AND ONE

and one (n.) – a free throw awarded to a shooter who is fouled while scoring, basketball slang for when you get fouled on a shot AND make it

I was walking along
Mindin' my business
When out of the orange colored sky
Flash
Bam
Ali-ca-zam
Wonderful you came by
- "Orange Colored Sky" by Nat Cole

Chapter 1

Foul.

If this were a basketball game, this was definitely a foul on Shin-chan's part of the Flagrant "1" category. Takao would even go as far as to deem it as a Flagrant "2", but he knew he loved that giant walking carrot too much to have the guy in his bad books for too long. (1)

But this had to be a joke.

This had to be some sort of cruel and unusual joke said giant walking carrot played on him.

Which made him even more rattled because he didn't know that Shin-chan could even be funny. (On purpose, anyway.)

He always saw the guy as comically serious, having a stoic, serious, no-nonsense demeanor while having some sort of lucky item hanging off his person and not even knowing what was wrong with that image. The fact that his tall friend did all this without even trying to be funny was what made the guy even funnier.

But he never thought that Shin-chan would purposely set him up with the scariest, most intimidating high school point guard in Japan. (He would've been much happier if Shin-chan had set him up with Kasamatsu-san instead.)

Thinking about it, it probably was his own fault for giving his friend the idea. It had all been said in passing, really. Just a slip of the tongue. He and Shin-chan had been shooting the breeze one time with their usual conversations - about school, basketball, and anything under the sun - when he had gotten the shooting guard to talk about his middle school days.

"So you were good friends with Akashi, weren't you?" he had nudged.

Shin-chan had frowned and side-eyed him. "I wouldn't say that."

"Come on, Shin-chan," Takao had pursued, leaning closer. "You rarely talk about middle school, and he's usually in your stories when you do."

Shin-chan had glowered and adjusted his glasses. "We were Teiko's basketball captain and vice-captain respectively," he had stated matter-of-factly. "Of course we had to interact with each other on a regular basis."

Takao had chuckled. "You just don't wanna admit it?" He flapped his hand at the wrist dismissively at Shin-chan. "It's all right. You don't have to say it out loud. I know how you really feel, Shin-chan~" he cooed in a sing-song voice, blatantly ignoring Midorima's protests. "So what's the guy like? If I weren't so concentrated on the game, I would've pissed my jersey shorts when we had that one-on-one in the Shuutoku versus Rakuzan game last tournament. Makes me kinda wanna know what he's like as a person. You know, wonder if he really eats people alive like I think he does. 'I am absolute! Know your place!' and all," he had ended his drawl with the best Akashi impression he could muster, puffing out his chest and trying to look and sound as intimidating as possible before bursting into unrestrained laughter and clutching at his sides from his attempt.

Well, he wasn't laughing anymore.

It was though this unfortunate series of events that he, Takao Kazunari, ended up having Akashi Seijuro as his family's tour guide during their Golden Week vacation in Kyoto through his own doing.

He cursed his big mouth. He bet Shin-chan was feeling really smug right now. He could practically see Shin-chan getting that bright idea, reaching for his phone, and contacting Akashi. Takao guessed it was payback for all the grief he put the guy through by interacting with him on a regular basis. ('As if!' he thinks. 'No way that's the reason why. I'm an absolute delight!')

So here he and his family was, waiting for Akashi at the meeting spot both of them had agreed upon. They had left Tokyo before sunrise to make it to Kyoto early enough for them to see as many sights as possible.

He fidgeted and turned his phone in his hands, then read the latest text Akashi just sent him.

From: Akashi Seijuro

I am on my way.

Akashi had asked Takao what his family would like to do, so they could make arrangements together. The two of them had exchanged numbers to make it easier for them to coordinate.

He tapped on his phone's keyboard to reply:

From Takao Kazunari:

Okay. We are already here. Will wait for your arrival.

There was no way he could back out now. Shin-chan had already set the appointment, and it would be rude to cancel it especially at the last minute. Not to mention, horrifying because he didn't know what the redhead would do if he did…but then again, was it less nerve-wracking to have his family and himself alone with such a scary, unpredictable personality during their family vacation of all times…? He had been able to take Akashi on a one-one-one, so he knew that he can survive, but what about his parents and Mi-chan? He still couldn't forget that time the guy sank one in his own team's basket just to make a point. He just couldn't trust the guy with his family.

"Onii-san," Hitomi prodded, pulling on the end of his shirt and effectively cutting into his internal brooding. "What's this Akashi guy like? He's Shin-chan's friend, right? One of the Generation of Miracles?"

Takao was trying to think of an answer when flashing before his mind's eye was the memory of Akashi saying he was going to gouge out his own eyes and offer them to his teammates if they didn't win. Talk about intense.

"Hmm…that's a pretty difficult question, Mi-chan…" Takao started, scratching his head trying to think of a way to describe the point guard without scaring her (or any of them). "Akashi is…Akashi is…"

'Oh boy…' he thought to himself when he caught a glimpse of Akashi making his way through the crowd of people and towards them. 'Speak of the devil.'

Takao figured he was this close to actually pissing his pants maybe even a bit…maybe puking because his stomach was doing backflips. He felt his heart pounding, a sudden cold electric chill running up his chest and making him shiver. He really wished he had brought Shin-chan with him. Shin-chan knew how to handle Akashi. How was Takao going to handle Akashi alone? He barely even knew the guy! He figured his natural sociability would help him in this situation, since that was how he got along with most people, but this was different. Akashi wasn't like most people. Shin-chan was like an Akashi expert or something, and he'd know how to deal with the guy, and oh boy maybe he should let go of his pride and message Shin-chan-

"Hello, Takao, his family," Akashi glided in, bowing his head as he addressed them respectively. "I see you have gotten here early. I hope I did not keep you all waiting for too long. I am Akashi Seijuro, Midorima Shintarou's friend, though I imagine that you know him better as Shin-chan," he said with a small, fond chuckle. ('I knew that Shin-chan was close to Akashi! This just proves that they still talk!' Takao perked up and mentally noted to rub this in Shin-chan's face the next time he saw him.) "Welcome to Kyoto. I hope you all enjoy your time here."

"Thank you, Akashi-kun." Takao's father extended his hand and clasped Akashi's in a firm handshake, which Akashi returned along with a polite smile. Takao gulped. For a moment, he couldn't help but be worried that Akashi might pull that scissors stunt he did to Kagami on his dad. "My name is Takao Akitaka, and this is my wife Kotori and daughter Hitomi. You already know my son Kazunari." Akitaka gestured to each of them as he spoke, a wide, proud smile on his face.

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you. Shall we get going then?" With his own practiced, polite smile, Akashi gestured to his limousine.

Akitaka could not help but take a step back in surprise, his eyes growing wide and his arm swinging forward then close to his chest as a sort of arm shield. The rest of Takao's family followed suit, squeaking "Eh?!" in unison. Takao should have warned them beforehand that the guy was loaded, but even he was surprised that Akashi would bring a freaking limo with him.

"W-what is this, Akashi-kun?" Akitaka managed to inquire after getting over the initial shock.

"It is a limousine, Takao-san," Akashi replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world. ('Well, duh, it's a limousine! Anyone can see that,' Takao thought, wanting to facepalm. 'It's the fact that you brought one that surprises us so much! We didn't talk about that.')

Takao noticed Akashi's red eyes glancing at him for a moment, and as if reading Takao's mind, Akashi focused on all of them again and explained, "In order to make the most of your short stay here in Kyoto, I thought that bringing our own mode of transportation would be quicker and more efficient than roughing it out in public transportation, so I brought it upon myself to lend you my family's limousine. That is, if you don't mind."

Takao's family finally finished gawking when Akitaka beamed, "That was very thoughtful of you, Akashi-kun. We highly appreciate it. Thank you."

The redhead gave them a polite nod. "You are very welcome, Takao-san. Now, if we may?" Akashi proposed, gesturing to the vehicle.

Before Takao could thank Akashi himself, his family lost all pretense of politeness and jogged to the car, squealing and screaming numerous things at once like how nice the limousine was and how this was going to be the best family vacation EVER!

Part of Takao was relieved that Akashi didn't do anything funny to his family, but another part of him was embarrassed of his family acting this way in front of Akashi. Takao winced visibly before turning to the guy. He couldn't help but feel uncharacteristically tense and paranoid around him, and his family acting the way they did just made him feel even worse. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, a crooked smile forced on his face. "Sorry about that. They're just naturally excitable, and we've all been looking forward to this vacation for a really long time. This is my little sister's first time in Kyoto. School and work's been rough on all of us, so my parents thought it would be a great treat this Golden Week."

Akashi nods his head. "I understand. It's fine. I actually find it endearing," he replied. As the redhead turned his head to look at Takao's family chatting and helping each other deposit their luggage inside the limousine, Takao noticed the ends of Akashi's lips turn up, and the practiced, polite smile turned into something sincerer, more genuine. Akashi turned his eyes back to Takao. "Shall we join them?"

Takao's face slowly broke into a grin. He couldn't help but smile back. "Yes. Let's."

And together, they walked alongside each other to the limousine.

Their time together turned out to be much more pleasant than Takao imagined, and it proved much of Takao's apprehension and fear unnecessary (Well, you couldn't really blame him. It's kinda hard to forget when someone made you fall flat on your butt and said something like "I don't allow anyone acting against me to look down on me. Lower your head," over you.). He internally laughed at himself for becoming so fidgety and worried like Shin-chan. He almost called the giant carrot for help too! Shin-chan would never let him live it down!

If anything, Akashi was a most gracious host. With Akashi's extensive knowledge on Kyoto and its sights and history coupled with his calm, smooth voice, it was as if Takao's family hired their own personal tour guide. In all honesty, this Akashi seemed to be a whole different person from the one he encountered in the Winter Cup tournament. Takao found the contrast between those two sides of the point guard quite unnerving, but he figured he might as well enjoy his family's vacation while he has the chance. There was no use in worrying about it, especially since nothing happened (yet, anyway).

Akashi offered to pay for their activities, but Takao's parents insisted they pay for themselves. It would have been too much to let Akashi pay for them as well. He was already providing them transportation; that was more than enough. Instead, his family asked Akashi to join them in their family pictures (rather than just taking their picture like he had originally planned to do). Takao's family was the master of the wacky group pose, but Akashi always turned out to be the funniest-looking in the pictures from how stiff and proper he looked in comparison.

Around they went the Golden Pavilion Temple, taking pictures of the three-story building covered in pure gold leaf sitting in the center of the scenic zen garden and buying lucky charms for their health, studies, and family life. (Takao bought Midorima a 'lucky in love' charm just for laughs.)

Into the humble Kodai Yuzen shop they entered for their yuzen dye experience, sitting around together on benches and sharing stencils and various colorful yuzen dye to decorate their souvenir handkerchiefs with pictures of flowers and fruits. For fun, they exchanged the handkerchiefs they made. Takao gave Akashi his handkerchief of a rickshaw covered in multicolored fruits, Akashi his handkerchief of blue birds sitting on flower branches to Hitomi, and Hitomi her handkerchief of pink butterflies sipping nectar from yellow flowers to Takao. As they explored the shop, Hitomi spotted a white yukata dyed with images of royal blue and magenta stargazers paired with a lilac obi that she couldn't take her eyes off. Takao and Akashi encouraged her to try it on, and it was obvious from the sparkle in her eyes and the way she twirled in it that she fell in love with it. Takao was about to tell her to take it off – time was running out, and they still had a lot of sights to see - when Akashi reached out for his wallet and bought it for her.

Takao stiffened. "You really didn't have to do that, Akashi…"

Akashi smiled as he watched Hitomi squeal in delight and skip in her new yukata. "I believe I did. She obviously wanted the yukata, and she looks beautiful in it. It looks like it was made especially for her."

Hitomi spent the rest of the day wearing her new yukata (and staying by Akashi's side and holding his hand whenever the chance presented itself. As if Takao wouldn't notice that. The perks of being a ten-year-old.).

Up they went the cement steps of the Fushimi Inari shrine and through the tunnel of tall orange torii gates, taking note of the names of the individuals and companies inscribed on the back of each gate and enjoying the view overlooking the mountain forest at the Yotsutsuji intersection. When they got back down, they took pictures with Inari's messengers, the stone fox statues flanking the torii gates.

Right before nightfall, Akashi brought them to Gion. Takao family treated him to dinner; it was the least they could do. They ate okonomiyaki at a nearby restaurant and went to the famous geiko district, an old-fashioned, narrow stone road lined with traditional wooden machiya merchant houses where kimono-clad geiko and maiko walked to their appointments on high wooden shoes which clacked noisily on the stone pavement.

Takao and Akashi got a chance to be alone and talk when Hitomi and Takao's parents followed the path of one particular geiko in order to take her picture.

"I bet you must've seen this happening with your Emperor Eye," Takao chuckled. The day had been exhausting, even for him, and it was a surprise that even Hitomi could manage walking as much as she did in her yukata, though he knew better than to underestimate his family's energy. 'Mi-chan is a volleyball player,' he reminded himself. 'Of course she could take it.'

Akashi looked at him and grinned in reply. "Even my Emperor Eye could not have predicted how much I would have enjoyed today." Takao was glad that Akashi could keep up with them. But then again, it was Akashi. He internally scoffed at himself. Of course, Akashi could keep up with them. But even Akashi wasn't totally immune from exhaustion. Takao could see from the dark rings under those red eyes and the drowsiness creeping into his now slightly coarser voice that Akashi was also tired.

Takao leaned close to pat Akashi on the shoulder. "Hey, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to tour us around Kyoto."

Akashi stiffened at first, then eased into the touch. "It is no problem at all. It was truly my pleasure." Akashi's ruby eyes twinkled from the soft glow of the streetlights lining the path. "Your family is wonderful."

Takao guessed it was the exhaustion getting to him, but he felt his guard slipping and found himself becoming more sentimental. A wide, dopey grin spread on his tired face. "Thank you. I love them a lot, you know? But you didn't have to go and buy Hitomi that yukata! You went and spoiled her! Heck, you spoiled all of us with that limo and all that explaining you did! Man, I'm so embarrassed! How the heck am I supposed to pay you back?!"

Takao wasn't sure he heard right when he heard Akashi offer, "Why not keep in touch with me more often?" The redhead continued, "I don't have any siblings myself, so it's fine. It was nice to have a little sister for a day."

Takao blinked. "That's it? Are you sure?"

Akashi propped his arm and placed a curled finger under his lip thoughtfully, bending his other arm at the elbow for support. He took a moment to think. "Why not tell me about how Shintarou is doing and if he has been getting into any more Oha Asa-related antics? You know the ones," he suggests with a mischievous smirk.

Takao broke into a wide, toothy grin. "Grilling Shin-chan? With one of his former teammates? Tell me some embarrassing stories from middle school, and that would be mypleasure! Sign me up!"

Akashi laughed. It was the first time that Takao heard him laugh more than a chuckle, and even the guy's tired laugh sounded elegant. Why did people like Akashi get to be the model of beauty and grace even when they laughed when, on the other hand, Takao gets told that he sounds like a mad hyena when he does the same thing?! "Sounds good," the point guard replied, then glanced at his watch. "I apologize, but it's getting late, and I still have some business to attend to. If you wouldn't mind?"

Takao shook his head. "Not at all. Here, let me escort you to your limousine, my prince," he bowed in an overdone fashion like those butlers he saw on TV and threw his arm in the direction of the vehicle.

As much as Akashi wanted to hide it, it obviously caught him by surprise because he tensed for a moment, his whole body stiffening, before he laughed. This time, it was breathier, more chopped, and less elegant than it first sounded. Takao figured he liked the sound of this laugh more. Made him feel better about himself and his own hyena laugh. Akashi had to wipe a tear from his eye with his finger before he could speak again. "Thank you, but you still have a long way to go if you're going to be an escort or a butler."

Takao gasped loudly, spreading his fingers in a fan over his breastbone. "How mean of you!" he proclaimed, reciting each syllable slow and deliberately, feigning insult. "I can show you otherwise!" He extended his hand to Akashi and winked, "Come this way, Akashi-sama~"

Akashi stared at him incredulously at first, his own hand retracting from Takao's, before relaxing and taking up the offer. He placed his hand in Takao's, and it was rough and calloused from hours upon hours of playing basketball, but Takao couldn't help but feel a sense of victory that he managed to convince someone who made others subservient so naturally to bend to his will. Now, if only he could do the same thing with Shin-chan more often…

"Oh yeah, before I forget," Takao interjects. "My family wants to thank you for today as well, and my parents said you're welcome to stay with us any time when you happen to be in Tokyo. We could show you around then!"

A small, pleased smile spread on Akashi's face. "I would love that. Thank you. I will certainly take you up on that offer if ever I find myself in Tokyo."

"Just be careful though! You've already seen how hyperactive my family can be," Takao teased. "I hope we won't be too much for you."

"It's not a problem at all. I would love to see you and your family again. Give me a great tour in Tokyo, okay?"

Takao beamed, "I'll give you the best one. Oh yeah, Akashi, I just wanted to say…you're actually a pretty cool guy. I admit that I was afraid of you at first with Winter Cup and all, but you're actually really nice!"

Takao swore he saw the faintest blush dust Akashi's face, and he felt Akashi tighten his grip on his hand ever so slightly. "…thank you, Takao," Akashi replied, his voice dropping to no louder than a whisper that Takao has to strain his ears to hear the redhead. "I've been said to be difficult to approach and intimidating, and I've been trying to become more approachable, so I really appreciate that."

Takao thought it was cute when Akashi lost his composed façade, was more honest, and showed these different sides of himself. Takao squeezed Akashi's hand. "No problem, Akashi. I admit I was pretty intimidated of you myself, but today turned out to be great! I guess people shouldn't meet you in the basketball court," he ends the last statement with a chuckle. He took his hand away from Akashi's to open the limousine door for his companion and, with a flourish of his hand, gestured him inside. "Your carriage awaits, my prince.

Akashi brought a hand to his mouth to laugh. "Thank you very much, Takao-san."

Akashi was stepping inside the limousine when Takao remembered, "We have each other's numbers, right? Text me when you get home. I wanna know if you get home safely."

A small smile bloomed on Akashi's face, that faint blush dusting his cheeks yet again. "I will. Thank you for the concern…and thank you for the wonderful day, Takao."

Takao brought up his hands before his chest and shook them at the wrist. "No, no, Akashi. The pleasure is all ours. We should be thanking you! Good night, Akashi."

"Good night, Takao," was the last thing Akashi said before he closed his car door, and it drove off into the night.

On the busy street of Gion, among the soft orange glow of the street lamps lining the narrow stone road, Takao waved goodbye to Akashi, a wide smile on his face and a pleasant, faint warmth lingering on his hand.

Notes:

(1) There are two types of Flagrant Fouls, as follows:
Flagrant "1" (FFP1) - unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent. The opposing team is awarded two (2) free throws and possession.
Flagrant "2" (FFP2) - unnecessary and excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent. The opposing team is awarded two (2) free throws and possession and the player committing the foul is automatically ejected.

(2) Mi-chan is Takao's little sister's nickname in this fic. I chose Hitomi to be Takao's little sister's name because it means 'beautiful eyes'. I imagine her to look very similar to Takao and also has the Hawk Eye.

This fic has traveled a long way tbh. It's been months since I had this idea, and I was so busy with school that I only got to write most of this during the 13-hour plane ride from the Philippines to America. (TakaAka made its way with me to America hahaha)

I admit that MidoAka is my OTP, and I came to ship TakaAka due to the faction between MidoTaka and MidoAka. In all honesty, my obsession with TakaAka started because I wanted everyone to get along by getting rid of the middle man (I still love Midorima though. Make no mistake hahaha.) Now, after exploring the possible interactions between these two, it has become a genuine, sincere love for this ship. This ship is so cute, and I think it has so much potential! I hope you enjoy this fic as I enjoy thinking of scenarios for it and writing it.

Warning though: out of all the categories of creative writing, I am worst at writing fiction. I'm a non-fiction writer, and I haven't written any fiction in six years. I've also only been writing technical papers for three or four years, so please bear with me. I would also highly appreciate it if someone would give me tips and give me constructive criticism, since I'm so rusty hahaha.

I'll also be including my own headcanons and character interpretations in this fic if you guys don't mind. I'll try my best to make them as interesting and accurate as possible.

The vacation Takao's family had in Kyoto is based off my own time in Kyoto. I was a cultural exchange ambassador in Japan and went to Tokyo and Japan two years ago. :) I actually have the butterfly handkerchief! It was a great experience. I'll be using my own personal experiences and knowledge and commenting on them in the notes in this fic from time to time. I actually took Takao's parents' names from two of my Japanese friends hehehe.

I am (was) also a basketball player in my college's varsity and am trying to get into watching NBA, so I'll try to include technical basketball terms from time to time as well.

I would really appreciate reviews and/or constructive criticism. :) hmu in twitter mihosakibarachi! Let's talk about more TakaAka and KNB! \(^o^)/

I hope you enjoyed 'And One'. :)