Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket is owned by Fujimaki Tadatoshi

Pairing: AkaKuro

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers: kuroshiro19, shiskanae242, gemaima11, Scarlet Aki-chin, SyriaFranz, angel of neverending darkness, mitsuyo-chan, Akiii, Anglo-Chan, Alexiella, KurokoTetsuya101, Ayusa, Bellatrix Trickster, BloodBird, Dark Cat Food Lover, The weasel is MINE XP, deadlycute17, ElyonFrost, cuddlesofmassdestruction, Kichou, EclipseKuran, Avocado-Grenade, Assasin8, Caithlinn13, Lily Fenton Phantom, mirror-bluemoon, Tainted5pirit, Kandaka, neither-of-them, Seitsuya, smileysparklea, whimsicalglow, Tetchin, much kawai, R3iga1004, Sakihinata, XYZ27, AngelTricks, Swift Cold, tfortyo, Fasaisora, Alyce Ochoa, pikachu2510 and 4 Guests. Thanks for the favorite and follow alerts, too.


Fourth Night: The Phantom's Acquiescence


Two days.

That was how long Kuroko was being held captive in a mansion full of vampires.

Not that it was unpleasant. Contrary, he was like a very important—and perhaps also permanent—guest. Reluctantly, he could admit he kind of like being there accompanied by vampires. (Now that was a sentence he never thought he would say.) They treat him as if one of their own, he was being served delicious food (and his favorite vanilla milkshake) by Murasakibara, Kise and Aomine were very friendly to him and even Midorima accepted his presence in the mansion.

But still, Kuroko knew he wasn't all that happy. He was getting homesick and he really missed his parents. Every night he asked Akashi if he made any decision but the vampire just rebuffed him and afraid in getting Akashi mad, he toned down his queries.

Speaking of the vampire, it seemed like Akashi was the only one Kuroko didn't get along with. Sure, they always spend some time in his room after dinner but aside from the meaningless conversations, nothing happened. It wasn't good for his nerves anticipating when the vampire would feed on him and it wasn't like he could ask, that just comes off like he was begging for it.

And also one thing Kuroko didn't like was when Akashi got intense.

Like his current situation right now.

Being pinned down on the couch by the vampire.

Kuroko sighed and averted his eyes from Akashi, turning his head sideways and just stared at wide expanse of the library. He really didn't care that Akashi was dangerously poised above him, his wrists being restrained by the vampire above his head and a leg in between his. "Look at me, love," he heard Akashi ordered.

Kuroko sighed once again before doing what he was told and met Akashi's intense gaze. "Is this position really necessary Akashi-kun?" he asked.

"Not really. But I'm taking advantage of the fact that you seem fine with it," Akashi said, a smirk splayed on his lips.

"I'm not fine with it," Kuroko refuted. "I just think it's pointless to struggle when I know Akashi-kun is much stronger than me."

"If you know that then why are you so against it?"

Kuroko knew Akashi wasn't talking about their position right now but his resistance in staying with the vampire. "Because I have no choice," he answered. "You didn't give me any option and I refused to give up."

Akashi met his eyes unflinchingly. "Aren't you scared that I might use force? Break your spirit until you can mindlessly follow my order?"

"You won't do that," Kuroko said, confident in his words. "If you wanted someone who will follow your orders blindly, you wouldn't be interested in me."

Akashi's mouth tipped up into a small smile. "You're too smart for your own good," he murmured.

"I'm not smart, I'm just very observant."

"That you are," Akashi said with a sigh.

Kuroko froze when Akashi buried his face on the hollow of his throat and he kept very, very still as he mentally prepared himself to what would happen next. His heart was pounding wildly against his chest but it started to slow down to a steady rhythm when Akashi didn't do anything for a few minutes and just seemed content to be closer to him, listening to his beating heart.

Kuroko couldn't take the suspense anymore and asked, not caring about the consequence of his question. "Are you going to drink my blood Akashi-kun?" He was confused when Akashi leaned back so he could see his face and just stared at him unfathomably, his crimson eyes full of secrets.

"No, not yet," Akashi whispered. He then trailed a finger on Kuroko's cheek and his thumb lightly brushing his lower lip.

Kuroko shivered at Akashi's touch and unconsciously parted his lips in a gasp. He watched in fascination when Akashi's ruby red eyes smoldered in heat while gazing intently at his lips. He couldn't move when Akashi leaned closer and closer. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to move at all. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable kiss Akashi would give him. It did come but not in the way he expected when he felt Akashi's lips on his forehead for a gentle kiss.

Kuroko felt Akashi releasing his wrists and standing up. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling in a daze for a while before slowly sitting up and turned to Akashi. He watched as the vampire fixed his suit, refusing to look at him. "I'll see you later, love," Akashi said before walking towards the door and out of the library, leaving him reeling in confusion.

Kuroko sighed and wondered what was happening to him.

xXx

Aomine exhaled loudly as he toweled his face to clean off his sweat. After running around the mansion's estate for a few laps for his morning exercise, he felt mildly content. But he still missed the feeling of engaging a vampire in an all-out fight, nothing beats the adrenaline rush he felt when he fought someone worthwhile.

Kise could be an interesting sparring partner but he still had a lot of ways to go before catching up to Aomine. Midorima and Murasakibara were out of the question, they didn't like to spar especially on hand-to-hand combat. And Akashi, now that was someone he liked to fight and beat at least once but he knew Akashi was busy with his work as the leader of their coven and of course, he has Kuroko to prioritize over.

Speaking of Kuroko, Aomine wondered what Akashi was planning to do to him. He had to admit Kuroko already wormed his way to his system and he didn't mind. It has been a long time since he met someone fascinating and a human at that, even vampires never caught his interest like this. It was obvious to everyone in their coven that Akashi liked Kuroko to a certain extent. If Akashi was in love with Kuroko, no one knew yet but it wasn't an entirely impossible thing to happen since Kuroko had a charm of his own. The question was will Kuroko fall in love with Akashi?

Aomine couldn't help but face-palming at the direction of his thoughts. It was so unlike him to think of those things, it must be hunger. He almost forgot when the last time he fed and with a human living with them, he really needed to drink blood soon before he touched Kuroko and probably get punished by Akashi because of it. Perhaps later, preferably a gorgeous and hot woman or two and maybe even satisfy his other cravings.

"Aomine-kun."

Aomine jumped in surprise and whirled around to find Kuroko innocently staring up at him. He almost felt guilty at his own obscene thoughts when Kuroko looked at him like that. Heck, he wondered why he should even feel guilty, Kuroko couldn't even read minds. Fixing his composure, he greeted Kuroko. "Tetsu, you shouldn't scare people like that."

"But I thought Aomine-kun would have heard me since vampires have advance hearing, right?" Kuroko said, slightly tilting his head to the side.

"Ah…" Aomine stared hard at Kuroko. He really was cute for a guy, almost looking like a girl—no, maybe even prettier than some of the girls he'd met before. No wonder Akashi wasted no time and kidnapped Tetsu. And also because…

"Um, what are you doing Aomine-kun?"

Aomine blinked when he finally noticed that he was invading Kuroko's personal space and cupping his face. He backed away but not relinquishing his hold on Kuroko. "Tetsu," he started, "did Akashi say anything about your blood?"

Kuroko gazed up at him in confusion, not minding that he was touching him. "Yes, he did. He said that my blood is one of a kind." He narrowed his eyes at him. "Is there something wrong with my blood Aomine-kun?"

"No," Aomine shook his head and patted Kuroko on the head affectionately. "You're good Tetsu."

Kuroko's mouth turned into a pout. "Aomine-kun is being weird today."

Aomine laughed at that but didn't comment on it. "What are you doing here anyway Tetsu?"

"I was just strolling around," said Kuroko, shrugging. "What about you, Aomine-kun?"

"Exercise," he said and watched as Kuroko stared at him in bemusement. "I like working out even if vampires doesn't need it but once in a while it helps when I fight plus it cures boredom."

Kuroko smiled at him. "It kind of suits Aomine-kun's character."

Aomine silently observed Kuroko, the way his shoulders seem to tense slightly, the way his hands often curled and uncurled and the way his sky blue eyes wandered towards the mansion occasionally. There was something wrong with Kuroko that he couldn't exactly pinpoint out. "Did something happen, Tetsu?" he asked, worried.

Kuroko looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean Aomine-kun?"

"You're kind of, uh…distracted," Aomine finished unsurely.

Kuroko stared at him with an unreadable look on his face. "…It's nothing Aomine-kun."

Aomine frowned. "It's Akashi, isn't it?" he guessed. It seemed he got it right when Kuroko flinched a little at the mention of Akashi's name. "Did Akashi do anything to you like drink your blood or something?"

"No, nothing like that," Kuroko shook his head and met his gaze in question. "What is Akashi-kun like?"

Aomine blinked. "Huh?"

"How does Akashi-kun act around you or to the coven?" Kuroko repeated.

Aomine scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He didn't know how to answer Kuroko's question but he guessed he had to try for his sake. "Well, he's—uh, a good leader and crazy smart. And he's arrogant and also, he's good at strategizing, we won many fights because of it. And he's also pretty scary when mad and trust me; I do know what I'm talking about."

"Oh…"

Aomine gazed at Kuroko's blank expression. Did he even make sense? "Why are you asking anyway?"

Kuroko mouth curved downward in a frown. "Akashi-kun is…a mystery."

Aomine raised an eyebrow at Kuroko's weird statement but set it aside, shrugging. "Well, whatever," he said, shifting the conversation from Kuroko's troubles and walked a little to grab the basketball he brought. "Why don't we play some game Tetsu?"

Kuroko's eyes drifted to the ball in his hands. "You play basketball Aomine-kun?"

"Yeah," Aomine said, spinning the ball with his finger, "do you?"

"Yes," Kuroko nodded.

Aomine grinned at Kuroko. "Then, let's go play Tetsu!"

xXx

Kise ran towards the direction of Aomine and Kuroko's voices and found the two playing basketball. He had to squint his eyes a bit to see Kuroko and watched as he swiftly passed the ball to Aomine, who grinned so happily before dunking the ball hard through the net. "You'll break the board if you keep dunking like that Aomine-kun," he heard Kuroko say.

Aomine swipe the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. "It's fine. I'll just replace it." He then turned towards Kise's direction. "Hey Kise, are you following Akashi's footsteps by stalking Tetsu, too?"

"I wasn't stalking!" Kise yelled and walked closer to them. He gazed at Kuroko pleadingly. "I wasn't really doing that Kurokocchi. I was just wondering where you are and when I asked Akashicchi, he said that the last time he saw you was this morning."

Kuroko blinked up at him. "This morning? But isn't it still morning?"

"Ah, Kurokocchi it's almost noon," Kise informed, much to Kuroko and Aomine's shock.

"Woah, you mean Tetsu and I were playing that long?" Aomine said, stunned.

Kuroko sighed wearily. "No wonder I feel so tired."

"Why don't you rest first Kurokocchi?" Kise suggested and helped Kuroko settle under a tree. Aomine took the place beside Kuroko and Kise sat in front of them, handling a bottle of water to the Kuroko. "You must be thirsty."

"Thank you Kise-kun," Kuroko said as he greedily drank the water and paused when Aomine draped an arm around his shoulder, leaning against him. "What is it Aomine-kun?"

"Let me have some of that water Tetsu," said Aomine, resting his head on Kuroko's shoulder.

Kise squinted his eyes suspiciously at Aomine, wondering what that pervert was trying to do to Kuroko and since when did they get so close that Kuroko even allowed Aomine to touch him. He hadn't even held hands or even tried to hug Kuroko yet. He wanted to be closer with Kuroko, too.

Kuroko offered his bottle of water and Aomine made no qualms and drank from it. Kise had a hard time in stealing the bottle from him because what Aomine just did was an indirect kiss. His eyes narrowed when Aomine gave him a smirk. That ganguro planned it! "That's not fair Aominecchi!" Kise shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Aomine. "No kisses, direct or indirect! Akashicchi will kill you!"

Aomine just gave him a lazy look. "You're making a big deal out of nothing Kise."

"You're touching Kurokocchi. I wanna hug him, too!"

"You sound like a pervert. And as if Tetsu wants to be touch by you."

"I'm not like you. I won't force myself on Kurokocchi!"

"Please don't talk as if I'm not right here," Kuroko butted in, his voice veiled with a hint of anger and glared coldly at them. "And don't treat me like a toy you want to play with."

Kise and Aomine both gulped while nodding their heads. Wow, Kuroko sure could be scary at times. He decided to change the topic as he didn't want to catch Kuroko's ire. "Um, Kurokocchi did something happened between you and Akashicchi?" he asked.

There, that seemed to be a safe subject.

Kuroko froze and his sky blue eyes suddenly turned dark and cold. "Nothing," he tersely said.

Apparently, not.

Kise gave Aomine a pleading look to help him alleviate the tense mood blanketing them. Aomine just gave him a nonchalant shrug and a stare that said you started this fix it yourself. How could he fix this?

"Um—" Kise whirled at Kuroko, who spoken and looked like his normal self again. "How did your coven formed?"

Both he and Aomine blinked at Kuroko's abrupt question. "Well, I don't know all the details myself since I was the last one to join," Kise said. "But from what I heard Akashicchi seems to be a loner of sorts before. He rejected other covens' invitation to join them because he doesn't like being in a group. And then, he met Midorimacchi."

"Akashi-kun offered Midorima-kun to join him?"

"Not at first," answered Aomine. "They were acquaintances and get along well and Midorima was the only vampire who seemed closer to Akashi at that time. Anyway, Akashi already had enemies even before he became a leader and they ambushed him. Midorima helped Akashi even though he doesn't need it. And after that, Akashi asked Midorima to join him. Akashi doesn't have any intention of starting a coven, he just likes Midorima's company, I think."

Aomine shrugged and took a swig of his water. "I don't know how Akashi survived with Midorima beside him though—with all his quirks and being a tsundere."

"Not like you can say that. You have strange habits, too," Kise reproached.

Kuroko fiddled with his pants, distracted. "So who joined next? Murasakibara-kun?"

"Nope, it was me," Aomine said as he flopped down on the grass with arms behind his head as a pillow. "I heard rumors about Akashi and wanted to fight him so I tracked him. And it's sucks to say this, but I got owned—couldn't even lay a single hand on him. I challenged him every day after that, and either Akashi was bored or what, but he humored me."

Kuroko looked down at Aomine, who had his eyes closed. "So you decided to join him?"

"Nah," Aomine waved his hand dismissively. "Actually, I don't like being in a coven. For me, it felt suffocating and I don't like listening to someone who is much weaker than me. And the other covens only wanted me to join them because of my reputation."

Kuroko blinked. "Reputation?"

"Aominecchi is widely known to be a vampire hunter," Kise explained. Kuroko gave him a startled look and gazed down at Aomine in disbelief. "In the past, Aominecchi kills vampires for a living. When other vampires wanted to assassinate another vampire, they call him. He was pretty famous—still is actually."

"Aomine-kun kills vampires even though you're also a vampire?" Kuroko asked, still in shock.

"Just bad vampires, Tetsu, only vampires," Aomine muttered. "I don't kill innocents. And besides, that was a long time ago. I'm not a hunter anymore."

"So how did you join Akashi-kun and Midorima-kun?"

Aomine was quiet for a moment and a soft breeze blew past them. "There was an incident with a village. To make the story short, I, Akashi and Midorima saved the townsfolk. It was only after it that Akashi offered me to join them. He said that if I went with him, I get to fight a lot of strong vampires and if I wanted to he could teach me to become more powerful."

Aomine yawned. "I turned him down, of course. Sure, Akashi is strong and Midorima is also an interesting fighter but I still don't like being in a coven. After a few years we met again and Akashi invited me once again. I accepted. That's it, end of story."

Kise bit his lip before he could open his mouth to ask. This was the first time he heard Aomine talking about his past—of course, it wasn't the full story but it was more than he knew (and those came from rumors anyway). He tried asking before and Aomine either clam up or beat him instantly to shut him up. Akashi advised him not to pry anymore so he did.

Kise glanced at Kuroko, who was also quiet. He prayed that Kuroko wouldn't ask any more questions. He didn't know what Aomine might do if he did. In the end, his worries were useless when Kuroko spoke. "So that means Murasakibara-kun was next?"

"Y-Yeah," Kise stuttered, surprised. "Unlike us, Murasakicchi was a human when he met Akashicchi. His family owned a restaurant and Akashicchi became a frequent visitor. One day, a group of mercenaries attacked his town. They were easily dispatched by Aominecchi and Midorimacchi. Unfortunately, Murasakicchi's whole family was killed when Akashicchi discovered them and found Murasakicchi close to dying. Akashicchi offered him to become a vampire and Murasakicchi accepted as he doesn't have anyone left. So that's how he joined."

"No wonder Murasakibara-kun is so loyal to Akashi-kun," Kuroko commented. He focused his gaze on Kise. "So it's Kise-kun's turn next."

"Mine is a bit different," Kise started. "I didn't meet Akashicchi until later. I met Aominecchi first. When I saw him fighting some vampires, I thought he was awesome and admired him right away. I pestered him every day to spar with me but most of the time he ignored me."

Kise then laughed as he remembered those times. "Then, I met Akashicchi. I didn't know him or that he was in a coven together with Aominecchi and even the leader at that. He gave me pointers and advices when I trained by myself and sometimes he even sparred with me. When I landed a lucky punch on Aominecchi in one of our spars, he introduced me to Akashicchi. Imagine my surprise when I found out everything and Akashicchi offered me to stay with them."

Kise grinned at Kuroko. "I accepted without any hesitation, of course! And that's how our coven formed!"

"And now, there's you," Aomine murmured, surprising both him and Kuroko. Kise thought for sure that Aomine was already asleep. "You're a part of us now, Tetsu."

"Not really," said Kuroko. "Akashi-kun gave all of you a choice to stay with him. I didn't have that. I was forced to be here and he doesn't seem to have any intention of letting me go."

Kise curled his fist as he didn't know how to response to Kuroko's words. It was true. Kuroko's circumstances were different. He took a deep breath and hurriedly stood up, there was no use dwelling in something he had no power over.

Kise took Kuroko's hand and pulled him up to stand, giving him a sincere smile. "Let's go Kurokocchi, it's time for lunch. I'm sure Murasakicchi cooked a lot of food." He wasted no time and happily dragged Kuroko to the mansion before he could say anything. "You, too Aominecchi! I know how much of a glutton you are."

"Shut up," Aomine half-heartedly retorted but he followed them anyway.

xXx

"Come in," Akashi said when someone knocked on his office door.

He looked up and found Midorima entering, carrying a few documents and quietly handed to him. Silently taking the added paperwork, he stared at Midorima. "You seem troubled Shintarou," he remarked when he noticed that Midorima seemed to be preoccupied. "Is there anything that I should know about?"

"Akashi, why did you kidnap Kuroko?" Midorima boldly asked after a few moments of hesitation.

Akashi raised an eyebrow at his second in command. So he already knew what he did to Kuroko. He wondered if Kuroko told Midorima about that though he highly doubted it, Kise and Aomine now that was more possible. "I told you before, didn't I? I'm fascinated with Tetsuya," he answered.

"But still, resorting to abduction?" Midorima silently regarded him, a faint hint of skepticism clouding his usual stoic expression. "That's not how you work Akashi. And wouldn't it be a trouble for us if the police got involved with Kuroko's sudden disappearance?"

Akashi started to peruse the documents Midorima handed him, deeming the conversation irrelevant. "Tetsuya will be one of the statistics in those unsolved missing cases."

"A teenager with a weak presence being kidnapped won't be just an ordinary case," Midorima retorted, a bit obstinate for once much to Akashi's surprise though he didn't show it.

"It's just as you said Shintarou," Akashi said, casually flipping a page, "Tetsuya has a low presence. His case would slip out of their minds sooner or later."

"What about Kuroko then?" Akashi looked up at Midorima. "I haven't known Kuroko that long but I know he isn't happy about being forced to stay here and even Kise told me that Kuroko was adamant about going home. He's clearly worried about his family Akashi."

Akashi leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands in his lap. It seemed that Midorima had no intention of dropping the subject at hand no matter what he says. "I know about that," he said, "Tetsuya personally asked me to let him go back home."

"So are you letting him go?" Midorima asked, a smidge of doubt lacing his voice.

Akashi stared at his right hand man for a moment before picking up his pen and twirled it with his fingers. "I never seen you this concerned for someone Shintarou," he nonchalantly commented. He watched as Midorima cleared his throat and noticed how he tightly grasped his lucky item in his left hand—a stress ball. Akashi inwardly smirked at that. How apt considering the situation.

"This is between me and Tetsuya," he finally said. "I will inform only him of my decision regarding this." He went back to the documents on his table, clearly dismissing the other vampire.

"I hope you will make the right choice this time," warned Midorima before turning to leave. Or that incident will happen again, was left unsaid but Akashi still got the message just the same.

"Tetsuya is different," was his only response before the door was shut closed.

xXx

Kuroko absentmindedly stared at the chessboard in front of him before moving the black rook and taking his opponent's knight. He glanced up and found Kise pouting for taking away his piece before shifting his expression to a more focused one, intent on winning the game.

Kuroko wasn't really that good in playing chess but it seemed Kise was an amateur when it came to it. He wondered why Kise offered to play with him if that was the case or maybe because Kise was bored, there was that, too. But then again, he remembered Kise was in charge in accommodating him so maybe that was the reason why. In any case, it didn't really matter since Kuroko enjoyed Kise's company, annoying he might be at times.

"This time I'll win Kurokocchi," Kise said, looking determined and moved his bishop.

Kuroko didn't respond to Kise's declaration as he moved his queen before saying, "Checkmate."

"What?!" Kise eyed the chessboard in disbelief. "I lost again!"

Aomine, who was sitting beside Kuroko on the couch and was busy browsing his gravure magazine, gave Kise a lazy smirk. "That's the third time. Why don't you just give up Kise, you'll never win anyway."

Kise glared at Aomine. "I don't want to hear that from you, Aominecchi! And it's not like you'll win at chess, too."

"Well, yeah," Aomine casually agreed to Kuroko's surprise. He never pegged the vampire to easily acknowledge his own weakness. "I'm not good in those kinds of stuff anyway, that's more Akashi and Midorima's thing."

"What games are you good at Aomine-kun?" Kuroko asked.

Aomine turned his head towards him, staring at him for a moment before giving him a mischievous smirk. Aomine draped an arm around Kuroko's shoulders and leaned closer to him, their faces a few centimeters apart. Kuroko blinked at their close proximity but didn't back away. "Games that involve bodies," Aomine said, his voice dripping with sinful seduction and dark promises and his lips were dangerously close to his, "and I'm very, very good at it."

Before Kuroko could respond, Aomine's free hand swiftly caught the chess piece Kise had thrown at him. "Stop molesting Kurokocchi, Aominecchi!" Kise shouted.

"I wasn't molesting Tetsu, you moron," Aomine said with a sigh and took his arm off from Kuroko's shoulders.

Kuroko was grateful for that as he didn't know what to do. He expected that kind of attack from Akashi but not from Aomine. It seemed Aomine did that to annoy Kise though he was certain Aomine was partly serious about it. Kuroko didn't know what to think about that.

Kuroko decided to intervene before the two started bickering again. "What does everyone usually do?" he asked, changing the topic as he looked between Kise and Aomine. "I know everyone's been alive for a long time so I'm curious as to what everyone does to quell their boredom."

The two vampires shared a look, catching his curiosity but squashed it when Kise shrugged. "Various things, depends on what we're currently interested in like ten years ago when we were in Paris, I was a model and Murasakicchi even studied culinary arts in a university at that time."

"I see," Kuroko said, nodding his head. "So what are your current interests?"

Aomine was the one who answered. "Nothing, we just came back here two months ago and were settling in. But I don't think we're allowed to do any of that stuff now."

Kuroko tilted his head to the side, bemused at Aomine's words. "Why not?"

"It's because you're here Kurokocchi," Kise answered, smiling at him. "You're our—or rather, the coven's main priority right now."

Kuroko's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "I don't understand."

"It's a bit difficult to explain," said Aomine, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably. "To put it simply, you're important to Akashi and it's our duty to keep an eye on you."

"Because he's interested in my blood, is that it?" Kuroko said, a bit peeved.

Kise looked slightly hesitant at his words. "Well, not exactly. It's more than that actually."

Kuroko sighed in defeat. It always comes back to their enigmatic leader, didn't it? Well, he supposed it was to be expected but it didn't mean he was fine with it. The other vampires either clam up or couldn't answer him directly when it came to their leader that Kuroko felt a little cheated at the lack of information when they knew so much about him in the little time he spend with them. He stared at the chessboard again before taking his own black pawn, gazing at it thoughtfully. "Are you going to drink my blood, too?"

"No!" both Kise and Aomine denied the idea vehemently, even shaking their head hard at the same time.

Kuroko was rather surprised at their outburst and couldn't help but cocked an eyebrow at them. "And may I ask why not?"

"It-It's because…you're…" Kise stuttered and couldn't look at him straight in the eye.

"Because?"

Kise sighed and looked at him apologetically. "Kurokocchi won't like it but it's because Akashicchi was the one who found you so he's the only who could drink your blood."

Kuroko figured as much. "I see."

"Plus," Aomine interjected, "if all of us drink your blood, you won't last long Tetsu."

"So where—or rather, whose blood are you drinking?"

"Are you sure you want to know about this Kurokocchi?" Kise asked, troubled.

Kuroko appreciated their concern but he didn't need it and besides, he really was curious to know more. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Well, each of us have their own favorite place to drink blood," Aomine explained, leaning back on the couch to get comfortable. "Me, I go to clubs, bars, and those kinds of places. I only drink women's blood and sometimes a few men, too when I'm in a mood."

Kise stared at Aomine wryly. "Yeah, and sleeps with them before, after and sometimes even during his feeding."

Aomine didn't even try to deny it. "So what, I have needs," he nonchalantly said. "And stop being such a stuck-up Kise, you do that, too."

Kise turned red. "I-I don't do that anymore!"

Kuroko really has totally and absolutely zero interest at the vampires' sex lives, he wished they revert back to their original conversation. Had they forgotten he was still a minor? "Kise-kun where do you prefer to feed?" he prompted the blond.

"Hmm…I go to bars, too but more sophisticated ones unlike Aominecchi," Kise answered condescendingly which Aomine rolled his eyes for. "I don't have any preferences just as long as they taste fine to me."

Before Kuroko could follow-up another question, the door to the drawing room opened revealing Murasakibara carrying a big tray filled with chocolate cake and tea. "Tea time~" he chirpily greeted in his lazy voice.

"Good, I was starving," said Aomine and was the first one to take a slice of cake as soon as Murasakibara placed down the tray on the table.

"You're rude as usual Aominecchi. You should have given Kurokocchi his cake first," Kise reproached Aomine as he took a slice and offered it to Kuroko.

"Thank you Kise-kun and Murasakibara-kun for the tea," Kuroko said as Murasakibara poured him his cup.

Murasakibara chose to sit beside Kise and took his own slice of cake after pouring everyone's tea. "So what were you guys talking about?" he asked before taking a bite.

"Our regular feeding place," Kise answered since Aomine was busy gobbling his food. "But I don't think we should talk about that now since Kurokocchi is eating."

"Ah, I don't mind," Kuroko said, relishing the sweet taste of the cake, he still preferred vanilla though. "So where do usually feed Murasakibara-kun?"

Murasakibara looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm…anywhere I guess, as long as it has food, too especially pastries."

"More like sweets and snacks sustains him than blood does," Aomine sardonically muttered. "You're a weird vampire Murasakibara."

"Thanks Mine-chin. You're weird, too."

"That wasn't a compliment! And I'm not weird!"

Kuroko calmly took a sip of his tea, quarreling seems to be the norm in this coven. "What about Midorima-kun, where does he drink blood?"

"We don't know," said Kise, shrugging, "maybe at the hospital?"

Kuroko blinked. "Hospital?"

"Mido-chin is like our doctor," Murasakibara explained in between bites. "He has connections to hospitals and stocks up blood for us in case of emergency. And when we're in a battle, he patches us up."

That caught Kuroko's attention. "Patches you up? Don't vampires heal fast?"

"We do," said Aomine. "But it still depends on how big the damage we took and even the kind of attack the enemy used on us. And after or even while healing, we need to drink a lot of blood."

Kuroko didn't probe for more as he remotely knew next to nothing when it came to fighting. He has a feeling that he would find out more in the future anyway. "And Akashi-kun?" That question brought the three vampires to stare at him like he should already know the answer to it.

Oh.

Oh, right.

He is the answer.

Kuroko sighed. "Before he found me," he clarified.

"Aka-chin is choosy~"

"Akashicchi is picky."

"Akashi has weird taste."

Now it was his turn to stare at the vampires disbelievingly. "That doesn't really answer my question." And what's with those descriptions, he silently added in his mind.

"How should we explain this," Kise mused as he scratched his left cheek awkwardly and slightly fidgeted in his seat. "You see, Akashicchi has peculiar taste when it comes to the blood he drinks."

Murasakibara nodded in agreement. "Aka-chin said that most blood taste bland to him and some even smelled vile."

"Sometimes we look for a human at least passable to his taste," Aomine added. "There was even one time that Akashi didn't drink blood for two whole years because we couldn't find any."

Kuroko was surprised to hear that. "Isn't that bad for Akashi-kun?"

Aomine clucked his tongue. "You would think he'll grow weaker because of it and even some of our enemies thought so and tried to kill him but Akashi was unfazed by it and destroyed them all by himself."

"Aka-chin is strong~" commented Murasakibara.

They all froze when they heard a knock and Kuroko was pretty sure he wasn't the only one thinking Akashi might be on the other side of the door. Kise and Aomine breathed a sigh of relief when Midorima stepped inside and though Kuroko was reluctant to admit, he was kind of relieved to see him instead of the vampire leader. "Good afternoon Midorima-kun," he greeted. Midorima nodded in greeting and Kuroko wondered what happened when Midorima stared at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Did something happen perhaps?

"You want to eat, Mido-chin? We have some chocolate cake," Murasakibara offered.

Midorima settled on a single couch adjacent to Kuroko's and accepted the plate of dessert Murasakibara handed him in silence. He took a sip of his tea before taking a bite of the pastry, looking casual as everyone watched him in bemusement.

"Aren't you being too quiet Midorimacchi?" Kise's question broke the unnerve silence filling the room.

"I'm always this quiet," said Midorima. "Both you and Aomine are the noisy ones."

"So what brought you here Midorima-kun?" Kuroko asked before Kise and Aomine could retaliate.

Midorima gave him that thoughtful look again as if he was a puzzle difficult to finish. "Akashi told me you asked him permission to go back home," said Midorima.

"I did," Kuroko said though he was surprised at the sudden inquiry. "He said he'll think about it." He paused when he noticed the vampires gaping at him in disbelief. Did he say something wrong?

"Akashicchi said that?" Kise asked, incredulous.

He nodded.

"Word by word?" Aomine prodded.

Again, Kuroko nodded his head, a bit confused. Was it unusual for Akashi to say those words that they couldn't believe him? "You all seem surprised," he observed.

"What Akashi wants, he always gets," Aomine explained. "Obstacles and consequences be damned. He doesn't negotiate and if he did, he makes sure that he gets all the advantages."

"What do you mean?"

Midorima leaned forward in his seat to take a good look of his face. "It's no secret that Akashi wants you and he wants you to be here—with him. Your parents are your only ties to the outside world and they're surely important to you. If by any chance Akashi agrees to let you go back home, there's a high probability that you won't come back here. And if you won't come back to Akashi, he might—"

"Stop," Kuroko ordered, afraid to hear more. His hands tightly clenched the fabric of his pants as he imagined what would happen to his parents. And it took everything in him not to lash out his anger on Midorima. He knew the vampire wasn't doing it to antagonize him. "What does your leader really want with me?" he asked and glared at the vampires. "And don't say it's my blood. I know it's more than that."

Aomine sighed. "Akashi probably wants you to become a vampire like us."

Kuroko was confused at the vampire's declaration. "But if I became a vampire that means Akashi-kun couldn't drink my blood, right?" He saw Kise and Murasakibara sharing a knowing glance. He wondered what it meant. Was there something that they were not telling him?

Aomine laced hid hands behind his head. "Yeah, but there's—"

Kuroko blinked when Midorima swiftly moved from his chair and slapped Aomine's mouth, stopping him from what he was saying. Midorima pushed his glasses up his nose while muffling Aomine's grumbles. "The point is, Kuroko, perhaps it would be better if you stay here. You can send a letter to them, saying that you run away from home."

Kuroko frowned. "I can't just abandon my family like that. And they wouldn't believe that I left them without any reason."

"You'll leave them soon enough anyway."

"But I can't just leave them when they're worried sick about me," Kuroko insisted. "They might think I've been kidnapped no matter how strange that notion is because of my weak presence; though, technically speaking, that was actually true."

"So what do you want to do Kurokocchi?" Kise asked, looking at him worriedly.

"If…If I can't go back home at least—," Kuroko paused and took a deep breath, "—at least let me say goodbye to them."

Midorima sighed. "You should talk to Akashi about this."

"There's no need for that."

Every one of them turned to Akashi who came in without their notice especially the other vampires. Kuroko stared intently at Akashi as he stood up. "What do you mean Akashi-kun?" he asked, watching as the vampire walked closer to him. He gazed at Akashi's crimson eyes as the vampire gently caressed his cheek.

"I'm allowing you to go back home, love."

Kuroko's eyes widened in surprise and it looked like he wasn't the only one who was shocked judging by everyone's disbelieved expressions. "You'll let me go back home?" he asked, desperate hope blossoming in his chest.

"To only say goodbye," Akashi finished.

Kuroko suddenly felt the crushing disappointment in his heart. "But—"

"That's what you said, right?" Akashi interrupted him. "You want to at least say goodbye."

All of a sudden, Kuroko felt weak and took a step back away from the vampire. "You said that you'll think about it."

"I did. This is a compromise," Akashi answered. "You either go see them and say goodbye or never see them at all. That's your only choice Tetsuya."

Kuroko clenched his fists tightly, uncaring how his nails dug hard in his palms. He angrily glared at the red haired vampire. "I want to see them."

xXx

Kuroko watched the home he'd ever known miserably. This would be the last time he would ever get to see and step foot in this house. He was nervous and dreading this moment. He would see his parents but it was also probably the last time he would ever see them again.

"I'll wait here outside Kurokocchi," he heard Kise said beside him. Akashi insisted that he needed someone accompanying him to be his bodyguard. More like warden in his opinion.

Kuroko ignored Kise and quietly stepped through the gate of his house. He stopped for a moment in front of the door. He was wondering if he should ring the doorbell or if he should just go inside. How weird to think that way considering he was living there most of his life and was only gone for almost three days.

Kuroko took a deep breath and slowly let it out, releasing the anxiousness and tension inside of him before turning the doorknob and let himself inside. Before closing the door, he glanced back only to find Kise nowhere behind him but he was sure the vampire was in the vicinity, probably giving him some semblance of privacy with his parents. He mechanically replaced his shoes with indoor slippers before making his way to the living room.

Kuroko stopped when he saw his father consoling his crying mother while hugging a picture frame to her chest. "Dear, it's going to be okay," his father said as he gathered his wife in his arms, trying to be stronger for both of them.

Kuroko's mother shook her head stubbornly. "No, it's not okay. It will never be okay," she cried heartbrokenly. "My son…I just want to see Tetsuya-kun again. I want Tetsuya-kun to be with us again."

Kuroko took a deep, shaky breath, his throat clogging up and forced himself to not cry. He couldn't face his parents with tears in his eyes but it was so hard. How could he shown himself to them only to leave once again and probably never return. But leaving this way, letting his parents think of the worst was painful for him and for them. He wanted to properly say goodbye, to say that he would be fine even if he couldn't tell them the whole truth. They at least deserved to know that.

Gathering all his courage, Kuroko took a step forward and announced his presence. "Otou-sama…Okaa-sama…"

His parents looked up at him in surprise, not moving an inch. His mother was the first to snap out of her shock and ran up to him, engulfing him in a tight embrace. He inhaled his mother's sweet, familiar scent calming him and relished the warmth of her hug that he always loved.

"Tetsuya-kun…you're here. You're back!" his mother said, sobbing in relief and he couldn't do anything else but hugged her back.

Kuroko closed his eyes for a moment before tears could escape from them. He opened them again and looked at his father over his mother's shoulder, who was watching him with a knowing glint in his eyes. He almost smiled at that. His father always had the uncanny ability to perceive anything out of the ordinary and him showing up safe and sound after days of disappearance, was strange not a miracle.

Kuroko took a step back away from his mother and guided her to sit on the couch beside his father. He took a seat adjacent to them and took a deep breath before facing them.

"Tetsuya-kun?" his mother said her face full of worry. She must have intuitively known that something was wrong.

"I—" Kuroko started to say and gripped his hands tightly together to keep them from shaking. "I know you must be wondering where I have been for the past few days without any contact. I can't tell you much but as you can see, I'm fine and was safe. I was never harmed."

"So it's fine, right? You'll stay here and never go back there again."

Kuroko averted his eyes away from his mother, too scared to look at her and gazed at his father, silently asking for help. His father noticed this and took his wife's hand to soothe her. "Dear—"

"No!" his mother shouted as she abruptly stood up and looked at Kuroko with tears in her eyes. "You must stay here Tetsuya! You can't leave!"

"Okaa-sama, please you have to listen—" Kuroko was interrupted when his mother embraced him tightly; her shoulders shaking from her cries and it took everything in him to not fall apart.

"Why can't you stay here?" his mother said, her voice a bit hoarse. "Why do you have to leave us again? Why? Why?"

Kuroko kept his mouth shut. How could he answer when he himself didn't even know the reason why? He clutched onto his mother as tears fell down on his cheeks and his mother continued to cry.

"If I let you go now…" his mother sobbed, "I feel like I'm never going to see you again. It's like you're going to disappear from me—from us. I can't do that. I can't let you go. Don't go Tetsuya-kun, please…"

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" was the only thing Kuroko said, repeating it again and again and again. He could his father's hand on his shoulder and then his presence blanketing both him and his mother and together they cried.

It took a while for them to settle down and Kuroko was already prepared to explain as much as he could but his father stopped him and only wanted the assurance that he would be safe which he did. His mother was harder to deal with as she kept clinging to him and begged him not to go and when that didn't work pleaded for her to come along but it was futile. It pained him to see his strong willed mother breaking down and it was his entire fault.

Time soon came for him to leave.

On the doorway, Kuroko rubbed his mother's back as she hugged him. "Okaa-sama, I have to go," he murmured weakly onto his mother's shoulder but she continued to hold on, afraid to let him go.

"No, no, no, no," his mother whispered as she cried. "I can't…I can't let you go. You're my baby…my son. Please don't leave me…"

Kuroko bit his lip as sobs threatened to burst out of him, he gazed helplessly at his father. He didn't want to go, not like this but he had no other choice. He didn't know what Akashi might do if he didn't come back nor does he want to find out. As much as he hated it, he gently pushed his mother onto his father.

"No!" His mother grabbed his shoulders hard, stopping him from leaving. She cupped his face tenderly, brushing his bangs so she could see his sky blue eyes—eyes he got from her. "This won't be the last time. I will see you again Tetsuya-kun, my son. I promise."

Kuroko nodded weakly just to reassure her because he didn't have the heart to break her hopes up. He looked at his father and mother once last time, committing them to memory before turning around. He only got a few steps when he heard his mother's distraught cry and he almost turned back so before he could do anything, he ran.

He ran and ran and ran until his lungs were giving out on him, until he couldn't hear his mother's helpless cry anymore. But he could still hear it in his mind, rewinding over and over again, tormenting him.

Kuroko slowly run to a stop and pressed a hand against a wall, hunched in exhaustion as he gasped for air. He didn't where he was or did he care. All he could do right now was to keep breathing, trying to calm his over wired mind. Trying to ease the agonizing pain crushing him and not to fall into a blubbering mess he wanted to be.

Kuroko took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

Breathe in and breathe out.

Inhale.

Exhale.

"Kurokocchi?"

Kuroko paused and slowly looked up at Kise in front of him, his vision blurry. He finally noticed the tears spilling onto his face nonstop and he didn't even know when he started crying. He was too exhausted to brush it off so he let those tears continue falling and falling onto the ground. He numbly stared at the handkerchief Kise offered before unconsciously taking it with no intention of using it.

He was only half-aware of the arms wrapping around him, providing a warmth cocoon. He was glad Kise didn't say anything, only offering silence and his company. He could feel his restraint breaking free and then he wept. His quiet sobs muffled by Kise's shirt as he continued to silently cry onto the vampire's chest.

Kuroko cried for a long time.

xXx

Akashi absentmindedly watched the flickering blue-red flames in the fireplace as it continued to blaze and spark wildly, uncaring of his coven, who kept giving him worried glances as they waited. He still kept his gaze onto the fire when the door opened, already knowing who it was.

Akashi slowly turned towards the door and stared at the subdued Kuroko with a docile Kise beside him. He knew he should be glad that he won, that he finally got his way. But seeing Kuroko's sky blue eyes, those eyes full of fire and determination before was nowhere to be seen, it was now dull—mindless—lifeless.

He felt cheated.

Akashi should be happy that Kuroko was now with him with nothing—no one—holding him back.

But he wasn't.

It was a bittersweet victory.

And he didn't like it.


Q&A CORNER!

Q1: Is Kagami gonna have a cameo?/Will the other characters come (just like Kagami, Himuro or anyone else)? (kuroshiro19/mirror-bluemoon)
A: Not just a cameo, Kagami will have an integral part of the story. He and most of the other characters will show up at Arc III.

Q2: How often do you plan to update?/When are you going to update again? (kuroshiro19/angel of neverending darkness)
A: I plan to update at least once or twice a month.

Q3: Tetsu-kun's lack of appetite, is he one of them? (gemaima11)
A: No, in the canon Kuroko really does have a weak appetite. I just incorporated it in the story. That will soon vanish in the next few chapters though.

Q4: To Kise: Happy belated birthday! I wanted to know-what is your favorite thing about Kurokocchi? (Anglo-Chan)
A: I'll leave this to Kise-kun.
Kise: Thank you! And Kurokocchi? There are so many things I love about him! He's cute face, his determination, his fearlessness, his courage, his unpredictability, how he's not scared of Akashicchi and— [DISRUPTED DUE TO INCESSANT BABBLING]

Q5: To Kuroko: If you had to describe each of the Generation of Miracles with one word, what would they be? (Anglo-Chan)
Kuroko: Weird...and strange, odd, bizarre, peculiar, unusual, creepy, eccentric, abnormal—
Kise: Wait Kurokocchi, didn't the question say just one word?
Kuroko: Yes, but they all mean the same thing so it's fine. And besides, it states that I have to describe each of you.
Kise: So all of us are weird?!
Kuroko: Yes.
A: Here's the real answer: Akashi (A mystery); Kise (Annoying); Aomine (Laidback); Murasakibara (A good cook, makes the best vanilla milkshake); Midorima (Serious).

(NOTE: Questions to characters are answered by the characters in the story itself rather than their canon selves. Example is the one above.)

Q6: To Akashi & Midorima: Akashi, you and Midorima are my bbs ;-; To both of you, how does it feel to know that Midorima is voiced by Daisuke Ono, and Akashi is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya-corresponding to a variety of different couples such as Shizaya and Erwin x Levi? (Anglo-Chan)
Akashi: Many people like that he's my seiyuu, I have no objections to him. As for the other characters, I don't care if one of them is called humanity's strongest. I'm still absolute. For being a couple, I leave that to Shintarou.
Midorima: His voice suits my character, I have no complains. And I don't know whom you're talking about. And Akashi, don't pass the question to me!
Akashi: I have no time for that. I need to talk to Tetsuya about his description of me. [leaves]
Midorima: Wait, Akashi! [follows Akashi]

Q7: Would you mind showing us Akashi's ruthless side sometimes? When he's hunting or doing something scary. As much as I like gentle Akashi, I still like seeing him being merciless towards his opponent like in the manga or anime. (Alexiella)
A: You'll see a glimpse of that side of Akashi in Arc I but even more so on Arc II, Akashi is very ruthless and scary in there.

Q8: Will the story have a sub pairing? (mirror-bluemoon)
A: Unfortunately no, though there will be hints of pairings on Arc III. I want to focus more on AkaKuro than any pairing. Oh, and because I can't help it, there will be slight GOMXKuro (much to Akashi's chagrin) but well, everyone knows their boundaries so Akashi is fine with it, I guess.

Thanks for the questions! Keep them coming!