A/N: I think that it'd be fair to let you know that this fic deals with issues of discrimination. I heavily focus on discrimination of social class, but racism, sexism and other types will occur as well. Just a heads up.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket. This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only.

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Chapter 1 - Mismatched Eyes

Kuroko Tetsuya was a hard-worker — when he devoted himself to a task, he'd fall into a kind of trance where everything else in the world had faded to the background. But funnily enough, sometimes it were the smallest of things that stopped the young man on his tracks.

It had happened so quickly that for a second Kuroko wasn't sure if he had even felt it; the rain drop gently fell atop his head, shattering onto the pale hair straps adorning his inexpressive, flaxen facial features.

At first his lean body had frozen under the touch, his feet placing onto the dry mud beneath them - but as realisation struck him, his heart jolted blissfully inside his chest.

They had rain, after a long, dry summer.

"Kurokocchi...? Why are you standing there?"

A familiar voice wailed from inside a wooden barn that had its front doors pushed wide open, revealing the sight of a neat row of stables and some straw bales stored opposite to them. One of the stable doors swung open and a tall man stepped outside the stall, droplets of sweat glistening on his forehead and glueing his disheveled blond fringe onto his skin. The moment his golden eyes flicked at Kuroko who simply stood unmoving under the grey skies, he mustered a sour look upon his face, pouting like a disappointed child that had been denied something they wanted.

"Hey, get a move on..." He grumbled as he picked up a bucket forgotten on the floor, and strolled off to the blue-haired male. "Seriously Kurokocchi, you—"

But his complaints were cut short as his mouth dropped agape, incredulous irises gazing up at the heavy clouds gathering over the entire countryside. Everywhere around them the land was dry and wilted, so there was something sacredly ecstatic about the cascade of rain that now began to shower upon them.

At first, the blonde and the pastel-haired male merely stood beside each other in silence, until the downpour had utterly soaked them; dyeing their disarrayed hair a shade darker than normal and sticking their earth-stained clothes to their skin. It didn't bother them by the least — Kuroko had missed the feeling of raindrops thrumming against his skin.

"It's been so long since it last rained!" The blond burst into laugh, the mirth in his voice undeniably purer than it had been for a long while. "It's refreshing!"

A soft smile graced at Kuroko's lips. It felt like a heavy rock would've been rolled off atop of his heart; for a servant working on one of the estates of countryside, a rainless season was often packed full of stress and extra work. Every night he had prayed for the weather to get humid again, but for a long while it had looked like the Gods weren't interested in fulfilling his wishes. Oh well, Kuroko was used to being treated as a lesser being by humans themselves too.

Still, rain was essential. Without it crops wouldn't flourish, horses couldn't graze upon fresh grass, and wells would eventually dry off — that, Kuroko thought, was the worst of them all. When there wasn't enough water within the estate, it meant that the servants and landlord would have to make a trip outside the walls.

"Yes, Kise-kun, rain always brings great things with it. Our landlord will be delighted by this generous gift from nature."

A pair of golden orbs stared at him intently as he spoke, but Kuroko got no verbal response other than a half-hearted, humourless laugh that escaped Kise's lips. It immediately triggered an alarm in Kuroko's mind; it had sounded a bit too forced for such a carefree persona as him. The bluenette had known Kise for years, as they were both born into the social class known as 'the workers' and had travelled together for long searching for a job. Kuroko, if anyone, could tell if Kise was bothered by something.

"Is something wrong?"

Kise shook his head dismissively, trying to wave it off carelessly into the wind, but Kuroko's gaze seemed only to intensify in wary. Kise's futile attempts were all-too obvious to the observant male.

"Gosh, it's nothing serious." He pouted, running a wet hand through his blond locks in frustration, sweeping them into disarray as he did so. "We should fetch the horses back inside anyway, so lets go."

"We can talk as we walk to the grazing area." Kuroko promised as he gently tugged at his friends sleeve suggesting they'd return inside the horse stables, to which Kise only let a defeated sigh at before following the pastel-haired male.

They entered the barn, both completely soaked in rain. This building was the home of the two workers; it was large enough to hold eight stalls and some room for equipment, but the exterior of the barn looked poor and weather-worn. Despite its obvious need for renovation, Kuroko thought that it was the most relaxing building in the estate. Their landlord was very harsh on his workers and didn't allow them to sleep in the main building that served as the home of the host family… But Kuroko didn't mind — he was used to the smell of hay, and besides, he worked well with horses.

The small attic they lived in was more than welcoming to him.

Kise sauntered after his blue-headed coworker, a slightly resentful look flashing in the golden-tinted irises of his — but the other male had turned his back to the blond, happily unaware of the glimmer Kise had held in his eyes for a moment. Kuroko lingered by a pile of halters, taking his time to untangle them.

"So, what was bothering you, Kise-kun?" Kuroko questioned, the usual monotone in his voice enhancing a curious note to it.

The blond folded his arms above his muscular chest, not truly angered, but a bit irritated by how oblivious could the rather unemotional bluenette be. As the said bluenette turned around and met the suddenly hardened gaze of his friend, an uncomfortable feeling churned at the bottom of his stomach… Something was not quite right.

"Doesn't it bother you?" A blond eyebrow curved into a doubting arc. "We're treated like trash around here, and yet you talk about it like it's... natural for us to be stomped over and tossed around as if we weren't human at all. The way you worded that sentence outside, how you said that our landlord would be delighted... It's not like the draught caused him any extra work, it was us who had to suffer."

Kuroko was dumbstruck, he had frozen on the spot. His lips slowly parted to say something, anything, but he couldn't immediately find evidence from Kise's words to use as a counterattack. Kise simply stood there waiting, dripping water on the floor from the straps of hair slipped on his forehead.

Yes… He understood Kise's point. The world was cruel and biased, favouring those with power and property — it was nothing new to Kuroko. He had always known that in the monarchy they lived in, social statuses were set in stone and determined by your family background… If you were not born into a royal- or noble family, there was no method of possibly succeeding to gain a better life. Well, of course it could have been ordered by a king, but that was out of his control.

Kuroko had always been heedful not to develop a grudge because there was no real scapegoat, no one to point an accusing finger at. He however had a sneaking suspicion that Kise may have nurtured a resentment towards their host family; he recalled blond once saying that their landlord was 'undeserving of his status in the middle class'.

Certainly, the middle class was far better off than the worker class. Even though their landlord wasn't a noble nor a royalty, he had avoided the fate that common workers like Kuroko and Kise had to face. For centuries certain families had owned estates scattered all around the vast countryside, their ownership over the farms being passed from generation to generation. It was a phenomenal sight to see anyone born into these farms to travel around the country — the only socially accepted people to travel were merchants and export transporters whom journeyed from estate to estate to serve the landlords.

Whomever was born on this land, they were bound to stay on it forever.

As a result, everyone stood loyal to their homes, which resulted in a host family consisting of young and old; men and women; children, parents and grandparents. Since the estates were very independent and had all their resources raised, built, and grown inside the walls, there was rarely any reason for anyone to leave their land.

Usually, those who were often seen trekking large distances out in the cold were the lowest class, the ordinary travellers — people who either ended up as thieves or bandits, or chose a life of servitude.

That was the social class Kuroko and Kise had been born into. They had fought alongside against cold and starvation all their lives, trying everything to gain a better life… But no matter how much of a fight they had put up, all the paths they chose led to the same dead end — they had to serve a landlord, or die out in the cold. It was a life of no personal freedom, but at least, Kuroko thought, their workplace provided some form of shelter and allowed them to eat a full meal twice a day.

"It did cause our landlord some inconveniences, Kise-kun. His farmland suffered from the dry weather." He attempted to defend his employer, feeling as if it was required of him. He wasn't fully satisfied with the treatment he received here, but this workplace had extended his lifespan by a few extra years, and he was grateful for that.

"Ah, yes, his money and property." Kise's voice was laced with bitterness. "I forgot that was all he has ever cared about."

They fell into an electric silence, tension hanging heavily in the air between them; although the conflict was minor, it had rattled Kuroko's confidence and left him helplessly staring at his friend. He wasn't used to this side of Kise, it was unusual of him to complain and actually mean to be hateful… Kise did often whine, but it was always playful — never truly fervent.

Within seconds it looked like Kise had realised that he had unnerved Kuroko, and the look in his eyes turned apologetic.

"No, I didn't mean to… I- I'm sorry, Kurokocchi." He smiled sheepishly. "I guess I'm still not mature enough to stop and think before leaping into an argument."

Even though the pastel-haired male masked under an expression devoid of emotions, behind that pale complexion he felt relieved. "You're right, you need a few more years to mature up."

"So mean!"

The look in those startling blue eyes softened and a smile managed to fight its way onto his lips — looked like Kise hadn't changed after all.

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Kise practically fell backwards into a welcoming stack of hay, sinking into the dry straws with an exaggerated sigh. Kuroko, whose blue-haired head peered out the the entrance of the attic trapdoor, ascended himself up while carrying a lantern to lighten the dark, low-roofed attic they called their home.

The two had just dumped the last rations of hay into the stalls of the horses downstairs, and now the sound of their satisfied chewing accompanied the distant roaring of thunder.

Kuroko looked exhausted as he rose up the last few steps; the rhythmic pounding of rain against the thin rooftop was lulling him asleep. But Kise was a tireless chatterbox, and had never understood the occasional silences introverts like Kuroko treasured.

"Don't you think that the Kagami guy is pretty odd?" Kise didn't appear tired at all as he flicked his gaze up at Kuroko under his lashes, folding his arms behind his head as he talked.

"Kagami-san?" The other male mused over his name, bringing a vivid image of the newcomer at the farm into his mind; he'd just started work yesterday and had already pleased their landlord more that Kuroko and Kise did in a week.

As the muscled redhead had enormous strength and great stamina, it was no surprise that in comparison, Kuroko was a little concerned. He himself was merely a slim teenager whom nobody ever seemed to notice — the landlord was probably eager to kick him out.

But however, despite the fact that Kagami had clearly demonstrated better potential than his coworkers, the landlord had ordered him to make himself comfortable in the changing room of the sauna. It wasn't very luxurious since people showered and women gave birth there, but the landlord had a policy of making workers earn their few sources of comfort. Kise had snickered snidely when the news was announced to Kagami as the new co-workers had been introduced to each other, and it had been quite obvious that Kagami had wanted to punch the blond in the face.

"Yeah, him." Kise nodded nonchalantly as he slipped his eyes closed. "I find him a bit odd, he stared at me sternly when we first met."

There was the sound of shuffling hay as Kuroko laid down upon his own pile. "That's no wonder, Kise-kun, the first thing you said to him was a comment about his eyebrows."

"Hey!" Suddenly a pair of golden eyes shot open, Kise propping himself up with his elbows to cast a faked look of offence at Kuroko. "It's not like it's all my fault that he doesn't like me…" He wailed. "Besides, his eyebrows really did catch my attention, they divide into two!"

"Kise-kun, please lower your voice—"

Kuroko's words were unnecessary because the sound of the barn door being pulled open, scraping the rocky ground underneath, managed to silence them both. Even in the dim light of the lantern the frozen teenagers could easily distinguish each others expressions; they immediately exchanged doubtful looks, and fell deeper into silence.

For Kuroko's horror, Kise's expression soon faded as an amused smile tugged at the other end of his lips, the blond probably thinking if Kagami had overhead them and was headed here to deliver the punch he hadn't had the chance to give earlier. Kuroko furrowed his brows in warning, rising a finger to his lips in an universal 'shh' -sign, which Kise thankfully took seriously.

The footsteps that led to the attic staircase were heavy and dragging, and all-too familiar to the two cowering upstairs.

"Hopefully you aren't already asleep up there!" Their landlord called, slamming his fist unexpectedly onto the staircase; the loud bang that emitted had the horses immediately panicked. The sound of shuffling hoofs and disgruntled neighs made Kuroko bite his tongue in concealed irritation… But those horses belonged to their landlord, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Get up this instant and meet me by the main building. We've got important guests who'll stay for the night; come take their horses and put them in empty stalls."

Seeming to be satisfied with the sound of his workers staggering up from hay and brushing off the dust from their clothes, the landlord turned on his heels and strolled out of the barn.

"Why don't you do something for once, you lazy bastard…" Kise muttered under his breath, low enough for Kuroko not to hear.

But not that the bluenette would have minded — neither of them was very fond of their landlord. The atmosphere was never positive around him; he had a petulant attitude and a talent for lowering everybody's self-esteems, but it was a challenge both Kise and Kuroko had learnt to put up with. It had resulted in a higher tolerance for negativity, and in better self-control and self-discipline.

Especially for Kise, who had a natural talent for letting words slip off his tongue so smoothly that he hardly even realised himself what had he said out loud, the improvement in being in control of his blabbermouth was astounding.

As the blond fixed the helm of his shirt, he spoke up again. "This is odd. I can't even remember the last time we had guests..."

"Maybe it's a teacher for the children of our host family, who just happened to arrive late."

It was a possibility, even though Kuroko hardly even believed it himself. Indeed it was an unfamiliar sight for anyone important, as their landlord had addressed the guest, to travel through the countryside, and yet to spend the night over in an ordinary farm that didn't stand out from a multitude of others in any way... There were inns specifically built for travellers that could afford them, so it would've been realistic for the guest to stay over in one of those.

"Maybe." Kise's voice had a nonchalant timbre to it as he started to climb down the stairs. Kuroko's eyes glowed with awareness of how little either of them was convinced, but without a word he rose up from the hay and followed.

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The storm rampaging outside had escalated to a point where the wind was strong enough to noticeably slow down the two figures sloshing through the mud. If their trousers hadn't been tucked inside their boots they would've surely gotten the ends of them dipped in sticky mud, but they were far too experienced and used to the working conditions to miss out a crucial detail like that.

The teeming downpour of rain showered on them almost painfully as they stalked through the cascade, navigating their way to the main building of the farm. A hand was raised above Kise's eyes to shelter them from the drops beating their bodies; his eyes squinted into narrow slits as he attempted to distinguish something in distance through the rain-blurred view.

"Oi, Kurokocchi, are those the guests?" He acclaimed in surprise and immediately rushed closer, forcing Kuroko to take extra large leaps to keep up with pace of the taller male.

The road they followed slowly came to an end, broadening as it finally blended in together with the open area coated with cobblestones: this was the small clearing in front of the main family's home. Before them loomed an ordinary, ageing wooden house, but to the hired workers it looked majestic — it was beyond their worth to even lay a step inside a house of such luxury.

Kuroko paused at the opening, eyes scanning the area to catch sight of their landlord… and soon he saw him, walking down main road with a small group of people on horseback.

The landlord led the way, and behind him followed a slender white arabian horse, ridden by a man dressed in a cloak. Even through the rain Kuroko could see that the clock was decorated with golden patterns sowed to the helms of it — it was a sure sign of wealth.

Behind the first man trailed two others, more sturdy and taller men whose trained bodies were armoured with metallic protections on vital areas. It wasn't the sort of heavy armour knights fighting for the army would wrap themselves in, but without a doubt these two men were guards on horseback to accompany their employer on his journey.

"Please allow me to assist you."

Disgust lingered in Kuroko's throat as he heard the overly helpful, eager words voiced by his landlord. Such friendliness and hospitality made his voice sounds foreign and misfitting, and because Kuroko associated that voice with mostly malice, this current tone felt very alarming to him.

As the landlord grasped the reins of the beautiful arab, it carefully flicked its audits towards him. However, it was only a small movement, and otherwise the well-mannered animal maintained its proud stance. Kuroko would have spent more time admiring the horse, but the man atop it had caught his attention… The cloaked man swung himself down from the saddle with efficient, smooth movements, and as his feet landed softly on the muddy ground, the hood of his cloak slipped off his head — revealing from beneath fiery red locks.

The next two thumps on the ground came from the guards dismounting their horses. All of the travellers were wet from the teeming rain, but the redheaded nobleman standing closest to Kuroko didn't look much bothered by it — in fact, his expression told almost nothing to the worker eyeing at him. His hair had darkened in the rain, contrasting starkly with his pale skin.

The landlord spoke up, his lips twisted into a wheedling smile. "I will escort you to the main building, and my workers shall take your horses to our stables nearby." He didn't need to urge them twice; Kuroko and Kise automatically responded by obediently stepping forwards to take the reins of the horses.

As Kuroko wrapped his fingers around the rain-slickened reins of the arab, he noticed how reluctantly the redhead, who owned the horse, let go of them; there was the sort of stiffness to his move that made Kuroko immediately glance at him.

And whatever he had expected, it certainly wasn't this. He was taken by surprise as his icy orbs met the gaze of mismatched heterochromatic eyes, an unique combination of one golden and one red, both pupils trained on the lowly worker who held his precious horse.

Kuroko's stomach immediately sunk in trepidation. The nobleman radiated an intimidating aura of authority, one that overwhelmed and overtook — it made Kuroko's already unnoticeable presence shrink even deeper into nonexistence. He politely bent his back into a respectful bow, which was a traditional way of greeting a superior, and although Kuroko might have been imagining it, the nod that followed seemed approving.

"Treat her well and with care." The redhead instructed with an unshaken tone, before his gaze veered to the awaiting landlord who was motioning towards the main building, welcoming them inside.

Kise had taken both of the guards' brown-coated horses and started to walk them towards the stables, but Kuroko dwelled on the spot for a tentative moment watching as the redheaded nobleman and his guards sauntered over the cobblestone path inside the warm building. He was unsure of what he'd seen: had the nobleman given him a slight nonchalant glance over his shoulder a little before he'd stepped inside the house?

The door swung shut behind them, and Kuroko was left alone in the opening.

Reluctantly, he turned around and began to lead the mare along the road to the stables, getting himself splashed upon by hard hoofs clopping onto puddles. The entire inside of his mind was a sheer mess of questions: why were these important guests here? Kuroko could easily tell that they were from the city — everything about them, their clothing, their slight accents, their way of handling their horses, it all spoke for the fact. If they were just passing through the countryside, it wouldn't be shocking if the massive thunderstorm had forced them to end their journey a little earlier than expected.

"Kurokocchi?" He heard a voice holler as he opened the stables door, walking the white arabian horse inside to shelter.

"Yes, it's me." He called back, releasing the horse into a free stall, which it entered with upraised audits and dilated nostrils, clearly interested in the stack of hay awaiting for it.

Kuroko was spellbound by the rare species that he had gotten the honour of grooming; arabian horses were known to be a delicate, cherished breed belonging to those who possessed the money to own one. Under its pearly coat he could see how powerful, well-developed muscles tensed and worked as the animal practically danced into the stall, every movement capturing the fine beauty it held.

He pressed his palm onto its sweaty and heated neck, realising how much it must've been ridden before finally being granted a break. Kuroko couldn't help but to feel sorry for it; he understood it's pain, in a weird sense.

The following minutes were spent in silence; taking off the reins and the saddle, brushing off dirt and dust attached to its slender figure, scraping off dried mud drained onto its slim legs. Those minutes were strangely pleasant and treasured — drops of sweat squirmed their way from beneath Kuroko's pastel hairline, but he took immense enjoyment in the work. Once the now-groomed arab looked impeccable, Kuroko stepped out of the stall and locked the door behind him.

He collaborated with Kise to groom the guards' horses as well, listening with half-hearted interest as the talkative blond chattered and rambled on about things that more or less didn't matter. They gave some extra hay to the landlord's horses as well, since they were kicking at their stall doors with impatience and jealousy, but once munching on hay was all that was audible, Kise announced that they could go to sleep.

Indeed, they had stayed up much longer than they usually did on a regular night, so the moment they collapsed each upon their beds of hay, sleep was quick to collect their consciousness.

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Kuroko awoke much too early, considering how late he had gone to sleep, but after his fruitless attempt to fall back asleep had failed, the bluenette defeatedly clambered out of bed.

The storm was long since over, leaving the earth smelling of mist and fresh soil; for a moment Kuroko simply stood there in the dim morning-darkness, listening as the birds chirped outside and as his friend snored, dreaming away. There in all that calmness, Kuroko found that he actually didn't mind a life like this — he had a roof over his head, a friend by his side, and a beautiful, beautiful world around him.

Smiling to himself, Kuroko brushed the hay from his clothes and made his way down to the horse stables, simultaneously trying to smoothen his sleep-tousled hair. Every morning he had a chronic case of bed hair, but it was nothing some combing wouldn't fix.

He was welcomed with soft chortles and hungry, wishful eyes the moment his footsteps were heard. Even the white arabian horse was peering at him from her stall, her ears up high and facing him.

Kuroko let out a small laugh as he extended his arm to greet the nearest horse. "I missed you too."

Then, he started to distribute equal amounts of hay to the rather impatient animals, which kept him well busy for the next few minutes.

As the bluenette was bustling with a wheelbarrow full of hay, he hadn't heard as light, sedate footsteps approached the stables. He became aware of another person's presence only after the barn door was pulled open, making the horses chortle again as a greeting.

Having just stepped out of the white arabian mare's stall, Kuroko's gaze flickered at the direction of the doors, catching sight of a redheaded nobleman he had wished he wouldn't have to encounter again. Their gazes locked for a brief moment; the redhead's heterochromatic irises had a pungent tint to them, but Kuroko's blue eyes stayed as hollow and vacant as they had always been.

Kuroko was the first one to break free from the taut eye contact, lowering his eyes and bowing slightly to show his respect and inferiority. It didn't have much of an effect, but it earned him a slightly less intense stare and a barely-there twist of lips… Was it a smile?

Unsure of what he had seen, he tried to focus his gaze upon the nobleman, but the expression seemed to fade away that instant, leaving Kuroko answerless. It's nothing, he convinced himself, averting further eye contact as he closed the arabian's stall door, locking it tightly.

"It is early, Sir. May I help you?" It felt like the most appropriate thing to say as he glanced at the other male, pondering what would've been his intention to get up at this time and come to the stables.

"I came to see how was she doing." The redhead's placid tone was self-possessed and confident, concealing expertly every thought and emotion that could've lingered on his mind. Somehow it made Kuroko's stomach churn, making him feel perturbed and uncomfortable, but he forced himself to appear as unaffected as possible.

The arabian mare gave a soft, affectionate neigh at the nobleman, as if it would've known what the two were talking about. Kuroko replied with a lack of tone to his voice.

"She's been doing alright. She's very well-behaved and has a good nature."

"Of course." The redhead uttered as if it was obvious and stepped closer to his mare's stall, to which the arab responded by extending her long muscled neck and dilating her nostrils, picking up the scent of her owner. "She's been bred from the best of her kind, raised and trained accordingly."

Kuroko couldn't help but to smile. Sure, he found the nobleman's confident, authoritarian energy was extremely reserving, but the way he treated his horse… Upon seeing it, the aristocrat automatically became a thousand times more likeable in Kuroko's eyes. He might have been one of those proud rich men from the city, practically drowning in his splendour and abundant wealth, but he wasn't cruel to animals.

It was a quality Kuroko had always respected in other people. There wasn't enough love left in this world that it could've been graciously sprinkled around like fairy dust, especially not enough for animals.

"I see. She's a beautiful creature." It felt like it would've been impolite to merely nod to a aristocrat like him, so he quickly replied with the first words that popped into his mind.

The redhead hummed vaguely in response, stroking his mare's groomed pearly coat and running her white mane through his fingers, seeming as if he'd ignored Kuroko's words.

Maybe it had been the end of the conversation anyway.

Kuroko returned back to his mundane morning tasks: feeding the horses, making sure they had clean water, cleaning their stalls, brushing their coats, and scooping out dirt, mud and pebbles off their hoofs. The redheaded nobleman lingered by the white arab's stall, his unclear mumbling carrying into Kuroko's ears as the worker continued with his routine; smiling a bit to himself as he listened to the aristocrat murmur unimportant things to his horse.

Before Kuroko was done with his workload, he was interrupted by the sound of the stable doors being pulled open again: this time one of the red-haired nobleman's guards stepping into the barn, his footsteps heavy as he strolled in.

"Akashi-san, our hosts have prepared you breakfast to enjoy before we will carry on with our journey."

The usual absent expression ironed onto Kuroko's facial features faltered a little, curiosity peeking in his eyes as he briefly glanced towards the other men in the hallway, pretending to be busy with grooming a horse as he did so. Within those fleeting seconds he'd spent peering at them, he'd caught a glimpse of a glazed look plastered upon the redhead's face — it was the same expression he'd worn the entire time Kuroko had seen him yesterday in the storm.

So... His name was Akashi? It felt comforting to at least know the stranger by name.

Before he left, Akashi tilted his head a bit into Kuroko's direction, his voice disinterested and indifferent as he spoke out. "Prepare our horses."

It was a direct command, which gave Kuroko no other option than to merely nod in understanding, lips sealed shut as he watched the two men leave the building.

Something heavy landed atop of his heart, something that wasn't supposed to be there; its newly acquired weight anchoring his heart deeper down, almost smothering him with the sensation. Kuroko let out an airy breath, gasping — why did the acknowledgement of the redheaded nobleman's departure affect him?

Was there was something eccentric about Akashi, an unraveled enigma, that attracted the pastel-haired male like a magnet? No matter how his rational mind insisted no, his traitorous heart sang yes.

It was weird how hearts were such wild creatures. A soft, glad smile rose upon Kuroko's lips — it was a good thing he had learned to tame his own.

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A/N: Reviews are very appreciated! Also, since this is a whole new AU, if you have any questions feel free to present them.