Moonrise

Part Eight

For the next few weeks, six groups of people zig-zagged across the country, playing a deadly game of cat and mouse. For three of those groups, each person came to know what Tsuki went through for ten years. Especially when he was barely ahead of those chasing him.

Sleep was hard to come by. They grabbed what they could, when they could.
Eating healthy wasn't easy. Meals were often cold and eaten while moving.
They didn't always manage to stay hidden. Their pursuers were led by none other than the Guess Monster himself, so they had to move fast, and think faster, in order to stay ahead of him and his minions. The problem was that he always seemed to be a few steps ahead of them. The positive note to his uncanny ability was that Yuki also seemed to have the same power, and even without knowing their exact numbers, she'd get them out of trouble. Sometimes just barely.

At first, they kept in contact at least twice a day. Bokuto, Akaashi, and Shimizu made sure that their groups were intact. No one left behind, and no one hurt or worse. After, once the chase became more serious, it was once a day, or once every other day. They'd take turns keeping the phone in each group, and when they made, or joined, the conference call, an informal roll call was done. Business and events of the day were reported, and discussed. When they were done, a little extra time was given to those who were separated from each other.

Kiyoko and Ryunosuke.
Bokuto and Akaashi.
The Miyans (though it was kind of funny listening to them bickering, no one denied the brothers a chance to make sure they were okay).
Kuroo and his mother.
And, finally...
Kuroo and Tsuki. It was perhaps an unspoken agreement that they'd go last, and that they'd be given a little more time to talk. Most people suspected Yuki was behind that, but no one tried to confirm it.

For his part, Tsuki would teach his group what he knew. Everything, not just the fighting. How to keep an eye out for anything suspicious; his friends used to tease him about his travel paranoia, now they didn't. How to look for hiding places and escape routes; he was the one to disappear a few times, and would return just before they panicked. How to assess the surroundings in order to blend in; he told them changing appearances helped a lot, but sometimes just knowing the crowd was all they'd need.

Tsuki admitted that this was his weakest point without changing clothes, dying his hair and wearing different contacts. His height worked against him, as he easily towered over most people. Plus, he hated crowds. Suffering a panic attack in the middle of one had happened, but he learned to avoid super crowded areas, and power through lesser ones.

Noya, Hinata, and Hoshiumi taught him how they could blend in without changing anything. It was more in the attitude, the way they carried themselves, that no one ever even looked in their direction. It was almost as if they were ghosts. Amazing, considering Hinata's shocking red hair, Hoshiumi's stark white hair, and Noya with that patch of blond in the middle of his forehead. If Tsuki hadn't been watching them carefully, mentally taking notes, he'd have fallen for their trick, too.

When things were quiet, and they had eluded their hunters enough, Tsuki would spend a little extra time with Akaashi. The older man understood, a little better than most, what he was going through being apart from Kuroo. It wasn't that he couldn't talk to say Suga, Noya, or even Hinata. It was just that he still felt a little guilty talking to them about his fiance, who was still alive and well, while their partners... weren't. And somehow, they understood his need to not involve them in this particular subject.

To say that each little group became their own family unit was entirely accurate. They made sure that everyone in their own group got as much rest as they could, ate what they could, and that any aches and pains (or minor injuries) were seen to and taken care of.

For three weeks, they managed to keep things from going sideways, as they steadily made their way to Miyagi. And then, everything started falling apart.