A/N: The chapters are just getting longer and longer... But I have an excuse for this one. Imma go on holidays soon and I dunno when I'll start writing the next chapter so I'm giving you a long ass one to compensate. :D
March of the Emperor
"Taiga had told me about your bed head, but I didn't expect it to be that... impressive." Himuro commented with amusement on the next morning.
"I was often told that." Kuroko nodded as he rolled his futon. Gazing through the window outside, he added: "It seems like we will have a better weather today."
Indeed, all traces of the previous storm had disappeared to leave room to a clear blue sky. Puddles were scattered on the muddy ground, but no doubt the heat would dry them up quickly.
"I hope the coaches won't have us run this morning to make up for yesterday." Himuro said. "I'm going to wash up a bit."
"I will go with you." Kuroko answered.
However, as they opened the door, they saw Fukui waiting in the corridor.
"Ah, good morning." the point guard greeted them with mild enthusiasm.
"Good morning, Kensuke. Is there something wrong?" Himuro inquired.
"Hmmm, well let's say we kind of need your help here." Fukui scratched his head. "It's Murasakibara. He's been acting funny since yesterday night."
"Now I wonder why." Kuroko deadpanned, making Fukui cock an eyebrow.
"What has he done?" Himuro asked, pretending not to have heard Kuroko. There was amusement in his voice, though.
"That's the thing. He isn't doing anything. Yesterday he kept going to your room to give you stuff, and the third time he came back to our room, he went directly to crash on his futon without a word. I'm not sure what you did to him, but since then he's been silent as a clam. And none of us has managed to make him move from the futon, even though it's already morning and we need to have breakfast and everything. I mean, the captain even tried to kick him but the only reaction he got was a death glare."
"I-Is that so..." Himuro sweatdropped.
"Murasakibara-kun must have gone through a great trauma." Kuroko continued with a blank expression, though trained eyes would have seen the mischievous glint in his. Fukui looked at him questioningly, but as Kuroko kept quiet, he turned back to Himuro:
"In any case, you're our last hope. He usually listens to you, so maybe you can do something about him. We totally gave up." he added with a loud sigh.
"I'll see what I can do." the shooting guard smiled before turning to Kuroko: "Sorry Tetsuya, I'll have to abandon you here."
"I will be fine, Himuro-san."
"I'll keep you company!" Fukui grinned as he wrapped an arm around Kuroko's shoulder. "Good luck with Murasakibara!" he added to Himuro.
The latter hurried to the Yosen room which was now empty, save for one curled up figure lying on a futon in the corner, back facing Himuro. He walked quietly to the said figure and sat down right next to it. His hand moved to the mass of purple hair, gently stroking it. The touch made the lying figure jolt a bit and curl up even more.
"Atsushi." Himuro called out softly. He couldn't see Murasakibara's face from here, but his reddened ears betrayed him well enough. "What's wrong?" he asked.
No answer.
Himuro waited a bit, fingers playing with the long strands of hair, then as Murasakibara still didn't seem inclined to talk, the dark-haired male leant forward and moved his lips close to Murasakibara's exposed ear and murmured seductively:
"At-su-shi."
He got the expected reaction: Murasakibara turned round abruptly – almost knocking Himuro's face in the process – and glared at him, though the obvious embarrassment that painted his face rendered the glare less threatening than it should have been.
"Finally you're looking at me." Himuro smiled.
Murasakibara didn't seem to stand the very short distance that stood between their faces for he immediately tried to turn away again; but a hand held his face gently yet firmly, preventing him from moving. He looked away, unable to meet with Himuro's gaze.
"Atsushi, tell me what's wrong." Himuro murmured again. Of course, he knew perfectly well what was wrong with his ace, but teasing him a bit was much more fun. But the purple-haired teen was stubbornly determined not to let a word out, though he tensed up dramatically when Himuro's finger traced a line along his cheek and over his shut lips. "Are you feeling sick? Do you want me to tell the coach?"
Murasakibara shook his head silently.
"You don't have any more snacks?"
Another shake of the head.
"You couldn't sleep well because of the storm?"
A shake of the head.
"I can't help you if you don't tell me what the problem is." Himuro smiled at how adorable Murasakibara looked as he turned even redder. He was reaching his limits. The shooting guard decided to put an end to his ace's suffering.
"Is it because of this?"
Next thing Murasakibara knew, a pair of lips pressed against his own, and his mind left this world. Exactly like on the previous night, when Himuro had first kissed him. He knew what a kiss was in theory, but had never really considered the possibility of experiencing one himself; it was the reason why his mind had been left a complete mess of incoherent thoughts all night long, and the few hours of sleep he had managed to get didn't help put some order into the what, the why, the how and the Muro-chin that were wandering aimlessly in his head. And now Muro-chin wasn't really helping. He felt a tongue parting his lips open and panicked for a second, but on the other hand, Muro-chin's fingers in his hair and on his cheek felt strangely soothing. He relaxed, enjoying the still new sensation that was making his body flutter unexplainably and his mind whirl uncontrollably. It felt almost as good as the new flavour of Nerunerunerune he had bought last–
No.
It was better than any candy or snack he had tasted so far.
It didn't last long enough though. Himuro pulled back and was now smiling at him. How he hated it when Muro-chin smiled at him like that, making him feel all funny and fuzzy and happy and dizzy at the same time. And yet he also loved it when Muro-chin smiled at him like that, because it felt like Muro-chin was his and his only, and he'd crush the skull of anyone else who'd dare approach his Muro-chin. Seriously.
"Still keeping silent, huh?" Himuro sighed. "I guess that wasn't the problem then."
He wasn't given the opportunity to add anything else as a large hand pulled him down again into a hungry kiss, and 'hungry' was a word that fitted Murasakibara to the perfection. Himuro smiled inwardly; Atsushi's mind was so easy to read. When the purple-haired teen released him, he was panting slightly and looking at him with those apathetical eyes of his.
"Muro-chin." he finally spoke.
"Hm?"
"You're really cunning." he muttered, earning a chuckle from the other Yosen player.
"Again with that? What did I do this time?"
"You're just cunning."
"You don't make any sense, Atsushi."
Murasakibara pursed his lips, as if trying to think hard, but gave up quickly. In the end he merely demanded with his typical lazy voice:
"Muro-chin, I want sweets."
Himuro was used to his partner's randomness, therefore the sudden request didn't surprise him.
"You didn't even have breakfast yet, Atsushi. Come on, get up, go wash yourself a bit and have breakfast. Then you can have some sweets."
Murasakibara scowled. "Yes, mom." he answered with as much enthusiasm as a dead snail.
"Mom? Now I'm a bit vexed." Himuro pretended to sound offended. "Shouldn't you be calling me something else now?" The confused look he received from the younger teen made his lips curl up into an impish smile. "For instance, how about 'my beloved Tatsuya whom I adore more than sweets'?" he joked, but the reaction he got from Murasakibara was rather unexpected: the latter got up abruptly, grabbed a towel from his bag and strode to the door.
"Too long." he merely grunted as he slammed the door closed behind him.
Himuro didn't fail to notice the flamboyant red that painted Murasakibara's cheeks. He shook his head with a smile as he went after his ace.
"You didn't sleep well, Furihata?" Kiyoshi asked with concern while everyone was having breakfast.
"No, I'm fine, why?" the younger teen looked surprised.
"You look a bit tired and lost in thoughts."
"Now that I think about it, you came back to the room quite late." Hyuuga noted. "You couldn't sleep?"
"Sleep slipped away." Izuki said.
"That was so lame I don't even know where to begin." Koganei sweatdropped before turning back to Furihata. "Anyway, what were you doing yesterday night?"
"Oh, um, I just... watched the storm." the point guard answered timidly, focusing really hard on his bowl. And to everyone's surprise, he actually blushed.
"Now this is totally suspicious." Koganei said, narrowing his eyes.
"N-Nothing happened, really!" Furihata protested unconvincingly.
Kuroko didn't fail to notice the quick glance that Furihata gave – probably unconsciously – to the other side of the table, where the Rakuzan players were eating.
"Come on, spill the beans!" Izuki insisted, then his face suddenly lit up in realization: "You were having a secret meeting with your secret girlfriend!"
"N-No, of course not!" Furihata exclaimed a little too loudly, drawing the attention of several people around him.
"Eeh? Furihata has a girlfriend?" Takao jumped in with obvious interest.
"No I don't!"
"That's so sad." Takao sighed. "It seems like none of us can get a girlfriend. Are basketball players that unpopular? What do you think, Shin-chan?"
But the Shuutoku ace merely shot him a deathly glare, which only resulted in Takao grinning innocently at him.
"Well, for lack of girlfriend, some seemed to have found themselves a boyfriend instead." Moriyama commented, glancing at his own ace and Touou's.
"Tsucchi actually has a girlfriend." Koganei intervened, and all eyes suddenly turned to the quiet Seirin player.
"Seriously?" Moriyama asked.
"Hm well, yes." Tsuchida answered, clearly feeling uneasy by the unwanted attention.
"Does she have any sister you could introduce to me?" the Kaijou shooting guard asked very seriously before receiving a whack on the head from his captain.
The conversation went on happily on the topic, saving Furihata from any more prying questions. He had no idea how he could have explained having spent part of the night with–
"Akashi-kun told me Furihata-kun plays chess quite well."
If he had been drinking, Furihata would have probably spilled out everything. Fortunately, he hadn't. Therefore he merely turned a pair of panicked eyes at Kuroko who was eating in his usual, calm way. Luckily, no one else seemed to have heard him, too busy talking about non-existent girlfriends.
"Ah, uh, I-I… he said that?..."
Kuroko nodded.
"Oh." Taking advantage of the general ruckus filling the room, he asked – though discreetly: "Does he, uh, challenge everyone to chess games like that?"
"Not that I heard of."
"Oh." Furihata said again, focusing back on his bowl. Kuroko's answer didn't particularly help ease his mind.
Neither did the steady gaze he was receiving from a certain Rakuzan player.
As Himuro had feared, the coaches decided to start the day's training programme with twice as much running as usual, to make up for the previous day. Today's temperature had turned back to a good summer one, yet the ground in the forest was still swampy due to the trees' foliage blocking part of the sunrays.
"Damn, my shoes are getting completely fucked up." Aomine ranted as his feet sank in the soft and mud-covered soil. "And I just bought them last week."
"Just how many pairs of shoes do you have?" Kise inquired.
"Thirty-two."
"Seriously?" Susa stared at him incredulously. "What are you, a girl?"
"Shut up. I like sport shoes. Got a problem with that?" Aomine snarled.
"All of you keep quiet a bit and run." Imayoshi intervened.
"Yeah, you talk too much, Ahomine." Kagami sneered as he ran past the Touou ace.
"Are you looking for a fight, Bakagami?" the latter snapped back.
"Kagami-kun, please focus on running." Kuroko said, following Kagami. Then, as he jogged past Aomine, he added: "And Aomine-kun, please put a bit more effort into running and less into your shoes."
Popping a vein, Aomine caught up with the two Seirin players: "Oi Tetsu! Whose side are you on?" he snarled.
"It is not a matter of side, Aomine-kun. But if I have to choose, then I choose Kagami-kun." the shorter player stated calmly between two puffs. Next to him, Kagami almost choked, cheeks flushed red – and not due to running.
More veins popped, but before Aomine could express his discontent in rude ways, Kise was wise – or stupid – enough to catch up with him and pat his shoulder to cool him down.
"Don't worry Aominecchi, I choose you!" he said, beaming.
"Tch, no one asked for your opinion." the power forward retorted back.
"That's mean! Well if you don't need me anymore, I'll just leave you here with Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi." Kise sprinted forward, pretending to be offended.
"And there goes the newlywed couple again..." Moriyama commented with a sigh. "I can't believe Kise chose a guy when he could have all the girls he wants. That's so unfai–Ouch!"
"Focus on running!" Kasamatsu scolded him. "Or I'll ask the coach to double your training once we go back!"
"And the same goes for you, Kagami, Kuroko." Hyuuga added, passing them. "Kagami, are you even listening?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I am. Huh, I'll just, uh, pick up the pace or something." the redhead answered, matching conduct to words and leaving his teammates frowning and surprised.
"What's with him?" Izuki inquired. "He looks in a daze. Dazzling day?"
"I'll ask the coach to double your training if you don't stop, Izuki." Hyuuga threatened before turning back to Kuroko: "Is there something wrong with Kagami?"
"I believe he is in a stage of self-realization." the latter replied enigmatically.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Hyuuga frowned at the sibylline answer, but Kuroko merely slowed down, panting.
"I am sorry, Hyuuga-senpai. Please go ahead, I will catch up with you later." he said, completely ignoring the question.
"Tch, your stamina is still ridiculously low." Aomine noted. "You won't be in any shape for the matches."
"Try not to faint!" Kiyoshi grinned at Kuroko as he ran past him.
Soon enough, Kuroko was left to jog behind as usual, except that today he wasn't alone.
"Aomine-kun, you should go ahead too."
"Thought I could keep you company a bit." Aomine shrugged. "Even if you didn't choose me."
"Aomine-kun is… the spiteful type."
"Just kidding. And you should stop talking. You can hardly breathe."
"Thank you… for your concern."
"Tch, it's not like I'm concerned or anything! But you're such a pain. Seriously do something about that stamina of yours."
"Kagami-kun… helps me work… on it."
"That idiot does?"
"He is… very similar to you, Aomine-kun."
"Hah?! How the fuck is he similar to me?" Aomine snarled.
"He worries about me… and he is an idiot… as well."
"Don't compare me to him! And don't call me an idiot!"
"Then should I assume… that the part about… your worrying… about me is correct?"
The question caught Aomine off guard and the latter could only click his tongue in annoyance.
"I told you to stop talking and save your breath." he grunted.
"But it is Aomine-kun… who is talking to me…. It would be rude… if I didn't answer."
"Ah fine! I'll just shut up. Geez!"
If Aomine had bothered glancing at the Phantom Player, he'd have noticed the faint smile that graced his lips as they jogged in silence, save for the damp sound of their shoes against the mud. In his head, Kuroko was counting. '45... 46... 47... 48...' It shouldn't take long now.
"Tetsu."
Bingo. Sometimes, it almost scared Kuroko how much he knew Aomine.
"You didn't last even one minute… Aomine-kun." the Seirin player commented, much to his former Light's irritation.
"Tch, anyway." Aomine paused for a second. As he spoke again, his voice reflected nothing but seriousness. "Tetsu, let's assume you're aiming at going pro. Who'd you pick between me and Kagami as your true, final Light for the rest of your career?"
"I would pick Kagami-kun." Kuroko replied right away.
"Hey! At least pretend to hesitate a bit, damn it!" Aomine snapped. "Tch, this is irritating." He sighed before adding: "I really messed up that much, huh."
Kuroko didn't reply right away and the only sound that could be heard from him was his steady breathing matching his strides.
"You did." he finally answered.
"... You really have no delicacy at all." Aomine muttered.
"I really enjoyed… playing with Aomine-kun back then… and that is why… I am grateful to Kagami-kun… for reaching out to you."
"Don't make him sound like he's a saviour or something."
"Aren't you… grateful either?"
"To him? Like hell I am!" Aomine barked before pursing his lips as Kuroko gave him a long stare. The Touou ace was the one to flinch first. "Tch, just look where you run or you'll trip."
"Aomine-kun… isn't being honest."
"Shut up. I'll die a thousand times over before I admit to owing anything to him."
"You have… already admitted it, Aomine-kun."
"Hah? What the hell do you mean?"
"That pair of shoes you gave him."
Aomine flushed for a second. "That was because Satsuki annoyed the hell out of me."
"That is why… I say… Aomine-kun isn't… being honest."
"Oi, seriously stop talking, you're completely out of breath."
Kuroko nodded. "I'm... sorry…" he panted.
"Just keep quiet already."
The shorter teen complied, but started counting in his head again. '…32…33…34…'
"…But I'll admit I was wrong when I said Kagami's light is dim." Aomine mumbled reluctantly. This time, Kuroko kept silent, but there was a visible smile on his lips. "Oh by the way, I just remembered. What did you mean earlier when you said Kagami was in a stage of self-realization?"
"Exactly that."
"You're not helping here. Hm? Hey, over there, isn't that Kagami? What's that idiot doing?" Aomine frowned, narrowing his eyes.
A bit farther away, a redheaded silhouette was waiting for them, back leant against a tree.
"Oi, tired already, Bakagami?" Aomine sneered as he stopped in front of him.
"Right back at you, Ahomine." Kagami retorted. "You're even slower than Kuroko."
"I was keeping him company, unlike the whole lot of you who abandoned him."
"More like, Kise abandoned you so you found someone else to annoy." the Seirin power forward smirked.
"Kagami-kun, what are you doing here?" Kuroko interrupted them before Aomine could reply something unpleasant. His teammate scratched his cheek at the question, avoiding his gaze.
"Oh uh, I figured I'd wait for you since you kind of, huh, looked more tired than usual."
Aomine snorted. "Tch, then I guess I'll leave the two of you alone and catch up with Kise."
"Please remember to apologize to him, Aomine-kun."
"Hah? Why should I apologize?" But the meaningful look Kuroko shot at him made him click his tongue again. "You're such a pain, the whole lot of you. Don't be late for the matches, I'd hate missing the opportunity to make you eat dust, Kagami."
"Don't cry when you're the one to eat dust, Aomine!" Kagami grinned as Aomine jogged off, then he turned to Kuroko: "Come on, we still have half an hour to run."
"Are you sure it's fine to stay with me?" the blue-haired boy asked.
"What do you mean?" Kagami cocked an eyebrow.
"The coach may punish you for running so little."
"Screw that. I've decided I'd run with you, and that's it. I'll double or triple practice when we're back to Tokyo if she wants."
Kuroko blinked once at his Light, and smiled genuinely. "Thank you, Kagami-kun."
The other teen's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. "Don't mention it."
"Say, Kagami-kun."
"Hm?"
"Would you consider a professional career?"
"Huh? Why the sudden question?"
"… Please forget about it."
"What's with you lately? You keep asking me weird questions and then tell me to forget about them." Kagami grunted.
"It's nothing. Let's run." Kuroko merely answered as he resumed jogging, leaving a perplexed Kagami behind.
Since the schedule had been modified, it was decided that half the matches would be held during the rest of the morning, and the other half after lunch. The hide-and-seek game would consequently be shortened.
The first match of the day promised to be interesting as Akashi was part of the players who stepped on the court. Facing him was Imayoshi, much to Furihata's relief who was consequently spared the trial of playing against the Emperor. However, he was instead given another opportunity to watch Akashi play.
Though he knew he should observe the match in his entirety, his eyes couldn't help but follow Akashi only. No matter how many times, he always found himself fascinated by the Rakuzan point guard: the accuracy of his passes, the swiftness of his movements, the aura of coolness that reflected complete mastery of the game, and the natural pressure such mastery inflicted on his opponents. From the benches, it was simply mesmerizing. In his opinion, Akashi Seijuurou could be called nothing but perfect.
And then images flashed through his head; memories of the very same perfect Akashi playing chess with him. Not with his Rakuzan teammates or even with his former Teikou teammates, but with him, Furihata Kouki. He had even complimented him. And it troubled him to no end.
The match soon came to an end on Akashi's team's victory. As the players bowed to each other and walked back to the benches, the Rakuzan captain's eyes landed on Furihata, making the latter quickly lower his gaze and blush.
"Something wrong, Furi?" Koganei inquired, but the other teen vehemently shook his head. He had to stop being so self-conscious. The reason Akashi had talked to him last night was probably because he was the only one around. That was all.
Koganei's words on their first day at the training camp echoed in his head. 'He's taken an interest in you.' No, no, no. That was impossible. Why him? He was as plain as Akashi was talented, why would the latter show interest in him?
But what about yesterday's oyakodon? A misunderstanding, perhaps? After all, Akashi had only mentioned knowing that his favourite dish was oyakodon. For all he knew, he could have simply overheard Furihata during lunch. But then the question remained as for who had prepared the dish. Seriously, he couldn't picture Akashi cooking. It simply didn't fit his image.
"Furihata, you sure everything's OK?" It was Kagami's turn to ask. "You're making a funny face."
"Oh hm, no, I'm fine!" the other teen answered not so convincingly, but was relieved when Kagami didn't insist.
Actually, the latter's attention was already drawn to the next match that was about to start, and for a good reason: Aomine was in the game. Unfortunately for both of them, they didn't get to face each other on that day, which made them slightly grumpy but also gave them the opportunity to observe each other's play better. Even reluctantly, Kagami couldn't help but admire Aomine's every dribble, every feint and every shot.
"He's a damn monster." he commented during Aomine's match, but without a single hint a jealousy in his tone. If anything, his eyes were filled with nothing but respect. "Kuroko," he added, watching as Aomine easily passed a three-man block to land the ball straight through the hoop, "he must have been a damn amazing Light to you, hasn't he? Was it fun playing with him?"
Kuroko turned his head to Kagami, and merely smiled. "You and Aomine-kun really are similar."
That made Kagami stare at him: "Huh?"
"Aomine-kun asked me the same thing not so long ago." Kuroko explained. "And to answer your question, I enjoyed playing with Aomine-kun a lot." he added.
"Tch, and how about with…us?"
"I enjoy playing with Kagami-kun much more."
"I-I didn't ask about me, you idiot!" the power forward retorted a bit too quickly and too weakly.
"Kagami-kun is easy to read."
Kagami clicked his tongue of annoyance. "You're annoying, sometimes."
"Am I?"
"You are."
"Then don't you enjoy playing basketball with me?"
Kagami stared at Kuroko for a second, then roughly patted the shorter player's hair, sighing:
"Idiot. Of course I do. Don't ask something so obvious."
Behind them, a voice interrupted them: "The two of you look very cute. Are you perhaps going out together?"
Turning abruptly around, Kagami saw a grinning Takao. "What the hell? That's totally gross!" he barked.
"Hm? What, you don't agree?" Takao tilted his head on the side.
"You're quite right, actually." Izuki joined the conversation.
"Yeah, you two keep acting like an old couple." Koganei jumped in as well.
"Can you seriously stop?" Kagami snarled.
"Hey Shin-chan, you agree with me, don't you?" the point guard elbowed Midorima who shot him an annoyed glance.
"Don't ask me questions like that. I wouldn't know." he answered dryly.
"You're no fun, Shin-chan." Takao pouted before turning back to the Seirin players: "But seriously, you two get along really well. I wish Shin-chan and I got along like that."
"We do get along." Midorima snapped.
"You don't pat my head like Kagami does."
"And why would I do such a thing?"
"Because you're my boyf–hmmmph!" Takao wasn't allowed to finish his sentence as Midorima's hand quickly covered his mouth.
"Hey, quiet down already!" Ootsubo ordered, glaring at his teammates. Takao apologized with a grin while Midorima merely shrugged.
"What the hell is wrong with those two?" Kagami muttered as he switched his attention back to the match, or what was left of it. It ended five minutes later, with Aomine's team's victory. "It was a good match, though kind of unbalanced, I think. What do you think, Kuroko?"
But the Phantom Player remained silent, eyes still on the court. Kagami frowned slightly.
"Kuroko?" he called out again.
"I apologize for making us look 'gross' earlier." Kuroko declared with no emotion in his voice, still not looking at Kagami.
The statement took the redhead by surprise and it took him a few seconds to understand what Kuroko was talking about.
"N-No, I didn't mean it like that!" he answered hastily and clumsily. "That was just uh, I mean, it's not like I actually thought it was gross or anything! More like, unexpected?"
"I see."
Kagami scratched his head. "I didn't mean to make it sound offending or something."
"I understand."
"Kuroko, I–"
"Kagami!" Riko called out. "Start warming up! It's your turn next!"
"Ah, geez… Sorry Kuroko, we'll talk later."
The blue-haired boy merely nodded, leaving Kagami in a rather troubled state.
Through the entire lunch and even during the afternoon matches, Kuroko hardly spoke a word with Kagami, setting an awkward atmosphere around them that didn't go unnoticed by the other Seirin players.
"What happened between you guys?" Hyuuga questioned Kagami while Kuroko was on the court.
"Ah... Well, I think I must have said something he didn't like." Kagami sighed. "I already apologized but it looks like it wasn't enough."
"Try to settle that quickly, Kuroko's even creepier when he's not in a good mood."
"I don't usually see any difference when he's in a good or bad mood." Koganei said.
"That's what's creepy." a voice that didn't belong to any Seirin said. "Unless Tetsu's really angry, he always keeps that damn annoying face of his."
Kagami turned round, only to have Aomine sling his arm around his shoulder, in quite a familiar way.
"Whatever the fuck you did to Tetsu, deal with it or I'll kill you, Bakagami." the Touou ace said with an eerily calm voice.
Kagami slapped the arm away, pissed. "Mind your own business, Ahomine."
"Tch, you don't deserve being his Light."
"Says the one who left Kuroko behind after middle school." Kagami retorted.
"Kagami, don't start a fight here." Hyuuga scolded him.
"He started first!" Kagami pointed his finger at Aomine, but the latter merely shrugged, hands stuffed in the pockets of his pants with what seemed to be indifference. His next words weren't ones Kagami expected:
"It's because I left him behind that I won't forgive you if you make the same mistake as me."
Everyone around him looked at him with obvious surprise; and more particularly Kagami. Defeated, he could only sigh and smile as he nodded:
"I'll bear that in mind."
"Eeeh, I'm impressed. Aominecchi can be mature sometimes." Kise noted, patting Aomine's shoulder.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" the dark-skinned teen grunted.
"Well, I expected Aominecchi to get angry at what Kagamicchi said."
"Hah? Who do you think I am? A kid?"
"You do act like one quite often." Imayoshi said, much to Aomine's annoyance.
"Tch, just shut up and let me watch the match already. Oh, Murasakibara can receive Tetsu's Ignite pass damn well, that monster."
"Even though they don't really get along with each other to begin with." Kise commented. "At first I thought Murasakibaracchi was going to stomp on Kurokocchi or something."
"I saw that Himuro guy say something to Murasakibara prior to the match." Izuki intervened. "Maybe that helped. Oh, nice block, Kiyoshi!"
"Kiyoshi and Hayama are doing a good job even though they're facing two members of the Generation of Miracles." Imayoshi nodded. "The match's not decided yet."
It was however decided a few minutes later with a tight victory for Kuroko's team. It was the last match of the day, meaning that the hide-and-seek game would start soon after. While all the players were resting and rehydrating themselves, Koganei sneaked closer to Kuroko and nudged him discreetly:
"Kuroko, can you tell me where you're going to hide?"
"That would be cheating, Koganei-senpai." The answer made the forward sigh.
"I know, but I seriously don't feel like running another twenty kilometres today."
"I am afraid I cannot help you with this." Kuroko apologized with his usual toneless voice. A trained eye would have noticed the glance he cast in Kagami's direction.
"Oh well, I least I tried. Wish me good luck!" Koganei grinned, giving Kuroko a short pat on the head.
"Please do your best." Kuroko replied politely.
Once it was time to start the game, all the players gathered at the usual spot in front of the inn, awaiting Riko's whistle signals. Today's game would last an hour only instead of two, which had the advantage of reducing the time the players would spend roaming the forest, but which also meant less time to find Kuroko. Riko blew her whistle a first time for Kuroko, and pressed the button of her stopwatch. The remaining players were doing some quick warming up though it was unnecessary for most of them. Kagami was stretching his legs and getting ready for the hunt, not noticing Aomine who had moved closer:
"Did you make up with Tetsu?" the latter asked, though from his tone it sounded more like a demand than an actual question.
"What are you, a cop?" Kagami glared at him.
"So you didn't. Tch, should have expected that from you."
"Mind your business, seriously."
"What did you do to him?" Aomine completely ignored Kagami's last sentence.
"I said, mind your business."
"Ah? Kagami, you did something to Kuroko?" Kiyoshi joined in, but Hyuuga smacked the back of his head:
"Notice that kind of things earlier, you idiot. Kuroko has been sulking since morning because of Kagami." the Seirin captain said, annoyed as usual. He then turned to Kagami: "I already told you earlier, but make sure to settle that matter quickly."
"Uh... OK." the redhead answered with some reluctance.
"And put some more conviction in it or I'll have the coach triple your training!" Hyuuga snapped.
"Fine, I got it! Geez... What's with you all today?" Kagami muttered. "First Ahomine, now you..."
"I told you I'll make sure you don't make the same mistakes as me, Bakagami." Aomine went on.
Kagami pursed his lips in annoyance. "I don't plan on leaving him behind."
"You'd better not, or I'll seriously kill you."
Before Kagami could answer, Kise popped up next to Aomine, lacing his arm with the Touou ace's. The gesture didn't go unnoticed to Kagami who unconsciously averted his eyes while stretching his arms. Even though their relationship had been made public – courtesy of Aomine – to more or less everyone, Kagami wasn't used to displays of affection, no matter how small they were. Alex had often teased him about it, saying how weird it was for a healthy boy his age to still be shy on that topic, even after so many years spent in the US; to which Kagami always retorted than living in the US had nothing to do with it.
"Aominecchi, let's find Kurokocchi today!" Kise said happily.
"Why? Don't you prefer what we did yesterday instead?" Aomine smirked. Kise's reaction was immediate: he jumped away from Aomine, face turning impressively red and started stuttering:
"Wh-I-I, uh, it's not, I-I mean, uh, aaaaaah! Aominecchi, don't mention that kind of things in front of everyone! What if they hear?"
"You're the loud one here." Aomine answered with a shrug. Indeed, several pairs of eyes had turned in their direction, curious about the origin of the sudden outburst.
"A-anyway, that's not the point!" the Kaijou ace went on, as embarrassed as ever. "I was just saying we could try and find Kurokocchi together!"
"Idiot, if we find him together, who's supposed to win?"
The blonde teen made puppy eyes. "Me? Since you've already won once."
"Like hell I'd do that."
"Eeeh? That's so mean! That's the least you could do for me."
"If you want to argue, can you do it somewhere else?" Kagami interrupted them with clear irritation in his voice.
"Oh come on, it's funny. It looks like lovers' quarrel!" Takao said.
"In this case, it is a lovers' quarrel." Miyaji added.
"Well, we don't need those here." Wakamatsu ranted. "I wish our captain could hit Aomine as much as Kasamatsu does with Kise."
"I actually think they're cute like that." Mibuchi said with an amused smile before letting out an exaggerated sigh. "If only we could be like that with my chosen one too." He gazed at his teammates, but no one was able to tell who was looking at more precisely.
"That's just gross..." Miyaji muttered. He wasn't allowed to add anything else as Riko blew her whistle, announcing the search start. Everyone dispatched as usual, leaving only the coaches and Momoi behind.
"I wonder if Akashi is going to find Kuroko this time." Masako spoke her mind out loud.
"It's strange indeed that he still hasn't found him even once." Harasawa nodded. "Considering he was the one coming up with the idea. Did you ask him about this, Shirogane?"
"I didn't, for a simple reason." the Rakuzan coach answered. "Even though the idea may seem peculiar, it still is excellent training for our players."
"It does make sense, but still, I'm quite curious as for why Akashi did that." Riko commented to herself. Turning to Momoi, she asked: "You've known Akashi for some years, you don't happen to know what's going on through his head?" But the pink-haired girl shook her head.
"I never imagined he could do that to me." she complained. "I mean, it was completely cruel to offer Tetsu-kun as a prize every night! I think I just want to whack him on the head but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't allow me to." she pouted.
"She still can't get over it." Masako sighed. "Anyway, I suggest we go back inside instead of roasting here." she added, earning a full round of approval.
Furihata had lost his teammates. He wasn't sure how or when, but the fact was that he was all alone in the forest, searching every bush and tree and rock with no real conviction. He had no Eagle Eye or Hawk Eye or Emperor Eye or Whatever Eye to begin with, and his skills in general were all average. There was no way he could find Kuroko. It would be easier if he tried looking for his teammates. He jogged down a muddy slope until the path split in two; now the question was: left or right?
It didn't really matter, Furihata thought, and therefore headed left. But as he did so, a voice he recognized all too well rose behind him and made him freeze:
"Right would be a wiser choice, Kouki."
The Seirin point guard turned round with a certain tension imprinted in his movements, to see his suspicions confirmed: a bit farther away, back leant against a tree and arms crossed was standing Akashi Seijuurou.
"Oh, Akashi-san, uh…"
"That is, if you wish to find Tetsuya."
"You know where he is?" Furihata asked, surprised.
"I was the one who made him into what he is. Seeing through his misdirection is the least I could do." Akashi replied calmly.
"Then why don't you go and find him?"
"I suggest you hurry and go to Tetsuya before someone else does." Akashi ignored the question, adding to Furihata's confusion. "He should be at the turn, when the path winds left."
Was it a trap? Was it a prank? Furihata shook his head mentally; coming from Akashi, that was impossible. But if he really knew where Kuroko was, why had he never won the game once? And why would he tell someone else where to find Kuroko? Or had he done the same on the previous days?
"D-Did you also help Takao, Aomine and Himuro-san?" he asked. The question made Akashi cock an eyebrow.
"Of course not. I have no reason to."
"T-Then why–"
"Kouki, I told you to go find Tetsuya. That is the only thing you should be doing now." the Rakuzan captain cut him in with a tone that sent a chill of panic down Furihata's spine.
"Y-Yes, right away, Akashi-san! Thank you very much!"
The Seirin point guard dashed away in the direction Akashi had indicated, currently more focused on not upsetting the Emperor than on actually finding Kuroko. Yet as he sprinted along the path, he saw the turn which Akashi had mentioned and slowed down, now scrutinizing the area for any spot of baby blue that would betray Kuroko's presence. After five long minutes of fruitless search, doubt started seizing his mind; maybe Akashi had lied, after all. But then again, why would he do that? He let out a loud sigh as he sat down on a small rock.
"Kuroko, just where on earth are you?" he mumbled to himself.
"I am right here, Furihata-kun."
The brown-haired teen stood up with a start. "K-Kuroko! Where did you come from?!"
"I was here all the time."
"You–oh, never mind."
"Congratulations on finding me, Furihata-kun."
The latter sighed again. "To be honest, it wasn't really me who found you. It was... It was Akashi-san who told me where you were."
Kuroko's face betrayed no emotion as he answered: "That is an interesting fact. But it was Furihata-kun who found me nonetheless."
"I-I still don't think it's really fair. Maybe I should tell the coaches that Akashi-san should be the winner..."
Kuroko gave his teammate his usual blank stare. "Furihata-kun, it was Akashi-kun's decision to lead you to me. Please think of the consequences if you were to challenge his decision."
Those words were enough to trigger a whirlpool of frightening images in Furihata's head; images of the Emperor passing down judgement on him and delivering punishment in cruel and painful ways. His face must have clearly betrayed his thoughts, for Kuroko went on:
"I was joking, Furihata-kun. Akashi-kun isn't the sort of person you are imagining."
"S-Sorry, it's just that he's so impressive on the court, you know?"
"Akashi-kun still remains a human being."
"I guess you're right." Furihata nodded.
"And he would not harm people he likes."
"It's true I've never seen him do anything nasty to you or the other members of the Generation of Miracles."
"I was talking about you, Furihata-kun." Kuroko corrected him coolly, which in return earned him a befuddled stare.
"W-What do you mean?" Furihata asked hesitantly, but Kuroko's only answer was:
"I believe I have said too much. Shall we go back to the inn? The coaches are waiting."
"Oh, uh, OK. But hey, Kagami is going to rant again. He's been ranting every day and every night about how he absolutely had to find you." Furihata chuckled.
"Has he now?"
"Yes. I feel almost bad for him. Tomorrow is the last day for him to find you. I hope he'll manage."
Kuroko didn't answer.
"I was thinking, maybe we could stay here tonight." Furihata suggested to Kuroko, as the whole Seirin team was taking a well-deserved rest in their room at the end of the day.
"Hey that'd be cool! It'd be more fun like this." Koganei nodded. "We've kinda been missing you!"
But the blue-haired boy shook his head. "There are actually some matters I wish to talk to Furihata-kun alone."
Those words inevitably stirred up everyone's curiosity, and more particularly Furihata's. Kagami frowned at Kuroko.
"Are you hiding things from us?" Izuki inquired teasingly.
"I didn't imagine you to be the kind of person to have secrets." Hyuuga noted.
"So, so, what is it about?" Koganei prompted.
"It is not up to me to say anything." Kuroko replied, unfazed. "Please ask Furihata-kun later."
"Eh, me? Why me? I don't even know what you want to talk about."
"Then let us go now and you will know." Kuroko said.
"Don't forget to take him with you, or Kagami isn't going to sleep tonight." Kiyoshi stopped them, holding #2 in his hands. The dog barked happily when Kuroko grabbed his namesake and settled him comfortably against his chest.
"I will take care of him, though I am quite tempted to leave him here." he said lightly, but for the span of a short second, there was no mistaking the terrifying and murderous intent aimed at Kagami whose entire body froze on the spot. "Well then, shall we go, Furihata-kun?"
It took two seconds for the latter to come back to his senses and nod hastily: "Oh uh, yes, I'm coming." he said, following Kuroko outside, leaving a rather puzzled Seirin team behind.
The only sound that filled the air on their way to the room was that of their footsteps; the awkward atmosphere didn't help put Furihata at ease and his tongue was itching to ask Kuroko what it was that he wanted to talk about.
"Furihata-kun," the blue-haired boy spoke quietly, as if he had read his thoughts, "please do not worry so much."
"Is it that visible?" Furihata gave a short, embarrassed chuckle. "I have to admit you were a bit scary there for a second. Are you still angry with Kagami?"
"I am upset by Kagami-kun."
"What did he do?"
But Kuroko didn't answer as they arrived in front of the room. Instead, he pulled the door open and stepped aside, letting Furihata in first.
"Ah, thank–" he froze at the first step as his eyes landed on the person who was waiting for them inside. He slammed the door shut and turned a pair of panicked eyes to the Phantom Player : "Kuroko, you got the wrong room!"
But the latter merely shook his head:
"I did not. There was simply a change of plans." he said calmly. "Well then, I shall take my leave now."
"Eeeeeh? W-Wait, what do you mean, a change of plans? Aren't you supposed to stay? And w-why is he here?"
"It was on his orders."
"What? But why? Kuroko, you're kidding me, you're not gonna leave me alone with him!"
"From what I heard, you managed pretty well yesterday."
"B-B-But–"
Kuroko shoved him roughly inside the room and shut the door with a: "Good night, Furihata-kun."
Furihata gulped silently, not quite sure about whether the night would actually be good or not. For now in front of him was none other than Akashi Seijuurou, seated cross-legged and cross-armed in front of what looked very much like a game of shogi. Needless to say, Furihata was having a hard time controlling his body's trembling; why was this happening? The rule stated that he was supposed to spend the night with Kuroko, not Akashi! 'Calm down, calm down. Breathe. Breathe.' Yesterday night hadn't been so bad, honestly speaking. There was no reason for tonight to be any different, was there?
Aside from the fact that tonight he was in a closed room with Akashi and the fact there were two futon here – implying that he would most likely spend the entire night with him instead of a few hours.
"Good evening, Kouki. You may sit if you want." Akashi's voice interrupted his thoughts – and fears.
"G-Good evening, Akashi-san." Furihata greeted back as he put his bag down next to him and sat down nervously on his knees in front of the Rakuzan captain. The latter gazed at him:
"Kouki, we are the same age. There is no need for you to address me so formally."
"Oh, uh... T-Then how would you like me to call you?"
"Seijuurou is fine."
Furihata opened panicked eyes. "I-I can't possibly use your first name!"
"I use your first name, it's only normal you do the same."
In Furihata's head, it wasn't normal at all. No matter if they were the same age, Akashi was way above him in every other aspect. At least, it was what he wanted to answer, but his intuition and the gaze Akashi was giving him were clearly telling him it wasn't a good idea to go against the Emperor's words if he valued his life.
"T-Then is S-Seijuurou-kun fine?" he asked with utmost difficulty.
Akashi let out a small sigh. "That will do for now." he said, filling Furihata with relief.
Saying Akashi's first name out loud left a peculiar feeling on his tongue, but it wasn't unpleasant at all.
"Well then, Kouki, would you like to learn how to play shogi?"
"Hm, before that... May I ask... why am I not spending the night with Kuroko?" Furihata dared ask, though carefully, praying that Akashi wouldn't get upset by the question. The Rakuzan player cocked an elegant eyebrow.
"Would you rather spend the night with him?" he asked back with a neutral tone that didn't reveal anything about his mood.
"Ah no... I-I didn't mean it like that. It's just that... uh, I thought the one who found Kuroko was supposed to stay with him for one night, so uh..."
"Well, you didn't really find Tetsuya on your own, did you?"
At those words, Furihata panicked again: "Ah yes, indeed! I'm sorry, you should have been the one to find him!" he apologized hastily, bowing his head several times.
"Kouki, there is no need for you to apologize. I told you Tetsuya's location of my own free will, didn't I?"
"Y-yes, but why?" Furihata asked timidly, head lowered.
"I thought it would be more interesting to change the rules for today. Therefore I told Tetsuya that I would be taking his place tonight. Are you disappointed?"
"No, I'm not!" Furihata answered a bit too quickly, raising his eyes to Akashi. He was taken by surprise for a second as he saw a faint smile on Akashi's lips. Not a cheerful or friendly smile like the ones he received from his teammates, but still, a smile.
And was it him or Akashi's face looked... softer? At least, Furihata felt more at ease than usual, almost relaxed upon seeing one of those rare smiles.
"Good." Akashi nodded. "Then I will ask you again: would you like to learn shogi? I will teach you."
Something told Furihata that it was an offer he had best accept. Thus it was with a timid voice that he answered:
"I would be very honoured, Aka–I mean, Seijuurou-kun."
He could seriously get used to calling Akashi like that very quickly.
"Kuroko? You forgot something here?" Hyuuga cocked an eyebrow as he saw the blue-haired boy step into the Seirin room. The latter shook his head.
"I will be sleeping here tonight."
"Huh? What about Furihata?"
"He is currently in good company."
"What do you mean?" Kiyoshi inquired. "You left #2 with him?"
"No, he is here." Kuroko answered as he unzipped his bag, letting the dog sneak his head out, much to Kagami's dismay.
"Then who is Furihata with?"
"Akashi-kun."
A bomb dropped in the middle of the room would have had the same effect as Kuroko's words.
"THE HELL?!" came a chorus of voices.
"Akashi?! What the hell is he doing with Furihata?"
"Why did you leave him with that guy?"
"Do you want Furi to die?"
"You know that he completely freaks out whenever Akashi's there!"
"Please calm down." Kuroko said quietly as he nonchalantly let #2 out of his bag and put him on the floor. The dog padded to Koganei's open arms, snuggling there comfortably. "Everything is fine. Besides, it was on Akashi-kun's order, and his words are absolute."
"I'm getting tired of hearing that excuse." Hyuuga crossed his arms, annoyed. "Just who does he think he is?"
"Still, what does Akashi want with Furihata?" Kagami inquired, frowning.
"Please ask him tomorrow." Kuroko answered, walking to a corner of the room where his futon was rolled. He grabbed it and unrolled it next to Izuki. It was on the exact opposite side of where Kagami was; the latter noticed it and frowned lightly, but didn't say a word about it.
"I'm seriously thinking we should go and make sure Furi's alright." Koganei said.
"I'm not sure it's a good idea." Izuki said darkly. "I can already see it from here: Akashi skinning us alive because we interrupted whatever he's doing to Furihata."
"The way you put it, it sounds like he's doing some terrible things on Furi." Koganei shivered. "Like torture or some weird experiments or–"
"Stop the crap already." Hyuuga cut him off. "I admit he can be scary but I'm pretty sure he's not the kind of person to actually go so far."
"Yes, Akashi-kun is a very responsible person." Kuroko nodded.
"You really have no idea what he wants with Furihata?" the Seirin captain insisted.
"I do, in fact. But I believe it is better you ask Furihata-kun tomorrow."
Hyuuga sighed. "Well, whatever. Let's hope he survives by then."
"The captain is abandoning his teammates." Izuki teased him.
"I'm not! But as I said, I believe Akashi isn't a psychopath." Hyuuga snapped. He made a short pause before adding: "Even if he looks like one."
"And if something happens, I'm sure Furihata will come back here running!" Kiyoshi added happily. "There's no need to worry!"
"Sometimes I wonder if your brain hasn't broken down along with your knee." Hyuuga muttered.
"By the way, I just thought of something!" Koganei exclaimed, forgetting completely about Furihata, Akashi and torture. "Since you're here, Kuroko, how about you tell us all the saucy details of your previous nights?"
"That sounded totally weird!" Kagami pointed out.
"Yes, I believe the way Koganei-kun put it must have sounded very gross to you, Kagami-kun." Kuroko answered, emphasizing on the word 'gross' on purpose.
The Seirin ace didn't miss the cue, though he was apparently the only one. A part of him wanted to apologize to Kuroko again while another part was rather pissed at the shorter player; what was wrong with Kuroko, seriously? It was just one word he had blurted out by accident, he hadn't meant anything bad with that! Why was Kuroko such a prick about it? He usually never held a grudge for that long.
"Oh come on, I was kidding!" Koganei laughed.
"I want to know too! What did you talk about during those nights?" Izuki jumped in.
"Cut him some slack, seriously." Hyuuga grunted.
"You're no fun, Captain. Come on, Kuroko, tell us!"
"I believe it is better if you ask Takao-kun, Aomine-kun and Himuro-san directly." Kuroko answered politely. "I do not have a very good memory of conversations. Besides I would like to sleep, as I am feeling quite tired."
"You're no fun either, Kuroko." Koganei mumbled.
"But Kuroko has a point here. We still have a day left at the training camp and we need to be in perfect shape for it." Hyuuga said. "From what I got from Riko, tomorrow's matches are going to be particularly tough. She didn't give any detail, but coming from that sadistic bunch of coaches, it can't be anything good."
"Then it's decided! Everyone goes to bed!" Kiyoshi said happily, clapping his hands once.
"You're as boring as old men." Izuki sighed, though he complied and lay down on his futon. "And here I thought we could have some fun tonight."
"I bet Furihata is having more fun than us." Koganei added as Mitobe switched the light off.
Furihata was, in fact, having fun. Well, as much as one could have fun while in presence of Akashi Seijuurou. If he had been at first rather stressed about learning anything under Akashi's supervision, his fears progressively disappeared as he played a first game, then a second, and a third. Naturally the first games ended very quickly, but Akashi would sometimes give him a tip or two which Furihata was very careful to heed for the next game. It also happened that a very light trace of a smile would grace Akashi's lips while they played, though Furihata couldn't clearly tell whether it was because he had made a good move or because he had just made a blunder that would cost him victory.
The fourth game ended at a late hour of the night, and Furihata's eyes were slowly but surely getting veiled with sleepiness.
"Chess and shogi may present similarities at first, but strategies that work well in the former won't be efficient in the latter. Earlier you used your knight to take my silver general, but you forgot that a knight can only move forwards. In other words, it cannot retreat when need be. Try to remember the specificities of shogi in order to avoid mistakes like that."
"Ah... yes, I will do my best to remember. Thank you for your guidance, Seijuurou-kun."
Akashi let out a small sigh. "Kouki, when will you stop being so formal?"
The question made Furihata flush and lower his head, unable to find a proper answer.
"Never mind that for now." Akashi went on. "You seem tired. Let's call it a day."
"I don't mind if we play another game!" Furihata answered hastily. "I-I mean, if you agree, of course."
"You don't have to force yourself."
"I'm not. In fact... I really enjoy playing with you!" Furihata blurted out.
"You do?" Akashi raised an eyebrow.
"I know it must be boring for you to play against someone of my level, but I... I'm really happy you took some of your time to teach me shogi." Furihata said, lowering his head again.
It was the truth. Even now he still had no idea why Akashi was even bothering to spend time with him, yet he wanted – he really wanted – to be up to his expectations. He was struggling to remain awake, but it didn't matter. The one thought on his mind right now was to do everything possible not to disappoint Akashi. Why? He couldn't tell for sure, but he was almost certain that it wasn't out of fear of Akashi.
Now that he thought about it, he was less nervous with the Rakuzan captain than he was just a few hours ago, though he still couldn't relax entirely; it was the Emperor he was facing after all.
"I'm glad to hear those words coming from you, Kouki." Akashi spoke again. "But do you think I would ask you to play against me if I found it boring?"
"Oh, uh... I-I suppose not." Furihata answered timidly.
"Then let's play another game, shall we?"
However, as they started placing their pieces on the board, Furihata couldn't hold back a yawn. Akashi raised his eyes to him:
"You're tired. You should rest for today, it's already late enough."
"N-No I'm fine! Really–"
"Kouki. Don't push yourself." Then, seeing Furihata's downcast expression, he added: "We will have other opportunities to play."
"S-Sorry..."
"No need for apologies. I'm already pleased you agreed to play a few games with me."
"I'm the one who's honoured for being able to play against you!" Furihata bowed his head deeply, still confused as for why Akashi granted him so much attention.
At that moment, fingers delicately lifted his chin up, taking him off guard. His eyes inadvertently met with Akashi's, resulting in a rush of blood to his cheeks. He flinched under the gaze; his body unable to move as he was completely at a loss as for how to react. All he knew was that Akashi's face was way too close to his for comfort.
"S-Seijuurou-kun?" he stuttered with a silent gulp.
"There is no need for you to bow your head to me either, Kouki. I prefer it when I can see your face." Akashi said, seemingly unaffected by their physical closeness.
Those words didn't help Furihata cool down at all; on the contrary, and in spite of himself, his heart started pounding heavily against his chest and he was certain his face must now be as red as Kagami's hair. His throat seemed unable to produce any sound, especially when he felt Akashi's fingers move up smoothly to his cheek, almost like a gentle caress. In Furihata's mind, this was so un-Akashi-like that he was starting to freak out a bit and wonder if he wasn't in the middle of a hallucination of some kind. He freaked out even more when Akashi drew his face even closer to his, without a word.
Furihata shut his eyes unconsciously, unable to bear any longer with Akashi's intense gaze on him. What was happening? How did it turn like that? Just a minute ago, they were still placing their shogi pieces on the board, and now Akashi was holding his face so close he could feel his soft breeze on his skin. All naturally, his body tensed up tremendously, wishing with all his might for the Rakuzan captain to let go of him quickly.
Or did he really?
He wasn't certain how long he remained like that, eyes shut tight, heart hammering his ribcage and nerves on the verge of snapping. It was Akashi's voice which snatched him out of his state:
"Not yet. You're not ready yet."
Was it a sigh he heard at the end? Furihata opened his eyes, confused. Akashi had withdrawn his hand and sat back at his original spot.
"Seijuurou-kun?" Furihata called hesitantly. What had that been about?
"I apologize if it looked like I was forcing myself on you. I'll wait until you're ready."
"R-Ready...?"
"To become mine." Akashi said calmly as he started putting out the shogi pieces.
Needless to say, Furihata drew a complete blank at those words and stared at the other teen with sheer incredulity. He must have misheard, right? It was a joke, right? But Akashi didn't make jokes like that, right?
An incredibly absurd thought suddenly crossed his dizzy mind; so absurd he wasn't even certain how it had managed to surface through his brain.
Was it... was it possible that Akashi had intended to kiss him earlier? Was it what he meant when he spoke those last words?
No, no, no. That was completely insane.
"I-I'm afraid I don't get it." Furihata ventured, not knowing what else he could say.
The answer he got was definitely not one he expected.
"I like you, Kouki." Akashi answered as if it was the most normal thing to say. "Therefore I want you to become mine. It's as simple as that."
The words rang several times in Furihata's head before he finally comprehended them.
And then he panicked.
He opened his mouth to say something, but words seemed to have fled his brain.
That was it. It was a hallucination. Or a dream. Or a very bad joke.
But no, it was reality.
Furihata wasn't certain which option he preferred.
"You should get ready to go sleep, Kouki. You look exhausted."
How could Akashi remain so calm after... confessing to him like that?! And right now Furihata was quite positive he looked anything but exhausted. And how the hell was he supposed to sleep in the same room as Akashi now?
"If you feel uneasy sleeping here tonight, you may go back to your teammates." Akashi said, as if he had read his mind.
Perhaps Furihata was still in a state of shock, rendering his brain inefficient, for he shook his head: "N-No, it's fine. I'll stay here!"
Akashi cocked an eyebrow, then smiled faintly. "Is that so. Does it mean you're already accepting to become mine?" he asked as he finished putting away the game of shogi. Seeing Furihata turn pale, he sighed: "Go sleep, Kouki. I told you I wouldn't do anything to you until you're ready."
The Seirin point guard complied hurriedly and clumsily. As he lay down – back facing Akashi – on his futon, he wondered at least a few dozen times what on earth had prompted him to agree spending the night here with Akashi.
Maybe Akashi's words held a part of truth.
Maybe, just maybe, he was accepting to become Akashi's.
At least the thought of it didn't sound so unpleasant.
But he was too tired to think more about it today. He'd see tomorrow.
The lights were turned off.
"Kouki, have a good night."
"Good night, Seijuurou." Furihata mumbled before drifting immediately to the realm of dreams.
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Aaaand done. Please don't hesitate to tell me what you thought about it!