A/N: YESSSS I HIT 3K WORDS OHOHO *slapped
Anyway, yes! another update! ^w^
I totally went towards the AkaKuro path for this one QwQ let me know if you want to see much more Aokise the next time round! (as compensation HAHA NO)
Oh yes, also I've transported this fic to my newly made AO3 account, sachiyoumi, so do check it out there as well if you want! (the formatting there's nicer to me for some reason LOOOL *WHACKED*)
Anyways, hope you like this chapter as usual! ;w; It's actually a short one despite 3k words, so I hope to update with more content in the next chapter!
This fanfiction is dedicated to Shiwafuri Ai ^o^
Golden Flower
(c) Kimura Yumi
Summary:
Kise, having been sold as a prostitute a few years ago, is now practically living like an alive corpse, and always gets "abused" by his boss. Will his life ever change when his childhood friend steps into his thin thread of his entire life? Or would his flame flicker out? Slight AU, contains yaoi, and prostitution.
WARNING: Yaoi (BL), and prostitution
DISCLAIMER: The usual .w.
Chapter 13: Bittersweet
He heard a voice. A voice that had pulled him out from the darkness that would swallow him up and ban him from the path of return. The shadow could not be seen, nor could be heard. Yet, as he walked towards the light that shone before him, everything suddenly became crystal clear.
"Kuroko!"
He barely had any time to register anything before he found himself shrouded in light. It was white all over, and he could feel himself basking in the sunshine, feeling absolutely refreshed and freed from the burdensome shackles of reality. The air was not sweltering hot, but instead it was soothing to the touch. Before him stood the man he had grown to love and care deeply for.
Akashi Seijuurou.
"... Akashi... kun?"
Dressed in his red yukata, Akashi only smiled, with his gentle eyes twinkling. They were of a normal red shade, but the left eye where he had been shot at had changed into a striking orange. He held out a hand, as if saying come with me.
Kuroko slowly reached his hand out, wanting to touch that hand that was outstretched towards him. Was it all a dream? Was he already dead and void of reality? Just when he was about to hold the hand before him, it retracted to its owner, causing him to fall to the ground.
"W-Why...?"
He watched Akashi shake his head as it lowered. Slowly getting up, as he rose, he could see tears steadily forming at the corner of his lover's eyes. It made his heart hurt, made him cry tears that would pierce his entire soul painfully.
"Don't go! Please!" he cried out tearfully.
He watched Akashi let out a breath of resignation as the latter walked towards him.
"I'm so sorry, Tetsuya," he muttered, somewhat regrettably. "It was a situation which I hadn't expected. I think I should have pulled Daiki away at that time, but maybe... I did something that was uncalled for."
"You had Aomine-kun's best interests at heart," Kuroko said, quietly yet with a shaky voice. He proceeded to wipe the tears from his face as the distance between the two of them remained large. "There was nothing for me to blame you for in the first place, anyway. In the end, it was I who was incapable of doing anything..."
"... That's not true," Akashi replied. He slowly closed the gap between him and Kuroko, and gently stroked his blue hair. He silently marveled at how this small child which he had found and raised since their days at Teiko had become so tall, to the point that they were almost of the same height. "You made a difference in me. After that day, I had no one but you to rely on. I had thought I would have been better off dead, but you..."
Kuroko looked up ever so slightly to peek at Akashi, just in time to meet his lips with his own.
"... You changed the way I viewed life at Blooming Flowers."
"Akashi-kun..."
They stayed still in that position, looking at each other closely, sensing each other's emotions through observations and expressions. The time spent together may have been short, but it was more sufficient for them to understand and sympathise. Akashi then pulled Kuroko close, nuzzling his hair.
"Maybe just a little while wouldn't hurt."
He bent down a little and held Kuroko's face in his hands as he kissed him over and over, both holding onto each other desperately, each side unwilling to let go of the other. Since at the brothel, they were prohibited from exhibiting such acts of intimacy between two workers, this was their first and last time they would be holding each other this close, in each other's arms.
He didn't want to let go. Neither did Kuroko.
"After each day that had passed, you and Ryouta were the only ones that kept me sane. To know that we were going through this together... it wasn't as bad as it actually is. You also came to take care of me every night after shift hours. You always told me it was under Haizaki's orders, but that was a lie, wasn't it?"
"... You could tell?"
"Staying until the wee hours of the night with me was surely way past the curfew time." Akashi laughed softly. His expression then changed into one of sorrow and regret. "Haizaki... he found out about us, after all. I guess we weren't meant to be? You had to take the full brunt of my actions; I'm so sorry, Tetsuya." An expression of guilt flashed on his face. It hurt Kuroko, mildly but painfully, as he watched the red-haired male look down, avoiding his gaze.
Akashi sat down on the groundless floor, smoothening his yukata and pulling a jacket from nowhere over him. "To be honest, anyone would have hated him for doing this kind of this to people - I mean, who'd want to submit to this kind of torture? But then, to be going to such lengths just to prove his superiority... Knowing how proud he could be, he must have done it out of pressure from his family, well, he is the head of his family's mafia, after all."
"So that means..."
"... Yeah." Akashi closed his eyes and sighed. "In the end, I couldn't even bring myself to hate a single ounce of Haizaki - no, Shougo, after coming to this conclusion. Even after all the things he's done to you, me, and everyone else. I really apologise, Tetsuya, for my selfishness... I made you suffer so much."
"Akashi-kun..."
Kuroko shook his head.
"You were always able to see things more clearly, Akashi-kun. I never doubted your judgement ever since Teiko. You made decisions for the sake of us. You always thought of us whenever you do something. There's no way I could disagree with you after all this while."
"..." The red-haired male smiled. Surely, there was nothing that Kuroko couldn't see through?
"Come here, Tetsuya," he said, gesturing towards the slightly smaller male. The latter, curious, went to sit beside him.
"... Your hair's gotten longer again."
"Has it?"
"The back. You might want to trim it sometime." Akashi's gaze then turned downwards, and the expression in his eyes immediately changed when he saw the pale skin being scarred by a red slash. Saying nothing, he gently held Kuroko's wrist in his hand and raised it to his lips. As if it was magic, the red stains slowly began to disappear.
"You're too rash, Tetsuya," he muttered as he cupped the small hand in his slightly bigger ones. "Don't try to kill yourself because of me..."
Upon hearing this, Kuroko's eyes began to water.
"A-Akashi-kun," he choked out, tears brimming his eyes. The small droplets fell onto the ethereal-looking ground, disappearing into nowhere. "I..."
"Silly, don't say anymore."
"... But... How can I live without you?"
Akashi leant forward and lightly kissed Kuroko's forehead. The bittersweet scent lingered on. "What are you talking about? I've always been living inside of you ever since we've been together." He patted the latter's blue hair and ruffled it gently, with a small chuckle. "Even if I may not be there for you physically, just know that I'll always be watching over you, and protecting you. You still have a chance of a life ahead of you, Tetsuya. Don't waste it."
He raised his head towards a blinding light that shone in the ethereal area just like the sun. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Daiki will do something about Shougo. Knowing how hot-headed he can be, he won't leave this situation as it is. So, I'm certain that the entire place will go down. No one would have to suffer anymore. Especially Ryouta."
"..."
"... What's wrong?" A small smile.
Another shake of his head. "N-No, it's just... There's so many things I want to tell you, but I can't seem to tell you. I don't know if I'll ever be seeing you again. And then... all I could say is just your name... I'm really sorry, Akashi-kun..."
"Never mind," Akashi chuckled as he stood up, pulling Kuroko up in the process. "When we see each other again, in the near future, we'll have the rest of eternity before us. You can then tell me whatever you want to say." He smiled a last smile, his eyes showing reluctance, sadness, all of the emotions that overwhelmed him.
But he had to let go.
"It's time. I can't stay here for too long, or else you'll remain in a coma. You'll never wake up otherwise."
"But I want to stay with you, Akashi-kun!"
"Tetsuya, please."
"..."
"It'll be alright. I told you so, remember? I'll always be watching over you, even if I'm not with you physically. You still have a bright future ahead of you. I'll always be waiting for you here, in our own secret place, so just come only when your hair has turned white."
He then gave Kuroko a soft push, sending him tumbling towards the blinding light. The latter reached out his hand, seeming to be screaming something as tears flew out from his eyes, but the white rays had enveloped him and swallowed him up whole, leaving no more trace of his weak presence. Once it was over and done with, Akashi then looked down at his feet, where a set of shogi rested. The pieces were in place, but he noticed, one of it was missing from the whole set.
This was where he was going to begin manipulate behind the shadows. To finally return to his comfort zone, completely free from the thorns of reality. To hopefully overcome the darkness with his light.
And to watch over Tetsuya.
"I'll see you later..."
He sat down, busying himself with the setting up of the board. As he placed a piece on the board, he could feel boiling water running down his cheeks. He could hear himself sniffling and sobbing ever so softly. The pain that hit him was unimaginable; the regret and the sadness that overwhelmed him was agonising.
He wished... he could have just taken most, if not all, the limited time they had together, just telling him how much he loved him.
"Goodbye... Tetsuya."
"... cchi! Kurokocchi!"
Kuroko's eyelids flickered open to reveal tired blue glazed irises. From his face it was more than evident that he had not slept enough over the past few days. He slowly glanced at the ceiling, and immediately saw a frantic Kise towering over him.
"Kurokocchi! You're alright! Thank goodness...!"
He watched the blonde heave a sigh of relief. He was back here in the hellhole, dressed in his yukata.
That means...
Pain immediately washed over him as he sat up, rendering him helpless as he silently, but feeling tortured to no end, fell into Kise's arms. He saw that his wrist, that he had slit earlier on, was bandaged and properly taken care of. His fingers were strangely closed into a ball tightly, refusing to budge. Something seems different about Kise, though...
He seems... more emotional...?
"Honestly, Kurokocchi! What were you thinking! You slit your own wrist! I thought you were more calm and rational than that!"
"... I thought..."
"...?"
The long-lost emotions finally hit Kuroko with more than just full force. His hands reached out for Kise, his fingers lightly grasping the hem of the silken material. Realising his left hand remained clenched shut in a balled-up fist, he pounded on Kise's chest sluggishly, the energy drained from him.
"I wanted to be with Akashi-kun," he sobbed, his emotions getting the better of him. "I wanted to die so badly. It hurts, it hurts so much, Kise-kun...!"
"Kurokocchi, what on earth happened...?!"
The rivers of tears flowed endlessly down his cheeks as he buried his face in Kise's arms, crying and wailing so desperately, clinging to him like his life depended on it. The loss in his heart felt as though a hole was forcefully drilled into it, resulting in a gaping hole, never to be perfectly replaced.
"Kurokocchi..."
"Akashi-kun... died..." Kuroko choked out as he poured his emotions out through his tears. For him, it was a first. The first time he had ever been this emotionally worked up in his entire life. It was fresh, and foreign, and hurt so much to the point of driving him to suicide once more. He couldn't keep the tears from falling, and ended up pouring everything out of his weakened grasp.
"I'm so sorry... I failed to protect him..."
Kise stared in muted horror as he watched Kuroko cry hysterically in his arms. What on earth...
Akashicchi died...?
"F-From... the bullet...?"
The world surrounding him began to fall and shatter into fragments, long lost into the dimensional abyss.
Kuroko nodded subtly. "So many things happened after you left with Aomine-kun. Haizaki-san did terrible things to Akashi-kun... Even though he told Haizaki-san to stop, he got tortured more instead." He continued to sob and curl into a ball in Kise's arms. "I couldn't stop him with my own hands... I could have prevented such torture from befalling him. If only I wasn't so weak!" Eyes boiling with tears of anguish, Kuroko began to slam his fists against Kise's slightly bare chest, though the despair that he was left in had rendered him with lack of strength to even stand.
"Kurokocchi, stop!" Kise cried out desperately. He couldn't stand watching Kuroko cry. In fact, even he was starting to cry now, even though he had just regained possession of his painful memories. It was not as if he had nothing else better to do, but rather, it hurt him so much to see one of his closest friends break down just like that. Anxiously, he pulled the crying male in his arms and hugged him tightly. He knew he couldn't replace the hole in his heart, and neither could he relieve himself of the pain his hard decision had brought about, but surely, there must be something even he could do!
I don't want anyone to die anymore...
How would Aominecchi react? A pang of guilt struck his heart like a swift dagger as he imagined how hurt Aomine would be. He knew that he would not let him go back to this polluted place of dying flowers, and he knew that hard-headed idiot would tell him that he would protect him, even if it costed him his life.
Same old, same old...
Aominecchi never changes, eh? It's been a while since I've been under his care. He's been doing so many things for me, and not really thinking about himself...
"I'm such a fool..."
He took Kuroko in his arms and gently laid him down on the nearby bed, and pulled the blanket over the smaller male. Just as he was about to tear his teary face from Kuroko, the latter chose that moment to reach out and tug at the sleeves of his yukata, weakly but somewhat desperately, grabbing his attention almost immediately and stopping him in his tracks.
"Kise-kun," he called out hoarsely, his voice barely audible. "Why... did you come back?"
It was at this point of time did the past events came rushing into his head. How Aomine's mother had died before his very eyes, how Aomine had stabbed the knife in his leg angrily without any rational thought at that time...
How Aomine got injured while tending to him, and how Akashi got shot in the eye in an attempt to protect them... just to give them a chance to escape, and even died from it.
And all of it was his fault. His fault for even existing in this money-dominated world, where emotions mean nothing and money means everything.
And now he was back here, back in this black hole that would swallow him up whole sooner or later. Would that mean Akashi's death was in vain?
Why was he back here in this dark place again?
"Now, I give you two choices; come back to me, or stay with Daiki. If you don't make the correct decision, I'm afraid I'll have to resort to using force to get you back. You do know what I mean, correct?"
For the first time in his life, he felt something evolving within him. Something growing and blooming. An urge to rise against Haizaki and bring this place down for good, to free those from further suffering, to let the world be rid of a polluting existence.
So many people have been protecting me and taking proper care of me recently... and I couldn't do a single thing.
I can't be this weak! Never!
A revolution.
Surely, there must be something even I can do!
I'm so sick and tired for being so useless! Is there not something that I can't do? Isn't there anything...
He turned to face Kuroko once more, the tears now streaming down his cheeks. "... I don't want anyone to die because of me anymore."
... anything that could stop anyone from dying ever again?
The air was clear and fresh.
For the first time in his entire life, Kuroko had finally woken up without any lack of sleep. He had felt strangely fresh, and the usual fatigue was not reaching him as usual. The pain in his heart and his hands lingered, forcing him to sit up and clutch at them helplessly. It was only after his agitation calmed down did he realise he finally had the strength to open the balled-up fist that would stubbornly refuse to budge. He raised his hand and carefully uncurled his fingers. What lay in his hand shocked him to the point of tearing up, and making his heart flutter and ache at the same time.
A shogi piece rested in the very heart of his palm.
The tears dribbled down his cheeks as he held the small item close to his chest, hugging it as if it were a precious treasure. Just from the small item, he could feel the aura of a certain person radiating from it. It made his mind feel warm and at ease...
"Akashi-kun..."
It was all rushing back to him now. The details were vague from corrosion of time, but immediately, the bloodshed that would forever remain imprinted in his mind lingered on. The mark burned painfully, leaving a permanent scar, but fate, as cruel as it could have ever been, had brought him something in store at that moment.
His unfortunate, but blessed encounter with Akashi.
and you guys'll probably be like, MORE CLIFFYS?! yumiwtfyoudoingHAHA
anyways! the next chapter'll be, as you can tell, Kuroko's flashback of how it all started on his end! It'll cover Akashi's side as well since both are linked!
Kise's... well let's just say his will have to wait for a few more chapters 8D
but wow don't kill me please i totally made kuroko suicidal here i know it's super ooc IM SORRY QWQ_
anyhow, i hope you've enjoyed this as usual! reviews, favs and follows are always appreciated!
see you in the next chapter!