Author's Note: Changes made to the dialog between Kimiko and her parent, and to the conversation between the five as they ate in Maji Burger. I suggest you re-read the entire thing again so that you will get all the minor yet important changes made to the story. You'll need to know them.
Lots of changes are made regarding the photo shoot and will affect Kise's relationship with Kimiko.
That's all!
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逃亡皇后
ーThe Runaway Empressー
by Amanozako-hime
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第21章
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— 水曜日 (20xx年2月3日) —
** Tokyo, Japan **
東京、日本
Kimiko stood in front of her mirror, observing her reflection. Her eyes were fixed on her neck, where the absence of a red choker was very much noticeable. To herself, at least — not that anyone else would notice. She'd ceased to wear that certain piece of accessory upon returning to Japan — she trusted Kuroko to keep his word and wearing the choker was just a bitter reminder of her last year in Teiko.
Her phone by the bedside table rang, and she went over to pick it up. There dangled a cute raccoon key chain at one end of her phone — a tiny fluffy ball of black-and-white fur that Midorima had given her yesterday. She chuckled at the remembrance and muttered something about the green-head being such a lovable tsundere.
[From: Father]
10:23AM: Akumi, how are you?
Kimiko smiled sadly as she typed a reply.
10:24AM: I'm fine. How are you, dad?
[From: Father]
10:26AM: I'm doing fine, as well. Are you really staying in Japan for good?
"Oh? Is that old man still pressuring him about that?" Kimiko murmured as her fingers flew over her touchscreen keyboard.
10:26AM: That's good to hear. And yes, I want to stay here. I don't feel like I belong in France anyway.
[From: Father]
10:27AM: I know. You never smile in here.
[To: Father]
10:27AM: You would too, if they would force you to dye your hair.
[From: Father]
10:29AM: I wish you don't have to go through that. I am sorry.
[To: Father]
10:30AM: It's alright. I know that you wouldn't have me go through that if you had a say in the matter.
[From: Father]
10:32AM: Just keep safe while you're in there, Akumi. I know that I wasn't with you for most of your life but believe me when I say that I truly care for you as my daughter.
[To: Father]
10:32AM: I never did doubt you, Tou-san. Love you. Take care always. And don't let yourself get too stressed over grandfather's demands, okay?
[From: Father]
10:34M: I will. Keep safe, Akumi. I'll send you some chocolates later.
[To: Father]
10:35AM: Yey! I'll be waiting for that!
After sending her last message, Kimiko shoved her phone in her pocket and went out of her house and into the slightly cold February morning to keep her mind off of things that she'd rather not remember. She wandered aimlessly around the streets of Tokyo for hours, going into various sports shops and bookstores, even hanging out for a while in that certain rooftop arcade where she and the team used to frequent after Kuroko introduced it to them. Nothing much has changed about it aside from the fact that the photocopier machine in the corner was now replaced by a newer one.
She leaned on the railings and watched several middle-schoolers play on the DDR.
"This is nostalgic," she said to no one in particular, taking a sip from that weird drink that Murasakibara had introduced to her. She wasn't there when Kuroko and the rest of the gang first stumbled to this place — she had been busy helping Akashi with some club work — but she had Kise narrate the whole story of their escapade after Akashi had punished them for disobeying his orders, and the matter of the photo booth was mentioned. She remembered laughing at the part where Kuroko was momentarily forgotten by everyone only to find out that Murasakibara had been blocking him from view since the beginning.
When four o'clock rolled around, Kimiko decided to go and pay a visit to a certain bluenette. Practice was already underway by the time she made it to Seirin, and no one would have noticed her standing in the gym's entrance if not for the bundle of fur that she was now carrying in her arms.
"Woof, woof!"
Kimiko giggled quietly as she held Nigou at arm's length to stop the puppy from licking her cheek. The members of Seirin's basketball team paused for a moment to stare at her.
"Akumi-san," Kuroko appeared beside her, and his teammates noticed that she wasn't the least bit surprised at the phantom's sudden appearance.
"For a minute there, I thought you were the dog," Kimiko joked. She nodded to Rikou in acknowledgment after sending Kuroko back to the court. Nigou was following her as she took a seat beside the older girl.
"I apologize for intruding on your practice," she said, looking straight at Rikou.
"Ah, it's fine, it's fine!" Inwardly though, Rikou was a bit unnerved at her golden eyes and how their intensity reminded her of the Rakuzan captain. The girl seemed nice, though, like what the team had told her after their encounter with Kimiko at Maji Burger weeks ago.
"Your team is pretty good," Kimiko commented after some period of silence. "Oh, I'm Kimiko Akumi. You can call me Akumi."
"Th-thanks. "Ah, I am Aida Rikou. Pleased to meet you, Akumi-san," Rikou stuttered, feeling oddly pleased at being complimented by Teikou's former coach. If Rikou felt a bit insecure at Momoi (and that was only because of the fact that she had a bigger cup-size), Kimiko was on a whole other level.
Rikou feels quite intimidated. Not only with her looks - the girl looks perfectly elegant — but with her talent, even though Rikou haven't seen it yet, whatever that is.
Who wouldn't? As Kuroko had mentioned in passing, this girl was probably the only person — aside from their head coach Shirogane Kozo and former captain Nijimura Shuuzo in Teikou — that the Kiseki no Sedai knuckles under. Akashi Seijuurou included.
"Man, I miss this," she heard the chartreusette murmur. At Nigou's whining, Kimiko tore her eyes from the court and paid attention to the puppy by giving it a nice scratch behind the ears.
"Nigou likes you a lot already... Momoi had quite a difficulty making friends with him," Seirin's coach commented.
Kimiko laughed and placed the dog on her lap. She looked at Nigou's Kuroko-like eyes. "Well, what can I say? Animals love me."
There was a short water break and Kuroko went over to where Kimiko now sat cross-legged on the floor on one side of the court, playing a variant of fetch with Nigou using a basketball. She would send the ball rolling with a flick of her finger and the dog would run after it and return it to her by pushing it with his nose.
"Ya, Tetsuya," Kimiko greeted the bluenette as he sat beside her. Seeing his master, Nigou ran to him and proceeded to give Kuroko's face a wash job. Kimiko was amused.
"Okay, Niguo, that's enough," she said, and the dog obeyed instantly. The dog's obedience to Kimiko was something Kuroko expected, seeing how the two bonded quickly. Kimiko has always been good at handling pets.
"Akumi-san—"
"Just Akumi, Tetsuya."
"But Akumi-san—"
She poked his nose. "A-ku-mi."
"Akumi-san."
The girl pouted. "Fine."
"Akumi-san, will you be watching the Nationals tournament?"
"Yeah. Seijuurou told me to go to Kyoto this Saturday. Looks like I will be staying with him and his team for a week." She shrugged. "I would've preferred heading straight to Wakayama but Seijuurou didn't want me to stay there alone."
Kuroko smiled at that. "Akashi-kun is just worried for your safety, Akumi-san."
"Hmp," she snorted. "He's a worrywart."
"Akashi-kun is a mother hen. Later, Akumi-san." Kuroko stood up as she nodded and he went back to training. After all, there are only three days left to polish whatever needs to be polished and then they will be off to war.
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"Yo," Kagami said with matching salute to Kimiko who was waiting for him and Kuroko outside Seirin's gym after they finished training. She returned his salute with a smirk then with one swift move, stole the ball from the redhead's hands.
"Borrow," she said as she dribbled it lazily.
"Can't you just ask like a normal person?" Kagami said in exasperation.
Her smile turned devilish. "Who said I was asking?"
Kagami face-palmed.
Kuroko merely smiled lightly at his two companions.
"Can we go to Maji Burger for a while? I'm starving," Kagami requested. Then pointing to Kuroko, he added, "And this one here needs his daily vanilla dose."
"It's not a drug, Kagami-kun."
"Suuure," Kimiko drawled, knowing perfectly his addiction to those vanilla milkshakes, but went with them anyway. However, they did not expect to bump into Kise along the way.
Actually, more like they heard him first before they saw him.
"Akumicchi!"
The yellow blob in the distance turned out to be none other than Kaijou's ace, waving a magazine in his hands high up in the air.
"Baka! Don't be so noisy!" Another voice said, as equally loud as Kise. Said person delivered a kick to the model's backside, effectively sending him flying forward.
"Itai, Kasamatsu-senpai!"
"Shut up, you idiot!"
Needless to say, their audience was amused, confused, and bewildered at their sudden appearance.
Upon reaching her side, Kise immediately hid behind Kimiko's slender form. "Akumicchi, Kasamatsu-senpai is being a meanie!"
Kasamatsu froze at the girl's presence.
"Kasamatsu-senpai," Kuroko greeted Kaijou's captain who was internally grateful for the interruption. "What brings you here?"
"This idiot says he has something to say t-to h-her." Kasamatsu cursed himself for feeling uncomfortable with women. He remembered that joint party that the team had went to once, and how that ended up in disaster.
"Is that so? Ryou-kun, what is so important that you had to drag your captain all the way from Kanagawa with you?"
How did she knew that I am Kise's captain?
"This!" Kise was about to show her the magazine but Kagami interrupted him.
"Can we guys talk about this inside?" He jerked his thumb at the fast food joint across the street. The four stared at him, then gave a collective sigh and conceded to his wishes.
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"So you were saying...?" Kimiko asked Kise once they had ordered their food. She was seated at the head of the table for six, Kuroko and Kagami on her left, Kise and Kasamatsu on the other.
Kise gave her the magazine that was opened to a certain page. "Its official release is on Sunday, but my manager was able to get a copy in advance. He was very happy with the results!"
The girl was quiet for a moment as she sipped on her coffee, thumbing through the glossy pages of the magazine. "Not bad..." she mused to herself. The seven hours of torture was worth it.
"You're a model?" Kagami asked with his mouth full of burger. Not that it would be so surprising - she's so pretty anyway.
She eyed him with narrowed golden orbs. "Don't talk when your mouth is full," she admonished, making him blush in embarrassment. "As for your question, no, I'm not a model."
"Then why are you —"
"Ryouta asked me to. It's a one-time thing," she answered nonchalantly.
"Akumicchi looked really beautiful in these though," Kise said as he passed the magazine to Kuroko who was silently asking for them. He and Kagami looked at their pictures together. All in all, there were five shots of Kise with Kimiko, while Kise had several others on his own to go with his own interview article.
"Woah," Kagami cannot help but be amazed by their pictures. He looked at the grinning Kise and wondered how this klutz can look so serious in his photos.
"Akumi-san looks perfect in all of them," Kuroko said as he flipped through the pages.
"Eh? What about me, Kurokocchi?" Kise whined.
"Kise-kun is just annoying," the bluenette deadpanned.
"SO MEAAAAN!"
Kuroko sighed at his overreacting friend. "Kise-kun, it's already a given that you are an excellent model."
"Maybe I just want Kurokocchi to say it," the blond model sulked, making the chartreusette to giggle at the two of them.
Feeling generous, Kuroko relented. "Fine. Kise-kun is handsome in his photos."
"Thank you, Kurokocchi!"
His four companions only sighed at how easily he was appeased.
"Ne, Kagamicchi, do you have a date for Valentines next week?" Kise suddenly asked.
"Why, Ryouta? You want to ask him out?"
Both Kise and Kagami choked on their food. "WHAT?!" they exclaimed in unison.
Kimiko met their bewildered eyes with a calm gaze. "In perfect sync already."
"Akumicchi!" Kise protested. "I was just asking!"
"Defensive," she replied.
"I'm not!"
"Yes, you are."
"I'm not!"
At his noisiness, Kasamatsu, who had been quiet all that time decided to intervene. "Oi, Kise, you're disturbing the other customers with your loudness."
The blond instantly calmed down. "Sorry, Kasamatsu-senpai."
"Kise-kun, sometimes I wonder if you had swallowed a microphone or something."
"Kurokocchi, you're being mean again..." Kise said with a pout.
"Back on the matter at hand," Kimiko said, resting her chin on her palm. "Who got a date for Valentines?"
A collective shaking of the head answered her question.
"Figures," she chuckled. "You guys are too obsessed with basketball to think of other things."
"I think I'm taking Momoi-san out to eat or something," Kuroko said after a moment's deliberation.
"Oh?" Her gold eyes glinted in amusement. Satsuki will be overjoyed.
Kise said it for her. "Momoicchi will be ecstatic!" Everyone in their circle knows the pinkette's obsession for the bluenette.
"I just want to thank her for everything she has done for me," the phantom said with a small smile. "How about you, Kise-kun?"
"Nah, I don't have a girlfriend since entering high school," he answered. "How about you, Captain?"
Kasamatsu glared at him as if to say, Have you forgotten who you are talking to? Kise's eyes widened as he realized his mistake and apologized before Kasamatsu kick him again. "Waah, gomen, gomen! I forgot that you are afraid of girls!"
There was a pause, and Kise covered his mouth with his hand.
"...Afraid of... girls?" Kagami asked slowly.
PAK!
A hand landed on the back of Kise's head.
"You don't have to say that out loud! And I'm not afraid of them — I'm just uncomfortable with them!"
"Don't worry, Captain. We don't bite," Kimiko said with a smirk.
"Akumi-san, that's hardly reassuring," said Kuroko flatly, seeing how Kasamatsu had stiffened when Kimiko addressed him directly.
She ignored him, an idea already forming in her head. Kuroko paled while Kise gulped as they recognized that certain smile of hers whenever she was scheming something.
Kise held Kasamatsu's wrist, pulling him up as he rose from his seat. "Ah, Akumicchi, we will be going now — Kanagawa is a bit far and we have —"
Her smile turned to a full-blown smirk. "No one is going anywhere until I say so." Gold eyes locked on Kasamatsu's confused ones. "Care for a short walk, Captain?"
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One and a half-hour later, Kimiko plunked herself on a park bench with a sigh. With a grimace, she gazed at her four companions before zeroing on the black-haired boy. "Just how uncomfortable with girls are you?!"
He only glared at her.
She had dragged him to several establishments where Kasamatsu would be forced to interact with females, such as a salon, a tea house, a restaurant, a mall... And every time one of them would ask him a question, Kasamatsu would stutter with his answers.
"I don't know! All I know is that I don't know how to deal with them!"
Kimiko had probably asked him the same question several times during their venture, but instead of becoming frustrated or angry, a knowing smile would play on her lips before she dragged him off to another place.
She stood up and patted his shoulder. "No stutter this time." Even Kasamatsu hadn't realized it until she pointed it out as he stared at her in surprise. "And no flinching upon contact," she added as she smiled wider.
"How did you do that, Akumicchi?" Kise asked, equally shocked as his captain. "Did you cast a spell on him or something?" Her foot connected with his shin. "Oww!"
"Do I look like a witch?" Kise shook his head. "There's my answer." Turning to Kasamatsu, she said, "At least, you can tolerate another female aside from your mother. And that's me. Today is an accomplishment, after all."
"I'm not sure if I should thank you for that," Kasamatsu grumbled in reply.
"You're welcome, Yukio-senpai," she said cheekily.
"I haven't thanked you yet! And who told you can call me by my first name?"
"I do what I want," she answered coolly, grinning at the fuming captain before her.
"Great, another brat," he muttered, making her laugh. He sighed. "We haven't even introduced ourselves to one another properly."
Kimiko stopped, then held a hand out to him. "Kimiko Akumi. You know that by now."
"Hmp. For formality's sake," he said as he shook her hand. "Kasamatsu Yukio — and that's Kasamatsu-senpai to you."
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Kuroko, Kagami, and Kimiko accompanied Kise and Kasamatsu to the train station, bickering and teasing one another on the way there. This time, Kasamatsu was joining them. Before they boarded their train, Kimiko waved at them one last time, and with a merry shout of "See you at the Nationals, Ryouta, Yukio-senpai!", the trio also went on their way home.
On the train to Kanagawa, Kasamatsu asked his kouhai, "So that's the girl?" At Kise's affirmation, he turned his gaze through the glass windows. "She's weird."
He can talk to her in straight sentences, and he no longer feels the need to run from her. Weird, indeed.
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** Kyoto, Japan **
京都、日本
"Isn't that your teammate from middle school, Seijuurou-sama?"
Narrowed ruby eyes flickered to the car's rear view mirror for barely a second before returning to the magazine in his lap. His hands holding it in place was so tight that he was already crumpling the edges.
"Aa." His sharp and short reply discouraged any more questions from his chauffeur.
Akumi, he thought. His left eye, which had dulled to its original crimson hue after the Winter Cup, glowed with a faint golden brightness.
Under the Akashi Corporation was a slew of different businesses ranging from electronics to real estates to hotel and restaurant chains, fashion labels to resorts and sports equipment facilities. To say that they are the ones ruling the business world of Japan was an understatement.
In his hands was one of the things discussed at the board meeting earlier that afternoon. The Vermilion Palace hotel chain was one of the newest ventures of the Akashi Corporation and even though the Vermilion had been doing good for the past year, it had been decided that there will be a promotion of the hotel using the model Kise Ryouta and another female model - someone who isn't Kimiko. Akashi didn't give any hints, but Kise Ryouta already has a bright future ahead of him as one of the favored models by the different companies under the Akashi conglomerate. Akashi was proud of him, yes, but that doesn't mean that Kise had the right to drag Kimiko in this mess.
His father's words still echoed in his mind.
"She is the picture of elegance and sophistication. While Kise Ryouta captivates his audience with his cheerful and warm smile, this new model attracts the eyes of everyone by drawing them in by her mysterious and exotic beauty, especially her eyes."
That's quite the compliment from the head of the Akashi Corporation that surprised the majority of those in attendance. No one dared to comment, of course.
No doubt his father would order a background check on her, and Akashi would have to get to her first and dissuade her from continuing this thing before his father presents his deal to her. Even Kimiko would have a hard time to resist Akashi Masaomi's deals; not that Akashi would like to find out.
Because if she did accept, no doubt she and Kise will be together more often, and there's no way in Hell that Akashi is letting that happen. Not if he can help it.
He stared at the pictures in deep contemplation. There were five of them, and what infuriated him was how intimate the pictures seemed to be.
In one of their shots, it shows Kimiko in a red dress, a hand on Kise's hair as he loomed over her, both of them soaking wet, their faces uncomfortably close to each other. Kimiko's smile was sly, while Kise was smirking smugly as they stared each other in the eye, as if provoking the other to act.
Akashi turned the page. No, he is not certainly jealous. Jealous is for the insecure. What he feels is anger. Anger at seeing someone trespass on his property. And that is just plain unforgivable.
"To the station. I'm going to Tokyo."
"But Seijuurou-sama —" His glare, visible in the mirror, was enough to shut up the poor man. "Ha-hai."
You're mine, Akumi. The empress belongs to the emperor alone.
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** Tokyo, Japan **
東京、日本
Kimiko entered her dark house quietly. The moment she closed the door though, a chill passed through her.
She is not alone.
As silent and as fast as she could, Kimiko removed her shoes, preferring to go barefoot to avoid making unnecessary noise, then grabbed the baseball bat that she kept near the shoe rack. It was a safety precaution that Akashi had once suggested, and the feeling of the metal bat in her hands gave her courage and confidence to be able to deal with this intruder.
In the darkness of the living room, she can make out a silhouette of a person seated on her couch. She forced herself to silence her breathing as she inched her way towards the unknown person.
"Put down the bat, Akumi."
"Seijuurou?!" Kimiko exclaimed in disbelief. She hurriedly turned on the lights and set the bat on the wall. "You could have at least turned the lights on, you know," she complained as she settled on the armchair on his left. "You almost gave me a heart attack."
"I apologize."
Kimiko, who was yet to look Akashi in the face, noticed the magazine lying open on the glass table in front of her. Gold eyes widened in recognition. "Where did you —" She stopped as Akashi met her gaze. Slowly, the redhead rose from his seat. He had shed his coat, his immaculate dress shirt making the crimson red of his tie, which was loosened a bit, to stand out. There was an ominous gleam in his mismatched eyes as he approached the chartreusette who was frozen in her seat, her fingers digging into the armrests of her chair. Her brows were furrowed in uncertainty to the golden eye that was staring almost mockingly at her. His gaze held hers in place as he stopped in front of her. He bent forward, bringing his face close to hers, close enough to feel her shallow breathing on his lips. His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb caressing the soft skin of her face.
"...Seijuurou...?" she said in a broken whisper, golden eyes filled with confusion at the sight of his golden eye.
A lazy smirk graced Akashi's lips as he brought them to her ear. He felt her shiver as his warm breath tickled the inside of her earlobe.
"Akumi," he spoke into her ear, rolling her name off his tongue like velvet, voice saccharine sweet, "tell me, what am I to do with you?"
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