Chapter 7 – Quest

"No." Akashi said firmly.

"But Akashi-sama, you're not well and this is the only way I can think of to help you-"

"No. I'll recover eventually. It's too dangerous for you to travel all the way to the city just so you might find something to cure me Tetsuya."

"I don't care! I have to help Akashi-sama." Kuroko said, raising his voice.

"Tetsuya, I don't want you to get hurt. Especially not just to help me." Akashi said more softly.

"Well I'm going. And seeing as you can barely sit up to eat, you can't stop me." Kuroko decided stubbornly.

Akashi sighed, his brow furrowed. The blue haired boy was right. There was very little the kitsune could actually do to stop him in his current condition. "At least take Nigou with you then, and my dagger. If you're not back in five days, I swear to God I'm going to drag myself out of this cave and crawl after you."

Kuroko smiled at the comment. "Okay. I promise I'll be back within five days. It shouldn't take more than a day or two to get there anyway." The human said before leaning down to give Akashi a kiss on the cheek and pull him into a gentle hug.

"Just stay safe Tetsuya." The kitsune whispered.

"You too Akashi-sama."


The first day of walking was rather uneventful. The sky had been clear and sunny, though the air had been bitterly cold. Luckily, Kuroko had a warm fur coat that he wore when he was travelling.

As the sun was sinking closer and closer to the horizon, Kuroko started to set up small campsite, making a small campfire and placing his bed roll on the ground by a tree. After a quick meal, Kuroko curled up under his blanket as the fire began to dim and the world around him was swallowed in darkness. Nigou scampered over to him, nuzzling alongside the boy in an attempt to keep both of them warm on the frosty night.

The next day, he awoke as the sun's beams bathed the forest around him. He continued the lengthy journey to the city.

He was taking a short break from the walking when Nigou started barking behind him and growling as if giving someone a warning. The dog's actions were followed by a manly scream and the sound of someone falling over.

Kuroko turned around hastily, standing up and pulling out the dagger Akashi had insisted he take with him in case he needed to defend himself. When Kuroko's eyes met the burgundy ones of the stranger, said stranger quickly raised his hands in surrender.

"Woah, woah! I'm not gunna hurt you I just wanted to ask you a question!" The newcomer claimed.

"Then why were you sneaking up on me?" Kuroko asked sceptically.

"I was…I just wanted to observe whether you were friendly or not. I swear." The stranger defended.

Kuroko eyed the man suspiciously in silence. He looked to be in his late 20's and had tousled, dual red coloured hair.

"Please…I lost my map and supplies to some damn bandits and I have no idea which way the castle is in. I just need some directions and I'll be on my way." The man pleaded, backing away from Nigou as the puppy attempted to approach him.

"I was heading towards the castle anyway. I have business in town." Kuroko informed him, lowering his knife.

"Oh, what is a kid like you doing heading into the big city?"

"I'm looking for some medicine for a friend of mine. Why are you going there?"

"Ah, I live and work there. I was just out visiting my parents from the old village I used to live in." The guy said with a smile. "What's your name anyway kid?"

"Kuroko Tetsuya." The boy mumbled.

"Nice to meet you Kuroko. I'm Kagami Taiga." The man said with a friendly smile. "How about we travel together? You'll be much safer with a big strong guy like me protecting you." Kagami said, flexing an arm and pulling a smug expression.

"Didn't you say you were attacked by bandits? And that they stole everything you had?" Kuroko said bluntly.

The man's face dropped and he quickly became flustered. "Er, well yeah, but there were more than usual okay!"

Kuroko scoffed before speaking. "I suppose we may as well travel together Kagami-san. We're not that far from the city now anyway."


A few hours later the two arrived at the vibrant capital.

"There's so many people." Kuroko gaped in awe of the city, the large castle visible in the distance.

Kagami looked at the kid noticing his amazement and laughed. "Have you ever been anywhere except for a village?"

Kuroko shook his head continuing to stare around at all the different buildings and stalls and people. "There's so much…" Kuroko mumbled.

"So how exactly were you planning on finding a doctor to help out your friend?"

The question reminded Kuroko of why he was here. I need to find something to help Akashi-sama…But how was he going to do that? He hadn't expected the metropolis to be quite so huge. "Ummm…"

"You have no idea where to start do you kid?"

"I'm sure I'll figure something out…"

Kagami sighed. "Idiot." He said, lightly slapping the back of the boy's head with his hand. "You're in luck anyway. I've got a good friend who makes medicinal remedies. He's one of the best around so I'm sure he can help you out somehow. Come on, I'll take you to his place."

Kuroko smiled a bit. "Thank you Kagami-san." He said with a gratuitous bow.


"Yo, Tatsuya! I've got a customer for you." Kagami called as he entered the store with Kuroko following behind him with Nigou in his arms.

"Ah, Taiga! And who is this?" He asked, looking down at the blue haired boy.

"Kuroko Tetsuya." Kagami answered on Kuroko's behalf. "He needs something to help his friend."

"I see. What is wrong with your friend Kuroko-kun?"

Kuroko looked nervous. He wasn't entirely sure how the people in this city felt about yokai. He had heard that there was a mixture of opinions – some hated them, some loved them and some were indifferent.

"My friend, he's a kitsune. He caught some yokai illness off of another yokai. His symptoms are a fever, everything aches and he has lost his supernatural abilities. I wanted to see if I could find something to help him." Kuroko informed the black haired doctor.

"A yokai huh? That is unusual. But I have been trying out some more experimental medicines actually and I believe I might have something that could help your friend." Himuro replied in a friendly tone before going out to the store room.

It wasn't long until Himuro returned with a vile of dark green liquid. "I've done some research on yokai diseases. I've only had the opportunity to try this once, but it was successful, so you could try it. I can also give you a list of the ingredients in case you'd like to research it some more."

Kuroko took the glass container and inspected the fluid. "Of course there is also the matter of payment." Himuro reminded Kuroko timidly.

"Oh, yes. I brought money with me. Here." Kuroko said, pulling five gold pieces out of his pocket.

The two townsmen stared at the contents of the boy's palm before Kagami shouted at the teen. "Idiot! That's nowhere near enough!"

"What? This could buy you a lot. In my village it used to buy you 10 vials of medicine."

Himuro laughed. "Sadly, in the capital, gold coins are not worth as much Kuroko-kun. And this medicine is quite rare and difficult to brew…"

The blue haired teen frowned. This was all the money he had and he couldn't bear to go back to Akashi without something to help him. Behind him, Kagami sighed. "Tatsuya, I'll pay for it."

Kuroko turned to look at the red-head with surprised eyes.

"What? It's the least I can do after you showed me the way back. God knows how long I would have stayed lost out there if you hadn't helped me out." Kagami said.

The edges of Kuroko's mouth turned up in a small smile.

"And you can stay at my place for the night and all. It's getting dark already and there's no way any inn's gunna take you in with just 5 gold."

"Thank you Kagami-san. You are very generous."

"I think I've found Taiga's soft spot." Himuro teased.

"Whatever." Kagami huffed. "Come on, let's go Kuroko."

And so the two went to Kagami's home with the cure in hand.


The next morning, Kuroko awoke early and well rested. He thanked the red haired man once again and Kagami provided him with a big breakfast.

"Keep safe on your way back okay Kuroko?"

"I will Kagami-san. Thank you for your hospitality, I hope we meet again one day."

"You're welcome to visit any time."

A/N:

Next chapter: Surprise