Work Text:
There was a purge.
A wild chemical weapon that was hidden from the world by the American Army.
It came alive, soaring through the skies, polluting the air and rivers, the seas held its stance, but only for a few days, before everything died.
When he first heard of it, Akashi had snorted, thinking it to be some joke.
Afterall, he had only just came back from America some two days ago from a business trip.
As millions died, everyone realised the fact that is was real, and it was spreading through the world.
America had been completely eradicated.
No form of life was found there anymore.
Yet the poison continued to spread.
Life disappeared.
As it neared Japan, the citizens demanded and explanation and some way to counter it.
News had said that gas masks didn't work. It would enter through the pores of the skin, slowly destroying them.
Some lucky ones died instantly.
Others, not as lucky, had to feel the terrible pain of their skin slowly rotting and decaying, as doctors struggled to keep them alive despite their wishes to die.
They all died in the end, even the doctors.
Cemeteries and morgues stopped working, with the large influx of dead bodies.
Akashi had only one hope, that his friends would remain fine.
But it wasn't even a week after the first case occurred in Japan, that one of his friend's partners got hit.
Takao was first.
Even despite him saying that he was fine, smiling all the way, no-one believed him. Midorima stayed with him the whole time in the hospital, despite the attempted dissuasion of the hospital staff and his family.
Three days later, he was dead. Death claimed him in the night. Right after Midorima was persuaded to finally close his eyes and sleep. Takao followed suit, and his eyes closed to rest, and so did his heart.
Midorima was grief stricken. No amount of money and medicine had helped him, even with the amount of money that the Midorima Family and the Akashi Family had put in.
Some might not have realised the difference, what with his usual frowning face, but the group knew that the absence of the Hawk eye had impacted Midorima greatly.
Two days later, the next target was hit.
Midorima was slowly decaying. Even with his strong will, which was the final request of Takao, to stay strong and alive, the green head had already been weakened by the death of his partner and lover.
Five days, he struggled and fought.
But everyone just knew.
it was a losing battle.
Midorima lost the battle as well.
The generation of Miracles were all deeply affected. Akashi as well.
After that, Akashi ensured to keep his lover, Furihata, at home, to reduce the chances of him being infected as well.
Furihata complied silently.
The next one to get affected was Aomine.
While all he ever did during his sickness was play basketball, saying that the only one who could ever beat him, was not some sickness but himself.
Everyone smiled at how he refused to stay in bed, despite being reprimanded by both Kise and Momoi.
All Aomine replied was: ''If I ever die, it'll be while I was doing a dunk and beating the crap outta that Bakagami! Else I ain't gonna give in that easily!''
The one on one between Aomine and Kagami continued, with both of them still giving their all, Aomine wanting Kagami not to hold back just because ''of some stupid illness or i'll beat you up!''.
Aomine had appeared to be getting better.
Until the middle of a match between Aomine-Kise against Kuroko-Kagami.
In the midst of a round, Aomine was ahead by almost 15 points, the largest point difference ever between their two on two matches.
Aomine jumped, but something was off. Aomine was tilted at a weird angle.
Before anyone realised, blood spewed out of Aomine's mouth, even as he proceeded to slam the ball into the hoop.
Aomine fell to the ground like a dead log, and didn't get up.
Kise was at his side in an instant, with Kuroko and Kagami directly behind him.
Aomine merely smiled at them.
''Died while doing a dunk! Bet even Bakagami can't do that!''
''You idiot, who'd want to!'' Kagami instantly retorted, making the situation lighter.
Aomine merely smiled for a moment before patting Kise on the head.
''Don't cry, you little stupid model! I'm supposed to be the one crying that I have to die in your lap instead of some beauty like Mai-chan!''
Kise merely knocked the blue haired boy lightly on the head, and was about to speak when Aomine's head lolled off to one side.
The dark eyes were open, void of the usual light that existed.
Eyes widened at the realisation.
Before anyone else could say anything, Kise started screaming and shouting, beating Aomine's chest.
''Don't die on me! Don't you dare to die on me you idiot! Ahomine! Get back up and finish our game! Get here and listen to me! Why do you always do this! You just walk off whenever we have a fight! You never wait to listen to me and just go off and do things...on your...own....'' Kise started sobbing uncontrollably.''Why can't....you...just,...listen for once...''
Kagami was sobbing silently silently at the back, while Kuroko merely just stood there. His usual stony expression fixed in place.
~~
That night, when nobody was watching, Kise stepped into the morgue, and smiled his brightest smile, the one he saved for special occasions. He rolled out the silver from his pocket, put one on his finger and another on Aomine's cold finger. The light blue hue complimenting his blue hair. Yet Kise had never hated blue so much as he did now.
The blue that he fell in love with. The blue he always had fun with, even if they fought. The blue that contrasted himself, the blue one being straightforward, and the yellow hiding things behind a mask. The blue that tore open the mask and helped him out of the shell of his body. The blue that stood there and offered a hand when he fell, even if he had that annoying smile on his face. The blue...that...isn't here anymore.
Without the blue, the yellow cannot create the beautiful colours anymore.
So the yellow shall rather not exist as well.
When the knife went in, a single tear rolled down the face, and dripped onto Aomine's eye.
The blur that was coating the eyes of the model, looked at the blue head once more, before closing his eyes to rest alongside the freezing cold body whose soul had long left.
~~
While Akashi might have found Aomine's disobedience and Kise's overly affectionate actions slightly annoying at times, he could not disregard the fact that they were still two very precious friends of his. He kept his stonic face as he watched the two of them get buried. He only broke down and cried when he reached home, in the arms of Furihata.
The number of deaths around the world had been dropping as of late, and Akashi had hoped that would be the last of them dying.
But Murasakibara got hit next.
Originally, he seemed fine, with him being lazy and all, but Himuro started realising that something was off about him. While he usually denied work and such, sweets were one way of tempting him. But he had been eating less of those and had been sleeping more.
One day, Himuro decided to try an experiment.
''Atsushi, there is a sweet stall that is having a sale due to the drop in customers. It is just merely two blocks away. Would you like to take a visit?''
Murasakibara merely grunted and rolled over in his bed. Himuro started feeling concerned and crept towards Murasakibara, and in one swift motion, dragged the blanket off the purple giant. Murasakibara instantly jumped out of bed and backed away from Himuro, whose face remained an impassive smile.
Murasakibara hated when Himuro did that, he reminded him of Kuroko. Reading people yet never revealing anything he was thinking. A blank mask that doesn't reveal anything.
Murasakibara knew he looked terrible, disgusting. Why wasn't Himuro backing away? Was he too shocked to move? Did he fear him now that he is no longer the same person he knew? Poisoned, rotting, decaying, with patches of blue-black all over his legs and hands. Murasakibara had purposely covered up his hands and legs in an attempt to hide them and stay with Himuro longer. Would Himuro no longer wish to stay together?
Before Murasakibara realised, Himuro was behind Murasakibara, wrapping his hands around Murasakibara and interlocking his fingers, to keep Murasakibara from running away.
''Don't run, okay? Don't hide, it's fine. I'm sorry for being selfish, but I really wanted you to stay with me together, so I didn't tell you.''
As he was speaking, Himuro slowly pulled his shirt over himself.
Murasakibara wanted to cry.
The patches of blue black were all over Himuro's body. It was worse than his. Murasakibara couldn't help it, as the tears slowly dropped. Himuro's smiled never wavered, but the tears were freely rolling down his face too.
Four days, refused treatment, just them with each other, sleeping in each other's arms, eating together, being close to each other for support.
On the fifth day, Murasakibara woke up. The sunlight was streaming in, hitting onto Himuro's porcelain face. Murasakibara smiled, a very sad smile, and hugged the body that was now turning cold.
''I will protect Muro-chin, if Muro-chin is getting cold, I will warm him up.''
And so Murasakibara held Himuro there in his arms, closed his eyes and went to sleep. Within minutes, his own body grew colder and colder.
With Murasakibara and Himuro now gone as well, the only ones left were Momoi, Kuroko, Kagami, Akashi himself and his lover, Furihata.
Momoi stopped smiling ever since Kise died with Aomine. The silver ring on her finger a gift from Kise the day before he left.
Momoi stopped smiling. Everyone stopped smiling. With the yellow canary gone from their group, no-one could even think of smiling anymore.
Furihata had tried to keep everyone bright, but gave up after awhile. It might have seemed selfish, but he was content to have Akashi stay by him.
Akashi had ensured that everyone was healthy, calling upon his private doctor to check on everyone every two days, ever since Murasakibara and Himuro.
He couldn't afford to lose anymore people that he treasured. Momoi almost successfully killed herself only a day after the passing of the latest duo.
Kuroko wound up next.
The silent shadow of the GoM kept silent until one day Kagami noticed a small patch of greenish-blue appearing on his forehead. By then, it was all too late for anyone to say their goodbyes. He disappeared that day, leaving a note saying that he wished not infect anyone, and was sorry for staying even if he knew he was infected.
The doctor had died by then, and there was no longer anyone checking up on their health.
No-one knew where he went, until they were contacted a few days later.
Kuroko had died.
He had chose to stay at his old house, with his grandparents, who had welcomed him saying that they themselves didn't have much long to live anyway, so there was no difference even if they died.
Kagami and Momoi broke on that news.
While the shadow might be quite aloof, the two were closer to him than anyone else.
Kagami and Kuroko had been engaged, and were set to marry about a month. Then the purge appeared, and they never did get married, but the ring on their fingers had always shown that they were married to each other, even if not legally, but bound together in their hearts.
And now the other end of the bond Kagami had was silent. No more being scared by the random appearance of Kuroko. No more making milkshakes for the teal-haired boy. No more being chided for eating too much.
Kagami couldn't stand it after three days of silence and coldness in the house that he once loved and lived with Kuroko.
Like Kise, he ended things himself. He went to the private cemetery that held his friends, and went to Kuroko's grave.
A small switch blade.
A small cut across.
And another one.
One more here.
And another.
Soon his arm was covered in blood.
He smiled as the light-headedness set in.
He rested his head beside Kuroko's grave.
''Goodnight Kuroko.''
And he went to sleep with Kuroko.
Momoi blamed herself for Kise and Kagami's death.
'It could've been prevented, if I weren't caught up with myself!'
'It's all my fault!'
Only Akashi and Furihata left with her.
But soon, she too will leave them.
The patches have appeared.
She's next.
When she told Akashi and Furihata, their eyes widened and she could see the despair set into them.
Furihata's tears welled up and spilled, whereas Akashi merely smiled.
He was tired, the only thing grounding him now would be Furihata, but even Furihata was getting down.
Momoi just smiled sadly and told them not to give up.
When she left, Akashi and Furihata cried. Weeks of pent up frustration at not being able to do anything.
One by one their friends had left.
They were all alone.
Even news had stopped.
Hospitals were closed down.
Nobody was left.
Most, if not all of Japan was dead, just like the rest of the world.
The only one who would survive, would be Akashi.
Akashi knew that, yet he asked Furihata anyway.
''Will you leave me too?''
''I wouldn't want to, but...''
Furihata's uncertain answer echoed his deepest fears.
When Furihata said that he was infected, Akashi's walls broke.
His world crashed down.
Unrepairable.
Destroyed.
Broken.
And for the first time in a long time, Akashi cried.
Akashi screamed out the tears, his fears, everything.
Akashi desperately held onto Furihata, fearing that he'd disappear, just like the rest of his family and friends.
The tears felt foreign, but no amount of crying made him feel better.
Being unused to crying, all he could do was to hold onto the nearest thing, Furihata.
But no matter how much he held on,...
Furihata still left.
However,
What's the point if there's no disappearing Kuroko?
What's the point if there's no loud and obnoxious Aomine and Kagami, always fighting over who is better?
What's the point if there's no Momoi to help keep the group together and update each other on each other's happenings?
What's the point if there's no Himuro, who would pat Murasakibara and tell him to get working and entice him with food and sweets?
What's the point if there's no Kise who whines all day, loudly talking about how he could probably copy all of them and beat them one day?
What's the point if there's no Midorima who would silently just walk alongside Akashi, occasionally questioning and entertaining him with a round of Shogi?
What's the point...
if there's no Kouki?
~Two weeks later~
Having been found to be immune by his doctor, Akashi had completed everything that he had wanted to.
Grave, tombstone, everything carved by hand.
While uncertain if he did it right, Akashi felt he had made a relatively good tombstone.
Akashi made plastic flowers and decorated Kouki's tombstone with them.
He then next settle into the box.
Uncomfortable, but it would not matter once everything was done.
He closed the cover over himself.
And closed his eyes.
His breathing shallowed as the poison he had drunk a few hours prior started its work.
Bit by bit, his breathing disappeared.
He went off into dreamless sleep, hoping the next time he opened his eyes, his friends would be standing before him, smiling.
And he'd walk up to them with the same confident smile, and they'd play basketball together once more.