A/N: Early update. Also, I have decided to decrease intervals between updates. Maybe around a week.

I'd also like to share some trivia with every update, so today's update's trivia is:

The working title of this fic is, "what the everloving fuck am I even doing"

I think I should apologize for the imagery in this chapter, because as of now I can't offer an explanation without spoiling anything, so yeah, have fun figuring out what people are talking about I the latter half of the chapter.


Tetsuya finds a workable routine throughout the next days. During the day he acquaints himself with his duties. He accompanies Akashi to the court meetings and assemblies or attends the few meetings he has with ambassadors from their neighboring countries. In between all that, Tetsuya keeps a sharp eye on Akashi's surroundings.

But everything seems to be calm on the surface.

Akashi instructs him in between meetings, cool but patient and Tetsuya feels all the more how little a grasp he has on Akashi's personality. They eat lunch and dinner together occasionally, when their schedules match or when Akashi extends an invitation. It seems as though Akashi is making somewhat of an effort to involve him in his new life. Tetsuya tries to absorb as much knowledge and information he can, wherever he can find it.

He has yet to set foot in Akashi's private rooms.

Tetsuya still feels that twang of unease in Akashi's company, worsened as they are rarely ever without at least one member of the honor guard. And sometimes, when he's in one of their companies, memories surface, memories of that night and how it felt. His nightmares have changed in flavor, but he can't tell if the sticky sweet of now is preferable to the salty bitter tang of then.

But most days, it's easy enough to forget.

Kise is his usual cheerful self, unperturbed by his peer's obvious disinterest in his general presence. Midorima brings something new to the table every day, quite literally, and today it happens to be a ceramic figurine of an animal Tetsuya has never seen before. It is yellow and spotted with brown colors, and it has a neck so long Tetsuya thinks it must be mythical. Murasakibara pays more attention to his food than anything else, and Aomine is so much like Kagami in so many ways, that it's sometimes painful to watch him laugh and goof around and pick on Kise in between, when he isn't busy stuffing his face with so much food it's ridiculous. Because Tetsuya can't help but think this is how Kagami would have turned out, if life hadn't laid an assassin's knife at his feet.

And then there is Akashi. Akashi who treats him with the haughty indifference of the mighty, but encloses him all the same in his daily schedules, as though he could read the intent in Tetsuya's mind to stay close at all times. But there's a split in Akashi's personality, something Tetsuya has noticed that one night, and then later again, when Akashi's eyes changed so marginally and yet so chilling, it still sends a shiver of cold down Tetsuya's spine.

There seem to be so many fractions to Akashi's personality, pieced together to a whole and yet the pieces shift every now and then and reveal a darkness that feels all too familiar in its existence.

Sometimes it's just the subtle change of his left eye, when the pupil changes its shape and that gaze turns piercing and inescapable.

And sometimes it's as if Akashi's gone and someone else takes his place, or maybe it's more accurate to say the real Akashi surfaces - Tetsuya can't make sense of it just yet. But whenever it surfaces, the men around Akashi bend like reed grass.

Tetsuya still remembers the force of that gaze.

It's been nine days since Tetsuya uncovered the would-be conspiracy, but nothing has happened so far. He keeps up his nightly tours, but doesn't stumble upon any more secret meetings.

During the rare times he isn't occupied with his official duties - and safeguarding Akashi's life against a threat that might never surface - Momoi digs her metaphorical claws into him. She introduces him to a lot of people, all of which are somewhat important in keeping the palace up and running, but Tetsuya gives up after about the first twenty to remember all of them.

It's already gotten quite clear that he will focus more on his tasks as Akashi's advisor, than many of the social duties Lady Shiori took upon herself, a decision, Momoi freely admits, is for the best. Still, he is the Imperial consort and as such at least has to know the people working under him, and if he ever so much as desired to try his hands at Queenly duties, it wouldn't hurt to know people in advance or so Momoi explains.

At least Nakajima told him she didn't expect his presence during the court ladies' activities, although she did tell him he were always welcome to join them for tea, needlework or gossiping. She also invited him to come to her for some well needed relaxation, if his duties every threatened to overwhelm him. They had come to a quiet and unspoken agreement that while Tetsuya would remain chief court lady in title, Nakajima would continue in overseeing the other ladies in his stead.

As Nakajima predicted, the court ladies have taken to his choice of fashion in a flash, even Momoi seems to have taken a liking to wearing kimonos, instead of her formal uniform.

And then, finally and thankfully, Kagami returns.

His nightly excursions have left him with too little sleep and Tetsuya has found himself more and more willing to give in to the sweet lull of Ayame's nightly cocoa drink and just skip his outing for one night. That night, after dinner, Tetsuya decides that for once, he can allow himself a full night of sleep. He won't be of any good, if he's constantly exhausted, so Tetsuya doesn't feel half bad when he ignores the dark bundle in his wardrobe and plops right into bed after his round of exercise.

Stamina was always the factor Riko bemoaned to be the one that put the greatest limiter on his abilities. Even years of training and exercising had done little to increase his endurance, but as Kagami had put it, with an affectionate ruffle of hair, karma merely saw fit to balance his otherwise abnormal abilities. Kagami had called it 'crazy-ass-skills' and the thought of his best friend and quasi-brother and his brash and unpolished manners, brings an ever so slightly smile to Tetsuya's lips.

A smile that lasts for about a second, before he remembers their last encounter, and why Kagami likely stayed away for so long. For all his rough edges, Kagami is surprisingly fragile.

Just as though he's heard Tetsuya's thought, or maybe because fate really does play on all their strings as Midorima would have him believe, the curtains rustle in a familiar greeting.

A moment later, Kagami's dark shape drops into his room. Tetsuya feels a weight, he hadn't even realized was there, lifting from his heart.

"Kuroko?" Kagami asks tentatively into the dark. The moon is just a thin sickle in the sky and the few stars that dot the night sky aren't enough to sufficiently light the room. Tetsuya still has a rather clear image of Kagami's double-eyebrow-enhanced frown in his mind.

"Your night vision is terrible, Kagami-kun." Tetsuya can't help but point out. Predictably, Kagami startles.

"Damn it Kuroko, don't do that." Kagami curses low under his breath.

"Do what?" Tetsuya asks innocently and finally sits up.

Kagami just gives him a glare. "My night vision is fine." He says tersely, but it lasts for about two seconds, before Kagami's posture softens, as does his voice. "How are you?" The question is loaded with more than just the surface interest in his current condition.

"Good." Tetsuya says evenly. He fiddles a bit until he has lit the lamp on his nightstand table.

Kagami slumps somewhat. He doesn't meet Tetsuya's eyes in the flickering darkness of oil light, instead he fixes them on the spray of flowers Shion put on his nightstand. Daffodils, even this late in spring. "Ah…" He rubs a hand on his neck. "Look…"

Tetsuya knows what's coming, so he stops Kagami, before he can even start. "There is no reason to apologize, Kagami-kun." He says firmly.

Kagami drops his hand and looks at him, surprised. "How did you…?"

Tetsuya allows himself a fond smile. "I do know you since I was five." He reminds Kagami, whose blush is visible, even in the flickering light of the lamp.

Kagami smiles, toothy, the way his twelve year old self did when he fell from the persimmon tree he'd climbed to pluck Tetsuya some persimmons. He'd sat through the subsequent scolding and lecturing about the sacredness of persimmon trees with less than appropriate contriteness, only to produce a whole persimmon from his pockets, the moment he was alone with Tetsuya.

Eight year old Tetsuya couldn't remember anything tasting as good as that persimmon shared with his God-defying brother.

"Aida told me I owe you an apology." Kagami says somewhat sheepishly. "I…" He hesitates for a moment, eyes flickering unsteadily between Tetsuya and the rest of the room. "I told her everything."

Tetsuya merely nods. He didn't expect anything else.

Kagami's frown is unhappy. "She said it was to be expected." Kagami lifts his shoulders in a discontented, but ultimately helpless gesture. "That doesn't make it right." He ends softly, almost defensively.

"No it doesn't." Tetsuya agrees quietly. "But if it is what I had to do, then I don't have any regrets." And he would do it again, would do so much worse, if only it serves to save his niece.

Silence settles, but it's more companionable than awkward. Kagami might not like it, but he does understand the situation well enough. Riko does have that effect.

But Kagami, being Kagami can't stand the silence for long. "So how's palace life, your highness?" His grin is the tiniest fraction of forced, but he makes the effort, so Tetsuya ignores it.

"Spoiled." Tetsuya shudders.

"That bad?" Kagami drops in one of Tetsuya's chairs, sighing in content as he stretches out his limbs. "I bet you don't have to lift a finger around here. You sure you haven't forgotten how to handle a knife? Or do they feed you? Come on, you can tell me."

Tetsuya throws a pillow at his head. It misses by a wide margin and Kagami just muffles his laughter into his fist.

"I'll have you know, I am in perfectly good shape." Tetsuya informs him, suppressing a yawn. He stares at his pillow bleakly. He doesn't want to get up and fetch it, his bed is quite comfortable and warm.

"Of course you are." Kagami bends down and picks up the pillow. Instead of throwing it back, he fluffs it up and hugs it to his chest with a comfortable sigh. "Is that why you are so tired?"

Tetsuya gives him a baleful look. That's his pillow. "I didn't sleep much. I was busy gathering intelligence." He yawns again.

"What did you get?" Kagami learns forward, interested.

"Well, apparently I was supposed to function as a puppet on the throne, after my family staged a coup to remove Akashi from power."

"Ah." Kagami says and blinks. "What?"

Tetsuya recounts his nightly visit to the minister of the Center's chambers and what he learned there.

Kagami's expression is a thoughtful one, when he finishes. Tetsuya watches as he rhythmically squeezes the pillow in his hands. "Do you think she intended to go through with it?"

"No." Tetsuya says flatly. "She would have never considered it. I suppose she needed to increase my value somehow." Tetsuya doesn't allow any inflection to color how he thinks about that.

Kagami isn't fooled, his face softens and he stops abusing the pillow. "She would go that far, huh?" He asks solemnly.

Tetsuya looks away. "She would have gone further." He says blankly. "She can't lay a hand on me, so someone else has to." Unwanted, his hands clench into fists.

"They're not going to kill you." Kagami sounds as though he's trying to convince himself more than Tetsuya.

"No," Tetsuya says slowly, "they won't." At least, he thinks, he can be sure of that now. "She would be so disappointed." He can't really help but add with no small amount of bitterness.

Silence settles once more. Kagami is still working through all the news and Tetsuya's tiredness is about to take its toll. There's one last thing though, before he can allow himself to fall asleep.

"How are they?" Kagami would have told him, if anything had happened, but he still worries. He still cares. Sometimes it's all that keeps him going.

Kagami smiles reassuringly. "Fine, they're fine." He thinks for a moment, then his face brightens up. "Shizuka told me to tell you she's cross with you for not being there to participate in her tea party."

Tetsuya feels a soft feeling of warmth bloom in his chest.

"She roped Kiyoshi into participating." Kagami's grin is rather amused. "She made mud cake."

Tetsuya can't help the soft chuckle that escapes him. Shizuka is very adamant about her baking, although Tetsuya can be quick enough to fool her into believing he ate her cakes. Kiyoshi's strengths lie somewhere else.

His mirth is short lived. Thinking of Kiyoshi still makes his gut clench in anger. Now his strengths have to lie somewhere entirely else.

His brother is sneaky, always was, maybe it's a family trait. But where Tetsuya is a shadow, his brother is a pitfall of pure darkness. And he always takes care to put the bait in someone else's hand. His brother had wanted to see Kiyoshi's strength for himself, so he had challenged him to a match. He wasn't the one fighting though; he never got his hands dirty. His personal guard would do just as well. Just a practice match, there is no harm in that, right? That's what his brother had said.

Tetsuya's hands are clenched tightly around the sheets, something he doesn't even realize until Kagami is there and gently pries his hands open.

"It's okay Kuroko." He says and because they've always been as close as brothers, real brothers, Tetsuya lets him pull him into a tight, comforting hug.

It was an accident, his brother had claimed. His guard's, blade, blunted for practice, but still, had struck Kiyoshi's knee, too hard on a bad angle. Something had been irreparably broken. Now, Kiyoshi will never be able to walk properly again, let alone fight.

Thank goodness, we don't put down injured soldiers like we would a limping horse. His brother's words still ring in Tetsuya's head. But he couldn't prove anything, and even if he could, Naomi would have never listened to him. She had offered compensation to Aida-san, of course she had; she still valued Seirin's services and maybe even understood how fickle the bond between the Seirin and the Teikou had become.

But his brother and his henchman had gone unpunished.

And soon after, Shirai Naomi was dead, as though the move on Kiyoshi had merely been a test to see how far his brother could go, how well honed his weapon had become.

Eventually, he loosens his grip on Kagami and sits back slightly. Kagami ruffles a hand through his hair, but thankfully doesn't say anything. Tetsuya leans against Kagami, seeking the heat that always clings to his skin, no matter what. It's a reminder as much as it is comfort, a reminder that he's not alone in this and that Kagami would walk off the earth for him, without hesitation.

Sometimes the scope of Kagami's loyalty - how far he is willing to go without even a shred of hesitation - pulls the floor right from under Tetsuya's feet.

"I should go." Kagami says eventually, but makes no move to leave. Tetsuya's eyes have fallen shut at some point and he blinks them open sluggishly. Not much time has passed, he thinks, but the light in his lamp is flickering suspiciously, as though the oil is almost gone.

He looks up at Kagami, notes the shadows under his eyes. It seems he wasn't the only one who hadn't gotten enough sleep. "Go to bed, Kagami-kun." Tetsuya sits up again, back slightly protesting at being stretched out of its cramped position.

"Sure." Kagami says drily. "I bet no one would take notice of the stranger sleeping in the bed tomorrow morning."

"I'll just tell them you're my cat." Tetsuya reclaims the pillow Kagami had brought with him and sinks down into it with a blissful sigh. Kagami is warm, but he's also hard and muscle-y and now the entire left side of his face kind of hurts from pressing against a hard surface.

Kagami's laughter drifts through the air and then there's a warm and soft hand on his head. He thinks Kagami says something else, but his mind is already drifting off and into dream land.


"I want to have noted that I think this is a terrible idea." Shintarou adjusts his spectacles and huffs, annoyed.

"Noted." Sejuro says without looking up. Shintarou huffs again.

"How certain is our source?" Reo asks, lounging against the frame of Seijuro's study door.

Seijuro finally looks up from the report he's been reading. Reo's posture is carefully relaxed, but Seijuro sees the tense line of his shoulders.

"There is no reason to worry." Seijuro says coolly. He bestows Shintarou with a side eyed glance, to leave no doubt that he's included in that statement as well.

"Everything will go as expected. I don't make mistakes."

"Of course not." Reo pushes way from the doorframe. "I'll relay the instructions. Sure you don't want any more guards?"

Seijuro turns back to the report. "That won't be necessary. Atsushi is entirely sufficient for maintaining my safety. The rest is merely to contain the situation." He notices the look that passes between Reo and Shintarou, but doesn't comment. They like to make a fuss every now and then, and occasionally Seijuro indulges them, as it seems to satisfy their inherent need to take care of him.

Today is not one of those days.


Morning comes way too soon. Tetsuya feels like he has barely slept at all when he's greeted by sunlight on his face and Ayame's cheerful morning greeting.

And since he's been way too tired lately, and still sort of is, it comes as pretty much a surprise when Sumire reminds him that today is the monthly audience day, and that he is expected to receive the petitioners at Akashi's side.

Tetsuya takes his daily bath, thinking somewhat bitterly about Kagami's words from the day before. The calluses on his hands have softened and the rough skin on his knuckles isn't nearly as hard as he would like it to be. He needs to find a way to practice and keep his hands in shape; otherwise his skills will be of little use.

"Would Kuroko-sama like ointment for his hands?" His thoughts are interrupted by Ayame, who looks down at where he's subconsciously rubbing his hands. The water has already softened his finger tips into squishy pads of skin. Even his palms are soft and pliable.

Ayame crouches down, hands still soapy from where she had worked the soap into his hair and gently takes his hands in his. The skin on his palms catches against Ayame's softer, smooth skin - the hands of a woman who never had to work a sweat in her life.

The wealth of a nation can be measured in how spoiled its servants are.

Sumire, who'd been watching over the temperature of the bathwater draws her mouth into a displeased line, but stays silent. After many fruitless attempts of reining Ayame in, Sumire seems to have accepted it. Shion is outside in his bedroom, putting together his outfit for the day.

"It can be a while, before your hands will be as smooth as a lady's." Ayame's smile is warm, but something in Tetsuya coils in tension all the same. Unheeding, Ayame's thumb rubs over the rough patches on his palms. "You worked hard, didn't you?" There is that motherly gentleness again, concern and care. It's painful as much as it is heartwarming. Sumire clears her throat, a wordless reprimand, and for once Tetsuya is glad for her strict and uptight personality.

"That won't be necessary." Tetsuya says evenly and pulls his hands from Ayame's grasp.

She seems surprised for a moment, but smiles all the same, before returning to rinsing the soap from his hair.

I can't grow soft, Tetsuya thinks, thumbs rubbing over his knuckles, back and forth, back and forth, as if that could bring back the hardened skin he already shed.

The robes Shion presents to him have been adjusted to his frame by the tailor, by whose behest, Tetsuya doesn't know. But they're not as heavy anymore, smaller too, so it no longer looks as though he's been swallowed by rampant fabric. The color is a compromise, a soft pastel tinged purple with trims of Imperial red. The crest of the Rakuzan is stitched neatly into his sleeves and collar, but it's mirrored by the Teikou's crest on the other side of the collar, eternal union of light and darkness in auspicious blue.

On a whim, because the crest reminds him of it, Tetsuya retrieves his fan from where he stored it on a decorative shelf. Somehow the sight makes him nostalgic. It's a simple fan, cheap materials but masterfully crafted. Still, the paper is peeling from the wood in places, and some of the color has bleached. But it reminds him of home, even if the displayed crest and his home have so little in common. They may share the same space in this world, the Teikou homestead and the place he chose as his family, but they couldn't be further apart.

Such a thin thread, and all that kept it from breaking was a century old promise and Tetsuya's word.

Another whim, or maybe instinct, has him sneak the needle from his closet and hide it in the folds of his sleeve. A day like this is predestined for an assassination attempt.

Audiences are held in the court hall, the same room most of the court meetings have taken place. After breakfast, Tetsuya makes his way over to the main tract, or rather he attempts to make his way over, but he is intercepted at his door, by an unfamiliar young man. He falls right in line with the odd amount of rainbow colored hair at this place, with his orange-hued hair. He wears a somewhat ruffled looking palace uniform, although the only insignia is the Teikou crest emblazoned on his collar.

As far as first impressions go, Tetsuya is not sure what to make of this one.

The man, aside from having leftovers from his breakfast clinging to the skin around his mouth, seems to be vibrating out of his skin with so much unbridled excitement it takes Tetsuya aback. He seems to be very close to bouncing on his feet where he stands.

"Kuroko-sama!" Upon his sight, the man actually does bounce on his feet. "I'm appointed as your personal attendant for official meetings starting now. It is a pleasure to meet you." He bows, while still bouncing on his feet, somehow managing not to fall over during the whole display.

His enthusiasm could put Kise to shame and then some.

The man looks up at him expectantly, and as Tetsuya fails to deliver any kind of response, his face falls. "Uh." He says; his brows draw down into a dejected frown.

Tetsuya takes pity. "I am pleased to meet you…?" He tries to make the question mark tagged to the end of his sentence as obvious possible, but he doubts he's made a very good job of it, as the man lights up and bows again, back to overly enthusiastic puppy in no time, but fails to offer his name.

"Your name." Tetsuya prompts.

The guards, standing silent watch at his door make a less than valiant attempt at hiding their amusement, which entirely goes over the man's head.

The man's face falls again. "Oh. I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I?" Just as Tetsuya thinks he couldn't have ended up with a worse choice for his attendant, the man visibly draws himself together. "I ask your forgiveness milord" He says, much more formal now. "I tend to allow myself to get carried away too easily, please forgive my rudeness." He bows again, this time slower and with much more decorum. "My name is Ogiwara Shigehiro and I hereby report for duty as your attendant." This time, his smile is measured and polite, yet he can't hide the twinkle in his eyes. The effect is somewhat hindered by the few crumbs of food, clinging stubbornly to Ogiwara's face.

"I have food on my face, haven't I?" Tetsuya thinks he'd been subtle, but Ogiwara must have caught his eyes flicking between his eyes and mouth. "That happens a lot to me." He grins sheepishly, while rubbing his mouth. "I'm a bit of a messy eater."

Ogiwara tags along when Tetsuya makes his way to the meeting hall. This time the room is almost empty, safe for the ministers of Civil Services, Taxation, Justice and the Imperial Household and their attendants. Akashi hasn't arrived yet, and judging by the presence of the two attendants of the Chancellor, Fujiwara can expected be to arrive any time soon.

Tetsuya exchanges polite greetings with Shirogane Eiji, the minister of Civil Services. Oshiro Masanori, the minister of Justice greets him with a nod, while Watanabe Jun, the minister of the Imperial Hosuehold ignores him. Nakano Arata's eyes follow him all the way to his seat, oddly intense and faintly expectant. Normally Tetsuya would pay it little mind, but with what he's overheard just recently, it sets his teeth on edge.

Tetsuya has barely taken his seat when the small side door opens again and Akashi walks in, followed by Murasakibara and Chancellor Fujiwara. The attendants bow as they pass, but Akashi pays them all no mind. He acknowledges Tetsuya barely with a nod, before he signals the two attendants waiting at the front doors to open.

Outside is the busy bustling of the main hall and Tetsuya can just make out a line of petitioners waiting for their chance to talk to their Emperor. One of the attendants calls out something and there's a flash of pink when Momoi whizzes past to herd in the first petitioner. A man shuffles forward, hands clasped in front of him as he makes his way past the ministers to speak in front of Akashi.

His clothes stick out among the expensive silk and velvet surrounding him. They're not bad clothes, but they look worn and mended more than a few times. He falls to his knees in front of their table, forehead pressed to the ground and remains like that until Akashi's cool voice breaks the silence.

"Kneeling is not necessary. State your business."

The man does, telling of a wolf or mountain cat that haunts his village, leaving sheep's carcasses in its wake. Humans haven't fallen victim yet, but the man fears for the children's safety. Akashi listens quietly and then offers to send a party of huntsmen with the man to take care of the problem. The man bows again, less nervous and with obvious relief, and leaves after barely two minutes of conversation.

It continues in that manner. Most petitioners have rather small problems, wild animals, disputes over land, a broken dam that needs repair, petitions to raise the fishing quota - problems that are solved with a few words and a promise.

The mayor of a small mountain village begs for their tax levy to be postponed as a thunderstorm has wrecked havoc on all their crops. It will be some time until the newly planted summer crops will have grown to make up for the loss of spring.

Another village is raided by mountain bandits and seeks military assistance.

A trader, a wealthy merchant dressed even more expensively than Akashi's court, begs for Akashi's permission on purchasing a trading license for foreign goods, promising wealth and riches in return.

Tetsuya sits and listens quietly. Ogiwara has handed him ink and quill and a stack of expensive paper to write on, if he needs to, but so far nothing important has occurred. Akashi handles everything, sometimes relegating cases to his ministers, but mostly he makes the decisions.

And as the day progresses, Tetsuya's first impression of the inner court relations solidifies. Chancellor Fujiwara speaks up a few times, offering his counsel unprompted. Akashi seems to put great trust into the man's words, as he almost always follows his advice.

Occasionally, Akashi addresses Shirogane, when a case pertains his responsibility, sometimes he prompts Oshiro on questions of the law. But never, not even once, does he address Watanabe or Nakano. Even when the mayor asks for tax relief, and Nakano starts fidgeting obviously in his chair, Akashi ignores him entirely.

They break for lunch, a short and taciturn affair served by two kitchen servants, while the still waiting petitioners are treated outside to the same. The air is quite stuffy and Tetsuya is grateful he brought his fan; he's even more grateful for the fact that his position is tied to female traditions and no one can take offense when he hides his face behind the thin paper of his family crest.

They resume after lunch, the line outside barely seemed to have gotten shorter and Tetsuya notices in more than one of the court members the quite annoyance that comes with being stuck to a boring task. Even Nakano, who'd been rather tense the whole morning, seems to have given in to the late spring heat.

Still, or rather because of that, Tetsuya's senses are on edge and he scrutinizes every new petitioner with a careful eye. Something seems off, but he can't exactly place his finger on what.

They are interrupted a short while later by Midorima who walks in, hands Akashi a few documents and then leaves again, all without acknowledging anyone in the room, except Akashi. Midorima, as it turns out when Tetsuya turns to look to the still open side door, has come with Suzuki Jurou in tow, and in that moment, when everyone is distracted by Midorima's appearance, something passes between Suzuki and Nakano. It's subtle, just a look that lingers a moment too long, but the uneasy feeling in Tetsuya's gut flares in warning.

He's been watching people all his life, so he doesn't miss the subtle shifts in Nakano's posture. He still looks as lethargic and disinterested as before, but now that's only on the surface. There's the barely perceptible twitch of his index finger against the table surface, the arrhythmic tensing of his jaw when he thinks no one is looking.

Nakano is waiting for something.

Tetsuya shifts in his seat, ostensibly to stretch his cramped muscles but in actuality he braces himself for combat. He has no idea what will happen, or if anything will happen, but as Riko has pounded into him on more than one occasion, it always pays to be prepared. And while someone attacking Akashi in his sleep is a very viable option - one that Tetsuya could have easily tried himself, but could have done nothing to prevent - it hasn't happened.

Ogiwara fidgets behind him, something he's done frequently, but with his senses now on high alert, it's become diistracting. Akashi next to him is relaxed as ever, as he listens to a worn out woman who claims her daughter's honor has been besmirched by a nobleman who now refuses to marry her.

Tetsuya only listens with half an ear as he is waiting for something to happen. It's unlikely that the attack will come from inside the room, there had been plenty of chances already, but none of the petitioners that come in seem to be interested in anything else than their own problems. Still, Tetsuya waits.

But ultimately, nothing happens. The woman shuffles out, clutching a stained handkerchief in her hands but appeased all the same that justice will be done, trading places with the next petitioner. It goes on and Tetsuya's skin is prickling with warning, but nothing happens.

Nakano's impatience doesn't settle either and it serves to keep Tetsuya on edge. At least he's subtle enough about it that no one notices, but it's of little comfort.

The worst is, he's sure that something is about to go down, but as the minutes pass by, the tension coils tighter and tighter, without any relief in sight.

Eventually, Akashi wraps up the day, sending the remaining petitioners home to come back next time. Tetsuya remembers what Kise told him on the day he showed him around. It seems to be true. There had been some pressing issues that couldn't have waited much longer, bandits, a dam about to break after spring flooding, an unknown illness ravaging the coast settlements in the East, and now as he carefully watches the petitioners still waiting outside, none of them seems particularly upset at being sent home. No begging and screaming to be heard, no issue seeming pressing enough to pick a fight.

The atmosphere, if anything, is jovial.

It makes him feel all the more stupid for feeling this on edge the whole time. Everything seems to be fine. But Tetsuya has learned to trust his instincts above anything else, so he keeps his eyes open and his stance loose and ready, while they make their way out the court hall.

Ogiwara touches his arm gently, and Tetsuya just barely manages to catch his reflex before he lands his hand on Ogiwara's throat. If Ogiwara notices the aborted movement, he doesn't show it.

"Tonight we will be receiving an honored guest from Cathay. Kuroko-sama is expected to attend." Tetsuya isn't exactly sure if he was supposed to know that beforehand, or if he'd just failed to remember yet another important point on his schedule thanks to lack of sleep.

"I… uh... was supposed to tell you that earlier, but I was too excited to finally meet Kuroko-sama." Ogiwara confesses, eyes darting here and there. "I'm sorry." He adds, somewhat belatedly.

Akashi has already left, without waiting for Tetsuya to catch up. Tetsuya can't see him anywhere in the main hall and concludes he must have already gone ahead.

"I have a guest list." Ogiwara pats down his uniform pockets, frowning as he looks for the aforementioned list. Tetsuya doesn't wait for him to find it, but makes his way through the main hall and to the great banquet hall, where the wedding feast was held.

"Kuroko-sama, wait." Ogiwara rushes after him, a crumpled looking scroll of parchment in hands and waving frantically with it to get his attention. "That's the wrong direction. The feast will be held somewhere else." He holds out the scroll with an expectant grin.

Tetsuya tilts his head. "I imagine the names will bear little resemblance in my mind, would you be so kind and point out important people to me later?" He asks politely. Ogiwara is stunned for a moment, mouth hanging half open, before his whole face lights up in delight.

"Of course. It is my pleasure to be of use to Kuroko-sama."

Ogiwara leads him down a corridor, hurrying along, as the end of the audience session and the beginning of the banquet have been cut rather close together.

"Chengyi-sama has arrived earlier than expected, but Akashi-dono has been adamant about not rescheduling the audience." Ogiwara explains while they rush through the corridors. "As a result the banquet starts right after the audiences are done."

Ogiwara leads him to a small hidden door, leading to a small room adjacent to one of the smaller dining halls scattered all throughout the palace. Inside, Akashi is surrounded by three servants who quickly change his clothes, while giving orders to his guards. Another servant is off to the side, adjusting the Imperial guards' uniforms. Momoi is in the center of it all, barking orders left and right, unheeding of the Emperor's presence right at her side.

Ayame and Shion rush to his side, while Momoi rattles down some information on their foreign guest. Unlike most of the ambassadors Akashi has received since Tetsuya's arrival, Prince Chengyi Hua Gong is an important ally to the Rakuzan. He is also the heir to Cathay's throne and while Akashi's power base isn't likely to be threatened by another country, he does rely on good neighborly relations for trade. And Cathay is the Empire's main source for silk, porcelain and jade, among other things.

He's stripped out of his formal court robes quickly, while Shion unfolds a flowing robe in steely blue, complicit to Akashi's similarly cut robe of red brocade. Akashi's is adorned by a phoenix, winding its way up his torso, born from flames that line the seams. The wings are spread open and cover Akashi's shoulders like a mantle. Tetsuya's is much subtler in comparison, azaleas entwined with a flock of birds.

Akashi is crowned by a heavy gold piece, a dragon winding itself around his forehead, rubies for eyes, head proudly raised to look down on his subjects. Tetsuya gets a thin silver circlet, a ring of lilies woven around the thin body of a sea serpent.

It's the first time that Tetsuya sees the Imperial regalia. Chengyi truly must be an important person.

"We're good." Momoi steps back after adjusting Tetsuya's crown, checking one last time if his robes fall right, before giving a short wave to a servant waiting at the door.

"Tetsuya." Akashi's voice is calm and he makes an inviting gesture with his hand. Tetsuya steps up next to him, face cast downward and hands clasped together in front of him. He had to surrender his fan, but the needle is safely pinned in the inside of his flowing right sleeve. He notices the obvious absence of weapons on the Imperial guard as they fall in place around them.

"Look ahead. Today, you are my Queen." Akashi doesn't look at him, nor is his voice any differend than usual. But oddly enough, something flips in Tetsuya's chest at the words.

It's almost too natural how he falls in step besides Akashi, perfectly harmonious in their cadence, as they walk to the small shoji door that separates them from the main dining hall.

Unlike all the other dining rooms Tetsuya has seen so far, this one is held in traditional pre-Imperial style. The floors are covered with tatami mats and the walls, although reinforced with wood to ascertain privacy, are made from shoji framework.

Most of the guests are already seated at their respective tables. The room is overlooked by one larger long table at one side, with its mirror at the other side of the room, the lines of guest tables stretching in between. A few palace guards line the walls, ceremonial uniforms and no weapons.

Akashi's hand brushes his elbow, just faintly, but Tetsuya follows the lead without thinking; walking down the line of bowing guests - nobles, officials and dignitaries - who press their foreheads against the smooth surface of the tables in front of them. Akashi falls to his knees with exceptional grace, robes settling around him in a perfect fold of rustling fabric. Tetsuya shadows him moments later, folding his hands in his lap, but keeping his head high as per Akashi's instructions.

The table on the other end of the room is still empty.

Tetsuya recognizes the ministers and many of the other officials that attended the various meetings he participated in. Some of the nobles he sees for the first time, although he has an inkling they'd been present during the wedding banquet, but for once he can't quite remember.

They are served by a string of artfully dressed women, in whom Tetsuya recognizes some of the court ladies. The moment he and Akashi had taken their seats, a woman slid in place next to him, a flask of warm sake in her hands, ready to serve.

Next to Tetsuya's personal servant - the young daughter of Lord Yamamoto, if he remembers correctly - sit Aomine and Kise, the former unusual attentive for his normally bored demeanor. Kise on the other hand seems to be in his natural element, already charming the girl that's been ordered to serve them. Next to Akashi, Midorima and Murasakibara have taken their places. Midorima is as stiff as ever, and keeps whispering into Akashi's ear, while Murasakibara looks as though he's a fraction away from falling asleep.

Both Tetsuya's personal attendants, Ogiwara and Mayuzumi, kneel a distance behind them, providing assistance if necessary.

The large two-framed doors of the main entrance slide open. A man in the uniform of the Imperial couriers steps through and bows. "His Imperial Majesty, Prince Chengyi Hua Gong of the Feng dynasty." He announces with a clear voice, before stepping aside.

The crown prince of Cathay strikes an imposing figure in his elaborate multilayered robes and head adorned with a lacquered head piece of a finely carved sparrow. He's surrounded by a throng of people who keep whispering in his ears, even as he makes his way to his seat opposite Akashi and Tetsuya. All of them have their faces covered with a thin white veil that only leaves the eyes open. Ogiwara whispers to him that it is customary in Cathay to hide one's face in the presence of a higher being.

"Chengyi." Akashi inclines his head in greeting, once the prince has seated himself.

"Seijuro" Chengyi acknowledges with an equally measured nod.

It seems to be some kind of signal, because the female servants all start moving at once, pouring sake and serving plates with fish, vegetables and rice, all artfully arranged in small portions. Tetsuya listens attentively as Akashi and Chengyi trade conversation back and forth during the meal. It's nondescript on the surface, but Tetsuya can't shake the feeling that something else is passed between the two men, something that stirs right under the surface of the otherwise pleasant conversation.

"Congratulations on your betrothal." Chengyi's eyes flicker to Tetsuya for the fraction of a second. His mouth is quirked slightly, in some form of perpetual smile. It does not reach his eyes.

Akashi accepts the words with another graceful nod. He holds out his cup for his servant to refill, while watching Chengyi with an expression carefully balanced between thoughtful and amused. "I have heard you've been finally engaged to dear Ling-Yan?" The question mark tagged to the end of his sentence seems perfunctorily, as Akashi leaves no doubt that he isn't guessing, he knows.

"Ahhh, princess Ling-Yan of the Ran." Chengyi swirls the sake in his cup with a soft motion. "A woman as rare as fine wine." His perpetual smile morphs into a smirk for a moment before he drinks some from his cup. "An esteemed line, the Ran. But ultimately, mundane."

Akashi tilts his head. "The simplicity of the mundane can be refreshing. I suppose you would know of that." There's poison in each of Chengyi's words, honeyed and deadly. But Akashi matches him beat for beat. Tetsuya feels his skin crawl with it.

Chengyi laughs. The sound is like the slides of rocks down a steep hill, chafing and ultimately dangerous. "Oh I do know the pleasure of the mundane. I have dipped my petals in it quite a few times."

He clicks his chop sticks together, before picking up a piece of his fish. Sauce drips from his chin, but Chengyi doesn't seem perturbed. One of his attendants wipes it off with a napkin. "But that's just the difference, between us." Chengyi's eyes carry a malicious glint that is matched by the strange vertical tilt of Akashi's left pupil. "I dip, whereas you root? Ah, but it never is that easy now, is it?"

Tetsuya can taste the tension in the air on his tongue.

"Hard soil makes for strong plants." Akashi says, voice deceptively calm.

"Words are a slippery thing, aren't they? Your people always had a heart for poetry, do they not? An odd choice, if ever I saw one. What is that game your people are so fond of? One hundred poets? I do see the merits of shogi, I have a taste for it myself, but poetry?" He laughs again, the sound sharp and grating.

Tetsuya doesn't dare to look at Akashi. Something tells him that it would be inadvertently dangerous to do so. Instead he levels his eyes on Chengyi, at the cruel lines around his mouth and eyes as he keeps his eyes on Akashi like a snake that has trapped its target.

Akashi picks up his sake cup with a measured gesture. A chill chases down Tetsuya's spine. "The merit of a person can be tested quite easily with a game of karuta." Akashi's voice is cold. "But your mind never was your greatest weapon." Unlike Chengyi, Akashi doesn't phrase it as a question.

The room seems to hold their collective breath. It's as close to an open insult as any of the conversation has come so far, and Tetsuya has absolutely no idea how Chengyi will react. Neither does anyone else, it seems.

And oddly enough, Tetsuya finds himself thinking of what Nakajima had said about karuta. A game of wits.

"The same can be said of shogi, of course" Akashi doesn't betray any of the tension currently permeating the room.

Chengyi laughs. It's not the grating sound from before, but a loud, belly shaking affair that has him sway in his seat. "So maybe you should challenge me to a game then?" He asks, strange glint in eyes, and Tetsuya realizes that the laugh is merely a distraction; the danger is far from gone.

"To what avail?" Akashi sounds bored now. Tetsuya can't tell if it's real or just a façade. "I always win. The outcome is already determined."

Chengyi smirks. "Victory as a prerequisite for supremacy. I see you still hold on to your…" His eyes seem to flash with something for a moment, an emotion Tetsuya could not name. "mundane beliefs."

It's so quiet one could hear a needle fall to the ground.

"The weak need an excuse for their weakness." Akashi says, sounding as disinterested as before. But this time, Tetsuya can make out the faintest trace of tension in his voice. "I am absolute, therefore I am always right." For some indiscernible reason - and right now not pressing enough to ponder about - Imayoshi is trying very hard not to laugh.

Akashi puts down his cup and looks at Chengyi. Tetsuya doesn't need to see it himself to know exactly how his eyes look right now. Cold and piercing, until the very soul lays bare. "Tell me, have you clipped your bird's wings yet?"

Chengyi measures Akashi for a moment, before his trademark smile is back in place. "Of course. She isn't an ordinary bird after all." For an instance, his smiles turns sharp. "It would do no good if my clever little swallow flew away. I presume you are familiar with the sentiment by now." This time, the smile is openly hostile.

"Unlikely." Akashi says dismissively. "I have no use for the mindless flutter of a bird."

Chengyi's eyes glitter with something sharp and dangerous. "But that is the beauty of a bird with clipped wings. They don't flutter." Chengyi's eyes flicker to Tetsuya, but this time, when their gazes meet, Tetsuya holds it. He has seen glimpses of Akashi's darkness, he has seen the depth of his own lingering darkness, but both pale in comparison to the void he sees in Chengyi's soulless eyes. For a moment it feels like Tetsuya is sucked into the void.

It lasts only for a moment, before Chengyi pulls his attention back to Akashi.

Akashi's eyes are trained on his guest, but he has yet to reply. Chengyi's lips curl again, cold and sharp and triumphant above all. "Of course." He throws back the rest of his sake cup with a flourish. „There is no place in your mind for unearthly things. Isn't that right wisteria child?"

Midorima next to them makes an aborted movement, reaching out and then stopping, right as Akashi affects a smile one could call gentle, weren't it for the sharp, dangerous glint in Akashi's eyes - pupils shifted into a vertical tilt. "If the only status you can invoke is one granted by the fickle will of gods, how brittle your grasp on power must be. I wonder… how does it feel to fight for every scrap with your brothers?"

The air seems several degrees colder all of a sudden. Tetsuya can feel the tension prickle on his skin like air before a thunderstorm. Only the tension building seems less explosive, than consuming. Like everything will be sucked into the void that will inevitably open when these two men clash.

There is the very real sensation of terror settling in Tetsuya's belly.

And just when he thinks they two of them are going to collide, Fujiwara speaks up. "Now, now, let's talk about something else, shall we?"

Chengyi's smile is pleasant but laced with poison. "Of course." The glint in Akashi's eyes subsides.

There is not a sliver of doubt in Tetsuya's mind that whatever crisis Fujiwara just averted, it would have been Chengyi who would have paid for it. Akashi's face is unreadable.

Dinner continues under the umbrella of mindless chatter among the guests, but no one can quite forget the earlier tension. Glances fly from Chengyi to Akashi and back, but whatever went down between the two of them, seems to be forgotten for now.

Ogiwara quietly explains the current status of their relations to Cathay, adding in tidbits of information of the men surrounding prince Chengyi. He has little to offer however about the man himself.

Tetsuya has almost forgotten about his earlier bad feeling. Chengyi's presence had overshadowed his worries with more pressing issues. He had tried, halfheartedly, to keep an eye out on Nakano and Suzuki, but they had done little to award suspicion so far. And it wasn't easy to keep his focus when he was still battling with exhaustion, especially after the long day he just had. He still hadn't gotten enough sleep.

Chengyi's attendants had stayed mostly by his side during the meal, but occasionally one would leave his side to fetch him something. None of the court ladies had been allowed close. By now the strict sitting arrangement has loosened up and people have traded places to talk with friends or other visitors; there is a constant coming and going.

He watches idly as one of Chengyi's attendants leaves his side, empty flask in hand to fetch some more sake from the burner at the side of the room. Tetsuya's mind is a bit sluggish, as he's busy fighting the constant yawns that threaten to rise from his throat, so it takes a moment for it to settle in that there is a filled bottle of sake right in the hands of one of Chengyi's other servants.

Abruptly, his exhaustion is gone.

The man weaves through the bustling servants and court ladies, face hidden by his veil and nothing hints at his intention being anything else but getting sake.

But Tetsuya has grown up around people who tread a way dangerous plaster than a court banquet.

The man bumps into one of the ladies walking past, turning half to apologize with a bow. The action, and it wasn't anything but that - intent can only be masked so far - has brought him to face Akashi, who's currently engaged in a discussion with one of the dignitaries that had come with Chengyi.

There's a split second where neither Tetsuya nor the man move, but then the man shakes his sleeve to reveal a long thin knife. The empty bottle drops to the ground as the man surges forward. At that point, Tetsuya is already moving.

Something happens when he's entering a fight. Time seems to slow marginally, his focus sharpens on his target, while his peripheral perception widens, until every detail, every little thing that happens around him, filters through to his mind. It always comes with a surreptitious temptation, a pull to give in to the darkness residing in his heart. If he ever does give in, Tetsuya has no doubt he'll lose more than just his soul.

He catches various movements from the corner of his eyes, of which only one sticks truly out. A flash of purple, gray and metal, as Murasakibara reacts to the threat, but by then Tetsuya already has intercepted the man. He's good, he sees him coming and dodges his initial attack, but Tetsuya reads through him as easily as it were a book, blocking the following attack with a jab to the man's wrist, locking the joint so that the man has to drop his weapon.

The man grunts but brings up his other fist for a punch that Tetsuya dodges by dropping under the attacker's reach. He hooks his foot behind the man's ankle and pulls. He comes down hard, one hand all but useless and the other flailing as he attempts to regain balance, but another kick to the man's knee seals his fate. Tetsuya follows, digs a knee in the man's back. Robes settling around them in a soft flutter of fabric.

The needle Tetsuya has pulled from his sleeve is pressed against the nape of the man's neck, insistent enough to remind him of the consequences of resisting.

The whole thing takes less than five seconds. The entire room is bathed in shocked silence.

Tetsuya's breath in calm measured puffs of air, as the world slowly shifts back to its normal flow.

"Look at that, your little swallow has its own set of claws." Chengyi, of course, has no regard for the gravity of the situation.


* shoji In traditional Japanese architecture, a shōji (障子?) is a door, window or room divider consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood which holds together a lattice of wood or bamboo

*Chengyi Hua Gong is a literal translation of Makoto Hanamiya's name into Chinese.
Ling-Yan means clever swallow.

*Cathay = alternate name for China