Author's Notes: In general my choices for who corresponds to who are based on the skillset a particular KuroBasu character has in canon, and sometimes on what relationships they have with each other. But some of the choices are a little out there.

This is the story of a boy who does not remember.

A smart boy, he is accomplished in many ways. That he can make himself forget is simply one of his achievements.

The high tech computer that is the centrepiece of the bare room lights up with a jarring squeal, a loud alarm blaring from the speakers. Underneath the cacophony, a voice can just barely be heard issuing from the same speakers. "Oooooi, wake up! …Master."

"I have told you not to call me Master, Ace," a cool voice issues from the bed. Akashi rises as he had never been asleep. But this is not the face of man who stayed up all night. This is the face of a man who does not need something as paltry as slumber.

"You can't tell me what to do." Ace shrugs, his image on the computer monitor floating over to the speaker button and muting it. Experience has taught him that Akashi has nerves of steel; he wouldn't care if the alarm rings out all day. Ace values his sanity a bit more, so he makes sure to shut the alarm down every morning.

Akashi parks himself in front of the screen, fingers flying madly over the keyboard. Occasionally, he uses the mouse to poke Ace out of the way; that is the extent of his acknowledgement that there is, to all intents and purposes, an AI slumming in his computer.

The boy does not remember his friends. He does not remember his death.

"Planning on spending the day holed up in this room again?" Ace asks for the lack of anything else to do. He hovers at the top of a window open on a stock report, eyes skimming over the dense paragraphs but not retaining a single word.

For a moment it looks as if Akashi is going to keep ignoring him, but in the next his eyes focus on the electric blue figure in the corner of the screen and opens his mouth. "The key to profiting with stocks is to keep a strict eye on the market and the slightest movement it displays. I have no time for games."

"Yeah, yeah, your life is the most boring thing ever." Ace rolls his eyes, deliberately lounging across the screen so he is blocking as much of the report window as he can. "You're not that dumb that you need to be in front of a computer screen all the time to do what you do." He flips over and points to the left of the monitor. "You have a smartphone. Why not use it?"

"I don't need you to interfere with my life," Akashi says coldly. "Do not forget that I could very well have just destroyed the email you arrived in. You should be grateful."

"As if you can get rid of me!" Ace glares up at Akashi's dispassionate face. "It's not like any of your attempts have ever succeeded."

Akashi scowls at the reminder. "Not yet."

"Oh, you wanna go?" Ace narrows his eyes, then doves for the folder Akashi has the tightest security on.

"You dare-!" Akashi barks, one hand lunging for the mouse and, in a move that is totally unlike him, knocks over the half-empty bottle of mineral water right next to it.

"Ah," Ace says, staring at the growing pool of water spreading over the table.

"Ah," Akashi says at the same time, then furiously starts wiping at the water.

Ten minutes later, the – now completely empty – bottle is in the bin along with a mountain of wet tissues, the keyboard is saved but the mouse is finished, and Ace is half lurking behind the recycling bin icon. He actually looks concerned, although mostly for his own skin.

Akashi tsks, shaking the mouse as if it would change anything. He turns his glare towards Ace. "Be of use for a change and find me the mouse with the fastest shipping."

Ace skulks over to the web browser icon, opening several windows showing a variety of mice and their prices. A minute later he is looking over at Akashi with apology and fear in his eyes. "Sorry, man, it's the Obon holidays, the earliest one isn't gonna arrive until next week."

Akashi narrows his eyes. "Not good enough."

"I'm awesome, but I can't do anything about shipping." Ace shrugs. "That's real world business."

"Very well," Akashi sighs, "then the real world it is." He picks up his phone and holds it in front of the screen. "I will have you come along; as the cause, you will make up for this somehow."

"You think I'm gonna see this as a punishment?" Ace smirks. "You're the one who hates going outside; this is like a reward for me!"

"Perhaps if you have the outside world to distract you for a bit, you will make less trouble," Akashi says dryly, shoving the phone into the pocket of his sweatpants once he's sure that Ace is inside. He stops in the doorway, looking back at the room one last time, and then closes the door behind him.

The boy does not remember the fact that this has happened before.

Or the fact that this will happen again.