A/N: Hello~! I hope I'm not late in the monthly update! Here's chapter 4.

Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke

"The question is not what you look at, but what you see."

- Henry David Thoreau

Previously…

Diverting his attention away from the two women, his eyes landed on a boy on the horse opposite them, having the same hair color as the woman his mother was speaking to. Red eyes met gray. Akashi blinked. Was that boy there since the beginning?

The boy returned his gaze and Akashi felt his curiosity rise at blank expression the child wore. He cleared his throat. "I am the Crown Prince Akashi Seijurou." He introduced. "And you are?"

"Mayuzumi Chihiro, your Highness." The boy answered. His eyes glossed over Akashi, meeting sky blue eyes behind him. "And who is the Onii-san behind you?"

Chapter 4: Seeing Angel Part two

If the child was playing a joke, he would have certainly won his purpose. Or so, Akashi thought as he looked over his shoulder, searching for the said 'Onii-san'. Behind him though—

…was an empty space.

Certainly, the gray haired child wouldn't be referring to any of the villagers. There was only a woman and a child across the road behind him. No individual that would fit in the description of an 'Onii-san' in sight. He turned to Mayuzumi, annoyed that he'd been somewhat upped in a joke so simple. (And on their first meeting nonetheless…)

"I see no one there."

He expected a laugh or two, thinking that he'd been taken for a fool for falling for such a low joke but the gray haired child only frowned, looking past him again. This made him confused as the child seemed to be transfixed on something behind him before he turned his gaze to him.

"I apologize, your Highness. It must have been the snow playing tricks on my eyes." The boy apologized. Akashi quirked an elegant brow, searching for faults in this…unexpected apology. The boy might as well still be playing his joke and as much as Akashi liked pranks, having to taste his own medicine leaves a bad taste in his mouth. He made a mental note to apologize afterwards (much to Kuroko's secret pleasure) especially to his tutor who had been the most frequent victim of this 'human behavior study' a.k.a pranks.

Regretfully, even when he tried to find much though, he found no sign from the child's blank expression. He accepted the apology with a nod, reluctantly tearing his eyes away from the child. He looked back again (just in case) but was welcomed with the empty space. Really. He should have known better. He shrugged, directing his attention instead towards his rather energetic mother again who was lying on the ground with the woman whom she more or less tackled a while ago.

"Mother, I think you should let the kind lady go. The grounds are cold…"

He was there, sitting inconspicuously behind the red haired prince. Sky blue hair with matching sky blue eyes— he was impossible to miss. Not to mention the…off aura around the individual that screamed he wasn't just someone.

(Similar to them.)

But the prince didn't see him though.

He should have known, he thought wryly as a soft sigh escaped his lips.

He was one of those individuals.

He wasn't surprised when it took a moment for the prince to find who he was referring to and utter the next words he had been accustomed to hear since a while now...

"I see no one there."

Ignoring the confused look the prince gave him, he stared at the icy blue eyes of the angel, frowning. He has yet to see one of them at close proximity and it slightly gave him the chills when he met the icy blue eyes observing him. A glint passed through those eyes while the angel slowly brought a finger to his lips, asking to be silent. Mayuzumi silently complied, knowing the prince probably wouldn't believe him at this point.

"I apologize, your Highness. It must have been the snow playing tricks on my eyes." He said instead. The child's eyes fluttered to his face, trying to find faults in his apology. He must have thought he was playing a trick on him, similar to the people he had tried to point out to—may it be adult or child. Those invisible beings that no normal human should see hanging around them….

Mayuzumi already wiped his face off emotions.

On some level though, he was impressed. A noble child would have probably sniffed in disdain, especially a royalty and went on to rant on how dare he play a trick on someone as noble (he rolled his eyes) as his being and had him punished. A commoner's child would laugh but would dub him as weird and possibly insult him for it at a later date (especially bullies). And an adult would just laugh and tell him it's not nice to play jokes on people.

But a look in those red eyes screamed… demanded the absolute truth in them. The child didn't even seem to be aware of it either which was unnerving in his perspective. It's not every day that he meets someone with red eyes who could possibly look intimidating without being aware of it.

So this is the prince…he mused. If he had been really playing a joke, he would have won but didn't probably survive with his head intact.

…Which was not a thought for a seven year old even anyway if it was a prince (except maybe for some presumptuous children who had the gall to do so). So he'll probably just get away with a punishment in the very least…

The prince however only nodded, finally drawing his eyes away from him, and shifted his gaze to the queen and his mother on the ground. He ignored the icy blue eyes that stared at him as he watched the redhead call out to the queen.

Mayuzumi undoubtedly was curious now.

The queen chuckled, pulling herself together under the boy's reminder. Both women stood up from the ground, brushing the snow from their cloaks and Mayuzumi watched as his mother zeroed in the appearance of the young prince. The boy politely introduced himself whilst his mother curtsied.

"You have your mother's hair but your father's eyes…" his mother observed, "No matter. I am Mayuzumi Chizuru, my prince. Your mother, Queen Seira's, sister."

Silence hung in the air as the prince gave them unbelieving, surprised and name it— shocked looks. The queen giggled, confirming what her sister said. The prince blinked, regarding Mayuzumi's mother with disbelief still written on his face. "Auntie?"

Mayuzumi Chizuru chuckled, lifting a hand to her chest. "Indeed, I am, Seijurou-kun. I am honored to meet my nephew yet abashed that I am greeting you in this attire unsuitable for royalty. However, I hope you don't mind." She smiled.

Akashi stared in muted awe before he blinked, seemingly remembering something before he turned to the gray haired child watching him. "And I suppose you are my cousin?"

Mayuzumi answered him with an amused smile. "It may seem so, your Highness."

After the initial shock of the events which hung on the prince only as he took in the unexpected news, (Mayuzumi was not that shocked for he had already known of his heritage.) the four left the village shortly, biding the elder and the villagers goodnight as they rode to the Mayuzumi's dwelling. The two women began to chatter on the way whilst leaving the children who sat in front, listening— or at least in the red haired prince's case.

"So you say that Chihiro-kun is not seven but supposed to be ten year old this year?" the queen asked, surprised.

"It is as you say, Onee-sama." Chizuru answered. "It took us three years before we decided to show Chihiro to the village. He was 3 years old at that time of course but he was very small. You should know how when words get passed around, they change over the time. So it is not uncommon for the village to think that Chihiro is seven." She further explained.

"And you did not bother correcting them?"

The older Mayuzumi shook her head with an amused smile. "Do you think I did not? I tried a couple of times but it cannot exactly change what is already done." She said.

The queen hummed in response, a little disappointed but understanding in that sense. The said subject of the conversation however wasn't listening, transfixed on something above them. One would assume he would be looking at the stars or something of the like but what caught his attention was something more interesting than that.

Between the darkness of the young night and the light the torch provided, one thing stood out.

The wings of a certain angel.

They were broad and plush, feathery with softly scalloped edges like the ones in the church. The inside of the blue haired angel's wings were glowing with bluish iridescence and Mayuzumi saw the glittering light falling around them like confetti as he hovered above them as if shielding them from snow. They glowed, casting shifting opalescent light on them, similar to a full moon's light and a mirror's reflected light.

"Chihiro?"

As if hearing a distant clap, the entrancing spell casted over him had been broken. Mayuzumi found himself staring back at a pair of gold eyes. He blinked. Catching something in his eyes however, a small smile appeared on his mother's lips, understanding something. He blinked again, looking down. He never really understood how she understood from his eyes but that's how she always was…

"Saw something nice?" she asked, still smiling.

Mayuzumi nodded, sparing the wings one last look before he faced front again with a small smile on his face.

They're beautiful… beautiful he wished someone else would look harder…

…

The queen looked upward, icy blue eyes meeting gold. A smile bloomed on her lips. Akashi, meanwhile took no notice of any of these. Pity, he would have been able to see it at that moment.

But he did not look up.

Above them, Kuroko's wings beat softly.

A frosted lake lay before them as they dismounted from the horses. The Mayuzumis as it turned out had built their house near a lake which would have been beautiful given that they came here in summer instead of winter. But let bygones be bygones. Kuroko noticed from his view above even without the aid of a light, across the lake was a perfect view of the village. A normal person would have trouble seeing it without the help of a telescope but still, it was a good spot for one governing the land. As the older Mayuzumi led the horses to the stables, the young boy led the two royalties inside the 'homey' house. Fairly simple on the outside but Kuroko knew better than to judge so early.

He floated down to the icy ground, slowly tucking in his wings as he felt them vanish into his skin. He turned his attention once more towards the house. Two windows in the front and likewise up the second floor— A porch and as expected, a telescope turned towards the direction of the village. Slowly, Kuroko climbed the wooden steps, his eyes turned towards the window in what seems to be the living room where he could see his charge staring at his surroundings in wonder. To the side, as expected too, the queen gushing over…things. Kuroko shook his head with a smile, entering inside.

Kuroko followed them as the child gave them a tour around the house. The living room, the kitchen, the dining room, two bedrooms, the porch, the bathroom and the guestroom— around the house indeed: No spot missed. But it was fairly decent one. Halfway through the tour, Kuroko noticed the gray haired woman enter the main door. He stood still, waiting to see any reaction from the woman. He watched as the gray haired woman removed her boots, stacking them near the three boots in the corner. Removing her cloak, she hung it next to the cloaks— two mini cloaks and two adult cloaks including hers. She smiled, as if the sight amused her somehow. Kuroko waited for her to notice him without taking off his invisibility…

– but the woman passed through him.

Make no mistake. It was right through him.

Kuroko followed her with his gaze, his suspicions confirmed. A second later, he followed her towards the living room, where minutes later they all gathered after the tour (which was approximately 30 minutes). Chizuru called them to the dining room, not far away from the kitchen after dinner has been served.

At the age of five, Akashi had been finally allowed to attend the morning and evening meals with the King and the Queen at the Dining Hall. Custom decreed that the King should sit at the head of the table, the heir to the throne to his right and the Queen at the foot of the table. Only at tea time in the garden do they all sit together without a very long table between. But those times are limited in a sense that a king should be reading petitions in his office instead of taking time for tea.

At times where they eat at the Dining Hall, the Queen always coached the young prince carefully on how he should behave until he turned 6 years old. During that time, they frequently practiced table etiquette in the queen's room when she hosted tea parties with a few princesses and noble ladies. After all, an Akashi should show up well-mannered and behaved as the heir to the throne that had been handed down for thousands of years.

So when Akashi stared at the table only long enough to accommodate five people at most, unlike the long table he was accustomed to, he could only follow his mother lead—unsure. There were no seating arrangements where the nobles should be arranged and the like. He was free to sit anywhere he liked, except of course the seat of the head of the family which was vacated only for the person himself to sit. However, he seemed to be absent at the moment.

And as Akashi sat at his mother's side, he could only stare at her, unsure of what to do. The queen smiled at him gently, patting his head.

"Do not be so stiff, Sei-chan~! It's okay. Just for this temporary vacation, I'll let you forget my teaching. Relax, dear."

Akashi could only hesitantly nod.

The table utensils they used consisted of wood, unlike the golden and silverwares he was yet again accustomed to, slightly putting him off. But as long as they served the same purpose, it was of little consequence. (Given that he just stared at it for a long time before he felt his own mother looking at him and slowly, he was forced to use them.) The food was not that extravagant either compared to the dishes the royal cooks usually made. But somehow, they were delicious in their own way. (On a side note, maybe he should ask his auntie for details later and have the royal cook make it personally for him. It was really good.)

The table was filled with chatter too unlike the silence he was accustomed to. Even if it was only his mother and auntie that filled it with chatter and occasionally pulled the two children into the conversation. But the younger Mayuzumi has proven himself to be rather a quiet individual and while Akashi liked to chat, he was more interested in listening to his mother's 'young days' as they put it.

Dinner ended shortly. But the two women had yet to end their conversation there. They haven't seen each other in roughly 10 years from what Akashi gathered in the conversation and the two had much to share apparently.

And so— the sleeping arrangements have been made.

The man of the house wouldn't be home until tomorrow morning and this has given the sisters a leeway to sleep together and shoo the boys into Mayuzumi's room. The perfect excuse for this as per their words: "Women's talk will just bore you children! Why not try to get to know each other instead~? I'm sure that is more productive!"

Mayuzumi for one thing didn't seem bothered by this while Akashi on the other hand was wary as a child could be in the company of a stranger. But he didn't dare rebut the excuse, seeing his mother was so happy to be with her sister.

— That didn't mean though that he didn't try to use his legendary puppy eyes to change her mind in the first place because while he didn't abhor his 'cousin's' presence (which was close to nonexistent that he almost wouldn't notice him most of the time and to be honest, it was like staying with a ghost), he wasn't exactly comfortable with it either. Unfortunately, the queen was one of the few who could resist his last resort tactic.

So now, he stood at the doorway of the older boy's room in his pajama glory while the said owner of the room set the candle on the bedside table and went to close the curtains. It was a fairly simple room with its own basic furniture consisting of a bed, wardrobe, table, chair and a bookshelf which was beginning to be filled with books. That of course left him with the impression that his cousin liked to read.

"Your Highness."

His attention was returned to the said boy who was already in the bed in his own pajama glory, waiting for him. Akashi closed the door behind him, gingerly scanning the room once more before climbing the bed after the boy. While the bed wasn't exactly soft as his bed back in the palace, the soft and fluffy blanket thick enough to ward off the cold for the night compensated for it. As he eased himself under the covers, he threw a look towards his cousin who seemed to be all set to go to dreamland with his nightcap on.

"Why the formalities when you can just call me by my name, given that you are my cousin?" he couldn't help but ask. With their conversations so far no matter how brief it is, he always called him 'your Highness'. The gray haired child looked at him blankly as if the answer is obvious itself.

"Why? — you ask, your Highness? It is fairly simple as saying that a commoner should give respect to the royalty." Mayuzumi answered in all simplicity. At this, Akashi couldn't help but be puzzled. While it sounded sarcastic to him, at the same time it was not.

"But you are my cousin with royal blood in your veins. You're not a commoner." The redhead said, confused.

"But I am, just the same." Mayuzumi rebutted. "My blood will have claim to the throne of my mother's country but that is fairly impossible." The gray haired child admitted, letting out a small yawn in the process.

"And why is that?" Akashi asked. After all, the idea of having the right to claim the throne yet impossible is quite… strange.

Mayuzumi thought about it for a moment before he answered. "I think I must restate my answer, your Highness. To put it simply, I have no throne to claim for my mother's country has long been absorbed by the kingdom of Rakuzan since it fell." The child looked at him blankly. "…though I doubt you'd understand this at your age, your Highness."

"…I'm not stupid, Chihiro-kun if that is what you are insinuating." Akashi frowned. "I understand perfectly."

Mayuzumi looked at him in mild interest before closing his eyes. "If you must insist that I drop the formalities, call me 'Chihiro-nii' or 'nii-san' or whatever you like. Respect is given only when respect is given in return, your Highness."

Akashi huffed, throwing him a dark look before pointedly glaring at the ceiling as he turned away from the older boy. "So that's why I get the feeling you were mocking me every time you call me 'your Highness' …" he muttered, giving a brief pause before speaking again. "C-Chihiro-nii-san…"

…

Mayuzumi cracked an amused smile. He expected the boy to be stubborn in keeping his authority like a brat but he was smart. Fine in his book even.

The said prince however, slowly went deeper into the covers, hiding his embarrassed face from view.

"Don't expect me to call you that at all times though. I don't have a sibling and I don't know how to treat one." His muffled voice came from underneath. Mayuzumi let out a snort of amusement.

"Of course…Seijurou-kun."

Mayuzumi of course, since his mother called out to him and asked him to sleep with his cousin for the night, had been perturbed in the least. Not to add the fact that the angel following them around was his current interest, but he was also interested in his 'cousin' who had this angel by his side without him knowing. It almost seem comical to him had he seen this for the first time but he had seen this numerous times before.

But those angels were at least a very far distance away (like the roof for an example). This one however seemed to follow the red haired prince like a real guard for once with a fair distance that is 'unseen yet can see' method. He stayed out of the way most of the time and was often only viewing from a far or occasionally just leaning on the wall.

(He noticed how the sky blue haired angel seemed to be drawn to the bookshelf in the living room at times though but looked like he was restraining himself on the process. On random, Mayuzumi wondered if by chance he catches him carrying a book, people will see a floating book in place…)

And even in their room, the angel casually leaned on the table beside the bed near the prince. Whatever the effect the being had by being at a closer distance seemed to calm the redhead who was by what he knew, uncomfortable with him before. After the amusing conversation, the prince who had dug himself in the covers, emerged again after a while and gave him a look before he turned on his side, his back against him. Mayuzumi, who had his eyes closed at that time, cracked an eye open before he turned on his side, watching the sky blue haired angel stroke the boy's hair. Moments later, the prince sound breathing filled the room.

He stared for a while before finally; he felt his curiosity reach at its peak.

"Who are you?" he whispered softly, looking at the angel.

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya— Akashi-kun's guardian angel. Nice to meet you, Mayuzumi-kun." The guardian angel said, giving a small bow.

Mayuzumi sat up from the bed, giving a small dip of his head towards the angel himself. Human or not, he doesn't forget his manners. "Mayuzumi Chihiro, as you already know, Kuroko-san." He met his eyes again. "And to be blunt, I'd rather say it's unexpected to meet you."

A ghost of a smile touched the angel's lips as he answered. "I am aware and I admit I feel the same, Mayuzumi-kun."

-end of chapter-

A/N:

Whew! Finally done with this... Face off of the two sixth men! Haha.

I intended to make the chapter longer but I'm kind of busy at the moment. And to those who were asking, this is indeed Akakuro but with a guardian-charge relationship only. And I'm not going to change my mind over that. Romantic touches in the future? Hmm... I dunno. Haha.

Are the characters too OOC? Was the OC - Mayuzumi Chizuru - alright?

Over all, was the chapter alright-desu?

Please tell me your thoughts~! Criticisms are welcome!

Thank you for reading.

Itterashai masse~!