ASDFGHJKL OMG WELCOOOME BAAACK, its been like what, weeks? I am again VEEEERY sorry for updating so laaate and keeping you guys waiting. But this time, we'll have an answer to half of your guys' questions especially regarding last chapter's last scene, whoa, wow, what do you think happened to Kise? So yeah, btw guys sorry as I was saying I've been buried in school work since yeah, finals, actually I think I've been consuming too much caffeine for my own good but yeah, that's beside the point. Dont worry in a month or so the updates would be more regular and fast, yeah that's when finals is over, which is basically what I'm sooooooooooo looking forward to. Ern Estine 13624 hahaha let's see if you were right, or could it be...just Kise's imagination *whistles innocently* ahahaha Yuki578 ahahaha I gotta agree with youuu, I seriously need Midotaka and Aokise to be caanon in the manga and anime soooo bad, i think I started shipping Aokise so hard during the Kaijo vs Too match and I just practically rolled on the floor while drowning in the pools of feels after that part where Kise stopped and stared at Aomine's back, meanwhile well I think I started shipping MIDOTAKAA the first time I saw them together same with MURAHIMU ahahaha. And to Guest and Bubbles9595 YES YES YEEES this is the day we know what Kuroko has to say with the ticket, we'll he accept it or...will he not? And lastly to FunnyDs1 OMG YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I AM SOOO HAPPY THAT YOU LIKED THIS, to be compared to those amazing fem!Kuroko fanfic is just a huge thing for me. I actually started with reading all those fem!Kuroko fanfics, actually I think those fem!Kuroko fanfics were one of the most complex yet amazing plots-I mean gender bending the character and making Kuroko retain his characteristics and yet an entirely different persona is just A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Thank you guys for reviewing, and yeah I'm alsoooo supppper thankful of those who gave Mizuiro to Beni Koi a shot, especially those who are reading this for the first time, LOTS OF LOVES guys. And also same with those who are giving it a fav and follow, thank you so soooo much!

Hope you liked today's update, and maybe...review if you have time *winks*

Chapter 12: Little Cry of the Abyss

The first time his eyes fell to those blue eyes the first thing Kise Ryouta realized was the vibrant color of it, it looked like the midnight sky, the comforting midnight blue sky. The next thing that registered in his brain was his low and natural voice, it was very masculine and strong. His heart melted in the melody as he strum the strings. Kise Ryouta was frozen in his spot watching him in awe, the man he later knew as Aomine Daiki, the champion of Teiko's prestigious class of prodigies.

Kise Ryouta had never admire anyone as much as he did to Aomine Daiki, the man was sometimes stuck up, annoying but he was a great friend, he was a good person caught up in the difficulty to express his heart outside the melody of the music. It was cliché, but Kise had loved him the moment he heard his voice. He longed to stand in the very same stage as that person from the first day.

And despite everything that had been given to him, he only wanted those eyes to look at him, to turn his way…but his eyes always…always reflected a different face.

But he didn't want to give up just yet. Music was the only thing that connects him to that person…it was the only hope that he had—

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The first time he faced it was the most difficult, a loud ringing interrupted him as he was trying to play the piano. The loud ringing was painful and his head felt like it was splitting into two, nothing seemed to make it stop. From a buzzing sound, it came like a shrill, like a hundred nails being dragged over a hundred chalkboards over the speaker pressed inside his ear canal. He collapsed on his side, gasping for air, pleading anyone to make it stop.

The next thing he knew he was in the hospital, his sister sobbing quietly against the back of his hand. She knew how much he loved music, how much he never wanted to stop, how he valued his talent, she watched him barely getting sleep rehearsing his piece every night.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

The words felt like a massive weight was pushed and plopped down in his stomach as the doctor explained to him. It was a progressive deafness…slowly, slowly, his ears would fail him until no sound would be left.

"D-Don't tell them…please." Kise begged his sister.

He wanted to make the most of it before it would all vanish.

"Kuroko?"

Kuroko who was shaking from the swirls of emotions inside him was pulled out of his reverie, looking up, he found Kagami looking at him as if he was expecting him to say something. He could feel the same weight from Takao's sharp eyes as well. Kuroko swallowed hard. His heart was pounding in his chest loudly, anxiety, fear and longing all mixed up in him, he felt dizzy with all this dumped over him. He could hear Takao explaining something about a the letter arriving at the party where he met Midorima, and Midorima telling him to let Kuroko decided.

Decide? It was easier said than done.

Kuroko closed shut his eyes tightly, his mind was plagued by the images of what he had always wanted to leave behind, the same midnight blue eyes that turned his back on him, the very same midnight blue eyes that took his hand, the very same blue eyes that welcomed him and gave him the chance to prove himself. Why would he do this?

"Oi Kuroko?"

Kagami's voice resounded again, he tried picturing Kagami's grinning face but it was distorted in his head, distorted with the image of Aomine. His hands trembled as he hear in his head the very same words Aomine said that day—

"I don't need you anymore. The only one who can beat me is me…"

His breaths came almost like shallow gasp, he could see behind his closed lids the image of Aomine turning his back on him.

"Kuroko get a grip!"

Kuroko's eyes flutter open as he felt a pair of strong hands grabbing his upper arm, squeezing them ever so lightly. His eyes fell at the pools of crimson eyes. His breath evened at the sight of Kagami holding him. The concern washing over those eyes made Kuroko feel guilty, Kagami had always been so sure of the things he wants to do, but he wasn't. In truth, Kuroko was stil trap in his own cage made of his past and the people he once loved.

"You 'kay?"

Kuroko shook his head, he felt his knees went weak as he held the front of Kagami's shirt and leaned his head.

"What the fuck is wrong with that guy?!" Kagami roared loudly at Takao.

Takao was shock to see the expression in Kuroko's face. For a moment there he thought he would cry, for a moment he thought he saw a flash of yearning. He almost looked so…Takao bit his tongue at the word and balled his hand into a fist. No, he swore, he would trust Kuroko. Midorima wanted to believe in Kuroko as well.

"I-I don't know." Takao answered in a quiet voice.

"He wants me to come…he wants all of us to go." Kuroko whispered against Kagami's shirt.

Takao swallowed thickly before deciding to ask Kuroko the real question, "Are you going?"

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.

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A nod.

Takao's nails dug in his palms painfully, he saw the shock expression of Kagami. All noises were blocked as Takao watched the scene in front of him. Kagami pulled away running a hand over his short crimson hair obviously conflicted of Kuroko's answer, Kuroko just stared at the ground with his hands still trembling. Could it be…that this is what Midorima meant when he said those words?

"Aomine was his partner…Aomine knew what makes him tick."

He knows how to rile Kuroko up, the hold Aomine had in him was this strong. Kagami was trying to reason with Kuroko but it was no use Kuroko seemed to have been hypnotized, enchanted, he couldn't even utter a word. Takao feared when he does he would break, he looks so frail so, like a prey caught up in a miserable trap called past. Takao wanted to verbally plea Kuroko to say no, he wanted him to not go, for some reason he knew inside…saying yes was like Kuroko basically jumping to a bottomless cliff.

"We have to respect his decision." Takao said wanting to punch himself, no, it wasn't what he wanted to say, but it is what is due, what is right.

Kagami stopped, eyebrows furrowed at Kuroko. He shook his head and turned around as if trying to compose himself, preventing to fume out his anger towards the other's decision.

"Do what you want." Kagami said, "I…I'm just here. I just…"

Kuroko raised his head snapping at the word Kagami slipped pass his lips.

"I know I told you that you don't have to run away from these things, that you should face it. But damn, Kuroko, you're not supposed to be…hell, you're killing yourself with this!" Kagami roared trying to keep his voice lower but obviously failing. Kagami turned again at Kuroko as if waiting for him to say something back, defend himself but no words came. "This isn't how we do it, why is it so different about when its Aomine?"

"T-That's not true Kagami-ku—"

"No its not!" Kagami barked, "No…it's different. I saw it, in you…in your eyes."

Kuroko pursed his lips, his heart constricted painfully in his rib cage.

Takao bit his lower lip as he saw the scene unfold before him, it was obvious with the trembling of Kuroko's hand how much he wants and still hopes for Aomine to take him back and the mental torture it was taking on Kagami. There was no word to describe the feeling when someone still wants the one who hurts him while you were there, the torture of knowing someone else resides in his heart even if you're the image flash in his eyes.

"Kagami calm down this isnt how we resolve things." Takao said pulling Kagami by the elbow away from Kuroko. The small distance apart from Kagami drove Kuroko's internal instincts to cry for the close the space between them, but he knew he shouldn't. Kuroko had hurt him.

Kagami shook his head as Takao tried to reason with him. Kuroko didn't mean it, he chewed in his lower lip, he couldn't pull himself off Aomine. Looking down on the ticket in his hand Kuroko felt a surge of unbearable pain in chest as he saw the small words written under Aomine's name, he swallowed bitterly. LIPS.

.

.

.

"Wha—this is for me?"

Kuroko nodded.

The dark skinned musician flipped through the pages and his face visibly lit up.

"God, fucki—damn, Tetsu this is awesome!" Aomine exclaimed before slinging an arm over Kuroko's shoulder, "You wrote this for me?"

Kuroko nodded sheepishly, "I thought that it would suite your voice…I mean the arrangement."

"Thank you Tetsu!" Aomine chided happily.

.

.

.

The memories he had with Aomine were encased in that song, a song he wrote exactly for him, a part of him he never left off him. Why now, why was he doing this to him? He knows it was his weakness. His knows the stab the song would give him, and he knows he could never say no. What does he want him to do, why now?

"Kuroko!"

Kuroko almost jumped from sudden panic in Takaos voice, raising his head up, he found Kagami staring at his mobile phone with his eyebrows furrowed. Takao glanced back at Kagami's phone before gesturing to Kuroko to come closer. Takao looked extremely shock and concerned at the same time making Kuroko felt a pang of fear surged into his veins.

Walking towards the two, Takao pointed at the screen of Kagami's phone and a news was flashed in the screen making Kuroko's eyes widen.

.

.

.

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"Sir you cannot come in—"

"He's his friend." Kagami intercepted blocking the nurse with his body, Kuroko slipped quickly and made a quick run for it.

Kuroko felt his heart drumming against his chest, it wasn't usual that Kise would get sick, something was amiss. He knew the blonde to be someone who rarely ever get sick, he was second to Aomine when it came to vitality. As soon as he read the news flashed in Kagami's screen he couldn't help but shove all the other pressing matters aside and made a run for it. Something was wrong to him, the thought made Kuroko fear for his friend's health, Kise disliked the hospital as well as much as he could he would avoid hospitals. Kuroko quickly scanned ever single nameplate on the door searching for Kise's name. As soon as he found the name, Kuroko didn't bother to knock and opened the door.

His eyes widen as he stepped in.

Blag

The door resounded as it closed behind the teal haired musician. The blonde haired musician was sitting up in the white hospital bed, his head slowly turned towards Kuroko now. Kuroko was frozen in his spot, he had seen Kise cried, he had cried so many times before back in Teiko but that was him being childish, but he had never seen him like this before, not with a forced smile and a puffed and swollen eyes.

"What…" Kise's voice broke and his slender hands reached to cover his quivering lips.

"Kise-kun…what…what's happening?"

Kuroko walked to Kise's bed and the blonde just shook his head pitifully.

"I-I'm okay Kurokocchi." His voice came out a strangled gasped from the incoming helpless sobs, "I-I'm r-really o-o-okay."

No. He is not, Kuroko thought to himself bitterly. Despite his words Kise started sobbing, tears slipping messily off from his eyes. He had never seen the blonde at this state, he was Kiseki no Sedai's sun, despite all he would smile, he was the only one who was able to pull that kind of trick, he never showed any signs of negativity slip his façade. To see him in this state, Kuroko could barely watch.

"Kise-kun what's wrong?" Kuroko asked.

Kise bit composed himself, he wiped his tears with the back his hands.

"I…I'm…I'm going deaf."

Kuroko frowned, "I know you heard my question Kise-kun, this is no time for jokes I am very concern of you and I have went a very long way this is no time to joke."

"I am not." Kise said in a small voice.

Kuroko's eyes widen at the other's revelation.

"I've known it for a long time now." Kise confessed. "Since…back in Teiko."

He shut his eyes, he didn't want to see the look in Kuroko's eyes. Despite the truth that he envied Kuroko's closeness and bond with Aomine, he couldn't hate him, not when he never seems to hate them as well. They were the ones who always hurt him, and just like now. Kise knows even with his blank expression, he knows deep inside Kuroko felt breaking in half, for again getting lied to.

"Wha…" Kuroko's voice died in his throat at the other's words. "Why didn't you tell us then?"

Kise chuckled humourlessly. "If I did, I'd lose it all."

"That's…"

Kise waited for Kuroko to finish his sentence but he knew he wouldn't able to say or counter him, it was the truth. If anyone had known, he would have suffered the blow harder than Kuroko leaving the band, because he never wanted it, he never wanted to leave or the disbandment. Kise had love the music like his second skin, loved it more than his first job where he was known.

"they called it Sensorineural Hearing Loss…the doctors said it wouldn't be long until I lose all my hearing."

Kise remembered, before Kuroko came in the room an hour earlier, the doctor had told him the truth. The sad and painful truth, he didn't have much time until his sense of hearing totally diminishes. The thought of never hearing Kuroko…or that person's voice ever again felt like a piece of thorn suddenly pierced right at him and decided to get stuck there forever. Just how hard it is for a musician to actually lose that one sense he had relied for so long. How hard? Possibly unexplainable.

There was just no words to explain the fear, the anger, the total wreck he is in.

"H-How? I-I don't understand." Kuroko's words came out as stutter as he looked at Kise with concern and fear mixing together in his heart. "You were in perfect health then, how d-did it…happen?"

There was silence between them for a moment, Kise hesitated to tell Kuroko the truth, but he thought he deserved it, for all the concern he had given him and the rest of the former members of the band. It was at least the only thing he could give him. It was the least thing he could do. Kise's lips moved slightly trembling at the memory.

"Remember…Haizaki?"

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"Dai-chan!"

Momoi whinned for the umpteenth time trying and failing to call the attention of the dark skinned musician who is currently sitting up on his bed staring blankly at the screen of his tablet. Momoi sighed, Aomine has never been the greatest talent, he is always lazy, has very little respect to people unless they have the capability to literally cut his throat in a swift movement, and he loves ignoring people whenever the talk to him. He wasn't like this before. Sometimes Momoi wanted to justify that as something like a phase, but this phase was bad.

After the disbandment Aomine lost it. He was all over the place, he went to basketball, his names always closely tied with trouble and women, but none of it ever made him contented, none of it fixed him. He isnt broken, he'd say, but anyone who really knows him would say otherwise.

Momoi couldn't leave his side even if she wanted to, she was his childhood friend, and basically if she left Aomine would literally lose everyone. He wasn't the best person when it comes with shutting his cakehole or keeping his sarcasm to himself which obviously most of the time gets him in the hep of trouble, if Momoi would not be there who would tell him enough is enough, Momoi knew that her presence was merely an assurance of Aomine's ability to change. And she knew he could if the right person just steps up to do so.

"Its almost time for rehearsals you need to go to the—"

Momoi gasped as he found Aomine tightening the grip he had in the side of the gadget in his hand before tossing it in his bed and standing up.

"Get the fucking car ready." Aomine grumbled and pulled himself out of his bed and walked pass the pink haired manager to his walk-in closet.

Momoi was stunned, did Aomine just agreed to go to the rehearsals without arguing? Something was off. As Momoi heard the door of the closet shut she found herself staring at the discarded gadget on the bed. Hastily picking up the tablet, Momoi thanked heavens for Aomine's low technological knowledge and the item didn't have a password, when the screen lit again, her eyes widen.

On the screen was a recent news…

"Ki-chan's…hospitalized?"

Momoi's eyes widen. Aomine was reading this before he got up. He was reading an article about someone else other than Kuroko which she has to admit quite suprising. She turned towards the closed door of Aomine's closet, there was something clearly Aomine still does not understand about himself.

…

Inside the walk-in closet Aomine run a hand over his short hair, he felt something stirring in the pits of his stomach. He tried convincing himself numerous times, over all those years that no way in hell he likes or is concerned at all of Kise. He is in love with Kuroko, Kuroko is the one he likes not the perky blonde model—he slammed his hand against the table, what the hell he was doing. Why is he concerning himself over him, there were thousands of people who would concern themselves on him, he didn't need him.

But bitterness and anger consumed him like a wildfire inside.

Why was he reacting like this again? And besides, didn't Kise like Kuroko too? He blurted it out back in Teiko without shame, there was no way he would be concerned of him…right?

Aomine shut his eyes in concentration trying his hardest to remove the image of the smiling blonde model, but like stubborn stain the image wouldn't budge but rather smothered all over him even more. He didn't need him, he tried to tell him all over again. There were others, he wouldn't need him, unlike Kuroko he only had him. That was why…Kuroko was a safer choice. Opening his eyes and staring at his relection, yes, that was right. Kuroko unlike Kise, he only had himself. All he need to do is make him remember, that he couldn't be with others that it would only be him, not with that crimson haired guy.

He needs to forget about Kise…sooner.

A/N: Today's chapter is inspired by the MAD 'Little Cry of the Abyss' an Aokise MAD yes its on Youtube so if you have time, you might as well check it out. And I dont own it, credits goes to the owner and the artists.