Thanks to the many lovely reviews and followings~

Here's a short (really short) update to celebrate!

Special shoutout to clarit - Thanks for pointing out that tiny mistake, much appreciated! ;)

Words: 762

Walking along the street to school, the weather felt good. Though still in the middle of winter, the sun was rising and its rays reached the boy. Looking up towards the sky, his heart felt at peace. The night before, he had a wonderful dream. He dreamt of someone's arms wrapped firmly around him, his warmth seeping through his front, warming him as well. His sweet smell flooding his senses, and everything was red, a bright strong red bleeding into his sight. Yet, it didn't scare him, instead calming his heart and mind.

I want to see that red again…

That thought alone brought a light flush to the boy's face.

As he approached the school building, he spotted his two friends, arguing and making a ruckus in the courtyard as usual. He sighed, lessons were starting in 10 but they don't seem to notice the time. He cut into the path of the basketball, effectively knocking it off its momentum, surprising the two players out of their game.

Shaking off the shock, both players sighed.

"What is it now, Kuroko? We need to settle this game." The tall dark red haired male spoke up. The other, a tanned dark blue haired man, snorted; his thoughts following a different path.

"Obviously I was winning so I think it's pretty much settled."

"Why yo-"

"Well, I apologize for interrupting but class is starting in 7 minutes. I hope to see you two there before the bell."

Before Kuroko could finish his words, the two other sped off, leaving the end of the sentence to be heard by the wind only. Really… They never learn, do they…?

xxx

Class wasn't any better than it usually was. With his low presence, Kuroko could easily avoid being called upon or caught for not paying attention as he watched the more interesting world outside his classroom. However, this wasn't the case for his two best friends. He couldn't believe they were his best friends either. Well, opposites attract, right?

As he mused over these matters that don't really matter, a bright flash crossed his sight. Kuroko's eyes widened. What was that? Maybe a bird, his brain passed it off. But the bright yellow that flashed for that split second was permanently imprinted in the back of his mind.

xxx

Light. It was bright, so bright. Where is this?

After such a long time in the endless darkness, this source of light was almost foreign to him. Yet there was this sense of familiarity in it. Going against his own principles, he reached out for this light.

Anything to escape the darkness that haunted him…

xxx

His hand shifted; the tranquillity on his face broke, his brows furrowing. A soft broken groan escaped his lips. Opening his eyes, everything was a blur; he couldn't focus on what was in front of him. He shifted his head, hoping that it would help. Well, it didn't help with his sight, but it alerted the other person in the room.

The maid dropped the tray she was holding, its contents spilling everywhere. She will probably be reprimanded at other times but not today.

"The prince has awakened!" She screamed at the top of her voice, alerting the others in the building. Almost instantaneously, 3 other people appeared in the room, next to the bed.

"My Lord, we have been awaiting your return." They bowed in respect.

"Are we alone, Shintarou?" The man lying in bed addressed the green haired male who spoke. In response to his question, the maid was dismissed, leaving the four of them.

"We are now," he rose from his bow, "Akashi."

"Akashicchi~!" Kise leaped from his position, flying towards the bed. Akashi sat up, effectively causing Kise to land on the bed behind him instead of on him.

"I feel so out-of-place… What happened?" Akashi's sight was still a blur, though it was possible to make out the figures of his loyal subjects, or friends to be more accurate.

"You have been asleep for a century ever since she died."

"36524 days, Mido-chin. That's the number of ice cream I ate since Aka-chin was cursed."

"You eat too much ice cream, Murasakibaracchi…" Kise groaned, "Our diet is blood! Not ice cream!"

"Hmm... But I like ice cream."

As they continued bantering, a more serious issue remained on Akashi's mind, "Cursed?"

Midorima cleared his throat in irritation, "Yes, the cause of your deep sleep was a curse of unknown source."

"Does my being awakening means it's broken?"

"No," Midorima's face tensed at the mere thought.

"It's the beginning of the end."

By the way, I wanna know, if you guys prefer short fast updates, or long ones?(of course they will take a longer time)

For your information, I do not write the chapters in advance, so reviews and responses greatly affect my writing speed and inspiration.
And also, that means any suggestion you give will be given some consideration! I'd like to mold this bare story in my head into something rich and entertaining for you readers~

Thanks for reading this chapter and hope to post the next one soon!

End of transmission - 22.5.14