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Unbeta-ed.

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Chapter 8: Deliberation

The buzzer rung sharply, piercing the cold morning air. Even indoors, winter's grasp crept through the concrete walls. Kuroko pulled his coat closer, but the chill he felt wasn't brought on by the weather. He walked into the fairly large room, the guard nodding to him in acknowledgment. His pale blue eyes flickered over the setting.

A few tables were arranged, two chairs each, and other prisoners were talking to their friends and family. A small television in the top corner played the news. A couple of guards stood watch inside, but these criminals were fairly small time and didn't require much attention.

Most of them, anyway.

His gaze landed on the man that sat with his back to him, head tilted to watch the news. Probably the only time the man saw any kind of entertainment.

Memories flashed in Kuroko's mind and he shivered. Kuroko remembered his days as a teenager, remembered the silver haired silhouette of a man leaning over a large crate of weapons. Remembered the man standing beside another older one, this one with red hair. Remembered how when a look of disdain crossed the redhead's face towards a poor soul begging on his knees in front of him, the bodyguard callously removed his firearm and ended the 'pathetic' life in a single shot, all with a smile on his face.

But Kuroko had to do this, to save his friends. To save Akashi, so he wouldn't become the man with the disdain. He hadn't done enough in the past, but now…now was his chance to redeem himself, and them. And this man in front of him no doubt had important information, maybe not the latest information, but something from the past that they could hopefully use.

If he talked.

Kuroko took a deep breath and walked to him.

"Haizaki-kun." He didn't like how his voice cracked. Stop, Tetsuya. What's in the past is in the past.

Dark eyes rose to meet blue. They weren't surprised. Kuroko's eyes widened.

"You've been expecting me," he stated, his mouth dry.

Haizaki snorted. "Those eyes still see everything, don't they, Kuroko?" The narrow eyes squinted further. "You still doing your spy work? 'One of Kiseki's best' I remember Akashi telling me back in the day. And you still got that Colt I gave you years ago? Yeah, can I have that back-?"

"Haizaki-kun, just answer my questions," Kuroko seated himself in front of the prisoner.

Haizaki leaned back in his chair. "Did you get rid of it? No, it's hard to get rid of a firearm. It is unregistered though, so maybe it's not that hard…you know, I forget my gun laws. Did they change them since I've been in prison?"

Kuroko pursed his lips. "No, they have not made unregistered weapons dealing legal."

"Damn, here I was hoping to get out of prison," Haizaki shrugged.

On murder charges? Kuroko thought with a sliver of cold fear. "Do you know anything about the current state of the Kiseki Syndicate?" Kuroko asked, ignoring Haizaki's commenting. "Seeing as you were expecting me, I assume Akashi-kun came to see you."

Haizaki's lips pulled into a scowl. "Akashi visited me all right. That brat's got something off upstairs," he tapped the side of his head.

Don't we all. "What did he say?"

"The usual psycho stuff. Added stuff about how I failed Akashi-san. Told me you were coming, and not to say anything about his shit," Hazaki rocked a little on his chair.

Kuroko felt his jaw clench. "So you'll follow orders?"

Haizaki shook his head slowly. "I worked for his father, not him. And frankly, even Akashi is creeping me out. I don't want him to burn Tokyo or whatever the fuck he's on about."

Kuroko stared at Haizaki in shock. Was this the same man who so easily killed all those years ago?

"Don't look at me like that," Haizaki scrunched his nose. "Look, I did lots of bad things, but Akashi's dad…he had a way with words, just like his son. I wanted to please him, like a fucking dog. You just follow these guys without a second thought. It's like their words are magical."

The shorter man closed his eyes. It was true. They'd fallen for it so many times before.

"I was a really bad guy, I know. Every day is a reminder, every day in these clothes, every day behind these bars," Haizaki sighed. "But even I've got family. And Tokyo is my city. Akashi-san did many horrible things, but he never had absolute chaos as his end goal. And after Shiori-san died, well, shit just hit the fan. Akashi Seijuro though? That boy's fucked up. And that's something coming from me."

Akashi Shiori. Kuroko had never met her, but he'd heard plenty. That was when everything changed.

"Anyway, all that I know is that Akashi has people under him, just like his father did. If you track down those old bastards maybe you can find the new ones," Haizaki ran a hand through his hair. "You knock over those guys and it'll slow him down. Maybe even give you some solid evidence to arrest the guy. These Akashis have always been a slippery lot for you cops…" his eyes narrowed. "That's right, never thought you'd be a cop. Pisses me off actually. Reminds me of Nijumura. But I guess now you guys are the only thing standing between Akashi and the end," his gaze darkened. "Funny, I thought you'd actually be following Akashi."

"Akashi-kun is wrong," Kuroko said. "And I will stop him. With or without your help."

"What else can I say? I'm not exactly in the public or criminal sphere for about a decade now," Haizaki muttered. "But fighting Akashi…you've grown some balls wince I saw your wimpy ass back then," he grinned dryly.

"You've changed as well," Kuroko smiled a little. "I'm…glad."

Haizaki's eyes drifted to the TV screen on top of Kuroko's head, and the light reflected a little in his pupils. "Prison changes some people, Kuroko. Others…not so much."

That was when the words of the news reported registered in Kuroko's mind. His eyes widened with growing horror. He turned around sharply.

The commotion was right outside the same prison gates Kuroko had entered through, but in the secluded quiet of this room, he'd had no idea.

"This is incredibly unexpected, but his prison sentence has been shortened by three months," the woman spoke, her red coat stark against the grey of the building. People bustled behind her, media, guards, everyone. "The business tycoon was arrested nearly ten years ago on fraud and conspiracy charges. Here we managed to get a word in."

It cut to a man with a thin smile and thick eyebrows. "I want to repent for my wrongdoings. Now I just want to make Tokyo a better place for all its citizens."

Kuroko shook his head. No. No, no, no.

The footage went back to the reporter. Kuroko saw the woman's red lips part in slow motion as she said the name. "Today is the day Hanamiya Makoto walks as a free man."

It was thumping on his door that woke Kagami up. He stumbled out of bed, checking his alarm. Seven. He'd definitely slept through his alarm. But this banging was incessant. He opened the door with a curse on his tongue-

Well. He wasn't expecting Aomine.

"You dropped your phone. I found it in the car yesterday," the man marched right into his home. "Also, Boss wants a brief of the party so she's asked us to come in early."

"Oh the day I sleep in," Kagami mumbled. "I'm surprised you're awake, Aho."

"Better awake then a kick in the nuts from that woman," Aomine snorted. In actuality, he hadn't been able to sleep well. He handed the phone over with some remorse.

Kagami took it. "I dropped it? I didn't even realise. I just collapsed on the bed when I got home. I'm starving," he patted Aomine on the shoulder and headed to the kitchen.

No, you didn't drop it. I stole it. Aomine bit his lip. If there's one thing the Kiseki taught me, it's pickpocketing.

"You want breakfast?"

"Yeah," he swallowed. I'll make it up to you. I promise.

Riko drummed her fingernail on the table. "So, it was a bust."

"Not exactly," Kagami sighed. "There's definitely something up with the fund that organised that event. The girls there were very tense, and tight lipped."

Riko squinted. "Fine, I'll get Imayoshi to work on it. Not everything is bad news though. Well, no, I guess that's not true either," she scowled. "Have you seen the morning news?"

"Haven't had time," Aomine crossed his arms. He had a bad feeling about this. He surreptitiously glanced at her desk, fully aware of the listening bug. If any important information was divulged to Akashi, he'd just have to deal around it. He couldn't let Akashi know about his intentions.

Riko grimaced. "You probably don't know him, but his name is Hanamiya Makoto, and he's a scoundrel of the worst kind. He's also out of prison."

"Hanamiya…" Kagami breathed just as Aomine felt his stomach drop. "Wasn't he part of the Kiseki?!"

Riko raised an eyebrow. "You've done your homework. Supposedly he was, but we never found solid evidence. His sentence was shortened on good behaviour but that just feels a little off to me," she massaged her forehead. "Anyway, his lawyers are making it impossible for us to talk to him. I feel like I'm going to call in old friends for a little help."

"If he's involved, we'll definitely catch him," Kagami scoffed. "Chief, I…think I've got a lead. But I need more time to follow up on it. I promise to get back to you on it, but I need to head down to the tech department first."

Riko raised an eyebrow at Aomine and he shrugged. He had no idea. She waved Kagami away and the redhead grinned at the two. "You can go too, Aomine-kun."

He nodded and left silently.

Riko tapped away at her phone. I don't know what Kagami-kun's up to but I'll trust him. She pressed the dial button and held the phone up her ear.

"This is unexpected," the flat tone of voice on the other end contradicted the supposed surprise. There was running water in the background.

Riko smiled. "How's retired life?"

The man clicked his tongue. "About to get busy, I suppose."

"You're in Oume now, right? Let me drop by."

"Riko-san, I don't care about your problems," the man said, irritated. "My service is over. And just like I told your father, I have nothing more to say."

"Please, hear me out," Riko sat up. "They're coming back. The Kiseki are coming back."

There was silence on the other end. "That's impossible."

Riko pursed her lips. "Oume, yes?"

She could hear the tap turn off. He sighed, heavy and miserable. "I'll text you the address."

Riko knew this was hard. He wanted the past to remain buried, but he knew well the demons always caught up. "Okay. Thank you…Nijimura-san."

The black haired man peered at the cylindrical bottle quietly, running a thumb over the insignia at the bottom.

"Can you do it?" Kagami asked and he nodded, smiling.

"Mitobe says he'd be happy to." A face uncannily resembling a cat's grinned at him.

"Alright, thanks Koganei-senpai," Kagami replied with a smile. He saw the silent man type fast on his computer, using his phone to scan the symbol and downloading it into the system. "I know it's a hospital in or near Tokyo, if that helps. I tried for a company and I got no matches, but you seem better at this than me."

Mitobe nodded again. Around half an hour later, he smiled.

"He says that the information really helped narrow down results and he has a possible match!" Koganei piped.

Kagami looked up from his other files with relief. He leaned over Mitobe's shoulder, scanning the data. "Shuutoku General Hospital…Shuutoku district," he whistled. "It's pretty far, right on the outskirts of the region." Takao knew how to move. He slapped Mitobe on the back and the poor man gave him a wobbly grin, rubbing the area. "Thanks Mitobe-senpai! But…" Kagami hesitated. "Could you guys keep it on the down-low? It's sensitive information."

Koganei grinned. "You have my word but I don't know about Mitobe, he's a chatterbox."

Kagami rolled his eyes at them, smiling as he closed the door behind him. He knowcked on his boss's door and cracked the door open. "Chief."

She looked up. She seemed to be about to leave for somewhere, packing her handbag. "Yes?"

"I have a dubious lead in Shuutoku General Hospital, but I want to scope it out first," he explained. "No use sending a big force down there right now. I need to know if the tip I got is correct."

Riko looked thoughtful. "Shuutoku's quite a drive. And you know you can't search the place with a warrant, right? Well," she added, "I can't get you a warrant anyway. This operation's not easy to explain to a judge."

"I'm sure we'll find a way," Kagami grinned.

"We?" Riko smirked. "Good to know you've got Aomine in mind."

Kagami blinked at his Freudian slip. Looked like he was getting used to his new partner.

"Take the precinct car, it's easier to pay for the fuel that way," she pointed at him. "Also, it's a long drive, but try to come home by night. If need be, stay overnight. Don't drive fatigued!"

"Yes, ma'am," Kagami chuckled.

"You met who?"

"Haizaki-kun, at the prison."

Aomine had run into Kuroko just outside the precinct doors and they stepped aside. "That Haizaki?"

"Who else?" Kuroko muttered. "And I think Hanamiya-san is involved too."

"Yeah, I heard that bastard was out of prison. Fuck, this is worse than I thought," Aomine ruffled his hair. His phone buzzed and he peered at it, his eyes widening. "K-Kagami just texted me. He said he has a lead at Shuutoku so…we're going there. Shit, where is he getting this information?"

Kuroko narrowed his eyes. "You'll probably meet Midorima-kun there."

Aomine pulled a face.

"How are you going to keep Kagami-kun in the dark? And for how long? Kagami-kun is a cop, and he's no as dull as you think." He paused. "He's going to find out, and would you rather he find out by himself or would you tell him first?"

Aomine leaned his head against the wall. "I need to protect him. Akashi's not playing around. That stunt he made Midorima pull a few days ago…I can't have anything happen to Kagami because of me." He looked at Kuroko seriously. "This is our fight Tetsu. I'm assuming you're on the good side. You were yesterday's gala's anonymous tip right? Where I met Kise."

Kuroko nodded slowly. "That's true. I don't agree with Akashi-kun either. But don't change the subject. If you really care about Kagami-kun, if you really love him, you'd trust him. You'd tell him."

Aomine grit his teeth. "I need to protect-"

"Kagami is stronger than all of us. He doesn't need protecting. In truth, you're a coward who only ever wanted to protect yourself," Kuroko spat, emotion a rare thing on his face.

"It's true, in the beginning I was. That's why I couldn't decide, Tetsu," Aomine said, strength in his voice. "I couldn't decide. I was sitting on the fence. But now I know. I will stop Akashi. Because I want to keep Kagami safe, more than myself. I did Akashi's bidding, like bugging Chief's office, because I wanted to cover my own ass. But now I've changed. And Kagami changed me."

Kuroko felt something bubble in his heart. Hope? "Really?"

"Why don't you try and get in touch with Kise, and I'll talk to Midorima," Aomine smiled, showing his teeth. "I think we can turn them around. I think we can work together. Will you help me?"

He held out his fist and Kuroko felt his nose burn. He hadn't cried in a long while.

"Of course." His fist met Aomine's.

"Take the precinct car, you said. Sure it looks like a piece of shit but it's fine, you said."

"Quoting me isn't going to fix the problem," Kagami scowled. "Maybe if you hadn't been a dick and actually used the fucking GPS then we wouldn't have wasted so many hours driving in circles and the car wouldn't have broken down."

"Oh, Einstein, please show me where the GPS is," Aomine said with a smile, which turned into a glower. "Oh wait! THIS CAR IS SO OLD IT DOESN'T HAVE ONE!"

Kagami winced. "Be quiet, it's late. And I meant our phones, you dimwit. Google Maps."

"Do you know how much battery the internet eats up on phones? And last time I checked, we didn't bring chargers."

Kagami crossed his arms. "Well, I didn't know it would take so long."

"Maybe you should've checked Google Maps," Aomine mumbled under his breath.

"What did you say?!"

Aomine slammed the hood closed. "I can't fix it. And it's already seven in the evening, and I'm fucking tired as shit."

Kagami was bone tired too. They'd gotten lost multiple times, and the directory in the car was so outdated it made the situation worse. He'd called Riko and told her that they'd have to stay the night one way or another. "Let's find a place to crash. I'm not too fond of sleeping in cars."

"And not in a place like this, even though I'm armed," Aomine added, looking around them. The area was very derelict, dark apartment buildings hugging the streets and crowding them. Not enough cars were parked on the roads and hardly any passed by. They locked the car and walked down the street until they came upon an area with flashing neon signs and…lively crowds.

"Red light district," Kagami groaned. "It can't get worse than this."

Of course, then it started to rain.

"I bow to you and your powers of making the universe angry!" Aomine yelled as the thunder rumbled overhead and people dashed for cover.

"Fuck off!" Kagami shouted, grabbing Aomine's arm and ducking into the nearest building. It smelt like smoke and dank water, with dirty yellow lighting and peeling walls.

A girl in a low cut dress grinned at them from a wooden table, a cigarette coiling fumes in front of a face caked with makeup. "We've only got queen size beds at the Naughty at Night Hotel, and the walls are thin so try to not make too much noise, okay boys?" she gave them a salacious wink. "I'll give you a room with hot water for five thousand yen, because you boys look like trouble."

"Naughty at Night?" Kagami repeated, dumbstruck.

Aomine mock-bowed. "Master Wizard, you have done it again. You've dragged us into a love hotel."

"I'm sorry, I need to take this," Midorima smiled at the female nurse while taking out his cell phone, turning around and walking away down the pristine and brightly lit hallway. "What is it now, Akashi?" he spoke into the receiver.

"Daiki and his new friend are coming to pay you a visit soon."

Midorima frowned. "You mean that cop, Kagami?"

"Precisely. Although according to my information, it's only the two of them. Nothing you can't handle."

Midorima looked behind his back. Could Takao have…? No, it doesn't matter. This is my problem. "Okay, Akashi. I'll take care of it."

"They can't get too close…"

Midorima shivered at the implication. "Yes, of course." He pocketed his phone.

He knew the day would come. He'd face his problems, one day. Maybe that day was tomorrow, maybe not.

He clutched the small stone beetle in his pocket. Oha Asa can't change my past. Only I can face it. See you soon, Aomine.

Thanks for reading and comments are lifeblood :D

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