A bit OOC especially with Akashi in here I guess? I based most of his personality from when he's still at Teikou so please don't expect him to be the one Seirin have met. You've been warned :)
what is up in there?;
It's time to buy a new house.
That was what Tetsuya's great, great, great grandfather must have thought when his eyes landed on the blue-bricked mansion with seamless roof on the northern side of the town. It was a huge house with an equally big courtyard and was surrounded by trees. Elegant curves decorated the gate posts; the fence itself was built quiet high and was made of black steel. Over the years, that became the ancestral house for the entire Kuroko family.
Kuroko's been taken to main house by his aunt after the death of his mother when he was only ten years old.
"Tetsuya? It's time to go home!"
"Okay, uh aunt, I met a kid back there and he got tails—"
"Your mom's dead."
"…"
"We got a call from the hospital. They said she drowned herself. Seriously, what a troublesome woman."
"Mom is… what?"
"Dead."
And after that, there must have been the ocean. They said her mom drowned herself in there, out of despair. But Kuroko knew it wasn't like that. Her mom had always been weird. She could see things others couldn't and that was why many people often made fun and hurt her (him too), saying that she's a liar, that she's crazy.
Perhaps mom got sick of it; maybe she just wanted to be alone as soon as possible.
He's just a kid. Perhaps he understood. It could be that he didn't.
Maybe it was both.
The ocean was just behind the ancestral house, on a rocky beach wherein a cave was also located but only visible when the tide is low. It kind of shaped like a cat, when you examined it closely. Not far from the shore was a lighthouse— they said it's already a hundred years old or older with all of those rusty railings that threatened to break when touched and chips of paint peeling off from the wall.
Together with his not-so-loving family, Kuroko currently lives in the mansion. There were three of them living in there, him, his uncle, and the servant boy named Akashi. But it was said that this Akashi was originally part of the family; when his father tainted their name after cheating and going with another woman beside his wife, they were disowned by the entire clan, now they can only stay in the house as servants. Kuroko and Akashi remained unaffected though, despite the harshness their uncle who took them under his wing out of written responsibility often gives them.
"Anywhere else, just not the attic, please—"
"Silence!"
It was only several weeks when he was taken to the mansion when he accidentally broke a million-worth vase displayed on the living room. He was ten years old. Kuroko was frightened of the dark, he couldn't see well too so when his uncle locked him up on the attic, he bawled his eyes out, calling for someone who's not even there.
Akashi could only watch as Kuroko was being dragged up to the ladder, feeling bad because it was originally his fault why the vase broke, if only he hadn't asked Kuroko to play with him, none of this would even happen.
The door to the attic was a slider painted with a dark color. It gives off an impression of being thick, heavy and forbidden. Kuroko was pushed inside the crumpled and dusty room without any candle or source of minimum light. Cold sweat ran down his back as he scanned the surrounding. There was practically nothing to see in there but darkness, he didn't even want to know what he could see in there. After all, it wasn't only because of the obscurity why Kuroko felt so scared, it was worse than that.
Because he knew…
Because the entire family knew that something was residing in there.
Here in this very attic.
Something alive.
"Let me out! Let me out!" He knew it was hopeless but he's not going to sit there and be forced to watch the blackness engulf him. He drew a quiet breath. Light was nowhere to be seen and it didn't sooth his soul. His hands finally hurt and stopped banging at the door, only to end up curling into a ball, hugging his knees close to his chest. He remembered hearing hollow voices whispering close to his ear as everything looked darker and colder. He clasped his hands together and shut his eyes shut, reciting the rosary with almost sinking courage. He fell asleep, feeling that a strange little figure was gazing at him, with yellow blinking eyes.
Kuroko didn't know what time it was when day light began to fill the room and the door had been finally unlocked. As he climbed down the ladder from the attic and ran to his room, he thought he heard a voice calling out for him but Kuroko vowed to never return on that place.
Ever again.
Ten years later
One evening, in the beginning of December, there would be a reunion for the entire Kuroko family which was to be held on the ancestral house.
"So that's why Akashi had been running errands a lot these past few days." Kuroko thought as he stared at his reflection on a full-length mirror inside of his room. "Preparations." He added although his uncle barely spoke to him about the said event and had given such a short notice this morning that he needed to dress formal during dinner. Tilting his head a bit, he smiled slightly, feeling awkward but nevertheless satisfied in how his suit fitted his frame perfectly; it was one of those rare times that he could feel confident on his self.
There were four knocks at the door right after Kuroko finished adjusting his tie. He didn't answer because four counts meant that it's Akashi— it was sort of a secret code between the two of them. He turned to the younger boy when the door opened and smiled lightly, as though he was asking if the clothes looked good on him; he never really trusted his own opinion. Akashi shook his head lightly and merely adjusted his cousin's crooked neck tie, slender fingers touching the smooth cloth.
"You're going to be in there?"
"I party too, Akashi."
"Well, that's unexpected."
"It was Uncle's order."
Akashi just hummed in acknowledgement, patted Kuroko's shoulder when he's done with the tie and flopped down on one of Kuroko's padded chairs, eventually examining the pile of books resting on the table in front of it.
"How about you?" Kuroko asked, staring at the younger boy through the mirror. Akashi replied with a shrug.
"Not a chance." Akashi told him sharply."I'm not in that family anymore. Besides it for their own sake. I might just hurt them all." His voice was cold. "Oh have I told you already that I found some awesome scissors on the kitchen? Very sharp. I think they are antique, they looked old."
Kuroko knew that the family thing was a sensitive subject so he simply dropped it off with a simple "Okay" and just told Akashi not to use the said scissors to scare the visitors later, no matter how mean they could be. Because Akashi could be a lot meaner.
He combed his hair one last time and fixed it up into a messy pony tail; it was long enough to be held like that. A few light strands stuck out and fell on the side of his cheeks and framed his semi-rounded face well. Ten years ago felt really distant to Kuroko, back then, he was just a timid kid that looked thin as a sheet of paper. Not that he isn't anymore. He's thinner before though. His once-short hair was now longer, just covering his ears, and his jawline and neck were still slender, but not pitifully thin. He carried no remnant of the weakness he used to see in the mirror whenever he looked at himself, right after the years his mom died and he was left alone.
Right after when he was released from the attic.
Kuroko shook his head and just made his way to the door, throwing Akashi one last look.
"I'll be going then."
"Sure. Have fun." He knew that Akashi was simply being sarcastic about it.
"And don't forget to bring me food."
"Fine. As long as you don't disarrange the books in—" His sentence was cut off when the said pile of books fell on the floor messily as Akashi had tried to pull a novel out from the middle section. Akashi is naturally graceful and sometimes Kuroko thinks Akashi is just being clumsy on purpose to annoy him.
"Ooops." The younger boys looked at him with a fake-apologetic grin. "Don't worry. Go ahead. I'll clean this up."
Kuroko sighed but left anyway. He had always known that Akashi was a threat to his reading materials.
At night, the hallway and corridors of the mansion can look dreadfully long, and not mention scary; that's why Kuroko barely wander around the darkness, especially when he's alone. Every single sound that would come was a relief to him when he's being succumbed by the silence. Well, it was not really his fault that his room was on the top most floor— third floor and that he also needed to walk down the creepy hallway just to get to the dining area. He should have asked Akashi to accompany him but that would be weird since he's older.
Emerging recklessly and eyes focused solely to the mouth of the stairs, he walked pass the tiny space just around the corner wherein the ladder to the attic was located.
"Kuroko is the bravest man on earth. Kuroko is the bravest man on earth." He told himself repeatedly as he felt cold just by getting near the said ladder. You see, this was what he has to go through just to get downstairs. Ten years had passed but it seemed like that place, that attic, was the only part of the house that had remained untouched.
Thud.
He heard something fall upstairs and then it was followed by a set of footsteps. He clutched his chest, and felt his own heartbeat thudding against his palm. He jumped back. Kuroko stopped on his tracks and looked up to the celling, slowly but with keenness.
Plock!
Plock!
The sound of droplets falling to the ground met his ears and just then, something wet touched his cheeks. The corridors have two sides; the left side was the walls, doors and rooms while the other side was made of glass windows— just like those that were found on churches, so it wasn't hard to see the hallways from the outside. As the moon revealed herself from the clouds and the shadows were thrown down by the light of it, brilliant patterns of crystal snow carved on the window glasses were made visible. The hallways were seen in dim light through the windows. It should have been a beautiful sight, if only Kuroko wasn't aware of the liquid substance sliding down his cheek and onto his neck.
Another drop that came from above made Kuroko paralyzed with fear. It was the colour of blood. Kuroko had never seen anyone or anything for this matter, bleeding as profusely as this. The celling was bleeding?
Was that really blood?
His eyes remained frozen on that one spot on the ceiling, where blood continued to gather and drop down. The rusty smell of it registered on Kuroko's mind and that made him shiver in terror and sudden nausea. He looked down, ready to run but his feet wouldn't move. Something was really up in there. On that attic. To question that would be ridiculous.
"Come here." A soft voice whispered. "Come. Hurry."
Of course Kuroko wouldn't go but his feet acted otherwise.
Another drop of blood landed on the floor and the more the voice talked, the faster the droplets fall, more violently, as if it'll just start raining red.
"Hurry!" The voice almost shouted and he felt a strong force pulling him up to the ladder. "Climb up!"
Kuroko shut his eyes close when a new sensation got a grab of him. Literally. There was dull pain on his ankles, and it felt like something was holding him down there. Another force came, grabbed him in the shoulder, and pulled him to the other direction— to the ladder. Kuroko bit his lip; he wanted them, whoever they were, to stop. By now, the force on his shoulders was stronger but the invisible thing holding his foot wouldn't budge either. Kuroko felt like he was in the middle of a tug of war and he's the rope.
—not good.
"Oi, do you want to die, Tetsu?"
He heard another voice inside of him. Somehow it sounded familiar, close even.
"That thing on your feet will eat you! Climb up here if you want to live!"
Oh. This moment seemed familiar too, he thought despite the danger of the situation.
Kuroko looked down but didn't see anything at all, but that didn't mean that he couldn't feel it.
"I know you're scared Tetsu, but I can't let you die in here. Not now."
Once, Kuroko thought, closing his eyes firmly. Just this once.
Just then he felt the grip on his feet loosen but it was replaced by an icy sensation around his neck, and even though Kuroko couldn't see them, he knew they were fingers, five of them, closing around his throat. He bit his lips harder. The taste of blood spread inside his mouth.
"L-let me go." He croaked out.
"Release him." The voice from earlier said. Kuroko thought he saw a glimpse of a tail when the fingers around this neck loosened entirely, then something got slammed on the wall. Hard.
"Run to the attic." The voice commanded. "Now!"
Kuroko could feel his own panic rising and before he knew it, he's climbing up on the ladder with trembling hands and opened the door to the attic. For a moment, he felt like he'd die and felt safe right after shutting the door close. Resting his back on the wall, Kuroko sucked in a breath. He felt alright. It was alright. He's still alive. And back on this attic, the place he'd sworn never to enter again.
His fingers trembled with more difficulty and brought them to his face.
What was that?
He thought the blood from earlier was still on his face but when he touched his cheeks, they were dry. When he closed his eyes, a flurry of images rushed past his eyelids. A tree, those yellow eyes, and tails.
Tails.
He had seen those before. Kuroko began looking around then. And weird enough, the attic didn't look much darker and colder compared to the last time he'd been in there. In fact, it was almost cozy and warm. As if someone was living in there, keeping it lively for the past ten years.
The door suddenly opened, then closed fast even before Kuroko could blink an eye. Even if he was in the middle of fright, he made sure to lock the door earlier, so how can it be opened so easily?
"You sure are troublesome."
Before Kuroko could detect where the voice was coming from, a face was already so close to his, looking at him directly with lips pursed into a thin line. He emits a cold aura, like snow falling to the ground.
"And… you're still shorter than me." The creature said, effortlessly cold but with a tinge of small interest. The pair of fierce eyes was unblinking, aggressive yet calm like the swaying of the grass on a summer day. They were very peculiar eyes, almost inhuman.
Kuroko took a baby-step backward and examined the said creature in front of him. From head to toe and from toe to head, he's basically… well, his tails were something a normal person couldn't have, and they were five of them. To put it simple— Kuroko's not really sure how to describe him.
Wait, he thought. He only has one tail. He examined the creature closely. Why did I know that? But when the said tail moves, it seemed to be in slow motion and was almost multiplying via imagination. The way he swayed his tail was a trick to the eye, it seemed.
But most importantly his tails gave temporary light in the dark attic.
He was wearing grey Japanese-like clothing, a yukata? And has tails covered with blue light which were at least a meter long each; his nails were also painted in a very dark shade of blue, almost black from afar, complimenting dark-blue shade of hair. He looks so fit but not masculine, and has a perfectly tanned skin—the kind that you probably wouldn't have expected to like. Almost exotic. And his eyes were coloured so unnaturally of yellow, an almost-transparent tint. They caught the light of the moon, and glimmered.
"Admiring my good looks?"
The bold comment stopped Kuroko's train of thoughts and made him focus on the current matter.
"No. I just…" He replied, a bit calm and was still reluctant. He didn't even know who this guy was. Kuroko pondered for a second and had decided that it was no use panicking so he'd just ask this unknown guy questions that would clarify his confusion. "Who are you exactly?"
"This is why I haaaaaaaate humans." The guy with tails sneered, throwing Kuroko a nasty look. "I really hate you. I kidnap you and you're not even scared of me."
"Pardon?"
"I said I hate you."
"Well, I'm sure I don't have any idea why."
"That!" He pointed an accusing finger to him. "God, I hate it when you don't have the slightest idea. Were you born stupid?"
"You're making me sound like I am. I don't even know who you are."
"You… you what?"
"Don't know you."
"At all?"
"At all."
There was a moment of silence.
"If I have known, I should have just let you die out there."
"And you didn't. Which is why you owe me explanations."
"Don't try to outsmart me with that sharp tongue of yours."
Kuroko drew a quite breath, the air smelled faintly moist but sweet, nothing like the old rusty scent he was expecting from the attic. He inched his way forward, careful not to touch the boxes surrounding them, this was a storage room after all. The area was rather small, compared to what he had seen ten years ago; perhaps that's because he's just a child back then.
"I know who you are." The guy told him. Kuroko lifted his head and looked at him. For a male, Kuroko wasn't sure that, he was rather beautiful. That was pure sensory judgment. Sublime might even be the correct word to describe him because he held this air of mystery and ineffability which Kuroko lacks.
"Really?" Kuroko didn't mean to sound doubtful, actually the more he looks at him, the more familiar he gets.
"I thought you remembered, since you didn't freak out when you saw me. I mean, I have a tails." The guys raised himself slowly, elegantly moving the said tails.
Unfazed, Kuroko answered. "It's only one, actually. The way you move it is a trick to make it look like they were five of them."
The unknown guy sneered at him because he was right.
"Hm…" Kuroko gave a soft sound of acknowledgement.
"Are you... well, not human? The tails on your back... so... sometimes, I mean, right now I can see them."
"If you believe in me, definitely real."
"So you're actually aware of them. They are genuine? I-I thought it's just a costume."
The other boy fell silent. In front of Kuroko, there was like only an expanse of darkness; Kuroko couldn't feel his presence, as if he wasn't really there. Then the other guy suddenly started to tremble; Ah. He was laughing.
"You are highly unbelievable." He said in between his chuckles. "You actually said the exact same thing… like ten years ago, when we first met."
The wrinkles in his face when this guy smiles, Kuroko thought, were like the layer of fluffy clouds moving ever so unhurriedly on the azure sky; dancing with the wind and soft as silk. He wondered how it can look so calm and gentle, greatly contrasting the sharp features of his face.
"Oh." Kuroko said then paused. It suddenly clicked. "You… you're the guy on the tree."
"I'd like to believe that I am more than just the 'guy from the tree', Tetsu. And you still don't know my name, right? It's Aomine, by the way."
"Finally. It's nice to meet you again, Aomine."
Hearing his name, Aomine's breath seemed to slow down. He rubbed his nose with the back of his hands and sneezed. And whenever he did this, it's a sign that he's somewhat nervous.
"See? You can remember me clearly now, you have to; I just knew that it was impossible for someone like me to be forgotten." Was his proud claim, hiding the tremble on his voice. After all, Kuroko was still a human… he still smells like one. Although the wings on his back, Aomine had taken note of them, of course— just grew bigger… and more beautiful. They were neatly folded on Kuroko's back now and were glimmering through the faint light of the moon, sinful and naïve.
Ah. That was why he was trembling. Not only his wings had gotten bigger but the suffocating force it emits too.
Things that possess overwhelming power tend to inspire instinctual fear.
"Your hair's longer." Kuroko noted, eyes glowing with fondness and finally at ease to see an old, old, old friend— if they were really friends in the past. If there's anything in the world that holds a value from his past, it'd certainly be Aomine.
And just Aomine alone.
Because everything he thought he had before were all gone now.
"It'd been ten years, of course it'd become longer." He answered, dismissing the hollow anxiety from the pits of his heart. It seemed like Kuroko was still NOT aware of the wings. Aomine was now mindful that Kuroko was not quite human. He was just a child back then… seeing a creature like Kuroko frightened him, he didn't smell like a human yet he acted like one. He lives like a normal person. It was like seeing a fish climb a tree.
But that didn't change the fact that Aomine saved him, as to why he did so, he's not even sure himself, but then again, he has so many secrets of his own. Perhaps he's lying about his density towards the current matter, maybe Aomine knows what Kuroko really was and even if he did, he's not going to say it or made anyone aware of it.
He walked to the other side of the room and fetched candle sticks from one of the dusty shelves. Kuroko had to wonder why he was so familiar with the places on this attic, given the fact that it's so dark inside of it.
Using the light of his tails, Aomine lighted the three candles and soon enough, bluish light illuminated the entire room. That was only the time Kuroko had realized and saw that the entire place was actually… a bedroom. There was a bed placed in front of the middle window and a table set in front of the window in the right corner; other than that, there were no signs of other furniture. However, it was an orderly room, free of the clutter of everyday life. It felt a lot different from the rest of the house, almost as if it were in another house altogether.
As the room bathed itself in dim light, the clanking sounds of dragging chains echoed through the walls and onto the four sides of the room. Kuroko shivered at the meticulous sound and looked for the source of it, only to lay his eyes on Aomine's right foot— a rusty metal chain was embracing his ankle. It was connected to a wooden post that supports the very roof of the attic, locked and cruel. A rush of concern clogged Kuroko's train of thoughts for he unexpectedly reached out for Aomine's restrained foot, but a force blocked him from touching it— sending him flying to the wall.
Aomine weirdly stared at him, eyebrows arched— clueless on how Kuroko was suddenly on the other side of the room. Then the realization had hit him. He looked back and forth from the chain on his feet to Kuroko who was standing up from the floor, a small pained frown painted on his face.
"Ah, so you finally noticed." Aomine can hardly lift his foot but still tried to show Kuroko the chains. In return, Kuroko walked closer, as if to examine the said metal.
"What is that for?" He asked feeling genuinely troubled. The chains seriously looked like they were heavy and it already felt painful to Kuroko's eyes.
"What are chains for exactly?" Aomine asked back. Walking towards his bed and sat down, he dragging the chains with him. He sighed heavily and by hearing that, Kuroko had come to the conclusion that he truly didn't like the sound of it.
"You don't look like a prisoner." Kuroko replied, sending Aomine a worried look. He returned it with an indifferent stare. Aomine's smooth, tanned skin glowed in the candle's light and his bangs casted shadow over his eyes. Under that veil, those very same eyes were suddenly jaded.
"I'll take that as a compliment. Because in fact… I am a prisoner."
"You don't…" Kuroko once again threw a look on the chain. "…have that when we first met. You were on the tree. You're free."
Aomine winced at the last word. "Your head is always above the clouds, Kuroko. Don't say such things that can make me regret coming in here. I really don't like to make you carry a huge burden."
"What do you mean?"
"What do you want to know?"
Aomine sighed again, his fist clenching and unclenching. "This is not the reunion I'd like to have with you. Actually, I don't even want to meet you again." Aomine added, swinging his restrained foot slowly, producing faint clunky sound. There was a smirk on his lips. Kuroko felt bad for some reason. "But I can't let you die either. And that brought us together on this unexpected rendezvous and contradicted my lifetime resolution." Aomine grinned sadly at him, teeth all white and sparkly. He has fangs too; Kuroko couldn't help but notice that despite their current situation.
"Based on how you refer it, it seemed like I did something to offend you." It was almost a whisper because Kuroko was afraid that if he raised his voice, Aomine would… he didn't know, attack him? Perhaps. This conversation gave that kind of feeling.
"Offend me?" Aomine repeated, with a hint of sarcasm. "Oh no, not at all. Although, it really has something to do with you."
"Can I say that I am not afraid to know why?"
"Tetsu, your bravery is remarkable, I suppose. But you've always been so naïve, has anyone ever told you that?" Aomine suddenly broke the tense atmosphere which made Kuroko felt somewhat stupefied. Was he really serious? But then again, it wasn't that normal to see a guy with glowing tails; moreover, what attacked him earlier— he was certain that Aomine knows who or what was it.
"Remember that day when I stopped appearing to you?" Aomine asked. Kuroko nodded, resting his back against the wall. "Well, it's because I found out that you are a human."
"Isn't that quite obvious?"
"No, it isn't. And as a kid, you are pretty stupid, Tetsu. Who talks to a suspicious looking boy who's living in a tree with tails? Only you. For a week, you kept on pestering me."
"It paid off though. But when you finally talked, you suddenly disappeared, too."
"And so did you."
The silence happened.
"I have my reasons." Kuroko said, eyes directed on his shoes as if they were the most interesting thing that he saw. This was his defense mechanism.
"Just so you know, I hate humans and you are associated with them. They killed my mum." Aomine said. "See? I have a reason too. But I never left, I just avoided any kind of contact from you, unlike what you did… you were gone."
"I'm sorry about your mum."
"You don't have to apologize. It'd been hundreds of years since then and don't try to change the subject."
"I am not." Kuroko drawled, wanting to ask what he meant by 'hundreds of years', but that would make Aomine accuse that he's changing the subject again. "My mum died too, that day. So I have to move. Everything happened so suddenly and that's why I stopped visiting your tree. It's not like I forgot."
"Oh…"
"So we're both orphans." was the sentence left unsaid.
"Anyway…" Aomine started yet again after a long pause. "This is only the beginning of the Things That You Still Don't Know."
"I'm old enough now so I can tell that you aren't human." Kuroko started when Aomine stopped speaking, as though he gave Kuroko the chance to ask. "What are you?"
"I should be the one asking you that." Aomine thought.
He wanted to ask Kuroko about his wings but… he figured out that even Kuroko… really couldn't see them. It would be troublesome to explain something that even he didn't quite understand himself.
"And what about the things that attacked me earlier?" was the added question.
"Well first off, I'm a cat."
"Oh. That explains the tail but that is not actually the answer that I've been expecting. I believe you could be more… specific."
"I'm half cat and half— as much as I want to deny it, half human-something. I don't know. We are often referred to as demon cats but truthfully we are called 'nekomata'—demons that are believed to have developed from a domestic cat. After ten years of age, the cat's tail would split into two, and it would develop powers of necromancy and shamanism which of course… that I lack, since just like what's I've said, I am not a full Nekomata. That explains why I only have a single tail too." He shrugged, obviously not pleased with his own answer. "I have no cat ears though but I can float, if no one is looking. Just like this 'Cheshire Cat' humans have."
Kuroko smiled a bit at the reference but kept it hidden "And here I thought you're a fox. You know, just like those tales about Kyuubi."
"They are not just tales, a Kyuubi is real, Kuroko. They raised me when my mum died. And personally, I think they are way cooler than me."
"Your tails are cool though, the blue color gives off a pleasant feeling."
"Right." Aomine didn't know if it was a compliment but he has decided to ignore it. "Your attackers are called 'Tsuchigumo'. They looked like huge spiders and are capable of shape-shifting which explains why you probably felt fingers chocking you. Not only do they love humans but once they build a nest on a human body, their number may increase rapidly. You're lucky they haven't got you. Not yet."
"And I didn't even see anything." Kuroko muttered. "Since I can see you, why can't they be visible in my eyes?"
"That…" Aomine sighed. "…is something beyond my knowledge. I wonder about that too."
Kuroko was silenced by this, thinking of what Aomine meant. In return, Aomine patted the free space beside him with his tails, motioning Kuroko to have a seat.
"Don't think so deeply, you might not be able grasp everything all at once." As his sentence met the end, Kuroko was already seated beside him, seeking understanding from the body heat of the cat boy. It might have sounded absurd, but as of this moment, Kuroko felt everything rushing in, because Aomine was only thing he had from the past, he thought he had abandoned everything already, but here he was, talking to a fragment of his childhood— probably the worst phase on his life. And he just saved him today.
"I actually followed you." Aomine eyes were staring at a distance— an expanse of darkness lurking around the room. "I never left that tree ever since my guardians died. The Kyuubi I was talking about, she also died. Ten years ago, I felt kind of unusually guilty for disappearing so suddenly when we were talking and I thought I might have offended by doing so, that's why you never came back and visited me."
"The Kyuubi said the world is a dangerous place. Humans are cruel. They were selfish and irrational. And to prove that, they killed my mum in past. So I grew up hating them. But then you came, and it was just… entirely different, you're just so… dumb, no offense okay? It really didn't look like you could do any harm. Plus, you can see me, not everyone can, in fact you're the first one who did… so I thought we really could be friends. But you disappeared before I realize these things."
"That was rather unexpected." Kuroko admitted. "I thought you hated me." The memory from ten years ago was blurred to him… but the more Aomine talk about it, the more his memory refreshes. Even remembering the unwanted part of it.
"Please refrain from being flattered. Just because I felt like that in the past doesn't mean that I still do right now." Aomine furrowed his brows, snapping his eyes at him for a second.
"Ah sorry. Okay."
"Do you believe in fate, Kuroko?"
There was another silence since the boy in question wasn't exactly sure how he would answer that. He didn't want to say words that might offend Aomine.
"Maybe." He then said. "Since we met again, I will take chances on believing with that so-called fate."
Aomine smirked slyly, eyes softening for a split second before diminishing his delighted expression. "A fair answer." He muttered and sighed.
"So… as I was saying, I left the tree and followed your scent. This house, I ended up in here. And I actually saw you. But there was something off. You couldn't see me anymore. Curious, I stayed by your side for a while, thinking that you'll eventually see me again. Until you were brought to this attic. You remember that time, don't you? When you broke that vase."
Kuroko could only nod, not wanting to speak. He perfectly remembered that time. The darkness, the tears and the terror.
"During that time, it seemed like you saw me." Aomine looked at him. "But you got so freaked out. You started crying and crying. I tried to spoke to you but it seemed like that more I try, the more scared you get. And after that…"
"Oh! So… you're the voice that I heard?" He asked, vaguely remembering the hollow voice from ten years ago.
"Like I said… perhaps that was me."
As if Aomine existed in a distinct way Kuroko could not.
A smile escaped his lips, an unusual reaction— genuine and honest. "I really have no idea, though I did see this sort of yellowish eye blinking at me but that was only for a swift moment."
"You saw me… and have mistaken me for a monster. Well technically speaking, in a human's perception, I am indeed a monster, aren't I?"
Kuroko gave Aomine a sheepish grin. That's a yes.
"I knew it." He sighed, the chains on his feet clunk. "When you were free from this attic, I was left behind. I can't go out— not through the door or through the window and before I knew it, when the night came, this chain was already attached to my ankle. They can only be seen when the sun is down."
It was cold inside the attic. Much colder than what Kuroko had expected. They had been talking for a while now but the rust and the sound and the gleam of Aomine's chain seemed to be enjoying the little fiasco of coldness in Kuroko's nerves. He hated it, hated seeing someone restrained because it reminded him of many things.
"Is there a way to remove that?"
"You mean the chains?"
Kuroko nodded. "Yes, and moreover, I want to see you free. Again."
"I appreciate your concern but if you're doing this out of pity, then you better not try to help me."
"I wouldn't call it pity if I were you. Besides, you just told me, indirectly, that it is my fault why you're here."
"A human… cannot free me and survive." Aomine muttered, too softly for Kuroko to hear.
"Oh. Very clever." He said instead. "You noticed?"
Kuroko sighed. "It won't take a genius to figure that out." A pause. "So what should I do? Surely, there's a way to release you."
"Surely, you say? I don't even know how this thing…" Aomine swayed the chains a bit. "...got attached on me in first place. How am I supposed to know?"
Five minutes later, Kuroko found himself leaving the attic— hesitant but with a reason. He almost forgot about the dinner party and without doubt, his uncle wouldn't be just mad, he'd be reaaaaaaaally mad. Not that Kuroko cared anymore by the way. If he's to lock him up the attic, Kuroko found no reason to be afraid again. In fact, he wants to see the cat boy and find a way to release him on the vague imprisonment.
"You sure it's going to be okay?" He asked Aomine, one leg down on the ladder. The candle with bluish fire was held by Aomine's tail, wrapped securely so it would not fall and cause additional noise. He brought it close to his chest and made Kuroko see his face much clearer, casting shadow of long eyelashes on his tanned cheeks the lacks the color of life.
"For now, yes." Aomine said. "Just go back first. Your bald…" A snicker. "…uncle might be looking for you now. I mean… I won't be able to leave this place by the way so feel free to find a reason to visit me." Kuroko nodded, taking another step down the ladder and continued until he reached the carpeted floor. The light of the moon seemed to glimmer when it found Kuroko's presence, as if it wanted to paint the boy silver. He looked up at the attic's tiny square entrance and was pleased to see that Aomine was still on the lookout. There was a faint smile on the boy's lips as he closed the wooden door, leaving Kuroko with the thought that perhaps, Aomine, wasn't that lonely alone in the attic, despite being trapped for almost ten years.
"Tetsuya!" He heard Akashi's voice from the other side of the hallway and quickly turned around to meet the said boy.
"Akashi…" He looked at his cousin's face, the color was drained from it. "What's the matter?"
In return, the younger boy almost snapped at him. "Uncle was furious. Where the hell have you been last night?! You're aware that we're the host for the dinner of the enti—"
"Last night?" Kuroko repeated, face incredulous at his cousin's words. "The dinner is just starting." He said. "And I am just on my way to the hall. I might be late for ten or twenty minutes but nothing as exaggerated as what you're talking about."
"If twenty minutes is your new term for twenty damned hours, then yes dear cousin, it must really be twenty minutes!" Akashi shouted, forgetting that he's actually talking to a person older than him and that he just cussed out loud. He rarely does that, especially not in front of Kuroko— whom he treated like a brother.
"Do you have any idea what I've gone through last night? Uncle was so furious that he forced me to attend the goddamn dinner despite the claim that I am already an outcast from the family!" Akashi added, his hands were clenching into fists and unclenching, fingernails digging into his palms. "I was laughed at, humiliated and ridiculed. God, I was so mad I just want to cut them all. You know that might happen... why did you disappeared last night? Where did you even go?"
"I..." Kuroko was confused, Aomine owe him much more explanation. He swallowed as the weight of the situation donned on him.
But then, he thought... alhtough Akashi could be bit harsh, he's actually kind, so Kuroko was certain he'd believe in him if he told him about Aomine, but since he was so kind, Kuroko's also sure that Akashi would feel bad... because this kid cared for him so much. It might be selfish, but Kuroko didn't like it. He wanted his cousin to always be smiling.
"I was just…" His breath was getting cold. "I am so sorry Akashi, I didn't mean to leave last night." He lied. "I just felt so suffocated with everything Uncle wants me to do so I abandoned the dinner. I honestly didn't expect him to pick you as a substitute." He walked closer to his cousin and patted him on the head. Luckily, Akashi didn't flinch from the touch. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I promise."
That night, Kuroko spend the night losing sleep. He almost lost his mind, he thought… but he didn't. Because everything was real. Aomine with his chains were still at the attic and it turned out that he really missed the planned dinner; he really had gone missing for twenty hours. The undeniably terrible guilt was eating up his train of thoughts. Akashi got a few bruises form the dinner, it seemed like their Uncle had beaten him up because of how frustrated he was when Kuroko was supposed to be at the dinner— why you ask?
Because Kuroko, despite the fact the he was an orphan, with no glorious family background whatsoever, was a scholar, smart and admired by a few bachelorettes that shared his age… ladies from known families. And those were the people who had come for him on the party last night. Unlike Akashi who's still a kid— rejected by the family, lanky and very mean, their Uncle currently sees him as a good investment. He wanted to tell Akashi that once he grows up, Uncle might treat him better— even with the ulterior motives. Oh the sickening minds of the adults. Ugly.
"Good Morning, Kuroko."
A friend from the local café greeted him after opening the door, the chimes fixed on it ringing like xylophones in a festive parade. With a cheeky smile, dark Asian eyes and thin lips, he offered Kuroko an uncharacteristically warm welcome. He's usually mean with Kuroko too, but then again, he just likes to bicker with the other boy too.
"Good day to you too, Sire." Kuroko replied, sitting down in front of the counter, the bags under his eyes were as dark as his unpolished shoes.
Taiga Kagami was his name; he's a guy who a year older than Kuroko but is definitely much more capable of doing chores that requires strength. Crimson hair that's usually styled in spikes was his frequent hairstyle, although at one time, Kuroko saw him with a hair that he can associate with Lasagna, but that was back when they were still not acquainted with each other. Probably three years ago, if he wasn't mistaken.
"You read too much books; stop talking like you're from the eighteenth-something century, it gives me the creeps." He replied with an outspoken voice. "The usual order? French toast, buttered salmon and—"
"I just need coffee."
Kagami paused on wiping the glasses, giving Kuroko a 'you-can't-be-serious-it's-the-end-of-the-world' look.
"Coffee." Kuroko repeated.
"You don't drink coffee." Kagami deadpanned. "Last time you did was when Akashi got missing while we're playing on the cave near the beach and that was like… a year ago."
"I'm surprised you can remember something so complex but forget the simple ones like that I am a customer right now and that you, as an employee, have to serve me. I need coffee, Kagami."
"It just means that I care!" He pouted. "As a friend, you know."
"Yes, thank you Kagami but I'd really appreciate it if you'd just give me a nice cup of coffee."
"Fine." He surrendered with a frown but brew the coffee anyway. Soon enough the roasted smell of beans and silent sound from the machine filled the entire place— or at least that was what Kuroko would like to think. Because on the back of his head, he can still hear the sound of dragging chains that were attached on Aomine's ankle, grinding its friction with the ground in a menacing manner. Even so, he still have to help the cat boy. If what he was saying was true, then it would truly be Kuroko's fault why Aomine was stuck on the attic.
How did it end up like this anyway? Back then, everything was so pure.
Ten years ago, Kuroko just wanted to be friends with Aomine.
"How did some people with good intentions end up doing the most terrible things?"
"Uh, what are you talking about, Kuroko?"
Kuroko blinked and blinked again. "Did I say that out loud?"
"Apparently, yes."
"Oh." He took a sip on the coffee that was served. Kagami leaned on the counter, resting his face on his palm and stared at Kuroko, more like… to examine his face.
"I'll answer that." He said. When Kuroko looked at him curiously, Kagami can't help but sigh. "Your question, I mean."
"Enlighten me then, since you heard it already."
"I say… people with extremely strong desires often forget about those around them, until the desires are fulfilled. Yet it is because they are so single-minded that their desires are so strong. Unfortunately, this same single mindedness hurts the people they care about."
Kuroko's coffee seemed to be forgotten on the table the time Kagami finished his self-explanation. "I might have to rethink of my first impression on this guy." He thought.
"Thanks."
"Woah. Never thought you'd say that."
"Shut up, Kagami."
This is quite a long read, I noticed.
Review please! Thank you for reading.