Note: Unedited. No Beta. Mentions (implied or direct) of Slash. Crossover. Slow update.
Secrets of the Phantom
03:
As I thought, they're dangerous.
Kuroko continued watching them as the porche car they were using sped up from where it was before.
It was obvious the people inside the car didn't see him, telling him that his invisibility activated in full force was effective against them.
That's good. Hearing them wanting to investigate about me was a good info, Kuroko thought to himself. Not that they were the only one who thought about doing that.
He looked around, seeing as no one was there so he started pulling the two suitcase towards where there were plenty of bushes to his both the heavy things he was pulling and himself.
It took a few precious minutes before he was able to hide. He pulled off the hooded robe he was using before starting to inspect the suitcase in case they put any device on it to track him down. It wouldn't be the first time after all.
Seeing that it was clean of any tampering after heavy and thorough inspection - which was surprising since from what he was able to read from them, they were probably a dangerous syndicate or organization. Highly illegal and probably hides from the government effectively from the information the demanded from him and wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone that got on their way - he opened the two and inspected if they were real money.
They were. With the extra pay he demanded from them in exchange of him not telling the government about them. They might have killed him on the spot too if he didn't brought them valuable information that suggested he could use him.
Not that he would meet with them again. He would have to find some way to pass them information if they wanted to use his services again.
He wasn't suicidal thank you very much. He also wasn't reckless. That particular trait was for Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun. He only even went today even though he knew the organization he was dealing today was dangerous than the usual was because he wanted to know them through his own eyes.
He pulled his business phone and texted one of his accomplice to fetch him right there since he knew getting out of there on his own was out of the question.
As he waited, with his hood on again, he couldn't help the bad feeling that erupted in him before he met the group and how it grew after delivering them their information.
And there only one thing that came onto his mind.
I have to stay away. They aren't the kind of group I'd be willing to work or even cross with.
. . . . .
"Tetsuya..."
Said teen put down his bag on the table and sat on the chair close to the bed where his sick mother was lying down.
"Good evening Mama," he gave his mom a kiss on the forehead and was happy to see her smiling at him brightly despite the deep bags under her eye and the tiredness on her shoulder.
She still looked so beautiful even as she continued to deteriorate and weaken right in front of his eyes even as she continued her expensive medical treatment.
He remembered what the doctor who was looking after his mother told him earlier before he came inside her room.
"I'm sorry Kuroko-kun. Her cancer spread out rapidly. Even with aggressively attacking her cancer cells with chemotherapy, it would be no use. It would only exhaust money,"
"How was school honey?"
"It was okay. I still have my scholarship," he said, sitting comfortably on the chair.
His mother smiled.
"At most, it would only prolong her life,"
He stared impassively at the doctor, managing to prevent his tears from falling, much less even letting it shine his eyes. He pushed the sadness and heavy feeling that erupted at hearing those words and seeing the deep, genuine sympathy on the doctor as he asked the most important question of his life.
"I know you would still have it my son. You are extremely intelligent," she said with a pleased and proud smile even as she was having difficulty giving the expression. As if it tired her even doing such a small thing.
"How long?"
He smiled at her.
"Thank you mama," she tried to reach his face with her hands but almost gave up as her strength abruptly left her if it weren't for a fact that he scooped her hand on both his and put it on his cheek.
"I'm sorry honey, your mama's getting so tired,"
"It's... it's okay mama,"
"More or less... one to two months. Depending on how much she is willing to fight,"
His tears fell without his input. His mother wiped them off gently.
"Be strong always. Alright Tet-chan? Live your life fully,"
At hearing the familiar nickname, his tears poured even more heavily.
"I will..." he whispered.
. . . . .
All day, Kuroko was in a daze. He didn't listen to the discussion, didn't particularly care when he was almost ran over by the students who couldn't see him, nor did he hear any sounds other than the whirling chatter inside his mind.
His mother is dying.
And he couldn't do anything about it.
"...ro..."
Even the doctors couldn't do anything. In this instant, money wasn't an answer.
"...ko!"
Should he stop his information-selling business? But he frankly didn't want to. He was good at it and he liked doing it. Not to mention the huge amount of money he would earn.
Should he? Since in the very first place, he only entered the business largely for his mom's treatment.
"Kuroko!"
He jerked his head up and looked at Kagami-kun directly in the eye.
"Good morning Kagami-kun," he greeted rather calmly considering his chaotic thoughts. His light only gave him a weird yet concerned look.
"Are you okay?" he nodded.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Aside from the fact that mom is dying.
"It's already afternoon Kuroko. It's time for practice. And you're already undressing," Kagami-kun pointed out. It was then he noticed that he was already inside the clubroom, putting his bag on the floor and almost absentmindedly changing his uniform into sport-friendly one. He blinked rapidly at that.
"Oh,"
"Are you sure you're okay? Nothing... happened at your work, right?" his light's eyes drilled into him, as if by doing that he would confess. Normally, he would be able to ignore the intense inquiry in those eyes. He was used to them after all with how much intensity Akashi-kun carried with him even without trying. Actually, with that comparison, Kagami-kun's intense eyes was lost on Akashi-kun's.
But he couldn't.
He didn't.
Not now.
He admitted to himself that as much as he wanted to carry the knowledge to only himself, he wouldn't be able to. He needed someone with him, to at least know the truth. And out of all his friends, Kagami-kun was almost like his confidant. He knew almost everything about him.
Even his job as an informant. Though he only even knew about that since he was messing around his things. But the important thing was he knew.
And that's enough criteria at the moment.
"Mom is dying," he stated, eyes still connected to his light.
Kagami-kun looked stunned. It took him a few seconds before he was able to speak again. "What?" he gasped. "What about the treatments? They were able to give it to your mom right? You paid!"
"Calm down Kagami-kun," he said as he finished changing.
"Calm down? Are you crazy Kuroko?" he could almost hear the gape on Kagami-kun's voice. His lips twitched though he didn't answer. When he was finally finished, he faced his quite impatient and concerned-looking friend and finally answered.
"They did. But mom's illness was spreading rapidly even with it," as he said it, he remembered how sickly his mother looked on her hospital bed and was hit with the desire of wanting to be close to his mother as much as he could before her time came.
Before she could leave him alone.
He shook his head to dispel that out of his thoughts.
"What was your mom's illness? You never told me,"
"Cancer," he simply replied. Kagami-kun kept quiet. He didn't even have to look at his face to know that he would be looking horrified right now. "Stage four," he added.
There was suddenly a pressure on his shoulders and he looked up just to see Kagami-kun's grim face.
"You're excused from practice Kuroko," he blinked at what he had heard.
Excused? Didn't Kagami-kun told him he had to be in-charge of training when he had to leave early yesterday? Besides, he didn't want to leave his responsibility in the club.
So he tilted his head up in confusion, looking at Kagami-kun's warm red eyes looking at him in determination.
"You want to be close to your mom right? Then go on and be with her," he urged.
He looked at his friend, conflicted. Should he take it or not?
He didn't want to leave his responsibility. He's the basketball club vice-captain. He was also their trainer. Lately, he'd been absent-minded because of his job and he wanted to do his best now that his job was finished.
But he also really, really wanted to be with his mother.
He saw Kagami-kun scowling at him. "Go on Kuroko!"
"But-"
"No buts! Besides, you wouldn't be able to concentrate much with this inside your mind. I wouldn't if I was in your situation and I would have wanted to be with my mom every second possible," he said seriously.
Faced with such declaration, Kuroko couldn't help but crumble and nod.
And feel his fondness for his light grow even more.
. . . . .
"Mama," Kuroko simply said as he entered the private room where his mom was.
She looked up from the newspaper she was reading and gave him a warm but tired smile.
"Hi honey..." she greeted him. He came towards her and kissed her on her forehead before sitting on the chair beside her bed.
"Weren't you going to train your teammates?" his mother asked curiously.
"I was going to, but Kagami-kun wanted me to come here," she chuckled when he said this.
He may have an incredibly hard to read facial expression due to the fact that he appeared emotionless but his mother was always able to read him easily. So he knew she had detected how much fondness and appreciation he felt for his light.
"You have a good friend," his mother said with a small smile bit eyes twinkling happily.
"I do," he simply answered.
He noticed the newspaper on her mother's lap and the front page where his mom was obviously reading before he came.
It was, once again, the face of Kudo Shinichi looking smugly at the camera with the caption 'High School Student Detective Solves Another Case' and his full name printed in bold letters.
He stared at the article impassively, his eyes twitching.
His mother apparently saw that small and minute move from the corner of her eyes, looked at where his eyes was looking before chuckling again.
"Kudo-kun isn't that bad Tet-chan," mom commented, taking the newspaper in her hands weakly and reading it again.
He made sure to watch out if his mom got tired of holding the newspaper up on her hands so he could help.
"He isn't mama," he agreed, but his tone of voice was considerably more curt and deadpanned than usual that his mom giggled. Thankfully, she dropped it and just continued reading.
She always did this before anyway, finishing what she had read on the newspaper before doing anything else.
It was true, Kudo-kun wasn't bad. He helped solve crimes. He was extremely intelligent and observant.
But it was his arrogance and smugness that rubbed him the wrong way especially now since it kind of reminded him of the changed Aomine-kun.
Not that he was bothered about it that much. He still didn't know about Kudo-kun personally after all. He would have ignored about Kudo-kun - even though the news usually consists of his face and the crimes he helped solve. The admittedly difficult and challenging cases he handled with seeming ease - if it weren't for the disdain Akashi-kun held for the other.
While he didn't much care about Kudo-kun because after all, he was doing a good service, the rest of his basketball middle school teammates have a say when Kudo-kun appears in every newspaper and television.
Kise-kun admired him, probably next to him and Aomine-kun. Murasakibara-kun didn't even know about the other. No surprise since his mind was probably only wired for food and basketketball. He only ever heard Kudo-kun's name from Aomine-kun before in middle school when he was complaining about his grades. But Akashi-kun...
He didn't like Kudo-kun. He called him "A waste of potential with his uncouth behaviour". How Kudo-kun seemed to like being the center of attention and not thinking about the consequences his fame would bring him.
He had withheld his opinion.
Until he was slowly coming to accept some of Akashi-kun's opinion.
But he didn't have any grudge on the other teen. He was just doing what he thought was best.
It was just too bad he wasn't thinking of any consequences. For an incredibly brilliant high school detective, he still very much think and react like any other teenagers.
He blinked for a second when he saw the newspaper his mom was holding slip from her hands. Startled and feeling as if his heart leapt out of its place, he looked at his mother and at the heart monitor. Seeing it normally functioning, he eased and calmed himself down.
His mom was only sleeping.
He took the newspaper and set it on the bedside table before arranging his mom so she could sleep more peacefully.
He'll stay there at the moment watching over her until the time for visitation is up.
TBC.
A/N:
I couldn't sleep. So instead, I wrote this. And it just came so naturally it was amazing.
Anyway, how was this chapter?
Comment people! ;D
