Chapter 4 – P.E and Work
If he could describe this day in one word, it would be the word disaster.
Now all of you might think. 'That's an exaggeration.' Or 'It can't be that bad.' But it's not an exaggeration, and it is bad. …What? It's true! Really! I mean, come on! He woke up first thing in the morning to the sight of a messy room that could rival a broken ship, like it was hit with a tycoon.
And in the middle of it is a particular black fox, blinking its unbelievably wide blue eyes at him while he struggled, with messy bed hair and dilated twitching eyes to find out just how in the world did this happen? How did he stay asleep despite the chaos that ensued last night?
His mind rang with a telepathic greeting from Kuroko. The simple 'good morning' sounded too innocent when he could just see the results of his late night endeavor. Seijuro pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt an incoming migraine. He demanded an explanation from his demon, a detailed one.
And so Kuroko did just that, once again talking too much for his liking even though it was still early in the morning. He reverted to his human form, helping the demon wielder clean up the room while elaborating his actions in a very detailed way that Seijuro thought he was the one who was doing all that and not sleeping oh so peacefully throughout the night.
His family caused this. Because of the great humiliation his family endured during dinner last night, they have set up various traps throughout his room and the corridor outside of his room. They probably spent their time stuck by Kuroko's disciplining method to brew wicked ideas to achieve maximum damage and suffering towards him.
He continued hearing Kuroko as the shadow demon listed up the various traps he had identified, each with brief explanations on how they were set up and what could've triggered them to activate. It was mind blowing how his father, brother, and demons could achieve such a feat.
The first trap Kuroko nullified was a simple one, a transparent thin string imbued with wind element strung from his chair to the bedpost, if it were to be tripped over would explode into a myriad of tiny, nearly invincible needles. There's one made from water element that looked like marbles scattered all around the floor where if one were to kick or step on even one of them accidentally would flood the whole room. There's a beautiful vase full flowers that could brighten one's day was actually a deadly trap that would transform themselves into creepy mutant spiky snakes that would squirt venom at them. The bathroom door and his room door were imbued with lightning, shocking the one unfortunate enough to touch it. And so on…
When asked how on earth he could deactivate all that in the span of one night and not wake him from his slumber, the demon answered with a hollow "Who knows…" not offering any explanation.
Now, Kuroko clung to him like a plague. It was not Seijuro's fault that today, trouble seems to be attracted to him. And he was very, very grateful that his demon now in his fox form was being so considerate of him that he hadn't even once, ever since yesterday evening rest in the jewel.
Kuroko's right pointy ear twitched, the one with a silver earring with four silver hoops. The first hoop one was embedded with a small dot of sapphire, the second emerald, the third ruby, and the last one topaz. It was beautiful and Seijuro wondered just how did he not see that. Not a minute later he let out a little yip as the shadows materialized themselves in the form of a fist that sent a punch right to the face of a foolish student who intended to throw ice shards at him. The unfortunate student was sent flying into the air before he landed painfully on the cobblestone path three meters from his previous position.
Another one came from behind. Holding a baseball bat like one would a war hammer to hit Seijuro's head. But once again Kuroko stopped whatever bloody injury that would befall his wielder by giving life to his own shadow. It shot out and snatched away the bat, whacking the student's head. The result is yet another unconscious student left on the path along with the others, like a trail of victory.
The red haired human ruffled the fox's head, muttering yet again a thank you at Kuroko who was perched on his shoulder, hind legs holding his weight by stepping on Seijuro's back. His fluffy tail would often give a pat on his back or a brush to his elbow just to assure him that he was there and at the same time a reminder since the Fox was unnaturally light
He made his way to the shoe lockers and opened his, only to find the charred remains of his school shoes. Good thing he brought a spare.
The small metal locker was shut close with a dull thud. Once again, the red-haired human had to hand it to his brother, his authority as the president of the student council is massive, made evident when almost all of the student body had this intent to inflict harm upon him ever since he left his mansion. Yes, ever since he stepped out of his home. But so far no one has even touched a single hair from his head with Kuroko by his side.
Like now, as shadow tendrils rose, whipping the air at a blindingly fast rate. They acted as a shield and mirror at the same time, protecting both of them from the sudden onslaught of various elemental attacks and deflecting some of them at random directions. Soon, the once clean space was now littered with fallen students, smoke, and some debris because of the ambush.
"Run Akashi-kun." Kuroko's voice rang loud and clear in his mind, speaking telepathically to Seijuro. Cerulean eyes saw more students coming out from the corridors.
"To where?" Seijuro replied in his head as he ran back outside, towards the courtyard, a mass of students starting to chase him.
"Just try to lose them." Kuroko said as Seijuro turned a corner towards where the gyms were located. Some of the mass had caught up to them, but Kuroko rendered them unconscious. How he did that, Seijuro didn't know; he was busy looking for a hiding place.
Twin red eyes finally saw an old building right in front, the abandoned gym. His legs wasted no time to run towards the rusted doors; breath reduced to frantic pants as his ears would catch the faint sound of footsteps. Pale hands were outstretched, grasping the handle and pushed but alas the door refused to open, having been locked.
Seijuro in a panicked state rattled the handles as if doing that would make the doors although rusty magically break under the force. The air was thick, crackling with energy from what he was sure were the others' spells and artes. Acknowledging the danger, his head whipped left and right, trying to find another place to run to, but a silent crack from the doors stopped him from doing so.
"Hurry! Get inside! I'll distract them for you!" And Kuroko leaped off from his shoulder before he could say anything, running towards the direction where the energy's strong.
The doors were opened, bits of metal from what he discerned as the thick piece of steel that slid in between the twin doors when locked fell to the floor. Kuroko probably broke that for him, but he couldn't ponder on that any longer as he quickly entered the empty gym, closing it as softly as he could.
In a matter of seconds, the yells were getting louder same goes for the footsteps. Seijuro stood just behind the door, leaning on it so it would stay shut. It would raise suspicion if the doors were opened even though it's not used anymore. The others' voices leaked into the building as he could just imagine them standing just in front of the gym. The metal doors being the only thing separating him from them.
"Where is he?"
"There's no way he could just disappear!"
"That sneaky fox! Just wait till l wring its neck!"
"You idiot! That fox is Seijuro's demon!"
"Then let's catch it and take it to the president!"
Each and every one of them voiced their agreement in various ways. He heard them say something about a bounty and having a party but other than that he couldn't know more as all of them ceased their voices, the sound of a bush moving floated into the air.
"There! It's probably there!" Someone exclaimed, and the sounds of running were heard, getting fainter and fainter.
When he was assured that they're gone, Seijuro let out a breath he was unconsciously holding. His legs choose that time to lose their power; knees bend as his back slowly slid on the door until he sat on the dusty floor, completely exhausted. He released his death grip on his bag, placing it beside him. The back of his head touched the door as he let his eyes close.
With the peaceful atmosphere in the dusty gym, his mind started to wander to Kuroko. The demon probably fled to the forest at the back of the school that was usually used for cultivating herbs and earth element practices. He hoped Kuroko wouldn't injure himself since the grounds there are unstable and there are unknown dangers of mutant plants that were the results of countless failures.
Now that reminded him of that one time. During fourth grade when his class went there for the first time, all eager and giddy. Each of them had summoned their demons out, most from the wind tribe but there are some from the fire and earth tribes. He remembered standing back with the others who didn't have a demon, observing with fascination and twinkling eyes.
The teacher at that time, a kind woman in her early thirties let out her demon from her demonic jewel. She explained to the students what she was about to teach them today which is how to turn dust into a pebble. Seijuro smiled fondly when he recalled hearing some of the students say it was dumb only for the teacher's demon to throw rocks right to the foreheads of those who said that.
Ignoring her demon's method of choice for shutting up her students, she demonstrated how to do it by taking a small amount of dust from a small pouch she had and let the energy around her gather on her palm. The class was fascinated, letting out oohs and aahs at the way the powder transform slowly into the pebble the teacher desired. This amazement did not exclude young Seijuro at that time.
Right after that the teacher and her demon gave the students some dust, giving some pointers on how to do it and asking the demons to protect their wielders since accidents tend to happen even though it was still the basics. As for the group without demons, they were instructed to feel the flow of energies in the air so they could get used to it until the day they have their demon.
When learning, especially with children, anything could happen. And at that time that saying was made real.
One student, all smug and arrogant didn't bother to follow the teacher's explanation; this resulted with the dust flying towards his eyes instead of gathering together. There's one girl who was too scared to try and ended up with her earth demon doing it for her; the teacher was not pleased. Another one took too long and had his dust blown off by a sudden gust of wind. Not anyone's fault, Seijuro knew, but the look of shock and confusion that decorated that student's face when he opened his eyes after concentrating too hard and found his palm dustless was just too funny even the teacher couldn't help but laugh alongside the others.
In the end, only one student could do the assignment, and that was Seishuro. His little brother could do it on his first try. He could even make the pebble he already formed turn back into dust and manipulated it into other shapes like a cube, a tube, an orb and so on. The teacher was so amazed, she made Seishuro her assistant of the day and asked him to help with the others who were obviously struggling. Seijuro could've sworn that Reo, his twin's only demon at that time, was fighting not to let his manly tears of pride show. But his efforts were proven futile since the demon ended up crying and sniffling all the same, wiping the tears and snot with a frilly handkerchief.
"It seems you're in a good mood despite your situation." A smooth voice entered his mind, making Seijuro quickly snap his eyes open to look at his demon sitting in front of him.
"You're back. Where are the students?" Kuroko reverted into his human form before replying.
"Somewhere out there, doing squats." The demon shrugged his shoulders.
"How? They can't just do that willingly." Seijuro gave Kuroko an incredulous look, once again wanting him to explain.
"I command the shadows, Akashi-kun. Therefore it's not difficult for me to lure them under an ample shade and make them move however I want by giving a command to their shadows that had blended with some trees'. It's another one of the disciplining methods I told you last night. Though, I could give their shadows a command to kill each other or commit suicide..." Kuroko added the last one with a mumble as his eyes wandered around the building, craning his neck and turning his head to try to see some things more clearly from his place on the floor. "What is this place? It doesn't seem to be used anymore."
Seijuro nodded, confirming his demon's words. "Yes, it's not used anymore. This place used to be a gym where the advanced wielding class was held. But when the number of students started to increase, this academy decided to build a larger one. Now, it's not as maintained as it was before."
"Advanced wielding?" That words when combined sounded foreign to him. For all he knows there's only wielding, nothing else.
"Yes. They teach the more complex side of wielding like spells and secondary elements" Seijuro explained when Kuroko's face literary said 'humans make everything more complicated.'
"Have you ever had advanced wielding lessons?" Kuroko asked with a tilt of his head.
"No. The minimum requirement to take that class is to be in A rank or above." He rummaged his bag's contents and took out two water bottles, giving one to Kuroko. "Those of B and C ranks could take standard wielding lessons while D ranks like me could only take wielding theories.
Seijuro took several sips from his bottle; the same goes with Kuroko although with much more haste. When done, both bottles were put back inside the bag as silence reigned between the two of them.
The teal head glanced to his left, towards where the direction of the forest as his eyes changed from the full blank blue ones to that of a fox's with silted pupils. "Hmm, they're still doing those squats…" He said absentmindedly; his gaze pierced the building's wall to see a view he desired. "How much time do we have until the bell?" Kuroko asked Seijuro while letting his eyes change back into that of human's.
The red haired human took out his cell phone to glance at the time. "We still have around twenty minutes."
Kuroko nodded. "That should be enough."
In his confusion, Seijuro could only tilt his head. "What do you mean?"
"I'd like to teach you some of the basics. To pass the time and not have you completely oblivious to your power." Said Kuroko with a blank stare. "That is if you don't mind." He added as an afterthought.
Seijuro quickly shook his head, immediately blurting out an "It's okay, I don't mind." Before Kuroko could retract his kind offer. "Very well. But before I teach you anything, do you know your primary element?" Kuroko asked. A shook of the head was what he got.
"I see. Then please wait for a while." The teal head said, holding out his hand in front of him with the palm facing the heavens. Right after he did that Seijuro felt the air crackle, the energies moving to gather just above Kuroko's palm as an orb the size of a volleyball materialized. The demon pulled back his hand and the multicolored ball suspended in the air.
"Before you ask anything, let me explain first." The sentence effectively stopped him from spewing numerous questions right there. "We demons called this the elemental ball. Not really creative, I know, demons are lacking in that field." The corners of Seijuro's lips twitched a bit at that. "This ball's job is to identify one's element just by touching it."
Kuroko took out a pouch full of strawberries from the many folds of his kimono, taking one in between his pointer finger and thumb. "Take this fruit for example." The demon threw the red berry to the ball, and when the fruit touched it, it changed colors into brown. When the strawberry went through it, landing on the human's palm, the ball went back to its multicolored state soon after. "Since it changed into brown then that means the fruit is of the earth element."
Next, Kuroko let his hand touch the floating ball. It wasted no time to change its color into pitch black quickly. He looked at Seijuro saying, "This means shadow is my element." Before he retracted his hand again, picking a strawberry from his pouch and munching on it as the ball gained colors again. "How about you try it."
Twin red eyes scanned the slightly glowing ball. The colors of each element were dancing and swirling together gracefully. He raised his hand towards it, stopping just an inch right in front of it. Kuroko gestured for him to touch it, still munching on his strawberries. And he did just that, his hand moved, immediately sinking inside.
"Red. Fire element." He heard kuroko said and true to his words the orb was now glowing red. Seijuro pulled out his hand and the ball dissipated.
"Now that's done, try making a small fire by gathering the energies around you." Kuroko made an example by forming a small black strawberry made from his element. "Imagine your flame's form, feel the energies' flow, give them a command but don't try to force them to obey you or they'll retaliate in their own way." Seijuro nodded and closed his eyes as he concentrated, one hand stretched with the palm facing upwards.
And then seconds passed, then minutes until finally, it was three minutes before the bell rang. Kuroko checked the students he punished and saw them already done with their squats as they are now sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily, and drowning in their sweat.
"Akashi-kun. Let continue later; you have to go to class." He said. "And I suggest we run before anyone sees us."
Seijuro nodded, grabbing his bag as he stood up and brushed some dust from his uniform. A frown was etched on his face the whole time, and this did not escape Kuroko's notice. "It's okay if you didn't get in on your first try." Seijuro didn't say anything but opening the doors and heading to his class, still somber.
"Stand." The class president called. The students as one stood up from their respective seats.
"Bow." All of them bowed to the teacher who was reaching towards the door. A chorus of "Thank you for the lesson." Was heard loud and definite as the teacher merely gave a lazy wave and closed the door behind him, probably heading to the teacher's lounge to prepare for his next class.
Chatters erupted when the teacher left as all of them picked up their bags filled with sports equipment, already walking out of class to head down towards the field. Although some with a bit difficulty because of the pain inflicted to their whole being. Seijuro knew the cause of their agony and chose to keep quiet as he quickly tidied up his desk and grabbed his bag of sports equipment with him, scurrying downstairs as fast and quiet as he can.
He reached the boy's changing room. Luckily none of the boys have arrived. He quickly took out this P.E uniform and changed into it. He did the same thing with his shoes as he changed them and put on a pair of white sneakers. When he was done, he pulled out his jewel from beneath his shirt and summoned Kuroko out by directly touching the ball-shaped jewel with a finger imbued with his spiritual energy.
Black wisps of shadow particles shot out from the necklace, they swirled and gathered in one spot in front of him. Not long they took shape, compressing themselves before dissipating to reveal Kuroko in his human form complete with his trademark blank expression. "Break time has passed, and I believe your time studying here is not over yet." Was the first sentence he spewed right after he was summoned.
"Yes, you're correct. Right now we're in the boy's changing room. I need you to change your clothes and hurry to the field before the others get here." The human took out a plain shirt and track pants from the bag and gave it to Kuroko.
The demon looked at the clothes strangely before changing into them. "Is there a special occasion that I have to change my clothes?" Kuroko asked as he took off his haori. Seijuro immediately took the clothing item and folded it neatly.
"No, not really. It's just P.E, another class. It's mainly physical training, but demons also have to participate." Kuroko nodded as he thought this was an excellent opportunity to see other humans and demons.
"Kuroko, your shirt is on backward." Seijuro couldn't help but chuckle as he helped the confused demon. "You have to look at the neck of the shirt. The lower line should be in the front and the one with the tag at the back."
When Kuroko's done with changing his clothes and putting on a pair of sneakers that he had a bit help with, the red haired human pulled out two water bottles from the bag and handing one to the demon. A thin teal eyebrow was raised when Seijuro hid his bag in its usual hiding place, behind the furthest locker in the room.
"Let's go." And both of them walked out of the changing room towards the field at the same time the boys arrived to get ready.
"All right class, gather around." The teacher clapped her hands loudly to get their attention. On her wrist is a silver bracelet, no doubt a demonic jewel.
The class moved to stand in front of her with much reluctance. Not that they're lazy but more like exhausted as they had just finished running three laps around the academy. And to say Teiko is large was an understatement. Gigantic would describe it better.
"Today we're playing dodge ball." Some groans and cheers were heard, but the teacher ignored all of them. "Now I'm going to list out some rules and what to watch out for the game. The first rule is that we're using a single ball, this ball." She picked up the ball that was placed on the ground beside her all this time.
"As you know, this ball is unique as it'll change forms and channel out energy depending on the students' choice of element or the demons' element. It's going to be dangerous, but that's what you get for being that unfortunate three percent of the world's population."
"Second, we're going to play two to four rounds of dodge ball depending on how much time we have and each team will consist of three boys and three girls with their demons so basically, each team has twelve members, plenty if I do say so myself. Each and every one of you will get a chance to play, and I'll make sure all of you will play seriously. Don't get any funny ideas of sneaking away or I'll see to it myself that you'll regret ever doing that."
"Third, is there anyone who's still in D rank?" All eyes darted towards Seijuro who meekly raised his hand. "Then you're excused from this game, Mr. Akashi."
"But I have a demon, sensei." Came the answer. The teacher raised her brow as her eyes darted around the field, searching everywhere before coming to rest on Seijuro's from again.
She let out a sigh. "I don't appreciate you lying. I know you're frustrated and maybe ashamed that you're the only one in the class that's still in D r-"
"Excuse me. I'm Akashi Seijuro's demon." Kuroko's voice interrupted the teacher mid-sentence. And like always, all of the students and demons gave either a scream, a yelp or a gasp. The teacher didn't do any of that, but she visibly tensed.
"When did you get here?" The teacher asked the demon.
"Since the beginning. I also ran three laps around the school like you asked." Kuroko said even though it was more like he was dragged by Seijuro, half dead from exhaustion. Not that he would say that out loud, he still has his pride. The teacher eyed the teal haired demon once more before giving him a small nod.
"Alright. Congratulations on forging a contract with a demon Mr. Akashi. I'll be sure to inform the principal about this. Now, finally, is there anyone who has multiple demons?" Everyone shook their heads. "No one? Then on the count of ten, I want two teams here each with three boys and three girls along with their demons. One! Two!..." Then the teacher started counting. The students hurriedly ran and yelled to each other, calling out their friends to join the team or pulling them out of the field so they could play together in the next round.
And by the time the teacher finished counting, the field already had two teams. Both consisted of three girls, three boys, and their demons, just how she wanted. The teacher placed the ball in the middle of the field before walking back to stand behind the fence outlining the field and pulling out a whistle from her pocket.
"This game of dodgeball will be played fair and square, and that means no cheating, no causing permanent damage to your opponent or aiming for vital organs. Do that, and this academy will kick you out. If any of you got hurt those nurses will treat your injury, if it's only a minor scratch or bruise then deal with it. Remember, have fun and if you fall the ground will be there for you." And the whistle was blown; the ringing sound it produced was heard loud and clear as the students ran towards the ball, like a pack of wolves pouncing on a rabbit.
Eventually, one student, a boy with spiky hair won the struggle and grabbed the ball. He took a stance with the ball raised to the side of his head as his eyes scanned the members of the opposing team who were all on their guards and eyeing his movements. A confident smirk adorned his face when he saw a girl standing at the corner of the field, looking dazed and away from the others. Seeing her as an easy target, with one swift movement of his arm, the ball was thrown, transforming itself into a round, dense ice the second it left the boy's hand.
Some of the opposing team members screamed, shouting at the girl to move but she didn't seem to listen. The ice ball sailed the air towards her at an unbelievable speed and would've frozen her face if she didn't stop the ball with her hand. The boy grumbled as he was eliminated and jogged back so he can stand behind the fence. Now in possession of the ball, the girl quickly ran towards the front and threw the ball with ease. The ball melted and transformed into a fireball that quickly hit a girl on her arm. With a grunt, the girl quickly ran towards a nurse to have her burnt arm treated.
Kuroko let his gaze follow the injured girl who moved out of the field and sat beside the nurse that quickly hovered his glowing palm on top of the burn. In a matter of seconds, the damage was nowhere to be found as if it was not injured in the first place.
"Are humans so barbaric these days?" Kuroko asked Seijuro beside him after he saw the nurse heal the girl's arm.
"Not really. It's just like the teacher said, this is what we get for being that unfortunate three percent of the world's population." Seijuro said with a shrug of his shoulders, eyes never leaving the game. By now the team on the right had lost five members while the one on the left three.
Kuroko didn't say anything, watching the game with rapt attention. He saw the ball flung from left and fight, back and forth, changing elements and transforming to many forms from a boulder to a lightning spear. And as the game progressed, he saw more students rushing towards the nurses to get their injuries ranging from burns, bruises, and stabs healed.
In the middle of the game, the teacher blew her whistle after a countdown from ten to zero. The game ceased for a while as the demon on the right team dropped the ball and walked to the sidelines, eliminated. "Why is that demon getting removed?" Kuroko asked his wielder, pointing at said demon with his finger.
"He held the ball too long. In dodgeball, a player can't hold on to a ball for more than ten seconds." The game resumed with the ball once again changing elements in rapid succession.
Kuroko nodded in understanding. If that demon or any player held it too long who knows how many strategies could be thought, seeing as dodgeball is a game of action and spontaneousness. The teacher probably wanted the students and demons to exercise caution, enhance their reflexes, improve their aim and increase their pain tolerance at the same time.
Brilliant but that's expected, if not she probably won't be a teacher.
"Are we allowed to form a shield?" Kuroko asked again as he saw some of the players' ball were impossible to catch in his current state. The game was nearing its end as the ball, transformed into a wind blade, hit someone's leg, blood gushing from the slash wound caused by it.
"Yes, but you can't hold the shield for more than ten seconds." Seijuro answered as he saw the player with the injured leg being helped by some of his friends to leave the field.
The sound of the teacher's whistle was heard again as the game was now over with the right team winning with only three players left. "I want those who haven't played, to the field. Now. Two teams, three boys and three girls with their demons." She barked her orders. The students scrambled to form their teams.
"Mr. Akashi." Seijuro looked at the teacher when she called his name. "You and your demon go to the left team. I need to observe both of you so I can report to the principal."
"Yes, Sensei." Seijuro stood up and walked towards the left side of the field, Kuroko following behind him.
When the right amount of players were on the field, the game commenced with the loud sound of the whistle. A girl from the left team got to the ball first and wasted no time in flinging it towards the nearest player. The ball was stopped by a shield and caught by another player who let the now crackling ball fly towards Seijuro.
Seeing the ball heading towards him, the red-haired boy sidestepped the electric ball and made it hit an unsuspecting player on his team. The poor boy didn't see it coming and was unconscious the moment it hit his stomach. Others immediately went to help, carrying him to one of the nurses.
"Damn. I was hoping it'll hit him." The one who threw the ball said, flicking her bangs away from her eye.
"You'll get him next time." Her friend said overly sweet, patting her on the shoulder as she eyed Seijuro distastefully.
Now he learned that he's the primary target here. Great, just wonderful.
Kuroko who heard the exchange stayed silent, opting to stay out of the way and protect his wielder with a shield. He'll let the others eliminate each other first before stepping up, no need to waste his energy so early in the game. Plus, he could observe each players' attacks like this. It's advantageous for him.
The game resumed soon after. This time a demon from the left team got possession of the ball. Without bothering to aim, he threw the ball in a straight line. The ball changed into stone and hit a girl on her leg, breaking the bone.
She fell to the ground, her scream deafening as she clutched her leg. It's a clear sight of agony, but all that was present to see the incident occur were unfazed. A couple of students rushed to carry her to the nurses but nevertheless no one flinched or scrunched their face in disgust when they saw the leg bent at an unnatural angle. Not even the teacher moved to help, heck she didn't even look worried as she yelled for them to continue the game.
A demon from the right team, probably the girl's demon who just got a broken leg, threw the ball to the demon who caused the injury, wanting revenge. This time the ball transformed into a spiky ice ball that went straight at the demon who evaded from being frozen by ducking her head. It ended up hitting the ground behind her and freezing a part of the field. The demon clucked his tongue before going back to his wielder as he was eliminated.
"Somebody melt that ice and continue the game." A boy did just that and threw it at the right team's members.
For the most part, every single player on the field would throw the deadly ball at Seijuro. Yes, even his own teammates who 'accidentally' threw the ball that was entirely meant for the other team, he just 'coincidentally' got in their way.
Right...
But he was okay with all that, he only needed to dodge them. The attacks ranged from a dull old blob of water to a frighteningly sharp jagged stone. He dodged all of them with Sidesteps, rolls, jumps, and sometimes a black shield would appear to protect him. And whenever the last one happened, the game would be involuntary paused as all who were present would blink their eyes before resuming.
But currently, the game had progressed for quite a while. The left team only has himself who's exhausted from evading the ball, Kuroko who was probably invincible and a bo-
Sorry, make that only him and Kuroko as the other member just got hit by a lightning bomb. The ball, now looking normal, rolled away innocently from the injured player.
"Well, well, look who's left." Seijuro frowned at the snickering girl that tried to hit him earlier. "Hey, how much did the president said we'd get if we could hurt his twin?"
"He didn't say, but I bet it'll be a lot!" Someone said enthusiastically.
"Hmm... Seeing as he's alone, it'll be a piece o-" She didn't get to finish her sentence as a black ball hit her square on her face. Tendrils sprouted from the ball acting like tentacles as it wrapped itself around her head and neck, suffocating her.
The others were to shocked to react or help her. Eyes wide as they just stared at the flailing girl on the ground, screams muffled and arms frantically pulling at the dark tentacles in hopes of it releasing her. They only responded when the body stopped moving, and the ball unwrapped itself from her. Luckily she's just unconscious and not dead. Again, some of the students carried her to have the nurse check her for any injuries.
"You got guts hitting her like that!" One of the girl's friends screeched after she saw her friend nearly died of suffocation. Face contorted into an ugly scowl as she threw the ball to Seijuro.
The red haired boy who wasn't given any time to explain reacted on reflex and quickly ducked, covering his head. He felt the ball, imbued with wind element pass above his head and cut a few locks of his hair. Not a moment later he heard a dull slap and the ball came sailing back towards the right side of the field.
Twin ruby eyes widen significantly at the sight of the girl screaming, horrified at the black thing that was slithering and attaching itself to her arm. Like a parasite, it sprouted out tendrils to stab the limb, breaking through the skin and flesh until they went through the other side. The sound of bones breaking and cracking could be heard along with disgusting quelches. By the time it detached itself, the arm was barely noticeable with all the blood leaking from the holes created, limp and disfigured.
For the second time in a span of five minutes, all of them saw the ball transform into something they've never seen before. Black, dangerous, and horrifying were the only words that could describe it. Now, some of them were having second thoughts. Is the bounty really worth the pain and horrendous view?
"That's what you get for letting your guard down and being that unfortunate three percent of the world's population." Kuroko's voice drawled out monotonously, staring blankly at the girl who gave him a glare and went out of the field.
The others jumped two feet into the air, just realizing the demon was actually there playing the game.
"Is that really necessary?" Seijuro said to his teal haired demon, still facing the opponents as he stood from his crouched position.
"That's unfair." Kuroko stood beside Seijuro. "The others had done it more violently, and here you are questioning me when I didn't even aim for their eyes or heart.
"You could've killed them." A pale finger pointed at the two girls behind the fence. One still unconscious while the other was being treated.
"No such thing could happen. I've already calculated the amount of energy I need to knock her out, and I made sure not to reduce the arm's bones into dust." Kuroko tilted his head a bit. "I don't see any reason for you to feel any sort of concern for them seeing as they almost killed you too."
"Just don't cause unnecessary harm to any of them." The red head said, knowing full well that trying to reason with Kuroko is a failed cause. And he can't actually defend them like he did with his family since he never saw them as friends. They just coincidently studied in the same place that's all.
"I can't guarantee that." Was all the demon said.
The game resumed when a boy grabbed the ball and threw it fluidly. The now fireball was heading towards Kuroko, threatening to burn him alive. Not worried at the least, he enveloped his hand with shadow particles and pushed the fireball that was inches away from harming him back towards the boy twice as fast.
The ball struck true as it once again latches on to an appendage, this time a leg. "What the hell?!" He kicked his leg and pulled at the ball, trying to unlatch it from him. "Oi! What are you looking at? Get this thing off of me!"
And as if awakened from a spell, others quickly rushed to pull the ball from his leg. But no matter how much they pulled, the black shadows won't come off, clinging stubbornly. "You should release him." Seijuro told his demon, observing with interest and barely contained amusement. The boy screamed and let out a couple of curse words every now and then.
"It'll fall off in a couple more seconds." Kuroko supplied. "While that lasts, I'd like to tell you that the ball is very versatile and stable. Able to withstand rapid elemental changes and take various forms. It can also amplify the element used to it. So try to gather the energies to your hand, catch the ball and throw it back. Think of this as practice and an excellent opportunity to impress that teacher." He gave a pat to the human's shoulder and turned around to stand a couple of steps behind Seijuro.
The ball finally freed the boy and was thrown to Kuroko again. It was slapped to a demon beside the thrower, latching itself again...
The game continued like that. When the ball was thrown towards Kuroko, it'll be sent back towards anybody and would stick itself to whoever it hit. When they try to target Seijuro, he'll always dodge it, eliminating them. Eventually, the right team members diminished one by one until there's only one player left.
With labored breaths, the player threw the ball towards Seijuro. It transformed into a wind blade, heading to the other side of the field unsurprisingly fast. Seijuro crouched low to let the ball pass above him harmlessly but when he did that, a sickening sound was heard, making his blood ran cold.
Quickly standing up and looking behind him, there stood Kuroko staring at a bloody hand on the ground. Then he raised what was left of his arm, the wind blade cutting it clean through the bones like a knife through butter. Sighing for a bit, he picked up the amputated limb and waved at Seijuro with that same limb that was on the ground seconds ago. Silently wishing him good luck, he made his way to one of the nurses, leaving a trail of blood from his severe wound.
Kuroko seems awfully calm with all that. It's a bit scary.
Composing himself after witnessing a scene straight from a horror movie, he walked back to pick up the ball. It was dirty, caked with dirt and blood from both humans and demons. He took a deep breath. Convincing himself that he could do this.
"Ten!" The teacher yelled, starting a countdown when she saw him holding the ball a wee bit too long.
He could do this. He's seen it done many times and Kuroko even gave him some pointers.
"Nine!"
He gathered the energies to his palm the best he could.
"Eight!"
The energies he gathered dispersed just like when he practiced at the empty gym. No good. He tried again.
"Seven!" By now his classmates had joined the countdown.
He gathered a small amount of energy, not much but it's the best he could do right now, and he knew the ball would amplify it.
"Six!"
The demon was smirking but nevertheless ready to react the moment the ball left his hands.
"Five!" A smile graced Kuroko's lips. He shifted his gaze to his arm, already knowing the outcome.
"Four!"
He took aim, reeling his arm back.
"Three!"
Then ball left Seijuro's hand, the dirty white sphere sailed towards the single member of the opposing team. In the middle of its time in the air, the ball grew in size, bright blue flames enveloped the now gigantic boulder, the heat it radiated could be felt even by the ones not in the field. It continued its way to the other side, now inches away from making impact as the rival demon stood frozen on the spot, mouth agape, and eyes as big as saucers. He should form a shield or try to dodge but his mind had malfunctioned the moment he saw the flame's color.
A blur came to push the demon away from the fire. Just in time as not even a second later, the blazing blue mini sun crashed into the very spot the demon was standing before. The impact caused an earthquake along with an explosion that ripped the entire fence that was surrounding the field from the ground, shattering the glass of some buildings and also cracking some of the walls.
Everybody shielded their eyes, their demons forming shields or protective orbs. Smoke rose as the aftermath, and when they cleared, the field had a deep crater. In the middle of it is the ball, back to its normal state. By that time every student body had stopped their previous activity to see what happened from their class window.
On the left side of the field, Seijuro who was laying flat on his stomach on the ground peeked his head from his arms to look at the field in front of him. Red eyes widen when he saw the damage done before he remembered the demon that he almost took out. Looking around rewarded him with the sight of the teacher's demon in the process of hoisting the supposed target. So she was the blur he saw before the ball hit the demon.
"Alright! Everyone go and get changed. P.E's over since the field is partially demolished." Everyone complied without a word, some of them carrying the unconscious ones to the nurse office while others went to the changing rooms. Almost everyone besides Seijuro, Kuroko, the teacher, her demon and the nurse who's still treating Kuroko's arm.
"Soul flames. Didn't expect that coming from him." The teacher mumbled to herself. Then she looked at Kuroko sitting a couple of steps to her right. "Bet you knew about this, huh?"
Kuroko didn't say anything but that smile still plastered on his face is more than enough of an answer. "Damn demon." The teacher huffed.
"I'm positive that this is not the way back home." Kuroko told Seijuro, eyes wandering around the unfamiliar area.
The academy had dismissed their students and staffs, each and every one of them came pouring out of the building and made their way towards their homes or other places they desired. And this included Seijuro who had just exited the train station, walking leisurely, although lethargic because of what happened at P.E towards a place that's currently unknown to Kuroko.
"You'll see." Came the vague response Seijuro gave his demon fox.
They went silent, the sounds of the other people in the area being the only sounds between them. Kuroko would often crane his neck, taking in the sights and asking his wielder telepathically numerous questions. Seijuro didn't mind the questions, they were actually enjoyable in a strange way. It reminded him that he wasn't alone.
Usually, he would walk this path by himself, his feet carrying him to his destination as he drowned out the chatters of the people around him. The entire trail was unentertaining. It was just him, amongst the crowded sidewalk, just trying to not bump into people.
But with Kuroko perched on his shoulder, asking small questions and having his ear brush his cheek or neck every now and then made it all so surreal. The sky tinged a bit orange didn't look so boring, the crowded streets not so annoying and even the gray asphalt didn't look as bleak as it used to.
He didn't know that having a companion accompany him like this would make such a difference because before he knew it, he arrived at his destination. A quaint cafe at the outskirts of the city with a small open sign on the glass door.
"Is this the place?" Kuroko heard Seijuro reply with a yes but found it strange that his wielder was walking to a narrow alley beside the cafe. He opened a metal door and went inside where lockers were lined to the wall, each with a label showing names.
The fox hopped off his shoulder, sitting on the floor. Seijuro closed the door and went to a locker with the name Sei, yanking it open and exchanging his school bag for another set of clothes.
"I work here." The human finally said when he had enough of the staring, unbuttoning his blazer and shirt before putting on a plain white dress shirt.
"Why? I thought humans your age were given allowance by their parents." The modern world proved to be an enigma to the fox.
"My family isn't like the average family most people have." Ah, how could he forget about that? "My father never gave me any money. He said I should be grateful that he didn't chase me away from the mansion."
"And the necessities? like food or clothes?" Surely that man from last night wouldn't let his own son starve or without proper clothes, right?
"That too." Kuroko's impression on his wielder's father dropped to rock bottom. "Food, clothes, even toiletries. The only thing he provides is my bedroom at the mansion which was actually a spare bedroom usually used by father's colleagues."
"And your real room?"
"Locked. It's probably used as a storage room. I don't really know myself." He closed the locker with a small click, fixing his black tie and smoothing out the waistcoat he wore over the dress shirt. "You can rest in your jewel or roam around the area if you want."
Kuroko shook his head, reverting back into human form. "I'll just wait outside on the tree in front of this building."
"Alright." And with that Kuroko went outside, disappearing behind the metal door while he went further inside.
Seijuro entered crowded the cafe, grabbing two menus from the cashier table and heading towards a table occupied by two girls who seems to have waited for a while for a waiter. With a smile, he walked towards them, standing by the table. "Hello. I apologize for the wait. Here are your menus." Was what he said, handling them each a menu before taking out a notepad and pencil from his vest pocket.
Seconds passed with neither girls responding, ogling the waiter who was getting uncomfortable. "Umm... is there something on my face?" He knew there isn't, this is just a small trick he often used to stop some customers from staring at him.
"O-oh, umm. No. There isn't." One of the girls, a blond, stuttered out, opening the menu and scanning the contents.
Works every time.
"Can you recommend anything?" The other one with black hair seemingly more composed said, but there's a slight blush adorning her cheeks.
"Of course. Would you like something filling or light on the stomach?" He answered almost automatically.
"Something sweet and light." The one with black hair said, her friend nodding enthusiastically.
"Then how about trying the strawberry shortcake. It's a favorite among our customers. Or maybe the blueberry cheesecake, sweet with a tinge of sourness." He saw them contemplate it for a bit before ordering two slices of strawberry shortcake, a cup of coffee, and a glass of orange juice. "Please wait awhile for your order." He said after checking the orders with them. Afterward, he took back the menus and left the table, heading towards the kitchen to stick his note to a wall filled with many other notes.
"Order for table seven." He said to the two people in the kitchen.
"Oh! Sei-kun. When did you get here? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry." A teen with ash brown hair said, apologizing profusely for something that doesn't need apologizing.
"I just got here Sakurai and please stop apologizing." Seijuro said exasperatedly. Sakurai apologized one last time before getting back to work. Besides the teen is the ever silent Mitobe who just gave him a nod before focusing back on his task.
"Hey! is the order for tab- Oh! Sei, great timing! Go help out Tsuchida on the second floor." A cheerful teen ordered him. His cat-like features could never be mistaken for someone else.
"Okay." And off he goes, to the second floor.
On a tree, surrounded by the leaves, Kuroko observed his wielder from the glass doors and windows. The human would dart left and right, the first floor to the second floor, from one table to another. It was mindblowing how a cafe could be packed with so many people. He had to wonder just how were the staffs handling it and not crushed by the stress.
But now that he thought about it, this isn't his problem and leaned his back against the tree trunk with one leg dangling from a thick branch he was sitting while his hands were neatly folded on top of his stomach. Better use this opportunity to relax.
A/N: Hello! Origami scrawls here and thanks for reading this fic. Before I type anything, I'd like to say happy new year to all of you!
Now, This chapter looked like it doesn't have any importance but I think it did the job to give you all a glimpse into Seijuro's life. I'm sorry if this chapter lacks the desired action, I had trouble writing the dodgeball part, it took me around a week just to finish that. And also, as usual, I'm sorry for any grammatical errors and/or misspellings you may find in this chapter.
As for the orb in the last chapter, It was when the father offered to help others kill his own son. Kuroko had this feeling that things could get dangerous so he set up a protective orb as a fail-safe in case he couldn't manage to defend himself and Seijuro. But he knew Seishuro had the upper hand because he's been a demon wielder longer than Seijuro and had more power and experience, there for overpowering him in his current state. So after setting up the orb, he went to get some tea and eat a little since it would be impolite to not do so and to replenish some of his energy. Then he quickly stole two demonic jewels from Seishuro since he didn't know when things would escalate to the worst, taking advantage of the fact that everyone in the room had their eyes on them and not somewhere else when he asked some recommendations.
Since I'm done with explaining, on to the reviews!
~LucasZorro, Vinoliepie: Thanks! I'm glad you like this fic.
~Rinfantasy: I always thought Kuroko was actually ingenious when it comes to making up strategies, it's just that he's this guy who would prefer to clamp his mouth shut unless asked or when the situation is dire. As for the Akashi family's revenge, I already typed it up XD
~DJ Candy: I was actually aiming for a sarcastic Kuroko but ended making him like this. I was like "What have I done to Kuroko?" when I finished typing. Well too late to change that... I'm happy that you liked the last chapter and the omake! I just thought that since Kuroko is behind the times in this fic, then he'll be confused by almost everything in the modern world he's in now. It was to give him some small characteristics, and it was amusing to write him like that. And he's not innocent but blunt, really really blunt. They'll make appearance in this fic, especially Nigou. As for the orb, I hope I explained it well, I'm not exactly confident with my explanation skills as english is not my first language... so, yeah. (Seijuro has family problems both in school and at home where everything good that ever happened to him either got crushed or taken away from him so of course he'll be more pessimistic.) Oh, and you said that Seishuro reminds you of Owari no Seraph. I haven't actually read the manga nor watched the anime so I don't know what you're going at. LOL, I guess it's because of the time difference because when I updated chapter 3, it was still evening. And don't be sorry for typing long reviews, if you can read my 17K+ words fic then me reading your review is nothing in comparison. I'm actually grateful for those who could spare the time to write a review.
~GuardianWitchDemiGhost: Thanks! I'm glad you like the omake.
~Lil' Dormouse: Sassy and sadistic Kuroko, I also had fun writing him like that and the twisted description Kuroko too! Glad to see that you had fun reading!
~Visually Dreamer: Thanks! About your question, Uhh... Which Akashi? There's like three in this fic. But the answer is that no, they won't be Akashi's demons. I made them wielders in this fic and Kuroko knew the demons they have.
~Tsukiko K: I Know! it was strange to see Seijuro being bullied and all since in the real anime/manga he's all perfect and stuff. And I actually wanted Kuroko to torture them in the last chapter but decided against that. Save the fun stuff for later as they say.
Seems like most of you guys like the omake so I guess I'll continue it. And I want to thank all of you who had wasted your time to read this fic, reviewing and clicking on the like and/or favorite button.
Omake - Being Careful is Overrated
Seijuro ran to the class. Beside him, Kuroko in his fox form was doing the same. They only have three minutes until the bell rang, every second counts.
After changing his shoes, both of them ran before stopping at the corridor leading towards the class.
The cause of their halted steps were hundreds of traps laid there. The red haired human could identify most of them from Kuroko's explanation earlier in his room, but there were some that's unknown to him.
"Why are they so persistent?" Kuroko sounded tired.
"From what I heard, my brother had a bounty over my head. Who ever could injure me would get a significant amount of money."
The demon's eye twitched, feeling his patience almost reaching its limit. He scanned the area with his eyes before finding what he's looking, a thin string imbued with wind element just like the one in Seijuro's bedroom.
Then, without warning, without Seijuro knowing, Kuroko manipulated a wall's shadow to cut the almost unnoticeable string.
Explosions occurred here and there. The tiny needles that shot out when he activated the trap caused a domino effect that triggered the other traps.
Seijuro who saw the first trap being activated quickly grabbed Kuroko's tail and hid behind a wall, hoping that it wouldn't break from the chaos at the corridor.
When the building stopped rumbling, both of them came out from their cover to witness the outcome. A destroyed corridor and students along with a couple of teachers arriving at the scene.
"You crazy fox! Just look at what you've done!" Seijuro scolded harshly at Kuroko. The demon was dangling upside down since Seijuro still has his grip on his tail, their faces inches apart.
"I know. It's beautiful." The demon sounded happy for once.
"You could've killed both of us there! At least warn me when you're going to do something like that or set up some safety precautions!"
"Oh please, being careful is overrated." Kuroko rolled his eyes, expression bored. That made him look almost comical.
Seijuro had to hold back his inner demon from strangling the fox right there. No, notstrangle, but ripping apart that fluffy, soft, cute, cuddleable tail and making it into a keychain.
I do not own Kuroko no Basket nor the image I used, they belong to their respective owners.