Oikawa could tell it was already midnight by the sound of the boat horns going off near the Arakawa River. They always, without fail, go off into the night for about ten minutes, blasting the deep rumble throughout the night to signal off the two winding ships crossing paths within the night. That was Oikawa's own signal, and the last time he would hear them outside of his window.
Kuroo finalized the handmade blade he crafted out of the steel license plate material, turning it over again and again while touching the sharp tip. It pierced through the tough skin of his index finger, marking a small cut that oozed out a microliter of blood.
"I'm ready if you are," Kuroo nodded his head towards Oikawa, who was doing the same to his weapon of choice. The once dull steak knife was now sharpened into the most dangerous tool within the prison walls, holding the ability to kill a man.
The concrete walls now had circular and straight scratches on them, firmly indenting their last marked legacy on the prison. Oikawa blew off the dust that accumulated on his knife, wiping away any dirt left on the blade with his blanket. "I'm ready."
Kuroo nodded again, setting his blade on the futon. Simultaneously, the both of them started to take their clothes off; starting with Oikawa grabbing the back collar of his t-shirt and pulling it over his head while Kuroo began unbuttoning the front of his prison uniform.
Oikawa's irezumi tattoos glistened under the light coming out through the window, with shadows blocking his face. Kuroo noticed his muscles diminished and his ribs were visible, with scars and bruises all throughout his chest. He started to remember what he was like before entering prison compared to now, noticing the stark contrast—it baffled him of what over half a year in prison could do to someone.
Kuroo felt the warmth of the night time once he took off the top of his uniform, exposing his skin to the open air. He ran his left hand over his buzzcut, slicking back his non-existent hair. He took a deep breath, calming down the nerves that were creeping up on him. He didn't feel as nervous as he thought, as he exhausted the rest of it earlier in the day. Kuroo closed his eyes one last time before positioning himself to kneel and sit behind on his legs.
He lifted his head up, looking straight at Oikawa. "Who's first?"
"I can go." Oikawa had done the same as Kuroo; positioning himself to kneel and sit behind on his legs, his knife secured in his right hand. He looked up at him one last time with hesitation, a glimmer shining in his eye. "Call for the guards and make sure I don't bleed out."
"Trust me, I won't let that happen." Kuroo reassured, preparing his own blade in his left hand. "You can put your faith in me, we're going to get out of here."
Oikawa nodded his head one last time, holding the blade of the knife with both of his hands, pointing it straight at his stomach. His breath began to shake as he struggled to control his grip. Sweat began to accumulate along his forehead, feeling his heart beating straight out of his chest. Every single thought raced inside Oikawa's mind as he held the blade in place, stalling time. He decided to count down from three, easing the overwhelming waves of anxiety building up in his body.
He thought of the Seijoh Brawlers, and that if he died right then and there, they would have never known what happened to him. His death would be a mystery, and they would never get any closure. Iwaizumi would wake up from his coma with Oikawa already dead, with their last words spoken to each other being about the race before the accident.
Three.
He thought of a nice warm meal made by his mom, and of his sister, and his nephew, Takeru. If he died right then and there, he knew he wouldn't have the chance to tell his family goodbye, or that he loved them. They didn't even know he went to prison in the first place.
Two.
Then, all of a sudden, he then thought of you; knowing that if he died, it would shatter your world. He thought of your face—your soft smile, your glimmering eyes, your warm embrace. His world would collapse with his crown knocked off his head if he ever lost you. His arms would reach up, desperate for salvation, begging the Almighty for His mercy.
One.
Without thinking, Oikawa stabbed himself in the stomach with the knife, sinking the blade deeper and deeper inside. Samurai warriors would commit the act of seppuku due to guilt for bringing dishonor to one's clan or family; and just on the brink of death, Oikawa didn't mind going out that way. Perhaps this was his payment for everyone he had hurt in the past, repenting for all the sins he committed.
Immediately, he toppled over from his stance with the knife still in place. Kuroo rushed over immediately to his side, panic starting to fill him up.
"What the fuck, Cypher!" Kuroo screamed, holding Oikawa in his hands, preventing him from bleeding out. "You were just suppose to cut yourself, not kill yourself!"
Oikawa did not respond as he coughed up bits of blood onto the tatami mat. His heart was pounding through his chest with nonsensical thoughts filling his head. Oikawa's eyes began to flutter, quickly falling out of consciousness as Kuroo shouted for the guards within the night.
"GUARDS!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, shaking in fear as he held the knife still in Oikawa's stomach. "GUARDS, HELP! PLEASE!"
The last thing Kuroo wanted was for Oikawa to die. He thought he would be smarter than that; Leia specifically said they needed to make it seem like they were attempting suicide, not actually commit. A slice on their skin just to make themselves bleed just a little was all that was needed.
Blood began to pool underneath Oikawa, dripping straight down from the knife. The first rule to a stab wound was to never take out the knife from the body. It was the only thing holding the pressure in place, with the body's muscles clamping down on the foreign object. Kuroo wasn't stupid enough to pull it out, yet he was still stupid enough to take his own blade and slice a giant gash across his stomach as well.
He began to bleed quickly, holding the cut in place with his right hand. He fell to the ground with Oikawa lying unconscious right next to him, calling out for the guards to come.
"GUARDS!" He cried out, begging for anyone to hear his pleas. "GUARDS, PLEASE! I'M BLEEDING!"
Kuroo heard a commotion of prisoners hearing his begging, which caused them to also call out for the guards as well. The two prisoners in the cell across from theirs began to panic as they saw the outcome of their attempted suicide. Suddenly, they began to yell for the guards as well.
"Guards! Help them!" More prisoners screamed, pointing their fingers all at Kuroo and Oikawa's cell.
The doors at the end of the corridor swung open, and five guards came in to investigate the screaming. They started to command everyone to be silent, but it was overshadowed by all the other prisoners pointing and directing them to Kuroo and Oikawa. After one look into their cell, the guards immediately started yelling code blue.
One of them began running back to call the warden and ring the emergency bell due the severity of the situation. The other four began unlocking the door to their cell and grabbing them up from the floor, stepping in their pools of blood. Everything within their cell was stained red, including their futon and blankets. The tatami mats were soaked to the touch as two guards each began to drag their bodies out.
Oikawa was drenched in his own blood with the handle of the knife sticking out of his body. Both of his hands and the corners of his mouth were covered in blood, as well as parts of his chest and all of his lower abdomen. The bottom of his prison uniform was stained dark red as well, cold and wet to the touch. His body's temperature drastically dropped and his heart began to slow down, possibly leading to hypovolemic shock.
One guard picked up Oikawa by his arms and the other lifted him up by his feet. The same was done for Kuroo as they escorted the two men out of the floor. Riots began to form throughout the other prisoners as screams echoed in the hallway, accompanied by the sound of fists banging on the walls and doors.
Oikawa could only remember flashes of memories when his eyes were open for a brief second, drifting in and out of consciousness. First, he saw the guards taking him off the ground. He felt them lifting up his body, dragging it across the tatami mats and onto the concrete hallway floor. He opened his eyes again, watching the rows of prisoners banging on their doors, shouting out for the guards, causing riots. The journey between the prison to the ambulance was blacked out from his memory.
The next thing he remembered was a ventilator being placed on his face, dispensing more oxygen to help him breathe. He could hear beeping from machines and a siren blasting, feeling the environment around him shake around. The EMT was a woman with long dark hair tied back into a ponytail, who was talking to him calmly throughout the ambulance ride.
"We're almost there, stay strong," she reassured, holding the knife that was lodged in his abdomen in place. He could see Kuroo farther down the ambulance with a ventilator also placed around his mouth, assisted by another EMT, who was also a woman.
They were on their way to the University of Tokyo Hospital, in which Dr. Takeda and his trauma team were waiting. The EMT taking care of Oikawa was the daughter of Mr. Nekomata, your elderly neighbor. She had close ties with Leia after Mr. Sakanoshita passed away, and alerted both her and Dr. Takeda of their conditions, letting them know they were arriving at the hospital soon.
Once Leia received the notification, she immediately called everyone on the rescue team, telling them all to meet her at the hospital for the final step of plan B. Kenma, Kita, and Sakusa all dropped what they were doing and hopped into their cars, rushing straight to Bunkyo City where the hospital was located.
Leia granted you grace from the situation as you've done enough on your part for helping out while they've been away. She allowed you to just spend time with Iwaizumi, as she was able to handle the situation of plan B. She also knew you wouldn't want to see Oikawa on the brink of his death, if it ever came to be. The situation with Iwaizumi was already hard enough on your heart; she wouldn't dare weigh it down more with Oikawa's current conditions.
Dr. Takeda's trauma crew went immediately into work, following the protocol straight from the plan. Instead of placing them for assessment in the emergency room, they went straight into operation. The attending trauma surgeon operating on Oikawa and Kuroo was one of Dr. Takeda's closest friends. He was in on the plan, and coordinated with Dr. Takeda and the rest of the trauma team.
The rest of the crew arrived just after the ambulance wheeled in both Oikawa and Kuroo. They all rushed in through the front entrance of the hospital, bypassing the restricted areas meant for employees only. Kenma and Kita waited for the operation to finish while Sakusa and Leia were with Dr. Takeda preparing the replacement bodies, ready to switch right as the surgery finished.
Just a day earlier, two other men came into the hospital from a differing yakuza clan. They had just passed away a couple of hours ago after being in a battle brawl, both of whom had very similar irezumi dragon tattoos on their arms, neck and chest. Sakusa had it planned that these men would switch places with Kuroo and Oikawa in the operating room, tricking the warden and medical officials from the prison that the two of them died while in surgery, ultimately confirming their forged death.
Once they both recovered, they were no longer Tetsurou Kuroo and Tooru Oikawa in the eyes of the government. They forged new identities, taking on the names of the men that passed in their place. Ironically, this wouldn't have been the first time Oikawa was forced to fake his death and take on a new identity.
During the operation, the knife was surgically removed from Oikawa's stomach, all while preventing too much blood loss. Kuroo's large cut across his lower abdomen caused minimal internal damage, just barely tearing through his muscles. All they had to do was stitch the wound up and send him off to recover.
Oikawa's operation was more difficult, as the knife punctured several vital organs, including his large intestine, stomach, and most importantly, his pancreas. Luckily, there was still plenty to salvage, and since the knife was kept in place within his body, he did not lose too much blood for it to be fatal. Even after a successful surgery, because of the minor injury to the pancreas, Oikawa had to stay and recover longer in the hospital compared to Kuroo.
They were situated in the most secluded part of the hospital to recover, where no police or government official could access. The bodies in place for Oikawa and Kuroo were sent down to the morgue, where the rest of the hospital staff also forged operation and autopsy reports to send back to the police.
Kenma and Sakusa combined came up with the risky plan to help the two men escape prison, and by determination and sheer luck, it actually ended up working. Both Kuroo and Oikawa were finally free men, protected by their own kind and the graciousness of the hospital's cooperation.
A couple of hours went by after their surgeries, and the warden and other prison officers came in to check on their status. That's when Dr. Takeda came out to explain they've both died during the operation, claiming that Oikawa died due to a ruptured pancreas that lead to infection. He also stated that Kuroo died due to increased blood loss, resulting in hypovolemic shock. The warden nodded his head and accepted the papers reporting their death, ultimately returning back to the Tokyo Detention House, never to see the two men ever again.