Chapter 20
The door closed with a heavy thump, and a large, familiar hand settled on his neck. Long fingers stroked the fine, stray strands of his hair and Kise couldn't help sighing. Kise gave Murasakibara a reassuring smile, turned and left a soft, lingering kiss on their violet-haired giant. Murasakibara's arms were safe and tight with tempered strength, but the desperation in the embrace made Kise's heart twinge.
Kise returned the embrace with just as much fervour before the arms around him relaxed. The dark, deep violet eyes glinted with renewed life and the small tickle of relief from his bondmate made his own eyes light up.
"Do you need anything else Ki-chin?"
Kise gave a brisk nod but all of a sudden his fingers spasmed and clenched around rolls of bandages and antiseptic.
"Yeah...Could you-" The words dried up in his throat and he averted his eyes. The small tremors running through his hands and the bubbling feeling of panic in his chest electrified the tiny currents of panic under his skin.
The sudden appearance of Murasakibara's hands in Kise's line of sight surprised him and he flinched, but the only reaction from his bondmate was to envelop his hands in a tender hold. The soothing feel of thumbs running along his pulse lulled the simmering panic in Kise's chest into a humble flicker of anxiety.
"The gauze, suture needles and thread, right Ki-chin?" Kise couldn't do anything except nod, but his bondmate understood because in an instant, there was a fleeting, familiar brush of comfortlovereassurance against his mind before Murasakibara went to fetch the supplies.
Kise clenched his eyes and clutched at the humming strands of the bond in his mind. Without hesitating, Kise dove into the pulsating tangle of minds, and the background, barely audible hum of voices burst and filled his head until his ears were ringing with his mates' beautiful voices. The myriad of voices filled his head; the sound was deafening and unbearably painful...but at the same time, it made the constricting band around Kise's chest disappear and the simmering panic crawling under his skin to fizzle out.
Kise gave another sigh before he reluctantly withdrew and opened his eyes. Murasakibara was standing in front of him with a black kit in one hand and an affectionate twinkle in his violet eyes.
His bondmate's whispered a "Let's go Ki-chin" before a large, calloused palm settled against his back and guided him forwards. The warmth that seeped through Murasakibara's palm, calmed Kise and he squared his shoulders and walked quickly towards their bed where Kuroko and Midorima were recovering. Akashi and Aomine looked up at the sound of their footsteps, and Kise saw a brief grateful smile from Akashi before the redhead returned to their injured bondmates. Kise sat down gingerly on the bed and reached out a hand to brush against Midorima's knuckles.
Midorima turned his hand and grasped Kise's hand tightly, while his other tape-covered hand gripped his bleeding shoulder.
"Hey hey...it's ok Midorimacchi." Kise voice was pitched low and placid, as if it was reassuring a spooked animal.
Midorima's emerald eyes darted to him and Kise caught his bondmate's slightly frantic gaze. "There you go, Midorimacchi." Then Kise reached his other hand forward and nudged Kuroko's chin up until the glazed sky-blue eyes met his molten amber eyes. "You too, Kurokocchi."
"There you go...hey, hey it's alright-" Kise ran his fingers along Midorima's knuckles and Kuroko's flushed cheek in a soothing, repetitive rhythm. "Keep your eyes on me, ok?"
Behind Kuroko and Midorima, Kise saw how quickly Murasakibara had lain out the medical supplies and how the others were methodically cleaning the wounds.
Murasakibara had a gentle hold on Kuroko's leg while Akashi was cleaning the bullet wound with a sterilized gauze. With steady hands, Akashi used the sterilized forceps and slowly dipped it into the wound. Kise saw Kuroko tense before his fingers dug into the flesh of his own arm.
"Hey Kurokocchi -No, don't do that-" Kise pried the fingers apart, but he barely managed to suppress the flinch from the white-knuckled clutch Kuroko had on his hand before he immersed himself back into the bond.
With a small tweak, Kise directed the throbbing agony from Midorima and Kuroko to spread evenly along the bond. Kise gave a barely-audible grunt at the additional pain running along his nerves and lighting them on fire, but at the sight of pain leaving the creases of his bondmates' eyes and how their hands sagged in relief in his grasp, he would gladly accept all the pain if he could.
Kise smiled when he saw the gratitude in Midorima's eyes and the small spark of life returning to Kuroko's eyes. "You doing ok there, Midorimacchi?"
Midorima's reply was a shy, gratified "Yes".
Kise chuckled before he leaned forward and gave a flirtatious wink. "Midorimacchi is so adorable when he blushes, isn't he Kurokocchi?"
Kise nearly broke out in hysterical relief when Kuroko slowly blinked and the glazed look in his eyes disappeared completely. Those bright sky-blue eyes he had come to love so much was back, and Kise couldn't help the cheerful, relieved chuckle and smile that broke out.
Aomine's dark royal-blue eyes caught his and Aomine flashed him a fond, affectionate smirk that made Kise want to kiss the twinkle of amusement off that face, but he refrained, instead Kise sent a poke along the bond that made Aomine roll his eyes in amusement.
However a few seconds later, there was a miniscule spike of pain along the bond before Midorima's shoulder went rigid. Aomine abruptly paused, leaned forward and whispered into the nape of Midorima's neck, "You ok, Shin?"
A few seconds passed before Aomine received a tiny, sharp nod. At the face of such bravery, Kise would not be able to help leaving a kiss if he were in Aomine's place, and Aomine's fond reply indicated that his bondmate couldn't help it too.
"Hang in there. We're nearly done, Shin."
Kise smirked when he saw Aomine lean forward and leave a kiss on Midorima's neck, with a tender glint in Aomine's eyes that said I've-lost-this-battle-before-it-even-begun. Through their bond, Kise felt a feather-light touch before a wave of fresh pain hit his senses. From the corner of his eye, he saw Akashi's fingers twitch before they resumed their stitching, and when he met Aomine's eyes, there was apology in those dark blue irises.
In response, Kise gave Aomine a wink and a cheerful smile because he could feel how Midorima relaxed; How Midorima's long, slender hands went lax and shook with tiny tremors of relief.
Kise tightened his grip on Midorima and muttered a low soothing "See...Aominecchi's nearly done," before he turned to Kuroko, caught his eyes and enveloped his bondmates in the fluffiest, comfiest feeling of love Kise could express. Immediately Kise felt shy, content replies from Kuroko and Midorima through the bond, and he squeezed their hands in affection.
Then, abruptly, another spasm of intense pain flared along their nerves. The pain that ran along the bond was so excruciating he could feel Akashi and Aomine's attentions wavering and his own walls cracking, but he couldn't let that happen so he sent Murasakibara a questioning ping. His bondmate gave him an unwavering, resounding yes in response.
So without wasting another second, Kise mended his walls before he cut off the access points and leeched all the pain from the rest of the bond into his own mind. Kise could feel cold sweat running down his neck and the vice wrapped around his chest made him feel like he was suffocating. Kise didn't realize he had been holding his breath for a few minutes until Murasakibara's gentle touch startled him back, and the sudden breath he took made him feel like his lungs were on fire and his skin was melting off his body.
Kise could feel Murasakibara's presence envelop him but he couldn't respond. The only thing he could do in his mind was curl up into a ball and push all his willpower into keeping his shields up. The next thing Kise could feel was a large pop before the agony lighting his nerves on fire dulled. Kise gave a watery gasp and blinked unfocused, blurry eyes at Murasakibara. His bondmate must have understood because there was an amused, comforting ping along the bond before Murasakibara retreated.
There was another fresh wave of pain before the metallic sound of a snip was heard, but the pain this time wasn't as unbearable- the burden evenly shared between him and Murasakibara.
"It's done Tetsuya. How are you feeling?" Akashi's voice was low and soothing, like butter on bread.
Gloves were removed and bagged before Akashi reached forwards and cupped Kuroko's flushed cheeks. Kise saw Kuroko sag forward and lean against Akashi with a tired, weak nod, at the same time Midorima shakily blinked and collapsed against a sweaty, grinning Aomine.
"You did good Shin. We all did damn good." Aomine's grin was unabashedly happy.
Kise chuckled despite the pain he and Murasakibara were still leeching off.
"Ao-chin and Aka-chin were really fast. Both of you did amazing jobs~" Murasakibara's happy reply made Akashi give a small grin and Aomine to triumphantly smirk.
Midorima's soft, sincere reply made Kise want to leap towards them and hug the living daylights out of all his adorable bondmates!
"Thank you...Daiki. Thank you...Seijuro."
Akashi sent Midorima a reassuring smile before the redhead bent and left a lingering kiss on Kuroko's forehead. There was a comfortable lull of silence and Kise sunk against the line of warmth plastered against his side. Kise placed his head on Murasakibara's shoulder when he felt an arm snake around his waist and a cold hand run through his sweaty locks.
"I apologize...Tetsuya...Shintaro. If I had-" Akashi's aching whisper echoed in the ensuing silence.
Kise felt his eyes widen in shock and he spluttered indignantly, "W-WHAT! No! How can it be your fault- That's !-"
Aomine's anger was sharp and raw through the bond and Murasakibara's cold fury made his hold on Kise's waist tight and harsh. Kise suppressed a flinch before he grabbed Murasakibara's white-knuckled fist. The pressure around his waist immediately lessened and an apologetic kiss was placed on the crown of his head.
"How the hell is this your fault, Sei?! We did all we could-" Aomine's voice was tight with adrenaline-fueled anger.
"This wouldn't have happened if I did my job! If I did it perfectly!" The redhead's voice was not extremely loud, but the sight of Akashi losing grip on his self-control shocked Kise into silence.
The bond was a roiling mess and the scorching, rankling feeling of rage, distress and heartache pounded against his shields with the sheer force of a hurricane. Kise glanced up at Murasakibara and wasn't surprised to see that his face was pale and the corners of his dark-violet eyes were filled with tension.
"Sei-" Kuroko's voice was a near-silent whisper but Kise heard it along the bond.
"Seijuro-" Kise saw Kuroko blearily reach up and cup Akashi's cheeks before he leaned their foreheads together.
"It's not your fault. S-Shintaro and I don't blame you for this. So don't blame yourself, please-" Kuroko's voice trailed off into a distressed, pleading whisper.
Kise saw Akashi suck in a hitched breath before he nodded, wound his arms around Kuroko, and pressed his face into Kuroko's neck. The sight of Akashi losing his composure rocked Kise to the core.
Kuroko's baby blue eyes widened and he shot Kise a slightly alarmed look. Kise sent his bondmate an equally desperate look when the feeling of helplessness that ran through the bond gave a sharp pulse. Kise winced; keeping his mental shields up was hard enough with the siphoned pain battering against his walls, but it was even harder when the tsunami wave of helplessness slammed into his already-strained barriers.
Midorima's voice flitted across the edges of the bond, soothing pains that ached too deeply and fear that consumed too fast.
"Seijuro-" The command in that tone made everybody snap to attention. Akashi didn't move a muscle but Kise could feel the - desperationpainfailuremisery - receding, and Kise couldn't help the whisper-soft groan that he let out.
In a gentler tone, Midorima continued "You will never fail us. We will never be like the people who punished you for every small failure-" Midorima's words were raw; laced with anger at the ones who dared called themselves Akashi's guardians.
"We will never be like them because nothing you do could ever disappoint us. You're good enough; you don't need to change so don't let their ghosts break you."
Midorima's voice was soft but fierce. It was like thunder in the vast silence of their room.
"No matter who you are and what you do...You will always be ours -" There was a faint dusting of red on MIdorima's cheeks but his voice was steady and vehement.
When Kise glanced back at Akashi, he saw the redhead had relaxed his hold on Kuroko and was facing Midorima with a neutral but intense gaze. Kise saw Midorima's blush brighten slightly before he averted his green eyes, pushed his glasses up and cleared his throat.
"I didn't recognize the two men who managed to infiltrate our safe house tonight."
Kise felt Murasakibara's chest rumble and he glanced at the violet-haired giant with a questioning look.
"Mido-chin didn't see anything. That's a pity~"
Kise gave Murasakibara the judgmental eyebrow... What's with the vague, leading comments?
-but Kise's thought was cut off before he could think any deeper on it when Aomine said, "Wait-...Did you see anything, Tetsu?"
Kise could see the moment Aomine connected the dots. "They saw us, didn't the y?! Damn it all ; Shin and Tetsu need to be moved immediately, Sei."
Kise saw Aomine's arms around Midorima's waist tighten and his shoulders bunch up in defensiveness.
"Tetsuya, did you recognize the infiltrators?" The tired murmur was filled with certainty. Kise felt his jaw drop open in shock and he gave Aomine a disbelieving glance.
"Tetsuya" Akashi's admonishment was a barely-there mutter.
Kise saw Kuroko's eyes nervously tracking the movements of his fingers on the sheets before Akashi's hand stopped the aimless movement and enveloped the hand in an easy hold. Kise saw Kuroko's eyes snap to his enveloped hand before he squeezed Akashi's hand and replied in the softest tone he could muster.
"I saw...someone- someone I knew from my time with the Council."
"Who was it?" was Akashi's equally gentle question.
Kuroko glanced at Akashi and reluctantly sighed, "Haizaki...Shougo."
"-I knew him from before. We- we worked together on some Council missions…"
Kise pinched his nose when he felt an oncoming headache pounding through his temples.
"We can't stay here anymore. This location is compromised." Akashi's voice was filled with exhaustion and grim acceptance.
"I will call my contacts…" Kise saw Akashi's face soften and steel-clad determination danced along the bond. "Rest first. Let me handle the details-" was the tender murmur before Akashi scooted off the bed, reached under Kuroko's knees and back and gently lifted him.
Akashi slowly walked around the bed and before Kise was aware of it, a warm weight was settled against him. Blearily, Kise blinked and he was met with the sight of his bondmate's dark crimson eyes. Akashi reached forward and ran fingers across his fringe, sweeping the sweaty locks off his forehead. Kise felt his pounding headache diminish at the touch and nuzzled against the cold hand.
"Let go Ryouta-" As soon as Akashi said that, Kise gave a firm shake of his head.
He could handle it...There was no need for all his bondmates to suffer…
They needed to recover anyways so Kise wearily closed his eyes and leaned back against Murasakibara.
Through a hazy fog, Kise felt Akashi give an exasperated but resigned snort before chapped lips touched his forehead , "-So stubborn" the low, hushed mumble was like a fleeting breeze against his skin.
Kise was barely able to enjoy Akashi's presence before there was a tap along his shields, and they broke apart. He hissed at the new wave of pain, but before he could rebuild his shields to contain the rampant chaos, the pain rapidly shrunk. Shakily, Kise reached forward and circled Akashi's wrist before he leveled his bondmate with a chiding glare.
"Akashicchi...that's cheating."
Akashi's lips quirked in amusement and Murasakibara's following chuckles sent vibrations along his spine. Kise grumbled under his breath before he narrowed his eyes at the violet-haired giant behind him, but a thumb running along his pulse made his mind screech to a halt.
"Ryouta- be careful,Tetsuya and Shintaro are sleeping."
Kise froze and tentatively glanced down at the slumbering body resting against him. Kuroko was fast asleep with his head pillowed on Kise's shoulder. However, Akashi's fond whisper snapped him out off his intense gazing and he glanced at the redhead.
"Atsushi, try to get some rest too. Make sure Ryouta and Tetsuya are taken care of. I'll be back as soon as possible. Let's hope that we can find a solution in the next 24 hours."
That was the last thing Kise heard before his bondmate turned and left the room. The sight of two guards standing outside their room hit him with the impact of a boulder, and Kise hid his face against Murasakibara's neck. It was a hard and bitter thing to digest because they just got here...and now they have to leave again .
The scent of his violet-haired bondmate soothed some of that chaotic distress stirring inside his chest; It soothed it enough for Kise to be able to close his eyes and fall into the deep, dark world of dreams.
The phone in his pocket vibrated and the suddenness of it startled him. Kagami swore under his breath before he extricated his phone and glanced at the screen. The number flashing on his screen was familiar and it brought a mediocum sense of comfort to his frayed nerves.
"Hyuuga-senpai. I'm already-" The abrupt presence of somebody next to him, made him flinch and Kagami swung his fist instinctively. His swing was deflected by an underarm push that made him stagger back slightly.
Kagami swore under his breath and scowled at the offender, " God damn it! You nearly gave me a heart attack-"
Hyuuga just chuckled at him when he straightened.
"Teppei just got back. How long did you wait for?"
His friend's voice was casual but there was an undercurrent of forced-nonchalance that made him discretely scrutinize his surroundings.
"Not long, senpai." Kagami answered back casually and blandly before he tagged on the phrase: "I actually just got here. The sky is clearer now, it was a bit dark and cloudy when I left."
From the corner of his eye, his senpai nodded before giving a noncommittal hum. Kagami exhaled a relieved but tired sigh, "Don't worry Hyuga-senpai. I lost all my tails a while ago and there's a jamming device in my pocket that will run for a few more hours."
Hyuga-senpai gave him an appraising look and a proud smile. "Looks like you've learned quite a bit from your time on your new assignment. I'm glad you're back. We were starting to get worried about you."
"I know. The assignment...was-" Kagami's voice froze; he couldn't seem to be able to put all his jumbled thoughts into words.
A hand landed on his shoulders and the motion snapped his mind back to the present, and Kagami gave his concerned friend a sheepish look.
"I'm ok, senpai.-" Kagami cleared his throat before he nodded towards their destination: The Kiyoshi mansion.
"-It just took a bit of a toll on me...that's all. I'll- I'll talk about the details when we meet up with the others." Hyuga gave him an inscrutable look that was intense and it made him feel oddly transparent; and internally, Kagami fought the urge to escape from that piercing, knowing gaze.
Kagami nearly sighed in relief when Hyuga solemnly nodded and reached up. Kagami wanted to scowl when his hair was ruffled but the glint of unconcealed relief and worry stopped him in his tracks.
"Hyuga-senpai?-" Kagami glanced at his friend before he headed towards the main room.
"I just- yeah...I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry-" He could practically hear the utter shock and surprise directed at his back.
"-It's not that damn surprising is it?-" Kagami growled under his breath before he steeled himself and muttered, "It's - I'm sorry I never understood before; but now I do and I'll help as much as I can."
The wave of guilt and self-loathing is like a bubbling volcano under his lungs and every breath he took felt like ash.
"I know I can't make up all those...all those years I turned a blind eye. I know it doesn't excuse-"
His words were cut off by a gentle, firm hand that rested on his shoulder.
"Taiga. Jun doesn't blame you, nor do we blame you." Kiyoshi stood in front of him with an arm wrapped around his bondmate's waist and a fond smile. There wasn't any judgement in that smile- no shred of hatred or anger, and he simply couldn't understand how Kiyoshi could forgive him so easily.
"You were just a 15 year old child when you took the Council seat. Plunged into the world of demons without anyone beside you." Kiyoshi gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"We didn't approach you with the intention of dragging you into our fight. We did it because we wanted to be your friends...because we wanted to help you-." Kagami ducked his head and avoided his friends' eyes. The feeling of guilt inside his chest was astronomical and it threatened to make him nauseous.
His friends must have seen his discomfort because there were familiar fingers running through his hair. Hyuga was standing in front of him with a kind smile, "You didn't need to help me."
Hyuga's dark eyes sparkled with affection, "I met Teppei three years before I met you. Ever since I met him, I experienced what it was like to truly live for the first time."
"So you never saw us suffering and you never saw or had any experience with it...until now." Hyuga's voice was soothing but the tint of remorse made a lump form in his throat.
"We never wanted you to choose sides…" was his senpai's regretful whisper.
Kagami squared his shoulders and met Hyuga's eyes. "But now I have chosen., and I will do everything I can to destroy the Supreme council so don't you dare think about leaving me out of hard situations!"
His friends gave each other a long look before Kiyoshi sighed and chuckled. "Don't worry Taiga. We won't."
The sudden knock on the door startled them out of their conversation and all of three heads turned towards their new addition.
"Sorry, I was held up. Some paperwork needed to be submitted by-" Riko's voice trailed off in uncertainty.
"Wait...Did something happen?" Kagami shared a look with Kiyoshi before his friend sat down and nonchalantly said,
"Well, I just received a phone call from someone; It was...very unexpected."
"Wha-...Who-" Kagami didn't even finish his sentence before Hyuga-senpai cut in with a simple but world-shattering:
"Akashi Seijuro. One of the Generation of Miracles."
Hi everyone! ;)
This chapter is not so intense, and a bit low-key... The whole chapter is around 5,000-6,000 words but I decided to post half of it first because the next few chapters have to flow well before I can post so yeah sorry, my bubblegums! This is a short but relevant chapter and I hope it meets your expectations. Enjoy!
Aydsa
(reviews, comments, likes and everything else is appreciated!)
This story is not beta'd so don't hesitate to tell me when correction is needed. *blows kisses*
Shout-out to the amazing, awesome, fabulicious DemonAngel606 and her/his story, Light in the Darkness! Go check out her/his Kuroko no basuke fic based in this universe. Her/his writing skills are strong and mesmerizing so go give DemonAngel606-chan some love :)
If anyone has fanart or fanfics posted about this verse, don't hesitate to PM the link to your creation ;) I would love to read it or to stare at it in awe.
Remember to be nice and kind to each other. Let's spread some love!
Aydsa out! ;)
