AU 127/Day 5: Final Fantasy

(Ah, no, I'm not re-writing one of the original titles. There'll be elements common to the whole series, though, including a bizarre group of adventurers, including a Kagami's incurable fear of Chocobos.)

"You mean, you traveled through the ruins of Teiko? Were you suicidal, nanodayo?"

"Midorima-kun. Kagami-kun came from beyond the Seas. Of course he couldn't know about the history, or recent misfortunes, of Teiko."

"Thanks, Kuroko."

Kagami Taiga was born and raised in where the people here called it the 'Land beyond the Seas', however, he decided to return to his motherland, the island kingdom of Teiko, that was nothing close to the lustrous image his grandmother had planted into his head. The Grand Capital that shared the name with the land was utterly destroyed; people fled to any and all directions. Eventually, the kingdom was split into five different countries: Kaijou, Seirin, Shuutoku, Tōō, and Yosen, each one now protected by one of the former royal guard each.

It only left the ruins of the once glorious capital lying on the centre of the former proud kingdom, its surrounding area uninhabited, to receive the name Rakuzan, and be treated as though monsters roamed it freely, marking it as home territory.

"You need to tell us what you saw, -ssu!"

"Shut up, Kise! You're annoying!"

"It's not that you don't want to know what Kaga-chin saw, Mine-chin."

Meeting with the 'Rainbow Squad' as he dubbed them was turning out to be a nightmare. Them being the former members of the royal guard and not seeing each other for years could have such an effect. Probably.

The one he met first with was a Summoner and Holy mage, and now Seirin's guardian, Kuroko Tetsuya, who carefully saddled him on his Chocobo -and Kagami wasn't going to admit that the large, black-feathered flightless bird scared him, never in a million years.

"Don't worry, it won't harm you because his feathers are a different colour than most of his kind." he had tried to calm him.

"I haven't seen a creature like this before anyways."

After Kuroko heard that Kagami had escaped with his life from the ruins of Teiko, he tried -and succeeded- to bring his former teammates to Seirin. Kaijou's Blue Mage Kise Ryota, Shuutoku's Grand Archer Midorima Shintarou, Tōō's Samurai Aomine Daiki, and Yosen's Berserker Murasakibara Atsushi, each one riding a different Chocobo, fitting their own colour patterns. (Kise was the only one to ride the common, yellow-coloured variety.)

"Please tell us what you saw there, Kagami-kun."

Taiga let out a sigh. "Look, there was a guy in armour there, who attacked me."

Your presence defiles the peace of those who fell here.

"Armour?" Kise exclaimed. "What kind of armour?" he asked, spreading a bunch of sketches in front of him.

Only those who have experienced lost are deserving a place in the shambles of this city.

"This one." Kagami pointed out. "Only the guy held a pair of swords instead of sword and shield."

"Not possible, nanodayo." Midorima interrupted.

"Bakagami, do you remember the colours, the patterns on it, maybe?"

Kagami took a pencil and made the designs he remembered. "Something like this, but the armour was black in colour, and the markings were red..."

Everyone froze in place.

"It can't be..." Kuroko started muttering. Everyone, except Kagami, knew it was coming.

"Liar!" he accused. "You're lying! Who sent you? We know he's dead! We searched for him! We found nothing! And now, you come here and tell me that?"

"It's true!" Kagami tried to defend himself.

"Are you telling me someone found him, and defiled his body by removing his armour and corrupted it? Heaven's Judgment of all things?" Kuroko was beyond hysterics.

"Kuroko-cchi..." Kise tried to calm him down. "He could make a mistake. I mean, look at him. Doesn't strike as a smart one, right? He has the same face like Aomine, after all!"

"You're not one to talk, Kise!"

"Excuse me, but who is he, exactly?" Kagami asked, trying to bring attention back to himself.

Midorima eyed him carefully. "You truly have no idea then." was his conclusion.

"Well, he is the former Captain of the Royal Guard, appointed by the now deceased King Nijimura. Paladin, carrier of Heaven's Judgment, one of the most unique set of armour ever created. He had made himself a legend, even at the age of fifteen. He was our Captain, the one who led us through victories, and the one who gave up himself to make sure we lived through the Teiko Calamity."

The name echoed in his mind.

Akashi Seijuro.