A/N:I apologise for the late update. Real Life was being a bastard, so I was busy attempting to give it a sound slap across the face. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter!
Akashi did not know why, but after that incident, Akashi found himself avoiding Kuroko.
It was something he could not control. Something in him screamed at him to stay away, the further the better.
But Akashi fought against it whenever it was meal time. He needed Kuroko's help. Although he might not need it soon. He found himself naturally staying away from certain foods and after confirmation from Kuroko, Akashi realised that he had started to successfully choose which to stay away from.
Akashi mentioned it to Kuroko, and Kuroko had only smiled in reply.
Then, Kuroko reminded him that he only had one more day to decide on wearing the bracelet.
Akashi frowned.
It was not like him to constantly depend on others, but he still felt apprehensive to be on his own. After all, one wrong decision and he may end up drugged. Then again, he was not the type to make mistakes. But the reason why all the Miracles had a bracelet on was because they had all made a mistake and ended up drugged by the scientists.
The scientist would use the vulnerable state a person was in to make them agree to put the bracelet on. Only then would they help to ease the pain of the drugged person. The agreement was also recorded (and edited) so that the person would not be able to make the claim that they were forced into putting it on.
They were not forced, just very cleverly manipulated.
Even so, it's not like they would even try to make such a claim. What was the point? Even the government would not care about the Aves, so complaining really would not make any difference. Still, the scientists would go so far just to make sure that they have all grounds covered.
Akashi laid in his bed, on his stomach, staring at the bracelet.
Bored and tired of trying to decide, Akashi used his power on the bracelet.
Images slammed into his mind, from the very production of the bracelet to the scientists who had modified it. His eyes narrowed.
Akashi sat up, and threw the bracelet over one of the bed posts.
He did not need it.
He would not make mistakes.
A movement from the corner of his eye had Akashi turning his head, and he stared straight into a pair of blue eyes. Kuroko was watching him.
Akashi did not look away.
"Not putting it on?" Kuroko inquired softly.
"No."
Kuroko said nothing else, just staring at Akashi. Eventually, he tucked his head into the little space he made with his arms and a wing shifted, completely covering Kuroko.
Akashi blinked.
Kuroko completely blended into the darkness of the little corner he had settled himself in. Unless one focused hard enough, Kuroko was practically undetectable.
Frowning, Akashi lay on his back. The bed was specially made, to allow a winged person to lie on their backs.
He sighed.
After his decision, Kuroko did not make any move to help Akashi.
And Akashi began to have his meals together with the Miracles. From time to time, Akashi could feel Kuroko's gaze on him. But Kuroko never approached him. Their interaction with each other was reduced greatly.
With each safe meal, Akashi gained confidence in his ability to discern the drugged food.
And a rumour spread that there was another monster: Akashi.
The scientists watched Akashi closely, though they did not maintain a fear distance as they did with Kuroko. This made Akashi annoyed.
While he was mulling over whether he should use his power on them, he ate elegantly. Ordinary humans were different from Aves, they did not have the strength to counter against the powers of Aves. If Akashi was not careful, they might end up dead.
Akashi also found out about what was (most likely) the main reason why the bracelet was created. Akashi learnt from Midorima that the bracelet also had a function where both the wearer and the bracelet would explode. And that function was only permitted to the scientists.
All scientists carry around a small remote, used only when attacked to save their own lives and kill the Ave that dared to rebel. And they do not stop at just killing the one who attacked. They kill off any random person in a group as a warning.
Groups among the Aves are the most vulnerable. Watching your friends die is not a pleasant sight. This was something the Aves here are not willing to risk, so they do not attempt to injure the scientists.
Seeing as how Kuroko killed both ordinary humans and Aves which resulted in them being so fearful of him... Perhaps Akashi should kill some as well? He did not like the lack of respect the scientists held towards him.
Akashi was a little conflicted. Killing some scientists didn't seem so bad. And he was not wearing a bracelet as well. But the scientists had already seen him sitting with the Miracles. If they were targeted…
He sighed.
He glanced behind him, watching Kuroko as he drank. Vanilla tea, perhaps? Akashi chuckled softly.
Should he turn into a lone wolf? Just like Kuroko.
Akashi hummed.
No, that would make it too obvious. He sighed.
Suddenly, the doors of the dining hall burst open.
And a scientist walked in. He had dark gray hair and a large smirk on his face. His eyes scanned the room, before finding his target.
Akashi stared as the man swaggered past his table, heading straight for Kuroko.
The man slammed his palm down onto the table, standing close to where Kuroko was seated. He leaned down, face less than five inches away from Kuroko's.
"Hey, little freak. Your wings are really black, huh? I've never seen such wings before, so when I heard of you, I came rushing to take a look. I made the trouble to come all the way here for one reason: I'm going to make you my personal subject for all my experim–"
Before the man could finish speaking, a furious shout echoed in the dining room.
"Haizaki Shougo!" A small, petite woman stood at the doorway, hands on her hips.
Midorima leaned forward, keeping his voice low and said, "That's Aida Riko. She's a scientist that helps us. Usually, she tells us things about the scientists or which food they drugged. Although she only started telling us about the latter after Kagami had recklessly grabbed some food to eat without checking first. She's now searching for a discreet way for our bracelets to be removed."
Akashi's eyebrow rose. He watched the female scientist with interest.
"Ah? What do you want?" The man, Haizaki, turned around and scowled at Riko.
"You did not receive permission to enter the dining hall. You have to be assigned, you can't just go anywhere you like, newbie." Riko scolded.
"Who cares? I do whatever I want. The last lab I was in gave me freedom to go wherever I wanted, and this lab will be no different." Haizaki sneered.
Before Riko could retort, her eyes suddenly widened.
Haizaki whipped around, but he was too slow. A massive black wing came crashing down on him, and the clear sounds of bones shattering could be heard.
Haizaki screamed, falling to the floor.
Kuroko shifted his wing back, staring down at the convulsing, bleeding scientist. The other scientists standing near the windows rushed to help the fallen man, but froze when Kuroko slowly stood up.
Kuroko strolled his way to the door, brushing past a shaking Riko.
A soft groan from Haizaki snapped the other scientist out of their fear and they rushed Haizaki to the medical section of the building.
Akashi's eyes followed Kuroko until he was out of sight.
Kuroko quickly made his way to the rooftop, he had to hurry before that person contacts him.
Nearly destroying the doors in his haste, his mere presence sent those who were lazing around on the rooftop sprinting pass him. Now completely alone, Kuroko turned around and gently closed the doors.
He lifted his palm, and a blue flame materialised. Leaving the flame to float in the air, he lightly paced around the roof, waiting.
Soon enough, the blue flame wavered. It grew bigger and started to turn white. And a frowning face appeared within the flame.
Kuroko greeted the face with an innocent smile.
There was a soft sigh.
"Why did you do that?"
"He came too close." Kuroko replied. "My wings are rather large, I was careless and he got hit."
An exasperated exhale.
"Don't bother lying to me. It is impossible for you to be 'careless'."
Kuroko shrugged.
The flame crackled warningly.
He sighed. "Fine, I was annoyed. I could already tell what kind of person he was from the exchange between him and Aida Riko."
Kuroko stared unblinkingly at the face. With a single shake of his head, the person within the flames closed his eyes.
"Injure him as much as you want, just don't kill him."
Kuroko grinned. "Really? So I can cripple him for life?"
A raised eyebrow.
"How will you do that? Technology is so advanced now, any lost limb can be easily replaced."
Kuroko hummed.
"That is true. I want to cut off his legs, but that kind of minor injury would be easy to deal with. What should I do?" Kuroko tilted his head to the side.
"How about attacking his mind instead?"
Kuroko brightened. "Yeah! I can do that!"
The person in the flames smiled a little.
Kuroko blinked. "You know, you're so weird. Why do you not care about how I want to cause trouble for the people you are responsible for? You're even helping me to think of torture methods."
The flame burned brighter and blank eyes stared at Kuroko.
"It is only fair. Many Aves have died at the hands of humans. As long as you don't go on a massacre, I will overlook the few humans you have killed or have interfered with."
Kuroko smiled.
"Okay."
With a graceful nod, the person disappeared. The white flame shrunk and evaporated, leaving only Kuroko's small blue flame.
He reached forward, putting out the fire with his hand.
Akashi stared at Kuroko.
No, it would be more accurate to say he was staring at Kuroko's wings. Kuroko must have had noticed such obvious staring, but he did not even move from where he had curled up against the wall, in his usual spot.
Kuroko's entire figure was hidden by his wings.
Akashi was suddenly filled with the urge to touch them. According to Midorima, it should not have been possible to inflict that much damage with their wings. At the very most, they should be able to slam a person against the wall. Breaking bones with a single hit was just not possible.
But Kuroko had done the impossible.
Akashi shifted closer to Kuroko. He was unable to use his powers on Kuroko, so Akashi could only resort to simple staring. And touch.
He really wanted to touch Kuroko's wings. But he was uncertain about what Kuroko's reaction would be if he did. Judging from the speed he saw earlier, should Kuroko desire to attack, Akashi knew that he would not be able to avoid it.
Akashi crouched before Kuroko, his wings spread for balance, but also in preparation to dodge.
He stretched out his hand, and very lightly, ran his fingers through the soft feathers of Kuroko's wing. A twitch from Kuroko had Akashi propelling himself backwards, as far away as he could get.
Kuroko shifted, and his wing lowered, allowing for his face to be visible. He stared at Akashi questioningly.
Akashi hesitated slightly but said, "Midorima said that it should not have been possible to cause as much damage as you did. How strong are your wings?"
Kuroko blinked slowly.
"Strong enough to kill a person if I do not control my strength." Kuroko answered.
"Why are they so strong?"
"There's no reason. I did not specially train them or anything like that. It's natural."
Akashi stared suspiciously at Kuroko. Kuroko met his gaze coldly. They remained locked in a battle of stares, broken only when a scientist yanked the gate open.
He announced in a booming voice, "Ave no. 893, Kuroko Tetsuya. We have decided that for your punishment of attacking a noble researcher, you are hereby sentenced to an operation three hours from now for a microchip to be placed into your brain, and all control of your movements will be dictated by the Head Researcher of this facility."
All the while, the scientist was facing the wall, averting his eyes from Kuroko.
Akashi watched as Kuroko stood up, taking slow steps towards the scientist. Akashi smothered a laugh as the scientist's hands began trembling.
Kuroko stopped about an arm's length away from the scientist.
He smiled, an adorably childish grin that had Akashi blinking his eyes. He did not know that Kuroko was actually capable of such expressions. But then, Akashi's body tensed. A deep sense of foreboding overcame him. His heartbeat quickened.
A strange aura enveloped Kuroko, and Akashi's wings suddenly spread out to their full length. This was an instinctive reaction, Akashi had no control over his wings. His mind – no not his mind, but rather, his very blood – was screaming at him to stay away from Kuroko. Run, run as far as you can.
Death is approaching.
The man suddenly fell to his knees, foaming at the mouth. He did not even have time to scream. His eyes were restless, shifting left and right in rapid motion, and eventually rolled back into his head. The scientist's stiff body shook violently.
Akashi watched the man, trying to focus as his mind was filled with screams to run, run, run.
It ended as abruptly as it had started; the man froze, and then fell to the side like a lifeless puppet.
Akashi's mind calmed, and his wings relaxed.
"Is he still alive?" Akashi asked, voice hoarse. His heart continued to race even though his outward appearance was calm.
Kuroko smirked. "He is. He's alive."
Akashi wet his dry lips. "But?"
Kuroko glanced at Akashi. "But he is as good as dead. I destroyed his mind."
Akashi stared at the man wordlessly.
Kuroko hooked his fingers into the man's lab coat, and started dragging him away.
"Where are you going?" Akashi hurried to ask.
"Dropping off this garbage, and to visit Haizaki Shougo."
Akashi silently tagged along.
Kuroko gently slid open a door, flinging the scientist into a corner of the room.
Akashi stared at the peacefully sleeping Haizaki. The rhythmic beeping of the machines filled the quiet room. Akashi did not step any further into the room.
Having thrown the now useless scientist away, Kuroko moved to Haizaki. He raised a hand, and with a single finger, he gently tapped Haizaki's forehead.
Haizaki's eyes shot open.
Akashi gripped the door hard, and he did not move even as his wings once again tensed and spread themselves out. The same thing that the scientist earlier had gone through was now happening to Haizaki.
Destroying the mind. Akashi felt a little seed of fear growing within him.
Such a deadly ability, Akashi was absolutely certain that he would not be able to counter such an attack. The person standing before him was not any ordinary Ave, but a monster.
Kuroko Tetsuya was a monster.
Akashi finally gave in to his instincts, and flew back into the room.
He did not see the manic smile on Kuroko's face.
Murasakibara was very efficient in getting Akashi a room of his own.
He had given Kuroko a very stilted excuse on why he wanted a room of his own, but Kuroko did not seem to mind. All he did was nod his head in acknowledgement.
The news of how both Haizaki and a fellow co-worker had somehow became deranged overnight spread as fast and uncontrollable as a forest fire.
Even though no one mentioned the perpetrator, everyone knew it was the work of one Kuroko Tetsuya. Only he could make a person go insane.
But no other scientist had stepped up to issue Kuroko a 'punishment'. If anything, the scientists all became extra wary of Kuroko. Somehow, they did not think to target Akashi even though he had stayed in the same room as Kuroko for some time.
Kagami mentioned that it might be the work of Riko. Contrary to her appearance, Riko was actually someone who was highly ranked among all the scientists. She had many scientists under her, and they were not allowed to defy her when she gave orders.
Akashi spent a whole month avoiding Kuroko.
But he was not idle. Setting his fear of Kuroko aside, Akashi was helping Riko in finding a way to remove the bracelets. There was astounding progress from the moment Akashi started helping out.
That was not enough for Akashi though.
He wanted to be free. There was no way Akashi was going to allow himself to remain trapped in such a place. Starting with the Miracles, Akashi began to gather trustworthy companions. He needed their cooperation when the time to break out of this place arrived.
Time flew by with Akashi being as busy as he was. One month after another had already flown by before he noticed.
Akashi did not know why, but with every day that passed, he felt a strange tension rising within him.
A soft crackling had Kuroko blinking his eyes open, awakening from his brief rest. Sleep was not necessary for him, but it was a good way to pass the time.
The darkness of the cocoon made by his wings was lit up by Kuroko's blue fire. Kuroko tilted his head in question. He did not call forth his fire, why did it materalise? The little flame started wavering, and a beautiful blue '50' blazed strongly.
He blinked. Ah, the countdown has started.
Kuroko giggled.
