Disclaimer: I don't even know if people read this sentence at the top.. but I don't own KnB ^-^

-Blackmail-
A Kuroko No Basket Fan fiction
Written by anniee-chan

Child [noun]
Someone who is yet to realise the cruelty of the real world.

-Chapter Three-

It was a winter when the incident happened. A winter 6 years ago.

The heavy, wooden doors that were recently glossed and smelled of paint slowly opened with the help of two men, dressed in a fancy white and blue uniform. As they revealed the grand setting behind the entrance, eleven year old Kuroko, with her teal hair up in a messy bun and dressed up with a simple creamy white dress gasped in awe. The shiny, wooden floor reflected a tall ceiling that was decorated by sparkling chandeliers, which twinkled and shone, like thousands of stars in the sky. There was soft ballroom music going on, although nobody danced- everyone was in little groups, holding long, fancy glasses of champagne and laughing politely with the conversation they had. The guests that were invited to this event were the richest of society, an elite gathering to celebrate the fortunes of the top 2% families in Japan. The male guests looked intelligent and respected, with their expensive tuxedos and the experienced, business look in their eyes. The female guests were more carefree, although they all dressed formally with long dresses for the occasion, either standing close-by to their husband and joining in business conversations or making small talk with their other friends.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Kuroko Miya, the bluenette's mother, softly remarked. She had her hair down, beautifully curled into soft waves as she nudged her daughter. "Someday you'll grow up to be as beautiful as them."

Kuroko Hiroshi chuckled, his eyes, a deeper shade of blue like the oceans twinkled, as he walked in front of his family.

"I think you're the prettiest of them all." The young bluenette said to her mother.

A warm smile made it's way to Kuroko Miya's face, before she tugged her daughter along. "Come on, this place is big, we wouldn't want you to get lost, would we?"

It wasn't long before the young child realised that she could barely catch up to what the adults were saying, not that it interested her in any way. At first she thought that after her parents were done talking with that small group of friends, they would leave and go home, but she was wrong. After this group of friends came another group, and another, and another… The conversation was terribly boring, after all, an eleven year old would barely care less about the stock market shares, or another hotel that was opening, and all the other horribly uninteresting things that the adults were totally engrossed in talking about. She quietly slipped away from the circle and paced around randomly, through the wave of adults and enjoying the smell of various expensive perfumes that satisfied her senses. There were daisies, and roses, and even a hint of blueberry somewhere. That was a nice perfume.

Wait- Blueberry perfume?

Kuroko sniffed again, nose up in the air and carefully smelling the blueberry scent. It wasn't perfume, it was actually food! Her eyes followed the invisible trail that released the blueberry smell. There, through the tiniest of gaps between the masses of people, she could see a platter of desserts that were literally sparkling and glowing and encouraging her to go over to the table. The young child forced her way through the sea of bodies before reaching her final destination- a long table draped with a white lace tablecloth that had all kinds of delicious desserts on it. The child's eyes sparkled as she happily looked at what the table had to offer. There was a white, three tiered cake which was decorated with fancy swirls of icing and milk chocolate pieces placed at the top. There were lollipops that were coated with all sorts of flavours and sprinkled with various things as decoration. The list would go on and on of the mouth-watering foods that occupied the centre of the hall, but the teal-haired girl found that she was attracted to something none other than a particular platter of blueberry cupcakes, that had exactly three blueberries placed in a triangle formation on the right hand side, and white zig-zag icing on the left. However, much to her disappointment, they were on the inner side of the table, meaning she'd had to reach further for the cupcakes.

On her tiptoes, she leaned forward- fingers stretched, balancing on one foot, in an attempt to reach the cupcake.

"Don't dirty all the other foods with your hands." An icy, uninterested voice interrupted her mission to get the blueberry cupcake. Kuroko turned around to meet a young boy her age, with hair and eyes a shade of red she had never seen before. It was almost like the kind of red only someone with royal blood would have, the type of red that looked so mesmerising that one could only deduce that the hair colour was dyed to achieve a colour so unnaturally vibrant. His eyes was a shade of red so captivating that someone could stare at it for days, and not be bored of the ever-changing tones that were sometimes dark and sometimes light. However, his glance remained distant, his body emitting a superior aura that made young Kuroko second-guess his identity as some son of a rich person- could he be a prince? Out of all her buddies, she had never seen someone who looked so- conflicting and confused. Surely he was a child, just like her- then why did he look as if he expected her to bow down and treat him like he was above her?

The boy met her gaze, and the teal-haired girl felt shivers down her spine. His eyes were full of knowledge, and power- yet they seemed dull, despite the beautiful red colour that concealed a lurking emotion behind it. Her spine was tingled with an unknown sensation from looking in his eyes. Nothing was said for a minute, until young Kuroko's brain registered that this person in front of her was insulting her. The person that had said that her hands were dirty was also the same person that had given her a weird glance just seconds before. A boy that made Kuroko feel slightly uncomfortable under his gaze as if he was intruding private space- yet also sparked her curiosity and a thirst to know more about the red-head.

"My hands are not dirty!" She retorted, staring defiantly at him, shaking off all the positive thoughts she had about him earlier. There was nothing interesting about him anyways, he was like all the other boys, except more boring, less energetic, and definitely not at all considerate about other people's feelings.

The boy stood still, his eyes not betraying him of any emotion, seemingly either uninterested, or just obviously ignoring her and not even bothering to hide that fact.

What a weird person.. Kuroko thought, trying to pretend he didn't exist, as she carefully reached for a cupcake, aware of his gaze that was burning into her back. She took a small bite out of it, and instantly her taste buds squealed with delight at the blueberry sensation which temporarily took over her, as for a few seconds, Kuroko could swear she was in heaven. The sweet but not overpowering taste swept her off her feet, as it seemed as if the hall was quiet, it was only her enjoying this blueberry cupcake that she was going to have all to herself. The rich, creamy texture of the icing melted in her mouth as the three blueberries released their fruity juice, topping the whole taste and bring it up another level.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, the boy turned and walked away, and Kuroko felt as if she was in a conflict with herself. One part of her wanted to tell the boy to stay, the other part couldn't care less about a seemingly rude and cold person like him. Although a mental-war was raging on inside her head, the un-occupied part of her brain realised that the boy was wearing a white tuxedo that was probably custom made to fit his size, with his left hand in his pocket, walking away with perfect posture as if he had be taught like that to walk formally, back straight, head high, and all.

As she watched the boy disappear in the crowds, her limpid teal eyes reflected his regal figure disappearing into the crowd before someone had startled her by tapping her on the back.

A gasp escaped her, as Kuroko turned around to face an unfamiliar woman. She was fairly young, around her early-twenties, with auburn hair and big, brown eyes. However, she was probably the only person here who wasn't wearing a dress- she was wearing leather jeans and a black, shiny jacket, her hair messed up and going in wild directions.

"You're Kuroko Tetsune, right?" She asked cheerfully, waiting for a response.

"Y-Yes." The eleven year old replied, quite shocked of being approached by a stranger who acted as if they had known each other quite well. Her head was still full of thoughts from the boy that approached her earlier and criticized her.

"Great, come with me!" She invited, holding her hand out, then reached for Kuroko's arm when the younger girl did not do anything, looking like she was occupied with her thoughts. "Someone wants to meet you."

Kuroko was confused at the least, but hastily placed her blueberry muffin on the table, regretfully leaving the blissful cupcake after only taking one bite out of it, before getting dragged away by the woman.

"You do realise, that with the hotel coming close to being bankrupt, there is only one way left to restore order and help this dreaded situation?" A serious voice coming from a fifty-something year old man said quietly to his intended audience.

Kuroko Hiroshi's face darkened, a scowl taking over his features while he lit a cigar.

"Surely there's another way, other than this?" He said, almost desperately, while struggling to maintain his outer appearance of being calm.

"I will offer you help. My son, as I said, who is turning twenty-six this year, still does not have a wife. As you know, his- er, conditions, aren't that great, but if we can get this marriage to work, I assure you, the Takahama family will definitely fund your hotel enough to save your family from being cold and defenceless on the streets, while shouldering a massive debt."

Kuroko Hiroshi frowned. "M-My daughter?"

"Yes." The older business man replied. "That's all. A wife for my eldest son. She will be treated well, and in return, you will stay where you are now, the only way for your family to go is up, after all, when you receive my generous amount of financial support." He chuckled.

"I will consider this, however my daughter is only eleven years old, she is not ready for marriage yet." The blue-haired father defended firmly. His daughter- a bright girl that he was so proud of… No, he would not allow such a marriage to happen. She was too young, and what kind of a father would he be if he sacrificed his only daughter for money?

The older man smiled darkly, his smile twisted. "I'm afraid your business won't be able to wait much longer. I know you've already sold that private apartment of yours, and the well-known villa down at the Northern Beaches that you had inherited to keep your hotel running without your wife or daughter knowing, but how long can this act go on?"

Fists clenched by teal-haired father, he gritted his teeth, eyes looking at the floor.

"Agree to this marriage…" The older businessman soothed, a sly, manipulative gentleness in his voice. "And all your financial worries will be gone."

The mysterious woman tightened her grip on Kuroko's slender, pale wrist who had started suspecting something was up. She was still in the unbelievably enormous ballroom with its marble tiles and expensive paintings that decorated the walls, but they were walking up spiralling stairs that lead to an unknown second floor. Once they were hidden from the sight of the main guests, Kuroko felt that the whole atmosphere here seemed entirely different. It was quiet- too eerily quiet, compared to downstairs, where people seemed to be enjoying themselves. The stairs brought them at the middle of a long, hallway, with doors every ten metres or so. They turned left and walked downwards for what seemed like a long time, the soft grey carpet beneath them patterned with squares of different shades as the small lights above casted their shadows. Kuroko was finally bought in front a door that looked no different to all the other ones she had walked past, before she was violently pushed in and a click was heard behind her.

It took the smart child some time to realise a few things.

Firstly, she had just been brought by a friendly auntie, a friend of her mothers- at least that was what she had thought. At first downstairs she was making gentle conversation, and cracking jokes to make Kuroko laugh. Then, as soon as they were out of sight, the conversation stopped, their silence filling up the hallways. And how did she know in the first place this was her mothers friend? Come to think of it, what was her name again? Did the auburn-haired lady ever reveal anything about herself? It seemed all she did the whole way was ask about Kuroko. Was she a stranger, then?

Secondly, why was she here? After her mental discussion about the mysterious woman, who she now assumed was not a friendly auntie like she seemed to be, Kuroko realised that this was not her room. The carpet inside was grey as well, and as she reached for the doorknob like any other person would trying to get out of a strange, unknown room, she found it locked, and the touch of the cold metal sent shivers down her spine.

Was she just locked in? At a strange room which she had never been before?

She forced herself to push the panic down. She was eleven now, old enough to handle this herself without screaming like a child. What did her father teach her again? Never show anyone if you're afraid. Fear never helps.

After a few shaky and unsuccessful deep breaths, her heart was beating faster than ever.

I want to get out. Kuroko thought, facing the door and squatting down. Where are my parents?

A sudden sound in the back corner of the room startled her. She turned around, definitely spooked out because she thought that there was no-one else in this room but her. Was it ghosts, maybe?

It was the first time that she had actually observed the room. She was standing on a lower platform, and the upper, circular shaped level had a bed on it. To the left was a large kitchen, with all sorts of pots and pans- it looked like a chef's dream place to cook. To the right was a smaller room, from what she could see at this angle- probably the bathroom, a closet and table where there were toys placed on it.

Kuroko figured that time was going to pass anyways, so might as well play with the toys that were probably meant for her, since the lady had taken her here. She walked to the table, finding toy cars and trains on there. Many of them were broken, wheels falling off or snapped in a half. There was a Thomas the tank engine train whose face had been scribbled out by black markers. She took the only toy that was a train which seemed to be in an acceptable quality, and pushed it forward, its wheels creaking and sounding oddly loud in this silent room.

Another shuffle that did not come from where she was. Startled, Kuroko stood up from the chair she was sitting on, leaving the train where it was. Her bun was annoying her, because she wasn't used to it being up, and her neck was feeling oddly exposed and cold. The only thing that could be heard in this room wrapped in a deathly silence was the panicked beating of her heart, as her small hands gripped tightly onto the table.

From the back of the room, where there were cardboard boxes stashed messily, a figure slowly appeared.

"W-What?" Kuroko whispered, trembling slightly. Her small frame was now backed against the wall, terrified if some monster would appear out of there.

Fortunately for her, it was not some horrible monster that was going to devour her and rip her head off. Unfortunately for her, it was a man that looked like he was going to devour her and rip her head off.

The larger man stared at her, his intimidating aura paralysing the younger child. The man's face was nothing like she had seen before, his eyes were a dark brown, almost black, his pupils were dilated and his face was smudged with something brown- chocolate? His lips were big and wide, revealing what was left of his rotten, decaying teeth. The man was dressed in striped blue and white pyjamas that seemed too small for him, and his hair was smeared with something suspiciously like mud, or blood. He moved towards the girl, as she slowly edged towards the door, treating him like a stray dog, not making sudden movements in an attempt to escape.

In a flash, her fingers touched the doorknob, before quickly twisting it and prepared herself to run, away from this scary man, to her parents, and hopefully get a nice bubble bath while going back to finish her homework.

A pain shot up her wrist, as Kuroko remembered the door was locked, and was startled at how much force she had used to twist open a simple doorknob, which she thought, wasn't locked.

Surprised by her sudden gesture, the man quickly approached her, his already deformed face smiling like a mad man.

"I like blue. Pretty wife." He managed to grunt, before his dirtied fingers forcefully grasped her teal hair, staining it with chocolate, and shoved her on the gigantic bed that was neatly made.

In a second the defenceless girl had her back on the soft bed, with a stranger towering over her, his eyes reflecting an unknown emotion, features twisted into a scary, unnerving way. The stench from his breath was sickly sweet, and just looking at his teeth which still had remains of his lunch stuck there made her want to puke. She was definitely too close with this man, and the girl was scared out of her wits.

"S-Someone, help me!" She managed to choke out, as the man digged his fingernails into her collarbone, trying to take her dress off.

Her eyes widened, a fear like nothing she had ever experienced settled in her. Dread filled the girl up, like poison which seeped through her body. His touch repulsed her, every bit of her wanted to escape. But her body wouldn't listen to what her mind was saying. All she could do was stare at the man's horrid face, trembling. It was as if he had drained her energy to escape, she was dimly aware that the man was undressing her, unzipping the dress she wore as his maniacal laughter filled her ears.

"Me like pretty. Pretty wife." He chanted, a thin thread of saliva joining the remainders of his teeth as they parted to speak.

Kuroko's vision started rapidly fading, her senses numb, no longer providing the brain with information of the outside world, as she slipped into darkness.

When Kuroko opened her eyes again, a cold wind blew and it chilled her to the bones. Someone had put a white jacket over her that was only a little bit bigger than her body. She realised she was sitting down, and when she looked up, she could see the darkening sky which had finished its display of sunset. Tiny, bright objects started appearing, shining and twinkling.

She blinked, before she tore her gaze away from the sky and found someone sitting opposite her. An involuntary scream came out, before she realised that she had just shouted. A bubbling urge of fear took over again, as the little strength she vanished for she could no longer sit upright. She was falling, before a pair of arms caught her.

Another scream came out before Kuroko realised that it was hers yet again. This persons touch was cold, yet it felt gentle as if they posed no threat. Why did she scream? A hand slapped the supporting arms out of her way, before she registered it was her hand that had swung so the person would stop touching her. It felt as if something was missing within her.

Why am I behaving this way? Kuroko thought, before small drips of water fell on her torn dress.

My dress is torn? Is it raining?

A hand forced her head to look up, Kuroko's vision was blurry, and her face felt wet. Was it her tears that were falling? Why is she crying?

She faced the boy that she had met earlier. His darkening red eyes flashed anger for a few seconds, before returning to their normal, not-converying-any-expressions kind of look. His had a cut on his cheek, it was bleeding with a red more breathtaking than any other shade she had seen before. His neatly combed hair was completely messed up.

"Eat." He ordered in a monotone voice, handing her the blueberry cupcake that she had left on the table. "You can't expect someone else to finish something you had already taken a bite of, could you?" He said, voice flat.

Kuroko blinked again. Why was this boy here? Her head, and every bit of her body hurt so much.

The smell of the blueberry cupcake comforted her oddly as, fingers outstretched, she accepted the cupcake. It didn't escape her notice that the boy inched his fingers back when she took the cupcake, so there wouldn't be any contact. As she bit into the cupcake, a warm feeling blossomed inside her cold and stiff body as with the other hand she held on tighter to the white jacket that enveloped her small frame. She stared at him again, admiring his features, while eating the cupcake. There was a silence between the two children- however it was comfortable, as if both individuals respected and appreciated each other's existence at this moment. Bit by bit, the cupcake continued to seep warmth and strength into her body, until at last, when the whole thing was gone, Kuroko let out a small, gentle laugh. She couldn't remember what had happened after eating the cupcake at the ballroom, she didn't know why she felt terrified and alone, but this cupcake had given her strength, as she recalled the beautiful flavours that blueberries could offer. Yes, that's right. It tasted absolutely delicious. Blueberry was her favourite flavour.

Her joyous memories were interrupted by a strange, wet sensation on the corner of her lips. When she opened her eyes, she found the boy almost pressed up next to her, his tongue licking a bit where there was blueberry icing. His comforting smell overloaded her senses, as she froze while looking into the burning red of his eyes.

Ba-dump, Ba-dump, Ba-dump

What was this feeling?

It was two seconds of contact, but it felt as if his touch had burnt her skin. Kuroko's eyes were wide, all the words she could say were stolen by the small action this boy had done.

It had tasted better than the cupcake she had.

He pulled away, eyes now completely blank of expression, just as the door to the rooftop opened, with two frantic teal-headed adults coming in.

"K-Kuroko Tetsune! We were looking for you everywhere!" Her mother said, with her father trailing behind, their faces full of worry.

"M-Mother and father.. I'm so sorry!" She stuttered, mentally swatting away the image of what happened a few seconds ago as she stood up, still weak, and when her mother pulled her into a hug, Kuroko flinched, stepping back hastily.

"L-Let's go. I'm cold, mum." She muttered, before telling herself to leave, and to not look back at that boy alone on the rooftop, to not stare into his enchanting yet dangerous red eyes again.

As soon as the door was shut, the boy licked his lower lip, his expression unreadable, yet his eyes conveyed confusion and something else.

"The blueberry didn't taste as good as she made it seem. It tasted plain." The red-haired child muttered to himself, voice coated with a sense of a disappointment.

Then something hit the back of his head as his small body landed on the floor with a dull thump.

After getting warm downstairs and being questioned about where she was and whose white jacket she was wearing, Kuroko was handed a cup of hot chocolate again after spilling the first cup when her father's hand touched hers.

"I-I'm sorry for the mess." Kuroko hurriedly apologised, her unravelled teal hair in front of her face as they were in a small, private room.

"It's alright, honey. You must be tired. Here, let's get you a change of clothes and your appearance fixed up." Her mother said soothingly, calling two young girls to help her dress and change.

Kuroko was lead into a fairly big cubicle where the two girls, obviously trained, obediently waited for her to undress.

Kuroko shivered, as she took the dress off and saw suspicious fingernail shaped cuts and bruises all over her body. There was a flash of a room, and something else, but it was gone again just as fast as it had come. She quickly took of her dress, and put on the new, different-styled creamy white dress without any help from the two girls relatively easily. However, when it came to her hairstyle, and the two girls needed to touch her, she immediately jumped out of the chair at the dressing table and, with a wild, terrified look in her eyes, told them to leave her alone.

It was strangely out of character for her to do this. Where did the cheerful girl disappear to? Was she being possessed? What was the room about? What happened? The child thought, feeling like she was a stranger to herself.

The two girls tried their best, eventually giving up and just wiping of the stains and leaving her hair down without doing any fancy hairstyles on Kuroko as she jumped away every time there was contact.

After ten minutes, they walked out of the cubicle, as Kuroko faced her mother who seemed to have been crying. Confused because she had never seen her mother cry like this before, she wanted to give her mother a hug, to give her support, however as her fingers reached out to embrace her mother into a hug, an alien emotion pulsed within her, and the teal-haired child found herself unable to close the small gap between them as her arm fell down beside her.

What's going on?

Someone had cleared their throat, and young Kuroko looked up, confused, lost, mad and angry at herself for not being able to support her mother, who had always been there for her. For rejecting everyone's help, for making a mess of everything.

She looked up, only to see her father, who did not meet her gaze.

"Tetsune.. please meet your husband.. Takahama Shunso." Her father choked out, shaking.

Kuroko turned her head, meeting the face of someone she felt she had met already. Dread filled her up again, terror paralysed her and she suddenly felt like she was suffocating.

The man in front of her, now with added bruises and cuts to his face that were disguised in a horrible attempt by makeup, smiled menacingly, and her blood ran cold.

"Pretty wife."

A/N: Okaaay, I spent waay too much time editing and re-editing this chapter. Honestly, I had this written up two days after the previous chapter was up but I guess I always want to read my chapters again to make sure I haven't missed anything. However, if you see any errors, tell me and I'll correct it!

Important things to note: This chapter is when Kuroko and Akashi were both 11 and quite a lot happened. Yes, the red-haired boy is Akashi. No, they didn't kiss. However, what happened in this chapter will change the rest of their lives (and also their personalities) Okey-dokey. Next, the title of this fanfic will be changed, because it no longer fits the plotline. New title will be updated when I post Ch. 4 ^^

Okay, its time to ramp this fanfiction up a little! The main plotline starts next chapter! :D

Thanks for reading and everyone that reviewed!

Anniee-chan ^-^