I never thought I would return to thank you...

Chapter 2

I am feeling like someone's watching be, but that's absurd right?
Deciding to get home as soon as possible, I push these thoughts in the back of my head and keep walking forward.

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Big mistake on your part though...

You might've noticed me...

Tetsuya...
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???'s POV (though I bet you already know who it is...)

I can't get the image of a beaten Tetsuya out of my mind. I did hear some shouting but I didn't pay attention to it as I could never expect to see Tetsuya to have anything to do with it. Could he be bullied?
No it can't be, he's practically invisible...
But there is no other explaination to this, Tetsuya has been acting strange lately as well. .
But who could possibly bully him of all people?

As I was about to ponder more about this, the door of the gym opens and in comes a familiar bluenette, stopping me from doing so. Or is he familiar?
I've never seen Tetsuya like this before. There were bags under his eyes, his hair still looked as messy as it could ever get, his clothes were dirty and one of his sneackers had it's laces untied. He was also out of breath, which told me he'd been running to get here, and leaned on his knees trying to talk while regaining his energy. "Sorry... I... late... some... came... u-"
All eyes were on him now, Ryota and Shintarou all but ran over to the smaller male,suffocating him even more, asking all kinds of questions. Well, Ryota did, Shintaro kept his calm posture and asked only the really important questions.
"Kurokochi~! Why are you so dirty? Your hair is a mess!!! Are you feeling ok?"
"Kuroko, what happened?"

With a last inhale and exhale, Tetsuya stood up straight and looked at them with the usual blank face.
"I'm fine, Kise-kun, Midorima-kun. I just overslept and had to run all the way here. I tripped a few times, as you can see." Shintarou gave a face but didn't coment on it, while Ryota gasped dramatically.
"Kurokochi needs my help then! Let's go and fix your hair and clothes!!!" With that, the irritating blonde starts dragging him to the changing room, leaving Shintarou behind.
A sigh made it's way out of the greenette's lips as he rubbed his temple.
"Akashi won't like this."

Oh I'm sure he won't.

"Did you believe it, Shintarou?" I ask, making my way to him. A smirk formes on my lips as I watched his shocked expression.
"Akashi?!"
"Did you?" He scoffs at my words and looks at the direction where Ryota dragged Tetsuya.
"No I did not. His timing is perfect and he's always been on time, if not early."

For a moment I thought if i should tell my theory to him. However i knew better.

"But, he is human. Even he can slip every once in a while."

I had to solve this on my own.

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Classes have long since ended, practice was over as well five minutes ago. But as always, one figure remained behind. Training and practising. Normally, he'd be faster and enthusiastic, but he didn't look like normal at all. He was slow. Slower than usual. And worry plastered over his face. It felt as if he really was a ghost. A phantom.
Which he was.

I stood there. Watching him like a hawk, as you would say. I had been right. There was something off with Tetsuya.
If the way he moved didn't give the hint, then the wincing and slow reactions every now and then would. The skin that showed beneath his shirt was also darker. It looked as if it had been for a while.

And still. He managed to hide it from me. I was angry. No, i was furious! I'm an Akashi, for heaven's sake!!! This things shouldn't- couldn't slip pass by me without me noticing!

The basket ball bouncing off the hoop, brought my attention back to the baby blue haired boy. Another failed shot, I thought, it's not suprising. At all.
"You seem to be somewhere else Tetsuya." The boy's head shot up at my direction. Eyes wide in shock, as this was his thing not mine. "You're playing, but you're really not." I follow his movements, again watching every single reaction that came from him, as he goes to pick up the basket ball in the opposite direction.
"Is there something wrong?" I ask following him, seeing his eyes widden for a moment then go back to the normal blank again in the next, as if it never happened.
"Could Akashi-kun explain, I don't quite understand what he's talking about." He says, finally facing me, his eyes staring blankly at me, but never meeting my gaze. Another hint.

"So you want me to go straight to the point?" A chuckle escapes my lips. He's truly trying to lie to me. "Very well. You're late, you're slow, your skin is darker at some places and also you're a lot paler. You wince every now and then. You don't meet my gaze anymore." I smirk as his eyes widen again and he gripps the basket ball tighter in his hands. His explenation, however, made me frown.

"I explained my reason of being late today, Akashi-kun. I tripped on concrete floor, I was bound to be bruised. I also didn't eat breakfast for I didn't have the time to. I'm having a headache and loud sounds don't help. As for meeting Akashi-kun's gaze, doesn't Akashi-kun always say that I shouldn't? I have learned my place on this team, Akashi-kun.
So please, could you stop with this nonsense?" His eyes looked down to his feet.

Fine then Tetsuya, your choice.

"Then how will you explain last night?"

Let's see how you'll get out of this.

His grip on the orange ball got even tighter, if that was possible, and I'm sure his eyes were too wide and hopeless, even though I couldn't see them.
"How-?"
"You're not the only hardworker here, Tetsuya."

"What did you see?"
"What I saw isn't the issue here, Tetsuya. The issue here is you. What are you hiding?" I think my eyes are playing tricks on me; Tetsuya's become smaller and more invisible by the second. It feels like he's see through, like he's not here at all...
"It's not your problem anyway..." His response makes me blink once, then twice, and he wasn't shrinking anymore. He was there, still looking at his feet, but he dropped the basket ball, his hands now trembling at his sides.
My eyebrows narrow.
'Not my problem'?!

"Really? That so? Well then, it is the team's problem. If you start falling behind, you might drag the team down. No way would I let you drag the team to defeat." His head raises a bit, enough so I could see his shocked blue orbs.
"Now then, will you state your problems to me, right here and now, or should I tell the others to keep an eye on you as well?" This would silence all his protests, Tetsuya might be weak, but his pride and will overcome that, he wouldn't want to trouble anyone.
This had to work.

It would.

If Tetsuya didn't go beyond my expectations once again.

"It's not like my presence in the team changes anything. Even if I did fall behind, there was no way this team would stay behind with me." Then his head raises completly, for a moment there, our gazes met, and there was confidence in his eyes. Confidence to keep this secret of his.
"Tell the team if you want, it's not like it'd matter in any way."

I was enraged, but Tetsuya left, not giving me a chance to threaten him or to pursue him further into telling me.

For some moments i stood still, alone in the gym, the basket ball Tetsuya had dropped, near me, becoming the target of my anger.
With a strong kick, I sent the ball flying at top speed in the other direction.

Damn it Tetsuya!

I will find out what's going on!

Just wait...

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Akashichi?

Kurokochi?