12: Kuroko Tetsuya

It should have been simple.

But it wasn't, and that was why Jouran loved serving Tetsuya-sama just as much as he loved Chihaya. Tetsuya-sama was reluctant to let his most precious older brother see that he wasn't the same person as he was three years ago.

Surely, of course, he was right. Tetsuya-sama wasn't the same person as he was before, but that didn't mean that he changed to the point that he won't be recognized. Both he and Chihaya had recognized that part of their master as... cute.

So he bowed with a smile on his face. "Welcome, Seijuurou-sama." It had been welcome and not welcome home. After all, the master of this mansion hadn't tell him of his consent that the main heir of Akashi company would be staying in the Black Manor.

No matter how much influence Seijuurou-sama had over him, Chihaya, and by extension, Nigou, it will never overwrite Tetsuya-sama's orders.

"Jouran... it's been a long time." The bespectacled male straightened his glasses. Weird. Seijuurou-sama never called him by his first name before...

"It has indeed. Please, let me escort you to the lounge and wait for Tetsuya-sama to finish his work." A smile.

It should have been simple, but it wasn't...

In a mansion full of dead bodies he, Chihaya, Nigou, and Tetsuya-sama just killed a few hours before... there was no way that it would be so simple, no?

Jouran was completely relaxed, but there was something about his calm demeanor which made Seijuurou himself rather anxious.

No, not anxious, just plain uneasy.

"Now, please wait in this lounge until Tetsuya-sama arriv-"

"Jouran!"

What Seijuurou saw was a massive genocide.

Tens, or even hundreds of men clad in expensive suits lie dead on the ground with his maid, Chihaya trying to round them up in a mound of corpses as she wiped the blood with her mop. Seijuurou's eyes widened, clearly not expecting the view.

Jouran immediately went and shut the door, his smile still unfaltering as he bowed an apology. "I apologize for showing you such an ugly display, Seijuurou-sama. Let us head to the library instead. We have to apologize again for not having the manor cleaned perfectly for your arrival. Given that it has only been a few hours since Tetsuya-sama killed the ten dons of the East, I suppose that you will understand..."

Seijuurou fell silent, he knew of the dirty workings Tetsuya must be involved with in order for the Akashi company to be absolute, but he didn't expect that his brother, his sweet, innocent little brother who had never known much about the world outside of his books could be capable of such... atrocity.

The redhead didn't deny the fact that it was such a beautiful atrocity, though.

When Jouran finally stopped, he let Seijuurou inside a library which slight reminded him of the one he had back home.

"Please, wait for Tetsuya-sama here, Seijuurou-sama... may you have a pleasant stay. The tea has been prepared in advance..."

And then the door closed, leaving Seijuurou all by his lonesome to think of what his brother and his attendants had done... and let out an intangible smirk across his face.

"How interesting... dear Tetsuya."

"Woof!"

Azure eyes woke up from their slight slumber with reluctance and laziness of someone who was just roused into the morning ray of shine. The owner of said azure orbs sighed as he opened his arms to hug his wolf-sized dog with a slight smile on his face.

"You... smelled a stranger?" His voice was kind and soft, as if he regarded the canine in front of him to be more than just an animal. Nigou barked happily, as if agreeing with him.

"It's all right, he... is not a stranger." His words were laced with doubt that Nigou did not miss. The dog whined, as if asking the reason of his doubt.

"Nigou, he is my brother, Akashi Seijuurou. But..." the master of the newly-overtaken Black Manor tilted his head a little, trying to find a suitable phrase to what he was thinking.

"But I can certainly say that he is not the person who helped raised me to be who I am now..." The tealhead buried his face on Nigou's fur, indulging in its warmth.

"Tetsuya-sama."

"Jouran-san... what is it?"

The raven-haired man bowed deeper as his master called him, even without looking to the piercing azure, he knew that his master was listening.

"Seijuurou-sama is awaiting your arrival."

The tealheaded master of the Black Manor turned to face his servant, still a blank expression across his face. "Seijuurou...-niisama?" He asked, his voice was slightly lower and... hopeful.

"Yes, sir..." Jouran agreed. "He is-"

"What of his eyes...?"

"It... is different... but-"

A soft sigh escaped from the tealhead's lips with absolute sorrow lacing it. "Then it's not Seijuurou-niisama but Onii-sama, huh...?" He asked to his pet dog, who whined in confusion. But even then, Nigou understood that his master was very sad.

Of course, the same sentiment also reached Jouran, who had clearly seen the look of absolute sadness and resign all over his master's face. "But, he is-"

"That's enough, Jouran-san..." His master stood up with a soundless grace of a silent predator that he hadn't possessed three years ago. His face was blank and emotionless as he donned the jacket that he had been sprawled across the ground with another graceful move.

"I... do not wish meet Onii-sama..." He said with a sigh as Nigou licked his hand, trying to comfort him in silence. "But..." A sad smile flashed across his face as he cleaned up the last bits of blood that Nigou hadn't licked off him. "I realize that he is the only one I have left of my brother. I think I love my brother too much to just let him go."

Tetsuya-sama's face showed no emotion, but amusement was apparent in his voice. It was one thing that both Jouran and Chihaya noticed from their master. Tetsuya-sama... held an even more deeper feeling towards the main heir of Akashi company than just brotherly affection. Oh no, it was way deeper than mere brotherly love. It was so deep that it almost bordered... a romantic love.

But none of them mentioned this. After all, Tetsuya-sama had chosen them to be the bearers of the Kuroko name like he had because of the fact that they had known him to best and they had never asked questions. And besides...

Kuroko Tetsuya-sama's love affair was of no importance to his servants, although it was of great influence of their lives nonetheless.

"Shige-chaaaaaaaaan!"

A sudden loud noise had startled the birds he had been watching for something and it made them chirp noisily. The raven-haired leader of Sunflare sighed. What is it this time...?

"I swear to God, Kotarou-chan, if you're bugging me for anything not important I'll-"

"We found him!"

The sheer weight of that words made him gulp down all of his saliva and directed his gaze towards Kotarou's own beaming ones.

"By him... do you mean...?"

"Yepyepyep, it's him! Akashi Tetsuya-chan! Or... I guess it's Kuroko Tetsuya-chan now? He's taken the East Sicily and renamed its biggest manor as the Black Manor, after all. That's a sheer proof that he'd taken the name Kuroko underground..."

So... so that's why he hadn't been able to track him down all this time. It wasn't because of anything fatal or near death or anything. It was just a slight error on his part...

The raven-haired teen sighed happily, smiling to himself for a quiet moment of pure... relief.

Only, that moment wasn't quiet because of the noisy birds.

So he took out his gun and shot all the birds into a definite silence. Ogiwara Shigehiro sighed out almost ecstatically.

"Finally..." He threw a very glee grin despite the silence and the smell of the birds' blood to the blazing sunset sky. "Got you, Tecchan!"

Next chapter will have an intense AkaKuro make out session :p