Kagami knew Kuroko wasn't asleep. He wasn't surprised when Kuroko abruptly gave up the attempt and sat up, throwing off the blanket. His cheeks were still flushed, his eyes a little vague and unfocused. The fever was still throwing him off balance, but he was too agitated to rest anymore.

Damn Aomine, anyway. What had been thinking, pulling a stunt like that? And then to be dumb enough to call and tell Kuroko all about it, couldn't even let him have a single day off from dealing with all of this awfulness...

But it was done. They just had to accept this mess and cope with it as best they could.

Kagami sat up, too. He sat cross-legged on the futon and faced Kuroko, though Kuroko did not meet his eyes, choosing to stare at nothing instead. Kagami didn't bother asking Kuroko if he was all right. The answer was obvious.

"Do you want to talk?" he asked.

Kuroko shook his head, almost absently, and rubbed his hands over his face. "When do you think they'll get here?"

Kagami considered. The call with Aomine had been about fifteen minutes ago. It had sounded like they were all working quickly, and the train ride from there to here was pretty short. "Probably not too long from now."

Kuroko drew a deep breath. "You should...make food. They'll be hungry after all that work."

Kagami blinked. The idea hadn't even occurred to him. "Are you sure you want them all to come in and stay for a meal?" He'd been under the impression that Kuroko would want as little contact as possible with however many people had suddenly been thrust into his affairs.

"It's only right," Kuroko said, but his voice was dull and dispirited. "They thought they were doing a favor for me. They didn't know..."

They didn't know that Aomine was acting outside of Kuroko's wishes. They didn't know what kind of mess they were getting into. They didn't know...what they would find there in that apartment.

Kagami had heard the voices in the background of the call, just as Kuroko must have. He'd recognized Kise immediately. The guy had sounded almost hysterical. More surprising had been Midorima's voice, grinding with anger. The noises had made it clear that everyone was working very hard to finish their business and get out of that toxic place as quickly as they possibly could. Kagami didn't blame them at all.

Put that way, it really did seem like the least Kagami could do was make a meal for them. They all deserved an apology, and Aomine was not suited to offer one. It was not Kuroko's responsibility to offer amends, but of course he didn't see it that way. So it was up to Kagami to support him, then.

"All right." Kagami shifted outside the fort and pushed himself to his feet. "I have chicken and vegetables. I'll make curry."

"Thank you."

"It's nothing." Kagami moved to the kitchen and started pulling out pans. He didn't turn on his music to accompany him. He didn't feel like singing.

Kagami started measuring rice into the cooker. How many should he prepare for? He had heard three or four voices on the call, but there could have been others who didn't speak. Well, he would just make his biggest pot. Leftovers were never a problem for him. He should make some fresh porridge for Kuroko while he was at it, too. There was a limit to the number of times he was willing to reheat the same bowl of food.

Kagami fell into the routine easily, chopping, stirring, heating, tasting. He was glad for the familiarity of the task. It helped him refocus, find his center again.

As stupidly as Aomine had gone about it, bringing Kuroko's belongings to him was not a bad idea. Hopefully it would help Kuroko settle in and start to see this place as his home, instead of just Kagami's. They should talk about what kinds of things Kuroko needed in his room, like more or different furnishings. Kagami knew that Kuroko liked to read. Maybe he would want some bookshelves. Kagami didn't think he had a single bookshelf in the entire apartment besides the one over his desk.

A soft thump in the main room broke Kagami out of his thoughts. He turned away from the stove and craned his head to see what was going on. Kuroko stood by the partially disassembled fort. He'd already made a neat stack of folded blankets and was now moving the textbooks off the chairs and piling them near the door to the hallway.

"Oh." Kagami let out a breath, inexplicably sad. He made sure the pot was on a good simmer, then wandered out to the main room to join him.

"Hey, Kuroko. You got tired of the fort?"

Kuroko shook his head. His eyes were down, focused on his task. "No. But it's time to get ready. People are coming over. We have to go to school tomorrow. We can't stay in the blanket fort forever."

"Hnh. I guess not." Kagami nudged one of the chairs with his toe. It was silly, maybe, but he'd really enjoyed that thing. He knew Kuroko had liked it, too. It had been like a safe little cocoon where they could hide and forget about the troubles beyond its soft, fuzzy walls. He also credited the blanket fort with a good portion of the sense of comfort and warmth that had enabled Kuroko to talk about his past.

"But thank you for making it." Kuroko paused to look up Kagami and give him a smile, warm and genuine, reaching his eyes. "You have a talent for making me feel welcome every time I come here."

"That's because you are welcome," Kagami said. "Forever. I thought I made that clear last night."

Kuroko nodded solemnly. "You did. But I don't mind hearing it again."

Kagami snorted and ruffled his hair. "You can just leave the books there. I'll move them to my room later. Don't work too hard—you still have a fever."

Kuroko nodded, and Kagami went back to the kitchen. Everything was pretty much ready, but it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on it. And somehow he didn't want to help Kuroko tear down the fort.

When the doorbell rang, the quiet noises from Kuroko in the other room ceased. Kagami cast a glance his way as he moved toward the door and saw Kuroko standing frozen in the middle of the room with an armful of pillows. Almost everything had been cleaned up, the central table moved back to the middle of the room in preparation for the meal. Kagami held up a hand, gesturing for Kuroko to remain where he was, and went to let them in.

There were six of them, each holding a box or two. Midorima, of all people, stood in the front of the pack. His expression was the grimmest Kagami had ever seen it, and Midorima was always pretty grim. "Please accept these boring gifts," he recited the traditional phrase, nodding toward the box in his hands, as if this was just another social call.

It was...kind of a joke. From Midorima. A dour, grim-faced Midorima. Kagami blinked and raised his eyebrows, then stepped back to make room for them. "Come in, then."

He took the box from Midorima and set it down just past the entryway so Midorima could take off his jacket and shoes. He took the boxes from the rest of them, too: Aomine, Takao, Kise, Kasamatsu, and Imayoshi. What a strange group of people. They were all quiet and subdued, even Kise. Kise might have been the worst, come to think of it. His eyes were puffy and red, as if he'd been crying for hours.

Takao's hands were shaking.

What had they seen? What had Kuroko's father said to them? Kagami dreaded to ask.

Midorima stood there, waiting patiently, while everyone filed inside. When Kagami looked at him again, he raised his chin, just a fraction. "Where is Kuroko?"

"I'm here," came the quiet voice. Kuroko stood at the door to the main room, watching the proceedings with large eyes. No one had noticed him. Of course they didn't. He didn't want them to.

"Kuroko." Midorima strode toward him, long legs eating up the distance. Kuroko tensed and pressed his shoulder against the side of the door, but it seemed like an instinctive response, not like he was really afraid of Midorima. Midorima reached him in three long strides and took Kuroko's shoulders in his hands. He looked up him up and down, almost desperately, before his eyes settled on Kuroko's face.

Midorima frowned. "Your cheeks are flushed. You have a fever."

Kuroko nodded. "Don't worry. I'm all right."

"You aren't." Midorima continued to stare searchingly into his face. "Your lucky item for today is an eraser shaped like a maki roll. Do you have one? If not, I'll get you one."

"That's really not necessary," Kuroko murmured.

"I'll get one for you anyway."

Kuroko smiled, small and trembling. "I'm already very fortunate, Midorima-kun. I'm here."

Midorima paused, his head tilting to one side. "Yes. I suppose that's true."

He seemed to notice, at last, that he was making Kuroko uncomfortable. He stepped back and let go of him, his hands sliding reluctantly away from Kuroko's shoulders. But now Kuroko's eyes flashed and his breath caught, and he reached out to grab Midorima's left wrist before it fell out of reach.

Midorima's hand was bandaged. Not just the usual white tape wrapped around his fingers—he wore a thick gauze bandage covering reddened knuckles. Kuroko stared at it without blinking.

"Midorima-kun... What happened?"

Midorima said nothing. He looked back at Kuroko with his lips pressed into a straight line. He didn't look guilty, the way Kagami or Aomine would have looked in the same situation. He wasn't ashamed of what he'd done. He just didn't want to be the one to say it.

It was Takao who stepped up, offering Kuroko a shaky smile over Midorima's shoulder. "Shin-chan punched him."

Kuroko blinked. Then his eyes widened, and he stared at Midorima. "You..."

Midorima nodded.

Aomine pushed forward, too. His hands were jammed deep into his pockets, and his face was pale. He looked like he wanted to vomit. "If he hadn't done it, someone else would have. Midorima just happened to be the closest. I'm sorry, Tetsu. But what he said... It was unforgivable."

Takao nodded. So did Kise and Kasamatsu. Kuroko looked around at all of them, his face blank, but his wide eyes gave him away. "What...what did he say?"

Aomine grimaced. "I don't want to repeat it. Like I said, it was unforgivable."

Kagami felt himself tense all over. If even Aomine thought it was that bad...

Kuroko stared back at him without blinking. "I'm sure I've heard worse."

They all went still and silent. No one even seemed to breathe.

Midorima broke it. His hand shivered in Kuroko's grip, fingers flexing as if he longed to relive that punch again. "I found the strap in your closet. I asked him how many times he'd beaten you. And he said, 'As if I could keep track.'"

Kagami's vision went red. When he came back to himself, Kasamatsu had grabbed his arms and pushed him against the wall, preventing him from doing anything rash. Kagami was shaking all over and his throat was raw, as if he had screamed. He couldn't remember doing it.

"That bastard!" he yelled, spittle flying into Kasamatsu's face. "That bastard!"

Kasamatsu nodded, his jaw set hard and tight. "I know," he said, the words a low growl. "We all know."

Kagami's eyes sought Kuroko across the room. Kuroko had shrunk against the doorway again, and Midorima and Takao had stepped in front of him, as if they were shielding him. Kagami knew it must have been automatic, an instinct. No one there believed that Kagami would hurt Kuroko. Kagami would have reacted the same to anyone else having a sudden fit of uncontrollable rage. It didn't bother him that Midorima had, too.

If anything, the sight soothed him. Even Midorima cared enough about Kuroko to put himself physically in the way of any harm that could come to him. This room was full of people like that. Kagami began to calm down, the shaking easing its way out of his limbs.

And then...

"I don't understand." Kuroko's voice was small and clear. "Why is that unforgivable?"

Kise gasped. Midorima turned to stare at him. Takao's mouth dropped open. Kuroko just blinked at them, completely without comprehension. For a moment, no one could speak.

"Kuroko..." Midorima's voice was slow and careful, as if he was talking to an injured animal. "Not only did he admit that he abused you, but he did so with no remorse, with complete contempt for the suffering he caused you. He showed himself to be an utter monster who cares nothing for the feelings of others. He disregarded not only your pain, but ours as well. It was as if...you aren't even human to him."

"Well, I'm not," Kuroko said calmly. "He only told the truth. Why would he keep track?"

The anger that had been burning in Kagami's body like a hot red star suddenly collapsed into a black hole of emptiness and despair in his gut. Kuroko didn't understand. He didn't understand at all. He was simply incapable of understanding just how awful this was.

As Kagami slumped against the wall, his breath leaving his body in a long sough of resignation, Kasamatsu's grip on his arms loosened. He straightened, still facing Kagami, his expression fiercely worried. Kagami didn't know how to take it. Now senpai from other teams were trying to look after him, too. He couldn't even tell this one to go grocery shopping.

All of the overwrought emotion had been sucked out of the room, leaving only sadness. Everyone looked so...tired. Kuroko stared around at them, faintly concerned by their behavior, still entirely confused. Kagami didn't know how to fix this. It was like standing at the edge of an enormous canyon and wondering if the crack could be plastered over with some paper and glue.

What were they supposed to do? It was so quiet and still that Kagami could hear the pot bubbling in the kitchen.

Kagami pushed himself away from the wall, shaking off Kasamatsu's hands. Kasamatsu stood back and let him, and Kagami looked around at the group. "There's...curry," he said. "I made a lot, plenty for everyone. Please come in and eat."

No one seemed opposed to the idea. They were all in desperate need of refreshment.

Except Imayoshi. He stepped forward and offered Kagami a smile. "Thank you, but no. I think I would be best off getting home."

Kasamatsu made a move as if he should slip out, too, but Kise seized his sleeve and stared at him with enormous eyes, still ringed with red. "Please stay, senpai," he whispered, and Kasamatsu hesitated for a bare moment, then nodded.

Imayoshi watched this with a sideways smile, then turned to Aomine and gave him a small, slightly sardonic bow. "Thank you for the opportunity you gave me, my precious kouhai. It was indeed the best use of my skills I could have imagined."

Then, he looked to Kuroko. "Ah, Kuroko-kun... We don't know each other well, but after today, I must say that I truly cannot decide whether you are the least fortunate or the most fortunate person I've ever met."

Kuroko blinked at him. So did everyone else.

Again, that little twisted smile played on Imayoshi's lips. "Truly, you have suffered pain and cruelties I wouldn't wish on the worst monsters in the world, never mind a teenage boy who only wants to play basketball. And yet here you stand, surrounded by people who would all trade their right arms for the opportunity to go back in time and spare you even a portion of that suffering. So as I said, most fortunate or least fortunate? It is truly a question for the ages."

Kagami, Aomine, Midorima, and Kise all looked at each other. None of them made any sign to dispute that bold assertion. Kuroko stood still as a statue, unable to take it in.

Imayoshi made his way to the door, slipped on his shoes and jacket, then turned back and looked at Kuroko again. "And a question you might wish to consider, Kuroko-kun... If any of these precious friends of yours came and told you the story that belongs to you, if any of them had been mistreated the way you have been mistreated... Would you still think it was normal for a son to be so used by his father? Or would you learn that story with the same rage and grief and pain as your friends have learned yours?"

Kuroko paled. He leaned more heavily against the wall, and Midorima's hand shot out to catch his shoulder and hold him up.

Imayoshi smiled, and this one was not sarcastic at all. It was small and sad and compassionate. "It's not quite as easy to forgive as you thought it was, is it?" he asked gently.

Then he took his leave.