DISCLAIMER: I don't own KnB.

In the end, Kagami's intuition had been right.

It was past four in the morning when he was roused from his sleep by the voice of Akashi barking orders to Aomine and Murasakibara. Kagami found it surprising at first that the two were compliant immediately, knowing they both have a streak of laziness.

Heavy steps pranced from the kitchen and to the other part of the house where Akashi's and Midorima's rooms were located. It was when the redhead heard a foreign voice that was of a middle-age man. He only caught pieces of get a hot water and fresh towels. He decided to look for the commotion, intrigued that he almost heard the usually composed leader edging in frustration.

When Kagami walked up to them, he gulped.

Midorima was laid on a futon with his bare torso. His pale skin was marred with a deep red cut running from his left shoulder down the abdomen. The metallic smell of blood was strong at that point. Kagami realized that the unknown man he heard was a doctor in his white lab gown. The surgeon ushered the three out of the room after he told them he would begin stitching Midorima up.

Kagami absentmindedly backed on the wall outside, trying to process the situation.

"W-What happened?" Kagami demanded once Akashi had closed the door. "Fuck, he's going to be okay, right?"

"I found him in that state," Aomine answered for him. He might look unperturbed, but there were unmistakable worried glances he was throwing at the closed door. He refused to speak more.

Kagami directed his gaze towards the giant; still no answer.

"It's a long story," Akashi said with finality, not leaving a room for more questions.

Kagami snapped.

"Are you telling me it's not of my business?" The taller redhead asked incredulously. "And I'm the only one who doesn't have any idea!"

Nobody even bat an eye at his outburst.

Nor did they say anything.

If there was anything Kagami hated the most, it was being left out in the dark. His fists clenched hard, fingernails digging to his palms. He did not even know if he had the right to be angry at them for keeping their mouth shut at times like these.

Or maybe he was also just as frustrated as them as to not being able to be of any help at all.

So much for being called part of them.

The three watched silently at Kagami's retreating back.

"Do you think it's a good idea to keep it from the guy?" Aomine inquired.

"Taiga is hot-headed. We don't know what he's capable of once he learned the truth," Akashi supplied calmly. "Especially, if he also found out we had taken with us the man who injured Shintaro. And speaking of him..." He stared pointedly at Murasakibara. "Is he awake?"

"Yoshimura? Ah, knocked out in the basement," Murasakibara replied in his usual tone.

"Good." Akashi smirked at that. "I'll personally deal with him later.

I'll make sure he regret being kept alive."

It was after some hours when the surgeon emerged, making the three stood up from their position.

"How is he?"

The doctor removed his surgical gloves, wiping the sweat that had formed on top of his eyebrows. "He isn't on the grave side anymore. Although I cannot guarantee his consciousness any later, he will be fine in a few weeks rest."

They shared relieved looks.

"Thank you very much for your help, Kakei-san." Akashi dipped his head curtly.

The doctor smiled earnestly, shaking his head. "Anytime. Oh, by the way," he paused, remembering something. "Who give the first aid to him?

Aomine frowned. "He was already bandaged when I found him."

"What did you say, Daiki?"

"That wasn't my first concern, alright." The blue-haired man scratched his head. "Midorima was already out in the cold and his shirt was soaked with dried blood, you know what would be the priority."

The doctor cut them. "Ah, it wasn't a bad thing. If anything, it was of great help. If not for the bandages, there would be a possible case of infection. Aside from stopping the bleeding for a time, some of the tissues wove themselves back, especially the minimal tears. And because of it, the stitches needed are reduced. I must hand it to that person. Whoever it was, I must say he's an expert paramedic."

Kagami slipped from the house after the doctor had assured them of Midorima's safety. Murasakibara was in-charged of escorting the surgeon back to his clinic. If by any chance Akashi had seen him going out, the latter did not say anything.

It was six in the morning when Kagami found himself wandering in the streets. Somehow, hunger hadn't settled yet. He thought that his mind was probably too occupied at the moment to even think of food.

What he would like were explanations, at least.

Kagami's hands itched for a basketball when he spotted a nearby court. The sport was the other thing serving as a stress reliever for him, aside from eating.

He recalled his movements back then, when he was playing for their school way back in high school. Although there were often misunderstanding with his teammates, due to them being from different nations (he attended an international school), his days with them were fun. Having his surrogate brother as his rival was also exciting, since for once they played as opponents, compared always being together in a team when they were younger.

A year before he entered high school, he was introduced to the world of Yakuza when his father had taken him back to Japan for a month. Back then, he remembered taking a glimpse of Nijimura when he was freshly appointed as the head of the Teiko group. It was during also the time when Kagami's father resigned from being their accountant.

When he attended college, he expected his brother to be with him. Unfortunately, the latter decided to go back to his homeland, and planned to stay for good until he finish his own degree. He told Kagami he might as well hunt for their mentor they hadn't seen for almost a decade.

No more communication between them after that.

Kagami's five years in the university were like a fragment of his memory. The course he had taken were not really of much difficulty since cooking had been a hobby from his teenage years; the third thing he was passionate enough to do. Besides, in culinary, practical skills were of more use than high intelligence, which he knew he lacks.

He did not put his degree into proper use after he graduated. Instead, he was sent to be an apprentice in the group based in States where his father had started serving for. Apparently, the head and his old man were childhood friends. The small group was composed of Japanese men, and half-race as well. Kagami did not have much trouble to fit in.

Until that happened.

That...

Huh?

Wait... What happened?

Kagami stopped dribbling right before he was supposed to jump for a dunk. He thought it was weird to suddenly have his memory blocked as he was having brief flashbacks.

He was still wondering about the continuation when his stomach grumbled.

The good thing was, fast food chains were already open at seven in the morning. In between munching his triple order of breakfast set, his eyebrows would scrunch together occasionally, trying to think of what he had forgotten.

Okay, since he wasn't on any accident before, there was no way he would have an amnesia. Or maybe his brain had too much air in it that his memory had a blow or something?

Perhaps too much cheeseburgers? Softdrinks had finally corroded his brain then?

No, that's stupid.

At least, he knew.

Kagami sighed, lamenting shortly at his mental capacity when he noticed through the glass walls of Maji a small kindergarten facing it right at the other side of the road. But it wasn't what caught his attention.

It was those three men who were hovering over someone small that Kagami couldn't see whoever it was. The redhead was highly alert when one of the three patted the menacing-looking baseball bat with him. The man in the middle waved something like a paper in front of the person they were bullying.

Kagami decided to check it up.

"I will say this again and again: this land is our territory. We don't want a bunch of stinky kids crowding it."

Kuroko was impassive. "This land is mine so I can do anything I want with it."

The man in dreadlocks snarled. "Don't you see this fucking paper? It's the title of this land saying it belongs to me." He pointed his index finger at Kuroko. "And you, shrimp, should get out of my property."

Kuroko's eyes glanced at the supposedly land title waved in front of him. "Sorry, whoever owns the real land title should be the owner."

"You're saying this is fake, huh?!"

"I believe I'm clear in implying that."

"Boss, this one has good eyes," the one on the left whispered to their leader. "We can't fool him with this."

"Heh. Let's see if you can put those eyes of yours into good use when you get a taste of this!"

Kuroko gritted his teeth in pain when he found himself fallen on his butt. He hissed silently when he felt a warm liquid trickling down the side of his face.

"Ha! What a weak bastard. You're all talk, can't even fight."

"Wait, boss." The small one grabbed a hold of the other's arm. "What if we get caught here by the police doing rounds?"

"Che, let them!" He pried his arm. "We have to teach this little shit a lesson first." He gestured at the one holding a wooden bat. "Do it."

Kuroko closed his eyes to brace from the impact.

Except that it never came.

"Fucking freaks!" He heard someone yelled before the guy who was about to hit him was thrown aside by a kick.

Kuroko was watching with awe as a tall redhead disposed of the three swiftly. Kuroko was no martial arts expert, but he could confidently say the man was good and was well-trained.

There was also something familiar with his hair and fierce eyes.

When the man succeeded into scaring the three away, with them promising a painful revenge albeit cowardly retreating, he turned his attention to Kuroko, crouching to his position. "Hey, you alr－Ah! It's you!"

Kuroko blinked. "Pardon?"

The man gasped. "The one with the hell dog!" He looked around wearily. "I-It's not with you, right?!"

For someone who could kick asses, the man looks frightful at the thought of Nigou around.

It clicked at Kuroko's head. "You're the man from yesterday Nigou had taken a liking."

"Will you please don't put it that way? It's creepy." He shuddered.

"Sorry. I wasn't aware you fear dogs."

"Who fears dogs?! You－Argh! Before you insult me, do something with that wound of yours!"

Kuroko's hand ran over his forehead, his fingers stained with red when he retracted it. "Now that you mention it..."

"Dammit, you're bleeding and yet you're too calm! What the hell, man?"

"Stranger-san is just worked up over nothing. I'll go to the infirmary before the kids come."

"Yeah, yeah. Do it. And don't call me Stranger-san, it's－"

There was a huge splash of water thrown right at the man's face.

A browned-haired female ran towards Kuroko with a pail on her hands. "Kuroko-kun, are you alright?!" she asked worriedly, panting. She stared worriedly at his wound, then glanced angrily at the stranger who was coughing out the water. "I'll report that man to the police when Hyuuga arrived."

Kuroko shook his head vehemently. "It's a misunderstanding, Riko-san. That person is the one who helped me. "

"Eh?!"

Kagami sighed as he was left alone by the woman whose name he learned was Riko. He was nearing in irritation at her profuse apology, saying it wasn't her intention to be rude to someone who just helped her friend.

It did not helped that she mentioned he was suspicious-looking himself.

He fumed to himself when he picked up the clean gray shirt of his size. It was offered to him after his own was thoroughly soaked. Riko said she would dry his wet attire, as her compensation to her action earlier.

"A tiger."

Kagami's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Dammit! Don't just sneak up on me like that."

"I wasn't sneaking. I've been here when Riko-san left, but you didn't notice."

The taller man growled. "If you can do that invisible thingy, why didn't you use it to those guys who bothered you? You're practically a ghost, for goodness sake."

"Contrary to your belief, I'm not a ghost." Kagami looked at the pale man who was now wearing a yellow apron with cute drawings of tiger faces; a white square gauze covering his injury. "It's called misdirection, but I can't use it when the attention is directed towards me."

"What a useless ability."

"Not really, because it's fun scaring people like Stranger-san." The way it was said make Kagami think the man was a sadist.

"You're crazy. And it's Kagami... Kagami Taiga."

The pale man smiled. "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya, by the way. A kindergarten teacher with Riko-san and three more people here. This place was passed down to me by my grandmother. We're from a family of teachers, you see. Though my parents are university professors, I decided teach students of different age group."

"Must be nice," Kagami muttered. "So what's the deal with those guys?"

"They've been insisting I leave the place. At first, they were harmless Yakuzas, just threatening. Until now."

"Yakuza, huh? They even dare call themselves that." Kagami scoffed. "They're terrible, don't you think? Yakuzas, I mean."

Kuroko did not answer for a while, blinking his blue eyes. "Not everyone. Kagami-kun, for example."

Kagami raised an eyebrow. "You know?"

"Your tattoo at the back gave it."

"Ah, that." Kagami had the urge to scratch it. "I have it even before I become one." He sighed. "That girl was right then when she said I look suspicious."

"It's not that. But I must agree to her, though."

"It's fine without the last statement, you know?" The redhead grunted. "What is it then?"

"The way you fend them off. Like someone who is used to fighting, but not to the extent obsessed with violence. Like..." he trailed off. "...A knight."

Kagami turned away instantly when he felt his cheeks heating up. "You say embarrassing things," he grumbled.

Kuroko reasoned unhelpfully, "It's my way of thanking, Kagami-kun."

TBC