AU. In this universe, the Generation of Miracles was part of Teiko High School's basketball team (instead of middle school). During their third year, the sixth member, Kuroko, disappears. The other five search for him, but when high school ends, they each go their separate ways. Only Akashi and Aomine continue searching together praying the Kuroko is still alive. Four years later, Akashi is now the head of his family's business. Aomine is a police officer. They have all but given up on finding Kuroko alive when they receive a tip about his whereabouts. They finally track down their long lost friend, but are they prepared for what they find? Would it have been better if they never found Kuroko; if Kuroko had died instead?

Opinions wanted! I was thinking of making the reason Kuroko ended up in this 'hell' being because he was special to Akashi and Akashi's family dealt in the underground world (criminal, gang, drug type underworld, not demon underworld...although you could argue it's the same..) and someone was trying to hurt Akashi. But in my other fanfic, Kuroko going through hell is largely Akashi's fault, so should I cut Akashi some slack or make him partially guilty again? I might change this part slightly depending on which I choose.

(((TITLE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE LATER ON since I always struggle with a title when I first start a story and usually think of something better later on.)))

AN: Yes, I have some desire to put Kuroko through terrible things. I just break him and put him back together again…Anyway, I'm not abandoning my other story. I thought of this while writing the other and didn't want to wait to start, so I will write both at the same time.

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"Tetsuya!"

Akashi stood in the door way of a small dark shed pointing a flashlight at a figure on the floor. There, in the middle of the dirt floor, a small, dirty, naked, blue haired boy was curled up and shivering, chained to the wall by his ankle, facing away from Akashi. Every bone in his body was plainly visible. Dried blood was caked onto his skin from various wounds of different types and sizes. He didn't move when Akashi called his name. In truth, he didn't recognize the voice. He wasn't entirely sure it was even his name that was called. It had been too long since anyone had called him by name. Actually, he wasn't sure the voice was real since it sounded a thousand miles away. It seemed absurd to think someone would be there anyhow. No one had come for some time now, several days at least, or maybe, he wasn't sure of that either.

When Akashi appeared in front of him and gathered him into a warm embrace, it took several moments for him to recognize the red head as someone he knew, and he still didn't know who the red head was exactly or how he knew him, just that he did in fact know him. He knew him, he was afraid of him, but it was different fear from that caused by the other man.

Was this man with the red hair really here though? He wasn't sure. He knew his mind was teetering on the edges of consciousness and had been for a while. He wasn't so far gone that he couldn't understand that much. The darkness was finally swallowing him up though, and afraid as he was and as curious as he was, he couldn't hold on any longer. It seemed almost too good to be true, to slip away, to die, in the hands of someone other than the man, even if it was an illusion created by his crumbling mind, even if he didn't know whose hands he was going limp in, it was one less regret to carry to the afterlife.

"Akashi, did you find him?" Another voice called out from somewhere outside the shed. The red head replied.

"Y…yes!" Akashi stuttered surprising himself and the owner of the other voice, Aomine. Akashi rarely lost his calm and composed demeanor. Whatever he was looking at had to be bad.

"Back up should be here any minute!" The dark skinned officer, Aomine, shouted before turning his attention back to the bastard he had pinned to the ground. The 'bastard' was weak from some type of illness and probably couldn't run off even if he was left alone, but Aomine wasn't risking it, even though he desperately wanted to know what Akashi was seeing to make him outwardly upset.

The sound of sirens was now audible in the distance, but it was far too distant for Akashi's comfort. The boy in his arms was freezing to the touch, not surprising since it was the coldest night of the year so far and probably wouldn't last much longer. He removed his coat and wrapped it around the small boy hoping to chase away some of the cold. He then pulled the smaller boy's body closer to his own and the two waited, Akashi sending silent prayers to every god he could think of to make things work out okay.

The body went limp in his arms while he prayed. He looked down only to notice that the previously shallow and strained breaths from the boy were nonexistent.

"Don't you dare! Tetsuya!" His mind was racing a million miles a second. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening, right? There is no way he was going to lose Tetsuya now. Four years of searching and exhausting resources, fighting every bit of evidence that said Tetsuya was gone for good, was not going to end like this! They had finally found him! Akashi couldn't bare the idea of losing him again. He refused to entertain it. Keeping himself as calm as possible, he began chest compressions and administered mouth to mouth, willing back up to arrive faster.

There was still no pulse. Back up must have arrived; he realized that much from how loud the sirens were and the voices of police officers and paramedics swarming the place. His focus remained on the small boy in front of him until the paramedics pulled him away and moved Kuroko onto a stretcher.

Suddenly he realized Aomine was beside him, and the only reason he hadn't fallen back to the ground after standing up. His whole body was shaking. He couldn't process his surroundings anymore. A firm grip on his shoulder was guiding him onto the ambulance where Tetsuya lay. Paramedics were desperately trying to revive the blue haired boy as the doors closed.