WAIT! I'm so sorry everybody! Please don't hurt me(*EEP! Ducks flying projectiles*)...

Yeah...I know that there was no excuse for not delivering to you amazing people, so I come with a peace offering... Here is the long overdue chapter you have been waiting for. Thank you for your patience, kudos, and touching reviews /comments. Anywho...I hope you enjoy this chapter and it meets your expectations. :-D

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(Warnings: suicidal thoughts, depression and gore)


Chapter 18

Wrapping an arm around his waist Kuroko stumbled along a deserted alleyway, barely able to keep himself from breaking down into a sobbing ball of grief, right then and there. The only thing that kept him going was sheer force of will.

Kuroko's knees were shaking so badly it was a surprise he could stand at all, let alone walk, but his steps were as quiet as a ghost. His body remembered the training beaten into him like a second skin whilst his heart was delirious with bone-soaking numbness.

His body remembered how to walk silently like a ghost, how to efficiently disarm and take someone out and how to sneak into anyplace undetected, so he soon found himself hidden behind a large garbage bin on an alleyway a block away from the Council's Headquarters.

Kuroko curled up and hugged his legs to his chest, with his face pressed painfully against his bony knees and arms curled around them as if his body was in agonizing physical pain.

The pain squeezing his heart could not have been physical pain, because he was sure that physical pain did not feel as though your heart was being ripped out of your chest. His breaths came out like puffs of panic, coiling low and insidious in the air and the shivers that wracked his frame was alive and unpredictable like lightning. Kuroko felt the bile bubbling under his throat slowly crawling up his throat, choking his voice and making his sobs sound like choked off screams. He wanted to squeeze his eyes shut, to shut down just for one moment and not have to feel anything, but every time he closed his eyes he saw their blood staining the glass walls like a macabre painting, chunky blobs of brain matter covering the floor like water and two thuds hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. Behind his eyelids, the grotesque scene of his parents' murder was played over and over again in a never-ending loop, and no matter what he did to escape the memory, it was futile.

His emotions were a chaotic, writhing mess of grief, pain and guilt. He knew that he did not have much of a familial relationship with his parents. Left from young to mostly fend for himself Kuroko grew to depend only one person- himself- and the hatred his father bore for Kuroko made him a perfect scapegoat for his father to vent on.

Kuroko only remembered that his mother gently hugged him exactly four times in his life. The first time when he was three and he scraped his knees running down the stairs. The second time was when he was five and he got hurt standing in between her and his father. The third time was when he started elementary school the first time, and the last time was when he started high school. His father, on the other hand, never gave him the time of day -unless it was to cause pain- and he was so used to their relationship working this way that it never really bothered him.

But no matter how distant they were to him, no matter how agonising they made his life...Kuroko never wanted this to happen to them. The wave of relief that followed the grief made the feeling of self-loathing and guilt rise like an avenging ghost, and it tore through his heart like paper. He was supposed to be there too; shackled to the floor of the Council's hall like a dog waiting to be executed, but he wasn't, and now he was the only one left. The only survivor- an orphan living on borrowed time.

That thought alone broke the tenuous grip he had on his sanity, and before Kuroko knew it, he was huddling on the ground with hands gripping his hair.

He did not know what brought him out of his mind. Maybe it was the solid warmth that enveloped him, maybe it was the soothing strokes along his spine or maybe it was the low, curling matra of "Hey-shh... It's gonna be ok-It's alright, we're here-...come on now…shh-" that pulled him out of the bleak place his mind had sunk into.

Kuroko gasped and blindly patted along the arms that held him to a familiar chest. His throat and eyes were so swollen from crying, he could barely make a sound or open his eyes. He must have groaned in distress because the next thing he knew, there was a warm wet towel draped across his swollen eyes and a straw against his lips.

Midorima's voice was soft and pain-filled, but relieved, "Shh...Here, drink this. It will help with the swelling."

"Wha-" Kuroko's voice broke off with a croak. He had to lightly clear his throat before he could continue. "Wh-What happened?...How did you find me?"

The warmth wrapped around Kuroko shifted and he felt a chin rest against the crown of head. Without even realizing it, he felt his body sink into Murasakibara's giant, enveloping presence, automatically seeking the comfort it offered.

The hands wrapped around his squeezed painfully tight, and Kise's usually cheerful voice was warbling on the verge of tears when he said "We-we all thought the worse when our connection to Kurokocchi went silent."

Aomine's explosive, prickling anger followed Kise's words.

"Testu!- YOU-you idiot! you snuck into a place teeming with Superiors who wouldn't even hesitate to hurt you! To take you away from us! Do you think of us so lightly?! Do you not care for us Testu?!-"

Kuroko gasped, scrambled upwards, desperately reaching out a hand towards Aomine.

No! Kuroko's mind screamed in denial and he felt like he was going to work himself to the verge of hyperventilation but the hand that cupped his cheek put a stop to it.

Akashi's stern voice broke through the tense atmosphere like a guillotine, "Daiki!"

"We all need to calm down! This was not solely Tetsuya's fault, we can't expect him to sit there and do nothing."

The solemn note in Akashi's voice turned fond. "He wanted to protect us too. That's why you followed us, isn't it Testuya?"

Kuroko ducked his head and nodded, relief flooding him. He never wanted them to think that he didn't care; he just wanted to protect them like they selflessly do for him. If Kuroko couldn't even help them, protect them then he wouldn't be doing his love for them justice.

There was a loud sigh and a snort of frustration in front of him before he felt Aomine apologetically ruffle his hair.

"Sorry for shouting at you, Tetsu. I was a bit shaken up from the Council Meeting." Then Aomine's voice dropped to a aching whisper and Kuroko felt himself roughly pulled into another set of arms.

"Tetsu...I'm so so sorry...We couldn't do anything...Your parents-"

Kuroko pushed harshly against Aomine, but the arms that surrounded didn't let up. Balled fists hit Aomine's chest but there wasn't even a smallest sound of pain from his bondmate. Why why-why wasn't it him- It's not fair- Why are things always taken from him- Couldn't he have have something without fearing it would be taken away for once!-

Kuroko didn't realize he said all that out loud until he heard a choked sob. Blearily, Kuroko lifted his face up from where his cries were muffled against Aomine's chest, and saw tears trailing down Kise's face.

"Kuro-Kurokocchi-.."

The pain Kuroko saw on his bondmates' faces made him realize that they were hurting too. That it wasn't only him. That they were hurting for him. With him.

The warmth in his heart throbbed, and he offered Kise a small, teary smile. The pain in his chest felt like a gushing wound but the wobbly smile Kuroko got back from Kise, and the way Murasakibara's and Aomine's desperately held him, made the fresh pain in his heart feel like an nearly-scabbed-over scar instead of a gushing wound.

Kuroko's voice was nearly completely muffled by the fabric of Aomine's shirt, but Midorima could still hear him anyway, "C-Can we leave now?Please?"

Midorima's voice was an earnest whisper in reply, "Yes, whenever you're ready."


The road they were taking had no one in sight. It was a rarely used path littered with leaves and small debris. The trees overhead had thick, long-reaching branches that blocked the sun, and the wild rustling sounds of the wind running through them was a soothing caress on the ears. The vibrant green of the leaves reminded Murasakibara of the mesmerizing swirls of colour on a lollipop and the bold, unapologetic shade on a gummy bear. The tension sizzling through his body slowly fizzled down the further they drove away from the Council's headquarters, and at the hypnotic sight of falling leaves.

Murasakibara sighed, turned around and a small, fond smile graced his lips at the sight of Midorima's head pillowed on his shoulder. Gently, he raised his hand and brushed away the stray strands.

The intensity of all the events tired them all out, but for Midorima it must have been more taxing. Kise was a natural born actor: a chameleon whose career focused on him being able to adapt and change his behaviour to fit different environments. Akashi was raised on the principles of self-control, strength and a razor-like intelligence, while Aomine grew to be brash and gruff but sincere to his emotions: a fighter with a deep infinite well of inner strength. Kuroko was raised to be a survivor, desperate for love and affection but independent, with a strength born from a harsh, jaded view of the world. Midorima, on the other hand, was different from them. The cold and slightly distant personality came from shyness and a soft but calm heart wrapped up in a smart, stoic exterior. Therefore, keeping his personality and reactions wrapped up was harder and more taxing for Midorima. Absentmindedly, Murasakibara stuck a marshmallow in his mouth and morosely chewed on it.

The thought of his bondmates suffering more of this was unbearable; it had his mind on edge and set his teeth grinding. The roiling, twinging mass of pain in his chest skyrocketed when Murasakibara glanced sideways and caught Kuroko's curled up body slumped against Kise.

It took him a while to find his voice, but when he did, it was flat and simmering with suppressed anger.

"Ki-chin, how are you and Kuro-chin doing."

Akashi must have heard the anger in his voice, because his voice reflected the same muted rage.

"We'll get them, Atsushi. For every hurt they cause I will repay it a thousand-fold."

"I agree, Akashicchi." The dark, bitter smile on Kise's face was as biting as ice, however a second later it melted into a small, reassuring smile for their violet-haired giant.

"Don't worry. I'm feeling better Murasakibaracchi," Then the sentence trailed off into a glum whisper, "but Kurokocchi is still hurting so much…"

"That's why we're leaving to Aka-chin's safe house."

Akashi's gave a small chuckle at Kise's surprise. "What?! We are?!"

Murasakibara hummed enigmatically at the glance Akashi gave him, "I'm not surprised you figured it out already Atsushi."

Akashi turned around to explain to Aomine and Kise, "What Atsushi said is right, we are going to one of my safe houses. I inherited it from my father before he passed away and all the records are completely sealed off. Only I can access them, so no one will be able to find out its existence or location. We're as safe as we can be here."

Aomine's only comment to that was "That's good. We all need a damn break."


They arrived at...a mansion.

That was the only word Kuroko could use to describe the building in front of him. The lawn spreading several yards ahead was lush and green, running wild with messy bushes and massive, gangly trees. The walls of the mansion looked worn down but not broken or cracked. It looked surprisingly well maintained for such an old building. The sheer size of the place was intimidating and Kuroko soon found himself apprehensive.

He ducked his head and the sight of his ratty sneakers -so worn in was nearly threadbare, with multiple holes littered across it- made him even more aware of the state of his appearance. Self-consciously he tugged the hem of his jacket down to cover the hole he forgot to sow up on his shirt and nervously gripped the strap of his backpack. All the meager belongings he owned were in there and he couldn't help but feel possessive of them.

A palm sized porcelain figure of a goldfish was thrust into his sight, and the utterly ridiculous, randomness of it made him forget about his nervousness and he gave a quiet laugh. When Kuroko looked up and met Midorima's dark emerald eyes, they were full of understanding.

Although Midorima's cheeks were stained a light lovely pink, the arm that encircled Kuroko's waist was confident and grounding; it gave him the strength to shyly lift his head and walk inside.

Instantly he was met with the sight of a large, grand staircase garnished with wooden railings intricately engraved with the Akashi family crest. On each side of the spacious room, marble pillars supported the walls and an ethereal, glass chandelier adorned the center of the ceiling. It was so breath-taking he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering. Before he knew it, they had passed through countless hallways and arrived at a large bedroom.

Kuroko was guided into the middle of the room, where the largest bed he had ever encountered, was situated, and before he could do anything, his wrist was grabbed and he was pulled backwards by an exuberant Kise.

"Kurokocchi, Kurokocchi, kurokocchi! Look at this bed! Can you believe this is our room?!"

"I love it! Oh my god Akashicchi, you're amazing!" The amount of bouncing by Kise was amazing...But yes Kuroko thought. This was truly an astounding room. The decorations weren't ostentatious at all, instead they were minimalistic, and the sight of how simple everything was made him relax against the fluffy bed.

Akashi smiled at Kise's antics and stood up to open the door when there was a knock.

A man dressed in a crisp black suit came in with a tray of food, and set it on the table near the window. Then before he left, he gave Akashi a low bow.

"Who was that, Akashi?"

Akashi gave Aomine an appraising nod for his cautious attitude. "One of the people who work here, protect this place and maintain it."

"They all Inferiors? Or are there also Superiors working here?"

"Both. For years, I have been offering this place as a shelter of sorts… Mostly to refugees. The people who don't conform to society's laws. In return for my protection, they willingly choose to work under me and help protect this place, their home, too."

"Of course, anyone coming in or out of this place are thoroughly inspected and vetted, so don't worry."

Kise smirked and exclaimed, "Oh, nobody's worried. We all know it's probably fool proof and that there isn't even a chance for error."

"Thank you for your illuminating commentary Ryouta, but now we have to contact Satsuki and inform her of the new developments."

"Seijuro, I'll do it with Kise." Midorima offered.

Akashi gave Midorima a nod and turned around to leave, but before he left Akashi said, "Very well. I have things to attend to. I'll be back later."

The sight of Akashi...just leaving...like that filled Kuroko with an inexplicable rush of dread and desperation, so without warning he blurted out: "You'll be be back right, Akashi-kun?"

The sight of Akashi immediately freezing filled Kuroko with dread. Maybe he blurted out too much; maybe he was too clingy-sounding and he was just inconveniencing people by being so insecure. However, Akashi's reply was not angry or frustrated or pissed.

It was affectionate.

"Don't wait up. Go to bed first. I'll join you all when I'm done."