My New Year's present for you :) I hope you enjoy and have a Happy New Year!
A few answers for my lovely reviewers:
PhantomTuna99: I want to see pissed off Kuroko here, like dark!Kuroko xDD But well, I know it would not might happen, wouldn't it?
A: Trust me, Dark!Kuroko is one of my favorite ones, and I'm not sure if you might like this chapter but let's hope you do because it will contain some of that characteristic in him :)
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Dhea30: Can someone please just strangle that stupid of a ganguro? Or better yet, can I be the one to strangle him? that ungrateful AHOmine! [...] p.s: YES please introduce Himuro. don't you DARE forget him (or Nijimura for that matter)
A: Oh honey, you're going to hate Aomine a lot more in this chapter then. Don't forget though that this is a very coming-of-age story and every one of the GoM will have their moment of redemption. Just like Kise and Midorima, the rest will also have that moment. However, for the time being, please feel free to metaphorically strangle him because the douchebag deserves it. Also, I'll do my best not to forget any other crucial characters ;) (P.S. I really loved your review but I had to cut it down before the chapter became overly long. Sorry about that!)
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Joy Goldenpine: How will you make Aomine and Murasakibara go over too? And what will you do with Akashi?
A: That will all be told in due time, and hopefully, I won't mess it up haha. I do touch upon Murasakibara for a bit, but this chapter is mostly focusing on movign the plot forward. Murasakibara will have more times to shine and Akashi has his own arc (such a special cinnamon roll :)) Thank you for the review, by the way. It was nice to have someone acknowledge the dangers of using OCs in fics and I'm glad that you liked them!
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Ryan Mashall: Just wondering out loud, where's this going? Like they all get beaten by kagami and kuroko and learn their lesson and become friends again? I just think the story is missing something to make it more intriguing, idk some more hurt/comfort or somthn
A: I'm pretty sure you wrote this review before reading Chapter 6, and hopefully, after the reading the rest, you answered one of your questions already :) It's not realistic at all if Kagami and Kuroko were to win all of their matches, and I did follow the manga a bit for a bit of support. However, their losing was crucial to this story and it will definitely make the plot move forward. I'll also do my best to make up for the lack of hurt/comfort, so thank you for pointing that out!
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Guest: Btw when is Akashi gonna learn his lesson? He's like obsessed with his "absolute" personality.
A: All will be answered in due time :) For the moment, however, please enjoy a snippet of what is happening Akashi's mind in this chapter
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Kelandry5: Is that how the bus systems work in Mexico? Just curious since you said the school stuff would be based on how it was in Mexico?
A: I'm assuming you're talking about the whole 'permission' thing, right? Um, I've never really seen visitors come to my bus and I don't have friends to invite (lol) but that's how I imagine it in my head. I wouldn't necessarily say that it's a Mexican thing, it's only based off my own experiences taking a bus to school, so please don't think about it too deeply haha
"You're going to have to be bed-ridden."
Kagami's face, as well as Eddy's, fell instantly. The African-American started shaking visibly, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"You're kidding, right? It can't be that bad, right?" He asked the doctor, who was looking at Kagami with a critical eye. It was the same doctor who had checked up on him a few days ago, and he didn't take too well with patients who didn't heed his warnings.
"Didn't I tell you not to do any strenuous exercise? If you had just listened to me, this would have never happened. Your condition has grown significantly worse and if you even remotely think about walking, much less running, you can kiss your basketball career goodbye." The doctor replied without a hint of sympathy, though the looks he got from the high schoolers were a bit heart-breaking.
Kagami ruffled his own hair frustratingly. "You've got to be kidding me." He muttered to himself. "For how long?"
"Depending on how well you listen to me, you can start walking after a few days, but you can only start running after two weeks or your legs are as good as gone."
"So I won't be able to play basketball for two whole weeks?" Kagami asked incredulously and the doctor nodded solemnly.
"Even then, there's an immense risk that you haven't fully healed. Honestly, I think it's best if you wait a month."
"A month?" Both Kagami and Eddy shouted, unable to believe what they were hearing. The doctor casted them a side-glance.
"Of course, with the prescriptions I give you, it might heal a bit faster, but that also depends on your cooperation. Are you going to ignore my warnings like last time?"
Kagami fidgeted on the hospital bed, hating the fact that the one scenario he was dreading was coming to life, but reluctantly shook his head. "I never wanted to ignore them, doc. There were some circumstances that came up and I just —"
"Excuses, excuses. The fact is that you, as an athlete, are in the critical state. If you want to keep playing basketball or any sport at all, you're just going to have to pay the price for your own stupidity. You could have easily been healed in a few days but now, you're here with me in this mess." The doctor's words were cold and devoid of any sympathy. It was to be expected, really. Kagami should have been more careful with his injuries, and now he was paying the price. Honestly, he was glad the doctor was this blunt about it. At this moment, he didn't need any false hope.
Kagami sighed, running a hand through his hair. At this point, his blazing red hair, which now looked a bit dull, was in a tangled mess, almost as if he had been through a hurricane. "So I should stay here for a couple of days?"
The doctor nodded. "And after that, you're discharged but you are absolutely forbidden to run for two weeks." He then sighed as he looked at Kagami's devastated look. "Hey, I'm doing my best for you guys. I know the situation you guys are in, and I'm being nice and considerate here. I could have easily told you that you had to wait a month for you to even try to run. I'm even giving you the best medicine out there for a reasonable price. You're just going to have to sacrifice some of your time, but there's really nothing to worry about. You just have to cooperate as willingly as you can, and you won't even notice that two weeks have passed."
The doctor smiled compassionately for the first time since the two basketball idiots arrived and Eddy smiled gratefully. "We know, doc. We know. Thank you for helping us."
"Besides," the doctor began, "it's summer vacation, isn't it? Try doing something other than basketball. You're high schoolers, aren't you? Have a little fun."
"Basketball is fun." Kagami mumbled childishly and the doctor flicked him on the head. Kagami jolted in surprise, holding his forehead with more of surprised look than a hurt look on his face. Simultaneously, the doctor himself flew back, holding his flicking hand with a look of bewilderment.
"What was that for?" Kagami asked with an annoyed tone.
The doctor disregarded Kagami's question and instead asked, "What are you? Made of rock? t's like I was hitting a boulder."
Eddy laughed. "Should've warned you, doc. Tiger is literally a monster. Nothing hurts him."
"See, now I would agree with you on that, but you are still human. If you weren't, you wouldn't be here." The joking atmosphere dissipated and the doctor sighed as he saw the high schoolers' flickering uncertainty for the future.
"Tiger, I want you to lie down for the time being. Later on, we'll move you to a more comfortable bed and let you get the rest you need. I have another patient waiting for me, so I'm going to leave you but I'll be back soon with your prescriptions. Did you notify your dad yet?"
Kagami shook his head. "I haven't told anyone yet."
"Well, you better do so as soon as possible. I'm going to have to talk to your dad about hospital arrangements so it's best if he visits the hospital."
Kagami shook his head once more. "By the time I talk to him, he'll probably be on another plane for a business trip."
"Another one? But I just saw him." Eddy asked skeptically and Kagami shrugged.
"He's a busy man. I'm sure he was just about to leave when you showed up with Tetsu."
"Ah, now that I think about it, he did have some luggage behind him." Eddy commented.
"I'm still going to have to talk to legal guardian, Tiger. Is there anyone else I can talk to who's of adult age?" The doctor asked worriedly.
Kagami nodded."I do. She's not blood-related but she's been taking care of me since I was a kid."
"Given your situation, it's acceptable enough. I'm going to need their name, phone number, and home address. Write it down on a piece of paper and I'll be right back." The doctor said before leaving the room and Eddy sat on the bed next to the red head.
"Who do you have in mind that can be your guardian?" Eddy asked and Kagami took out his phone.
"Alex." Kagami answered as he began to text her about the situation. She soon replied, saying that she would have to visit tomorrow due to some familial circumstances on her part, but that it was ok to put her as a legal guardian. She also didn't fail to mention how she was going to murder him tomorrow.
"The blond who's been teaching you and Tat basketball since you guys were little?"
"Yup."
"Yeah, she seems like a good guardian. She might just kill you, though."
Kagami messed up his hair again."She already said that." He showed Eddy her response and the African-American gave him a concerned look.
"Good luck with that, man."
"Right now, that' is the least of my problems. If anything, she's not who I'm worrying about right now."
"Who could be scarier than your basketball coa— Oh." Eddy cut his own sentence off when he realized who the red head was referring to.
"I really don't want to tell him." Kagami said in despair and Eddy could understand his feelings completely.
"He's going to kill you if you don't tell him as soon as possible. What if he finds out that you were keeping this a secret?" The African-American pointed out.
"He's going to kill me either way."
"I know, but I would personally choose the one where his anger is the least." Eddy had a good argument. It was the matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.
But Kagami was tired. He was tired and angry and most of all, so guilty. He would be inactive for two whole weeks. In those two weeks, he could have easily improved his basketball skills, enough to match and maybe even overpass Aomine's talent. He could have done so many things, but the fact was that he wouldn't even be able to participate in the match anymore. Instead, he would let his friends, his entire team, down.
And, though he didn't want to admit it, Aomine's words pulled him down. He was weak. He was so weak that he couldn't even keep his head high and ended up falling for such a stupid, childish trick. He was too immature, too inexperienced. Confronting his weaknesses now was another blow to his pride, which was now falling apart.
Maybe this was his punishment for having such a blown up pride. Now, it was barely even able to walk, just like himself.
"I'll tell him tomorrow." Kagami decided and Eddy looked at him with worry.
"Are you sure? He's going to be more pissed if you delay it."
"I know but I don't think I have the strength to properly explain it to him right now. I'm really tired." Kagami said softly and Eddy grew extremely concerned. It wasn't every day that the strongly standing prideful tiger become like this. He began to wonder just what happened in the court with the tanned Japanese before Eddy and Kuroko intervened.
"Ok, dude. I'll respect your decision. I'll visit you tomorrow as well and we can both try to explain the situation to TK."
"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." Kagami waved as Eddy left the room. When Kagami knew he was alone and there was no one to hear him from the other side, he punched the wall with so much force, his knuckles started to bleed, and he bleakly let out a silent scream in agony.
The next day, Kagami called Kuroko to the hospital, tried his best to calmly tell him the situation, told him how much time he would be bed-ridden, how much time it would take for him to completely heal, and the result ended with Kuroko's face twisting into an expression none of the two had ever seen before in the time of their friendship.
Kagami expected a punch, or at least a lecture from the teal-haired man. Instead, said person fled the hospital without so much of a goodbye. Seeing Kuroko's poker face shed into one of complete and utter anger was something that only Eddy and Kagami saw, and both compromised that they would do their best to never see it again.
"Please give us an extension."
The Generation of Miracles all stood in shock as Kuroko Tetsuya, teal-haired ghost extraordinaire, was groveling in front of them, head bowed and voice trembling.
Kise had first been joyful when he got the message from Kuroko, asking where the summer house was. Kise didn't have much qualms about it; he was happy that Kuroko was finally taking more interest in the five. But now that they were in this scenario, Kise regretted ever giving Kuroko their directions. Because in front of them, Kuroko was smaller than ever; so fragile and weak-looking that Kise wanted nothing more than to turn away.
Akashi stood right in the middle, right in front of Kuroko, with everyone else panning out to creating a half-circle around Kuroko. The red-head had his arms crossed smugly, the glint in his eye menacing, almost as if he wanted crush the smaller boy with his foot and establish dominance once and for all. Instead, he held back but made no move in making Kuroko stand up again.
"And why in the world do we have to do that?" Akashi asked slowly, tauntingly, and Kuroko lifted his head slightly to meet the eyes of the five prodigies. Kise and Midorima immediately looked away because they knew how much pain it would put them through if Kuroko's eyes ever pierced through them. His fierce, blue eyes was already stinging their backs.
Aomine, on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on. In fact, it seemed like Kuroko's gaze was directed right at him, which made him feel so many conflicting emotions. He felt angry, but guilty, saddened but infuriated. He didn't know where to begin with his emotions and the headache that he had been harboring just got worse. He met Kuroko's eyes and saw in surprise how easily he could read them. Many people agree that the eyes are the mirror of the soul but Aomine could never read Kuroko's when they were in middle school. Now that he could, he hated it so much.
It was almost as if Kuroko was begging him to realize his faults.
"Please." Kuroko said, bowing his head once more. "Kagami-kun has been in an accident and he needs recovery time before he can fully play basketball again. We cannot hold the match a week from now. Please, push it to the end of summer vacation."
Akashi looked at the teal-haired man with disgust. His golden eye gleamed in a taunting manner, as if he were about to say something that would completely crush Kuroko's heart. Coming here without so much of a single phone call, Kuroko had no right to suggest such a selfish request. Why in the world did he have to listen to the teal-head if, for the past year, Kuroko had done nothing but ignore them?
Akashi was close to saying those exact words and Kise and Midorima could see that much, as could Aomine. While the navy-haired prodigy did nothing to stop him, Kise was valiant enough to lay a hand on Akashi's shoulder.
"Akashicchi, how about we listen to Kurokocchi's request? If Kagamicchi can't play, then what's the match even for?" Kise argued but Midorima gripped Kise's wrist and pulled him back immediately, knowing what was going to happen. Kise looked at the green-head for a second before looking back at Akashi and stopping in his tracks.
"Kagamicchi?" Akashi echoed. "Since when have you been overly friendly with that fool?" Akashi said, his voice calm but raging.
Kise gulped. He hadn't told Akashi about their run-ins with Kuroko's friends, much less becoming one with Kagami himself "Um, I just—"
"Akashi, that isn't the main issue." Midorima cut off, simultaneously saving Kise and diverting the conversation back to the man kneeling in front of them. "The fact is, Kuroko wants to push the match to the end of the summer because Kagami has been injured. I vote that we do it."
"And why should we do that?" Aomine soon retorted, annoyed that both of them would take Kagami's side. "It's not like they were going to win anyways. Just finish it quickly and let's leave. He was a weak-ass anyways. Goddamn it, raising my expectations when he didn't even have the talent for it…" Aomine trailed off, his fists clenching at the mere thought of that disappointing one-on-one.
Midorima's eyes widened. "Wait, what are you talking about?" Kise's also widened as the two began to match the final puzzle pieces from what happened yesterday.
Aomine bit his lip. "I had a match with the asshole, what of it?"
"Did you know he was injured?" Midorima pried and Aomine shrugged, the answer clear enough not to be said.
The green-head grew enraged. He knew Aomine was a terrible person but he knew that the tanned man would go this far just to prove a point. "You knew Kagami was hurt and yet you still decided to have a match with him? You practically called a match with a disabled person!"
"He should have just fucking taken it." Aomine shouted back. "What kind of idiot gets hurt with one single match anyways? If you ask me, that fucker was just weak and he deserved to get inju—" Before Aomine could finish his sentence, Kuroko stood up, forgetting why he was here in the first place, and punched him square in the jaw. The sound resonated loudly in the large summer house and everyone, even Akashi, stood there in silence and shock as they tried to process what had just happened.
Kuroko, small, respectful Kuroko just punched Aomine.
Aomine, whose head was turned to the side by the sudden impact, moved back to face an extremely livid Kuroko Tetsuya. The smaller of the two had his fists clenched and one was a bit red. His body was trembling so vividly, and his eyes were on fire as they glared at Aomine. Any angry remark the navy-haired man had for him died down immediately.
"You have no right to say that. Absolutely no right. Aomine-kun, you are a monster." Kuroko disclosed in a voice filled with such rage, it was almost imaginary. Kuroko, who, just a few seconds ago, was groveling with knees on the ground and whose head was lowered all the way down, was now standing as tall as, or even taller than, Aomine. His aura, filled with determination and strength, radiated across the room, making Aomine feel smaller by the second. Kuroko was filled with such fury, animosity, resentment, and sadness that the container filled with all of his bottled emotions was knocked over and anger became the dominant species, taking over Kuroko's body and soul.
Aomine's head swiveled. "What did you just call me?" He whispered, unable to believe his ears for the second time since he met the teal-head.
"A monster, Aomine-kun. You are a monster. Kagami-kun is not weak. He never once deserved this kind of punishment. Kagami-kun is bedridden for days and cannot even start proper exercise until after two weeks, and that is only if he is lucky and cooperates with what the doctor has prescribed him. Two whole weeks. In that time, he could have been improving his skills, making memories with our friends, and enjoying his high school summer. He could have been happy and free, doing whatever he wanted to in those two weeks. But instead, he will not want to leave his house until he is better, until he is stronger. Because Kagami-kun will think this is all his fault and will not be able to face any of us without constantly apologizing. He will constantly be guilt-ridden because of something that wasn't his fault, and you have the nerve to call him weak and that he deserved it? How can someone be so cruel?"
Kuroko stopped, taking a moment to catch his breath. His face was red from the saddened anger he was letting out because never did he imagine calling anyone, much less a former friend, a monster. That wording itself was too harsh to ever use. But here he was now, pushed to the breaking point. Again.
And he was so tired.
Why were they doing this to him? Why couldn't he just have a fresh start? All he wanted was a new life, devoid of pain and suffering. The suffering of constantly having to apologize for deeds he never partook in, for deeds that were not his fault, for deeds that those who he once called friends had purposely done to inflict hurt on others. He was so tired of them continually reminding him of what could have been.
He was just so tired.
Kuroko collapsed to the floor, his knees hitting the ground with a silent bang. His fists laid on top of his thighs, clenched and white, and once more, he bowed. He forgot about Aomine, forgot about his own pride, and forgot about his exhaustion as the only thing that kept him going was Kagami's angelic smile, enough to make the world go round and save anyone from their troubles. It was that particular smile that saved him, and he would protect it at all costs.
"Please, as a former teammate and friend, please move the match to the end of the summer. I beg of you. Please."
It was so goddamn pitiful. So pitiful to watch such a caring, strong-willed person have to abandon his swelling dignity, solely to give his friend a pathway towards a guilt-free road, to give him another opportunity and prove his worth to keep their friendship bond alive and well.
It was so goddamn pitiful but it also hurt so much. Akashi's eye was twitching immensely and it was starting to affect his head. The massive pain he was feeling right now reminded him of when they first raided Kuroko's school, determined to get him back but the plan backfiring in the end. His mind was preoccupied with a battle between two worlds, and the pain in his golden eye wasn't making it better.
He was at war with himself. Akashi wanted to crush the smaller boy to the ground so that the only way to go was up with them by his side. But here he was, the 'smaller' boy trying to protect his friend's worth by not only begging but also defending him by disregarding his respectful nature and calling out on one he once thought of as a friend.
He didn't know which way to go, which path to follow. Would it be one of instantaneous victory or a slow burn due to that infinitesimal moment of sympathy? He was flickering back and forth to what he was and what he willed himself to be, and it was becoming nauseating. He felt torn, and knew he wouldn't be able to make a clear decision if he were to talk now.
Thankfully, Akashi didn't have to make the ultimate choice because Kise and Midorima suddenly stepped up.
"I'm sorry Akashicchi but I'm with Kurokocchi on this one. I want this to be fair match, with everyone in top shape and form. I want to play against Kagamicchi when he's at his best." Akashi wasn't that surprised to see Kise side with Kuroko. The blond always did have a soft side for his former mentor.
Midorima pushed his glasses up to not let anyone see what was going on behind his eyes. "It will be extremely boring to play a match if there isn't at least one good player in the other team. I've played against Kagami before and he is that good of a player. I want to play against him again and Kuroko has presented me with the opportunity to do so. I will also choose to push the match date to the end of the summer."
Now this was unexpected since it was coming from Midorima. Akashi would have never thought to hear Midorima acknowledge a player, much less a player who had constantly been interfering with their plans to go to Japan as fast as they could. Whenever he saw the green-head, he would always have a sour expression to him, so to hear him side with Kuroko on staying longer was definitely a surprise that Akashi didn't anticipate.
This stirred anger inside him, but there were two kinds. He was first angry that he had made wrong predictions on how his former teammates would react to Kuroko's proposition, and he never should be wrong; it made him realize just how much he didn't know about them anymore, which infuriated him to no end.
It really did seem like the bonds they had created in middle school were no longer there, and that was justification enough for Kuroko to leave. But Akashi refused to have that and instead ignored the pain in his eyes.
Murasakibara, who was silent throughout the whole ordeal, merely shrugged. "I haven't checked all the candy stores here. This just gives me more time to do so, which I'm happy about. I don't really care when the date is, since we're gonna win anyways, so let's just go with Kuro-chin's idea. If anything, I won't have to rush anymore when looking at all the desserts here."
Aomine didn't say anything. It seemed like he was in his world, battling his own demons. His eyes were far away and didn't look like he would be answering any time soon.
A monster. Kuroko had called him a monster. That alone would be enough for anyone to go into a massive shock. And with Aomine, who had once called himself Kuroko's best friend, the impact would be far worse.
Akashi stayed silent, organizing his messy thoughts. With all that had happened and the amount of stress he had accumulated in such a short amount of time, he involuntarily changed himself and found himself feeling a lot more sympathetic for his friend.
He smiled, though the interpretation of it was vague. "Fine then. We'll move the date to the end of the summer."
Upon hearing that, Kuroko visibly brightened, almost forgetting his outburst against Aomine. Kise and Midorima both sighed in relief and Murasakibara even looked a bit happy, though he was always in that state. Aomine was still lost, but no one believed that they could help him get out of it. It was his responsibility, and his alone.
Akashi then crossed his arms and the golden gleam was back. His tyrannic voice took over once more, leaving the atmosphere a lot colder than it was a few seconds before. "I will not be this kind again. Come to this summer house without my permission or come with another one of these extravagant wishes without offering anything equivalent in return and I will not hesitate to kick you out of the house."
Kuroko bowed ninety degrees towards Akashi and then to the others. "Thank you. Thank you so much." He kept repeating and it looked like there were tears in his eyes. How uncertain must Kuroko have been in as he came here, begging and pleading? How much distraught must the teal-head have gone through to actually start to cry once the stress was relieved?
It made a part of Akashi want to give him a hug and tell him it would be ok. But he was not like that. He would never be like that.
Kuroko bid them a goodbye, apologizing for requesting such a selfish demand and once the door shut, the summer house grew quiet once more. Akashi left immediately to his room because the amount of conflict he was feeling inside was borderline painful to deal with. Murasakibara also went out a few minutes after Kuroko's departure. He got the extension he needed to tour around LA to find the best dessert stands and he wasn't going to waste it now. Kise and Midorima began to talk to each other in whispers, agreeing to to visit Kagami tomorrow and try to talk to Kuroko today if they could.
And Aomine was dead inside. It seemed like the only thing that kept him going now was his flaming will and stubborn desire to crush Kagami and his team to the ground. Kuroko's words still haunted him no matter how hard he tried to forget it.
You are a monster, Aomine-kun.
How can anyone be so cruel?
Aomine despaired silently as he wondered where things had started to go astray. Was it because of him? Was it because he had become too selfish with his skills? Was it because he himself didn't know who he was anymore?
It was too complicated to deal with. It was too much to think about and Aomine would rather not dwell on it at all. So, in the end, he did what he rather did best in his middle school years: throw it away without a second thought.
Murasakibara didn't know how to feel about this. Just like how he didn't know how to feel about Akashi forcing them to fly to LA with him. There wasn't much thought, really. He just thought the same thing he thought while playing basketball. How annoying. Nothing else.
Then he saw the significant impact it had on everyone, even himself.
Midorima, the cool and collected one, broke down; Kise, the ever bubbly ball of happiness, snapped and lost his facade; Aomine, the only other lazy person in the group that rivaled his own, was now spiraling down a dark hole where he would have to face all his sins, and even Akashi, the emperor, was casting second doubts about this trip he had so boldly faced.
Murasakibara was finding it a bit hard to breathe. It was bad enough that he hated the English language and was now constantly surrounded by it, but now, it was like he was drowning underwater and had no means of escape. He was choking in thin air, not even getting the opportunity to scream. It was like his motor skills were gone and all he wanted to do was to lie down on his bed and never get up.
This was a serious problem. Murasakibara was well known to be the laziest person alive. He would much rather do nothing at all unless he had to do it. This, however, didn't mean that he didn't want to go outside every now and then and feel the fresh air in his face. He may be lazy but he wasn't, by any means, a shut-in. He actually enjoyed going outside and touring around Akita, almost as much as he enjoyed eating. He never considered staying in the house for more than a few days and there would always be an urge inside him to just leave the house when he was sick of it.
But now… Now, it was different. It was as if he was going through a complete personality change. He no longer wished for the outside, nor the wind or the fresh air because everything in LA seemed so wrong. He no longer wished to go out of the house because the outside wouldn't contain the views he wanted to see, which were those of Japan. He didn't want to go anywhere anymore, and it was like he could feel his body deteriorate. He needed exercise and a daily dose of the sun, but he didn't want to do that anymore.
And it scared him more than he would like to admit.
So, as soon as Kuroko left with the unbelievable news that they would now stay until the end of summer, which was about two months away, Murasakibara decided to go against his negative mind and leave the house for the first in a while. The moment the warm wind hit his face, he knew he wouldn't like it one bit.
He became cranky as he began to search for his one solace in this wretched place: a candy store. Besides, that was the only reason he agreed with Kuroko's proposal, wasn't it? He wanted the remaining time to try out different treats that he normally would not get in Japan. That was the only reason why the trip was worth it.
And he definitely didn't agree because he felt guilty about abandoning Kuroko in more than one occasion. Definitely not.
"I'm sorry, sir. You don't have enough money to buy all this." The cashier lady said with a shaky voice as Murasakibara looked at her with a glare.
"I have enough. Count again." He said as fluently as he could and the lady nodded hastily as she began to tally up the change Murasakibara gave her. The giant needed all this candy. He wouldn't settle for less.
"I'm terribly sorry, but you really don't have enough money to buy all of this candy, sir. You will have to take some out."
"But I don't want to." He declared without much thought and the lady wasn't sure of what to do. She looked like she was almost about to faint by the intimidating aura that Murasakibara was emitting, and it really didn't help that he was basically towering over her small, petite body.
"Excuse me, how much is he lacking?" Someone behind Murasakibara suddenly said and the man stepped aside, walking up to the front of the cashier place with an easy-going smile. He was a very handsome man with a mole below his right eye, the left being covered by his black bangs, and the lady thanked the gods that someone was here to help her.
"10 dollars, sir."
The handsome man chuckled. "That much?" He muttered to himself and took out a 10 dollar bill. The lady took it gratefully and began to pack Murasakibara's candy.
"That's a lot of candy you're buying." The handsome man commented.
Murasakibara shrugged. "It looked good. I've never seen these before."
"Is that so? I understand if you have a sweet tooth but it would be best if you didn't intimidate the cashier lady next time. She was only doing her job."
Murasakibara pouted but understood where the man was coming at. It's not like he wanted to be daunting; given his height, it was a given that some people would be shorter than he, and all he wanted was some candy. Was that too hard to ask?
The giant then blinked, replaying the conservation he just had. He had talked in Japanese, which was definitely easier and more comfortable for him than English, but was the man…?
As he looked down and saw the handsome man smiling at him with a knowing smirk, Murasakibara pieced two and two together.
"Are you also Japanese?" He asked cautiously and the man laughed while nodding.
"I am. I thought that much was pretty obvious."
"How did you know I was Japanese, too?"
The man shrugged. "Your accent gave it away. I had a Japanese friend who started off like that as well. Of course, now that he's lived here for several years, his accent is almost gone, but the accent really gives it away the moment you hear it."
"… That's too complicated to think about. And I don't want to speak that much English. Japanese is so much better." Murasakibara complained and the man chuckled.
"It must be. How long has it been since you've come to LA?"
Murasakibara tapped his chin for a second. "A week, maybe? I don't really know."
"Then, compared to how long you've been here, your English is very good." The man complimented and Murasakibara decided that this man was a good person.
He smiled lazily. "Thanks~"
"My pleasure. My name is Himuro by the way. Himuro Tatsuya. My friends tend to call me Tat for short." The man introduced.
"Murasakibara Atsushi." Murasakibara responded back.
"Nice to meet you, Atsushi." Himuro smiled and Murasakibara blinked once more in slight shock.
"Did you just call me Atsushi?" He asked in confirmation and Himuro realized his mistake.
"Ah, sorry about that. I've been living in LA since I was a child, so I don't really know the Japanese etiquette all too well. I should've called you Murasakibara, shouldn't I have?"
The giant decided that it wasn't that weird to have someone call him by his given name. And he liked this Himuro person, so he would let it go. "Doesn't matter. You can call me Atsushi. I'll call you Muro-chin instead."
"Muro…?" Himuro echoed and chuckled once more. "You are definitely an interesting person, Atsushi."
The giant decided to take that as a compliment. "Thanks Muro-chin. You, too."
"Um, excuse me." They heard a female voice interrupt from behind. "Here's your bag and I'm so sorry, but would you mind stepping aside from the line? The next customer is waiting." The giant turned around to see the shy cashier lady holding a big bag, filled with all the foreign candy Murasakibara had picked. The purple-haired giant brightened as he swiftly took the bag away from her and practically skipped to the exit way. Himuro followed from behind, apologizing to both the lady and the people that were behind them.
As he caught up with Murasakibara, who was already stuffing his mouth with Toblerone, Himuro smiled. "Atsushi, if you've been to LA for only a week or so, how about I show you around? I have nothing much to do and it's been a while since I've been out myself."
Murasakibara thought about it but grew rather pessimistic. He wanted desserts, not a tour around a place he hated. "I don't like this place. There's too much English." He whined and Himuro raised an eyebrow at how childish this two meter giant was. Well, it made things a lot easier for him, then. All he needed to do was hook the baby by his pinky.
"Well, I guess it can't be helped. I was going to show you this amazing dessert place a few blocks down that has signature dishes only LA has, but if you don't want to go…"
The slumping giant immediately straightened his back at the word 'dessert'. He scrutinized Himuro before confirming that he wasn't lying. He really wanted to go and try out those signature dishes. He was already halfway through his bag but there was always room for more.
"I want to go!" Murasakibara answered quickly, almost like a toddler going to Disney Land, and Himuro laughed, smiling smugly to himself at how easy that was. And just like that, Murasakibara and Himuro went to the dessert place and talked for a few hours, getting to know each other more.
While it did end up being a one-sided conversation for the most part (Murasakibara was always too distracted to answer), Himuro was doing this for his own intentions.
In reality, he knew who this person was, even before meeting him now in person. He had heard everything from his brother Taiga and his friends. How a few days before summer vacation, a group of very colorful Japanese people entered without permission and disrupted several classes, how Taiga and his friend group already had matches with two of these prodigies, how he severely got injured because one of them went too far.
It angered him the first time the news reached him. While he and Taiga were not that close anymore, he still considered the red-head as his little brother due to their childhood friendship, and hearing that someone had purposely injured him made him feel very bitter. Even more so, what really piqued his interest was to see who these basketball prodigies were, and what better way to know them by personally meeting them?
Finding Murasakibara, one of these prodigies, and listening to his middle school past was one scoop after the other. By the time they bid their goodbyes and agreed to meet the next day, Himuro already had information about their names, their looks, and their talents. All he had to do now was relay them.
"I cannot believe you would hurt yourself this much. How dare you?" Alex, a beautiful blonde woman with a white tank top and black leggings, bellowed as she entered Kagami's room. She flung her backpack to the corner of the room and Kagami couldn't run away from Alex's death grip and merely choked out an apology.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Kagami said in panic and Alex sighed, letting go a few seconds afterwards.
"Taiga, what happened? You're normally not one to do something as stupid as this. You knew you were hurt, weren't you? Why in the world would you do something so reckless?"
Kagami rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm sorry. Some things just happened and I lost my train of thought."
"That is no excuse. Any further damage and you would have had to stop basketball completely." Alex said solemnly and Kagami nodded.
"I know, Alex. I'll be more careful next time."
Alex sighed once more as she sat at the edge of the bed. She took Kagami's hand and placed it on her cheek, as if to assure herself that he was really going to be fine. "God, I'm glad you're ok, though. I don't know what I would've done if you were in a worse state."
Kagami looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Alex."
"Does Tatsuya know about this?"
"I think so. I think Eddy told him after I told Tetsu."
Alex perked up at Kuroko's name. "How's he taking it?"
"Tetsu?" Kagami asked and bit his lip. "I don't know. I haven't heard from him since I told him. I'm really worried because he just left the room with such an angry face, you never would've been able to believe that was him."
"I'm angry too, Taiga." Alex replied. "I'm angry at the person who would do this to you. I want to go out right now and give him a piece of my mind."
"Alex, don't. It was my fault for being too weak." Kagami said, his voice growing weaker. Alex ruffled his hair and couldn't help but see Kagami's past self, when he was still a child, asking Alex with Himuro whether she could teach them basketball.
"Taiga, this is never your fault. Circumstances happened and I'm sure you didn't mean to injure yourself like this."
"I still ended up letting everybody down. I won't even be able to participate in the match anymore with Tetsu. I won't be able to show those bastards what we're capable of as a team." Kagami said as he lowered his head. Alex could tell how much he was suffering right now. She could tell how much guilt he was feeling, and it hurt her so much to see one of her favorite pupils in such pain.
"Honey, I'm so sorry." She comforted as he she hugged him tightly. "I wish I could call for some kind of miracle, to maybe move the match to a later date, you know?"
Kagami laughed emptily. "Knowing that Akashi person, he won't ever listen to my request. I don't think he would even let me in his house."
"Then maybe I could talk to him."
Kagami shook his head and pushed Alex away gently. "I don't want you to get caught up in this as well, Alex. I don't want you to see how much of a horrible person he is. I just have to hope that the prescriptions the doc gave me are strong enough to let me heal faster. Maybe then, I'll still be able to play in the match and not let anyone down."
Alex patted him on the head. "You always did think about other people more than you think about yourself. You know you can be a bit selfish at times, right?"
Kagami shook his head immediately. "Being in this position right now makes me extremely selfish. I'm not able to do anything for my friends and all they're doing is worrying about me when they shouldn't. It was my stupid mistake and they shouldn't feel like they're responsible. I'm the only one that made everything wrong."
"Taiga…" Alex couldn't say much because it physically hurt her to see Kagami so dejected. He was never one to talk badly about himself but when he did, it was for the worst reasons. This incident was not his fault; if anything, it was the person who had provoked him that caused this kind of messed up scenario. She wanted to say more comforting words but she didn't know what to say to help. All she could do was hug him once more in hopes of letting Kagami know that he wasn't alone and there would always be people to hear his worries.
As she hugged him, someone began to knock from the other side of the door.
"Come in." Alex said and the door opened to slowly to reveal no one. Both Kagami and Alex looked at each other in confusion before going into slight panic.
"Please don't tell me a ghost did all of that." Kagami said in a slightly higher pitch than his normal voice. Alex didn't know how to respond; she was shaking with him.
It was not a ghost, Kagami-kun." A voice suddenly resonated and the two jumped in surprise. Then, they saw Kuroko standing right in front of them and both calmed down significantly.
"Tetsuya, you really need to stop doing that." Alex commented as she settled back to her seat.
Kuroko merely blinked. "I did nothing."
"Right." Alex responded skeptically. "Anyways, we were worried about you. Taiga told me you just suddenly went off after he explained his situation. Where did you go? What did you do?"
Kuroko shrugged, not providing anything clearer. "I talked to Akashi-kun."
"You did? Why?" Kagami intervened in bewilderment and concern.
"I asked him if he could move the match date and thankfully, he has allowed it. The match is now set for the end of the summer, so Kagami-kun will be able to not only recover but also have time to practice." He said in such a nonchalant voice that, at first, it was hard for the two other people in the room to believe him. But the news felt like a bomb being dropped in a good way. The room was silent for a second Alex screamed in joy.
"Miracles do happen!" She shouted with a big smile on her face, jumping up and down, and Kagami was close to running to Kuroko to hug him.
"Tetsu, you — How did you — I just —Fuck, I'm too emotional right now. I don't know how to react to this, Tetsu. I don't know what to say." Kagami stuttered, trying his best to form coherent sentences to try to express his utter elation. But it didn't work because goddamn it, he was too happy right now. He still had a chance, another opportunity to atone for his mistakes.
He was too happy that, in the heap of the moment, he couldn't see how exhausted Kuroko was, whose body slumped forward and eyes contained such powerful, raw emotions. It was obvious how much he had gone through to get to this point, but Kagami was being selfish at the wrong time because he couldn't see how much pain his friend was in.
But Alex saw. Alex saw and she was close to calming Kagami down and let him see what she was seeing. But Kuroko was shrewd and extremely meticulous. She caught Alex's arm at the last second and she looked at him with confused expression. Kuroko subtly shook his head and Alex bit her tongue.
"Taiga, it's amazing news." Alex said in a forced happy tone and Kagami nodded his head enthusiastically, not catching it at all. Alex could then see why Kuroko didn't want her to tell him. Kagami was ecstatic, so much so that she couldn't ruin this moment. She understood just how many sacrifices Kuroko was making to make Kagami this happy.
"Hey, I know you're excited about this but you're still bed-ridden. You should get some rest, Taiga." Alex suggested and Kagami's face turned sour.
"After this news? You're kidding me, right?" Kagami crossed his arms with a pout and Alex laughed at how stupid he looked. Kuroko himself was smiling a bit.
"Fine, how about, for the time you're stuck here, you practice your ball-handling skills?"
Kagami raised an eyebrow. "What, why?"
"Because your dominant hand is the right hand and you're neglecting your left too much."
"It doesn't matter whether I use my left hand or not, though." Kagami replied, a bit puzzled.
"Listen to your coach, Taiga. I've been meaning to talk to you about this for a while now, but now is as good a time as ever. The best basketball players are those who know how to use their skills both ways. You want both your hemispheres to be active and the first way to do that is to master handling the basketball with your less-dominant hand. If you can't stay still, start practicing now." Alex said wisely and even took out a ball from the bag she had brought in with her. Kagami looked at her in disbelief, then at Kuroko, who was skillfully averting his gaze from him, and sighed.
"Fine. You're the expert, aren't you?" Kagami relented and Alex beamed at him in victory.
"I am. Do your best. I have to go out for a moment but I'll visit you occasionally and help you along the way. Get better soon, ok?"
"You sound just like a mother now. It's creepy." Kagami commented in a joking manner and Alex, with a smiling face, went up to him and thunked him on the head with her knuckles. She then bid her student a farewell and left the room.
Kuroko saw the subtle hand gesture she sent him and knew he had to follow.
Kagami began to hold the ball with his left hand, and it was obvious that he felt extremely awkward with it.
"I still don't really understand why I would need to practice with my left hand." Kagami grumbled a he tried to land the ball on the top of the hand. Instead, the ball bounced off, making Kuroko fetch for it.
"Thanks, Tetsu." Kagami said with a grateful smile as the teal-head handed him the ball. He began to fiddle with it again, trying to get the feel of using his left hand.
"I still can't believe that the match date was moved. I finally have a second chance." Kagami repeated in a determined voice. "It's a miracle. It's so amazing."
"I am very happy you feel that way, Kagami-kun. I really am."
Kagami turned to him and Kuroko wanted to cry when he saw the smile that had saved him months ago, when he was at his worst and he didn't know where to go. "You don't know how grateful I am to you, Tetsu. Just you wait. I'll perfect my basketball skills so well that that Aomine bastard won't even be able to lay a hand on us anymore."
"I have no doubt that you will, Kagami-kun. You were always one to make all kinds of miracles."
Kagami chuckled as he ruffled Kuroko's hair. "Don't you dare sell yourself short, Kuroko. You yourself have a knack of making miracles. I really don't know how to thank you for doing this. You really saved me this time." He glanced at Kuroko timidly and gave him a smaller smile. "Be honest with me, it wasn't easy convincing them, was it?"
Kuroko was taken aback at Kagami's words. He took a few steps back from him unconsciously because he was honestly so stunned by those words. The red head was still looking at him but his piercing red eyes were searching hard for answers. Kuroko was too tired to mask his emotions and put on his regular poker face, so the only thing he could do was avoid his gaze.
"Come on, Tetsu. I may be stupid but I'm not that stupid. I've faced all of them at least once. I know how they can be. And with that psycho Akashi being the leader of the group, I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you to try and persuade them to move it just for my sake. Tell me, what did you do to get them to listen to you?" He pleaded and Kuroko could never run away from those eyes.
"Kagami-kun, I—" Kuroko started to say, gripping his arm so strongly it was almost like he was going to the rip the skin off, when the door suddenly opened and Alex barged in.
"Hey Tetsuya, I'm going to have to borrow you for a second. Taiga, keep practicing! I won't have you mess around while you're bed-ridden." She criticized immediately and Kagami, who was still trying to regain his breath for the sudden intrusion, nodded without thinking about it.
"I got it, I got it." He then passed off as he began to hold the ball with his left hand again.
Alex looked at Kuroko in the eye, nudging him to come out, and Kuroko quickly left the room, grateful for the woman. Kagami's eyes lingered after him, obviously knowing what the two were going to talk about. In the end, it was Kuroko's choice whether he wanted to tell Kagami or not about what happened. And though he was curious out of his mind, he would respect his best friend's decision.
When the two got out of Kagami's room, Alex crossed her arms. "So, how bad was it? What did you do to make them change the date?"
Kuroko didn't want to relive it again. "I would rather not say."
"That bad?" She asked with immense worry. She then hugged him tightly, almost cutting off his breathing. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone."
"I didn't think Kagami-kun would catch on so early. I was shocked, to say the least."
"He's not the uncaring type Tetsuya, you know that. When he worries about his friends, he really worries about them. And it especially goes to you, too. Hearing what everyone's been saying about these five Japanese prodigies and how they've been treating the people here, I have to go with Taiga on this one. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you to try and convince them. You truly invoked a miracle, and I don't think Taiga is ever going to forget that."
Kuroko couldn't help but smile sadly. "I just did what I thought was right."
Alex couldn't fathom this boy's modesty and humility. He was everything that was right with the world. On instinct, she hugged him again. "How on Earth did we become blessed with a person like you?"
"I am not a great person, Alex. I have committed various sins in my past that I don't think I can ever atone for."
"I don't believe you for a second, Tetsuya. You are one of the best people I've ever met." She retorted back immediately and while Kuroko said nothing in return, he never did heed her words. He was still sitting alone in his black area, apologizing for everything wrong that happened in his life.
So how was it? Good, bad, meh? Tell me in the reviews!
Hopefully, I'm portraying the characters more three-dimensionally and it's all turning out well.
Kagami may have been portrayed a bit out of character but I really wanted to add that part to him. In the manga, he may be seen as this pompous ass that rivals the pride of Aomine, but I wanted to take his character and make it more relatable. Everyone should have some kind of anxiety to them and I wanted Kagami to have that as well. I wanted him to be seen as someone who, even in his tremendous amount of talent, there is still a part to him that wonders whether he is really doing ok. And I really want to emphasize how much Kagami values friendship. Since Seirin isn't here to progress him into, I wanted him to already have that kind of mentality. Besides, who wouldn't feel guilty after everything that happened?
At this point, I'm not really sure where the story might go. I might look more into Murasakibara's character as well as the placement of Himuro. I might finally get into Akashi's arc (wink wink) but it will depend on whether i want this to go about smoothly or rushed.
I won't be able to update a lot anymore because I just won't have time for it, but I really wanted to finish this chapter at least as a present and a thank you for those who have constantly been with me and supporting me with all their love.
Thank you so much and let's try to make 2017 a better year :)
Peace,
FlyAndDontLookBack