Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki
Title: We, the Fallen – Chapter 2: Ephemeral
Word count:
Warning: Rating M for sexual content (though it's just a tiny little bitty bit) Safety first.
Chapter 2:
Ephemeral
{-}
Love is ephemeral.
Sure, if you manage to catch it – or it manages to catch you – love is eternal.
But, if either of you do not manage to get to the other's heart. Then love will just leave. And it will never come back.
{-}
The sun was high above. It was hot, unbearably hot.
Kise wiped the pearls of sweat that has formed on his forehead. The back of his shirt was starting to get damp. A man from the Center like him couldn't take the burning sun of the desert. His beloved white horse also seemed to be having problems with the heat.
"My lord, are we there yet?" He shouted to the head of the traveling line. Kasamatsu was leading the way, three or four horses away from Kise.
"Shut up!" The older man did not want to hear another whining word from his subordinate. He knew it was hot. He knew it was unbearable. He, himself, hated how his sweat has stuck the fabrics of his shirt on his skin. But what could he do? The gods have created this horrifying land in order to keep the humans away. But they human still did all they could to conquer this land.
"You are annoying." A monotonous complaint came from the blonde's left.
Kise turned his head to his old companion, Midorima. On their way they stopped at Shutoku, an ally of Kaijo, and asked them if they would come with them to convince Seirin to join the battle. The lord could not make it, so he sent out his two best mages instead, Takao Kizunari and Midorima Shintaro.
Shutoku was close to Kaijo, culturally. They were at the far north, right under Yosen. That might be why they were really anticipating this start of war. Shutoku was a clan based on magic and witchcraft. Most of their soldiers did not wield a sword but a wand. Midorima's wand was made out of a thousand years old oak that grew in the forbidden forest. The tip of it was a crystallized dragon heart. It glows green under the moonlight. Legend has it that, once, dragons were rampant. But then, the humans came onto this land and hunted them down one by one for their night black claws, their golden eyes, their indestructible scales, and – most importantly – their emerald colored heart.
"Midorimacchi you're so mean!" Kise whined more.
"Kise's right Shin-chan, it's not because it is hot that you can be mean to everyone." Takao smiled. "But Seirin's really… though. To be able to live in such place…"
Seirin, just like Touo, was a mostly arid country, with mostly deserts as its inner territory and a large cost to the West. But, unlike Touo, they weren't nomads. The main city – though there was only a quarter of the population of Kaijo's capital – faced the sea. Fishing was the main activity. The sea was abundant of different varieties of fishes; blue or yellow, big or small.
Kise was starting to wonder about this alliance problem. Why did Touo refuse? They were clearly threatened by Rakuzan's great power just underneath them. So why push away an offer like that one? And why are they heading to Seirin right now? He asked the person who decided it at the beginning of the journey but never actually got an answer.
He could see the small gate of the small city growing near. The sea wind caressed his face. With it came small grains of sand. They stuck onto his moist skin. Kise rumbled as he tried his best to wipe them away. But all he managed to do was sticking them onto his palm instead. In the air, a soft scent of salt floated leisurely.
They marched into the city. Most of the housings were tents or small houses built from some sort of sand based mixture he could not define. Surprisingly, despite being exposed to the terrifying sun, the habitants had fair white skin. They peeked out of their windows as he and his troop, strangers, walked through the sanded streets.
The headquarters looked like a palace, a large Middle Eastern style building made out of white marble. It shined under the sunlight, giving out a chilly feeling amidst the blazing air.
The great gates of the palace opened. Guards walked out to welcome them. Among the well dressed men Kise saw Kuroko. The blue haired boy did not change. His expressionless face, his light blue hair, and his small figure, all remained the same way as Kise remembered it. He was cute, precious. Something any man would die for in order to protect. That has always been what Kuroko is, precious. And somewhere deep inside, Kise despised it. Or rather, was dead jealous of it. It was this preciousness that stole the heart of the light away…
"Welcome to Seirin." Kuroko bowed. "You must be tired. Let us…"
"I want to meet your lord right now." Kasamatsu cut the blue haired boy, for he was a man without any time left.
"Well then…" Kuroko did not even flinch at the somewhat rude interruption of Kaijo's feudal lord. "Please follow me inside." He turned his heels and walked into the big curved red door. Kaijo and Shuutoku followed him in.
The inside of the headquarters was just as magnificent as the outside. The walls were painted in bright colors. The ceiling was decorated with long sheets of golden silk. Hundreds of halls, stairs and passages led to thousands of rooms and chambers. It was a labyrinth, a beautiful labyrinth.
The young secretary led them down numerous halls. A path they would have never found by themselves. This was one of Seirin's tactics. This labyrinth-like palace served to confuse all intruders and attack them while they were lost in one of the useless wings of the building. Finally, he stopped in front of a humble wooden door Far East of the palace. Kuroko opened it. The first thing that came out of the room was a strong smell of flower and shisha smoke. Hyuga Junpei was sitting in the middle of what looked like a pillow castle, his right hand holding the pipe of a Hookah, looking at the smoke ring he was puffing. Beside him were Izuki Shun, his right hand man – and also his personal concubine – and Kiyoshi Teppei, his best friend and bodyguard. Both were also smoking the flavored tobacco, Izuki from the same pipe as his Lord, Kiyoshi from another Hookah.
"Come on in!" Hyuga invited them in a cheery voice. He was merry ever since they got an important ally like Touo whom they were fed up to fight against.
Kasamatsu was the only one to enter. He did not force Kise inside with him.
"My lord, do you want me to…" Kise proposed.
"Just go wherever you want Kise." The door was shut to the blonde's face coldly. For a moment, he just stood there, kind of shocked. But then, Kasamatsu would always be this cold to him so he guessed that it was nothing special.
The truth was that Kasamatsu cared for the blonde more than he could have ever imagined. And that was why he refused to let Kise know about the ally matters, for he did not want to wound his ace anymore. Kasamatsu knew how much scarred Kise was. And how much wounds Kise has on that were still far from healed. So he did not want the blonde to hurt himself any longer.
Because, somewhere, deep inside, he cared too much for this man…
And so, there they were, Kise and Kuroko, in front of the closed door, with nothing much to say to each other. And it did bother Kise.
"You haven't changed, Kise." Surprisingly, Kuroko was the first one to start a conversation. The two young men slowly drifted away from the door, down the corridor, into another hall, and further. Kise did not know where he was going or why he was following the blue haired.
"I think I changed." He smiled. "You're the one who didn't change an inch, Kurokocchi."
And their conversation took a halt when, from one of the rooms, barged a tall, well-built man. Kise has never seen him before, but something about this stranger eerily reminded him of Aomine. Even though his skin was lighter, even though his hair was burning red and carbonized underneath, even though his look was softer, there was something, something Kise could not define, and it frightened him. This man wasn't from the main land. He was a foreigner. What are rare thing to see upon this land.
"There you are Kuroko! Don't vanish like that!" The man said angrily to the smaller person.
"I had to go greet Kaijo's and Shutoku's reps, Kagami."
Kise has heard of that name before. Kagami Taiga, along with another person of his country, traveled across the sea to this place. The reasons are still unknown and Kise did not know that he was taken in by Seirin. Men from across the sea were rumored to have unnatural strength and beauty. At least the former was already assured.
"Kaijo? Then there's one of them right? One of the Generation of Miracles!" He seemed overjoyed by the fact. His eyes diverged to Kise. "Is this him?" He asked Kuroko who just nodded. There was a simple scoff.
"At least he looks better than the other one." Kagami snorted. Then, as if he has lost all interest, he tucked Kuroko's sleeve. "Hey, come on. We haven't finished yet."
"But, I still have to…" Kuroko seemed bothered by it. Kise did not know what it was. But he could tell that the blue haired wanted to go.
"It's okay to leave me." Kise said finally. He, himself, did not really want to stay with his ex-clansman… He liked Kuroko, just as much as he respected this phantom sixth man. But he still could not forgive the younger man for what he did, for leaving them so suddenly, without any distinct reasons or goodbyes. After Akashi has announced that Kuroko has left, Kise saw it in Aomine's face: betrayal and desperation. It was probably that moment that he realized that the dark skinned heart did not belong to him, has never belonged to him. And his own heart broke. At first, he refused to accept it. For a really long time, he lied to himself. He convinced himself that Aomine cared about him more than anything. He managed to do that for years and years. But then, war happened.
When Kise was drawn back from his thoughts, Kuroko has already vanished. He could not help but laugh. What a convenient skill it was.
{-}
Chante, rossignole, chante Toi qui a le cœur gai
Tu as le cœur à rire Moi je l'ai à pleurer
{-}
So Kise just erred around the huge building. To tell the truth, he did not really know where to go or what to do, now that his guide has left him. So he just went where his feet brought him. But the halls never ended. He turned and turned and walked back but could no longer find his way.
"Ah… damn I'm lost." He muttered to himself. "What should I do now…?"
But all he could do was continue on walking.
Kise heard footsteps from the corner right in front of him. He thanked the old gods a million time and ran up to whoever it was – he did not care –.
"Damn I think I already came this way…" A lazy voice complained.
At that moment, Kise wanted to turn his heels and run back form where he came from. Oh how he desired to do that! But it was too late. His eyes met those navy blue ones. And they both seemed surprised.
"Oi, what are you doing here Kise?" Aomine spoke up to the awkward silence between them. He, himself, only learned about the alliance after arriving in Seirin two days ago. Ever since arriving, he had had nothing to do and only drank and slept. He lost his clansmen along the days. Not that it bothered him to be alone.
"I… I should be asking you." Kise faltered, looked down then to a window nearby, blushed at his own reaction. Aomine was the last person he was expecting to see in this far off land. And since that night, that passionate kiss, Kise has not been able to stop thinking about this man.
"Touo has allied with Seirin." Aomine explained shortly, for it annoyed him quite much.
'Oh… So that's what was happening…' Kise finally understood his lord's intentions. And he smiled. Not because he understood but because the thought of Aomine and Kuroko on the same side came to his mind. It was still unsure if Seirin will accept their invitation to the war. Seirin was a peaceful clan. They disliked chaos and would only fight when every other possibilities has faded. So a contract to go to war would probably be nothing more than annoyance to them. Somehow, Kise was sure that they would refuse it.
At last, he decided that he really did not want to lengthen this conversation any longer and walked back.
"Kise" His name was called lazily, the 'e' was stretched out. "Oi, come on. Don't run away again."
He turned to the tanned man who followed him. "I am not… running away…" The last sentence was quietly muttered out. "Still, quit following me Aominecchi."
"But I don't have anything else to do. Plus…"
"I don't care if you don't have anything else to do. Leave me alone already." Kise quickened his pace. "I don't want to see y…"
His shoulder was grabbed from beside. Then, Aomine slammed him on the corridor's wall, his hand pinning the blond steadily against the cold wall. The ace frowned. He gritted his teeth. His finger dug into the other's shoulder. He was mad. Kise could tell it easily. For this was far from the first the he saw Aomine reacting like this. Aomine would always solve things like this, with strength and fists.
"Kise, look at me!" Aomine shouted to his face.
And he, Kise was no better, running away. He did realize that. Kise may not want to accept it. It was a natural instinct. He was scarred, and scared. And he did not need a new bruise. He hated pain. He refused to get hurt again. He refused to look into those two oceans, to get dragged into them, to drown miserably in that dark water.
"Kise!" Aomine sounded desperate.
'It's your imagination, Kise Ryouta. It is your freaking imagination…'
A kiss was forced. A hand was pinned against the marble. A vest was thrown to the ground. Kise fought. He swore to the old gods that he had fought that time. But no matter what he did, he was not as strong as Aomine. He would never be, as long as this adoration for this arrogant man was still pulling his heart back.
He heard a moan. It was neither his nor Aomine's. And his – forceful – partner must have heard it to. He tilted his head away from the blonde's lips and peeked at the door beside. Kise, unable to keep his curiousness in, peeked with him.
Inside the tangerine scented room was an act commit by two lovers. They enlaced each other, kissed, whispered sweet words. Kagami and Kuroko looked like real lovers. And the sight bruised Kise. Another wound added to his heart and mind. He looked at Aomine. What a jealous look he was wearing upon his face… dead jealous. Just like Kise right now. But the blond was sure they were not jealous of the same person.
Suddenly, his shortly released shoulder was pinned to the wall once again. He whined in surprise, surprised by the sharp pain and surprised by the lips that lowered to his pants. Aomine's free hand unbuckled his belt, letting his sword fall lamentably to the ground.
"Aominecchi!" He gasped as his pants were pulled down just enough to liberate his penis. The blue haired man's hand cupped his balls softly, playing with them.
"Be quiet, Kise." Aomine snorted. He kissed the tip of the hardening organ, ran his tongue down the length, sucked on a particular spot near the base that made Kise bend forward.
Kise pushed his partner's head away with his remaining hand. "Stop it!" He whined. But Aomine would not hear his complaints. The man shoved Kise's hand away, took all of him inside his mouth, down his throat. He bobbed his head, stopped a few time to suck softly, and continued.
Kise's hand was now used as a tool to stop his moans from escaping his lips. It felt good. Aomine was more into than usual. He was demanding more and more pleasure from the blond. While his hand was busy with Kise's phallus, he kissed down the blonde's navel, sucked his abdomen, and sent a shiver down the other's spine. Kise pleaded Aomine to stop. The blue haired ignored. Their minds were becoming blank. Passion and pleasure were slowly devouring their reasons; Kise's just as much as Aomine's.
He came.
He could not believe how fast it was or the sound he made as he let go of all – pride, dignity, reasons –.
It was embarrassing.
Aomine was satisfied with the result. He had swallowed it all, Kise's cum. There was a bitter-sweet taste in his mouth. A taste he missed, the taste of his lover.
Bam…
Kise punched his face. The blond pulled his pants on, buckled his belt roughly and walked away. It took a moment for Aomine to realize what just happened. He ran behind the blonde.
"Quit following me!" Kise suddenly stopped and turned to shout at Aomine. It hurt. It hurt so badly. He no longed wanted to face this man. He no longer wanted to see this man. It hurt…
"Leave me alone Aominecchi!"
"Oi Kise! What are you so mad about?" Aomine sincerely did not understand. Kise never particularly dislike having sexual intercourse in a public area – as long as there was nobody –. So why was he so displeased?
Kise wanted to cry. That time, really, he wanted to cry like child, to sit down and just scream with all his might. He wished he was not a grown up man. He wished he has never met this human being before him.
But that's not the case. He was not a child. He was the ace of Kaijo. He met Aomine Daiki years ago. He was madly in love.
So he could not cry.
J'ai perdu mon ami, sans l'avoir mérité
He could not expose his feelings.
Pour un bouquet de roses que je lui refusais
He could not…
"I can't anymore…" He could barely say, for the lump in his throat was hurting him. His eyesight blurred. Just how pitiful could he get? "I can't stand it anymore Aominecchi… I… love you… so much… so much it hurts…" Ah… there we go. Tears were falling. His lips shifted to a smile.
"I love you too, Kise." Aomine murmured. He made Kise cry again, the third time, and surely, not the last time. But, he would be lying if he said that Kise's face was not beautiful stained with tears.
"You don't love me Aomine!" Kise's voice broke, as well as his tears, running down more than ever. "You've never loved me. I was merely just a replacement… wasn't I?"
"Kise, what are you…?"
"But I could never be Kuroko!" Kise screamed at last. Why? Why did he have to love this man, this cruel, arrogant, ignorant, cold man? Why did he have to break his heart, his mind, his soul, for a single person? Why did he have to lie to himself for all these years? Why couldn't he be the one Aomine wanted?
"It hurts me, Aomine. My love for you… Even though I know that I will never be that person… I… I don't want to be hurt anymore… So, leave me please… Let me go…" He sobbed. He had no longer idea of what he was babbling about. His hands shook. He wanted to break away from this cage. But, even with the grill open, he was like a bird that refused to fly away. For his wings has been slashed off by love.
"What are you babbling on your own?!" Aomine grabbed his wrist and pulled into one of the rooms. He shoved Kise into a mountain of pillows of all sizes and colors. His large body came to crop the crying man. Kise tried to push him away, but he has lost all forces. So all he could do was sobbing underneath his trap.
"Kise…" Aomine whispered. The wrath that has taken him was slowly leaving. The sight of the usually bright Kise crying and whining tempered him. He wiped a tear, licked away another one, kissed the wet cheeks, then nibbled the trembling lips. "Ryouta… Look at me." He demanded.
It worked each time. Kise gazed at him. He was exhausted from crying and screaming. He stopped resisting. What good would it bring him anyway? He could never push this man away. He could never escape from that cage.
Rough hand stroked his hair.
"I love you, Ryouta."
Ah… that again… How many times does he have to cry to make Aomine understand? Kise was not loved. He was not.
"You don't…" Kise whispered.
Surprisingly, Aomine did not get mad. Rather, he was unable to get mad. A sort of sorrow has gripped his heart.
"Why won't you believe?" He kissed down the jaw line. "I love you." He undid the golden buttons and exposed the ivory chest.
"That's what you think. It's merely an illusion." Kise breathed out as his nipples were pinched. He could careless to hold in his moans now. Aomine kissed him so gently. Though he wanted to cry more, his tears stopped.
Aomine was too gentle.
"What makes you think that?" The blue ace asked as he disentangled his pants along with Kise's. "As a matter of fact, I have never fallen for Kuroko. If that's what you're thinking." He brushed his lips on his clavicle.
And that was it. Kise forced Aomine away from him.
"You are in love with Kuroko!" His strength regained him.
"Just why do you think that!?" Aomine's wrath resurged as well. Why was Kise so stubborn?
"You looked jealous, just now!" Kise stated. It was true. Aomine was jealous. He was jealous of Kagami. It was…
"Because they looked like real lovers!" Aomine blushed. "I was just envious that they looked happy… Not like us."
Aomine seized Kise's hand. "Why can't we look like real lovers?" He snorted angrily. "Damn it! I love you. What should I do make you believe me?"
His hand hurt. But somehow, a small wound in Kise's heart just healed. And he could feel in beat, his heart. It was a happy beat. "You love me? Aominecchi, you…" He could not even finish his sentence, for the joy in his heart suddenly urged out. He laughed. "I love you."
Was he being too simple-minded? Has he really been wrong to himself all these years? Aomine wanted to look like lovers with him. He wanted Kise to accept his love. Was this the truth? Ah, he did not care anymore.
A kiss was given, then another, then another. Whispers were shared. Their skin made contact. Hands caressed. Lips brushed. Fingers weaved.
At that time, did they look like lovers? Kise wondered.
{-}
"So, what do you think, Hyuga?" Kasamatsu glanced at Seirin's warlord. He was still sipping his alcohol happily.
"Well, I think that it is an interesting offer." Hyuga paused to breath in some smoke. "But we will have to refuse you." He smiled and handed the pipe to Izuki.
"And why would that be?" Kasamatsu wanted to kill someone. What was wrong with people of the desert? Why are they all so detestable?
"You see. I don't really want to go create a war here and there. Yosen and Rakuzan have never even threatened us." He blew a few smoke rings and glanced at Kasamatsu thought his glasses. Maybe it was the spectacles that made them so irritating. "I hope you understand…"
"I don't!" Kasamatsu slammed the low oak table in front of him, spilling the alcohol all over it. Kiyoshi stood up, only to be stopped by Hyuga.
"A fight is the last thing we need now." Seirin stated.
"But it will be the first thing you have." Kaijo pulled its sword.
But they never had the chance to start their little battle, for, suddenly, from the door, Takao came rushing in. In his hand was a letter delivered by a hawk from Shutoku.
The clan of magic has lost to Yosen. Taken by a blitzkrieg, they did not have the time to react and was easily out powered even with the help of the few hundreds of men from Kaijo who happened to be near by. Their clan fell in a matter of second. Takao and Midorima were the sole survivors, for they were not there.
"They are coming…" Takao said, holding back his anger and sorrow. "They…"
But the letter came in to late. The men in the room could hear the stampede of a thousand horses outside, coming nearer, nearer, intimidating.
Yosen has arrived in Seirin's territory.
"War has begun." Hyuga gritted his teeth.
{-}
"Kuroko, stay in here." Kagami said to his partner.
"I won't." Kuroko answered while putting on his armor. He gripped the curved sword in his hand. "We are in this together, Kagami."
Kagami clenched his hand around his spear. He truly did not want this small blue haired boy to go to war with him. It was not that he distrusted Kuroko. But the idea of that small body among the warfare frightened him.
A small hand slipped onto his chest.
"I am one of Teiko ex-clansman." He said with that monotonous of his. "I'm not as fragile as you think."
{-}
He breathed slowly on his lover's chest. Aomine's hand was on his bare back. His face was guided towards those lips. They sealed yet another kiss.
At far they could hear a war starting. But between who and who, they could not tell. They did not want to know either, for they were scared of the answer.
"My lord should be searching all over for me right now…" Kise thought about Kasamatsu, about his cold and uncaring words, about how he knew best. Was the older man out there yet? Fighting? Searching for his best warrior?
"Don't talk about it." Aomine hissed. "I'm sick of this war."
"But that's just how our world turns, Aominecchi." Kise smiled, he looked to the sky, out of that window. "Are you sick of this world?"
"I am." Was the simple answer Aomine gave. "I hate this world for separating us." His arms held the blond tighter. "Let's get away from this Kise."
"Hmm?" Kise sighed. There was no way out of this mess anyway. "What do you mean, Aominecchi?"
Aomine looked straight into the golden irises. He was serious. A seriousness Kise has never seen upon this face. War has consumed Aomine. –Kise may not have realized it yet –. It had damaged him so badly. He would do anything to get away from it.
"Let's flee Kise. Flee this war."
Even betrayal…
Aaaaaah there you go! 2nd chapter finished! Hope you enjoyed it!
(Because it has damaged me so badly!)
I suck at writing smut OTL.
I know Hyuga seems really out of character (I don't know why…)
As always translations for the French song:
Sing, nightingale, sing; you and your joyful heart
You with your heart full of laughter, mine is only fit for weeping
I've lost my friend, undeservingly
For a bouquet of roses, that I refused him.
And here's a song I think fits us all:
Six degrees of fangirling
First, you think the worst is a broken heart
What's gonna kill you is the second part (a.k.a the feels)
And the third, Is when your (virtual) world splits down the middle
And fourth, you're gonna think that you fixed yourself
Fifth, you see your OTP is not canon
And the sixth, is when you admit that you may be messed up a little
(Inspired by Six degrees of Separation)
See you next time!