"Ah, Kuroko-niisan!"

Bunch of kindergarten kids happily ran to the blue haired painter. Kuroko chuckled at the sight as they bumped hugs together.

"Done with the school?"

"Yeah!"

A soft and muffled compliment escaped from few children who had been staring at his paintings,"Kuroko-niisan's painting is amazing as always"

Kuroko smiled, sincerely pleased over the pure compliment of children,"Thank you, do you also want to be drawn?"

Eyes of caramel widened in happiness but then turned off slightly,"But I have no money"

Heart swooned for the cuteness in front of him, Kuroko laughed,"If it's for a quick doodle I'm okay to do it for free"

Even before the little kid could answer, the other kids screamed in hope,"Me too! Me too! I want a picture too!"

Kuroko patted the two kids closest to him,"How about I draw you all together?"

"Eh?"

"Really?"

Kuroko nodded his head while expression of assurance covering his usually-unreadable-mien. He himself never realized that every time he faced the thing he had taken a liking for –let's just mention his world of painting and warmth of the children- the pokerface of his would be faltered, melted into one bundled emotion all over his face.

"But if there is only one drawing of us, we wouldn't be able to bring it back home, right?"

Ah. Kuroko nodded in realization as the other kids getting confused over the same matter. The young painter put a napkin to his lap and prepared a board with A3 sketch-paper on it.

"I will draw you all and to make it fair", Kuroko giggled over his own idea,"I will be the one to bring the picture home"

"Eeh? How come?"

Pouts and unwilling faces protested. Kuroko tried to hold his urge to glomp the cute kids and pointed to all of his displayed paintings,"I will get it finished good so I can display it here"

"Whoa!"

"For real, Kuroko-niisan?"

Kuroko nodded his head. The kids upped their hands in happiness, fussing on the idea.

"When the picture is done, I will be able to show my mommy every time we walk to the park!"

"Ah, I want to show it to my daddy too!"

The idea of it sparked excitement, made Kuroko unable to handle the ferociousness of healthy kindergarteners. Pale fingers then wrapped a graphite-pencil,"Now, now, don't you all want the painting to be done? How about you guys start taking position?"


Chrysanthemum

by fancyshipper

Kuroko no Basket © Fujimaki Tadatoshi

unbetaed Daisy AU! for AkaKuro, AoKuro


Both hands clapped to each of his side-pocket, Aomine Daiki grudgingly stood on the aisle between two buildings. His saphire eyes squinted his surrounding thoroughly. He wanted to take a sit on the bakery right on his side but then he would be doomed if the chief took it as a sign of his uncooperative motion on their current operation. But then the idea of him blending into the flower-shop on his left side was also no good. He then just stood there dumbly without much thing to do to kill his time.

Aomine had been wanted to book a room on a hotel two buildings away from his position, the sole reason was that the rent would ease his stalk, yet the very idea got rejected immediately by the mighty chief superintendent. The tanned man snorted over the reason of lack-budget but then he knew very well that his boss would never let him playing around on a mission, much to the picture of him booking a hotel room and misusing it to commit another affair with unidentified woman.

He wanted to ignite his cigarette when in a distinct view, in a very enclosed building on the other side of the road across the park, he saw a car stopped there. Wanting to get a closer look, Aomine quickly put his cigarette back to his pocket and walked straight to the park to get a closer look.

Wait. Aomine shook his head to realize that the rush movement of his would be too suspicious and decided to fake it with a handfull bucket of a flower from the flower-shop –much to his stupidity for not having a thought of buying bread or scone from the bakery. In the midst of confuse and hurry, the florist came to his rescue and handed him a bucket of red-chrysanths, promoted it as their flower of the day.

Aomine hummed in agreement, quickly paid it off and walked to the park. The picture of a tall and dark-skinned man in a gorgeous casual cloth holding a bucket of pure red flower somehow attracted other people in the park. To his insensibility, he looked like a desperate handsome guy waiting for his date –or an overwhelmingly attractive host got lost in daylight time.

The target of his stalk showed up from the car, forcing Aomine to get a better position for his operation. Fiddling with his bucket of chrysanths in confuse, Aomine searched a good spot and found a folding chair hidden between middle-sized canvases. Without thinking, he took the chair and hugged the flower to his chest –sharp eyes dangerously staring hole to his target.

As quick as he was, the target swiftly gone to the old-building, urging the tanned man to huff in tiredness. He palmed his face, clumsily massaged his forehead to chase away the aching-feeling. Eventhough it was quick and pointless, at least Aomine had made sure that this target was really using that old-building right according to his estimation. He would report this to the chief later –and would like to earn himself a half-hearted compliment for his contribution to the operation.

"Umm.. excuse me.."


It had been hours since the kindergarteners left. The sun shone brightly, leaving trace of glittering shadows under the tree. After seeing the kids off, Kuroko had been trying to finish his picture since there wasn't any customer came to his little booth. Kuroko wished to get it done smooth and good so that tomorrow he could display the picture and got himself a blinding smile of happiness from the children.

Kuroko upped his eyebrows as he got the sketch finished, a glimpse of satisfied feature went across his plain expression. He just needed to color it up and polished it fine with a touch of stunning shades, which he thought to execute it better on his studio, his room, behind the antique-store. The curved fingers of him pliantly rolled up the paper and put it into the paper-tube as a tanned man suddenly sat on the chair beside him.

He was about to warn the crude presence about the fact that the chair is supposed to be prepared for a customer of his little business but then, the sight of red-chrysanths in front of him prevented his throat to spill the words out. Kuroko gaped at the sight of it and took a focus on the owner of the flower bucket –who seemed to favor the flower greatly by hugging it to his chest.

Dropdead good looking man, if Kuroko would like to admit. With a typical gesture of womanizer behind the sharp and rough saphire eyes, hair darkened with marvelous prussion-blue, skin tanned manly, well formed jaw line and great body form, Kuroko could see how much women and girls would swoon over the creature before him. Yet what intrigued him greatly was not the physical feature of the guest, but the fact that the dark-skinned man brought a bucket of a flower next to him. And of all flowers in the world, it was a bucket full of red chrysanths. Kuroko couldn't think more of the possibility about this particular man as the answer for all those mysterious mazes over the yellow-chrysanths.

No. Kuroko tried to remind himself. He needed to make sure of it first before reaching to the conclusion.

"Umm.. excuse me.."

"WHAT THE HELL-"

Kuroko frowned over the reaction. He was used to the way people treated him like a thin air and got a shock-attack upon his presence, but the way this tanned man fusing over his greeting wasn't the way Kuroko expected him to act. Kuroko had thought that the man before him would kind of muttering some kind of surprised word without any profanities inside. Looking symphatetically for the pure red calyx within the wrap of neat plastic bucket, Kuroko coughed.

"I am sorry to disturb your business, but..", Kuroko moved his hand to the board beside, nonchalantly referred the end of his sentence to the word on the board, 'Sketch ¥1500'. The turquoise-marbles tried hard not to stare rudely at the chrysanths even his inner self currently screamed out in curiosity. Is he the man behind the daily yellow-chrysanths?

Aomine, almost jumped in fear over the sudden greeting, stammered in embarrassment as he realized his stupidity,"Oh, uhm-"

Kuroko's blue eyes widened to see the clumsy and shy reaction, oh the contrast, and tried to muffle a chuckle deep inside his fluttering heart,"It's okay, if you don't want to-"

"I WANT!"

Kuroko's movement stopped at the shout. His heart skipped a beat over the hypothetical theory of the mysterious yellow-chrysanths. He saw the man before him rummaged his pocket and offered him a bundle of money.

"Ah, thankyou"

Kuroko motioned his hand to take the money and prepared the stationery. Scrambled in wild thought and nervousness, Kuroko didn't realize the anticipation face of Aomine when the tanned man tilted his head to get a better look on the old building behind the painter, right on the other side of the park.

This is quite good. Aomine thought to himself as he positioned himself on the chair comfortably. He could get a good look on his target without the need to mind his disguise or a ridiculous stalking plan. Now that things went smooth, Aomine felt like he would be able to overstep his chief's plan. Eat that, Imayoshi-senpai!

Aomine's train of thought discarded as a soft voice of the painter hit him,"The flower.."

"Huh?" Aomine stared to the bucket of flower on his lap, confused. His sapphire eyes met with the pool of soothing turqoise to exchange a glance of question. And to add things more puzzling for him, Aomine could swear that there were more than that simple glance. There were other things existed beneath that sky-blue orbs of the painter, being held, repressed, quizzically drawn him in for answer.

"The flower", the painter bit his lower lips,"Do you want to be portrayed with the flower in the picture?"

"Oh", dumbly, Aomine waved the flower in an awkward gesture,"Well, no, better off without this"

Kuroko nodded his head and started working on the sketch. He gulped as he traced the facial feature of the man. Is it really him? Is he? Really?

As time ticked by, Kuroko's hand stayed still working on the picture –while eyes seldomly peeking over the sight of red chrysanths. He almost done with half of the face, ready to move for another stroke, when Aomine –comfortably leaned on the chair- suddenly jerked his head up, igniting a startled yelp from the pale figure of the painter.

"I'm sorry but I think I have to go now", Aomine hurriedly stood up from the chair, not willing to lose another sight of his target who approached the coming car in front of the target building.

"Eh, but-"

Seeing a difficult expression over the painter's face, Aomine reasoned,"I'll come again tomorrow"

For another stalk. But of course Aomine wouldn't be that heartless bastard to tell that –or stupid enough to reveal his current operation.

"The money-"

"It's okay , you can keep it", Aomine was about to walk over to get a closer look when he realized that his hand still gripping tight on the flower.

Kuroko stood up from his chair and was about ready to take a breath, about to launch a rain of frantic to the nameless and mysterious customer when his hand suddenly carrying a bucket of red chrysanths. Strangely, the familiar scent of the flower hit his nose enough to make his mind more puzzled.

"This flower", Aomine stated in panic, wanted to ran off to the target but didn't want to degrade his presence to the promising spot of stalking asset in the next future,"You can have it"

"Wha-"

It was the first time Kuroko shocked so much he couldn't utter a syllable of word. He then made an attempt to answer when the tanned man presented another question.

"You got a name? It's kind of rude of me to suddenly ask you this, but I promise I'll be back here tomorrow"

After blinking his eyes for a second, Kuroko nodded slowly,"Kuroko Tetsuya"

"Tetsu, then", Aomine idiotically smiled and patted the looking-fragile shoulder of his new discovered acquaintance,"Aomine Daiki"

The brief introduction followed suit with a quick and hurry strides of the tanned man. Kuroko gaped at the storm of event and weakly sat back at his chair in bewilderment. Aomine's figure weren't on his sight anymore as Kuroko's hands gripped tight on the red-chrysanths bucket. One big question went unanswered. Now that he got a flower of chrysanths directly from the very suspected person, does that mean all this time –those mysterious flowers every afternoon on the porch of the antique store- was actually his doing?

Frustated, Kuroko slumped his head down, nose bumped onto the strong scent of chrysanths' nectars. The expressionless mien crumbled over the complex thought inside his head. Being a first-timer to feel something quite intense as these quizzical feelings, Kuroko felt a bit uncomfortable with it.

Unbeknownst to them, all those events happened to tack another certain man in a different but similar throb of feelings. The furious red head, which hands had put his binocular down in resentment, stood up from his chair as his eyes darkened over the view of the park far below his hotel-room. He breathed hundreds of plans.

Akashi Seijurou needed to identify this one rude newcomer.


The clamorous beat and blinding lights from the disco lamp filled up the whole dark place –if not dim. Crowds after crowds took turn on the dance floor accompanied by continuous beat from the dj. There were few unquestionable poles in every corner of the stage –with few people growling around it, saying things about the wrong night for special private dance service. In the bar, two bartenders were ready to take the order from their customers –and the familiar smell of liquor was so thick people could be drunk from the mention of cocktail.

Akashi was in the one –probably the only one- well known club in the area. It was not as big as the one in the capital city, but for a little town, this club was big and popular enough for people who wanted to vent out all of their stresses night by night. As an aloof man, Akashi was never the type to indulge himself on the tumultuous loud music and the tempting services in the house, but as a hitman who seeked information sources, club was one of few places he could consider to hang out. In the midst of the hype night-life around him, true to his precise and well-calculated judgment, Akashi Seijurou saw a tanned man with prussion blue hair walking through the crowd and heaving himself to the line of chair next to the bartender.

"Gimme the medium one"

The bartender nodded his head and started working on the request. Three-four chairs from his target, Akashi gulped his cocktail of absinthe, while his deadly dichromatic eyes carefully inspected the new arrival.

A whistle.

Akashi upped one of his eyes when a busty girl, much to the red-head disinterest, weaved a way to get a close contact with the tanned man. Playing with his glass, Akashi pricked up his ears to eavesdrop the chit-chatter of a well played womanizer and a bad-act of a whore –oh, c'mon, there must be at least someone who will be able to pull a better stunt of innocence than what this shameless woman can do, aren't there?

But then, Akashi wasn't surprised at all when his target decided to pick that indisciplined woman out. A hidden snort slipped between the thin lips of the hitman for the fact that his first accusation came true. The man who dared to hover on his Kuroko Tetsuya was a kind of thick-headed man that easily went through the rule of the world runs by the boobs.

Not good. This kind of a man won't do any good thing to my Tetsuya. Akashi rifted one of his eyes as he saw a chance to complete his plan.

With one hand wrapping the curve of loose hips beside him, the well-built tanned man then hauled the clingy woman next to him and quickly gave his drink a shot with his free hand. With alcohol induced mind, the now fuzzy man then sloppily took his wallet from his pocket, put a certain amount of money over the table and waved lazily to the bartender.

That was when Akashi walked nonchalantly next to their current spot, and in an instant, pushed a poor waiter slowly to bump over the tanned-man, in which the movement went unnoticed by others. Akashi hummed to himself as he was the only one to see the fall movement of the wallet –and much to his swift reflex, he kicked the wallet out of the way and directed it into the corner under the table.

Blinded by the squishy feeling of big bust on his side and the distasteful motion to the waiter, the tanned man spat his mumbling curse roughly and dragged their way out from the bar, completely forgetting the fact of the now gone wallet.

As his target of suspect had long gone, Akashi –after getting a good situation of his surrounding- bent down and retrieved the wallet. He planned to give the wallet back to the bartender as a lost thing after he got what he needed. Akashi leaned his back, sank down to the cold feeling of the wall, tried to avoid any unwanted attention and inspected the content of the wallet. Acceptable amount of money, thick amount of business cards, and then a familiar badge rested on the hook of the wallet which could be pulled off easily from the wallet as a one whole object itself. Akashi's hand froze.

Aomine Daiki. Japan National Police.

Criminal Investigation Bureau.

Division of Controlled Substances or Organized Crime.


Author's Note:

First update after a month. Hmm.

This is unbetaed so I welcome your opinions, critics, comments and suggestions. You can do it by review, PM, or talk to me directly via twitter ( fancyshipper) or tumblr (himmelskyld)

I dedicate this second chapter for people who are willing to read this. I'm in the state of mental breakdown and I don't think I have the capability to continue writing anymore but then I remember I have my oath to update this every 20th so, I really appreciate that there are still people who wants to read this piece. I don't deserve any of this (do my pieces even deserve a reader I wonder) so only by reading this piece… you guys already make me happy. Thankyou (/;_;)/