CHAPTER 8

Aomine found Kagami pacing restlessly outside the ward while holding an unopened bottle of water in each hand. He looked like an idiot.

"Oi. Bakagami."

Kagami abruptly stopped, and turned to him, the worried look on his face replaced by one of annoyance. "What do you want?" The redhead snapped. Aomine regarded him with a bored expression, not at all fazed by that fiery temper. "Nothing. Just wondering why an idiot like you was loitering in the hall like a crazy person. Why are you even holding those?"

Kagami looked down at the bottles in his hands and appeared to be surprised as well. Aomine resisted the urge to smack the other boy in the head. Was he sleepwalking or something?

"Ah," Kagami started, as if finally remembering. "Sousuke-san asked me to buy him water."

Aomine frowned at this revelation. He'd known this family for several years, and while they were modest individuals, one thing they took pride in was their hospitality. Become their guest and you will be pampered in every way possible. The last time Aomine slept over at Kuroko's place, Kuroko's mother had even laundered his underwear, much to Aomine's horror and embarrassment. There was no way they'd send out Kagami on an errand, not unless they needed him out of the room.

"Did something happen?" Aomine tested.

Kagami averted his eyes. "Er, no."

Jesus, what a terrible liar. Aomine kicked Kagami's shin without warning, making the other boy yelp in pain.

"The hell are you doing?" Kagami hissed at him, rubbing the sore spot.

"Stop being an idiot for a moment and just tell me what happened!" Aomine snapped, getting increasingly irritated. "Was it Kuroko? Did he get worse?"

Kagami seemed to be unsure how to answer him. "Not exactly," he started. Then he told Aomine everything that had transpired, starting with Kuroko opening his eyes for the first time since the ambulance ride. "So now, I don't know what to say to him," he concluded his narrative with his observation of Sousuke's tears, and looked to Aomine with a sheepish expression on his face. "Got any ideas?"

Aomine pinched his nose. So that's what this was all about? Geez. "Are you a priest or something? Is this an American thing, the need to always say something to someone in this situation?"

Kagami looked offended but Aomine just rolled his eyes again. "Listen, idiot, not everything needs to be talked about. Especially not with the Kuroko family. They have their own way of dealing with things, and believe me when I say that if they needed to talk to you, they would talk to you, and you wouldn't be able to decline or leave." He rubbed a hand over his face, remembering that one time in middle school, during a sleepover, when Haruka had discovered a gravure magazine that Aomine had borrowed from a classmate in school to show Kuroko. The resulting conversation was a nightmare, but no matter how hard Aomine tried to avoid it, how he had literally ran away, Haruka seemed to follow and find him everywhere, those soft brown eyes boring into him with an eerie, almost supernatural intensity, and in the end, he had promised to return the magazine to his classmate immediately and to never look at porn again until he was well into his 20s.

Not that he kept that promise, anyway.

"So get your head out of your ass and just get back in there while you still have time left. If Sousuke-san actually wants to talk about it, he'll initiate the conversation. If he doesn't, he'll change the topic, and you just go along with it."

Kagami took a second to consider Aomine's suggestion, before finally sighing in defeat. "It's not like I have better ideas," the redhead muttered under his breath as he turned back to the entrance of the ward.

"That's a good boy," Aomine smirked, waving off the glare that Kagami threw at him. "I'll get something to drink and come back when it's my turn. Don't do anything else stupid in the mean time, Bakagami."

When Aomine reached Kuroko's room, he looked through the glass window and found Sousuke and Kagami talking animatedly about something, with the adult seated close to Kuroko's bed, while the youth was standing and pacing around the room. The topic was probably related to basketball, given how Kagami was moving his hands, perfectly miming the moment a player lets the ball fly through the air and towards the basket. All previous awkwardness clearly gone from the redhead's face. Aomine couldn't help but be pleased with himself. Whoever said that Momoi was the only one who gave good advice?

"Oh, it's your turn now, isn't it, Aomine-kun?"

Aomine nearly jumped in surprise as Haruka seemingly appeared out of thin air beside him. "Auntie? When did you get there?" He exclaimed, clutching his chest in an effort to stay his stressed out heart. It's been a while since he'd experienced the "Kuroko effect" and found that he did not miss it one bit.

The woman cocked her head thoughtfully to one side, her face a mask of innocence. "Hmm? I've been here the whole time."

There was definitely a gleam of mirth in those brown eyes. This woman was deliberately messing with him. Aomine closed his eyes in thinly veiled frustration. It was almost fortunate that Kuroko wasn't awake right now, because the mother-son tag team of teasing was more than Aomine could take. Imagine going to the bathroom during a sleepover, only to find out after brushing his teeth that it had been occupied the whole time. Or to walk alone through their dark hallway in the middle of the night after getting a glass of water from the kitchen, only to nearly have a heart attack when a voice behind him offered to make him some tea instead. They kept apologizing to him afterward, claiming that neither of them did it on purpose, but no matter how innocently they tried to act, both their eyes always had that gleam of satisfaction.

Aomine shivered. They were absolute sadists. That's what they were.

"Shall we go in?" Haruka offered, snapping Aomine out of his unexpected trip down memory lane. He shook his thoughts off and nodded, gripping the door knob tightly as if to calm his nerves.

The rest of his visit went on without a hitch. After Kagami took his leave, Kuroko's parents gave him a brief update on their son's condition - apparently, so far, everything was going well. Besides the temporary memory loss, all the organs repaired were slowly going back to their regular function, though the doctor had been frank regarding their expectations. There was still a long road to recovery ahead, but so far, the first steps were good.

"Will he be able to play basketball again?" He didn't know if Kagami had already asked this. Regardless, Aomine wanted to hear it for himself. While he no doubt cared for Tetsu beyond the court, basketball was a sacred thing they shared. He didn't like the idea that Tetsu would no longer be allowed in the halls of their beloved sport.

"If his physical therapy is a success, then yes," the doctor told him, and Aomine let go of the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. The tight knot that had settled in between his shoulders since he heard about what happened to Tetsu loosened by a significant degree.

"His spine was untouched and fortunately, no major nerves were damaged," the doctor continued. "Even if some abdominal muscles were sliced through, we repaired all that in surgery, and given time to heal, he should be able to move without any discomfort in the future."

Tetsu's parents looked just as relieved as Aomine was. Of course they would be. Tetsu might not have outwardly shared Aomine's overzealous worship of the sport, but he loved basketball just as much.

Since he was just sedated prior to Aomine's visit, Tetsu didn't wake up at all. While a bit disappointed, Aomine took the opportunity to reconnect with the two adults and make up for the lost time that followed their falling out in middle school. It seemed like Tetsu hadn't properly explained the circumstances behind the event, so Aomine took it upon himself to tell the story.

The hour passed quickly, and a knock on the door interrupted the last few seconds of Aomine's time with the Kuroko family. Momoi and Riko peeked through nervously.

Aomine didn't know when the two girls became fast friends, and was mildly surprised to see that they've scheduled their visit at the same time.

"Thank you, Aomine-kun." Haruku pulled him into another hug, and Aomine sighed as he surrendered in her arms. "I'll come again tomorrow," he informed her and Haruka pulled away, smiling in content. "We'll look forward to it. Have a safe trip back home."

Sousuke gave him a firm but reassuring pat on the back as Aomine turned towards the door.

He closed it shortly after Momoi had begun sputtering and stammering ridiculously in a failed attempt to look good in front of Tetsu's parents. Once outside, Aomine felt a little drained, though he couldn't quite explain why he was feeling that way. Perhaps it was the act of recounting that bitter story of how everything had fallen apart in the Teiko team. Or maybe it was just the general atmosphere in the room, that subtle but definitely present grimness, which no amount of distracting chatter or reassurance from the doctor could successfully dispel.

As he passed through the observation window, Aomine paused to take one last look at Tetsu's sleeping face before finally walking away.

Three days had passed since then, and a new routine settled in Kagami's life. There was just a week of school left before Winter break began, so in the morning, Kagami and his teammates would have earlier morning training before classes started. This was established to supposedly make up for their afternoon sessions ending earlier than usual, in order to accommodate those scheduled for visitation on that day. Kagami had no complaints - in fact, he absolutely looked forward to morning practice. The gym was unreasonably cold so early in the morning, but when they began dribbling and running across those polished wooden floors, all that biting frost seemed to just melt away.

He was sure his teammates sought the same warmth and comfort from that rush of adrenaline to start off their day. He'd noticed how they'd enter the gym with drawn faces and drooping eyes, walking with sluggish movements reminiscent of zombies recently dragged out of their graves.

But once they started the practice, they all looked almost reborn, and by the time they were walking back to their classrooms, most of them were smiling and some even managed to joke around and laugh.

Focusing in class had become difficult for Kagami, even more so than usual. His mind was already several hours ahead, looking forward to the afternoon practice, and what followed.

That day was a particularly good day. Coach Riko announced at the end of morning practice that Kuroko had been transferred to a regular room, and they were finally allowed to visit him in groups.

A huge breath of relief passed over them, and that pervasive cloud of doom that clung to them as soon as they stepped out of the court thinned just a little bit more.

By the time the final bell rang, Kagami was practically vibrating in his seat in obvious anticipation. He raced through the hallways as if his life depended on it, but when he arrived at the gym barely two minutes after the bell had rung, he found most of his teammates already there. Apparently he wasn't the only one excited.

Practice was better than it had been that morning or in any of their other practices since Kuroko was hospitalized. Kagami jumped higher and dunked harder than before, his energy seemingly inexhaustible. His teammates quickly got caught up in his good mood, and they matched Kagami with their own enthusiasm and joy. Coach Riko was smiling the whole time.

Finally, the last whistle sounded. "Alright!" Coach Riko announced. "Good work today, everyone! Now, clean up quickly and get your stuff. We're all going to commute to the hospital together! Let's meet up at the school entrance in 15 minutes. Hurry!"

None of them needed to be told twice, and fifteen minutes later, the entire Seirin High basketball team were gathered in front of the school.

The visit was a bit more awkward than usual.

Kuroko had been transferred into a large suite, and besides having a spacious bathroom, there was also a couch, a small bed, a dresser, and even a small kitchen unit with a fridge and sink. It was quite luxurious too, with elegant furnishings and complementary tea or coffee being served every hour. Kagami found it disconcerting. Besides the few monitors and the IV bags hanging around Kuroko's bed, the room looked more like a hotel room than a hospital room.

Sousuke had admitted his surprise to Kagami as well. They had initially protested on the transfer, claiming that they couldn't possibly afford the rate of such a room, but then found that their entire bill had been covered by an anonymous party, with a generous deposit to cover any more expenses in the future. The poor man scratched the back of his neck in worry, probably not used to all the VIP treatment they were experiencing.

Anonymous party? Kagami's left eye twitched in annoyance, already nursing an idea on who was behind such a flagrant display of wealth and influence.

Still, he observed how comfortable Haruka looked, seated on that expensive-looking couch, quietly reading a book (was that a different one already?) while she let the rest of her son's friends fill the room with their chatter and excitement. Even Sousuke was more relaxed, moving to sit beside her after concluding his polite conversations with Coach Riko and the other upperclassmen. The sight of the two of them looking so serene made any distaste against Akashi's gesture ebb away.

Besides, because of the upgrade, the whole team could fit in the room instead of breaking into small groups, as Riko had earlier suggested.

They crowded around Kuroko's bed, hands flying in wild gestures, as each of his teammates jostled eagerly for the boy's attention as they talked about what transpired in the morning and afternoon practice.

Kuroko was wide awake now. Over the last couple of days, the boy had been flying in and out of consciousness, but fortunately, his memory lapses became few and far in between. He'd stopped making sudden movements that threatened self-harm, and now that the restraints were gone, Kuroko appeared to be more at ease on his bed, which had been propped up to place him in a seated position throughout the visit. He looked tired though, which Kagami found alarming. Deep bags still settled beneath his eyes, and those blue orbs would sometimes slip into a blank look in the middle of a conversation, then blink back rapidly, as if waking himself up. It was obvious that Kuroko wasn't getting the sleep he needed, and Kagami wondered why that was. It's not like there was anything else that should be keeping Kuroko up all night. While his teachers had been kind enough to forward any homework he had missed, they gave the assurance that Kuroko wasn't at all required to accomplish those any time soon. So what is it? Kagami pondered as he stood by the window, watching Kuroko smile tiredly at Izuku's puns, Koganei's jokes, and Hyuuga desperately trying to convince Riko not to bring Kuroko any home cooked meals.

"Are you eating well? You're like a stick, Kuroko," Riko mused. "That's why I'm offering to cook you some meals."

"There's no need for that, Riko-san. The food here is fine, I just...hurts a little when I eat too much right now," Kuroko explained, a hand drifting to his stomach. Kagami caught the dark look that passed over the boy's face, but it disappeared before anyone else could point it out. "Although...if I could make a request…" Kuroko paused, hesitating. Kagami sighed and stepped forward to gently flick the boy's nose. "No need to hold back, Kuroko. Just spit it out."

A small blush colored Kuroko pale cheeks as he averted his gaze to the hands on his lap. "The doctor said that I could try eating my usual meals and… well… I really miss the vanilla milkshakes from Maji burger. "

Kagami blinked. "That's all?"

Kuroko nodded quietly, looking surprisingly embarrassed by his request. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience," he muttered. "There's no Maji burger branch nearby, and…" in a much lower voice. "My parents already have their hands full looking after me and getting work done, so I didn't want to impose."

"The heck are you saying, idiot kouhai!" Hyuuga huffed. Kiyoshi laughed gently before leaning over to place a hand on Kuroko's shoulder. The blue-haired boy looked up at his senpai with a startled expression. "What Hyuuga meant is that, you're not an inconvenience to us, or to your parents, Kuroko," Kiyoshi assured him. "We're all doing this because we care for you, okay? You're not imposing on anyone in this room. You're not 100% okay right now, so your teammates are here, ready to step up and cover for you until you're better. Isn't that what a team is for?"

Kuroko stared at him for a second before finally slowly nodding in understanding. "I see. Thank you, Kiyoshi-san."

"No problem," Kiyoshi chirped, and raised his hand from the boy's shoulder to ruffle his hair. The gesture made Kuroko recoil so violently and abruptly that he accidentally knocked a glass of water on the table beside his bed. Kagami moved and caught it just in time before it shattered on the floor, but the water spilled all over his pants and shoes. He didn't care about that though. The only thing on Kagami's mind at that moment was how absolutely terrified Kuroko looked.

"Tetsuya?" Sousuke's voice came into focus as he approached the bed, with Haruka trailing closely behind.

Kuroko was breathing heavily in a quick, disorganized pace, with eyes stretched wide and fearful, staring forward, past Kiyoshi, at a seemingly invisible assailant. One hand was outstretched in front of him, as if trying to keep someone away, and the other hand was protectively clutching at his abdomen. His whole body was visibly shaking now, with lines of sweat dripping down his cheek, beginning to soak the bandages wrapped around his head. "Don't," was the single word that came out of his mouth.

Kiyoshi and everyone else immediately stepped back, while Sousuke and Haruka rushed forward to their son. Both carefully reached out to Kuroko's outstretched hand. "Tetsuya," Haruka cooed over and over, and the sound of her soothing voice seemed to have the desired effect as Kuroko slowly began to relax. Sousuke took this chance to gently take Kuroko's hand and squeeze it reassuringly. "We're here, son. You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you anymore." He kept whispering this as he and Haruka took their place beside Kuroko with practiced ease, and held him in their arms until he stopped shivering.

Kagami only realized it too late.

Of course. Of course. He almost felt like kicking himself for how stupid he'd been acting.

Kuroko had been assaulted. And now that he was fully awake, he remembered.

"I'm so sorry," Kiyoshi whispered, looking incredibly pained as he bowed deeply before Kuroko and his parents. "That was really careless of me."

"No, no, it's not your fault, Kiyoshi-san," Haruka replied. "This happens sometimes."

The idea that Kuroko has been having these kinds of panic attacks before did not reassure any of them at all. Kagami wondered what Kuroko could remember. Did he see the face of his attacker? Was that who he kept seeing even now, even in the safety of this overpriced hospital room? Kagami was willing to bet that Akashi had posted security outside. Kuroko was probably safer than the prime minister right now. And yet, here he was, looking so afraid.

Kagami's hands balled into tight fists. If he could just get his hands on that bastard who did this…

He unexpectedly made eye contact with Hyuuga, and an understanding settled between them. His captain was thinking the exact same thing.

"I'm sorry."

Kagami and the rest abruptly turned their attention back at Kuroko.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, with a voice that cracked under the threat of tears. Kagami's heart clenched. It was unbearable to see his partner looking so...broken. "I didn't want you to see that happen," Kuroko continued, head bowed and eyes cowering inside the shadow of his messy fringe. "But it just...happens. I can't control it. I'm so sorry."

Kagami could see the boy's smaller hands tightly gripping his bedsheets. Sousuke and Haruka each place a hand over their son's, and begin rubbing it soothingly. Even with his parents right there with him, Kuroko still can't seem to fully calm down. Kagami was at a loss on what to do. He was never good with this kind of stuff anyway. Besides, he'd barely pulled himself together in the last few days - how the hell was he qualified to comfort anyone, especially the actual victim of the trauma?

But as he continued staring at Kuroko's miserable form, Kagami found his mind going blank as his instincts decided to take over. It was the same feeling he had whenever he faced a strong opponent on the court. No meandering thoughts of doubt. Just an absolute focus in the game. Aomine had called it "the zone."

Now, Kagami had another object of this absolute focus - Kuroko.

To everyone's surprise, Kagami moved forward, hands outstretched. Instead of recoiling, Kuroko pulled his hands from his parents' hold and mirrored Kagami's movement. Before anything could realize what was happening, Kuroko was already in Kagami's embrace, his head nestling on the taller boy's chest while strong arms wrapped carefully but firmly around him. "I'm here," he whispered. "I'm here."

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! I got distracted but other stories hehe (check out Home Alone: Lost in Tokyo if you haven't yet!)

Since Kuroko is finally awake, I'll be writing more chapters with his POV from now on! Next chapter will probably (i haven't written it yet) have the GoM visiting! We still haven't seen Atsushi's reaction, after all. It'll be one bittersweet reunion of sorts.

Please do drop by the Reviews and let me hear your thoughts on the story so far! See you in the next chapter!