Like a Bird

Chapter 1.

Kuroko Tetsumi

It's passion..

It's love..

The music soared through the air like an eagle searing through catching its prey, causing goosebumps. It had taken placed it each very souls of the listening audience. His beautiful voice ascended in beautiful melody in together in a magical flight to the heavens, a breathtaking melody soft tone. The rapper take placed after the crescendo that made their breath stolen from their bodies, the pianissimo died down until all that was left was the silence, fade into nothingness.

It has ended.

The silence in the hall held them spellbound of nerve wrecking agony. Was it bad? The blunette thought nervously as she let go the mic stand, taking her breath in pace. It must be wrong... Maybe she should never take this stage.

A sudden strong hand gripped her firm pale shoulder causing her to slightly jolt and looked over her shoulder. A passionate smile from the tall rapper, with a line of very white teeth shined in her way, as if giving her, support with that radiance look on his red eyes. It says, you did your best.

An empty pale face was colored with a small smile, though like nobody notice it, it did appears at the edge of her pink lips. Slowly, in her cerulean baby blue eyes, tears started to pooled. She nodded in recognition. She walked to the front stage and bowed slightly.

That was when she felt the goosebumps.

Like a tsunami the applause rolled forwards to them. She looked down the stage, people started to stand just to give her applause. She was touched. Their recognition of her voice. Their love for her songs. It reach them. The feels...

She was proud of herself.

At least...she really did her best.

She smiled and wave her hands to her beloved audience before her smiles fade out.

XXXXXX

A pair of menacing heterochromatic golden and red eyes was staring at the screen monitor from under his black strip red fedora from inside of Kiseki no Seidai changing room. A bit of enthralled smile appears on his thin lips. Sharp eagle eyes locking on the monitor, long, until the song finished, so eagerly with excitement and interest like it had found its prey.

"Akashichi you look like you will swallow the tv as a whole. Cut it out." mumbles Kise Ryota while taking his towel from Midorima and wipe his neck sweat from their stage performance an hour ago. He was now wearing a shoulder length blue top with typical gravity engraved on it, with long skinny trousers with a sweater tied around his waist, hands on silver rings and with piercing on his left ear. His head covered with a cap with his name engraved on it. He looked like he's ready for the stage any time.

The words went unheard by the leader of Kiseki no Seidai as he got up from his seat and watched the screen up-closed, hands kempt in his pockets. Still had that senile creepy smile on his face or was it challenge they saw? Akashi as always, wearing his red shirt with black leather coat on top with a black strip red fedora covering his red head. Intense heterochromatic eyes looked sideways over his shoulder to looked at the petrified blonde who seems to notice his warns, about what he said, before his mismatched eyes were back on the show. "You never know Ryouta. Puppies can be a wolf sometimes."

"Puppies?" Kise Ryouta said skeptically couldn't catch up about who's the puppy in mention.

"Oi..oi..Akashi. You see something on the board or what." Said Aomine while downing his gloves for next performance. He was wearing a simple black hip hop shirt with shoulder bust length showing his muscles tanned arm, with a chain around his neck with a basket ball locket swiveled on his chest. "Don't tell me you are interested in that bluenette-" he said half mockingly as the man in questions had never laid eyes on women since their first debut even though there were a lot of girls hanging around his waist.

"Analyzing a person, that's what I did." the redhead says with a smirk on his face.

"Haven't you heard, Aomine-kun? Our agency is going scout a new singer. Is that her Akashi?" Midorima asked, wiping out the dust on his glasses,"The girl seems okay though. But I'm afraid she couldn't catch up to us at all cost." Midorima continued as he wore back his glasses. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt inside and a wool cardigan with abstract colors on top with a simple knitted hood on his head. His lucky item today was his rabbit key holder which he hang out from his pockets trousers.

"Oh yeah! Momoi-chan had mention previously, saying she's going to introduce someone." Kise remembered something.

"Hmm.."A snicker was heard from the redhead direction. "Not scouting though. Its a duet for the new years eve."

"DUET?!" the other sang in chorus. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Are you serious Akashichin? And you agreed? She's a new comer-ssu! Can she made a duet with you? Won't she made it worse for you!?"

" Agreed with Kise-kun though. But I believe she had something that made our manager chose her." Midorima debated.

"Cut that out. She might be better than what you think, Kise." Aomine rebuke as he stood up to the door. He truly has no doubt towards his girlfriend's judgment.

"Our performance coming up next. Let's go."

The four looked over their trance to see their bass guitarist was still eating parfait and chocolate.

Midorima face palmed. "I've forgotten that there were 5of us in a group. Stop eating will you!" Midorima scold as he grabbed the snacks from Murasakibara causing the man to snatch it back.

"We still had times you know." He said lazily, while glancing to their leader for permission.

Akashi glanced sideways, "If you finished that one quickly, I can buy a whole bag of sweets for you."

"Really, Aka-chin?!" he beamed with a childish smile which made the redhead to form a grin on his face. A grin of victory. The guitarist quickly finished and savor everything before he tied up his hair. His green army headband around his head was styled vertically, giving out the rock face. He quickly dust off the bit of crumbs that fell on his cargo short and army like sweater. "I'm in Aka-chin!"

XXXXXXX

Kuroko slipped through the curtain after her last performance, sweaty and exhausted. Grabbing a towel, she wiped her brows and leaned a shoulder against a wall. She could still felt her hands trembling, not with fear, but excitement. The joy.

"Hey, you okay?" Kagami, one of her best friend, tagged her shoulder, "You've been off all night."

Kuroko looked down, face covered with the small towel, "I thought you said, I did okay."

"Maa..You always do okay in front of the crowd, I meant now, here in real life. You. Need help sorting something out?"

Kuroko dazed for a moment before she looked up to the worried face. "I'm fine, Kagami-kun."

The short pause of her answer, sure do not mean nothing. As her best friend since their high school, he learn a lot of things about this innocent looking girl in front of him. And he definitely know that she will just give the same answer even if he ask multiple times. The redhead drummed his fingers on the wall as if waiting for more answers for her, but nothing come. Her baby blue eyes just stares blankly onto his red orbs, clueless.

Maybe there was nothing after all.

"Kagami-kun..Thank you..If its not for you, I wont be standing there in the crowd."

His strong hand raked the softness of her hair, "Don't mind it. I would do anything if its for you, stupid."

"Kagami-kun, I would appreciate if you don't messed with my hair. It took a crazy long time to style it. Miss Aida would turned a beast if you messed it." she said with a silent warning, raking back her long blue hair into place. Kagami only snorted. It's not Miss Aida, but you Kuroko. You! He has always notice, Kuroko can be frightening some time.

"Since you did your best, I will buy you a vanilla shake when we head back, Kuroko!"

"Be sure not to promise something you cannot fulfill." she said deadpanned.

Kagami sweat dropped at the warning again, almost tripped on his own legs. He remembered the last time he forgot to buy one for her, she refused to met him for a week. She even went to the studio alone and back from the studio alone. She isn't really looking mad, she was just too calm, her words were just too calm, too calm that made his heart turmoil and sips guilty.

"Kagami-kun...I'm not angry you know."

"Ah! I know that!" Kagami was silent again. He swears that he really don't know how to handle the situation when she said something like that. It's like she swept him together into her innocent words that made his heart stops beating for a moment of guilty. Wanting to apologize for nothing and do anything for her. He would be willingly to let go anything if its for her. Just named it. And it will be.

"Kagami-kun, you will always be my side right?" She suddenly molded in her cute little derisive but happy smile. He wonder why her words meant more than than just 'be by my side'? It has more intense meaning.

He grinned back at her. "Anytime Kuroko." he sure find the bluenette was hiding something from him, she would not dare asking something so bizzare like that. "Kuroko, don't worry. Your voice is awesome."

She stares blankly on him, "I'm not worry to the least. I'm happy." she said dead-face.

He don't know whether she was really happy or not.

"So- what is the 'thing' that made that happiness, Kuroko?"

"Kagami-kun. Actually - I've been chosen to sing with one of the miracles."

"One of the miracles? What do you mean? I don't get that."

"Akashi Seijuro.."

"Akashisei-? What's that? A food?"

"I just can't find the suitable time to tell you. Sorry." Sorry, she said, but she did not seemed sorry at all! Kagami screamed inwardly. He was about to scold her again when steps were heard and the coordinator started running in their way and slightly push them off the lane. The next performer is coming up.

"Before someone else tells you, its better if I tell you first." she took a deep breath, "I'll be in duet with one on the Kiseki no Seidai, Akashi Seijuro."

Its like a hammer over the speakers, Kagami heard nothing from Kuroko but the loud clasps and shouting from the crowd and the booming of loud music that roars. The crowd were excited. Too excited that he wished he could have his headphone with him.

Then, he saw the clad of five prodigies. The Kiseki no seidai, and it click to him.

Of course the crowd were excited.

Kiseki no Seidai is the one next. Kagami growled inwardly. He did not care less about the group. It does not matter to him. From what he sees right now, they were just five malicious, ignorance, conceited pop star. He don't care about their popularity, but he did find a certain part of him felt annoyed at their menacing auras and their achievement.

"Kuroko, sorry. Can we just leave?" He tried to pull Kuroko out of the stage lane, but she refused to move and stuck there like a glue.

"Kuroko?"

The bluenette did not answer, and what he saw was something he doesn't really want to see. It was the start of weird feeling surging from inside of him.

Her wide baby blue eyes staring at the five ascending pop stars. She showed no expression, but he knows that she was excited like the crowd too. She did not beamed or smile, but still kept staring without blinking at the group that comes walking calmly, graciously in front of her. That was until, he notice a mismatched eyes of golden and red was striking down on her cerulean eyes and she immediately faced down. He could feel her tugging the hem of his clothes tightly. Is it fear? Or excitement?

The man suddenly stopped in front of them, followed by the other four, each looking so starry and gorgeous. He wonder if he and Kuroko can be like them.

The man had such ferocious expression on his face, whose named he still does not know walked closed to them without batting an eye in his way but Kuroko. He squint slightly towards the oh so- calm girl beside him who was now, tugging his shirt even tighter. He was about to pulled her away, but to his surprised, Kuroko turned to look up to him but not smiling, a bit. She had that rare determination face on her. Her baby blue eyes that was caught in fight with the mismatched eyes was looking so daring, refined, and fearless. Yet she looked studious over the taller man in front of her in her logical, lively, sweet, tempting beautiful eyes. And he felt something off.

A small seemingly fake smile graced that man's lips before it speak, "You are - Kuroko Tetsumi, right?"

She did not nod either. Just a plain, blank face. The man in front of her was so intimidating, heavenly handsome, and his overwhelming presence can made a person faint due to this huge pressure, yet his heterochromatic eyes looked dangerously pile up with confident authority, dignified, intrigued and urgency. It denies all impossibilities.

"Never mind that." He mumbles with a small smirk as he received no answer. They were so closed, that Kuroko could feel his warm breath against her nose.

"What do you want?" she finally manage to ask under the pressure.

Those baby blue eyes was in lock with the golden and red eyes. She can't reject him. Taking the silence to his advantage, he bend down and took her parted pink lips in gentle kiss and plant a kiss on her soft palm. "You." He answered with victorious smirk.

Kuroko pulled her hand away in response, and the furious Kagami had moved in front of her being protective. "Bastard! What the fuck-?!" Having his fist in the air ready to punch the smug face, when Kuroko's arm tugging his hand closed to her body avoiding him from violating the shorter man.

"Kuroko!"

"Kagami-kun! Don't!"

The people on the backstage was ready to stop Kagami if anything should happen but Kuroko had saved them from the mess outcome. But there were slight depression in the face of reporters. Hell, the newcomer was going to hit the Akashi's face! What huge gossips would that be?! But, thanks to Kuroko, their jobs were ruined.

The shorter redhead glanced to the mad dog in front of him, not an ounce of fear instilled on his face."Oh? You were there all the time? I didn't notice, Sorry." Kagami felt humiliated. He was there all these time and he said he didn't notice?! And he daringly kiss Tetsumi-! And it was his fault that he allows them to stayed long like that-!

The shorter man pulled his fedora down covering his face before he walked passed the two in silence. But, Kagami had not missed it! That bastard has a smug grin across his face and it irritates him to his core. Damn! He didn't even have the time to retort back as the five prodigies walked to their designed place as their stage started.

The music boomed again. Their music.

No need words, Kagami was really infuriated that he clamped his fingers onto Kuroko's shoulder as he faced her. So hard, that she winced to the pain without sound. "Why did you held me back?! He humiliated you didn't he?!"

"He is Akashi Seijuro."

No words would describe how mad and surprised he was.

"He is the one that I will be doing a duet with."

Kagami did not protest or said anything. The man just walked away from the lane to the backstage, to his own room. Every word out from Kuroko's stung, only fueling the fire that burned inside of him. She protected that guy! A fists began to clench and his jaw rooted. People started to hide from his sight and some dropped to the floor as the primeval instinct took over. He wants to scowl, stomping, gets rough with everything, cloaked in blackness. All he saw is red,red, red. In invisible angst he felt in his heart, he slammed his door closed, grumbling, feeling nothing's right. He keeps wanting solitude.

"Why do Kuroko had to defend a guy like that?! Because he is an Akashi?! Nonsense!"

The bluenette had been following her best friend into his room, he didn't notice. And that was when she heard his anger. Had she did something wrong? Why did Kagami-kun shouting angrily like that?

She was itching to ask that, but stayed silent from behind the closets.

She raised an eyebrow slightly, her disbelief was off the charts, but honestly she don't understand. Why was he angry? Akashi is a singer, a pop star. Of course, his face was off limits. Artist only lives with their pretty face. That's a rule that should never be cross. That's all she think about by that time. And didn't he see the reporters who was ready to find a scoop there?

"STUPID KUROKO TETSUMI!" the mad man screamed in his room.

She could feel her irritated level is increasing to a whole new level as she heard that.

"Are you that stupid Kagami-kun?" she asked out loud from her mind and walked out from her hiding place. She was not really hiding, really. Its just the said friend did not notice her presence there, due to his fuming fiery red eyes.

And that made the mad man jerked in surprised.

"Waah! Kuroko!? Where the heck did you come from?!" Kagami took a step back in surprise.

"From the door of course. Should I come from the ceiling instead, you'll be peeing in your trousers for the extreme shock."

"No, seriously." he said raking his hair to the back of his head only to have them still sticking up. His mind in a mess. "I'm sorry. I know you heard that - but I didn't meant it that way."

"But, its clear that you said I am stupid." Kuroko let the word hit him one by one, clearly.

Kagami found dead- end to answer. Lost to the sharp tongue of the fuming bluenette who was looking extremely calm. "I said I'm sorry didn't I?"

"Not enough sincerity." she reminded him.

He sighed defeated, "Kuroko, you let him kiss you." He mumbles slowly.

"Oh?" Kuroko said dead-panned. "If it's about the kiss that you was mad about. Kagami-kun does not need to worry at all. It didn't meant anything. You know how ferocious Akashi Seijuro could kiss any women, if he wanted to, right?"

"So-" Kagami had a faint blushed on his cheek at her answer, "So, you didn't feel anything from that?"

Kuroko tilted her head to her side. "What should I feel then?"

Kagami fight the urge to pull her in his arm right now. This girl is a clueless cause. She didn't feel any temptation from that? Seriously? Can he believes that?

He scratched his twitchy head in respond, "Never mind that Kuroko. You don't have to try anything." He said as he pulled her petite body into his laps, on his bed-chair, embracing her tightly. Having her scent in within his radius make him wanting to protect her more.

He truly wanted to protect her.

"Kagami-kun. Let me go." she pleaded like an ice cold princess.

"I don't want!" and he retorted like a child.

"But you stink."

And with that one word, he let her go by pushing her off the chair abruptly.

"Is that how, you push me? Bakagami."

"You asked for it. Stupid."

"Shut up." she retorted slightly.

He watched her silently as she stood up dusting of her 'frozen' like dress. She was raking her waist length silk blue hair to its original position. The bulk on her head had come undone and fell to her waist length. "Mou. This is your fault. Miss Aida will be angry at me." She complaints, pouting slightly. He couldn't help it, but laugh heartily.

"Don't you dare laugh at me." she said pouting again. "It was all your fault. This is my first time having my hair styled like this. I still haven't take picture with it." Still pouting that it build a guilty hall in the redhead's heart.

"It's your own fault for not taking care of yourself. Don't blame others." And his head met a comb in progress. He cringed to the immense pain on his head. "Can't you be gentle a bit!"

They were about to have a mouth fight again when the door was opened revealing the face of their manager. Fuming, angry, fiery face.

"Ogiwara-kun." the bluenette welcomed him like nothing happen.

The man who was beautifully clad in white blazer walked straight ahead towards the redhead like a bull ready to attack, "Kagami! May I know what happened at the front just now? I heard you tried to punch the Kiseki no Seidai, is that true?! You know what you did to Kuroko's career don't you?!"

Kagami just scratched his twitching head. "But that- did not happen at all! Right Kuroko?"

Kuroko glanced sideways, "Speak for yourself. I don't know about that." she lied through her teeth, still combing her hair innocently.

Then nobody noticed, how the stubborn redhead was thrown outside the room.

The orange haired manager now started to the girl, but his face soften a bit with a sweet smile, "Kuroko, you are about to be in paper tomorrow." he said with painful smile. "You have to brace yourself."

Kuroko was looking daunt speechless and a bit of worried. "Why? Ogiwara-kun?"

Ogiwara become unsettled when he saw the baby blue eyes was looking a bit worried, it was like liquid adrenaline being injected right into his blood stream - not so strong as to freak him out, but just enough to make him tingle and start to move his body- to do something about her. He immediately feigned a hearty smile. "Don't you know? You actually win the judges heart for your performance today!"

Both Kagami and Kuroko beamed a cheerful smile, "REALLY?!" Kagami was shouting from outside the room where he bumped. And Kuroko tugging his sleeves for an answer. She was standing so damned close to him that his heart might have skip few beats towards heart arrest.

Her beautiful cerulean blue eyes did have glitters of stars when she heard the news. "So, you meant I win today's competition?" she had her puppy eyes in water.

The sunlight haired man nodded in recognition. "Yes, you did, Tetsumi. That's why I come here to call you out. You're about to received a bouquet of flowers in the last event. Though the prize will come a bit later."

"It's alright. The important thing is...This is my first won prize." she embraced her arms as she swiveled on her chair letting her dresses float in the air.

She is beautiful...

"Congratulations, Tetsumi." he said gently patting the light blue hair tenderly as the chair stops swiveled.

"Thanks a lot, Ogiwara-kun." She said in her innocently cute happy face and slung her arms across his waist for a moment before she jumped to the front door to meet with Miss Aida who was her make up artist. She was bowing to her many times for the messed hair and make up. And apologized that she has been announced as missing. This is all Bakagami's fault.

Her voice is beautiful.

She is beautiful.

This is love. When your heart melts like butter on hot toast at the sight of someone. When you feel lightheaded and free. When you ache to be with them, to look at them, to touch them.

That is love.

The kiss never did impale anything in her mind. Just -a greeting kiss. And she knows perfectly, that Akashi Seijuro is a player. He was just playing haughty with her.

But, why? She could think of nothing else but him. It was as if he had bewitched her very soul in their first meeting..

And she felt like crying...

XXXXXXXX

A/N: Well.. This is my first fiction. And its a fem kuro version. I hope my readers don't despise it. And if you do, keep it yourself. Don't tell me idiot! Because I will throw phantom shot hardly like Kuroko did. :P

R&R if you me know the pros and cons in peace. TQ!