Rated: T
Extra Chapter: Halloween Special
Thanks to: PinkyFinger212, yukiseijuro, requiems dream, Day-DayRyoshka, nicoleoh97, Takucchi, XRinnumeneX, Nightmares will rule the world, XxDeadSkiesxX, BashyBunny, uniquemangalover, telletha, Guest, AkaKuro26, and kirika o7 for the reviews!
Some of you are probably thinking 'She updated?! Whut?!' But yeah. Since October has 31 days, I decided to do a Halloween Special, as a few of you know. This one isn't the typical 'Trick or Treat' innocent thingy majing...but rather I decided to do something more different.
I'm not satisfied with how this turned out, as I have other things on my mind. I hope to go back and edit and polish this up, along with some of the other drabbles, when I'm more relaxed.
Anyways, hope you guys enjoy it regardless!
Happy Halloween!
Warnings: Fantasy AU, OOC!Kuroko, and possibly OOC!Akashi. Ionno. Didn't really know where I was going nor what I wanted when I was reaching the end. :c
The Shadow Hunter
Teiko Organization: an organization comprised of many hunters, hunters who eliminate any monsters that threaten humanity, from demons of the underworld, to the mischievous fey folk, to the creatures of the moon, the creatures of the sea, and so on and so forth.
There were many talented hunters within the Teiko Organization, though, there were six who stood out the most.
However, one of them would be the descendent of the Akashi family, a family that only breeds talented Hunters. Those who are weak and lack the discipline needed within the family are scorned and disowned by the family. Only the strong and the victorious are allowed in the family.
Akashi Seijuuro walked into the huge castle that was the prestigious Teiko Organization, wearing black slack pants, a collared shirt with a tie, a vest over it, and black comfortable shoes. He wore a long trench coat over it, the coat reaching down to his knees. Inside the coat, he wore his weapons on his sides, a rapier, his primary weapon of choice currently in its sheath, strapped to his belt on his left. On his right leg, he wore a gun holster that stored a pistol, strapped to his thigh, in case he ever wanted to use it for long distance purposes.
There were some people lurking about, most of them part of the intelligent department while a few of them were hunters speaking to them, most likely for some more information regarding a creature in their assignment.
For centuries, humans and these non-human creatures have coexisted, but of course, it wouldn't last for long. Some demons disregarded the treaties the humans and the creatures formed, and attacked the humans, which the same can be said for the humans too, who believe that every single one of these non-human creatures should be wiped off the planet.
The Human Hunters were made to serve the balance between the human and the supernatural, only targeting creatures that have already threatened and harmed the humans.
"Ah. Akashi-kun!"
Akashi Seijuuro looked up, nodding at the person who called him, Aida Riko, one of the top intelligent agents of the organization.
"You're just in time! Everyone else has already gathered in the conference room."
A delicate eyebrow rose. "Already? I would have thought at least three of them would be late."
"Yeah, well, I was able to drag Bakagami and Ahomine here when I ran into them on my way to work. Kise-kun isn't so bad compared to those idiots. At least he listens to orders." Riko sighed, rolling her eyes. "We both know that Midorima-kun is never late, and Himuro-kun was able to drag Murasakibara-kun here too when he was leaving for another assignment."
Nodding, the two entered the conference room where six people were currently seated. Akashi strolled over to the empty chair in the middle, which everyone knew was his unofficial spot.
Riko walked around the table and stood in front of each of them, arms crossed.
"All right. The reason why we called you all here is because of yet another potential threat." She looked on the table and picked up a few packs of paper. "Recently, we've been getting reports of a haunted forest. Many travelers travel through this forest to reach an empty castle that has been vacant for centuries, or so intelligence tells us. When the travelers reach the inner parts of the forest, they say how it always gets foggy and eerie, and then they see a certain shadow. Apparently the fog is so thick that their flashlights and torches can't light the way for them. A few of them were brave enough to make it out of the fog, and those who did say the saw a shadow of a person on the other side. The shadow would ask them who they were. They were too scared to answer, but eventually, the shadow vanished, leaving some of them scared to death and traumatized. A few have made it to the castle, and those who have...well...there's been no reports of them being seen exiting the castle nor any other parts of the forest."
"This is what we're concerned about." Momoi Satsuki said, standing up from her seat at the able, right beside Riko. "What happened to the travelers? Is the forest really haunted? But most importantly...is the castle in that forest not as vacant as we thought it was? We need at least one of you to investigate this. I know there isn't much information, but we need to know what's going on in the forest and at the so called abandoned castle."
"A haunted forest and castle? Waahhh that's scary!" Kise shivered.
"You're such a pussy, Kise. Che. I'll go. No ghost is no match for me! The only one who can beat me is me!"
"Keep telling yourself that, Ahomine! Who was the one that got scared when Takao was telling everyone that one ghost story back during our Academy days?"
"Tha-! I wasn't scared! And if I remember right, you were scared and hiding under the bed, Bakagami!"
"No I wasn't! Has your ego gotten so big that your brain's started swelling and making you lose your memory?! I bet that's how you got even more stupid over time!"
"Hah?! I dare you to say that again!"
"Ne, Mido-chin. Why do you have that candy?"
"It's my lucky item for the day."
"Can I eat it? It looks delicious."
"No! If you eat it, I won't be able to go on any assignments! Cancer ranked close to last place, so I must have my lucky item to make up for the bad luck I will have! Wai- Stay away from me, Murasakibara!"
"Mido-chin is being stingy! I bet the whole Oha-Asa stuff is a lie and all an excuse so that he can carry delicious and awesome things with him~!"
"I'll go."
All the squabbling and argument stopped as a single, not so loud, authoritative voice traveled across the room. All eyes turned to the red head, who was silent the entire time, sitting in his chair as if he was a king and everyone else was a peasant, arms crossed and one leg over the other.
"Are you sure, Akashi-kun?" asked Riko, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Yes. My family has expressed concern over this particular forest too. If the organization wasn't going to do something about it, the head of the family was going to send someone to investigate it."
"...You're father, correct?"
"Yes."
The brunette sighed. "Very well. The assignment will be given to Akashi-kun. There's no time limit of when it should be completed. Take your time to thoroughly investigate it. We hope you return safely, Akashi-kun."
Nodding, he stood and received the a folder of papers regarding the details of the assignment from Momoi, turning, and leaving the room.
"S-Sir...? Are you sure you want to enter this forest? I'm sure you've heard the rumors that has been going about the forest. I think it'd be safer to go back from where ever you came from..." The guide trailed off, hitching a breath when mismatched eyes turned to him, and then turned back to look into the forest that stood imposingly in front of them.
"Oi, Furihata. Who the hell is this guy?" One of the friends of the guide asked.
"I dunno, Fukuda." The main one, Furihata, replied. "This guy just came into the village and asked about the forest. He was warned about it, of course, but he still insisted to have a guide take him here. Kiyoshi asked me to guide him.
"Hey." The other friend whispered. "You don't think he's a Hunter, do you?"
"A Hunter?!" Fukuda quietly exclaimed. "You don't mean a Hunter from the Organization, do you, Kawahara?!"
"Yeah, I do mean that. I mean look at him." The three of them turned to discreetly look at the said Hunter. "Look at the way he's dressed. All aristocratic and dignified. I was there when he went to see the chief. He practically demanded to see him, no questions asked."
"But...if he really is someone from the organization, then that means he's here to see if the rumors are true or not, right?"
Akashi, meanwhile, tuned out the ramblings of the three villagers behind him and stared up at the forest. It was bright and sunny, so the sunlight was doing well with illuminating the forest. Checking to make sure he had everything with him, he started his trek into the forest.
"W-Wait!"
Annoyed, Akashi turned around with a fearsome "What" at the guide, Furihata, that shouted out to him.
The boy seemed to hesitate for a second. "U-Um. Good luck. We hope you get back safely." He flinched again when mismatched eyes narrowed, and sharply turned back into the forest.
"...Hope that guy makes it out okay." Kawahara said.
Fukuda nodded. "Yeah. Even though that guy's a Hunter, there's no telling what'll happen."
.
.
.
.
.
.
Contrary to what Akashi had thought about a 'haunted' forest, the trees weren't close together as he thought they would be. They were a good distance apart, all of them off to the side of the path he was walking along. The birds chirped and he could hear the occasional rustle of a bush due to the wild animals, along with the rustling of the leaves of the tree as a gentle breeze flowed through. There was no sign of fog...yet.
According what the report had said, regardless of the weather, once the travelers reached the inner and deeper parts of the forest, the fog starts to appear.
The red head had a hand on top of the sheath of his rapier, his cloak blowing elegantly behind him as he walked.
Once he had reached home to prepare, he had to inform his father of the 'Haunted Forest' case, telling him not to send someone else from the family, since the organization would be sending him. His father was pleased, as not Akashi will not only be doing work for the Organization, but also for the family as well. He was ordered to report to him first before going back to Riko once he was done with his investigation. There was no question about it. As an Akashi and one of the top Hunters, he was expected to return back safe and sound with news that the assignment as a success.
He couldn't help but have his doubts though.
Just as Satsuki had said, there was too little information. Apparently the intel agents the had sent were all scared shitless the moment they reached the fog. They had all turned tail and ran back the way they came from, screaming for their lives about a ghost or something. Akashi knew. He would be fighting an unseen enemy. But before they could draw conclusions on whether their 'enemy' is a true threat or not, they needed to find out who or what it is. Which is the entire purpose of the assignment.
Blinking, the red head stopped in place and looked around.
It was quiet.
The birds were no longer chirping.
He couldn't hear the padding of small animals.
He couldn't hear the leaves rustling from the wind.
And...there was no wind.
Everything was just...still.
His hand trailed up the sheath and gripped the handle of his rapier. He was now tense, his senses now on high alert.
He looked back in front of him, noticing how it seemed to get darker.
Steeling himself with his eyes narrowed in concentration, his right hand twitching in anxiety to whip out his gun, he continued forward, his eyes darting from left to right, not bothering to look behind him. He could already tell that he was reaching the inner parts of the forest, seeing how the thickness of the branches started blocking out the sunlight and making the warm atmosphere drop a few degrees cold.
As he felt the cold seeping into his skin, he noticed the fog that started to fill the air, though he was still able to see ahead.
The fog started to thicken, but still he didn't stop. He kept walking.
Wind started to blow, but it wasn't like the warm gentle breeze he felt upon entering the forest. No. This was cold and slightly fierce. The sound the wind made was eerie, and it felt like the air was moaning and the trees were groaning.
It was probably around now that the ones who got scared turned back, but still, he continued.
The fog was white, slightly darkened due to the blockage of the sun and the darkness of the forest.
His eyes gazed out in front of him, almost coming to a stop when he could've sworn he saw a shadow of a figure a few ways in front of him, but when his eyes focused on the spot, it was gone.
Was that the shadow Riko and the reports were talking about...?
No matter. Not right now. He needed to keep going to the other side. They said that the shadow would appear again at the other side of the fog.
He felt it, more than saw, that he was nearing the end. His body tensed even more, leaning forward and quickening his pace, slightly drawing his sword from his sheath and-
He blinked.
He exited the forest.
No doubt about that.
But he didn't see the shadow figure.
The reports said the travelers saw it right when they stepped out of the fog but...it wasn't there.
He couldn't relax yet though. His senses were going haywire. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rising. Someone...or something was watching it. He could feel it.
The atmosphere remained the same...which means whatever was watching him hadn't move yet. Guess he would have to make the first move.
"Who's out there?" He spoke, slightly surprised that he could hear an echo in his voice.
Silence.
No response.
He looked around, taking a small step forward, only to stop when a shadow figure appeared.
Akashi slightly crouched, ready to draw his weapons when he needed them.
"Who are you."
The shadow seemed to move. It appeared to have tilted its head to the side.
Who am I? Who are you?
A question? He contemplated for a moment. The voice sounded monotonous, a voice of a male. It sounded hollow and ghostly.
Might as well humor this 'shadow'. "I am Akashi Seijuuro, of the Akashi family."
Akashi? Akashi.
A certain edge entered the voice.
The Akashi Family...
They must perish.
His eyes widened when he heard the change of tone in the voice, slightly shivering when the voice growled out the last word.
Shit...! He swore to himself, his heart quickening when the shadow quickly lunged at him, moving off to the side to evade the shadow. He turned to face the shadow, only to see it lunging at him again and again. He kept dodging, but wondering if he could injure the shadow, he unsheathed his rapier as he dodged to the side again, holding out his word and cutting the shadow...only for it to vanish.
Not wasting any time, the red head started to run, not looking back. He squinted his eyes, starting to see a light at the end of the fog, though, his body tensing again when he heard something moving against the air behind him.
He willed his legs to move faster, and just for his own sake for a sense of security, as he reached the light, he jumped out of the fog, landing on the ground, and rolled over, rising back up on a leg and a knee facing the fog of the forest.
He stilled, waiting with bated breath to see if the shadow would follow him out or not.
He slightly relaxed when he felt the still atmosphere return back to life again. Gripping his sword, he stood, staring into the thickness of the fog. Sighing, he turned around, only to have his eyes widened, and he promptly blacked out.
Throbbing.
That was the first thing he felt as he consciousness came back to him.
He groaned, raising a hand to hold his head, only to have a peculiar sound reach his ears.
Rattling.
His eyes opened, blinking as he stared up at the ceiling. He looked back up at his hand, to see it chained to a...bed-post...?
He tugged both of his hands, feeling the handcuffs digging into his skin as they were wrapped tightly around his wrists. Perhaps he could move his feet...no. They too were also cuffed around his ankles, also chained to the bed-post.
He couldn't panic.
No matter the circumstance, he was taught to always retain a calm and collected composure ever since he was a boy. Stay calm and analyze your surroundings.
And that's what he did.
He looked around, surprised to find himself in a warm and cozy room. He was on a king sized bed. To the left was a fire place, with a fire burning ever so passionately, which was most likely the cause of the room being warm and cozy. The room was dark, the only lighting being from the fire. The windows were covered with pitch black curtains that completely blocked out the sunlight.
To the right looked to be a wardrobe big enough to hold all of his suits that he had accumulated over his lifetime. And in front of him, feets away from the bed stood a lonely door, closed, and no doubt, probably locked.
Because of the darkness of the room, he couldn't make out the decorations on the walls, which he was sure were paintings and pictures.
His eyes darted down to his own figure, realizing with confusion that not only was his cloak gone, but also his vest and tie. His collared shirt was opened, revealing his toned and fit body. Thank goodness he still had his pants on, though he also noticed his socks and shoes were gone too.
"You're awake."
Akashi blinked, not hearing anyone entering through the door, nor did he sense anyone.
He saw a shadowed figured standing in a certain darkness of the room where the light of the fire didn't touch. Judging from the sound of the voice, it was the shadow that spoke to him in the forest.
Instead of asking the typical 'Who are you?', a different question slipped from his lips.
"Why do you want the Akashi Family to perish?"
He spoke in a strong and confident tone, a way that he was taught to speak since he was a child. He knew he caught the shadow off guard with the question, as the shadow didn't say anything, and continued to appear to stare at him from a distance.
"That family took away what was precious to me long ago. No matter how much I try, I will never get it back. That's why...I will have my revenge by taking the current famed prodigy the Akashi family is so proud of."
The figure stepped out of the shadow, revealing itself...himself to Akashi. He looked no older than Akashi, but as this...man said 'long ago', he had no doubt this person was older than he appeared. Which meant that he is not human. In the small light, he could barely make out the features of this shadowed creature: powder blue hair and cyan colored eyes. The boy...the creature was shirtless, revealing a pale chest, his pants were seemingly loose, hanging extremely low on his hips.
"What are you?"
The creature smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know."
The creature brought one leg up and set a knee on the bed, and did the same with his other leg. He crawled slowly, languidly as if he was a predator stalking his prey. Akashi tensed when the creature loomed over him, his lips pressing into a thin line when a delicate finger came up to run a finger down his jawline and cupped his chin.
He was slightly startled at the nails that lightly scrapped his skin, noticing that they were longer than normal. Up close, he could see the pointy ears that were covered by the teal hair, the pupils in the cyan eyes were slits, and he could've sworn he saw a tail swish behind the creature.
"You know...you're quite handsome, Seijuuro. I was planning on maybe torturing or traumatizing you and then send you back to your family with a bow strapped to your head...but I find myself changing my mind." The creature leaned in, ghosting a breath over Akashi's neck. "Today's my birthday, you know. So this'll be a little present to myself."
Akashi opened his mouth, only to have a delicate finger pressed to his lips, a playful smile tugging on the corner of the teal head's lips.
"I know why you're here, Seijuuro. To investigate the current happenings of the forest and the castle. To find out what happened to the travelers that crossed into my territory. I was doing such a successful job in keeping intruders off my land by scaring them in the forest. Unfortunately, some of them just had to end up being brave and making it to the castle. And what happened to them? Well...let's just say that as guests of my castle, I've been...entertaining them...so to speak.
"You know. I wouldn't have bothered myself with such trivial humans. But...the Akashi family is different. Because of what they had done centuries ago, I've been keeping watch on them. I know every single one of their family members. I know the face of every single person in that household. So, of course, I know you. Your piqued my interest. The way you look, the way you act, they way you work. Everything. I wanted to know you. But...I couldn't leave this castle. I can't."
"Then...what was that shadow in the forest if that wasn't you?"
"Ah...that was my familiar. My pet. He can take on a shadowed form of myself and I can speak through him. I took small measures to capture not only the attention of your family, but also the organization you work for. If they had sent someone else, I would have needed to take extreme measures to make sure they send you instead. After all, you are the most powerful out of the six talented Hunters of the Organization."
The creature chuckled, running his nails softly down Akashi's chest. The red head sucked in a breath, feeling a strange sensation travel up his spine, his eyes widening when he accidentally let out a moan.
"As much as I want to keep you, Seijuuro. I can't. Not yet. That's why, before I set you free, I want to claim you. You are mine. You will be mine."
Akashi was confused.
The whole reason for this was to capture his attention? But...it was for revenge at first but...the creature's feelings changed into something as claiming him?
"You think too much, Seijuuro. At the same I claim you, this will also be a humiliation to the Akashi family. Once the family disowns you, you will come back to me."
I admit, I kinda scared myself shitless when I was writing the forest scene. Different horror scenarios were going through my head and...let's just say horror and I aren't on speaking terms. I get spooked so easily.
So that's it guys.
This is the OFFICIAL last chapter of the drabble series.
Thank you everyone SOOOO MUUUUUUCH for the alerts, favorites, and most definitely, the reviews!
I enjoyed reading every single one of them, and I'm glad you guys enjoyed this drabble series!
Some of you have even said that this series was your favorite AkaKuro fanfic! You guys flatter me too much! I'm only an amateur.
There are more talented authors on here.
If you guys like though, I'd be happy to recommend fanfics for you to read if you haven't read em.
A Beautiful Affair by Kato Chinatsu is a very cute one and I enjoy that one very much.
Betrayal In Its Simplest Form by Virelei was the fanfiction that got me into AkaKuro. It is a completed story so go ahead and read it. Whispering Fireworks is by that same author and is currently on-going. The progession of AkaKuro is slow but worthwhile. It's beautiful so far.
Or if you guys want, be sure to check out the AkaKuro community, The Captain and The Shadow that I manage to fill your AkaKuro needs. Feel free to pm either I or my staff, Tenshi-Oujosama, to tell us of any AkaKuro fic out there that needs to be added!
Thank you guys again so much for reading this drabble series!
Please do look forward to any future works I may write, that is, if you guys wanna stalk me like the creep we all are!
I love you guys lots and thank you so much!
-aerean94