Sorry for the long delay, but writer's block got me good this time DX I hope you enjoy the next chapter, so here we go :)
Language: English is not my first language.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basuke or any of its characters.
Chapter 24
Daiki stepped nonchalantly out of the bushes. He had observed the redhead for almost two hours, in which he tried to calm his upset mind. Now it was enough. He couldn't endure this any longer. Seeing how Taiga paced around, almost imprinting a circle into the ground, squatted down clutching at his hair and then leaned against the stone with a worried face, only to start all over again, drove him nuts. He had long waited for this moment and with everything that had happened in between, his limits had long since passed.
His predatorily midnight-eyes flitted over the redhead, drank in every detail of his well toned body. The red-brown paint on the sunkissed skin showed once again the symbols of the Kagami tribe, like the first time he had met him. He heard an audible gulp coming from Taiga's throat and was well aware, that he wasn't the only one stripping the other with his eyes.
His wrath restrained as good as he could, he shoved the redhead, without a word against the cold stone and slanted his mouth over the in astonishment open lips. His tongue roughly pressed into the wet cavern, ravaging every centimeter he could reach. Daiki felt strong fingers softly stroking through his mohawk and pressed his body against Taiga's, sweeping his knee between the redhead's legs. He heard his own heart thundering in his chest and if the gasps and the heat of the body, which was shamelessly pressed against his own, were any indication, he was not alone with it.
Taiga's eyes were half lidded and his breathing had laboured. The redhead was beside himself and Daiki welcomed it with deepening the hot kiss, when Taiga opened his mouth wider to grant him more access. It seemed that the onslaught at his body got the better of the redhead and Daiki was well aware that it was the same for him. Too long had he dreamed and waited for this moment, resisting was futile. But he needed to stop. The need to claim what was his, had overwhelmed him, leading to the bruising hot kiss they both shared. But now he needed to get space between them again and so he stepped back, giving the guy air to breath.
When he had broken the kiss, he let his breath ghost over Taiga's abused lips, "Yo!" His voice was hoarse, as he watched the redhead, who tried to find his composure again. "Waited long?", he ask, even though he knew how long the other had been already waiting.
Taiga shook his head, to first to deny that he had waited, for his own measurement fucking long, and for the second to clear his head. Eventually he found his voice again, "It's fine. Wasn't that long." He averted his eyes to the ground and breathed fluttery out. Embarrassment over his own reaction seeped suddenly into his mind and he felt his face heating up.
Daiki on the other hand, studied the redhead from head to toe and back. The longing for him was still there, he couldn't deny that after what just happened, but his anger and hurt were surfacing again, thinking about the woman Taiga had kissed.
"So, what are we supposed to do now? Tetsu told me something about a cave?" In the spur of a moment the bluenette was all business like and Taiga felt that something was off, but couldn't grasp what it exactly was. "Uhm, sure. Wait a moment." He rummage around in his bag and pulled out the ominous map, which showed the way deep into the cave.
"I don't know how accurate this thing is, but we are here-", he pointed on a spot on the map, "-and need to go there, to find another exit." His finger trailed over the thin layer of bark. He looked up at the bluenette, who stood beside him.
Daiki nodded, not meeting the redhead's eyes or asking questions. "Lets go then." He walked up to the entrance, which was overgrown with lianas, orchids and ivy tendrils and stepped into the semi-darkness of the cave.
Taiga scratched his head quizzically, but shrugged, rolled the map together and followed him through the small hole between the plants. He inflamed a torch and held it up. The flames danced over the broad back of the bluenette and also over the scar, which was left from the panthers claws, when he had saved him. "Does it still hurt?" Taiga softly put his fingertips against Daiki's shoulder blade and trailed them lightly over the bright lines. They stood in a heavy contrast to the blue-haired males dark skin, but it didn't harm his good looks one bit. Only made his appearance more dangerous and desirable for the redhead.
Daiki peered over his shoulder, as he suppressed a shiver and his eyes narrowed, observing his prey. "No.", was the only answer the redhead got, before the torch was sweeped from his fingers and the bluenette walked deeper into the darkness.
"What do you mean, he was suddenly gone? How could so many of you lose him? Don't play dumb with me!" The screaming fit Raion had at the moment sent shivers down every spine in the tribe, who heard him. "Chieftain, calm down! Like I said. We split up to encircle some guinea fowls and when we got a few of them-," Kagetora pointed at the dead chicken, "-he was already nowhere to be found." Riko's father stood indifferently before his chieftain and looked with slightly bored eyes at him. He was used to Raions outbreaks and as much as he didn't like lying to him, this time he was on the kids side. What the clan head did was wrong and Kagetora would rather help out a hothead in love than a hothead in wrath and anger.
"This is not over Kagetora! I left my son in your care, to watch over him, not to let him get away. You will pay for that, I swear!" Raion had grabbed the brown-haired man at the lapels of his leather vest and almost lifted him off of the ground. "Raion chieftain, calm down!" Kazunari's father got in between the two men and motioned with his eyes over to the onlookers around them. "You're only makeing it worse than it already is. Taiga certainly only got lost on his way back. We weren't here in a while and the surroundings look a bit different to last time. Just wait a few hours. He will be back."
The chieftain clicked his tongue and pushed Kagetora back, glaring at his best hunter. This time, he didn't care if he got in a dispute with him. "Your own son certainly was an accomplice in this! Ask him! He surely knows where Taiga is." Kazunari's father sighed. "Kazunari, come her!" Slowly and with a played quizzical look on his face, the raven-haired boy approached the three older men. Before he could even try to lighten the mood, his father grabbed him by his neck and leaned close to his ear. "Not one stupid word.", he hissed before he spoke louder, "Do you know where Taiga is?" Kazunari shook his head, "No, Sir."
"There Raion. You see he has nothing to do with it. And I would welcome it, if you stop accusing my son for things he hasn't done. If you will excuse us now, it's late and for starting a search way too dark already. Good evening." Kazunari was pulled after his father and shoot his friends an apologetic look. They nodded slightly and hung their heads.
Suddenly a huge shadow fell over them. They knew who it was without looking up to meet the furious burgundy eye of their chieftain. "If any of you hides the whereabouts of my son from me, then god grace you, I'll not do it! And now get out of my eyes!", Raion growled low in his throat and got a bit of satisfaction, as they all winced and scuffled away. He stomped over to his tent and cursed every deity there was. His whole tribe had conspired against him and without their help, it was almost impossible to find his son in the huge rainforest.
"Care to explain to me, what you did this time, Kazunari?" Hell, his father was mad. "Uhm, dad … could you stop glaring daggers at me and sit down? Makes me nervous."
"Could you stop, making everything into a joke?", sighing his father sat down. "Now, tell me."
After Shikaku heard everything from his son, he tried to suppress his anger. "Kazunari …", massaging the bridge of his nose, he had his eyes closed and a vein was ready to pop at his temple. "Have you really just said, that Taiga, our chieftains son, got into the firefly cave, intending to find another exit and that based on a god only knows how old map, with the chieftains son of the Aomine tribe?"
"Un.", Kazunari nodded and sheepishly glanced at his now trembling dad. "Are you guys nuts?" Shikaku really wanted to scream, so upset was he. But instead he held it low and sharp. It wouldn't be good if Raion would get wind of it. "Can you even imagine how dangerous that cave is? That old map … it's completely useless. An old woman gave it eons ago to your grandfather and we tried once to go in there. That was plenty enough." Shikaku closed his eyes and breathed slowly out. He couldn't even grasp an ounce of what he should do now.
"Dad? Taiga will be alright, right? Right?" All color drained from his son's face, as he looked up and slowly shook his head. "No, Kazunari. And even if we would now build a search group, we need to wait till it's bright again. Even then, I doubt that we would find them. That cave is a labyrinth. No one comes back from it once they enter too deep." The sadness in his eyes was enough to let his raven-haired son understand, that there was nothing they could do anymore.
"What have I done?" The whisper was faint, like the tears that rolled from the raven's silver eyes and fell in little droplets to the ground, mingling with the dirt. "What have I done?" His body rocked back and forth, his eyes never blinked as he blurrily stared into emptiness. "What have I done?" Strong arms enclosed his trembling frame and held him tight to the warm body of his father. "Shhh."
Shikaku said nothing more, only held his weeping son for hours, until his tears eventually petered out and he fell in into a restless sleep. He needed to tell his chieftain. There was no way around it anymore. But for now, he would give Kazunari the freedom to sleep. He couldn't even imagine, how his chieftain would react to the news. But the next morning would come, only that was for sure.
"Uhm … wouldn't it be better, if I walk in front?"
"Huh, no!"
"But I have the map." Taiga held the map up and waved with it behind the bluenette's back.
"Not anymore!" With that, the map was swept from the redhead's hands and he was greeted with an evil glare.
He sighed, when the tanned male showed him instantly his back again. "What's up with you? You're acting weird."
"I'm normal. You're the one who acts weird."
"Haa? How so? You were the one who … k-kissed me all of a sudden, without a greeting first and then got all business like on me." Taiga was fuming. Something was definitely off with the taller man.
Suddenly he found himself pressed, with a hand to his throat, against the next wall. The torch was close to his face and he furiously raised his head to glower at the dark skinned male. "What do you think, you are doing, asshole? Let me go!" He grabbed Daiki's wrist and tried to pry his hand away, but the grip around his neck only got tighter. "I know you liked it! No matter how much you fight first, you like to submit to me. See just like this!" Daiki pressed his knee between the redhead's legs and rubbed hard over the covered groin, earning a stifled moan. "That's it Taiga. Let me hear you!" He let go of the Kagami guys neck and instead grabbed a handful of the redhead's butt, to press him closer to his own body, before he once more slanted his mouth over those kissable lips. He was so mad, so furious, but at the same time still drawn and overwhelmed by the others presence.
For Taiga it was the same. At one instant he wanted to punch the bluenette for his rude behaviour, at the other he welcomed the scorching touch to his body. Their grinding got heavier. Low gasp and moans echoed from the dark walls of the tunnels, heating up the situation even more.
A surprised grunt from the tanned male, snapped Taiga out of it. Looking at the strong body in front of him, he noticed, even through his clouded eyes, the little droplets which pearled from the dark skin. "What?!"
"Beats me." Daiki was looking at the ceiling, where small trickles formed until another drop fell on his shoulder. Shivering, he cursed, "Fuck it's cold."
"Must be raining outside. We should go further in, where the ceiling isn't that thin."
"Yeah." The bluenette fished the map from between his skin and belt, where he had put it earlier, and unfolded it. "So, which way? We're already at an offshoot." He held the torch higher to let the redhead see further ahead of them.
"Hm … see this one here. I think we should go to the right." Taiga pointed at the line and gasp, again angered, when he heard the bluenette's answer. "So, left it is." Packing the map away, Daiki smirked and simply strolled away into the left tunnel.
"This asshole." Taiga cursed, but followed. At this point they really could still use both paths and he knew the cave up until the third offshoot. They never had gone further, when he was exploring with the others, fearing to not find the way back. Remembering the old times, he scratched a white circle on the wall to the tunnel, before he caught up with the bluenette.
TBC