AN: This is the eighth chapter. Before you get confused, I changed the bad guy's names to Chinese names. I have to thank Rinfantasy for making me realize that. A big thank you! Well, I hope you like it!
There was a dark aura looming around the inn.
Akashi walked with unhurried steps in the direction of the indoor gyms where most of the schools where training that day. He didn't care if he hadn't made reservations. Anyone who dared oppose him would be brought down painfully. His previously raging hot fury had turned into icy cold hatred. Oh, how he despised those guys. In his opinion, they didn't deserve to even breathe the same air as the rest of them. He promised himself he would crush them with the most outrageous scores anyone had ever seen. Even then, he doubted it would satisfy them.
Yes, them.
He knew all the members of the Generation of Miracles had a soft spot for the frail boy. Most of them saw him as their little brother. It was simple, really. By insulting Kuroko, those thugs had sealed their fate. It was a direct affront and none of them would stand for it. He wondered what they should do to...satiate their thirst for revenge. Quite a few interesting ideas popped up and he promised to keep them in mind. He smiled sadistically. He truly couldn't wait to make them swallow their words; he'd make sure they'd choke on them too. "This will be fun."
The red-head passed through various corridors, scaring the ones who were unfortunate enough to cross paths with him. Malice clung to him like a second skin and everyone hurried out of Akashi's way. This was the side the red-head showed to anyone who dared to anger him. There were few who had ever seen it and those at the receiving end were scarred for life. Actually, he had never felt so much blood lust. He craved their demise. Akashi himself was a bit surprised at the intensity of his own feelings. If it continued like this, they would be in serious danger. Those boys were lucky though; if he really did something that drastic, he wouldn't be able to be with his dear Tetsuya anymore. So the thugs would still live, in the end. That didn't mean he couldn't...damage them a bit, right? He darkly chuckled. Maybe he really was a little mad.
As he progressed, taller figures joined him in his walk. When they became five, the pressure was so heavy normal people had trouble breathing. Akashi smirked; it seemed he wasn't alone in his madness. An aura similar to his was emanating from the remaining players of the Generation of Miracles and while he had a lot of self-control, he couldn't say the same about some of his teammates. He would have to keep them in line if they didn't want to have a chat with the police.
They all reached the large door that led to the gyms. They all knew many schools including their own would be there already but nothing would prevent them from winning this game. Akashi opened the doors and they stepped inside, viciously ready for massive revenge.
XOXOXOXO
The respective teams of all members of the Generation of Miracles were silently practising when it happened. The sound of the doors slamming open and at the entrance stood a group of five figures that seemed ready to kill. Every single person in the gym whipped their heads to stare at the group of five prodigies that had made such a dramatic entrance. Even those who didn't know them personally cleared the way as the Generation of Miracles walked in the direction of one of the many basketball courts. They all stared at them. They formed a scary, yet odd group. They all had a different jersey with a different school name written on it. Those who knew basketball realised it was their official uniform for important games. They were dead serious about whatever they were going to do.
They reached the space where Rakuzan and Kaijo were practising.
"I need you all to clear the court. Now." was the direct order Akashi gave to anyone standing in the place he had chosen. Rakuzan scampered off no questions asked; they had never heard their captain so angry. It gave them the chills. They wondered who was stupid enough to defy him.
Kaijo did as well, except reluctantly. They wanted to live and the red-head looked ready to kill anyone who disobeyed him. Still, if they were going to be kicked out of their own reserved court, then Kasamatsu wanted to know why. He approached them bravely under the worried eyes of his teammates.
"It seems you all have something important to do. It looks like I have no choice but to let you use this court but only under the condition that you tell me what is going on." he addressed Akashi. He would have gone directly to Kise but at the moment, the red-head was obviously the one making the decisions. Kasamatsu had only miscalculated the amount of anger Akashi felt at the moment. It made him feel opposed easier.
"Are you questioning my actions?" he asked with venom in his voice. He was absolute! No one had the right to defy him! His golden eye glowed yet again. "So, even though your two personalities have merged, one can still overpower the other for a certain amount of time when you're angry." wondered Midorima.
Kise intervened before his captain got murdered.
"Ah, Akashicchi, I'm sure Kasamatsu-senpai wasn't questioning you at all. He is simply curious." he stated. Under normal circumstances, the blond would've been panicking and begging on his knees. Oddly enough, the blond seemed calm and collected. Akashi stared at him for a while before letting it go; he didn't have time for this. His glowing eye died off.
"Well in that case, you should tell your so-called captain that he needs to be careful. After all, curiosity killed the cat." He then left the two of them and stood in the middle of the court. Aomine, Murasakibara and Midorima followed him. Kise turned to his captain.
"Sorry about that, Kasamatsu-senpai. We're a bit on edge recently, especially Akashicchi." he apologised. Kasamatsu could only nod as he was still slightly shaken at having the red-head's anger directed at him. He quickly composed himself.
"What do you plan to do with the court anyway? And why're you all wearing your uniforms?" he asked.
"You see, we're going to have an important game with some Chinese group." he answered vaguely. Kasamatsu knew he wouldn't say anything more. He didn't like being kept in the dark but he understood his ace needed to solve this problem, whatever it was. He sighed.
"Well fine. It must be pretty important if the Generation of Miracles is coming together again." he complied. Kise smiled. His foul mood wasn't gone at all but he truly appreciated his captain's understanding of him.
"Thanks!" he cheered. "They will lose with the most unimaginable pain ever." he muttered softly to himself. His captain heard it though.
"Man, you sound like they'll never see the light of day again." he remarked. Kise looked him in the eye.
"They won't live to tell the tale." he told him with absolute seriousness. Kasamatsu stared at him for a few seconds before the blond waved him off, telling him it was a joke. It didn't seem that way to him at all. He watched as his ace ran towards his teammates for this game.
XOXOXOXO
Akashi had them all standing in a circle. It was almost like in middle school except this time they were not holding each other by the neck. The red-head didn't say anything, he didn't have to. It was as clear as day what needed to be done. To crush them without mercy. Every one of them understood the gravity of the situation.
They had insulted Kuroko. They had touched their brother. They had belittled their pride.
If there was one thing that the Generation of Miracles was absolutely proud of was Kuroko. It wasn't their incredible talent or their numerous victories. They had watched their precious friend grow. Not in a way parents would see their children grow, but a way nonetheless. They had watched and helped him perfect his basketball, his passion and they were proud to be the first team to ever have a shadow. The times when they played or hung out together were precious to all of them.
Especially to Akashi.
From the moment he had discovered Kuroko's potential, he had felt responsible of him. He hadn't understood why at first but during every practice, he had found himself paying closer attention to the phantom player than to all the rest. He had assumed it was because he was weaker than the rest of them. That had only been denial though. Denial that he had already fallen for the teal-haired boy. And then, before he had the time to organise his feelings, his second personality had took over and he had pushed his emotions concerning Kuroko to the back of his head. He had only acknowledged them after Kuroko "brought him back" by defeating him in the winter cup. When he had come to terms with himself, the longing he felt for the boy had hit him full force.
He had immediately planned something to meet with him. As an excuse, he had told his father that he was going to visit his sick uncle in Tokyo. His father had agreed and Akashi had spent the whole morning anticipating his and Kuroko's reunion. After that first, as Akashi liked to call it, date, his doubts had been confirmed. He was in love with the boy named Kuroko Tetsuya.
And that was why he couldn't forgive those thugs.
As if on cue, the doors slammed open for a second time that day. Seven boys with identical uniforms entered. The characters in their shirts were not Japanese.
XOXOXOXO
"So those bastards finally arrived, huh?" said Aomine as they watched the Chinese basketball team make their way among the steadily growing crowd. They all felt the pressure and wanted to know what could possibly happen. The two groups came face to face and one could've heard a pin drop. It was complete silence in all the gyms. The audience stared at the Generation of Miracles almost in awe.
The five prodigies had formed a V. Akashi was in the front. Slightly behind him and to his right was Midorima. Aomine was occupying the same position but to the red-head's left. Kise was behind the blue-haired boy with Murasakibara standing tall behind the bespectacled male. They all had an uninviting, cold expression on their faces. The other group paled in comparison but their idiocy was truly remarkable.
"Oh, I like those expressions on your faces." started the leader, Lee. "Maybe you brats will be able to put a fight after all. It will only make it more fun to us when we crush you though." he finished, laughing loudly. A cold shiver ran down the spine of the audience; was it them or did the temperature suddenly drop?
"You shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch. You would do well not to underestimate us." Akashi warned them, a hidden threat in his voice. He was already angry; they didn't want him to become even angrier. Lee narrowed his eyes.
"You are the ones who are underestimating us. You think that only the five of you will be able to last through the whole game?" he half-mocked. "Come on, I know it is only your group who insulted us but since I'm so considerate, I will let you choose someone from one of your teams." he taunted. His friends snickered. The prodigies became very irritated. "We insulted them? Don't make me laugh!"
"I assure you we are more than enough to bring people like you down." Akashi answered sharply. This seemed to get to the Chinese team, they looked pissed off.
"Don't go getting cocky, brats. Once we beat you there will be nothing left." he threatened. They all glared at each other before simultaneously turning around and positioning themselves.
XOXOXOXO
No questions had been asked as to who were going to be the referees. Without needing to be told, Reo and one of the Chinese boys who was not playing entered the court. Rakuzan's vice-captain had no idea as to what was going on, but he was smart enough to sort of understand the basics of it. He knew that right now, Akashi needed someone he could trust to supervise the game. Even though he was sure that even if these guys played dirty, his captain would still win. Fortunately, he already had a ball in his arms so he took it upon him to initiate the game.
Both teams had put their tallest players to start the game. However, when it came to height, no one could compete with Murasakibara.
As soon as the ball was thrown in the air, the Generation of Miracles took control of the game. Murasakibara passed the ball to Aomine who was standing close. The power forward received it with ease. He used his great speed to get close to the basket before he was blocked by the defenders. He frowned disdainfully. "If you think you can stop me with that, then you're dead wrong!"
He made use of his formless style and quickly passed them. His dunk scored the first points of the game.
"Hee, it seems we have to force ourselves guys." Lee jokingly admonished his teammates. He didn't see any reason to panic. "Beginners luck." he thought. Later, when he would look back on it, he'd realise how wrong he was.
Lee started with the ball and made a long pass to Tao, who was standing near the middle line. The boy received it and dribbled his way to the basket. Murasakibara stood in his way. "With a weight like that, he won't be able to stop my shot from here." He jumped, prepared to make a three-pointer.
A foolish mistake.
"Impossible! How can he jump like that?!" Tao made a quick decision and passed the ball to one of his teammates standing at the other side of the three point line. The boy made a high shot and scored.
"What are you doing, Murasakibara?" frowned Aomine. "Why're you slacking off?"
"Silence, Daiki. I will not tolerate such behaviour during this game." threatened Akashi. "Furthermore, you know the exact reason as to why none of us are playing full power yet." he added before taking the ball and passing it to Midorima who did a three-pointer. Naturally, it went in despite the distance that separated him from the basket. Aomine only said "Tch"
The other team started with a fast break and attempted a shot. This time, Murasakibara came around and slammed the ball hard out of Lee's hands. Kise recuperated the ball before making a pass to Akashi who did an alley oop.
The other team wouldn't be left behind though. The orange haired guy made a pass to Tao and he managed to score by confusing Murasakibara.
"Guys, we should force ourselves more!" exclaimed Kise.
Midorima scowled. "Says the one who hasn't scored yet."
"So mean, Midorimacchi!"
No words were uttered after that exchange. Nothing needed to be said. They all knew the reason as to why they weren't crushing them with scores like 100-0. Two words: their bodies. Since they were prodigies, it was known that their talent could destroy them if they weren't careful. If they pushed too much, there were chances they wouldn't walk again. Because of that, the five of them had learned not to overstep their limits. It also meant it took them a long time to warm up and to become "awake".
Akashi estimated they would start playing to the full of their abilities at the second half. They would need to keep the score even until then. They were leading, but he had to admit the other team wasn't half bad and could put up a decent challenge. At least until they warmed up.
The second quarter was pretty much the same as the first with both teams getting back at each other each time they scored. All in all, it was a fairly close game. For the time being, the scores were 40-36 in favour for the Generation of Miracles. Both teams went to the benches located at the right side of the court. The five prodigies sat down and drank their water bottles in one shot.
For the first time in his life, Akashi didn't have an elaborate plan. He, who had always used his keen mind and intelligence to defeat any opponent, had decided to let strategy fall down to hell. Ever since he could remember, he had always used just that, strategy. And yet, he had let the almost animalistic part of him to gain control for now. He had given in to his urges. Now, the only thing that was left was to crush the other team with brute force. Akashi excelled at that too.
"Shintaro, Atsushi, Daiki, Ryota." he called his teammates. They all turned towards him with serious expressions. Akashi's own face was unreadable but they understood his feelings with the help of his glowing golden eye.
The half-time break was almost over.
"It is time." The red-head got up and the rest imitated him. The unspoken "Crush them with all you've got." lingered in the air. The tension was thick and heavy. Everyone was aware neither team had shown what they were capable of. The audience, completely ignored by the two teams battling it out, was eager to see the outcome of such a close game.
They could all see the difference from the first half to the second. The Generation of Miracles played like completely different people, as if a switch had been flipped during the brief intermission. The other team had lost their carefree attitude and looked determined to win. What the audience didn't know was that the Generation of Miracles took notice of the determination on the Chinese team's faces.
They weren't determined to win the game; they were determined to obliterate the idiots who had dared touch their Kuroko. Needless to say, Akashi and the remaining prodigies were anything but pleased. Their rage spiked and the audience could sense waves of anger rolling off the prodigies.
The ball was thrown in the air once more but this time, Murasakibara hit the ball before it reached its tallest point, giving it immediately to the other team.
"Starting good, huh?" taunted Lee. The Generation of Miracles ignored him.
"You're no fun." He quickly passed it to the orange haired guy and the match begun. He dribbled very fast and managed to pass Kise. The blond widened his eyes before smirking.
"That's a nice move you got there." he muttered. He got a chance to get back at the boy when he received a pass from Murasakibara. He stood in front of his opponent, dribbling.
"Thanks for the move." he told him sarcastically. Kise crouched down a little before driving past him with speedy dribbling. The orange haired guy couldn't do a thing! "I just did that!" The whole team was surprised, resulting in Kise scoring an easy basket. The blond smiled triumphantly before returning to his side of the court. It felt good to finally be warmed up. Now they could beat them easily.
The Chinese team counterattacked and started with a run-and-gun style. Yet, it was nothing the prodigies hadn't encountered before. Besides, it was weaker than Seirin's. Aomine easily stole the ball but realised they had double-teamed him. He scowled. The blue-head was about to dash past them when he saw Akashi's expectant and commanding eyes. He faked a pass to his left before shooting the ball to Akashi.
The red-head caught it sharply and started running. He was blocked by Lee. A shadow obscured his features at the male's next sentences.
"You won't get pass me, brat. You're ahead of us for now, but that won't last. The little princess," he licked his lips at that." is far too tempting. He won't escape from us and he will know whatever hope he got from you, it was not well founded." he finished.
Anger clouded Akashi's mind. It seems Lee didn't know his limits. He wasn't able to judge what was good for him. If he could, he obviously wouldn't have made Akashi his enemy. The red-head would be more than pleased to open his eyes to the truth. If he had to do it forcefully, then so be it. His golden eye shined even brighter.
"You do not understand a thing. If someone is going down," the red-head's movements became even faster." then it is you alone."
Lee could do nothing but gasp as he fell down on his rear. No matter how much he ran his mouth, he couldn't resist Akashi's emperor eye. As usual, the red-head confidently walked by him. He jumped and met no resistance as he did an alley oop. His teammates were doing their jobs well.
Lee's s attempt at a fast break was brought down quickly by Midorima's steal and his three-pointer.
"Damn! How can that guy shoot from the middle line?!" The Chinese boys were starting to become restless, the third quarter was coming to an end and they had barely scored. They doubled their efforts but in the end, the scores were 64-40. The thugs sat down on their bench and Tao kicked his water bottle.
"Damn them!" he cursed. He was really mad. Those pretentious brats were leading and they at least had a twenty point difference! He turned to Lee who had an unfriendly expression on his face.
"Lee, we will have to use it." he almost ordered. The other boy would have been offended, but the moment called for maturity. He nodded, scowling.
"We will." he reassured him. He himself was quite angered. If they lost they would be humiliated but most important of all, they would lose the little princess. Although even if they lost, they would get him. They would have to dirty their hands but that smooth skin was well worth the effort. He smirked ominously. Oh, the things he would do to the boy...
Meanwhile, Chen, a black-haired boy, smirked."Well, if we're going to use that, then even with that huge lead those brats will lose. Their faces will be funny once they realise there is no hope." The rest of the team gained a confident and sadistic aura.
"Break time's over."
They got up.
XOXOXOXO
Once they entered the court for the final time, the Generation of Miracles felt those bastards had something up their sleeve. It was obvious by the way they were smirking confidently. Indeed, when someone was twenty points behind, you normally don't smile. On top of that, you normally wouldn't smile confidently. They internally shrugged. No matter what they pulled, it wouldn't be of any help against them. Especially since now, they were hell bent on rising the scores even higher in their favour.
The ball rose for the fourth time that day.
As usual, Murasakibara got the ball. He made a pass to Kise. The blond dribbled to the three-pointer line. It was nothing unusual when someone tried blocking him and he spun to get past him. Something unexpected happened when he tried scoring though. Kise had jumped to make an alley oop when it happened. The same guy who he had just passed was standing before him again and he smacked the ball incredibly fast out of his hands. He didn't even see it coming.
The eyes of the Generation of Miracles widened.
"That will knock you out of your pedestal." Lee smirked, looking at Akashi. "That's right; you're not the only ones with special moves. As you can see, we have one as well. We're not one of the best Chinese teams for nothing." With that said he managed to pass a wide-eyed Akashi and received the ball from his teammate. He dunked the ball right in.
The five prodigies scowled. It seems they were better than they initially thought. However...
"Kise-chin!" A ball flew like a rocket in the direction of Kise. It was almost as fast as Kuroko's own passes. The blond caught the ball and made a fast break. Before he could reach the hoop though, a blur passed him and just like that, the ball was not in his hands anymore. He cursed.
"Stand aside, Kise! I will handle them now." stated Aomine. Reluctantly, he agreed. The blond knew that if he couldn't do it, Aomine certainly could.
The ace quickly blocked the approaching player before baring his teeth and lunging at him. He deftly stole the ball but failed to notice that Chen was behind him. Chen smacked the ball out of Aomine's hands, giving it back to his teammate who scored a three-pointer. The blue haired boy fumed.
Akashi started with the ball. He was beginning to get irritated. Why was it that those punks were scoring that many points in a row? Hadn't they all decided that they were going down? He passed the ball to Midorima. The shooter had to admit, he was pretty tired. Those guys were remotely good and that was the reason as to why his movements were slower; he was losing a bit of stamina.
The opposing team didn't waste the opportunity. Before Midorima had reached the height he needed to shoot, they stole the ball. The green haired male was speechless. Only twice did this happen before and it was with Akashi and Kagami, two players whom he recognised the talent. To have these thugs stop his shot was degrading and even more so when they scored. He pushed up his glasses in an irritated manner.
Murasakibara was mad. He had let quite a few shots get pass him since he had been shocked and distracted by the other teams speed. Because really, that was all it was; incredible speed that confused your senses and perplexed you. Still, Murasakibara felt that something was off. He couldn't help but notice that even if they were fast, they shouldn't be able to pass them. Especially Akashi. But he was too pissed off to give it any more thought.
Akashi did, however. He quickly found out their "trick" and frowned when he came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be that easy to counter it. There was a way, but it took great effort on his part. Those thugs had incredible speed on their own, but they used an optical illusion to make them seem faster. When one of them started running, another one who was just at the corner of your peripheral vision did as well. In such, your sight detects two very fast movements. You become confused and spot those two movements only as blurs which gives the impression that they are incredibly fast.
By pure instinct, both teams were now facing each other almost in a straight line. No one was truly marking anyone. Something crucial was going to happen, they all felt it. Akashi was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a laugh. It came from Lee who was just in front of him.
"Hahahaha! Oh boy! This is just so funny!" he continued laughing to himself. "You're just like the rest of them! None of our previous opponents have ever come close to defeating us and you're the same! You may still be leading but tell me something, when was the last time you scored a point?" The anger, hatred and tension all rose at the same time.
Lee grinned viciously. "And you know what?" The Generation of Miracles scowled harshly. For some reason, they felt like they would want to murder the guy when he finished talking. They were already on the verge of losing it.
"I've finally decided how I was going to eat up the little princess." That remark was accompanied by the snorts of laughter from his adjacent teammates. "We will crush you all here and maybe we'll let you watch if you beg us!" Five pairs of colourful eyes flashed.
"Shut up!" was the combined roar of five voices. That was the final straw. They were positively seething. They had been holding back. They always did. It was necessary so that their bodies wouldn't sustain any damage. But at the moment, they couldn't care less.
Red, blue, yellow, purple and green lights appeared in the eyes of the Generation of Miracles. They had all entered the zone. The time for being merciful was over. These bastards would have a taste of bitter defeat.
As if they shared a single mind, the five prodigies met the other team head on all at once. Surprised, the Chinese guys couldn't do anything at their lightning fast movements.
"Hey hey, what is this?" worried Chen. He hadn't even seen them move. And the way they were so in synch with each other, as if they had played together all their lives!
"I-I'm sure it's nothing." tried the orange haired guy, sounding utterly unconvincing.
"Wait, could it be that they're-"Tao couldn't finish his sentence when Midorima snatched the ball he had just received from Lee out of his grasp and made a shoot. He widened his eyes. The guy hadn't even used a shooting motion! He had just made some random movement and yet the ball went right in! Tao seriously started to worry. And a worried Tao makes for an angry one.
"What do you think you're doing?!" he shouted at his teammate. "Don't you know how to block?!" he continued. He knew it wasn't the guy's fault, but he couldn't help it. He needed to vent some anger. He was interrupted though.
"Hee...You shouldn't blame him when you were at fault too. Besides, I'll crush you both." Tao turned quickly only to falter back once he felt the tremendous pressure from Murasakibara's Thor Hammer. He was certain the basket would topple over.
"Atsushi, do not break the hoop."
At that command, it seemed like the purple haired male adjusted his strength. Tao wasn't sure he was glad that the intimidating red-head had such power over such a giant. The hoop rocked back and forth dangerously before settling down.
The Generation of Miracles scored time and again without the other team gaining a single point.
"This is not good." thought Lee. "They're in the zone! I didn't think these brats could do this! If we don't find a way to neutralise it, we'll lose!"
Lee was about catch a pass but Kise stole it, using Aomine's perfect copy. When he was in the zone, the blond didn't have a time limit and he could copy his teammate's full strength when they too were in the zone. Pretty handy if you asked him. He decided to jump using Kagami's unstoppable sky walking and dunked with his own strength.
He returned to his side of the court, watching the disbelieving expressions of the other team. "Akashicchi has too much influence over me." he thought after he suppressed an almost crazy smile.
He was about to intervene when the Chinese team made another poor attempt at a fast break but a pointed look from Akashi stopped him. It clearly said "I will handle them now." Kise retreated. That look in the eyes of his former captain told him playtime was over. He took note that there was only twenty seconds left to the game and he realised that even if he was in the zone, Akashi hadn't done much. It looked like he was now ready to end all this. And of course, knowing Akashi, it would be flashy and unexpected.
The red-head was facing Lee on a one-on-one. He flashed a smirk.
"Now do you believe me when I say that we are more than enough to bring you down?" taunted Akashi. He was feeling sadistic and was not about to mind his manners with these people.
"...I would advise you to shut your mouth." 15 seconds left. Akashi became angry. How dare such lowly scum order him around?!
"You are in no position to be saying that to anybody." he spat. Lee scowled.
"You may have won fairly, but who said we were fair?" he stated. "Even if you defeat us here, we will find another way to get to the little princess." he threatened. While he said that, Chen and Tao approached him before encircling Akashi. They were triple-teaming him. The red-head remained expressionless.
"And one more thing." he added, eyes glinting. "If we can't win, then we will bring you down with us." The three of them started to close in on the point-guard. There was something in the way they moved that led you to believe they were going to strike. Akashi merely exhaled loudly. 10 seconds left.
"You really don't understand anything." A glowing golden eye stared at them. "You can't do anything to me." he stated. His slowly started moving even though he didn't have the ball. His movements gained speed and after a series of tricks, all five members of the opposing team were in the ground.
5 seconds left.
Akashi recuperated the ball from the fallen Lee and sprinted towards the hoop.
2 seconds left.
He jumped. Just before the fourth quarter ended, he dunked the last points of the game.
"The game's over!" shouted Reo. The points were 70-46. It wasn't that great but oh well.
The Generation of Miracles breathed in a long sigh. It was over. They had avenged Kuroko. Still, they knew this would never be enough, but they also knew the teal-haired boy wouldn't want them to beat those guys up. He was a pacifist after all and they respected his wishes. They decided to leave it at that. As long as those thugs learned their lesson, of course.
"How can this be?!" Life was full of idiots, wasn't it?
"How could we humiliate ourselves this way?! You were supposed to have a big injury in the head! How the hell did you make us all fall?!" Lee inquired loudly. The five prodigies turned towards him, eyes cold.
"Do not shout. You are damaging my ears with your despicable voice." Akashi started. "As for your question, you all made it easy for me. As you said, you wanted to knock me out. You had your eyes on me the whole time since you were so angry. The same applies to all your teammates. I only needed to manoeuvre my body a bit to make you all lose your balance." the red-head finished evenly. The Chinese were red all the way to the tips of their ears.
"Just you wait." Lee growled. "This isn't over. I advise you to keep a close watch over the little princess." he snarled before turning his back on them and walking away.
A dangerous glint entered the eyes of the Generation of Miracles. They all looked at each and silently nodded with tight faces. Some... safety precautions would have to be applied later on. For now though, they silently left the terrain and the gym without as much as an explanation at the parting crowd. The doors echoed loudly as they closed.
XOXOXOXO
Akashi was walking in the direction of his room. Once they had exited the gym, they had all parted ways without a single glance. They were all going to take a shower and then, the hunt would begin.
He reached his room and opened the door.
He was greeted by the sight of Kuroko still sleeping soundly. Akashi closed the door and went to sit at the foot of his bed. He stopped before he reached it though when he realised he was drenched in sweat. He decided to take a quick shower first. He stripped out of his clothes with no shame whatsoever before stepping into the bathroom. The hot water felt relaxing against his recently-used muscles and the red-head allowed himself to stay there a few minutes longer than usual. He then scrubbed himself clean and closed the tab. He took a white, fluffy towel and dried himself. Since he hadn't brought any clothes, he stepped outside with only a towel at his waist.
Akashi rummaged through his luggage before he found a pair of boxers and dark gray pants. He put both of them on and was starting to search for a shirt when he heard Kuroko stir. He immediately abandoned his previous task and hurried at his side. Teal blue eyes slowly opened and looked up at him.
"Akashi...-kun?" he asked drowsily. The red-head looked at him warmly.
"Yes, Tetsuya. It's me." he reassured him. He took a seat at the edge of the bed and looked him in the eye. He put his hand on his forehead to check his temperature. The medicine seemed to be taking effect but he wasn't completely healed. Akashi exhaled a breath he didn't knew he was holding and smiled.
"It looks like your fever has gone down a bit. You shouldn't exert yourself though." he stated. Kuroko looked at him before blushing. It had took him a while to realise the red-head was half-naked. It never showed since Akashi almost always wore semi-formal clothes but god, he had a great body. His muscles were toned to perfection and he had a narrow, elegant waist. Kuroko stopped his line of thinking. He didn't need a nosebleed right at the moment. Of course, Akashi had caught him staring and he just chuckled to himself.
Kuroko suddenly remembered what had happened just before he blacked out and he bolted upright, instantly getting dizzy. The red-head's eyes darkened a bit and he immediately pushed him back down. He knew Kuroko would eventually remember but he wished the teal-head hadn't. He didn't need to remember those painful moments.
"A-Akashi-kun, w-what happened? The last thing I remember is seeing you but I don't know if it was real or just something my mind came up with." Kuroko asked. He was really worried.
"Tetsuya." Akashi put a hand on the other boy's shoulder to calm him down. He approached his face slightly. "That was me who you saw back there." he reassured him. "They didn't do anything to you. Unless they tried something before I arrived?" the red-head inquired. It was critical he knew everything they had done to Kuroko.
"Well, they didn't do much but they did kick me in the stomach."Kuroko told his former captain. He didn't know if it was a good idea since the red-head had an almost scary look when he heard that. Before the teal-head could ask what he was thinking about, he felt a gush of cold air hit his abdomen. He hissed slightly before looking down. Akashi had taken out the covers and had lifted his shirt. He was looking intently at his stomach with dark eyes. Kuroko managed to catch a glimpse of an angry purple bruise before the red-head covered him again.
Akashi was not happy. The bruise Kuroko had wouldn't heal fast. It seems those thugs had not minded their strength. The red-head knew they fully meant their threat when they said to keep an eye on Kuroko. However, after what he was planning on doing, they wouldn't come near the teal haired boy ever again. He stood up.
"Tetsuya, your bruise is quite big and you will need to apply some cream so it will heal faster. Wait for me, I will go get you some." he told him. Kuroko looked up at him. For some reason, he knew the red-head was going to do much more than just fetch cream.
"Akashi-kun, are you going somewhere else too?" The point-guard smiled. "As sharp and blunt as ever."
"Yes. I plan on...running some errands before coming back. It shouldn't take too long." Kuroko nodded dubiously. Akashi looked anything but innocent.
"If you say so."
The red-head moved over to his luggage and continued where he had left off. He chose a black V-neck shirt and a dark blue cardigan to go with his pants. He swiftly put them on before turning to Kuroko.
"By the way, Tetsuya. We had a basketball match with those thugs." he told him nonchalantly. The phantom player's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that at all.
"You did?" he asked dumbly. He was still surprised. Akashi smiled before nodding and making his way towards the door.
"We did. We won of course but if you'd like, I'll tell you the details later." he finished. He grabbed the key that was near the door and put on his white shoes.
"I'd love to Akashi-kun." Kuroko quickly replied. He was curious about how the game went.
"Good. Well then, I'll see you in a few and don't forget to take your medicine, it is due in fifteen minutes." The door closed behind him.
XOXOXOXO
As soon as he left Kuroko, Akashi regained an impenetrable expression. He felt it all the way to the core of his being. A new type of game had begun. Cat and mouse. A version of the game where the mice didn't know they were hunted.
Akashi prowled the whole inn in search of his "pray". He knew all the members of the Generation of Miracles had started. After a little while of searching, he found what he was looking for.
"Ah, how lucky I am. I didn't expect to find you here, Lee."
XOXOXOXO
"What do you want?" spat out a certain orange-haired Chinese boy. He was met by a pair of cold blue eyes throwing daggers at him. Aomine ignored his question.
"Are you still planning on harassing Tetsu?" he asked. The other guy smirked.
"Are you an idiot? I thought we made it clear earlier. Maybe we'll have to do a demonstration with the little princess for you to understand." he told him mockingly. Aomine remained in silence for a while, his bangs obscuring his expression. He suddenly lifted his face. It showed an eager grin and dangerous eyes.
"You are the idiot. You just gave me all the more reason to beat you up. After all, I should continue what I started, as Akashi says."
XOXOXOXO
"You're Chen, right?" asked a cheerful blond. His cheerfulness was anything but welcoming though. Instead, it promised something painful.
"And you're the idiot blond." responded Chen. He was in no mood to deal with any of those brats. It was just his luck that he encountered the most annoying. He turned his back on Kise.
"You are in no position to say that, you know?" Chen heard over his shoulder.
"What did you-"His retort was cut short when he saw the look on the other's eyes. They were nothing like the eyes the blond had before. He looked like a completely different person, all the childish behaviour gone.
Kise took a step forward. Chan backed away.
The blond continued. "What I mean is," he licked his lips. "You're in trouble."
XOXOXOXO
There was a purple-haired giant in front of Tao. He just stood there with nothing on his hands and looking straight at him. It was unnerving.
"If you're not going to say anything then move out of the way!" exploded Tao. They had already beaten them and now they wanted to humiliate him? He walked forward stomping his feet in rage but a massive hand pushed him backwards.
"You are annoying." he heard. Tao couldn't utter a word when he heard the seriousness in Murasakibara's voice. Even when they were playing basketball, this guy had always a lazy aura around him. Now he seemed completely awake.
"You even touched and insulted Kuro-chin." A large hand slowly lifted. "I'll crush you."
XOXOXOXO
"I swear, why did I get stuck with someone as annoying as this guy?" asked a green-haired male. He sighed. If he had this guy, then the others obviously had the rest.
"What do you mean by that?!" He sighed again. The unknown Chinese boy just wouldn't stop screaming.
"Hey! Are you listening you idiotic frea-"
"Shut up." Midorima cut him off. Now he was annoyed. Not only had they scorned the Generation of Miracles and touched Kuroko, they had even insulted him. And here he was planning to let him go easy. He pushed up his glasses that reflected the light, hiding his expression. After a sudden movement, his irritation showed.
"You have nowhere to run, so be quite and make it easier for the both of us."
XOXOXOXO
"You!" stated a loud and annoyed voice.
"Yes, Me." mocked the red-head. He was amused at seeing Lee's reaction. Darkly amused.
"What do you want, brat?" Akashi's smile turned tight.
"I am getting quite annoyed with that insult and I advise you to stop." he warned him. He was no brat and it just fuelled his anger when Lee called him one.
"And why should I? You won't even lift a finger at me." Lee was sure he was confronted by a coward. He was confident in the court but when he was be confronted with fists, he was sure Akashi would run with his tail between his legs.
Oh how wrong he was. Akashi smirked mockingly.
"You truly don't know who we are, huh?" he asked.
"What?"
"You have no idea who you made your enemies earlier." Akashi stated. "Have you ever heard the name Generation of Miracles?" Lee's eyes widened. No way! These brats couldn't be the famous Generation of Miracles that crushed all their enemies without mercy! The realisation of what he had done downed on him and he started to retreat.
The red-head's smirk turned ominous.
He approached the Chinese boy with slow, deliberate steps. When he was close enough he whispered near his ear.
"We have never resorted to physical violence but this time calls for drastic measures, don't you think? Do not worry; you will not fall down alone. Your dear teammates should join you soon. I trust you will inform those who will not receive special treatment of your standing?" The shudder he received in response encouraged his half-sadistic side.
"Let me tell you again, you have no place in Japanese basketball."
AN: I'm so sorry for the late update! I had things to do and since I got a beta-reader I could not post the chapter right away. But in exchange, this chapter is super long. It will probably be the longest one you'll get for this story. Unless I'm feeling super inspired for the last one (which will probably be the case). I'm so nervous for the action scene; I know I messed it up. Please, leave a review! And lastly, thank you my lovely beta-reader who helped for the first time with this chapter!
