Rebound (Kagakuro)

Chapter Sixteen

Kagami

After texting Kuroko good night, I left my apartment to head to the basketball court he showed me the other day, the same one where he used to play with Aomine. I didn't know why I agreed to meet up, but I only did it to keep Kuroko safe. The last thing I wanted was him to get hurt during the game, both emotionally and physically.

When I arrived, Aomine was really there, though instead of doing dunks like how I expected, he was sitting down on the bench, quietly observing the basketball in front of him.

"I'm here," I announced, making my way towards him. "What do you want?"

The way he looked at me pained me a little, though I tried my best not to feel bad for him. After all, he was the one who broke Kuroko.

I sat next to him without asking permission, and waited for him to speak up. He didn't, though, and I was slowly growing impatient.

"Look," I got on my feet. "If you aren't saying anything, I'm going back home. It's already late."

"Let's have a short game, one-on-one," He finally said, throwing me the ball he was staring at earlier. "And let's have a chat while we're at it."

As usual, Aomine was really good. He was as fast as before, swiftly doing dunks and stealing the ball from me. I breathed, trying my best to get at least a store, but failed. He was too good, and I was exhausted.

Aomine scoffed. "You can't even beat me in this, though I'm not surprised."

"That's not the point, is it?" I snapped. "Why are we meeting up?"

He slowly stepped forward, the ball still in his hands. It was hard to read him, but his eyes showed something. I swallowed the lump in my throat, waiting for him to hit me.

"I need you to break up with Tetsu, Kagami," He ordered. "Please."

It took almost my entire energy not to punch him, and he probably knew it too, because he stepped back a little. My angry eyes glared into his sad ones. "I'm not breaking up with him. I'm dating him, whether you like it or not."

"Do you really think he likes you, Kagami?" He smirked. "You're just a rebound. You know what that means, don't you?"

"I don't care what I am to Kuroko, but as long as I can make him happy, it's enough. Seeing him break because of you hurts me."

"And you think I'm not hurt?" He shouted, voice filled with pain. "All those sleepless nights, those haunting nightmares... I need him back, Kagami."

"No," I fought back. "You don't love him. You had your chance to be with him, and you screwed up. It's your own fault."

"I do love him!" Grabbing my collar, he pulled me closer to him. I cursed. "And I know I screwed up, I just need another chance. One more chance to make it right again..."

"Let go of me."

Instead of letting me go, he landed a punch on my jaw and I fell to the ground. I winced as the pain instantly grew, and I tasted something metallic.

"You took him away from me, Kagami," He cried. "Do you know how painful it is?"

"And do you think fighting me like this will make you get him back?" I barked at him. "He's not going back to you, Aomine. You broke him!"

"Kagami-kun?"

I gasped when I heard that familiar voice, and I quickly struggled to get up before Aomine could reach him. I was too late, though, and when I was finally on my feet, the dark-headed was already wrapping his arms around Kuroko.

My Kuroko.

"Tetsu," I heard him say. "I'm really sorry, Tetsu. I'm really, really sorry for what I did in the past. I'm sorry for tearing you apart, you don't deserve that. Forgive me, Tetsu."

Kuroko stayed silent.

"I've changed into someone bad, but my feelings for you still remains. They're real, Tetsu."

"Let him go." I warned, but Aomine made no attempt to leave.

"I said let him go!" And that was it, I grabbed him by the collar and roughly pushed him off, causing him to hit the ground like I did. He cursed before getting back up again, but this time I was quick enough to guard Kuroko, who was still silent.

"Give me a second chance, Tetsu," Aomine begged. "I'll make it right this time, I promise. Give me another chance to make you happy."

Kise appeared behind us, a disappointed look on his face as he stared at Aomine.

"Please, Tetsu," Aomine's voice cracked, heavy tears flowing down his cheeks. "Don't leave me."

Kuroko's hand found mine, and they linked. I looked at him worriedly, but his expression remained blank. He stared at his ex-boyfriend, and a tear fell from his eye.

"Then why did you leave me in the first place?"

And that was enough to silence the crying boy. I knew he realised his mistake, and I really hoped he knew that getting Kuroko back was impossible. Right?

A painful feeling grew inside of me as Kuroko led me out of the basketball court. I can't help but to over think about this. After all, Aomine was right. I was only a rebound.

"Let's go home, Aominecchi," I heard Kise's faint voice, and I imagined him pulling Aomine up his feet. "It's getting late."

I decided to walk Kuroko back home. Our walk was a quiet one, only the sound of our footsteps could be heard. Kuroko was usually quiet, but that night he was quieter, and it actually scared me a little.

What happens if he goes back to Aomine?

When we arrived at the front of his house, Kuroko instantly wrapped his arms around me. I was caught off guard, but his embrace was what I needed at the moment. It helped me forget about my thoughts earlier.

I hugged him back without saying a word, gently rubbing circles on his back. I hated how Kuroko was trembling, and I hugged him tighter.

"Kagami-kun, I..."

"It's okay, Kuroko," I kissed the top of his head. "I'm here, that's all that matters."

He silently cried, then. Seeing him cry was already a normal thing to me, but it hurts the same every single time.

"I love you, Kuroko," I confessed, and his crying stopped. He pulled back a little, sad yet happy eyes gazed into mine. "You don't have to say it back if you don't want to, but I do hope one day you will."

"Kagami-kun..."

"Don't worry, I understand, I don't want to rush. I just wanted you to know."

Kuroko smiled then, a small but sincere smile.

"Thank you, Kagami-kun."