This is my most favourite chapter till now. So please, read it to your heart content. Thank you. I'm not a Christian or a such, and neither is Kagami. But to have faith in miracles is something he, I and many people do. And to anyone who is suffering, especially in tough time like this, remember, we are living. That, in the very core meaning of it, is a miracle and a blessing to treasure.

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Outside the window, early sunlight rays naughtily climbed on the roof, slipping through the balconies, peeking in the doors of the apartments. Some little birds were resting on the trees, washing themselves with drops of water that the last night rain had brought. They curiosly titled their heads, watching the kids that were playing and calling each other on the street, and the old postman's shadow on his old bike passing on the peaceful roads.

A blue little bird, strangely beautiful, stayed on a window, blinking its black wet gentle eyes, looking at the redhaed who sleeping safe and sound on his mattress. Chirping a short song, the bird looked at him a again before flying away.

"Beep, beep, beep,..."

The beeping sound of the alarm clock waked the ever sweet dreaming boy. Reaching his arm by reflexes to shut up that annoying sound, Kagami sleepily opens his eyes, feeling relaxed, warm, light and comfortable. The long sleep still lingers a sweet sensation in him: Seriously, that feeling as if you were resing on a soft giant marshmellow cloud every time leaving the land of dreams always make you want to sleep just a little bit longer.

A small moan slips his lips, Kagami streches on the bed tiredly, whispering to himself:

"Um... Morning already?.."

Wait a minute. Morning? Bedroom? Alarm clock?

Kagami's eyes widen immidiately, all the sleepines and drowsiness a moment ago all gone. Bouncing so fast he almost jump himself to fall on the floor, ruby eyes nlinking furiously at everything around him.

Have you ever waken up on sunny warm day, and all of a sudden don't know why you're there, where you are, and even doubt whether you really are yourself? Or more simply just feeling so shock, so tired and confused right after you just open your eyes?

Well, Kagami is in an exact situation right now.

In the movies or comic, the character would usually scream right? But of course we know that not everyone have the energy to do such a thing. And so, Kagami has done a thing that all the normal human being, even you and me, would have done on morning that is too much exausht.

He slips a word through his mouth, a word that concludes all his thoughts and confusion:

"Sh*t."

Kagami excuses himself for that, he's not less vulgar than that Aho sometimes afterall.

******

Okay, Kagami tries to calm down. He needs to register thing first, he needs to be rational.

First of all, how the heck is it morning? And how come he is lying on his own bed, sleeping soundly like seconds ago? He still remembers clearly that he was hanging out with those guys on the cafe shop and just took a short nap. So why is he home? Don't tell him that one of those 'celebrities' carried he back! Kagami even slept deeply, like no bumping or interrupting at all. Unless...

The red head comes up with one brilliant conclusion: The coffee drunkenness thing was real?? And he was so stressed that he got knocked off after two brown coffee so they had to brought him back? Aaaaa!! If that was the case, then so embarassing!!

An over-thirty man like him, getting drunk in front of his friends, and drunk on coffee for goodness sake! Not wine, not whiskey, not champagne, not even for beer, but for freaking coffee!! God, he's so embarassed he wants to die already...

But hold on for a minute! Something's off. Kagami stops hugging his face freaking out of his absolutely-logical-thinking-think, thick eyebrows observing around knits into a frown.

At the first glance, his room seemed a okay, but now that he has the time to look at it properly, this room is undoubtedly his but yet... so diffenrent.

No sign of the coat rack that hang his firefighter helmets and uniforms on, no reports or papers about fires and his jobs recently, even the table seems strangely smaller than usual, completely empty, and the bed is not as big as he remembers anymore. The sheets too: Kagami put this one away in the closet a long time ago. Things were also arranged slightly differently, not totally unfamiliar, but absolutely not the bedroom he sees every day before getting to the station.

It looks more like... The firm and a bit stubborn face becomes incredibly astonished and shocked as he realizes the truth: All of this simple arrangement, looks exactly like that time when he first get back to Japan in highschool, before he meets Kuroko and the rainbow heads! What is this, a kind of prank?

But just in an instant, Kagami looks down his arms to his arms and his eyes wide-open, as if he coud burn holes through it. An alarm rings in his head frights the man.

His arms... They are freaking so small and weak?!! What the hell meaning of this shit?!

Okay, maybe he is a little overreact, 'cause his muscles and all are still there, they are still very fit and strong. But comparing to the arms and hands of a grown up man who has worked as a firefighter for years and has also gone through hundreds, million of basketball matches professionally, his arms looks more like it only belongs to a young teenage boy who has strength and potential, not someone like Kagami, a person having long gone through the drama of this life. Even the scars and injures that he got from work on the arms, where did they all disapeared to??

Full of doubts, Kagami shifts his gaze back to the clothes on him, lifts the black homeshirt up just to gaping like a dead fish at the revealing body part. Checking again his weirdly young body with sick perfect abs (Ayako: gosh, I got mouth-watered imagining this sence Kagami lifts his shirt up, like fan has said, that's a body of a god TvT), his frowns deepen.

No scars, no injures, no bandages, not even a fucking scratch of terrible burns from all his missions accidents before! Kagami froze like a stone statue, unwillingly turns his head to face the image reflected in the mirror: still that strong-look face with hair as red as fire flame flickering in sunlight and those fierce eyes, but so... young, so refreshing. A face and a body of a growing teenage boy.

Oh no. No, no no no no no. This CAN NOT be happening! This must be a dream. It has to be!

Actually, fuck the dream. This must be an illusion. Surely that Ahomine or someone who was mean had choked him on tons of brown coffee when they know he was drunk of it and right now, he is just in illusions, Kagami tries to convince himself helplessly.

Sadly, no matter how many pinching or eyes rubbing he does, everything is still so real. This is the real world, not some vividly crazy dream.

Let's assume that he is insane at the moment, even if that's the case, such things can't be true. Though he did hear about stuffs like this from Angelica several times before whenever she finished a new book and blabed to him, but for it to really happen, is out of question impossible!

Dear Jesus, Amaterasu, kind Buddha, beg the sky to earth, or whatever gods there are in this world, please tell me that it's just a delusion!

Hands shakily reach for the phone, but immediately pulls back as if it was burning. Kagami hesitates from picking up the phone to varify whether his stupid assumption is right or wrong. He'd rather believe he was drunk on coffee, got carried back home by the GoM like a sack of potatoes, had his whole furniture and goods rearranged by them and then got to be in Midorima's weird surgery experiment or something. He'd rather believe that shit than for things to be like what he thinks it is.

Slowly turns the phone on, he nervously check his phone. But when the screen shows what date today is, Kagami feels like fainting again.

"10th October, 20XX, Tokyo..."

"What the hell... For real?!! Oh my goddamn life..."

I knew it, Kagami thinks to himself. He really is not a fave of gods afterall.

================

After spending a "little time" (or a whole morning) to fix his mind (or to not go cuckoo), Kagami sighs deeply, throws his tired body to the bathroom, head still has some bruise for hitting at the wall. He just wishes this was a dream.

Tidying his clothes, brushing teeth, Kagami then washes his face. Water splashes on his face, the feeling is so refreshing and gentle. As if all tiredness is washed away.

Droplets of water linger on long beautiful eyelashes,run down to sunkissed skin and stubborn high nose. Some fiery-hair strands are wet, softly lie there. The water seems to glow under sweet light, makes red orbs look even more pure.

Facing his own features in the mirror, Kagami's mouth corner has a slight twitch.

Un-be-liev-able!

He still doubts that his mind isn't really working properly!

He doesn't dare believing this even now. Travelling through the slip of time or go back to the past sounds like some scientific novels kinda shit. Back in the days, when he was the "original old Kagami", had anyone told the redhead such events coud happen to him, he would have laughed his ass off.

But now look at this! He has slipped through the crack of time back to his juvenile like some protagonist in one of the most stupid, weirdest romance fantasies of decades. Don't ask Kagami how he knows those words, go ask that female colleague at work who always tell him her "unique" knowledge about weird fics!

Great. So according to precious advices and blabs that Angelica-nee had told him about her stories' time traveling and all, which he begrudely listened to, Kagami has no choice except continue to relive his drama teenage days now. AGAIN.

You ask why?

Because wanting Kagami to search for witches and stuffs like that just to go back in vain, or maybe even have to face ghosts and such? In your dreams!

So yeah. This weird mess is unchangeable.

Amazing.

Amazing my ass.

This is giving him the worst headache, and not even worth it for goodness sake! Kagami grumpily thinks, chewing on his freshly done homemade breakfast. Thankfully, as simple-minded person as he was, is and will always be, it only takes him a while to digest everything and accept that he has travelled back to his juvenile, despite how wild the story is.

OK, fine. What's done is done and you can't do anything about that. Screw it, it's not like crying and sobbing would make him return to his world as a normal thirty-year old uncle crashing at a coffee shop with his pals anyway.

Same thing in his previous life, except from basketball and his firefighter job and his precious people, Kagami didn't spare time to think about other stuffs much, especially complicate situations like this. So he copes with it.

Oh well, let just think about how to go through this again I guess. The old me's memories will be my previous life, now I'm going down with this mess like normal and that's the end of discussion!

But still...

His exceptional brows frown again.

This is so annoying. I mean, seriously, being dragged back to live like "me of the old days" is actually not even a tiny bit pleasant, at all.

Many people wish to have chance to go back to the past and do what they wanted to, to fix mistakes or to hold on to something, so this situation might sound like a chance once in a million to others. But to Kagami , who lives simply, knows how to create his own joy and just needs food, basketball, his jobs, loved ones and had lived half way the journey of life already, he can only find this event unrationally disturbing.

It's like that one time Kagami happily got to solve a really long sheet of mathematic assignment on his own, and then all of a sudden the paper disappear, and he had to do it all over again.

Even though he did thought of wanting to turn the time upside down sometimes, but such experience is something he never expected or believed would happen, at least not to someone having nothing special like him.

He walks down to the simple living room, feeling both unfamiliar and nostalogic at the scene. The clean sofa was still not completely unwrapped, that brand new TV put on drawers that have nothing much except from some NBA magazine, morning newspaper and some random advertised letter. The coffee table is poorly occupied with almost nothing, and there were untouched carton boxes at a corner of the room. Even in the kitchen there was not much to talk about, since culinaries and things like pans and other stuffs hasn't been arranged fully.

This apartment, even after he had retired from the NBA and came back to Japan from the US, he still chose returning to stay and live in here.

Kagami is a very simple person, so even back then, his apartment was not decorated much. But now, looking at this whole unfixed empty place, he suddenly jumps at the relization of how much his life had changed when he got to his over-thirties.

So many things are missing here, right now in this world, they haven't existed here yet.

The shoe shelves that Aomine made for him and the bucket put buy Kagami that was always full of basketballs so they can grab one every time hanging out, those small paperbags of sweets and fruits Murasakibara gave him every once in a while on the dining table, all the flashy fashion magazines which have the handsome blond model on the cover and some (or a bunch of) stylish coats and scarfs Kise brought, that big weird antique wood clock Midorima gave him, books and novels of Kuroko and all his papers, pens as well as that pretty calendar he made for Kagami himself, the shogi check board and those beautiful paintings he received from Akashi, the pictures of them all that Kagami always put first on the shelf, ...They aren't here.

His life had become full of colours thanks to them. Shaking his head, Kagami smiles to himself sadly. Gosh, just how emotional he is to miss them this much suddenly. Even Nigou, that lil puppy pal, Kagami feels like missing him too.

He sits down on the sofa with a sigh, picks up whatever was in the nearest box and starts to organises things.

If the date on the phone and memory is correct, then Kagami has only returned to Japan for a few days, before registering for Seirin a few months. Just by the look of it, this room has only been ocuppied the first time for a few days, he still has to quickly arrange everything. He still emembers the first days he came here, the house was in terrible disarray, making Kagami tired.

While doing this, Kagami thought irritably. He still doesn't understand why he was suddenly dragged into the past like this. Fortunately, the firefighter's experience of being calm in the midst of hardship in his thirties had saved some composure, otherwise Kagami would have come to think he was crazy. (Of course, he was a long way from admitting that he almost screamed into his pillow to keep calm and shivered like autumn leaves fearing a ghost forcing him to come here. No, he wouldn't admit it even if for a moutain of cash.)

After all, why did I come back to the past? It doesn't make sense no matter how I think about it.

Ruby's eyes narrow slightly.

And coming back like this... is it really okay?

Suddenly feeling a strange urge, Kagami heads to a cardboard box next to him, reaching for an old album.

The outer cover has faded, but its once-sky blue color can still be seen. The book is as thick as a collection of long stories, attached with a gold rim, delicate motifs, accompanied by a small pink and red notebook with cherry blossoms on the side. This album must have been put away a long time ago, the dust covers the words on the outside of both books.

Somehow, Kagami feels it was familiar. It gives him a feeling of affection, gentleness mixed with a bit of strange pain.

The ringing of the phone suddenly stops the hand that was about to flip through the book. As soon as he sees the name on the screen, his fiery eyes flutter in surprise. The bells keeps ringing, stubbornly, without stopping. His hand trembles, presses the answer button. Thin lips trembled, Kagami feels his throat go dry. As if it took all his strength, his hoarse voice rings like a broken bell:

'' Ah.. Hello..''

''Hello? Taiga, is that you hon'? Taiga-chan, you are too much! You have not called though you've been in Japan for a few days already. Do you know how much Papa worries about you? Papa miss you so much~ Does papa's little tiger miss me?~''

The low voice of a middle-aged man echoes through the phone, clearly showing the tininess of an idiotic father who loves his kid he could buy the whole world just for him.

At the moment of hearing that dear voice, Kagami collapses and breaks down in emotion.

Father. Dad. It's him. It really is him...

''Taiga? How's Papa's baby? Are you... crying?!''

''B-Dad... Papa... Is that really you, dad...? Dad, dad is here... my papa...''

Choking to the point of being speechless, every word that escaped from his throat was urgently rushed like a desperate man clinging to the last thread of hope. All life force seems to be drained, tears fill the pair of rubies, reflecting a pained look mixed with boundless joy. The bridge of the nose is spicy, the vision is blurred, the heart beating in the chest is also trembling.

Emotions surges like a tidal wave. Happy. Surprised. Joyous. Doubt. Hurt. Blame. Emotion. Laments. It all rolls and explodes in an instant.

Breathing to Kagami became harder than ever, he held his breath.

Kagami is scared. Fear that this will go away. That his earlier suspicions were right, and he would have to wake up from this dream immediately, before he could hear a little more, a little more, of his father's voice. Before he could say anything. Before he was allowed to tell him just one more thing that Kagami had said a thousand times and vowed to repeat a thousand times more.

To tell my precious loved one this never change thing.

A trembling voice filled with tears: ''Dad.. I love you very much. Thank you for everything, Papa...''

I love my father's craziness.

Love the stupid care of the father for his son.

I love how you tried to take care of me instead of mom.

Love all the moments when father and son are together, playing basketball together, sharing difficulties...

I love and thank you for all of that.

Thank God, because you are my father, because I can be your son.

Thank you, dad, because until the last moment of your life, you still love me and mom so much.

And I'm sorry, I haven't been able to give you all the great things you've ever done for me.

Hot tears rolled down his cheeks. The strong red-haired boy burst into tears. Including the previous life before returning here, Kagami's soul was already that of an adult. But now he couldn't stop the sobs and sobs now that he could finally hear his father's voice again. Every time he remembered the image of his old father lying in a hospital bed, still grinning in his last days of life, Kagami's heart bled again. Until the moment Dad was about to die, he remained so calm.

The old sinewy hand gently stroked Kagami's cheek. The old man smiled kindly, looking at his grown-up son, now full of tears, and whispered with his eyes closed in eternal sleep:

''This will be the last time papa will see papa's dummy tiger. Come on, don't cry, my baby. Papa is not going far. Finally, papa is going to meet your mother. Be good, remember, your parents are always with you. Doesn't everyone have to go far in the end? As long as you think of mama and papa every now and then, papa knows that sweet Taiga will be fine. Papa's baby tiger, papa is so lucky to be able to watch him grow up like that. If your mother were here, she would be so proud of you! Sorry Taiga, papa couldn't keep his promise to play basketball with you at the weekend. Remember to take care of yourself, don't get sick. The best thing in the world papa ever had was being with you and your mommy. Live happily, Taiga."

''Papa loves you and your mother very much.''

It was on an autumn day the yellow leaves fell. In the hospital room, the repressed cry of a thirty-year-old man lost a loved one for the second time. It had been almost ten years since Kagami last heard that voice.

There are things and people in this life, no matter how precious they are, we can't keep them forever. Relatives, family or soul mates, will sometimes be cruelly taken away by time. We cannot forget them, nor do we need to. It's just going to have to get used to that absence. Kagami knows that well and always turns his love for them into motivation to move on.

Everyone is like that, because life goes on.

But sometimes, just a little fleeting, we long for a moment of recollection of memories we know will never come again.

''Taiga?? Are you okay? What's wrong, Papa is here, don't worry. Papa loves you too! Be good, tell papa, did someone bully you?! Tell Papa their names, Papa will immediately fly to deal with it! Who dares to make Papa's gentle little Taiga cry?!!?''

The locomotive on the other end was immediately worried, trying to calm Kagami's sobs, his voice was really angry, Kagami could imagine his father panicking, rolling up his sleeves ready to book a ticket to the next one. Japan to fight with people.

Thinking about the funny look of his father, the crying Kagami also burst into laughter. Seriously, are you worried that he - such a tall, fierce-looking boy - will be bullied by others to the extent of crying? Does he really think of him as a weak baby?

' 'Pfft, you're such an idiot. I look so big, how can I be bullied? People even sometimes find me scary, you should have worried about somebody being bullied by me."

''Eh, who dares to call my baby scary?? Papa's cute Taiga never hurt anyone of course! Someone must have bullied you, so Papa's cutie pie shed tears like that. Don't be afraid, tell Papa quickly, Papa will beat him up!"

''Ha ha, you're always so over reacting! And how the hell am I cute?!'' Every time he calls his dad, he has to say Kagami's cute once. He is not cute!

''Papa's Taiga is so cute~You haven't told papa any evil name that made you sad!"

''I told you not to. I just... ate ice so I got a cold and sniffed."

''...Taiga-chan, you're as bad at lying as ever. Having eaten ice so you cry? Sometimes Papa doesn't understand how your clumsy lying logic works."

''...'' Yes, Kagami knew. That trait still can't be fixed. Why is it so hard to lie?

''Then why are you crying? Tell papa~ Papa will definitely help me!''

''...I'm just...'' Kagami choked out ''...Just miss you, dad. I miss and want to meet my papa, that's all.''

After almost ten years. The warmth of mom and dad is one of the things I miss the most.

There was silence on the other end of the line, then a gentle voice spoke lovingly:

''Papa misses you too, little tiger. Papa should be by your side right now. Sorry my dear. Aaaah, this damn work!!! It's been a long time since Taiga called me 'papa' again, and even said you miss and love papa. And yet Papa can't go to my little Tiger, it's all because of this mess!!!! No, papa wants to meet my beloved son too~''

Not long after being cool (like for a second), the heirloom childishness broke out again, the middle-aged man lamented, whining to his son. Kagami rolled his eyes reluctantly, his father always asked him to call him 'papa' and childish like that. Kagami's carefree and hot-tempered face must have been inherited from this silly old pops.

''But I assure you! Although Papa can't go there to stay with you, but if I have a chance to rest, I'm sure I will fly to you immediately, if you need anything, just call me. Taiga-chan, also remember to be careful, don't get hurt, get sick, or get raped!'' Dad's last sentence made Kagami choke on his saliva, cough and cough, his face turning red. He can't say if it's because he's angry, because he suppress his laughter or because he's embarrassed.

''Dad!! What did you just say?!? What is stealing virgin...aaaaa whatever, and raping, are you a worriwat?! I'm not a girl! How can it be robbed? And who steals? This old man, you keep talking nonsense!''

''Don't say that, Taiga.'' The voice suddenly turned serious. But the crazy thing he was talking about made Kagami unable to really calm down! "Society is dangerous, son. Have you never heard the words 'male molester', 'female molester'? You're very strong, that's what papa knows, but you're too naive. Papa is just afraid that you will be tricked away. Papa won't be able to bear it, if you also disappear...'' The deep sadness in his father's words made his red eyes tinged with worry.

''Papa...''

''The most important thing is that papa's baby makes people love him so much, Papa is worried that there will be some kids who want to take you home. Lie there and dream for a million years! If you want to bring my child home, you have to step over this old corpse! Taiga don't worry, then, papa will only choose the best daughter-in-law or son-in-law for you! Even that Tatsuya boy is no exception."

Quickly regaining his excitement, the middle-aged man snorted. If you want to bring Taiga home, you have to be someone who meets the criteria.

''This stupid dad... I'm coming to bear you too.'' The smile returned to his lips, Kagami felt his heart be wrapped in the warm concern of his distant father. It's been a long time since he last experienced the feeling of being cared for and coddled with his parents like a child.

It's nice to be able to talk to dad like this again.

Maybe, just maybe, this isn't as terrible as I thought at first.

At least, Dad, I got to hear your voice again.