Betrayal In Its Most Simplest Form
Chapter 22
Kuroko walked down the route to the vending machine, where hot drinks awaited for him and Akashi. He knew Akashi would be counting the seconds he took, so Kuroko made sure he didn't slow down his speed. While it was nice to have someone worry (Akashi would never admit it, of course) over him, it was also suffocating. He knew it was for good reason, though, as Ibuki was still considered 'innocent' and was out on the loose.
The teen stopped in front of the vending machine and took a small sigh. Kuroko Ibuki; his legally blood-related mother. A mother that could visciously twist matters into her own hands in a matter of seconds. This was the first time he witnessed his mother losing. Kuroko was amazed at the abilities of Akashi and his mother, but he questioned it. It was going too easy, wasn't it?
You cannot think like that, Kuroko berated himself and shook his head. I should believe in Akashi-kun.
He had to get over his fear. Once his mother was put far away from him, he would train himself to not flinch at every new hand, and he would work on basketball more, as he was now always too busy or injured to play. His mother had dragged him down all his life; when she is gone, what are the possibilities that would lay out before him?
Akashi-kun would probably disapprove me buying something unhealthy, Kuroko frowned. I will buy us both hot tea.
He grabbed the two fallen drinks from the machine, nearly dropping them when he forgot it was hot. Using his sleeves as makeshift gloves, he carried the drinks awkwardly and walked back quickly, since his formr captain was waiting. The warmth of the cans seeped through his sleeves and heated his cold hands.
I will not let Okaa-san get to me, he thought, She will be gone. Akashi-kun—
Something cut off his breathing. A freezing, rough palm slapped against his nose and mouth. An arm snaked around his waist and pulled hard, physically immobilizing his body against another's. It was a woman's body, as Kuroko could feel her breasts against his back. Teal hair that was not his own blew into his face.
"Don't you dare make a sound," the attacker hissed. "If you do, I swear I will kill you right now."
~Setting and Time Skip~
Damn it, Tetsuya, Akashi ran down the streets, ignoring the rude stares he received by people whom he passed like a breeze. He had been sprinting for three minutes straight; fatigue in his body didn't even exist right now. Kuroko took over his mind. Where would he be? Where would she take him?
Somewhere secluded, his subconcious told him, but there were so many places that were secluded in Tokyo. It didn't narrow things down for him. Somewhere where even I would not think of . . . Somewhere obvious, too obvious . . .
His extremely observant hetero-like eyes quickly surveyed every corner of the streets he quickly sprinted through. This was where he used his Emperor's Eye, other than for winning. He turned a corner and ignored a woman's yell of indignation. Too many people . . . she could blend in . . . Tetsuya, where?
Where we used to play.
Akashi-kun . . . can we go there?
Okaa-san doesn't let me go there, anymore.
She . . . disapproves of the place . . .
Akashi stopped running. He halted right in the middle of the sidewalk. His breaths didn't even come up as pants. His eyes narrowed.
There.
~Setting Skip~
"Okaa-san!" Kuroko cried before a burning punch connected to his cheek. His body staggered backwards and hit the brick wall of a building. He slid down pitifully. "S-stop, ple—"
A hand reached out to enclose it tightly around his throat. The teal-haired teen immediately started to claw at the hand, his movements desperate for oxygen. It only resulted in a firmer grip, though. "Shut up," his mother hissed. "I don't want to hear a word from you. You dare tell everybody about me, take me to court, and then publically embarrass me in front of more than fifty people, and then you have the nerve to tell me to stop? You deserve this, you fucking brat!" She slammed Kuroko's head hard against the brick wall. Along with the lack of oxygen and spreading pain, Kuroko felt dizzy.
He was on the verge of losing conciousness.
"Oh no you don't." Ibuki let go of her son's neck and threw him toward the ground. His face skidded against the dirt. "I won't let you go that easily. You need to feel the pain; your punishment. Who said you could go to sleep?" She spat near Kuroko. "After all you've done to me, you think you deserve to not feel pain? Hah?" Kicking the injured teen hard in the chest, Ibuki grabbed his collar and lifted the light boy easily. Kuroko looked into her eyes blankly, even though his panic was rising. All techniques of Aikido taught by Akashi flew through his mind.
A fist was aimed straight toward his nose. Instinct finally took its toll. Kuroko tilted his head slightly, the punch barely grazing its cheek. This threw Ibuki off her balance, as she expected to actually hit her son with all her force. Her momentum had her stumble a bit, and Kuroko weakly grabbed the hand on his collar and twisted. She let go and fell to the floor when he sidestepped his body.
"You . . . fucking . . . waste of space," Ibuki snarled as she staggered to stand. "Don't you know when to give up?" She struck out a kick, but Kuroko slammed his palm against her round kick and pushed. Her balance off, Ibuki fell again. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand and sneered. "That Akashi brat taught you some new moves, eh?" So quick that the injured boy couldn't see it, Ibuki stood up and slammed him against the wall. "You're not the only one who knows some." Crashing her knee against Kuroko's stomach, the teal-haired teen coughed up blood and was thrown toward the floor.
Stand up.
Kuroko couldn't.
Fight.
He couldn't.
Defend.
Impossible.
Ibuki eyed her son, crazed. She slowly bent over and unzipped her low purse that she clipped onto her skirt. A gleaming, loathsome knife appeared in her hand, a beam of light reflecting into Kuroko's eyes from how shiny it was. "Take off your shirt," she threatened. Her intimidating steps made their way toward the fallen teen.
Kuroko widened his eyes. For once, on his blank face, the fear became evident. Ibuki grinned in glee. "Take off your shirt," she repeated.
"Okaa-san," he whispered.
"You look like you need another lesson in obedience."
~Setting Skip~
She must have taken a discreet route, Akashi inferred. There is absolutely no way she could drag a struggling boy through the streets in public. His eyebrow twitched. That is, if Tetsuya struggled.
The red-head was still running. His destination was far from a run's walk. Since he knew taking a cab would only get him stuck in traffic at this hour, Akashi had no choice but to run. A cell-phone was in his right hand, while a thumb quickly dialed a number. He put it to his ear; his speed didn't even slow down for a moment.
"Akashicchi?" Kise's confused voice answered.
"Ryouta," Akashi turned a corner and neatly dodged a family of four. At the end of the street, he could spot the place. "Come with Daiki and Taiga to the Jun Cafe. Immediately."
"What? Now? Why?"
"Tetsuya is hurt."
That was all that was needed for Kise to follow Akashi's order without question in a moment's breath. Shouting of Aomine's and Kagami's voice could be heard from the other line. "We're coming, Akashicchi."
"Hurry, or there will be consequences." He hung up, already dialing another number with his fast thumb.
"Akashi."
"Tell Atsushi to come to Jun Cafe right now. Tetsuya is hurt."
Midorima didn't miss a beat. "Murasakibara; go to Jun Cafe. Kuroko is injured. Do you know where it is?"
Akashi could hear that the purple-head did also not question the situation. "Mm~Yeah, I know where it is. I'll meet Aka-chin there."
"He's going. What do you need me to do, Akashi?" Midorima's calm voice entered Akashi's world.
"Call the police and an ambulance. Contact Mother and Father as well. We are going to end this once and for all."
"Understood." Midorima hung up.
The captain called Haru, next.
"Akashi-kun?"
"Tetsuya is hurt. Ibuki has him."
" . . . What?"
"Do not ask anything, Haru." Akashi's voice was harsh. "Go to Jun Cafe."
Haru didn't even say 'good-bye' before hanging up.
The cafe was near. He pushed on running and ignored the rude Japanese remarks aimed at him. Fight, Tetsuya.
Setting Skip~
"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!" Aomine shouted as he started to run. Kagami and Kise were close behind. A mother covered her son's ears and glared at the players. "Ten minutes we're gone, and something happens to him!"
"It's that wench," Kagami added hatefully. "She doesn't know when to give up."
Kise stayed silent for once and pressed his lips together tightly. Kurokocchi . . .
"Jun Cafe is not far from here. We should be able to make it in time with Akashi," Aomine said gruffly.
No one replied as they picked up their pace.
~Setting Skip~
"Kuro-chin, Aka-chin, Kuro-chin, Aka-chin," Murasakibara murmured under his breath. He wasn't exactly running, but he wasn't exactly walking, either. His long strides from his tall legs made up for an almost-sprint. It covered much more distance than any of the Generation of Miracles at a fast jog. "Aka-chin is panicking . . . That's not good . . ." He frowned and fiddled with a bag of chips as he continued to 'walk-run'.
To a blind eye, a person would say the purple-head didn't really care for the situation.
However, to an observant's eye, a person would say the purple-head was just about as panicked as Akashi.
~Setting Skip~
"Thank you, Midorima-kun," Hayato said tersely before cutting off the connection. Rin looked seriously at her husband, having heard the whole conversation. Akashi's father cut straight to the point: "Car or run?"
"Run."
~Setting Skip~
Akashi turned, and soon he was in front of the cafe. He didn't stop there. The red-head headed left and went through the heavy bushes of weeds, plants, and flowers. This was where he had found Kuroko hurt months ago, and this was where he had started the battle with Ibuki.
Akashi knew there was an even more secret location if you went further inside the weeds; a place away from the public where no one could hear one's screams. He didn't worry the others wouldn't find it, since he had faith that one of them would figure Ibuki would haul Kuroko to somewhere secret.
"Almost," he murmured and continued to push pass the troublesome weeds.
"I'll kill you!" a shriek resounded against his ears as he moved closer.
She's passed completely sane, Akashi cursed in his mind and finally sprinted through the rough path. Make it there on time. . .
"I hate you, you—" colorful words echoed loudly from what seemed like Ibuki's voice. "Having the nerve to cause me trouble; I will make you suffer. Are you even listening? Stupid piece of shit, already passed out—"
"Tetsuya."
The voice made Ibuki freeze. She had Kuroko up by his collar, her fist pulled back for an incoming punch. Blood slid slowly down the arm that was holding her son. She turned her head slightly to greet Akashi with a wide smile.
The red-head could not take his eyes off Kuroko—was it even Kuroko? His Tetsuya? The body was too beaten up to really tell. His teal-hair was smudged and smeared with dirt while his head hung limp. Even though his face was shaded, Akashi could still make out the bruises and cuts. His dress shirt was torn to pieces, and a large gash went from his right shoulder down to the mid section of his stomach. Whether it was very deep or not, the red-head couldn't tell, but blood dripped rapidly on the floor. One of Kuroko's leg was twisted in the wrong way.
"Akashi-kun," Ibuki purred. "Came to see the show?" She made a move to finish her punch, but Akashi's voice stopped her:
"If you dare," his tone came out steely and quiet, hard but soft, "If you dare hurt Tetsuya with your hands again, I will make you regret it."
The crazed woman threw her head back and laughed. "You Akashi's are all talk. I'll never take you seriously." She flew her fist and connected it to Kuroko's cheek. The teen went flying back.
Akashi shook his head. "I warned you," he murmured.
Suddenly, the dangerous captain disappeared. He reappeared behind Ibuki, and the woman was sent crashing to the brick wall by a strong, brutal kick. Akashi neatly folded his extended leg and set it down gracefully. He tilted his head, his hetero-eyes glinting as he advanced toward the fallen mother.
Ibuki snarled and sprung back up. She lunged at the captain, knife positioned. Akashi merely sidestepped, hit Ibuki's hand with his palm while sending a neat, precise kick to Ibuki's head. The knife spun through the air and skittered across the dirt before disguising itself into the weeds. The woman staggered, shocked that a teenager was beating her in a fight, and didn't have time to react when a cold voice entered her ears:
"I do not have time for the likes of you."
Something pushed her hard against a brick. The pain was unbelievable, and darkness took over her body before she could defend.
Akashi stared at the unconcious woman in disgust, not a single scratch on him. He didn't stare long, though, as he had other issues on his hands. The red-head walked stiffly to the beaten Kuroko and knelt beside him. He observed the major injuries quickly.
Stop the bleeding.
The large gash caused most likely by the knife was the biggest problem. It caused him to lose too much blood. Akashi took off his jacket without thought and pressed the cloth against the large cut. When it wasn't enough, he also took off his dress shirt, leaving him in a plain shirt. After, he tied both cloths tightly around Kuroko's body, careful of his other injuries, but tight enough to lessen the bleeding.
"Wake up, Tetsuya," he ordered, but he received no response. Akashi gritted his teeth. He needed to know if the boy was still alive or not.
"Akashicchi!"
"Akashi!"
"Aka-chin!"
Four tall figures ran to the direction of Akashi. He only took a second's glance to confirm the teens before turning his attention back to Kuroko. Blood stained his pants, but Akashi took no notice of it. "You're late," he said without looking up.
"What the Hell—Kurokocchi!" Kise cried and dropped to his knees when he reached them. His face was turning green. "Oh . . . Oh, I—Kurokocchi—is he—Sick—Blood . . ."
"Look away, Ryouta."
"It took us awhile to find this place," Aomine panted but then took a good look at his old partner's body. Once he did, the tanned teenager let out a string of loud curses that would put a sailor to shame. Kagami joined in when he too saw Kuroko.
Murasakibara looked angrily at the lifeless body. "Kuro-chin's mother; where is she?"
"Somewhere behind me. Unconcious." Akashi ripped another piece of cloth from Kuroko's tattered shirt and tied it around the injured's bleeding arm. "Where is Shintarou? Have the police arrived?"
"Midorima is outside the cafe. He's leading the medics here right now."
"You should have killed her, Aka-chin."
Akashi ignored the last comment and looked out toward the horizon above the weeds. As if on cue, several silhouettes started to make their way to Kuroko. Akashi waited for them as he tied yet another cloth around Kuroko's head. The large gash still hadn't stopped bleeding, and it was soaking the cloths quickly.
What happened after, Kise couldn't really remember. It was all a haze, and if someone were to ask Akashi, the red-head would probably say he couldn't remember either, despite his abnormal memory.
Kise remembered the medics rushing over as soon as they could. He remembered they had taken one look at Kuroko and had grown pale. He remembered a medic yelling to get someone on a stretcher, and someone putting a mask on his dear Kurokocchi's bruised face. He remembered someone shaking him and ordering him to stand up, but he didn't know who. Police officers had also swarmed up, and took a hold of Akashi to question him, and then Midorima came to assist since the red-head refused to give long, explanatory answers.
Kise remembered medics putting Ibuki on a stretcher too, and Murasakibara throwing a huge fit at how they should just let her die. He remembered Akashi quieting him through simple words. Then, someone new came. A man—a man that looked like his Kurokocchi. He remembered the man yelling at the medics, asking how was his son, begging Akashi to tell him the situation, sobbing at the fact his son was on the verge of death.
Then, it had really hit Kise. His Kurokocchi was on the verge of death. He could be dying. He was dying. Someone had started to shake him even more, and he remembered being enveloped into warm, strong arms. He had been confused at the hug, and who was giving it to him, but the person only tightened his embrace.
It was only then that Kise realized he was crying, too.
I apologize to all my readers that I didn't leave an author's note at the end of this chapter. To be honest, I was really zooming through this in four hours on Friday to finish late at night, since I knew I wouldn't be able to post today, on Saturday, since I had something to go to all day. So, by the time I finished, it was one in the morning, and I was too lazy to write any more.
ANYWAY:
GOOD NEWS TO RUSSIAN SPEAKERS:
One fabulous fan translated my fanfiction into Russian. Find it here! ficbook readfic / 561333
I really hate typing in curse words and having cuss words in my story, but Ibuki's character is shaped like that, sighs. I hope you liked it in all, even if it did frustrate you about Kuroko xD Thank you everybody! I was also in the hospital I: I'm all right, though, but that caused me to write this chapter late.
Reviews help motivate me, and I really do appreciate it! Tell me of mistakes!
~Virelei