Lovely Jewels

Trusting

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Kise's Power Profile:

1. Control Over Light - can make things brighter or take away light from something/someone; can cause temporary blindness

2. ?

3. Telepathic - can talk to other members of Kiseki no Sedai through the mind

"We're leaving everyone," Murasakibara called out lazily over his shoulder. He didn't wait for a reply and followed Kuroko out the door.

After the door closed, the tension surrounding the air in the apartment slowly began to dissipate. Akashi came down the stairs to meet Midorima waiting for him at the bottom. The redhead locked gazes with the greenhead and they continued to do so for a while.

"Some Planaedius members are meeting south of the tower," Akashi stated, breaking the silence. "I expect good information for when you arrive back." After giving Midorima his mission, Akashi continued down the last few steps of the stairs.

Midorima expected much worse. His shoulders drooped a bit as relief pumped through his body, but then he allowed a small frown to appear on his face. Akashi-san must feel very guilty then, Midorima thought. He pushed his ponderings away and slipped out of the apartment, not waiting for Akashi to suddenly set him to flames.

Akashi's expression was hard as he entered the kitchen where Aomine and Kise were currently hanging out in. He gave each member a nod of acknowledgement before walking to the fridge and opening it. He pulled out a water bottle and swiftly turned around to lean on the now closed fridge. He closed his eyes, very irritated with himself, but not wanting to take it on the others.

"Akashicchi," Kise called out quietly. The blonde watched the redhead anxiously, shooting a glance at Aomine who settled with glaring at the blonde.

Akashi inhaled deeply before cracking open his golden eye to look at Kise. "What is it, Ryouta?"

"Ah…" started Kise who began to sweat. "It's just that… uh when Aominecchi and I were scouting the area, we found an underground tunnel near-"

"Is it Planaedius?" Akashi cut in, opening his other eye to fully focus his gaze on Kise.

"Y-Yeah, we think so," Kise replied, forcing a smile and brushing the back of his head with his hand. "But we caused it to collapse, so it should be awhile before they can get it in working condition again."

Akashi nodded his approval. He placed his water bottle on the counter and started to exit the kitchen only to hear Murasakibara's voice resonate in his head.

Aka-chin, Planaedius is here. There are a lot of them. What should I do?

Akashi's eyes narrowed. Keep Tetsuya safe until I send someone. Akashi turned around, letting his gaze fall on Kise who stared a bit fearfully back. "Ryouta, go to Tetsuya's school." He didn't think that Planaedius would cause a big scene in a public place, so he didn't want all the Kiseki no Sedai to suddenly appear on campus.

"Eh? Why Akashicchi?" Kise asked in a bewildered tone. "Isn't Murasakicchi already there?"

Aomine placed a hand on Kise's shoulder to silence anymore of his whining. "Just go." He let his hand drop before turning to Akashi. "We leaving too?"

Akashi nodded. "Let's make this quick."

Kuroko was definitely shocked, but he hid his emotion fairly well. He and Murasakibara were aware that a career fair would be held today, but they weren't aware that one of the companies showing up would be Planaedius. The two walked past the stands set up on either side of the courtyard leading to the school. Although Murasakibara called attention from the crowd, Kuroko walked next to him relatively unnoticed.

"Kuro-chin," Murasakibara said while looking down towards the blue-head. He moved his lollipop to the side of mouth so he could better chew on it. "What are you planning on doing?"

Kuroko continued to look straight ahead as they entered the building. "Let's just go to our classroom." He made a small effort to look up at the giant beside him. "It wouldn't be safe to go anywhere else," Kuroko said very quietly.

The two pushed past the horde of students bustling around. It was just like a culture festival with all of the stands set up. Kuroko opened the door to their thankfully empty classroom and stepped in. Murasakibara was just about to follow when a series of voices called out to them.

"Hey, Kuroko!"

Kuroko turned as Murasakibara moved out of the way just in time to see Kagami appear at the entrance of the door. Kagami was smiling as he stepped in followed by Hyuuga.

"Ah, it's a good thing that I caught you!" Kagami said, still holding his boisterous smile.

Hyuuga sent Kuroko a smile as well. "We are going to the courts after this. Are you coming?"

Murasakibara visibly frowned. He knew Kuroko liked hanging out with these loud people, but he still had a hard time sharing the small male. He was about to pull Kuroko closer to him and farther away from the other guys when another person appeared at the door.

"Ah, Atsushi! Come on, there's a pastry chef here!" Himuro walked in and grabbed Murasakibara's arm before dragging him out of the classroom. He waved at Kuroko before leaving.

Kagami watched the two run off and then quickly turned back to Kuroko with an eager look on his face. "So, are you coming?" He prepared himself for disappointment under all of his eagerness, knowing how busy his friend had become.

Kuroko quickly thought out the consequences of joining his friends and decided that the consequences were quite negatively heavy. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Keeping an expressionless face, Kuroko shook his head. "Sorry, Kagami-kun, I will not be able to go today." He slightly frowned, remembering Akashi's words towards his friend.

Kagami fought back his discontentment and instead forced a smile. He reached out and ruffled Kuroko's hair. "Ah, it's fine then."

Hyuuga pushed Kagami aside and pushed up his glasses as he looked down at Kuroko. "You better spend some time with your seniors then to make up for your absence."

Kuroko nodded his head, making a discrete glance towards the door to see if Murasakibara had come back. Planaedius's presence was unnerving to him. He walked out first and turned around. "Let's go."

Murasakibara found himself pouting a bit as he was led to the pastry chef by Himuro. He could vaguely hear Himuro talking to him, but his attention was stolen by a sweet alluring aroma. Using his height to his advantage, he spotted a small stall decorated by small pastries. Himuro looked back at Murasakibara after feeling a slight tug, smiling after seeing the taller male's expression.

Kuroko found himself having fun as met up with Riko and the others to check out the different companies that came to represent themselves at their school. Kagami kept his eyes out for any basketball associations while Riko chatted with health companies. Kuroko didn't find any thing that interested him and just followed along with the others.

"Eh, look!" Koganei said while pointing towards a particular stand.

The group stopped and looked in the direction that Koganei was pointing in. Kuroko's eyes widened a fraction and he watched his friends to carefully gauge their reactions. Kiyoshi broke out into a smile and playfully whacked Koganei on the back of the head.

"Good job!" Kiyoshi stated cheerfully as he started dragging Koganei and Izuki towards the stand. "It's Planaedius! We need to put in the effort to make them notice us!" He looked over his shoulder and winked at Hyuuga who sent a glare at him.

Kuroko looked over at the stand curiously and caught the eye of one of the workers. Everything seemed to slow down and the noise became silence. The worker winked at Kuroko while giving him a sly smile.

"Kuroko! Hey Kuroko!"

The trance broke and Kuroko turned to the side to see Kagami give him a look. He unconsciously began to sweat and his heart was racing. He took a step back causing Kagami to arch a brow.

"Kuroko, are you-" Kagami started.

"Fine, I just remembered I left something back in the classroom," Kuroko cut in, doing his best to keep any unnecessary emotions from showing through. "You go ahead, I'll catch up." He turned around and disappeared into the crowd before Kagami could answer.

Kagami rubbed the back of his head and then looked over at the Planaedius stand. Hyuuga and Kiyoshi were arguing about something and seemed to be scaring one of the workers over there. He sighed, unsatisfied with Kuroko's explanation and decided to go after his friend.

Kuroko rushed past the people and hurried into his classroom after roughly sliding the door open. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him before leaning back on it and slid down to the floor. Closing his eyes, he quickly collected his thoughts.

Murasakibara sensed Kuroko's distress and held a cookie away from his mouth. He stared off over the crowd, trying to find out where the small blue-head was. "Ne, Muro-chin."

Himuro looked up at Murasakibara. He nodded his acknowledgement, but refused to say anything for his mouth was full of cake.

"Muro-chin, your friends were calling for you," Murasakibara said innocently. "They went that way."

Himuro blinked a couple of times in confusion before finally understanding what Murasakibara said. He swallowed and brushed his hands together to get any remaining crumbs off. "Ah, okay, thank you Atsushi."

Murasakibara and Himuro parted ways with each one going in a separate direction. Murasakibara had purposely sent Himuro off, feeling the need to keep his new friend safe from the danger that was shrouding over the school. He easily found his way through the crowd and headed towards Kuroko's consciousness.

Kuroko got up and looked around in the eerily dark classroom. The air was still and cold. His eyes caught subtle movement from across the room and from the shadows appeared a human form.

"Time Traveler," the form whispered. The shadows surrounding the form disappeared, revealing a handsome young man. His right ear was pierced and his blonde hair was spiked. "I wanna do this quickly and quietly, got it?"

Kuroko frowned and put his hand on the handle of the door.

"Not happening, Time Traveler-kun," the blondie said before setting a barrier around the room. "You're not getting out you know? I could get killed if I let you get away."

Looking around the room for any signs of an escape route, Kuroko failed to notice the other person dart forward to shove Kuroko up against the door. The wind was knocked out of Kuroko's lungs and he winced in pain. He looked up, feeling something tighten around his wrists.

"Look, no escaping for you."

Kuroko looked at the glowing bonds tying both wrists together. He slowly met the blonde's gaze, keeping miraculously calm. "Who are you?"

The blonde looked shocked before letting out a chuckle. "Ryou of Planaedius at your service, Time traveler-kun!" He stepped back and pulled Kuroko with him.

Both males stiffened upon hearing pounding on the door.

"Kuroko! You in there?" Kagami called out from the other side. "Hey, open the door!" He pulled on the door, but the door remained shut closed.

Kuroko flinched when a hand was placed on his mouth.

"Not a peep from you," Ryou whispered, his green eyes glowing dangerously. He looked at the door and failed to notice the shift happening right before his eyes. Suddenly his body was thrown across the room.

"You were touching Kuro-chin."

Ryou looked up from the floor through squinted eyes to see a purple-headed giant come through a gigantic hole in the wall. His bangs covered his eyes as a smirk spread across his face. He stood up with little effort and dusted off his pants. "Atsushi Murasakibara."

Murasakibara showed no signs of recognition to the other and instead pushed Kuroko behind him. Kuroko looked at the gaping hole in the wall and found himself frowning a bit even though he was greatly relieved. How would they explain this to the school?

"Murasakibara-kun, you overdid it," Kuroko said while looking at the said person.

"Disappear," Murasakibara muttered in response.

Ryou's smile widened once noticing that he could no longer see the Time Traveler. He could feel his body trembling in excitement. "What else can you do, Atsushi-kun?" He got through my barrier too…but he didn't take it down…

Murasakibara frowned and lifted a desk with his mind before sending it hurtling towards Ryou. The blonde jumped out of the way and nimbly landed on another desk. He shot a cheeky grin towards the giant.

"What was that?" Kagami yelled.

Kuroko's ears perked up at Kagami's voice. He shifted carefully towards the door and tried to slide the door open. It wouldn't budge and Kuroko's shoulders tensed.

"Come now, Atsushi-kun!" Ryou taunted as he shot towards Murasakibara ready with a punch.

Murasakibara easily blocked the impending punch and quickly moved into a kick. Ryou leaned back and watched Murasakibara's leg soar over him before performing a backflip to land a safe distance away. His hands began to glow as electricity stormed around them.

"I still want to see what else you can do, Atsushi-kun," Ryou started as he crouched down. "But I don't think you can handle what I can do."

Murasakibara returned the insult with a bored and tired expression. Ryou could do nothing against him since he already knew what the other was doing by just reading his thoughts. Just as Ryou was about to strike, a window burst inward, letting the shattered glass scatter around the room.

"Kagami-kun."

Kagami whipped around to see Kuroko standing behind me. He let out a loud yell, causing Kuroko to quickly jab him in the side. Kagami was about to berate his small friend for his prior action, but quickly sensed something amiss.

"Riko-san," Kuroko deadpanned with his blankest expression he could muster at the moment.

"W-what?" Kagami asked as he fearfully began to sweat-drop. What was going in the classroom momentarily slipped from his mind.

"Just go, Kagami-kun," Kuroko added. Silently wishing that Kagami would just run off so that he wouldn't get hurt.

Kagami rubbed the back of his head and began slowly moving down the hallway. He was still suspicious about what was going on in the classroom, but Riko's wrath seemed the worse of the two. He nodded quickly to Kuroko before running off.

One problem thankfully solved, Kuroko thought as he hurried to get back into the classroom through the hole that Murasakibara had created.

"Eh, looks like another joins the party," Ryou said with mock cheerfulness. He looked at the other blonde with disdain. "Ugh, you would style your hair like that?"

Kise rolled his eyes, but managed to keep his serious face. He turned to Murasakibara. "Grab him, we have to go."

"What do you me-aghhh!" Ryou screamed as he fell to the floor, covering his eyes with his hands. "I can't see anything! Damn you!" Ryou rubbed his eyes desperately, trying to regain his lost sight.

Murasakibara grabbed Kuroko as he stumbled into the classroom and gently slung him over his shoulder. Kise threw a look over his shoulder, carefully watching Ryou to make sure that he stayed down. The two members of the Kiseki no Sedai jumped through the broken window and stealthily escaped the campus.

"W-What's going on?" Kise asked as he stared at the apartment complex incredously. His eyes narrowed and he scanned the area for a familiar face. "Murasakicchi, you should put Kuroko down. The police are here."

Murasakibara obeyed and gently placed Kuroko on his own two feet. The three stared up at the burning building as firefighters worked to douse the fire and evacuate people. Many ambulances were present as well with the EMTs working to help the injured. The sight made Kuroko feel lost. Will he be going back to live with his parents now? Where will the Kiseki no Sedai go?

"Hey, Kise, Murasakibara, Tetsu!" a voice called out, causing the three said people to turn around.

Aomine ran up to them quickly followed by Midorima and Akashi. The three looked uninjured and worry in different degrees showed on their faces. Aomine ran up to Kise first and gave him a quick once-over.

"Eh, Aomineicchi? What happened to the building?" Kise asked, oblivious to the hint of concern in his partner's eyes.

"Planaedius," Midorima answered without missing a beat. His skilled eyes analyzed the three before him. "It's a good thing that you three were at school." Midorima pushed up his glasses. "But there has already been news of a destroyed classroom," Midorima stated, sending a glare towards Kise and Murasakibara.

Kuroko had been too absorbed with what the others were saying to notice Akashi approaching him. All he knew was that he was suddenly in a tight embrace. He took in the comforting smell emitting from Akashi's chest before fear gripped his heart causing him to struggle out of the redhead's grasp.

Kuroko's heart rate had sped up and adrenaline shot into his blood vessels. He shook his head slightly to maintain a calm expression even though flashes of a burning glare ran through his mind. "Ah, sorry Akashi-san. You just surprised me."

Akashi's eyes looked down casted as he met Kuroko's eyes. "I understand."

Those words had a double meaning to Kuroko. He wasn't sure if Akashi said those words in regards to the surprise that Akashi had caused him or the fear that Kuroko still had for Akashi. He simply nodded in response just as Midorima came up to the two of them.

Midorima looked at both of them with an arched brow. "I've prepared a countryside house for us," he finally stated while turning to Kuroko. "You should call you father and tell him, but for right now we must leave."

Akashi started walking away first. "The car's ready as well," he called out over his shoulder.

Kuroko watched Akashi leave with mixed feelings. "No one at the school was hurt right?"

Midorima shook his head. "No, everyone is fine, including your friends." He started to turn as a silent cue for them to leave.

Kuroko picked up on it quickly and walked beside Midorima.

Kuroko was astonished by the house that Midorima had chosen. It was a traditional Japanese styled manor located in a secluded forest in the countryside. This would give the Kiseki no Sedai time to collect themselves as Planaedius tried to find them. The house was surrounded by stonewalls and the backyard had a koi pond. Everything was a stark contrast from the harsh scenery of the city. Here, everyone had their own separate room.

Cautiously sliding open the door to his room, Kuroko stepped out on tiptoes. Night had fallen, but Kuroko couldn't sleep. He looked warily side-to-side for signs of anyone awake, but gladly saw none. He slowly closed the door behind him and took tentative steps towards the backyard. Once there, he sat down at the edge of the wooden platform and looked up into the night sky to be greeted by the millions of twinkling stars that lived there.

The call to his father was relatively painless. Both of his parents seemed to see the merits in breathing in cleaner air and had no problem with the location as long as Kuroko still attended school. They had even offered to buy him a car to make his commute easier.

Kuroko pulled up his knees and rested his head on his arms as his half-lidded eyes left the sky to watch the peace of the backyard. A creak behind him, however, caused Kuroko to perk up. He peeked over his shoulder to see Akashi leaning on one of the wooden pillars. The redhead's heterochromatic eyes glowed in the moonlight.

Kuroko started to get up. "Did I disturb you, Akashi-san?"

Akashi swiftly walked forward and pressed down on Kuroko's shoulders to keep the other down. "No," Akashi answered, authority present in his tone of voice. "Keep me company, Tetsuya."

Kuroko visibly tensed as Akashi sat down next to him. He focused his gaze on anywhere other than Akashi. "The stars are pretty," Kuroko said quietly, trying to lessen the awkwardness of the situation.

Akashi reached out and placed his hand over Kuroko's, noticing the stiffness coming from the other male. "I scared you."

Kuroko finally looked over at Akashi only to be met with the intense gaze of the other's red and gold eyes. He could immediately tell that the look in Akashi's eyes was different from the time before. Kuroko could see warmth, pain, and regret swirling in the different colored depths.

Akashi tightened his hold on Kuroko's hand and brought it close to his face. He continued to stare into Kuroko's baby blue eyes as he placed a chaste kiss on the bluehead's hand. "Forgive me."

Kuroko's stomach flipped multiple times. Akashi's words, actions, stare…all of it was too intense. He didn't know how to react. He pulled his hand away, but Akashi leaned forward. "A-Akashi-san."

Akashi rested his head on Kuroko's shoulder. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath. "I'll protect you. I promise."

Kuroko's eyes widened slightly before returning to normal. It was plain obvious that Akashi was truly sorry for letting himself get out of control. Kuroko carefully reached around and patted Akashi on the back. "It's okay Akashi-san. I understand." Now I understand.

Akashi hid his small smile of relief and let his head fall to Kuroko's lap.

"Akashi-san!" Kuroko let out with a yelp. He failed to notice the blush that suddenly blossomed on his face.

"I've been deprived of you for too long," Akashi murmured. "Let me stay like this for awhile."

Kuroko frowned and seriously considered pushing Akashi off of his lap. He juggled this thought, but was interrupted by Akashi abruptly getting up. "What are yo-umph!"

Kuroko's blush lightly dusted his cheeks as he found himself on top of Akashi. He pushed against the redhead's chest only to find that Akashi had his arms securely around his waist. He pouted after seeing Akashi's smirk.

"I like this better," Akashi said lowly. He held Kuroko tighter. "So just go to sleep."

Kuroko turned away, but let his head rest on Akashi's rising and descending chest. Warmth surrounded him, letting sleep's gentle arms seduce him into dreamland easier. It wasn't long until Kuroko's breath evened out.

Akashi ran his hand through the blue locks, gently caressing his scalp.

"I love you Tetsuya," Akashi whispered, sure that Kuroko had not heard it.

And Akashi was right, Kuroko had not heard it.

Thank you everyone, for doing what you can to support this story!

Personal thanks to:

hitomi65 - Ah, thank you for the review!

Shadow of an Echo - I'm thanking you again! *sighs loud sigh of relief* I'm glad the backstory made sense! Jealousy is very scary, especially coming from Akashi! I think Akashi went pretty easy on Midorima...this time around...haha! Yeah! Who knows what would have happened to our precious Kuroko! I should definitely arrange that so we can see how Akashi acts! Yes, Takao needs to make another appearance! I hope that I'm building the characters up well! Thank you for your encouragement! You really help me push through my insecurities! Thank you for being a MAGNIFICENT reviewer!

AokazuSei - I'm glad you love my story! And wow! That picture is so like the Kiseki no Sedai! Thank you for showing me!

EclipseKuran - Here's the next post! Thank you for the review!

.353 - Thank you for the love! I hope the little ending was enough AkaKuro for you!

Ahhhhh! I just finished this chappy today and I feel that this one is too long! Please forgive any grammatical errors...because I'm sure there are some in there...

I'm not too happy with this chapter. I feel the flow is really off, but hopefully it isn't too bad for you guys!

Thank you again!