Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki
Title: We, the Fallen – Chapter 1: Eternal
Word count: 4014
Warning: Nothing in particular
Chapter 1:
Eternal
{-}
Love is eternal. No matter how far you throw it away, it will always come back to knock at your door. And, if you just leave it to dust, it will be just where you left it, waiting for you to come back and pick it up.
Because it knows you will.
{-}
This story took place in a far, far away land, a land unknown to nowadays. On this land, lived all sort of people. Merchants, smiths, farmers, soldiers, nobles… Peace ruled over all of them; and they were happy with it. Life just went on each day.
But then, as the season switched to spring, a group of young men appeared on that harmonious kingdom. It was said, long after, that there were six of them. But most people would only be able to name five. The sixth man became a sort of legend. They called him the phantom sixth man. Some might even say that he was not real.
– But he was there alright. –
That said, even if he wasn't there, the other five young men created a clan named Teiko. They all had a specific talent. The clan unified the whole land together, and was reined by its creators. You could say that peace was once again on top, or rather, it has never been torn away from the people. Finally, they were called a generation that has never been seen before, a generation of young talented people, unbeatable, unbendable, the Generation of Miracles that has brought changes to the nation. And so, three years passed. As the young rulers each grew stronger, the invisible red string that has been holding them together stretched, until it broke. Started a war. The five young men, that has, by then, grown up, each walked down their own path. The land split into various small clans.
There were six great kinfolks.
The first clan was called Seirin. It was the only group that did not obtain a member of the Teiko clan (or so they thought).
The second clan was called Touo. Known for their strict selection, they only chose warriors with the most talents. They took in the person who was known as the Blue Ace of Teiko, their finest and proudest battler, Aomine Daiki.
The third clan was called Shuutoku. They got the perfect shooter, Midorima Shintaro.
The fourth clan was called Kaijo. They got the renowned golden beauty of Teiko, Kise Ryouta.
The fifth clan was called Yosen. They were also known as the Giants of the North due to the monstrous height each man had and their location north. They got – obviously – the tallest of the Generation of Miracles, Murasakibara Atsushi.
And, lastly, the sixth clan, that got the leader of Teiko, Akashi Seijuro – who eventually becomes the clan's leader –, was called Rakuzan, nicknamed Kings of the South. Thus, were the six clans that will play the most important part in our story…
{-}
À la claire fontaine m'en allant promener
J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle que je m'y suis baigné
{-}
"It's been awhile." The taller figure bluntly said to the pretty boy in front of him. The Kaijo residence's corridor was silent after the sun has set, and especially cold on a winter night like this one. He could not understand why his leader – and master, even if he did not really want to admit it – fancies these times the most.
Kise Ryouta glanced at Aomine Daiki. "It's been awhile." He answered shortly with the same sentence, showing his lack of ambition to talk to the tanned man.
"Kise" Aomine whispered. He would be lying if he said that he has not been taken back by the other man's coldness towards him. The heart-warming, overjoyed Kise was nowhere to be seen.
The blond did not answer. His eyes had already drifted somewhere else, somewhere without Aomine. He did not approve the slightest desire to see the blue haired man in this residence. When he learned it from his master, he pleaded and begged to be sent out on a mission, any kind of mission. If the meeting could not be changed, then take him away from the headquarters. But Kasamatsu would not listen to him. The older man insisted that the number one soldier should always be near his lord.
So there he was, staring out to the occidental styled garden. What was he looking at anyway? He could careless as long as it wasn't Aomine.
Aomine and his beautiful abs showing under his open vest. Aomine and his muscular arms, each covered by a black iron forearm protector. Aomine fought with his punches and kicks. And, occasionally, with short knives, or a spear. He lived in a desert nomad clan, where life was adventurous and rough. He was so different from Kise, who was dressed like a prince from a European country. He lived in the most beautiful part of the land, surrounded by lakes and forests. Kise used swords to fight and two of them, to be precise.
And those were just a small part of their difference.
"Oi!" Aomine almost snapped. He hated to be ignored, especially from the oh-so-clingy Kise. Even though, deep inside, he knew what that blond was thinking, what the blond has been thinking since summer. He did not want to accept it. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't Kise's fault. This damned world should be at fault for pulling them apart. "Ryouta!" he tried again.
And it worked. Kise lost all composure for a moment. His eyes, that has been looking God knows where for awhile, widened. He bit his lips, something he would always do when he was embarrassed or thinking hard. He finally looked back at the dark skinned man.
"Please do not call me in such an intimidating way." He asked, formally, his golden eyes dead serious. "Aominecchi, we are enemies right now. There hasn't been a conclusion to the meeting yet." He stated.
"Damn that meeting! Kise, that kind of thing shouldn't determine our fate!" He shouted. Was Kise that mad?
"The meeting has nothing to do with it." There was a long pause. Kise's eyes shifted away once again. "It has nothing to do… with us." The last two words were bitterly uttered out from the trembling lips. When was the last time he was this close to Aomine? It was probably just last summer. But, one summer felt like a lifetime.
That fateful summer day that changed their lives…
{-}
It was a hot summer night. The moon was glowing in the sky. Its craters silently watched as the ground below faded into black. One by one, houses turned off their lights.
But inside the headquarters, activities never end. Kise Ryouta and Aomine Daiki waited in the dark corridor of the Kaijo residence. At this hour, there weren't much people anymore. They were alone. But they could still hear the faint voices from their lords beyond the paper door.
"It's been awhile, Kise." Aomine smiled at the blond. He approached him casually. His ex-clansman smiled back and took his hand.
"It's only been a few months." Kise said. His fingers weaved with Aomine's. It was warm, his hand, and rough, and big, and scarred, and stained, and perfect. "I did miss you, Aominecchi." He said softly.
"Me too" Sweet words were whispered into his left ear. Then his earring was nibbled. Kise laughed.
Indeed, three months have passed since they last saw each other. The last time – if he remembered correctly – was when they all said goodbye at the crossroad, all five of them. By that time, Kuroko has already left. Until today, he still has not understood as for why. And, somehow, he most likely did not want to understand that mysterious teammate of his, for so many reasons.
A pair of thin lips brushed against his cheek. He could feel the hot breath on his face. It was hotter than the summer air around them. Kise closed his eyes. He waited for the soft push against his own lips, which he got just a moment after. And then, as both lovers started to crave for slightly more, he parted them. Aomine bit his lower labrum. Kise winced in pain. The blue haired has never learned to be gentle with other people… Or maybe, it was just with one person…
Kise chased those thoughts away. Right then he should be more focused on the sweet kiss Aomine was giving him. His tongue was scrapped by the other person's teeth, and then it was gently bitten and pulled. His hands grabbed onto to the little fabrics Aomine had on him – which was the vest –. He was out of breath. He needed to breathe. But his partner did not want to let him go. And he, himself, did not want to let go of the moment either. And so, it was only when Aomine ran out of oxygen that the kiss ended. But Kise was still in his arms. And the tanned would kill anyone who tried to take this person away from his clutch.
But everything must come to an end.
The paper door slid open violently. Imayoshi stepped out, his sly grin, as always, on his face. Kasamatsu stayed beside the door. He leaned on it tiredly and looked at Kise and Aomine, a sort of strange sympathy in his eyes.
"Come on, let's go Aomine." Wakamatsu called out to the number one battler of Touo.
Aomine snorted. It was clear that he was irritated by this sudden disturbance. Without looking at the blond, he squeezed the hand he was holding one time before leaving.
Kise smiled.
It meant "Goodbye."
And "See you soon."
And "I miss you."
And "I still want to be with you."
And "I don't want to leave."
And so much more meanings can be given to this simple act. But Kise knew its most important one:
It also meant "I love you"
"You shouldn't be so close to another clan's man." Kasamatsu stated.
"Oh come on my lord. Aomine's an old friend from the Teiko days." Kise said.
"You shouldn't be too close to him. Or else you'll regret it."
The leader's voice was grave. Kise felt uneasiness built up inside his body. Brick by brick, it established a wall of anxiety.
"What's happening?" He had to gather all his courage to ask.
"We just declared war to Touo." Kasamatsu looked straight into his eyes. Not the slightest amusement in his. Not like he was the type to joke around anyway. But Kise hoped he was. He truly hoped that moment.
He could not believe his ears. Was he just dreaming? Or maybe he was hallucinating? Maybe it was a delusion? He must be tired. Yes, that's right, it was a tiring day. Things like this couldn't happen.
"It's war, Kise." The clan's head's words hit him again like a hammer.
His smile did not fade away. It did not while he watched his lover leave with that creepy man, as Aomine turned back to look at him with a pale face, as the tanned man almost rushed back to him only to be stopped by Wakamatsu. But inside, inside of him was screaming with all its might.
{-}
Silence. Both of them refused to talk. Most likely because they did not know what to say. On one side of the path, Kise tried to find a way to break away from the ace next to him. On the other side of the path, Aomine was trying to find an argument against Kise's childish bickers.
'This is getting too tangled.' Aomine thought. Even if he knew what the blond was thinking, even if he knew what was going on in that gold covered skull right then, he still couldn't figure what made the blond so mad. It was the last missing puzzle. Yet, it was the hardest – and the most important – piece to find.
'Let the meeting end already…' Kise thought. For he was like a trapped man, unable to escape those contemplating deep blue eyes. He knew that Aomine missed one point about his feelings. Because Aomine would always be Aomine, not understanding, careless, and hot headed.
"It's war, Aominecchi. Can't you understand such simple facts?" The blond unconsciously clenched his right hand on his sword. "It was war. And it is still war. The battles won't be ending soon."
"So what if it is war?" Aomine asked back. He did notice the blonde's nervousness. But yet again, could not define the cause of it. "What if the battles don't end soon? What does that have to do with us!?"
"Why do you have to act like a child? This isn't a game Aominecchi! It's a fact of life and death!"
"I couldn't careless, Kise. All I care about is…"
"You don't care about anything!" Kise stopped the tanned man from saying another word. He knew what Aomine was going to say. And he did not want to hear it, for he knew it would only be a lie, a syllable lost in the moment. "Stop it Aomine. Stop all of this. I can't take it any longer."
It took Aomine awhile to absorb the information, to realize that Kise just called him by his name, his normal name, and to notice that beautiful teardrops were falling down the other's fair skin. He made Kise cry.
{-}
He watched the smaller body fall to the ground and pulled difficultly his spear from the warm elbow flesh. Where was he again? Oh yes… the battlefield. The air was filled with screams, and yells, and howls, and roars, and laments, especially laments. Soldiers whose bodies were severely wounded lay helpless on the floor. Some – most of them to be accurate – were begging for mercy to God and, some others, to the enemy standing head hide, ready to deliver the coup fatale.
So, it was the battlefield… How long have he been here though? It felt like the moment he set foot on this empty land was years ago. But, if he remembered correctly, he hasn't even seen the sun set yet.
He looked down at the wounded Kise. How did it end up like this? How can it end up like this? Hurting his beloved was the last thing he wanted to do. Yet, there he was, among thousands of cadavers, holding a blade against the magnificent throat.
Kise just smiled. The same old smile
Maybe it they went wrong somewhere.
Or maybe fate just decided to play an awful prank on them.
"Go on Aominecchi. Claim your victory." Kise closed his eyes and tilted his head up, giving the winner a better access to his throat. He knew he was trembling and could only hope that Aomine did not see it.
But there was no pain. No cut, no blood, no, nothing… Just the awful screams clamoring around him. The sliver spear was lifted from his neck. The blond opened his eyes once again.
"What do you think you're doing?" He asked the tanned man.
Aomine did not answer him. He just threw his spear onto his shoulder, the other hand on his hips, and looked down to his defeated friend.
"You're my lover. It's not like I can do you any more harm."
Those words pierced Kise. Worst than the wound he just received. 'Lover' he said? As if Aomine has ever seen him as a real lover.
A lot of things happened between that night and today. Things that has changed Kise's way of thinking… For example, he now knew that Aomine has never seen him as more as a replacement for the disappeared shadow. Aomine will never truly love him. The man may not even be conscious about it, but, it was the truth.
And that was why it hurt to hear those words uttered out so lightly.
And that was why his eyes started to burn and a small lump formed in his throat.
And that was why tears started to fall for his golden irises.
"Lovers, you say?" His voice was trembling just as much as his hands. "This is my pride we are talking about! And you're just squashing it with the word 'lover'?"
Aomine seemed shocked by his sudden rage. Sure… Aomine did not know such things as a loser's pride. He has never lost. And – most likely – he will never lose. So how can he understand it? How could he have understood the anger he has built inside Kise?
"Kill me, right now." Kise insisted. He was a man of Kaijo, high in honor and pride. Letting his enemy spare his life over such sentiments would be a disgrace.
Aomine's face hardened.
"Such obvious victory doesn't amuse me." Aomine said coldly as he walked away, into the chaotic field.
The hour of Touo's victory was marked only by the sound of men screaming. And among those screams, was Kise's, a long, strident scream from a broken hearted man.
War showed its true face, out there, among the broken and the scattered.
{-}
That was the first time that Aomine saw Kise crying. The first time, and the last time, he has thought. But here he was, silently watching as the blond sobbed and wiped his tears with the back of his gloved hands.
As for Kise, that time, he thought that he had successfully thrown his adoration for Aomine away, that that love left when the blue haired man walked away from the battlefield. But here he was, crying his heart out, wishing Aomine would just hold him, kiss him, and make love to him. Love has never left him.
It was definitive, eternal.
Sous les feuilles d'un chêne, je me suis fait séché
Sur la plus haute branche, un rossignole chantait
{-}
The ambiance was just as heavy in the meeting room. Kasamatsu stared at Touo's leader, Imayoshi.
'I just can't stand that smile.' He thought.
They could hear sobs from outside. Kasamatsu knew that they were from Kise. Kise's tears hurt him the most, thought he would never admit it to the blond or anybody else.
So he just smiled.
"See? You're making my right hand man cry." He said mockingly.
Imayoshi did not respond directly. The man just looked at the paper door, his scary smile growing wider.
"It can't be helped." He answered finally. "No matter what you say, Touo will not ally with Kaijo."
"And why is that?" Touo's stubbornness was getting Kasamatsu on his nerves. To tell the truth, he was not that found of the idea of allies, but the threats from North and South was getting dangerous. "Rakuzan and Yosen decided to fight together in order to conquer the Center. We are all in danger. You cannot fight alone."
"I know that much."
"Then why won't you…" He wanted to punch this bastard's face so badly.
Imayoshi contemplated the sake glass before taking another sip.
"Haven't you ever thought of the possibility that we have already agreed with another clan?" was the rhetorical question he received back. And it hit him. Why has he never thought about it? There were still two other clans, Seirin and Shutoku.
"Seirin?" He tried. They were the closest to Touo culturally. Plus, Shutoku does not have any frontier with Touo.
"Got it right!" Imayoshi laughed. "We might have won them last summer. But since then they have grown stronger. Now, they're an important supporter."
Imayoshi took off his glasses to clean them. He seemed overjoyed by the looks on Kasamatsu's face.
"If you can make Seirin join with you, then we will become your accomplices too." He put the specs back, finished his sake, and stood up. "I hope we won't be interrupting those two lovebirds outside."
The sobbing has already stopped.
{-}
A rough hand touched his cheek. He wanted to push it away. He wanted to push it away so badly. But he could not. Because, after all that has happened, he still desired this touch with all his life.
Was it because it was gentle? No, that couldn't be. This hand, that has killed numerous people, that has ripped apart hopes and beliefs, could never be gentle. So why was he longing for it this much?
Maybe because it was warm? No it couldn't be that either. This cold hearted beast could never have such warm hands.
But still, his own hands clung onto them. He bit his lips in order to suppress the sobs that were fighting their way up. He never wanted to look so pitiful in front of Aomine again. And here he was, clinging desperately to this last act of kindness – or was it pity? – the man had to offer him.
'It will end soon. All of this will end soon…' He tried to convince himself. 'And when it all ends, I will no longer love this man.' He tried and cried from his own thoughts. How could he ever forget Aomine? How can he ever stop loving this cruel man?
"Kise" His name was called so gently. This was not Aomine. Aomine could never be this gentle. All Aomine has ever thought was sex, alcohol and fighting. So how can he be this…?
How can he embrace Kise so sweetly?
"Kise stop crying." Another hard finger wiped his tears away. He wanted to take back what his thought, Aomine was anything but gentle. The skin under his eyes hurt.
"I love you Kise."
Ah… that again… He knew it was an obvious lie, from an obviously stupid person, for another obviously stupid person.
He did want to scream back that it wasn't true, that Aomine was just searching for an object to fill the empty space in his heart left by another man, that he won't believe it any more. But Kise was not that brave. He was not strong enough to push those sugar covered words away.
So he just opened his eyes to look at the other man's face.
And then he saw Aomine's face. A childish over-concerned face. It made him laugh. He wondered why. He was so sad, and somehow amused by that look he has never seen on that tanned face. Aomine must think that he has gone crazy, crying then laughing. His humor flickered like a candle exposed to soft wind.
Lips silenced his laughter. Tongue pulled him into the other man's trap, enslaved once again to these lovely movements. Hands grabbed his blond hair along with his shattered heart.
The door slid open. The two men parted. Aomine walked away with his clansmen. Nothing more was said to each other. Nothing has been concluded.
His eyes must be swollen. It must have been quite a sight for his lord. But Kise did all his best to keep his perfect smile upon his lips.
"So, how was the meeting?" He asked, though he already knew from Kasamatsu's look and from Touo's quick departure that it must have been a total failure.
"Nomads are hard to deal with." Kasamatsu scoffed. "They're a pain in the ass. I told you, you shouldn't get too involved with them."
"Seems like I haven't learned my lesson…" Kise smiled. He could never let the thought of those honey burnt abs, the smell of exotic spices, and the blue sea hair go.
He has already been trapped by that careless thief.
"So what have you decided?" He continued his questions.
There was a long yawn from Kaijo's feudal lord. The moon was high in the starry sky. He stretched his arms above his head. "I'm going to sleep." He said instead of answering.
Kise did not say more.
"We'll travel to Seirin as soon as possible." He heard Kasamatsu said as his master walked away to rest. He too, should rest. But he knew too well that he would not close an eye for the next three of four days.
Aomine's kiss lingered on his lips.
It lingered, and burned him.
A/N: That took forever to write. Sorry! It's just impossible to find any inspiration with all theses exams. But Winter holidays are coming up so I hope Chapter 2 won't take as long to write =)
Hope you guys enjoyed it!
Notes: A la Claire fontaine is a traditional French folk song.
The two parts I've used can be translated like this:
At the clear fountain, while I was walking by
I have found the water so beautiful, that I went in for a bathe
Under the leaves of an oak tree, I dried myself
On the highest branch, a nightingale was singing
This song can be interpreted so many ways, but my favorite deduction is:
The water refers to the lover, the subject of love
The oak tree refers to seduction
The nightingale refers to love ('a nightingale was singing' can be understood as 'love bloomed')