AN: And so it begins...
If there are any mistakes (grammar, story plot holes, etc.), please either PM me or review about it.
"" - speech
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke.
"Aomine." Akashi looked up at the former power forward coolly.
"Akashi. It's been a while."
"It has."
"While it's great to see you again, I'm here to talk to Tsukishiro Reimi." Aomine glanced at Reimi who remained quiet.
"Follow me." Akashi ordered as he pulled Reimi with him, motioning for Aomine to follow. Aomine followed the two to an unused room.
"With this, no one can hear or bother us." He stood in front of Reimi. "Why are you here, Aomine?"
"Akashi-sensei." Reimi grabbed his arm. "This-"
"No. I refuse to let this go." His eyes flickered fiercely for a moment. "I am her partner, Aomine. Her safety and health are my highest priority right now. Tell me."
Aomine glanced at Reimi again. Her eyebrows were furrowed in frustration as though she was unable to get a good grasp of the situation. "Akashi... If I tell you, then you won't be able to get out of it. You're busy enough as it is, especially since you've got a score to even."
"A score to even?" Reimi parroted Aomine's words, feeling Akashi's arm briefly tense beneath her hand at those words.
"Stop bothering Satsuki for information. If you're going to bug someone, go bug Midorima or something." Aomine's tone was fairly neutral as he launched the suggestion, but his eyes looked fairly serious as he looked at the former point guard. "It's your problem, not hers."
Akashi ignored the blatant contradiction in Aomine's words and instead arched an eyebrow, looking slightly amused. "It appears you figured it out yourself."
"Yeah, I was wondering why she was so busy with her work lately." Used to Akashi's seeming omniscience, Aomine did not bother to look surprised as he leaned against the wall. "Satsuki hasn't been getting much sleep lately, thanks to you."
"What… is going on here…?" Reimi voiced out her concern at last, unsure of what the two were talking about. As a result, her previous intense emotions were forgotten.
"We're finding a way to solve my problem and yours." Akashi replied as he looked back at Reimi reassuringly.
"I'm counting on you both then. I'll contact the others later, Akashi. Gotta have that basketball game to test out that triple screen play soon, right?" Aomine grinned cockily before he started for the exit.
"Of course. I'll let Midorima and Kuroko know then." Aomine acknowledged Akashi's words with a short wave before he left the room. Nurse Awa then promptly came into the room.
"There you both are. I'm sure you've finished your business with the officer?"
"Yes, we are." Reimi quickly let go of Akashi's arm then. The movement went unnoticed by Nurse Awa, but Akashi was quite aware of the lingering warmth left by her hand. "Is something the matter? Was there a Code Blue?"
Nurse Awa shook her head. "Ah, no. It's nothing like that. The director wants to see the two of you in his office."
Reimi paused. "Oh. Well, we'll be right there then." Knowing she was being dismissed, Nurse Awa nodded in acknowledgement before leaving the room.
Once it was just the two of them, Reimi sighed and turned on her heel to walk through the hallways. Akashi matched her pace as she spoke to him, irritation bleeding into her voice. "What do you think he wants from us?"
He crossed his arms for a moment before letting them hang by his sides in a controlled manner. "We'll find out soon enough." Like his neutral answer, Akashi's expression did not reveal an inkling of what he actually felt on the matter.
"True." She scrunched up her face. "I hate meeting him." Despite her words, the tenseness in his shoulders faded a little at that admission.
A smirk graced his lips. "I thought you were personally recruited by him."
At his words, she groaned out loud, tugging at her hair a little. "I was, but I only accepted because of Gosha-sensei. If it wasn't for him… I would have never come here." She sighed as she glared at the wall. "That creepy bastard."
Akashi raised an eyebrow. "Creepy?"
Goosebumps appeared on her skin. "I don't like being near him." She unintentionally shuddered, causing Akashi's eyes to narrow at her reaction. "He makes me feel uncomfortable." She paused then, pondering on how to better describe the director. "Maybe two-faced bastard is a better representation of what he is."
When they arrived, she took a deep breath and her hand hovered over her beating heart. Akashi took that hand in his own before letting go. He faced her seriously. "Ready?"
Reimi locked eyes with him. Her heart squeezed painfully for a moment before it calmed down completely. She felt as if she was floating on water while breathing clean air, completely free. She closed her eyes and opened them, taking in her partner's patient and calm demeanor. It was as if she had turned on a switch. Her lips widened into a smile, filled with preparation and recognition. Reimi grabbed his hand and gave it a quick squeeze. "Always." Letting go of his hand, she turned towards the door and knocked on it twice.
"Who is it?" A deep voice called out from within.
Straightening her back, a firm and polite smile tugged on her lips. "Tsukishiro Reimi, sir." Her voice was filled with clarity and assurance.
"Ah, my favorite doctor." Reimi's finger twitched as her eyes slowly reflected nothing but emptiness. The polite smile on her face still remained. "I presume that Akashi-sensei is there with you?"
She kept her eyes leveled. "Yes sir."
"Come in, both of you!" At his words, she closed her eyes once more for a few seconds.
Once she opened her eyes, Reimi swiftly opened the door for the both of them, entering with a certain flair. She quickly got into the role that the director liked and expected from her, one full of charisma and absolute confidence.
Akashi briefly noted to himself that the room was filled with extravagant sofas and tables; it was very unlike a hospital. The leather seat that the director sat creaked when he stood up to greet them. She finally stood in front of his desk with Akashi, putting her hands together in front of her. "You called for us?"
The director jovially laughed. "Yes. I just wished to commend both of your efforts to the hospital." He walked up to the two and placed his hand on Reimi's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. She controlled herself from twitching uncomfortably. Akashi's jaw tightened. "You both have done a great service to us all." He gave one last pat on her back, letting his hand linger over her.
This is when Akashi swooped in naturally, giving Reimi room to escape from the source of her discomfort. "It is merely our job to do what we do best." He gave the director a polite smile, but the director's smile faded.
In seconds, however, he was laughing again, but this time, it sounded cold and hollow. His eyes seemed to emanate chilly displeasure. "Ah, to be humble. That's a good sign of a great doctor in the making." The middle-aged man then put his hands together as he reached out to touch Reimi's shoulder. "Isn't that right, Tsukishiro-sensei?" Reimi avoided looking into the eyes of the director before giving him a curt nod.
Noticing the sudden tension in the room, she inquired. "Is there anything else you wanted from us?"
"Ah, of course. I apologize for taking up your time." His words were empty. They both knew that he could care less about wasting their time. He placed a folder on one side of his desk, turning towards the two. "Do you know about the ex-prime minister?"
Reimi immediately answered. "The one who retired recently?"
He laughed jovially and patted her back again. She stopped herself from stiffening and discreetly took a step away from him. "Yes, I knew you would catch on quick, Tsukishiro-sensei."
Her eyes flickered. "Does he require medical assistance?" She finally managed to stand next to Akashi, not willing to stand near the man before her.
The director tapped on his chin. "Well, we were invited…"
"To?" She watched him carefully.
He gave them a big smile as if it was an honor that they were chosen. "You both have been invited to do a live surgery on the ex-prime minister at Tokyo Medical University Hospital."
Her stomach dropped. She hated this already because it smelled of politics. "Is there a possibility to refuse this invitation?" Her hand tightened around her other hand. "Or is this an order?"
The director's smile fell from his face. His gaze chilled and hardened. "What are you implying?"
Her fingernails dug into her skin as her fists tightened. "While I do not believe this is a wise decision for the patient himself, if that is what you wish, then it will be done." She then glanced down at the ground again, releasing her fists. "It's not like I have a choice if it's an order." She mumbled to herself unhappily.
The director turned towards Akashi with the same cold expression. "Do you also agree with her choice, Akashi-sensei?"
"Of course." Akashi replied succinctly with a bland expression on his face.
The director clapped his hands with a pleased look. "Good! I knew I could count on you two." He then fixed his tie for a second. "The patient and surgery information will be sent to you soon, so check your emails later."
"Understood." Reimi forced her emotions to disappear into the very back corner of her mind.
He motioned the door to them. "You are dismissed." Before both could leave, however, he called out to Reimi. "Tsukishiro-sensei. Please stay for a moment. I still have something to say to you." Dread captured her heart.
Her hands felt clammy and sweaty. She hesitated and glanced up at Akashi who then nodded to her before exiting the room. Her mind turned into an open white space, one filled with nothingness. She needed to become nothingness. After all, control was key. She faced the director once more with a calm expression and waited patiently for his next set of words.
"You truly are my favorite." He murmured to himself as he walked up to her.
Her fingernails dug into her skin again as she squeezed her hand with her other one to stop herself from showing any outward signs of her revulsion for the man. "Akashi-sensei has more potential and talent than me. He's also younger. Shouldn't he deserve the spot of being your favorite?" She suggested, carefully choosing her words.
The director laughed out loud once more. "He might be more talented than you, Tsukishiro-sensei, but I doubt his current skills exceed your own right now." His supposed reassuring hand on her back gave her more goosebumps instead. She swallowed uncomfortably. "It's easy to find talented people with high potential, but it's not easy to find someone like yourself."
Reimi then took a deep breath and had to stop herself from glaring at him. It took all her self-control to maintain a neutral expression. "Meaning..?" She let him go on with his theatrics, knowing that he loved being the person in the spotlight. She immediately took a step away from him, causing his hand to leave her back.
"Passionate and competent at your job. Pleasing to the eye. Very well-connected. Humble and controlled." She imagined what it would be like to punch him in the face in order to keep an eyebrow from twitching.
Her tone almost took on a sarcastic bite then. "I find that Akashi-sensei is also the same way." The fact that her gender was a big part of the reason why she was his favorite employee evoked feelings of disgust, frustration, and injustice.
"Still, I prefer you over him." That was when she wanted to rip his throat out and pummel him into the ground until he was a bloody mess. The marks on her hands from digging her nails into them reflected her utter hatred towards him. "In fact, I am willing to help you get the chief position after Gosha-kanchou retires." He spoke as if she wanted the position, which irritated her to no end. After all, Reimi abhorred when people assumed things about her when they were not true.
Clearing her throat, she finally corrected him. "Unfortunately, I have no interest in such a political position. I am more interested in learning and perfecting the art of medicine. After all, I am, first and foremost, a surgeon. Politics would be handled better by the likes of Akashi-sensei who is still young yet very capable. He's leaps and bounds ahead compared to most of his peers and upperclassmen. The fresh mind of a young doctor would do better than a jaded one in the political sphere."
The director rubbed his chin with his stubby fingers. "I will think about it then, but it would do you well in the long run to go up the ladder, Tsukishiro-sensei." He then gave one last squeeze on her shoulder before heading back to his desk. Reimi forcefully stopped herself from wanting to puke at the sight of him by facing the ground. "Keep in mind that I just have your best interests in mind."
Her throat felt blocked and tight. She wanted to get out of this room already. "Of course. I would never insinuate otherwise."
"Now then, let's get to the main point." The director sat down in his seat comfortably.
"The main point, sir?" Reimi questioned. Her mind whirred impatiently.
He tapped on his desk with his finger. "Have you met my son Kyou before?"
Discomfort clenched her heart. She had a bad feeling about this. "I believe I met him once in the past, but that's all." She confirmed.
A pleased expression appeared on his face. "How would you like to have a meeting with him?"
"For?" She raised an eyebrow at the director.
He grabbed a pen from the pen holder on his desk and laughed jovially. "Why, isn't it obvious? For a possible marriage with him." When he leaned back against his chair, he tapped his pen against the surface of his desk. "I've been wanting to suggest this to you since he's quite interested in you. You also have no plans on becoming the department chief, so this is the perfect opportunity to hold some power in your hands."
She took a brief moment to choose her words carefully before speaking. "Sir, I am fine with meeting him once, but if I do not like him in that way, then I will never consider marriage with him. After all, it's my personal life, despite working at your hospital." She emphasized every word, but she had a feeling that he would only pick and choose the words that he wanted to hear.
His eyes brightened, confirming that he really did not hear all of her words as she had suspected. "Then you'll meet him? Great! I'll schedule a dinner for the two of you. You can just confirm if you're free or not when I send you the email."
Her face expression soured for a millisecond before turning neutral. "Of course, sir. May I take my leave now, sir? I need to do my rounds in a few minutes."
He grabbed a folder from his desk and began reading over it. "Of course. Go on out now." She bowed and exited the room without looking back.
The emotions she kept at bay began leaking out as she walked through the hallway. Her eyes flickered dangerously. Her hand suddenly scratched harshly at the areas that he touched, muttering furiously to herself. "Bastard. Bastard. Bastard. I'll fucking kill him for touching me like that one day. I feel like puking at the very sight of him. And now I need a long shower and heal my eyes." Her fingernails dug into her skin deeply. "Does he think that I'm his pet or some shit like that? Well, one day… Just one day… He'll regret trying to do that to me. I'll make him regret it with all of his life."
"Tsukishiro-san?"
"What?!" Reimi snapped as she kept scratching at her shoulder, not even bothering to check who called out to her.
"Did something happen?" A familiar voice asked as a hand reached out to grab her hand, halting her scratching.
"He kept touching me. That disgusting sexually harassing bastard. He kept-" She paused mid-sentence when she looked up and locked eyes with Akashi. The dark cloud of negative emotions immediately faded away as she stared at him bewilderedly, a sudden calm coming over her. "I think my eyes are healed now."
"What?" He looked at her questioningly.
She shook her head in amusement as she inwardly acknowledged Akashi's good looks. "It's nothing. I'm going to take a shower before the next surgery, so I'll see you then."
"...I'll see you then." Akashi blinked before letting go, unsure of what had caused Reimi's mood to do a complete 180.
Back in his office, the director finally took out his cell phone, dialing a number from memory. The ringing sound echoed in the room.
When someone picked up on the other end, his eyebrows furrowed. "Finally. What took you so long to answer?" He sighed. "It doesn't matter. I have a new order for you." He shook his head before stabbing a sheet of paper on his desk with the pen in his hand over and over again.
The director's eyes turned steely. "Silence everyone involved in the incident sixteen years ago, especially my secretary at the time." His serious tone changed to one more casual then. "You can use any method. Just try not to leave any traces. You know the drill."
A pleased smirk graced his lips as he hung up and leaned against his chair again.
"Why am I here, Aomine?" A lanky male sat down in an interrogation room with a wary gaze.
"You know why." Aomine crossed his arms, resting them on top of the table.
"No, I really don't." The man shook his head at his partner. "Do you really think I had a hand in the corruption of the higher-ups? The prosecutors are just looking for a way to bring us police down. You should know that, Aomine! Especially that irritating Prosecutor Shin..."
"Don't kid around with me, Kori! Prosecutor Shin is just doing his job and you should know that. But if he's so irritating to you, perhaps there's something you want to say to me…?" When Kori glared at him, the blue-haired male smirked and leaned back against his chair. "Maybe I'll even help him find the fools who decided to give into the corruption in the first place." His dark blue eyes flickered with pure anger. "Anyways, it's more than just corruption that I suspect you of."
"What are you trying to say?" Kori stood up, yelling. The male's eyes swirled with anger and frustration. "That I would fabricate a case or something!?"
Aomine almost rolled his eyes but managed to stop himself. "Even worse than that." He muttered, glaring at the male before him.
"What." Kori breathed out. He stared at his partner in dismay.
"Your actions that day were suspicious and abnormal." Aomine explained nonchalantly as if he was used to this.
Kori sat back down with a chilly yet forcefully clueless expression. "What day?"
Aomine flipped through a few papers in a folder before him. "The day that Tsukishiro Kuromi was almost killed… You forced me to wait for you at the store while you went off on an errand."
Kori laughed abruptly before glaring at him. "How is that abnormal?" He snarled.
"Hmmm…" Aomine propped up his right arm on the table so that he could lean his head against his right hand, narrowing his eyes as he watched his partner carefully. "It was a nice sunny day. Who were you delivering an umbrella and raincoat to?"
"My family, Aomine. They get pretty snarky when I don't bring their stuff back to them." Annoyance permeated his tone of voice.
"Oh? How odd." Aomine leaned back in his chair again. "That seems to differ from what your family members told me. They haven't seen you since the new year celebration."
"What...?" Kori stood up again. "That can't be! I met my cousin over there to give her the umbrella and raincoat before she left for Hokkaido!"
"So it's your cousin." The blue-haired male sneered. "But the problem is that your cousin's been missing since the day Tsukishiro Kuromi was almost killed."
Desperation tainted his voice. "Aomine-"
Aomine cut in mercilessly. "The direction that you went for your errand coincides with Tsukishiro-san's normal routine, but you claimed that you never saw her." He emphasized each word firmly.
Kori's tone turned exasperated. "She could have been one minute late. Besides, this is all circumstantial evidence." He calmly sat back down. "Aomine, you know the drill as my partner and as a fellow officer. Give me real evidence before you start spouting nonsense."
Ignoring his last few sentences, Aomine shook his head and focused on his statement about her being one minute late. "It's not possible that she was a minute late. The CCTV showed that Tsukishiro Kuromi would have at least passed you at the speed you were going and in the direction you were heading."
Kori leaned forward with a smile. "I have no motive."
That flipped a switch in Aomine as he slammed his hand against the table. "Motive, my ass. We had the great pleasure of checking your bank account." He took out a file and shoved it in Kori's face. "What is this huge amount of money being transferred to your account a few days after the incident? Seems to come from an overseas bank. This isn't a normal amount for a mere police officer."
"..." His partner remained silent before he spoke. "There are no witnesses nor are there any signs of me killing her, Aomine. Did you find my fingerprints? My blood? You can search my apartment and you'll find nothing."
"Stop acting like a novice. You know what we do for a living. You also know that when Tsukishiro Kuromi wakes up, you're done for." Aomine growled. "You're an embarrassment to the police. To think that you'd try to kill a woman for money."
This made Kori snap back at him angrily. "Aomine, you should watch yourself. The police aren't as pure as you think they are. We all fall eventually. This is my advice to you as someone who's been in this line of work for a while."
"What do you mean?" Aomine calmly questioned, finally regaining his composure.
"It means, you idiot, that your speculations and accusations will do you no good right now." His partner leveled his gaze at Aomine.
Aomine's eyes darkened. "You betrayed my trust in the worst possible way, Kori."
He shook his head. "Perhaps. Perhaps not."
"And yet you talk about how the police aren't as pure as I thought? When Prosecutor Shin began his investigation, he once told me that one can only speak from experience. Perhaps you're part of the problem that you speak of." Aomine shot back. "It's no wonder Prosecutor Shin's so adamant about taking apart the police to find these problem people all the damn time!"
"Shut it! You don't know anything, so don't you dare say such shit to me!" Kori snarled angrily. "Prosecutor Shin? What the hell does he know?! He's just an idiot who wants to overhaul the entire foundation of this country! Don't you dare judge me, Aomine Daiki!"
"Entire foundation? What the hell are you talking about, Kori?!" Aomine stood up, knocking back his chair and slamming his hands on the table. "Just who's behind you!? Who is it that can make you do these atrocious acts?!"
Kori snorted to himself as he calmed down. "No one."
"What-" Disbelief colored Aomine's voice.
Kori's shoulders relaxed. "After all, I haven't killed anyone."
Despite Kori's current body language, Aomine's intuition as an officer sounded alarms in his head. There was clearly something wrong here and he was going to get to the bottom of this.
Reimi stood in front of a coat rack and sighed. "The stupid live surgery on the ex-prime minister was today. Did we have to schedule that annoying dinner of all things on the same day, too?! Ungrateful bastard of a slug." Throwing her white coat at the coat rack, she grabbed her bag and swung the door open unhappily.
Once she exited the hospital, an expensive car stopped in front of her. A tall yet lean male was revealed when the windows rolled down. "Tsukishiro-san?"
Her eyebrow twitched as her fingernails dug into the skin of her palms. "Yes. Am I to presume that you are Aku Kyou, the director's son?" A polite smile hung on her face.
He smiled charismatically, unpleasantly reminding her of the director. "I am. Get in the car and we'll head to the restaurant."
Her stomach churned unpleasantly and her shoulders stiffened a little, but she opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, momentarily spotting Akashi from a distance. A little bit of guilt burned in her heart then, so she quickly turned her head and faced the streets instead. "How long will it take to get there?"
"Only a couple of minutes. It's one of my favorites near here." His car began moving away from the hospital at a decent speed. "I chose somewhere close since I know you have to go back to work right away."
"Hn…" She stared out the window, prompting an uncomfortable silence between the two. She then watched him through the corner of her eye. He appeared relaxed at first glance, but the tightness in his jaw indicated otherwise. His finger tapped against the steering wheel, indicating that he was nervous for some reason. While he was trying to play it cool, she saw through his facade in an instant.
"Well, we're here." He announced to her as he parked the car fluidly. She exited the vehicle and looked up at the fancy building, already hated this so-called date. "This way, Tsukishiro-san." He motioned for her to follow in a slightly condescending way. She found herself missing her partner and the rest of the hospital staff.
Absentmindedly, she entered the restaurant, finding herself surrounded by expensive vases and statues. Oil paintings were hanging on the walls of the waiting area. The rug was velvety and the walls were plastered with expensive and intricately designed wallpaper. Everything made her highly uncomfortable.
"Aku for two." He spoke to the waitress who then guided the two to their table. "Bring out your best wine and we'll both have the special."
Reimi twitched, holding in her anger. "Aku-san."
"Ah, please call me Kyou. Being called 'Aku-san' reminds me of my father."
Feeling a little vindictive, she smirked a little before neutralizing her expression. "Aku-san." She then saw the anger boiling in his eyes at her refusal to follow his words. "I will get straight to the point."
"Why don't we wait until after dinner?" Kyou suggested instead. "After all, it's my treat." If she could, she would have gouged his eyes out with a fork. Thinking that it would be useless to talk about it now, she merely nodded and kept to herself. When he attempted to pull her into conversation, she cut it short with her curt replies. Soon, the two fell into a tense silence.
"Here is our best wine, Aku-sama." The waitress brought out a chilled bottle of red wine.
"Good." He merely commented as she poured wine into his wineglass.
Reimi moved her glass to the side. "I can't have wine or any type of alcohol when on duty at the hospital. Please do not pour me any."
"Of course." The waitress then backed off and left the area to give them privacy.
When he realized that she was going to remain rigid and reserved, he decided to just enjoy his wine while she looked elsewhere. Even as they ate through their seven course meal, she still kept to herself through it all.
His fingers tightened around his utensils. Reimi observed carefully, noting his cold gaze and tight smile. He was obviously irritated at her disobedience towards him by giving him the silent treatment. She knew that the moment she let her guard down and let him have his way, she would lose all control over the situation. She would not let him have his way.
When dessert was finally served, she placed her fork down and finally spoke. "I have no intention of continuing our meetings. Quite frankly, I do not want to marry you."
"Is it because of the rumors?"
"The rumors…?" She leaned back into her chair, watching him carefully.
"There are rumors that say that I'm known for abusing my lovers… and for being psychopathic." He said nonchalantly.
"Is that so…?"
"It's pretty well-known. I'm surprised you haven't heard about it."
"I have better things to do than spend my time gossiping with others." Reimi kept her face neutral.
Kyou's smile froze. "Then why is it that you don't want to marry me?"
"Simply because I do not like you. Is that not a good enough reason?" She answered with no hesitation whatsoever.
He snorted in disbelief. "We've barely been together for more than a few hours at most. How can you come to dislike me in these short hours?"
She stood up, ready to get this over with. "Since you told me that it's your treat, I shall treat it as such. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to work now." Grabbing her bag, she headed for the exit.
"I can take you back."
She refused. "No. I can take a cab. It's only a short distance away." Without allowing him to retort, she left the building.
His eyes burned with rage. The hand that held the wineglass shook and when his grip on it tightened, it shattered, causing glass to fly everywhere. Wine dripped down from his now-bleeding hand. The waitress flinched and watched him with wary eyes from a safe distance away. He slammed his hand against the table. He glared at the door, not willing to accept the way she had treated him. "How dare she…"
Outside, Reimi was hailing a cab when her stomach churned uncomfortably. "I shouldn't have eaten anything from there."
When a vehicle stopped in front of her, she rubbed her stomach before entering the cab. "To the hospital please."
"Yes, ma'am."
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