Hey guys! I know I should be updating 'The Shadow's Duty', but I don't really feel motivated to do that one right now so...yeah. Plus, this idea just popped in my head, and I just knew I had to write it down less I forget. So, here you go! I hope you like it!
The Phantom Heir
...
Prologue
*~Kuroko Family Mansion~*
"Tetsuya!" The young mistress of the house called. The woman looked to be somewhere in her early twenties, but anyone who had known her would know that she was actually somewhere between her late thirties and early forties. Her teal colored waist length hair was tied up in a bun, a scarlet pin holding it in place, some loose strands framing her pale face and vibrant teal orbs. The woman was wearing an elegant dark blue kimono with a flower pattern spread about the cloth, the outfit complementing her exquisite features.
"Mother, you called?" A voice permeated through the air. Most would be shocked at hearing the voice, as there was no one there in the previous second, and the only way to get there was through the staircase, and no footsteps had been heard. For Kuroko Nanami, however, it was completely and utterly normal.
"Tetsuya! There you are! Your father and I have been looking for you. Are you ready dear?" 'Tetsuya' only nodded in agreement. The boy was wearing a traditional suit, all black, with the only pop of color being his teal colored tie. His mother then clapped her hands together and put on a beaming smile.
"Okay then! Let's go. Your father is waiting in the car." Tetsuya nodded again, and then, the two were off, exiting the mansion doors silently, as if they were never there. Once the two reached the awaiting limo, they were greeted by a man with ashen colored hair and eyes wearing a suit similar to Tetsuya's, with the only difference being that his tie was shaded a dull gray, much like his hair, instead of Tetsuya's exotic teal.
"Hello Father," Tetsuya greeted while bowing.
"Tetsuya," the man nodded in return, before continuing, eyes now seemingly more serious than before, considering his deadpan expression, that was quite a bit. "How's your training coming along?"
"Fine, Father. Uncle is a very good teacher." Tetsuya cracked a small smile to assure his parents of his honesty. His father only hummed in response.
"Tetsurou, we have an appointment, remember?" His wife's reminder seemed to get the man moving.
"Ah yes, sorry about that, Nanami." The three Kurokos then maneuvered themselves into the vehicle, and went on their way to their appointment.
*~Time Skip, Kuroko Grandparent's Mansion~*
"Sire, Nanami-sama, Tetsuya-sama, and Tetsurou-sama have arrived." A butler bowed towards his master.
"Ah, right on time. Send them in." The butler bowed again and quickly left the room, leaving its occupants awaiting the arrival of the last party. After what had seemed like eons inside the deadly silent room, the door was pushed open, revealing the three.
"Father, Mother, how have you been?" Kuroko Nanami questioned. She knew however, that her parents were perfectly fine. The two had never failed to take care of their health after all, as it was VERY important in their line of work.
"Oh, we've been doing just fine, darling, how about you? How are you and our little Tetsuya doing?" Kuroko Yumiko loved her children. They were always so perfect. Despite the fact that everyone noticed the fact that the Head Mistress of the Kuroko Household had not asked about how her son-in-law was doing, no one dared to say a word, fearing the anger of the notorious Dark Maiden.
"Mother, it is rude to ignore a guest." Yumiko's daughter was the only one that could stand up to her, besides her husband, and of course, Tetsuya. Her husband however, Kuroko Kutsui, did not like his daughter's husband either, and hence, didn't say anything, while Tetsuya was far too polite to say anything against his elders. Her daughter on the other hand, had always been a bit more...eccentric and rebellious than most Kurokos were. That's why Yumiko was absolutely overjoyed when her grandson, Tetsuya, turned out to be an outstanding Kuroko. He was polite, hardworking, and most of all, invisible, on a quite literal level. His ability hadn't been seen for centuries in the Kuroko family, and apparently, the last time that it was, it was wasted on a lazy bum who was far too arrogant for anyone's liking, and eventually got killed, contributing nothing to the family. Not even a child! Oh well, the past is the past, but now she had a wonderful grandson, one she was EXTREMELY grateful for, and now believed it was time for his first mission.
"I'm sorry dear, have mercy on your mother. I'm getting old. I'm bound to forget things. I apologize, Tetsurou. Can we put all of this behind us?" Yumiko asked, seemingly innocent, but everyone knew that it was exactly the opposite. The woman was not sorry AT ALL. But, she was still one of the scariest women around, so, one couldn't really say no. Unless one had a death wish of course, which in that case, should just go ahead and straight out insult the woman.
"Of course, ma'am. I thank you for the apology." Tetsurou bowed, to the level of a servant, which visibly infuriated Nanami, and internally angered Tetsuya. The boy couldn't let it show on his face like his mother, otherwise both he and his father would get in trouble. His mother was known to be rebellious, so she tended to show more emotion on her face. Yumiko, on the other hand, nodded in approval at her son-in-law's position. The man knew his place. After all, she had never really liked the idea of her daughter marrying the upstart, but her daughter truly refused to back down, and the man had a tolerable personality, so she allowed it.
"Nanami." A rough voice sliced the air, one that would make most people freeze in terror just from the sound of it. Not for this group of people though. They were far too used to it to be scared. They just took it as a sign that the man was beginning to get irritated, and soon, if what was irritating him was not put to a stop, someone would end up in an early grave. "Calm down. We are not here to argue about your life choices. Your mother and I have something we would like to discuss with you, Tetsurou, and Tetsuya." Nanami was still a bit on edge, but quietly sat down without further protest. Tetsuya just bowed towards his two grandparents, who then nodded, giving him permission to take a seat. Tetsurou followed soon after.
"Now," Kutsui began, "First things first, Tetsuya, how is your training coming along?" Kutsui had asked almost the exact same question Tetsuya's father had asked that morning, so Tetsuya gave a similar answer to the one he had given that morning. Kutsui nodded in response to the answer and then averted his gaze back to the other two guests.
"Nanami, Tetsurou, I have a job I would like Tetsuya to take on. This job is a very important one that will solidify his position as the heir in the family." Nanami burst out in anger only a few seconds after the statement was uttered.
"What?! Father, are you saying someone else could be the heir? That's impossible! Compared to the other kids his age, Tetsuya is already far superior! You know that! He had taken on many jobs already to prove his worth! Why does he need to do this?!" Nanami had to catch her breath following her sudden outburst.
"Nanami. I am not saying that he isn't going to be the heir. He was always going to become the successor. This job is on a far higher level than the rest, and by completing it, he will eliminate many opponents through fear; It is better to eliminate as many enemies as possible early on, is it not?" Kutsui looked at his daughter sternly. The woman grew quiet after that. She had no argument against that. It was true. Getting rid of possible opponents earlier was a far better option than having to fight off multiple enemies at once. Since, no matter how powerful one was, there was only so much one person could take, and she would do anything to lessen the burden on her son, the one she had passed all of her responsibilities to.
"Now that that's settled, are you willing to take the job dear?" Yumiko questioned Tetsuya, who seemed to be pondering about the job throughout the father-daughter argument that had just transpired.
"Yes, if it will eliminate future problems for our family, I am willing to do it." Tetsuya said this in his practiced monotone, but both of his grandparents could see the determination and fire in his eyes.
"Very well then." Kutsui took out a folder he had been hiding inside of his kimono. He then handed the folder to Tetsuya, who set it down as his grandfather continued speaking. "This mission is different from the normal ones. Your assignment this time is to track down these six people, and find a way to break them out." Tetsuya couldn't understand why this job was harder than the normal ones. If anything, it sounded easier. But, Tetsuya by now had learned that anything that sounded easy, was far too good to be true. And, he was proven correct as his grandfather continued, tone now far more serious than before. "However, the place you're breaking them out of is the infamous Zetsubou Academy. Or more commonly know as, 'the place where children of crime go'." Almost everyone involved in the Underground had heard of the academy. It was the place where people of ages 0 to 18 who were discovered to be children of caught or deceased criminals were sent to get 'healed' and 'rehabilitated' since he/she most likely had bad experiences with their parents being criminals like being forced into doing a crime, getting tortured etc… But in reality, the majority of the Underground knew what they really did in their so called 'school'. The majority of children there were forced into manual labor. Building new structures for the school, and some were even sent on missions to 'dispose' some figures that might have been annoying the school's board of directors/ higher ups. At least, that was the rumor. No one had been able to get in or out of the school without the school's permission. Not even one of the Kuroko's family's spies was able to get information from the school. Apparently, the boy had managed to get in, but had never managed to get out. No word had been heard from him since he was sent there... But, that's a story for another time. Right now, Kuroko knew he had to make a decision. This mission had a low probability of success, but, it he could help his family then…
"I'll do it." Tetsuya said after a few minutes had passed. His mother immediately protested.
"But Tetsuya! What if you get stuck in there like your cousin? I couldn't bear to not be able to see you for a while!" Nanami was now clinging onto her son like her life depended on it. The boy was only 16, so if he didn't succeed, he would be stuck in the place for two whole years! And who knows what they would do to him in that time frame!
"Mother, do you not believe that I can do it?" Tetsuya used his best puppy eyes, knowing it would cause his mother to cave in. Nanami froze at her son's infamous pleading look. She knew she had to look away, or risk agreement, but she couldn't! She loved her son so much, and she wanted to see as much of him as possible, but if he really wanted to do this...but...oh! She was so confused! Before Nanami could completely wallow in her conflict, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes traced along the arm, all the way to the face, meeting the ashen eyes of the man she had come to love so much. Her husband nodded, signaling her agreement. Nanami sighed. If the two most important boys in her life said it was something that should be done, then she guessed that she could let her baby boy go for a while.
"Alright. I'll let you go Tetsuya, but on one condition." Nanami still needed to get something out of this after all. She was still a member of this household she wasn't going to get pushed around without getting some benefit from being separated from her only son after all! Tetsuya quickly nodded, urgent to get this agreement going.
"Tetsuya, you must send us a letter every week, with at least one picture of you in it." The majority of the occupants in the room sweatdropped. 'This was what she wanted?!' Was the simultaneous thoughts of all the other members in the room besides Tetsuya, who silently considered the proposition, before seeming to come to a decision and answered his mother.
"Alright Mother. I agree."
"Thank you, Tetsuya!" Nanami hugged her child, and Kutsui had to clear his throat to regain the attention of his guests.
"Well then, I guess it's settled. Tetsuya, you will be sent their on Monday. Be sure to have read the files by then. Understood?"
"Yes, Grandfather." With that, the three stood up, bowed, and left, taking their limo back to their own mansion.
*~Time Skip, Kuroko's Room~*
It was Sunday evening, and Tetsuya decided to go over the files one more time.
.×.×.×.×.×.×.
Name: Akashi Seijuro
Age: 16
Occupation: Heir to Akashi Household & Student of Zetsubo Academy
Family/Important Persons: None
Family Crimes:
Parents: Drug Dealing & Human Trafficking
Parent's Status: Deceased
Cause: Murdered by Child
Himself: Murder of Parents & Parent's Close Associates
Designation: Tier 0
Cautions: Keep scissors and sharp objects away at at least 27 ft radius
.×.×.×.×.×.×.
Name: Midorima Shintarou
Age: 16
Occupation: Heir to Midorima Family Hospital Chain & Student of Zetsubo Academy
Family/Important Persons: Midorima Sakura
Family Crimes:
Parents: Intentional distribution of a lethal drug to patients.
Parent's Status: Deceased
Cause: Death Penalty
Himself: None
Designation: Tier 0
Cautions: Oha Hasa Horoscope items for Cancer needed everyday; hysterics ensue otherwise
.×.×.×.×.×.×.
Name: Murasakibara Atsushi
Age: 16
Occupation: Heir to Murasakibara Chain of Bakeries & Student of Zetsubo Academy
Family/Important Persons: Himuro Tatsuya
Family Crimes:
Parents: Torturing of customers Murder of Children;
Parent's Status: Deceased
Cause: Death Penalty
Himself: Thievery of snacks and sweets from multiple restaurants/bakeries.
Designation: Tier 0
Cautions: Will crush someone's skull if deprived of sweets and/or snacks
.×.×.×.×.×.×.
Name: Aomine Daiki
Age: 16
Occupation: Heir to Aomine Corporation of Sportswear & Student of Zetsubo Academy
Family/Important Persons: Momoi Satsuki
Family Crimes:
Parents: Sportswear was found to have very very slow killing poison laced on it that can be absorbed through skin.
Parent's Status: Deceased
Cause: Death Penalty
Himself: Accidental murder of delinquents.
Designation: Tier 0
Cautions: Short temper extremely bad case of narcissism
.×.×.×.×.×.×.
Name: Kise Ryouta
Age: 16
Occupation: Model, Heir to Kise Family Fortune, & Student of Zetsubo Academy
Family/Important Persons: Aomine Daiki
Family Crimes:
Parents: Deception and Seduction leading to the death of many important figures.
Parent's Status: Alive
Himself: Caused suicides of many female admirers/fans
Designation: Tier 0
Cautions: Deceptive
.×.×.×.×.×.×.
Name: Momoi Satsuki
Age: 16
Occupation: Hacker, Heir to the Momoi fortune & Student of Zetsubo Academy
Family/Important Persons: Aomine Daiki, Momoi Suzuki, & Momoi Yuzo
Family Crimes:
Parents: Hacking into National Government Treasury
Parent's Status: Alive
Herself: Hacked into National Government Citizen Database
Designation: Tier 0
Cautions: No electronics within 25 foot radius
.×.×.×.×.×.×.
Tetsuya closed the folder after re-reading the files of the people he was supposed to help break out. Tetsuya knew that he would have a far harder life from now on, so he decided to hit the sack earlier and get some decent amount of sleep. That night, Tetsuya had a dreamless sleep.
Hey! So, did you guys like it? I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! I will try to update 'The Shadow's Duty' soon, but, no promises! See you all later!