I finished Chapter 2! I apologize for the mistakes in Chapter 1 and I hope I have caught all of them for now. I had been sick when a wrote Chapter 1 so the whole thing was a bit fuzzy, including how the characters behaved and some grammatical errors. I cannot promise that I won't make any mistakes from here on out but I do promise that I will try to look out for them. As it's only my third story, I apologize if the characters act out of character. It is greatly appreciated if you can inform me of any mistakes as well. I will do my best to fix them as soon as possible. I thank everyone who reviewed and hope to hear more for this chapter.
Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki.
Chapter 2: Arrival
The days passed quickly for Kuroko. She watched the scenery change as they traveled further and further from Seirin. Kagami kept her company through most of the journey, trying to keep her mind off from the tiring events. He tried to teach her how to use a knife, the lightest weapon which can be useful, stating that she should learn a bit of self-defense just in case. Kuroko, gave all her effort into learning the techniques Kagami tried to teach her. The first day, she failed miserably to learn the simplest moves, much to her disappointment. So, the next day, they tried a different way, and it went on until Kuroko finally can overwhelm Kagami using an unusual aspect of herself, her lack of presence. Misdirection worked well as her style, enabling her to lower her presence even more, much to Kagami's annoyance. Having the Princess disappearing and popping up out of nowhere is not good for the heart.
Kuroko finds his reactions amusing, not that she will ever tell him that since that will ruin her image. Kagami became a close companion after that, and she started to confide her troubles with him.
Riko expressed her disapproval of the Princess learning how to wield a weapon and the fact that she had started to attach herself to Kagami, but stopped her nagging after a convincing argument from Kuroko. In fact, she turned around and started supporting their efforts, having the other guards join their practice and even started learning how to handle a knife herself, much to the terror of some of the guards as she accidentally throws it a lot. Many years after the debate, Kagami couldn't help but wonder how the Princess knows, in gruesome details, numerous ways to assassinate someone, but he's a bit terrified of the answer said Princess might give.
Riko still disliked the amount of time Kuroko would spend with Kagami. There is little for her to do about it, as Kuroko is stubborn, so she would only give them a stern and disapproving glance whenever she saw them together. Deep in her heart, though, she is glad Kagami had brought the Princess out from her self-pitying state, having grown up serving the Princess, she cared for her like a mother.
All in all, Kuroko felt that she had started to return to her normal vigor, thanks to Kagami. It all came crashing down, though, when they finally arrived at the main gates of the Rakuzan Palace. She couldn't help but feel her heart turn ice cold as she glanced at the massive red doors that slowly opened, revealing the long brick path towards the center court. Slowly, the carriage wobbled inside the palace, and Kuroko clenched the hem of her dress, crumbling the expansive silk as she felt them finally come to a stop.
Kagami indicated the servants to place the carriage down, then all the guards and servants bowed, and Riko parted the curtain, securing them before bowing as well and said, "We have arrived, my Princess."
Kuroko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Reopening them, she glanced on with determination and said, "Very well, Riko-san."
Akashi Seijuro gave a small smile, causing the poor servant who delivered the news to shiver in fear.
"Tell father," he ordered calmly, "I shall be there soon."
"Y-Yes, my Prince." The servant replied, bowing hastily and nearly sprinting out the room in terror. Compared to the current Emperor, the Prince presents a more intimidating aurora no matter how similar the two's appearance might be, not that the young servant would voice his thoughts out loud. He bypassed Mayuzumi by the front doors to the pavilion, completely forgetting to bow to him as he scurried away to deliver the message, much to Mayuzumi's annoyance and amusement.
"Chihiro." Akashi called out from within his chamber, causing Mayuzumi to hurry inside, making a mental note to scold the younger servant later.
"Yes, my Prince." Chihiro bowed in a much more elegant manner than the previous servant.
"Prepare my court regalia quickly," Akashi commanded, and Mayuzumi quickly indicated for some of the lower ranked servants to find them, "and do inform Shintaro, Atsushi, Daiki, and Ryouta not to show themselves to our guest yet, but if they want to watch her from a distance, then by all means go ahead, but remind them I will punish those who gets discovered."
"I understand, my Prince, but," hesitating for a moment, Mayuzumi continued, "may I ask why the secrecy?"
"It makes things much more interesting don't you think?" Akashi replied immediately, and Mayuzumi couldn't help but twitch in annoyance at the obvious disregard for his question. He refrained from rolling his eyes, deciding to leave to accomplish the task, shutting the door a bit harder than intended.
Akashi smirked at his servant's expense, however, he'll have to teach him not to show such rudeness in front of him in the future. As for the other one, well, he's sure Mayuzumi would deal with it, so he'll stay out of such banal affair like usual. The servants arrived with his attire, and he dismissed them to change, preferring to do such a task himself. Once he finished adjusting his belt, making sure to place his small blade into a compartment in his sleeve as a weapon, useful for protection and provides great way to teach discipline, especially when placed at one's precious neck.
Glancing at himself in the mirror one last time, he nodded in approval.
"We must give the Princess a proper welcome, right?"
Upon stepping over the threshold, Kuroko walked gracefully and silently to the center of the court. She gave a small glance at the throne, noting the current Emperor who govern from it, and sank to the ground gracefully waiting until the Emperor indicated for her to rise before standing back up. As she stood, she briefly noted the empty seats on either side of the Emperor, indicating the absence of the Empress and the Crown Prince. Before any words can be exchanged, the door slid open, and the Prince entered.
"I apologize for my tardiness, father." A smooth and deep voice rang out from behind Kuroko, causing her to give a miniscule flinch. She suppressed her raging emotions, turned slowly, and met a pair of scarlet and gold eyes that watched her calculatedly, matching his glance with her emotionless eyes. The two stared at the other for a moment, but it felt like eternity to all in the court with the amount of tension they oozed. Finally, Akashi took the initiative by giving a small bow and politely said, "Tis a pleasure to have you grace us with your presence, Princess Kuroko of Seirin. I hope you will enjoy your time here."
Kuroko would congratulate the Prince on a job well done in acting. However, he couldn't fool her with her observational skills honed from years of watching from the shadows whenever she secretly watched the court sessions her father held. She saw the dark tint to his eyes, particularly the gold, when he spoke, like a predator who had just marked its prey, waiting to strike. Based on the look he gave her, Kuroko felt that he purposely let the small amount of emotion show for her to decipher, and she is a bit frightened of what she might find out.
Nevertheless, he initiated a polite greeting, and she now must answer in reply. Bowing in return, she carefully crafted her words, "I thank you for your kind words, Prince Akashi of Rakuzan. I plan on having an enjoyable stay, no matter how long it may be."
Akashi inwardly smirked at her implications, and she knew he understood her message.
"That's good to hear." He commented, eyes boring into her soul, but she stood her ground, not wanting to let him have the pleasure of seeing her shy from his challenge.
"I apologize for the Prince's belatedness." The Emperor's voice rang out, snapping Kuroko's attention back to her surrounding, having forgotten the others in Akashi's presence. Addressing the Prince, he scolded, "Make sure not to let this become a habit, Seijuro."
"Of course, father." Akashi turned to the Emperor, once again bowing before heading over to his seat next to his father. Tension now rose between the Prince and the Emperor, and Kuroko couldn't help but glance between them, wondering what exactly caused the rift between the father and son.
"I'm sure there must be a justifiable reason for his delay. As such, I do not mind, Your Highness." Kuroko replied to the Emperor, trying to ease the tension after seeing the uncomfortable looks her servants exposed.
An indistinguishable emotion flashed across the Emperor's face for a split second before it disappeared. He gave what appears to be a warm smile, but Kuroko couldn't help but shiver at it and said, "You are kind, Princess Kuroko. I'm sure the journey must have exhausted you. Let my son take you to the pavilion we have prepared for you."
The Emperor indicated for his son to leave with the princess, and both left quietly, followed by their servants. The two walked in silence with Kuroko lost in deep thought. Not watching where she went, she did not notice when the Prince stopped, colliding with his broad back. He turned around immediately, and questioned, "I apologize for abruptly stopping. Are you alright, Princess Kuroko?"
Embarrassed at the fumble but not willing to show it, Kuroko replied coldly, "I am fine, Prince Akashi, thank you for asking."
Akashi twitched a bit at the rebellious attitude of the Princess. He restrained himself from showing his displeasure. It won't do for him to frighten the Princess of another country and give said girl the satisfaction of seeing him lose his cool. Instead, he informed the Princess, "We have arrived at where you would be staying. Shall you need anything, my pavilion is just across the garden." Before the Princess can reply, he continued, "I apologize but I must excuse myself from here on out as I still have some business to take care of. I hope you rest well, Princess Kuroko."
Kuroko, sensing that Akashi no longer desired her presence, could only reply with a, "Of course, Prince Akashi. I pray you have a good day." She watched him leave around the corner before turning and entering the pavilion, glancing around to observe her new home. It was spacious and simple, decorated with a few flower arrangements, paintings, and porcelains in every room. Her room lay in the center of the pavilion, with a guest room at the front and a servant's quarter for her subjects so they can be close just in case. A bath house lay off to the far end of the pavilion for privacy. A few of the rooms are empty, meant for her to fill as she pleases, and she would make use of them as storage for books and whatever she comes up with. The large windows and doors lets enough light enter to light up the rooms and would provide great ventilation for summer.
Having seen everything, Kuroko turned to Riko and ordered, "Go prepare a bath, I would like to rest early tonight."
Riko bowed and replied, "Understood, my Princess."
After the bath, Kuroko headed to her new room. As she passed through the corridor, she could have sworn she saw a glimpse of yellow, blue, green, and purple flash by out of the corner of her eyes. She blinked a bit, startled, the colors disappeared. Wary, but deciding to let it go for now, she continued on into her chamber, too tired to deal with anything else for today. She did made sure to place the knife Kagami gave her by her pillow just in case, but thankfully, there appear no need for it as she slept through the night peacefully.
Had Kuroko took a look around the corner, she would have seen four boys with brightly colored hair, holding their breath as they waited for her to leave. They finally heard the soft click of the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they will wait until Akashi lets them meet her instead of trying learn about her through stalking. It would be easier, and they wouldn't risk receiving punishment from Akashi.