Published: September 26, 2012 on Tumblr.

Disclaimer: This is part 3 (?) or the sequel (?) to BlackMaya's "Fear" and jAyesque's "Possibilities." A one shot I chopped up to a chaptered fic, so each chapter will be short.

Transparancy
He's always lived a transparent world.

o1.

It was dark. Complete and utter darkness. He does not know if he is blind or if eyes are even open. He just knows it's dark, and he can't see anything.

There is nothing to hear, either, except for the deafening silence. He could stand the darkness, gods know he's been shrouded in it throughout his whole life to care now. It's the silence he can't bear. It ceaselessly reminds him that he was, and forever will be, alone. He does not know why this bothers him, just that it does.

He wills his voice to come, so he can say anything — anything at all that will break the haunting quiet.

Aomine, the word forms in his mouth. Aomine. It comes to him so instinctively, as if he'd been saying all his life. Wait, no, that didn't seem quite right. It's more like… more like he's been calling for it his whole life. Yes, that's more appropriate. Like he's been calling for it. Always calling for it.

Why? Who is that? It sounds like a name. But whose name? He feels his chest constrict. His body, his heart, tells him he is forgetting something important. Something his very being can not bear to leave behind.

He feels something on his face. What is that? It's coming from his eyes. He tries to move to touch the wet streak he feels coming down his cheek, but he finds that he can't move his arms.

Tears. Yes, that's what they are called. They were tears. He shed a lot of those in his life. He cried tears enough for two people, he recalls. His best friend laughed and smiled enough for the both of them, and he preferred it that way.

He would take on the responsibility of bearing the burdens. He would take on the blame for all their broken dreams, for breaking their miraculous team apart, and he will accept their anger and resentment for leaving, because he knows it was the only way to save Aomine from himself — to save all of them from themselves. It was the only way the smile would return to Aomine's face, and he would take the chance, however slim it is, to make basketball fun again.

Yes, that's right. Things were becoming clear to him now. He and Aomine were… no, Aomine was his best friend. Just his best friend. He does not know why his heart feels heavy thinking of that.

They played basketball together, in Teikou middle school, along with the rest of The Generation of Miracles. He was the shadow to Aomine's light. Always trailing after him, always trying to catch up, trying not to get left behind.

But he no longer played for Teikou, did he? No, middle school was long over. Their relationship was long over. Those Teikou days were over, days spent laughing and joking around, when basketball was something to be played together rather than a game to win and conquer. Did he think his happiness was anything but ephemeral? How could he have been that naive?

Seirin. That's the name of his new school. Kagami, his new light, is almost translucent next to Aomine. Ah, Kagami will definitely be angry. He'd promised to make him the best. Promised he'd lead him to victory over the Generation of Miracles.

Aomine would gloat. "I told you Tetsu wouldn't keep his promise," he'd say to Kagami. "Tetsu never keeps his promises."

Kise would be angry. He'd promised Kise he could teach him how to shoot one day. "It's my turn, Kurokocchi!" he had said. "You always ask Aominecchi to teach you, and you're not even on the same team anymore!" He had eventually given in and subsequently promised the blond an entire day of ball.

Ugh, his head is starting to hurt. This is better though, preferable to the numbness he felt earlier, from when he couldn't remember. It is far better than the lethargy he felt floating aimlessly in this dark reality. Was that the kind of seemingly perpetual monotony Aomine feels when he plays basketball? He shudders at the thought.

Earlier today… or was it yesterday? Time means nothing in this in-between world. The last thing he remembers was walking… was it to Touou?

Aomine had agreed to let Kise join their usual game (after some manipulative bribery on Kuroko's part), under the condition that they would play on his home court instead of their usual street court. "You wouldn't want an audience for your beating," he had goaded.

On his way there… What happened? His mind had been preoccupied. The route he took to the train station was too nostalgic. It was a path they once shared, back in the better days. He missed it so much. He didn't notice the truck.

Ahh, right. There was a truck.

A/N: How'd I do? :) I'm turning out to be progressing really slowly on this fic. I've actually written until the third chapter already but I want to see the response first so I know which aspect to improve and etc. Hope you guys checked out BlackMaya's and jAyesque's prequels (?) to this!

Edit: (10/28/18) SPAG.