Disclaimer: I do not own KuroBasu, and this work is a piece of FICTION; therefore stating that not all facts in this story are real/possible in the non-fiction realm. Warnings from previous chapters apply.
*IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL READERS*
I have decided this shall be the final chapter (I ended up writing quite a bit anyway), and I will decide later on whether or not I also want to post an Epilogue at a later date.
I have also created a poll where you may vote for the next type of story (all KnB choices) that I may pursue to write after the epilogue is completed. Therefore, I would really appreciate that you visit my profile and vote for a story.
If you took the time to read the notice, thank you.
Enjoy~
RESET
PART IX
"Akashi, is it true that she's back? That Kuroko came back?" Momoi slammed her hands down onto his desk in an act of desperation. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and Aomine stood behind her with his arms crossed. His face was set into a frown, but his air of arrogance had disappeared the moment the pair had entered the room – he was worried too after all. The peach-haired woman leaned further across the desk, "Tell me! I have the right to know!"
The heir sighed, holding back the urge to roll his eyes. He folded his hands in front of him, sitting up straighter as if handing out a business deal on a silver platter. "Perhaps, you should sit down first." He stated calmly, gesturing to the seats on the other side of his desk.
Subtly nodding to the man in black whom was standing at the door. The supposed 'guard' left the room, the door clicking shut behind him signalling the beginning a long, impending silence.
The two guests attempted to settle down into the cushioned seats, fidgeting nervously. No doubt that Akashi's words were hinting that he didn't have positive news to share. Momoi bit her lip, drawing blood. Their ex-captain had always been hard to read, but the flicker in his eyes had told her enough. Her voice caught in her throat, holding back a sob as she quietly asked, "T-Tetsumi isn't alive, is she?"
Aomine's eyes widened as he stood up, shaking his girlfriend by the shoulders, "What the…? Satsuki, don't kid around like that! Tetsu is alive, I tell you! Can't you feel it? She's not dead."
"Feel what, Daiki? All I've felt is guilt and an unbelievable amount of pain! But I have no right to say such things! Why? Because Tetsumi had it so much worse! I can imagine her lying on the hospital bed, all alone and forgotten. I can imagine her trying to lift a spoon to her mouth, trying to feed herself, only to be spook-fed by a nurse instead! I can see her apologising to everyone in her final moments like she's at fault for everything! It's haunting me, Daiki, that she was alone in her final moments!" By then, she'd pushed Aomine's hands away and was shouting to his face.
"Satsuki…" He spoke, obviously shocked.
She sniffled, rubbing the tears away with her sleeve. "And do you know what the worst thing was? She was alone throughout the whole process! I-I don't know the full story but; her timer had reached zero such a long time ago, but she didn't have a soulmate."
Akashi blinked, having heard this news only for the first time. "What are you implying?"
"For the surgery, her clock had to be at zero. She told me – and I remember the look in her eyes as she did – that she was alone in her room when it happened." She breathed out slowly, "But that's only what she told me. I can tell she's hiding the actual story from me, but I decided to never look any deeper into it." She clenched her fists by her sides, gazing at the ground in a somewhat shameful manner.
The red-head rubbed at his temples, slightly angry at himself for never noticing this years ago. However, the only times his could recall losing touch with her would be before Teikō and the months between the end of Junior High and the finals of the Winter Cup. The first option was impossible as he remembered seeing her timer ticking away in their first year.
His eyes snapped open in realisation, keeping his thoughts to himself for the moment. As he studied Momoi and Aomine's expressions. He couldn't have the two go on a rampage directed at the stupid tiger-boy could he? After all, it was their soul clocks that had supposedly malfunctioned – and that was something that was even out of his control.
No matter how much he wanted to 'confront' Kagami, he supposed it would be best to wait it out until he met with the teal-haired girl once more. Looking up, he noticed the other two were looking at him again. Gesturing to sit back down, he breathed out – rather shakily – he would admit. An Akashi was never nervous, but for some odd reason, he was in this situation.
"I will tell you now, that Kuroko is indeed alive and healthy." He paused, hearing the sharp intake of breath. "However, do either of you, have an idea as to what anterograde amnesia might be?"
Momoi's hands flew up to cover her mouth, concealing a gasp. "Are you saying that… Kuroko can't create new memories?"
The Emperor nodded slightly, "Since she was the first 'patient' to the research, the outcomes were impossible to identify. Although Kuroko is alive, she's suffering from both anterograde and retrograde amnesia. The anterograde side of it was easily recognised; her soul clock resets itself each morning at around three. She loses everything after twenty-four hours."
"So Tetsu is empty?" Aomine's words could not describe the teal-haired girl's situation any better, and Akashi simply nodded. The tanned boy scowled, "You're telling me, that Tetsu has no memories? No recollection of us or who we are, no idea who she is each and every morning when she wakes up?"
"Correct. However, I have reason to believe that bringing her back to Japan will help with her recovery. Dr Jacobs in America was adamant about her amnesia only being temporary. I can only presume that someone with her condition would feel as though they were trapped in an empty room of blank walls." He exhaled, "But she's been holding up quite well. I've never heard her cry or complain."
"Are you telling us that this whole time – ever since you came back, you've been looking after Kuroko?" The tallest in the room stood up once more, his tone incredulous.
Akashi's eyebrow quirked slightly, "Of course, who else could she stay with? Her parents have entrusted her to me. They were quite unstable when I called them; they even deemed themselves as unfit to accommodate to her 'special needs'."
"Right, well they've always been rather business orientated. Kuroko had continuously been the one to care for herself until she met us." Momoi nodded sullenly, though she was taking all of the information in rather calmly.
Aomine though – he was different. "She's been in Japan for two weeks and you never thought to tell us?!"
"You're getting too hot headed, Daiki." The red-head stated blatantly. As usual, his firm, sharp tone was enough to shut the other up.
"Yes, calm down…" Momoi tugged on her soulmate's sleeve, "Tetsumi would be quite overwhelmed if we suddenly visited and barraged her with questions, when Akashi hadn't had the time to explain her condition to us. If you think about it, she wakes up every day not every knowing her own name. How would she feel if we imposed and claimed that we were friends?"
The man huffed, "When will we get to see her?"
"Tonight. I told her that some guests were coming over for dinner this morning whilst reminding her of her check-up at the rehab hospital."
"Is anyone else going to be there?"
Akashi faintly smirked, "Who knows?"
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PART X
"K-Kuroko?" Kagami found himself voicing the name again – just to make sure his eyes weren't failing him. But she was definitely there; standing gloriously in her ghost-like appearance that simply defined Tetsumi as… well, Tetsumi. Of course, her hair was much longer, and her body seemed much healthier in comparison to when he last saw her.
He might be an idiot at times, but he wasn't blind. He always noticed how she struggled to breathe, or walk properly for a fair distance. He always noticed how easy it was for her to tire. But being the rash man he was, he felt all his worries turn into anger as he faced the shorter girl.
"Where have you been this whole time?! You left without telling me anything, your cell phone number was blocked, and the others – who obviously knew something were protecting you like it'd cost them their life or something!" He fumed, "Now tell me, why the heck; did you leave?"
Kuroko only blinked, her expression blank as usual. "Sir? Are you okay? You don't seem too pleased with my presence. Should I… go?"
"What? No! You finally reappear and you're just going to leave again?" Kagami took a step closer the other girl stepped back, keeping a fair distance between them. Her expression was practically unreadable, but years of experience told him that she was clearly confused with the turn of events. His anger simmered down as he called out her name softly, "Tetsumi?"
"Yes, that is my name." She nodded, "Have we met before?"
The fiery tiger froze, observing her intently. He let out a small chuckle. "H-Hey now, you're joking right? Did I do something wrong? Did I anger you or sadden you to the point you have to pretend we've never spoken before?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't mess with me like that! You can't just up and leave for three years without even saying good bye!" He glared sharply, yelling loudly – having forgotten they were in a public area. He was lucky though, as no one else was around to witness their interaction.
Empty eyes stared straight back into his as she repeated her words; this time with mild frustration building in her tone. "I said, I have no idea of what you're talking about."
"Stop lying!" he hissed.
"Then please don't be so rude as to accuse me of such things, Sir." Gripping the straps of her handbag tighter, she swiftly turned and left, blindly walking away as fast as her legs could take her. Her eyes prickled, filling with salty tears, but she quickly wiped them away.
Kagami watched as she left, uncertain. He wanted to run after her and apologize, but at the same time, his pride kept him at a standstill – telling him it was Kuroko's fault, not his. As she disappeared around the corner, his gut twisted as instinct told him something was off; as in, the woman really wasn't lying. But that was impossible, Kuroko had never broken a promise and she'd promised not to forget.
His thoughts were completely jumbled as he walked away, taking slow steps even though he was probably late to work at this point, but he didn't even care. The feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket shook him out of his trance and he quickly went to pick it up. Even if he barely cared for the fact he wasn't working – he did care if he happened to lose his only source of income.
The conversation ended shortly after he made up some lame excuse as to why he wasn't working his shift. He was told to take the rest of the day off whilst his boss covered for him. For that, he was grateful. He went to place his phone back into his pocket, but stopped short as he caught sight of his soul clock.
00000D.00H.00M.00S
That's right… the whole reason he'd chased after Kuroko was because his timer had finally reached zero for the second time. Blinking slowly, he suddenly turned around to face the direction that Kuroko had left in. Immediately feeling guilty for lashing out – and partly because he was an idiot – he began sprinting after her.
The more he thought about it; he wasn't actually angry. His anger was simply a misinterpretation on his behalf. He just needed to release all of the pent up worry, and seeing Kuroko again was the final straw. She just had to be his soulmate! There was no one else around and all the puzzle pieces just seemed to connect.
She was his shadow, and he, her light.
The whole time, she was by his side – through thick and thin. It made him sick to the stomach to think that he never asked her what was wrong even though he noticed her struggle, or how many times he wasn't there for her when she needed him most. It was sickening to think of all the things that could have happened to her over the three years she was gone, and how he had just let her go again…
Pumping his legs, he pushed harder. Kuroko couldn't have made it that far anyway. "KU-RO-KOOOOO!" he called, having high hopes that she'd hear him. He kept up his pace for only a little longer and continued to call out her name, before slowing down and finally taking note of his surroundings.
Most people simply walked around him, although some openly stared, gazing at him with irritation for causing such a disruption on the street. Mumbling apologies, he ran a hand through his hair and jogged up the stairs to the train station. Upon reaching the closest platform, the doors to the train were already closing, a voice announcing through a speaker phone that the Nozomi service train to Kyoto was departing.
His eyes widened as he caught sight of teal hair – facing away from the window. But Kagami would never mistake her for someone else. He stood helplessly as the train pulled away from the platform, gaining speed as Kuroko left his sights again.
Tearing himself away from the train already far in the distance, he sped-walked to the ticket booth, tapping rapidly on the window to gain the man's attention. "Excuse me, could I please have a ticket for the next train to Kyoto?"
"Of course. Did you just miss the other one?" The man cheerily started up the conversation as he scanned a ticket through to be processed. Kagami simply nodded and the man sent him a look of pity. "That's too bad… the next train doesn't leave for another hour. And it's a Kodama service, stopping all stations. You won't get there until about five-thirty."
The red-head groaned, slumping in defeat before taking the ticket anyway. "I suppose it won't hurt to try anyway."
The other man laughed heartily, oblivious to Kagami's distress. "How diligent. Well then, if you're sure, that'll be 13,500 yen."
Fishing out the money, Kagami slid it over to the ticket seller with a slight wince – seeing a day's worth of pay simply just disappear. His wallet was now considerably lighter as well. Taking his ticket, scowled at the time printed on it. He wouldn't get to Kyoto for another five hours!
Pulling out his phone, he decided to let go of his pride for just a moment, dialling a number he'd never thought he would dial for help.
"What do you want, Bakagami?" an annoyed voice picked up. He could just imagine Aomine with a glowering expression on the other end of the line.
Kagami sighed miserably, "I fucked up. Like, really fucked up."
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PART XI
The door closed quietly behind the couple as they entered the condo, taking off their shoes in the genkan and swapping them for the guest slippers. Momoi held a small gift bag in her hands, an anxious expression openly showing on her face. Aomine gently rubbed her back in attempt to calm her down a little.
"Welcome. Kuroko is waiting in the kitchen. In fact, she was the one to cook dinner for us tonight." Akashi started off smoothly, holding out his arm to guide them toward his kitchen and dining area. The other two nodded silently and followed.
The peach-haired girl bit her lip to stop it from quivering, as a familiar sight came into her view. Not much had changed – of course, there were the minor changes to her physical appearance. But other than that, she was still the same Kuroko to her… at least on the outside.
She remembered what they had discussed earlier in Akashi's office. "H-Hello." She greeted, "I'm Momoi Satsuki. This is my soulmate, Aomine Daiki." The latter half of her gave Kuroko a small salute.
"You must be Akashi-kun's friends." She stumbled over her words a little, "Sorry, I'm still trying to get used to the Japanese language."
"That's perfectly fine!" Momoi waved her hands, forcing a laugh. "I understand."
"Thank you." Kuroko's empty eyes clouded over slightly as she finally turned to face them properly, "H-Have we possibly met before? You seem familiar." Her head was cocked to the side, and she repeated their names in a whisper-like mantra to herself.
Aomine held his breath, his hopes raising. Akashi had said that Kuroko could vaguely remember some things about him the more time they spent together. Apparently Kuroko also had an old diary of hers that she'd written in, so she was beginning to remember a little more the further she was able to connect dots.
It wasn't enough to show a full recovery, but there was an inkling of hope. Their ex-captain had also debriefed them that they had to tread lightly. Some of the memories that affected her most may not come back; but small, yet memorable moment might just trigger something.
"Aomine-kun and Satsuki-san… was it?" Kuroko, who had been flipping through the diary, snapped it shut and gently placed it onto the kitchen bench. She shook her head forlornly, "I'm sorry… even though we must have spent so many years together…" she trailed off.
Momoi caught on immediately and she jumped forward to comfort the girl. "It's okay! You don't have to force yourself to remember. Just like with Akashi-kun, I'm sure that the more time you spend will us, the more familiar the past may get." She smiled as Kuroko nodded. "Well then, shall we eat? Whatever you've cooked, it smells delicious!"
With that, the group of four settled around the dining table where Kuroko had already set the table. The meal was quickly devoured, as the teal-haired girl quietly asked questions about Aomine and Momoi's life – even making a small joke about when Aomine would get the courage to pop the 'question'. They'd been officially together for almost ten years after all, much to Kuroko's amusement. However, this conversation lead toward something a little deeper, as Kuroko innocently turned toward Akashi.
"Then Akashi-kun, what about your soulmate?" She asked. The two guests straightened in their seat, also quite curious. Especially as Akashi gave them a tight-lipped smile. Obviously it was something he would rather not discuss, but for Kuroko's benefit, he may as well come out with it.
"I have known who my other half is for quite a while, if that's what you're asking."
"EH?!" Aomine exploded, having never realised this. "Since when?"
Akashi sighed – something he found himself doing a lot of lately. "I would prefer not to answer that. But if you must know, we are currently not on speaking terms."
"Huh? Why? Did you piss them off or something?" Aomine held back a snicker.
"Well, if you'd really like to think of it that way. But I suppose it's more because of the fact that he's having trouble accepting his sexuality." He shrugged.
"That make sense then." The blunette boy nodded knowingly, and then froze, "Wait... what?"
"It'll be fine, I'm sure – whoever he may be – that he'll come around." Kuroko said softly, sharing a rare smile. "Allegedly, the connection is very hard to deny. Akashi-kun will get his chance at love in the end."
The table fell silent as the three watched the young woman closely. Even though she obviously didn't remember, it was slightly painful seeing her wish someone else well, when she didn't even get her own happy ending. "What about you, Kuroko? Don't you wish for your chance at love?" Momoi couldn't help but ask.
The girl in question shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Her hand reached down to grasp around the sweatband on her left wrist. Her eyes reflected confusion as she spoke slowly. "To be honest, with my condition… I don't expect anything special for me. I'm happy enough to have met the three of you, but surely I'm already a burden enough."
Akashi was quiet as the other two were quick to object, "That's not true! You'd never be a burden, especially since we troubled you so much in the past."
"So… you're just returning the favour?" Kuroko's eyebrows drew together in the slightest frown.
The other woman reached over to grasp Kuroko's hands in hers. She shook her head fervently in reply. "No, we'd never think of it like that." She pulled her closer, encasing her into a hug as she started sobbing, "I've missed you so much, and you've been so strong! I could never abandon you like that!"
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PART XII [Kuroko's POV]
… She missed me? I was strong? Those words, they were so familiar; filled with emotion.
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I had stacked one last box – the very last one, making sure it was sealed shut before lifting the pile up. I had hurried out of my room, with the three boxes to meet a few men who were standing around the back of an open truck, waiting patiently for me as I handed the cardboard boxes to one of them. I thanked them as they all climbed into the front of the truck and started the engine.
I had waited until they'd disappeared around the corner before heading back up to my shared apartment, where I hesitated from a few steps away. Momoi's menacing aura was seeping through the confinements of the apartment door, aimed directly at me. The apartment was now partially bare, with a certain pink-haired woman standing in the hallway.
"Y-Yes? Satsuki?" I had asked, a bit nervously.
She was wearing a white blouse and pencil skirt – presumably going to work. Her arms were crossed, emphasising her already well-endowed assets. She was glaring down at me, making me want to curl into a ball. "You!" she had jabbed a finger at me, "You haven't told him yet! You're leaving tonight!"
"Okay, I'll call him now to meet up with him…"
"Good, good. Make sure he actually knows why you're going. You've known him for 5 years; don't keep him in the dark. He's your 'light' after all." Her voice had wavered at the end. She threw herself upon me, squeezing me tightly that I wasn't able to breathe. "I-I…" she was sobbing by now, ruining her makeup, "I'm going to miss you so much. But you're strong. You'll make it; I'm sure."
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What was this? Something from my past?
"I'm sorry." I found myself saying, "I'm so sorry Satsuki-san… for making you wait this long." My arms instinctively reached up to pull her closer. She was so warm. I tried to snuggle closer, maybe I would remember something else if I just kept her close.
Everything is so cloudy, so blurry in my mind. But her warmth is spreading to me, it's so soothing. But I'm still so confused. Is this what it feels like to be happy and sad at the same time? Is this what it is like to feel loved? My eyes are stinging again… just like at the train station… but there's something wet flowing down my cheeks; is this what crying is?
"Satsuki-san." I said her name again – just in case I was dreaming. "I remember you, Satsuki-san."
"Yes Tet-chan, it's me." She hugged me tighter if possible, before pulling away. We both had tears streaming down our faces. She began wiping hers away, a smile taking its place.
Aomine stood there, his mouth gaping. "No way, you actually managed to remember?"
I nodded my head, also wiping the stream of tears away with the back of my sleeve. "I'm back… I mean, there was the diary to supposedly help me – but it was still all so unclear. And I don't remember everything yet. But somehow, I still feel like part of me is back."
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FINAL
Kagami was exhausted – but he refused to give up. He'd gotten lost a few times, and by now it was already ten in the evening. After the lengthy phone call with Aomine, he'd been briefly informed of Kuroko's disappearance and was sent the address of Akashi's apartment in Kyoto. Aomine's exact words had been: 'Kuroko left for America. She had to have an operation since she was diagnosed with MS back in middle school. The operation was successful, but Tetsu, she… lost her memories.'
Since then, he'd felt an aching pain in his chest. Of course, it'd been there before, but the feeling was stronger when he'd finally been informed of the past three years. He'd been shocked – even yelled at Aomine for an hour before abruptly ending the call. He spent most of the train ride to Kyoto sulking, and coming to terms with the situation. He was angry at himself, even more so now that he'd lashed out at Kuroko despite that fact she really didn't remember him.
He suddenly remembered how upset Kuroko seemed the day he saw her last. How she was seemingly nervous. And maybe, if he had just asked her what was wrong… he might've been able to stop her from leaving. That she wouldn't have forgotten.
He'd been such an ass! His last words weren't even a proper goodbye – he was too focused on Kaigawa back then he failed to notice Kuroko's sadness. He failed to run after her the moment it started raining when she walk out of Maji Burger's doors. He failed in being her best friend – the light she relied on to reassure her existence.
But it was too late. What had been done was done. And that was exactly why he stood in front of the apartment belonging to Akashi. He knocked rapidly, waiting impatiently for someone to come along an open the door. He heard someone approach the door and he stepped back a little, anticipating for the door to open.
"Aomine-kun? I though Akashi messaged you to say I'd be bringing your jacket by tomorr-" The soft, sweet voice stopped short as the teal-haired woman paused to take a better look at the man before her. "Y-you're…?"
"Tetsumi." He breathed out her name.
She shrunk back a little, "Why're you here? H-how did you even know…?"
Kagami stepped forward, reaching out to carefully place a hand on her shoulder. The connection was almost insane. Numbness spread from his fingertips all the way through his body, and he looked directly into her eyes. Under his gaze, he could feel Kuroko shiver as he whispered her name once more. "Tetsumi…" he whispered, pulling even closer when Kuroko didn't push him away. "I… you… soulmates…"
"We're… what?" She was just as quiet, her whispers like the tiniest of breezes brushing past his cheek.
"Oh kami," he slightly growled, lowering his head, "I'm sorry but... I love you too much."
It was then, as their lips pressed together, that Kagami couldn't imagine anyone else to be in his arms.
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[ OWARI ]
お わ り。
And… that's the end! I know the quality of the chapter isn't great and the ending is pretty rushed… but it was super hard to wrap up the story when this wasn't planned for! I tried to give you guys your happy ending, but remember this was originally supposed to be a one-shot! x_x
PLEASE REMEMBER to vote through the poll on my profile. I know I'm just a beginner, I need to write more to get better!
Also;
Happy New Year and best of luck in 2016!
-Anon