced her, pressing his lips to the spot. "Forgive me. You're just so small and pretty, and I missed you, is all. I'm sorry last night ended so abruptly. I'm sure you would have much preferred for me to propose properly. I will keep it in mind for the future."

"That wasn't the problem…" She couldn't bring herself to return his embrace, which was too tight for her to pull away, but just loose enough for him to claim that the squeeze was unintentional.

"Oi." Aomine growled in warning.

"Aka-chin…" Murasakibara ground out. There was warning in both their voices, but Akashi paid them no mind, and seemed quite content in just holding Kotomi close to him.

"How long will you guys be here?" She asked this before even realizing she had used her voice, her gaze fixated on the wall. After years of being separated, she hated herself for wishing that they would leave.

"Our break ends tomorrow. We have some business downtown, so we'll be here indefinitely. Isn't that great?" Kotomi couldn't bring herself to lie, and he wouldn't like her honest answer, so she didn't answer.

"What business?"

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with, Kotomi." He finally let her go, and her body thawed out. Akashi's chuckle made her feel small.

"You look like a lost little kitten drenched in the rain. Don't worry, we'll be here to stay with you a while. Until then, let's spend lots of time together, like always." Turning to the other two, whatever look Akashi gave them forced Murasakibara and Aomine to retreat. With both of them shooting Kotoimi a strange look, they turned their separate ways.

"By the way, Kotomi, I heard something interesting..." Kotomi pursed her lips and turned toward him while she kept her expression neutral. "Father told me that you were caught up in an incident two years ago." Though her heart leapt to her throat, she tried not to show it.

Calm down, Kotomi. You already figured they were going to find out sooner or later.

"Oh yes, I remember that."

"Yes, he was impressed with how they said you saved a woman's life, despite being so young. Even though you were reckless, your actions reflected well on the Akashi name." The praise would have felt good if she didn't know Akashi well enough to realize that praise wasn't the point of this conversation. But she couldn't read between the lines of the dialogue.

"I-I'm glad..." She was ashamed of how her voice cracked.

"You really are remarkable, my dear fiancée..." He sounded more like he was admiring a piece of art than a person. "I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together and see what you'll do with your life here in the Citadel." The message was clear:

You're here to stay.

As Akashi walked away, Kotomi expelled her lungs, her stomach almost following suit. She opened and closed her hands, which trembled all the way down to her finger tips.

Just give them time, don't lose faith.

---

One Week Later

Time…just give them…time. Kotomi glared down at the paper in her hands. The words were black vermin in her blurry eyes; the indents she made cut through the fibers of the document and into her skin once more. She was glad to be alone in the middle of the library, because her cry of rage echoed in her own ears as her eyes narrowed.

Time my ass!

"To hell with it!" She cried. She threw everything but the notice down and stormed into the dining hall. The doors flew open so forcefully that she startled even herself. Kotomi stood in doorway of the dining hall, paper crumpled up in her fist. Her friends sat at a table, accompanied by a map of the territories. A strategy meeting? Yet another matter they told her nothing about.

"K-Koto-chan?"

Satsuki is here? Kotomi glanced down at the papers in her hands and surmised that her friend was probably helping them somehow. That added fuel to her unyielding fire, and topped this garbage flavored sundae with a moldy cherry.

Her head snapped toward Akashi, completely disregarding the shocked expressions of the others as she strode up to him and slammed the letter on the table. Akashi was unperturbed, and glanced down at the paper in her hand with an infuriating nonchalance before he smiled serenely at her.

"Is something wrong, Kotomi?"

"Is something wrong...?" Kotomi seethed. Never in her life had she been this angry. It was a wonder she wasn't throwing chairs and shrieking like a banshee. All that held her back was the satisfaction she knew they would feel if she acted so immaturely. The idea of them feeling justified in this betrayal was her only restraint.

"You…I can't…believe you." Kotomi's voice trembled with rage, her cheeks pink with the exertion of keeping her calm. "You removed me from the medic program…?"

"I did." Kotomi gaped. Not even trying to deny it...he wanted her to lose it. Kotomi slammed her fist into the table top. Her fist ached, but the pain served to calm her enough to gain some rationality. Behind her, she felt shocked stares and cautious concern for her behavior, because they knew her. She never got angry like this, and certainly not at Akashi.

"Why…? Why would you do that?" Kotomi's emotions warped and churned inside her, shifting gears as she audibly whimpered. "I've…I've worked so hard." Oikawa worked so hard. Iwaizumi worked so hard. Kiyoshi, Riko, Bokuto, Kuroo, Alex…they all worked hard with her to get to this point. And like nothing, Akashi took it away.

"It's simple," Akashi explained, rounding the table toward her. Kotomi instinctively took a step back, eyes widened as she unwillingly awaited his response. What about this could possibly make it okay?

"My orders are absolute." Kotomi released an exhale that sounded almost like a laugh. "I told you that you wouldn't be an on-site medic. If you agree to work in pediatrics, or ICU, I will rescind my decision to pull you out. But otherwise, you will remain here until you gain a sense of reason. I won't stand for you coming back with injuries from training you don't need. It's not necessary."

"Sei, are you serious? You can't manipulate me like this. We're supposed to support each other, help each other… We're…we're…" Kotomi looked around for support, and found everyone in silent agreement with Akashi, demonstrated by lowered gazes, stern postures, and crossed arms. The suffocating isolation she felt threatened to swallow her whole.

"We're..." What were they at this point?

When she found no solace or comfort, she inhaled like her lungs were broken, and her rage turned to despair so unrelenting that it threatened to collapse her legs and send her tumbling to the floor. Aomine suddenly stood while scratching his ear and growling.

"So loud… all you have to do is do what we say, and you can have what you want. It's not that hard."

"This isn't what I want!" Kotomi's chest burned as she plead. Her head turned to Momoi.

"Satsuki-chan..." Not even Momoi would look at her, and the betrayal cuts deep.

"Kotomi-chan, please...just drop it." Kotomi knew that she probably looked insane, smiling despite her disbelief.

"Even you...? It must be nice, huh...? Since you don't have to beg for a place among them..." She didn't care how hurt Momoi looked. In fact, she wanted it to hurt her. But her revenge was short-lived and double-sided.

"Mou, Koto-chin! It's really uncute of you to do this." Murasakibara complained, finally throwing his food down. "Just accept that you're too weak to be of any use to us."

"You don't know that!" She snapped right back.

"Of course we do, Kotomi-cchi! We're just concerned about you, really!" Kise admitted, standing up and trying to pacify the tension in the room.

"You don't know what it's like there, you don't belong in such a place." Midorima countered.

"How can I...?" Kotomi asked, even if she already knew the response wouldn't give her any answers. "You came home completely different people, and I said I'd give you time, but the longer you've been here, the more you've hid from me! How can I even begin to understand when I don't know what's happened to you guys…?"

Her question brought a hushed silence over the young men in the room. That odd, vacant expression returned to each of them, except for Aomine, who sauntered over to her.

"Dai-chan!" Momoi gasped, and Kotomi tensed as he drew his hand gun and pointed it right at her head.

"Aomine-!" Midorima leapt up to intervene, horrified at the blue haired man's actions, but Akashi held up a hand to stop him. Kotomi didn't move a single inch. Kiyoshi had always warned her never to point at gun at someone she didn't intent to shoot.

"We killed people." Aomine said simply. "We killed in all kinds of ways, but mostly with these." He pushed it closer to her head. But Kotomi wasn't afraid of the gun, but the look in his eyes. "We killed so many people, and they died because they were weak. Some of them were younger than us. Some of them were women. But we killed because we had to. To protect this place. To protect you." Kotomi scowled.

"Even if they were innocent?"

"Especially then." Kotomi shuddered; a bead of sweat trickled down her temple. "Innocent people are the most dangerous, because they feel justified in their revenge." Kotomi's heart broke hearing someone who used to dream about being a hero say something like that, and it left her with nothing to say in response.

"Please don't look like that, Kotomi-chan. We didn't want you to know about that ugly side we had." Kuroko pleaded softly. He looked empty despite his tone.

"We don't want to expose you to that world, Fujisaki." Midorima murmured. Kotomi felt like she was going to puke. Backing away from Aomine, she tried to exit the room, but Akashi blocked her way, catching her by the shoulders as she ran into him. As she looked up at him, her face paled; that cold, golden iris seeped into every pore of her body, sending chills and freezing her blood.

"Do you understand now, Kotomi? We're doing this to ensure you a bright and happy future. It's what you deserve, after all. Once this war is over, once we've eliminated our enemies, we can all be together forever, just like we always have—" She took satisfaction in the shock when she shoved him away.

"I didn't make that promise with any of you…I don't know who any of you are…" She stormed without another glance in their direction. Her room was the only place she could breathe. This entire week she behaved herself, letting them be selfish with her time. This whole week she was been trapped a house of strangers she thought she knew. She immediately threw herself on her bed and screamed into her pillow, pounding the mattress with frustration.

I want to throw up.

I want to cry.

I want to scream.

I need to get out of here.

Back in the Dining Room

"Kotomicchi…" Kise looked down in dismay as Kotomi runs off. Did she hate them, now? After what Aomine had told her?

"You guys, that was too much!" Momoi finally cried as she wrung her small hands nervously. "Kotomi is having a hard time too, so you can't be so awful to her!"

"She's just making it hard for herself, Satsuki. If she just does what Akashi says, she can be a medic again." Aomine grumbled as he returned to his seat.

"That's not what I mean, you idiot, Dai-chan…" Momoi bit her lip, looking down at the ground. Of course she was worried about her friends too, but in some ways, she did agree that Kotomi was being a touch too reckless with her decisions.

"Are we going to just leave her like that?" Midorima asked cautiously.

"She'll get over it. It's Koto-chin, she loves us." Murasakibara shrugged it off, back to casually eating his chips. Kuroko looked more worn than Kotomi herself. He just wanted Kotomi to be the gentle, happy girl he left her as.

"I'll address the issue." Akashi announced, returning to looking at the data on his chart. "We need to deal with the mission we've been assigned, so let's get back on track." Though no one was in the mood to look at stats and make plans, they knew Akashi's patience for their hesitance wouldn't last long.

"To think there was a bombing here while we were training. Surely that means that there are rats within the city borders." Midorima was the first to change the subject, fiddling with the elephant ceramic sculpture he was carrying around.

"All we have to do is find them and kill them, right?" Momoi flinched at how casually Murasakibara asked this. She didn't like that she was the only one still shaken by Kotomi's confrontation.

"If they're in the city, then they're a threat to the people. That bombing two years ago killed 27 civilians and 4 first responders. Out defenses are low, which is why we've been assigned to patrol and hunt down suspicious activity." Akashi recounted the orders sent to them. His eyes glanced in the direction Kotomi had run off. If the culprits were still there, he would destroy them. They were a threat to what he held most dear.

"First patrol is tonight, so be ready. You're dismissed." Once the meeting adjourned, Akashi called over a servant. Momoi glanced out of the corner of her eye in concern as she watched Akashi whisper something to the butler. He nodded towards the staircase, where her room and Kotomi's room were situated.

"Tetsu-kun…" Momoi whispered to the lingering shadow, who still stared at the spot from where Kotomi fled from them.

"What is it, Momoi-san?" Momoi fidgeted and hugged her clipboard to her chest, looking down at the ground with a hopeful expression.

"I…we…you'll talk to Koto-chan, right? You'll make up with her? We've all been such good friends, I don't want her to be fighting with you guys." Kuroko's expression softened, and he reached up to pet her head affectionately which caused the pink haired girl to blush.

"Of course, Momoi-san." With that, he turns to leave. As she cleaned her materials up, Momoi couldn't help but hope for those days beneath the plum blossom tree to resume once more.

Kotomi's Room, night time

Later that night, Kotomi woke up from a fitful sleep. Without thinking, she got out of bed and the next thing she knew she set up her pillows and arranged them in such a fashion that it looked like she was sleeping. She had never felt the need to be so sneaky before, and it made her feel even more like a prisoner than she already was.

Dressed in baggy clothes, pulling her hair into a ponytail, Kotomi finished her disguise with a baseball cap that she once borrowed from Kise but never returned. With one last look in the mirror, Kotomi nodded before she made her way to the door. She just didn't want to be here, right now. She was going to wait until the afternoon under that tree. She didn't care if she had to sleep outside tonight. Being anywhere was better than being here tonight.

Click. Kotomi blinks when the door to her bedroom didn't open. She tried it again a few times, thinking that she was just being absentminded and forgot how to open it. But no, it wasn't opening.

It was locked.

But her bedroom door didn't lock.

Kotomi took several steps back, and fell backward onto her rear from shock as it dawned on her. Did Akashi lock her inside her own room? She growled, red flooding her vision. Suddenly playing sneaky didn't bother her at all. With a sharp turn, Kotomi moved to the window, and felt insulted to find that it wasn't locked like her door.

You really underestimate me like this, Sei? She thought bitterly before opening the window, climbing down the awning and dropping the 10 feet to the ground. Her legs, powerful and sturdy from her training, had no issues taking the weight of her body. With a small smile of triumph, she ran in the direction of the city's outskirts, a clear laugh escaping her as she felt like she won for the night, at least.

---

Citadel, Downtown

The city was eerily quiet as Kotomi walked through it, using the alleyways. It felt wrong to be walking out in the open with no one around. But somehow it was the most liberated she felt all week. She was defying her best friends, and she should feel guilty, but in actuality she felt so free. This self-satisfaction even served to soothe her anger, just a little. She sighed deeply, the chilly night air purifying her lungs tainted by the suffocation she felt before.

A peaceful night…Kotomi let a smile touch her lips before she pulled her hood over her cap. She was so engrosssed in the cool breeze that she didn't hear the footsteps until they were too close.

Click. The sound of the hammer of a gun being pulled back was too familiar to her. But before she could react, she felt the cold metal on the nape of her neck.

"Don't move." A deep, threatening voice instructed her firmly. Kotomi froze, almost wanting to throw yet another tantrum. Really? It seemed like she's been cursed, lately. She slowly raised her hands, speaking calmly.

"I'm just on my way to visit a friend, please, don't—" But the sensation disappeared and she was spun around by the shoulder so fast that it almost gave her whiplash.

"…Kotori-chan?" Kotomi found her assailant to be a bewildered Oikawa. It had been a full week since she saw him, to her own astonishment. With the boys breathing down her neck, she never had any time to go see them.

"Oikawa-san, Kuroo-san, Iwaizumi-san…" Kotomi breathes softly as she recognized the two standing behind the brunette as well. Their brows were also raised and furrowed. They were probably confused, and maybe even a little angry with her for disappearing. Even so, it awed her how the burden in her chest was suddenly 2 tons lighter just looking at their faces. "I was on my way to the tree just now..."

"Now? Why would you go in the dead of night?" Iwaizumi asked with a strained tone. Kotomi looked at the ground with pursed lips.

"Was it something those guys did again?" Kuroo asked cautiously. When her gaze remained on the ground, and lips pressed into an even tighter line, Oikawa sighed loudly with a tone reminiscent to relief.

"Geez, don't scare me like that!" The designated gorilla groaned, which allowed the trapped air in Kotomi's lungs to escape.

"Where have you been, little bird? You're quite naughty, flying away without a word..." Kuroo immediately closed the distance between them. His strong, but careful arms enveloped her, and his warm, spicy scent relaxed her to the point that she felt her eyes sting with the beginnings of tears. "Why do you look so sad?"

Sad? She looked sad? Kotomi glanced at Iwaizumi and Oikawa, who were watching her as well, as if she were a wounded animal.

"I…I've been…" Kuroo looked down as she hiccuped. All her anger, frustration, anxiety and fear suddenly reared their ugly heads. Kotomi hid her face in his chest, sobbing softly. The three young men exchanged an expression of alarm and concern.

"It's no use, I can't recognize them…I'm trying so hard, but I'm…I'm scared of them!" Kotomi hiccuped, her knees weak. She felt Kuroo support her by pressing a firm, flat hand on her lower back.

"S-Sei put a lock on my door, he pulled me out of the medic program! And n-no matter how hard I screamed, no one would hear me!" She was choking on her words at this point. It felt like acid was burning her throat as she cried. "It was suffocating, I couldn't take it anymore...I can't do it anymore...I'm tired of trying to pretend like it's all okay when they act like that!"

As she vented her frustrations, Kuroo stroked her shoulders, hushing her with quiet, baritone words of comfort. But the safer she felt, the faster her tears came.

"For now, let's get you somewhere warm." Kotomi glanced up, not expecting the enraged expression on Iwaizumi's face, with how gently he spoke to her. Was he angry for her sake? She hoped so, because it meant she wasn't crazy for being so upset.

"We should go somewhere less open…" Oikawa murmured. His expression was unreadable. Eyes half-lidded, lips pressed together. Kotomi finally pulled away from Kuroo, still whimpering and wiping at tears until her eyes were stinging from the chilly air touching the sensitive, raw skin under her eyes.

"I want to come with you." She announced suddenly. When she felt composed enough to say it with resolve, Oikawa's eyes widened. His expression only changed after a few moments to a small, crooked smirk.

"It'll be hard, not like the life you know now."

"But it'll be a free life." Kotomi countered as she moved closer to him. Her immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and rested their foreheads together. As she closed her eyes and leaned into him, Kotomi felt the familiar warmth that she thought she would only ever feel for Kuroko and the others.

"A free life." He repeated. Iwaizumi cleared his throat.

"Oi, we're still here." Kotomi pulled as she realized how close they were. Her heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks warmed. Oikawa only shrugged and smiled mischievously, much to Iwaizumi's visibly disgust.

"Bo is going to have a field day when he sees you, we'll never get him to stop bouncing off the damn walls." Kuroo sighed in false exasperation. The missing young man stirred Kotomi's reasoning back to life.

"Wait, why are you guys here?" She asked. They all avoided her gaze at the question, which made her raise a brow. It probably had something to do with whatever group they were affiliated with.

"We've...well, we got worried when you stopped showing up. We thought something might have happened to you..." Kotomi's eyes narrowed further.

He's lying.

"If it has something to do with what you guys are do when we're not together...I'd prefer that over you lying to me." Hurt, she crossed her arms and turned to the ground. "I snuck out to avoid this sort of drama."

"Little bird...it's a complicated thing..." Kuroo began. Whatever face she made silenced him, however. But Kotomi was too numb to process what she did to warrant his hesitant expression, but she found that she didn't care too much. It was hard to stay composed and understanding tonight.

"I know." She snapped. "But you can't expect me to just be okay with you trying to lie to me right now. Besides, you chose a bad week, Sei and the others…are…"

"We have some business we were assigned to address indefinitely." Kotomi suddenly realized the danger they were in. Her temper stopped boiling enough for her to turn to them. She grabbed Oikawa by the hand and gestured to the others.

"Get out of here." She said suddenly. Oikawa looked stunned, as did the others.

"K-kotori-chan, I know you're mad, but-"

"Just go, you can't be here!" She insisted, looking around frantically to make sure the streets were still empty. They were still in the clear, but she didn't know how long that would last.

"I thought you were coming with us!" -

"Let's meet up later!" She didn't want to go back to that house right away, but if she could just pack her things tonight and then sneak out when the boys went to sleep in the morning-

"Good evening." Kotomi's blood went cold. She recognized that voice, but not the tone it used. It was normally a gentle, soft spoken, careful melody to her ears. But this voice was hard, cold, and devoid of emotion.

She looked towards the main street to see Kuroko, dressed completely in tactical gear, bearing a firearm that looked heartbreakingly too big for him. Kuroo and Iwaizumi tensed and unconsciously stepped in front of Kotomi, not realizing who he was to her.

"Hey, we didn't even hear you, you know. Anyone ever tell you that you're too quiet?" Kuroo asked lightheartedly, but she could see the lanky sinews of his arm tensed even through his long-sleeved shirt. He reminded her of a cat with raised hackles.

Kotomi had only ever known Kuroko's lack of presence as a means of pranking their friends, startling them during nights they camped in the backyard. But Kotomi quickly realized what a useful tool a low presence was elsewhere.

"I'm told that a lot. I thought I would like to inform you that there is now a 12 AM curfew on the city. The Citadel Army is here to inspect the perimeter of the city in response to the bombing that occurred here approximately two years ago." Kotomi watched him from behind Iwaizumi. It seemed that Kuroko didn't recognize her just yet.

He still thinks I'm locked up in my room…She thought bitterly. It was best that she kept it that way.

"We were on our way home." Kotomi couldn't help but notice how calm and collected Iwaizumi was as he conversed with Kuroko, and how quickly he read the situation. Actually, they were all so composed that Kotomi had to admire for a moment how cool…no! No time to be distracted! She needed to try and think of a way to get them out of here without exposing herself.

"Since you're outside after curfew, it's policy that we do some quick background checks on you. Is that okay?" There was no real question here, everyone knew that. Kuroko knew that they were suspicious.

"We'd rather just go home," Kuroo offered hopefully, but his hand was already trailing behind his back, where he likely had a weapon. Kotomi's stomach flipped upside down as she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder. The weight and realization of who it was almost buckled her knees.

"Now, Now, don't be so tense." The lazy drawl of Aomine vibrated in her ear. Her shoulders stiffened and she angled her face away from his. Oikawa took a step back, eyes darting to Kotomi in alarm. No one had even heard him coming. Aomine's voice echoed in her head.

We killed people. Her vision taunted her with a sea of blood and an old but terrifying nightmare that haunted her like a lingering ghoul. Her stomach was in her chest, restricting the movement of her lungs as she saw the looming shadow of Murasakibara cast upon a building, meaning he was just around the corner.

Think, think! Don't let your brain freeze up, or they'll all be-!

"Yes, Yes," A familiar blonde with an empty smile but amicable tone came from the shadows. "Don't be so cruel, we're just doing our civic duty," Kise crooned as he emerged around the conrer, followed by Midorima, who pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Their expressions were relaxed, weapons drawn, with no warmth or humanity in their eyes.

This is what war has done to them. They were going to kill her friends, or worse, capture them. Kotomi knew that torture was something the Citadel's military practiced, but she didn't know the details. And she prefered for it to stay that way.

"Can we get on with this?" Murasakibara loomed over them from behind now; how he moved silently even with his massive size was a mystery. Oikawa looked up, brow twitching in fearful annoyance.

"What the hell…" He muttered, grinning wildly as he finally drew his own gun. He reached the same conclusion Kotomi did a few minutes ago.

Donning the same tactical gear as the others, but bearing a bayonet rifle, its silver blade gleaming in the light of the moon, Akashi appeared just behind Oikawa. She had been too focused on trying to calm herself to notice him arriving.

This was the worst possible scenario. Kotomi could clearly see the nervous sweat, which formed on Oikawa's temple as Akashi circled him like a predator. Kotomi shifted in preparation to move forward to stop him, but Aomine held her in place.

"Don't move, bastard." His dark tone sent shivers down her spine, and she was terrified of what sort of demon she would find in his royal blue eyes if she looked up. "I'll snap your neck so fast you won't feel the pain until you're at the gates of Hell."

"We don't have to fight." Akashi said amicably; but as he did so, he pressed the blade to Oikawa's throat, the tip drawing blood. "If you just come with us quietly, we can sort this all out without any kind of trouble." Oikawa scoffed.

"You should learn to lie better. Fine, then. Let's go." She realized with horror that they weren't going to fight because she was here. If she could feel how imposing her childhood friends were as a novice in combat, then they could feel it in spades. They were going to give themselves in to avoid a fight.

No…! No! Aomine looked to her, unable to see her face thanks to her hood and hat, as she took a deep, calming breath, eyes closed.

"Oikawa." Both Akashi and Oikawa turned just as she suddenly drove her elbow back into his solar plexus, knocking the air out of Aomine and then driving her elbow up into his chin in the same move. She struck him so hard she hears his teeth clack.

Just like Iwaizumi taught her. Without waiting a second longer, she rushed Akashi at a low angle, body low and aiming for below his knees. The red-head raised his rifle, but her hat and hood fell off with her approach. With a loud grunt from the both of them, Kotomi tackled her longtime friend to the ground, hand pressed against his temple to keep him down.

Akashi's eyes widened in recognition and shock. If the situation weren't so dire, she would celebrate. But she had not time to feel smug because she shot up and looked back at her friends with a frantic expression which bordered on hysterics.

"Oikawa, run!" Before he could protest, she grinned reassuringly. "I'll be just fine, go!" Kuroo was the first to trust her; he tapped Iwaizumi on the shoulder. The latter's eyes lingered on her a moment. He grabbed Oikawa by the collar and ran for the alleyways. The brunette struggled and raised a hand to reach in vain for Kotomi.

"Kotori-chan! Hey! You idiot…! Iwa-chan, let me go! We can't leave her!" As they disappeared into the alleyway, she knew that she had garnered enough attention to save them some time.

"Kotomicchi…?" Kise questioned weakly. With a deep, labored sigh, Kotomi turned to face the stunned rainbow-colored group. Removing herself from Akashi's person, she stood up and faced them all head on.

Her fists were clenched, but her heart was no longer racing; in fact, it was slowing down. She had never felt more confident that she did the right thing just now. No matter what consequence she had to face now. Aomine stood up, rubbing his chin and staring in disbelief at the blood running down his chin from where he bit his cheek.

"Kotomi-chan…?" Kuroko looks as if he was looking at a ghost, ironically. Kotomi opened her mouth to say something, but a hand shot up and grabbed her by the hair and yanked her downwards so she fell to her knees with the grace of a newborn fawn.

"Why…?" Akashi's voice was calm but Kotomi knew that her next words had to be chosen carefully.

"Akashi!" Midorima protested. She wasn't sure if it was because of how he grabbed her, or that he was letting Oikawa get away.

"Why did you just save them, Kotomi? You defied me." Kotomi winced, his iron grip on her hair stung like no other, her head singing with the burning pain of having hair torn from their follicles. "They're enemies…You're ours…mine." Kotomi scowled in response to that, much to their shock. She must have looked feral to them.

Forget careful!

"The only enemies I can see…are the whole lot of you!" She practically spat this at him. It felt good to finally saw what she wanted to. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but she looked him dead in the eye, confronting that golden hue with only a slight shaking of her frame. But it was improvement.

Her heart was racing, her nerves were hollering and clamoring, but she had never felt more alive than in this moment. She knew they were hurt-hell, it showed in their eyes- but she didn't...couldn't be sorry for what she did. She didn't know these people, and she wasn't going to let them do as they pleased. And especially to the people who were important to her. Akashi's eyes narrowed, and his grip tightened as he ignored Kotomi's cry of pain.

"Then perhaps I need to correct your eyesight."