Dorm Mates with Aomine Daiki [A Kuroko no Basuke Fanfiction]

30: The Diamond Ring

They loved us with all their hearts. We're their children. Their descendants. We have the power to make them happy, sad, angry. Believe it or not, it's true.

But it varies from one parent to another.

You might not see it, but one of your parents might just cry to themselves silently to sleep if you ever shouted back at them.

We don't know cause we never actually see them shed a tear, so we closed an eye.

Now I know how much my parents meant to me. But it's too late.

Both of them are gone.

I'm the only Sugahara left.

"Thank you, Father. For everything. Be with Mother and take care of her until it's my turn, okay?" I reached for his hand and gave a soft kiss. It was cold. No life.

The tears threatened to fall, but I held them back. Aomine had told me to be strong and not to cry. He left after that; leaving me alone, saying that he had things to take care of.

Right now? At this time? Right when my father was shot?

I shook my head and pushed the thoughts away. I was too tired to be angry. I was too tired to actually feel any emotion.

I haven't eaten in three days. I drank, but that's all. And I haven't slept a wink. It was horrible. I couldn't taste anything.

I gripped my chest. It was painful. My heart hurts so much. Finally, when I felt like I could not take it anymore, I succumbed to the floor and let the tears out.

I can't believe I'm all alone in this world.

*-*-*-*

✯ Aomine Daiki ✯

I shut my eyes in pain, not actually believing that someone close had gone.

It didn't hurt as much as it hurt Kaede since I didn't have that much interaction with her father, but I still feel some kind of pang in my heart, okay?

Autumn Vacations were extended because of this, and believe me, no one was happy anymore. Not even with the extended time of holiday.

Because everybody was grieving from his death.

But now here I am, standing in front of the office building. The place is quiet. Too quiet. Deathly quiet. Only sounds of the wind and the crunching of dried leaves were heard.

Slowly, I closed my grip around the handle and turned it. It was unlocked. Of course.

I pushed it open and stepped inside. It was heavily quiet, and immaculately designed. It was so quiet that I was practically hallucinating the silhouettes and outlines of the people here.

There was Ms Iwasaki behind the desk, typing away, some students around trying to settle some admin things, Kaede helping around....

I turned left.

"Principal Sugahara Keichii" was engraved in black above a gold template. Unbeknownst to me, I had started walking towards the door and pushed it open.

Inside, it was practically empty, except for a few tidied things. So they had already packed for him, eh?

Something reflected the sunlight right onto the left side of my face, making me turn around. I squinted my eyes slightly from the blinding light, as I walked around where the object was.

It was resting atop of the desk where I first met him.

I picked it up, holding it delicately. It was a wood-bordered frame, and inside I could make out a family of three. Two females, one male.

Two adults lifting up one child.

A mother, a father, a daughter.

The complete Sugahara Family.

I turned the photo around and examined the back, noticing the worn out cursive writing that was written in black ink.

"To dearest husband Keichii and dearest daughter Kaede, you both are my life. Continue on this journey and I will look over you both.

- Sugahara Aiko

The mother of Kaede.

I turned the frame back so I was staring at his photo. Her father looked so young, with his black hair thick and in place. He was smiling, with the sincerest smile I had seen. He was gazing lovingly at his wife and his daughter.

The mother, who had the same caramel locks as Kaede, was smiling too, but it looked as though she hid something painful from them. Kaede had told me that she died from Cancer. Maybe that was it...? But why so young? She looks like she's thirty-five!

My eyes moved towards a chubby little girl, smiling widely from ear to ear. Both of her front teeth were gone, only spaces left. Already at such a young age?

She smiled without eyes and her cheeks looked absolutely chubby, and she looked like she had the time of her life. Gently, I set the photo back down, before noticing a key already inserted inside one of the most confidential drawers of Sugahara Keichii.

Curiosity killed the cat, but it didn't kill me. As far as I knew, I had my hands secured around the key and turned it, my curiosity piquing every second.

Inside was a pristine letter, and a small red box.

I picked up the first thing I saw, which was the letter. Slowly, I tore the envelope open, and pulled out its contents.

I mean, it could be a will written to Kaede, right? All I had to do was to keep it until I found her, right?

Wrong.

It wasn't for her; it was for me.

- Aomine Daiki.

I've been meaning to give you this letter, as well as the red box. You see, I know that my time is going to be almost up, and I knew that the first time I saw you, you were someone who would take on any challenge. It was the perfect choice for my daughter.

And I knew you could take care of her.

Take this letter and this box. Don't worry, I already paid for the ring. Propose to her when the time is right.

Sincerely,

Sugahara Keichii.

My eyes darted to the red box sitting firmly in the drawer, just begging to be picked up and transferred somewhere else. My gaze lingered on the box, before my hands slowly reached out and grabbed ahold of it.

I pulled it out the drawer and closed it shut, before staring at the box tucked in between my hands. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I sucked a deep breath and opened the box.

It was indeed, a ring.

A diamond ring.

*-*-*-*

A/N: I'm just gonna leave it here because I like cliffys :p Anyways, I'll post the Epilogue in a few days' time, just because I like to see how you guys would react to this xD If I feel that it is okay to, then I'll post it! But sadly, it will be the end of DMWAD :') Hope you guys stay tuned!