a/n= Sorry for the long update guys! I have been busy catching up with Durarara lately and got into the loop of Shizaya feels!
Anyways, we are still in the 'Dawning arc' and I hope you guys will like it!
Please leave somereviews guys! Reviews are appreciated! Please R&R!
Ten years later:
Akashi was currently reciting the last line of his Latin poem before a loud knock on the door pulled him from train his thoughts
"Akashi-sama, it's dinner time. Masaomi-sama demands your presence." A shy voice muffled behind the door. Judging by the mild hesitancy of her tone, Akashi assumed it was one of the new, younger maids.
The crimson-haired male peered behind his shoulders and responded. "Okay. Thank you for informing me."
The inexperienced Akashi servant bowed with a smile before scurrying off towards the stairs. When she was out of earshot, Akashi stretched and yawned while scratching an itch behind his nape.
"You have done well." A voice echoed from his head. But Akashi could hear him well as if the speaker was sitting beside him like a mentor or a friend.
Akashi couldn't help but grin. "You help me a lot Sei. You pretty much memorized ninety-percent of them."
Seijuuro let out a small chuckle. Akashi pictured his modest smile. "I just do what I can to lessen your burden."
"You left me with one paragraph left. You should have spared some more." Akashi lips jutted into a pout.
Usually, Akashi remained composed at all times, never reducing into such childish behavior that would receive unpleasant remarks from his father and his friends. But Seijuuro was different.
Seijuuro made a sound between a laugh and chortle. "Don't blame me. You fell asleep last night after studying for Chemistry. I took over your consciousness and registered that poem into your brain."
Akashi took a sharp intake of breath and his lips folded into a wistful smile "We have been doing this for years, but I can't get used to it. I don't know how to thank you, Seijuuro."
"You're the one who brought me into existence," Seijuuro whispered. "Therefore I should be grateful. I don't even deserve to play a major part in your life."
As Akashi registered Seijuuro's kind words, a sharp twinge poked on his chest. Shaking his head in disapproval, Akashi clenched his hands into a fist.
"No," Akashi spoke in a firm tone. "If you didn't come to me that day, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I can go this far because of you. Things are easier when you have two brains."
Seijuuro was silent for a moment before he intruded. "You know our encounter is because of DID, am I right?"
Akashi's lips mounted into a scowl. "So what? The weird thing is, DID will make each alternate's forget anything that had happened to each other, but we have been using the 'two brain' methods for ten years."
For some reason, Akashi could imagine Seijuuro shook his head with a thin smile. "Yes, that's true. But you know Akashi, every time I took over your body, I tried to retain the information I have and transfer it to your conscious before you wake up."
"Is that true?" Akashi questioned, his brows knitted together.
Seijuuro nodded. "Yes."
"Akashi-sama! It's dinner time!" an older maid's voice boomed impatiently, followed by a desperate knock.
This time Akashi stood up, his chair slid backward with a screech. He sauntered towards the door while continued talking.
"You know Seijuuro, there's one thing I have in mind," Akashi said as he curled his fingers around the doorknob and spun the door open.
"What is it?"
Akashi waited until he stalked passed the bowing servant and eased his way towards the stairs before he answered. "I want you to experience the whole world once. Why don't you try walking outside using my body?"
Seijuuro answered abruptly. "There's no way I will do it. I can see the world through your eyes. It is enough for me Akashi. After all, the eyes are the windows of the soul."
Akashi chuckled until his stomach ached. "I am really sure you study more than me."
"I did study more than you." Seijuuro teased in a triumphant tone.
Akashi flailed his arms in the air with a sigh. "I get it! I get it."
As Akashi continued his conversation with his head, he was oblivious of the burning stares on his back.
The maids on the upper level pressed their bodies together. Low murmurs of his whisper swept amongst the lower servants.
"Is that the master's son?" one of the youngest maid's finger stabbed towards Akashi's direction.
"Don't point at him, Erika!" her friend spat at her. "Don't let him notice you! He's nuts!"
"Poor Masaomi-sama," someone replied with sympathetic, yet mocking tone. "He has an autistic boy as his successor."
"But I heard Seijuuro is a genius, though." someone commented.
"That's part of his autism, I think."
On the dinner table:
Akashi and his father ate in silence. It was nothing out of the ordinary.
Their clanking silverwares and the maids' shuffling footsteps offering food and drinks were the only noise present in the dining room.
"This is awkward," Seijuuro suddenly spoke. Akashi had the urge to elbow him if possible.
"You don't say," Akashi whispered awkwardly and forked a piece of chicken into his mouth. It was something Aomine would probably say. Scowling, Akashi chewed the meat petulantly while contemplating on his crumbling pride.
"You should tell your father that you memorized the Latin Speech."
"He would bring it up, sooner or later."
"You should try to initiate the conversation once, Akashi."
"Don't tell me what to do—"
Suddenly, Masaomi cleared his throat. His rich voice demanding for attention interrupted their silly banter. As Masaomi's dull, yet icy eyes glared at him from the distance, a wave of nausea rolled into his stomach. Akashi wanted Seijuuro to replace his conscious, but like unlike Akashi, Seijuuro wasn't able to withstand his father's kaleidoscopic attitude.
Akashi resisted the urge to stand up and strolled back into his room, but his father's predatory gaze fastened him into his seat like a fearful prey hopelessly trying to find an escape.
"So Akashi, how are you adapting at Teiko Middle School?" Masaomi asked, his voice was neutral.
Akashi's heart hitched. It seemed like Masaomi was rational today. As he tried to block the longing parental love seeping into his heart, Akashi answered nonchalantly.
"Everything is fine, father."
"Did anything good happened?" Masaomi asked, his tone was surprisingly fond, just like in the good old days.
But Akashi knew it would not last. "I've been elected as the vice-captain for Teiko Basketball club."
Masaomi was silent for a long moment before he acknowledged. "Basketball huh? It reminds me of Shiori."
His wife.
Akashi's mother.
Akashi couldn't forgive his father for not being by her side when Shiori died. He was two days late.
Akashi nodded silently in response.
Studying his son's impervious response, Masaomi steered the conversation to another matter.
"So, did you make any friends?" Masaomi asked again.
Akashi looked at him for a long moment before replying. "I'm closest with Midorima Shintaro, whose intelligence is on par with me. I am close with the captain too. I'm also well-acquainted with two of my club members, a noisy ganguro and a tall, and hungry teenager..."
Suddenly, Akashi stopped his tale. Eyes wide, Akashi warily traced his fingers over his lips. It had been a long time since Akashi talk to his father like this.
"I'm glad." Masaomi suddenly grinned.
His father smiled at him. As warm tears stung on his eyes, Akashi tilted his head and focused his gaze towards the food scattered on his plate, trying to block out any thoughts about his father.
He should say something.
"Aren't you going to ask me about my Latin speech?" he suddenly asked. He believed it was the most appropriate thing to say.
Masaomi's smile melted, and his expression hardened again, albeit reluctantly.
"I don't have to ask." Masaomi's voice was like a whisper. "I know you did, didn't you?"
Akashi nodded while inwardly counting the amount of rice grains on his plate.
"After all, that's what an Akashi should do," Masaomi straightened his shoulders, his voice vibrant of primacy. "In this household, we don't tolerate failure, do you understand?"
Casting an empty glance at his father, Akashi nodded. "Yes father," he answered dully.
He expected Masaomi to rant about the Akashi victorious history for his umpteenth time, but instead, the man before him smiled gently and said.
"You should take a break, once in a while."
Akashi's eyes widened in response, sudden rage curled around his heart. The tightness drilled a hole in his heart, letting out all his frustration and anger like leaking water.
After everything that he had done, his father could say such thing?
Then it happened.
His visions narrowed, and for a short moment, he saw nothing but darkness.
"You're trying too hard, old man!"
It was his voice.
Suddenly, his feet dragged him towards the door. As the maids opened the door for him, Akashi stormed out of the room with a weird, yet overwhelming emotion.
When the door shut behind him, the pristine features of his house replaced his blurry vision.
He was back.
That's all he knew.
Akashi leaned against the doorframe before sinking his knees into a crouching position. Pulling his hair in frustration, Akashi whispered to his head.
"Sei, what did you do?"
Seijuuro replied in a dejected tone. "I am sorry, Akashi. I shouldn't have done that without warning."
"I don't want to hear that! Tell me what you do!" Akashi's voice rose, tears pooled on his eyes.
Seijuuro made a sound like a gulp. "I took your body, screamed at our father, and left."
"Why did you do that?" Akashi tried to minimize his sobbing, hiccuping in the process.
Seijuuro was silent for a moment and let Akashi cried his heart out before he spoke.
"You're angry back there," Seijuuro said curtly. "That's why."
Akashi waited for Seijuuro's next response. Considering the recent silent for effect, Seijuuro continued.
"Your heart was burning. You're offended at your father's choice of words. But you could do nothing."
"But I-"
"I took over your conscious because I want you to be honest." Seijuuro cut him. "You have spent your entire life bottling up your feelings towards that scum. If that old man strikes you after that one bite, that means he is a bad father."
"Seijuuro..."
"I want you to be honest with your surroundings, yourself and me." Seijuuro's words were gentle. "Bottling up the truth will kill you in the process."
Akashi's chest heaved rhythmically as mixed emotions swirled inside his abdomen. He couldn't help but to embrace Seijuuro's words into his vulnerable self, and for the umpteenth moment, Akashi thanked the gods for blessing him with his illness.
If it weren't for Seijuuro frank and brazen attitude, Seijuuro wouldn't be able to stand today.
"Seijuuro."
"Yes?"
"Will you stay with me?" Akashi inquired, his voice drowned into a whisper. "Support me. Be honest with me. Never betray me. Do you understand?"
For a moment, a surge of warmth engulfed Akashi's tiny body, and the crimson-haired believed it was Seijuuro's way of embracing him.
"Is the answer to that question obvious?" Seijuuro grinned. "I will always be with you. I bet my life on it."
Afternoon in Teiko Middle School:
"Akashi Seijuuro." The teacher flipped the paper in the air with a Cheshire grin. "One-hundred percent, again. Keep it up!"
Akashi stood up on his seat and approached the teacher to receive his paper. As he walked among the rows of chairs and tables, the girls whispered and cooed on his intelligence and alluring looks.
"Well done, Akashi." Seijuuro praised him with a smile.
"You help me during the last question!" Akashi tried to keep his smile subtle as he took the perfect paper from the teacher.
Seijuuro fell silent again as Akashi strolled towards his desk. After distributing all the papers, the teacher dismissed the class. All the students' cheers and moaning drowned by the screech of tables and happy chatters as everyone filed out of the classroom.
As usual, Akashi was the last one to leave. Shoving the test paper into his bag, Akashi peered at his watch. He still had a few minutes. He guessed he could talk to Seijuuro for a minute or two before he headed towards the basketball court.
"Are you hungry Sei?"
Seijuuro seemed to stare at him in disbelief and spoke. "It's your stomach stupid."
Akashi managed a giggle. "Well, don't tell me you don't have a particular food you want to taste."
"I just need a taste of victory."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Akashi asked him confusedly as he tidied his chair and brushed the fringes over his head.
"I just need you to win," Seijuuro said in a neutral tone. "And some water please, I'm getting thirsty."
Akashi resisted his laugh and breezed out of the classroom with his bag. "I get it. I will ask Nijimura-senpai if he has a bottle or two."
The moment Akashi stepped out of the classroom, Midorima materialized before him and huffed on the spot.
Akashi stared at Midorima's incessant huffing and questioned. "Why are you running, Midorima?"
Despite his tousled hair and sweats dripping on his face, Midorima responded calmly. "Aomine and saw the ghost."
"Ghost? What ghost?"
"There is a ghost in our clubroom," Midorima replied in a stern voice. "I heard running footsteps and dribbles, but when I entered the room, there is no one."
Akashi sweat dropped.
Exhaling a sharp sigh, Akashi walked passed Midorima and declared.
"Don't be fooled by that idiot ganguro, Shintaro," Akashi said. "I will prove it to you."
In spite of his Midorima's deathly warnings, Akashi entered into the basketball court.
Humming a particular tune, Akashi bored his eyes across the court, trying to find anything out of the ordinary.
Then he saw him.
A teal-haired male was running along the court while pounding the basketball against the floor. Albeit the sweat drenching on his face, the short boy's determine expression never wavered.
His forms were flaws. His body was not well-built like a regular sports player. He was the type of member any captain would check off from the list.
But Akashi's eyes were fastened on him, staring at the unwavering spirit and perseverance flickering behind those baby-blue eyes. Not to mention, if Akashi wouldn't look hard enough, he wouldn't be able to notice him.
Suddenly, the teal haired male lost his balance and crashed to the floor, the basketball rolled across the court, deserting him in injury.
Akashi darted towards the fallen boy and asked. "Are you all right?"
Moaning in pain, the teal haired male turned his head over his shoulders to acknowledge his caller.
Their eyes met. Red met blue.
Suddenly, Akashi's breath hitched. Heart leaped behind his ribcage, Akashi touched the foreign sensation swallowing his body.
What is this feeling?
"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine," the teal haired male groggily got up to his knees with an awkward smile. "It's surprising for you to be able to see me, though."
"Umm...yeah." Akashi responded. "Are you in the basketball club?"
The shorter boy flashed him a sad smile. "I am in the third string, though. No matter how hard I practiced, I will always fail. But I don't plan on stopping!"
Akashi's lips parted, impressed by his determination. Crouching to his knees, Akashi offered him his hand.
"What's your name?"
"My name is Kuroko Tetsuya!" Kuroko answered with a gentle and angelic smile.
Akashi's heart pounded again.
His heart pounded twice.
"I am the vice-captain of the basketball club." Akashi smiled at him. "My name is Akashi..."
"...Seijuuro..."
Akashi swore he heard his voice twice.