Hey!

Thanks for the reviews. I'm sorry I took so long to update.

Douzo!

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Kuroko simply stared down at the cup of coffee on the table, unable to speak or do anything. She actually had no idea why she had bought a cup of coffee in the first place; she was not very fond of bitter drinks. She wanted to talk to the young man who had saved her life, but she had no idea where to start. She could hardly look at the boy, who was sitting across facing her.

What shall I do? Should I ask him about what happened? But…

"Let's start with knowing each other's name," Akashi spoke in a friendly voice, startling the girl. "My name's Akashi Seijuuro."

"K-kuroko," the lovely bluenette replied shyly. "Kuroko Tetsuna."

"Kuroko Tetsuna…" Akashi spoke her name as if he was memorizing a new poem. There was an intensity in his gaze, a keenness in his red orbs as he looked at her sky blue ones. He was staring at Kuroko as if she was an ancient cryptogram waiting to be deciphered. "You came to me because…?"

"I…wanted to thank you…personally," Kuroko said. She could feel her cheeks go red, although she had no idea why. There was something about this boy that was intriguing her. "It was you who saved my life, I remember."

"I did?" Akashi feigned innocence. He did not want to have anything to do with her, or with the incident, even if he could not avoid the fact that he was truly involved in it. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember seeing you before…" he held his own cup of coffee to his lips as he was about to take a sip.

Liar.

Akashi jolted upon hearing another of Kuroko's involuntary thought messages. His hand shook, almost spilling his coffee that he had to put it down. Had she no idea that she was able to connect with his brain? Akashi scowled at her, disliking the fact that despite her ability to enter his well-guarded mind, he could read her thoughts like an opened book. It was as if Akashi was watching television, but he could not switch channels or turn it off.

"But, I'm sure it was you," Kuroko's leveled voice now became insistent. "I saw your face – you – you killed that man…"

You tore him into pieces without using your hands…he could hear her voice in his head. There was hesitation in her voice, which was not surprise since what Akashi had done to save her was too surreal – not to mention too inhuman – to be true.

He had decided to use her uncertainty to his advantage.

"I think you are still experiencing some trauma after what happened to you," Akashi spoke calmly. "Your mind has probably been forming some images – "

But what I saw was real!

" – in order to make up some sort of reason for your current situation." Akashi's voice had wavered for a moment. He was certain that she was unconsciously opening herself to him every single minute. It made him curious. He wanted to know more about her, what she was thinking at that very moment, and how she manages to get into his head without her knowing, and without him preventing.

Akashi focused into her sky blue eyes, meditating, concentrating on entering her very thoughts, where things unshared would be revealed to him. If he would become successful, he wouldn't only be able to hear her thoughts, he would learn of her memories, her desires, everything that goes on within her mysterious mind.

"Are you okay, Akashi-san?" Kuroko asked. She looked at him with pure concern.

Akashi's handsome face became creased with his frown. His mind had hit a huge brick wall in an effort to enter hers. Kuroko's thoughts might unconsciously reach him for some unknown reason, but he could not do the same thing in return. It was a one-way phone call. Only Kuroko could dial his number and send a voice mail, and all he could do was receive it.

Her mind's more protected than mine, Akashi said to himself. How odd.

"I am all right," he told her. "Aren't you supposed to go back to your room?"

Kuroko frowned. "I prefer going outside my room today. I've been here for so long, it's already boring."

"How unfortunate you are." Akashi smiled at her. "Maybe I should visit you some time."

He has a nice smile.

"I would appreciate it," Kuroko smiled at him in return.

You have a nice smile too, Akashi thought, although he could not send his compliment to her.

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When Akashi went home to his magnificent mansion in the more private outskirts of the city, the first thing he did was to grab the phone in his study room and call the psychiatrist Midorima.

"This is a surprise, Akashi." Midorima answered after the second ring.

"How did you know it was me?" Akashi asked, although he already knew the answer.

Midorima sighed. "Are you going to make another appointment with me?"

"No. I want to talk with you on the phone."

"Now? I'm busy, Akashi…you're not the only patient I have."

Akashi furrowed his eyebrows in irritation. "I've seen her. The girl I saved. She's in your hospital."

"Really?" Midorima was utterly surprised. "Wait…I'll check the files. You know her name?"

"Kuroko Tetsuna." Akashi spoke the name carefully, as if he was chanting a magic word.

"Kuroko…" there was a sound of fingers tapping the keyboard. Or maybe the keyboard was typing of its own accord, if the doctor was all alone in his office. "16 years old, a victim of attempted rape. She's been confined here for more than a week now. Psychological trauma has rendered her unable to speak."

"She couldn't speak?" It was Akashi's turn to be shocked. "I just talked to her this morning."

"Really? That's a good thing."

"No, it's not. She knows what happened…she knows how I saved her life."

"Well, you should have wiped her memories by now."

"I can't unfortunately. I could not enter her mind."

"But the girl, she…" Midorima stammered. "You said you could hear her thoughts…"

"Yes, but it's a one-sided communication," Akashi replied. "She could easily get into my mind, sending random messages unconsciously, but it can't happen the other way around. I could hear her speaking in my head, but that's it."

"Well…" there was uncertainty in Midorima's deep, smooth voice. "What are you going to do?"

Akashi rested on a velvet wingback red chair, and stared at the small portrait of his deceased mother resting on top of his ornamented antique wooden desk.

"I need to find out more about her," Akashi spoke, almost in a whisper.

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Sorry for the errors in grammar/whatnot.

Review?