Lovely Jewels
Searching For the Key
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Pale sunlight filtered in through the window, pooling over the room's contents and resting its slightly warm rays on a certain pair who was still under night's rest. Kuroko stirred, slightly fluttering his eyelids as he allowed his eyes to adjust to the brighter light. He ran a hand tentatively through his messy blue hair before slowly sitting up. His eyes took in the room around him and confusion clouded his mind. He immediately noticed that this wasn't his room. Stirring beside him caught his attention and Kuroko looked over his shoulder, becoming visibly shocked at what he saw.
Akashi Seijuro was sleeping in the futon beside where Kuroko once laid. Kuroko took in the moment to take in the redhead's peaceful sleeping face, devoid of the commanding air it usually carried. However, he couldn't fathom the reason why Akashi was here…or why they were sleeping together. Kuroko slipped out of the futon, making note that his clothes were still intact, before tip-toeing to the door and sliding it open.
Kuroko turned and quietly closed the door behind him. He walked down the hallway, wondering where the others were. His question was partly answered when he chanced upon Midorima.
"Ah, Kuroko, I see that you are awake," Midorima stated, averting his gaze as a light blush spread across is upper cheeks.
Kuroko tilted his head a bit, not understanding Midorima's reaction. "Is something wrong, Midorima-kun? Your face is red."
Midorima looked down at the short blue-head, taking the moment to survey the boy's condition. There were no visible injuries that called for attention, but he felt obliged to still ask a few questions. "How are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?"
Blinking, Kuroko pressed a palm of his hand to his temple. "Still? It doesn't really hurt that much. I'm fine." He pulled the hand away and stared up at the greenhead. "Did something happen yesterday? I don't remember anything, but I woke up next to Akashi-san."
Midorima looked taken aback. He doesn't remember anything? "What do you remember, Kuroko?" His eyes slightly narrowed.
"Getting breakfast," muttered Kuroko. "Nothing after that."
Midorima made the quick decision to lie to the time-traveler. "That may be because you fainted afterwards. You had a high fever. Akashi-san was watching over you last night."
Kuroko's eyes widened unnoticeably. "Ah, sorry for causing you trouble."
The two looked up when a familiar giant came ambling into the hallway. Midorima caught Murasakibara's attention, silently telling him a quick summary of Kuroko's latest development through telepathy. Murasakibara nodded, quickly getting the message.
"Ara, ara," Murasakibara called out. "Looks like Kuro-chin is feeling better." The purple-headed giant pulled Kuroko into an embrace. "Your hair is messy, Kuro-chin."
Kuroko looked slightly annoyed as he struggled to get away from Murasakibara. "Murasakibara-kun, let go."
Midorima pushed up his glasses. "You two can go get breakfast started, but don't push yourself too hard, Kuroko. It would be troublesome if you fainted again."
Murasakibara nodded and started the awkward walk to the kitchen while still keeping a hold on Kuroko. "Breakfast will be good, Mido-chin."
Midorima watched the two leave before heading back to his room, sure that Akashi was awake by now. There was much to explain, but he assumed that Kuroko's lack of memories was an after effect of Haizaki's powers. As long as Kuroko was in good condition though, Midorima found no reason to tell Kuroko about what had occurred. That would only trouble the smaller male. The greenhead hid a blush thinking about what had occurred last night. Surely Kuroko would not want to hear about that.
Heterochromatic eyes opened to find the place next to him empty although he could feel lingering warmth. Akashi sighed before running a hand through his red locks. He sat up, causing the blanket on him to slide down to his waist. Footsteps outside the room caught his attention, but he allowed his shoulders to lose their tension once he recognized the footfalls. He was sure Kuroko probably had escaped while blushing madly and that served to satisfy and lull his desire to seek out the smaller blue-headed male.
The door slid open to reveal Midorima who entered quickly before closing the door. He gave Akashi a serious look and was replied to with a small smirk. Akashi's reaction told Midorima that the redheaded leader would not be receiving the information he was about to spew quite well.
"Akashi-san," Midorima started. He waited until he was sure that Akashi's attention was fully on him. "Kuroko doesn't remember anything after Haizaki stole his memories." He held his breath and closed his eyes, wondering how Akashi was taking his words.
Akashi's eyes flashed in disbelief briefly. "A side effect, I'm guessing," he finally let out. "I was expecting as much." He stood up and walked towards his comrade.
Midorima internally let out a sigh of relief. He stepped aside from the door and allowed Akashi to pass. As long as the other seemed to understand, Midorima could rest easy. He reached out and touched Akashi's shoulder before he could leave the room. Even though the connection was small, Midorima could feel hints of anger radiating of his friend.
"He doesn't remember, Akashi. Let's leave it that way," Midorima stated quietly while looking at the redhead. "It'll only trouble him…in more ways than one," he added with a slight blush.
Akashi met Midorima's gaze unflinchingly. His eyes told the other's that he had agreed, though he reluctantly did so. He moved into the hallway, letting Midorima's hand fall from his shoulder.
"Oi, Aominecchi!" Kise called out as he stood outside the tanned male's room. "You need to wake up! It's time to check the barrier!" While crossing his arms, Kise impatiently began tapping his toes. He stared at the closed door in front of him, hearing nothing. He threw up his hands in exasperation and roughly slid open the door before stomping in. His eyes glanced over the slightly disorderly room and spotted a lump on the futon. The blonde marched on over to where Aomine lay, full of determination to get the other person to wake up.
"Aomine-" Kise started, but instead finished with a gasp.
Aomine had heard Kise the entire time, but was really just too lazy to respond. When Kise was approaching him, he took the opportunity to shoot out an arm and capture the blonde before pulling him down on to the futon. Aomine tugged Kise closer until he was able to place his chin atop Kise's head. Kise blushed once he realized that he was face to face with Aomine's shirtless chest. Its sculpted pecs stood out quite well to him.
"Aominecchi~," Kise whined as he tried vainly to push away from Aomine. "Akashicchi is going to be mad." He looked up at Aomine who stared down at him with slightly lazy eyes.
Aomine smirked. "Well, it's really not my fault that I'm tired. You're good at keeping me up all night," the tanned-male stated, liking the response that he was getting from the other.
Kise blushed furiously and succeeded in escaping Aomine's grasp. "W-What are you talking about?" Kise stuttered as he crossed his arms and looked away.
Aomine leaned up on his elbow, his hand cradling the side of his head. "Would you like me to go into detail about what I do to you every night in my dreams?" He pushed himself up into a sitting position, letting the blanket fall to reveal a set of nicely tight abs.
Kise's eyes widened at Aomine's words as his cheeks were further flushed with bright red. "E-Eh? You are such a pervert, Aominecchi!" Kise cried out.
Before either could utter another syllable, they heard someone at the door cough. Both looked up to see Midorima glaring at them. Aomine let out an exasperated sigh as he reached somewhere to pull out a shirt before slipping it on. He pulled out other articles of clothing and looked sideways at Midorima.
"You are such a cockblocker, Midorima," Aomine muttered as he finished putting on his shoes.
"And you are as foul as always," Midorima coolly shot back. "Hurry and check the barrier. Akashi isn't in the brightest of moods, so now isn't the time to be playing around."
Kise tilted his head and gave the greenhead a look of surprise. "What do you mean? Didn't he and Kurokocchi get together last night?" Kise inquired as he got up from the floor, approaching Midorima.
"Kuroko has no memory of anything occurring after the attack," Midorima answered. He eyed both seriously. "And nothing of what happened will reach Kuroko's ears, understand?"
They nodded in response. That was enough information to tell them to keep quiet and the two exited the room under Midorima's watchful gaze. It wasn't long before both were sprinting through the forest.
"Aominecchi!"
Aomine looked up from where he was crouched, hearing Kise call his name. He looked back at the edge of the barrier and did quick maintenance before standing up. A flash of yellow caught his eyes and he watched as Kise hurriedly approached him.
"What is it, Kise?" Aomine asked when the blonde seemed near enough to hear him.
"There's a person here!" Kise replied excitedly. "He said he's here to see Kurokocchi!"
Aomine looked alarmed, but before he could make an angry inquiry about letting strangers into the barrier, Kise reached out and tugged his arm.
"It's okay, he's from the Momoi family," Kise said while pulling Aomine along. "I'm sure Akashicchi will want to talk to him. Let's bring him back."
Akashi swiftly walked through the halls to the living room. He was a bit apprehensive about seeing Kuroko, having done his best to avoid him for most of the morning. Yet this guest of theirs required his attention, so it was inevitable that he would meet up with the small blue-head. The fact that Kuroko's memories were lost once more proceeded to tick him off, but he was calmed by the fact that he was no longer the cause of Kuroko's fear. He received all the necessary information before from Midorima. If Kise and Aomine had made a mistake about this person, they would have Hell to pay.
He slid open the door and stepped in, already exuding a commanding air. The messenger immediately took notice of Akashi and knelt forward in his sitting position to give Akashi a formal bow. Akashi simply nodded before taking a sit between Midorima and Murasakibara. He looked over the guest's appearance, noting his simple clothes and short black hair. Kuroko sat next to the man who had yet to introduce himself. He acknowledged the blue-head with a glance.
"It is good to see that you are doing well, Akashi-sama," the man stated respectfully. "I am Hideki, a messenger from the Momoi family."
Akashi raised a brow at the family name. "Is there trouble?"
Hideki looked down nervously. "The Momoi family knows that in this era the Kiseki no Sedai is not obliged to help with them, but in this case it is a dire necessity," he babbled hesistantly.
Murasakibara pulled out a couple of candy bars from behind his back, easily ripping the wrapper of one. He stared at Hideki while munching on the bar. "Aka-chin is going to get impatient if you don't hurry and tell us what you need," the giant warned through a mouthful.
Akashi glanced sideways at Murasakibara. "Don't talk with your mouth full, Atsushi."
Hideki stared nervously at the two and wondered at their exchange. "I-It's just that we fear that Planaedius is preparing an attack on the household." He rubbed his hands together, trying his best to maintain Akashi's gaze.
Kuroko stiffened at the messenger's words, but the others did not take notice. His eyes fell to Akashi, carefully observing him. He was prepared to take action, fully aware that his friend Momoi was in danger.
Akashi's eyes narrowed. "Is there a reason for the attack?" he questioned, activating his Emperor's Eye and successfully marking Hideki. The man shone bright blue, indicating that there was no foul play.
"It's the Time Wand," Hideki quietly replied. "They are coming to steal it."
The Kiseki no Sedai tensed at the Hideki's words. Akashi closed his eyes, allowing himself to think, though not oblivious to the others' reactions. He opened his eyes slowly, coming to a quick decision.
"Tetsuya," Akashi called out. He waited until Kuroko met his eyes. "What is your decision?"
Kuroko looked taken aback.
"We will follow and protect you in whatever you choose to do," Midorima added on.
In Kuroko's mind, there was no other answer than the one he had already decided on. "We will help them," he stated.
Hideki turned to look at Kuroko with thankful eyes. He grabbed the pale boy's hands in his own and began thanking him. "Thank you so very much! My master and mistress will be delighted to hear this!"
In a flash, Akashi was beside the pair. He smiled darkly at Hideki before reaching out and grabbing Kuroko's slim wrist and pulling him towards himself. Hideki immediately let go, feeling both afraid and confused. Kuroko also gave Akashi a look, but it was one of slight annoyance.
"Tetsuya is still recovering from his fever," Akashi said in a sickly sweet tone. "It'd be best if you refrained from putting any strain on his fragile body."
"O-Of course! Forgive me Kuroko-sama!" Hideki profusely apologized. He bowed lowly while turning towards Kuroko, letting his forehead touch the floor.
The rest of the Kiseki no Sedai either snickered or sweat-dropped. Midorima pushed up his glasses as he looked upon the situation. Akashi had let Kuroko stand on his own and the blue-head was now assuring Hideki that he was fine. The group decided that they would accompany Hideki to the Momoi household that night.
Kuroko looked around at the familiar mansion and admired the gardens surrounding it. The mansion's architecture reflected ancient Japan and the cherry blossoms on the grounds only added to the beauty of the old image. Small ponds were on either side of the garden and Kuroko assumed that there were more in the back. He stopped to admire a certain bush blooming with light purple flowers. They must have added this since the last time I've visited. He allowed his guardians to go ahead of them, each lost in the beauty of the land.
"TETSU-KUN!"
The group quickly stepped aside as a busty pink-haired girl came running down the path and leapt forward to hug Kuroko. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as she gushed some nonsense. Akashi and the others widened their eyes upon seeing the girl, making a quick connection, but soon realized she was not the girl that they knew.
Kuroko reached around and gently patted the girl on the head. "It's good to see you, Momoi-san."
Akashi watched avidly, feeling a bit of ire from not being able to be as intimately close to Kuroko as the look-alike Momoka girl was.
Satsuki looked up from where she had been crying in Kuroko's shirt and genuinely smiled. "Tetsu-kun, it's been such a long time and everyone said you disappeared!"
Kuroko smiled gently. "Thank you for your concern, but I am alright." He waited until Satsuki let go of his arm to ask, "What do you need help with?"
At that moment a man appeared before the group, cleanly dressed with impeccably styled graying hair. He wore classes and the wrinkles on his face not only gave away his age, but also implied the experiences the owner had been through. He cleared his throat to gain his audience's attention.
"Momoi-sama, please allow the guardians to come in. The elders are waiting," he stated calmly while bowing towards the pink-haired girl.
"Ah, of course! I'm sorry!" Satsuki said while letting out a laugh. She turned to Kuroko and grabbed his arm before pulling him along. "Remember Father and Mother? They were worried about you too!"
The guardians trailed after the pair, following silently. They eyed their surroundings with nostalgia. The smells and the sights were reminders of their past charges. Satsuki, however, truly brought back memories of their time with Momoka. The group trooped on into a waiting room where the elders of the Momoi family stood waiting. Kuroko spotted familiar faces and politely bowed before taking a seat opposite of the elders. The Kiseki no Sedai followed suit.
"Kuroko-san, it's nice to see that you are well," one of the men greeted. He had brown eyes and long gray hair pulled back into a ponytail. A mustache graced his upper lip.
"I would say the same to you, Momoi-sama," Kuroko replied. "I am here to help with whatever I can."
The man let out a sigh. "I see then that you are aware of your power?" He watched as Kuroko nodded yes before continuing. "You may not know this, because I know that your parents failed to tell you of your lineage, but in our possession is a time traveler artifact."
Akashi raised an eyebrow. Is he talking about that particular artifact? His eyes narrowed and he unconsciously shifted closer to Kuroko, though a particular pink-haired girl was in the way. Akashi controlled his temper. After all, it seemed that Kuroko and the girl were friends.
"It is the Time Wand," the Momoi elder clarified. "The Momoii family has held on to the Time Wand for ages, but we have heard from our sources that Planaedius is planning an attack on our household to steal it." He let out a small sigh, his old eyes revealing how tired the man was.
Satsuki stiffened beside Kuroko. He glanced over at his friend before returning the gaze to her father. "What would you like me to do?" Kuroko asked. "I'll do whatever is in my power." Kuroko looked forward with a determined look on his face.
"It is important that the Time Wand does not fall into Planaedius hands, for it has the power to make anyone obey the holder," the Momoi elder explained. His brows furrowed as he added, "Planaedius knows where we have hidden the Time Wand and it's only a matter of time before they come for it. We need you to travel back in time and hide the key in a different designated area."
"Why can't you just take it and hide it in this time period?" Kise asked suddenly, a frown apparent on his face. He didn't see the need to send Kuroko back in time and possibly put the small male in danger.
Akashi gave Kise a glare that sent the blonde cowering into Aomine. He turned back to the elders and apologized. "Forgive my friend."
The old man just waved his hand. "It's fine, that was a good question."
Kise beamed at this, but not too much, knowing that Akashi was keeping a close eye on him.
"One of our ancestors had released a poisonous miasma around the site of where the Time Wand is hidden in an attempt to better protect it," the Momoi elder began. "Of course it worked, we just can't get to it either though." Kise was about to ask another question but the elder held up his hand. "It seems that Planaedius has found a way to get around the miasma, but it has taken them some decades to do so. That is time that we do not have."
Akashi and Midorima both nodded, though although they understood, they were more or less reluctant to let Kuroko time travel back. The first time Kuroko had gone back into the past had left the boy extremely weak and faint. Plus there was also the possibility that he would run into their past selves.
Akashi abruptly stood up. He bowed towards the elders who had been silent except for Satsuki's father. "We request to discuss this with our Time Traveler."
Kuroko looked at Akashi in confusion. What do we need to discuss?
"Of course, I will be in my office when you have made your decision," Satsuki's father stated while slowly getting up. "Please take your time on this matter and your rooms have already been prepared."
The elders slowly left one by one out of the room. Kuroko looked at Satsuki and quietly told her to leave as well after promising to meet with her later. He was interested in what Akashi had to say. Did the Kisek not want to help?
As soon as the group was alone in the room, Kuroko claimed that he would be going back in time to help the Momoi family. "I have my powers," Kuroko gently exclaimed. "Let me use them."
Midorima sighed and pushed up his glasses. "We know, but we don't know if you are up for the challenge."
"Yeah Kurokocchi! You might faint again!" Kise chimed in. His golden-brown eyes were filled with worry.
Kuroko turned to Akashi. He was sure that if he could gain the redhead's approval, he would be able to easily persuade the others. "Akashi-san, I understand that you are all worried, but trust me. I will be fine." He cast is unwavering and determined gaze upon the heterochromatic eyes.
Akashi met Kuroko's stare head on. He could vaguely read the emotions swirling in the other's icy blue depths. However, there was one thing that Akashi was sure of. He trusted Kuroko.
"We'll be waiting your return," Akashi said simply.
Midorima wasn't surprised with Akashi's decision. He knew Kuroko wouldn't back down either. "I will inform the household master of your decision." He turned to the rest of the members. "I'm sure the servants are waiting to show us to our rooms."
Murasakibara and others nodded, still tense and unsure about letting Kuroko go. They exited the room, paying little attention to the fact that Akashi and Kuroko seemed to be deliberately waiting for them to leave. Kuroko had the feeling that Akashi wanted to say something else and he was wondering if the redhead would act on it.
"Tetsuya."
Looks like Kuroko was right.
The smaller male turned around only to find that the other was alarmingly close. "Y-Yes?" Kuroko inquired, trying hard to not seem so shocked.
Akashi reached out and cupped Kuroko's cheek. "You remember nothing?" His eyes lacked some luster, seeming saddened.
Kuroko looked at the slightly taller male in confusion. Akashi's hand was warm as always, but something seemed off. He moved away from Akashi's grasp before saying, "I don't understand."
Heterochromatic eyes narrowed at this. He seemed so close to obtaining Kuroko's heart, but this had set everything back. Akashi reached out somewhat slowly moved his hand to pat the back of Kuroko's head. He brought their foreheads together, causing a light dash of pink to splash across Kuroko's cheeks. Kuroko's blue eyes looked into Akashi's face only to find that the heterochromatic eyes that he was so familiar with were closed. Kuroko could feel Akashi's warm breath gently blowing across his skin, sending a shiver up his spine. The redhead's voice broke him from his daze.
"I'm sorry. Forget what I said," Akashi murmured lowly. Akashi removed his hand and forehead and walked past Kuroko. He paused at the door, not turning around. "You should rest. I expect that tomorrow is the day you will leave." With that said Akashi left Kuroko alone in the room.
Kuroko turned to see Akashi leave. He was left with confusing, conflicting emotions. However, there was nothing he could do but talk to Akashi about it, though the other seemed reluctant. He shook his head. There were other pressing matters at hand, he'll see to this one later. Kuroko walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Ahhhhhh, I'm sooooo sorry! It's been way too long! So here is a brief explanation/excuse of what has been going on these past few months. I uploaded chappy 10 right before I went to State for one of my competitions. I came back and found that my usbs were stolen. I have four... I found two and my teacher had found another for me (another student had it)...but of course the one with all my fanfic stuff was still gone. I just got really depressed because that flash drive had EVERYTHING. All the character profiles, plot line (I went up to 20 something chapters!), other useful stuff to help me write...POOF! All gone! I had a hard time bringing myself to write, but I still felt dedicated to you lovely guys, so I pushed through. Plus that one-shot I was planning on giving you guys too... Not only that...but that usb had some of my competitive stuff too...I'm a terrible person for letting that happen. I will be leaving next week for Nationals though!
Regardless, thank you sooo much for all the support and criticisms! It means so much to me! I really hope this chapter wasn't too disappointing either! I just got off writing essays, so I'm hoping my creative writing style isn't affected too much.
Okay so Personal Thanks too:
hitomi65 - Thank you as always for your continued support!
BashyBunny - Thank you! I'm glad you liked the chapter! They were a bit painful to write, haha! Thank you for your review and your patience!
Tennu - Ah, I see! I'll try to make this a more interesting story so I won't lose you and others then! YES, HE DID! *grabs durians for myself* Lol, I this is my favorite fruit, Haizaki can't have them! MWAHAHAHA! Haha, thank you for your review!
Swtazngrl5 - Thank you for your review and kind words! Here's the update and I hope you enjoy!
ObsidianShadow1994 - Thank you again for your criticism! It really has helped me in my journey to improve my writing! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you! Thank you for the review!
Riomi-senpai - Thank you! I'm glad you found it interesting! Please enjoy this update too!
Dark Cat Food Lover - Here is my update! Thank you for the review!
jessyjasmine.7 - Nooooo! You're not late, I am! I'm sorry! Here's the update and thank you for reviewing!
SunMoonKitsune - Haha, I might consider that idea in future stories! Thanks for the review!
Shadow of an Echo - Thank you again for your wonderfully kind words! I'm glad the memories stood out to you! Awww, really? I thought it was a bit too fast, but I'm happy you like it! Thank you! I'm glad I could get Kise to be more Canon-y! Haha, I love Scar! It really is adorable when the Kiseki are protective haha! Thank you, I will try harder!
doggoneit - Haha! Thank you for your review! I couldn't help laughing because I added a shirtless scene...lol! I'm glad you think the story is amazing!
Nobleteacup - Thank you for the advice! I will keep that in mind when I am writing the plot line! I'm glad my story has caught your attention so! I hope you enjoy the update! AND CARRY ON I WILL! XD
fostinefoil - Haha, thank you for the review! I'm glad you were able to stumble upon my story and that you think it's amazing!
KurokoTetsuya101 - Wow, thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you think it's AWESOME! Yes, haha, Ryou is a character I made up! Thank you! It took quite some thought to get each one's individual powers, but I like the turn out! GOMxKuroko seems something I might write in a different story...I might actually look into it... Yes, haha! I ship AkaKuro all the way! Thank you for your kind words! Yes, there are more superhuman hybrids other than Haizaki in the organization. Yup, Ryou is one of them! I'm sorry! I will try harder to become a better author!
Kirika Miu - Thank you for your feedback! I will definitely keep it in mind when I further plan out my story! Lol, it is my job...to make you think dirty! Haha, thank you for the review!
hoshiseichan - Here's the next chappy! Thank you for your review!
MissSexyRain - Yay summer break! Thank you for the review and I'm doing well, I hope the same for you!
So I hope all of you are doing well also! Again, thank you! I really do hope this chapter meets most if not all expectations! Your endless support really drives me on! Forgive me for any grammatical errors! I will work on getting a one-shot up, I might actually have a rough ROUGH draft of it somewhere, so please look forward to that too!