Disclaimer: All KNB characters in this story belong to Fujimaki Tadatoshi, creator of 黒子のバスケ/ Kuroko no Basuke / The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays.

A/N:

I. First story written for the KnB fandom! I've slaved over this for a little more than a month. Please enjoy this monster that I've painstakingly raised with care.

II. This story has been written using British English.

III. Warnings: mild gore.

Kuroko Tetsuya always knew he was a little special. Ever since he could see the little mist-like creature constantly floating in the air right above his mother's shoulder. The creature, with its pure white wings and sickly yellow eyes, would always bare its vicious looking fangs at Kuroko whenever their eyes met.

No, it was not evil. In fact, it took great care of the young Kuroko. Although the savage smiles from the creature terrified him at first, that, Kuroko would admit without shame.

As a baby, the creature would visit Kuroko in his crib from time to time, mostly whenever Kuroko would wake in the middle of the night, finding difficulty in falling back to sleep. It would lie beside the restlessly shifting baby and glow softly, causing the crib to be filled with soothing warm that lulled Kuroko back to sleep.

It would also play with Kuroko, levitating his rattle toy in the air that Kuroko would happily try to grab on to. And it would gently run a brush through Kuroko's sky blue hair. The creature filled the role of a father that Kuroko did not have, although the creature's gender was questionable.

As the years pass, Kuroko watches the creature grow, while his mother steadily became weaker. Kuroko was always a little smarter than other kids his age, he would like to think. He knew that his mother was dying. And he knew not to tell anyone, for as kind as the creature is, Kuroko has seen it viciously devouring birds, kittens and babies. And no one else seemed to be able to see the creature or creatures for that matter.

They were everywhere, though their eye colour would differ from each other. Mothers who were carefully pushing the prams with sleeping babies would suddenly abandon them and walked off, as if they never had a child. The creatures would then bare their mouths full of sharp, sharp fangs and easily ripped the baby apart.

He knew. Kuroko knew. That creature with him was not a 'father' even if it was oddly gentle. A monster – that was what it was. Yet, even though the creature was the size of a full grown adult male, he did not devour his mother. Well, not yet anyway.

At the age of 7, it seemed that the creature (with its out of place affections) had deemed Kuroko too young to be left alone. The times where the creature would come close to his mother, Kuroko would see her weaken considerably. Her shoulders would slump and her face would suddenly age too many years. And Kuroko would watch silently as his heart squeezed painfully in his chest whenever the creature stands behind his mother like an ominous shadow. (No, it did not matter if the creature was white — the perceived colour of 'good'.) But the creature never stayed long.

It would leave his mother less than a minute later. And it would stay far away enough that Kuroko's eyes uncontrollably fills with tears as the mother he knows — young, beautiful, with strikingly similar hair colour with Kuroko, although her eyes were just a shade lighter than his — would return.

But Kuroko was not disillusioned. While he may not know the reason why the creature took a liking to him, he knew not to question the creature's decision. It was a lesson learnt the hard way. Kuroko, young foolish Kuroko, had once questioned the creature, his mouth forming a 'why' as his mother aged before his eyes once more.

The creature's yellow eyes had blazed with a fury so intense it left Kuroko shaking from fear, and the next thing he knew, his mother had collapsed to the ground. He tried, tried so hard to rush to his mother's fallen body but he could not. Not with those eyes burning, tearing straight to his soul and slowly shredding him from the inside out. But then, the creature had turned away and left before Kuroko could fall apart completely.

He had rushed to his mother's side, relief flooding through his veins when he heard her heart still beating strongly. He had clutched onto her tightly, body shaking from terror. He understood what the creature had done and took it for what it was — a warning.

And so, Kuroko grew up. As his 15th birthday drew nearer, day by day, a sense of foreboding slowly enveloped him so tightly it felt like he would suffocate. The creature had thrown away the body of an adult human male and returned to the formless white mist its body was before, with the now large white wings.

It looked more sinister than ever. And Kuroko understood what that meant.

Finally, Kuroko's birthday arrived.

"Tetsuya," his mother's voice called from the kitchen.

Kuroko quickly made his way towards his mother. His mother turned her head to his direction when he silently stepped into the kitchen. She had an uncanny sense of knowing where he was, no matter how little presence he had, she would always find him. Not that he had an extreme case of low presence or anything. Just that every now and then, people tend to lose track of him. But not his mother, she was an exception to that.

"Happy Birthday, Tetsuya!" His mother spun around fully, happily showing off the cake she was holding.

Kuroko smiled softly, though his eyes widen a little at the creature behind his mother. It had moved back, away from his mother, and nearly merged with the kitchen wall. Kuroko met the creature's eyes, and it stared back.

Slowly, those yellow eyes shifted away from Kuroko's and closed. Kuroko's heartbeat quickened, and his breath came a little too fast. He did not know what to make of this. This creature — 'monster', his mind whispered — was it, being sentimental? Now, after all these years of robbing away his mother's life?

"Tetsuya? What's wrong?"

Kuroko's eyes shifted back to his mother's. The moment he met her eyes, too many emotions slammed through him. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest, and his stomach churned. He wanted to throw up.

"I'm fine, Mother." Kuroko managed to force through his numb lips.

"Thank you for the cake."

His mother smiled.

When his mother turned around to set the cake down onto the table, Kuroko quickly shut his eyes tight, taking a deep breath, trying hard to calm his emotions. He moved forward, and hugged his mother tightly from the back.

"Thank you, Mother."

Kuroko whispered into his mother's neck, hoping with all his tattered heart that his mother would not be able to hear the tremble in his voice.

"Hm? You're welcome, Tetsuya. Come now, make a wish and cut your cake."

Kuroko did as he was told, trying his best to enjoy his birthday the way he does every year.

Night fell and Kuroko laid in his bed, leaving the room door open so that he could hear his mother moving around the house. When he heard the door to her room close, he immediately jumped up and rushed to reach her room. But he did not get any farther than a step out of his room when his way was blocked by the creature.

He stopped and stared up at the creature's eyes. The pupils of the creature's eyes narrowed into slits as it stared at Kuroko.

The mist surrounding the creature's body extended and reached towards him. It lightly brushed against his stomach and Kuroko stumble back, into his room, at the stinging burn. The mist followed and Kuroko instinctively moved back a few steps. He stared in shocked as the next second; the mist had completely covered the doorway, creating a flimsy looking barrier.

The crea—no, the monster, turned around and left for the direction of his mother's room on the first floor.

"No!" Kuroko screamed.

But the monster paid him no heed.

"Stop! Don't!" Kuroko rushed straight to the doorway, determined to break through the mist barrier.

But he was thrown back, hitting his back hard against the wall of his room. His body jerked uncontrollably at the pain which had assaulted him that he was not prepared for. His vision clouded over, a kaleidoscopic dance of pinkorangeyellow replacing the view of his room's floor.

He struggled to his feet, and staggered to the door. His mother. His mother was not safe, that monster would devour her, rip her apart like that baby so many years ago. Kuroko had to get there before the monster did. But that barrier... How is he to break through that? He needed something to tear through it. He looked frantically around his room. Think.

Think.

THINK.

"Think." The word slipped out of Kuroko's lips unconsciously.

The mist barrier shifted and Kuroko whipped his head around. Two small gaps appeared from the mist. It twitched and Kuroko shivered. Those, were those supposed to be eyes? Was it watching him? Was it alive?

Kuroko moved to a corner of his room, and immediately, the mist around the gaps shifted to Kuroko's direction and became bigger. They looked like eyeless sockets. Kuroko's skin crawled.

He blinked. This thing, it had 'eyes'. It was watching him through them. If he was not within the range of its vision then maybe, just maybe, he would be able to leave? But there was still the pain to consider. There were no physical wounds on his body, even though it felt like there should be.

What if he redirected the attention of the guard? He needed something large and firm enough to take some damage in his place. He looked around his room once more; heart racing with trembling hands, but his mind is calm.

There.

The basketball that his mother had bought for him for his 13th birthday.

Kuroko moved towards the ball, making sure to keep his step steady and not rush. Not good to alert the guard. He picked it up slowly, feeling the weight of it. And then he started bouncing the ball, slow at first and at the same spot. He slowly shifted around and began to dribble the ball from one end of the room to the other. Watching from the corner of his eyes how the gaps within the mist moved with every movement he made. Studying and timing.

No, it's not enough. He needed to move closer to the door. If he was too slow, he would be caught by the mist. Kuroko bounced the ball steadily, keeping his head slightly tilted down, using his fringe to hide his eyes.

Now.

In one beat, Kuroko bounced the ball hard, causing it to bounce high into the air. Using one leg as a pivot; he spun around in a full circle and slammed his palm against the falling ball. The ball shot straight through the mist at an impossibly fast speed, tearing a hole through the mist. The mist quickly shifted from the door to wrap around the ball, leaving an empty spot in the doorway.

Kuroko sprinted through the free space, never looking back and ran as fast as he could, headed straight for his mother's room.

He burst through the door and froze at the scene before him. The monster had his mother levitated before it. It turned its head and stared at Kuroko. The monster went still, those dreadful yellow eyes constantly watching him.

"…Tetsu..ya."

His mother's voice, filled with fear. Her blue eyes opened wide, staring at him, pleading him to help her.

"…stop..." Kuroko breathed. His right foot sliding forward in a hesitant step even though his mind screamed for him to stay put.

A gap in the monster's 'face' (nothing more than a cloud of condensed mist, Kuroko's mind supplied) slowly opened, revealing rows and rows of sharp fangs.

Kuroko's eyes widened in horror as his mother was buried under a sudden urge of mist. He ran towards his mother and in a distant part of his mind, he realised he was screaming. But he could not hear himself. He was so close, just a little more. He stretched his hand out, fingers brushing the very surface of the mist covering his mother's body when his body suddenly collapsed and he fell, face first to the floor.

Shocked, Kuroko instinctively turned his head to the side. And came face-to-face with the guard from his room. The guard actually looked like it was angry. Kuroko struggled to get up, but his view was suddenly blocked by the guard's 'eyes'.

Both gaps grew larger until they merged together to form a single, large hole. Kuroko stared through the hole, expecting to see the pastel pink walls of his mother's room on the other side. But what he saw was total darkness.

His body trembled violently, uncontrollably. He felt like he was drowning, his breath wheezing through his lungs. No matter how hard he tried, he just could not seem to get enough air.

The more he stared into the darkness the more he had difficulty breathing. He tried to shut his eyes but it was as though his body was being controlled by someone, forcing him to leave his eyes open.

He felt lightheaded, and he sank into the darkness; completely helpless as a cloud of mist burned through him on the inside, leaving him incapacitated, unable to even feel his body.

Mom.

I'm sorry.

"Hey! There's a kid here! He's still breathing!"

"Hurry and get him out then!"

"How badly is he injured?"

"There aren't any wounds on him."

"What?!"

"Just quickly get him out, you guys! The house's gonna collapse soon!"

"How's the patient, Doctor Izuki?"

"Still unconscious."

"And his wounds?"

"There were no physical wounds, though there were some irregularities in his brain waves. But he has been recovering exceptionally well. In fact, I'll say that he's already completely fine."

"Then, when will he awake?"

"I don't know. Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps even in the next few minutes."

"Do inform me when he awakens."

"Yes, yes. Your partner outside seems to be leaving without you, Officer."

"…!"

"…"

"Well, looks like the nuisance is gone. Hey kid, you're awake, aren't you?"

Kuroko breathed slowly, making sure to keep his heart rate even.

"No use pretending, kid. I'm known as one of the best among the other surgeons for a reason, you know. I have good eyes."

Kuroko slowly slit his eyes open a tiny bit, and was grateful that he was not assaulted with sudden bright light. The doctor must have turned down the lights. He opened his eyes fully.

"Here, I'm over here."

Kuroko turned his head, following the voice and stared at the man in a white coat staring at him. He had black hair and black eyes. His hair was short, above his neck. So, this was his doctor?

"I'm assuming that you've heard that conversation from the beginning. So, as I've stated, your body is completely fine. Although you will be a little stiff since you've been sleeping for quite some time."

Kuroko blinked. How long had he been unconscious for?

He opened his mouth to ask, and panicked. His throat moved, feeling exceptionally dry but he was not able to produce a sound.

"Oh? What's wrong?"

The doctor – Doctor Izuki, if he remembered correctly – leaned over him and stared. Those black eyes seem to be able to see straight to his soul, so similar to the monster and yet, so different. Kuroko shivered.

He raised his right hand to his throat, fingertips gently brushing the skin of his neck. He stared at the doctor, willing him to understand.

"…"

The doctor's eyes travelled to Kuroko's neck, and stayed there for a few seconds before shifting back up to meet Kuroko's eyes.

"It's a pity, kid. Just which demon did you pissed off?"

Kuroko's eyes widen.

"Oh? Looks like you can understand what I mean, huh? Well, hold on a moment. I'll be right back."

With that, Doctor Izuki turned around and took large strides out of the room Kuroko was in.

Kuroko stared at his retreating back, shifting to an upright sitting position. Could it be..? Could the doctor also be able to see those monsters? Or were they demons, as the doctor had called them?

Kuroko was so lost in thought that he jumped up in shock when the doctor suddenly held something in front of him. He blinked at the item before him. A hand mirror. Kuroko looked up, confusion prominent on his face.

"Take a look at your neck."

Kuroko did. He stared and could not look away. Around his neck was a thin, black band with a yellow gem embedded in the middle, not unlike a collar. Although he could see it well, there was no physical object around his neck. It was as though it was tattooed on his skin. He finally tore his gaze away when the doctor spoke.

"That is a restriction. It seals your voice it seems. No worries, this type of restriction will naturally go away over time. I'm not sure about when it will though. Perhaps in a week or over the next few years."

Doctor Izuki placed a blank notebook in Kuroko's lap together with a pen, and replaced the mirror in his left hand with a plastic cup filled with ice chips.

"Use that to communicate." He nodded his head at the stationery.

"I've got a bunch of questions I wanna ask."

Kuroko placed a couple of ice chips in his mouth, letting them melt and hydrate his parched throat before hesitantly picking up the pen.

"Well, the basics first. Your name and age?"

Kuroko Tetsuya. 15.

"Any family?"

Kuroko tensed. Fingers tightening around the pen.

None.

"Hm.. I see. When did you first started seeing those demons?"

Kuroko looked up at Doctor Izuki's smiling face, staring for a few seconds before shifting his eyes back to the paper.

I don't know. They have always been there. Since I was a baby.

"Hoh. The demon that gave you that restriction, do you know it?"

What do you mean?

"Well, restrictions are only placed on us humans when we have been in constant contact with those beings."

It has been there for a long time.

"There? Where exactly?"

My mother. It was always somewhere close to my mother. It was like an ominous shadow.

"Oh? It lived with you then? How interesting."

Why are you able to see them?

Doctor Izuki smiled. "Didn't I mention it earlier? I have good eyes. I wasn't born with them though, it's my restriction. I was not particularly sensitive to such things back then, only very rarely would I see those beings. It's a long story, but to summarise, I splendidly pissed one off and the next thing I knew, I was able to see them very clearly."

Were you in contact with the monsters for a long time as well?

"Monsters? Ah, of course you would refer to them as such. However, demons are a much more appropriate name for them. And to answer your question, I was indeed. Ever since I was in elementary school, I believe."

Why demons and not monsters? Aren't they pretty much the same?

"Have you never noticed their colours? They are white, and formless. To be precise, those are known as souls. Though, those who are religious would probably call them Guardian Angels since they tend to follow humans around. And 'monsters' usually refer to a being with a solid form, no?"

Angels? But they are carnivorous beings who would devour even babies.

"My, you have seen quite a lot haven't you? Well. The more they eat, the more power they gain. Basically, just souls consuming other souls to get stronger. Such lovely irony, isn't it? Babies are good because they are too young and defenceless. They require less power usage."

But what about the mothers? They would just walk off.

"I said less power, not none at all. A mother is easy to control, you see."

That's…

"Does it make you angry? It's because a mother with a child is very sensitive, thus making it easy for those demons attach themselves to a mother or to influence the thoughts of one."

"Right, here. I'm gonna explain this just once. Listen closely okay, Kuroko-san?"

Kuroko nodded.

"Every human has a barrier around them. This barrier protects the humans from those Guardian Angels. They cannot devour a human with a strong barrier. But for young babies and mothers they are in the most danger. Because with a baby, the barrier is still in its development stage therefore, it is easy to break.

"As for mothers, their barrier is weak because they share barriers with their babies until their baby's own barrier is formed; which would be until the baby is about a year old.

"Each person's barrier is their own. Sharing barriers is bound to make both mother and baby into victims. If a father is present, the father's barrier would be used to supplement the weak barriers, which in turn will make him weak as well, in fact, even weaker than both mother and baby. Usually, the fathers are the first to get targeted if they are out with their families."

Doctor Izuki fell silent, observing Kuroko.

"Did you have a father, Kuroko-san?"

Kuroko twitched. He involuntarily thought about the demon that had been with him for so long.

Doctor Izuki hummed. "I see."

Kuroko fixed his eyes on lap, refusing to look up.

"Well. You should get some more rest. Your life is going to be very busy from tomorrow onwards."

Kuroko looked up, but before he could so much as lift his pen to the paper, Doctor Izuki spoke.

"You are still a minor, you know. And you will also have to deal with those police officers."

Kuroko stared, wide-eyed. But he understood what the doctor meant.

Doctor Izuki reached for the notebook.

"I'll get you a new one. Can't be too careful about who sees this, eh." He winked.

Kuroko curled up in the hospital blanket, smashing his face into the pillow to stifle his sobs. Earlier, he was still too disoriented by the recent events and could not fully process the gravity of his situation.

His mother was gone.

And now he was truly alone. Even though he always knew that this day would come, it was so different from the mere knowledge of simply knowing it would happen as compared to actually experiencing it.

Kuroko's heart hurt. As did his head. He felt as if his entire body was being stabbed with needles. He curled his fingers, clenching the bedsheets in a death grip even if caused his hands to hurt more. He cried until his body gave up and fell into an exhausted sleep.

Kuroko stirred, slowly waking up as he heard movement around him. He blinked his eyes open.

"Oh? Are you awake?" A voice asked. It was not quite a whisper yet it was not at a normal speaking volume either. This most likely meant that whoever it was, they had deliberately spoken in such a gentle tone. It was rather pleasant to listen to.

He shifted his head to the direction of the voice. The man beside him had medium length brown hair and Kuroko's eyes travelled to the man's chest, staring at the name tag pinned there. Furihata Koki.

Kuroko smiled slightly at who he presumed to be the nurse to assist him.

Furihata smiled back. "I'm Furihata. I've been assigned to assist you during your stay here, Kuroko-san."

Kuroko could only nod back.

"Ah..erm..that.." Furihata suddenly mumbled, eyes shifting to the side.

Kuroko tilted his head.

Furihata's eyes flicked back to look at Kuroko for a second before looking away again. "W-would you like to wash your face?"

Kuroko hand automatically moved to his face. It did feel a little sticky from his tears the night before. He must look like a mess. Kuroko ducked his head, hiding his face with his, no doubt, atrocious bed head and nodded once more.

When he returned back to the room from the adjacent toilet, Furihata was still there, but this time he was holding a cup of ice chips which he held out to Kuroko. Kuroko noticed that the coffee table by the window now had a pitcher of water and a tray containing bowl of soup with some salad on the side.

"Here. Doctor Izuki mentioned that your throat is still recovering so you can't speak and that you may be uncomfortable, so I prepared some ice chips if you feel that drinking water is difficult."

Kuroko smiled gratefully at Furihata. His throat did not hurt but if the doctor would go so far, Kuroko could already tell that Furihata was not able to see those demons. He took the cup of ice chips with a slight bow.

Furihata then gestured to the coffee table and Kuroko obediently made his way over to take a seat.

"Even if it's difficult, please try to have some of the soup and salad. Food is really important for one who is recovering. Oh, and," Furihata bent lower, eyes shining with excitement, as if he was going to whisper some great secret to Kuroko, "the head chef made that especially for you by Doctor Izuki's request!" He straightened up and smiled brightly.

"The food the head chef makes are really good! He's a returnee from America too, isn't that cool? Anyway, I'm sure the food will be good so you don't have to worry about the taste. One of our hospital prides is that our food is top-notch!"

Kuroko smiled. He could already tell it was good by the aroma coming from the soup. He eagerly dipped his spoon in and took a mouthful of soup. It was really, really good.

"Take your time, Kuroko-san. I'll come back later to collect the dishes."

Kuroko did take his time indeed, slowly savouring both soup and salad. It reminded him of the dishes his mother would make. It was not the same dish, but one thing remained the same that Kuroko could distinctly pick up on. The fact that the dishes were made with care, with only wishes for the receiving party to enjoy them. A lump formed in Kuroko's throat, but he forcibly swallowed it down.

He knew that this was something he could no longer constantly cry over, his reality that he would have to cope with very, very soon (in the next couple of hours to be exact) would be too harsh allow such sentiments to cripple him. He needed to move on. He knew, yes. His mind understood that very clearly but his heart, his heart, it refuses to. Kuroko had to do something; his already broken self would only break even more if he didn't.

Kuroko lightly set the cutlery down, and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply.

He could feel his own broken fragments, yet he could not approach them. He was not strong enough; he did not know how to fix himself. No, he did not even know if he wanted to. He should build a place to live in. A place where the last remnant of him could remain safe and protected.

So Kuroko decided to build a cage, one with strong metal bars. And then he would cover it up with the deep darkness of night, where the stars and moon do not shine. And for extra measure, he would surround it with burning hot, white fire.

And there the last of him will remain, protected. No one will be able to reach him here.

Kuroko slowly opened his eyes.

Blinking a couple of times to clear his blurred vision.

His face relaxed, easing all expressions off of his face. His eyes lightened. His face an impenetrable mask. Kuroko blinked, slower than usual; now eerily similar to a porcelain doll. He was okay. Like this, he would be alright.

Yes, he will be fine.

Kuroko stared at the house he was to stay in from now on. It was a rather nice house, with three stories and from where he stood, he could see a hint of a large backyard.

As Kuroko had expected, they had placed him in an orphanage (although the house before him completely did not look like one). The one leading him is Aida Riko, who was the same age as him and the daughter of the orphanage's founder.

"Kuroko-kun!" Riko calls, straining her eyes a little in his direction. It seems that his lack of presence has increased, making it much harder for others to spot him. Kuroko decided that he likes it this way.

Kuroko walked forward till he was standing beside Riko and lightly tapped on her shoulder to announce his presence. Riko had demanded for Kuroko to address her by her name because to her, 'Aida-san' only refers to her father.

Kuroko had conceded to her request only after she threatened to ban him from vanilla milkshakes (his most favourite drink; which the hospital staff only found out about when the head chef, Kagami-kun, had decided to make it for Kuroko in an effort to improve his mood after he had talked – or more like written down his answers, since he couldn't speak after all – to the police officers) for as long as he was to live in the orphanage.

Riko jumped a little in fright before turning around and opening the door, motioning for Kuroko to head inside first.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone."

Kuroko simply nods, and entered the house.

The entryway was large, with shoes neatly arranged. Kuroko slips his shoes off as well, aligning them neatly. He then moved towards what was most likely the living room. The room was large as well, although not just the room. Even all the furniture were large. There was an exceptionally large sofa that left Kuroko taken aback, though it did not show on his face.

"Wait here for a moment." Riko ordered before quickly moving to a (large) side table. She opened and closed the drawers, searching for something.

She gave a cry of triumph, pulling out a sketchbook and a black marker. She handed them to Kuroko.

"It might be a little inconvenient but until your throat heals, you can use that."

Kuroko stared blankly at her before he remembered that for however scarily perceptive Riko was, she was still unable to see the demons.

So, he just nodded his thanks.

"It's about lunch time soon so the rest of the occupants are all gathered in the dining room. Let's get introductions over with before lunch."

Kuroko silently followed after Riko towards the dining room.

When he entered the dining room, Kuroko stopped. And stared. There was a whole lot of colour around the dining table.

"Listen up!" Riko's voice rang out loudly, drawing everyone's attention. "As I have mentioned, we have a new guy joining us. He's finally here, so it'll be introductions first then we'll have lunch after."

"…eeh? Where is he?" A voice asked. Kuroko looked at the one who spoke. He had stood up from his seat, so Kuroko could tell that he was tall, with bright yellow hair and matching eyes. He had an eager look on his face, eyes searching wildly.

Riko turned around, made eye contact with Kuroko before she pulled him to the front and declared his presence in a loud voice for him. "Here. This is Kuroko Tetsuya, our future roommate."

The man (or perhaps 'boy'…how old was he anyway?) shrieked. "Where did he come from?! Did you bring home a ghost, Rikocchi?!"

"That's rude, Kise!" Riko reprimanded.

"Ah, erm. I'm Kise! Kise Ryouta." The man introduced himself with a dazzling smile. That suddenly seemed to set off a round of introductions from the rest of the occupants.

"I'm Aomine Daiki." The man seemed a little nervous. Did Kuroko's lack of presence shocked him as well?

"I'm Midorima Shintarou."

"...eh, Murasakibara Atsushi here." Kuroko stared, hard. He had never seen someone so huge before. Even just sitting, Kuroko could tell he was extremely tall.

"Akashi Seijuro."

"Hyuuga Junpei."

"Kiyoshi Teppei. It's nice to meet you, Kuroko-kun."

"There's more of us but the rest are currently away on a little trip. I'll introduce you once they return." Riko added.

Kuroko flipped open the sketchbook, carefully writing out his greeting.

It's nice to meet you. Please take care of me from now on.

A moment passed as they read what he had written, before Kise burst out with a loud question.

"Why are you writing? Are you mute?"

"Kise!" This time, it was Hyuuga who reprimanded him.

"What's wrong with asking? Shouldn't we know such important things first? After all, we're going to be living together for a few years."

"Even so, you should not be that tactless." Hyuuga hissed, keeping his voice low but Kuroko heard it anyway.

It is alright. I do not mind. Kuroko waved the sketchbook a little, successfully drawing attention back to him.

"So you really are a mute?"

"He's not." Riko interrupted before Kuroko could write anything down. "He's just still recovering. Doctor Izuki said so."

Kuroko stared, before shaking his head. Riko returned his denial with much bewilderment. "Eh?"

Making sure to keep his handwriting neat and large enough to be easily read was no easy feat, especially when there was no table to rest the sketchbook against. But Kuroko refused to move to the dining table. There seemed to be a tight bond between those sitting there and Kuroko knew he was not yet accepted.

My injury was rather grave. I am recovering well, but I may not be able to speak again. There is no guarantee that I would regain my voice.

It was better to give such lies than to have someone constantly waiting to hear his voice that would never happen as long as the restraint given by the demon – in the form of a damn collar – still binds him. But Kuroko was not sure how effective this lie would be. Because this house was special.

There were no demons here. In fact, it was even safe to say that the demons seem to avoid this house. There were demons around the other houses but absolutely none here. Kuroko's curiosity was quipped from when he first saw the house. What about the house was keeping the demons away? Was it the residents, perhaps? He wanted to know. And he would do everything needed to satisfy his curiosity.

"What? Doctor Izuki never mentioned that!" Riko commented, seething with anger.

He left the decision to tell to me. As Kise-san has mentioned, having such things out of the way would be more beneficial since I am to live here.

"Well..." Riko seemed to be at a loss for words and eventually just nodded.

"Anyway, go and take a seat for now. We ordered a buffet catering just for today, so wait a bit until everything is set up in the backyard." Riko nudged Kuroko towards the table and then walked pass him to what is most probably the kitchen.

Kuroko looked towards the table and met eyes with the one who was called Akashi Seijurou. Those red eyes watching him made him extremely uneasy; it felt like his secrets were being brought out unwillingly under the gaze of those eyes. So he gave a quick bow, using that opportunity to break eye contact and he moved to the table without looking at where 'Akashi Seijurou' sat. Throughout the entire exchange, Kuroko's face never once changed from its blank, emotionless mask.

He took an open seat beside Hyuuga Junpei, and watched the interaction between the rest. Kise and Aomine seem to get into an argument with every four sentences spoken. Murasakibara Atsushi watched them with barely any interest, while Midorima Shintarou and Hyuuga Junpei both look equally exasperated. Kiyoshi Teppei seemed to take much amusement from the arguments.

And Akashi Seijurou blatantly ignored them. Kuroko could tell this easily because those red eyes had never look away from him. He still continued avoiding looking back, but he could feel those eyes watching him as he observed the family.

And suddenly, Kise turned towards him and started a torrent of questions. Mostly questions about how he had gotten his injury which made Hyuuga kick him, hard.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, Kuroko." Hyuuga said, glaring at Kise to keep him quiet.

Yes, thank you, Hyuuga-san. Kise-san, perhaps those questions can wait until lunch is over? My past is not exactly appetite inducing, I would believe.

"Oh? Well, alright then." Kise said, surprisingly calm. It was a drastic change from his hyper enthusiasm just minutes before. Kuroko looked at his eyes and barely managed to stifle an involuntary shudder. Those yellow eyes were watching him seriously, playfulness gone. It reminded him too much of that demon.

Kuroko decided to shift the topic.

How old is everyone here?

"15." A chorus of unified voices surprised him.

"I'll take over." Midorima sighed. "Akashi, Murasakibara, Hyuuga, Kise, Aomine and myself, we are all the same age. 15 years old."

"I'm 17 though." Kiyoshi happily announced.

I see. I am 15 as well.

"Heh, you're 15? You're rather small, aren't ya?" Aomine commented.

I believe I am of average height, Aomine-san.

"Well yeah, I guess you are. But not here though. Everyone here tend to be rather on the tall side." Aomine chuckled. "And you're really formal. Tone it down." Aomine demanded lightly, with a warm smile.

"Hey! Me too!" Hyuuga turned, staring at Kuroko, practically daring him to argue.

Then, Aomine-kun and Hyuuga-kun. Will that be fine?

"Us too!" Kise and Kiyoshi exclaimed.

...Kise-kun, Kiyoshi-kun.

"Yep! Much better!" Kise smiled. "You can address Midorimacchi and Akashicchi and Murasakibaracchi the same way as well. We are all the same age after all."

Kuroko stared at Kise, contemplating on asking on why did he attach such suffixes to their names.

"Hm?"

And Kuroko decided against asking, because for some reason, he felt as if he was going to get his answers soon anyway.

It's nothing.

"Lunch is ready!" Riko's voice called.

Lunch (in the surprisingly large backyard, there was even a basketball court) gave a brief respite to Kuroko. Because Kuroko was unable to converse with anyone without placing down his plate of food, he was unanimously ignored by everyone. They seemed to be nice people, so they mostly just wanted him to eat his lunch in peace. At least, that was what Kuroko had deduced.

But this was good for him. He could quietly analyze what he had seen.

Midorima, Akashi, Murasakibara, Kise and Aomine. Those five. There was something strange about them. Some kind of power, perhaps? Looking at them reminded Kuroko of the demons. But they can't be demons. Because the demon that had taken on a human form back then, still had a surrounding mist around its body. Kuroko could easily tell that that was a true demon. But those five did not have a mist. They were human.

Then, what was the cause of the aura that Kurokp could feel whenever one of them came near? It felt like the power was inside, and on top of that, it was not dormant at all. Instead, it was fully awake, just kept under control. Was this the reason why the demons refuse to come near the house? But it was strange…

Kuroko's eyes strayed to the five in question.

Slowly then, there's no need to rush.

He will get the answers he seeks, eventually.

After lunch, Kuroko was pulled away by Riko towards the second floor. To choose his room, she had said. The house was large, with many rooms still unoccupied.

Kuroko picked the room with large windows, providing cool air and warm sunshine. It was similar to how his room was, back before his entire house was burned by the demon. The one major difference would be the size. This room was large.

"A study desk, a bookshelf, a bed, and a closet. Right now, there's only the minimum furnishings. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask!" Riko cheerfully announced.

No, it's alright. This is enough. Thank you.

"Well, even so, if you need anything just ask."

Understood.

"Oh yes. Your bedsheets and all are in the room down the hall. The one with a bright orange tag hanging from the door knob. Take whichever ones you like."

I understand.

Kuroko did as he was told once Riko left his room, picking out a simple set of grey-blue bed covers and blankets. He sat on the floor after he was finally done with the covers.

He looked around the room.

Unconsciously, he began running fingers down his neck. All he felt was the smooth skin, except when his fingers brushed around the front of his neck, a chill ran up his hand. That was most likely the gem.

Doctor Izuki had mentioned that the restraint would naturally fade away and disappear, but he did not know when exactly.

It repulsed him that he still had lingering ties to the demon that had eaten his mother and destroyed his home. His fingernails dug into the skin of his neck hard, hard enough to draw blood. Kuroko wanted to rip the collar off his neck but how could he, when there wasn't anything to even grasp at? It was there. It was there but he just could not touch it.

Kuroko bent over, curling into a ball. His other hand reached up and began clawing at his neck. His breaths came in harsh pants, and he had difficulty trying to breathe. Blood slowly trickled from his hands to the floor. Neat drops of red that had Kuroko fixing his eyes on.

He could not look away. Small drops slowly collected and became a puddle.

Kuroko stared unblinkingly as it steadily increased in size. His vision blurred a little. His lungs burned. But Kuroko could not tear his gaze away.

"….!"

"….ko."

"…u..ko."

There was a faint feeling of his body being moved, laid down closer to the puddle of blood.

"Kuroko."

His face was forcefully turned, and the puddle disappeared from view. He looked straight into red and yellow eyes. Red on the right, and yellow on the left. He stared at the yellow eye. The demon…did it come back? It was here, he was looking at it. Did it decide to eat him after all?

"Kuroko, breathe."

His chest hurt. Something was pressing down on him. He wanted it gone.

"Breathe."

The yellow eye flickered. It took on a slight hint of orange. That was strange.

Kuroko's body jerked, and suddenly, air rushed into his lungs. He coughed, and could not seem to stop. It hurt; tears filled his eyes, and flowed down when he was gently pushed unto his side.

Kuroko lay limp, panting and disoriented.

"Aka-chin."

"Murasakibara. Good, you're just in time."

"Ah. It's that new guy."

"Go ahead, Murasakibara."

"Mm. If Aka-chin says so then I will."

Kuroko felt himself being lifted and held against something large but he could not focus. A sudden warmth enveloped his body, but it was not comfortable. Instead, there was a steady increase in temperature. It was similar to the burning heat of a fire. He twitched, weakly trying to get away.

"It's alright. I won't hurt you. Aka-chin said not to, after all."

The voice sounded faintly familiar but he did not care. His body was being burned, he had to get away.

"Stay still, Kuroko. It would only hurt for a while. Your wounds are being treated."

…what was going on?

The heat suddenly spiked. Kuroko's body trembled violently, his head thrown back and mouth fell open in a silent scream. And then everything stopped. Cool water gently lapped at his body, an extremely pleasant sensation after the burning pain.

"There. All~ better now."

"You did well, Murasakibara."

"Shall I clean up the room?"

"Ah, Midorima. That would be much appreciated."

"It's done. What about his clothes?"

"Fix them. From what I've heard from Kagami, Doctor Izuki provided some clothes for him since everything he owned had been burnt. But it's not enough."

"Isn't he going to get more now that he's been discharged from the hospital?"

"We'll see. Riko did mention that he had a quite a stubborn streak in him when it comes to receiving help. "

Kuroko felt really, really tired. He could only catch snippets of the conversation around him, but he though he heard Kagami's name. So he opened his eyes a little, turning his head to the direction of the voices and mouthed his name.

"Ah, you're awake. Are you asking for Kagami? Kagami isn't here now, but I suppose with him here it would be more beneficial, especially with you in this state."

"I will call him over."

"Thank you, Midorima."

"Aka-chin, can I go now?"

"Stay with him, Murasakibara. Keep an eye on him and make sure he does not attempt to harm himself. I'm going down to check on Kise and Aomine."

"Okkaay."

Kuroko struggled to move, but his body refused to listen. He eventually gave up and fell into a deep sleep.

Kuroko woke slowly; it still felt as if he was floating in cool water, causing him to remain lethargic.

He fought to open his eyes.

"Awake now? Aka-chin said to bring you downstairs because Kagami has arrived."

Kuroko blinked, turning his head.

Murasakibara Atsushi sat on the floor by his bed, with a very large bag of chips.

…?

Why was he here? Did something happen?

Kuroko wanted to ask, but he did not have the sketchpad Riko gave him.

"Come on." Murasakibara mumbled, and then stood up.

Kuroko's eyes widen. Even though he had his guesses, Murasakibara was indeed huge. Before Kuroko could even move, he was scooped up and carried all with one hand. Kuroko froze, he was now at eye level with Murasakibara.

"Let's go~" Murasakibara swiftly turned around and left in the direction of the stairs.

Kuroko wanted to protest but he decided that falling from a height of an estimated 2 meters would not be very appealing, so he remained still and let himself be carried to the living room.

When they arrived, Kuroko quickly shifted his eyes away from the room after a quick glance and chose to stare at the bag of chips in Murasakibara's other hand instead.

"Ah! You brought him, Murasakibaracchi!"

"So noisy."

Kuroko was dumped onto a couch rather gently and he blinked up at Murasakibara. Murasakibara simply turned away and collapsed onto the largest sofa, and began eating his chips once more.

A hand suddenly ruffled his hair and Kuroko instinctively turned to look.

"Yo!" The hospital's chef was there, right behind where Kuroko was seated. Kuroko looked around, searching for something he could use to write.

"Here." Akashi handed him a blank notebook and a pen. Kuroko took the items with a grateful nod, still refusing to look at him.

Kagami-kun?

"Yeah, didn't I mention it before? I do visit the orphanage every now and then. Anyway, I got something for you."

Kagami left, disappearing around the corner to the kitchen.

And came back with a cup.

Kuroko tilted his head to the side in silent question.

"For you."

Kuroko stared at the cup in his hands, it was cold. He took a sip. Vanilla milkshake. Kuroko smiled slightly. As always, it was delicious. He wanted to ask why did Kagami suddenly decided to make him a milkshake, but Kagami gestured to the cup whenever he looked up, so Kuroko obediently drank the milkshake and held in his questions for now.

When he finished the drink, Kagami took the cup back to the kitchen and left Kuroko under the stares of those five that Kuroko was curious about. Riko, Hyuuga and Kiyoshi were missing. There was a certain tension in the air, one that made Kuroko uncomfortable, so he avoided all their eyes and stared at the notebook in his lap.

"So, Kuroko." It was Kise's voice. "Won't you tell us about yourself? You promised to tell us after lunch but it's already night now."

Kuroko's head snapped up, eyes straying to the clock on the wall near the fireplace. It was indeed night. Kuroko did not remember falling asleep. In fact, he could not seem to remember anything else after he had change his bed covers.

I apologise. I must have fallen asleep without realising.

Kuroko lifted the notebook towards Kise's direction, not quite meeting his eyes.

"That's alright. You can tell us now." There was an underlying threat to Kise's words that made Kuroko tense.

"Kise." That was Akashi. His voice was a reprimand and an order all at once. Kuroko watch Kise shrink into his seat from the corner of his eyes, sulking.

"Kuroko, I do not wish to pressure you into telling us. However, I believe it is important for us to know seeing as how your state of health, both physically and mentally, causes a resonance among us."

Kuroko glanced up at Akashi, uncomprehending.

What do you mean? Kuroko carefully wrote down the question, hoping that it did not seem too rude. Akashi had the presence of a leader that demanded both respect and obedience. And Kuroko did not wish to be a target of Akashi's ire. He could already tell that it would not be pleasant.

"How much do you remember, Kuroko?"

Remember? So the reason why Murasakibara was in his room was because something did happen after all?

Did something happen?

"…do you not remember at all?"

I'm sorry, but it seems like I do not recall anything.

"That is unfortunate."

Akashi stood up from his seat and walked to where Kuroko sat, stopping right in front of him.

"I will apologise in advance, Kuroko."

Kuroko startled when Akashi suddenly laid a hand on his forehead.

Kuroko's entire body went numb. His vision clouded over and scenes from just hours before flashed through his eyes.

His room, the feel of his neck, the red drops of blood staining the floor, his burning lungs.

And Akashi. He had saved him, calmed his panic attack and had his wounds healed.

Murasakibara. Midorima. They were there as well.

When it finally ended, Kuroko found himself held by Kagami, soaked with perspiration. He had somehow fallen to the ground and his body heaved with his rapid breaths. His mind buzzed. Kuroko felt lightheaded.

How could he have forgotten?

"Are you alright?" Akashi was crouching before him.

A cool hand rested on his neck, fingers tracing the exact position of the collar that no one could see. Kuroko jerked, his body pushing back against Kagami's. He stared at Akashi, shocked.

Akashi smirked. "As I have mentioned, it is important for us to know just what your past entails, Kuroko." His fingers slid down Kuroko's neck and rested against the gem of the collar. His pressed down lightly, sufficiently showing Kuroko that he had no problems with seeing the collar.

Kuroko stared, and his eyes strayed to the others who were still seated. They were all staring at him. No, they were staring at his neck. So, they were able to see it as well?

Kuroko pushed himself away from Kagami, settling down beside him and turned to stare at him. Kagami shifted uncomfortably, looking from Kuroko to the floor and back again. Eventually, his eyes rested on Kuroko's neck. And that was all the answer Kuroko needed.

So, Kagami could see it. How many people in that hospital could actually see the collar and yet never mentioned it? Kuroko's eyes narrowed. That nurse that attended to him, Furihata Koki. Could he have been able to see as well?

"Don't be angry," Kagami's large hand rested on his head and ruffled his hair, "we are a rather special bunch, and we do not mindlessly trust any victim of a demon attack, which includes telling them we could see those demons."

Kuroko reached for the notebook on the couch.

Special?

"Have I not already demonstrated to you?" Akashi cut in before Kagami could speak. "We are gifted with unique powers."

If I may ask, just who are 'we'?

"Everyone present in this room. Right now, we are in a barrier created by Murasakibara. No one will interrupt us here because they will not be able to see us."

Barrier? When was it created?Kuroko blinked.

Murasakibara, was he not the one who healed me?

"He is. Out of us here, he is the only one with such an ability. Murasakibara possesses a childlike attribute, making him the purest out of us here because he does not act with a motive; which is the criteria needed to be able to heal. He only heals when he is told to or when he wishes so. However, he also has the ability to create the strongest barrier once he is serious."

"And I am in charge of support! I can mimic the powers of everyone here. Excluding Murasakibaracchi's healing ability and some of Akashicchi's. While it may not be as powerful as the original source, it should be enough to provide time for recovery." Kise added with a smile though his eyes were watching Kuroko warily.

Kuroko glanced up at Kise, staring into those yellow eyes before quickly looking away. He nodded once towards Kise to show that he had understood. He was still uneasy with looking into them. Kuroko wondered if he had somehow developed a trauma to yellow eyes, courtesy of that demon... which reminded him of Akashi's yellow eye.

His head snapped up and he stared into Akashi's eyes. They were red. But according to his memories, one of Akashi's eyes was yellow. Kuroko stared.

"What?" Akashi asked, but from the way he looked at Kuroko, Kuroko had a feeling that Akashi knew what he was looking for. And that smirk, it was mocking him, wasn't it?

Kuroko felt mildly irritated.

So he decided not to ask, and simply shook his head.

Akashi raised an eyebrow, looking very amused indeed. "Well then, now it's your turn to tell us about yourself."

Kuroko looked away.

"You're not expecting to receive such information on us and not give any in return, are you?"

That was true, but Kuroko still felt extremely reluctant. Perhaps just a little would be fine?

What do you wish to know?

"Let's start with the demon who gave you that restraint. Do you remember any characteristics of the demon?"

Are they not all the same? They are white and formless. And seem to be made of mist.

"I have heard that your home was burnt down. Surely the demon must have held you back in some way? Did the demon use any strange powers?"

I am not sure. I have always been in contact with that demon, so I do not know what would be considered as 'strange'.

"Then tell me everything it did that you have seen." Akashi's red eyes seemed to glow, and Kuroko's skin rose with goose bumps.

It took the form of a human male, and a part of its body became a guard.

"A guard?"

The mist from the demon covered the entire doorway of my room which prevented me from leaving. It seemed to be sentient as well.

"Sentient?" Akashi's eyebrows rose. "Interesting."

A movement from behind Akashi drew Kuroko's attention. He looked up and straight into Midorima's eyes. Midorima lifted a hand wrapped with bandages to adjust his glasses.

Akashi's voice had him paying attention once more. "Anything else?"

Kuroko shook his head, this much information was more than enough. Besides, Kuroko did not receive that much information. He glanced around the room. There were still those who were simply sitting quietly and watching him. They did not trust him, and Kuroko did not trust them as well.

"I see. I thank you for your cooperation then, Kuroko." Akashi finally stood up and moved away from Kuroko, stopping to look back at him. "However, I believe there are still many things we have yet to know that you hold knowledge of."

Kuroko's face held true, remaining as impassive as always. But his heart raced with uncontrollable fear. And he couldn't be sure but it looked as though Akashi's left eye had been yellow, nearly gold. It was gone in flash, and both his eyes were a matching red again.

Akashi settled into an armchair, sitting comfortably yet amazingly regal.

Kuroko shifted his eyes away.

"Well, I guess I should tell you about myself huh." Kagami muttered, looking at the ground. Kuroko turned to look at him. "I'm nothing special really. I just control fire, that's all." He shrugged.

Fire?

"Well yeah. Like you know, I can stand in a fire without getting burned, create or put out fires. But well," Kagami scratched the back of his head, "I don't use my ability much. After all, ordinary humans are not very accepting and they will most likely react in a negative way if I just flaunt my powers whenever there are burning houses and stuff.

"About your house, I did help out though. I was nearby but I couldn't simply put the fire out with so many ordinary humans looking on. So I just made sure the fire burned slowly to give them enough time to locate whatever victims were in there."

Kagami suddenly turned to Kuroko and stared at him seriously. "I'm not sure how you're gonna take this so just keep in mind that this is only my theory, it may not be true."

Kuroko nodded, a little distracted because he was staring behind Kagami, at those fiery red wings which resembled that of a phoenix. He blinked, and they disappeared.

"When they brought you out, you did not have that around your neck." Kagami motioned towards Kuroko's neck. "When I saw you next, at the hospital, only then did you have it. So perhaps, you were not meant to have survived that fire. That demon may have realised that you were alive and placed that on you. As for why exactly, we do not know. Demons don't particularly like talking to us after all."

He shrugged.

"Although," Kagami casted a quick glance to Akashi's direction, "there is someone who is able to make them talk, regardless." He mumbled rather softly. With Kuroko's close proximity, he heard it clearly. And with the way Akashi tilted his head to the side with a smile, Kuroko can pretty much guess that he had somehow managed to hear as well.

But that aside, Kuroko was meant to die? Not by the demon devouring him, but through a natural accident? Kuroko's fingers twitched, tightening around the pen in his hand unconsciously. Why did the demon not devour him, the same way it did with his mother? Was there a reason why Kuroko was kept alive even after the demon had realised he had not perish back then?

The air slowly started to distort, and cracks began to appear in the air in the living room.

Murasakibara sat straight up from where he was slouching against the couch, and narrowed his eyes at the cracks. Purple lights covered the cracks, and they disappeared only to reappear in rapid succession. His eyes shifted from the cracks to Kuroko who was completely motionless.

He stood up and made his way over to Kuroko. Kuroko did not look up even with Murasakibara towering over him. Murasakibara then laid a large hand onto Kuroko's head, successfully startling Kuroko out of his thoughts (causing the cracks to stop increasing), and scaring Kagami into releasing a burst of flames in his direction. The flames were swallowed by bright purple lights, leaving Murasakibara unscathed.

"Kuro-chin." Murasakibara ruffled Kuroko's hair and smiled. "Kuro-chin is strong eh?"

Kuroko stared blankly at Murasakibara.

"Don't scare me like that! I thought you were gonna hurt him!" Kagami raged.

"Hurt? Why would I do that?" Murasakibara asked with an extremely childlike expression.

"…that! You, your hand! …argh. Just forget it." Kagami seemed to have trouble trying to explain himself and eventually just gave up.

"To be able to break Atsushi's barrier is very impressive indeed." Akashi commented. Kuroko whipped his head around, staring at Akashi. Akashi, whose eyes were two different colours. Red and gold. So it was true, and not just a hallucination on Kuroko's part.

And Kuroko did not miss the different way Akashi addressed Murasakibara. Murasakibara had also turned around, looked at Akashi and hummed quietly. He finally lifted his hand from Kuroko's head.

...barrier? Break?

Kuroko looked around, staring in shock at the cracks in the air. He did this?

"I guess this settles it. You are one of those gifted with unique powers as well." Akashi waved his hand slightly and the cracks disappeared.

"Welcome aboard, Tetsuya." Akashi smiled, chilling Kuroko to the bone. This was not Akashi.

At least, not the Akashi that had been talking to him thus far. The Akashi he met did command respect and obedience, but this one, this one was overwhelming. Kuroko could tell that not listening to this Akashi would be much, much worse than the one before. Just who was this? No, the question should be, who is Akashi?

"Kurokocchi!" Kuroko was suddenly tackled by Kise, and could only hold still and accept the flying hug from him. "You're really amazing! To be able to break Murasakibaracchi's barrier like that!" he babbled on, seeming genuinely awed. Kuroko decided to take a chance, anything really, to escape from Akashi's attention. He tilted his head back a little and met Kise's eyes.

Kise's eyes shone with delight and curiosity. All wariness present before absolutely vanished. And Kuroko stared. When Kise was like this, his eyes no longer reminded him of the demon. The colour was the same, yes, but the demon's eyes have never been so full of life.

But what was with that nickname? Kuroko's eyes narrowed a little. Kise seemed to notice and said, "I add that suffix to the names of people I respect." He beamed. Kuroko blinked.

"Tetsuya."

Kuroko reluctantly faced Akashi once more.

Akashi's gold eye glowed, and a ring of red appeared around his narrowed pupil.

"You are a shadow. You possess indefinable strength, so much so that even I seem to have trouble completely analysing you. I wonder, Tetsuya, if you will be the one to break us or would you support us?"

At that, everyone stiffened.

Kise's arm around his shoulders tensed, but he did not remove it.

"Of course, you will need much training. But from what you can already do unconsciously, once you have gain more control, you will be even stronger.

"But for now, you will be given time to decide and to properly understand the happenings of today." With that, Akashi stood from his chair and left for the stairs.

Murasakibara stood up as well, and a bright flash of light suddenly enveloped the living room for a mere second. Kuroko looked on as a sudden purple outline which spanned the entire living room appeared, cracked and evaporated. That was most likely the barrier.

Kuroko finally stood up. His head went light and his knees collapsed. He would have fallen if not for the arm that caught him. He looked up, but he could not see anything. His vision was very quickly fading to black, but it seems his hearing was fine.

"This is the result of using too much of your powers when they're still very unstable." That was Midorima's voice. And it sounded very close as well. It must have been Midorima that caught him then.

"I'll make a drink to stabilize his condition. Oi, giant. Go bring him up to his room."

Ah, that was Kagami-kun.

"Hm? Kuro-chin is sick? Okkaay, I'll carry him."

Kuroko felt himself being shifted, the arm around his waist disappearing to be replaced with a larger arm and then he was lifted into the air. The sudden motion coupled with a lack of vision made Kuroko extremely dizzy and he felt like he was going to throw up. His hands gripped at the cloth in front of him. Murasakibara's shirt, then?

"Sorry, Kuro-chin. Just a while more and you can lie down. Here."

Something was placed against his lips and remained as a constant pressure until Kuroko opened his mouth. A salty taste hit his tongue and Kuroko sucked on it. A potato chip? It did a surprisingly good job of curbing his need to vomit.

"Kurokocchi, get some rest and we'll talk more tomorrow."

A gentle pat on his head and a voice he only vaguely recognised, "See ya, Tetsu."

There was a very slight swaying, which Kuroko assumed it was Murasakibara walking. And then he was set down on a soft surface.

"Kuro-chin, need me to stay?"

Kuroko could not exactly write down his answer since he couldn't see, so he could only hope that Murasakibara was watching him.

No, it's alright. Thank you, Murasakibara-kun.

He made sure to mouth the words clearly.

"Mm...no. I'll stay. Until Kagami comes up. I don't want Kuro-chin to hurt himself."

Kuroko did not know what to make of Murasakibara's sudden attachment to him. He lifted his body up, turning to the side where he heard Murasakibara's voice.

"Kuro-chin? What is it? Do you need something?"

Murasakibara-kun. Do you like me?

"Mm? Like? Yeah, I like Kuro-chin. I do not like weak people, but Kuro-chin is different. Even Aka-chin said so. Kuro-chin is tiny but strong, so I like Kuro-chin."

…I see.

So, Murasakibara's attitude changes due to a person's strength? Now that he thought about it, Murasakibara did not pay him much attention before, simply following the orders of Akashi. Kuroko did not know if this was a good thing, but he did find it easiest to be with Murasakibara compared to the other four, even though Kuroko barely knew anything about him.

"Kuroko, you're not sleeping yet, are ya?" Kagami announced his entrance with a rather large voice. "Oh, you're here, giant."

"Kuro-chin, rest well." Kuroko nodded and heard the heavy footsteps of Murasakibara leaving his room.

"Here, Kuroko. Drink this and then go to sleep. You will feel better in the morning." Kuroko sat up straight, lifting his hands up and a warm cup was pressed into his hands.

Kuroko slowly raised the cup to his lips and sipped at the beverage. It tasted like tea with a hint of vanilla. Kagami really knew what he liked, huh. And it was delicious too.

Halfway through the drink, Kuroko began to feel sleepy and full. "Drink it all." Kuroko twitched. Slightly annoyed, Kuroko struggled to finish his drink.

Kuroko sighed when he finally managed to drink it all up.

"Good job!" A hand ruffled his hair. Kuroko swatted the hand away. Why did so many people like doing that?

He heard Kagami chuckling, "go and get some sleep." And Kuroko quietly listened to Kagami's fading footsteps before lying back down.

Kuroko closed his sightless eyes and concentrated on the part of him where he had built a protective cage. He watched from afar as the white fire around it still burns brightly, and everything was still intact. His panic attack and dealing with Akashi did not affect him.

It was still alright.

Breakfast was filled with a gentle atmosphere.

All tension from the day before seemed to have disappeared.

Akashi's eyes were red again and Aomine had taken to calling him 'Tetsu'. Midorima did not communicate with him much after asking about his birthday and commenting on how Aquarius and Cancer are not compatible. But he still would acknowledge Kuroko with a nod whenever they crossed paths (or when he actually manages to notice Kuroko).

But what bothered Kuroko the most was Akashi. Akashi seemed to have taken much displeasure in Kuroko's appetite. Or lack thereof.

It was not as if Kuroko was starving himself, it was just that he had a smaller appetite as compared to the rest. Akashi had made it his goal to make sure Kuroko ate everything on his plate and then added more.

As peaceful as the atmosphere was, it was torture for Kuroko with Akashi keeping an eye on him. And he was annoyed that Akashi never seemed to have trouble noticing him even with his now remarkably low presence. He was saved only when Kagami noticed and finished up the food for him.

Kagami was leaving after breakfast; he had to head back to the hospital. And Kuroko really, really did not want Kagami to return back, not if this was going to be a standard at every meal. Who was going to save him from the overbearing, too-good-at-taking-care-of-others Akashi?

Aomine, Kise and Midorima (also including Riko, Hyuuga and Kiyoshi) ignored his plight, though Murasakibara seemed interested in the food on Kuroko's plate, but lacked any motivation to defy Akashi.

It looked like Kuroko was going to have to prepare bribes.

His opportunity arrived when Riko and Kiyoshi announced that they were heading out to the nearby mall. Kuroko practically shoved his notebook in Riko's face, scaring her out of her wits. And after a mild scolding, Riko allowed Kuroko to tag along.

When they arrived, Kiyoshi had latched onto Kuroko's arm and absolutely refused to let go, saying about how finding Kuroko in the crowd would be near impossible and a complete headache. So Kuroko obediently followed along, which ended up with him getting a large pile of clothes and some books which he found interesting. He did like reading after all.

Kuroko did offer to pay for his things – even if it meant somehow getting a job – but all Kiyoshi said was, "don't worry about it. We have more than enough money. We are a rather well off orphanage."

From the way Kiyoshi stressed the word, Kuroko had a feeling that something was not quite right with the place he was staying at. Was it really just an orphanage? And yesterday, didn't Riko mentioned something about others being on a trip? Kuroko pondered this piece of information, missing the way Kiyoshi's eyes turned serious with a smirk.

"Seeing as how even that high-handed Akashi has accepted you, I suppose it's a good time to tell you about us. Not here though. There are too many inquisitive walls around us." Kiyoshi laughed lightly.

Kuroko looked up, and froze for a moment. Kiyoshi somehow looked different. Really, just what was going on with the people living in the house?

Kiyoshi motioned to the right, and Kuroko turned to see Riko leaving the store.

"Come on, let's get going. We still have many things to get."

Kuroko arrived back home with a large plastic bag held securely against his chest. Riko had everything she bought delivered, including Kuroko's clothes. He managed to save his books from Riko though, and carried them personally.

He had stopped by a convenience store on his way back (after Riko allowed him to go back first, with strict orders to go straight home using the map Kiyoshi had drawn in his notebook). While he did feel a little bad for not obeying Riko and sneaking a few notes from her wallet, he still needed to procure certain items for using as bribes.

But that was not possible on his own as he did not have money after all.

Kuroko swore to pay the money back, eventually.

Kuroko quietly made his way to his room, pulling his book from the plastic bag and setting them down on his desk carefully. He picked up the plastic bag and wandered around the second floor.

He heard voices and followed them. He stopped at a window and watched as Aomine and Kise played against each other in a friendly competition, with Midorima as referee.

Basketball.

Kuroko was reminded of the basketball he had owned. He shook his head and turned away from the window. The person he was looking for was not below anyway.

He walked pass the rooms, undecided on which door his target was behind. Finally, he chose the room closest to the stairs. He did not knock, instead, silently turned the door knob. He looked in once the door was opened a crack, and smiled when he saw his target. He quickly closed the door soundlessly.

With a glance up and down the hallway, making sure there was no one, he raised his hand and knocked loudly.

There was shuffling behind the door and then it opened.

"…? Eeeh? Didn't someone knock?"

Kuroko's eyebrow twitched. He reached up tugged on the person's shirt.

"Ah, Kuro-chin!"

Kuroko gave a little bow in greeting.

"Kuro-chin came to find me…did you need something? Ah, you can come in first."

Kuroko quickly made his way inside, shutting the door before Murasakibara could.

He tugged Murasakibara closer into the room and had him sit once they reached his bed. Kuroko dug out his notebook.

Murasakibara-kun. I have something for you.

"For me?"

But you must promise to help me.

"..eeeh. But it's so troublesome."

Kuroko picked out the first item from the plastic bag. A limited edition of umaibo. He did not know why he had picked it out from all the other snacks, but it looks like it's working well. Kuroko watched with amusement as Murasakibara's eyes widen and he immediately reached for it. Kuroko avoided his hand.

"Kuro-chinnnn." Murasakibara whined.

Would you listen to what I have to say, Murasakibara-kun?

"That's the limited edition of the umaibo that's always sold out and I can never manage to buy it. I want it, Kuro-chin."

Then listen, alright, Murasakibara-kun?

"Okay, I will. I'll be good. I'll listen to Kuro-chin."

Kuroko smirked.

Lunch ended up with Akashi being extremely displeased.

He casted multiple disapproving looks to Kuroko whenever Murasakibara reached over and took food from his plate. But eventually he sighed and stopped attempting to fill up Kuroko's plate. But with the stern look he shot Kuroko when he was about to leave, Kuroko knew this method was not going to work for long. Looks like Kuroko was going to have to think up a backup plan.

"Kuroko."

Kuroko turned, facing Kiyoshi. "Shall we have a talk?" Kiyoshi asked, smiling.

Kuroko blinked.

"About what we talked about earlier today." He specified.

Kuroko's eyes widened a little and he nodded eagerly. Kiyoshi chuckled.

"Come on up to my room. Riko, care to join us?"

Riko stared at Kiyoshi, and there seemed to be some kind of mental communication going on before she nodded her head. She stood up, ordered Kise to clean up the table (and that it was Aomine's turn to wash the dishes so he better not try to escape), and left for Kiyoshi's room.

"Don't forget your notebook, Kuroko. You're gonna need it." She called back, though she didn't stop.

Kuroko picked up his notebook, followed after Riko with Kiyoshi bringing up the rear.

Kuroko stared, speechless as he listened to Kiyoshi talk about just what this orphanage was.

That creating this orphanage was simply a cover to make it easier to find people like Kuroko, who had unique powers and have been in some sort of accident with the demons as masterminds. Izuki Shun was the one to assess the victims and determine their inner nature. He was the doctor that had been in charge of him back when he was still in the hospital.

Another fact was that not everyone who lived here were orphans. Kiyoshi himself was not, as well as Akashi, Midorima, and Aomine.

Kise was even working, as a model of all things.

And Hyuuga was actually an ordinary human who knew of the existence of people like them, the reason as to why he was here was simply because Riko had coerced him into being a co-manager. He had returned home earlier that day.

The one funding this orphanage was Akashi (i.e. his family), and that the hospital Kuroko was placed in was owned by Midorima's family. And Kuroko did not need to worry about being kicked out once he reaches 18 years of age. He is allowed to stay as long as he wishes, because they have someone who is able to forge legal documents. Momoi Satsuki, they called her.

Riko said that it was Kagami who insisted on bringing Kuroko into this orphanage, and Akashi had relented, pulling strings (together with Midorima) to have him placed here.

Kiyoshi said that while he could not see the restraint on Kuroko very clearly, he could feel it. He had been gifted as well, but his power was not as overwhelmingly strong as those five. He called them the 'Generation of Miracles'.

This of course, led to an outburst from Riko. She could not tell that Kuroko had a restraint, but she usually was able to.

She complained about how Kuroko's lack of presence and his weak readings threw off her 'eyes'. Kuroko had asked what she meant, and Riko explained about how she is able to see a person's readings, or also known as 'potential'.

Back when Akashi and the other four had arrived at her home – demanding for her to be the manager of the orphanage they had planned to open – she had been shocked because their readings of potential were so high. She knew then, that they were the genuine, feared 'Generation of Miracles' from the rumours.

Although, she had no idea how they managed to gather together. She did have her suspicions that Akashi may have been the one to find the rest.

Kuroko did think it was logical, because only Akashi could control them with one look or just one word. But didn't they have restraints too? Kiyoshi took over answering that, said that they had broken through theirs. He did not know how, but Aomine had let it slipped once, saying that Akashi had used the restraints as training material and made all of them break theirs.

Riko regarded Kuroko seriously; squinting her eyes to make out the restraint on his neck.

"Perhaps, he might ask the same of you," she said.

"Kurokocchi, are you scared of me?"

Kuroko turned around from his desk, looked at Kise who was seated on the floor of his room. Kise had barged into his room a few minutes earlier – Kuroko decided he did not want to know how Kise knew which room was his when he had never been in there before – dragging Aomine and Midorima with him.

Why do you think so, Kise-kun?

"You have been avoiding my eyes from the first day we met!" Kise whined.

It's not that I'm scared of you, Kise-kun. But I do have a reason for avoiding you.

Midorima suddenly looked at Kuroko with much interest, silently urging him to explain himself. Aomine was not as subtle, and bluntly asked, "What reason is so great that you are actually afraid of this idiot, Tetsu?"

While it may sound like an excuse, it seems it had affected me more than I thought. The demon that had lived with me back then, it had yellow eyes extremely similar to Kise-kun's.

"Eh? So looking at me reminds you of that demon?"

At first, but I have now realised that Kise-kun is very different from that demon. However, it stills leaves me uneasy at times.

"A trauma?" Midorima cut in before Kise could say anything, fingers fiddling with the leaves of the potted plant he had been carrying around all day.

Kuroko stared blankly at the plant. He blinked.

I would believe so.

"Is that so…" Midorima looked thoughtful but said nothing else.

"Tetsu, want me to destroy that demon for yer?" Aomine asked, eyes alight with the prospect of a challenge.

I do not think it's possible, Aomine-kun.

"Oh, it's possible alright. I didn't tell you about my power yet, huh? Well. I am very strong physically and I have the ability to touch those demons without any damage to myself.

"You know how if you try to touch a demon, you get thrown back automatically? And then you end up with intense pain yet there are no wounds on you? Yeah, that does not apply to me. Akashi said it was because I'm too reckless and to protect myself, I developed immunity to them."

Developed?

Midorima sighed, pushing up his glasses with a bandaged hand. "When our powers are still unstable, they are very malleable. A similar state as to how yours are right now. Our actions and decisions during this period will eventually define the powers we will have permanently.

"That is why this period is very important. Didn't Akashi mention it yesterday? You will have to choose. Break us and be our enemies, or support us? You will need to be clear in your decisions."

Would you mind telling me what your power is, Midorima-kun?

"I can locate the demons from objects they have behind. In other words, the restraints. Aomine said that he would destroy the demon, but he can't do it if he does not know where the demon is. If I were to touch your restraint and use my power on you, I can easily find the demon no matter how far away it may be. Distance holds no meaning for me."

But, weren't you the one who fixed my clothes?

Midorima grunted. "That I was. It's another of one of my powers. While Murasakibara heals wounds, I am able to fix inanimate things. If a room is wrecked, I am able to have it restored to its original state."

"A very useful ability, I admit. Especially with certain people who are too reckless with their powers and have no regard for where they are at." Midorima casted a pointed look at both Kise and Aomine.

"But I can also destroy and not just fix things."

Does everyone have multiple powers?

"That depends. There are some with only one, others with two or three. Most of the time, a person would have two. Although there are exceptions, Akashi being one of them."

"Akashi, eh? That guy is a monster." Aomine mumbled.

"Watch your words, Aomine." Midorima glared.

What are his powers?

"I apologise, but I am unable to tell you. You will have to ask him personally if you want to know."

Kuroko nodded.

"But Kurokocchi, you have to remember that we are special."

Kuroko blinked, tilting his head slightly.

"See, even if an average person has two powers, there is a limit to how much they can use that power. Having multiple powers does not make you automatically powerful. A person who only has one can be far stronger than a person with two.

"But we are different. We almost do not have limits."

Kuroko stared at Kise's beaming smile.

Practically no limits meant no restrictions. And no restrictions means they are far more dangerous than Kuroko would have thought.

Kuroko's head spun with all the new information. First, it was Riko and Kiyoshi telling him about the true nature of the orphanage, and now with Midorima and Kise's lessons on power. And his thoughts strayed to Akashi. Aomine called Akashi a monster.

For someone who is no doubt, extremely powerful to call someone else as not merely 'stronger than me' but rather a 'monster'. Just the thought alone made Kuroko develop a newfound fear for Akashi.

Midorima seemed to notice his state, and so he stood up and dragged Aomine and Kise out of Kuroko's room. Kuroko was thankful. Even though Midorima may not seem to like him much, he still cared enough about Kuroko's well-being.

Four days later, Kuroko had a rather unexpected visitor. Akashi stood in front of his room. Kuroko was still wary of Akashi but the Akashi before him was the one he was used to; red-eyed Akashi. So he let him in.

Akashi gave him a brief introduction to the powers, which Kuroko had already heard from Midorima. He then proposes for Kuroko to start training.

Kuroko had declined, for he has yet to decide. But Akashi had insisted, and even allowed him to put off his decision. So Kuroko started his training.

Aomine was chosen as his partner and the first day of training left Kuroko covered with bruises and cuts, and an extremely exhausted mental state. Aomine had mentioned that controlling the power takes both physical and mental strength. While his mental strength held up much longer as compared to his physical strength, Kuroko eventually had to call it a day when he could barely see straight.

Akashi had taken notice of Kuroko's lack of stamina and created a training regimen to increase his stamina which failed miserably. Needless to say, Akashi was shocked. He tried several other schedules but none worked. Kuroko did manage to increase his stamina a little, but it was nowhere near that of the other five. Even Kiyoshi had better stamina than he did.

Eventually, Akashi simply gave up after watching Kuroko lie flat on the ground for minutes or throwing up until he could not stand for the umpteenth time.

He decided that Kuroko was different, and began to personally teach Kuroko how to use his lack of presence to his advantage.

Riko took over whenever Akashi had to leave to settle things, what exactly, Kuroko did not know because they refused to say. It was something that they would only tell him once he had made a decision.

Riko mostly just looked on when he was training, but when it was her turn to coach Kuroko, Kuroko was suddenly faced with a fearsome Spartan. There are even times when Kuroko felt as if training with Akashi was preferable over Riko.

Kuroko has yet to meet the rest of the 'orphans'. Apparently, their trip had been extended due to unforeseen circumstances. Though Riko estimated that they would be back within the next two months. Kuroko wasn't sure if meeting them would prove beneficial for him, but all he did was nod towards Riko in acknowledgement of her words.

And to his shock, the collar began to change.

The black band was inscribed with light blue swirls and symbols which Kuroko could not read. They extended down his neck, reaching just slightly below his collarbones and upper back though a trail of symbols covered his spine.

And the yellow gem had dulled slightly, with blue streaks within it. It looked like there was a little lightning storm within the gem.

Everyone had stared when they first appeared, and Akashi had sat him down and stared hard at him.

His eye had changed colour then, and Kuroko was unsettled as he waited for the other Akashi to appear. But Akashi did not change; he still remained as the one Kuroko knew. Kuroko wondered then, what was the trigger for Akashi to change?

Akashi had deemed the marks (or better known as tattoos) harmless, and they seemed to have appeared as a reaction to Kuroko gaining control over his powers. He was unsure if they were going to increase the more stable Kuroko became though. Riko had agreed with Akashi, her analysing abilities were outstanding after all.

Kuroko was not sure if the tattoos could be seen by ordinary humans or if it was similar to the restraint. Kiyoshi then suggested testing it out, since everyone currently in that house were 'special'. So he headed out to the mall once again, with Aomine as his bodyguard.

Kuroko was used to being ignored by the people around him, so when there was a sudden increase in people noticing him, he felt uncomfortable. But then he realised that they were not looking at him, rather, at Aomine. Aomine was tall and muscular which of course attracted the attention of many.

At least, that was how it was at first. When they finally managed to notice Kuroko, they had cried out in shock (which was a reaction that Kuroko was used to) and then given him a wide berth.

From the way they consistently sneaked glances at his neck, he knew that they were able to see the tattoos. But he wondered if due to the tattoos covering the collar, it made them able to see the collar as well.

So he suggested a test to Aomine.

They stopped near a pillar with Kuroko watching for a victim. He pointed out someone who caught his eye, and Aomine sprang into action, practically pulling the shaking man behind him and placing him in front of Kuroko. He pretty much threatened the man to describe every bit of Kuroko he could see.

Which resulted in Aomine widening his eyes almost comically wide when he realised that the restraint could also be seen.

Kuroko had politely thanked the man for his cooperation. And asked Aomine for another guy or girl to test it on. Aomine picked a lady this time, gently tugging her into Kuroko's direction. The result was the same.

On the way back, Kuroko spotted a family restaurant with a large promotion banner for vanilla milkshakes. He had dragged Aomine into the shop – with enough strength to leave Aomine stumbling after him – and asked (demanded) Aomine to order one for him.

One week later, Kuroko finally came to a decision.

As suspicions as he was of them, he had grown close to Kagami, Kiyoshi, Riko and Hyuuga. They were more approachable as compared to the other five. Those five had a rather intimidating aura to them, coupled with arrogance that took over them from time to time, which Kuroko did not like.

Even so, Kuroko noticed that no matter how Riko seemed to distrust them, she acknowledged their strength as something that was essential. And so Kuroko chose to support them, and their mysterious cause they were fighting for. If their reason for fighting was something that Kuroko did not agree with, he could always disappear.

This ability was something that Kuroko himself had done secret training for.

Making use of the training Akashi had personally suggested to him (using his lack of presence as a weapon), Kuroko had concentrated on making himself invisible. He refused to show just how much he had progressed to the others. Even Kagami did not know. This was so that should things take a bad turn, he would be able to get away without implicating those who were important to him.

He had tested out this ability on the Generation of Miracles in a span of a few days. He had improved so much that Akashi was completely unable to notice him. This was something Kuroko absolutely had to keep to himself for he was not going to inform the 'monster' Akashi and have him develop some kind of counter to his ability.

He informed his choice to the group, in which Akashi had a pleased smile, almost smug.

They had explained then, that their aim was to destroy the demons…which was probably an endless task, from the amount of demons Kuroko had seen in just one place. They explained further though, that they only wanted to kill the really strong ones. Because the stronger they are, the more ruthless they become.

But usually, the little ones were just nuisances.

Those strong demons were actually capable of destroying the world if they were smart enough to. The demon that had stayed with Kuroko was an excellent example. As they devour more, they get stronger. And being stronger also leads to being more 'human'. They become capable of thinking, rather than just acting on instinct.

As Kuroko had mentioned that the demon took the form of a human male, Akashi had said that the demon was probably already extremely strong. But not yet strong enough to be noticed by ordinary humans.

Eventually, it would be able to blend in seamlessly to the human world, speak their language, and react the same way. They would emulate a human so well, right down to having blood flow through their veins. So much so that ordinary humans are unable to tell that the person they are talking to is not actually human; just a demon hiding in the shell of one.

Even those gifted ones would have a hard time.

This was why they were very cautious in accepting people even if they 'appeared' to have been attacked by a demon. The way the demons choose to eat may vary. Some would stick to their victims, slowly killing them without their knowledge. The same way in which Kuroko's mother had been eaten. Kuroko had chosen to tell them of his past, although not everything.

Those ordinary humans with high 'spiritual energy' would be able to feel if a demon is close. But demons, even very weak ones, are innately cunning. They approach humans with a blank slate, so that those who are able to sense them will not be able to feel anything other than their presence.

Because there was no indication of 'evil', those humans began to call them as Guardian Angels, Protectors, and many others.

Demons like the one in Kuroko's case, are indeed protectors. But the actual fact was that what it chose to protect, was only for itself. A predator will never let another predator take its prey without a fight after all.

Take a pack of lions for example.

The alpha male eats first, even if it did not help in bringing down prey, simply because it is the strongest. And Kuroko's mother was the demon's prey. The demon was protecting her from other demons, because, the prey is the demon's and it will not have it stolen.

Akashi did say that the stronger they get the more human they are.

But if the demon was so humane to the point where it was capable enough of feeling and showing emotions, from way back to the time when the still relatively small demon had been angry at young Kuroko, just what did that mean? Perhaps, was that demon special?

Kuroko kept the questions to himself, contemplating quietly.

Two months later and there was no sign of those who were supposed to return back to the orphanage. Riko became very agitated and would constantly pace within the house, never straying too far from the windows.

Kiyoshi finally decided to head out and check on them. Which of course, Akashi took it as an opportunity to train Kuroko.

"You should come along, Kuroko. It will be a good experience. You do not have to fight yet, and Murasakibara will protect you as well. "

I understand.

"All five of us will go with Kiyoshi. For them to be held up like this, I can safely assume the circumstances they are in."

Are they that strong?

"They are. Though not stronger than us, they make up for it in other ways. Which is why they are one of the best among the teams that are tasked with such jobs."

And that was how Kuroko found himself on a private jet heading to Kyoto.

Why are we not going by train instead?

"It attracts too much attention," Kise answered. "And it would be very troublesome for Murasakibaracchi."

What do you mean?

"To conceal our presence, Murasakibaracchi will place a barrier. But with this barrier, it also means that no one would be able to leave or board the train. He will have to constantly create a new barrier at every train platform. So a private plane is better."

Is that so… I understand.

The house the team was tasked with was a very large, traditional Japanese-styled mansion. From just one glance, Kuroko felt uncomfortable. There were no demons around the house but yet there was something dangerous about it.

"Come on." Kise nudged him forward gently.

"Wait." Akashi turned around after analysing the mansion. "Murasakibara, cover him with a barrier."

"Okkay."

Kuroko blinked, the air around him distorting and purple lights circled around his body before disappearing.

"Done."

Kuroko reached up, grabbing hold of Murasakibara's shirt.

"Hm? Kuro-chin?"

Thank you, Murasakibara-kun.

"Mm."

"You'll be fine." A large hand ruffled his hair. He looked up at Kiyoshi and gave him a small smile of thanks.

Kuroko turned and followed after Aomine who had already begun walking into the house.

The house was deathly quiet; even their footsteps could not be heard. The garden they were walking pass felt as if it was frozen in time. Akashi suddenly came towards Kuroko and took his notebook and pen out from his hands.

Kuroko. With Murasakibara's barrier, no one, other than those granted permission, will be able to see you. I would like for you to look around the house and find the missing members. You can identify them by the black bracelet with two red gems around their wrist. It has been specially made so even if an extremely strong demon is hiding as a human, it would not be able to copy the bracelet. The other five of us will focus on drawing attention our way. Meet up in this garden once you are done.

Kuroko nodded.

Should the situation become dangerous, you can use your powers .Be warned that when you do, Murasakibara's barrier will break.

Kuroko took the notebook and pen back from Akashi.

I understand. I will be going now.

Akashi gave him a nod and walked away.

Kuroko made his way into the mansion, turning left and heading down a dark hallway. There was barely any light in the house, even the sunlight streaming in through the windows barely illuminated anything. Kuroko was really uneasy about this place, but he had no choice but to continue walking to search for the missing members.

He had no idea where to go though.

He decided to try the last door at the end of the hallway. He slowly and quietly slid the sliding door open. He was met with an empty room. Kuroko stared hard, narrowing his eyes a little. And then he saw them. Little demons, barely larger than his palms filled the room, easily totalling up to a hundred.

And in a corner of the room, a human male. All the demons were focused on the human, whose eyes were blank and sweat ran down their face. The eyes of the little demons were all glowing.

If this human was one of those with special powers, it would mean that he had been in this state for more than two months. No, that's wrong. He was not there when Kuroko had first arrived…which may mean he could have been here for a long time, perhaps even for half a year. How was he even still alive?

Just as Kuroko thought that, a demon suddenly screeched loudly as it was drag towards the human and was destroyed before being absorbed into his body.

Kuroko watched, appalled, as the human's complexion suddenly looked a lot better. This human, was it eating those demons? But wait. Akashi said strong demons do take on a human form. Could this be a demon instead?

Akashi did mention that there was a way to tell the difference between a human and a demon. But, Kuroko could only do so if he uses his power. And he felt that it was too early to break Murasakibara's protective barrier. Besides, he did not even know how many people he was asked to find!

Kuroko blinked. That's right. The black bracelet. Kuroko stepped into room, slowly approaching the human. His right wrist was bare. Kuroko would have to check the left wrist, but it was hidden by the man's body.

Well. Now what?

Kuroko sighed softly.

He needed to somehow move the human enough for him to see the left wrist. But with this many demons watching, any movement is bound to be noticed.

Kuroko decided to risk it. He approached the human, standing as close as he could. He tugged hard on the left sleeve of the man's shirt. The man easily shifted with the movement. He fell onto his right side like a rock. His suddenly movement cause the demons to become restless. They screeched and flew all around the room. It felt like being in a cave with bats.

But Kuroko had already seen what he needed to. A black bracelet with red gems adorned the man's left wrist.

He had to get the man out of the room. Not just that, but Kuroko had to also snap him out of the state he was in. Kuroko's eyes twitched. Did he really have no other choice than to use his powers? Even if he managed to take care of the little demons in the room, he could not guarantee that he would be able to awaken the man.

And to add to that, Kuroko would still have to look for the others. He worried hard about his lack of stamina. Though he had improved from when he had first started training, it was still severely low.

Kuroko crouched in front of the man.

Perhaps just a little would be alright. From what he remembered, the day he had a panic attack and broke Murasakibara's barrier, it was not a total break. Cracks appeared first before they fell.

So if he simply used a little of his power, he could deal with the cracks in the barrier. It would be much better than having it destroyed.

Kuroko reached out a hand, hesitating a little before gently pressing two fingers onto the man's forehead.

Light blue streaks ran from Kuroko's fingertips to the man's forehead, circling once before disappearing into the man. The man's body thrashed violently and Kuroko watched calmly as the man struggled to breathe. His eyes lost their vacant look and was replaced by clear, sharp focus.

Kuroko tilted his head up, took in the cracks crawling across the barrier.

He shifted his head back to look at the man. The man was coughing now, slowly regulating his breathing. He had his head turned towards Kuroko. While he could not see him, he seemed to be able to sense that there was someone there. His eyes stay focused at the spot Kuroko was at.

Kuroko was glad at least. He had managed to awaken the man successfully. Now, to get him out. Judging from how wary the man was, he doubted that he would willingly follow an unknown stranger. Seeing as to how the man seemed to be able to sense him, he would use that to his advantage.

Kuroko stood up. He took note of how the man flinched very slightly.

He made his way near the door, watching the man's eyes track his movements. Reaching the door, he slid it open a little more. From the way the man's eyes narrowed, Kuroko knew the man saw it. He then walked back towards the man, stopping right in front of him. And then he turned around and headed for the door. To the man and back to the door, he did it several times.

With each trip, Kuroko observed the man very closely. Wary confusion was replaced with understanding. The man stood up shakily, stumbling a little before manging to stable himself.

He breathed deeply. Kuroko quickly slipped out of the room.

The little demons' screeches increased in volume and they dove straight towards the man. The man lifted a hand, swiping the air in front of him in one strong swing. The demons all perished. This time, they did not get absorbed into the man's body. In seconds, the way to the door was cleared. The man dashed out of the room, shutting the door hard.

Everything died down after that. The screeches of the demons all disappeared. The door remained firmly shut; looks like the remaining little demons were unable to open it by themselves.

The man sighed, running a hand down his face. He turned towards Kuroko.

"Hey, you. That's Murasakibara's barrier you're hiding in, right? I don't know who you are but seeing as how Murasakibara has offered you protection, I suppose I can safely assume that you're here to help."

Kuroko bowed a little to the man.

"I can identify the presence of each person from that house, even if I'm unable to see them. But I don't know who you are. And the fact that you barely even have any presence to begin with makes it difficult to trust you. I'm Kasamatsu Yukio."

Kuroko blinked. Was he expecting him to introduce himself as well? …that would be difficult, especially since he could not be seen.

"What's wrong? Murasakibara's barrier should allow you to speak. Unless you are refusing to? Or are you unable to?"

Kuroko simply looked at Kasamatsu.

Kasamatsu grunted. "Fine, that's not so important right now. We have to look for the others. There's an abnormally strong demon here. It's huge as well. I got caught by it, barely managed to survive by freezing my state. Just how long I have been stuck here?" He questioned quietly, more to himself than Kuroko.

Kasamatsu looked around.

"Looks like I have been shifted from where I had first collapsed. Let's head to the second floor. Imayoshi, that idiot. He went off towards the second floor alone."

Kuroko stepped forward, walking beside Kasamatsu.

Kasamatsu glanced to the side.

"I doubt you have met any of us yet. The one we're currently searching for is Imayoshi Shoichi. Grey eyes, glasses. And black messy hair, long enough to cover his eyes. His height is about 180cm."

Kuroko nodded. That makes it easier for Kuroko to find.

"Over there. We'll head up those stairs."

They had just made it to the second floor when a loud explosion resounded from outside. Kuroko and Kasamatsu dashed to the nearest window. They stared as Aomine jumped out of the way of the largest demon Kuroko had ever seen, cursing loudly all the while.

"That's the demon! The one that caught me. But to think that all five of the Generation of Miracles actually came here…which means no one made it out of this mansion." Kasamatsu frowned.

"Damn this ridiculously huge pile of mist! Oi, Murasakibara! Hold it back!"

"I already am, Mine-chin. It's hiding its eyes, making it difficult for me you know."

"Duck!" Midorima shouted before another explosion occurred right where Kise and Kiyoshi were standing a second before.

"Damn it! Aominecchi! Hurry up and reveal its eyes!"

"I'm trying, you fool!"

Kuroko blinked. Eyes? Were the eyes the weakness of the demons?

"Hey, come on! Let's go get the rest out while that demon is distracted." Kasamatsu called back, already sprinting down the hallway. Kuroko ran after him.

Kuroko was relieved for the first person he found to be a travelling GPS tracker. Kasamatsu turned down extremely similar-looking corridors and entered rooms with no hesitation. It seems he knew exactly where to find whoever it was that he was looking for. Which Kuroko was very thankful for, because this would make the job go by much quicker.

Kasamatsu stopped before a door. Turning his head towards Kuroko, he said, "It's here."

Kuroko panted hard.

Kasamatsu flung the door open. And froze. Kuroko stepped up and took a look inside as well.

A man was levitated in the middle of the room. Blood dripped from his hair, probably from a very serious head wound. The man's clothes were in tatters, or only his pants were. He lacked a shirt, showing deep wounds across his torso and surely his back as well.

There was not one place that was free of cuts. But what really shocked Kuroko was the completely dislocated arm. The bone tore through the skin and muscles, a stark of white against a sea of red. And the veins were hanging off a flap of muscle.

Kasamatsu quietly stepped into the room. He avoided looking at the man, going around him instead. Only to back-pedal way too fast, causing him to fall backwards. Kuroko followed after him, instinctively reaching out to support him.

But he too, froze.

The man's back was gone. There was only the skeletal frame remaining. The heart and lungs could clearly be seen. The man's intestines were falling out, brushing against the floor. It was as though the man had been eaten by someone, halfway at that.

Kuroko whipped his head around, a hand held to his mouth as he attempted to calm his urge to throw up. He breathed in, only to take in the overpowering smell of blood. He coughed. From the corner of his eyes, Kuroko saw Kasamatsu crouching, facing the wall with a hand over his mouth.

Kuroko turned away and his eyes caught the black bracelet around the man's wrist. The red gems glowed startlingly bright in the dim room. So this man was Imayoshi Shoichi.

"…blood." Kasamatsu whispered. Kuroko blinked at him.

"There's the smell of blood. Not of decomposition, but of fresh blood." Kasamatsu turned his head around, taking care to avoid looking at the body. He fixed his eyes on the ground.

"That should not be possible," Kasamatsu continued to mumble. "I did not have the opportunity to give him a gem made from my power. Unless…" Kasamatsu looked up then, only high enough to look at the wrist of the man. "They're glowing…so he activated it." Kasamatsu's eyes became sharp.

"Hey, phantom guy. Help me get this idiot out. He's currently being kept alive by Akashi's power. We need to get him to Murasakibara as soon as possible. With how bright those red gems are glowing, it's only a matter of time before even they run out of power."

Kuroko stared blankly. Gems? Power? Kasamatsu said he could make a gem out of his power? Kuroko's eyes fell onto the black bracelet. Those red gems, they were made from Akashi's power? Akashi never mentioned anything about this.

"Oi, phantom. Hurry up."

Kuroko stood up, unsure of what to do. "Lead me out. I will carry him, but I will need to focus very closely." Kasamatsu closed his eyes and lifted his hands in Imayoshi's direction. Imayoshi was suddenly lifted higher and then began moving towards Kasamatsu.

Kuroko reached up and grab Kasamatsu's sleeve. He heard even more cracks appearing in Murasakibara's barrier. He began leading Kasamatsu down to the first level.

Kuroko stopped just short of the door. He took a very quick glance back at Imayoshi. Bringing him outside as injured as he was, he would only be a target for the demon. So Kuroko left Kasamatsu in the house and went outside to fetch Murasakibara.

Murasakibara turned his head even before Kuroko reached him.

"Hm?" Murasakibara tilted his head slightly.

Kuroko motioned towards the house.

"Eh, you want me to go in?"

Kuroko nodded quickly.

"Okkkay?"

Murasakibara followed after Kuroko, and nearly crashed into Kasamatsu.

He took one look at Imayoshi, and hissed.

"Those wounds. It's that demon outside who did it, wasn't it?" Murasakibara commented.

"You're here? You should hurry. Akashi's gems are already glowing way too bright." Kasamatsu rushed out, settling Imayoshi onto the ground.

"Yeah, cover me."

Kasamatsu collapsed to the ground, breathing hard. But he still kept a lookout for Murasakibara.

And Kuroko watched for the first time, how Murasakibara healed others. The only time he had any experience with Murasakibara's power was when he was at the receiving end.

Violet light surrounded Imayoshi's body. More and more until Imayoshi became cocooned in light. Murasakibara's eyes glowed eerily. And just like that, it was as though time had frozen.

Kasamatsu did not move an inch, and Murasakibara practically turned into a statue.

Even for Kuroko, who prided himself in his observation skills, had trouble just detecting if Murasakibara was still breathing.

Kuroko jerked, his body losing its strength suddenly. His knees gave out and he barely managed to curl up on the ground and cradled his head with his arms.

The screams hurt.

Kasamatsu barely had any reaction save for a minute flinch.

Could he not hear it well? But the screams were piercingly loud. Imayoshi was screaming in pain as his wounds closed over.

Kuroko desperately tried to stabilize himself. His mind felt like it was being melted down.

A long moment passed before Murasakibara sighed and his eyes no longer glowed.

Kuroko's body went limp.

The violet cocoon unravelled and revealed a completely healed Imayoshi.

"He will be sleeping for a while. I will place a barrier over him so you can leave him here for now."

Kasamatsu nodded his thanks.

Kuroko struggled to sit up. He glanced at Kasamatsu, how was he completely fine?

Murasakibara-kun. Are you alright?

"I'm fine, Kuro-chin. You should quickly go find the others, Akashi wants to leave soon. Find them before he loses control and incinerates that pesky demon."

"Ah! Right! Murasakibara, do something about that phantom guy. I can't see him at all and he doesn't speak. I feel as if I'm talking to a wall!"

"Ahh, alright." Murasakibara waved a hand and Kasamatsu stared hard.

"…I still don't see the guy?"

"Here, here. Kuro-chin is here."

Kasamatsu squinted and then screamed.

"You! You don't even need Murasakibara's barrier to prevent yourself from being seen!"

I apologise for my late introduction. I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. And to answer your question earlier, I am unable to speak.

"Can't speak, huh?" Kasamatsu scanned Kuroko with his eyes. "What are those? Tattoos? You have tattoos?"

"Kuro-chin is special." Murasakibara reached up and touched the cracks in Kuroko's barrier, repairing them.

"Hah?"

"Aka-chin said Kuro-chin's tattoos are just a reaction to his powers. It's the first time this has ever happened."

"Hm. That collar is your restraint then?"

Kuroko nodded.

Kasamatsu-san, are you alright?

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

The screams earlier…

"…you could hear them? How strange. Usually only the healer would have to bear the full burden of it. I could only hear a faint sound, and it was not continuous either."

Kasamatsu stared hard at him. Murasakibara even turned to look at Kuroko.

I do not know why I am able to hear them.

Kasamatsu hummed.

Murasakibara tilted his head at Kuroko, almost childishly.

"Okkkay, go go go. I'm going back outside." With that, Murasakibara left without looking back.

Kuroko blinked, staring at Murasakibara's retreating back.

"Let's get going. Imayoshi was the only one who went up to the second floor, so the rest should be on the first floor. Unless they were shifted like I was."

May I know how many more are we looking for?

"Just two. Kazunari Takao and Sakurai Ryo. Sakurai Ryo is just an ordinary human. Though that may not be all that accurate. A special ordinary human, maybe? For some reason, demons tend to stay away from him. Not in the way they do towards Akashi, but more of disgust. Sakurai is extremely… negatively delusional." Kasamatsu huffed.

"Dealing with him can be frustrating." He shook his head. "Either way, I hope they are together. Kazunari would be able to protect him for the most part."

Kasamatsu-san. May I ask a question?

"What about?"

That black bracelet, why is it that not everyone has them? I have never seen Aomine-kun or the rest wearing it. Kiyoshi-kun and Kagami-kun as well.

"Kiyoshi does have one. But not in a bracelet form, his is an anklet. As for those five and Kagami, it's because they are all ridiculously strong. Even that demon out there could not do them much harm. The reason as to why they're struggling right now is simply because it's always harder to restrain someone than to kill them after all."

I understand.

"As for you though," Kasamatsu's eyes flicked over him, "I do not know why you lack one. Perhaps you are another one of those monsters with strong powers? For Akashi to send you out without offering a bracelet, he either wishes to test you or that he has deemed you would be alright even without his help."

Kuroko glanced at Kasamatsu but did not respond.

Kasamatsu led him down multiple hallways. Door after door they opened, only to come face to face with another hallway.

"Tch. I sure hope we're not stuck in a demon's mind game. I can't seem to be able to reach them."

Where are they?

"Here. Or they should be. I can sense both of them, they're near each other."

But there are only doors and hallways?

"Yeah. Come on. Let's try a few more times."

They ran down hallways, pushing open rusty doors.

"It's no good. We may be stuck in a maze created by a demon. It does not seem to be from the demon outside though. There must be another one here."

Kuroko looked around, taking his time to observe the place. If a demon was here, it would leave some kind of mark behind.

He blinked.

Breathing out slowly, Kuroko made his way to the room across the one they had stopped in front of.

The shoji door appeared to be brand new. The washi was also pure white. Kuroko turned his head around. The other doors all looked old, and were falling apart.

Kuroko reached forward and slid the door open, stepping inside.

It was an ordinary, traditionally styled room. It was a beautiful room, brightly lit with a gentle breeze blowing in from the opened windows. …brightly lit?

"Kuroko!"

Kuroko's head snapped up and he saw Kasamatsu rushing towards him but the door slammed shut before Kuroko could react.

Suddenly, the entire room warped. The bright, peaceful image was broken and a moderately large human-clad demon stood in the now destroyed room.

The demon opened its mouth and black ink fell. The moment it hit the tatami floors, it bubbled and then burned a clean hole through.

The demon's mouthful of fangs extended, looking to be way too large for a human's face. But it did not shed the form. It was also naked, long hair falling over its chest, covering the breasts, all the way to the knees.

So, this demon took a female form. Kuroko had only seen male forms before.

The demon tossed its head to the left and right. It could not see Kuroko. It roared loudly.

It fell to its hands and knees and began crawling all around the room. Kuroko quickly moved out of the way every time it came near him. It flung its head back and roared once more. The room trembled together with it.

Kuroko stared at the face of the demon. Its mouth was ripped opened to make space for the fangs. There was no nose. The eyes of the demon were completely black, no sclera and no iris. It was completely protruding from the sockets. Kuroko flinched.

Looking at those eyes reminded him of back when the yellow-eyed demon's guard had swallowed him whole with only its eyes.

Kuroko had to get out of the room.

But he was reluctant to simply leave the demon.

He wanted to kill it.

Kuroko lips twitched, slowly stretching into a smirk.

The blue of his irises became clouded, darkening until they were completely black. With this demon, he could test out his power that he had been hiding. He licked his lips.

Blue streaks swirled around him and were steadily eroded by black until it was no longer blue that surrounded him, but pure, deep black.

Murasakibara's barrier fell apart.

The demon turned its head and roared at Kuroko upon sighting him, before charging full speed towards him.

Kuroko grinned.

He lifted a hand and black lights gathered at the tips of his fingers, collecting into a ball. It was not large; the size of an average golf ball. He flicked two of his fingers and the black ball collided into the demon, head first.

The demon froze, confused. It could not move at all, the black ball stilled all its movements.

Kuroko tilted his head, admiring the view of the helpless demon.

As vile as it was, a demon is still a demon. Kuroko would have much preferred a better looking one but it would still be useful. Kuroko clenched his hand into a fist. The black ball expanded in size and swallowed the demon together with everything in the room. Kuroko himself included.

A moment later the ball shrunk (much smaller than the size it started with), and dropped gently into Kuroko's open palm.

The room was no longer a room, just a black empty space. Kuroko floated in the middle of it. He lifted the ball above his head, smiling.

He was proud of himself for using that power in such a small space. Looks like all the training he did whenever he was granted out alone was worth it. That is, hunting down the demons and turning them into a source of power.

Tilting his head up slightly, Kuroko placed the ball into his mouth.

And swallowed.

The source of this power was none other than the demons themselves. Although Kuroko was mildly upset that the power was not white, the colour of the demons. He licked his fingers.

He was shocked when he had first seen Kasamatsu consuming the demons, but then realised that he was not using them the way Kuroko was.

Kuroko did not have to worry.

He breathed out softly, and his eyes faded back to their usual blue.

Kasamatsu must have been worried, he had to hurry back. He raised a hand and motioned the way one would open a sliding door. The black space split down the middle and Kuroko stepped through the space in between. He landed right in front of the room he had disappeared into.

Kasamatsu was there, staring at him in shock. Then he screamed.

Kuroko smiled slightly, bowing his head towards Kasamatsu.

"How did you get out? What about that demon?"

I have defeated it. But Murasakibara's barrier broke in the process. Shall we quickly go get Kazunari-san and Sakurai-san?

"…yeah." Kasamatsu looked at him critically but said nothing else.

They managed to retrieve Kazunari and Sakurai safely. It seems that they were caught by the demon Kuroko had defeated and not the large demon outside, and Kazunari had used Kasamatsu's gems to freeze both his own, and Sakurai's conditions.

Kasamatsu had woken them up.

Kasamatsu's gems were able to encase the user with a barrier so that the demons would not be able eat them, and freeze their current state at the same time, which allowed them to still remain alive even after months of no food or water.

The gems are also a signal. As the gem is drain of its power, it would glow brightly so that they could be easily found and rescued by comrades.

To activate them was a simple task; just drip your blood unto the gem and say the word to activate it which changes with every new gem made, Kazunari explained (after the customary cry of shock upon finally noticing Kuroko).

And Kuroko had first-hand experience with Sakurai's extreme negativity, also taking the stares of both in stride. They could not seem to look away from his tattoos.

They rushed straight to the garden to meet up with the rest, picking up the still unconscious Imayoshi on the way.

Akashi saw them first.

"Finally. Daiki, Atsushi. Step away."

Aomine and Murasakibara jumped backwards, landed just a little behind Akashi.

"I'm taking you back with me, little demon." Akashi smiled. "I would like to have a good talk with you."

The demon roared.

Akashi's gold eye glowed and he stepped forward, right in front of the demon.

"Shrink." Akashi commanded, voice soft.

The demon seemed to be struggling.

"Shrink."

The demon let out a tortured cry, thrashing as it shrunk to the size of the little demons Kuroko had first seen, which was about that of an average male's palm.

Akashi pulled out a simple folded flat square from his jacket. He pushed onto the sides of the paper and it stretched out into a 3D box. He threw the paper square towards the demon and it sucked the demon in.

It then flew back to Akashi who kept it in his jacket once more.

"Let's go." Akashi's eyes glanced over at the members who had been missing. And landed on Kuroko. "Well done, Tetsuya."

Kuroko bowed.

Kuroko was formally introduced to the members back at home.

Kasamatsu Yukio, Imayoshi Shoichi, Kazunari Takao and Sakurai Ryo.

Kasamatsu and Sakurai ignored Kuroko, not intentionally but simply because they did not notice him. And Kuroko was fine with that.

But Imayoshi Shoichi left Kuroko extremely unsettled every time he glanced at him, though he was ignored for the most part.

Kuroko decided that those three did not require much of his attention.

But Kazunari Takao was a different matter. He happily invaded a person's personal space with no regard for the other party's feelings. While he was not doing so with hidden intentions, Kuroko still felt that he would be extremely troublesome to deal with in the future, especially with how he seemed to be able to spot him so easily.

It felt as though the very first time he had been surprised by Kuroko was a lie. Kuroko really disliked the way his eyes tracked his movements every time he moved.

Akashi had apparently gotten information out of the demon. He had disappeared for a while, heading somewhere else after ordering the rest to return home without him.

The demon had given him a name, 'Hanamiya' and followed with 'Master' before it refused to say anymore. Whoever this 'Hanamiya' was, the demon had apparently viewed him in high regard.

Akashi was not happy though.

The demon was too old, and rather than wise, it was extremely cunning. It had even self-destructed when he realised he could not defy Akashi and was about to tell him everything under the influence of Akashi's power.

But at least they had a clue. Even though there were tons of Hanamiyas in just one prefecture. Still, it was better than having no leads whatsoever.

All the large, absurdly strong demons seemed to be controlled by that person.

If they could manage to destroy that person, they would have an easier time killing off the strong demons. Because their core is their master. Without a core, they will be separated and weaker than if the core is intact. This was what they had learnt from demons that were caught by Akashi before, though none of them had mentioned any name until now.

Usually, the little demons are left alone until they grew stronger. It was a never-ending battle that they were fighting. But they could not kill every single one of the demons; a lack of manpower is one thing but the main reason was that the demons were needed to maintain balance of the world.

And to makes things worse, Imayoshi commented that he knew of a Hanamiya when he was in middle school, though he had apparently lost contact with him.

Imayoshi had avoided most of Akashi's questioning, resulting in a tension that left everyone uncomfortable.

It was all extremely complicated, really.

The more he learnt, the more Kuroko felt confused.

So he took a walk to the family restaurant nearby. He left behind a note saying that he would be heading to the mall, not quite a lie since he would be near the mall, but it would be bad if they came after him thinking something had happened.

Once he was quite a distance away, Kuroko kept all his senses tuned for anyone following him. No one had seemed to notice when Kuroko snuck out, but he had an inkling that Akashi and Takao knew.

He slipped into the darkness of the trees just in case. It was a good thing it was already dark out. Kuroko hid behind a tree, breathing out quietly before activating his power. His presence was erased completely and Kuroko sighed happily.

Time to go hunting.

He walked pass the park slowly, eyes carefully searching. There were few people out, but a young couple caught his eye. They were sitting on a bench and the girl was stroking the guy's face and sides. She giggled happily, sliding her arms around the guy to hug him, rubbing his back.

They shared small kisses every now and then.

Kuroko stared.

His tattoos glowed. He opened his mouth, and spoke.

Good evening.

The girl froze, trembling. Her wide eyes darted around wildly. The guy remained unaffected. So it was the girl huh. Pitiful guy, having a demon for a girlfriend.

Are you well?

The girl – or rather, the demon – pushed the guy away harshly. She stood up and whipped her head from left to right, desperately trying to search for something she could not see.

Kuroko smiled. It was not quite accurate to say he was truly speaking. He simply manipulated the air around the park, causing it to vibrate and with skilled manoeuvring, guided the vibrating air through the leaves and holes in the trees to create a 'voice'. Emulating the way a voice box works in a human though this 'voice' could only be heard by demons.

Kuroko was surprised when he first discovered this power. But then he realised that Kagami had the power over fire, so it would not be so strange for Kuroko to develop an elemental ability as well.

Perhaps this was caused by his lack of voice? That demon had taken away something from him, so he had unconsciously tried to replace it somehow?

Either way, it was useful enough.

Hey. Do you want to play?

The girl tensed. And then she growled. Her green eyes darted around the park.

No? It will be fun. All you have to do is run. This park will be our setting. Run, and I will chase you. Just a simple game of hide and seek. If you manage to hide from me until the end, you win.

The girl's body trembled hard. Her mouth opened and a mouthful of fangs started to extend.

Changing already? What about your boyfriend behind you?

Abruptly, the demon snapped its mouth shut. To say Kuroko was surprised was an understatement. Usually, the demons he had contact with would devour anyone near them instead.

But this one, it actually held itself back.

Kuroko tilted his head.

How interesting. You, a demon, actually going so far as to hide your appearance in front of a human?

The girl growled, lowering her head to use her long hair to cover her face when her boyfriend approached her.

It seems he had made the right choice. Kuroko's eyes darken to black.

He chuckled. This caused the air to vibrate, sending his laughter to the demon. She shivered.

I like you. I'll give you a countdown, okay? 3, 2, 1. Start running!

The demon gently shoved her boyfriend unto the bench. And then she ran.

Kuroko laughed.

"Heya, Akashi?"

"Kazunari."

"Hey, hey. Who exactly is that phantom kid that joined recently?"

"Kuroko Tetsuya."

"No, no, no. I know his name. I mean what's up with the kid? I sense a hell lot of messed up shit inside him."

"…care to explain?"

"Hm? You couldn't tell? That kid isn't exactly stable. I don't know why, but there's lots of demon presence within him."

"The last time I checked, the presence came from the collar."

"No, the collar does have presence, but it's not that. I'm talking about inside him. It's…how should I say it? Hm. Well, like he is fragmented on the inside? He no longer feels 'whole'. He's worse than you guys were!"

"…I have never noticed."

"I think it's because he's been around you guys more. When he's with you guys, that demon presence gets suppressed, I'm not sure if it's a conscious thing. But alone, it just seems to almost take over him."

"You have been watching him, haven't you?"

"Weeeell. There's something about him that just unsettles me. Honestly, I get scared of his powers. I can sense an incredibly vast amount of it. If he were to get even stronger, I probably will stand no chance against him."

"I have sensed that too. Which is why I am having him undergo training from us."

"Eh?! Why? You want him to get even stronger?!"

"With us monitoring his training, there are things about himself that he will never know. Because we won't allow it. He will only learn things useful to us."

"…"

"Your eye is all weird again. The other Akashi, huh."

"Hm."

"Well. Do as you wish. I take no part in monitoring him though."

"That is fine. You are hardly here anyway. Not much use even if you volunteer."

"…well. I'm heading to bed now. You gonna wait up for him?"

"No. I shall retire to bed as well."

Kuroko lightly stepped across the large pebbles that formed a bridge over the mud.

He stopped when the moon shone brightly down on him.

Kuroko dug around in his pocket and pulled out a small black ball. He held it up to the light.

The moon's light illuminated the ball, turning it translucent on the inside. He watched, fascinated as the demon writhe in agony within. Bright green eyes burned with hate as it looked at him.

I see you are angry.

The demon bared its mouth.

Hm, I guess this is the downside of demons being much too humane. So much so, that a demon could actually fall in love with a different species.

Black ink dripped from the mouth of the demon.

I've been thinking about that black ink. It's something similar to poison, isn't it? I wonder if I can convert it to a form of power too? It seems impressive enough.

The demon lunged at him.

Kuroko smiled.

Really, the slip-ups from the other members of the orphanage provided more than enough information for Kuroko to learn on his own. Kise and Murasakibara had mentioned something about the eyes of the demon back then, so Kuroko had experimented on targeting the demon's eyes.

It worked wonderfully.

Truly, the eyes were the weakness. He did not know why but it did not matter. It made it easier for him.

Now, he could target stronger ones. And gain even more power.

Black light enveloped the ball, and Kuroko could hear the demon's screams.

When the lights disappeared, all that's left was a white mist-filled ball. No demon in sight.

Kuroko popped the ball into his mouth, swallowing.

Licking his lips, he smiled at the moon that shone down on him.

Well. Time to go back.

Kuroko spun around, nimbly crossing the muddy, dried-out pond. He deactivated his power as well.

Upon reaching home, the house was quiet. He silently padded to his room and collapsed onto his bed.

He breathed deeply.

Kuroko watched the cage within him.

The fire surrounding the cage was still burning, albeit less bright and fiercely now.

The metal bars were starting to rust.

Kuroko stood there, waiting.

Something shifted within the cage and then blue eyes stared back at him.

He judged the eyes, it was still bright and clear.

So it was not time yet.

Kuroko inclined his head, and closed his eyes.

Recently, Kuroko constantly felt Akashi's eyes on him.

Was he too careless?

No, it had always been perfectly fine, until he came.

Kazunari Takao.

Really, Kuroko just knew he would be trouble. How annoying. Kuroko was going to have to place more effort in sealing all the power within him. If Akashi were to 'look' within him while his guard was low, it would be the end.

No, not yet.

He would not allow it to end like this.

Kuroko meticulously created more seals for his powers. It would be troublesome to take them down every time he needed to use his powers but it was something Kuroko was willing to go through. Akashi absolutely could not find out.

He was very careful with his training as well. With so many people watching him, he could not afford to make a single mistake, however minor it may be.

The days flew by, with the Generation of Miracles taking turns to scout around the city for 'Hanamiya'. Kasamatsu and his team had left for another trip, this time to Nagoya. Kagami visited very frequently, helping Kuroko train.

As Kuroko's powers grew and became stable, his tattoos increased as well.

He felt nothing the first time they appeared, but now as they increased, they were accompanied by a burning pain that had Kuroko curled up in bed, utterly useless.

The tattoos had spread down his back, to his thighs.

Kuroko thought that it was about time he started to learn to hide them. But no one knew how. Not even Akashi. Though he did suggest a few exercises that only tired him out. Over the next few months, Kuroko trained hard and attempted to hide his tattoos using the least amount of power.

Kuroko quietly padded down the stairs to the kitchen. It was dark, but he had been in this place long enough for him to easily navigate without much light.

Kuroko was surprised when he had glanced at the calendar stuck onto the fridge. He had never taken much notice of it before. From when he had first entered the orphanage till now, it had nearly been a year. He lightly brushed his fingers across the calendar. The months had passed by so quickly.

Kuroko turned away from the fridge, heading back up to his room with his glass of water.

The day he managed to successfully hide his tattoos, a lead on 'Hanamiya' was found.

Before they left, Akashi had sat Kuroko down once more. And Kuroko finally met the 'other Akashi' again, excluding the very brief moment back at the mansion.

And Kuroko finally understood.

He would not say that he was completely certain, but from what he gathered, Akashi had something akin to split personalities.

His other side would show himself the more power he uses. And by that, Kuroko means a lot of power. With Akashi staring at him so intensely, Kuroko was barely able to keep himself focused enough to hide away everything that must not be revealed.

He was under tremendous pressure, his mind felt like it was going to be ripped apart if he did not allow Akashi to 'look' within him. But Kuroko persevered. And he won.

Akashi drew back, stated that Kuroko was 'completed'. His powers were now stable and would no longer develop any new ones. The powers that the rest knew were; his ability to control air and to generate electricity.

Akashi had satisfactorily complimented Kuroko on his useful abilities. After all, his control over electricity was special. Normally, demons are not affected by such powers (they were just a cloud of mist after all), but Kuroko could modify his power to have them work against demons or humans.

It was the way he had awoken Kasamatsu back then, because Kasamatsu had been breathing fine and his heart was steady. So Kuroko chose to run a very mild current straight to the brain to force it to experience a shock. Too much, and a person could die very easily.

Kuroko simply bowed at Akashi's praise.

He was glad that no one found out about his other powers.

They found themselves back in Kyoto.

Though this time, they were currently staying in an acquaintance's house. Momoi Satsuki, Aomine's childhood friend apparently.

Momoi had somehow taken to Kuroko after he had given her an ice cream. Well, an ice cream stick. He had won a free ice cream, but he was hesitant to pick out a flavour in fear that he ended up offering her something she did not like, so he gave her the stick for her to make her own choice.

That action resulted in a very sulky Murasakibara and a clingy Momoi. He had pacified Murasakibara with a recently released, new flavour of potato chips that he had yet to try because they were always sold out every time Murasakibara visited a convenience store.

But Kuroko did not quite know how to deal with Momoi.

They had stayed in Momoi's house for a couple of days, which Akashi had given Kuroko a task.

Break his restraint.

Everyone had tensed up after that, Murasakibara even constantly offering his chips to Kuroko. Kagami (who had tagged along this time), had splendidly cursed.

Kuroko could guess that this would not be pleasant at all.

Over the next few days, Kuroko had tried multiple attempts at destroying his restraint. There was no progress, and the others were under orders to not help him.

Exhausted, Kuroko lay panting on the sofa.

His eyes slid shut and suddenly, he saw the cage.

Blue eyes stared hard at him; a metal bar had already completely rusted away.

Kuroko stared.

His neck ached.

Lifting a hand, he brushed his fingers across his neck.

It can't be.

Was the restraint linked to him?

How did he not notice?

Blue eyes blinked lazily.

Kuroko's body shook.

Is that how it is? He asked.

Those blue eyes never strayed from his.

Kuroko burst out in laughter, using a hand to stifle it.

So it was like that, huh.

Kuroko laughed till tears gathered in his eyes, he crouched down in front of the cage. His tears fell in steady drops to the ground. A hand pressed against his eyes, hiding his face as he cried.

He did not know how long he remained that way, but Kuroko breathed harshly, forcing himself to still his cries.

He looked up, into those eyes. Kuroko's tears flowed down his face.

And? What do you think?

The blue eyes blinked slowly, and finally looked away from him, towards the flames behind.

Kuroko turned his head.

He watched as the weak fire suddenly burned brightly.

Kuroko looked back into those eyes.

Okay, I understand.

Kuroko stood up, wiping away his tears and made to leave. A voice whispered in his mind.

"…"

He glanced behind him, watching those eyes until they disappeared.

Kuroko smiled, closing his eyes.

I know.

"Kurokocchi!"

Kuroko blinked his eyes open.

"Kurokocchi? Are you alright?"

Kuroko stared at Kise. He shifted, sitting up on the sofa.

He sent a small smile towards Kise.

"You scared me. Were you having a nightmare?"

Kuroko shook his head, pulling out his notebook.

I am alright, Kise-kun. Unfortunately, I do not remember my dream so I am unsure if it was a nightmare.

"That's alright. You were shifting restlessly so I got worried. If you're fine then, I'm glad."

Thank you for your concern, Kise-kun.

Kise ruffled his hair.

"Kise, Kuroko."

Kuroko glanced over his shoulder at Midorima.

"Akashi wants a meeting. Head over to the kitchen."

Akashi had sent a critical look at Kuroko's neck upon noticing him.

"I see you have not managed to break your restraint. Well, I shall place that matter on hold for now. Hanamiya has been spotted. We're heading out."

Momoi had proved to be extremely capable in gathering information. According to her, the Hanamiya they were looking for was most likely 'Hanamiya Makoto.' She had even managed to gather a very recent photo of him as well as information that he possessed an unknown ability. She said that he only had one power, but to still be cautious.

With a face in mind, they headed out to hunt down Hanamiya.

Momoi stayed behind, she did not like fighting.

They arrived at an old 4-storey apartment complex.

Once again, Kuroko was reminded of the atmosphere of when they had visited the mansion. Although this was not quite the same. At the mansion, the air had reeked of danger. The building in front of him did not.

In fact, it was so ordinary that Kuroko couldn't believe his eyes at first. But even so, there was something about this apartment building.

Akashi led the group into the building, through the emergency stairs and straight up to the roof.

And Hanamiya Makoto was right there.

He was exactly the same as the picture Momoi had shown them, right down to his clothes.

He leaned against the railing, lazily smoking as he watched the carpark.

Kuroko shifted his eyes to follow Hanamiya's gaze. The carpark was on the opposite side of the one they had entered from. He was unsure if Hanamiya had seen their approach.

"I'm honoured," Hanamiya drawled, "that all five of the Generation of Miracles actually came."

"Hanamiya Makoto." Akashi said, though it felt more like an accusation.

"That's me!" Hanamiya called back cheerfully, tilting his head back. He had not once turned his head to look at them.

"There is someone that really interests me from your group." Hanamiya chuckled. He finally looked back at them; his eyes staring straight at Kuroko. "I recognised that thing 'round your neck. Did you like the present from my adorable child?"

Kuroko stared.

Akashi's eyes narrowed.

"Child?" Kise asked. "What child?"

"Ahh? Did you come all unprepared? You can't do that, ya know." Hanamiya's eyes turned to Kise and he grinned widely, teeth smashing the cigarette in his mouth. "You will die."

Everyone tensed, but Hanamiya only continued on.

"My children, those that you guys so ruthlessly label as 'demons'."

"Whaddya mean? Those ain't anybody's child. They are just souls created from the dead." Aomine stated.

Hanamiya threw his head back and stared at the sky, the smile never left his face.

"Yea, sure. At first. And then I take them, and groom 'em. They will grow the way I order them to and they obey me without question."

Hanamiya threw his arms open, spreading them wide. "Just like this."

The doors of every apartment flew open and human-clad demons began scaling the walls towards the rooftop, leaving behind broken nails and trails of blood. Kise's cry of disgust echoed around the rooftop as the demons rushed with each other to climb over the railings.

Sounds of bodies falling and hitting the ground could be heard clearly. The ones that had already reached the rooftop gravitated straight for Hanamiya.

Black ink dripped from their mouths.

Kuroko's eyes focused on the ink. He quickly contained a smirk.

"Well. This looks like a wonderful zombie apocalypse." Midorima huffed, pushing up his glasses. His other hand held on tight to a skipping rope.

Hanamiya tilted his head, and an unspoken command was issued.

The demons – probably a hundred of them– spread around the rooftop, circling the group and blocking off all exits. Since there were so many of them, the rest still remained close to Hanamiya.

"Here." Hanamiya reached into the mess of bodies and pulled out a body, tossing it a few feet away from the group.

It collapsed face-first.

The body shifted, slowly moving into a sitting position. Long light blue hair fell over their face.

Kuroko's breathing turned shallow.

The head of blue hair suddenly rose, and its face was in full view. Kuroko stared into their eyes.

He choked.

Those familiar eyes, that face. Even if the body had been reduced to that of an elementary child's, that appearance did not change at all. Kuroko knew that face.

His mother.

His mother was here, right in front of him.

He staggered.

The girl opened her mouth and black ink pooled over, spilling to the floor.

Kuroko reeled back.

He would have fallen if not for Kagami who supported his back. "Kuroko? Wha– " Kagami cut himself off when his eyes fell onto the girl. Kuroko had always bore a great resemblance to his mother, and now was no different. Anyone could easily tell just who the girl in front of them was.

"That can't be…" Kise held a hand to his mouth, shocked beyond words.

Hanamiya chuckled. "Poor kid. You were rather close to her, no?" He lifted a hand and the human behind him shed its human form.

The demon that had endlessly haunted Kuroko's mind appeared in front of him. The yellow eyes that Kuroko knew were once again staring at him.

"You see, I was curious about who was the one that kept my child away for such a long time. So I ordered him to bring back the soul of his target and not to devour it.

"And then I found you in that hospital. All well and alive."

Hanamiya shifted his eyes to Midorima. "Your security around your hospital is amazingly weak." He smirked. Midorima snarled, taking a step forward before he was stopped by Akashi.

Hanamiya snorted. "Well anyway. I got curious so I decided to experiment with you. I had him," he nodded towards the yellow-eyed demon, "place a restraint on you to watch you while I raised her personally.

"And to my satisfaction, you came running after me together with those special five. My decision to leave you there for them to take notice of worked splendidly.

"Now, Kuroko Tetsuya. Come and entertain me, alright? If you don't, your friends will die."

With those words, the demon with the face of Kuroko's mother lunged at him, biting down hard on his arm.

"Kuroko!" Kagami exclaimed, reaching to pry the demon's fangs off of Kuroko.

But before he could, all the surrounding demons started to attack the group. Kuroko was rapidly enveloped by the white mist of the yellow-eyed demon, and to the horror of the group, he completely vanished.

Together with Hanamiya Makoto.

Kuroko grunted, and slowly opened his eyes.

He looked around.

There was nothing, it was a simple white space. The floor he was laying on was not exactly a floor either. Although it felt firm, the ground was completely transparent. He pushed himself up.

"Finally up?"

Kuroko's head snapped up at he stared at Hanamiya sitting a distance away from him. The demon with his mother's face sat daintily beside Hanamiya.

"As you know, the stronger they are, the more human they become. So," Hanamiya stroked the hair of the demon, "I would like you to fight against her."

Kuroko glared.

"It's not that bad, right? After all, it a demon that you're supposed to hate. Just that this one takes a face of one you know very well.

"The longer you take to kill her, the longer your friends will have to fight. I have slowed down the time in here; every minute here is ten minutes slower than outside."

Hanamiya smiled.

"Do you like it? It's a special spider web that I crafted for you from the very beginning."

Hanamiya's eyes widened in sadistic pleasure. "I'll have you know that those demons are specially raised by me. Even with the crazy powers of your friends, it would be difficult for them to kill just one."

He rocked himself from side to side, smiling.

"So, try your best, alright?"

Without warning, the demon ran straight to Kuroko, with clear intent to kill him.

Hanamiya disappeared.

Kuroko dodged the demon.

He knew, he knew that it was a demon and that it was not really his mother. But his heart refused to listen to his mind.

Kuroko ran away from the demon, refusing to neither attack nor be hurt.

But Kuroko always had weak stamina. He began to tire, and had many near misses with the demon intend on ripping his leg off.

Mother.

Mother.

Mother.

Kuroko tripped over his feet and fell to the ground. He desperately gasped, drawing in as much as air as he could.

The demon's small body landed over him, those eyes devoid of all emotions stared at him.

It opened its mouth wide, showing off rows of sharp fangs.

And it dived straight for Kuroko's neck.

Kuroko watched the demon, unable – unwilling – to look away from the visage he had missed so terribly.

He stared, motionless even as fangs began to tear into his neck.

And then his eyes widened in shock. Mustering all his strength, he threw the demon off of him.

Blood spilled from the puncture wounds on his neck, soaking into his shirt.

Had he seen it wrongly? But he had been so close, he couldn't be wrong.

Those eyes. They had shone with overwhelming sadness, as if the demon was about the cry.

And the voice he had heard. Kuroko trembled hard. The demon staggered to its feet.

Kill me please, Tetsuya.

It turned its head towards Kuroko and began to charge at him.

The demon's eyes were no longer cold. Kuroko recognised those eyes. It was his mother. He stood up.

His head rang with her voice.

Please, Tetsuya. It hurts. Help me.

Kuroko heard a loud shattering from within him.

Help me!

The cage within Kuroko tore apart.

The restraint around his neck glowed brightly and tightened, suffocating him.

No longer able to keep his focus, Kuroko's tattoos became visible. They glowed as well.

Kuroko's body was wreaked with immeasurable pain.

The restraint broke.

Kuroko screamed.

The demon backed away. Kuroko panted, stumbling. He made his way over to the demon.

Upon meeting his eyes, the demon froze.

He laid a gentle hand on the demon's head, and then fell to his knees, hugging the demon tightly.

"Mother."

The demon trembled.

"Mother, I'm sorry. I couldn't save you. Forgive me."

Tetsuya.

Kuroko stiffened.

Tetsuya. It's alright.

Kuroko shut his eyes.

You couldn't do it back then, but now, it's different, isn't it?

Kuroko held on to the demon tighter.

It's alright. Please.

Kuroko's body glowed with blue light. Blue streaks surrounded them.

Thank you, Tetsuya.

Kuroko pulled back and looked at the face of the demon. But it wasn't the demon anymore. There were no fangs, no dripping black ink. It was the face of his mother. And her body grew; it was no longer the size of a child's.

Her eyes were soft as she gazed at him.

She lifted a hand, resting it against his face.

And she smiled happily.

I love you.

A thunderstorm of light blue lights crashed down on her.

Kuroko found himself back on the rooftop.

Everyone had fallen to the ground, even Akashi. They were too injured to continue fighting.

They gasped in shock when they saw him.

"Kurokocchi!"

"Tetsu?!"

"Kuroko!"

Kuroko graced them with a glance. Ignoring the tears tracking down his face.

"Kurokocchi? Are you crying?" Kise made a pitiful attempt to stand up, failing miserably.

Kuroko ignored him, and instead looked around.

The demons had all frozen, Hanamiya stood in the centre of them.

"So you succeeded." Hanamiya commented.

"I have." Kuroko responded. Which led to another round of outburst from the group.

"You can speak?!"

"The restraint's gone! You broke it?"

"Forget that! Are you injured?! You're bleeding!"

Kuroko paid them no attention.

"Hanamiya Makoto."

"Yeeees, Kuroko Tetsuya?"

"I have accomplished my personal goals. I have also destroyed my last remaining fragment. Now, I no longer have any need to hold back."

"Ohh? What? You wanna kill me?"

"Yes."

Hanamiya laughed. "Do you think you will be able to do so?"

"Yes."

Hanamiya sneered.

"Such confidence. Fine! Come! I shall break you."

Kuroko breathed out lightly.

His eyes faded to black.

He heard horrified gasps behind him.

"Hm? What's this?" Hanamiya cocked his head to the side.

Kuroko remained silent and lifted his hand, palm facing up.

Black lights gathered into his palm, growing quickly in size. The black ink all around the rooftop gathered and merged together with the lights.

When it was large enough, Kuroko raised his hand to the sky and threw the gigantic black ball upwards.

"I will have you killed. I will not allow you to play with the souls who are treasured by others."

The ball hurled down from the sky and exploded before reaching the roof, sinking everyone present into endless darkness.

Akashi groaned, his head hurt.

He struggled to get up and open his eyes. He heard multiple grunts of pain all around him.

His eyes opened, and he found himself in the living room of the orphanage.

Kise, Aomine, Murasakibara, Midorima and Kagami were all there.

Akashi grimaced at their state, they were all badly injured.

What had happened? How did they get back?

Akashi tried hard to recall.

Kuroko had disappeared, only to suddenly reappear. He had then spoken. Right, he had successfully broken through his restraint.

And then…

And then Kuroko had looked strange. His eyes were no longer blue but black. He had tossed something large and black into the sky.

And there was only darkness after that.

Akashi looked around, scanning the room.

Kuroko was not there.

His eyes fell unto a piece of paper on the coffee table in front of the sofa he was on.

He stood up, stumbling his way to the table. His body hurt. He picked up the paper.

Thank you for everything.

Goodbye.

Akashi stared at the note.

So, Kuroko left. Hiding his powers from them all this while, using it at the end and then disappearing. What powers were those anyway? Akashi had never seen anything like it. It felt disastrously malevolent.

Akashi was reminded of Takao's words.

'…what's up with the kid? I sense a hell lot of messed up shit inside him.'

'That kid isn't exactly stable.'

'…there's lots of demon presence within him.'

Akashi frowned.

"Oww. Where – eh. Akashicchi? This is...the living room? How did we get back?"

"Damn it, Kise. So noisy. Damn, that hurts."

"Aominecchi! You're alive!"

"How are you so lively and annoyingly loud even with all those injuries?"

"Kagamicchi!"

"Ah, Akashi? Wait. Where's Kuroko?"

Akashi ignored Kagami's questions, crumpling up the note and tossing it back to the table. Kagami reached for it, and a chorus of shocked exclamations resounded.

Kuroko Tetsuya.

Akashi's gold eye flashed.

I will find you.

Kuroko grinned as he dropped the mutilated body to the ground.

The demon trapped in his little black ball barrier screeched at him.

"What's wrong? Are you upset that I killed her?"

The demon screeched louder.

"She is only a measly human for you, no? Why do you care?"

The demon thrashed against the barrier.

"It's necessary training for me. I've been using too much of the power gained from you guys. I can't have myself getting rusty from not using the powers I've painstakingly developed."

The demon did not cease the screeching or thrashing.

With a single glance, Kuroko easily destroyed the demon within the ball.

He sighed, and started walking aimlessly.

The bright blue glow of his tattoos never faded, a sharp contrast to his black eyes.

Little black balls of varying sizes floated around him, not too near but easily reachable if he stretches out his hand.

Every now and then, he would reach for one and popped it into his mouth.

Kuroko stared at a family of six approaching an alley, most likely returning home from dinner.

He smirked.

Kuroko made his way over, surprising them with his sudden appearance from within the alley.

They had screamed in shock.

Kuroko smiled softly, tilting his head.

"Good evening."

End.