Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
Welcome to Chapter 6, I hope you like it :)
I've Been Here the Whole Time
Chapter 6
Kuroko made it all the way through third period the next day before he was struck by a sense that he was being watched. He made no obvious motion in response, but silently sent out small tendrils of energy to evaluate the potential threat. He was unsurprised to recognize the energy signature as that of the Messenger, however Kuroko was definitely puzzled by the blatant, yet passive, observation – it was not at all like the other to do such a thing. While he kept his guard up, without a more direct threat there was little he could do. Kuroko reached out with his senses to check on Nigou. The puppy was following Kise with the goal to subtly direct him toward the gym that afternoon and all seemed fine on that front.
He considered his options carefully before deciding to slip out of the classroom. There was no danger of being noticed as his classmates and teachers constantly forgot he was there anyway. Kuroko could feel the Messenger trailing him as he moved through the corridors and he was clearly amused by Kuroko's actions. Kuroko decided to head to the roof for this confrontation and made his way there swiftly.
When he closed the door that lead to the roof and turned around, he saw the Messenger waiting for him. He'd taken Haizaki's body again and it made Kuroko flinch. The kitsune noticed his reaction and smiled. It wasn't even close to friendly.
"I told you he made a good vessel. Does it really disturb you so greatly to see me in this body? I suppose I could switch to another form out of regard for your feelings." The Messenger's borrowed form shimmered and he easily assumed another's appearance. The speed with which he transformed told Kuroko that the Messenger wasn't being particularly careful with his host's body; Haizaki would be exhausted later and he wouldn't even know why. That concern was quickly driven from his mind as he took in the new visage the Messenger had chosen. It was the body of the warrior-priest that had betrayed Kuroko and led to his exile.
As he saw the other's choice and replied to the kitsune, Kuroko's voice was absolutely empty yet the warning was understood nonetheless. "You are of course free to take whatever form you wish, that is your privilege. But if this encounter is not meant to lead to an immediate battle between us, I would advise you take a less provocative form for the duration."
The kitsune laughed in response. "You've completely lost your sense of humor, Kuroko-sama. Not that it was ever very strong to begin with. Very well then." He abandoned that manifestation and took on a body that Kuroko didn't particularly recognize, but he was perfectly acquainted with both the hostility in the eyes and the powerful aura surrounding the other.
"Better, Kuroko-sama? It isn't like you to be so obvious with your reactions – it quite gives away your sore points you know. I'm not sure all of this time in the human realm is good for you, it appears to be robbing you of one of your strengths." The playful malice in the Messenger's words grated on Kuroko's nerves and he could feel his temper rising.
Despite his irritation, Kuroko's reply was calm. "You know I don't want to meet with Susanoo. There is no point in your continuing to be here."
The Messenger's answer was laden with a faux-sympathy. "Naturally I understand your position, however I'm afraid I will have to disagree. I'm here on specific orders as a matter of fact. I decided to offer you a last warning, or perhaps courtesy, by visiting. Susanoo's instructed me to…distract you, Kuroko-sama. By which he means for me to force you to use your reserves more quickly and return to our home. I'm sure you know the purpose of that."
Kuroko nodded. "I do. But even if you succeed in making me return, you can't force me to meet with Susanoo."
There was a sly expression in the Messenger's eyes as he looked as his rival. "Well, not as such, no...we can't force you to see him. And yet Susanoo wishes for you to return. Badly enough to direct me here to hurry things along, in fact. So would you really expect he doesn't anticipate you won't want to go see him when you eventually return? Think of your history together, Kuroko-sama, maybe you'll understand then."
It didn't take long for Kuroko to grasp the implications and his lips thinned with angered frustration. "An aura blockade, then? To prevent me from returning to this realm until I see him?"
A cheerful nod was offered in acknowledgement. "I'll admit it's a dirty trick, but times being what they are…a kami's got to do what a kami's got to do. While you could, of course, just pout and stubbornly refuse to confront him and simply stay in the kami world, we both know there's a problem with that plan. Your artificial human consciousness would eventually take over that body completely and events would play out similarly to the original timeline you sought to interrupt; especially now that you're so close to getting the other one to join the team. You could avoid all that, of course, if you'd just hear him out. It really would save everyone so much trouble."
In that moment Kuroko felt an almost overwhelming wave of fatigue overtake him and he swayed lightly before looking at the Messenger with astonishment. The calmly ruthless expression in the other's eyes warned Kuroko that he had been unforgivably careless – the Messenger's attack had already begun.
His voice was filled with a quiet contempt as he dispassionately observed the shadow's reaction to the energy drain. "You've definitely lost your edge, Kuroko-sama. I would never have been able to do this before, let alone so easily. I truly don't understand what Susanoo sees in you anymore, however I know my obligations and I fulfill them. You will return to the other realm; from there, it's up to you how long you hold out."
As Kuroko felt his reserves rapidly draining he took a risk and used some of the precious remainder of his powers to contact Nigou with a message. It was the last thing he had energy for before he collapsed into unconsciousness on the roof. He could feel the violent separation of his shadow self from his mortal body as he was flung back into the kami realm – it was one of the safeguards set in place to protect shadow spirits if they became too weak to return home by their own power, but it could also be used as a weapon against them in cases like this one.
When he passed through the barrier into the spirit world, Kuroko immediately felt two competing sensations. The first was the flood of energy rushing back into his system as he was automatically connected to the reservoir of this world. The second was a sharp clamp on his aura that told him Susanoo's barrier had already been set up. He was back at full power, but it was useless in terms of something like interdimensional transport until Susanoo lifted the restriction.
The Messenger was patiently waiting nearby for him to get his bearings again; he had no need to attack Kuroko any further now that he was back in this realm. When Kuroko sighed quietly, it was an acknowledgment that he had grossly underestimated the Messenger who had probably instigated the energy drain when he first let Kuroko know of his presence. The kitsune smiled, he understood the compliment the sound conveyed. The two of them had been enemies for far too long to be immune to recognizing when one of them had the upper hand and for now, it was his turn.
"Welcome home, Kuroko-sama. What will you do now?" While the Messenger was currently ahead in their ongoing rivalry, his voice was strangely neutral at the moment, at most it held a mild curiosity. Perhaps it was awareness that this was just another round in their contentious relationship and the next time might well be Kuroko's victory. Or maybe it was something else entirely, but what mattered more was the understanding that was born of their centuries of fighting one another – the Messenger knew that no matter how stubborn Kuroko was and wanted to avoid seeing Susanoo, he cared about those humans more than his own pride and he would give in. It was just a question of when that would be.
For all that Kuroko was energized from the return; he felt burdened with the weight of knowing what came next and answered tiredly. "Over two thousand years of avoiding the reunion and I get trapped by a damned fox on a school rooftop. There's a lesson here, but I'll worry about it later. Very well, let's go meet Susanoo."
The kitsune chuckled. "Sometimes I could almost like you, Kuroko-sama. If we weren't enemies, that is."
Kuroko didn't reply. There wasn't really anything he could say. The Messenger merely shrugged and by unspoken agreement they began making their way to Susanoo's home. It took only moments to travel there – both of them were skilled spirits after all. Kuroko stared impassively at the building when he manifested in front of it; he was more than familiar with this place for all that it had been a very long time since he'd been here. The kitsune appeared next to him and they entered together before proceeding to Susanoo's receiving room.
They were ushered in quickly and it did not escape Kuroko's notice that no other retainers were present. This was a private meeting, then. He didn't know what to make of that and so after making his bow to his former master, he waited silently. The only sound was the echo of the waves from the ocean beyond the window.
A brief stillness was maintained before Susanoo finally laughed. "It would seem you have not lost your nerve, Kuroko. I admit I am surprised you were bested so quickly, but it suits my purpose." He turned toward the Messenger. "Thank you for your work. Please wait outside until I call you again."
The other spirit nodded and exited, leaving Kuroko alone with Susanoo. The two of them observed each other; while their appearances were technically unchanged through the centuries they were clearly different from the last time they'd met. After a moment Susanoo indicated with a wave that he should sit across from him and Kuroko accepted the invitation. Refreshments appeared in the space between them and still without speaking they began to fill plates and cups with the easy familiarity they'd earned too many millennia ago to really be able to count. While Kuroko had not arrived willingly, they both knew that Susanoo would not harm him there – the storm lord was many things but he had his own brand of honor.
"Why?" Susanoo's eventual question was soft and to anyone else it might have seemed impossibly vague, but Kuroko knew exactly what he was asking. Why hadn't Kuroko returned to Susanoo after Hachiman threw him out? Why had he instead waited centuries to gain enough strength to seek out a place with Seidai Myojin? Why was he again making such a poor choice by trying to save these humans?
Despite knowing that Susanoo would ask this, it still took Kuroko a few moments to gather his thoughts. He hadn't really envisioned ever having to speak to Susanoo again, which in retrospect had been foolishly naïve. Although he did not have to answer Susanoo, they both knew he would. "At first, it was all I could do to stay alive. There were few thoughts or instincts beyond simply making it to the next moment. Certainly there was no energy to waste on planning to return anywhere. I existed, and that was all I knew. Once I got past that stage I did consider returning here, but something inside me had changed. I know you weren't informed that I was going to be cast out without a chance to find a new contract first. Lord Hachiman was completely clear and calm when he explained what he was going to do in response to my failure."
Susanoo interrupted him here, "Then why didn't you come back? I would have reinstated you – the only reason you were sent there in the first place was my hope you'd realize you wanted to work here again. You didn't have to work solely in the violent storms, you know. My domain is more expansive than that."
Kuroko looked up at Susanoo before he continued. "I wouldn't be able to avoid it and I would have grown resentful of myself and you. I didn't want to do this again. Or, perhaps more accurately, I didn't want to let myself do this again. It's something I miss, but for whatever the reason, I am attached to the humans. I can't see them as collateral damage in the chaos of the storms and seas any longer yet I would have easily been caught back up in the cycle. Despite that, I am still competitive and can't completely separate myself from that part of my nature. Once I was strong enough to plan, I knew I needed a different direction. It wasn't until Seidai Myojin was given dominion over athletes that I wondered if I could…repurpose myself."
The storm lord looked at him for a long moment before flatly commenting, "You're not going to come back, are you?"
Kuroko closed his eyes briefly. "I can't. And you don't need me. It's just the curiosity of my survival that's held your attention."
"I am sorry to hear you say that, Kuroko. I value you for far more than your status as a collectible. Despite this absurd limit you've currently set on yourself, you were always one of my strongest and most valued allies and if I didn't make that clear enough for you to consider coming back here, I apologize. Still, 'never' is a long time even for one of us. The offer remains open, but for now I won't force it. The other reason I wanted to speak with you is to give you a warning. While Mayuzumi's punishment ended several centuries ago, this is the first time you have been so exposed since then. I have heard rumors he plans to come after you, possibly through these humans you're trying to protect. And don't underestimate him, Kuroko. Mayuzumi has trained with several kami since his release to prepare for this encounter."
Of all the things Kuroko might have expected to hear from Susanoo that was among the absolute last he would have guessed. The name brought up a wave of painful memories, perhaps spurred by the Messenger's so recent assumption of his form. Mayuzumi Chihiro…the warrior that had deceived him and set in motion so many unhappy events. Kuroko had been told by some well-meaning colleague that after Kuroko had been exiled, Mayuzumi had been tried before a court of the kami for breaking his agreement with Kuroko. Ida-ten, the god of law and justice, had defended Kuroko in absentia and was in large part responsible for why Kuroko hadn't been permanently banned from the kami realm altogether when it had been brought to light he'd somehow survived the expulsion.
Mayuzumi had been found guilty and sent to a spirit prison for several centuries. He'd still been there when Kuroko had finally found his way into Seidai Myojin's service, so Kuroko was not terribly surprised to hear that the other was angry. Mayuzumi had gained what he wanted when he'd betrayed Kuroko; he'd taken the powers of a shadow spirit for himself rather than help his people as a mortal. With it he'd gained the same long-life that Kuroko and his brethren had, and he'd also become subject to the laws of the kami realm, including punishment at their discretion.
Kuroko was silent as he considered this information. He didn't need further complications but he would have to deal with Mayuzumi at some point. "Thank you for the warning. I will have to give this some thought."
Susanoo smiled and it was tinged with both pride and regret. "You have changed. You are more cautious now than you used to be."
"Today's events notwithstanding, I usually am. May I assume that you and the Messenger won't be interfering after today, then?"
The storm lord nodded. "Well, not officially anyway, although I am still curious as to why they are so important to you. I had plans to get your attention through Aomine if you didn't return soon, however the Messenger was more efficient than I anticipated. The feud between the two of you is far beyond my orders, though. He may well decide to occasionally cause trouble for you, that's part of who he is."
"I'm aware." The answer, so laconically delivered, prompted another but more genuine smile from Susanoo.
"He wouldn't tell me the origin of your dispute with one another. I suspect you won't either, hmm?"
Kuroko shrugged and shook his head. "One day it might need to be shared. Not today, though."
This signaled it was time for a change in topic and they managed to stay fairly amicable with one another. They had much to catch up on, after all. But there were a few tense moments when their opinions clashed. Finally they wound around to Kuroko's current project. Susanoo, like so many others who had heard of Kuroko going to the human world, was puzzled by his actions.
Susanoo's next question might have seemed idle, yet they both knew it wasn't. "And how far will you go to save your humans, Kuroko? Mayuzumi's been on both the human and shadow side of the powers now; he could probably get at least one of them interested in a similar plan to what he pulled with you. Will you really risk so much for them? It's just a game, after all."
Kuroko's lips twisted into a something that might have been a smile if it wasn't carrying so much unhappiness. "Knowing Mayuzumi might enter the fray doesn't really change anything; I already had to win with all five of them. It's a game, yes, and it's more than that. The gifts they have are who they are. I'm not just saving five athletes so that they can keep playing basketball. That's what they'll do in the short term, and then it's so much more. They'll inspire others; they'll grow from here and go on to do amazing things with the skills and confidence they acquire. But not if it is taken away from them or becomes too great a burden. As for how far I'll go, I don't know my limit, Susanoo."
Susanoo waited to see if Kuroko would continue but it seemed he was finished. So he asked something else. "Do you remember your origin, Kuroko?" Not all shadows could, however Kuroko was stronger than most.
Kuroko looked at him and nodded. "I remember a moment of stillness before erupting from a typhoon and immediately grabbing hold of the wind. It was dark in the cyclone and then I was both a part of it and beyond it."
Susanoo smiled. "Yes. You were part of a special cohort; something like you'd call your Kiseki no Sedai in fact. I'm one of the few kami that even remember such things now, but I suspect it's why you had the strength to survive your exile. It is in your nature, more so than most of the shadows in my service, to find affinity with powerful forces – it was how you came to be, after all. However, as with all such dynamics, there can't be a constant embattlement, it's not sustainable. So perhaps your determination to help these humans is the other side of that coin. It doesn't really matter; I can tell you are set on this course."
Kuroko pondered the storm lord's words for a few minutes. He hadn't really questioned why he was this way. He knew at some point he'd veered away from the collective shadows in service to Susanoo, yet it had been something of a mystery as to why he began to question those policies; force and power, the elements of victory, made them the strongest and therefor absolute – so why did Kuroko grow uneasy? Perhaps there was no simple answer to the question, but it reflected the same pattern he saw time and again in the athletes he had been watching over for so many centuries.
"Will you void the barrier and let me return, then?"
Susanoo stared at him for a long moment and there was nothing in his expression to give away his thoughts. Finally he answered his former servant. "I would like for you to stay. I can tell you are going to do something foolish. Yet another part of me wants to see what happens. I will lift the barrier so you may return. Be as careful as you can and don't forget what you are, Kuroko. They think you're a weakling with one unique talent and if you don't keep them in line they'll forget you exist before you even have a chance to show them this path you want for them."
Kuroko bowed with a sincere level of respect to him before answering. "Thank you. I understand and I will do my best."
He left and passed along Susanoo's permission for the Messenger to reenter. The kitsune looked at him consideringly before he reentered the room. "I knew you still wouldn't return to his service. I don't understand it, but I knew it. I assume that since you are leaving Susanoo has endorsed your little project but that changes nothing between us. I'm not relinquishing Haizaki completely. I'll be keeping tabs on you."
His quiet reply, tinged with resignation and weariness, followed the Messenger into the room. "I would expect nothing less." It was sometimes difficult for even the two of them to remember that they had once been friends. That had been long ago, though, before the Messenger had lost his name and Kuroko had fallen from grace. Whatever name the Messenger had adopted for himself after that had been entrusted only to Susanoo. And Kuroko couldn't blame him really. Hadn't his own misplaced trust ruined things, in its own way?
It wasn't the time or the place to indulge such sentiments, though. Kuroko needed to get back to the human realm. If his message had gotten through to Nigou then hopefully the younger shadow would have been able to move his mortal body out of the way. It wouldn't do for the unconscious form to be found on the roof, but he would deal with it if he needed to.
He took a bracing breath. So many things to juggle and today had only added to the circus. But he would handle it; it was his job to do so after all. He felt the loosening of the restriction as he approached the barrier and set his course to realign with his mortal body. Kuroko was relieved that when he opened his eyes he was in his home with Nigou standing guard – the message had gone through, then.
At Nigou's anxious bark of inquiry, Kuroko began recounting the events of the day. When he finished he asked about Kise. Nigou confirmed that Kise had gone back to the gym today and he'd joined the team. The blond had been placed on the second string, but it was clear he would rapidly ascend. Kuroko sighed in relief, that was something at least.
Because he'd missed so much of the day he had to do some damage control. First he'd sent Akashi and Aomine an apologetic text saying he'd been ill and that's why he'd missed practice; the redhead had offered wishes for a speedy recovery and to be kept informed if he needed anything while Aomine sympathized. Then he completed the homework for his first three classes; he would have to get the notes from someone else for the lessons he'd missed. He wasn't particularly worried about not doing the assignments, he'd set himself up to be a fairly average student anyway.
Sleep eluded Kuroko for most of the night. He stared at the ceiling and considered his options – he didn't like any of them. It would be a long while before he finally fell asleep and Nigou watched worriedly as Kuroko slept fitfully. He wasn't truly afraid that Kuroko would fail; however, having talked with other shadows as they passed through the area and gathering snippets of gossip from them, Nigou had a much better understanding of not only Kuroko's reputation but also the gravity of the situation at hand. It wasn't going to be easy, by any means. Sleep may have eventually claimed him as well, yet there was nothing peaceful about it.
The two shadows would both awake feeling worse for wear, and Kuroko's somewhat haggard appearance added credence to his claim of being ill. But there was no less determination in him today than there had been before. He'd meant every word of his conversation with Susanoo and his goal was, as always, tied to the progress of the Kiseki no Sedai and what they represented – for both the present and the future.
