IMPORTANT! I updated this story twice yesterday which wasn't more than a few hours before this so please make sure you read chapter 18 and 19 first.

Just figured I should warn you since I don't usually update multiple chapters in a 24 hour period. I'm just kind of on a roll here.

Personally, I think this is the best chapter yet. (I mean writing wise not oh yay it's so happy!...cuz it's not)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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Three days. Three days of torture. Three days of rape. Three days without food. Three days trapped. Three days that amounted to something worse than four years of hell had. Three days of Hanamiya's version of hell.

Three days of torture. Three days watching his beloved be tortured. Three days holding back his screams. Three days holding back his tears. Three days tied up. Three days of Okazaki's version of hell.

Three days of guns to their heads. Three days of watching their friends suffer. Three days in that room. Three days of crying. Three days of fear. Three days of their captors versions of hell.

Three days.

Seventy-two hours.

Four thousand three hundred and twenty minutes.

Two hundred and fifty nine thousand two hundred seconds.

Kuroko was afraid. He was in pain and yet almost numb all at once. He didn't know how long it had been since he was brought to his current location. He didn't know where he was. He didn't know why this was happening. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't. He couldn't even whimper or cry. His body could give out at any moment and he was ready to let it, but part of him wanted to fight. He couldn't let them hurt Akashi. He still didn't know why, but he knew Akashi meant more than anything to him. But what was left of his mind after the last four years was slipping and he wasn't sure how much longer he had.

Akashi was losing his battle to remain composed; to not break. He began to wonder if breaking would somehow save Tetsuya. His rational self knew better. That's not how things worked in this business. You took what you want and once you have it, you eliminate the rest. If Akashi gave in, that would be the end of it all. Him breaking was Okazaki's goal. Once Okazaki reached that goal, Akashi, Tetsuya, and the others would be what was left and they would be disposed of. Right now there was still hope. Someone could still come for them. His men were probably searching half the country day and night or forming a plan. He just needed to hold on a little longer, but how much longer did Kuroko have? How much longer did any of them have?

Kise was out of tears. He felt numb to everything around him. He never watched the screens after the first day. He had never felt so helpless, so useless, in his entire life. He wanted to breakdown and give up, but he couldn't do that. He was supposed to be the optimist of the group. If the optimistic one gave up then it truly was hopeless. He had to stay hopeful. It was his job to smile no matter how bad things got. Kuroko and Akashi were going through hell and they were still fighting, so he had to fight too in his own way.

Aomine was angry. He felt responsible. He let his shadow and friend be taken twice. He became a police officer to protect people from guys like Okazaki and he couldn't even protect two of his friends and his lover. He couldn't even protect himself! He tried to remain calm on the outside to support Kise. Kise wasn't as strong when it came to things like this. Even though his lover offered him smiles from time to time, they were forced and they broke his heart. But Kise was trying and he would too. He mulled over countless plans in his mind and he felt like he was getting close to an answer. He just needed it before their time was up.

Murasakibara was livid. He wanted to crush their captors and he probably could, but he refrained with all his effort. He didn't know what was on the other side of that door. He didn't know if someone had a kill switch. He didn't know if Okazaki was watching and would kill Akashi and Kuroko the moment he turned against the captors. So with all his effort, he held himself back. Instead of tearing them to pieces in reality, he did it in his imagination till his thoughts began to terrify even him. Then he slept.

Midorima was panicking. He kept it to himself for the most part, but he couldn't hide it from Takao. He hated watching the screens but he forced himself to do it. The doctor in him forced himself to do it. When this was over, Kuroko and Akashi would need treatment and it would be better if he already knew as much as he could. Although that was probably an excuse. If he could focus on counting the fractures, cuts, and other injuries, he could focus on the logical part of the situation instead of the emotional part that he didn't know how to deal with. So he counted. He thought up the treatments in his head and adjusted them as needed. He pushed his emotions into a dusty corner of his mind and begged them to remain there. They were no use to him right now.

Takao was worried. He barely knew the two on the screen, though that didn't stop him from feeling hurt watching what they were going through. He barely knew most of the others in the room, but he still sympathized with them as he watched them struggle with their own demons and fears in their personal hells. However, he did know Midorima and he knew Midorima was close to the others and Midorima was hurting. He wanted to comfort his lover, but there was little he could do, especially since Midorima wouldn't acknowledge his own emotions. All he could do was watch as everyone fell apart around him and not cause trouble.

Furusawa was calm. Of course he cared about his boss, but he was trained for things like this. Or maybe he was too afraid to be anything other than calm. That thought crossed his mind but he pushed it away quickly. His comrades were working hard to find the boss. He had been able to sneak a few communications with them by various codes to know that much. He just needed to sit tight and be ready when the time to move came.

Three days carried on the same, but the fourth day was different.

The screens didn't turn on at the usual times. No one knew whether to be relieved or terrified by that so they all waited anxiously. By midnight, they had settled into an uneasy sleep when the screens finally turned on.

"Hara!" Hanamiya growled at a man with purple hair covering his eyes.

"Hai, Hai. Here." Hara handed a large knife to Hanamiya who showed it off to the audience before turning towards Kuroko.

"Seto, Inoue, hold him down." He shouted at two of the other males who quickly held the small bluenette down. There wasn't really any need since Kuroko was paralyzed with fear and too weak anyway, but Hanamiya wanted assurances. Once they had him restrained, Hanamiya nodded to another man.

"Yamazaki, attach the device."

"Yes sir." Yamazaki began attaching Kuroko's hand to the strange device.

Making sure his actions were clearly visible to the audience he raised the knife to Kuroko's neck and ordered him to stay still if he wanted to live. Kuroko didn't respond, but he wasn't expected to. Hanamiya nodded again to Yamazaki. "Begin." He ordered.

Furusawa stared wide eyed. He just got the signal that Akashi had been found and Kuroko's location was identified. The plan was about to move foreward. They were so close. They just needed a bit more time. Just a little longer. Why now?

Everything inside Akashi was screaming as he watched the contraption rip Kuroko's nails off one by one and Kuroko's desperate efforts not to move. It was futile though and the knife cut into his skin a little more with each nail.

"Tetsuya…." He finally whispered just quietly enough that neither Okazaki nor Haizaki heard him. However he couldn't hold back his tears any longer. He couldn't hold back his pain any longer. He wasn't broken, but he was breaking.

He felt the knife digging into his throat. He felt his nails being ripped from his skin. He felt the pain and the fear like a tsunami aiming all its force on his small frame. And that's when it happened. They say your life flashes before your eyes right before you die and maybe it was true, because at that moment, he saw his life. It wasn't the last four years playing in his head. It was before that. It was his childhood. It was the times he played basketball. It was meeting the generation of miracles and becoming Aomine's shadow. But the memories that stuck out the most were those with a red haired teen, the captain of the generation of miracles, Akashi Seijūrō, his boyfriend. He knew who the man on the screen was now. He knew who the man who held him in that shed was. His memories still weren't complete, but there was enough, and he was glad he had held out so long. He was glad he fought so hard to keep Akashi safe.

Surprising everyone including himself, his lips curled upwards into a small smile and he whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"Sei-kun!"

He wanted to say so much more. He wanted to, but he couldn't. His eyelids closed and darkness took over.

"Sei-kun!"

Akashi's eyes widened at the sound of Kuroko's voice calling his nickname. Despite the situation, a small bit of joy flowed through him. Kuroko remembered.

But the joy was short lived. Although Hanamiya had stepped back in surprise at the sudden outburst removing the threat of the knife, Kuroko's eyes closed and his body went limp. If he was breathing, it was too shallow to notice at the distance of the camera.

"TETSUYA!" Akashi yelled.

Then there were gunshots and voices. The cameras were disconnected. Everything around him was a blur and mush of colors and sounds that didn't clear until he was on top of Okazaki punching the orange haired ass hole with all his might until the man beneath went limp. Akashi wanted to kill him but there were more important things to attend to right now. He stood up before his vision went black and he fell to the floor.

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I wrote all this listening to Thunderstep, a youtube music composer. Mainly Guerilla, Dare the Impossible, and Enemy Approaching. So shout out to them for being inspirational!