"Hey Akashi, you've got a new partner." The tanned boy said.
Akashi looked up from his papers and asked, "Girl or boy?"
"Boy."
"Thank the lord, it's been a while since I worked with a boy. Daiki, send him in." The redhead said while cleaning up his desk.
A few seconds later, a blue haired boy walked into the room and smiled, "Hello, my name is Kuroko Tetsuya."
"My name is Akashi Seijuro, I'm going to be your editor from now on. I look forward to working with you."
"I do too." Kuroko said as he sat down on a chair.
The redhead smiled and said, "Before we begin to work on your writing, I would like to know a bit more about you. Have you worked with other editors and how many books have you published?"
"You're my first editor. I self-published one book though."
"Which one?"
"The Magician and the Pirate." Kuroko said.
Akashi sat up straight with surprise, "You're the author who wrote that book?! You used a pen name…I always thought you were a girl. That book was a hit, the sales were through the roof. I read it myself and it was really good."
The blue haired boy blushed and mumbled, "Thank you. That means a lot from an actual editor."
"So what idea do you have for me?" The redhead asked.
Kuroko chuckled nervously, "Actually…I'm not sure yet. My brain is still a little hung up on my first book."
"That's alright. I know sometimes it's hard to let go of one idea and you always end up going back to it. Take your time when it comes to finding an idea, but the moment you have one, call me." The redhead said and then gave Kuroko his business card.
The blue haired boy smiled shyly and said, "I don't really have a business card. But I'll just write down my cell phone number and university down on a piece of paper so you can find me. Except it might be difficult since I'm jumping around in classes."
"Tell me your classes then and when you have them. I'll pick you up if I have to." Akashi said while handing the blue haired boy a pen and paper.
Kuroko wrote neatly and before he left, he said, "Please make sure no one figures out my identity."
"Didn't you do a book signing?" The redhead asked.
Kuroko shook his head, "I got my fans to send their books to my friend and then my friend would send them to me. I signed them and sent them back to my friend who then sent them back to the fans."
"Sounds like a complicated procedure. Wouldn't your friend be harassed since your fans know that he or she knows your identity?" Akashi asked curiously.
The blue haired boy shook his head again, "My friend is a police officer. I don't think anyone really bothers to harass him."
When Kuroko left, the redhead sat at his desk and muttered, "Smart…He's smart and he has connections."
A few days later, Kuroko was at the university when he had contacted the redhead and screamed through the phone, "I have an idea!"
"You don't have to scream, Tetsuya. I can call you Tetsuya, right?"
The blue haired boy blushed and said, "Yes, that's fine."
"So, turn around and tell me about that idea of yours." Akashi's voice rang out from the cellphone, but Kuroko was able to hear him much closer.
The blue haired boy turned slowly and saw Akashi standing behind him. The editor was wearing a suit and he had a briefcase filled with manuscripts and blank paper.
Kuroko wrinkled his nose to make sure his glasses wouldn't fall off and ran towards the redhead. The blue haired boy dragged Akashi into the nearest cafe and said, "You shouldn't look so business-like. People might get curious. Wear a t-shirt and shorts or something."
"Nice glasses." The redhead stated, completely ignoring Kuroko's advice. The student pulled his glasses off and Akashi chuckled, "You should keep them on. They make you look cute."
Kuroko pouted a bit and then put his glasses down on the table. The redhead pulled out some paper and a pen, then said, "Tell me about your idea. You can draw stuff out to explain it, if you want." Akashi picked up the blue haired boy's glasses on the table and put them back on the blue haired boy.
The blue haired boy was surprised by the action but picked up the pen and drew messy sketches to try and show Akashi his train of thought.
"I'm not sure of a title, but I want to write a book about reincarnation."
"Sounds like a unique idea, it's not done that often. Do you have the basic plot for me?" The redhead asked.
Kuroko wrote and sketched some more and said, "I want the story to follow two high school boys. One has a strong sense of leadership and he's slightly intimidating, while the other is stubborn and has a strong sense of determination."
"Sounds like a love story. Those personalities usually mix well for love stories." The redhead stated.
Kuroko nodded, "They both like each other but they don't really realize it. When the do realize their love for each other, they date and whatever. People shun them and they try and get them to break up. Etcetera. The two boys make it through hard times and then one of them mentions reincarnation. I'm trying to figure out the rules, but the basic thing is that they live through 100 lifetimes together and they fall in love every lifetime, they get a tattoo on their backs when they remember their past lives. The tattoos form tally marks. I haven't really figured out a solid ending yet, but that's the basic gist of it..."
Kuroko trailed off when he saw the redhead making a face. Akashi asked, "Tally marks…Where did you get that idea?"
The blue haired boy thought hard for a moment but then told Akashi to come with him. He brought his editor to his dorm room and slowly pulled his shirt off. Akashi watched awkwardly, but when the writer turned around, Kuroko pointed at the marks on his back,
"I got the idea from the marks on my back and I also have dreams about another guy with the same marks on his back. I want to write a story of the love between these two characters. It's good to have representation in the media."
The redhead had a troubled expression. Kuroko pulled his shirt back on and asked, "What's wrong?"
Akashi shook his head, and replaced his troubled expression with a smile. "Nothing. Everything's fine. It's really strange that you have those marks on your back though. What kind of dreams do you have about those marks?"
The blue haired boy thought and blushed a bit, "I meet someone, but I don't see his face. We fall in love and then after a while, we both get another tattoo. We spend the rest of our lives together until death. However, every time I sleep. We're different. I meet the same person, but sometimes we're older or younger and sometimes we have different occupations."
Before Akashi left the dorm, he turned and locked eyes with the blue haired boy, "Tetsuya, if you were to find the person from your dreams that has the same tattoos as you, what would you do?"
"I don't know…I want to meet him though. Maybe he'll have answers for me. I feel like if I saw him, I would know right away or at least something would drag me towards him." Kuroko said.
When Akashi left, he felt as if something was pounding against his head. The redhead got home and fell onto his bed in exhaustion even though he hadn't done much during the day. The editor fell asleep with a raging headache and he couldn't shake it off.
When he woke up in the morning, Akashi felt perfectly fine, but at the same time, he felt like something was really wrong.
Near the end of the day, the redhead got a phone call from Kuroko to read the introduction and give advice on how to advance or what to fix. Akashi got in his car and went to the blue haired boy's university. As he got closer to Kuroko's dorm, he felt another headache. This time, it was worse and by the time the redhead got to Kuroko's door, he felt like he was going to collapse. Akashi knocked lightly on the blue haired boy's door; when Kuroko let the redhead in, Akashi fell into the blue haired boy's arms.
"Akashi-san?! What's wrong? You're…heavy…" Kuroko said while helping the redhead to the bed.
Akashi felt hot and was sweating and panting, but he felt more comfortable when he was lying down. The redhead closed his eyes and tried to get his headache to pass. After a while, Akashi opened his eyes and saw the blue haired boy with a worried expression as he dabbed a wet cloth on the redhead's forehead to bring his fever down. Akashi suddenly felt overwhelmed by the blue haired boy's scent. Everything about Kuroko seemed familiar and the redhead felt attracted to his blue eyes. Akashi didn't know what was wrong, he normally didn't get sick and the redhead had never collapsed in his life.
"Are you alright, Akashi-san?" Kuroko asked while checking his temperature.
The redhead closed his eyes and heard someone's voice ringing in his ears.
Seijuro…Remember me.
"What?" Akashi mumbled. The blue haired boy repeated his question thinking Akashi hadn't heard him but he didn't get a response. Kuroko continued to take care of his editor throughout the day.
The redhead opened his eyes again and groaned at the pain stinging his head.
Tetsuya…Why do I have the urge to kiss you and hold you? Akashi thought to himself and then pinched the bridge of his nose in hopes to get rid of the headache.
The redhead chuckled weakly and muttered, "What's wrong with me?"
Kuroko couldn't hear the redhead so he moved closer to try and catch what he was saying. Akashi's arm slid around the blue haired boy's neck and he gently cradled the back of Kuroko's head. Before the blue haired boy could say anything, Akashi pulled Kuroko in and kissed him.
The memories rushed back to Akashi and when they pulled away from the kiss, the redhead passed out.
Kuroko touched his lips absentmindedly and pulled a blanket over the redhead. The blue haired boy sat around shocked from the kiss and he couldn't register the fact that Akashi had kissed him. Kuroko continued to write his story before falling asleep beside his editor.
The next morning, the redhead woke up to see Kuroko beside him. Akashi stroked the blue haired boy's cheek and kept his arm wrapped around the writer's waist, then fell asleep after whispering, "Remember me soon, Tetsuya."
Hours later, Kuroko's alarm rang and the blue haired boy jolted awake. He slammed his hand on the off button of his alarm clock and then curled up to try and go back to sleep. Kuroko curled into the redhead and then realized that his editor was still here. The blue haired boy lightly shook Akashi and said,
"Akashi-san…It's time to wake up. You're not even supposed to be in the dormitory."
The redhead groaned and mumbled, "More sleep, Tetsuya."
"No more sleep. Are you feeling alright now?" Kuroko asked as he tried to drag the redhead out of bed.
Akashi sat up and rubbed his eyes, "A lot better. I'm sorry about yesterday…I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable and kiss you."
The blue haired boy shrugged, "It's not the first time someone has pulled me into a kiss without any warning."
Akashi felt anger bubble inside him, Who dares touch my Tetsuya? I'll butcher him. Wait a minute… 'Pulled into a kiss without any warning' Was he sexually harassed? Is he alright?
The redhead couldn't stop himself and he asked, "Tetsuya, you don't have to answer this but were you sexually harassed?"
Kuroko flinched and turned away from his editor. The blue haired boy picked up his rough copy of the first chapter from his desk and handed it to Akashi. The editor didn't move, he started to apologize,
"Tetsuya…"
"I was." Kuroko interrupted and then sat on his bed. The redhead sat down beside him and said, "I'm really sorry about that kiss. I wasn't thinking. If you want, I'll be here to listen."
The blue haired boy nodded and then spoke up, "It was a year ago when some of my friends ganged up on me and they…uh, touched me. Then a few months ago, my roommate made some...uh, sexual advances while I was sleeping. I kicked him and ran away. Then I switched to a single room. I'm not going to run away from you though! You were sick and you had a fever. To be honest, when you kissed me, it didn't make me feel disgusted, so don't worry, I'm not mad at you or anything. You were out of it."
Akashi did his best to calm down and then said, "I'm sorry to hear that. It's good to see that you're doing alright. I'll read this chapter and then get back to you. Keep writing. Do you want me to check in on you or do you want to call me?"
Kuroko smiled gently, "Can you check in on me every day?"
Akashi nodded and then headed back to get to work. The introduction of Kuroko's book was a conversation between two guys and they were talking about reincarnation. In the first chapter, they were normal high school students and they both had an interest in basketball. The redhead chuckled at how perfectly it copied how they had lived. Kuroko seemed to be on the verge of remembering everything, he just needed a little push. Akashi edited small mistakes where the sentences didn't flow well, but overall; everything was good.
The redhead checked on Kuroko every day and picked up a chapter every week or so. When it got to the hundredth chapter, Kuroko told his editor to read it in front of him, so Akashi read it carefully and slowly. He made corrections and then re-read it to cherish the story. When he finished reading it, tears poured from Akashi's eyes. The redhead look up at Kuroko, his eyes sparkling with small, salty droplets and said,
"It's really good. Pretty sad though…Can't you make them meet in the next life? Like, their love is so strong that they find each other in their 101st life?"
The blue haired boy shook his head, "You see, fate doesn't bind them together after their one hundredth life, so for them to meet in their one hundred and first life is like trying to meet everyone on the planet and remembering them. One could be in Japan and the other could be in like Alaska and fate wouldn't bring them together. They would have to find each other without even knowing who they are."
Akashi agreed eventually and then they read over the whole book together.
"Have you thought of a title?" The redhead asked.
Kuroko nodded and said, "100 Years of Loving You."
Akashi smiled, "That's a nice title." He said.
For the next few months, Akashi and Kuroko re-read the book over and over again and made changes when they saw mistakes.
The redhead tried to think hard of a way to nudge Kuroko's memories, but he couldn't think of anything useful.
When the book was published, the blue haired boy was excited to see his books on the shelves of stores. Kuroko graduated from university and became a full time author; though he still refused to let anyone know his identity. Akashi stayed as the blue haired boy's editor and helped Kuroko when he was stuck.
After a few months, the redhead sat with Kuroko in his room and said, "You remember how you said if you saw the person with the same marks as you on his back, you would instantly know or feel some sort of attraction?"
The blue haired boy nodded and Akashi continued, "You remember how I made a weird face at that and seemed confused?"
Kuroko nodded and asked, "Where are you going with this?"
The redhead took a deep breath and said, "I have those marks."
Kuroko eyes widened and his hands trembled from fear or excitement, "Can I…see them?"
Akashi nodded and he let the blue haired boy pull off the redhead's shirt. Kuroko ran his fingers over the marks and counted them, "We both have eighteen."
The redhead nodded and said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I was kind of scared of doing so."
Kuroko shook his head, "It's fine. Akashi-san, can I ask you to do something for me?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"You know how in my book, the couple regained their memories through a romantic interaction…can you, um, kiss me?" Kuroko asked, his face bright red from embarrassment, "You don't have to! I'm just wondering if I have any memories, after all; I do get dreams about different lives."
Akashi nodded and then faced the blue haired boy. Kuroko stared into his editor's red eyes and then closed his eyes. The redhead tilted Kuroko's chin upwards and then their lips sealed together. The blue haired boy flinched a bit at the touch, but he melted into the kiss and couldn't decide what to do, so he stayed still and let the redhead lead him. Akashi deepened the kiss and gently pushed the blue haired boy down on the bed. Kuroko seemed hesitant, but he accepted the kiss and wrapped his arms around the redhead.
Kuroko's memories were triggered slightly and he frowned at the stinging pain in his head. The blue haired boy felt as if he were drugged because he found himself wanting more of Akashi and only Akashi.
Kuroko moved in sync with the redhead, his fingers lightly trailing down Akashi's chest. The editor was able to feel the difference in the blue haired boy's movements and pushed a bit harder to help Kuroko regain his memories.
"I love you, Tetsuya." He murmured into the blue haired boy's ear.
Akashi's voice seemed to resonate within Kuroko and his memories returned. The blue haired boy gasped and his heart felt heavy.
"Seijuro…" He whispered.
The redhead smiled against Kuroko's lips and pulled him closer. When they pulled away, the blue haired boy was smiling.
"It's good to see you again." Kuroko said.
"'Bout time you remembered." Akashi said before pecking the blue haired boy's nose.
They continued to work together as a writer and editor. Akashi and Kuroko both got another tattoo and they released new books. The blue haired boy let people know his identity and he became a famous author.
Akashi was lying down beside the blue haired boy and he asked, "Do you think our hundred lives will end like your book?"
Kuroko shrugged, "Hopefully not…I made you cry though. I told you I was going to make you cry. Though I do wish to make you cry even more than that. Perhaps, another time."
The redhead laughed and lightly kissed Kuroko on the forehead. Akashi took the book in the blue haired boy's hands and shut it, "It's time to sleep, Tetsuya."
"Not yet." The blue haired boy whined. Akashi grinned at the whine, knowing that that meant that Kuroko wanted something.
"What do you need?" The redhead asked.
Kuroko smiled and nuzzled his face into the crook of Akashi's neck, "Give me a nickname or a pet name. You always just call me Tetsuya and it sounds so formal. Even Aomine-kun used to at least call me Tetsu."
The redhead thought and then said, "I'm not sure of what to call you. I don't want to call you Tetsu just like Daiki did. A pet name…hm, I'll think about one. But for now, you have to sleep."
"Okay fine." Kuroko said before falling asleep.
As the years passed, Akashi thought of different pet names that they could call each other.
"Babe?" The redhead called for his lover.
"Mm, no. Try again"
"Dear?" Akashi tried.
Kuroko laughed, "Nope."
Akashi continued to try different names to call the other until he found one that seemed to just fit. Akashi watched the blue haired boy sleep and when Kuroko woke up, the redhead kissed him softly and said, "Good morning, ducky."
"Ducky?" The blue haired boy mumbled while rubbing his eyes.
"Good pet name, right? Ducklings are cute."
Kuroko nodded, "I like it. You'll be my ducky too."
The redhead blushed and smiled at how adorable Kuroko looked when he just woke up.
After many years, Akashi passed away and during that same year, Kuroko passed away as well.