A/N:

To eanniemae: I'm glad you like it! For my readers, I tend to throw in some form of 'pairings' in my stories. So I'm happy that you enjoy it. As for the emperor's identity, I'll give you a hint. The emperor is only innocent when compared to the First Emperor. It doesn't mean that the emperor is completely innocent through and through. Because you see, a ruler cannot be absolutely innocent. There will always be secrets that they hide from others. ;)

x

"M-m-midorimacchi…!"

Kise was stuttering just as bad as he was shaking.

"…Kise? Why did you barge into my room at this hour? Seriously, waking me up in such a terrible manner. You need to learn –" Midorima frowned as he ranted at Kise.

Kise impatiently cut him off halfway however, "Midorimacchi!"

"What!" Midorima snapped.

"Just – just now! When I woke up for some water, I saw something terrifying!" Kise trembled as he spoke, hugging himself.

"…" Midorima huffed, exasperated. "What? You're waking me up just because you had a nightmare? Seriously you –"

"That's not it!" Kise cried. "I would rather it be a nightmare instead!"

Midorima growled. "Hurry up and say whatever it is then get out of my room!"

"Midorimacchi! I saw Akashicchi personally carrying Kurokocchi to his room! He carried him like one would a princess!"

Midorima just stared at Kise like he was insane.

Then he exploded.

"I don't care about whatever nonsensical dreams you have! Why did you wake me up just to tell me this!"

"But it's not a dream! I swear, Midorimacchi! I really did see that!"

"Fine then! Even if it's real, I don't care about that!"

"But it's Akashicchi, you know! It's Akashicchi doing such a thing!"

"Akashi can do whatever he wants!" Midorima growled.

He picked up the Kise who was huddled in a corner and promptly threw him out of his room.

"Get out! Don't wake me up in the middle of the night for this kind of thing!"

Midorima slammed the door in Kise's face.

Kise gaped at the door, blinking.

"Wah! Midorimacchi! You don't understand at all! Akashicchi is so cold and scary! He would drag a person by their collars instead of carrying them in such a tender way!"

"Shut up! Go and sleep!"

"You're so mean, Midorimacchi!"

x

Kuroko silently followed behind Akashi with a small frown.

It's been three days after Akashi released some of the seals on Kuroko. Kuroko was still trying to get used to the power he had now. It was a lot better than before, but he still felt extremely restricted. The constant screaming in his head to free himself had dulled somewhat, but it was still there.

It was tolerable.

Painful, but tolerable.

However, Kuroko was not happy at all, and he did not bother to hide it.

Akashi must have surely picked up on it, for the little smirks he would send Kuroko's way when their eyes met completely irritated him. Even Kise was unnaturally silent, just staring uneasily at the tension between Kuroko and Akashi.

Five minutes ago, Akashi had summoned Kuroko to his room.

And now Kuroko was trailing behind Akashi as they made their way down two flights of stairs.

Akashi had simply announced that it was time, and then ordered Kuroko to follow after him. It took a while for Kuroko to process that, but he still managed to finally understand what Akashi meant.

They were going to visit the prisoners; Hanamiya Makoto and Hayama Kotarou.

Kuroko was tense, unsure about what he would see when he met them.

The torches along the wall burned with a soft light, bright enough to see the steps, but not enough to chase away the darkness. Kuroko carefully descended the stairs, making sure to keep Akashi within his sight.

They stopped in front of large double doors. Kuroko blinked when he realised that there weren't any handles to open them.

Akashi raised his hand, resting his palm right in the middle of the doors.

A red glow started from underneath his hand, spreading out rapidly the next second. And the surface of the double doors were completely covered with Akashi's magic seal.

"Open." Akashi softly ordered.

The doors creaked open inwards.

Akashi glanced back at the blankly staring Kuroko.

"Don't stand there in a daze. Hurry up and prepare yourself." He said.

Kuroko shifted his eyes to Akashi.

"Prepare myself?" Kuroko asked.

"I can't have you collapsing from seeing the result of what you have done. Strengthen your heart and mind, and bear the consequences of your actions."

Kuroko flinched.

He closed his eyes, taking in deep breaths.

Akashi silently waited for him, and the pressure of that gaze on Kuroko helped to solidify his resolve.

He won't run, he won't break.

He will face it all, and take everything in. So that there will never be a time where he would lose himself like that again.

Kuroko slowly opened up his eyes.

He met Akashi's questioning stare.

"I'm ready."

Akashi nodded.

He turned around, and led the way into the dungeons.

Kuroko followed after him.

Kuroko stared down at Hanamiya, blinking wordlessly.

Hanamiya was on the bed in the dungeon cell, tightly bound; his hands and legs were tied up with magic chains. His breathing was soft and deep.

"Is he asleep?" Kuroko softly asked.

"He is in a forced sleep. Because his hypnosis is not yet removed, we are not going to take any risks by allowing him to remain awake. As long as his consciousness is forced down, the emperor cannot take control of him." Akashi replied.

"I see. Is it alright if I take him to my dragon?"

"It's fine." Akashi easily gave his consent.

Kuroko carefully observed Hanamiya. Other than the injuries Kuroko had last seen him with, there were some other moderately severe wounds.

"…Was Hanamiya caught up in the fight I had with the other aide of the emperor?" Kuroko asked, turning to look at Akashi.

"Yes. He was badly injured, so Midorima had to use quite a few of his prepared healing charms. Still, Hanamiya was lucky to not have garnered your attention. Perhaps because he was already half-dead from being struck by a falling tree and then falling down a deep crevice."

Kuroko blinked, turning back to take a second look at Hanamiya.

"Shall we move on?" Akashi asked as he began walking further down.

Kuroko hurried after him.

They walked far into the dungeons, stopping before another door. This time, the door was covered with green and red magic symbols. Midorima's and Akashi's magic.

Akashi reached for the handle, slowly twisting it.

"Here. Go on in." Akashi gestured for Kuroko to step ahead of him.

Kuroko did, quietly entering the room.

Three steps in, and he froze.

His eyes widened with horror and he whipped his head to the side, staring at the dark grey walls of the prison cell. He quickly, desperately took calming breaths.

Akashi did not say anything, only quietly standing by the door as he observed Kuroko.

Kuroko slowly, almost tentatively, turned his head back to look at Hayama.

Hayama was nestled into a large web of intertwining red and green magic, his eyes closed as he slept soundly.

One half of his body was covered with painful-looking blisters, with soft green light wrapped around it. With the help of the magic, the wound were – very slowly – healing. But the other half of Hayama's body… His right arm and leg were missing, becoming nothing more than small stumps of flesh.

And his face.

The skin on Hayama's face was red and bubbled, as though the top layer of skin had been burned away. There was no eye on the right side. There wasn't even any eyelid, only a black socket where his eye should have been. Though it was partially covered by Akashi's red magic, the unnatural hole could still be seen clearly.

"…" Kuroko stood frozen stiff, unable to take his eyes off those horrific wounds.

"…Usually, when a person is burned by fire magic, restoring their appearance is easily manageable for strong magicians." Akashi's voice softly came, almost like he was whispering. "But the terrifying strength of your fire magic is something that is impossible for magicians to heal."

"…Even if it's you, Akashi-kun?" Kuroko whispered.

"Yes, even me. I have managed to restore the left side of his body that had become a complete mess of melted flesh, but I cannot save the right side. Midorima said that he took that attack of yours with the right side of his body, it is only natural that it cannot be saved." Akashi answered.

Kuroko lowered his head, staring at the ground.

"Kuroko, your power is something that even I, as a Sleeping God, cannot fully win against." Akashi admitted after a while.

"…What do you mean?"

"Though you have the abilities to use magic of both the Dragons and Unicorns, you are not a pure Dark Creature. From the naturally high affinity with magic that runs in your human blood, and the unicorn blood that also flows in you, a being that should have never been created was born.

"The two very different halves of you had somehow merged together, giving you access to a magic that no one has ever seen before. That is why your magic is strange. Even with all the knowledge I hold, I am still unable to completely understand the way the component elements of your magic works."

Kuroko's hands clenched into fists.

"…" He raised his head once more to look at Hayama.

"Kuroko."

"Yes, Akashi-kun?"

"Do you want to have your dragon break the hypnosis on him as well?"

"…Will you allow me to?"

"Yes. However, once he has regained his own mind, there is a chance that he will not be able to bear with what has happened to him."

Kuroko turned his head back slightly, and asked. "Do you mean he would go crazy?"

Akashi hummed, studying Hayama.

"Perhaps. But I'll forcefully bring him out of that state if I have to. Unlike you, Kuroko, Hayama is an average human. He may be strong, but he is still a pure human, so I can get him out of that crazed state of mind. I want him to make a choice."

Kuroko turned around, fully facing Akashi.

"A choice?"

Akashi nodded.

"A choice whether he wishes to continue living with such a body, or if he would rather die."

He glanced at Kuroko, "When a person realises just how useless they are, they would often run away from it. I do not approve of such behaviour, but this case is special. Because this is not the fault of his weakness, but rather, the fault of an outside influence."

"…So it's my fault?" Kuroko murmured.

"Yes, this is your fault."

Akashi's sharp gaze bore into Kuroko as he said, "A being such as you, is born to bring death and ruin to everything. You indulge in killings, and you play with the lives of others. And eventually, you destroy yourself."

Kuroko lowered his eyes, staring at his feet.

Akashi continued, "Do you understand now? Learning to control that bloodthirsty power of yours is not just for the sake of others. Every time you hurt others, you also damage yourself. So if you do not want to go through anything like this again, then get your power under control, for your own sake."

Kuroko turned his face away, lifting his gaze to look at the broken body of Hayama as he made sure to take in all the horrific injuries.

And slowly, he nodded his head.

"I understand, Akashi-kun."

x

"Midorimacchi?"

"What, Kise?"

"What do you think about what Akashicchi said?"

"Regarding the promise Kuroko made with the white dragon within him?"

"Yes."

"I do not mind. If it means that we can have his power on our side during the upcoming fight, I do not care what reasons he has."

"But, what if he manages to fulfil his promise? Won't he leave once he does?"

"…That is his choice. If he wishes to leave, then so be it."

"But…"

"What are you so afraid of, Kise?"

"I really like Kurokocchi, but I'm scared, Midorimacchi. If Kurokocchi no longer has anything to guide him onwards, I am afraid of what will happen to him. What if he ends up losing himself once more?"

"…"

"And… And what if… What if Akashicchi no longer favours Kurokocchi? If Kurokocchi loses himself, and Akashicchi decides to step in to kill him…"

"Kise."

"I can't, Midorimacchi. I can't get rid of these fears."

"You really are troublesome. Don't dwell on the 'what ifs', Kise. It's alright to be unsure, but you should not let that cripple you or you will end up making decisions you will regret."

"…But I… I…"

"Enough now. I am going to go check on Kuroko's training. ...Hurry up and gather yourself if you are coming along."

"…Yes. Wait up, Midorimacchi! I'm going too!"

Kuroko sighed softly from where he was seated, leaning against the dragon's tail.

He blinked when he thought he heard voices. He slowly pushed himself up and tilted his head as he searched.

"…Oh." Kuroko blinked. "Kise-kun. And Midorima-kun."

Kuroko silently moved from where he was, taking small steps as he waited for Kise and Midorima to approach.

"Kurokocchi! Kurokocchi, where are you? Hey, black dragon! Have you seen Kurokocchi?" Kise shouted once he was near enough.

The dragon lifted its head, staring down at Kise.

But before it could say anything, Kuroko spoke first. "I am here, Kise-kun."

"Uwaah! You scared me! Where were you, Kurokocchi?"

"I was here all along, Kise-kun."

"You're not training, Kuroko?" Midorima asked, pushing up his glasses.

Kuroko shook his head. "For now, I'm taking a little rest. Akashi-kun's barrier is hard to break."

Kise raised an eyebrow. "Eh, Kurokocchi, you didn't know?"

"What do you mean, Kise-kun?"

"The barrier you're trying to break is not exactly Akashicchi's. He has covered the forest behind with two types of barriers, with the first one being on equal strength to the emperor's magic."

Kuroko blinked, staring at Kise's rather serious expression. He slowly turned around, gazing at the forest in the distance. "…Is that so?"

"Well, not telling you is something Akashi would do." Midorima sighed. "Because knowledge can influence how one sees a difficult task."

Kuroko turned back to Midorima.

"Yes, that is true. Now that I know, I have an indescribable urge to destroy it." Kuroko said.

Kise beamed. "You can do it, Kurokocchi! You're really strong, after all!"

Kuroko slightly turned his face away, not replying to that.

"Kuroko."

"Yes, Midorima-kun?"

"A few days ago, Akashi gave you the prisoners, didn't he?"

Kuroko nodded.

"And how is the progress?" Midorima asked.

"It's done." Kuroko lifted his head, meeting the golden eyes of the dragon.

The dragon stood up, and began walking away.

"Eh?" Kise blinked. "Where's it going?" He asked.

"To get the prisoners. My dragon has succeeded in breaking the hypnosis on them without destroying their minds. He was rather happy too, said that it was good training for him." Kuroko answered.

"Did they speak up?" Midorima asked.

Kuroko paused, glancing to the side.

"They did." He faintly replied.

"Was it not good?" Midorima frowned.

Kuroko shook his head.

"No, they did give some very useful information. But…"

"But?"

"For some strange reason, they are unable to maintain their concentration for a long time. They would freeze up in the middle of talking and try to attack without warning."

"Eh…" Kise's eyes narrowed.

Midorima hummed. "It's quite dangerous. Perhaps there is some kind of side effect after having been hypnotised for so long."

Kise froze up, his eyes going wide.

Midorima noticed, and he cleared his throat almost awkwardly. He quickly continued with, "Or perhaps, the emperor has somehow invaded this barrier."

Kise jolted, shaken out of whatever thoughts that had momentarily filled him with fear. He then gasped, "That can't be! Akashicchi's magic is really, really strong!"

Midorima huffed. "We cannot know for sure."

The dragon came back then, two limp bodies dangling from its mouth.

Kise trembled at the sight. The dragon only needed to move its mouth just slightly, and those vicious-looking fangs would pierce through those defenceless bodies. The dragon stopped next to Kuroko, dropping the two bodies almost roughly.

"They are unconscious?" Midorima questioned.

"Yes." Kuroko nodded. "I thought it would be better than letting them throw magic spells around."

"I see." Midorima adjusted his glasses as he inspected the two unconscious men.

"Kise, take them and bring them over to Akashi." Midorima ordered.

"Okay." Kise carefully picked up the both of them, carrying them like potato sacks. He lightly ran back into the house.

Kuroko and Midorima silently watched Kise until he was out of sight.

"Midorima-kun."

"What is it?"

"Earlier, Kise-kun's reaction… Will you tell me the reason?" Kuroko asked.

Midorima stared at Kuroko for a while, and then nodded.

"It's because of Aomine Daiki." He finally said.

"The rebel who got captured?" Kuroko tilted his head.

"Yes."

"…Is Kise-kun scared? Scared that Aomine Daiki will also end up like those two?"

"Yes. Because it's been a little more than a year since he was taken." Midorima sighed.

Kuroko blinked, falling silent.

"Kuroko, you should get back to training yourself as quickly as possible. We do not have much time." Midorima advised as he turned around, already walking away.

"…Yes, I will." Kuroko softly agreed.