Their breath hitched as they stared at the doctor with narrowed wide eyes. The news unable to sink in their brain. Murasakibara lost his appetite and stopped eating his snacks, Midorima clenched his lucky item as if his life depended on it, Kise just stared at the doctor and held onto the wall for support, Momoi slumped on the chair as tears started streaming on her face, Aomine gritted his teeth, clenched his hands until they bleed but he didn't care his whole body became numb, Kagami became pale as a sheet with his mouth open wide in attempt to speak but unable to do so, Akashi hid his eyes under his bangs, Ogiwara became silent, Tetsuo almost fainted, and seirin coach Riko became speechless...
"I'm sorry, w-we did everything we can..." that's all the doctor can say then looked at them worryingly before leaving them. Silence engulfed the whole room, but not the usual comfortable silence, it was a tense, gloomy, unreadable and very uncomfortable silence. All of them became numb, their brain cannot process everything. Questions started popping in their mind as the stand there. Why? Among all the patients Why?. That's the question running into almost everyone's head.
"I-i-i'll b-be l-l-leaving *hic n-now" Riko said as she run outside unable to hold her tears any longer
"I-i have t-t-to..." Tetsuo whispered as went outside followed by Ogiwara who supported Tetsuo
"H-he r-r-really" Momoi said before she wails "T-tetsu*hic*kun!"
Kise covers his face with his hands and silently cried. Aomine on the other hand was feeling angry "SATISFIED NOW AKASHI!" He shouted as he shook Akashi. Akashi just looked at him emotionless.
"Oi Aomine!" Midorima said as he tried to separate him from Akashi
"A-akachin... w-why?!*hic* why *hic* d-did you h-have t-to *hic* say that!"
"N-now K-kurochin *hic* Kuroc-chin i-i-is..."
"..."
"Gahh!" Kagami shouted as he punched the wall "a-are you that heartless, Akashi?!. K-kuroko c-consider y-y-you as a friend *hic a-and *hic that's how you treat h-him?!"
"..."
"Akashi, I pity you" all of them looked at Midorima who said that
"M-midochin..."
"You're always being an Akashi...be a Seijuuro... for o-once a-at least f-for K-ku-kuroko" Akashi balled his hands, his losing his composure and that's the last thing he wanted them to see. He felt something wet on his face and it tasted salty he touched his face only to realize that... he's crying. He whispered "I'm leaving" and hurriedly left the hospital
"D-dai-chan *hic W-w-why?!" Momoi wailed as he embraced her childhood friend
"I-i d-d-don't *hic* understand! We're s-supposed t-to be *hic* looking for a c-cure *hic* t-then he w-will be c-cured *hic* a-and everyt-thing *hic* w-will be b-b-back!"
"I w-wish, I-i spend m-more *hic* time *hic* w-with him!"
"W-why?!" Aomine closed his eyes and let his tears fall while comforting his friend
'Let's play basketball, soon'
"M-me t-too *hic* I don't u-understand *hic* t-too"
'T-tetsu you said soon...you said soon'
'When is soon?'
Dribble..
Dribble..
Dribble..
Kagami positioned himself for a three point shot, he released it... and missed it, he grabbed the ball and dunk it in the basket angrily
"Gahhhh!" He sat in the middle of the court, not caring if what he was sitting at is cold, letting the ball roll into somewhere. He remember it, the first time they meet is on the court and with his ghost-like presence, then they always accidentally meet at the Maji burger, until they became light and shadow duo, he wanted it back, he wanted everything to be back. How dare Kuroko to go like that! He promised to play with them again soon...soon he said... he must've misheard something, maybe it wasn't soon. Why did he have to bring back the old GoM?! If he hadn't... then maybe... He placed his face on his arms and cried silently.
"Ngghh... K-kuroko.."
"..w-why *hic* k-kami-sama?!"
"WAHHHhhh!..." he cried in frustration before placing his arms in his face and mourn
He did everything, gave his lucky item everyday, he tried to express himself harder, to show that he care...but why? He followed whatever oha asa said, he helped his father to find a cure for him. He wanted him to be cured, to be back in the court, to be able to play with everyone even as an opponent or a team, but why? Is it because they're so arrogant and have many sins that they have to be punished? Is it because he must've missed something about oha asa and wasn't able to follow it? Midorima paced back and forth as he clenched his hands into fist and bit his lip to prevent himself from crying. He can't think of any reasons why did he have to...d-die.
CRASH!
He stopped pacing as he bump into something. A small mirror. He looked at it emotionless and the tears he'd been holding back is now falling uncontrollably, he just bowed his head to hide his eyes and left the broken mirror on the floor... he cannot give it to him anyway, not now, not ever...
Aquarius's lucky item for the day...a mirror
"Okay Kise-kun, one, two, three, smile!"
"Hmm..well, smile Kise-kun, smile wider"
"One, two, three, smile!"
"Another one, okay?"
"One, t-"
"Okay! Break!" The manager shouted as he handed Kise some water
"Sorry manager-san, I am not feeling well today" Kise said as he tried to smile, the manager was caught off guard by Kise's behavior usually he would call her manager-cchi or whatnot but this...
"Ah... yeah, are you okay?"
"I-i'm gonna be..."
Kise didn't bother to open the lights anymore when he entered his apartment, when he found his way to his bed he lie to it lazily. He turned his head, and got up and removed his tie as he walked into his closet, he opened it reluctantly and brought a box out. He cleaned the dust first before opening it... Inside we're his Teiko jersey,his old basketball and a photo in a picture frame. Part of him knew it, that this is what's going to happen but he cannot bring himself to accept it... even now
"I-i d-don't w-want t-to, *hic Kurokocchi" he sob as he grab the picture, he was in the middle, his arms we're snaked around Kuroko's and Akashi's shoulder, Murasakibara was in the back trying to steal the two of them from Kise while is other arms was in Midorima's shoulder, Aomine right arms we're placed in his shoulder while posing, all of them we're smiling and laughing, even Akashi smiled, not his usual scary smile, but a normal smile. Seeing the picture just made him cry harder
"KUROKOCCHI!" he wailed, he wish that they didn't became an arrogant player, that they went to the same school until high school...
"G-gomen"
"G-go*hic*menasai" he just sat there holding the photo while crying and mourning
'Next time we'll drink milkshake with everyone like we all used to, right?'
'..r-right'
Murasakibara didn't understand at all, he can't understand anything. He knows that Kurochin agreed to drink milkshakes with everyone, but why? He stared at his snacks losing all the appetite he had... he clenched his heart. This feeling is new to him... his heart aches the feeling is worst than losing in a game, the tears falling from his eyes and the sobs are continuing uncontrollably
"K-kurochin *hic* I d-don't *hic* u-unders-stand nnnggghh..."
"*hic* I t-thought... *hic*...w-w-why?!"
A piece of candy falls from his snacks in the paper bag , a piece of vanilla candy...
'then Kuro-chin, when can you?'
'When I'm healed'
"N-no *hic* K-kurochin, n-no! *hic* n-no..."
"A-akashi-sama, please do rest for a while" one of the maid said. Akashi paid no heed and continued to do his paperworks
"Akashi-sam-"
"Leave this room in instant" he demanded, leaving no room for agreement
"As you wish, Akashi-sama, but please eat this soup before it gets cold. You haven't eaten and slept much for the past few months"
"Leave" when the maids left, he sigh and stop for a while he's doing his best to divert his attention into the current situation. He reread his paperwork only to find out that all of them were mistakes. He grabbed his coffee and drank it. He caught a glimpse of a certain picture frame, It's the one that fell after the winter cup game... the one with a crack. He hate to admit it but for the first time in his whole life he'd never felt scared, when he learned about Kuroko's condition he'd never been so afraid in his whole life. He's been doing his best, his very best to find a cure and even before the doctor announced that there's no more chance, he already knew it... and seeing his friends, teammates react that way made him concerned about them so he wanted them to see the truth and face it
'Let him die'
He wanted them to accept it because everyday they visited Kuroko he knew that Kuroko is also struggling. It pained him, knowing from the start that Kuroko will not make it... he regretted knowing everything to the point that he almost hated himself, but when Kuroko admitted that he isn't afraid anymore and seeing his peaceful expression, he felt relieved. He chose to spend more time with him, to thank him and say sorry to him but... He sat on his bed and looked at his hands. He never felt so defeated in his entire life, he always convinced himself that crying is a weakness, yet why did his tears continues to fall?
"Gggggnnnhhnn.."he struggled to suppress his tears
'Ah I've done it again' he thought as he let the tears continue to flow, he wiped it after a few minutes and stand up to go to the bathroom... until the dizziness and fatigue from lack of sleep and eat waved through him...
BLAGG!
"What the heck were you thinking, Akashi!" That's the first thing Akashi heard when he woke up in the hospital
"Akashicchi! You should have taken care of yourself" Kise's voice
"The last thing we wanted is you-!" Aomine cut off his sentence as he immediately looked down
"...Akashi you should take rest" Midorima said
He looked at everyone, all of them still have a swollen eyes and a grim look at their face. He sigh and bowed to them apologetically
"Everyone I'm sorry for what I've said before, forgive me" he said as he caught everyone off guard
"Eh?! Ah, I-i guess I'm sorry for punching you too" Aomine said
"You must had a reason anyway, so it's okay Akachin" Murasakibara said and everyone agreed
"..." the unsettling silence engulfed them again
"...nee, Akashicchi, what's going to us happen now?" Kise suddenly asked breaking the silence
"Yeah now that h-he's gone?" Momoi asked
"We will know, we'll figure it out..." Akashi simply answered and he fought back the familiar feeling building in his throat
A knock caught their attention as the doctor entered inside the room. He cleared his throat and showed them what's in his hands... a blue notebook... Kuroko's notebook to be specific
"T-that's!" Momoi exclaimed
"Isn't that?!" Aomine said
"The patient wanted you to have it, I'm sorry for your loss, please excuse me" he said as he went out
After they read the book they felt that their guilt and sadness, well not all, minimized
"Like I said awhile ago, we'll figure what would happen" Akashi said smiling as he glanced at the falling snow
"Yeah, we will" they agreed
A/N: uwaahhh minna-san! 1 more chappy( the epilogue) and an extra chappy (about the blue notebook) then it'll be over! I'm so sorry about... this... well, ever since this story started I've be rethinking about what to do with Kuroko all the time and well, hehehe?
Don't worry about Akashi nothing major happened! Just ehem, sort of fainted XD
Well see you next time, i have to work for the next chappy! XD also, thanks for the follows, faves and reviews! And btw, I'm depressed too about Kuroko i mean, so i feel you minna!
Bye~