Kagami crept home that night, constantly on edge. He didn't know if he was going to see those Kaibutsu again, so he wanted to be wary. Kagami was not about to become dog food. When he actually got home, he couldn't turn off his lights, too afraid to be in the dark alone.
"Where are you Kuroko?" Kagami wondered aloud when he was making some fried rice for himself, "Why were those Kaibutsu at your house?" Oh what Kagami wouldn't give to hear Kuroko's voice suddenly pop out of nowhere, scaring the wits out of him. Ah, but nothing can ever be so simple.
Kagami tried to focus on cooking (key word: tried), and not to fret about Kuroko. Kuroko was old enough to take care of himself, and this was probably a big misunderstanding. After all, it's not completely unreasonable that something big might have had happened and made Kuroko to forget about closing his door. Kuroko might have left just shortly before Kagami and the others had arrived, and those packages might have been delivered in the short difference in their timing. Kagami knew that the chances of that being true was slim, but he clung to it desperately. If not this, then what hope did Kagami have? But if this were true, what were the Kaibutsu there for?
Kagami poured the now done rice into a white bowl and grabbed some chopsticks. He placed the pan he was cooking with in the sink and started to eat. He could shake off the image of those Kaibutsu from his head. They plagued him until he fell asleep in his bed. Even then, he had nightmares where he and Kuroko were being chased by the Kaibutsu. The most terrifying part was when the Kaibutsu actually caught up to them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Time Skip~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kagami woke up eventually. His sleep was restless, his worry for Kuroko making his dreams horrible. Kagami hoped they found Kuroko soon so that Kagami could sleep easier. That bastard was always getting into trouble with little to no regard at all to his own health. Kagami wouldn't be surprised if he was in a coma right now in freaking Germany because he saved Frank-Walter Steinmeier's daughter from a major car accident. Not that Kagami wouldn't be guilt-ridden and totally worried for his friend, but within the wide range of emotions that would surely hit (for something as drastic as that), surprise would not be one of them.
Kagami checked his phone more out of habit than anything. 'Shit! It's almost 7!' Kagami rushed to get ready and tried to make himself presentable for the Kiseki no Sedai. Or at least, most of them. Kagami was also starting to get worried about Kise. Both Kise and Kuroko missing at the same time? Was it just a coincidence? Or could there be more malicious intent beneath all of it?
(A/N: Imagine the Kaibutsu looks a little something like this.)
Kagami sighed. He couldn't think straight on an empty stomach and straight off from a nightmare like the one he had just had that night. He was standing in his bathroom, staring at his mirror. He looked like shit. His hair was almost rivaling Kuroko's bedhead. Kagami's eyes were red and bloodshot, like they would be just before an exciting game.
Kagami was desperately hungry, but he couldn't muster the energy to cook again. He had left the dirty dishes in the sink, exhausted. Where was Kuroko? And why was Kise also missing? Kagami looked down at his phone again (just out of habit), only then to realize that he was already late to his meeting with Akashi and the others, and he hadn't even made a move to leave his apartment. And as far as Kagami knew, he was dead meat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Time Skip~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kagami was running as fast as he could. Sprinting is the better word. He was shoving through crowds and pushing roughly. Maybe he was making a few people have a horrible day, but Kagami could not care less. He was late for a meeting with Akashi Seijuro. Kagami figured he had well earned the right to make a few people unhappy.
"Damn... Damn..." Was all he could mutter the whole way to Maji's. He was so, so, so dead. Thankfully though, Kagami reached Maji's quickly. The restaurant was unnaturally empty, but (Ba)Kagami didn't even notice. He shoved through the doors as quickly as he could. He stumbled to a stop, struggling to catch his breath. He raised his head meekly to look at Akashi's disdainful face, Midorima and Aomine's piteous faces, and Murasakibara's indifferent one.
"Taiga, do you have a good explanation for this?" Akashi asked coldly.
Kagami was still panting, but he managed to gasp out, "I got... distracted... thinking... about... Kuroko..." Akashi didn't say anything, just stared at Kagami coldly. Kagami silently thanked Kami-sama for Akashi's silence.
"I... find that understandable." He finally said. Kagami nodded, acknowledging Akashi's words, but still unable to form his own. He kept staring at the floor until he caught his breath.
"I think we were all thinking about Tetsu." Aomine agreed, unexpectedly.
"I'm worried about Kise, too." Kagami voiced his concerns, "I mean, isn't Kise usually the first to answer you guys?"
"Eh~? But doesn't Kise-chin sometimes miss Aka-chin~?" Murasakibara dawdled, "When he has work~?"
"Hai, so I'm not worried about him." Akashi seemed so dismissive.
"But still, shouldn't we be worried?" Kagami insisted, "I mean, surely a photo shoot can't last more than 12 hours, right? And with no breaks where Kise can't even text a quick excuse?" Aomine opened his mouth to retort, but hesitated. 'See! I can use my brain!' Kagami thought defiantly.
[PhantomShadow1115: Good job, Kagami. After many years of hard work and diligence, you've managed to use one of your most fundamental parts of your body. *claps slowly]
"No." Akashi's velvety tone cut through the silence that had blanketed the table like freshly fallen snow.
"Eh? Why not?" Kagami glared at the redhead. Was he so uncaring that he'd ignore evidence that Kise might be hurt?
"Kise is old enough and capable of taking care of himself." Midorima explained when it was evident that Akashi would not, "While Kuroko is much weaker than Kise, so he requires our assistance first."
"Oh, that makes sense." Kagami muttered.
"Of course it makes sense, Bakagami!" Aomine snarled at him loudly, "He's Akashi, for fuck's sake!"
"Oi! Shut up, Ahomine!" Kagami yelled, his voice raised just a few decibels higher. After all, Kagami was never one to back down from a challenge, even if it wasn't a challenge.
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!!!" Aomine raised his voice even higher and shot out of his seat.
"What ya say?" Kagami said in a taunting voice, also standing up, "Ahomine? I didn't quite catch that." Aomine raised his fist, but Akashi interrupted.
"Daiki, punch him, and you will never live to see the light of day again." Aomine and Kagami both froze. Aomine out of fear, Kagami out of shock that Akashi would so blatantly say something like that in the middle of the restaurant. But both hotheads sat down and glared at each other quietly. Midorima was secretly amused by Aomine's and Kagami's reactions, but the tsundere part of him refused to show it.
"Well, Akashi, do you have a reason yet?" Midorima asked finally.
"Aka-chin, why were the Kaibutsu at Kuro-chin's house?" Murasakibara asked as well. Akashi and Midorima had filled him in on everything that went down that night.
"I..." Akashi shook his head before continuing, "I am currently trying my hardest to gather as much data as I can about the subject. But people are being close-lipped."
"In short, you don't know." Kagami summarized.
"Jeez, just how bad is this?" Aomine wondered, "And what's Tetsu got to do... Hey, is that Kise?" Aomine pointed outside the window, where indeed the blonde was standing. He was wearing a white sweater, jeans, and a hat that was covering his eyes, but the GoM had spent so much time with the model that they knew his posture (or rather, lack of) like no one else.
"Eh~? Kise-chin?" Murasakibara sighed, "Can you say hi for me, Mido-chin?"
"No, come with us." Midorima snapped. Everyone stood up and left once Akashi paid for their food. They walked swiftly in case they missed Kise, but much to their relief, Kise was still standing there. He seemed to be looking for someone. Glancing back and forth and fidgeting impatiently. Worry glinted his eyes.
"Yo, Kise!" Aomine called out once they left Maji's Burger. Kise jumped a little when he heard Aomine. Then Kise saw Akashi, Kagami, Midorima, and Murasakibara with Aomine, too, and his startled face turned grim.
"Shit... I'm so screwed." Kise muttered when the others came close. Kise made no move to run away, but instead he stood straighter, taller.
"Hello, Ryota." Akashi greeted him calmly, but an aura that promised pain surrounded him, making everyone except Kise take a step away from the hot-redhead.
"Hello, Akashi." Kise replied evenly. He surprised the others by controlling his emotions, one might even go so far to say that he was slightly glaring at Akashi. He even shocked Akashi, but he didn't show it.
"Care to explain why you ignored me?" Akashi continued in his deadly calm voice.
"Gomen, Akashicchi, but I am afraid that I'm in no position to say anything." Kise's voice was amazingly like Akashi's. It held the same cold, velvety smooth texture, yet oozing with malice. It was even and unhesitating. Even Kise's eyes had the same cold, distant look in them!
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Aomine demanded, "No position my ass!"
"Exactly that, Aominecchi." Kise explained, "My higher-ups refuse to let anything out, so I cannot say a thing."
"Kise!" came a loud and familiar cry, "Zero's waiting for you!" Himuro Tatsuya came running up towards Kise, wearing a black sweater and jeans. A silver ring hung on a silver chain gleamed in the sunlight.
"Tatsuya?" Kagami yelled in shock, "You're in on this, too?"
"Ah, so that's what's holding you up." Himuro cringed, "Yeah, kind of, Taiga."
"Ja, I have to go." Kise said, offering a half-hearted wave, "If Zero's waiting for me, then I really can't stay much." He turned and started walking towards Himuro.
"Tatsuya, explain!" Kagami demanded, "What's going on? Why'd Kise ignore Akashi? Do you guys know where Kuroko is?" Kise paused at "Kuroko" and looked over his shoulder. His eyes were narrowed into slits.
"We can't say anything... but." Kise hesitated and looked at Himuro for reassurance. Himuro shrugged. "We can take you to our higher-ups." Akashi looked at the Miracles for a silent discussion. As far as Akashi could tell, Murasakibara's expression was something like,'For Kuro-chin, absolutely.' Aomine and Kagami's were more like, 'Hell yeah, Tetsu/Kuroko needs saving, let's dive headfirst into this shit!' Midorima's was a more collected and simple, yet determined, 'Yes.'
"Very well." Akashi pushed away his pride. There were more serious things that needed his attention right now, such as a serious lead on Kuroko. If Akashi had hesitated, then who knows when he would find another clue? No, this was the best course of action.
Kise snorted and looked at Himuro. If Kise weren't facing away from him, Akashi would have seen grim amusement plastered all over his face. Himuro wore a more sympathetic expression. Kise wordlessly motioned for the Miracles to follow him. Himuro gave them one last glance before leading Kise and the other Miracles away.