You can find just about anything in Tokyo.
Or at least that's what they say. Kuroo's personally always thought that if there were strange things in the city, so long as you weren't stupid and stayed out of the shadier areas you'd never have to worry about them. However, despite his incredible intelligence, Kuroo occasionally would purposefully stray off the beaten path. Just to keep life interesting he would tell people. Kenma was the only one who didn't comment on this. When Kuroo asked him, his friend had just leveled his gaze upon on and simply observed him a moment before saying simply.
"Anything that I could possibly say about the matter you already know."
"I doubt that, you probably have some pretty insightful reasons about why I am an idiot." Kuroo prodded, settling on the floor and settling his chin on Kenma's knee where he was seated on the couch of Kuroo's home. Kuroo fluttered his eyelashes up at his friend in mock flirtation. Kenma looked thoroughly unimpressed.
"You are not an idiot." Kenma countered, "And I never said I didn't understand the appeal of what you're doing."
"Really? You want to come with me sometime?" asked Kuroo. He put a hopeful look on his face, but honestly Kuroo wasn't sure how he felt about the idea of dragging Kenma into potential trouble.
"Just because I understand the reason you do it, doesn't mean I don't think it's stupid." Kenma said flatly.
"Ouch, savage." Commented Kuroo pretending to wince and nuzzling his friend's knee, "I thought you said you didn't think I was an idiot?"
"I don't. I think you're a bit of a adrenaline junkie." Said Kenma shoving at Kuroo's face unapologetically till he stopped.
"Adrenaline junkie? I don't think anyone has ever accused me of that." Mused Kuroo grabbing Kenma's foot and tugging slightly. He got kicked sharply for his trouble.
"Not always. But every now and then you get twitchy and I know you're going to be wandering near trouble soon." Kenma said twisting his ankle firmly out of Kuroo's hands with a warning look.
"Hmmm, There may be some truth to that." mused Kuroo rubbing his chest where Kenma had kicked him before giving up his pointless fight and rising to plop down on the couch with his friend properly, "Geez did you have freaking strong legs for someone so tiny."
"Perfect example: you messing with my legs even though you know you'll get kicked. You like the risk of bodily harm." Stated Kenma tucking his feet up on the couch and resting his chin on his knees.
"That'd probably make me more of a masochist than an adrenaline junkie though." Kuroo pointed out, grabbing the remote out of the couch cushions.
"There is not 'probably' there. And the two terms are not mutually exclusive." Kenma tilted his head slightly as their show started.
"Well if you say so, it's probably true." Laughed Kuroo shaking his head with a wry grin.
"Mmmm." Hummed Kenma neither agreeing or refuting the statement. They sat for a little simply watching the characters on screen make poor life decisions with extremely disproportional results before Kuroo piped up again.
"…I've got a whole tub of cookie dough in the fridge. Want to try and eat it all?"
"…Yes."
Kuroo continued to get "itches"- as Kenma liked to call them- and also continued wandering further and further into the city's wilder parts when the need arose. And there had been no incidents thus far. He was still pretty careful though, never staring at anyone for too long, staying away from where he knew gang territories were hot, never wearing clothes that obviously marked him as wealthy or 'not from around here'.
The best thing though, were the people:
There was an old women with only two fingers on each hand who could knot a fishing hook faster than he could blink.
"Knots. Knots young man. You've got to tie them right. That way when you catch your fortune it doesn't just break away and escape."
Kuroo now had a set of the weirdest hooks sitting in a box on his bookshelf, though he was pretty sure you'd never be able to catch any fish with them.
There was also the crow girl who sat around throwing bread crumbs at people giggling when black birds descended.
"There's a murder afoot."
Kuroo's friends at school were now very tired of that joke.
Then there was the man who liked to talk to cats and always seemed to be crawling in them. He'd really liked him. He said Kuroo had been a cat in his past life. Put his hand in his pocket and pulling out a kitten that he pressed in to Kuroo's palm.
"'was a friend of yours before. Couldn't separate you two again."
Kuroo can taken the kitten home and named it Yaku. It was a tiny little thing that liked to stand on his face and give him the most disapproving looks. It liked Kenma though so that was a plus.
Today he had found the most interesting shop filled with the most intricately designed clocks that he had ever seen. Clocks that charted constellations and phases of the moon. Clocks that let you see the inner snarl of their gears. Clocks made of spun glass filled with various liquids. The one thing they all had in common was that none of them were ticking.
"I don't believe this, you again!" growled the shopkeeper storming forward. At first Kuroo was alarmed thinking he was talking to him but then the burly man advanced on the thin man standing in the corner who had been looking at a clock that was suspended in a live tree, "I told you never to come back here witch!"
Kuroo watched it fascination as the other was dragged without protest out of the shop. The shopkeeper came back inside grumbling and began tinkering with his clocks. Kuroo gave one more glance around the room committing it's details to memory before quickly going out the door after the man who was just picking himself off the ground where he'd been dumped.
"Hey are you alright?" he asked as the other straightened up. His breath caught. He almost thought he understood why the man had been thrown out: if there was anyone who had a face that could stop a clock, it was this man.
"…What are you doing here?" the beautiful man asked him.
"Huh?" Kuroo managed intelligently.
"You're normal." It was almost an accusation, "why are you here?"
"I… uh… things?" it came out a question, the other blinked owlishly at him.
"Things." He breathed in what seemed like disbelief.
"Yeah?"
"…I've never seen natural selection so obviously at work before, but there's a frist time for everything I suppose." The beautiful man said dryly. Ouch, winced Kuroo, he and Kenma would get along great. The other turned away and Kuroo felt his heart fluttering desperately for some reason.
"Wait! What'syourname?" he blurted out all in a rush. The man was staring at him as if he was crazy, "I mean- erm- I am Kuroo. Kuroo Tetsurou."
"…Akaashi." The man said at last looking like he was wondering why he was humoring him.
"Akaashi?" Kuroo parroted dumbly. He wondered why he felt so breathless. Then again, it wasn't everyday he met a literal walking angel.
"Akaashi Keiji." The other amended.
"That's a pretty name." Kuroo said. Wow, smooth. Better then saying he was pretty. Which he almost did. Because he was totally smooth. Damn he had no game.
"…sure." Said Akaashi raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. It is. And, uh, would you want to go get coffee with me?" Kuroo blurted. How did people act cool in situations like this? People said Kuroo was cool all the time. Kenma said people had shit for brains. He was great for Kuroo's self esteem, really.
"Coffee." Repeated Akaashi like he couldn't believe him. Kuroo couldn't believe himself either. He was moving way too fast. Not class. But you know, ethereal beings and all. Extreme circumstances calling for extreme lack of chill.
"'cause, you know. You seem like you've got a story and, uh, I have time? So…?" He didn't know why he felt hopeful. He had no reason to be hopeful.
"Time, huh?" Akaashi seemed amused by some sort of inside joke, "I don't have any of that."
"Ah… understandable, it was rather sudden." Kuroo said heart sinking slightly, but he still smiled good naturedly at the other and scratched him head awkwardly.
"I amend my previous stamen." Akaashi said heaving a deep sigh and shaking his head.
"Which?" Kuroo chirped back.
"You're not normal. You're exceptionally weird." Akaashi informed him. A statement of fact.
"Thanks." Grinned Kuroo. It felt like praise even though he doubted Akaashi meant it that way.
"And weird people tend to run into each other, so perhaps I'll see you again. At least in this city." Mused Akaashi shaking his head ruefully before waving and continuing on his way.
"I love this city." Murmured Kuroo, his heart feeling like it was beating way faster than his should be.
He glanced at the sky in surprise as he realized that the sun was setting. He must have left the house later than he'd thought.
"Kenma, you don't understand. He was beautiful."
"Mmmm."
"An angel. An ancient god gracing the earth with his presence."
Kenma gave him a weird look.
"…you didn't go into a shady neighborhood and get high did you?" he asked with some degree of concern.
"Ha ha. No, I still value my health, I am not self destructive." Said Kuroo rolling his eyes. Kenma muttered something that sounded like he wasn't sure he believed him, "But I am telling you, I don't think I've ever seen someone so beautiful in my life."
"And what, prey tell, did this beautiful man look like?" asked Kenma tucking himself into Kuroo's side as he played lazily with Yaku.
"Uh…"
"…Kuroo, you've been talking non-stop about this guy's looks since you got home."
"…he had dark hair?"
"Is that a question?" asked Kenma sighing, picking up the kitten and placing it on Kuroo.
Honestly, Kuroo had trouble remembering. He remembered the feather like quality of Akaashi's hair, but not the actual tone. He remembered that he'd had a willowy frame, but not anything about the clothes that he'd been wearing. He recalled that he had long, capable looking hands, but not if he'd had dark skin or light. He'd been trapped in the darkness of Akaashi's gaze but remembered nothing else about his eyes. Had they been green? Brown? Gold? Kuroo had no idea. It was a little disconcerting.
"Maybe you should take a break from wandering for a while." Kenma murmured watching Kuroo pet Yaku lazily. The kitten gnawed at his hand with sharp little teeth.
"Hmm? Why?" asked Kuroo. Usually he didn't go out very often. Every other month or so. Less if he found other interesting things to occupy his time. He'd been thinking of trying to find Akaashi again tomorrow though. Kenma had probably already figured that out.
"I am fine with you going on adventures… but it stops being fine the moment you get hurt." Said Kenma picking idly at his shirt.
"You think Akaashi's dangerous?" asked Kuroo seriously.
"…I don't know. I haven't met him. But… something's… I am uneasy." Kenma admitted.
"Okay." Said Kuroo wrapping his arm lightly around Kenma's shoulders and pulling him close, "I trust you. And your instincts."
Kenma said nothing, but his fingers clenched and unclenched briefly in his shirt.
Yaku pranced over to the window where he settled and stared almost unblinkingly out of it long after the two humans in the room fell asleep. He stayed there all night, staring at the horned owl that stared right back.