Knights of Teikou
Genre : Adventure, Fantasy
Kuroko no Basuke is owned by Fujimaki-sensei. Might include OOC. Hope u enjoy it minna! ^u^
Chapter 12 : Murderer in Black- part 3
Hey, everyone! Sorry for taking such long time for updating, I got a problem opening my account because of the internet connection. I could not reply to all of your reviews now but I want to tell all of you that I am really happy that so many of you read and like this story.
I hope you will enjoy this story. Thank you so much, again!
Xianlon City
Xianlon City, four cities south from Eclipss, was a big city under the protection of Teikou's Kingdom. The city was full of many delicious foods coming from around the world, which earnt it the name 'The City of Cuisine' or 'ville de la nourriture' which meant the city of food. Many tourists from around the world liked to stay here so it had never been quiet for even a day, every day was a working day in this city.
Due to the news of the two intruders at the capital city Eclipss, the in and out system from this country became stricter. More guards were guarding at the two gates and checking every carts and carriages that wanted to pass through.
Today was also the same, checking all the carts and carriages coming in and out the city. They opened the things they carried and checked the inside, to see any injured or suspicious persons, to match with the two intruders in the list.
" Alright, you can go.", one of the guards said after finished checking the things in the cart.
" Okay, thanks for your hard work Sir!", the cart drove away, out from the city and the next cart came in.
One of the cart kept driving away from the city of XianLon and into the forest, the two-wheeled cart was pulled by two black horses with a middle-aged man riding on the driving cart to control the horse. After they were deep enough in the forest away from the border of Teikou's territory, the man pulled on the rope to make the horses stop. He jumped down from his seat and patted the horses gently, "Good job.", the horses sniffed happily as if it could understand what the man said.
The man then walked to the back of the cart and opened up the green curtain that was closing the inside, he stepped in to where the boxes were. He moved four boxes that were put two rows from the left and stepped deeper to face the end, a plank-wall.
" Hey, it's safe now. Get out.", he shouted to the plank-wall.
Then all of the sudden, a part of the wall moved and it spin from the left, revealing a man. The wall rotates 360 degrees and two men came out from there. The rider of the horses sighed and stepped out from the cart, " Geez, look at the ruckus you two have made. Stupid." He sat down on one of the big stone there and saw as the other men stepped out from there too.
" What did you guarantee us before you depart, hah?! Captain said to slip through quietly and test them secretly, so what are you getting yourselves in! See! Both of you even crawled back with injuries!", the man shouted angrily.
One of the man; a tall brown-skinned one with spiky blonde hair frowned. " I had disagreed with his idea but he forced it." He was muscled and his dark eyes were wide and sharp, he had a tattoo on his left upper arm. " I have told you that won't work! I have my ass chased by almost fifty soldiers! And Kiyoshi Teppei was there! I was lucky I could avoid fights with him! If I get arrested by them, what will become of me!"
The other man closed his ears, " Aww, come on. You get to see the rumored GoM." This man was tan-skinned and quite lean, his hair was short-straight and violet; his eyes were round and dark blue coloured, he wore one silver earring on his right ear. A big cotton wrapped on his left face and a bandage on his left leg. " Aww, it's started to bleed again.", he searched something through the box and took out a medicine box. He sat down on the ground and took out a scissors.
" What?! But I can't fight them, I was running the whole time! And are you crazy? Facing the six of them at the same time?!"
" Hahhh~ But you are still alive here, right? Stop complaining.", he cut down the old bandage. " Tch. I hate to see blood.", he took out a cotton and alcohol.
" I almost died! I didn't realize he was there and he out of nowhere appeared and stabbed me at the stomach!", he pulled his black T-shirt up to show his bandaged-stomach. " If I just ran away too late, I might end up collapse at the road!"
" Hahh, but-!"
" SHUT UP!", the man's shout stopped the bickering those two men had, he folded his right knee close to his body and put his right hand on it. " Now tell me your results there, better give me some useful results or else I'll just throw you back at Eclipss."
" Maa~ Don't worry.", the violet-haired boy said nonchalantly and cleaned up his wound.
" How come I have a result! I was running the whole time! I didn't even have the chance to seriously have some blows with them!", the middle-aged man glared at him and he lowered his voice dramatically. " I mean, well I met the six of them. They look formidable from their appearance. And I blocked some of their attacks so I could tell from their swings that they are not bad."
" The purple one has an incredible strength, I almost got caught because of him.", the blonde man 'tch' and continued, " The dark blue one is fast and strong, the yellow one too. The green one is scary too, I think he had been trying to hit my vital points every single times. The aqua hair is … uhmm… hard to be seen."
" Hard to be seen? You mean like incredibly fast?", the middle-aged man raised his eyebrows, amused.
" N-No, he is not fast, I think. Just… hard to see. It's like he can always get lost in your visions."
The man on top of the stone stared and gaped disinterestedly, " Fine fine, then?"
" The scariest one is the red one.", the blonde shuddered by himself. " I don't know what he do to me but I almost fell off almost five times because of him."
The man on top of the stone once again showed the same expression, 'Okay, so make you TRIP DOWN is scary.', was written from his disinterested face. " That's all, Yuma?"
" Y-Yeah, I can't test them more since urr.. you know… I have been running non-stop.", the blonde nervously smiled which the man didn't care for.
" So Dean, how about you? Your idea is you get to play the role of injured victim and get into the army, right? So, do you have any results?"
The man called Dean had finished changing his bandages by now and took out an oilment now, " Of course! Well, I was mostly kept under watch so I couldn't wander too much, tsk I must admit that Teikou's protection is not even easy for any citizen. W-Wow, wait wait okay. It's just the start, what come after that is the main dish."
A tick appeared on the middle-aged man's forehead, " GET ON TO THE POINT, DEAN ESCHARD."
Dean hissed as he felt pain from the red marks on his wrist, " Well, where do you think I get these wounds huh?"
Another tick appeared on the middle-aged man's forehead, "DEAN."
" Okay okay, I fought with one of the Kiseki.", Dean pulled his light blue shirt up to reveal two swollen wounds. " W-What, it swell! Hiss."
" Wait, Dean. You said you fought with one of the Kiseki?", Yuma asked in surprise.
" Yep. And it is soo~ amazing.*hiss", Dean touched the swollen marks slowly.
" It doesn't make sense! There is only six Kiseki! And the six of them were there to chase me that night! So there's no way you can fight with either of them!", Yuma pointed hysterically.
" Haaahhhh? You doubt me, Yuma?!", Dean glared at his companion. " I indeed FOUGHT with one of them! I'm sure he is too young, must be around twelve! And hell, he is strong! He only fought me with a wooden sword, you know?! Wooden sword! And he hurt me like these!", Dean showed his left leg and pointed to his face and his stomach.
" But no way! The six Kisekis are with me! I'm certain! "
" Then tell me, who is the one who fought me hahh!"
" I don't know! Ask yourself! Ask him!"
Another tick appeared again, adding up to the two before. "SHUT UP !" Both Yuma and Dean closed their mouths tightly and looked away from each other.
" So Dean, how are you sure he is one of the kiseki?", the man calmly asked, even though three ticks were still presented on his face.
" Well, I have asked Teikou's soldier about his ages. He said that boy is twelve. And I have tested his skills! He is su~pper strong! 12 years old, strong so he is undoubtedly a kiseki!", Dean stated out proudly.
" According to my resource, the six prodigies are from the families Akashi, Aomine, Murasakibara, Midorima, Kise and Kuroko. So which one of them is the one that you met, Dean?", the man closed his eyes, as his patience slowly passing out.
Dean thought for a second while Yuma suddenly shouted, " I know! That six that you mentioned match with the six that chased me. I really have-!"
" Yeah yeah, Yuma! I know, I know! That's why I'm asking Dean right now. Geez, you never stop being loud.", that man rubbed his gray hair harshly and that move blew off some of the gray powder to the air, revealing some of the dark brown hair.
Dean was thinking so hardly, 'I remembered his friend ever called him one time. That time… W-What is it again? Hami, Gami.'
" Hey, …! Listen to me!"
"Listen to me!"
" Hey, Kagami!"
" Ah! I remember!", he looked at the man on top of the stone, " Kagami!", that man's eyes snapped open at that second. "His name is Kagami!"
" Then that means he is not a kiseki, Dean! There is no 'Kagami' in the list."
" B-But, seriously Yuma, he is incredibly strong! You know I don't give up credits to random peoples!"
" W-Well, I know you are not. But still, the one that you fought is not one of the kiseki. So how come there is another super strong twelve?", Yuma murmured.
" Hey, Arel.", Dean called the man on the top who hadn't moved nor said anything.
"Dean, are you sure his name is 'Kagami'?", the aura around that man suddenly became chilly.
" Y-yeah.", Dean gulped and glanced at Yuma who only shrugged.
" And he is twelve?", Dean's voice was eerie calm, that it scared the two of them precisely.
" Y-yeah, I already confirmed it from Teikou's soldier. What is it, Arel?"
The man named Arel laughed and shook his hair out from the gray powder, revealing all his dark-brown hair. He pulled out the fake lens, revealing his dark-violet eyes then he crushed the lens in his hand easily, " Twelve, huh? So it's little Kagami."
" Do you know who he is, Arel?", Yuma asked curiously.
Arel only smirked and jumped down from his place, " I think so… Let's go back, our captain is waiting for our return already."
" Hey, Arel! Tell us if you know something!", Yuma shouted as he followed the man to the front cart, he and Dean sat on Arel's sides and the carts started to move forward.
" If you don't want to tell him, at least tell me Arel ! Because I'm the one who fought that Kagami kid.", Dean proudly said.
Arel suddenly glanced at Dean's coldly until Dean shuddered, the brown-haired man smirked, " You said you have fought him right, Dean?", Dean could only nodded quietly. " Is he good?", before Dean wanted to answer, Arel cut in again, " No, forget it. I don't want to know what you think.", he turned his gaze forward, " I'll see it for myself, whether he is indeed a 'Kagami'."
Then his dark-violet eyes glinted, " If I find out he is a fake, I will kill him off.", Dean frowned and looked away. He knew all too well that when his comrade was like that then he would really mean it. ' But should I tell him that that kid was severely injured that night? No. Better not. I'll just pray that he is still alive.'
Kagami woke up at the night because of the noises around him, he opened his red eyes limply, feeling quite irritated because of the noises. The first thing he saw was the back of a yellow-haired boy which Kagami recognized easily. In front of the boy, sitting on the long sofa were Akashi, Midorima, Murasakibara and Aomine.
" And then my sisters kept on pulling on me! Haahhh! I used soo much efforts to persuade them to let me go! Even though I can understand they are worried but I'm big already! They shouldn't dote me too much!", the blonde crossed his hands childishly. Kagami thought it was childish because of the tone he used.
" Ryota-kun, you know your family really love you. You shouldn't say that.", Kagami moved his eyes around to find Kuroko but failed to see him anywhere.
One of them sighed, " Seijuurou, your father was angry with you again?", Midorima's voice.
Kagami could see Akashi was smiling but somehow it was weird for Kagami, "Yes, he was. He asked me for a shiny accomplishment next time or else he will pull me out from the army and put me in the political.", Akashi rubbed his temples slightly, a move that Kagami never seen before.
" Sei-chin~" Murasakibara.
" It's alright, Atsushi. You shall know already that my father is like that. I just need to do better, though without his words I will still do the same too. I will absolutely become more better.", Akashi's tone was firm and strong.
" Mhnn~ Me too."Murasakibara. " I am too, of course nanodayo" Midorima. " Yes, I want to be stronger too." Kuroko. " Yeayy! Absolutely ssu~!" Kise, as loud as usual. " Hm." Aomine, he was smiling but he looked tired.
" I wonder when will Kagamicchi wake up.", Kise turned around and blinked. " K-Kagamicchi!", he shouted out loudly, surprising all of them and Kagami who only weakly rubbed his ears. " Kise. You are too loud.", he weakly remarked.
All of them immediately surrounded his bed, " Kagami-kun, you have woken up!", Kuroko. "Ho! Finally the sleeping beauty woke up from his sleep."Aomine. "Hehe, don't worry Kagamicchi. Now is midnight and we have checked the rooms around yours are all empty!" Kise, while wiping his eyes with his sleeves.
" Kagami-chin~ Let's eat~", Murasakibara offered a loaf of bread to Kagami.
" Atsushi, he has just woken up. You must offer him drink first." Midorima.
" Ah, okay~ Drinks first, Kagami-chin~", Murasakibara put down the bread and offered a glass of water now. Kagami's eyes caught the sight of the bandages on both Murasakibara's palms. His gaze automatically moved to Kuroko and he saw a small scar on the boy's face that had almost gone and a bandage on the boy's arm. Kuroko must have realized his gaze since he intentionally moved his arms backward as if the teal boy tried to hide it from him.
"How many days have I been asleep?", Kagami tried to get up which Murasakibara instinctively helped. " Thanks.", Kagami murmured and leaned on the pillow that Murasakibara had moved for him. He took Murasakibara's drink and almost dropped it if not for Murasakibara's fast reflexes.
"Sorry, I forget the straw.", Murasakibara put on the straw and held it for Kagami, Kagami finished it only in three seconds until there was none left in it. He asked for more and Murasakibara poured it for him again and he finished it in few seconds too.
" Thank you, Murasakibara.", Kagami let all his weight onto the pillow again and was met with the teary honey-brown at the end of his bed.
" Stop it, Kise. You're ugly like that.", Kagami's words were not cold nor harsh at all, it was purely a weak remark in their ears. It only made Kise felt worse to hear such weak voice of him, one of his tears had started to flow down. " Kise, I tell you not to cry."
" It's okay, Kagami-kun. Ryouta-kun is exceptionally emotional to those he regarded close so please understand, he is just too happy to see you are awake.", Kuroko smiled soothingly.
" Yeahh, he is a crybaby. So bear with it, Kagami.", Aomine glanced at his blonde friend with a curt smile. Midorima and Murasakibara hummed in agreement while Akashi only smiled at them amusedly.
" Hey! But yes, Kagamicchi. I-I can't control my emotions well. So can I ask you a favor?", all of the sudden the blonde looked at him seriously.
"What?", Kagami plainly asked.
"Can I hug you now?", Kise sincerely asked.
" Ha?", Kagami emotionlessly asked, regardless of the tint of blush that appeared on his cheeks. Even the other five sounded more surprised than Kagami.
" I mean you are not Tetsu-cchi or the others that I'm close with, so I want to ask for your permission first.", Kise looked down then murmured, " Since you ever been angry to me because I laughed at you."
Kagami blinked and sighed, " I have said it that time Kise, that I was not angry. And it's embarrassing to ask me something like that."
Kise pouted, " So I can't?"
Kagami sighed again, he wanted to reject it but the face the blonde gave him… " Just do it.", Kise immediately looked up at him. " Only a hug, right?", Kise's smile grew so big and then Kise immediately ran to his left side and hugged him tight yet gently, skillfully avoiding his wounds. Not too long later, a sob was heard from the blonde, " I-I'm so happy that you are awake, Kagamicchi. You have been sleeping for almost three days, it scares me. I-I'm so happy."
Kagami glanced at the blonde for a second, 'He is really worried…', he raised his left hand and patted the blonde's back weakly. Kagami's action seemed to affect Kise, since he started crying now. Kagami wanted to tell him to stop crying but was too tired to do so, so all he did was only pat the blonde on the back.
…
…
"Ryouta, I think you have hugged enough. Kagami is starting to feel uncomfortable.", Akashi calmly said after the blonde's cry slowed down.
" A-Ah!", Kise immediately released the hug. " S-Sorry, Kagamicchi! Are you hurt? Do you need us to call the doctor?"
" No.", Kagami shortly said as he leaned down again on the pillow. The way Kagami responded really was different from usual, the six of young prodigies were completely aware of that.
"Kagami-kun, do you want us to leave so you can get a rest?", Kuroko offered politely. He was afraid the red-haired didn't like them to disturb his time.
" No. It's okay. I have rest enough.", ' If I sleep again, that dream might come again.', Kagami looked up at Kuroko and forced out a weak grin, " Kuroko, Murasakibara. How are your injuries?"
" It didn't hurt at all.", Murasakibara raised one of his palm and said nonchalantly.
" Not as severe as yours, Kagami-kun.", Kuroko smiled at the boy.
" Tetsuya is right. We first knew your state in this very place when we were getting Tetsuya and Atsushi treatments. They said your conditions were really bad, your operation used up more than 7 hours and you were saved. Even though, it took you three days straight to be conscious, Kagami.", Akashi smiled gently at Kagami's left side, Kise was still sitting on the bed.
Kagami stared at each of them, they each had different expressions now. " So you have been visiting me these three days straight?", Kuroko and Akashi nodded for them all.
Kagami looked down to his cover and smiled weakly, " You shouldn't come this late, you still need to attend the training tomorrow."
" Don't worry about it, Kagami-kun. We had slept before we came here and all of us had good stamina.", Kuroko clenched his fists up to reassure the boy.
Aomine scoffed from his side, " The five of us, Tetsu. You shall worry about it.", and earned a jab right on his waist by the teal boy.
" Aomine is right, Kuroko. You shall go back and take a rest now.", Kagami frowned slightly in worry.
" I will, Kagami-kun, but not now.", Kuroko smiled again.
Kagami sighed then turned to Akashi, " So have you heard from Kiyoshi-san?"
" About the truth that the intruders' objective are the six of us?", Kagami didn't nod or say anything, just stared right at the red-haired boy who then continued. " Yes, we have."
" And you feel guilty over this?", Kagami's suspicion must be correct since the six of them were all surprised. " Don't get it wrong, I just tried to defense our kingdom from that intruder."
"But it doesn't change the fact that you almost died because of us, nanodayo. All those who were injured and lost their lives, they are all the same.", Midorima for once looked angry.
Kagami huffed and mumbled, " You are the same as Kiyoshi-san."
"This is not your faults, okay?", Kagami leaned back and looked up on the white ceiling. " It's normal for us to take a move if something threaten this country. Even if they had all known about the intruders' true objectives, I believe they would do the same as that day. Sending out troops to get rid of the intruder. Because you have become a part of this army, protecting a comrade is normal so nothing to be guilty of.", Kagami's eyelid closed down a bit.
" Even if they don't, I will still do the same. Because you are my friends, protecting a friend in danger is all normal so no reason moreover for you guys to be guilty.", Kagami closed his eyes, the image of Hiroma and those dead soldiers came to his mind. 'For that, I need to be stronger… stronger…'
The six of them were surprised by Kagami's confession just now, not even their self-proclaimed friends in the noble state treated them genuinely without a real motive behind it. 'For me, you are also my friend, Kagamicchi.', Kise kept on smiling then he realized the red-haired boy didn't say anything again. " K-Kagamicchi?", then the blonde heard a very light snores from the red-haired boy.
" H-He is asleep?", Kise asked in surprise as he stared at the boy's sleeping face.
" He must still feel tired from all these.", Midorima stated as he pushed his glasses up again.
"Then, we should give him time to rest.", Kuroko suggested that they went back to their chamber now. All of them nodded, Murasakibara laid Kagami down on the bed and then one by one went out, Kuroko was the last one. He glanced back at the red-hair boy and remembered the words the boy had just said to them.
For them, they were always being protected from any harm because their status as a noble, the nobles was put second after the King and royalty afterall. They joined the army to stop those treatments but they instead brought harm to the kingdom, that was why they were feeling really guilty for this accident.
'Because you have become a part of this army, protecting a comrade is normal so nothing to be guilty of.'
Those words really meant much for the six of them, to know that they were protected not because of their status as noble but because they were part of the army now. It felt nice…
"Thank you, Kagami-kun.", Kuroko mumbled before closing the door.
-Murderer in Black-
End…
To be continued to Errands Days (1)