FOR DAY 4 (April 14) OF AKAKURO WEEK 2017
Mediation | Probability | Judgment
Bonus: "At one point, I thought he was god."


All was quiet in the room; he'd sought it out for just that reason. He had enough internal clamoring that he did not need additional background irritants. Sinking down into a leather club chair in the guest suite he'd reserved at an exclusive hotel, Akashi looked out of the floor-to-ceiling window to take in the view of Tokyo. It was nighttime and the vista looked nearly surreal with the glowing lights of buildings and machines breaking up the natural darkness. He couldn't hear any noise – not only was he too far up in the building, but these accommodations were meant to afford privacy and serenity at all costs. He could not even hear noise coming from the hall, had there been any, but the guests and staff of this establishment were much too discreet for raucous behavior.

Now someone might wonder why Akashi Seijuurou, owner of some of the most prime real estate in Japan, might bother with checking himself into a hotel when he already owned many suitable properties to do exactly what he was now. That was answered when a polite knock on the door preceded it being opened with a key card.

"Akashi-kun? May I come in?" The soft voice belonged to a young man with blue hair that waited respectfully in the entryway until Akashi granted permission. It took only moments for his visitor to enter and take the matching chair next to his own. They peered out at the vista in comfortably silent companionship for several moments before Akashi spoke again.

"Good evening, Tetsuya. Thank you for joining me tonight."

Kuroko smiled. "We meet every week, Akashi-kun, were you truly worried I might not keep our appointment this time?"

Akashi made a negligent motion with his hand. "It's never certain till it happens, you should understand my concern as much as anyone even with the odds being in my favor."

He nodded in response; Kuroko definitely understood. "Shall we begin, then?" There was no judgment in Kuroko's quietly uttered question; he asked it every time and just the same way. The burden was theirs to share and he would neither rush nor delay Akashi, not after the years of torment he'd endured.

Akashi turned his head and looked Kuroko fully in the face for the first time since the other had arrived. He nodded once, that was all that was needed.

Kuroko smiled, so gently it shouldn't have been real, before he reached out across the space between them and offered Akashi his hand. Akashi took it, and the sharp sting of their energies coming into contact was a brief inconvenience before they did their real work.

"You did too much this week, Akashi-kun." The mild scolding was part of this; Akashi always did too much and Kuroko always reproached him for it.

"I did my quota, that is all." His voice was tired but a faint echo of anticipation could be heard. Relief was so close now.

Kuroko murmured something noncommittal as he worked, filtering through the memories and extracting the burden of them from Akashi. It was true he did his quota, but Akashi's quota was the highest of any contractor in the demonic ranks. Kuroko would take the memories to the next realm and the souls attached to these memories were processed based on the contract they'd formed.

It was painful work and Kuroko remembered the first time he'd taken them from Akashi – there had been too many to count. He'd thought Akashi must be a god to have handled the burden alone for so long and he'd been honestly surprised to be informed of his mistake. Intercession demons like Kuroko that could remove these contracts were relatively rare, but since most demons outgrew the need to form the contracts in the first place it was generally not an issue. Akashi, although he was an extremely powerful demon, still had to get hundreds each month. It was a punishment levied on him long ago, if he failed he would be stripped of his status and possibly his life – the verdict had been left purposefully vague to increase Akashi's suffering.

The fact that Akashi always had a vast store of contacts in his care made others like Kuroko wary of him, because they knew how exhausting and agonizing it would be to help Akashi. When Kuroko had stumbled across him the first time, quite by accident, his heart had nearly broken at the resignation in Akashi's eyes – he didn't expect for Kuroko to assist him.

Kuroko had not been able to remove all of the contracts that first time – he hadn't been strong enough. It was a curious thing, his own powers were growing in an effort to accommodate Akashi's need, but it meant subjecting himself to an incredible amount of agony each week so that Akashi could continue his work. Gradually he'd gotten there, and watching the shadow of pain in Akashi's beautifully mismatched eyes finally vanish was something he'd found more than worthwhile. They'd been meeting once a week for decades now, the weekly appointment allowing Akashi a way to function in both the mortal and supernatural worlds.

When Kuroko was done, breathing hard and shaking slightly as he tried to reconcile the pain, the room lit with a brilliant red-tinted glow. It was Akashi's power and he sent it to Kuroko, offering a boost of his own. Kuroko was grateful – not many demons bothered to help an Intercessor after the exchange, figuring it was their burden now, but Akashi had done so from the very beginning.

After a moment, Kuroko's own energy stabilized and the pain was gone. It was a truly unfair arrangement; Kuroko's suffering was intense during the transfer but it was over and forgotten once the contracts were in his custody. Akashi would have only a few hours to enjoy before he had to start anew, carrying the torturous seals until they met again.

Closing his eyes briefly, Akashi took a minute to enjoy this brief respite. Opening them, he looked again at Kuroko. "Thank you, as always."

Kuroko smiled and then spoke, a slight degree of hesitation in his tone. "Akashi-kun, you have been doing this for centuries, is there no chance of an appeal for leniency now? Surely your punishment has gone on long enough?"

Akashi's mouth twisted in a quick flash of humor. "I think the probability is quite low, Tetsuya. I am the last of my line and they will not revoke this curse until I agree to align my faction with theirs. I have refused, and so have they." He paused, looking at Kuroko searchingly. "But perhaps I have been too selfish, this is difficult for you as well. I would understand if you needed to space our meetings out."

Kuroko's denial was immediate. "No, Akashi-kun. I am glad I found you to begin with. You have need of me and I am happy to help. But I can't respect the council that ordered this for you. If there is no chance for mediation, perhaps you might consider…" he paused, aware that what he was about to suggest was close to blasphemy and certainly skirted close to treason, "…perhaps you might…mislead them about your loyalties?"

It was only due to the fact Akashi didn't immediately shout down the suggestion that let Kuroko know he had already considered it. He hadn't expected for Akashi to look at him so seriously though. It was an enormous risk of course, but Akashi had been punished enough, hadn't he?

"I had a visit from them shortly after you first agreed to assist me, Tetsuya. They knew of your help due to the rapid influx of contracts you brought to them. I was told if I tried such a thing that my test of loyalty would be to kill you – I would have no need of you if the curse is lifted after all, and it would serve to keep me on a metaphorical leash as I would not easily be able to betray them after that for fear of this punishment resuming without the benefit of your generosity." His eyes flashed with an emotion Kuroko couldn't quite identify. "It is not a risk I am willing to take."

Kuroko's heart was heavy. He didn't know why humans thought demons didn't have them, he could tell anyone who cared to ask they were subject to the same potential for joy and despair as a mortal. And realizing that Akashi had been offered freedom in such a cruel way was devastating. He reached out again and Akashi took his hand as before. There was no discomfort this time, Akashi's aura was settled without having to carry the contracts and Kuroko's usually calm presence held sway.

"We will find a way, Akashi-kun." He said it as a whisper but it was meant as a vow.

Akashi smiled and squeezed Kuroko's hand. He knew they would too, eventually. This punishment had been a bitter taste in his mouth for too many centuries to count and he intended to pay them back for it tenfold. But for now, he was content. Tetsuya had saved him, and his friendship had been the first real connection Akashi had had since he'd been just a young demon lord in training. It had grown to something more and he was patient and stubborn enough not to risk that, Tetsuya was too important. He could wait for the right moment to strike, confident that his vengeance would be severe. Akashi looked forward to when Tetsuya's eyes viewed him as he was truly meant to be. And then there would be no more pain between them, at least…not of this nature.