Hello, this is SadisticPrincess13 aka Sadihime~~

I bring to you Aomine Daiki's story as he goes through the life of loving his best friend throughout the years and finally having the courage to confess his feelings, not knowing the dangers lurking behind. Hahaha~~ We all know who that is.

This story has a more serious tone than the other chapters. It's a little bit different~
Hopefully, you would enjoy it as much as you've enjoyed the others.

I had fun writing it and I most definitely didn't think it would reach 8,000+ words!
I apologize for the lack of creativity with Aomine's penname, but I just took it from his motto, 'I'm me.'.

Warning: Unbeta-d, grammatical errors, limited use of vocabulary, OOC-ness...and many more.

A Best Friend's Struggle

A Love as Cold as Ice by TheOneAndOnlyMereviews

How could a being of winter—one who has skin white as snow, eyes cold as a blizzard, and a heart frozen by ice—be the one to warm his heart?

Rated M – Japanese – Romance/Tragedy – Chapters: 4 – Words: 10,042 – Reviews: 94 – Favs: 144 – Follows: 213 – Updated: January 31, 2015 – Published: December 20, 2014

Prologue:

With icy blue eyes, cold and unforgiving
A stare that sent cool blasts of winds
Creating a blizzard of fear and confusion
And a maelstrom of conflicting emotion
It tore his world apart
And created anew

'If this is love, then he didn't mind freezing to death.' He thought, smiling as he reached out a hand, touching the ethereal male whose hair reminded him of a cool breeze, whose skin smooth and pale, and whose eyes hid the warmth inside his heart. He was the very opposite of him and yet, they fit each other so well.

He let himself be consumed by his emotions. Like a swirling blizzard, they destroyed all walls that he had built around him. It was this being, this being of winter whose affinity was ice, rumoured to have froze men with a single look with no regret in his cold heart…It was him who, despite what he was, had made him feel the warmth of love.

He laid him down gently on the soft, silky sheets.

His eyes scanned the screen in front of him; words upon words passed by, creating sentences that narrated a simple tale written with the lightness of the heart, yet was weighed down by the carnal desire deeply ingrained between each word.

He clicked and scrolled down on the list of titles.

He frowned.

He had underestimated him.

Chapter 4: Falling Into Death's Cold Embrace

He gazed softly at the beautiful sight before him. Never before had the being before him appear otherworldly as this moment—sensually sprawled on top of the silky, white sheets of the bed with the moon blessing them with her radiance as it gave the being a soft ethereal glow. He was truly a timeless being of magnificence and beauty. Soft, succulent lips parted, letting out short, breathless pants as beautiful orbs of blue opened before quickly falling half mast, gaze hazed with pleasure.

He closed his eyes as he listened to the sweet symphony of his name being called out so earnestly, desperate and wanton, as if he was the only one who could satisfy such need.

He whispered the being's name, his lips already turning blue from the icy touch, slid sensually down the pale being's neck—nipping and biting, leaving trails of bruises down to smooth chest—and settling down on perked nipples, taking it between his teeth and softly rolled his tongue, earning him sweet music that came in the form of wanton moan that seemed to reverberate around the room.

"Please—ah!" Kuroko gasped, his body trembling at the sweet caress of tanned hands, roaming all over his petite body. "P-Please…I-I want—aahh!" he cried out as the tanned male grasped hisssssssssssssssssasnkcna kjikxjjjukvkgvvus/jgsyh 80qoijgnjalmvfl fnaeognljet84uthjafkjdakjfjkabf…|

Aomine repeatedly smacked his forehead on his keyboard. The desk shook with the force, dictionaries, thesauruses, and phrase books of different kinds that were scattered all over it jumped with the force of every slam.

Aomine breathed in deeply before raising his head and staring at the screen, face red with embarrassment. He couldn't believe what he had written. It was so embarrassing! And he was on his fourth chapter! Aomine ducked down on the desk, hands covering his head. He didn't know how much more of this he could take! He stood up from his chair and grabbed his laptop, gently tossing it on his bed before flopping down on the soft mattress himself.

"Shit." Aomine muttered to himself before letting out a frustrated groan. He could only take so much. He needed to fix his problem fast.

After the Winter Cup, he and Kuroko began to see each other again, catching up on their lost time. Both of them knew that their relationship could never be the way it used to be; they accepted that fact and began anew. While it was not the same, it was close. He was happy…

…for a while.

Aomine didn't know what happened, didn't know when it began, all he knew was that he wanted more. For a time, he was confused, extremely so. He didn't know what he was feeling, and it bothered him so much that he locked himself in his room for a week. Nothing could get him out, not even his childhood friend's yelling. After many concerned calls, one struck out. A few words from Kuroko and he finally got his answer.

Holy shit, I'm in love with Tetsu!

It was such an epiphany for Aomine that it left him staring blankly at his ceiling for half a day, the other half was spent on sulking when he realized that there was nothing he could do, at least, not yet. Not when they just started to mend their relationship.

Aomine felt ashamed at the first month after he realized his feelings. As if having plenty of wet dreams about Kuroko that left him jacking off in the bathroom for hours weren't enough, he started digging up some of his old pictures in Teiko, picking the ones where the two of them were there and started jacking off again. He felt extremely guilty for doing it, but he was a growing teenage boy with a hungry appetite for sex, it didn't help that he had an insatiable dick.

Aomine actually had to talk to Momoi about his problem, much to his embarrassment. It wasn't without rewards though. After waiting for her to stop laughing because it wasn't really funny, she introduced him something to vent his frustrations out without actually having to ejaculate all over Kuroko's pictures. And that was how he was introduced to the wonderful world of fanfiction, a place where he could unleash his imagination and unleash it he did.

Aomine started terribly, of course. He could barely string two words together to make a story, but sooner or later, he started getting the hang of it. He actually researched and bought books and dictionaries about words and metaphors just to get better and make things more interesting. Momoi could only shake his head and complain why he couldn't exert this much effort in school. He would ignore her rambling, of course. School was boring, after all.

All his hard work managed to pay off though, he was surprised by how many followed and favorite-d his stories. The next thing he knew was that he had already written more than fifty stories with many praises from other authors, something that motivated him to do more. He was so concentrated on creating a story that he actually forgot why he started doing it in the first place. It went like that for a while.

Three years later, they were in college and a lot of things changed except for one thing. Aomine was still in love with Kuroko, more so than before and lately, he couldn't seem to hold it back anymore. There must be something he could do. Aomine rolled over and stuffed his face on the mattress when a buzzing sound reached his ears. Lifting his head, he fished out his phone from his back pocket and turned so that he could lie down on his back.

As he stared at the caller id, he could only sigh. If one spoke of the devil, he would come, as they said, though in this case, it was an angel. Pressing the received button, he placed his phone by his ear.

"Sup, Tetsu." Aomine greeted, lying on his arm to cushion his head. "Huh?" He furrowed his eyebrows before glancing at the calendar at the far-side of the room. "Yeah, I guess I'm free then." He lied back down. "What time?" he paused. "Okay, okay…yeah. I got it. See you then, Tetsu." He hung up his phone, dropping it on the bed as he stared at the ceiling. A meet up, huh…

Aomine suddenly sprung up as if he was electrified. "This is it…" he whispered to himself, his words tinge excitement. This was his chance! He would confess. After all this years, he would confess! Aomine quickly took the laptop that lied forgotten near his feet. He navigated himself through the web, entering his username and password, before he delved deep within his imaginations.

His eyes narrowed as he stared at the screen. He would have to do something about this.

Aomine put his hands in his pockets as he glanced everywhere but at the person who was beside him. He could barely contain his nervousness as he walked side by side with the other male. He clenched his hands into fists as he breathed deeply, trying to calm his heart.

"Aomine-kun."

Aomine forced his head to face the other. "What is it, Tetsu?"

Kuroko blinked before letting out a small smile. "Thank you for accompanying me."

"Tsk, it's nothing." Aomine shrugged. "Why do you need my help anyway? You've bought plenty of basketball shoes on your own."

"I really want to try a different brand, so I want to know Aomine-kun's opinion. You're always better at choosing them." Kuroko simply replied before opening the door to the sports store and walking inside.

Aomine flushed in embarrassment at the compliment and followed the other male inside. Being in love sucks.

"What do you think?"

Aomine examined the shoe, testing its softness and durability. He nodded. "I think this is fine, this would last you more than a couple of years at best." He handed over the shoe to Kuroko, who took it with a nod. "So, are you going to buy it?" he raised a brow.

"Hmm…I'm not sure." Kuroko said with a faint frown. "I think I'll look around for more. I'm not comfortable with the design." He put the shoe back on the rack.

"Well, it is neon blue…I was actually surprised that you even picked it up." Oh good, he noticed that. Aomine was worried he'd actually buy it.

Kuroko shrugged. "I thought I might try something new, but I guess I should just stick to my usual colors."

Aomine hummed in agreement. "Well, whatever. Take your time, not like I have some shit to do at home." He yawned as he leaned back on his elbows, taking the entire space of the sofa.

"Aomine-kun, please sit up properly. That sofa is for other customers too, you know." Kuroko said as he went his way to the other side of the racks, disappearing from Aomine's sight, said male was rolling his eyes at the other's words, but ended up doing what he was told.

After a while, Aomine grew bored. He stood up and decided to look for some merchandise for himself; maybe some knee straps or wristbands. Aomine looked at all the wristbands hanging on the racks, they all looked the same except for the brands, Aomine rolled his eyes. Looking at these, he was reminded of a certain light blue-haired male who always wore one in a game. This was oddly frustrating for him. He told himself that he would confess today, he didn't care for the place because he figured out he would just confess whenever he felt like it. It's not like he was in some fanfictions he had read, this was real life!

"Aomine-kun."

Aomine yelped, stumbling back as he was faced with the object of his affections. "What the hell, Tetsu?!"

Kuroko blinked. "You were spacing out."

"Whatever." Aomine clicked his tongue and glanced back at all the wristbands in display. There was one that caught his attention. It was black with a single blue stripe in the middle, the same shade of blue as the smaller male's hair. He turned his head to face the other male, ready to suggest the item, when he was faced with large, blue eyes staring straight at his.

His heart was beating hard against his chest and he counted with each beat. Their faces were so close, only a few inches separating them. He inhaled sharply as he felt the other's hot breath against his lips. With just one move, he could kiss him and taste those sinful lips. Just. One. Move. He swallowed roughly, throat suddenly feeling dry. "Tetsu…" he breathed out.

A loud sound suddenly rang, snapping Aomine out of his daze as he stumbled away from the other in surprise. By the blank look the smaller male wore, Aomine was obviously the only one who felt awkward about what happened. He bet the Kuroko didn't notice anything weird at all.

Kuroko blinked. "Excuse me, Aomine-kun. I have to take this." He said as he fished out his phone from his pocket, moving away from the tanned male.

"Y-Yeah…sure…" Aomine stammered out, grumbling as he stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled a few steps away, completely flustered. He had never felt so thankful for his tanned skin, although it was not as dark as before, it still successfully hid the redness of his cheeks. He curled his hands into fists inside his pockets as he let out a frustrated groan. Opportunity wasted.

Aomine glanced at the teal-haired male talking to the phone. He was curious on who had called and maybe a little angry at them. Whoever had called had impeccable timing. If he ever found out who it was, he might give them a beating for ruining his chance.

Aomine straightened up as the other finished his phone call and approached him.

"Aomine-kun, it seems that I won't need to buy a pair of shoes, after all." Kuroko said.

"Huh?" Aomine furrowed his brows. "Why?"

"Someone bought a pair of shoes which was on sale, so he bought two. He said he'll give me the other pair." Kuroko replied. "Although, I'll insist that I pay for it." He was uncomfortable that he would just receive a pair of basketball shoes for free.

The duo decided to leave the building; they had nothing to do anymore, after all. Right now, as they walked casually in the mall, Aomine was distracted. He really didn't care about the shoes, he was more curious on who bought it. "So, who bought it?" he asked, failing to hold back the question.

"A friend." Kuroko simply replied.

"I see…" Aomine silently cursed. Friend? Which friend?! He would figure it out later, right now he had something far more important to do. "Since we have nothing more to do, how about we just hang out?" he grinned, silently praying that the other would agree. He wouldn't let this day be wasted.

Kuroko, for a moment, looked a little bit surprised, and then he smiled. "Alright, Aomine-kun."

Aomine froze, grin still in place as reality slapped him in the face.

Again.

Fuck…I am so in love with him.

The bookstore located at the mall was one of the largest, it was four stories high. Everyone treated it as a library; only, you can buy the books instead of renting them. The bookstore's collection was very extensive, ranging from pocket books to large, thick books that could weigh a few pounds. The books in the store were sorted in the genres using huge shelves. This place was where Kuroko usually went to enjoy his peace and quiet.

Well, usually…

"Tetsu, this is boring!" Aomine complained, groaning as his eyes scanned the books meticulously lined up on the shelves. Just because he wrote fanfiction, it didn't mean that he enjoyed reading books. Granted, there were ones that caught his eyes, but seeing those thick pages was a major turn off for him.

Kuroko ignored Aomine's incessant whining, he had become quite an expert of that due to Kise, and buried his nose in a certain psychological slash mystery book. It was so interesting that he couldn't remove his eyes from it. After a moment of internal struggle, he managed to pry his eyes off and face Aomine.

"Aomine-kun," Kuroko called out, distracting Aomine from a gravure magazine. Where he found that in the horror genre of the bookstore, he didn't want to know.

"Yeah, what is it, Tetsu?" Aomine asked, a little bit distracted.

"I'll just pay for this."

"Huh?" Aomine glanced up, seeing the book on Kuroko's hand, he nodded. "Yeah, sure, I'll come with." He placed the magazine on the shelves, earning a frown from Kuroko. Kuroko sighed. Well, that magazine could be considered as a horror genre depending on who you asked, so he guessed that was fine.

Aomine followed Kuroko towards the register, lingering a few steps behind. So far, he was failing his mission. He was planning to confess, but clearly, someone out there hated him. Whenever he found the right time to say something, he would either be pushed or tripped, sometimes, Kuroko would even be distracted by dogs, which oh so conveniently appeared. It was like some outside force was warning him. It was actually creeping him out, but it wasn't like someone was doing it on purpose, that was ridiculous!

Aomine shook his head when something white caught his eye. He stared at the bookcase towering over him. It was full of books related to occult. He saw books about witches, spells, magic, and other things. The books looked old and were big, he felt a little sick at how thick they were. There must be thousands of pages! Aomine blinked as he focused on what caught his attention the most. It was a white piece of paper, completely out of place from the dark covers of the books.

Aomine glanced left and right to see if someone was there. He was alone, he could see from the corner of his eye that Kuroko was paying at the register. He focused on the paper again, for some reason, he felt drawn to it which was incredibly creepy since he was in the occult section. He was going to regret this, but…

Aomine reached for the paper, slipping it out from where it was stuck between two books. There was something written on it…

Beware, beware, The All-Knowing King

His eyes are sharp, he sees everything

He sees the truth, he sees the lies

He sees those whose motive, he dislikes

The King whose love is very well unmatched

Everything he owns, you must never touch

For those of you who ignore his demand

He will kill you with a smile and a single command

Beware, beware, the King who knows all

Behind you, death would befall.

'Tis only a warning, heed his words

Next time—

"Huh?" Aomine scrunched up his face, turning the paper over and back. That was it? Next time, what? He stared at the paper wondering if he accidentally tore of a page of a book. The poem was kind of creepy, though, now that he thought about it. Aomine shuddered; the vibes he was getting was certainly not good. It didn't help that he got the paper in an occult section. He should put it back. He didn't really want to find out if it was cursed.

"AOMINE-KUN!"

"Tetsu?" Aomine quickly turned around to face Kuroko, shocked that he had yelled. The next thing he knew was a sharp pain and something heavy smacking down on his entire body.

Well, if he dies, at least the last thing he heard and seen was the love of his life. Shit, he was this desperate already…

He blacked out.

He stared at the screen, a soft glow illuminating his face.

He smirked.

When Aomine came to, he felt something soft pressing on his lips. He blearily opened his eyes and saw a light blue hair, the color of the sky. The weight on his lips pressed harder and suddenly, he realized what was happening. He responded to the kiss, moving his lips sensually with the other. He raised an arm and pulled the one on top of him close. When they separated, both were breathing heavily.

"Tetsu…?" he breathed out, staring up at the other male.

"Aomine-kun, are you alright?" Kuroko asked quietly, tears threatening to fall down from wide blue eyes. "I was so worried…" he buried his face against Aomine's neck.

"Tetsu…"

If only that really happened…

"Are you alright, Aomine-kun?"

Aomine blinked before glancing to his right to see Kuroko sitting down on a bed. "I'm fine, Tetsu. Don't worry so much." He let out a strained grin as he let himself be patched up by the nurse. They were inside the mall's infirmary; he was brought in immediately after he passed out. He was lucky he didn't get more than a few scratches. Apparently, he could've been killed!

"Are you really sure you're alright, Aomine-kun?" Kuroko asked, concern uncharacteristically written on his face.

Aomine was, of course, incredibly touched by this. It made the day slightly better. He let out a soft smile. "Yeah, really, I'm fine, Tetsu. Thanks for worrying." He ruffled Kuroko's hair earning him a small frown—pout.

"Aomine-san," The nurse interrupted. "Please be careful from now on. You don't know what kind of dangerous things that may accidentally happen. Tread carefully from now on, okay?" With a tilt of her head, the nurse let out a cheerful smile. "You're free to go." she gestured the door, before silently entering the infirmary's private room, door closing with a click.

Aomine watched the nurse disappear behind the door. Was it just him or was the nurse implying something when she 'advised' him? This really was a shitty day for him. First, there were the coincidental interruptions every time he wanted to confess his feelings, then, he almost got killed by books (this was why he didn't like reading. Writing was fine, reading wasn't. He's a complex guy, okay?!). To top that all off, there was the creepy nurse who's flat as a board! What's next? A demon who knows everything?!

Kuroko observed Aomine for a while, watching as different emotions flitted through the other's face. He knew that there was something bothering the other male and that he was trying to tell him, but they always seemed to be interrupted. Kuroko inwardly sighed. It seemed that he would have to take the lead and ask him.

"Aomine-kun, are you hungry?" Kuroko asked.

Aomine blinked. "Huh? Hmm…Now that you mentioned it, yeah, I'm kinda hungry. What time is it anyway?" he furrowed his brows as he looked for a clock.

"It's already 6 PM, Aomine-kun." Kuroko answered, a little bit amused.

"What?!" Aomine exclaimed, standing up from the bed. He already wasted this much time! "What are we waiting for? I'm starving dammit!" he took the other's wrist, squealing inside because of the contact, and dragged the smaller male out.

"Let's go to Maji, Aomine-kun."

He stood up, a smirk on his face.

"Is there something bothering you, Aomine-kun?" Kuroko asked. He really hoped that Aomine didn't have a problem. He remembered the time when the tanned male locked himself in his room for days without a word. He was like this before it happened. He really hoped that it wouldn't turn into that.

"Hmm?" Aomine raised a brow as he chewed on his Teriyaki burger. "What're you talkin' about, Tetsu?" he asked with a mouth full of food.

"Is there something you wanted to tell me?"

Aomine paused, bringing the burger down on the table as he swallowed, sweat dripping down from his temples. Shit! Was he that obvious? He really didn't want him to find out before he could tell him. This was officially his worst day ever. But…this was his chance wasn't it? After how many years, he finally had a chance to tell him all his feelings. How he felt lucky to have met him, how he was hurt that he didn't stick by when he needed him the most, how he was sorry that he hurt him too, how he felt hollow when they both separated, how he was jealous of his new partner, how he was excited that he gave him a challenge, how he felt happy that they renewed their friendship, how shocked he was when he finally figured out his feelings, how extremely nervous he was to tell him all about it right now…How he loved him so much that he would be willing to do everything, anything just to see him smile and laugh and be happy…

Even though the place wasn't suited for it, it didn't matter to Aomine. All that mattered right now was what he felt. For him, conveying his feelings to the other was much more important than the setting or atmosphere. He just wanted him to know… Aomine sighed. He couldn't believe that he could get this sappy about this. He felt like a teenage girl, but...clearly he was upsetting Kuroko with his behavior. He should have known that he would see through him.

"Hey, Tetsu…" Aomine started, inhaling deeply as he caught the other man's stare. That's right…the place and time didn't matter at all because just staring at his eyes erased everything around him and all that he could see was him and him only…because he was the only one who mattered to him. "Tetsu, I—"

"Akashi-kun."

"What?" Aomine was dumbfounded for a moment. What the hell did Akashi have to do with anything? Aomine blinked as he followed Kuroko's line of sight. He turned around and frowned. "Akashi?" he muttered in confusion and a little bit of surprise.

Just a few steps behin him, there was Akashi standing a little bit out of place at the fast food restaurant. He wore a red dress shirt tucked in his black slacks held with a black belt with a shiny, silver buckle. A black tie was pulled loosely to look less formal and a black coat draped casually on his shoulders. All in all, he looked like the successful business man that he was.

Akashi gazed at them. "Good evening, Daiki, Tetsuya." He greeted with a soft smile, nodding at both of them.

"What are you doing here, Akashi?" Aomine asked warily. As far as he knew, Akashi was too busy now that he earned his diploma earlier than anybody else and was now that current head of the Akashi Conglomerate. He rarely seen him since they last played basketball together. It was a month after their high school graduation, if he recalled correctly. Whenever he did see him, things were usually…chaotic , for the lack of term.

Akashi merely glanced at Aomine before focusing his gaze on a certain teal-haired young man. "Tetsuya, I brought you something." He stated, bringing up a hand holding a carton bag with a brand name plastered all over it.

"Is that…?" Kuroko tilted his head, eyes widening for a brief moment.

"Yes, the shoes I was talking about." Akashi walked closer to the duo, passing by Aomine and standing by Kuroko's side.

Kuroko's eyes subtly lit up with excitement. "Can I see, Akashi-kun?"

Akashi chuckled softly as he playfully ruffled Kuroko's hair. "But, of course, Tetsuya."

"Stop that." Kuroko dared to slap Akashi's hand away, earning him another chuckle.

Aomine observed the two interact. So, he was the friend Kuroko was talking about earlier. Well, that was weird, why didn't Kuroko say so in the first place. He opened his mouth to join their conversation when he felt a chill course through his veins.

Huh…What was this?

Aomine stared at the two and suddenly felt out of place, like he didn't belong there. There was some sort of impenetrable bubble the two had exuded—a barrier of some sort. He sat there frozen as he felt himself go farther and farther away from the two. Cold sweat dripped from his temples as he swallowed, throat dry. He was unable to move or say something as he was left observing the two, noticing how close they interacted; eyes secretly conversed as smiles were exchanged along with casual touches. He watched as he was left in the sidelines…and it went like that for the entire evening.

Aomine trudged up the hall towards his apartment door, hands in his pockets as his eyes focused more on the ground than anywhere else. This day was a complete bust. After Akashi arrived and had fully caught Kuroko's attention, he was practically ignored throughout the evening. He just decided to bid them farewell and leave, though he didn't know if they even noticed. He sighed dejectedly as he fished out his keys from his pocket and opened his apartment door.

Aomine blinked as he stepped foot inside. The whole apartment was completely dark. He didn't remember turning off all the lights. He flicked the light switch on, lighting the hallway. He moved towards the living room and found out that the lights were out too. He flicked the switch on again and turned around to approach the sofa and lie down.

"Hello, Daiki."

"Holy fucking shit!" Aomine stumbled back, landing on the floor as he breathed heavily. Aomine stared wide eyes at the redhead.

"What the fucking hell, Akashi!" he yelled after a moment, his voice cracking.

Akashi merely ignored the other as he continued to sit comfortable on the couch. Leaning slightly on the backrest, legs crossed over the other, he casually lifted a cup of tea towards his lips and took a small sip from it, as if he being here was the most natural thing in the world.

Akashi lowered the cup to the coffee table, placing it on the coaster. Where he even got that, Aomine didn't know. Silence reigned in the living room with Aomine still on the floor, stunned at Akashi's presence. And what the fuck, the said redhead was even eating cookies.

"Daiki," Akashi started, gently dabbing his handkerchief on his lips. "We need to talk about something important. Have a seat." He put the handkerchief inside the pocket of his vest before gesturing on the spot on the coach.

Aomine frowned as he stood up, walking towards the redhead. He stopped as he reached the coach. "Akashi, get out." He growled. "I don't know what you're planning, but I don't want you here. You're trespassing." He narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth. He had never gotten along with Akashi, he never liked being ordered and being expected to follow it like an obedient dog.

Akashi closed his eyes as he sighed softly. Opening his eyes, he stared up at Aomine. "I think there has been some mistake, Daiki." He informed the other as he held up a hand, reaching for the other man. Akashi's eyes narrowed. "You don't order me around." He stated, grabbing the tanned male's shirt and dragging him down.

In a blink of an eye, Aomine found himself lying on his back on the couch, his wrists held together above his head, pressed deeply against the cushions by Akashi. Aomine gasped as he felt Akashi's knee smacking down on his chest and pressing down on it.

"Get off!" Aomine yelled, struggling against the redhead's strong hold. He felt those heterochromatic eyes bore down on him, as if his soul was being judged. It left him feeling exposed.

Akashi calmly watch the other struggle against him in futile and merely pressed his knees harder. If he wasn't who he was, he would have rolled his eyes already. Bringing his other hand up, he brought it down, harshly smacking the struggling male beneath him to silence him.

It was effective.

Aomine immediately froze, head still snapped to the side. The sudden attack stunned him. Akashi was never a fan of violence, or at least, he never went that far before.

"Daiki," Akashi softly called out, as he lowered his hand gently on the spot where he slapped Aomine. He smiled as he soothingly caressed his cheek. "I do not want to hurt you, Daiki, but at times, I have no choice." He smiled, stopping all movements before he suddenly gripped Aomine's jaw tightly—fingers digging in his skin—and turned his head to face him. "Never forget your place." He ordered, eyes widening.

Aomine winced as he was forced to stare up at the redhead. His eyes clashed onto heterochromatic ones and he could feel his heart pound hard against his chest. Hearing the other's words, he shakily nodded. He had forgotten how terrifying Akashi could be.

Aomine let out a sound akin to a whimper as the redhead closed down on him, head lowering. He closed his eyes. Akashi placed a soft kiss on the tanned male's forehead, feeling said man tremble.

"That's a good boy, Daiki." Akashi whispered, breath ghosting over his forehead. "Now, let's move on to what I came here in the first place." He sat down on Aomine's stomach—straddling him, never loosening his grip on the other's wrists, but had resumed caressing Aomine's face. "I heard that you have your heart beating for a certain someone. You must be completely serious about him if you haven't made any reckless move despite your…desires."

Aomine breathed deeply as he closed off all emotions. "I don't know what you're talking about, Akashi…" he pressed his lips together in a useless attempt to look convincing.

"No?" Akashi asked mockingly, tilting his head. "Are you saying that I'm wrong?"

Aomine averted his gaze from Akashi and opted to stare at the backrest.

"I must say, I never thought that you would be one who would spend so much time and effort to write stories." Akashi practically hissed.

Aomine's eyes widened.

"Surprise? Do you honestly think that I will not know all about it? For you to write those words, form those sentences…how disgustingly perverted."

"So what?!" Aomine snapped, glaring at the backrest. "It has nothing to do with you anyway! I put in a lot of hard work on those and I won't have you bashing it! So, I love Tetsu, I fantasize about him, so what? Why do you even care?!" He growled out, ready to say more until he realized what he had just done. It was suddenly quiet, too quiet.

Aomine cautiously turned his head to eye the other. He expected Akashi's wrath to rain down on him, but when he saw the redhead's expression, he didn't know whether or not he should be afraid or terrified. Akashi was simply smiling down on him.

"I never said anything about Tetsuya." Aomine felt his blood run cold at the coolness of Akashi's voice.

"Akashi, look, I—" Aomine tried to explain but was silenced by a finger placed against his lips.

"It's alright, Daiki. It can't be helped, Tetsuya is very wonderful after all." Akashi removed his finger only to cup Aomine's cheek, thumb softly grazing his lips. "It must be hard on you too, Tetsuya is your best friend and you must be afraid that your feelings for him will ruin everything. You were about to confess earlier, correct?"

Aomine gaped, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to say something, deny everything.

"It's alright, that was incredibly brave of you, but you have forgotten something, Daiki." Akashi narrowed his eyes, before he leaned down, his lips ghosting over the other's ear. "Tetsuya's mine." He declared quietly, yet the words were loud enough to break Aomine's world.

Aomine just realized what had happened the entire day. He thought the world hated him as it sabotaged all his approach, but no…it was Akashi. But, of course! It was always Akashi! He should have known in the first place. How idiotic could he get?!

With a new found strength, he pushed Akashi off him, freeing himself from the tyrant's hold. Akashi landed on the wooden floor, not even remotely ruffled as he elegantly stood up. Aomine immediately followed the other's actions and removed himself from the couch and faced Akashi.

"It's you, isn't it? You were the one who caused all those incidents. You almost had me killed! " Aomine accused the other, baring his teeth like a wild animal. He almost died! The All-Knowing King….the nurse… the warning…It was all orchestrated by Akashi. He'd known the guy for years, how could he have missed that.

Akashi said nothing, admitting to the other's claim with an impassive face.

"Listen, Akashi." Aomine glared at the redhead. "What you did is just fucking wrong! To think you would go that far, what is wrong with you? You can't just act as if everyone's life is yours to control. You can't own a person, and you most definitely do not own Tetsu. He's his own person, stop treating as if everyone is yours! Tetsu can love whoever he wants. You don't know what he feels—"

"Ah, but I do, Daiki." Akashi interjected, a wide smirk on his face. "I do know how he feels. Do you know why that is, Daiki?" Akashi paused staring straight at Aomine's eyes, making sure that the other would receive his message well. "Tetsuya's already my lover."

Aomine blinked. "What?" he blurted out in disbelief. "Yeah right, Akashi. If you're together with Tetsu, I would've known, he's…" he trailed off, noticing Akashi's look. "If this is a joke, Akashi, it's not funny. It's definitely not funny at all." He let out a strained chuckle before it faded. "I know that we don't get along very well, Akashi, but don't make jokes like this." He ran a trembling hand through his hair.

"I'm not. "Akashi stated. "You know me, Daiki. I don't make jokes."

Aomine shakily breathed out, all energy drained out him, leaving him feeling weak and defeated. A part of him knew that Kuroko and Akashi might be involved somehow, he had a hunch when he saw the two back at Maji, but to hear Akashi say it… Aomine lowered his head. He may be an idiot, but he was not stupid. He knew how powerful the redhead was. He even saw how he grew to be powerful. Right now, he truly had no chance against him.

Akashi's smile widened at Aomine's look, defeat definitely looked best on him. "You understand now, right, Daiki?" he stepped closer to the other male. "You never had a chance."

Aomine curled his hands into fists as he gritted his teeth.

"Now that I've informed you almost everything, I only have one last thing to say." Akashi smirked, eyes darkening as he grabbed the unsuspecting male, lifted him up, and slammed him on the coffee table, breaking it.

"Ah—!" Aomine screamed, feeling some shards of glass pierce through his back. A hand clutched his throat to cut off his breathing and stop his screams. He tried to pull Akashi's hands off his neck to no avail.

"I will only say this once, Daiki." Akashi coldly whispered, eyes boring down on the horrified and pained male. "Give up on, Tetsuya. Give up and move on, for in the end, you will only be hurt, more than you are right now. Go focus on other things and take that offer."

"H-How—" Aomine managed to choke out, gasping desperately for air.

Akashi smirked. "I am absolute." He let go of Aomine and stood up, staring down at the other, cold and merciless. "I will forgive your insolence for now, but make sure it does not happen again."

With that, Akashi left, parting with a look and a soft, almost gentle, "Take the offer, Daiki."

Aomine lied down, body feeling numb to the pain as he closed his eyes and laughed.

Love is cruel.

Kuroko frowned as he realized that he never found out what Aomine wanted to say. It had been a few days since then and he was getting worried. He had tried to call the other, but he wasn't able to get through. Should he go to the tanned male's apartment?

Kuroko pressed his lips into a line as he paced around the leaving room. He sighed, sitting on the sofa. He was deep in his thoughts when the loud ring of his phone resounded. He took it out of his pocket and, seeing the caller id, quickly answered it.

"Aomine-kun, good morning." Kuroko greeted in his usual tone tinged with relief and happiness.

"Hey, Tetsu…" Aomine greeted back quietly. From the tone, Kuroko immediately knew that something was wrong.

"Is there a problem, Aomine-kun?" Kuroko's eyes narrowed with concern.

"Nothing really, I just want to tell you something." Aomine replied.

"What is it?"

"You know that my father's in the military, right?"

"Yes, I've met him before. He's in the Air Self-Defense Force, right? Why? Is he alright, Aomine-kun?"

"He's fine. It's just that, he's been pestering me to follow his footsteps just like he did with Granpa for weeks now. I thought about it and…I accepted."

"What?" Kuroko stood up.

"I'm going to join the JSDF, Tetsu." Aomine said quietly. "I'm already being called in for training."

"I see…" Kuroko was surprised to say the least. "Is that what you wanted to tell me three days ago?"

"Huh? Y-Yeah…" Aomine replied, biting his lips as he stared at floor.

There was silence as for a moment neither knew what to say. Kuroko stared absentmindedly at the picture of them from the time of Teiko placed on top of the fireplace. They were really grownups now, huh…Making big decisions and everything.

"Aomine-kun, I understand. If that is something you truly wanted to do, then I will support you. Have you handled your papers yet? When will you leave? I want to see you off."

With every word that came out of Kuroko's mouth, Aomine felt a stab of guilt and regret. "I already handled everything, Tetsu…It's all taken care of." Aomine let out a pained grin as his eyes glistened with unshed tears. "The thing is, Tetsu…I, uhh…I'm already at the airport, my flight will leave in twenty minutes."

There was silence.

Aomine sighed. "I'm leaving Tetsu…I called to say goodbye."

"…What do you mean you're leaving?" Kuroko questioned. "Why did you just call now? Aomine-ku—"

"I have to go now. I don't know when I'll return. I already told the others about it. I'm sorry, Tetsu. Goodbye." Aomine urgently said through the phone before quickly hanging up and shutting it down.

"Wait—Aomine-kun?!" Kuroko called out, but ended up hearing the dial tone.

Kuroko stared at the phone, unsure on what to feel right now. He sat down on the sofa again, a little bit stunned, a little bit confused.

"Tetsuya, is there something wrong?"

Kuroko turned around, standing up, to see his lover leaning on the door frame leading towards the hall. "Akashi-kun…good morning."

Akashi smiled as he straightened up and approached his lover. "Good morning, Tetsuya." He softly greeted back, giving the other a soft kiss on the lips as he wrapped his arms around Kuroko's hips. "Now will you answer my question? You look bothered, tell me."

Kuroko leaned into Akashi's embrace, hugging him back. "It's just that…Aomine-kun called. He just left to join the forces. It happened rather fast."

"Really now…" Akashi hummed, placing his chin on top of his lover's head.

Kuroko tilted his head up. "You don't sound surprise, Akashi-kun." He stated, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Aomine-kun said he had told everyone. How long have you known about it?"

"I've known since the beginning." Akashi simply replied, not even thinking of hiding the fact. He didn't need to hide it at all.

"What?" Kuroko asked, brows furrowing as he took a step back, hands placed flat on Akashi's chest. "And you didn't tell me?"

Knowing that his lover was currently upset, Akashi quickly pulled him back in his arms to comfort him. "Daiki said that he wanted to tell you on his own. I merely acquiesced with his request." He whispered softly.

Kuroko grabbed the redhead's shirt and buried his face in it, sighing as his lover rubbed circles on his back. "But, why didn't he tell me first? I'm his best friend. I'd like to think that he can freely tell me anything."

"It's precisely because you're his best friend that he couldn't tell you right away." Akashi said, a soft smile on his face. "Daiki is quite predictable, but at times, no one but him knows what's going on his head. He's not sure how to tell you that he's leaving and, unlike in high school, it's in a classifed place for an indefinite amount of time."

"That's true…" Kuroko let out a soft, almost sad, smile. "I guess, I'm just upset that I didn't get to see him off. I'm going to miss him." It was true, he would. He would truly miss Aomine so much, but he trusted the tanned male to know what he was doing. Aomine was going to be alright.

"It's going to be fine, Tetsuya." Akashi tightened his hold, startling the teal-haired male.

"Akashi-kun…" Kuroko's lips twitched as he tried to maintain an impassive face. "Is there something wrong?"

"No." came Akashi's response.

"Are you…" Kuroko stared up at the redhead with amused eyes. "…jealous?" he noted the way Akashi stiffened at the word.

Akashi averted his gaze towards the sofa. "Nonsense, Tetsuya."

Kuroko let out a chuckle at how cute his lover was at times. He could see the faint redness of Akashi's cheeks. He wrapped his arms around the redhead's neck and pulled him down, lips pressing against his lover's in a chaste kiss. "I love Aomine-kun, he's my best friend." He stated as they parted, amused at the frown the redhead was wearing. "My love for Akashi-kun is different." Kuroko pressed himself closer, one of his hands glided down the redhead's shoulder, slipping between and placing itself on the redhead's back, earning him a raised brow. "I love Akashi-kun in a significant way. You're my inamorato."

Akashi closed his eyes and chuckled at his lover's use of foreign words. He must definitely be enjoying all the books he gave. "Tetsuya," he opened his eyes, amusement clearly shone. "Did you just pinch my butt?" he raised a brow.

"No." Kuroko answered in his usual way, voice flat and an expressionless face, his eyes told a different story though.

"My, Tetsuya…" Akashi smirked down on him. "Are you seducing me?" he lowered his hand from the small of Kuroko's back to his butt, giving it a squeeze.

Kuroko merely leaned his head back, exposing his neck, eyes half-lidded. "What do you think, Akashi-kun?" he whispered with a smirk of his own.

"I think…No…I know…" Akashi whispered as he leaned down, holding his lover tight against him. "You're not as innocent as you look." He pushed the teal-head down on the sofa, heterochromatic eyes staring down at blue.

"That's because you corrupt me, Akashi-kun. " Kuroko whispered, his lips lingering near Akashi's, close, but not close enough to touch, just to tease.

Akashi stared down at Kuroko, face impassive before softening as he smiled. "I love you so much." he pressed his lips down, initiating a kiss not a battle of dominance, but a dance of passion. All that mattered right now as each other.

Akashi smirked as he left butterfly kisses down his lover's neck. Yes…All that mattered now was each other…and definitely not Aomine. Soon, he would be nothing more but a memory.

Everything was under his control.

Everything.

Author's Note:

Hey guys...this is TheOneAndOnlyMe and I have a very important announcement to make.

Yeah, I'm really grateful for all your support with my stories and everything but...Something came up.

It's hard to explain, very hard...but after a lot of thinking...

I've decided to delete my account and all of its stories.

Thank you...

...and I'm sorry.

Goodbye.

Akashi stared at the screen and let out a wide smirk. He closed his laptop,eliminating the only light source in the room, and approached the bed. He watched his lover's sleeping face as the moon's light shone gracefully, illuminating his pale skin. He looked beautiful and he belonged to him.

Heterochromatic eyes shone in the dark.

Tomorrow's another day.

Sadihime here~~ So? What did you guys think?

I absolutely loved writing Aomine and Akashi's scene the most! Akashi was totally insane! Everyone knew that, this wasn't the first time Aomine faced him like this, but it's definitely the last...maybe. Also, Aomine is unexpectedly good at writing!

I apologize for the lack of AkaKuro, but I want to focus more on Aomine and Akashi, they're the ones in love with Kuroko. Kuroko remained clueless to the two's fight and that Akashi is out removing all his competition. I may write a sequel...maybe...just maybe...don't get your hopes up!

Please tell me what you think and review~~!

Also, the next chapter will be written by...Well, it's a secret~~xDDD