Conquered Hearts

Chapter 27 — Aftermath

Read the first chapter for disclaimer and story information

A/N: This is the last chapter for this story. Thank you so much for all readers who have followed this story since the beginning. Thank you for all the supports. I'd never thought I'd actually finish writing this story considering the sheer length and theme, but you all made it possible. I hope this last chapter will be received well, despite the loose threads that you may still find even until the end. Thank you for being patience for me during the writing of this story and hopefully we'll meet again in another multi-chaptered story. :) I'm planning to do editing for the wholeness of this story considering I've realized there are some minor and yet crucial mistakes in early chapters.

As always, here are the responses to anonymous/non-login reviews!

Cherry: Terima kasih untuk review dan pengertiannya. Anda sama sekali tidak bersikap egois, karena sebetulnya bukan hanya Anda yang meminta saya menerjemahkan cerita-cerita saya. Justru sebaliknya, saya minta maaf karena tidak bisa mengabulkan keinginan itu. Haha, sejujurnya bagian Midorima-Takao adalah bagian favorit saya di chapter sebelumnya, jadi saya sangat senang jika Anda juga menikmatinya. Terima kasih untuk pelukannya! Saya harap dapat bertemu dengan Anda lagi di lain kesempatan! *huggles*

Guest: Thank you too for leaving a review and I'm sorry if I made you sad with what had happened to Takao. :")

Wolfie: Thank you for your review and yes, they both are still alive. Barely, but that counts too, right. Uhm, Kise's left arm is completely cleaved off of him. So … yeah, he'll have to learn living with only one arm from now on.

Guest: Thank you for your review! I'm glad I managed to convey the image in my mind to you and yes, poor Midorima. He'll need someone to console him through his loss.

Yuu: Thank you for your review and I'm terribly sorry for what I did to Takao!

XienRue: Thank you for your review and yes, I agree. It's impossible for everyone to escape unscathed from a war. Honestly, I was almost afraid I didn't kill enough people, but … yeah.

Mayonnaise: Thank you for your review! I don't know whether this chapter will satisfy your need of more AoKise, but I hope it can at least quench it a bit. I agree with you, Akashi is very badass, but then again he's always like that, isn't he. Thank you for reading and actually dropping a review for this story too. I really appreciate that and … I hope this chapter won't make you cry. :)

AHH: Thank you for your review! I'm afraid there will be no sequel for this story because it's long enough as it is and I just have no idea what to write anymore. Thank you for supporting this story until the end. I really appreciate that. :)

Leah: Thank you for your review! I'm so glad you're satisfied enough with this story. It'll be a big compliment for me if you like it to the point of crying at the end, but I also hope this chapter won't make you cry. ^^a

Okay … so that's it for all the review responses. I hope you enjoy the last chapter of Conquered Hearts!

Aftermath, there was no celebration. The only sign the war had been over was the lighter atmosphere around the soldiers. Even that was dampened by the heavy pressure of sadness lingering as bodies of fallen comrades were collected and brought into the Shuutoku kingdom for proper burial, while the injured rapidly filling the infirmary wing of the castle. Surviving Touou and Kaijou's soldiers were released back to their camps, Akashi losing his interest in taking any more lives once his main objective had been achieved, and there were talks about negotiation soon. All kingdoms had received plentiful of damage; it was no longer time to hold onto their pride.

Once both sides had finished collecting the bodies, Akashi had requested an informal meeting with Prince Yukio—who soon would be King Yukio since the previous Kaijou's king had fallen in the war under King Okamura's blade—to offer request of truce and, perhaps, a chance for future peace treaty. Thankfully, Yukio was a lot more reasonable than his father; since he also didn't want any more useless bloodshed, he had accepted the request gladly. He then inquired about Aomine, the Touou Prince was nowhere to be found, and when he was told Aomine had been brought into Shuutoku due to his heavy injury, at first Yukio was suspicious. Akashi's firm assurance he had no intention to let the last member of Touou royal family died was the only reason he finally decided to let it go.

The meeting had went well, with both Akashi and Kasamatsu shaking hands by the end of it, which was good because Akashi knew what would wait for him back in Shuutoku wouldn't be pretty. He hadn't seen the exact damage they had received before meeting with Kasamatsu, but he had seen Midorima being brought in by another soldier with lifeless body of Takao in his arms. His most trusted regent didn't even react when he had approached, as if he couldn't see Akashi right in front of him, and the sight of Midorima's empty gaze was not something Akashi wanted to see ever again. He had let Midorima go without saying anything at that time, but Akashi knew he would need to make sure the other hadn't completely broken down when they met again.

Akashi watched as Kasamatsu and another knight whom he recalled as Moriyama slowly walked back towards their own camp before turning around. He could feel Murasakibara's steady presence immediately following after and despite the smile curving on his lips, there was painful throbbing in his chest he just couldn't stop.

xXXx

The funerals were held immediately the next morning. The air was grim with the sound of wailing women filling the airs. The bodies of fallen soldiers had been dressed respectfully; the lesser soldiers were then put down neatly into the mass grave, surrounded by their grieving families and watched solemnly by all the kings and nobles, while those of higher ranks were moved towards the deeper part of the burial site. Among those bodies was Takao Kazunari, Lord of Takao Clan, whose death had brought sorrow to all who knew the noble well, although admittedly no one was as devastated as the knight's own partner: Midorima Shintarou.

Midorima had refused to talk to anyone after they had taken Takao's body away from him. Instead, the green haired regent had locked himself in his room for the whole day, ignoring the maids intending to deliver meals to him. He only came out of his room in the morning of the funeral, already wearing appropriate attributes and looked composed enough except for the red rimming his eyes. Now, he was riding just slightly behind Akashi, silent but no longer shaken, until finally the group reached the Noble Tombs.

Lord Kazunari of Takao Clan's tomb was placed just beside his parents'. It was simple, without any elaborate carving except for the symbol of his family's crest etched onto the lid of the tomb. There was only one decoration to honor his memory: a large, stone statue depicting a large hawk with spread wings stood behind the tomb, looking impressive and regal as its cold, unblinking eyes stared out towards them; the wings curving slightly above the tomb, as if to protect it.

The sound of wailing raised again when Takao's body was laid to rest. Midorima watched from the side as possessions were placed into the tomb—with Takao's bow going first, already cleaned up from the enemies' blood; followed immediately with his daggers. He watched all of this with strange sense of detachment while his hands clutched onto a wooden box as if it were the most precious thing in the world for him. Inside the box was Takao's heart, which would be buried in Teikou. He had been surprised when he received the box from King Ootsubo, but then the king explained with small smile that Takao would want Midorima to have his heart—like how Midorima had owned it in his life. Those words almost broke Midorima's composure once again, but as he accepted the box, he felt a sense of acceptance instead—it was almost as if Takao had actually returned to him.

The stone lid then began to slide into place until finally it was closed for good. The sound of the lid completely closing seemed so final, Midorima just had to close his eyes as he heard that, hoping it would be enough to burn the image of Takao in his final rest into his mind forever. He took in shuddering breath, but he allowed nothing more than that to show his despair. He had already shed enough tears last night; Takao would only laugh at him if he kept on being so weak.

"Shintarou," soft call of his name prompted Midorima to open his eyes and he immediately saw Akashi standing near looking right at him while holding out a knife. The king's eyes were calm and solemn as he gestured at Midorima to take the knife. "Give him a proper farewell."

Nodding wordlessly, Midorima took the knife from Akashi's hand before trusting the wooden box containing Takao's heart onto the king—who accepted it with a respectful nod. No one spoke when he slowly approached the tomb, adding the sense of respect and solemnity in the air, and the silence was unbroken even as he lifted the knife and slice his palm with it. He then pressed his bloody hand against the stone lid and let it lingers for a while. The corners of Midorima's lips formed a thin smile as he whispered, "Farewell … Kazunari. Thank you for the chance of meeting you."

xXXx

The first thing he noticed was the pain. His whole body was aching, the pain even more intense in few places, that he immediately realized he wasn't dead yet—and that realization was so big Aomine immediately woke up with a gasp. Blinding light filled in his vision at once, replacing the gasp with painful hiss, as he scrunched his eyes shut again to protect them. His heart thundered against his ribcage, body shivering from cold sweat, and Aomine felt so weak he could only curl his hands into tight fists, bunching up what felt like soft blanket beneath them.

What had happened? Why am I not dead yet?

Those questions sprung up in his mind one after another, followed by thousand more he could only hope to answer. He felt disoriented, not even knowing where he was, and he would actually think this was all a sick joke if not for the insistent throbbing pain on his left eye. Slowly lifting his hand up, his fingers then traced the rough texture of bandage covering the left side of his face. The pain became sharper when he tentatively probed at where his eye was supposed to be and immediately he knew he would never be able to see from that eye again.

That's right, I was dueling with Kise. He stabbed me right in the eye before collapsing on the ground. After that … what? Has the war ended? What about Kise …?

Aomine growled in frustration. His head started to throb from all the questions in his mind and suddenly he felt very tired. Letting out a sigh, he lowered his hand onto the blanket once again, deciding to mull on what to do next. The logical thing was to go back to sleep; his body still needed to rest even now, after all, but Aomine doubted he would be able to rest his mind.

It was then he heard the sound of door being opened, followed by soft steps from someone who had just entered his room. Aomine slowly turned his face towards the sound's source, noting that the soft steps immediately stopped afterward, and opened his eyes (or eye, actually, not that Aomine could tell much right now) carefully—only for them to widen at the sight in front of him now.

"Ah, so you finally wake up, Aomine-kun." Kuroko Tetsuya said with a small smile on his face. The blatant relief showing on his face didn't add up with the situation, so much so that Aomine could only keep staring without blinking as if he was still dreaming. But then Kuroko approached his bed side in quick strides, kneeling and reaching out to cup Aomine's hand with both of his, head bowing in an almost prayer, and whispered reverently, "Welcome back."

There was the barest of tremble in Kuroko's voice, something Aomine had never dreamed to hear, making him all the more aware this was reality now. Aomine swallowed a lump suddenly clogging his throat, trying hard to find something—anything—to say, but came up empty. In the end, he could only squeeze Kuroko's hands in assurance, hating the way his childhood friend was still trembling despite not knowing the reason why.

Welcome back.

Aomine wondered if waking up in what seemed to be a brand new world could still be considered as coming back.

xXXx

"It's been five days since the war ended. Five days since King Akashi brought you here and during that time, you've been unconscious due to the severity of your damage. Teikou won the war. Both King Shouichi and King Kasamatsu were fallen under King Akashi and King Okamura's swords, respectfully. The body of both kings had been sent back towards their kingdoms, along with all the surviving soldiers. For now, there's a truce between all of the kingdoms and I'm quite sure Momoi-san will be able to handle the problem in Touou until you return. We are more or less at peace at the moment."

Aomine took in all of Kuroko's explanation silently and with a sense of calm he didn't know came from where. Maybe it was resignation, a part of him already knew sooner or later his kingdom would crumble under years of tyrannical leadership, or maybe he was still in a state of shock to realize the true weight of the situation.

"Who else have we lost?"

"A lot of our foot soldiers. Also, Sir Hanamiya was injured quite badly due to his fight with Sir Haizaki. He's still currently being treated and is still unconscious. Sir Kiyoshi was also injured, although I've heard he had recovered nicely. There are no other casualty though."

The answer made Aomine feel quite relieved. At least they hadn't suffered as badly as he had originally thought; which only left one question unanswered:

"Why did Akashi help me?"

"That's not a question I can answer. King Akashi hadn't told anyone anything except for ordering the healers to do their utmost to heal you, and even if he was willing to confide his reason, surely he wouldn't do it to me." Kuroko reasoned. He'd already dragged a chair to Aomine's bed side, no longer kneeling once the relief at seeing his prince alive had abated, folding his hands neatly on his lap. "But no matter what his reason was … I'm glad he saved you, Aomine-kun."

Pregnant silence followed after his statement, although it didn't seem to bother Kuroko at all. He hadn't expected Aomine to agree with him, because he knew the responsibility falling onto the prince's shoulders had just become much bigger now. Aomine's silence was understandable; Kuroko could allow him that much. Besides, he knew Aomine would pull through this—he wasn't the type to give up on his own life, after all.

Kuroko watched the way Aomine slowly curling his fingers into loose fists before releasing them not a second after, knowing it as a gesture of indecisiveness from his childhood friend, eyes moving slightly upward to see the other's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and not at all surprised when Aomine finally voiced out his question:

"What about … Kise?"

"He's alive," Kuroko answered immediately because he wasn't so cruel as to omit such important information from Aomine. Wisely he pretended to not see the way tension ebbing away from Aomine, subtly adverting his eyes downward to his folded hands instead. He let a moment passed between them before continuing, "He's still unconscious though. The injury he had sustained even more serious than yours, but he's no longer in critical state."

"That's good," breathed Aomine. Now that he had known of Kise's condition, he felt a lot lighter. Consequently, it also made him feel the fatigue still sitting deep in his bones even more clearly. Sleep seemed to beckon at him, promising blissful darkness free of pain or worries, alluring him to slowly close his eyes even though he was still mindful of Kuroko's presence on his side. Despite the quietness which had fallen between them, he could feel a sense of anticipation, knowing instinctively Kuroko had more to say. With obvious reluctance, Aomine kept his eyes open, turning his head just slightly so he could give Kuroko an expectant gaze.

"You have something in your mind. Spill it."

"I apologize for asking this right now, but … what are you going to do, Aomine-kun?"

"About what?" Aomine asked with furrowed brows. He was in no condition to play guessing with Kuroko.

"About Touou and your responsibility as the last of the royal family." Kuroko answered evenly despite the way Aomine's eyes darkened with distaste at the topic. He made sure to hold eye contact to convey the solemnity of his words. "Peace is a fragile thing, as I'm sure you know, and with the position of king being empty, it will take little to nothing for Touou to fall into chaos once again. Momoi-san won't be able to maintain the people forever; she won't be acknowledged as the leader, especially not when there's still a royal family member left. The responsibility of a king flows in your blood—this, a fact. Refusing that responsibility won't be as easy as throwing away your family name and taking another. It's a part of who you are, Aomine-kun, and now I'm asking of your readiness to accept that."

"I've told you this before: I won't have the privilege of choosing. I can't very well just abandon the whole kingdom due to my own cowardice. I won't like the change—of this I won't bother lying—but I'm sure I can endure it."

"It won't be easy. There has been a lot of damage to our kingdom, a lot of people will be devastated by the result of the war; not to mention with a new ruler, the possibility of rebel will also increase from those whose kingdoms had previously been conquered. There will be no time for you to get used to the position."

"I know," Aomine allowed a tired sigh. "but it doesn't exactly change anything. I'm quite sure I won't be a good king, far from it maybe, but at least I won't be alone. You and Satsuki will be there too. Surely I won't stray too far. At the very least … I'm certain I won't follow Shouichi's path."

"Then hereby I'll put my loyalty to you, My Liege," Kuroko's expression was that of determination despite the warmth slowly entering his eyes. "I'll give you support within my capability so you may build our kingdom back to its glory."

"… Thank you, Tetsu."

xXXx

Seven more days passed uneventfully for Aomine. There was not much he could do in his current situation and despite the noises he could hear outside, no one from either Shuutoku or Teikou had disturbed him except for a handful of healers. His loyal companion was only Tetsu, who always came to visit him every day without fail, although even then there was not much they could talk about, mostly because Aomine was under sedatives most of the time, so the amount of time he could spend awake and aware was limited.

Thankfully, as his injures mended slowly but surely, the healers had finally decided to lower the dosage of the sedative used on him. Though he didn't particularly like the sharp pain he could still feel at times, Aomine was glad he could talk without feeling as if he was waddling under water anymore.

On the eighth day, Aomine got additional visitors.

He was sitting propped up by many pillows on the bed, only staring aimlessly at the wall across of him while trying to contain the complaints he had in his head, when he heard the sound of soft knocking on his door. He snorted though didn't bother to answer since he thought it was pointless anyway. It wasn't like he could refuse anyone to enter the room, especially not when he was almost bored out of his mind too.

True enough, not long after the knocks there was the distinctive sound of wooden door swinging on its hinge. Aomine lazily turned his head, already expecting to see Kuroko walking in with his usual small smile, but this time the teal head man wasn't alone. Aomine's brows climbed up when he saw another figure walking behind Kuroko and then his breath caught when he saw the third person entering his room.

"Kise," Aomine said, breathless.

The room felt too small now as Kise lifted his head up and locked gazes with Aomine. He didn't look good. The thin, dark grey tunic he wore seemed to make him even sicklier, especially with the lower part of the left sleeve dangling listlessly—empty. There were obvious sign of exhaustion drawn on his face, Kuroko immediately pulling a chair close for the blond even as Aomine watched, as if it took all of his energy just to be standing there. It was a miserable sight. Still, Aomine found he couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Hello, Aomine-cchi," said Kise in a voice no stronger than hushed whisper. His lips slowly pulled upwards to show neat rows of white teeth in a grin as he watched Aomine's eyes widened minutely at the nickname. No one else spoke yet, as if giving the two of them time to reconcile after everything that had happened; after all the blood and battles. "You look well."

It was the first time Aomine heard Kise talk without even a hint of derogatory in his voice, prompting a quick twitch upward from his own lips, although the context of his statement made Aomine unable to form a full smile. He decided to incline his head instead, a gesture of gratuitous acceptance, before directing his next word at Akashi who was still standing silent right beside Kise, "I owe my life to King Seijuurou. Although, I can fathom not the reason he'd spared my life."

"I have my reasons," said Akashi. "Of which I'll tell only after you answer my questions, Prince Daiki."

"You said that as if I could just ignore your questions," Aomine leaned back with grudging resignation. The mountain of pillows accepted his body readily as he leaned back against them and he caught from the corner of his eyes Kuroko's figure standing near a window, silent and easily forgotten. "Ask away."

"Do you know the reason behind of your brother's bloody campaign?"

"Reason? There's none. The war is just a mean of expanding our territory, nothing more or less."

"Do you really believe that?"

Aomine furrowed his brows. "What are you getting at?"

"Don't you think what King Shouichi had done was a bit too excessive if his aim was only to expand territories?" Akashi asked in a drawl. When there was no answer forthcoming from Aomine, he raised one brow in mild disbelieve, lips twitching but for a second in either amusement or impatience. None of his emotions was shown, however, when he decided to continue on, "For something base like that, attacking a strong kingdom as Teikou wasn't a wise move. Not only because the resistance you'd face would surely be stronger, but also because it wouldn't be easy to overtake the lands. The probability of the campaign succeeding was slim to none.

"I'm sure King Shouichi wasn't stupid—he must have known the disadvantages of attacking Teikou would far outweigh the benefits for his kingdom. Which, consequently, made me certain there was another reason behind his insistence of creating a bloody campaign—of which he might not win—that was far more peculiar than mere wish to gain more land for Touou. I'd thought you'd know about that reason, Prince Daiki, considering the fact you both were still siblings. Apparently, I was assuming too much."

"Our relationship had never been good, even before the campaign began," said Aomine lightly. "He wouldn't have told anything to me. What's your point?"

"My point is that I think King Shouichi was having a dangerous bet with himself. Tell me, how long has Touou been expanding territories by conquering smaller kingdoms?"

"I wouldn't know for sure. It's been like that since a long time. The point. Get to it."

"You truly are impatient," said Akashi without bothering to hide his amusement. "Very well then. The bet King Shouichi had with himself: a complete change for Touou. Everyone knows how different you and the late king were. While King Shouichi seemingly adhered to Touou's violence tradition, you'd always been seen as someone who could change that; someone who were expected to stop the blood lust in your family. I think, King Shouichi actually wanted that too—breaking the chain of hate which had been placed in your kingdom by generations long past.

"Of course, doing this wouldn't be easy. I'd heard rumors that you were supposed to succeed the throne after your father died, but you refused it and decided to severe any relation you had with the Imayoshi line instead. When you did this, the chain stopped at King Shouichi. Imayoshi's line was the beginning of the violence in Touou—King Shouichi might've thought once the line ended, the chain would be broken or, at the very least, fractured enough to finally break.

"He wasn't so naïve to think that would be enough to appease the other generals though. Those who had pledged loyalty to your father and those before him must have the same amount of bloodlust as the previous kings and that lust could only be sated by devastation so big they couldn't think of anymore destruction. Thus began the war. King Shouichi must have known the price of starting a war with Teikou. Yet he still did it while betting on the future of not only his, but also his kingdom. He was prepared to lose his life, but if you also fell on the battlefield, then Touou would certainly crumble under the rebellion arising from the chaos.

"Still he thought the only way to change Touou completely was to destroy every belief everyone had hold onto up until now. Still he placed his bet on the improbable and for that, I could respect him his choice. That, also, is the reason why I saved you. I want to see the result of his reckless gamble; see if a mad wish could actually come true."

Akashi's voice trailed off and engulfed in complete silence. Aomine couldn't find a word to say while Kise seemed content to listen in without commenting. After a moment, Aomine finally turned his head towards Kuroko, finding their gazes immediately met as if the other had been waiting, fair face completely detached of any expression it was obvious he was hiding something. It took Aomine seconds to figure out what that something was.

"You've known about this."

"I've guessed," said Kuroko, neither denying nor agreeing. "Momoi-san wouldn't tell me the details, but she said enough."

"And you never think to tell me this?"

"Should I?"

The question made Aomine pause. Honestly, even knowing the possible reason behind Shouichi's campaign hadn't really changed anything. Years of indifference and dislike couldn't be overlooked in mere minutes. All that Akashi's explanation had done was making Aomine feel slightly regretful for both himself and Shouichi since they never had the chance to actually know each other better. Aomine shook his head and said:

"No. I wouldn't listen to you back then. Nothing would've changed."

"I've figured as much," said Kuroko with a small, private smile.

Aomine snorted. Of course Kuroko wouldn't feel guilty at all. He turned his attention back at Akashi. "Either way, I owe you my life, King Seijuurou. You have my gratitude." He said although with obvious reluctance.

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to repay my kindness, Prince Daiki," Akashi smirked, placing his hand on the back of Kise's chair, leaning his upper body just slightly towards the blond, savoring the way Aomine's gaze immediately followed his movements with obvious jealousy. "You can start by taking back everything you've done to Ryouta. After all, if it wasn't for his insistence, I wouldn't even think twice of leaving you to your death—despite King Shouichi's gamble."

"Akashi-cchi, that's not really—" Kise tried to protest, but a look from Akashi made him fall silent. He allowed only the softest of sigh to show his petulance.

Pleased to have Kise giving in, Akashi turned expectant eyes towards Aomine, who looked thoughtful instead of resentful like Akashi had expected, lifting his head up a bit in challenge.

"I … apologize for everything done to you while under my care, Kise," said Aomine, barely able to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Although when he next spoke, he was gazing straight at Kise and there was only sincerity in his voice, "I'm glad you're alive."

Kise caught Aomine's gaze, nodding minutely as he replied, "I'm glad you're alive too."

Those words rang hollow in the room, not because it wasn't sincere, but rather because it wasn't enough. After everything that had happened between them, simple words like that seemed inadequate. Although even if they were given the chance, neither Kise nor Aomine would have proper words to convey what they felt towards each other right now; the torrent of emotions were too much to be translated into words—it was expected they both could only fall silent afterward.

The awkward silence was broken as Akashi gently rested his hand on Kise's shoulder, prompting the blond to look up questioningly at him. "We'll be outside." He said before, with a quick squeeze and a nod towards Kuroko, turning around and walking out of the room. He didn't look back even once despite the peculiar feeling of eyes watching his back, until finally the door was closed behind Kuroko who had followed him.

The long corridor outside was mostly quiet with only few soldiers walking around, all of whom immediately bowing in respect when they saw Akashi and Kuroko before continuing their duty, allowing them a chance to mull over their own thoughts. They didn't stray far from the wooden door, deciding to lean against it instead, since Kise still couldn't walk on his own now that his balance was disturbed by his lack of arm and so would need someone to support him back towards his own room.

"Thank you, King Seijuurou," said Kuroko after a while, turning his face slightly towards Akashi. "for everything."

"You don't owe me anything. I didn't do this for you or for Prince Daiki." Akashi replied.

"Of course," Kuroko would never dream Akashi'd ever do this for any reason other than to make Kise happy. "Nevertheless, thank you."

Finally Akashi shifted his gaze towards Kuroko. "You're welcome, Kuroko Tetsuya."

xXXx

"This is the first time I see a king escorting someone of lower rank. You must be very special."

"I can't exactly walk around alone in my condition. Akashi-cchi was just being considerate."

Aomine gave him a look of total incredulity, but after a moment decided to simply shrug his shoulders. If Kise wanted to believe that, then Aomine wouldn't bother changing his mind. There were a lot more important things they needed to talk about; mainly about where they stood with each other after everything that had happened. Finding the right words to start that conversation was hard though and so silence settled back between them.

"I'm sorry," Kise's soft voice suddenly filled in the silence. There was regret in his eyes when they met Aomine's questioning look. "For your eye."

"Oh," Aomine had to resist the urge to touch his covered eye. It'd be meaningless; both of them knew the damage on Aomine's eye was beyond repair. "I'm sorry for your arm too."

"Well, we're even then," said Kise. "At least we're still alive."

A nod was all Aomine could give in response. He was grateful for that fact too; wishing to come out unscathed from the war would be far too greedy for them. "So … what happens now between us?"

"To be honest, I don't know. It's not something I can decide either," Kise leaned back against his chair, careful to keep his balance, looking as if he didn't have any worry about the future with a smile playing on his lips. "I have no part in deciding the future. My role has been over for the moment. What happens next depends on what Akashi-cchi and you will decide. I'm a knight. I just follow my king's command."

The corners of Aomine's lips twisted into somewhat bitter smile. He turned his head away from Kise, eyes seeing without truly focusing at the wall across of his bed. He had almost forgotten Kise would return to his position as Akashi's knight, as if the end of the war would miraculously change their whole situation for the better, even though he actually knew it would be foolish to think like that. He was still not looking back at Kise when he next said:

"I guess we won't meet again after this, huh."

"I won't be so sure about that. Maybe once peace is established, we can actually become friends."

Friends. Aomine didn't think that was the correct term of what he hoped they could be, but maybe it would be a good start. The barest of sigh escaped from him, no more than a released breath actually, as his eyes closed in acceptance. His smile had turned gentle—an expression not many ever had the chance to see—when he finally deemed himself capable to face Kise directly once again.

"Aomine-cchi. Thought you'd said that would never happen."

Kise's laughter rang loud and clear; Aomine wouldn't be surprised if Akashi and Kuroko could hear it outside, and it was so free of any tension it made Aomine stare for a moment as if mesmerized. He had never heard such free laughter from anyone else before. He had thought it was impossible for someone to actually gather that much of happiness and let it out in one simple sound. It was beautiful. Even more so since it was Kise who did it and Aomine thought the hollow feeling in his heart could be filled to the brim only by hearing that sounds. Idly, he wondered if this was what people meant about falling in love.

"Yes, looks like I've changed my mind," said Kise once he managed to stop laughing. "Do you mind?"

"It's a silly nickname."

Which wasn't exactly a refusal. Kise grinned unashamedly. "I know."

"I'll let you use it for now. After all, you'll have to call me King Daiki once I'm crowned."

"Thank you for your generosity then," said Kise, barely holding himself from snorting in total disbelieve. Although not long after his expression changed into one of realization. "Oh, that reminds me," he took something out from his tunic's pocket, fingers curling around it carefully before, with a gentle curve on his lips, wordlessly holding it out towards Aomine.

Confused, Aomine's brows formed light frown although he nevertheless held out his own hand, palm opened and facing upward, waiting for Kise to drop whatever he was holding. The other did so without wasting any more time, putting something quite heavy and cold to touch onto Aomine's waiting hand. The thing made rattle noise when Aomine pulled his hand closer and as his gaze finally dropped onto the object in his hand, they widened minutely.

"I return it to you. I won't need it the next time I visit Touou, after all," said Kise softly. He was watching the way Aomine stared at the pendant with Touou's royal crest in his hand as if it was something foreign instead of an heirloom he'd worn since his birth. "You should keep it for your future heir."

Future. Heir.

Those were things Aomine had never thought he'd have to consider. He had no interest in procuring himself an heir and the future was more like a luxury he didn't want to dwell on. He was content with that for all of his life, but then the end of the war and the death of his brother changed that completely. Suddenly, those two were things Aomine needed to focus on.

The pendant in his hand seemed to be the embodiment for all the changes he'd have to go through. A part of him wanted to throw it away, to keep himself in denial for what was waiting in the future, but another part of him remembered his decision to take responsibility and if he couldn't even accept the small part of his future duty, then he wouldn't be able to actually keep up his promise. After painful inner conflict, his fingers slowly curling close on the pendant, a representation of his choice to take the future into his own hands.

"You'll be fine, Aomine-cchi, don't worry."

Kise's voice was infused with so much warmth it was impossible for Aomine to resist looking back towards him. The blond leaned forward carefully, the warmth making his eyes looked softer than usual, and reached out his hand to gently put it atop of Aomine's curled fist. The touch was firm, filled with strength Aomine hadn't really expected. Kise gave a gentle squeeze, eyes locking on Aomine's as he continued:

"The future may seem scary at first for all the uncertainties it holds, but you'll be fine. You'll have more strength to support you, friends who will be loyal to you, who will make sure you're not straying from the path you've chosen and if you allowed it … I'd also stand with you as you face the future. After all, I still have a duel to settle with you!"

The last part was accompanied by a wide grin that made Aomine's heart miss its constant beating for a second. Lips slightly parted, Aomine reached out with his free hand towards Kise's wrist, seizing it before pulling gently forward. A yelp made its way out of Kise's lips despite the assurance of Aomine's muscular arm securing him in an embrace. It was short lived though, because Aomine was quick to cover Kise's lips with his own, tasting the supple and warm flesh again after their separation that had felt far too long.

The muscles on Kise's back went taut with surprise before gradually they relaxed under Aomine's soothing touches until finally it felt as if he was melting right onto Aomine. Their kiss was clumsy at first, the loss of his eye made Aomine's sense of perception a bit off, but then Kise curled his hand on Aomine's neck, allowing most of his body weight to be supported by the tan male, and then their kiss turned sweet.

They took their time exploring each other, getting reacquainted with familiar territories, delighting in every shudder or gasp they both made. When they finally broke apart from their kiss, it was done deliberately. Their heavy breaths mingled even then, both slightly red on the face due to building excitement.

"That was … a surprise." Kise whispered, still breathless. Slowly he pulled himself away from Aomine, although to actually get away would take him too much effort to bother.

"I don't want to be friends with you," said Aomine with a huff seconds before he decided Kise's breathless laughter was even better than the free one.

"So impatient," Kise drawled, the grin stretching on his lips made it more a playful chastisement. "Don't be too greedy. Friend is a good enough start for us. We shall wait and see where it'll end."

"Heh. You should know I'll do anything to get what I want."

"Oh, I know," said Kise, leaning forward once again to place small kiss right on Aomine's lips. "I'm counting on that actually."

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—END.