Chapter 6: A Certain Homicidal Ex-Captain
Kamijou Touma contemplates about the words Tetsuya had said to him a while ago.
"Shadows are part of the darkness, but they also stand by the light, and that's the purpose of my existence Kamijou-kun."
Is what Tetsuya says. Kamijou can only widen his eyes. A little bit of realization dawning upon him.
"I am a shadow, I'll support those in need, even if I'm on the sidelines," no one will notice me anyway. Was the part where he left hanging, but Kamijou can barely picks it up.
He tries to retort, really, but even if he can stop supernatural forces, be it magic or esper abilities he still cannot stop the time from ticking, so now both Kamijou and Tetsuya was running along the corridors once they heard the bells ringing, only to find out that Komoesensei has yet to arrive.
Seating themselves in their respective seats, Kamijou can't help but stares at Tetsuya who's now reading a mystery novel, which he seemingly pulls out of nowhere, careful not to squint or he'll 'disappear'.
The words the teal-head said earlier echoes to Kamijou's mind again and somehow he feels that this might mean that he is a step closer in unlocking a mystery named as Kuroko Tetsuya.
Yawning again for the umpteenth time, Tetsuya walks in the sidewalk, vanilla milkshake in hand. He barely listens to any of his lessons for today as he was still sleepy and had somehow manage using misdirection unconsciously in order to avoid a doting mother hen in the name of a Kamijou Touma.
He mentally snickered at the thought, but who knew that not paying attention to your surroundings can cause you dearly as Tetsuya bumps into a stranger.
Scratch that, who would think that he'll meet 'him' here?
"Fancy meeting you here, Tetsuya." Yes, that silky voice, he's sure that he's not mistaken.
"Akashi-kun." He greeted, steeling himself as he did not allow a flinch to show in his physical features under the existence of his ex-captain's heterochromatic gaze.
"What, there's no 'long time no see' or 'how are you'? Now Tetsuya, if only I knew that you'll be this devious then perhaps I made the wrong choice in letting you off the team," Akashi Seijuurou stated with a smirk. "But both you and I know that I am always absolute, and I know that you've learned your lesson, yes?"
Tetsuya stays quiet.
Akashi held up a hand in the air, as if knowing what it is in Tetsuya's mind.
"You know that you can't use your 'ability' to me no? Since I can see and know everything. Why don't we go somewhere else?"
Akashi nudges him to walk on but not before taking the milkshake that lay forgotten in his hand into a nearby trash bin.
"Now Tetsuya, how many times do I have to tell you that you should at least consume healthy foods and not some sugary junk?" The red head sternly chastised in which earned a glare from Tetsuya. Really, how long does this 'emperor' wants to continue this one-sided conversation even if it's clear that the other doesn't want to see the face that cause him hardships and most of all…
"Tetsuya."
He was broken in his reflections when he hears that stoic voice. He really should pay attention to his surroundings. Now that he think about it, they were now walking towards a nearby empty basketball court.
"Anou," he started but was shocked to see a flying ball towards his face.
He slapped the ball or to say return pass it towards the offender, which is Akashi-kun in a lightning speed.
"You have to be faster than that Tetsuya." clarified Akashi as he accepted the pass, dribbled a bit then shoots it in the hoop without actually looking at it.
Tetsuya cringes at that.
"Please stop that, I'll be angry."
"Huh? So you've found some bones enough to defy me?"
"…"
"Very well, I'm going to be straight to the point," Akashi closes his eyes and crossed his arms as he sensed Tetsuya's tensing form.
"Be careful with the spirits, Tetsuya."
Tetsuya was confused.
'Spirits? What? Why?'
Despite the lack of reaction, Akashi definitely knows what's in Tetsuya's mind, as indicated earlier. But what makes Tetsuya unnerved was the lack of details. He knows that Akashi is an enigma but he never thought that this 'enigma' should be 'straight to the point' as the red head implied.
Before he could delve any further to the warning, Akashi launch another confusing question.
"Satte, back to the reason why I brought you here,"
Akashi opens his unwavering eyes of red blood and molten gold colors.
"What is your answer?"
"…" Answer? Oh right, the 'war' will come.
Tetsuya knows that. It's inevitable and there's no changing back after what happened in the last days of them as middle schoolers. He chose to flee, here at Academy City to find the answer but he needed more time, but right now…
"I… I won't run anymore." He spoke in a very miniscule voice but knowing Akashi, he knows that he catch it on.
Akashi Seijuurou smiled a genuine smile to Tetsuya that day. And for a second, he thought he saw that dichromatic orbs of red and yellow change into the pools of original red.
"Then I'll be waiting, Kuroko."
With that last sentence Akashi spun his heels and walk away, leaving a perplexed Tetsuya in his wake.
Somehow, a little twitch of his lips sprouts in Tetsuya's face. He can't help himself, he knows he will take the right road of decision in time.
'At that time, I'll definitely save you all.'
Yes and he had finally made his decision.
Picking up the neglected basketball, he thought to himself.
'Make well and make sure I haven't rusted in it.'
A face of young and old twisted into a small grin. The 'human' that is neither a man nor a woman yet with the perception of both was floating upside down in his mechanical tank.
Suddenly two people appear in front of the said cylinder tank. One is a petite ability-user with a teleportation ability, and the other is an older boy with striking flame red hair and heterochromatic eyes that can send shivers to everyone with the exception for the person in the tank, and by looking at them closer both are holding hands.
But neither of them knew each other. The girl might know something about the other person but that is limited only as him being one of the delegates of the council of Academy City, and that's that.
With a small nod, the girl vanishes into thin air.
"What are your plans, Aleister?"
The boy, Akashi Sejuurou said to his, as much as he hates to admit, superior in a cold tone. He is nobody's subordinate after all.
Opening his closed eyes, the child yet old, the woman yet man, the saint yet criminal alike stares at the boy in alleviate manner.
"Oh, there's nothing much. Though I called you here in the place of your father to-"
Akashi intervene the human figure in the midst of his speaking by showing him a report with a photo attached on it. The photo attached on it shows about someone overly familiar to him, a boy in his age, pale in color with sky blue eyes and hair.
"What's the meaning of this?" he said in a crude voice.
"It is what you see my dear boy, that's Kuroko Tetsuya's file that was retrieved recently.
"I know that," he spat. "But how did you get it back? And who is the culprit?"
Akashi glares at Aleister.
"Hm, being overprotective to a friend hn?"
That renders Akashi speechless.
He blinks his eyes, for a moment, Aleister enjoyed the amusement of seeing Akashi Seijuurou flustered, his left eye visibly changing to the original red then back again to being the traitorous gold as of now.
"Ha, don't make me laugh. Sure, Tetsuya is a valuable piece of mine during our Teikou middle school years and one of the loyal ones to serve me. I merely want to see him in our grand battle this coming school year, besides,"
Aleister leans on, waiting for the dual-sided boy to continue.
"Out of all the 'miracles' he's the only one 'that'll' exceed my expectations."
(Oh, so his 'Ability' is starting to shift eh?)
Was what Aleister thought as he stares at the boy in front of him, who is now wearing an awful smirk on his face.
"Then let's continue to our main point as to why I called you over."
In an instant the cold voice of Aleister becomes even colder as he sternly grabs the attention of his subordinate.
Seeing Aleister say that with that kind of tone, Akashi inadvertently frowned.
"It wouldn't be a problem if only ability-users were involved, because that's one of the abilty-user I 'had'. As long as any citizen in this city creates a commotion, there are about 70,632 ways to deal with it and cover it up…"
"…"
Even though Akashi might know what this man in the cylinder was about to say, he was not willing to voice it out. A dreading filling was filling his innards as he wait for the moment of truth.
"…What has complicated matters is that a magician has taken part in the problem when he shouldn't have."
Thus, Akashi was only thinking of this.
"And it concerns about your friend, Kuroko Tetsuya. The culprit was not being careful no? It's as if they have won already but that is the less of our concern."
Akashi stares at him intently.
"I suppose you should now know why I called you here…" The Chairman Director of Academy City, the "human" Aleister who was floating upside-down, said with a stern tone, "The situation has escalated right now."
"They are intending of capturing the 'Phantom' under your noses is that what you say?" Akashi confirmed.
"Indeed."
As if a puppet that had been pulled by his strings, Akashi turns to leave and as if on cue the girl earlier returns. He already knows what to do now, and so with a final nod towards the human floating upside down in a cylinder tank. He takes the hand of the girl and together they vanished, and left the no entrance, no exit, and a windowless building.
The human that looked like both a man and a woman, both an adult and a child, and both a saint and a criminal made an expression which could be considered a 'smile', and said,
"—If the 'Emperor' makes the move himself, can he save one of his 'pawns'? Or should I require 'Imagine Breaker's' help?"
Tetsuya does another three-pointer.
But as expected, the ball only touches the rim of the hoop. He sighs disappointedly as he watch the ball roll over to his feet. He was still thinking of what his former captain had said to him and he can't help but feel confused despite the fact that Akashi's last words has lit his hopes up.
'Be careful with the spirits, Tetsuya.'
'Then I'll be waiting, Kuroko.'
Twirling the ball in his hand he walks away from the basketball court to find a refreshment stall. Since Akashi-kun took his vanilla milkshake he must get another one. Maybe it'll lessen the confusion he's been getting at Akashi's message and can wind up some stress.
Speaking of, he can barely do his hobby now, might as well try it again.
His said hobby was 'human observation'.
In order to utilize his misdirection he must have an exceptional way of observing opponents alike, and he does that so well because, as being the one standing by the shadows he's the one perfect for the job. Outside basketball he uses it as a certain hobby.
He stopped by a fast food joint and entered. He noticed a certain girl in a shrine maiden dress fussing over to something, no that was an overstatement, she was merely looking over the counter, staring at the attendant and a pile of burgers.
"I don't have any money left, can I have this for free?" wow, that was very blunt, Tetsuya thought in a deadpan mode.
"E-erm, sorry miss but no can do." The lady cashier said while smiling wryly.
The miko visibly deflates, massaging her stomach.
Sighing, Tetsuya walks over them.
"Anou, I'll pay for that if you like."
"E-ek?!"
"…"
The cashier and the miko widen their eyes but the most reaction he got was from the cashier as he shrilly shrieks and the girl with the obsidian hair merely shrugs him off.
"Eh, eh? Okay, that'll be 580 yen."
"Un, hai, and a vanilla milkshake please."
Taking their orders Tetsuya and the girl, incredibly, with the appetite like… Aomine-kun.
"Thanks." That quiet statement breaks him from his musings. And now that he think of it this girl sure looks familiar. She's one of his classmates at A Certain High School.
"You're welcome Himegami-san."
And so the clock starts to tick its hands.
End of Chapter 6
~Author's Notes~
Yukisu: Sorry for the l~ong HIATUS! Whuhuhuhu~ (ToT)
Akashi: *reads script* the author is begging for your forgiveness for not updating for the past 2, no, 3 months of time… na, tell me why am I here?
Yukisu: Well, Kagamin said he has some business somewhere so since it's your official debut in this story might as well introduce you here in the omake~
Akashi: Hn, is that so? Be grateful I don't have my scissors or now you'll be dead.
Yukisu: Ahaha~ You can't kill me, I'm already undead Aka-shin~ (*v*) *hides Akashi's scissors*
Akashi: Well, you might as well start your job peasant, and don't look in my eyes. *turns away*
Yukisu: As you wish Heika~ (oA)v *I'm using weird emojis xD* Thanks for those who review in my absence, Thanks for those who followed and favored this crossover fic of mine, I appreciated it very much~
To Pea Brain Writer-san's question like;
"… Doesn't Kuroko's "Ability" kinda scream "I have no place in this world"?"
- no, no absolutely not, as explained in this chapter and the first chapter, Tetsu has a different perspective of his ability. While maybe this is what others view but not to him.
To Suzululu4moe-san, un, hai~ I'm sure that is what Biri-biri thinks also~
ForMistaSilentKiller-san, again thanks for the compliment!
Well, I still haven't made it long; I'm not cut for writing no? I'm an artist~ But I still try~ Okay, Aka-shin?
Akashi: *reads script* Dear readers, please Comment/ Review.