TheEmperor'sEmpress»

» Anyone who had figured who is this anime character whose gender was changed and became Akashi's Gitsune? :D

Anyways, please read and review — not just this story but with my other works as well! Tell me what you think!

P.S. I do not own Kuroko no Basuke.

*Chapter Two: Step*

•• PAST ••

"A bit energetic today, aren't we, little kit?" I sat on one of the sofas watching Setsuna, who was holding the young Seijuurou under his armpits. It had been two years since he was born, and from a helpless pup he was fast becoming a bundle of energy, all smiles and giggles as he clumsily put one foot in front of the other, trying to walk on the carpeted floor of the wide living room.

His crimson orbs shined with childish innocence as he walked back and forth tirelessly in front of me, his mother bent forward as she supported him from behind. He must have done it a dozen times until he finally got tired. Almost immediately, he reached out to me, telling his mother that he wants to get to me. His gaze was fixed on my fluffy fur,of course, and I sighed while Setsuna chuckled at my predicament. I prepared myself for a round of torture.

"Mokomoko!" Akashi said excitedly, burying his face in my fur. He did that several times as I held him upright, his feet on my thighs.

"Yes, yes, I know what it is, kit. No need to scream it out loud every three seconds," I grumbled, my ears twitching in slight annoyance.

After a while, Akashi stopped and peered into my face. His hand went to the crescent moon that marked my forehead, partly visible in a gap in my bangs. When I leaned back to prevent him from touching it, he voiced out his protest and stretched out his arms trying to reach his newfound object of interest.

"Seriously, you're the most difficult heir I've ever handled," I said, my head bowed as he messed with my hair and my ears, which caught his curiosity and was now playing with it. Everytime he would touch one of them, my ear would twitch, making his eyes widen in interest, and therefore would prompt him to repeat the action.

Touch, flick, stare. Touch, flick, stare.

Squeal.

Press repeat.

The kit was still doing it when his father made one of his rare appearances in the baby's playroom. He was actually searching for Setsuna when his gaze landed first on me and his son.

"Seijuurou, stop playing with Gitsune's ears," he said in a booming voice. I felt the little kit jump up in surprise, and as babies tend to do when surprised in an unpleasant way, his eyes began to pool with tears.

"Katsuo, you don't have to shout at Seijuurou!" I heard Setsuna scolding her husband. I heard him reply, but I tuned them out and focused on a more pressing matter: the little kit.

"Shush now, kit, don't cry," I said as gently as I could, even going as far as flicking my ears just to make him giggle. Successfully preventing what might have been a very noisy crying fest, I turned my attention back to the bickering couple.

"Katsuo," I said in a tone that made the Akashi clan head take a step backward. I narrowed my golden eyes at him, and in a tone as cold and deadly as the harshest winter, I showed him my obvious annoyance. "Leave the room."

"Gitsune—" Setsuna gasped. This is the first time that she had seen me like this. It's rare for me to get pissed off so much, and when I do, well, it's not a pleasant thing to watch. When Katsuo refused to listen and try to reason out with me, I repeated my order.

"Leave the room. Now."

I could feel my eyes turning red, and my fangs lengthening, and now, even Setsuna was afraid. She hurried to lead her husband out the playroom and instantly, I calmed down. I looked at the little kit, oblivious to the world as he played with my fur. I held on to the kit's tiny hands as I gently placed him on the floor, supporting him as he took tiny steps. His steps were a bit stiff, but it'll get better with practice.

We were near the door when it opened and in came Setsuna. She breathed a sigh of relief at seeing me playing with Seijuurou like nothing happened.

"Kit, your mom's here," I said to him as I pointed at Setsuna with a finger. Setsuna smiled at her son and the little Akashi tugged at my hand to lead him to where his mother is.

"Seijuurou," and Akashi found himself being taken away from me and into his mother's arms. He giggled a bit, then turned his head to look at me.

He stretched his arms toward me.

"Hmmm? Want me to carry you, too, kit?" I asked, tilting my head. "Then come here."

Setsuna held his hands and led him to me.

"That's it, kit," I cooed as I crouched a distance away from them, "You can do it."

Akashi babbled incoherent words but didn't stop. When he was just a short ways to him, I nodded at Setsuna to let go of the baby. She was a bit hesitant, and so, she put her hands just a few inches from Seijuurou's body ready to catch him if he would fall down.

The boy was at first surprised when his mother's hands left him, but he soon smiled at his newfound freedom. Looking straight ahead, he saw me with waiting arms, urging him to move forward into them.

I watched as the kit made an effort to walk towards me but I know that sooner or later his tiny legs will give up on him. He was only a couple steps away when he fell.

"Not bad, kit not bad," I said as I lifted him up. "Almost there." I placed a kiss on his forehead and rubbed my nose with him as he giggled when my hair would tickle his face. I can only laugh at him and his overflowing happiness. "Next time, I'm sure you'll make it."

•• PRESENT ••

White. Everything was white.

Where am I? he thought. In his foggy mind, he remembered the loud honking of a car's horn, the blinding lights, the crash... He'd been caught in a car accident.

A doctor came in with a clipboard containing his file. "Akashi-san. Good to see you're awake." He checked his vitals, wrote something on the clipboard, then turned back to the redhead who had been silent the whole time. "Do you remember why you were in here?"

"It was a car accident."

The doctor nodded. "The truck driver ran the red light and crashed into your car. The driver was unharmed, but your car was wrecked, especially the driver's side. It was a miracle that you only escaped with a broken ankle. I mean, it was near impossible that someone would survive such an impact. And not even a scratch on your body!" The doctor smiled.

Akashi remembered the warm and soft thing that covered him before he went unconscious. He nodded at the doctor then asked when he would be discharged.

"You don't have any serious damage, so it wouldn't make sense to keep you here. You can leave now, if that's what you want. Do you have someone to take you home?"

Akashi was about to answer that he will be fine alone when someone knocked on the door. When the doctor opened it, Akashi found out that it was none other than the kitsune herself.

However, she looks totally different.

Her waist-length silver hair was tied in twin pigtails, and her face was free from the marks that adorned it in her usual human form. Her hands looked just like the normal human hand, and she even wearing normal human clothes — a cashmere sweater over a black pleated skirt, and black boots. Gone was the fur that covered her shoulder.

She looked completely human.

He heard her ask the doctor about him.

"Ano, is Akashi-kun awake?" she asked in an innocent voice, just like a worried girlfriend and Akashi fought the urge to roll his eyes at Gitsune's acting.

Come on, Gitsune, you know I'm perfectly awake here, he thought. And then he stopped — Akashi-kun?

The doctor stood there staring at her for a full minute. "Uhm, Doctor-san?"

"Ah!" The man exclaimed, snapping out of his daze. "Are you Akashi-san's girlfriend?"

"N-n-no!" A pretty blush bloomed on her face. "We're just friends!"

"Ah, I see..." The doctor sounded disappointed. Akashi could hear Gitsune's laughter in his mind. "Come in, come in." He ushered the girl inside. "Akashi-san is ready to be discharged. You might as well help him get home."

"Oh, thank you, doctor. Maybe after a bit of rest, then I'll take Akashi-kun home."

After a few more words, the doctor finally left the room. Gitsune snorted and walked to Akashi's bedside.

"Gitsune, I —" Akashi began, but the fox cut him off with a flick to the forehead. With a snap of her fingers, a set of clothes for him to change into appeared on the end of the bed.

She frowned at him, and heaved an exasperated sigh as she sat on the edge of his bed. "I told you not to go home by eleven, right? Of all the times that you chose not to listen to what you were told!"

Akashi looked away guiltily. He did not like worrying Gitsune like this. The true reason was that Akashi had totally forgot about her warning. For some reasons, it totally slipped his mind, thus when he had done enough socialization, he decided to go home.

And had that stupid accident.

"I apologize. It's not that I didn't listen, it's that —"

"You forgot, yes," Gitsune said in an annoyed voice. "I even barely made it on time! If I hadn't woke up at the right time, I doubt you'd be able to survive the crash!" There was a moment's pause, before she spoke again, this time gently with a bit of worry. "How was your foot?"

Akashi tried moving his left foot and winced at the pain. "It still hurts to move it." With effort, Akashi faced Gitsune and met her gaze. "Gitsune, I'm really sorry. And thank you, for saving me."

He blinked when she suddenly pinched his cheeks. Gitsune was back to her usual self. "Now, how can I stay mad when my little kit looks at me like that?"

Akashi removed her hand from his face and rubbed his cheek. That hurts. No doubt she left a red mark on it.

"Aww, I won't mind having to save you from car crashes if it would make you act like that... What do you say, kit?"

It was his turn to sigh. "I am sincere when I said that, Gitsune."

"I know, I know... Just lightening the mood. Now, off you go and change. I don't like staying in this form any longer."

Akashi snorted, and moved with effort not to jostle his ankle. The fox watched him for a bit before sighing to herself and muttering.

"It wouldn't hurt if I sped up the healing process a bit right?"

And to Akashi: "Just a moment, kit," and she sat at the edge of the bed, removed the blanket covering his foot, and laid a gentle hand on his injury. Akashi caught on quickly on what she was about to do.

"Gitsune, I thought you're not allowed to —"

She shushed him then, and concentrated on setting the bones in his ankle right. "It's nothing serious," she said. "It's not like I'm raising a whole army of the dead. Besides, I won't have you hobbling round the apartment in a crutch if I can help it. I'll probably die laughing.

There! All set!" She gave his foot a light slap, and laughed lightly. "You can change now!"

Akashi smiled to himself as he stood up and gathered the clothes in his arms. Gitsune was staring out the window, back turned to him. He whispered a soft word of gratitude, before going to the comfort room. Behind him, the fox also smiled.