Prologue
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Akashi sat in his last class of the day, boredom nagging at his mind. Everything he was learning was something he already knew and mastered; in this case it was high school level algebra. Dichromatic eyes watched the clock, waiting for the bell to ring that would release him from the mind-numbing room and allow him to go to the gym where he could begin basketball practice. One minute prior to the bell, the captain of the basketball team meticulously cleared his desk and returned his belongings to his pack.
A chime echoed through the room, causing students immediately to stand up. The redhead stood, calmly, unaffected by the eyes of the other students as he went to the door. Akashi Seijuro always left the classroom first, as well as entered first. This had started in his first year of middle school, though it had become stricter as time passed. Quietly, he headed down the hall toward the gymnasium, planning specific practice menus for each member of his team.
Pushing open the door, Akashi stopped when he saw a familiar head of blue hair, shooting basketballs with what seemed to be the intention of learning how to accurately get baskets.
"Tetsuya." He said calmly, walking toward his teammate. Kuroko Tetsuya, Teiko's Phantom Sixth Man on the basketball team. The boy turned to him, stoic eyes meeting Akashi's without hesitation.
"Akashi-kun," he replied, taking the other saying his name as a greeting. Akashi frowned slightly, eyeing the ball that was in Kuroko's hands.
"You should not be practicing shooting. You should be focusing on your Misdirection." He stated firmly, watching closely as Kuroko's eyes dropped to the ball in his hands.
"Akashi-kun, would it not be useful if I could also shoot?" he asked, returning his gaze to Akashi's. The redhead stared at Kuroko for a long moment, studying his eyes and his face. His cheeks were tinged pink, he must have been practicing for a while before Akashi had come in.
"No, you are more useful with your passes. Did you miss class in order to come practice?" he asked, eyes narrowing dangerously. Kuroko continued to look him in the eye, not necessarily out of confidence but because he was not afraid. The blue haired boy shook his head, handing the ball to his captain.
"No, I got here a bit early but only about five minutes before you. My body is not used to this kind of practice." He replied easily. Akashi took the ball, holding it between his arm and hip. They looked at one another for a long moment, not moving and not speaking.
/
"Aominecchi, hurry up! If we're late, Akashicci will triple our menu!" Kise complained, waiting for Aomine to finish putting on his practice clothes in the locker room.
"Shut up Kise! I'm going as fast as I can!" the other shouted, tugging his shirt on over his head. Midorima sighed, adjusting glasses as he stood waiting for both Kise and Aomine to go to practice.
"Today is a bad day for Virgo." The green haired boy said to the darker skinned boy, holding his lucky item of the day; a potpourri in a clear bag with a green ribbon securing it.
"Ne, Mido-chin, that smells funny." Murasakibara mumbled around a mouthful of chips.
"It is my lucky item, and the fragrance is Sea Breeze. It smells perfectly fine." Midorima defended himself and his item. With Aomine ready, the four members of the Generation of Miracles exited the locker room, stopping by the open door before entering.
"Aka-chin is talking to Kuro-chin." Murasakibara said, looking into the room. Quietly, the four attempted to listen to the conversation, assuming that it was private and knowing that Akashi would punish them if they were to interrupt. Aomine leaned closer, as well as Kise, to catch what was being said.
"I want to practice my shooting." Kuroko said firmly, earning an annoyed sigh from the Emperor.
"No, and that is final." Akashi commanded, his frown deepening. Kuroko began to frown at this, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"But Akashi-kun," Kuroko began, but was silenced by a not-so-light slap on his cheek. Akashi was angry now, and that was not good. Upon seeing and hearing the slap, Aomine tensed, ready to run to protect his best friend. A hand on his shoulder stopped him immediately.
"Damn Murasakibara, let go!" he hissed, looking up at the purple haired giant.
"Kuro-chin is okay." He reassured, still looking toward the blue haired boy and the redhead. Three sets of eyes instantly turned back to the two, suddenly feeling like the pressure in the room had increased exponentially. No one moved, it was almost a challenge to even breathe with the air becoming so incredibly tense and heavy.
"Akashi, that hurt." Kuroko's voice was not pained, but it was becoming angry.
"You forget your manners, no honorific to my name? Tetsuya, that is very rude." He scolded harshly. The pressure in the room seemed to explode then, boring down on Akashi and the four that were observing. Kuroko's eyes met Akashi's, but somehow they were different. A malicious, murderous look had crossed into Kuroko's blue eyes as he held Akashi's stare.
The Emperor froze, eyes wide as he stared ahead at the bluenette in front of him. The basketball that he had been holding fell from it's perch on Akashi's hip, bouncing across the gym floor, the only sound that was made. Bringing his hands up, he glanced down slowly at them to see that he was trembling ever so slightly. Blue eyes bore into Akashi, causing icy fear to creep through his body.
"Seijuro." A command that made Akashi's head snap up to meet those blue eyes.
"Tetsuya." He replied, a wicked grin spreading across his face. Who would have thought that the Phantom Sixth man was the same as Akashi? Akashi had not noticed until then that Kuroko's hand was placed heavily on his shoulder, squeezing slightly.
"If you are an Emperor," Kuroko's voice was deadly, and Akashi suddenly found himself looking up at the other boy, having been pressed down to his knees hard enough to bruise his skin.
"Then I am a god." Kuroko finished, leaving Akashi looking up at him in a way that could be considered worship. The kneeling boy blinked, and Kuroko was no longer in front of him, but across the gym at the door. Too shocked and excited to move, Akashi simply listened to Kuroko speak in the same tone.
"Eavesdropping is impolite. One on ones, Daiki and Ryouta, Atushi and Shintaro." He demanded as he stood beside his other four teammates. He stared straight ahead, not looking at any of them as he continued walking. The four let out a breath that none realized they were holding, feeling the pressure alleviate once Kuroko was out of sight. Even though he had left, it took several minutes for everyone to pull themselves together and go into the gym. Akashi stood, watching his teammates begin to practice as they were told.
"Tetsuya," Akashi thought, a wide and malevolent smile plastered to his face, "I have never felt this before. Fear? Excitement? Infatuation? Tetsuya, you will be mine."