Vindicate (Chp.2)

A/N: Hey, I'm back with the next chapter! It's exactly a month since I posted my first chapter lol. Anyways, just finished my SATs and now awaiting for a score, so with the little time I had I decided to post this. :) It's a bit shorter than the last chapter, but I hope you enjoy this update just as much!


Furihata couldn't help himself. He gaped like a dope. The infamous wielder of the Emperor's Eye was standing a mere few meters away from him, with an awesome car nonetheless! Suddenly, Furihata felt a wave of depression washing through him. Akashi had everything Furihata wished for: a majestic home, cool parents, and a job laid out for him in the future. Eri would certainly marry him if he had all those. But then again, she did say that she would date him if he became number one in Japan.

To be truthful, he originally didn't have any inclination to continue basketball in high school. Getting Eri as his girlfriend was the reason why he joined basketball when he entered Seirin. They were neighbors ever since he was a child, and since he had no other siblings, Eri was the older sister that he looked up to. Over time, his vision of Eri morphed from a caring sister to the girl of his dreams. Once after a middle school basketball game, she had joked to him once about being his girlfriend if he had become number one of basketball in Japan during high school, he would consider dating him. However, Furihata took the declaration seriously and was the first freshman to sign up for the team.

Unlike Kagami, Kuroko, or any of his seniors, Furihata had no outstanding basketball talent. To him, the sport was a hobby that he had kept for years and his method to prove Eri-chan that he was someone worthy to date. However, he still worked just as hard as everyone else during basketball practice. Watching everyone play their best at the matches helped Furihata realize how much he truly loved basketball, and being a part of Seirin's basketball team was a voluntary decision now.

Furihata tensed as Akashi and his parents approached the area he was standing at with Ishida. He really didn't want to have an encounter with Akashi, even if the other person had no idea who he was. Much to his relief, his parents and him completely ignored his existence as they walked past Furihata. He let out a relieved sigh and turned to Ishida-san.

"I wish you'd tell me sooner who they were! I know who the son is; he's one of the Generation of Miracles!"

"I was about to explain, but you were really distracted. And what generation were you talking about?" The elder gardener scratched his head.

"Oh, sorry. It's just something within our basketball world."

"I didn't know you could play basketball! You should go one-on-one with him sometime! I heard he's okay at the sport."

"I…never mind."

Finally, Furihata survived an entire day of toiling and laboring of trimming bushes and picking out weeds. Relaxing in the plush couch inside his contemporary lodgings, he felt like a person bathing in luxury. The Akashi family were certainly very generous to their own employees, he mused.

Furihata was constantly in awe of the life of wealthy people. It wasn't that his parents were poor and couldn't provide him enough food and shelter; it was the glaringly obvious fact that Furihata lived a very average life. He'd wake up wondering if anything interesting would befall upon him and go to bed disappointed. Granted, the basketball matches Seirin played against other teams gave him something to think about in his very average life, but essentially Furihata hoped that his life could be more eventful. Did wealthy people have the dramatic tension within the family that he constantly watched in soap operas? How about the secret stashes of treasure stored under the cellars that were once used to function as prisons for people that went against their family? Then was there always an illegitimate child that the master of the house had with the housemaid?

A knock startled the basketball player and he reddened at his outrageous train of thought. Fixing his clothes, he went to answer the interruption. Surprisingly, a red haired boy greeted him at the other side of the door.

"… Akashi Seijuurou?!"

Without missing a beat, said person brushed past Furihata and stopped at the middle of his room, Emperor's eyes scanning its surroundings.

"In less than a day, you've managed to completely mess up this room simply by throwing your belongings all over the place," he pointed out after a moment of silence (awkward silence, on Furihata's part).

"I-I'm just too tired to clean up my stuff right now! And why are you even in my room in the first place?"

"I'm the son of the owner of this place, in case if you forgot."

Furihata fidgeted as the heterochromatic eyes bored into him, and the owner of those eyes settled himself comfortably upon the very couch Furihata occupied a while ago. Furihata himself stood there, unsure whether to sit next to Akashi.

"What brings you to my summer estate, Kouki?"

He's not using my surname! Furihata blinked at the sudden familiarity Akashi was using.

"Um…I have a summer job as a gardener here," Furihata hastily rubbed at the back of his neck.

A maroon eyebrow twitched. "No basketball camp in Seirin this year?"

"My mom didn't let me go."

"I see," Akashi moved so that he was seated at one end of the beige suede couch, "You can take a seat here you know." The other person coughed self consciously and sat, making sure that he was on the farthest end from Akashi.

"So…Um…Do you have basketball camp too?" Furihata tentatively questioned, hoping to ease the awkwardness in the atmosphere.

"I don't need to waste my time to interact with the others. They understand that if they do not perform well, I will make sure that they know their place."

He stared disbelievingly at the relaxed form of the captain. The other Rakuzan players must be absolutely terrified of him. Akashi was one of the creepiest people that Furihata ever met in his average life, he thought.

"Besides," the red haired continued, "I would like to spend time with my family."

Another moment of silence passed, and Furihata glared at the floor as if it would swallow him up whole. He must have gotten his observations incorrect. After Akashi's statement, all thoughts of Akashi being a rich heir that had a foul family history and bitter because of the situation vanished within his mind. Why was Akashi treating him so courteously? After all, the last time Furihata saw him he left a very lasting impression upon the Seirin player. He had so many questions bubbling inside of him that he wanted to address to Akashi, but only mere silence escaped his mouth.

"…This silence is very awkward," he managed to stutter out.

"I believe that is merely your thinking. You are welcome to ask questions to ease this so aforementioned awkward quietness," he said.

I-I can? Furihata leapt at the opportunity to question Akashi.

"Why are you being so polite to me?" he spoke out loud, "We're supposed to be rivals, but mainly I'm just really surprised that you're willing to find company with me."

Akashi turned to give him a look and smirked.

"I do recognize you, you know. I know everyone from Tetsuya's team and the rest of the Generation of Miracles' too. It is necessary to understand one's rivals in basketball. Besides, it is nice to talk to someone that is also a point guard, even if our skills are on completely different levels."

"Um, yeah…Thanks. For the compliment I mean." Furihata opened his mouth to ask another question, but the Rakuzan basketball captain suddenly stood up. He walked over to the wooden door and opened it, preparing to leave. However, he turned around and opened his mouth.

"You know, you're a pretty interesting person. Expect me to hang around you for the rest of the summer." And without another word, Akashi left and closed the door, leaving Furihata speechless.

"...Bye?" he replied long after Akashi left. What was the meaning of his visit in the first place? Furihata quickly rewound the sudden meeting with the red haired. There were even more questions that he wanted Akashi to answer more than ever. Head spinning, Furihata decided to sleep on it and think about the event tomorrow.

Little did he know that Akashi's words were a signal to the beginning of an unlikely friendship.


A/N: Heehee~ So Akashi shows up now, and we have some interaction between the two! Stay tuned for the next update! (I bet the plot's not going to be what you thought haha!)

Dess