Kuroko's legs shook. "N-no... I trust them. I trust my teammates, my teammates whom I played basketball with. I trust them... there's no way..." But Kuroko had come to realize it himself. The truth was undeniable; there was a lot of evidence that he was losing faith. He didn't just hide himself when he was trying to get away from the guards, which he could have done; however, this required waiting for his friends to come find him and open the warehouse door from the outside. The door most likely made a lot of noise when being opened or closed, and Kuroko didn't want to take the chances of the attention of the gunmen who were supposed to keep him trapped in here turning to him about to escape.
So what was the next best thing to do, if you couldn't open the door and make it out safely by yourself? Fight the guards. Make them unable to attack you so you can leave freely. Maybe even get some information out of them, too.
Kuroko could tell that his actions were a betrayal of his absolute trust in his teammates. Although he didn't want to admit it, he had indeed lost faith once again. But what had they done for him to lose faith again, to believe that they weren't strong enough to depend on?
"Kuroko-kun." He smiled sympathetically. "You don't know why it's happened, do you?"
"I..." His eyes hovered over Nise-kun's face for a moment, but he found it hard to hold eye contact.
"You're just like how they were. Ironic, no?"
Kuroko neither denied nor confirmed this statement.
"The shadow who saved his teammates from their miserable states is now in that same state himself. After beating them in that game, your mentality has changed. 'I'm stronger than them, I can definitely win alone.' No, perhaps even before the game... winning while keeping your skills hidden may have made you self confident as well..."
Kuroko's pupils widened. This wasn't something that he could continue to reject. This was the truth, and the sooner he came to accept it, the better off both he and Nise-kun would be.
Kuroko looked at Nise-kun. "Sumimasen. Without realizing it, I've fallen to this miserable state myself. Is this how they felt, too?"
Nise-kun shrugged. "Who knows, me. How they felt is how they felt. But I think that it's about time that they return the favor."
Kuroko slightly smiled. "You aren't so bad after all, Nise-kun. Why didn't you tell me your true intentions the moment we met?"
The corners of his eyes crinkled as Nise-kun laughed. Unlike his previous mocking giggling and chuckling, this laugh was genuine- a tinkling sound, as if bells from the heavens themselves were ringing. "That's what I've been telling you all along. I always told you I wanted the best for you, didn't I? I am, after all..."
"...the embodiment of my emotion."
A light appeared between the two consciences. The brilliance of it momentarily blinded them, and when their eyes adjusted, they could see what was happening to their real form. Hand in hand, fully accepting the other, they strode toward the light.
As the two faded into the light, their shadows extended and merged into one.
"Maybe I should let you out more often."
"You definitely should."
Kuroko opened his eyes. His first action was to, once again, scan his surroundings. But this time, it was without malicious intent. He needed to check that he was safe, that the guards were still unarmed, that the Miracles would be unharmed if they did manage to find him.
No visible weapons, check. All with their backs to the door and focused on me, check. Still no snipers or hiding guards, check.
One way or another, he could sense that they were coming. He would just have to stall these guards so the Miracles could arrive before his "time" would.
The guards had wrapped his wounds in bandages and dressed them nicely. Am I really a hostage or what? He had been bound to a new chair, and his hands and feet were locked in cuffs. The chair brought unpleasant memories to his head, but he fought the urge to lose control and remained calm.
"Ano... guard-san? Where exactly are we?"
"That isn't information that we are allowed to disclose."
Kuroko's torso throbbed with pain. He swore he could feel a bone poking him, but this was nothing compared to the pain his friends had felt. He would much rather this than... he shuddered. There was no point to thinking about this. It would only make him unstable again.
The teal headed boy's anxiety grew as the silence around them thickened. The only sounds were the breathing of the guards and the occasional clinking of the guard's boots on the cold, metal ground.
"May I ask what exactly this 'time' that you keep on referring to is?"
"Not of importance. Just know that we won't lay a finger on your or your friends as long as you don't try to attack us."
"What happened to those guys that I... knocked around?"
"Knocked around?" Some guards chuckled upon hearing these words, and others were filled with rage. "I wouldn't say that you simply knocked our friends around. In any case, they've been sent to the hospital you were currently at. But you've already killed a person, so killing more shouldn't have much affect on you, no?"
Kuroko remained silent. Nise-kun. Could you come here for a second?
Anytime, myself. Whaddya want?
I need you to help me regulate my stability and emotions. I'll even let you out right now.
Woah, really? Sweet! Sure, I'll help.
Arigato, Nise-kun.
A sad smile appeared on Kuroko's face. "Guard-sans. Does this look like the face of a killer who enjoyed what he did?"
As usual, just one guard answered him. "I don't see any remorse in your eyes, so yes."
A lone tear streaked down from teal eyes. These tears were always shed for his teammates, and they were this time as well. The pain they went through because of him, the troubles he caused them by killing that man... and the pain he had caused a certain Hanamiya-san.
Yes, he definitely deserved that death- Kuroko, although upset about it, would always believe in this. But Hanamiya was also a comrade in following passions; in the end, he did what he wanted to do. Kuroko wanted the Miracles to accept the concept of teamwork and fun over victory. Hanamiya wanted to see others suffering. When morals come in, things become different; but all the same, Kuroko and Hanamiya, the boy himself realized begrudgingly, were similar in more ways than one.
He stared into the guard's eyes. "There is nothing that has ever rattled me this much, sir."
The guard stared at him impassively, "Is that so..."
Silence once again filled the complex. The guards themselves had grown tired and sat on top of nearby, shorter crates. A relaxed air filled the compound Kuroko couldn't help but think, If there's a good time for them to come for me, it'd be right around now.
The rainbow teens hid behind a large dumpster, struggling to control their short breaths. They had just gotten away from a very close encounter with armed men, and a two of them had been injured.
Aomine's right bicep had been slashed at with a knife, and now had a rather deep cut in it. Midorima had been nicked by a bullet (thankfully, it wasn't enough for him to start bleeding like a fountain).
Kise, uncharacteristically serious, was ripping his shirt into strips. "Aominecchi," he whispered, "stretch our your arm."
Wincing, Aomine did as he was told. Kise quickly and precisely wrapped up his wound. "Oi, Kise. Where'd you learn how to wrap injuries like this?"
"I've seen people doing this on dramas. I was just using Perfect Copy."
Midorima raised his glasses and shot, "We need to hurry. If those dangerous people are around here, who knows what happened to Kuroko."
At this moment, an extremely loud yell came from a warehouse very close to them. Akashi motioned with his hand for them to follow him and silently ran to the source of the sound, which the group had immediately identified as Kuroko.
The yell led to a large warehouse, perhaps the largest one out of those in this area. Akashi knew without a doubt that the large metal doors would create some sort of sound that would attract attention. Whether or not they'd be able to infiltrate successfully depended on their friend who was inside.
The group grabbed the handle all together. Before pulling, Akashi whispered one unheard statement, "I swear that I'll save you, my..."
Kuroko could not stop panting. As far as he could remember, that was the loudest he had ever shouted. In hindsight, he realized that shouting was not such a great idea. Despite the desperate need of a distraction, he didn't know if his friends were nearby or if the guards would take further measures to bind him. He also didn't anticipate that this would hurt his already throbbing chest.
"Kiddo, what's wrong?" The guards rushed over to him, hopping off of crates and leaving some valuables behind as well.
It hadn't escaped Kuroko's keen eyes that the guards were taking off their jackets and setting some hidden weapons (that he himself had not noticed before) atop the crates. They were also in a state of confusion now that Kuroko had suddenly started to shout.
"Hey, kiddo? Hey!" The guards' confusion was apparent.
Not entirely faking it, Kuroko gasped, "It helps... alleviate the pain. Takes my... mind off of it."
The guards eyed him with suspicion. Although his explanation did make some sense, they had an inkling that he wasn't telling the entire truth. The majority of the guards concentrated on watching Kuroko and very few were focused on the entrance.
Amidst this, Kuroko was the only one who noticed the door opening little by little. It was eventually open just enough for seven teenagers to slip in.
Kuroko locked eyes with Akashi and knew that if he couldn't keep a firm rein on the guards' attentions, they would all be screwed over.
Nise-kun, would you like to bust up these chains for me?
Hell yeah! I'll break us outta here in a jiffy.
The teal headed boy hung his head downwards so that his eye's change in color would not be seen. Gulping, Nise-kun ran through all the different scenarios that could occur if he failed in his head. The pressure was surrounding him, but he knew that he had to pull through.
Nise-kun clenched his teeth and pulled his wrists and ankles apart with as much force as he could. He could feel the gazes of the now slightly panicking guards and the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, but he did not stop.
The moment when the chains broke apart was when he would be able to rest. He could feel that it was close now, and with one final spurt of energy, he successfully broke free. The guards were surrounding him so that he would at least stay bound to the chair, but it was fruitless. He abruptly stood up and the shackles that bound him shattered. Kuroko-kun, passing the saddle back to you.
The boy concentrated on all the motion around him. The guards were reluctant to manhandle him because of the damage he had taken before. He could see multiple spots he could escape to where he would be in all of their blind spots, and no one seemed to notice the crack of light that expanded towards them from the entrance.
Taking a deep breath, he leaned down low and ignored the stabbing sensations that inevitably came with doing so. The seconds that passed by between each footstep felt like years, and the pain was threatening to overtake him. The boy strengthened his resolve and dashed between all the guards, all of whom could not see him due to his misdirection.
Just to be safe, he sprinted into the depths of the crates, where he assumed the others would be waiting. Since he was safe for now, he ceased his running and instead walked slowly while clutching onto the sides of crates.
Sure enough, he saw the colorful teenagers waiting for him hidden in the shadow of a particularly large crate. He could see that they had been injured on their way to where he was, but they seemed unperturbed by them. Instead, their faces lit up the moment they saw him and they rushed forward to greet him.
None of them said a word, but they silently exchanged words of relief and happiness. Kuroko noticed Aomine holding onto a round object about the size of a handball and cocked his head. Akashi nodded in Aomine's direction and,using his uninjured arm, threw it right into the center of the enemy.
"Smoke bomb," he quietly explained. Kuroko stared at him, dumbfounded. Just where did they manage to procure a smoke bomb from? Was it Akashi? Even still, this was outrageous, for kids to be holding onto weapons, but at least it had provided them with a means of escape.
Noticing Kuroko's pain, Midorima gently picked him up and they sprinted out of the entrance together. The others followed immediately after, and they rushed into a dark alleyway formed between the warehouse they had just left and one that was right next to it.
While the others seemed to be fine, Kuroko most certainly was not. The adrenaline left his body all at once, and the pain he was feeling was even more pronounced. His shaking legs could no longer support him and as he fell to the ground, the world around him slowly became a pitch black.
i regret nothing