Kuroko probably should've been feeling more panicked than he was at this moment, but his self-preservation had never been the first on his list of priorities. What was more important was the green-fletched arrow in his belt-the first clue he'd gotten in years as the whereabouts of his friends.
"Takao-san, was it?" Kuroko said, slowly so he wouldn't actually get shot in the head. He couldn't see him from this angle, only Kagami's distressed face and he hoped his companion wouldn't do anything rash. Takao's name sounded familiar and he wanted to ask him questions before Kagami started tearing limbs off.
"Hmm? You talking? Pretty bold for a captive, right?" Takao said, his voice right near the mage's ear. "If you're so talkative, how about telling me what you are up to in these parts? What about it, big guy?"
"What the fuck should we answer to you, you bastard?!" Kagami yelled, his sword finally drawn.
"I don't know, I thought the gun to your friends head would give you a bit of a hint, but my bad. I guess you really pick them, don't you, pretty boy?" Takao was waving the gun around in a wild gesture, the other arm drawn tight enough around Kuroko's neck that he couldn't get away.
Kuroko said nothing, but unlike Kagami, he wasn't scared. A little bit, maybe of being so close to a gun, but Takao wasn't radiating bloodlust. In fact, the mage was fairly certain the taller man didn't really want to kill him.
"You let him go right now-"
"Kagami-kun," Kuroko said, his voice cutting off the tank's. The red-head shot him a pained look, but Kuroko ignored it for the moment. "Takao-san, I don't know why you're doing this, but I just want to speak to Midorima-kun."
That caused both of them to freeze in their tracks, and the mage was able to twist around enough to look up into Takao's stormy eyes. Like he thought, they didn't hold any sort of personal malice or anger. Just suspicion. Surprise.
"You-what?" Takao asked, though his grip didn't slacken any.
"I'm guessing you are Midorima-kun's partner, but I've been looking for him for a long time. If you bring me to him I can explain. I swear I mean him no harm," Kuroko said. Well, despite the two never really seeing eye to eye, at least. The two of them had still been friends.
"You-you say you're Shin-chan's friend? Right, like I can just believe some suspicious little kid wandering in here and saying that, huh? How do I know you're not one of them again?" Takao's voice suddenly tightened and the gun was pressed against his head again.
"Kuroko, what the hell is going on? What are you not telling me?!" Kagami was saying, and he almost winced at the desperate tone in his voice. Kuroko didn't want to do this to his new companion, but now was not a good time to explain.
"Kagami-kun, I'm sorry. Just let me do this. I'll tell you-" Takao's grip tightened, telling him to shut up.
"Hey, hey, that's rude, talking to someone in front of me," he hissed. "Now tell me how you know Shin-chan and I won't kill you in front of your angry friend over there."
He could clearly see every muscle in Kagami's body trembling with the urge to jump forward, and the light in his eyes rivaled that of a wild beast about to break loose. Do I really mean that much to Kagami-kun already? His mind was wandering a bit-perhaps he was a little more panicked than he thought.
"Takao-san, you wouldn't kill me. I know Midorima-kun wouldn't partner with someone like that," Kuroko said, getting straight to the point. That got Takao to lower his gun a little bit.
"Say what? I'm impressed. How did you figure that out?" The gunner asked.
"The monsters here had both gunshots and Midorima-kun's arrows in them both. It was obvious that two people were working together, and now I see the bullets come from you," Kuroko pointed out in a very even voice.
"Hmm. You're observant, pretty boy. But that's not gonna-"
"Is Midorima-kun still obsessed with astrology? He has green hair, wears enchanted glasses, and always has to do a ritual of divination before he does anything important. He's a Bel'ua who loves to read and is very terrible at portraying his emotions," Kuroko continued, ignoring Takao's words. He started fishing around in one of his pockets, causing the gunner's arms to tighten again before he pulled out a very small charm.
It was a round purple amethyst stone, bound by a silver chain, marked with the symbol of the Water-bearer, the stars he was borne under. Midorima had given it to him long ago, claiming it would help him with his protective and healing abilities. Kuroko didn't know if that was true, but he kept it with him just in case. Having Midorima give you your birthstone was akin to him confessing his undying love for you.
"You….have one too?" Takao had taken one look at the little charm and completely let go of Kuroko. In that moment, Kagami immediately reached out and dragged the mage over to his side, actually growling at the gunner, who was still looking slightly stunned.
"So you weren't lying all this time, huh. Shin-chan would never give something like that to someone he didn't trust-all right, I believe you," He said, spinning the gun around a couple times and putting it back in his belt.
"Thank you, Takao-san," Kuroko started to say before he was shoved behind his partner's back.
"What the fuck makes you think that's just gonna stop me from killing you right now?" Kagami yelled, his sword pointed directly at the black-haired man.
"Relax, man, the gun wasn't even loaded," Takao said, and took it out of its holster before clicking the trigger a few times.
Kuroko wasted no more time in driving his hand directly into a slit in Kagami's side, causing the larger guy to yelp and fold in on himself. "Kagami-kun is rude and annoying."
He levelled his eyes at the gunner, who looked like he wanted to burst out into laughter. "But so is Takao-san. What would he have done if I really was a threat?"
Takao did let out a snort this time and waved around his other pistol. "Shot ya with the loaded gun, of course."
"You fucking bastard…" Kagami hissed, having pulled himself off the ground to get revenge. Kuroko calmly dodged his jab back before the tank grabbed him by his collar and shook him. "What the hell is your problem? How can you just trust him like that?!"
It was hard for the mage to answer when he was being strangled by his own clothing. "You've been acting suspicious ever since you saw the goddamn arrow, and now you have the gall to go and make buddies with the guy who was about to murder you? AND you won't tell me who this Mido-whatever bastard is!"
Realizing he was strangling Kuroko, Kagami finally let go, setting him down on his feet. "Ugh, I hate you sometimes."
"Um, is your lover's quarrel done? Because I'm feeling a little left out here and I have a really angry bunny to return to," Takao said, butting in. Kagami quickly snapped his neck around to give him a glare, before returning it to Kuroko.
Said mage sighed. He was going to get nowhere if he just stayed here. "Takao-san, just bring me to Midorima-kun. This is getting tiring."
"Right-o, pretty boy," Takao gave a wink and a salute, before beckoning them in the right direction.
"I have a name, Takao-san."
"Kuro-chan!"
"NO."
The trio ascended one of the stone pillars a few miles in by a hidden staircase built into the side, but no sooner had they reached the top than Takao was suddenly hit with a blow that left him sprawling out in the dirt.
Kagami and Kuroko didn't even have time to react to the tall figure that was awaiting them, green hair softly illuminated by the setting sun behind him. He stood at an impressive six foot something, jade eyes concealed by what could only be enchanted spectacles, with pale skin and eyelashes that were the envy of many women-and men-over.
His feet and hands were a bit oddly shaped, and his clothing was just as odd as Kuroko's-but the thing that stuck out to Kagami the most was the large rabbit ears perched on top of the man's head, twisting in a couple of different directions as he slowly pulled his hand away from the bow strapped to his back.
"Takao, what is the meaning of this?" The rabbit Bel'ua suddenly demanded, his eyes sliding right over the two as he stalked right over to the now prone gunner. Kagami couldn't help but notice the oddly graceful way the man walked-his feet WERE jointed differently-but he shook it off as the rabbit man started stepping on Takao to get his attention.
"Ow. Ow, Shin-chan! Stop that! I'm sorry I went off without your hearsay but come on, it could've been anyone after you!" The black-haired man whined, trying to fend off the archer's feet.
"Hmph. Takao, I thought you had learned! You're just as idiotic as ever, and nearly killed people who have nothing to do with your delusions! I don't care about innocent lives, but I like to avoid collateral damage!" The green-haired man shouted, completely ignoring everyone else.
Kagami would've found this scene hilarious had he not just spent the entire time climbing this godforsaken rock to find a crazed rabbit-man await them, and one glance at Kuroko told him he'd be no help either. Was this guy the Midorima-kun the mage was talking about?
"Are you gonna keep ignoring us?" Kagami snarled, pulling himself onto the top of the pillar to his full height. The bunny man stopped beating up his partner to turn his icy glare on the tank and started to walk fluidly back.
It only took a moment of glaring between the two for Kagami to instantly hate the man, and notice the fact that this guy was a couple inches taller than him-damn his Bel'ua feet!-both facts that made the tank very uncomfortable. "Never mind. Now that I've seen him up close, Takao, you should've killed him."
"Hey, fuck you too!" He didn't know what he did to get on this man's bad side, but if the bunny man was gonna treat him like shit, he certainly wasn't gonna show any respect back. "I'm not the guy who goes around beating up my partner!"
"Haha, Shin-chan is just showing his concern for me running off without him telling me." Takao was laughing in the background. He'd stood up finally, and looked rather non-plussed for all the kicking bunny-man did. His ruffled shirt and vest weren't even that dirty and for some reason, it just made Kagami want to punch him more. "Kuro-chan, are you just gonna hide there? I thought you wanted to see Shin-chan?"
Takao's casual statement had 'Shin-chan' freezing, and then looking wildly around. "What? Who are you talking about?"
"Midorima-kun, I'm insulted that you haven't spotted me yet," said a voice by Kagami's elbow, and if he wasn't so angry, Kagami would've jumped. Midorima, however, did, and he was pleased by that.
He wasn't expecting the man to go even paler, his rabbit ears nearly falling flat, when the man took in his partner's appearance. "K-kuroko?"
"You look surprised. I'm sorry it took me so long to find you, Midorima-kun, but I've had a trying past few years," Kuroko said, bowing slightly.
Kagami glanced at Takao, who looked just as confused as he was. Well, it had been obvious the two knew each other, but Kagami hadn't been expecting such a severe reaction. However, Midorima attempted to recover himself by pushing back his glasses and clearing his throat. "Kuroko, everyone in Teiko heard you had gone missing and assumed the worst, myself included. You know how to disappear when you want to. Kise and Aomine even went out looking before they too-"
Midorima suddenly glanced around them. "This isn't the place to talk. Come. We'll give shelter for the night, but don't expect anything else."
Kagami now was seriously confused. Even Midorima was holding things back from them and seemed to react to Kuroko like a ghost. Well, he acted like one, but seriously….what was the deal of mentioning 'everyone thought the worst?'
There was a tug on his arm. "Kagami-kun, I know you still have a lot of questions, but please just bear with us a little while longer. We can trust Midorima-kun, and he will give us both the answers we need."
Kagami wanted to stammer, say something about how they shouldn't trust a violent rabbit man and his trigger-happy companion, how they needed to finish this hunt (even if it was a failure) and report to Seirin, how this all was stupid, but the words wouldn't leave his mouth. He saw a rare emotion in those big blue eyes, and Kuroko no longer wore the carefully crafted stoic mask he normally did. He seemed even younger than normal, glancing every few seconds over to Midorima as if to make sure the man was still there.
"Fine. I'm too tired to argue, but you better tell me what's going on, or I'm not gonna be your partner anymore, "Kagami said, hoping he wouldn't regret the words coming out of his mouth. Kuroko slumped slightly, but showed no signs of disagreement, merely turning to where Takao was waving at them excitedly.
"Tch." The tank clicked his tongue. What had he gotten himself into this time?
To say that Kuroko was overjoyed when he saw Midorima framed by the sun like that was a bit of an understatement. To go so long without any word of his precious friends' conditions and then to find one of them looking just as life-like and vibrant as when he left filled him with hope like no other.
They had never gotten along very well, but Kuroko had always considered the Bel'ua a friend, ever since he saw the tiny gestures of kindness that Midorima would later deny ever happened. Like the charm, for instance. Midorima had given one to each member of the Kiseki, him included, claiming they warded off bad luck. Since none of them 'had been followers of fate', it was obvious they needed him to intervene. Of course, Kuroko never really believed in things like that, but if it made Midorima happy, how could he deny such a thing?
And here he was now, sitting in an old abandoned temple next to a fire pit, watching his old friend argue with a new companion. The building they were in seemed to be Bel'ua in origin, dedicated to one of their old wind summon spirits, but had long been abandoned and used by Midorima to stockpile his odd interests. How like Midorima-kun to take refuge in a place such as this…
He sipped on his glass that Midorima had-grudgingly-given them to drink, while steadfastly ignoring all the dirty looks that Kagami was giving him. He knew his partner was confused, but honestly, Kuroko didn't know how to explain the situation without giving away too much, and what Midorima was even willing to back up.
"Kagami-kun. Do you remember what I told you that night, about wanting to rescue my friends?" Kuroko suddenly said, his voice quiet against the peaceful night. Midorima seemed sufficiently distracted by his companion, so it was a perfect time to discuss this.
"You-what? Oh right…you told me you were friends with that Kiseki bunch but I didn't really believe you. Said something about them falling into darkness or what?" Kagami said, sounding surprised at the sudden topic.
He paused a moment, before setting the cup on the seat behind him and folding his hands, looking straight up at his partner. "You see, Midorima-kun is one of those friends. The reason I want to go on missions and get stronger is because I want to find all of them and make sure they are okay. I left….you heard what Midorima-kun said. I disappeared because I couldn't take it anymore."
"Take what?" Kagami's voice too, was uncharacteristically quiet.
"Kuroko, you're going to have to talk about him sometime," Midorima said from across the pit, and the mage almost jumped. He hadn't noticed the two had stopped talking, but even so, Midorima's ears lent him amazing hearing abilities.
Kagami was looking between the two rapidly. "Come on, guys! I can't take this shit!"
"The Red Emperor," Kuroko suddenly said, forcing the words out of his lips and silencing Kagami in the same moment.
"You mean…the one that everyone's talking about? The Red Emperor who leaves bodies of his fallen enemies in his wake, et cetera, et cetera?" Kagami asked.
He nodded. "He used to be the leader of Teiko. I…." Kuroko clenched his fists and closed his eyes tight, disliking how his mask was crumbling, in front of Midorima of all people. If he'd glanced up, he would've seen the archer looking away, probably the kindest thing he could have done for Kuroko at the moment.
The mask grew again after a few seconds and he proceeded to tonelessly speak. "He used to be the leader of Teiko. He was amazing at first, a very strong leader, but he started changing like the rest of the Kiseki. I don't know what happened to him, only that his thoughts started growing darker and nothing I said would change his mind. I decided to leave, not telling anyone, and a year after I left, the guild disappeared. Since then I have been attempting to contact my old friends to find out what happened."
He met Midorima's hard gaze over the flickering fire, but surprisingly, it was Takao who interrupted them both. "Kuro-chan, you were in Teiko too? I'm surprised I didn't recognize you!"
The mage stared at him in confusion.
"I was a part of the Teiko guild too. My reasons are my own, but let's just say I saw something weird going on with the higher-ups. Shin-chan came to me with concerns about some strange magic that he sensed in both the king and fearless leader, and next thing I know, Teiko was being attacked," Takao said, the smile never quite leaving his eyes.
"I heard Teiko attacked the king first, unless they weren't…" Kagami looked like he was trying his best to wrap his head around all of this, and Kuroko had to give him credit for trying.
"You heard wrong. Do you seriously believe every rumor that comes from the idiot masses? Kuroko, I respect you and your power, but why did you choose an imbecile like this for your partner?" Midorima said, once again fiddling with his glasses.
Kagami glared back across to the Bel'ua. "Do you exist just to piss me off, 'cause you're doing a great job of that! And my name is Kagami Taiga, not imbecile, stupid, or big guy. Do I have to write it on your hand so it's clear?"
This was getting off topic. Kuroko inwardly rolled his eyes and threw a pebble at his partner's head, causing the customary wince and yelp of 'why did you do that?'
"Midorima-kun, I know it's fun, but please stop baiting him like that. I'm trying to explain myself and he won't understand if we get off topic," Kuroko said peacefully. Midorima muttered something under his breath and his ears twitched, but surprisingly, said nothing.
"The internal politics of that don't matter. What matters is that somehow Midorima-kun got out before everyone else, and that is why he is unaffected by whatever possessed the other Kiseki, am I correct?" Kuroko asked, desperately wanting to know the answer. If just ONE of them was safe….
"Yep!" Takao cheerily said. "The Red Emperor or whatever you was planning on doing something, but we left before we could figure out what. All that aside, I couldn't ignore Shin-chan's warnings about something horrible happening, so I did what a pirate did best: kidnapped the beautiful princess and carried them off somewhere far away, safe from prying eyes!"
The last declaration caused Midorima to sputter and turn the color of Kagami's hair. "DON'T SAY SUCH EMBARRASSING THINGS IN PUBLIC!"
Takao was lucky Midorima wouldn't shoot his close friends, but from the way his ears were slicked back, or the fact the man's fingers were twitching, he certainly was contemplating it.
Kuroko could only marvel, as Midorima stood up and began declaring how logical it was for them to escape and most certainly not Takao's emotional decision, how could he say that in front of people, how dare he, at how soft the archer's eyes had become. There was a time in Teiko that he loved, and more times that he had hated with all his heart, even before events started to spiral out of control.
If he wanted to be honest with himself, he'd probably lost them long before the darkness set in. All of them-the Kiseki's eyes had grown cold, and hunting and forging a new path for a better world had turned into a competition of strength and glory. Perhaps it really all had been inevitable, though Kuroko wasn't one to give up like that.
He remembered how Midorima used to be. The follower of fate, expressing his concerns that no one else followed horoscopes, organizing details in the clan, training menus, matches, even hunts-he was a very methodical person. He even began taping his left hand to prevent his fingers from being damaged on his bowstring.
But the Bel'ua had never been able to express his feelings and he and Kuroko had never gotten along. That's why it came as no surprise as the two drifted away from each other and he watched the green eyes grow cold and jaded. There wasn't much visible outward changes but….Kuroko knew. It was the green-haired Bel'ua's actions that spoke louder than words.
But here…his gaze seemed lighter somehow, less oppressive. He still glared, obviously-when would he not-but as he looked down at Kuroko it wasn't with scorn or derision. He had begun to move gracefully again. He prattled on about lucky items and following fate and how Takao must learn how to divine his own fortune-just like he used to be.
He could never stop someone from changing, but he didn't want them to turn into monsters.
What am I saying? Takao-san has already saved Midorima-kun a long time ago. It was ironic, funny, and stupid to think anything else could've happened.
Midorima's eyes were warm again, and no longer did he speak of people as weaknesses. It had to be good enough for-
"Kuroooo-chan?" Takao's voice cut through his delusions and whirling thoughts to find all three of them staring at him.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought. I should continue with my story," Kuroko said, not understanding why they all looked concerned. Midorima answered for them.
"Kuroko, you're crying."
A hand flew up to his face, and sure enough, small tears were leaking out of the corners of his eyes. They were burning and just…Kuroko hurriedly wiped his face with his sleeve, trying to hide all evidence that it had ever happened. How could he? How could you show such weakness?
"I'm fine. I was just thinking of something. Kagami-kun, do you understand now? Something bad happened to my friends, and it is up to me to figure out what it was and save them from it. It is exactly what a white mage does," Kuroko said hurriedly, and hero complexes and other people be damned. Hadn't he made a promise?
"Idiot. If you start talking like that, there's no way you'll succeed," Midorima said. The mage jolted, looking up at him in surprise. "Weren't you always the one attempting to lecture us about working as a team? I can't believe you would forget your own policies to fulfill selfish desires."
"What Shin-chan MEANS to say is that we'll help you guys," Takao added on. "To be honest, I'm worried about whatever this is we're up against, but I don't turn my back on friends in need."
Kuroko couldn't answer, and he felt his eyes attempting to betray him again. He looked at anyone but those two, his hands, his feet, the fire, eventually to Kagami. His partner was unnaturally quiet, and the mage couldn't tell what he was thinking, but the tank no longer had anger written in his eyebrows.
"Well that explains a whole lot," the redhead finally said. "But I seriously didn't think you'd actually be friends with those Kiseki bastards! Or that you'd have to go save their sorry asses if they were so powerful."
Midorima shot Kagami one of the deadliest glares in his arsenal, but luckily, Kuroko (again) stopped a fight from breaking out by replying. "Don't be rude. There are things even we cannot fight. I don't know what it is, and I'm assuming Midorima-kun doesn't either."
"It pains me to admit I left before I could discern what exactly it was that was possessing the others. I didn't feel like staying around though to find out," Midorima said, trying to retain some sort of dignity from his lack of knowledge.
"Great, so I'm partners with a guy who wants to go fight something he doesn't know to save friends he's not sure are alive?" Kagami asked incredulously.
"Wrong Kagami-kun. They are most certainly alive. Probably. I have faith in them that they can return to the people they once were. I don't blame you if you refuse to keep being my tank after this, but I would like to keep you along," Kuroko said. He betrayed no outward emotion, but his stomach was twisting around as he sat, mouth dry and hands almost shaking.
"Like I ever said I wouldn't! I'm just hoping you know what you're getting yourself into. If I wasn't around you'd probably get yourself killed!" Kagami shouted, causing their two companions to jump. Noticing this, the tank settled down, muttering something about stupid blue-haired brats under his breath. Kuroko could've almost seen a light dusting of red on his partner's cheeks had he not been kind enough to pretend he didn't notice.
"Thank you, Kagami-kun. That means more to me than you know," He said softly, allowing a real smile to slip out as his heart soared. The hope that was just a small flame to him was beginning to grow. Perhaps his dreams weren't too far out of his reach this time. And everyone….
That small action seemed to have some effect on Kagami, as he suddenly stood up, nearly knocking the bench over. "I'm hungry!"
"Ah, big guy! So am I. Come on, let's go find something to eat. I don't trust Shin-chan with cooking anymore!" Takao said quickly, practically kidnapping the tank to another small room in the temple. Kagami looked like he was going to protest, but the promise of food apparently lured him in, leaving Kuroko alone with his Bel'ua friend.
The silence wasn't exactly awkward, but both could tell that Midorima wanted to say something. It was just a matter of if he would allow himself to.
"Kuroko. Have you kept that charm with you all this time?" He suddenly asked, ears twitching with every word. The mage nodded, pulling it again out of one of his pockets. It was the same lucky item that he'd shown to Takao earlier. "Good. It seems that you at least have heeded my warning that if you do not at least follow fate, you should carry that with you to ensure it won't be too detrimental when your luck is low."
He really hadn't changed at all. Kuroko knew that and had to thank Takao later. He'd gotten the Bel'ua away before anything horrible could befall him, and the mage was unsure if anything he said could've helped, since the two were never that close.
Midorima however, continued to surprise him. "I will tell you this now, only because Takao and your idiot partner has left. The 'thing' wrong I mentioned is some sort of magic. I can only describe it as some sort of magic, but from the little time I spent there, it reeked of arcane doings. Ironically, it got much worse right after you left, and that's apparently when Takao decided to make his move.
"I have no idea how much this is related to the king suddenly attacking us or Akashi's decision, but you'd be best to take it up with the other members. It doesn't affect me so I don't care," Midorima finished, sliding his glasses up in a familiar habit.
Of course Kuroko knew that Kise or Momoi would be best people to ask, but he'd hoped that Midorima would have something for him, at least. His friend was incredibly intelligent. "I see. Thank you for informing me anyway. I will do my best to get to the bottom of this."
Another promise was left unspoken, but in their silence, they could understand each other. "Midorima-kun, what did Takao-san mean when he threatened me? It sounded like you were being hunted?"
The question seemed to catch him off guard, but not for long. "There have been both monsters and people after me. They are tainted with the same thing that infected the members of Teiko, so I can only assume it's related. He really is troublesome."
More silence. "Kuroko…"
The mage looked up, only to find an unusual seriousness on his friend's face. There were no hints of his usual aloofness or cold exterior, and he seemed to be hesitating in his speech. "What is it, Midorima-kun?"
"I…..thought you were dead," the Bel'ua muttered so low Kuroko almost missed it.
"What?"
"When you left Teiko, you disappeared completely! What were we supposed to think? I left quickly after you and still thought that way. I can't imagine what the others believe!" Midorima said, his hands actually digging into the bench next to him.
Kuroko froze. It seemed like every memory he had after he'd left were running through his brain right now. All of that, all that time, and they had all thought he was….gone? The mage had always felt the horrible emptiness in his heart when he didn't know if the other Kiseki members were alive, but he'd had faith they were okay…but they in return….
"It's not what you are thinking. Your low opinion annoys me, and I will not tolerate it. In case you believe the others of the Kiseki don't care what happened, I'll tell you a secret. Each and every one of them set upon the monster they thought had killed you and tore it completely to pieces," Midorima said.
Kuroko could only now vaguely recall getting attacked by something as he left, probably the same darkness tainted monster that Takao had been talking about. He'd escaped perfectly fine, but apparently was so good at hiding that…
"I suggest you also prove your existence to the rest of them. Who knows what they will do otherwise."
The mage had to bite back all of his feelings again, only looking up when Midorima opened his mouth one more time. "And Kuroko…?"
"Yes?"
"….don't die. It would be troublesome."
Kuroko could only be thankful that Takao and Kagami returned right after that with plates covered in food because he might've actually hugged Midorima and that would've ended badly. Nothing substituted the joy of having one of his friends back completely fine, and he found himself in higher spirits than normal, even with Midorima's revelation.
They quickly headed to sleep-after much complaining from said Bel'ua-Kuroko and Kagami cozy in a small room that probably used to be used for prayer. It was too small for the both of them, so the two ended up tangled with each other and Kuroko didn't really mind. Kagami-kun was very warm, after all.
They woke, only to be greeted with Takao singing loudly, as they stumbled out to see Midorima performing his daily fortune ritual, which was frankly, terrifying to witness. Mumbling something about a Behemoth horn being his lucky item for the day, the archer promptly set his eyes on the two and told them to 'get out of his house'.
He still fed them anyway.
"Yeah, and thanks for completely ruining our first hunt, you dick!" Kagami said in the way of thanks, as they said their goodbyes outside the temple.
"Hmph. It's not my fault you aren't as skilled as I am. Maybe next time you'll use your brain instead of your sword and actually get somewhere in life." Midorima smirked at the obvious distress his words caused, sidestepping a swipe meant for his head.
"I hope you'll contact us if you hear anything out of the ordinary, Midorima-kun, Takao-san," Kuroko said, completely ignoring the two's pissing match and the way Midorima's ears were folding back in anger.
"Course, Kuro-chan. Don't be a stranger. Oh, and tell your eagle-eyed friend I'd appreciate it if he didn't keep spying on us all the time," Takao said, waving into the sky mysteriously.
Kagami could not apparently wait until they got out of there, even if Kuroko wanted to linger, but they really had overstayed their welcome. He had to digest this information and figure out where to go from here-his other companions had to be found.
They had to get off to a Behemoth hunt, and Kagami and Kuroko had to report back to their guild leaders, but they'd only walked a few feet before discovering, like Takao said, Izuki had been watching them the entire time.
"I'm just along to make sure your first hunt didn't kill you," he said mysteriously, though he'd given Kuroko a bit of a suspicious glance. All that remained was a pun-filled and terrifying-for Kagami at least-airship ride, and then they'd reached something Kuroko forgot he had:
Home.
"You WHAT?" Riko practically shrieked, after hearing about their less-than successful hunt.
"I'm sorry, Aida-san. I didn't realize Midorima-kun would be in the same area-"Kuroko tried to explain himself, but just managed to get cut off again.
"And you! Why didn't you ever tell me that you knew the Kiseki of all people?! And then you magically met one of them while on your first hunt?" Riko yelled, clearly confused by the whole thing.
Kuroko wanted to explain she'd never asked, and that wasn't even important, but a visit from the personnel officer was all it took to settle her down. The duo glanced at each other, having expected more yelling from her, but Hyuga actually seemed panicked in a way.
"Riko, Kiyoshi came back earlier than planned!" He said, causing her to nearly drop whatever potion she'd been holding. Kagami and Kuroko had come back in the middle of one of her experiments, so she was still wearing her heavy leather gloves and apron.
"Teppei! He's back? Why so soon?" She said, forgetting about them.
"I don't know! But apparently he has some major news to tell us. Come on, over to the landing area!" Hyuga waved for all of them to come before disappearing into the headquarters.
"I don't know what this is about, but you two are going to come with me! I'm going to double both of your training for letting some archer beat you to your job. You'll never make a mistake again after I'm done with you!" She grabbed both of them in a terrifyingly strong grip before dragging them both to the landing area-ironically, where they had just arrived from-only to find an odd assortment of people waiting there.
"These must be the other senior members," Kuroko commented, like he hadn't just been dragged there by force. Kagami only gave a stressed grunt in reply.
There was a couple humans, one with strangely thick eyebrows, but the person who stood out the most was the large Magnus that headed up the group. His thick ram horns sprouted through short brown hair, and despite his large, intimidating presence, his expression could only be described as jovial.
Kagami's mouth was hanging open, since this seemed to be the first time he'd seen a Magnus in person, but Kuroko really wasn't surprised. He'd had a friend who was much, much larger.
"Riko! I'm back!" The man had a tint of light grey to his skin like all Magnus did, but he didn't seem to be that fond of clothing, wearing a top with no sleeves. The oddest part of his ensemble were the bandages around his left leg, and the way the Magnus favored it with every step. "It's so nice to see you guys again!"
Riko, on the other hand, had gotten over her initial surprise at what looked like an old friend, walked up to him, and smacked him over the head. "You've been straining yourself again! And you left without saying goodbye. How cruel can you be?"
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't think Hyuga would appreciate it, you know? And I didn't want anyone to worry. Besides, if I've got Koganei and Mitobe by my side, nothing can go wrong, right?" The Magnus' face lit up in a wonderful smile, before another punch from Riko had him wincing.
"We worried anyway! Hyuga couldn't sleep!" Riko shouted. "And what's this about important news?"
Immediately the Magnus', whom Kuroko assumed was Kiyoshi, face darkened. "About that…we went to that hunt to try and collect the prize money per usual, but something was off. We poked around and it didn't take long for them to show their face."
"Was it…" Riko left the end of the sentence off.
"Yeah. Hanamiya's back."