Sorry for the loooong wait, but chapter 5 is finally here!

Meiyo12, Akashi Seiko-chan, thanks for the review! ^^

5. Chapter:

The one with the first attempt

"He really thought of everything," the bluenette smiled dryly.

On the desk in front of him was his guidebook from Koro-sensei. The boy was flipping the pages counting how many of them gave the advice at becoming an assassin or simply murdering someone. Of course, most of it was about talking him out of it, giving reasonable points about why it was not suited for him or stating examples about negative impacts it could have on his life. It covered everything, emotional impact on himself as well as problems with law.

Yet, in the end, it stated clearly that even if his former teacher was against him choosing that kind of path, if Nagisa himself gave a deep thought about it and even after considering everything written until now he did choose that path for himself, he would have Koro-sensei's full support. After that there were actually important lessons about assassination.

Nagisa only wondered how much of his future the octopus predicted. The boy himself had told him that he wouldn't become an assassin and yet the superbeing wrote almost two hundred pages about the topic.

Nagisa closed the book and lied his head atop it thinking about everything he had read. He just had to do it. His instincts were screaming at him, his heart racing in excitement and his lips were twitching into delirious smile. He had to give in, he would go mad otherwise. Besides, he couldn't stand the thought of Tetsuya being somewhere out there.

'Don't be hasty, think about what you has read,' the bluenette scolded himself and opened the book again.

He couldn't do things halfheartedly. He was more than set on going through with it, but he wanted to listen to his teacher and his advice. He looked up to him. There was no way that he would ignore all that he had to say to that matter.

"Four. Days."

Kuroko shivered under the look Riko Aida gave him. The girl's voice was calm and she wore a smile on her face. But there was no way that would fool the boy. She was angry. No, she was raging. There was no way he would get out of this unscathed. He actually skipped practice for four whole days. He was pretty much a dead man.

"So? Do you have any excuse?"

She was ruthless when it came to practice. But if he had a really good explanation, she would let him off the hook. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

"I do not," he admitted. "I'm really sorry."

The girl's face turned red in rage. Kuroko feared the worst. And it surely came to that. Riko Aida was dangerous when angry. A man twice her size would start tremble once she raised her voice. But she wasn't the scariest while shouting, but the exact opposite.

"Oh, you will be. Very well. You first years surely give your coach a hard time. Since you missed four days worth of practice I suppose you don't mind working four times harder than the others today. You have no complaints, right?" her words were sweet but her expression didn't match them. Riko would kill with her glare if she could.

Kuroko gulped. The practice was already hard as it was. There was no way for him to survive training four times that hard. But he would have to be mad to complain. He shot a glance at his teammates wishing that at least one of them would be stupid enough to come to his rescue. Not that he didn't realize that it was just a pipe's dream.

Hyuuga and the others watched the ordeal with pitty in their eyes. They knew how ruthless Riko was and they wished they had enough courage to stood up to her. But, in the end, the only thing they were capable of doing was praying for Kuroko's survival. Well, except one Iron Heart.

"Give him a break, Riko," Teppei Kiyoshi smiled kindly, not intimidated by the girl's glare at all.

"Kuroko is a diligent kid. I'm sure there is a good reason to why he didn't come. Besides, he wasn't neglecting practice. I saw him yesterday training on one basketball court. Can you forgive him just this once?" he smiled kindly at the girl who gave him an annoyed look.

"Just this once," she murmured after a while and turned her back at the players.

The eyes of admiration fell on Kiyoshi's figure. All of his teammates thought at the same time: 'What an amazing person!'

"Thank you very much," Kuroko tried to bow to the older boy almost tripping and falling to the ground.

"Don't bow while running! You are gonna fall and hurt yourself. And don't sweat it. It's a given that I would want to protect my teammate and underclassman," Kiyoshi smiled and continued in running.

"But are you feeling alright? We've just begun running but your face is already red," he looked at him worriedly.

"Don't worry, I'm always like this. I will be much better after throwing up," the bluenette murmured.

"Woah! Are you feeling that sick?! Do I call the coach? Should I-"

"Please, don't panic, that was a joke," Tetsuya ensured him not cracking his poker face.

The taller boy sighed in relief. "Thanks God! But, please, don't joke anymore. You have no sense of humor."

The redfaced boy bowed his head apologetically. "I'm sorry. I thought I would try it once. It seems that I failed."

„I told you not to bow while running!"

After that both of them fell silent, trying to focus on running. Yet the older boy's eyes kept following the smaller one. He didn't know him that well or long but even he could tell that Kuroko was bothered with something.

„Hello?"

„DO NOT HELLO ME! FOUR DAYS! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR AND KARMA'S PHONES?!"

Nagisa pulled his phone away from his ear and glared at Rio's name written on the screen. He should know better than to ignore her. He waited for her little rattle to cease down and then he closed the distanced between his ear and the phone.

„Sorry. I just wasn't in the mood to talk," he apologised.

A sigh was heard from the other side before a lot calmer „Are you alright?".

„Perfectly," he answered.

„Wanna go grab some ice cream or crépe? I'm with Kise now. He says he is paying," she offered and Nagisa had to chuckle after hearing Kise complaining on the other side.

„Thanks, but no. I'm not home now and have no idea when I get back," he declined.

„And where are you know?"

The bluenette looked up at the new school building and then his eyes locked at the sign informing him, that he stood outside Seirin High school.

„Just out for a little visit."

„Okey, wimps. Take ten," Riko whistled and the boys fell to the floor exhausted.

„Is it just me or she took out her anger on all of us instead of just Kuroko?" Koganei grumbled toward Mitobe who just nodded.

„Gotta go to toilet," Kiyoshi said to no one in particular just to let the others know where he was going to disappear to and left the gym with Nigo at his heels.

„You coming with me, little one?" he smiled at the puppy and let him follow him.

It wasn't like Kuroko cared where his dog wandered to as long as he was somewhere near one of his teammates. The dog wouldn't run away from them. And it was quite usual that Nigo would follow one of them to the toilet, wait for them outside and then accompany them back. With that in mind Kiyoshi didn't qualms leaving the puppy outside alone. But once he came back, the dog was nowhere to be found.

„Hi puppy! You are so cute! What is this? A basketball uniform? Are you a player?"

Nagisa kneeled down and offered his hand to the little dog to sniff. After doing so, the puppy in basketball uniform licked his hand and allowed him to pet him.

„What are you doing wandering here all alone? Did you run away, 16?" The bluenette asked the puppy naming it temporarily after the number on the uniform.

„It's your lucky day. I'm actually looking for the basketball team, so I will take you to them. That or we will be lost together," he giggled and took the puppy into his embrace.

He walked together with the dog, petting his head and looking around. He had no idea where he was going but he was sure about two things. One, the basketball club was without a doubt in the school. Two, there is no way he wouldn't find a gym.

„Nigo!" Kiyoshi shouted a worried look starting to form on his face.

After the dog didn't appear in the following few minutes, he started to search for him. He never thought that the puppy would run away.

There was no way he would return back without Nigo. How would he explain to Kuroko? The boy had a good heart, he wouldn't blame him, he knew that, yet he decided not to face him until he found his dog.

Suddenly, he heard a bark. His eyes glittered with hope and he ran toward where the bark came from. Once he turned the corned he stood in front a small figure which was holding Kuroko's pet.

The petite girl, he assumed, was dressed in simple short pants with light-yellow T-shirt and wore a cap from underneath which strands of blue hair was showing.

„Oh, hello! Is this your dog?" the person asked looking up the big boy revealing his azure eyes and unbelievably familiar face.

Kiyoshi stood in a daze for a while. He swore that Kuroko stayed in the gym with the others. It took him a while to realize that this person was not his teammate.

„Eh, not really. He is my teammate's," he smiled sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

„Oh, then I guess he will be better of with you, since you can bring him to his owner," the Kuroko-look-alike beamed and handed the puppy to Kiyoshi.

„Thanks," the bigger boy bowed his head and then took the dog. „You gave me a scare, Nigo!"

The bluenette chuckled. „So I was off by 14."

Kiyoshi made a confused expression but didn't question the meaning of that sentence.

„Well, thank you. I owe you," he bowed slightly again.

„Uh," the person before him gave him a shy look and a gentle smile, „you are from the basketball club, right? Then, would you mind showing me where I can find your team?"

The Iron Heart smiled at him. „Sure! Come with me. Oh, I'm Teppei Kiyoshi, by the way," he introduced himself and put the dog on the ground.

„I'm Nagisa. Nagisa Shiota. Nice to meet you!"

„How long does it take for you guys to take a pee?" Riko glared at the boys and then cursed Kiyoshi.

„Koganei! Go look for him!" she commanded but before Koganei could comply, Kiyoshi walked into the gym.

„Finally! You took forever!" Riko hissed.

„Sorry. Well, I was..." the boy scrached his head trying to find out the right words to explain.

„I'm sorry, it's my fault. I got lost and Kiyoshi was kind enough to show me the way," a sweet voice spoke and everyone directed their attention toward the petite-looking person beside the Iron Heart.

„I've got this Déjà vu. I didn't notice that person," Furihata whispered to his friends.

The little person beside their teammate took off his cap and his long blue hair fell to his shoulders.

Words like „What a cutie!" and „Wait! That face!" could be heard among the Seirin players as they all stared at the petite bluenette in shock. Except for two of them.

„What the hell?" Kagami's low voice shut them all up. They looked at their ace with wide eyes once they noticed the rage behind his. „What the hell are you doing here?!"

„Kagami!" Hyuuga tried to grab the boy before he stormed over to the bluenette yet in vain.

The redhead made a move to grab the unknown person by the shirt but he never got a chance to do so. A clap sounded and resonated in the gym and Kagami froze on the spot. Everyone else just stared pretty much speechless.

„How rude," the bluenette backed away from Kagami to the safe distance and then scanned the shocked looks on the faces of the Seirin's players. He stopped at the one which mirrorred a hint of fear.

„Tetsu, can I talk with you? Privately," he smiled cutely.

The two bluenettes were walking outside underneath merciless sun. It was hot, yet shivers ran up Tetsuya's spine. He was much more calmer then before yet kept staring at the back of Nagisa's head who was walking in front of him.

None of them said a word ever since they left the gym. Tetsuya just followed Nagisa with Nigo at his heels. He was really grateful for the little dog's company. After walking for a few minutes, Nagisa stopped.

„How is father doing?" he asked not looking at his mirror image.

„He is doing alright," Tetsuya answered with monotone voice. „He remarried," he added after a moment.

„I see. Good for him. And you too," Nagisa said, a hint of bitterness in his words.

„Mother is seeing someone. But her relationships never last, so..." the older brother finally turned and locked his eyes with his brother's.

„Tetsu, are you afraid of me?" he questioned after the phantom averted his eyes.

A silence felt before a single „yes" was uttered. Tetsuya kept staring at the dog running around them and Nagisa kept staring at him. After a while, he sighed.

„I hate you," the older admitted.

The eyes of the other bluenette grew wide from shock. Nagisa suspected that Tetsuya figured that out a long time ago, yet hearing Nagisa saying it aloud was something totally different.

„Do you hate me?" Nagisa continued with another question.

„No," the younger twin shook his head. „I never felt any kind of resentment towards you."

Nagisa smiled. The fact that his brother didn't hate him for what he did brought a bizarre kind of relief to him. Did it actually bother him for all these years? He hid his hand inside his pocket and walked slowly toward Tetsuya.

His twin stayed glued to the place not lifting his gaze towards his twin. He would have probably stayed there without movement if not be it for a strange feeling he suddenly got from his brother. He stepped back and quickly tilted his head aside just in time to avoid the blade of Nagisa's pocket knife.

„Good reflexes," Nagisa praised him.

„That...was not it. I just thought you might do something like this," Tetsuya said, his voice calm, but his breaths labored.

„I see."

„You wanted to kill me," it was not a question.

„I did," the older twin admitted. „I can no longer pretend like you don't exist. And I can't stand you being alive."

It hurt. It damn hurt. Never did Tetsuya gave someone a look with so much frustration and pain behind his eyes. Never did he gave someone a look that full with emotions.

„Will you be alright with murdering someone? Murdering me?"

Nagisa hid the knife into his pocket and smiled at him. „I changed. I'm an assassin. And you are my target now," he stepped back and began to turn away. „Consider this to be the first attempt. Or maybe the second one. Let's have a fun assassination from now on," with that he walked away.

„Where the hell are they?" Kagami growled and kicked the nearby trash bin.

It brought him no relieve whatsoever and he had no time to slow down and pick up trash he just spilled. How could he freze like that back then? How could he let Kuroko go alone with his brother? He was not the one to judge people without knowing them first but from what Kuroko and the feeling his gut told him, that kid must have been a total psycho. He didn't care about the fact that that little incident happened so long time ago. Kuroko was still fraightened of him and if the boy was still living with that sick mother of theirs...

„Kuroko!" the redhead finally found his teammate.

The bluenette was sitting below a sakura tree, petting his dog while looking into nowhere in particular.

„Oh, Kagami," he looked at him after hearing his voice. „I'm sorry. I will return to training at once," he spoke with his usual monotone voice and poker face.

„Forget about that. Where is that bastard? What did he do to you?" the Seirin's ace grabbed his teammate's shoulders and shook him.

„He left. He didn't do anything. We just talked. I'm sorry for worrying you," he bowed his head.

Kagami paused and studied his face, yet he couldn't say what his friend was thinking at all.

„You really alright?" he asked a lot calmer.

There was a long pause before the boy shook his head. „Not really," he admitted.

Before Kagami could question him about it he shushed him with a slight punch to the shoulder and stood up.

„He really changed," he sighed while walking back to the gym.

„Or not. I don't really think that's the case."

Kagami looked at him in confusion yet said nothing. He was not that dumb to realize that the bluenette was not talking to him. It seemed that however unprobable it was, Kuroko had one of those moment where he just needed to voice his thoughts, even though it was completely out of his character.

„Instead of changing, I think he was able to free himself. He is himself, at last."

In spite of what it meant for him, that he had become a target of an assassin, he couldn't help himself but just feel a pure happiness for his twin. Nagisa was no longer bound by their mother.