Summary:

Over and over—he found her and lost her over and over again in a cycle of endless reincarnations. Once more, Akashi Seijurou found his love again, and this time, it might just be different. AU one shot. Reincarnation fic. Akashi/Fem!Kuroko

Seriously, is there anyone still reading and watching Kuroko no Basuke? The Tumblr tags have been really silent these days.

Anyway, this isn't a multi chapter story, but just a one shot—though it might be different, I wouldn't know. I was re-watching Taylor Swift's Love Story music video the other day and got a sudden inspiration for this story—watch the music video if you can. And I thought I want to try Akashi as a pairing this time instead of always writing him as female Kuroko's cousin. It might be a little weird, as I'm honestly not used to writing Akashi as boyfriend material.

Pairings: Akashi/Tamaki

Warnings: AU Universe. OOC. Gender swap. Nice Akashi. Reincarnation. Non-canon. Character deaths.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke and any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

Emperor's Love

He saw her again in the grounds of Tokyo University an hour before the entrance ceremony begins.

But this time, he is very determined not to let the same thing happen to her like how it'd happened countless times across the span of countless lives in the past.

After all, unlike all their past lives, in this life, the world is at peace. There are no wars and battles to wage. Unlike all their countless lives, he is not a soldier anymore.

In this life, his name is Akashi Seijurou—the only son of a prominent businessman that is also one of the world's richest men; and he had just graduated from Rakuzan High with honours, also holding the title of the number one student in Japan.

Even as Akashi entered the vast grounds of Tokyo University, he only had his eyes on the trio standing in a corner beneath the shade of a tree. The only male amongst the trio is the tallest with fire engine untidy hair and equally red eyes. Beside him is a beautiful pink haired girl who is currently hugging the arm of the redhead next to her to her generous chest. And talking to the couple with her back facing him is a female with teal blue hair that reaches to mid back.

Almost as if sensing a pair of eyes on her, the teal haired girl turned in mid step, and a youthful face with porcelain-like skin and doe-like cerulean eyes met ruby red ones.

One heartbeat. Harsh breathing. And a startled look in cerulean blues.

Akashi Seijuro felt his eyes widening as both pairs of eyes met each other for several moments.

That…has never happened before in all his past lives.

She remembered him.

XXXXXX

In his first life, he was known as Lewin; the only son of a notable nobleman and knight with little money and prestige to their family name, but one that held a great heritage; as his father was one of the knights serving at King Arthur's Round Table.

We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes
And the flashback starts
I'm standing there
On a balcony in summer air

He first met her at a party held by King Arthur and his Queen; the Lady Guinevere, to celebrate the kingdom's anniversary.

He was fifteen then; just walking out of the phases of boyhood and entering into the awkward stages of adulthood. It was at that party when he saw her for the first time. Her name—as he'd later learned from King Arthur, is Kristine, the only daughter of a count who also serves as his personal right hand and advisor, and is also a highly overprotective father as she had been his only daughter.

She had been talking with two other young ladies at that time—all three of them decked out in evening dresses. Unlike most of the young ladies present at the party that were decked out in so much silver and gold that it almost made his eyes hurt to look at their finery for long, she wasn't dressed in much jewellery.

Her dress is a simple pale gold-white with elegant sleeves that just exposed the bare skin of her shoulders; with her hair done up in an elegant bun with teal blue strands trailing down her neck in waves. The only jewellery that she had on is a silver necklace around her neck and earrings.

See the lights
See the party, the ball gowns
I see you make your way through the crowd
You say 'hello', little did I know

Almost as if sensing a pair of eyes on her back, she had turned around and met his eyes with her own.

And then, she smiled.

In their second life, they met again at the age of fifteen.

This time however, he is a prince of some kingdom, and she is his loyal attendant along with one other.

That you were Romeo
You were throwing pebbles
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
And I was crying on the staircase
Begging you please don't go
And I said

He was introduced to her at a party by his older brother who is the crown prince of the kingdom, and was informed that she would be his attendant. And even though he knows that it's her, and he remembers everything with clarity, she doesn't.

All that she does is smile at him in the formal way and only answered his greetings with a 'nice to meet you, Your Highness'.

And for the second time, he felt his heart break.

In his third life, they met again at the same age that they were when they first met each other during the reign of King Arthur.

This time, he is the personal ninja and retainer of Sanada Yukimura—born and bred to be his personal shield and warrior. Whereas she is the ninja partner of Sanada's best ninja, Kirigakure Saizo—having grown up with him and had trained with him in the ninja arts.

She came to the castle at the age of fifteen after having finished her training at their ninja village, and because Saizo had called for her. He had been the one to receive her at the gates of Yukimura's castle; and the first time that he laid eyes on her after she'd dropped down from the trees from above his head, he felt his heart almost stop.

"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince, and I'll be the princess
It's a love story, baby, just say yes"

So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew
So close your eyes
Escape this town for a little while

And just like before when she was serving him as his loyal attendant, she only greeted him with a nod and enquired as to where she could find Saizo and Lord Yukimura.

She doesn't remember him.

And for the third time, he felt his heart break.

In his fourth life, he is a soldier once more; though the world had been rapidly advancing at that point.

No more is there a need for bird messengers to transmit messages to one another; they have telegrams. Horses became the constant thing for transport. Guns and weapons for killing are also getting more creative and destructive.

He was first approaching his seventeenth birthday when he met her again.

This time, he didn't meet her at a party or even meet her as fellow retainers for some feudal lord.

In this life, he was passing through a town with the rest of the soldiers when he'd met her.

She is a young photographer with her own studio in town—a place that he had only gone to check out of morbid curiosity especially after seeing the black and white pictures of the places that showcased the places that they originally were before war had touched and consumed them.

'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
But you were everything to me
I was begging you, please don't go, and I said

And this time, he knew even before she'd opened her mouth—that she doesn't remember him.

That he's the only one who does.

And for the fourth time, he felt his heart break.

In his fifth life, by this time, the world had advanced to the point that people were inventing things everywhere—thus making life easier for everyone.

Radios were the constant entertainment. That, along with cabaret clubs where the entertainers put up shows to entertain people. It was an era where there is still a distinct line between the two genders; though harsher than what he had remembered during his first life when he'd first met his love at King Arthur's party.

She was the lead vocalist for a music band—an extremely popular one that is the top favourite for the regulars at the cabaret club that his soldier friends have often dragged him to. On the nights where they were due to perform, the cabaret club is almost certain to be full.

"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story, baby, just say yes"

He had hoped, and thus, he had presented her with a bouquet of fire lilies—the first flower that he had ever given her the first time that he'd met her.

And he knew before she had even spoken a word.

"These flowers are beautiful. Thank you."

She doesn't remember him.

And for the fifth time, he felt as if his world had came to an end.

In this life—his sixth—he met her again when he was touring Paris after finishing high school.

This time, she was a curator at a photo museum.

It wasn't her that caught his eye so much to begin with that led him to entering the museum. It was the main photo attraction at the museum—a collage of black and white photos that were discovered to be taken by a photographer during the wartime period long ago.

It was photos that were taken by her—from a time in the past so long ago that she don't even remember any longer.

"Romeo, save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it's real
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess
It's a love story, baby, just say yes"

And he knew before she had even opened her mouth to greet him—that she doesn't remember him.

And for the sixth time, he felt as if he is truly cursed.

XXXXXX

The constant cycle soon became almost identical—and something that Akashi is familiar with.

He will meet her, and she will not remember him or what they've been through. And he'll fall in love with her again. Then she'll be taken from him in only a few short years.

It happened over and over.

In their first life, she was taken from him when Camelot was engulfed in the flames of civil war when the affair of Lady Guinevere and Lord Lancelot was discovered. And it was just a few months before their wedding when he had finally managed to convince her overprotective father to hand his daughter's hand in marriage to him.

In their second life, she was taken from him when acting as his personal shield when an assassin had tried to kill him after his older brother had been crowned king.

In their third life, it was the war that had taken her. Though at that time, he had died just scant moments after she did.

In their fourth life, he had gotten to the town too late to save her. By the time that he had arrived at the town, it was to find the entire town pillaged and razed to the ground—taking her with it.

In their fifth life, it was war that had taken her too. Though in this case, it was a surprise attack that had taken her.

In their sixth life, it was neither war nor soldiers that had taken her from him. It was a classic case of 'being in the wrong place at the wrong time'. In that life, he had managed to befriend her—going through the painful process of courting her once more. He was walking her home after dinner when a mugger had approached them from out of nowhere. She had died in his arms even as that man fled, whispering the words "I love you" to him—like she did in every life in some form.

I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever coming around
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town
And I said

It soon came to such a point that he's almost terrified of finding her. And losing her again.

But despite his wishes, meet her he did. And fall in love with her again he did.

Thus by this life, by the time that Akashi had graduated from Rakuzan High, he was getting nervous as it's already well past the age when he usually meet her, and it is also past the age when she will usually be taken from him.

Did she die before she'd even met him?

It was those thoughts in his head the day when Akashi Seijuro had stepped foot into the grounds of Tokyo University and met her again. But unlike the second through sixth times, there is a look of recognition visible in her eyes.

And for the first time in his life, Akashi felt his heart twinge with hope.

XXXXXX

Akashi had cornered Kagami Taiga after the entrance ceremony was concluded, as the two males were sharing the same law classes despite Kagami being in the university on a sports scholarship.

The pair were acquainted via basketball, with both their teams going against each other yearly throughout their three years in high school, with the two teens being at the helms of their teams in their third year. And still, despite the game getting more and more difficult with each year, Seirin always emerges as champion.

It makes Akashi wonder for a moment how that famous team would fare now that the main core players of their team had graduated. Would they still be able to hold onto their reputation, defending their throne as the three-time championship winners?

"How do I know Tamaki?" Kagami parroted at lunch, stuffing a burger into his mouth, much to Akashi's disgust who on the other hand, is eating his meal elegantly with grace. "She used to be my manager when I was in high school, and then became our coach when our former coach graduated and went to college."

"I never met her at your matches before." Akashi frowned, knowing that he would have remembered her for real if he did meet her. How many years had he lost with her?

"You wouldn't." Kagami agreed. "Most of the time, she is scouting out our opponents during our matches. By the time that we were in third year, Furihata is good enough as captain that he can stand in for Tamaki during matches where she isn't around. For the three years when we were in school, Seirin's play mainly revolved around mine and Furihata's combination play and her strategy." Kagami shrugged, shoving the last of his burger into his mouth and swallowing. "Satsuki knew her too from our past matches with Touou. Tamaki is likely the only one that can outwit and outplay Satsuki in her element." Kagami glanced at Akashi. "Why? You interested in her?"

"Something like that." Akashi murmured.

Kagami raised a brow before shrugging. "Well, I guess it's really none of my business," he commented. "By the way, are you coming to the freshmen party tonight?" He enquired.

XXXXXX

It was an extremely familiar sight, Akashi admitted, even as he arrived at the destination that he was given, dressed in a black and white tux, with his hair elegantly style to fit his suit.

The party's guests were already all present—all dressed in formal party clothes and mingling about with each other, as this is a party that is meant for the freshmen to get acquainted with each other.

And then, even as Akashi pushed through the sea of excited young adults, he saw her again.

She had her back faced to him, talking to two young women—one whom he recognised as Kagami's girlfriend and Touou's basketball manager during his high school days. The other is a girl a few years older than him, and whom he recognised as Kagami's former basketball coach, Aida Riko.

He was surprised for a moment, as he didn't know that Aida-san attended Tokyo University too.

And then, she turned, and cerulean blues met ruby red.

And for just several seconds, it was like the world stopped.

I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever coming around
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

Couples swathed in Victorian-style party clothes waltzed about with each other on the dance floor.

He smelt sweet smelling grass even as he raced across the vast fields that made up much of her family's lands, finally spying her waiting at the second storey balcony for him. Her face lit up at the sight of him, and she ran down the steps of her family mansion as fast as she could, the train of her dress trailing behind her.

Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone
I keep waiting for you, but you never come
Is this in my head?
I don't know what to think"

He smiled at her, pressing their foreheads to each other. "My apologies for my late arrival," he said smoothly. "I need to get this from town." And he pulled out a beautiful and sparkling ring resting in the palm of his hand.

He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring, and said,
"Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
It's a love story, baby, just say yes

Akashi Seijuro had a gentle smile on his face as he approached Kuroko Tamaki as she is known as now. On either side of her, Momoi Satsuki and Aida Riko had smiles on their faces.

Tamaki laughed, her laughter sounding like tinkling bells to him. This time though, he felt soothed—as she remembered him. "This seems really familiar," she commented.

"Quite." Akashi agreed before he held out his hand in the old way of asking a lady for permission, and bowed slightly with his left palm pressed against his chest, "Would you grant me this dance, my lady?"

Tamaki smiled before she slipped a hand into his. "…It will be my pleasure," she responded.

After all, they have all the time in the world now—just the two of them.

A love that had spanned across eons and across different lives.

'Cause we were both young when I first saw you

A/N: My first time writing an Akashi pairing. I hope that this isn't too rushed, and that you like the song that goes with it. Though should I or should I not have this as a multi-chapter? Anyway, I hope that you like this story, and please read and review!