CHAPTER 5

Kagami and Kuroko return back home as soon as their meal ended in Maji's.

"I'll let you stay here for the whole duration of our deal. You can have the room you used yesterday." Kagami said. "For the mean time, we'll talk about your parents and your usual hangouts. In that way, we can easily narrow down places. Got that?"

Kuroko nods but sneezes in the process, making the teen eye him suspiciously. "Were you sleeping in the streets until now?"

"...Hai..."

"How about home? You have a home right?"

"I do... but..."

"You're one handful kid, you know?" He sighs. "Follow me to the bathroom. I'll set up a bath so that you could clean yourself."

Kuroko stops at the doorway of the bathroom, watching Kagami take a soap and a shampoo from the drawer. The older teen places it beside the shower.

"You can do it by yourself, right?" Kagami asked. He receives a silent nod from the bluenet. "I'll fetch you a shirt and a towel then." With that, Kagami leaves the boy to his own devices.

He heads inside his rooms and begin scavenging the smallest shirt he owns in his drawer, but gets disappointed when the shirt he found was still large for the kid. Oh well, might as well go for safety pins.He takes an untouched towel inside another drawer and retrieves the safety pins from his bedside table before returning to the bathroom.

"Hey Kuroko, are you done? I got yo—"

Kagami felt the words he was going to say die at the end of his tongue, because right at that moment, he saw purple, etched like a paint on the boy's skin. Kuroko's back was bare for him to see the extent of his bruises that it was painful to look at it.

Kuroko notices his presence and jolts once he realizes that his back was on to him. He hid himself to the shower curtain. Kagami saw Kuroko clutch the curtain harder while his face remains devoid of emotion. But Kagami knows those eyes were anything but. They were scared.

He immediately remembers what had transpired a week ago when he found him. Kagami knew he vaguely saw some bruises in his person that night. The doctor even mentioned it after he brought him to the hospital.

"I-I'm sorry. Come on here, I'll dry you." Kagami said as kneels down, and dries him off upon his approaching. He dones the shirt to his small body, trying hard not to stare at the bruises peeking out from the shirt. Kagami could feel his anger rising, not towards Kuroko, but to the person who caused this thing to happen.

The boy is six for crying out loud!

"K-Kagami-niissan...? Are you okay?" his voice came soft with a tinge of fear in it that immediately snaps him out of his thought. He must be looking murderous already...

"Was this the reason you left?" Kagami asked.

Kuroko fiddles with his fingers and even when his back turned against him, Kagami could feel the scowl marring his young face. Kagami sighed. It's way too early to ask...

"Sorry... Forget that I asked." Kagami said. "There, you're done."

The shirt proved to be too big on his person, but nonetheless, young Kuroko thanked the red-head. Kagami made a mental note to ask a certain teammate for extra clothes for children. Kuroko still looked slightly anxious, which might have been because of his question. He then tried to shift his attention to something else.

"So, what do they look like? Your parents, I mean." Kagami said.

Kuroko takes the bait and relaxes. For a bit. "Everyone says that Mama and I are very alike in appearance because Papa has black hair."

"Okay, what else? Their names?"

"Kuroko Yoru and Kuroko Tetsumi."

"Where do you always go?"

"The park."

"Do you know where it is?"

Kuroko shakes his head, "No. But I remember a basketball court beside it."

"A basketball court..." Kagami remembered the said court not too far away from here. It was where they had played streetball with the other schools back then. "I know that place. That's where we'll begin."

"When will we go Kagami-niisan?"

"Well, you can't go out looking like that so maybe tomorrow. Just sleep today or something." Kagami said with a shake of his hand.

"Okay." Kuroko said. "May I sleep here?"

"Oh sure. Go ahead." Kagami watched the boy curl down beside him. He looks up to Kagami with those doe-like eyes innocently. "Somethin' on my face kid?"

Kuroko shakes his head, "Will Kagami-niisan be gone when I wake up?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I won't." He said. "Go to sleep already. I think you're really out of it."

Kuroko doesn't understand Kagami's last statement but decided to heed his suggestion. A few seconds of silence later, barely audible snores fills the quiet air.

Kagami gently places a hand over his blue-locks and says, "Sleep well."

Kuroko finds himself in his new room when he woke up. He slid off his bed and goes for the door while rubbing his eyes.

"I'm sorry for the short notice, Mitobe-senpai. I swear I'll pay you back for these... Thanks. See you tomorrow too."

Kuroko carefully sticks his head out to the living room just as Kagami had closed the door. A moment later, he sees Kagami walk into the living room carrying a paper bag.

"Kagami-niisan?"

The red head barely held his cuss in his tongue and tried not to glare at the boy. Tried. "God Kuroko, stop caring me like that!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Kagami-niisan..." apologized the boy. Kagami dismissed it quickly, finding it useless to scare him again, and instead, ushers the boy close to him.

"This bag," Kagami started while pointing the paper bag on the table. "is full of clothes. It's all yours." Kuroko opened his mouth as if he was going to say something but closes it immediately. Kagami sighs, feeling this will be a common occurrence between them in the following days. "Tell whatever you want, Kuroko. I won't get angry or something."

"I have no money Kagami-niisan. I can't pay you..." said Kuroko

"Kuroko, I'm not charging you for anything." Kagami frowned.

"But... I'm not worthy of any gifts."

"Okay, you're getting too dramatic. As I said, you can have these, and you'll have these. You can't wander around dressed like that because you look ridiculous. If you're worried about where I got these clothes, I called my teammate who has a bunch of sibling. You can pay him back as soon as we find your parents. Clear?" Kagami said.

"Okay..."

"Good. Now come on, food's getting cold."

Kuroko gave one last glance at the paper bag before heading to the dining table. Kagami started chowing his food down as soon as he sat while Kuroko stares at the curry before him. Again, Kagami is confuse.

"Uh, what? Do you want me to feed you?"

He shakes his head, eyes casted down.

"Speak up kid. We're not going to get anything if you're always like that." He said with disappointment in his voice. "If you're suspicious that I've put something in your food, then I'll cook something else."

He shakes his head again but this time, he looks up to Kagami and tilted his head, "Is... this mine, Kagami-niisan?"

"Yeah, isn't it obvious?" Kagami heaved a heavy sigh. This boy is a weird one...

He thanks the red head and proceeds to eat. Color rises up to his cheeks. A small smile formed in his lips, "It's yummy, Kagami-nissan."

Kagami blushed and turns away from Kuroko, "Just eat up..."

When they finished their meal, Kagami stands and gathers the plates in his hands. Kuroko followed suit in a—somewhat frantic way. Kagami was about to stop the boy when plate slides off his tiny fingers to the floor, shattering the fragile object upon impact. In that moment, the red head saw how Kuroko goes automatic; he kneels down and gathers the sharp pieces in his hands without care of injuring himself.

Kagami immediately grabs his hands.

"Look at what you did!" Kuroko closed his eyes. "Your hands are bleeding!"

Kagami sits him on the chair while saying "Wait there." before fetching a first aid kit in one of the kitchen drawers and a clean wet towel. The red head comes back and daps the towel gently on his injured skin.

"Good thing it's just scratches, but god, it's bleeding too much."

"I-I'm sorry Kagami-niisan. I didn't mean it. I promise. I'm sorry..." Kuroko looks hysterical and it's making Kagami worried. What in the world happened to this boy?

Kagami gripped Kuroko's small hands a little tighter which caught his attention somehow. Fear have been his eyes, clouding those innocent blue circles."Look at me, Kuroko. It's just a plate—

It's only a plate. There's a lot of it in the house. I'm not mad." Kagami felt a bit victorious as Kuroko's eyes began clearing up. "Don't cry. No-one's going to hurt you. You're safe here. I promise."

Promise.