A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! :D Killua17, Puncakegoddess, kurie-tibiti, Anime1210, Lazy, Reazthie, deLovelyBones, Kuroyukihime, Assasin8, The Awesome Guest, HikarixYamixYaoi, awedreader, Lieutenant Akira and Rika Tone!

A/N 2: Oh gosh. This is the longest chapter I've ever written... Over 10k words. XD Oh and thank you to "Lazy" who pointed out that I missed the blue magician explanation in the last chapter! I don't have a beta and with so many words I easily miss things like that... So I really appreciate the correction. =) Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or Magi.

Chapter 12

Shutoku Academy

Classes finished a few minutes ago and Takao found himself making his way down the bustling halls of the academy.

He rather enjoyed this time of year. With classes coming to an end, and less stressful activities being assigned, students were much more lively. Not only that, but since it was mandatory not to overwork the students so close to exams, he always had time off to do his own things.

It was the only time when Midorima didn't completely mind him leaving the academy to spend his gold on things he really didn't need. But, he enjoyed finding low-priced things and collecting them as hobby.

As eager as he was to head to the market to find good deals, he was rather hungry. Settling on eating before heading out to save money that could be used on other things, Takao quickly made his way to the dining hall to sate his hunger.

Just as the hallways had been crowded, it seemed that the dining hall was just as populated. Usually he'd sit at the student tables and chat with them. But, seeing how full the tables were, he headed for the teachers side where he saw Otsubo and Miyaji sitting.

Grabbing a plate and food, he sat between the two. Since Miyaji looked to be a little busy eating, he turned to the dark-haired man to chat instead.

"Hey Otsubo!"

"Hello Takao." The man greeted. "I'm surprised that you're not in the city today."

Otsubo knew how Takao would usually go into town on days like these.

"Well, I might pop out later to see what I can find." The black-haired man said.

Almost as soon as he finished his sentence, Takao heard loud laughter coming from one of tables, and saw that the loud noise had come from none other than Tsugawa. With him were two of his students, Tanimura and Papa and his favorite blue-haired Magi.

It wasn't unusual for their table to be the loudest, especially when Kuroko was present. The boy didn't make much noise, but the other three seemed to try and make up for his lack of volume by increasing their own. Even Papa, who he had learned was the serious type, had grown to the bluenette.

As he thought that, he smiled. He was glad that despite the memory loss, Kuroko had found such an interesting and protective group of people to be around. And not only did he find many new friends, but he also had someone close to him. It was evident that the red-head and bluenette had a special relationship.

"What are you smiling at, Takao?" Miyaji asked.

"Haha. Just thinking about something." Takao replied, taking his eyes from the scene and giving the blonde his full attention.

Miyaji looked unconvinced, but really couldn't be bothered with questioning the man. Staying silent, he returned to eating his meal until Takao spoke up again.

"What do you think about Tet-chan, Miyaji?" The black-haired man asked, curious at how the blonde teacher viewed his friend.

The blonde was confused as to why Takao was asking him, but when he looked in the direction the man had been looking at before, he noticed his student was there.

"He's alright, I guess." Came Miyaji's mumbled response.

"Come on, just alright?" Takao wanted more information. Even if he asked Kuroko about how classes were, the bluenette had been as vague as he always has been. And since Miyaji was here, he could probably get a decent answer.

"He's a hard worker." Miyaji responded truthfully. The blue-haired boy had exceeded his expectations in such a short amount of time, and although his stamina was still severely lacking he over came that with his enthusiasm and drive. "I can see why Midorima referred him to me even if he was lacking in magical knowledge."

Takao was surprised at the respect in the mans voice. Miyaji really wasn't an easy person to please, which was why so many people would fail right off the bat in his classes. But, he supposed that Kuroko just had that effect on people. Even he wasn't too impressed with the boy when he first met him years ago, eventually the bluenette had grown on him and Takao felt as if he were a little brother. Just like Midorima had grudgingly acknowledged Kuroko's skills as well.

At the thought of Midorima, Takao's previous good mood vanished.

He hadn't seen the man since he left the infirmary yesterday. He hadn't even attended breakfast this morning. Although Takao had classes to teach, Midorima would at least stop by or they'd bump into each other in the hall on occasion.

'I should check on him.' The black-haired man thought with a sigh.

"I'll catch you later, Otusbo, Miyaji." The black-haired man said, abandoning his food and making his way out of the room without another word. He had a feeling Midorima's absence wasn't just the man not wanting to socialize with people. There had to be some other reason...

Takao tried to think back to see if anything he'd done made his friend angry, but besides the teasing and reprimanding he did to him yesterday, nothing else seemed to be enough to make his green-haired friend act this way...

'What happened yesterday..?' He wondered. Takao definitely knew he had made it to his class on time that day. He was still sore about the fact he had gotten so little sleep. All because he agreed to help research... He then realized what had been different yesterday.

'Wait...we found that book.'

Maybe the contents in the book hadn't been what he wanted and Midorima was sulking in his own weird way? No, even if that were the case, it wouldn't explain why he was so distant since Midorima had never reacted this strange when things didn't happen as he expected. Did he find something he didn't like?

Picking up his pace, he went to Midorima's office. But when he got there the doors were locked and from the lack of his friends Rukh, he knew that the green-haired man wasn't in there.

Frowning, he retreated from the door and walked aimlessly down the halls, trying the think of a place to check.

After checking all the possible places the man would normally be, he was out of options.

'That Shin-chan...Where could he be..?' The man thought to himself. Seriously, Midorima scolded him for not being on time or for taking time off to have fun outside of the academy walls, and now he was the one MIA...

In his silent ranting he failed to notice the man walking in his direction until they almost bumped into each other. Trying to erase his irritation, he looked at the black-haired man who he almost ran into.

There could only be one place the man could've come from. What was he doing coming from that side of the building?

"Hey Nakatani."

"Hello." The older man returned.

"What are you doing?"

"Just on my way back from the infirmary." The older man replied, confirming Takao's previous suspicions.

"What were you doing there?"

"I was checking up on Kuroko's friend." Takao nodded, glad that nothing had gone wrong.

"What about you?"

"Looking for Shin-chan..."

Nakatani frowned at the answer. Midorima and Takao were close even if they sometimes got on each others nerves and argued. For them to not keep in contact was definitely strange.

"He's in the meeting room." Nakatani informed. "At least I saw him enter there a while ago when I was on my way here."

'What's he doing in there..?' Whatever the reason was, he knew that something was up. He needed to quell his curiosity and see what his green-haired friend was up to.

"Thanks!" Takao said.

Giving the man a thankful wave, he quickly changed direction and headed for the said room.

As he approached the meeting room doors, he was about to barge in as usual and call his friends name, but as he opened the door a crack he could hear the faint sound of talking inside. And from the serious tones in both people's voices, he knew that he shouldn't go inside yet.

'Who..?' One of them was unmistakably Midorima's. There shouldn't be anyone in there seeing as only teachers could enter the room. Miyaji and Otsubo were in the dining hall, and he had bumped into Nakatani on the way here...And if he was right, Kimura should still be teaching his own class.

Maybe he was talking to someone via the seeing glass? It was the only logical explanation. He knew how Midorima valued his privacy and was about to leave and come back later, but as he turned around he heard Midorima speak.

"Then at least give me Aomine's." He heard the voice of his green-haired friend say.

Curiosity growing, Takao quietly approached the door and put his ear to it to hear the conversation more clearly.

"And why do you need Daiki's sample?"

'Akashi..?' Takao could recognize the superior and cold tone of the Rakuzan King coming through the door. He hadn't heard word of Akashi coming here, so he assumed that he was the one Midorima was contacting through the seeing glass.

"Something happened, and I just need to have them."

"I told you Shintaro, I cannot give you what you're asking for unless you give me good reason to."

"I...can't say." Midorima said.

"I see..." Takao could practically hear the displeasure in the mans voice. "Then, we have nothing further to discuss."

"Whenever you are ready to tell me the reasoning for your silence, contact me again and we can work on an agreement."

When there was only silence after that, Takao could only surmise that Midorima had nodded in answer to Akashi's words.

Soon after the light from the room faded a little, signalling that the image was gone and Akashi was no longer on the other end.

Takao stayed where he was for a few seconds longer, trying to process what he'd just heard.

What were they talking about? And why had Midorima resisted in telling Akashi what he wanted? Usually the green-haired man wouldn't keep anything from the red-head, but whatever the problem was it seemed that it was worse than Takao thought before.

After overhearing what they said, he didn't know if he should just go inside and ask or not... Midorima had sounded pretty stressed during the whole conversation and if that were the case, the man wouldn't be too pleased with him listening in on the conversation...

'Maybe I should leave and approach him later?' Takao thought. However, when a voice called out to him, he knew his cover was already blown.

"You can stop eavesdropping, Takao."

'How does he always know I'm here?!' With a grumble of disappointment, Takao reluctantly opened the door to the room and stood in the doorway.

"How long have you known I was there?"

"Since I heard your footsteps stop outside of the door." Came the unimpressed response. "You're not exactly the silent type."

"Heheh..." The black-haired man rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"So, what'd you come here for?" Midorima asked.

Takao studied his friend for a moment. The small bags under his eyes, and slightly wrinkled clothing led Takao to believe that Midorima hadn't slept all night. His curiosity once again turned to worry.

"You haven't been acting like yourself all day, so I came to see what was wrong..."

Green eyes eyed the other critically, but when he saw the genuine concern in his blue eyes, he knew that what he was saying was true.

"Oh...I see." The green-haired man pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to relieve the tiredness from them before replying. "Thank you..."

Takao froze. Midorima never thanked him so easily. Something was definitely wrong... And he had a feeling it had something to do with what Midorima and Akashi were conversing about a few minutes ago. He knew that if he kept quiet about it, the green-haired man wouldn't tell him anything, so he asked.

"So...What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"And I suppose you contacted Akashi for no reason..?" Their conversation had sounded pretty serious to be 'nothing'.

"It's of no importance." Midorima tried to deny, but Takao sent him a disbelieving look.

"Shin-chan..."

"Trust me, Takao. You don't want to know this time..." There was a slight warning tone to his voice, but Takao wouldn't budge.

"It's not good to keep things to yourself Shin-chan." The man said. "Whatever happened, you don't need to carry the burden alone."

When Midorima didn't do anything for a long while, Takao was about to try again, but a moment later the green-haired man stood from his position and walked over to the desk that was in the corner of the room.

Reaching inside the desk, he withdrew an object from it. The green-haired man stared at the cover for a moment, still hesitant to show Takao the book. But, he knew that Takao was right. He couldn't keep this big of a secret to himself if he wanted to solve this mystery. Decision made, he turned to face the black-haired man and strode forward. Once he made it across the room to Takao, Midorima silently extended his hand and waited.

'So, it is about that book.' The black-haired man thought as he saw the orange clad book in his friend's hand. What was Midorima giving him this for? Why wouldn't he just tell him..?

"Just...read it from the page I marked." He instructed. "You won't believe me otherwise."

Still skeptical, he grudgingly sat down and began to skim through the book. The more he read, the more confused he got. It was just a journal about some King and his Magi, so why was Midorima so upset about it? Minutes later he got his answer when he reached the point where the Magi died and was seen once again.

'Dead... Signs of amnesia...Looks reverting...' It then clicked in his mind why Midorima showed this to him. But...it couldn't be...right?

"Why are you showing me this..?" Takao couldn't believe the words he'd just read.

"I think you already know..." The green-haired man said. Takao's reaction was enough to see that the man had figured out what he had last night.

Even though there was realization in Takao's eyes, there was also denial in them.

"Th-This is a joke, right?" He hoped that this was one of the mans ways of tricking him, but deep down he knew that it wasn't. Midorima wouldn't do something as cruel as this.

"It's as I found it yesterday after Kuroko opened it. All I did was translate it, otherwise the wording has not been tampered with."

"But...it can't be true..." Kuroko couldn't have...

When Midorima only gave him a leveled gaze, he knew that his friend was dead serious.

Takao closed his eyes and slouched in his seat with a sigh. This was a lot to take in, and he could understand just why Midorima didn't want to tell him.

"You're absolutely sure that it's not a fake?" Even if the words weren't corrupted, there could still be the possibility that the person wasn't writing the truth.

Midorima shook his head. The similarities in the Magi's life in the journal and Kuroko's were too great to even think of ignoring it.

It took a while, but Takao managed to compose himself enough to ask a question.

"Have you...told Tet-chan?" The black-haired man asked hesitantly. He couldn't imagine what he'd feel like if someone told him about his supposed death, and the fact that he'd seen the blue-haired boy smiling and talking with his friends only moments ago made him think that Midorima hadn't told him.

"I decided not to." He knew how much Takao hated when he kept secrets from people, but he felt that it would've been wrong to tell Kuroko what he found out.

"I think that it's a good idea that you didn't tell him." He said. A green brow rose at the unexpected answer.

"Think about it. If Tet-chan reacted the way you told me he did that day he saw the Kamata twins use the blue flames, then maybe just the mention of his death could've caused an even worse reaction."

Midorima contemplated what he said. He too had thought of that, but to hear it confirmed was reassuring.

"What about Aomine?" Takao asked. Midorima had said on multiple occasions that he'd contact the man.

"No, I haven't told anyone but you." Midorima admitted.

Takao let a small smile come onto his face at the statement. He knew how much the green-haired man hated confessing things people, and was glad that he chose him to be the first one. He then remembered the part of the conversation he had overheard a few minutes ago.

"Not even Akashi?"

"No, I just told him that I needed the blood samples from him to perform the clairvoyance spell. I did not wish to cause any misunderstandings in case that journal weren't entirely truthful."

They both knew how intense the red-haired man could get sometimes, and if the information they gave him were false, then it would lead to bad things.

"But, why did you only ask for Aomine's blood?" Did Midorima think that Aomine was involved in all this somehow?

"Kuroko and Aomine never left each others sight unless it was necessary. It would only make sense that he would be present."

The black-haired man was thoughtful. If Aomine had seen Kuroko die, then it was no wonder he was acting differently than before. Their relationship wasn't always the best lately since they had conflicting feelings about right and wrong, but it was evident that they both loved each other despite that.

"So, you were going to use clairvoyance to see Tet-chan's... death?" Takao still couldn't completely comprehend the fact that the blue-haired boy he met all those years ago had died and been reincarnated.

"Yes I was going to, but as you heard Akashi can't provide the necessary requirements to do it."

"But, don't you need the place it happened to see?" Takao asked. Midorima nodded in confirmation.

"If I'm right, Kuroko may have died in Touou. I checked the logs last night and Aomine had nothing planned anywhere else, so there would've been no reason for him and Kuroko to leave the Kingdom." Midorima stated. "Other than that, there's the fact that he closed off the gates and didn't even inform Akashi of Kuroko's death.

"It's a long shot, but without Aomine's blood, there's no accurate way to tell exactly what happened. The only thing that we'd gain is the place and time, which I think I already know."

Takao understood. Clairvoyance only showed the people whose blood was used in the spell since the substance was a way to bind their Rukh to an object to act out what happened. If they only had Kuroko's, then they'd only see the bluenette's path that day and then his figurine would simply disappear upon the moment of death.

"What do we do?"

"I'll try to see if Kuroko remembers anything else, without mentioning anything that may trigger another bad memory." There had to be something they were missing. "If worse comes to worse, maybe we will have to inform Akashi about what happened so we can get the blood sample."

'Or Aomine...' Midorima thought.

"Tet-chan should be in the dining hall." Takao said. Midorima nodded.

With that, they left. Both ready to get to the bottom of all this.

Kagami let out a loud sigh as he stared at the hard covered book on the table in front of him. All morning he had been reading this and to be honest, he was incredibly bored.

When he accepted Kuroko's King pact, he knew that things wouldn't be just fighting and adventuring. Leading was much more than that. Taxes, meetings, and many other things that he has yet to learn about. But, Kuroko had encouraged him to this morning and he wouldn't let him down. Even if he was totally hopeless at this...

Kagami looked outside the window and frowned. He wasn't even an eighth done with this book and it'd been three hours since he started. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to meet Kuroko at the dining hall with all of his friends...

The other occupant in the room saw that the red-head obviously couldn't concentrate, so he tried to meet him halfway.

"Look. If you read for at least another hour, I'll let you go early." Izuki said. "But, you have to study tomorrow without complaints."

"Fine..." The red-head accepted.

"Good." The man said with a smile, glad that Kagami agreed. "I'll be right back, okay?" He found that the red-head sometimes got stuff done when he was alone and not being watched. And he needed a break from being in this room for so long.

When he received a nod from the red-haired teen he quietly exited the room, shutting the door lightly behind him so as to not disturb him.

Izuki was about to head to the infirmary when he saw Nakatani exiting the room. He must've been out of the mans view, because after he closed the door he headed in the opposite direction without a greeting.

'Hm, what was he doing here?' He wondered.

Shrugging it off, he went inside and saw that Hyuuga was still in his normal spot beside Kiyoshi.

"What was Nakatani doing?"

"Checking on Kiyoshi. He said that the poison is gone from his body. All he needs is for his body to recover from the damage done."

"Then, he should be fine now?"

"Yes." For the first time in a while Hyuuga allowed a small smile to form on his face.

Izuki couldn't help but return it, relieved that both of his friends were doing better. After everything that happened in Kirisaki they had all been depressed, Hyuuga even more so since he had refused to go with Kiyoshi that day. Because of that the man seemed to have it in his head that he could've prevented it, but none of the others thought that why and even though they said it many times, Hyuuga refused to believe it.

Hyuuga had been so high-strung since then and seeing him calmed down was great.

"So what are you doing here?" Hyuuga asked. Izuki should be trying to teach Kagami his section of the lessons today.

"Just taking a break from teaching Kagami."

Hyuuga nodded. He remembered how hard it was to get things through the teens hard skull...

"You know, maybe you could motivate him better than me..." Izuki said. He may be smart, but Hyuuga had a better sense of getting people to do things especially when it concerned the red-head.

"I want to be here in case Kiyoshi wakes up again." The man mumbled, un-movingly. He still regretted not being there when the brown-haired man had woken up momentarily back in Seirin. And now that the poison was gone, the likelihood that Kiyoshi would awaken once again was great.

Izuki studied his friend for a moment. He knew that Hyuuga took this harder than the rest of them, but he rarely left this room and it simply was not healthy to do that.

"Why don't you at least take a break? I'll be sure to watch over him."

"Huh? I took a break yesterday."

"One day isn't enough." Izuki said. "Just for an hour. I promised Kagami I'd let him go after that."

Hyuuga supposed he could handle an hour with him, but...

Seeing the hesitance still in Hyuuga's eyes, he tried to reason. "Do you think Kiyoshi would approve of you spending all your time here fretting over him?"

"I guess not..." Hyuuga knew how much the brown-haired man hated to worry everyone. It was proven when he first became ill and didn't tell them about it...

"Alright, then get going!" Walking over to the man he lightly, but firmly gripped his elbow and forced him to stand from his chair. With a few more encouraging pushes Hyuuga found himself standing outside of the door of the infirmary. "I'll be here, I promise."

With that Izuki closed the door, leaving Hyuuga in the hallway by himself. Sighing, he made his way to the room he and Izuki used for the lessons and stared at it for a moment.

'Just get this over with.' The man motivated himself. Opening the door, he stepped inside and saw Kagami staring at the book in front of him with a confused look on his face.

"Hey Izuki, I don't get-." Kagami started, thinking the man had come back from whatever he was doing, but it was Hyuuga there instead. "Oh...Where's Izuki?"

"He's watching over Kiyoshi." Hyuuga responded, crossing his arms and looking at the mess of books around the room, all which were barely halfway read by the way. "I heard you've been slacking..."

"W-Well...I'm trying. I just...don't get it." Kagami said, having the decency to look apologetic.

Hyuuga stared at the red-head for a moment. Maybe them trying to push their problems onto the teen was unfair...

"You know, you don't have to handle our problems." As much as they needed it, if the red-head couldn't do it, then he didn't want some careless King to rule them.

"No, I really want to help all of those people." The red-head said. After seeing the state Seirin was in, he knew that he couldn't turn back. No, he wouldn't.

Hyuuga shook his head at the determination in the red-head's voice. He didn't know how everything would go, but he had to admit that he was impressed with what Kagami was doing in order to improve. The countless hours of training and even if he wasn't good at it, he still tried to study hard.

"Well, if you're really going to, you need to get to it. Trust me, if you don't learn everything now, Riko will make sure you understand it when we get back to Seirin." Hyuuga gave Kagami a closed eyed smile that practically radiated the promise of pain. "And you wouldn't want that...would you?"

"N-no." Kagami stuttered. He definitely didn't want to make that brunette Fanalis angry, especially after he received many of her strong kicks and punches throughout the time they met...

He immediately returned his attention to the book, Hyuuga observing him quietly from the side as he read a book of his own.

It was quiet for a while, until the sound of the door opening broke it and two people stepped inside of the room.

"What are you two doing here?" Kagami asked, staring at the green and black-haired duo who entered.

"Well, we were wondering if you've seen Tet-chan around." Takao stated.

"No, he's not here. Isn't he in the dining hall?" Kagami asked.

"He was there earlier, but we just checked and he's not there anymore."

Kagami frowned. Takao had a weird way of being able to naturally locate Kuroko, so if even he couldn't see him, then that meant Kuroko definitely wasn't there. Worry immediately filled him, remembering what trouble the boy got into when he was on his own.

"Go ahead..." Hyuuga muttered, knowing Kagami wouldn't concentrate if he were to stay here anyway.

The red-head nodded, and made a mental note to pay the man back later.

The three of them exited the room and went to search for the bluenette.

"So, what do you need to talk to Kuroko about?" Kagami asked.

"We need to confirm something." Midorima said vaguely.

Takao, seeing Kagami was about to question what they needed to confirm, changed the subject.

"So, Izuki and Hyuuga have been trapping you in there to read?" Takao asked, smiling.

"Yeah... I'd rather be outside training and trying to use the Metal Vessel better, but I really need to learn more about Seirin if I'm going to lead it."

Takao stared at the used weapon critically. The hilt was faded a little and the blade looked to be duller than it should be if it were something he'd gotten only a month ago. Sure, Kagami trained a lot the past few weeks, but not enough to wear down a weapon that much.

"Hmm, I've been meaning to ask. Why does your Metal Vessel look so worn? Surely the dungeon had more quality things inside."

"Oh, I had it way before the dungeon. Someone important to me, gave me this... Even if I could, I wouldn't give it up for one of those other treasures."

"So, you didn't go to the dungeon for the treasures only?"

"When we heard of the dungeon, I wanted to have a challenge. I heard many things about it and was curious." "And I...wanted to impress Kuroko..."

Midorima's eye twitched at the statement. He personally would never admit something like that since it showed weakness, but he approved of how Kagami was protective of Kuroko. Especially after finding out everything he did last night.

"Haha, you must've had a lot of confidence in your fighting skills, huh?"

"Actually... I didn't know much about dungeons when I entered. I thought that Kuroko and I could leave when things got bad, but then Riko followed us and told us about the conditions of entering."

"You just went into the dungeon... without knowing about it..?" Midorima asked. Kagami and Kuroko had grown a lot since coming here, but it left to question just how they managed to make it to the top floor.

For once Kagami didn't mind being talked to with such disbelief. Midorima had every right to berate him. He had rushed into things that was too hard for him to handle at that point and he wasn't proud of it.

"Kise and Kasamatsu helped us at one point."

"He just...helped?" Takao had to admit to himself that if he saw Kuroko for the first time with that red-head and the other strangers, he wouldn't have helped them. It was highly suspicious and Kise was even more reckless than himself...

"Well... not until later. They weren't there at first." Kagami responded, remembering the blondes explanation that he told them after they left the dungeon and cleared things up. "There was a giant ant monster on the first floor of the dungeon that kept re-growing no matter how much I attacked it."

"You defeated a regenerating monster..?" The green-haired man asked incredulously. Those kind of monsters were very tricky and the only way to beat them was to destroy all of its body at the same time. From the skills he saw the red-haired teen had a week ago, he couldn't help but think it'd be an impossible task for him to do so back then.

"No, someone else did." Kagami grudgingly admitted.

"Who?" Takao questioned. From what the red-head just told them, Kise and Kasamatsu hadn't been present until afterwards. So who could've possibly been inside of there..? Curious civilians? Other bandits looking for loot in an infamous dungeon?

"Uh, his name was..." He trailed off. It had been so long since that day and to be honest he was a little preoccupied with himself almost dying to recall his name. After a few more moments of thinking back he finally remembered what Kuroko called the Djinn. "Ogiwara."

"Ogiwara..." The name didn't mean anything to either of them. "And he's one of your friends from Seirin, I suppose?"

"No, he's Kuroko's Djinn." Kagami said.

'Djinn?' Midorima narrowed his eyes at the information. He noticed the bracelet before, but had assumed it was just something Kagami had given him or something from the other treasures that were found in the dungeon. But now that he thought about it, it was indeed a Djinn Vessel and not a Household Vessel. And even though it wouldn't be the first time that Kuroko used magic to allow a Djinn a temporary body so it could be in the real world, but this was the first time he'd heard of one making a contract with someone who wasn't a King. Whatever it was, that piece of jewelry was different from the standard summons.

"Is it bad for Kuroko to have one?" The red-head asked, with barely concealed worry after seeing the shared looks. He didn't want the bluenette to be involved in any danger.

"Not bad, just unusual. Usually the only way to obtain a Djinn is to capture a dungeon. And moreover, he never had a Djinn before his memory loss..." Midorima mumbled, looking thoughtful.

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the green-haired mans eyes widened at what this implied. If this Djinn made a contract with Kuroko in between the span of time that Aomine ceased contact and when Kagami claimed to have found the bluenette, then maybe this 'Ogiwara' could have information on what happened.

With that in mind, Midorima quickly picked up his pace, even more eager to find the bluenette.

Takao and Kagami watched the retreating form of the man with confusion for a few seconds before the black-haired man hurriedly caught up, knowing that Midorima may have something in mind.

Kagami watched them leave with confusion. Once again the two of them were in their own world and leaving him in the dark... He had hoped that over the month that it would change, but it seemed that they were still unused to him.

Seeing that they were almost out of sight, he grudgingly jogged to catch up with them.

Kuroko sat at the dining hall table with his friends, listening to their stories about their classes and the places they came from before attending the academy. It was really interesting to hear how such different people met and came together. It reminded him of how Kagami had come to him and saved him.

What if those men had taken him somewhere or what if someone else had rescued him? Would another person have put him into that place that Kagami had called an 'orphanage'? Perhaps they too would have allowed him to travel with them? Kuroko wasn't sure if he would've agreed to travel with anyone else. When he had met that man who gave him that drink he never felt inclined for a prolonged relation with him. But, as soon as he saw Kagami it was as if he knew, knew that the red-head was the one he wanted to be with. If nothing other than the facts that Kagami just felt...safe, kind, and most of all...right.

And now thanks to him and everything they've been through, he was sitting here with such nice people. There was only one thing missing...

Said red-head himself.

Kagami had told him that he'd be here before the lunch period was over and even though it was at least half an hour past the promised time, the red-head wasn't in sight.

He was worried for his red-haired friend. Had Izuki and Hyuuga overworked him? If that was so, then maybe Kagami wasn't coming today... If he wasn't coming, then Kuroko just had to go to him!

"I'm sorry, but I have to go now."

"You don't have to be so formal, Kuroko-kun." Tanimura reprimanded, but the smile told Kuroko that the other wasn't mad at him. "There's no reason to be sorry."

"Ah, yes." Kuroko replied, giving the blonde his own smile. "I'll be going then."

"Alright, remember Kuroko. Miyaji wants us in earlier than normal to go over things!" Tsugawa reminded.

The bluenette nodded, smiling at all of his friends before getting up and leaving the dining hall.

If Kagami was kept to study, then he'd be in Izuki's and Hyuuga's room. Quickly, Kuroko headed in that direction, but as he passed the library and was about to turn the corner, he caught sight of familiar brown-haired teen walking his way.

'Sakurai-kun?' He smiled. Sakurai was very studious, so he rarely attended lunch, which meant that Kuroko barely got to see him before or after classes.

Waiting until Sakurai was close enough to hear him, he spoke.

"Good aft-." He tried to greet the teen, but he must have not hear him because Sakurai walked past him and went into the library without a word.

The bluenette wasn't hurt since many people had done that before, not noticing him even if he were right in front of them, so deciding to greet him, he went inside of the library.

It took him a while to locate him, since there were a lot of people inside studying for their own exams, but after searching he found Sakurai sitting at a table near the window in the back of the room.

Sitting down across from him, the bluenette watched as the brown-haired teen used a quill to write something down on a piece of paper. He knew not to read what he was writing, since it would be rude, so he simply stared out the window for a few minutes before it became clear that if he didn't speak Sakurai wouldn't know he was here.

"Good afternoon Sakurai-kun." Kuroko greeted the brown-haired teen.

"Ah! K-Kuroko-kun!" The brown-haited teens shout echoed a little in the silent library, causing many people to look at them. He murmured an apology before looking back at Kuroko and whispering. "H-How long have you b-been here?"

"A minute or two." The bluenette said, with no conviction in his voice, but the teen still felt horrible for making his friend wait that long.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you!"

"No, it's fine Sakurai-kun. I should have greeted you sooner."

Sakurai nodded.

"What's Sakurai-kun doing here?" He asked.

"Oh, I needed supplies to write back a reply to Momoi-san's letter." Sakurai explained. The pinkette had sent him a letter a few days ago and he was finally able to respond to it since classes were winding down.

"Is Momoi-san Sakurai-kun's friend?" Kuroko guessed. The brown-haired teen spoke of her a lot, but never really clarified.

"Well, yeah. But, she's more like...a sister to me."

'Sister...' Kagami-kun had explained things like family and siblings, but the word was still so foreign to him since he really didn't have anyone like that.

"What's Momoi-san like?" Kuroko asked.

"She's really nice and pretty. She really keeps us all in line, especially Aomine-san."Sakurai allowed a small smile on his face at the thought of going back to Touou and meeting everyone again. "I can't wait to see her again."

Kuroko smiled when he saw a rare smile come onto the usually nervous teens face.

"What about you, Kuroko-kun? Are you excited that the months almost over as well?"

The blue-haired boy thought about it.

"I like it here. I made so many friends like you, Tsugawa-kun, Tanimura-kun and Papa-kun. Even Kagami-kun is here with me." The bluenette said. Anywhere Kagami was he'd be content. He then thought back to the others in Seirin and couldn't help but remember his other friends who he hadn't seen in weeks. "But I do want to see Furihata-kun and the others back in Seirin."

Sakurai blushed a little when Kuroko mentioned that one of his reasons for staying here was because he saw himself as one of his friends. Kuroko was the first person to really include him, and he would certainly miss him when the month was over.

"What about your parents? Don't you want to see them?"

"I don't think I have any." The bluenette said. The first thing he remembered was Ogiwara-kun, and he was fairly sure they weren't related.

Sakurai's eyes widened at the news. Was Kuroko an orphan? Thinking he just did something inexcusably rude, he hurriedly apologized.

"I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked!"

"No, it's fine Sakurai-kun. Even if I don't have parents I'm glad that I have Kagami-kun."

It must have been a coincidence, because as he spoke his friends name, he heard his voice shout out to him almost immediately after.

"Kuroko!"

Sakurai and Kuroko turned in the direction and saw Kagami, Midorima, and Takao approaching them.

"Hello Kagami-kun." The bluenette said, getting up from his seat and standing beside the red-head.

"What are you doing here?" Kagami asked.

"I was going to meet Kagami-kun in the room, but I saw Sakurai-kun and wanted to greet him."

Kagami let out a relieved sigh, glad that Kuroko hadn't gotten himself into trouble for once.

"H-Hello Kagami-kun." Sakurai stuttered, looking up at the tall red-head. He'd met Kagami many times since he met Kuroko. But, their first meeting hadn't been the best... Apparently the red-head thought he was one of the Kamata twins since he had the same brown hair as them and had practically tore Kuroko away from him before sending him a full-blown glare.

He practically radiated such a furious aura when he first got here that reminded him a little of his King's aura. And yet, that fierce aura had immediately changed into a kinder and gentler one once the bluenette clarified everything. Sakurai was amazed by how many people truly cared for the boy, and he was grateful to be apart of it.

"Hey." Kagami greeted, raising a brow at the scared undertone in the brown-haired teens voice. He knew he had went ballistic that time, but he apologized right afterwards since Kuroko urged him to.

Kuroko smiled at the two, glad that they were at least talking to each other. After he did, he felt two other people Rukh coming towards them and looked around Kagami towards the green and black-haired men who were standing a few feet away with sad looks on their faces. Did something happen?

"Hello Midorima-san."

The green-haired man frowned when he saw the bluenette. He had avoided Kuroko since finding out what happened to him. He felt sorrowful that the teen he knew had suffered such a fate, and the fact that none of them even realized it or tried to visit him more often made him feel ashamed. Maybe they could've saved him from whatever happened if they'd been there...

"Yes... Hello..." Midorima mumbled.

"H-Hello headmaster, Takao-sensei!" Sakurai greeted. He hadn't seen them from his seat since Kagami was quite tall.

"Hey Sakurai." Takao said. "How are you doing?"

"Good. Thank you for asking."

Takao smiled at the polite statement. Sakurai and Kuroko were the only ones he knew who spoke like that and he was once again impressed by the bluenettes choice of friends.

"Would Midorima-san and Takao-san like to sit with us?" Kuroko offered.

"Actually Kuroko, we came to ask you something." Midorima stated.

"Do you mind if we borrow Tet-chan for a little?"

"Ah, y-yes." Sakurai said.

Kuroko wondered why they needed to go somewhere else, but he agreed to.

"See you later, Sakurai-kun." Kuroko said.

"Yes, see you." Sakurai replied, smiling.

Taking Kagami's hand, the four walked to Midorima's office, the green-haired man closing and locking the doors behind them.

"What exactly is this all about?" The red-head asked, suspicious.

"It's about the Djinn you mentioned. 'Ogiwara' was it?" Kagami nodded.

"Midorima-san knows Ogiwara-kun?" Kuroko asked.

"No, that's why we need to ask you where you got it from." "You never had that bracelet before you di... before you lost your memories." Midorima said, correcting himself as he almost let the bluenette's death slip.

"Ah..." Kuroko stared at the bracelet with wonder.

"Who gave you that Djinn bracelet Tet-chan?"

"Ogiwara-kun gave it to me." Kuroko stated, tilting his head to the side in confusion at the mans curiosity.

"When?"

"A few minutes after I woke up the day I met Kagami-kun." He replied. "Ogiwara-kun gave it to me and told me to walk through a door of light. And then when I did I was in the middle of a desert." Kuroko said.

Takao and Midorima shared a look at the information. For a Djinn to willingly give someone the ability to summon them wasn't something that happened everyday.

"I tried to summon him on the way here, but he didn't answer..." The bluenette said, frowning.

'Could it be broken?' When the Vessel of the Djinn is broken, then it wouldn't be possible to call out or even use that Djinn. However if that was the case, then repairing it would be an easy task.

"Let me see it." Midorima said, before he held out his hand and waited for Kuroko to give him his so he could inspect the object.

After searching it for a while and seeing that the magic symbol was intact, he deemed that it was not broken. In fact it seemed to be in mint condition which was surprising after hearing how much Kuroko had been through since receiving it.

"Nothing seems to be wrong with it." Midorima said. "There are no cracks or anything that shows it's damaged."

Kuroko was relieved that he hadn't done anything to the bracelet that his orange-haired friend had entrusted him with, but that left him to question why he hadn't come out even more. Not being able to come out. Not answering his calls. There was only one conclusion that Kuroko could think of.

"Is Ogiwara-kun sick?" The bluenette asked worriedly. Maybe that's why Ogiwara wasn't able to come? Was he bed-ridden like the Kiyoshi was? He really hoped that it wasn't serious like the brown-haired man's illness used to be.

"Djinn's don't get sick..." Midorima informed. "Have you tried to summon him recently?"

When he received a shake of the head, his hope returned that there might still be a possibility to get answers.

"Do it."

"Shin-chan..." Takao gave him a disapproving look at the fact Midorima was practically demanding for the bluenette to do it. Sighing, the green-haired man rephrased.

"Please try to summon him now..." He said grudgingly.

Kuroko nodded and did what he had done in the dungeon. Nothing happened at first but a moment later the bracelet illuminated with a faint flow before it brightened so much that all the occupants in the room had to close their eyes.

When the light died out and they all opened their eyes, there was an orange-haired Djinn in front of them. He seemed to look confused as he landed at them before his gaze landed on Kuroko and his face changed into a full-out grin.

"Kuroko!" Everyone watched as the Djinn jumped on the smaller boy, wrapping his arms around the bluenette and sending them both to the ground.

"H-Hello Ogi...wara-kun." Kuroko managed to say after recovering from the sudden hug attack.

"Oi! Let him go!" Kagami immediately separated the two and glared at the Djinn. He knew that this person had save him and all, but Kuroko was his!

"Haha, sorry Kagami, I was just excited to see him.." Ogiwara apologized, but the look on his face told him that he was anything but sorry.

Midorima and Takao stared at the scene weirdly. Never before had they seen a Djinn just outright glomp someone... Their close relationship led him to believe this person just might have answers.

"Hey Midorima, Takao." He said brightly, happy to finally meet these two face to face after watching them for nearly a month. But it seemed to be the wrong thing to do as he saw both blue and green eyes narrow slightly at him.

"How do you know our names?" Midorima asked. He was positive that they'd never met this Djinn before.

At the question Ogiwara mentally scolded himself for allowing that to slip. Quickly, he searched for a way to cover it up without raising more questions and could only think of one thing.

"Uh..um...I heard it from Kuroko..?" Ogiwara replied, nervously. It wasn't a total lie...just not the entire truth...

Midorima was skeptical, but knowing how Kasamatsu and Takeuchi said they could hear events from their Vessels, he let it go. For now...

"So, what'd you call me for?" Ogiwara asked the bluenette. He hadn't been listening to the events that happened before he was summoned since he had decided to go for a walk through the many halls of the room he was kept in.

"Midorima-san and Takao-san wanted to ask you something." Kuroko responded.

"Huh?" Ogiwara asked, confused of the meaning.

"You know something about Kuroko, right?" Midorima asked, getting straight to the point.

"What he means is, we were wondering if you have any idea what happened to Kuroko." Takao said.

"W-Why would I know that..?" Ogiwara stuttered, trying to dismiss their claims. But it didn't work as the black-haired man went to the logical approach.

"Well, Aomine closed off the Touou gates three months ago and from what we heard, you met Tet-chan sometime between the time that happened and when he met Kagami." Takao voice Midorima's shared thoughts.

"Does his dea-." Midorima cut himself off and sent a look to the blue-haired boy who was paying attention to the conversation. He couldn't possibly mention it in front of him. "Does Kuroko's...condition...have anything to do with him being a Magi?"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." The orange-haired Djinn claimed, but the hesitant tone in his voice told them otherwise.

"We know what happened. We found this book the other day." The green-haired man said.

"Sorry... but we aren't allowed to reveal that information to humans." Ogiwara explained, sending them an apologetic look. As much as he would want to help the bluenette, this sort of thing was simply not allowed.

"I see..." Midorima mumbled. He knew that Djinn were bound by a certain law, which was why there was so little information about them and Magi's. But, he had hoped that since this person had formed a contract with the bluenette of his own free will, that he'd be able to shed some light on the events that led to this.

"I'm sorry for inconveniencing you, Ogiwara-kun..." The bluenette said. He didn't understand why they were all speaking weirdly, but he had a feeling that it was something to deal with himself and he felt guilty for putting Ogiwara in such a difficult position.

"It's okay Kuroko! It's not your fault." Ogiwara grinned at the Magi and tousled his hair, before addressing the others. "It's really nothing personal, you understand right?" Even if he had a grudge against Aomine, he didn't blame anyone else for what happened.

They both looked at the orange-haired Djinn's expression and could tell he meant what he said.

"Seems like Aomine's our last chance then..." Midorima murmured thoughtfully. It was barely loud for any of them to hear, but with Ogiwara's heightened hearing he heard everything and panicked.

"No! You can't contact him!" He shouted louder than he intended to.

"And why not? If you, a Djinn, cannot provide an explanation then it seems as if he's the only chance we have to understand just what happened." Midorima stated.

Ogiwara couldn't blame him since he had no idea what the problem was, but he wished that the man could see that doing that was a horrible idea! If they got Aomine involved in all of this then everything would be ruined! Who knows what could happen if he found out Kuroko was alive and had formed a new contract with someone?

'I can't let that happen...' Even if there were consequences, he was sure that things would be worse should they find out the entire truth. He just hoped that Nijimura and the other Djinn's would feel the same way...

"Fine... I'll tell you..." He relented. "Kagami, Kuroko. Can you give us a minute?" When he saw confusion in their eyes he elaborated. "I just need to tell them something. I promise I'll be quick, okay?"

Kuroko and Kagami looked at the orange-head and the others, wondering why they were being singled out. Kagami was especially curious about what they were going to talk about, but seeing the look on Ogiwara's face he decided not to question it.

"Let's go, Kuroko." Kagami said. The bluenette looked up at his friend and nodded. Sending one last curious gaze at the four of them, they left the room.

When the door closed behind them and they walked down the hall. As they did Kagami thought about what they could possibly be talking about inside. He had a feeling that whatever it was, it was important. Not only that, but it had something to do with Kuroko's past that no one wanted to tell him about. If that were true, then this was his chance to find out.

He wanted to listen in, but he had a feeling that the main reason they were dismissed was so Kuroko wouldn't hear it, and since Kuroko usually followed him, they had sent him outside as well.

Looking back at the door Kagami and Kuroko walked down the hall before the red-head stopped walking. He couldn't walk away this time.

"What's the matter Kagami-kun?" Kuroko asked, when he noticed his friends footsteps stop.

"Do you...uh mind going ahead first, Kuroko?"

"Kagami-kun needs to do something?"

"Yeah... I'm... hungry." Kagami said. He couldn't tell the boy that he was going to go back and listen in since he had no doubt that the curious boy would want to join him.

"I'll come with you."

"No, it's something I have to do alone..." When he saw Kuroko frown he frowned as well. He should've said it differently, but he already spoke...

"Okay..." Kuroko said. A sad look came onto the blue-haired boys face and he couldn't stand it. He immediately bent down and placed a kiss upon the boys lips to reassure him.

"Wait in our room. I promise I'll meet you there in a few minutes, okay?" Kagami said, ruffling his soft blue locks.

"Okay." The bluenette smiled, heading for their rooms to wait for his friends return.

When Kuroko was out of sight Kagami watched his retreating form, feeling horrible for sending the boy off alone. But he had to know why everyone was being so secretive today... Resolute, he went to the doors and listened to the conversation inside.

The three stood in silence for a moment as they watched the two leave, before Midorima spoke.

"So, what happened?" He asked.

"It's..complicated..." Ogiwara said, crossing his arms. He was still debating if this was the right thing to do...

"Go ahead then." Midorima said impatiently. Takao lightly bumped him to stop him from saying anything that may change the Djinn's mind.

Ogiwara was a person of his word and since he promised to tell them, he couldn't back out now... But, before he could, he had to make sure that they understood something.

"Just...promise me that you won't involve Aomine in this..." Ogiwara said. "If you do, I'll answer any reasonable question that you want. And whatever you do, don't mention anything I tell you to Kuroko."

Midorima frowned at the statement, feeling a pang of sadness for the blue-haired boy. Was Kuroko's death that bad..? He couldn't even begin to imagine how it'd feel to...pass away, but just why was this Djinn so adamant about him not talking to Aomine about it?

Seeing the conflict and uncertainty in the green-haired mans eyes, Ogiwara narrowed his own.

"Promise me." He demanded in a firmer voice. If the man couldn't promise, then he would have to make something up to divert them from the truth. He wouldn't jeopardize Kuroko's new life by involving someone who had ended his previous one.

Takao was surprised by the Djinn's change in demeanor. He seemed to be cheerful before but now he looked extremely serious. Was this whole matter really that grave? Whatever the fact was, he knew that they had to agree or be left in the dark, so nudging his green-haired friend a little, he stepped forward and spoke.

"We promise, right Shin-chan?"

"Yeah, alright." He said reluctantly.

"So...ask away..." Ogiwara said, smiling a little, but not as enthusiastically as it was when Kuroko was here.

"Just what is this book?" Midorima asked.

"A journal of a King..?" He answered awkwardly, making the green-haired mans eye twitch.

Of course Midorima knew that. Anyone would if they read it! If things were going to go this way for the whole questioning then he doubted this Djinn could help.

Takao could see the irritation in his friends face, and clarified the question before he ruined one of their chances to learn more about this.

"Why's there a Djinn symbol on it though?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you that."

"Ah... Then, is everything true in it?" Takao asked. He was still in slight denial that the Magi in the journal and his blue-haired friend had perished and come back somehow.

Ogiwara nodded in response. "Everything written in there actually happened."

"But...why do we remember?" The green-haired man asked.

Ogiwara was afraid that they would ask that question, but as Nijimura said, Midorima was very perceptive.

When the Djinn didn't answer right away, Midorima pushed more.

"In the book. The person said that no one but him remembered the Magi. Why did he remember and everyone else forget?"

The Djinn paused and had a somewhat far away look in his eyes.

"That's the way it's supposed to happen. When a Magi dies, everyone is supposed to forget his presence. Every possession he has will disappear and the memories of those involved are wiped."

"So, what does it mean? I mean, me and Shin-chan definitely remember Kuroko. Even Akashi, Kise and Kasamatsu do."

"Something went wrong with the rebirth process. Even we don't know." Ogiwara admitted.

'If everything had gone right...' Takao looked troubled. 'Then we would've forgotten about Kuroko and never knew he existed..?' It was a chilling thought. He couldn't imagine forgetting about someone they've known for years.

They tried to think of something else to ask. Remembering how livid the Djinn had gotten when they mentioned Aomine, Midorima voiced his question.

"What does Aomine have to do with all of this?"

"He..." Ogiwara wanted to tell them...wanted to expose the man for doing something so unforgivable to his friend. But sadly he wasn't allowed to...

"I can't answer that either..."

Midorima sighed. They haven't gained much information from the questions other than the fact that everything in the book was definitely true and that everything was merely a fluke. He was at a loss of what to do now...

When there was silence for a while, Ogiwara assumed the questioning was over.

"Is that all?" The orange-head asked hopefully. He wanted to escape this whole thing and get to Kuroko before anything bad happened.

"One last one." Takao said.

The main question that left them speechless since they found that journal.

"How did Kuroko die..?"

Ogiwara's warm brown eyes turned sad at the question, remembering the events that occurred that day in Touou...

"He was murdered."

Takao and Midorima froze. They had hoped that it'd been something natural. An illness or something that didn't involve too much pain. But...murder..? Who would want to kill such a kind person like Kuroko?

"Was it...at least quick?" Midorima asked.

Ogiwara wished it had been. Not only had he been raped, but also suffocated. Not being able to breathe until you lungs were empty and slowly dying was most definitely scary. These people obviously cared for Kuroko and he didn't want to scar them... But from the looks in their eyes , he could see that they wanted the truth, not anything sugar-coated, so he told them it...

"Someone strangled him..."

There was an uneasy silence that followed. When minutes ticked by and they didn't ask anymore questions, Ogiwara assumed it was really over now.

"Anything else..?"

"No...Thank you." Takao said softly, still shocked of what he'd heard, but realizing just how much Ogiwara risked by telling them what he knew. The orange-haired Djinn cared for Kuroko, and he felt that seeing the bluenette's death was as traumatizing as it was for them to hear about, perhaps even more since he saw it happen.

Ogiwara nodded, staring at them sadly. Seeing that they were in their own worlds, he quietly excused himself from the office.

"What do we do now..?" Takao asked quietly, sitting down on the couch.

"I...don't know..." For once, Midorima had no clue. It was obvious that Aomine was involved somehow... Had the navy-haired man failed to protect Kuroko from a raid in Touou? Closing off the gates to stop from another attack after watching the bluenette die? Aomine was known to be careless when it came to the care of his lower residents and it was a plausible reason for the extra securities around the Kingdom.

But...that inner hatred hidden under the Djinn's expression when the man was mentioned made him question if that were truly the reason...

They stayed silent in the room, absorbing everything they were told.

They didn't know why Kuroko died, but they were sure of one thing... They'd make sure the same thing didn't happened again.

A/N 3: I split this chapter into two. I wanted to end this differently, but the chapter would've been like 14k words. The next one will continue where I left off and then a time-skip about halfway through. Do you all prefer long chapters? Or shorter ones? I know how tedious it is to read long ones Dx