A/N: Wow, I´m surprised how many times this story´ve been opened! Thank you so much for your support! It´s so interesting to see where you readers are from.
Chapter Five:
Akashi´s Empire
Quick and decisive.
Akashi´s motto described his playstyle but also his way to make decisions. At the moment, he was thinking the resolution.
Amari opened the door of the limo. Akashi nodded to the driver and walked inside the mansion. He was late because Aomine wanted to talk with him after school. All that he heard from "the Ace" made him plan a strategy against the surprising opponent.
No one would hurt Akashi without his own permission.
Tetsu was virulent. Tetsu thought that the Generation of Miracles was arrogant. They had crashed his childhood friend. Still, it was a big surprise how ruthless Tetsu was.
Quite a new young maid, Hirata, guided Akashi to the purple dining room.
´Master´ll stay out late tonight. I assumed that you would be with him… but, yes, we´ll have something in here too, it´s still warm…´ Hirata was fussing when he drew a chair, ´orange chicken, young master, you´re welcome.´
For some reason, Hirata was nervous. She was straightening her apron and faltered with words.
´Has something happened, Hirata?´ asked Akashi. He was amused that Hirata assumed that he would be with his father somewhere. He never went anywhere outside the house with his father.
Hirata shook her head.
´Em, no, nothing bad. The master has something to tell you when he comes back home.´
Akashi didn't like the smile on her face. A smile was a rare sight in this house. Maybe father had some important business meeting. Maybe father would move overseas and Akashi would become the only master of this house. Akashi waited that day when he could say him goodbye for good.
After dinner Akashi took his schoolbag from smiling Hirata. Probably she had a crash on him. Akashi would´ve wanted to stick a knife on her mouth but he had some homework to do. So he walked to upstairs and to his room.
´Good evening, Akashi-kun.´
Akashi dropped his bag. He turned and saw Tetsuya Kuroko standing behind his massive oak table. Akashi´s eyes widened. Tetsu was holding Akashi´s violin in his hands. On his wrists Tetsu had black wristwarmers.
´Tetsu-kun. What´re you doing in here, may I ask?´
Akashi walked slowly closer and stopped other side of the desk.
Tetsu´s smile was weird. He didn´t look like himself, just like Aomine had told: Tetsu didn´t look plain or apologetic. Instead, he was holding Akashi´s instrument on his shoulder, looking very self-assured. So, this was the new Kuroko who had courage to stand against him?
´Seijūrō´, Kuroko stated calmly, unusually familiar, ´did I ever tell you my motto?´
Oh yes you told, Akashi remembered and said it aloud:
´Once-in-a-lifetime encounter."
Kuroko nodded and said gently:
´Hm. It´s so suitable for many situations. Like for us. Right now, I´m facing you, for the first time, as a brother.´
Akashi stared him with misbelief. He´d prepared himself to face Tetsu´s changed appearance on the basis that Aomine told him. Akashi had predicted Tetsu would try to revenge him because Akashi had played against Meiko the way Tetsu didn´t accept. Apparently Tetsu´d revenge to other players too, although Akashi couldn´t prove it yet.
But even Akashi hadn´t predicted that Tetsu would invade in his home – in his room – tonight and declaim some nonsense.
´I apologize for my rude language but… what the fuck, Kuroko?´
Tetsu blinked his reddish eyes. Then he leaned forward and smiled.
´Aaaw, Seijūrō-chan , was that right there your first fuck?´
Akashi hit the desk with both hands. His heard was beating fast. That violin was his dearest memory of his mother. Tetsu was stroking the bow with his finger. If he broke it, Akashi would kill him with bare hands.
´Hands off my property, Kuroko´, Akashi said with threatening voice, ´and stop using my first name.´
Tetsu put the violin in the black case on the desk and said:
´Your Emperor Eye didn't see this coming, huh?´
Akashi closed the case and pulled it to himself. Tetsu´s eyes had narrowed.
´Akashi, we´re the same now. I´m the absolute now.´
Akashi´s eyes flickered.
´So I´ve heard. You´re no longer invisible. Apparently, thanks to you, Murasakibara is still at the hospital. Kise was there too. Midorima´s accident wasn´t just bad fortune. And you made Aomine care about something, again. But any of those events doesn´t mean that you´re at the same level with me.´
Tetsu was still smiling at him, looking presumptuous.
´Where´s your father right now, Seijūrō? ´
Strange change of the topic.
´I´ve never been interested about his comings or goings.´
´You should´, Tetsu gave a laught, ´and, where´s your mother?´
´Carefully´, Akashi said, barely louder than a whisper.
Tetsu nodded.
´Sorry, it´s unnecessary question, but essential. Your biological mother passed away when you were young. That must´ve been hard… I know how you felt. You see, I lost my father a couple years ago. But ´cos I´m such a good person –´, Tetsu put his hand on his chest and looked down, ´I got our dear parents together.´
Akashi pressed his violin case against his stomach. Kuroko raised his red eyes to him and said, with broad smile:
´You´ll get a new mom, Seijūrō.´
Akashi just stared at him.
´At the moment, your honored father is on a date with my plain mother. This isn´t the first time. And what comes to me calling you by first name, Akashi-kun means your father, not you.´
This must be a joke.
Akashi hated surprises.
He hated when someone else controlled his life.
He hated when someone talked about his mother.
So, this is your revenge, Kuroko? I must admit, you´ve advanced.
Kuroko bypassed the desk, left hand touching it softly, and walked next to Akashi. Kuroko leaned closer to him, put his hand on Akashi´s shoulder and whispered to his ear:
´I love you, brother.´
Akashi was shivering in anger. His brains tried to invent some quickly counter-attack.
Then Kuroko kissed his cheek.
Akashi grapped Kuroko´s hand and threw him on the floor. Kuroko fell on the back. That had to hurt but he was laughing. Akashi crashed on him.
´Haha, you have to teach me karate… And I want to ride a horse with you…´
Akashi put his fingers on Kuroko´s throat.
´You made a bad mistake by making me angry, Tetsu´, Akashi rasped.
Finally, that evil smile disappeared.
´You made a mistake first, brother dear. You betrayed me. 111 times.´
Akashi tightened his grip so Kuroko couldn´t speak. Kuroko tried to press his hands away but he wasn't strong enough.
Then someone knocked on the door. Akashi let go of Tetsu and stood up. Just before the door opened, Kuroko stood up too, rubbing his neck.
Akashi´s father entered the room. He was still wearing suit, as usual.
´Evening, Seijūrō, Tetsuya. I assume, that you´ve been informed, Seijūrō? ´
Kuroko nodded.
´Well, yes sir, he knows the most of it.´
Akashi´s father looked satisfied. He hadn´t have to handle unpleasant matter himself.
´Yes, it´s been settled then. The betrothal´, father said mirthlessly.
´What?´ asked Akashi, without hiding his misbelief.
Father raised his brows.
´She said yes.´
Akashi´s heart missed a beat. He stared that man who called himself Akashi´s educator.
´Oh, congratulations!´ Kuroko yelled happily and shook father´s hand. ´I knew my mother would agree… I´m still so touched that you, sir, told me beforehand.´
It looked like Akashi´s father smiled just a little. That made Akashi feel so cold.
´Tamako is waiting downstairs´, father said, ´ Seijūrō, you´ll come to meet her. She and Tetsuya will move in here next week.´
Akashi´s legs felt like they´re stucked on the red fitted carpet. He couldn´t look at his father. He´ve never knew that man but now he felt like he was a total stranger in this mansion. Like his world would´ve just collapsed. His mother´s ghost was his only ally.
When father had left the room, Kuroko asked quietly:
´Whose fault is this, Seijūrō-chan?´
Akashi was breathing heavily. Then he opened his fists.
You can´t get too angry, now. Remember, you are more than one. You don´t have parents by your side but you´ve another you.
´Mine. I hurt your friend. I´m sorry, Tetsu-kun.´
Tetsu looked surprised. Apparently none of the previous victims hadn´t admit quilt.
´Come, let´s greet your mother´, Akashi said, ´I´m waiting to meet her.´
He was passing Kuroko but then he grapped Akashi´s wrist. Akashi stopped and looked at him. His other eye was back to normal, light blue, but right one was still red.
´You´re still lying´, Kuroko whispered, ´but somewhere inside of you is the other Akashi, the one who knows the truth, he knows that you really did wrong then. That Akashi who saw potential in me way back and helped the team.´
Akashi raised his jaw.
´And somewhere inside of you is the another Tetsu who would be ashamed of this arrogant Tetsu.´
Tetsu was smiling shortly.
´That other Tetsu won´t never come back if I need me.´
Then he walked away.
