Ratings: PG13
Warnings: Violence, Swearing
Genre: Angst, Romance, High School, Drama, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story, living (or passed) human beings or fictional characters. These events never happened, according to history or as the original author intended them. This is a work of fiction and is not intended to offend. For entertainment purposes only. Thanks.

Also, the original characters developed in this story are that of the author's creation. They are not to be copied without written permission.


Chapter 3 - Waking the Beast:

(Wednesday, October 12th - Continued)

The chess piece glared up at Murasakibara from its throne on the table. He felt sweat breaking out on his forehead like dew and ran a hand through his hair to force himself to calm down. He looked away, turning and pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers and sucking in deep breaths. He was close to losing all control now, and he knew he would find himself unforgivable to lose his temper against Akashi. The chess piece was the first one he tried carving, and since it had turned out rather poorly, he had given it to Akashi as a gift. The fact that the redhead had brought it with him to Akita meant that he was open to the possibility of showing Murasakibara that he had brought it, and therefore it meant he had been open to the possibility of running into him. By showing him that piece in specific, Murasakibara confirmed that Akashi was simply fucking with him mentally, something his ex – in more ways than one – enjoyed doing with his peers.

He scowled and exhaled heavily. A part of him, a part he didn't want to acknowledge, still romantically cared for the smaller man. So instead of reacting with outrage to the fact that Akashi was mentally prepared to torment him, Atsushi gritted his teeth until he was sure he wasn't going to do something he'd regret, and forced himself to keep calm.

Akashi watched him. With Murasakibara's turned away, Akashi felt safe in letting his eyes wander over his body, indulging in the sight of his back, his arms, and his legs. Murasakibara's hair had grown longer than Akashi remembered, the tall man's overall body had grown almost twice in width with the muscles he had built, and he held himself up to full height rather than slouch down as he once did. Akashi licked his lips, appreciating the newer body Murasakibara had developed both as a sport's captain and as a potential romantic partner. A part of Akashi wanted to tie that body down and make sure it would know that it was never free to do as it pleased so long as he was in control of it.

Akashi shook his head at the thought and rolled his eyes at himself. It was a shame he was finding these feelings now, rather than before when they were both at Teiko. Perhaps his younger self didn't mature as fast as the other boys, and his prepubescent self hadn't realized what exactly the others meant when all the dating nonsense had started. Still, Akashi felt out of the loop, and the fraction of his brain blamed his high social class for being uneducated in the lower, more common social cues that seemed to spring up around him faster than he could understand them. He was quite sheltered by his overprotective father, and he knew that, so he shrugged off any guilt he would begin to feel in regards to how he treated his peers sometimes as he found his father's over-protectiveness was a valid excuse for his social ignorance.

Murasakibara bit down until he felt his teeth ache with the effort. He sighed and opened his eyes, green circles of light popping out of the darkness as his eyes adjusted to the light of the hotel. He took in his settings once more, gathering his bearings so he wouldn't be so lost, then turned back to face Akashi.

While Murasakibara's back was to him, Akashi felt unsure if the giant was sobbing or suppressing his anger. He held back, wanting to reach out to him, but was unsure if there would be any physical consequences if he did. He couldn't return to his father in less than perfect condition, and his visual measurements on Murasakibara allowed him a good insight as to how long any bruises would last, if he would be lucky enough to walk away with just those. He pressed his lips into a hard line, not wanting to allow his concern to leak through his carefully composed mask and waited. Perhaps, he found himself wondering, he had crossed the line with the chess piece and scared Atsushi entirely.

But he didn't have to wait much longer; Murasakibara turned to face Akashi, his hands dropping from his face and his hair falling from between his fingers. Akashi felt his spine straighten, a sudden flash of the unknown affecting his perfect posture, and his eyes widened in mild surprise to see the intensity of the glare that Murasakibara shot at him.

"Can I use your washroom?"

Murasakibara had a hard time spitting the words out coherently.

Akashi nodded, pointed to the hallway behind Murasakibara and watched as the tall man made his way to the right room.

Murasakibara closed the door behind himself and turned to face the mirror. His eyes were dark, cold, and acidic. He scrunched his eyes shut and let the tears flow freely. He wanted nothing more than to shatter the broken image that was his reflection, but he wondered how Akashi would react to losing – and paying for – the hotel's mirror. He held his hair up in his hands, pulling it all from his face, and suppressed the loud, hiccoughing sobs that built up in his throat. His hands held his hair tightly, so he could force himself to repress the violence by squeezing something that wouldn't break, and grit his teeth in pain. He knew he couldn't hide in Akashi's bathroom for much longer. While a gruff sigh, he pulled a hair tie from around his wrist and secured his hair in a ponytail, before pushing back the faucet of the sink and beginning to splash the cold water on his face.

He was careful not the rub his eyes, fearing his eyeliner would run, but the water felt cool against his skin and fought back against the fever his anger brought on. He rubbed his fingers along his hairline and against his temples, cleaning the sweat from his brow. He made sure he wasn't fevered anymore, before patting the towel on the bar against his face and hands. He pulled the tie from his hair and brushed his fingers through it, before pulling it back again to fasten the tie around it neatly. Several strands fought against the tie and fell in his face, and he was thankful that he wouldn't feel as naked in front of Akashi as he might have without them. He sighed, feeling more ashamed of his loss of control, and began to unlock the door.

When the bathroom door clicked shut after Murasakibara went in, Akashi found himself suddenly alone again and sank into a chair at the table.

The glare was frozen in his mind as if he had taken a digital photograph of it, and would appear to him whenever he closed his eyes. He pressed his palms against his ears, forcing himself to keep his eyes wide open, trying to dispel the image from his mind. It surprised him just how strongly concentrated Atsushi's glare had been. His violet eyes had turned as hard and cold as amethysts. He hadn't bothered to hide the pure hatred in them.

Akashi shuddered. Hatred was the only word he could use to describe the look he had seen in Atsushi's eyes.

The door jerked open loudly and Akashi jump up, kicking the chair into the table with more force than necessary. It made a bang and Murasakibara jumped as he walked down the hallway. He forced himself to remain in the anxious calm he had created out of his misery and came to stand before Akashi, across the table from him as before.

"I, uhh, brought the rest of those pieces, if you...you know, would like to play?" he nodded towards the piece gloating at him on the table.

Akashi nodded, his voice still lost from the heat of Atsushi's anger. It had been a while since he had played a game against anyone other than himself, the boys at Rakuzan high never bothered to challenge him after the first week, and he felt the sudden isolation pressing against him the moment Murasakibara had offered him a game against another human.

"S-sure. That sounds like...fun."

Murasakibara retrieved the pieces from his bag and they set them in order on the board. The sets that until this morning were completely identical were now set apart by the bold shades of paint that covered them. Blood red paint now coated one player's team, while the other had been painted an ivory white, leaving the piece Akashi had put down on the board the only naturally toned piece. Murasakibara shivered involuntarily as he placed the complete set on the board, recalling how he had just painted the figures this morning. He was frightened, he admitted, by the sudden appearance of the one from Akashi's pocket, since he hadn't expected him to have still kept it, let alone brought it on this little business trip to Akita with him.

Akashi raised an eyebrow at the red set but said nothing. They began and Akashi wanted to laugh when he saw Atsushi's face crumple up in concentration. He had made thirty-two plays when Akashi had struck him with checkmate. The entire match had occurred in silence.

"Again." Murasakibara murmured.

Akashi rolled his eyes and they reset the board. When they at Teiko, Akashi had once asked Murasakibara to play chess with him. Each time he inevitably beat the taller man, Murasakibara would whine and complain about wanting to play a different game. It surprised him that Murasakibara was the one requesting they play a game of chess, and it surprised him more when the purple haired man continued to ask him for a rematch. While he welcomed the chance to play against another human for competition, Akashi found himself becoming more and more interested in the human he was playing against rather than the game itself. The changes in Murasakibara's attitude – to him – didn't seem all that bad if it meant the taller man was increasingly able to focus on more logical things, such as chess, rather than candy or ice cream flavors.

This time Murasakibara only took twenty-nine turns before his king fell. He pouted and began to reset the board, his eyebrows knit together in concentration.

"Once more."

Akashi smirked.

"Do you really enjoy being beaten that much?"

"Does it bother you?"

Akashi stared, unsure of what the question was. As he was playing the white set, he made the first move. When Murasakibara had played, moving a pawn in front of his knight, he settled for asking for clarification.

"Does your enjoyment of punishment bother me?"

"No. Does me challenging you repeatedly bother you?"

"Oh."

Akashi smiled, unsure of whether he could tell the truth in this situation. He figured it wouldn't hurt, but at the same time, he didn't want to sound dependent.

"It doesn't bother me. It doesn't make me feel any gratitude either. Mostly because I know I can win so your efforts are futile."

Atsushi bit his lip and feigned concentration. He knew there was no hope in the idea of him beating Akashi, but if it was something Akashi was willing to do besides argue with him, he was willing to make the most of it. Perhaps even just the effort would stand out to Akashi?

"I'm probably nowhere near as good as Mido-chin was, eh?"

Akashi smiled. "No," he confirmed, "You're not."

Murasakibara smiled. "I try though."

The next two turns passed in silence, before Akashi blushed. "Thank you." he murmured, knowing it was an effort on Atsushi's part to attempt to play a game Akashi's would enjoy.

The blush had brought a different feeling out in Murasakibara. He felt victorious, lighter, freer. It didn't matter if Akashi didn't say it out loud, but he knew that the effort he invested in the chess games were worth it. Akashi had thanked him, but the blush, the blush revealed there was more to the thanks than the simplicity of the words. There was feeling behind them. Murasakibara felt his spirit soar out of his body, his head grew light. He was thankful that he hadn't lost his temper, and as soon as the words were past Akashi's lips, he wasn't even sure why he had gotten so upset in the first place.

Despite the happiness he felt brought on by Akashi's blush, he fought back from becoming the euphoric puppy that Akashi hadn't been pleased with in middle school. He simply reached out and covered Akashi's entire hand with his own, and held it pinned against the table. After being so bold, he eyed the board for a worthy distraction. He noticed a knight Akashi had left out and seized it, taking it off the board with his other hand.

And his boldness worked. Akashi left his hand where it was, held hostage under Atsushi's, and moved his rook to seize the bishop that Atsushi had now left open.

The game continued and seventy-four plays later, Murasakibara was inevitably beat. Despite his previously poor games, he had been a better challenger this round. Akashi smiled. Atsushi had potential, but he was still a baby. It was going to take more than a single distraction to beat the emperor at a game of chess.

Akashi rose as Murasakibara set up the board again and entered the kitchen. He brought with him a plate of sandwiches piled with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried red onions, and grilled salmon fillets, and two tall glasses of wildberry juice. He returned to the kitchen once more to pour himself a small bowl of tofu soup from the slow cooker on the counter, which Murasakibara smirked at. They moved the board aside and began eating in silence, both having the maturity now to want to focus on eating rather than playing.

"Tell me about Rakuzan." Murasakibara found himself asking.

"What is there you want to know?"

"Oh, just anything. You don't have to talk about your team. Tell me about your classes."

Akashi seemed to relax. He didn't want to be pumped for information on his new team; talking tactics with the enemy was never something he was fond of. And now Atsushi was his enemy, considering he was attending Yosen high and therefore was a part of a different team. That was both a pro and con about being an athlete in team-based sports, your allies were only your allies for so long. At least in his horse racing competitions, his team never changed and his competition was always his competition.

"Classes are boring actually. I don't find that much of a difference between..." he hesitated, not wanting to pull the conversation to become a comparison with his previous school. "-any of them." he finished quickly.

"Ahh." Murasakibara felt compelled to say something, and he settle for a non-bias answer. He waited as Akashi chewed and swallowed before prying for more.

"How are your classmates? And teachers? Did you have any field trips yet?"

Akashi held up a hand to stop him. "One at a time." he chuckled, amused by the quick attack of questions Atsushi seemed to be prepared with. "Well," he began, "My classmates are all very boring for the most part. They don't associate with me much, despite all having similar families and career goals. My teachers don't interact or have much of a personality at all, except for my history professor. He's rather animated and I spend many lunch hours with him in the library to pass time. We used to play shogi or chess, but now with the term picking up, he's been working on preparing his tests and projects so I usually just use the time to read ahead and get my homework done. Out of all my peers there, I am probably closest with Reo Mibuchi, but he's older than me." Akashi pulled a face before he brightened with the next bit of information. "He's also my shooting guard. There haven't been any out-trips yet, but I heard that my physics class might go to the university soon. And I'm also student council president."

Murasakibara smiled and nodded, taking all the information in. He was still smiling and nodding when Akashi had finished. "Of course you are, only the emperor is fit to rule." he teased Akashi about the whole presidential role. "Tell me more." he begged.

"No." Akashi easily declined, "I've done all the talking. Now it's your turn. How's Yosen?"

Murasakibara rolled his eyes. "That's no fair, Aka-chin. You have the ability to know all about Yosen without even talking to me. No doubt you already do."

Akashi smiled. It was odd whenever Atsushi slipped back into his older self around him. It reminded him that this arrogant, irritable, sexy man was once his childish teammate, friend, and something more.

"Fine." Akashi snapped. He enjoyed toying with this new Murasakibara. He liked it a lot.

He reached out and cleared the empty dishes from the table, placing them in the sink. They had eaten a late lunch, and their time together was slowly crawling to a close. Murasakibara looked at the clocked and cursed under his breath. He didn't want Akashi to hear his new string of profanities, so instead he bit his tongue to keep back from educating Mr. Akashi's prestige son on the topic of common American slurs.

He pulled the chess board back into the center of the table, turning it so he played white, and pushed a pawn forward. He didn't what else in the hotel room would captivate Akashi's interest, since he wouldn't be interested in the television and there wasn't much else he could have brought in his bag. So he pushed him to play, savoring the moment with his ex and wracking his brain for more things they could do together that wouldn't cross the line Akashi so openly warned him about. And it was difficult: they couldn't do anything that would be too romantic, too open to the public, or too related to their sport.

Akashi picked up a knight. He held it up and rotated it, watching as the light changed the shadows on the figurine, and then looked past it to Atsushi.

"These are the pieces you made in art class, right?"

Murasakibara smiled sheepishly, proud that Akashi remembered. He knew he was only asking since he had brought the one piece himself, and there was no way he could have forgotten why he was even given that. He nodded, emotionally choked up to find his voice.

"Y-yes."

"And won first prize in the district competition too, if I'm correct?"

"Yep."

Akashi place the figure down on an appropriate square, making a move.

"They weren't painted before though." He paused. "They were plain like that one you gave me. I'm just curious, but why the red? Isn't chess traditionally black and white?"

Murasakibara moved a bishop forward, taking the opportunity from the pawn he had previously moved. He only did it so he would have time to force the blush to fade before he would admit his inspiration.

"You like chess, Aka-chin. And you're red. So-"

Akashi chuckled. "You painted it for me?"

"Well, yes. And because...there is more to it than that."

"Oh?"

"Have you ever played Oshi, Aka-chin?"

Akashi paused. He had heard of Oshi before; it was a game that he had always desired to play. The game was old, of course, just as Shogi and Chess were. It was rumored to be a game of the underworld, of the darker-minded, as the object of the game was to get inside the other player's mind and cause them to willingly lose their piece by stepping off the board. Since the game was seen to metaphorically mimic forcing a player's opponent into committing suicide, it was often seen as a taboo to play. Similar to Shogi, Oshi was played on a nine-by-nine board, but it only had a total of fourteen pieces. Despite searching everywhere, and offering to pay several companies and private businesses to make him the pieces, Akashi had never obtained the game, nor had he ever found an opponent who had heard of it that was willing to play it. Many of his father's friends had even denied him, stating they wouldn't play the devil's game. His father had eventually forbid him from asking.

"No." he admitted. "I have never played Oshi before, Atsushi. I have heard of it though."

During the silence Atsushi had produced a small bag of gummy worms from his bag. He tore it open and began to eat them slowly, biting and stretching them out to snap them into little pieces with his teeth before consuming them.

"Well, I kind of got the inspiration from that game, with one set ivory white and the other –"

"Crimson red." Akashi murmured, an expression of understanding on his face. There was a small wave of silence before Akashi looked up, with eyes gleaming.

"How have you heard of Oshi before, Atsushi?"

"I was bored and looked up Shogi online one day trying to find the rules. It came up as a relevant game, but I couldn't find anyone that would sell the pieces."

Akashi smirked. It was something Atsushi would probably do.

"I thought Shintarou-"

"Would tell me? No, he actually left the room when he saw what I was doing. He said something about the devil's game. There was a lot of that bullshit online as well."

Akashi actually laughed this time, his eyes widening slightly at Atsushi's casual use of the word 'bullshit.' "Many call it that." he agreed, trying to remain professional in his language.

"I thought Oshi was your game though, Aka-chin."

Akashi laughed some more. He knew Atsushi was poking fun at him but he didn't want to become sour over it. It was all in good humour anyhow. "I'm not the devil, Atsushi."

"You can be." Atsushi smirked. The air between them filled with tension and he waited until they had both settled down to continue. "Would you like to play it?"

"Oshi?"

"Yeah."

"It's something I'd been trying to do for a while. I just can't seem to find it anywhere myself."

Atsushi smiled. This was news to him; Akashi was resourceful and didn't exactly lack the means to customize a game. If he was rejected from artists and the like, he was most likely more than interested in obtaining a version of the game. He opened his mouth, but before he got a chance to say anything, the ringing of the hotel phone caught their attention.

Akashi got up and grabbed the receiver before it cut off.

"Konichiwa; Akashi speaking."

Murasakibara looked at the time. The final bell at school had rung nearly half an hour ago. His family would be wondering where he was at this time.

He stood up and began to check his bag. It was considerably lighter, without all the chess pieces and food he had stashed in it. He had a few bags of gummies squished at the bottom, which he pulled out and tried to make look like he had just picked them from the store and tossed them in. He pulled out his music player and began to unwind the headphone cord from around it, tossing the headset around his neck and tucking the device down his shirt so the cord wouldn't dangle in the wind and catch onto anything as he skateboarded home.

Akashi placed the phone down and came to stand by him.

"Are you going now?"

Murasakibara fought hard to keep the disappointment from his voice. "Yeah, I have to. I didn't tell my parents I was going out and I ditched class. So I better hurry before they find out."

Akashi scowled, hiding his disappointment with his disapproval.

"You shouldn't have."

"You're my captain. Besides, I didn't know when I would see you again."

Akashi was silent as he followed Atsushi to the door. Murasakibara unlocked it and opened it, before turning back to face Akashi.

"I have one question." Akashi caught him off guard, hoping to hold off his goodbye. He didn't want to let Atsushi know how much he enjoyed his company today, or that he was disappointed that he was leaving, but he wanted him to know that he still cared.

"Sure."

"You keep in touch with the other Miracles. How come you never contacted me?"

Murasakibara felt his face turn pink. He recalled how it would soften him and forced himself to clear his throat. It was becoming easier to blend the two Murasakibara's together and form an arrogant, forceful, lovable Atsushi for Akashi. He smiled at the thought, and it came off as a cocky, confident grin.

"To be honest, Aka-chin, I only contacted Kise-chin this morning."

"Oh."

"Besides, I figured you wouldn't reply to me anyways."

Akashi frowned. "I'm not that heartless." he spat out.

Murasakibara only smiled and patted Akashi's head once, mussing his fingers in Akashi's crimson hair. "I'll text you then, Aka-chin."

Akashi tried not to smile and failed, the corners of his lips lifting up in a soft expression of appreciation.

Murasakibara felt a small stirring in his stomach that had nothing to do with hunger. He bit his lower lip and bent down, the butterflies in his core going wild, and he tilted Akashi's chin up. As his lips drew closer, Akashi turned his head and allowed Atsushi to kiss his cheek instead.

"Atsushi," he complained. "It's better if we're just friends."

Murasakibara's shoulders slumped but he offered no protest. Trying to shake it off, Murasakibara just shrugged and brush his fingers against Akashi's cheek.

"Alright Aka-chin. I'm fine with that." He turned and began to make his way down the hallway, this time intent on taking the elevator and not the twenty-eight flights of stairs he had climbed this morning.

Akashi closed the door and tucked the lock back into place. The call from his father had made him jump and pulled him from his thoughts. He hadn't realized that he would become intrigued by his ex and he laughed morbidly at the multi-meaning of the word 'ex.'

He began taking off the shirt of his robe, taking his arms out of the sleeves and letting the top fall behind him, held in place by the belt around his waist, when a sight on the table caught his eye. He paused in front of the table, staring at the chess board, midway through a game. Akashi paused, wondering if he should run out and give it back to Atsushi, but he was sure Atsushi would refuse. He had brought it to share with him, inspired by him. Perhaps to complete what he had began to give him when he had given him the first piece he made when they were in middle school. The complete set was a gift.

The sudden act of kindness made Akashi's eyes dewy but he refused to cry. He continued peeling off his clothing and letting it drop wherever on the floor as his way to the bathroom; a habit he had from whenever he felt distracted. The scattered clothing somehow made him feel like he had a way back, a path to follow should he get lost. He also enjoyed the symbolism of them falling where they may. The smallest articles, like his socks, were always closest to the shower, where he felt he was reborn or cleansed. But the larger pieces, the pieces that would make the most sense, were always the first things to lose.

He smiled and turned on the faucet in the shower. Atsushi was on his mind and he was sure that he would see him in his dreams that night. He didn't want to admit it, but some feelings he didn't realize he had for him had been awoken because of his visit from the titan. It bothered him, but he wasn't ashamed or opposed to these feelings, as he had been in middle school. He was intrigued by him, confused and slightly approaching the point of becoming obsessed, but he forced himself to analyze his feelings. They were not romantically based; rather all that Atsushi had become to him was a mystery. And he delighted in the thought of solving it.


Murasakibara took the elevator down and was on his skateboard as soon as he hit the sidewalk. Afterschool foot-traffic had picked up and he began skating down the road in an attempt to maneuver quickly.

'It's better if we're just friends.'

Akashi's words cycled in his mind despite the loud music. He could make out the melody of the guitar, crashing with the waves of the bass and the stuttering drums. Once or twice he even caught the sound of the vocalist's gruff voice, fading into and out of the consciousness of his mind. But for the most part, Murasakibara was only aware of the band, playing on and on, as Akashi's monotone voice repeated the same lyrics over and over.

He was still pondering what Akashi had meant after he had pulled away from their kiss when he turned onto his own street. The lights were on inside his family's house upon seeing the sight of his warm, glowing home, Murasakibara had no desire to enter. He was thrilled that he got to spend the day with Akashi, but he found no comfort in the endless hours bound up in his house. For once the desire to be like Aomine and play ball on the street courts seemed like an ideal option, rather than have to stay cooped up in his room with his brother. He sighed, knowing his parents would be worried that he would get in trouble or question his sudden behaviour change, and reluctantly entered the house.

He smiled at the smell coming from the kitchen. Someone – most likely his mom – was preparing chicken teriyaki. He was planning to sneak to his room, but the meal changed his mind and he popped his head into the kitchen.

"Is it ready yet?" he innocently queried.

"When did you get in?"

"Just now." He fished in his bag and produced a bag of gummies. "I had a fix and got delayed talking to one of the kids that I work with on the health committee."

"Ahh." His mother smiled at him. "Just a few more minutes, Atsushi."

Atsushi turned to flee to his room.

"Ah, ah. Not just yet, mister."

Murasakibara turned back, sheepish. Did someone recognize him on the street and rat him out for ditching school?

"You have several messages. Apparently your friend, Kise Ryouta, was trying to contact you all day."

Murasakibara's face brightened. "Kise-chin called?!"

He checked the message pad near the phone and took the top page with him as he rushed to his room. The number wasn't from Kise's mobile phone, so he must have called from his dormitory's ground phone. Atsushi didn't understood the sudden use of his landline; Kise-chin usually had his mobile with him, and it would have Atsushi's number. He sent Kise a text saying he would call him in an hour or so, explaining he just got home and had to eat dinner with his family first.

The chicken teriyaki was ready by the time he had cleaned up and went back down. Everyone was at their places at the table and he settled himself in quickly so he wouldn't attract any attention. Nori made a face at him and he tried his best to not let it get the best of him. The twins were in their own world, fighting with each other over food servings and keeping their mother busy. While everyone was busy making small talk around the table, as the Murasakibara's never felt the need to question each and every kid on how their day was or what they had done, Nori leaned over to spill whatever was on his mind.

"Didn't see ya on my way to third period as I always do. What did you do this time to earn a talking to?"

Atsushi froze, not wanting to be caught up in lies. Nori was always his biggest worry whenever he was cutting class because he was Atsushi's only sibling that still attended high school. He was in his final year.

"I just...needed help."

"Yeah. Right."

"It's none of your business anyways."

His brother rolled his eyes and Atsushi rushed the rest of his meal, skipping his turn to do the dishes and not bothering to wait for the peach cobbler that was baking for dessert, claiming that he was eager to speak to Kise. He knew his parents would forgive him for abandoning his chores in lieu of speaking to one of his old friend's, since speaking to any friends at all was a rarity for him these days and the absence of Kise was seen as something that contributed to his declined in moral attitude. As soon as he was finished eating, he stood and took his plate to the sink, washing it and leaving it in the dish rack to dry. Then he took the landline phone since he knew the call would take him a while and he didn't want to waste his minutes if he was already at home. He headed up to his room to talk to Kise.

Kise was chirpy as he answered the phone.

"Murasakicci!"

"Kise-chin!"

To any third party listening, their greetings would seem oddly out of place with their matured voices. The conversation was long, passing through the details of Kise's day and their high schools. Atsushi was surprised to find Ryouta had increased his workout schedule in order to remain on the school team and become a better player, although this made his homework suffer. It reminded him of the amount of homework he would have to tackle to stay caught up with all the classes he missed today.

After much chatter about the guys on their teams and the now ordinary routine they both had to endure, the conversation drew back to their old school and the times they shared. They didn't have to describe every detail for each other as they had with their new schools, and it was nice to just remember their favorite things together. Murasakibara was glad Kise hadn't been able to see his face. He hadn't seemed to have heard of his attitude lately either, and he hoped that the smile in his voice was audible for his best friend to acknowledge just how much this meant to him. It was a good feeling to have the nostalgic waves wash over them and realize that they were still close to each other. He smiled and found himself cuddled to the phone as he listened to Kise talking about his English class. Suddenly he snickered.

Kise paused.

"What's so funny?" His voice was humourous, he knew Atsushi wasn't being rude.

"You just reminded me of what I did in English the other day. You would have died if you saw me."

"What did you do, Murasakicci?"

"I shouldn't tell you. You'll never forgive me."

"Spill!"

Atsushi chuckled but needed no further prompt.

"Okay, so we're reading Shakespeare because he's just great, right? And so...I was bored, right? And, well, I put my head down to sleep and my teacher called me out."

"Oh?"

"And he asked me why I wasn't participating and I told him I was bored."

"Well, that's blunt."

"It was the truth. Anyways, he told me that I needed to know this stuff for the future, like my job and stuff."

"Don't tell me you gave him the bakery lecture?"

"Naw. I just told him 'why do I need to know Shakespeare when I can shake this?' and proceeded to stand on my chair and shake my booty."

Kise's laughter was audible even with the phone held away. It was a moment before he could control himself enough to speak.

"You're new boyfriend is definitely a bad influence on you."

Murasakibara halted, his smile slipping off his face.

"What did you just say?"

"I mean, I can't believe you did that!" Kise was saying. He stopped and listened to Atsushi. "Oh, it's just that I ran into that black haired boy that goes to your school. He said he's the Yosen shooting guard or something, number twelve. Anyways, he's this cute American boy with a beauty mark under his eye. He said he's your boyfriend."

Atsushi listened in horrified numbness. "Muro-chin?" His voice came out like a whisper.

"Yeah, his name was Himuro or something."

"Kise-chin, we're not dating."

"Oh?!"

"No, I'm serious. We're not together that way!"

The tone of Atsushi's voice was enough to convince Ryouta of his friend's truth.

"Don't panic, Murasakicci. I believe you."

"Does..." Atsushi was having a hard time forming the question on his lips. "Does Aka-chin know about this?"

Kise's silence bothered Atsushi. "I don't...think so."

"Does Aka-chin know about this?!"

"Calm down, Murasakicci! I don't think so. Akashicci hasn't been in contact with any of us since he moved."

Murasakibara's mind was on fast-forward. Suddenly everything that had occurred that afternoon clicked into place. Akashi's defensiveness, his rejection, 'it's better if we're just friends.' Akashi thought he was dating Muro-chin, and that must mean Akashi thought he changed himself for Himuro and not for Akashi.

"I've...got to call you back, Kise-chin. I need to call Akashi."

"Eh?! You still talk to Akashicci?! You didn't tell me-"

"I'll call you back!"

Atsushi was panicked as he hung up and raced down the stairs to put the landline away. He wanted to call Akashi as soon as possible, but he wanted to use his cell phone. The last thing he needed was for anyone in his family to pick up one of the other landline devices and listen in on his call to his former captain, who was a topic they had all come to understand as a trigger for Atsushi.

It was still early enough to call Akashi, but the panic was beginning to blur all his thoughts together. What would he say to him? How could he even begin to explain this misunderstanding when he wasn't even aware of how it began? How could he possibly bring it up?

The cordless home-phone had been thrust back into its cradle when Atsushi turned and raced right into his older brother, Akira. He glared down his long nose at Atsushi, his lavender hair fair and styled in its usual sidepart.

"Guess who just called mum on her cell?" he questioned.

Atsushi was suddenly full of rage from feeling backed into a corner. The panic had converted itself into anxiety, and from that to adrenaline. It was coursing through his body now, pumping testosterone at an alarming rate through his veins.

"I don't care." he forced himself to mutter.

His fists shook at his side and he turned to face away from his brother. He closed his eyes and looked down, letting his hair fall over his face. He began counting to ten, trying desperately not to lose his temper. But with each passing minute he was distracted, he would lose time to talk to Akashi and set his record straight.

"Your second period teacher." his brother stated. Despite his intentions his words made Atsushi feel taunted.

His other siblings were beginning to saunter into the kitchen now, all beginning to carry in their dishes. His father was not far behind them and Atsushi's stomach flipped at the thought of him learning that he had ditched classes again. He didn't need his father to spend time lecturing him; he knew it would only cause him to be more anxious about missing his opportunity to speak to Akashi, and that made him afraid that in his panic he would commit further unacceptable actions. He wasn't sure how much longer the rage would hold back. He already nearly lost it with Akashi earlier today, and he wasn't worried about whatever Himuro was stating behind his back at that time.

Akashi. His eyes flashed to the clock which seemed to have sped up since he had gotten off the phone with Kise. It was not a big deal to have to call Akashi tomorrow, but he knew that he couldn't just call and try to explain everything over the phone. No, it wasn't fair. He had to see him again. He had to talk to him face-to-face. And that meant that he would have to call him now to let him know that he was going to make an attempt to see him tomorrow. Since his family had found out he ditched class today, he didn't have much hope that he would be able to ditch it tomorrow. And that meant Akashi would leave Akita before he had a change to fix everything between them.

"Apparently you weren't in class today." his brother sneered, oblivious to the fury rolling off his younger sibling. "And that's probably why Nori didn't-"

Bang!

His entire family froze where they were, with the exception of Atsushi's older brother, Akira. He flew to the ground four feet away from where he previously stood, his nose and mouth covered in blood. Atsushi hadn't meant to hit him, let alone make him bleed, but the antagonism was beyond his limit and he had lost all control; like a tightly wound spring he finally couldn't handle the pressure and snapped. He stood with his arm stretched out, blood on the knuckles of his fist, staring out past his family.

His sister turned and raced from the room, running for their mother. His father had rushed to his brother's side, helping him sit up so the blood wouldn't flow down his throat. It had seemed so sudden that Atsushi had lost control. None of the Murasakibara family had been aware of what was being said, and it took all of them by surprise that their youngest had suddenly become violent. He was breathing deeply, the sound his fist had made against his brother's face repeating in his mind, the cracking soothing him in a way he was never aware of before.