Chapter Text
The surrounding landscape passed them as the Seirin’s basketball team bus drove by. It was mid-autumn, and the multicolored leaves filled the ground. Inside the bus, the Seirin players all talked amongst themselves as they excitedly waited for their bus to arrive at their destination. They had a practice match with another high school.
“Man, I’m so hungry!” groaned Kagami as his stomach growled. The redhead was seated next to Kuroko at the far end of the bus. His headphones, which played no music, rested around his neck. Kuroko paid him no attention as he tapped away on his phone, replying to a message from Kise.
Furihata looked at Kagami with a sigh, “Didn’t you just eat, Kagami?”
“Yea. It hasn’t even been more than ten minutes!” Fukuda added, eyebrows furrowing. “You can’t be that hungry already.”
In front of Furihata and Kawahara, who sat at the far left of the bus, Kawahara chuckled, “Kagami’s stomach is like an empty void! Remember the time the coach took us to an all-you-can-eat buffet after we won a match against a top league high school team, and Kagami almost got us kicked out for eating literally everything.”
Kagami let out a sad moan as he recalled the restaurant Kawahara was talking about. His upset stomach growled even more. He doesn't regret eating almost everything, but he still feels a little guilty knowing the cooks had to make everything again.
"Don't forget the time Kagami saved us from paying at that steak restaurant after our first win against Kaijo," Koganei said with a grin. He sat next to Mitobe in the second row, just ahead of Tsuchida and Kawahara, who chuckled at the memory.
"Speaking of Kaijo, hey, Coach, what did you mean when you said we'll be seeing them soon?" Tsuchida asked, leaning slightly forward.
Hyuga, who had been quietly listening, raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, what's that about? That was vague, even for you."
"Maybe she meant we'll be playing them again soon?" Kiyoshi suggested, smiling. The idea seemed to energize him, despite the fatigue from their recent practice. Beside him, Izuki's eyes lit up, and he quickly pulled out his ever-present notebook, scribbling down what was likely another pun.
Kagami, lost in his own world daydreaming about food, suddenly perked up. "Wait, practice match with Kaijo? Really? When?" His voice was filled with excitement, as though the mere thought of competition reinvigorated him.
“Kagami…” Fukuda muttered, wincing as Tsuchida and Furihata exchanged exasperated sighs.
Hyuga groaned, running a hand over his face, while the rest of the team sweat-dropped. Before the captain could yell, Kuroko’s deadpan voice cut through the air. “Kagami, you really should think about something other than food and basketball once in a while.”
Kagami turned to glare at his teammate. "Why you little—" He lunged toward Kuroko, but the latter anticipated the move, effortlessly dodging his attempts to grab him. Their back-and-forth banter filled the bus with a sense of lighthearted chaos.
Riko let out a long-suffering sigh, massaging her temples as she felt a headache creeping in. "Honestly, you two—"
Her words were abruptly cut off when the bus lurched violently to the right. The sudden motion sent everyone tumbling into their seats, the force slamming them against the windows and the aisle.
"What the—" Hyuga shouted, gripping the seat in front of him as the bus veered off course.
The driver yelled something incoherent, panic evident in his voice. The sound of screeching tires and snapping branches filled the air as the bus careened off the road, crashing into the line of trees that flanked the highway. The impact was deafening, metal groaning and glass shattering as the vehicle shuddered to a stop.
No one had time to scream. The world tilted and spun in chaos before everything went black.
Kagami was the first to wake up. He let out a stifled groan, scrunching his eyes before slowly opening them. It took him a while to gain focus in his vision, and even more time to have an understanding of his surroundings as he looked around. It wasn’t completely dark in the bus–rays of sunlight filtered through the shattered and broken windows–but the atmosphere was quiet and bleak.
Pain erupted on his side when Kagami tried to move his arm. “Shit!” he gasped. It was at that moment that he took notice of the unconscious body sitting next to him. Although it took him a while to realize who it was, just the simple light-blue hair was enough to recognize him. If the situation wasn't so serious, Kagami would've stayed more on the fact that Kuroko looked different than he last remembered. His hair was longer, and he looked more...older? He pushed the observations aside, however.
“Kuroko!”
The young phantom was still unconscious as he lay against the bus. There was blood everywhere, and for a dreadful moment, Kagami assumed the worst. With trembling hands and wide eyes, Kagami reached over with his left hand and let it hover over Kuroko’s body. He could only stare at him, unsure of what to do.
Before his thoughts could wander to even darker things, Kuroko let out a moan and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a couple of times before shifting his gaze to Kagami.
“K-Kagami?”
Kagami felt a wave of relief wash over him, and he let himself smile. The moment was quickly broken when Kuroko let out a pained cry when he tried to move.
Kagami immediately got up, ignoring the throbbing pain on his side, “what? What hurts?”
“M-My right knee,” Kuroko winced, “I can’t feel it, but I tried to move it, it hurts. But, Kagami, your side…”
Kagami stared in shock at Kuroko’s fractured knee. There was a bone sticking out that Kagami didn’t even want to think about, and there was a whole lot of blood everywhere . In short, Kuroko’s knee looked horrible .
“Yeah, I know. I can hardly move without being in pain. First, worry about yourself!” Kagami looked away and heaved out a sigh. “Don’t try to move again, dumbass. I’m going to look around to see if the others are awake.”
“Wait. You’re hurt. You shouldn’t move either–” but Kagami ignored his protests and slowly got up anyway. It was painful to do so, and at one point, Kagami had to pause to lean against the bus seat. He looked down at his arm, wincing at the dry blood and wound. Now that he really looked at it, most of the blood on his arm was completely dry, and his body felt stiffer than ever. When he eventually got up, his bones let out a cracking noise. Once again, he winced.
“Man, I feel so stiff!”
“Kagami–”
“It’s either you or me walking, and I know damn well you can’t move with that busted knee,” Kagami said before he began looking around. For a moment, he stared in horror at everything. Blood was splattered everywhere, the bus looked destroyed with what looked to be rust formed everywhere, glass shards were scattered throughout the floor and on the seats, leaves and vines were also surprisingly everywhere with vines seemingly overtaking the roof, and there was a horrible stench in the air that had Kagami forced out of his thoughts.
He cringed and immediately covered his nose and mouth, “what the hell’s that smell?! Ugh!”
Kuroko looked confused for a moment, but when he sniffed the air, he too quickly covered his nose and mouth, “K-Kagami, do you see anyone else awake? Check on Fukuda and Furihata. They don’t look awake.”
Kagami nodded and turned towards the seats beside them. For the most part, neither of them looked too hurt. Again, like Kuroko, Fukuda and Furihata too looked older and slightly different. Fukuda’s head was covered in dry blood and the left sleeve of his Seirin jacket looked bloody. Meanwhile, Furihata seemed to only have a bruised cheek and a bloody lip. Both of them were unconscious so Kagami gently shook Furihata whilst saying, “Fukuda! Furihata! Wake up!”
Kagami continued to gently shake them, calling their names. He didn’t want to think of the worst happening, so he focused on waking them up.
“Fukuda! Furihata!” Kuroko exclaimed as well. That’s when they both heard a groan and whimper coming from Furihata.
“K-Kagami…K…Kuroko?” stuttered Furihata, slowly opening his eyes. His eyes blinked open and then he winced, slowly touching his head. When he was more awake, Furihata looked around in shock and confusion, glancing at Fukuda beside him in horror before snapping his head at Kagami and Kuroko. “Kagami, Kuroko! W-What…?”
Kagami looked equally as worried as he shrugged, “We don’t know what happened either. I was the first to wake up before Kuroko woke up.”
Furihata didn’t know what to say so he silently stared at Kagami in shock. That’s when Kuroko said, “Furihata, can you wake up Fukuda? Kagami’s going to try to wake the others up. We need to make sure everyone’s okay.”
“O-Okay!” Furihata nodded, hands shaking as he focused on waking up his seatmate. Kagami’s hands shook as well as he slowly made his way to the next row of seats. One hand clutching his side as he limped his way down. Tsuchida and Kawahara were sitting unconscious on the left side of the bus while Koganei and Mitobe sat on the right side seats. All four of them looked bloody and bruised, and the sight made Kagami want to throw up. For a moment, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath–
Big mistake. Kagami let out a coughing fit as he accidentally took in more of the horrid smell in the air. He hissed when all the movements caused pain to erupt from his side. He waved away Kuroko’s concerns and focused on waking the four of them. It took a while and several tries, but one by one, they slowly woke up. Tsuchida and Koganei had broken arms with Koganei unable to move his ankle even a little without massive pain erupting. Kawahara had a massive bruise on his head and tiny glass embedded in his side.
Mitobe was in the most pain, however, with his entire right shoulder and arm broken and a nasty bruise on his face. After being woken up, he could only stare in silent horror at everything. Koganei was in too much shock to translate his friend.
“K-Kagami…?” Kawahara murmured, his voice barely audible as he scrunched his eyes shut against a wave of pain. He blinked sluggishly, confusion clouding his gaze as he glanced at Kagami.
“W-What the h-hell?” Tsuchida gasped, his voice trembling as he pushed himself up with a wince. His movements were stiff and jerky, each shift making him grimace. His wide eyes darted around the dimly lit bus, taking in the overturned bags and shattered windows.
“Oh man,” Koganei hissed through clenched teeth. His hands gripped the edge of the seat as he sat upright, his breath coming in short, uneven bursts. He squinted against the ache pulsing in his temples, his voice rasping, “What t-the hell h-happened?”
Kagami exhaled heavily, rubbing the back of his neck as he surveyed the wreckage. “We don’t know. I’m going to check on the others. You guys—don’t push yourselves too hard.” His voice was steady, but the tension in his jaw betrayed his unease.
He moved cautiously toward the back row, his footsteps crunching over broken glass. His stomach twisted when he spotted Riko, Izuki, and Kiyoshi stirring, their movements slow and pained. Relief flickered through him until he realized Hyuga was the only one still unconscious.
“Kiyoshi-senpai, Izuki-senpai, Riko-senpai!” Kagami called out, his voice edged with urgency. “Are you guys alright?!”
“I… think so,” Riko groaned, pressing her fingers to her temple. She winced as she sat up, her brow furrowing in confusion. “W-What…? What’s going on?” Her voice quivered, and her gaze darted around the wreckage with growing alarm.
“Kagami? What’s happening?” Izuki asked, his voice strained. He turned to Kiyoshi, who sat beside him, clutching his knee tightly. “Kiyoshi? Are you okay?”
Kiyoshi’s face was pale, his features twisted in pain. His left hand gripped his knee, and his right wrist rested awkwardly at an unnatural angle. “M-My knee!” he gasped, his voice tight with agony. His breaths came in shallow, uneven spurts as he forced out, “But don’t… worry about me. Is everyone else okay? Is Hyuga awake?”
Before anyone could answer, Riko leaned over, shaking Hyuga’s shoulder with trembling hands. “Hyuga! Wake up!” she cried, her voice cracking. Her heart pounded as she shook him again, harder this time. “H-Hyuga?!”
“Captain! Wake up!” Kagami added, his voice louder and tinged with desperation. He carefully leaned over Hyuga, shaking him, his knuckles white against the fabric of Hyuga’s shirt.
“H-He’s not waking—” Izuki began, panic rising in his voice. But before he could finish, a soft groan escaped Hyuga’s lips. His eyelids fluttered open, and he blinked sluggishly, his expression pained and disoriented.
“R-Riko?” Hyuga mumbled, his voice hoarse. He winced, his brow furrowing deeply.
Relief washed over Riko, her shoulders sagging as her lips curved into a trembling smile. “You’re awake!” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
Hyuga tried to shift but froze, his face contorting in pain. “What the hell happened? And—” He gasped sharply, his hand flying to his side. “I… I can’t feel my side at all! What’s going on?!”
Riko straightened, her eyes scanning the bus. “Wait, is everyone awake?” she called out, her voice carrying over the chaos.
A chorus of groggy responses echoed back, some louder than others. “Yes!”
“Kagami,” Kiyoshi rasped, his voice tight with concern. “What happened?”
Before Kagami could continue, a blood-curdling scream tore through the bus. The sound was raw and guttural, sending shockwaves through everyone. Instantly, every head snapped toward Riko, their hearts hammering in unison.
“Riko?! What—what is it?!” Hyuga demanded, his voice sharp with alarm.
“T-T-The…” Riko stammered, her voice barely audible. Her eyes were wide and glassy, her face pale as a sheet. She trembled violently, her arm raising shakily as she pointed toward the front of the bus. Words failed her, choked off by the sheer weight of her terror.
Kagami followed her trembling finger with his eyes, dread clawing at his chest. When his gaze landed on the driver’s seat, a surge of icy panic gripped him. He staggered back, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to distance from the sight.
“O-Oh God!” Kagami yelled, his voice cracking. His hand instinctively pressed against his side, the pain dulled by the overwhelming rush of adrenaline. His wide eyes locked onto the lifeless figure slumped in the driver’s seat.
The driver’s body was unnaturally twisted, blood staining the front of his uniform. His face was ashen and eerily contorted, eyes half-open yet void of life. It was unmistakable—he was dead.
“What the fuck?!” Hyuga shouted, his voice breaking as he clutched his side in both fear and anger. His usually steady demeanor crumbled as his face twisted in horror. “What the hell is going on?!”
From the back of the bus, Furihata’s voice wavered. “W-What’s happening?” His question hung unanswered in the suffocating silence.
No one in the front could bring themselves to speak. They remained frozen, paralyzed by the grotesque sight. Each breath was shallow, each movement hesitant, as if afraid to disturb the unnatural stillness of the scene.
“Kagami?” Kuroko’s soft, steady voice broke through the suffocating quiet. The sound snapped Kagami out of his stupor like a jolt of electricity. He turned sharply, forcing his gaze away from the corpse, his jaw clenched tightly.
With a trembling hand, Kagami covered his mouth, his breaths uneven as he fought to regain composure. His body felt heavy, his chest constricting with every heartbeat. “I… I need a second,” he muttered, barely audible. His knees wobbled as he pushed himself upright, wincing as the pain in his side flared, but he refused to look back.
“Kagami?” Kuroko called again, this time more insistent, his voice tinged with worry. “Is everything alright?”
Kagami laughed bitterly under his breath—a short, humorless sound. Alright? Everything was so far from alright, that it felt laughable. “I—” he started, his voice breaking as he swallowed hard. “I don’t know, Kuroko. T-There’s a… a d-dead body in the driver’s seat!”
The revelation hit the group like a punch to the gut. A collective gasp echoed through the bus, followed by a chorus of panicked cries and stammered exclamations.
“W-What?!” Furihata’s voice cracked with fear, his words barely cutting through the rising chaos.
Kagami pressed his palms against his temples, his breaths coming in shallow gasps as the horror of the situation threatened to overwhelm him. All he could hear were the muffled cries of his teammates, each one reflecting the same panic that gnawed at him.