"Taiga? Tetsu-chan!"

Hiroshi stepped over the threshold of the apartment, the key rattling in the unfamiliar lock. He'd only been in this place a few times, but he still had a strong feeling of coming home. His sons lived here. There was no way it could feel like anything but home, no matter how rarely he visited.

No one answered, but Hiroshi wasn't surprised. Taiga had said that he was going to do his best to make Tetsu stay home from school today. He ought to be resting. Hiroshi would go find him in a minute. He couldn't wait to see his new son in person—couldn't wait to ruffle his hair and hold him in his arms. The boy deserved all that and more. He deserved everything that Hiroshi could give him.

He went to the kitchen, first. He was exhausted and jet-lagged, and he needed a glass of water. Taiga kept a tidy kitchen, in general, but there were several packets of ramen on the counter, as well as a half-empty pot of tea and a crumpled napkin. Hiroshi smiled crookedly at the sight. Tea was a cure-all in Japan. He wondered how many pots Tetsu had drunk since he started feeling sick.

Hiroshi gulped his water, along with some supplements that were supposed to help his body recover from the trip across the Pacific. Despite the weariness that dragged at the back of his mind, his heart was light and his movements were graceful. If Tetsu was asleep, he would need to be careful not to startle him. Hiroshi stepped quietly across the floor, heading for the bedrooms.

The door of the spare room—Tetsu's room now—was half-open. Hiroshi paused there, knocking his hand gently against the wall to announce his presence. "Tetsu-chan? It's Hiroshi." Then he leaned into the opening and looked around.

The room was empty. Hiroshi straightened, disappointed and surprised. The covers on the bed were mussed up, as if they had recently been used, and an empty tea cup and a thermometer rested on the nightstand. A t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants were scattered on the floor, as if Tetsu had changed clothes in a hurry.

Hiroshi stepped back into the hallway. "Tetsu-chan?" No noises from the toilet or the bath. He checked the other rooms in the apartment anyway, one by one. No sign of Tetsu anywhere, nor of Taiga.

He stood in the middle of the hall and considered. It did seem like Tetsu had stayed home from school, at least for a while, but he wasn't here anymore. School was over now and club activities would be going on. Had Tetsu started to feel better and decided to go to basketball practice? It was the only solution that made sense.

Well, maybe Hiroshi should have told Taiga and Tetsu his expected arrival time. He had wanted to surprise them, knowing they weren't expecting him till Saturday morning. If Tetsu had known he would be home soon, surely he would have waited to greet him.

There was nothing for it. Hiroshi would just have to go to Seirin and interrupt basketball practice. He couldn't wait any longer to see his boys.

The commute to Seirin was too long. All right, it wasn't that bad, but it felt interminable. Hiroshi didn't understand why he hadn't chosen an apartment closer to the school. What had his past self been thinking? This was ridiculous.

On the Seirin campus, he asked a student to direct him to the basketball gym. Then he paused just outside the door, listening to the pounding of the basketball on the gym floor, the shouts of young men and the squeaking of shoes. He had been happy when Taiga found something in America to ignite his passions, happy to encourage his love of the sport and the relationships he found there. But Hiroshi had never imagined that it could bring him another son. He owed basketball a great deal.

Hiroshi entered the gym in time to watch Taiga fly into the air, stretching for a dunk. Two defenders tried to stop him, but he slipped between them like a bird on the wing and slammed the ball home with a roar of joy. Someone under the basket seized the ball and dribbled away, and Taiga landed on both feet with his fists clenched in victory.

"Taiga!"

Taiga spun at the shout, eyes going wide. A giant grin appeared the moment he spotted Hiroshi across the gym, and he abandoned the game to sprint over to him. "Dad!"

Hiroshi firmed his stance just before Taiga crashed into him, preventing them from tumbling to the floor in a pile of limbs. He could swear that Taiga had grown even since the last time he'd seen him, filling Hiroshi's arms with an enormous bundle of sweaty, exuberant teenage boy. "Dad, you came early!"

Hiroshi squeezed him hard around the waist and managed to lift him up a handful of centimeters, and Taiga clung to his shoulders and laughed like a thunderstorm. Good lord, he had missed this boy. Damn the Pacific for being so wide.

"Put me down! Put me down!"

"Don't wanna," Hiroshi growled, but he could only hold Taiga up for a few seconds. He set him on his feet, and Taiga held his shoulders and beamed at him, broad and delighted. Hiroshi patted his cheek and looked around. "Where's Tetsu-chan?"

Taiga frowned, deflating a bit from his overwhelming happiness at seeing his father. "He's at home. His fever was still pretty high this morning."

Hiroshi took a step back. "But I was just there. He wasn't in the apartment. I figured he must have started feeling better and decided to come to practice."

Taiga stared at him, his face abruptly pale. All of the joy from their reunion had faded. "I haven't seen him."

"Kagami-kun?" A slip of a girl with limp brown hair moved up beside Taiga, her lips twitching in a forced smile. "Why did you see fit to abandon practice, hmm?"

Hiroshi raised his eyebrows. This girl was small, but she was formidable.

"Coach!" Taiga turned her, some of his worry fading, pleasure returning. He seemed oblivious to the threat of a scolding that lurked under her voice. "This is my father, Kagami Hiroshi. Dad, this is Aida Riko, my coach."

"Ah, Aida-san!" Hiroshi gave her a deep bow. "I'm pleased to meet you at last. Thank you for taking care of my son. You and your team have done nothing but good for him."

Coach Aida seemed a bit taken aback, but she adapted to the situation quickly. She gave Hiroshi a bow in return. "And thank you for lending your son to us, Kagami-san. He is a great asset to the team."

She seemed only slightly mollified when she straightened, though. "Kagami-kun, there is a three on three waiting for you."

"Sorry, Coach." Taiga wiped his face on his shoulder. "I haven't seen my dad for months. And now he's telling me that Kuroko isn't where we thought he was."

Coach Aida went still. "Kuroko is missing?"

"I was just at home," Hiroshi said, "and he wasn't there. He was supposed to stay put and rest today. I thought he must have felt better and come to practice anyway, but Taiga tells me he isn't here."

Coach Aida shook her head slowly. "We thought he was at home, too."

"I'll call him." Taiga was already running toward the gym bags against the wall. He pulled a cellphone from a pocket and selected a few buttons, then put it to his ear as he walked back to them.

Hiroshi drew out his own cellphone, but it was useless. He didn't have Tetsu's information. He should have gotten it long ago.

Hiroshi and Coach Aida both watched Taiga anxiously. He stood next to them with his head down and his expression fierce, focusing on the ringing phone. After a minute or two, he looked up and shook his head. "It's going to voicemail. He's not answering."

"I didn't see a phone in his bedroom," Hiroshi said. "He must have taken it with him, wherever he went."

"I'll send him a text, anyway." Taiga lowered the phone from his ear and switched programs. Then he paused, his finger hovering over the buttons.

"Taiga?" Hiroshi pressed closer to him, trying to look over his shoulder at the phone. "What is it?"

Taiga looked up, his eyes wide. "I forgot." He lifted the phone so Hiroshi could read the message. "Kuroko sent me a text. It was right before basketball practice started, so I just read it quickly before I put my phone away."

Hiroshi squinted at the small letters on the screen. iPlease come to Maji Burger after practice today./i

"I thought he just wanted me to bring him a vanilla milkshake," Taiga said.

Hiroshi gently took the phone from his hand. He stared down at the text, at these few, inadequate words. What was happening? Why this small, vague request?

Coach Aida craned her head to read the message, too. "It says 'come.' Does that mean that that's where Kuroko is? Or at least where he will be after practice?"

"Oh." Taiga took the phone back and blinked at it again. "I guess that makes sense."

"He really likes vanilla shakes, huh?" Hiroshi asked. His shoulders loosened in relief.

"Yeah." Taiga was still frowning. "But then where is he now? He knows practice won't be over for a long time. Is he going to spend the whole time hanging out at Maji Burger? He should be asleep at home. I don't understand why he would do this. I'd be happy to bring him a milkshake."

"I'm sure he knows that." Hiroshi ruffled a hand through Taiga's hair. "Maybe there's something going on at Maji Burger, so he felt he had to be there."

"I don't know of anything." Taiga started tapping out a message on his phone. "I'll ask, anyway. If he doesn't answer... Guess I'll just have to go to Maji Burger, like he asked me to."

"I'll go now," Hiroshi said. "If he's there, we can get to know each other until practice is over for you guys. If he's not... Well, then we'll know that he's somewhere else."

Taiga nodded. His eyebrows were creased in worry. "I hope he's there. Text me right away when you find out, please?"

"Of course."

After he sent the text, Taiga took Hiroshi's phone and added Tetsu's information, then opened the map application and put in the location of the restaurant. "Hurry, Dad. Please?"

"Of course." Hiroshi gave him another quick hug, then bowed to Coach Aida and hurried out of the gym. He halted at the door and looked back. Taiga still stood where he had left him, staring after him with worry in every line of his body. Coach Aida tugged on his arm, but she was completely incapable of moving him by physical force.

Hiroshi waved to him. "Enjoy your practice!" he called. "Everything will be all right! I'll take good care of Tetsu-chan, no matter what!"

Taiga nodded, once, then let Coach Aida shove him back toward the court. Hiroshi stepped through the door and onto the sidewalk. He clenched his phone in his fist, staring down at the map that would lead him to Tetsu.

What was happening to his son? Hiroshi had put up a brave front for Taiga, but the truth was that he was just as worried, if not more so. Tetsu had seemed so ill last night, dizzy and shaky. He'd had difficulty even sitting upright. And now he'd gone out into the city on his own. What could compel him to do that? Surely a vanilla milkshake was not enough of a reason.

Something must have happened. Hiroshi came to a crosswalk. The light was red, and he stared at it, willing it to change. He needed to get to Maji Burger. He needed to get there right away.

It didn't matter that nothing was official yet. It didn't matter that he'd never even seen this child face to face. Tetsu was his son, and he was sick. And he was alone and vulnerable in a very large, very busy city. The entire situation itched at Hiroshi's soul.

The light turned green. Hiroshi hurried across the walk, bumping into people as he went. They gave him dirty looks. He didn't care.

He had to get to Maji Burger right away.

X

I write fast when I'm excited. Check my tumblr for adorable art of Kuroko and Nigou.