Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke.
N/A: I'm sorry the chapters are looking so clumpy. The scenes seem to switch a lot, don't they? Well, that's because putting dashes, asterisks, etc. between different scenes apparently doesn't work for . I guess I'm still not very used to the formatting of this site. T~T
So from now on, whenever there's a line break, I'll make it fairly clear.
Reviews:
Rinfantasy ~ Ikr? His whole world seems to revolve around Kuroko…and pestering everyone as well. I make him so annoying….oops. (It's not exactly OOC though…he is annoying in the anime too)
Daygon Yuuki ~ Shh….tell nobody.
I'm glad you understand. Thanks! :)
I really missed writing FanFiction. It's the only way I can genuinely enjoy writing. I've always liked writing, but then it got pretty boring. FanFiction has certainly changed my view, though! I have plenty of fandoms, eheheh~
If only my computer wasn't so slow….ugh….
"Akashi-kun?"
Akashi gave a hum of acknowledgement, glancing back at the person he was pulling along like a dog on a leash.
"You still haven't answered my question," Kuroko mentioned. "It's not right to drag a person somewhere without them knowing the place."
"Ah." The redhead loosened his grip on Kuroko's wrist, but kept it tight enough to prevent him from escaping. "I suppose that was a tad rude of me. However….if I had told you, would you have gone along with me so willingly?"
Kuroko's eyes traveled up to the heterochromatic gaze staring at him so intently. "Depends."
"…I see." Akashi broke eye contact first, turning back around.
"Are you going to tell me now, then?" prompted Kuroko, his curiosity only growing in size the more the redhead kept quiet about it.
"It's a surprise."
"I'm not one for surprises," the bluenet said.
"I know." Akashi did not bother to elaborate.
Kuroko mustered all of his strength and broke away from the redhead, rubbing his wrist while still managing to look unfazed.
Akashi sighed. "Why must you be so difficult?"
"I think a normal person would've done the same thing in this type of situation, Akashi-kun," Kuroko argued, though without a hint of anger, "I didn't know you kidnapped people."
Akashi sent him a wry smile. "There's a first for everything."
(Line break)
Tears were threatening to spill out of Kise's eyes. He watched with the expression of a cornered animal as Akashi loomed threateningly (at least, in his eyes) over his beloved bluenet.
"K-Kurokocchi!" the blond whimpered, holding himself back from darting over there and rescuing Kuroko like a knight in shining armor. "Don't let the wild beast get to you! Run away!"
"Shh!" Riko hissed at him, holding her pointer finger to her lips. She turned back to the scene, a thoughtful gleam in her brown eyes.
Never would've thought that Kuroko-kun would talk back to somebody, she thought.
Kagami pulled a face at the rest of his team. He honestly couldn't believe how stalkerish they had become – hiding behind berry bushes, lampposts, and the like. He doubted Akashi would let them off easy if he knew they had been following him while he was on a date. Kagami didn't approve of Kuroko's relationship with Akashi either, but he wasn't in the mood to die. Chancing a look at his coach told him that there was no way he could back out now.
Are they out of their minds? he thought frantically. Those godd-mn colorful b-stards should know not to mess with Akashi by now! Why are they going along with this?!
He was really starting to regret being born.
Izuki elbowed him in the ribs lightly. "Are you being a scaredy-cat? Get it? 'Cause tigers are cats?"
The dual-eyebrowed boy's shoulders sagged in misery. I'm never getting out of this one. This is all your fault, Kuroko!
"Careful, Kagami. (idk how Izuki refers to Kagami) You don't want to be…spotted. Get it? 'Cause tigers are striped and they don't have spo-"
Kagami had an inkling that him being cathletic wouldn't save him from being dead meat under Akashi's wrath.
….Cathletic? Did he seriously just…?
Okay, scratch that. (Scratch?!) He wasn't doomed because of Akashi…he was doomed because he was turning into Izuki.
(Line break)
Kuroko's patience had dwindled long before he and Akashi arrived at the place the latter had kept secret.
The bluenet was about to demand an explanation when they reached the destination.
"…a bookstore?" Kuroko stared at the redhead in disbelief, though his expression barely conveyed what he felt. "You dragged me all this way without telling me what was going on…and you bring me to a bookstore?"
Akashi leveled his gaze with Kuroko. "…Yes."
"Thank you, then. I've been wanting to buy new books."
"I'll pay for the books you want," replied Akashi.
"No thank you," Kuroko declined immediately. "I would hate to take advantage of Akashi-kun's kindness."
The redhead took note on how Kuroko's attitude did a complete 180° turn upon seeing the bookstore.
"Let's go inside, then."
(Line break)
"A-Akashicchi!" Kise screeched in horror. "Kurokocchi has no idea – oh my GOD –"
"Kise, shut up!" Aomine said gruffly from the blond's side. "I can't hear what they're saying!"
Kise strained to listen to their conversation.
". . . really, Akashi-kun, there's no need to –"
"No, I insist –"
"Akashicchi is being a g-gentleman!" cried Kise, astonished. "The world is going to end!"
Midorima haughtily perched his glasses on his nose. "Well, I'm sure this date isn't going to last long."
A hopeful look shone upon Kise's face. "Really? Why?"
Midorima paused momentarily. "…Actually, they just might. Sagittarius and Aquarius are fairly compatible, after all."
"Eh?!" The color left the blond's face. "Are you insinuating that someone as pure as Kurokocchi is going to fall in love with someone as atrocious as Akashicchi?!"
"I'm sure he would give you hell if you said that to his face," huffed Midorima.
"Who? Kurokocchi?" Kise's confusion only grew in size.
"No, idiot! Akashi!"
"Can you two be any louder?" complained Riko. "They're gonna hear us!"
"S-Sorry!" the blond squeaked in a tiny voice. He slowly stood and peered over the bookshelf that was concealing him, catching sight of Kuroko and Akashi moving over to a bookshelf.
A bookshelf a little too close to Kagami for comfort.
"Sh-t! They're going to see me!" Kagami realized. As he dove for cover behind another nearby bookshelf, he glimpsed the two lovebirds standing hand-in-hand…
….Right in front of the bookshelf he had previously been behind.
Kagami turned ghost white as he realized he had narrowly avoided death.
Unfortunately for him, when he had swiftly changed hiding spots, he accidentally bumped into one of the bookshelves and sent a book flying to the floor. There was a resounding 'thud' as it hit the ground.
Kuroko perked up when he heard this. He knelt down and picked the book up, studying the cover closely.
Akashi strode over to him. "I didn't know you liked dictionaries."
Kuroko slowly shook his head. "Well…I don't really. It's just…this book fell to the floor for no reason. Strange."
Akashi's all-seeing eyes roamed the space he and the tealnet were in. When he saw nothing out of the ordinary, he nodded, satisfied, and went back to subtly flirting with Kuroko. Of course, the bluenet remained oblivious to it all.
After depositing the dictionary in its rightful place, Kuroko plucked a Horror book from the shelf and leafed through the pages, pursing his lips in thought.
"Are you interested in the Horror genre, then?" the redhead asked, seizing the opportunity to learn more about the bluenet.
Kuroko blinked at him. "No more than anyone else."
"…Huh. What genres do you like, then?"
"I don't care, so long as the book is well-written," Kuroko responded impassively, putting away the Horror book.
As expected of Tetsuya. "Do you see any books that interest you?"
"What is this, 20 Questions?"
"Tetsuya….it would do you well to answer my question."
"Not yet. I'm still browsing. And you better not be planning to pay for my books, Akashi-kun. I'm not going to let you."
"We'll see about that," drawled the cocky redhead.
He was really starting to irk Kuroko.
(Line break)
"Close call," Kagami whispered to himself, heart pounding. He mentally patted himself on the back for surviving that situation.
"Oh, Kagami….did you almost get caught?~" rang a familiar coo.
. . . Never mind.
He was totally, absolutely, positively dead.
"S-S-Sorry, Coach…"
"Now what are we supposed to do?" Hyuuga interjected. "How are we going to mess up their date without getting caught?"
Kagami silently thanked him as Riko was successfully distracted from incapacitating her victim.
"There are plenty of ways," she said while cracking a sadistic grin that could rival Akashi's. The aura around her said it all – there was no way she was giving up now. And, whether they liked it or not, the team (and the GoM) would have to accompany her in her plan.
But there's no fooling Akashi, Kagami thought. His day had just worsened.