Chapter sixteen

The solution

Midorima and Kise watched, as Kuroko facetimed them. ''I guess the splitting up didn't work as you didn't take into concideration he'd change.'' Midorima said. ''Shut up.'' Kuroko said back, Kise was unsure he was talking to Midorima, or the kid wailing in the background. ''A kid version of Aomine was not what I counting on.'' Kuroko said. ''Yet.'' Kise joked, and a silence grew.

''Yet.'' Kuroko added, stiffly. ''Anyhow, he has to much energy. Can we open the hall, to let him play until he falls asleep or turns back?'' Kuroko asked. ''Sure thing. Midorima and I were planning to play ball anyway.'' Kise lied. ''Thanks.'' Kuroko said, before breaking contact.

''We were planning to play ball?'' Midorima said. ''We are here, in the hall, waiting for the others to come here anyway. What else could I have said?'' Kise asked. Midorima shrugged, before his phone ran too. ''Murasakibara. Who knew you'd be right about them all calling to go here?'' Midorima said, and Kise gave him a sheepish smile.

Midorima answered the call, before blushing. ''Akashi-sama.'' he said, bowing, though Kise thought it was a strange habbit to bow to the phone. A playful shout could be heard from the other side. ''Midori-chin, he turned like this, what should we do.'' Murusakibara asked, as he offered the tiny Akashi his thirteenth sweet.

''Turned like what?'' Midorima asked. ''I dunno, I think he's four, five maybe.'' Murusakibara said, eyeing the kid. ''Take him to the basketball-hall.'' Midorima said with a sigh. ''We will be watching Aomine, a young version too. Kise won't mind.'' Midorima replied, and Kise looked up in surprise. ''Will be there in a few.'' Murusakibara said, before hanging up.

''Who was that?'' Kise asked. ''Murusakibara-san. He said Akashi-sama turned four.'' Midorima said. ''Really?'' Kise asked, with stars in his eyes. ''A tiny Akashi. How cute.'' he said. ''I think it's troublesome. Besides, we can't keep this up for long. You should work on how to fix this.'' he said.

''I have taken it into consideration. Up until now, whatever possessed Haizaki started or ended it, right?'' Kise asked. ''Yes. We can't really ask him to come over, and fix it.'' Midorima asked. ''No. But it took over Moimoi too. Meaning it's looking for a certain something we learn, or someone from our group learns.'' Kise said.

''What do you mean?'' Midorima asked. ''The first time, when I nearly ended it all, it was Kagami-san who learned to be honest, the second time when we acted on urges, it was Akashi who had something to own up, and Kuroko who had to face fears. I am saying, it's working it's ways around our childhood trauma's. But, I fail to see how turning us back to kids would fix it. Or find it.'' Kise said.

Midorima thought it over, before he said. ''Then, considering all, you should be the one to learn from this one. You were different yesterday.'' ''I thought so too at first, but I learned from who I was, and though it makes sense, I think it's not me. Not this time. Saving the main victim for the last stage and all.'' Kise said.

''Main victim?'' Midorima asked. ''He made first contact with me, he made me choose someone to leave out of this mess, better end it with a bang. I am not scared, I am willing to face whatever it throws at us. But as a group we might not make it through and stick to being friends.'' Kise said, before eyeing Kuroko who was walking up with an tiny Aomine.

''Oi Aomine.'' he said, making the kid look up. ''What?'' Aomine said, setting his hands in his hips. Something that would have look threatening on the older version, but now only seemed cute. ''What age are you?'' Kise asked, and Aomine thought it over. ''Seven.'' he said as he held up five fingers. ''What's your name?'' Kise asked. Midorima knew Akashi had asked the same questions yesterday to Kuroko and Kise, but was not sure why both of them were asking these things.

They seemed so trivial, it did not matter, and it didn't change anything to the situation. But it was so similair, that he was sure Akashi sama had ordered for Kise to do this, so there must have been a reason. ''Aomine.'' Aomine answered. ''Very good. So, can you tell me something?'' Kise asked, and Aomine shrugged. Adult looking Kuroko had promised him to play ball, and he wanted to play ball, damn it.

''What is your most recent memory?'' Kise asked. Aomine frowned, that was a strange question. ''I walked here.'' he said, looking at Kuroko. The adult looking Kise was weird, and way more talkactive. ''Sorry, sorry, most recent precious memory?'' Kise asked. Kuroko cocked his head, where was Kise going with this?

Midorima wondered the same thing. That had been different from Akashi's questions. ''Precious? Oh, ehrm, I ate a worm.'' Kuroko shuddered at Aomine's honest reply. ''And?'' Kise asked. ''I made friends after eating the worm.'' Aomine said. ''And?'' Kise asked, hoping to find something, anything he could work with. ''And... I haven't seen that friend... I hope he's doing ok. He seemed troubled.'' Aomine said.

'Bingo.' Kise knew it. It had to have a main victim. And from what Akashi told him, he and Kuroko referred to youngers ages too. He considered it could be linked to one specific day, which had happened when Kuroko was young. The day he had gotten his phobia. ''Can we play ball now?'' Aomine asked, impatiently.

''Yes.'' Kise replied, getting up. He would discuss the theory with the others later. But before they could start, Takao entered the hall, walking with a kid. ''I had a feeling you all would be here. I have a surprise.'' he said. ''A surprise?'' Midorima asked, from his boyfriend that could mean anything. ''A small one.'' he said, before pushing the kid forward. Red hair, bushy eyebrows, a scowl imprinted on his face.

''Who's that? He's ugly.'' Aomine said. The kid glared. ''Sorry, not sorry.'' Aomine shrugged. ''Hush.'' Kise bend down. ''Hi, Taiga-chan.'' he said, and Kuroko laughed. A tiny Kagami was still pretty large. 'So, this is a flaw in my theory. We never met Kagami when we were little. Maybe Haizaki is just messing with us. But it makes no sense whatsoever.' Kise thought.

''How do you know my name?'' Kagami demanded to know. ''Oh, ehr, I-'' Kise looked at the others hoping the would have an excuse. ''Who are all of you? Where is my brother?'' Kagami asked. 'So, he doesn't know us.' Midorima grew more confused at the second that was passing. There was no logic in this phase at all.

There had been no logic in them enduring this, but up until now there had always been a reason behind it. Them suddenly turning to kids, made no sense. Whatever had possessed Haizaki was something supernatural, and Midorima wondered to what extent his powers went too. ''You are on a holiday. We're playing ball and Aomine offered here offered you to join.'' Kuroko told Kagami. ''Ball? Like baseball? I am really good.'' Kagami boasted.

''I did no such, Hey!'' he complained, as he muttered the word ouch, as Kuroko had give a small pinch. ''You did. You are getting so much better at social skills.'' Kise told him. Aomine wanted to complain, but didn't want another pinch. ''Fine, but no stinking baseball. We're playing basketball.'' he demanded.

Kagami scrunched up his face. ''Basketball is stupid.'' as he and Aomine were arguing over which sport sucked more, and which was superior, Kise shook his head. Not even basketball linked them, a young Kagami already made little to no sense, but not even a link.

Not all phases had been clear up until now, but at least there had been hints afterwards. ''Can you guys make anything out of this?'' Takao asked, whispering. ''Nothing, whatsoever. I thought I did for a moment, but this is just weird.'' Kise said, and the others looked at him. ''Weirder than weird. I mean, everything made perfect sense so far.'' ''There is nothing to work with.'' Midorima said.

''There must be something. Anything right? I mean, maybe it is all of us.'' Kuroko said. ''All of us?'' Midorima asked confused. ''We revert back randomly, and go back to the age we struggled the most with, or some events happened. Maybe we all need relive it, and improve it.'' Kuroko suggested.

''We could try, but then he would have reverted us all the time. I think.'' Kise said. ''Maybe it is about how the adult version handels the kid version?'' Takao guessed. ''No way to measure that.'' Midorima said. ''Argh, it is so unclear.'' Kise shouted frustrated out loud, gaining the attention of the kids.

''Well, to clear your mind, my mom always said you should think of nothing. Like do nothing and relax.'' Kagami said ''My mom said the same thing. She is the wisest and the smartestest.'' Aomine said. ''Smartest.'' Kuroko corrected, and Aomine nodded. ''Yes, she is.'' ''Just do nothing?'' Kise seemed to consider this. ''Oi, Kise, the last time we did nothing...'' Takao didn't want to mention his suicide again.

''It's not an option.'' Midorima said. ''It is, it totally is. I do absolutely nothing when I have to clean my room, and it cleans itself.'' Aomine said. ''That's your mom, cleaning.'' Kagami told him, rolling his eyes. ''Remember, nothing.'' he said with a grin, before looking at Aomine and asking him to learn him to play ball.

As the kids were playing, the teens headed back to the benches ''Nothing is not an option with him. He'll go out of his way to create something.'' Midorima sternly told him, as Kise seriously seemed to consider it. ''So? What if he comes at us? He'd make it very clear what he wants.'' Kise said.

''You nearly died in his way of showing that. That's too much of a risk.'' Kuroko said. ''Maybe he tries again. Or what if he takes someone else this time, and succeeds. We can't do nothing.'' Kuroko told him. ''I don't think it was a solution for our current issue, but something about the identity of whatever possessed Haizaki.'' Kise replied.

Midorima and Kuroko shared a look. ''Why would we want to know that?'' Midorima asked. ''I mentioned it before, I feel bad for him. We have got each other, and we never even bothered to see how he's faring after this. I don't think it can be a coincidense that he is the one doing this all. He is, in some way, linked to us all.'' Kise said.

''Kise, as admirable as it is, Haizaki is still your worst enemy. And whatever this is, even worse. He's got the power to make us switch, to react on impulses, to revert any of us to kids at the most random points.'' Takao told him. ''Just, try and see logic in it, there has been logic in all of this so far. I don't think it's random, and I don't think Akashi thinks so either.'' Kise said.

''Can't believe I am about to say this, but please, stop thinking.'' Midorima said. ''Listen to what your boyfriend just said.'' Kuroko teased him. Kise blushed, ''We aren't dating.'' ''Yeah, I meant to ask, how come? I mean, you've told him, in the hospital. It is kinda clear he likes you too. What is the hold- up?'' Takao asked.

''Well, aside that he is six right now?'' Kuroko joked. Takao rolled his eyes. ''We don't know yet. I mean, we talked about it, we really did. But the entire ordeal with Akashi made us reconsider.'' Kise said. ''How come?'' Kuroko asked. ''Akashi held back, he suffered and it was clear that he cared. And though we can't deny any form of attraction, I am unsure whether there is more. And if I go for it, I am going to hurt someone else.''

''Unbelievable.'' Takao sighed, and shook his head. ''Can you stop caring about someone else, and just do your own thing? Just, like for once.'' he added. And like that, it started to make sense to Kuroko. ''I think Kagami is right.'' he suddenly said. ''What?'' Takao asked. ''Nothing, it is the answer. I mean not doing nothing, but being careless, like the way we used to be, before we got into our seperate messes.''

''You lost me there.'' Kise said. ''Ok, so when we reverted it was to ages where we had each changed or were about to change.'' Kuroko said. ''Correct.'' Midorima said. ''But, the two idiots playing over there, not a care in the world, right?'' Kuroko said. ''Other than you should really call them nicer names, not a care.'' Kise said.

''So, wanna bet the next time, they revert to an age where they do have issues? I think, we when we revert, we are supposed to help each other past the hard times. It is not going to the past, so no butterfly effect, but will help us ease up.'' Kuroko said. ''And how exactly is that what Haizaki wants.'' Midorima said. ''Not Haizaki.'' Kise told him. ''Whatever it is, wants.'' Midorima said.

''It still changes us, and if we get over it, then we get hit with a next and most likely harsher phase. Think it through, it is very interesting and so far, it had made us grow.'' ''How exactly? Yesterday you still made the same mistake of not wanting to communicate.'' Takao said.

Kise and Kuroko started at the others. ''And it hurts to say, but they were right. And when they are big again, we apoligize and move on.'' Kuroko said. ''And, you think we acomplish this with doing nothing?'' Midorima asked. ''Well, not nothing, to be exact. But by not thinking to much, and just playing, it feels like nothing compared to the other stuff.'' Kise said.

Takao and Midorima shared a look. ''I am not convinced of this.'' Takao said. ''We don't have anything better to go by.'' Kise offered. Just as Midorima was about to say something, he looked up to see Murasakibara with a something tiny in his arms. Of course, he made everything seem tiny, but a tiny Akashi, that was truly a sight to behold.