Very sorry that it's five days late, but here it is! This chapter might be kind of weird because most of it is flashbacks that take place during the week I skipped in the last chapter but it'll fill you in on a lot of things.

Plot bunnies have been raging in my head but I refuse to start any new stories until I finish this one because it'll distract me from this one. This is my first attempt at a story that's longer than 10,000 words so I'm sorry if there are plot holes. I'm still trying to get used to piecing everything together. That's why I really appreciate reviews because they really motivate me and the questions you guys ask really help me develop the plot for future chapters so...

Special thanks to hitomi65,Independent Not in Love, , imKimTheWriter, aidenfishy, Pugslover, Chamcha, kh07gl, Guest, AceOfBlueSpades, and Guest(2)!

Thank you everyone who favorited and followed as well!

Now please enjoy~~

Seiren

The streets were filled with the bustling and chattering of people just like any other day but the hum of activity had a depressed and anxious tint to it.

"Is it true?! Did Kuroko-sama really…?

"Yea… I heard the funeral is today."

"Oh my, that's awful! How did that even happen?"

"I don't know all the details but I heard the guards found her just outside the palace gates two days ago. She was already gone by the time they found her."

"Do you think this anything to do with them finding the hostages?"

"I'm sure it does. And to think everyone was thinking about celebrating the return of their loved ones…I'm so grateful to Kuroko-sama and the Black Knights for returning my son but I can't even say thank you to her anymore…"

Tears began to fall freely from both of their eyes as they remembered that sweet smile of the bluenette's that could lift up the spirits of anyone she passed by. She treated each and every one of the townspeople as equals and was always eager to help anyone who needed it. She lingered in town as one of them in her free time, and made it a point that she didn't want to be treated any differently just because she was queen. She was like the cool breeze on a hot, stuffy afternoon. Everyone looked forward to seeing her and welcomed her with open arms, just like a family. And Seiren indeed was one big family that Kuroko treasured more than anything; but who knew that instinct to protect what she held dear cost her her life.

"Akashi-sama, Riko-san, your special order has arrived."

The red head and brunette looked up to see a nervous Koganei with someone hiding slightly behind him. They both stood up from the table where they were having tea and walked over to them. Koganei stepped aside to fully reveal the person who was hiding. It was a girl of short stature who had light brown hair that ended a little past her shoulder and curled at the ends. Her green eyes lit up when she spotted the brunette.

"Riko-san!"

The said person smiled warmly at her before her mouth turned downwards into a scowl.

"Suzume-chan! What did I tell you about calling me so formally? Just call me Riko."

"Yes, sorry Riko. I picked it up from my sister since she always calls you guys like that."

"Speaking of your sister, how is Maki-chan doing?" 'The poor child was only eight and she witnessed her role model getting killed…If it was me I might've gotten insane.'

Her eyes became downcast at the mention of her sister.

"She's doing a little better now but she still has nightmares and doesn't eat much…"

"I see, I hope she realizes that her death isn't her fault soon. A child that young should never carry a burden that heavy."

"Yes, we are doing everything we can to help her." After an awkward moment of silence she remembered her reason for coming to the palace in the first place.

"Ah, here's your order." She handed the big bundle that was in her arms to the brunette. Riko turned to Akashi, silently asking him to open it while she held it. He untied the ribbon that was tied into a bow and carefully unwrap the package. His eyes lit up with satisfaction as he pulled the item out, the cloth tumbling down to the floor, unfolding itself. In his hands was a beautifully crafted dress. It was black and white with gold laces running down the middle.

"I hope it's to your liking. Mother made it with the finest materials as requested and stayed up all night to finish it."

"Oh, it's beautiful." Riko got teary eyed but it wasn't from happiness, no it was from regret. She would've been elated if this was for Kuroko on any other occasion, like for a ball, but no, this beautiful gown was the one she was to wear on her death bed. A wonderful dress for a wonderful person but why of all things did it have to be due to these circumstances. It was custom ordered by her and Akashi, since they along with the Generation of Miracles and the Black Knights agreed that she only deserved the best. Suzume and Maki-chan's mother, Matsuoka Azumi, was one of the best seamstresses in town and was very close to Kuroko so they only felt it was right to ask her to make the dress. In a mere 48 hours she had whipped up a beautiful creation that you could find no complaint about.

Riko continued to look at the dress with a thoughtful and sad gaze, wondering if Kuroko would like it and what she would've said if she was there; probably complain about the cost for a mere dress that was to be worn on a one time occasion but that was just Kuroko being Kuroko. No doubt she would want the money to go towards feeding a family or building a school instead. She chuckled slightly but it sounded hollow. She shook her head of any other useless thoughts. 'There's no point in thinking about 'what if's', what's done is done. There's no use crying over spilled milk.' She sighed and turned back to Suzume-chan who had a small smile on, but her eyes held more sadness than a twelve year old child's should.

"Koganei, fetch the money that we prepared."

Before he could respond Suzume quickly intervened.

"It's alright. Mother had no intention of accepting your money in the first place."

Hearing this, even Akashi furrowed his eyebrows. "If this is out of pity than we need none of it."

"No! That's not our intention. It's just that this is the least we can do after everything that Kuroko-sama has done for us over the years. Although this can never measure up to all the things she did for us, we still want to express our thanks the best we can."

Akashi's eyes softened in understanding but there was still protest in his eyes so before he could speak up the young girl said, "Think of this as payment for bringing Maki-chan back to us. My family and I were in grief and at a lost as to what to do when they took her so please, just accept it."

Riko and Akashi sighed in unison but smiled softly at the girl. Riko kissed her on the forehead while Akashi said a simple but sincere thank you.

As Suzume was being escorted out by Koganei, she turned back to the two and said, "We'll be there at the…we'll be there later. See you then."

The brunette nodded and waved slightly with a small smile. When the door clicked closed her grin melted off her face and instead, an exhausted expression was evident on her features. For the past two days she was planning the funeral with the other members of the Black Knights and the Generation of Miracles, but it was mostly her and Akashi who were making the major decisions. After much pondering they decided that it was going to be a public event, knowing that many people would want to say their personal farewells to their beloved queen. It was going to take place that afternoon in the big garden behind the castle, since they all knew that the bluenette loved flowers. They found that putting her to rest there strangely suited her, probably because they all thought that her beauty was comparable if not, more brilliant than the vast array of flowers that would be surrounding her. The extensive planning was taking its toll on both the brunette and red head but it wasn't like they were going to get a wink of sleep even if given the chance due to the disturbing and stressful situation.

In addition to helping with the planning for the funeral, Akashi was searching high and low for any leads that would tell him where Takano Shuuji was. He wanted nothing more than to kill him, and he was going to find him. It didn't matter if he was in the middle of a desert or on the most remote of mountains or across the world or even died; Akashi was going to drag him back from hell if he had to just so he could slowly torture him for all eternity for ever thinking about messing not only with the Generation of Miracles but with their beloved phantom. Logically he knew that there had to be someone else who was planning all this to bring him down but Takano was the only lead they had so far so most of his hatred was directed at him. He was livid not only at his anonymous enemy but mostly himself. They had told him that they knew the phantom's identity! If he had just taken it to heart he might've been able to prevent everything…

Just as they were about to go off their own ways to complete the final preparations, Midorima came into the room with a stony expression. One look at his face told Riko that this was a private affair between the two men so she nodded at both of them before quickly walking away.

"What is it Shintarou? Make it quick, there's still a lot to be done."

He fiddled with his glasses before launching into his report.

"News has come from every single smaller country that has been attacked since last week and they all said the same thing…all the hostages have been released by the enemy willingly."

Akashi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion so the greenette continued.

"The only country that has had to execute a mission to rescue the hostages is Seiren and there is no other victim other than…her."

'…so their goal all along was to eliminate her; only her. Everything else was a distraction…' Akashi concluded. He knew that they had planned to harm her from the letter but to think that they would go through all that trouble just to kill her infuriated him.

Midorima gulped when he saw Akashi's eyes flash dangerously. He was furious at whoever it was that was playing with them as well and wanted nothing more to kill them but Akashi was literally giving off an aura of bloodlust. His hand twitched with the urge to wrap around Takano's throat.

"Shintarou, after the ceremony, I don't care what you have to do but I want you to find the one who calls himself Takano Shuuji. I'm sure that's just an alias though. Look for a man who is around five feet nine and has dark gray eyes. He should also have several arm and leg injuries along with a shallow cut on his right cheek."

Midorima quirked an eyebrow at this, wondering how Akashi knew this appearance so well but knew it was not the right time to ask so he merely nodded and went to inform the others to help him search for this person.

Akashi stalked off in the other direction with only one thought plaguing his mind, 'I will find you 'Takano Shuuji, even if it kills me.'

Sniffles and sobs were heard echoing from all directions as her pure white coffin was laid down in the field of flowers. The Black Knights stood in two rows along the stone path that led up to bluenette with Riko and Ogiwara being the closest to her. The Generation of Miracles and Momoi stood off to the side, hidden from view in case someone would recognize their faces. It was unlikely but it would definitely cause an uproar if that happened because they would immediately make the connection between Kuroko and the phantom. It wasn't like they didn't want people to know that she was the phantom, in fact it would give her much deserved recognition since the phantom was respected and admired far and wide but the title also brought fear amongst many people. There were many bad rumors and misunderstandings about the sixth person of the Generation of Miracles and they definitely didn't want to taint her image while sending her away. And they knew that if she had the choice, she wouldn't want to reveal her identity.

Wishing her a quiet and peaceful rest, they had all said their personal farewells before the event was made public. No words could've expressed the extent of their feelings so they made simple gestures to convey their feelings. Kise brushed his fingers through her soft powder blue hair, tucking a strand behind her ear before kissing her hand. Midorima clipped her hair up with a beautiful red rose hairpin, a combination of their lucky items for the day, and then placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Aomine and Momoi slipped silver bangles onto her wrists and each gave her a sweet kiss on both cheeks. Murasakibara brushed her bangs aside and lightly pecked her petite nose. Akashi slipped a necklace around her pale neck before cautiously leaning down and claiming her perfect, light pink lips. Everyone else stiffened at his gesture in jealousy but excused it grudgingly when they remembered that Kuroko did indeed owe Akashi a kiss for the sword fighting competition. The heartbroken look in Akashi's eyes when he pulled back from the kiss shot a familiar pain through their chests as they tried their hardest not to break down and cry. Akashi glanced at the bluenette once more before he turned around to go to their hiding spot where they would watch the rest of the ceremony.

As the event came to a close, Akashi found his heart pounding in his chest from panic. His hands were clenched into fists and his eyes stayed glued on the still open coffin. His frame started shaking slightly when he saw Ogiwara and Kagami approach the bluenette. He was somewhat aware of the screaming and pleading voice in the back of his head but it was zoned out, overpowered by the resounding thud of the lid that was now obscuring his view of his beloved. The soft sound seemed to echo throughout his mind and he felt something break the moment he lost sight of her.

"Hurry up or someone will see us!"

"Tch, I don't see you helping us."

"Shut up Yamazaki, besides we only have two shovels."

"Mhm, and I still feel like shit from whatever the crap you gave me."

"It's called Sleeping Dead you idiot. Why did he even give it to you, he should've just left you to die."

"What the fuck did you say?! You want to die?!"

"Whoa, calm down guys. Are you trying to get caught?"

"Hmph, he started it."

"Whatever, just hurry up and get her already."

"Yeah yeah."

Just as he said that, his shovel hit something, creating a loud thud.

Their eyes lit up and they sped up their work, knowing that their prize was just seconds away. When they finally cleared out the last of the dirt that stood in their way, they were rewarded with the flat surface of a white coffin.

"Get into the carriage."

"Why are we doing this again," a silver head sighed in exasperation.

"Stop complaining, it's part of Hanamiya's plan. You and Kuroko are to hide in the carriage that is supposedly holding another batch of prisoners to get into the castle."

"Why? Who the hell are we hiding from? It's not like anyone knows our faces anyway."

"People from Rakuzan do and Akashi probably sent a spy to check up on us."

Groaning in annoyance but complying with his request, he hopped into the old, battered wooden carriage. He scrunched his nose at the sharp, foul smell that nearly made him gag. It was as if the stench of the previous occupants had remained, to torture future victims, like Haizaki. A deep scowl carved itself onto his face as he plopped himself down on the ratty looking bench that ran along the side of the small carriage, making it creak. Shortly afterward, the limp body of Kuroko was held up to him. He took her body from the blonde's arms carefully, knowing that Hanamiya wouldn't want his hard earned prize injured in anyway when they arrived. He laid her down beside him, his gaze staying on her longer than necessary. Before he knew what he was doing, he found his hand brushing against her cheek lightly.

The blonde popped his head in through the curtains concealing the contents of the carriage from prying eyes to widen his eyes. The silver head had an almost…gentle look in his eyes and his hand continued to linger on the phantom's face. 'Heh, interesting.'

"Yo!"

Haizaki flinched slightly at being caught being a little more affectionate than usual. "What?!" he growled in frustration.

"Yamazaki and I are going through another entrance so it'll be less suspicious. We'll meet you in the dungeon as soon as possible."

He hummed to show he understood. Once Hara disappeared and the carriage began bumping along the dirt path, he clasped his hands together and put them behind his head. Leaning onto them, he glanced at the bluenette beside him before closing his eyes and seconds later his lips curved upwards into a smug smirk. 'Wonder how those bastards would react if they knew she was still alive…but for now she's mine.'

Hayama's eyes flitted from figure to figure like a hawk looking for suitable prey. He sat perched in a tree, just yards away from the castle. As his eyes scanned the perimeter for suspicious people possibly doing dirty work for Hanamiya, a carriage was quickly approaching the west side of the castle. 'Again?' he thought tiredly. Just when he was about to give up on finding anything noteworthy, he spotted familiar faces entering the castle's main entrance. 'Hara and Yamazaki? What are Hanamiya's most trusted men doing out and about?' He narrowed his eyes and was ready to dash out from his hiding spot to infiltrate the castle when a faint memory came to the forefront of his mind.

"Hanamiya's castle is like a maze, no, rather like a spiderweb. If you don't know the architecture of it you will get lost and trapped there as prey for him."

He grit his teeth in annoyance and decided that it probably wasn't the best decision to get himself killed there right then so he retreated back into the shade of the trees and decided to make his way to town once more to fill his ears with the latest gossip and news, hoping to find something helpful.

"She still hasn't woken up yet?"

"Don't be so impatient. The drug is still working its miracle on her so it'll probably be another two or three days until she wakes up."

Haizaki sighed and turned his attention back to the bluenette who was slumped against the cold stone wall. His eyes widened when he saw her eyes flutter open. He remained silent and just continued to observe her as she took in her surroundings and thankfully overlooked his silhouette. Looks of confusion, panic, and disgust flashed across her face before an expression of pain made itself evident. Right before she passed out her eyes caught sight of his silhouette. Before he could call out in alarm, Hanamiya was already unlocking the cell frantically. Quickly kneeling down beside the bluenette, he put his hand on her forehead and retracted it a moment later with a worried expression. He whipped his head around and with a flash of urgency in his eyes that Haizaki never saw before, he yelled, "Get Seto!"

Haizaki dashed out to get the said person while his thoughts ran wild. 'Hanamiya…you say that she will be your puppet but… is that all she really is to you?'

Present Time

Faint and mumbled chattering slowly got louder and louder until the sounds finally formed words that she could comprehend despite the slight headache she had.

"-nd amplifies your negative emotions."

"How is that even p-"

All talking in the room suddenly came to a stop and Tamiko wondered if something happened beyond her still closed eyelids.

"I know you're up," a deep voice called out.

She sighed internally and braced herself for the hell that she was certain was to come. She opened her eyes slowly but was still blinded momentarily from the bright sunlight coming in through a single window. When she blinked the burning brightness away, three figures came into view.

On her left were two unfamiliar faces. They were both tall and well built, obviously fighters. One had ebony colored hair that was gelled back and a beauty mark at the center of his forehead. His black eyes seemed like they were assessing her like she was a test subject. The other had short ivory locks tied up into a low ponytail. He had charcoal colored eyes that seemed more familiar that they should. She blinked a few times trying to remember who those sparkling gray eyes belonged to. When she finally realized who it was, she couldn't help the name escaping from her lips. "Takano?"

He grinned and winked at her, pleased that she remembered and recognized him. "Glad to see you up. Did you have a nice nap?"

She growled lowly and turned her head the other way to avoid his eyes and teasing smirk just to meet the eyes of the raven head who she wanted nothing more than to rip his throat out.

He smirked and said, "Are you feeling better?"

"I would feel better if I didn't have to see your disgusting face."

Hanamiya's eyebrow twitched in annoyance but otherwise he kept his calm composure.

"Still blunt and straightforward huh? I'm surprised that it hasn't taken affect yet; but I'm sure it will any second now."

Tamiko widened her eyes in fear when she suddenly noticed a heavy feeling growing in her chest, getting stronger and stronger as the seconds ticked by. Her heart ached with a familiar yet foreign feeling. Her gut twisted in a sickening way as the gears in her head went into overtime, trying to figure out just what that uncomfortable feeling was. It made her muscles twitch involuntarily and her body was slowly heating up along with the pressure so she felt like a volcano, ready to explode at any given moment. Somewhere beneath all the panic she finally made the connection. She mentally scolded herself for not realizing what it was earlier when it was so blatantly obvious. It was anger. Pure, indescribable, seething, and bitter anger that was looking for an outlet before it destroyed her from the inside out. She now knew why it was so familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. She had felt this intense fury three years ago but the degree of hatred and bitterness she was feeling now is several scales higher than anything she had ever felt before. She was slowly losing her grip on her reality, her consciousness drifting away in the wave of negative emotions. The unexplainable anger invaded her mind, making it almost impossible to think about anything else. It filled her with the desire and adrenaline to release those emotions that were endlessly fueling her restlessness. A tiny part of her consciousness hung on, knowing that if she lost this mental battle there would be severe consequences.

Kuroko stiffened when Hanamiya came up to her, his face only inches away from her own.

"Looks like it's working perfectly," he purred.

"What did you do to me?!" She had meant to say it in a calm manner but it came out as a growl.

"Oh Kuroko, you really shouldn't take your anger out on everyone. I know you're just itching for revenge to relieve your hatred and fury but I'm not here to prevent that."

Kuroko parted her lips slightly but clamped it shut a second later realizing that the words she would want to say wouldn't come out the way she would want them to since she was already losing control of her own body. 'What revenge? Why would I want revenge? On who? If I should be angry at anyone it should be you.'

"In fact, I'm here to help you."

A shiver ran down her spine when she saw the sly smile plastered on his face which sent warning bells to the still sane part of Kuroko's consciousness. The rest of Kuroko's mindset though, and unfortunately also the majority, perked up in interest at what he had to say. Hanamiya continued grinning at the bluenette whose eyes sparkled with curiosity. He simply said three words that instantly made Kuroko's body twitch in anger and anticipation.

"Generation of Miracles."

It was as if those three words triggered something deep inside her and all she saw was red. A suffocating feeling filled her chest, making it difficult to breath. The intense hatred was overwhelming, like a flame suddenly burst to life inside her chest, racking her body with pain.

The remnants of Kuroko's sane consciousness could only feel shock and horror. She knew that there had to be an origin these negative feeling but to think that it was the Generation of Miracles…some of her closest friends, scared her.

'Why? Why is it them? I've forgiven them a long time ago…Didn't I? No! I did! They've done more than enough to make it up to me.' Despite her proclamations she couldn't help connecting those horrid memories to the anger and hatred she was feeling now. The extent of her anger was literally taking over her mind and body and if she didn't stop it soon she knew she would become a mindless puppet for Hanamiya to play with. But the stronger part of her consciousness was telling her to give in, telling her these were her true feelings, that this is what really wanted-revenge.

'No, these aren't my true feelings! They're not! It doesn't make sense that I would suddenly feel this way…Hanamiya must've done something to me to make me feel this way…' But before she could ponder anymore about it, Hanamiya's next words added oil to the fire, further distancing her from reality.

"I know how much pain they caused you. Don't you want them to feel the same way? Don't you remember how they manipulated and humiliated you? I can help you get revenge. I can help you achieve everything you always wanted. I can help you protect what you truly care about, Seiren. I won't let them get in the way of your happiness anymore," he whispered into her ear.

Kuroko gulped at the tempting offer, barely retaining the rational side of her consciousness. Her eyes gleamed with hunger and longing.

He smirked, knowing that he had caught her with his tempting offer and was going to make the most of it to manipulate her.

"I'm not asking a lot for exchange. Actually, I just want one thing."

Her blue orbs sparkled in anticipation while the other side of her growled internally wondering what the hell he was up to now.

"Tell me the secret to misdirection."

Kuroko's frame froze before it relaxed moments later and she opened her mouth to speak. Hanamiya grinned, if he knew the secret then it would all be over for the Generation of Miracles. Having found out from Haizaki that the rumors about her being on par with Akashi and Aomine, the strongest fighters in history, were true astonished him. If misdirection was that effective against them then she really was the key piece to make his conquest a success. If he persuaded Kuroko to side with him and to teach the rest of the soldiers misdirection, he would truly be unstoppable because even the Generation of Miracles didn't know a fool proof plan to go against it. His ears perked up in excitement as he listened to what she had to say only to be shocked and confused by her next words. Her words weren't filled with unrestrained anger, instead they sounded defiant.

"If you think it's this easy to take advantage of and control the phantom sixth person of the Generation of Miracles then you're sadly mistaken." She made sure to say her words carefully, barely holding back the stronger side of her consciousness that wanted nothing but to spout out her most treasured secret. Knowing that she could only hold on for a few more seconds, she smiled weakly with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. She gritted out, "Even if you manipulate my feelings Hanamiya, that won't delude me from the truth…I love them and always will, so I will protect them." Her eyes bore into his soul and before he knew what was happening, she opened her mouth wide and brought it back down with all her strength onto her tongue with a grunt. Blood instantly started to dribble down her chin and neck but he could only look on with horror and shock as he remembered her words from seconds before, making the connection with the message he saw in her eyes right before they slipped close.

"I love them and always will, so I will protect them…you can't harm them using misdirection if the only person who knows the secret behind it dies."

'I don't want to die…but if it means that I can protect everyone then it's more than worth it…'

I just love ending with cliff hangers :3 Yes I know how evil that is but I like to end my chapters with a BAM!

On to reviews now~

hitomi65: Thanks! ;D

Independent Not in Love: I'm glad that you like the story, hopefully this chapter was to your liking as well. As for how the GoM will act that'll be in the later chapters since I'm planning to devote a chapter or two just on their past before the plot can go forward anymore.

: You don't have to be sorry to ask questions! I'm happy that you asked. It was hinted in the last chapter that Kuroko had a high fever when she is in the prison cell as a side effect of the Sleeping Dead drug that Seto invented to make it seem like she died. In this chapter you can also see Hanamiya getting worried about the severity of Kuroko's fever. So the medicine was for her fever.

imKimTheWriter: I couldn't kill off the main character. XD Otherwise this would be a tragedy and I'm not a fan of that genre. Kuroko's not dead, but everyone thinks that she is. This is because Takano gave her the Sleeping Dead drug right before she was about to die when Haizaki attacked her. I'm not sure what you mean by who's in her chamber though. If you're talking about the prison cell then then yes, that's Kuroko in there. You're welcome and I love you too~!

aidenfishy: Can I just say first off that your review made me scream with happiness and laugh, and no I'm not exaggerating. XD It makes me really happy when I get long reviews because people like you really take your time to write it. Your review made me realize that this story is seriously lacking in the romance department so look forward for more of that in future chapters ;) I put a kiss scene in this chapter but I know that you're not nearly satisfied with that(I'm not either). Since the deal for the sword fighting competition was for Kuroko to kiss the winner and Akashi kissed her instead here, I'm not going to make this one count so there will be more lovey dovey scenes later~! I'm really happy you like the story and the plot. I was actually worried I was making the plot too complicated...

Pugslover: So I'm guessing you like the development in the plot? But the real chunk of the plot comes in around the next chapter or the one after that.

Chamcha: Yes it's Hanamiya who captured Kuroko. I'll try not to make him hurt her too much...

kh07gl: Well I'm flattered, thank you for the compliment. Kuroko's knight in shining armor still has yet to realize that she's still alive so the rescuing part will take a while.

Guest: Hello again! Thank you for the wonderful feedback and encouragement. As for the other part I don't want to spoil it for you but just know that you're very close to it. ;)

AceOfBlueSpades: I'm pretty sure this doesn't count as soon so I apologize for the late update again. Hope you liked this chapter!

Guest(2): Thank you and I hope you like the new update!

On a final note, if you guys are confused about the development in Haizaki and Hanamiya, it's because I have other plans for them.

Constructive criticism and questions are very much welcomed so just review in the box below~! ;)