Betrayal In Its Most Simplest Form

Chapter 10

Please read the message at the bottom when you are done reading this chapter :) Thank you.

*By the way, some people have been rudely correcting me when I accidentally have Akashi call Kuroko "Kuroko". While I don't mind being corrected politely, I hate when people practically say I'm stupid for repeatedly making the same mistake.

**Just to get your facts right, Akashi DOES sometimes call his former teammates by their last name. He has called Kuroko "Kuroko" before and Kise "Kise" before. Watch episode 8.

"Faster," Akashi ordered. He sent a side kick toward the small boy. Kuroko, who was panting heavily, grabbed the leg and pulled. Even if it wasn't a strong pull, Akashi was forced forward. He fell toward the ground, but he rolled and stood back up to face the teal-haired teen. "That strength won't do it. I do not care if you do not want to hurt me, Tetsuya. Ibuki is larger than you, stronger; this is the only way you can defend yourself." Without giving time for the boy to answer, Akashi sent a punch toward Kuroko's stomach. It wasn't a hard punch, so that if Kuroko failed to use his techniques, it wouldn't hurt much if it struck.

Kuroko knew what to do though. He whirled out of the way, grabbed his wrist, and turned Akashi's body. With Akashi's wrist in an unnatural position, Kuroko pushed all the way, and the red-head was forced to fall to the ground. Akashi sprung back up. "Well done." Then he grabbed Tetsuya's wrists. Kuroko raised one hand up and the other hand down, stepped in the direction where his hand was pulled down, and added more pressure to pulling his hands up and down. Akashi was once against brought down.

For the past day and hours, Akashi had taught him numerous situations and what to do. He mostly taught him Aikido techniques, as it took less energy, defended without striking, and didn't hurt the opponent unless you wanted to. His movements weren't as efficient like when Akashi did it, but it was enough to bring someone down and time for him to run.

"Always be on your feet," Akashi said as he stood up. "If she brings you down, you stand back up, no matter your injuries. You are strongest on your feet, and you are vulnerable on your back."

Kuroko tiredly prepared for the next attack. They had been at it since morning, and Kuroko could feel fatigue pulling on his muscles. Akashi moved in as if he were about to attack, but he suddenly put a hand over Kuroko's head. The teal-haired boy looked up, confused. Akashi gave a light chuckle and ruffled his hair. "Well done," he praised. "We're done. You've learned enough."

Relief set onto Kuroko. Akashi caught him when he started to sway. "You did well," the red-head murmured in his ear. Kuroko's face pinked. "You can go shower. Your wounds should be closed, but be careful."

"Yes," Kuroko replied exhaustedly.

Kuroko somehow wobbled his way toward the large bathroom in Akashi's room. The cold floor took the small teen by surprise, and so did the many pair of scissors that hung on the wall. "Why does Akashi-kun have scissors on the wall?" he muttered.

Carefully, Kuroko took off his shirt and started to unwrap the bandages around his midsection. Midorima had wrapped it tightly and used many layers. Soon, all his bandages were on the bathroom floor, kicked into a corner to deal with later. Kuroko inspected his injuries through the mirror. The scratches on his back made from the dramatic fall had already closed up along with the large gash on his right leg. They were now all scabs. However, the bruises that ran up his arms and legs and bloomed around his ribs were only starting to heal; only some had started to turn yellow. Kuroko winced at the sight of him.

"Tsk," Akashi clucked his tongue from behind him. Kuroko jumped and whirled. The red-head hung the pair of jeans, large polo shirt and, yes, red boxers on the rack. Then he turned and inspected Kuroko more closely. "The bruises seem slow to heal," he observed.

"Yes," Kuroko said quietly.

"Did they hurt you when you were fighting me?"

"No." It wasn't a lie. He never noticed the pain the bruises caused until the end, when his body started to get tired.

Akashi studied Kuroko's midsection. Kuroko flinched when a cool hand lightly brushed over his bruises on his stomach. It wasn't that it hurt; it was a simple reflex. It was a natural, short instinct. Yet, the fact that it was so natural and so simple for Kuroko made the small act heartbreaking. Akashi clenched his jaw and stepped back. "I will not hurt you, Tetsuya."

"I'm sorry," Kuroko whispered.

A hand patted his head. "Go shower, quickly. And be careful of your wounds."

"Hai."

Akashi closed the bathroom door to give the teal-haired boy some privacy. The bathroom did not have a lock, so it would be easy to come in if anything were to happen to his guest. Hopefully, that wouldn't be necessary.

"Now," he pulled out his cell phone. "Back to business."

He dialed a number and held it to his ear. The receiver picked up: "Ibuki Corporation, how can I help you?"

"I request to speak with the manager," Akashi said tersely.

"Please wait." There was a pause. "Watanabe Ichirou will now take your call."

The line was transferred to the manager. "This is Watanabe Ichirou."

"Ichirou," Akashi addressed rudely. "I'd like to know the name of the owner of all the branches."

"First name and no honorifics?" The manager grumbled over the phone. "Why should I answer to a rude brat like you? You could find it on the site."

"Hearing it from the real source would be more reliable," Akashi said absently. "My father is Akashi Hayato."

The manager's voice all of the sudden changed, "A-Akashi Ha-Hayato? You're his son?"

"Yes."

"O-oh! Well, ah," he gave out a nervous chuckle. Akashi rolled his eyes at the man's behavior. "Our owner is Kuroko Ibuki; you can tell by the name . . . If you don't mind me asking, why would you like to know?"

"I do mind," the red-head said. "Spell it for me."

The manager spelled it. Then said, "Look, if you're planning to destroy Kuroko-san for some reason, I advise you don't. It doesn't matter how powerful your parents are in law; nothing can stop Kuroko-san."

Akashi ripped out the paper with the names from the notepad and hid it in the kitchen drawer. "Regular people can heal when a bad reputation is put on them, Ichirou," Akashi chuckled. The manager shivered. "Influential people such as my parents and your owner, it's tougher to put a bad name on them because of their influence and money. However," he grabbed an empty soda can that sat on the kitchen counter. "They are sure to hold many dark secrets. Once you unravel one of those secrets," he crushed the can, "they're destroyed."

~Setting Skip~

Kuroko winced as he pulled over the loose polo shirt over his head. The hot water had managed to loosen and soothe his sore muscles, but it also blossomed new pain to his back and legs. None of the wounds opened up though, thankfully. "Itai," Kuroko yelped softly as he accidentally brushed his stomach against the corner of the counter. He rubbed his bruises gently.

Putting on the jeans was much more difficult, but he managed somehow. He looked at the bloody bandages on the floor, and quickly discarded them in the bathroom trashcan. Then he folded his clothes neatly and set it on the bathroom counter.

Akashi's shampoo smell swirled around the bathroom. Kuroko could smell it from his hair. So this is what Akashi-kun uses, Kuroko thought, it smells good. Then he quickly rid himself of the thoughts and blushed, but you could barely notice it.

Kuroko poked his head of the door before fully letting his body step through the threshold. Cool air greeted him. He padded silently through the dark room and into the hallway, only to be led into the living room, where Akashi was waiting.

"Tetsuya," Akashi greeted. Kuroko noticed his eyes gave a quick inspection of his body, possibly looking for blood or limping. "Are you in pain?" Kuroko shook his head. "Have your wounds opened?" Kuroko denied that, too. "Do I need to rewrap them as a precaution?" The teal-haired boy shook his head faster. He hated that tight feeling the bandages gave him. "Did anything hurt—?"

"Akashi-kun!" Kuroko protested to the onslaught of questions.

Akashi raised an eyebrow, but pursed his lips. "All right," he sighed. "Are you hungry? I did not make anything new; it is the leftover ramen from yesterday."

"Yes," Kuroko said and added, "please."

The red-head went to the kitchen and came back with a hot bowl of ramen. He set it in front of the hungry teen. "Eat everything."

"I know," Kuroko muttered.

Akashi gave him a look, but stayed silent as he watched Kuroko eat. He studied the frail boy's frame. Due to his ridiculous amount of servings and forcing the teen to eat everything on his plate, Kuroko had managed to gain a couple of pounds from the last few days. He also looked like he was in a lot less pain, and the broken look in his eyes had somewhat disappeared.

"Your father will pick you up in the morning," Akashi announced.

Kuroko suddenly lost his appetite. "H-hai," he said, but he didn't want to go back. Going back to his home meant meeting his mother. Meeting his mother meant facing her head-on, and he knew she would not forget how he 'defied' her multiple times. Her 'lessons'—were so painful. So scarring—so memorable. He swallowed hard. Her face was always construed into something of disgust; the insults she yelled were always so true.

Akashi saw the distress building up inside Kuroko. He slid from the couch to the ground, where the teal-haired boy sat, and gathered him into a tight embrace. Kuroko clutched onto Akashi's shirt tightly in response. His pale frame was shaking. Akashi shushed his cries, smoothing down the wet teal hair with a free hand; the other hand was wrapped around the boy's waist.

"She will not hurt you as badly again," Akashi murmured next to his ear. Kuroko could feel tears come to his eyes, but he refused to cry. He had already cried too much. "You know how to defend yourself, and you know I will come—no matter the time—if you call me." He tenderly grabbed Kuroko's chin and held it up so that he could look into his eyes. "Don't you dare become isolated from us. Do not even think about hiding the pain. Shintaro and Daiki are closest to you, but we are all here. I do not care for that woman who dares to hurt what is mine, but I will make sure you remain unbroken permanently." The tears didn't come, but Kuroko could still feel the anguish in his chest. He buried himself into Akashi's body, his body shaking violently from the memories his mother had imprinted into him. These days, with his mother back, Kuroko could not control his emotions. No matter how hard the boy tried, fear always claimed him. Kuroko could feel Akashi welcoming him into anotherembrace.

"I will make sure she pays, Tetsuya," Akashi informed him. "I will get you out of that house and help your father take custody of you."

"No, Akashi-kun," Kuroko said through his shirt. "She'll hurt you. S-she knows your parents."

"Oh?" He ran a hand through Kuroko's hair. "You doubt me?" The small teen didn't answer. "Do not worry, Tetsuya. I will get you out."

Kuroko's arms wrapped around Akashi's back. Akashi added more pressure to his back in response. "Don't do anything reckless for me, Akashi-kun."

"Hm." The red-head simply put a ginger kiss to Kuroko's shoulder. They stayed silent like that, ramen forgotten. Kuroko sat on Akashi's lap, facing the red-head, with his arms wrapped around his former captain's chest. Akashi let him, with his own arms around the fragile teen. Every once in awhile, Akashi could feel hear a small prayer from Kuroko, but it wasn't for himself. It was for Akashi.

~Setting Skip~

Kagami sighed and dropped his body on his bed. He bounced a bit before the mattress evened out, and he lied still. He stared at the low ceiling. That the Tetsu kid was abused. Abused. The word stood out than any other word Haisaki had said. Kuroko was abused? Physically and mentally?

I remember the kid used to come to practice every once in awhile with a new injury, Haisaki had recalled, But it was always some excuse, ya' know? Like bullying, or a fight, or falling, that kind of shit. I didn't really care, so I don't know the full details.

The way the player said that made him pissed for some reason. He didn't care that his own teammate could be abused? But furthermore, how could he not have noticed? Yeah, there were times where Kuroko mysteriously skipped practice, but it was always for some believable reason. In fact, it was so believable none of them had questioned it. Yet they should have.

"Damn it," Seirin's ace groaned and rolled over. His face was stuffed with blankets. "Kuroko, whatever you're hiding, I swear I'll figure it out." He turned his face so it wasn't muffled by the cloths. "I have to find out who this Kuroko Ibuki is, first."

He patted his jean pockets and pulled out his phone. He speed dialed "2".

"Hello?"

"Dad," Kagami answered. He knew his parents were in America, and long-distance calls were a bit expensive, but his parents could afford it.

"Taiga." He could hear his father's surprise. "You don't call me often. What's going on?"

"Your business has connections with the sister branches in Japan, right?"

His father paused. "Yes. Why?"

"Could you look to see if there is any information on a woman named Kuroko Ibuki?"

(I know, it's very short! But I'm so busy during the holidays, and Christmas is tomorrow, so it's been hectic. I'm also desperately working on that promised Kuroko no Basuke Christmas story, which will probably turn into a four-shot, one chapter for each pairing.

That's taking a lot of my time, since I want each pairing to have its own personality. Also, since AkaKuro is the main pairing in the story, that chapter will be the longest.

Yes! I am planning to write a Christmas One-Shot (Or 4-shot, it depends), so please look out for that! It will probably be posted by tonight or early tomorrow.

I'd also like to give a shout out to one of my fans: 123ANIMEfun. She has reviewed and read every single one of my chapters, and her reviews are really supporting and heart-warming. So are all the reviews I received for this story, so thank you EVERYONE for supporting me. I love writing this fanfiction because of you!)