Finally finished this chapter. I hope everyone will enjoy it and, as usual, reviews are greatly appreciated!

Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

Chapter 6: Recuperation

When Kuroko woke again, Akashi had left. Kuroko gave a soft summon for a servant and after a few moments, Mayuzumi had entered. He bowed politely before inquiring what she wants.

"I would like some water, Mayuzumi-san." Kuroko told him quietly, wincing a bit at how raw her throat felt.

"Of course." Mayuzumi had replied.

Kuroko watched him hurry off only to find that, minutes later, he had walked back in with Akashi, along with the requested liquid. Akashi simply sat down in the chair near her and leaned forward, gently propping her up from the bed. He then indicated for Mayuzumi to hand him the cup before gently placing it to her lips. Tilting the cup slowly, Akashi let the liquid touch Kuroko's mouth. Kuroko obediently parted her lips and let the cold water fill her mouth. She gulped it down with some effort, feeling it slowly soothe her parched throat.

When she felt that she had enough, she gently pushed at Akashi's arm a bit, and he quickly pulled his hand away. He handed the cup to Mayuzumi, and he left the room, leaving Kuroko along with Akashi.

The two fell silent for a moment before Kuroko finally broke it, "How long was I asleep?"

"A day." Akashi replied curtly.

"I see." Kuroko trailed off, and the two fell silent again. She glanced out an open window near her bed, watching a pair of sparrows dance around each other, tweeting sweetly.

"How did you come up with a way to fight like that?" this time, Akashi broke the silence.

Kuroko turned her attention back to the Rakuzan Prince. She was surprised to see curiosity glint in his eyes that appeared softer than usual. Maybe it was because Kuroko was still a bit disoriented, but sh could have sworn that both of Akashi's eyes were red. She passed it off for a trick of the light as it was dark.

"Kagami-kun, a guard of mine, tried to teach me self-defense." She paused a bit before she continued, "I was too weak to learn much, but a suggestion led me to a magician's trick: misdirection. It worked well for me with my amount of presence."

"Is that so?" Akashi stated softly.

They enjoyed the quiet atmosphere for a while longer. Unfortunately, it was quickly interrupted by the loud snap of the door being forced open. Akashi and Kuroko turned to look at their new arrival, Kise Ryouta. He immediately rushed over to Kuroko, not noticing Akashi at all, and questioned worriedly, "Are you alright, Kuroko-chi?"

Akashi frowned a bit at Kise, but did not say anything. Kuroko calmly replied, "I am fine, Prince Kise."

Kise's shoulders slumped down in relief. He started to say something else, but before any words passed through his lips, three more people walked through the door. Midorima, Murasakibara, and Aomine each froze upon seeing Akashi. However, upon seeing Kuroko in the bed, they all relaxed a bit and walked over.

Murasakibara was the first to act as he presented her a box of his favorite confectionaries as a "get well" and "thank you for your hospitality" gift. Midorima followed up by producing a few books the two had talked about during their last meeting, looking off to the side as he stated that she should hurry and get better as he was annoyed by the rest in the library. By the time the two had finished fuzzing over her, Aomine and Kise were looking a bit embarrassed, having not considered bringing a present.

Kuroko, seeing their guilty expressions quickly said, "Thank you although you didn't need to bring anything, Prince Murasakibara and Prince Midorima. I'm happy to have everyone come to visit."

Kise quickly perked up at that and decided to hug the life out of Kuroko, much to the horror of the rest of the princes. Aomine didn't appear to mind though as he simply patted Kuroko's hair and grinned, "You have got to fight me again once you're better, Tetsu-hime."

Kuroko smiled at that but before she could reply, Akashi's voiced rang out through the room, "She will not fight you again, Daiki."

Everyone became silent as they turned to look to Akashi. Midorima was the first to recover. Pushing his glasses up, he agreed, "That is right. Look what happened this time when you two spared. Who knows what will happen next time."

Kise pouted, "That's too bad. I wanted to spare with Kuroko-chi, too."

"Wait." Kuroko quickly protested, "I can spare again once I'm better. I've done it before with Kagami-kun. I've just been feeling off that day, that's all."

Akashi narrowed his eyes at her a bit and firmly said, "You should not push yourself like this again, Princess of Seirin."

Kuroko felt an irrational surge of anger at his words. She had always hated when others tried to control her life. Seeing the look in Akashi's eyes, though, she bit her tongue and replied in a leveled tone, "I understand, Prince of Rakuzan."

He showed no notice of the change in her way of addressing him and gave a simple nod, "It's nice to know you understand, Princess."

Instead of the previously comfortable silence, a tense atmosphere replaced it. The others quickly excused themselves after experiencing the uncomfortable tension, leaving Kuroko and Akashi by themselves.

Kuroko stared out the window again, determined to not look at Akashi, who was staring at her sharply. Finally, she heard him give a small sigh and leaned over the bed, flinching a bit as his hand touched her cheek. He paused a bit before adding a bit of pressure to turn her face to his. The two stared into each other's eyes for a while, blue shining defiantly against the red and gold. He gently caressed her cheek. His thumb reaching dangerously close to her lips.

His head fell even closer until their faces were only inches apart when he whispered, "You may continue your little, habit. However, do not let me hear or find you fainting again, Tetsuya."

Kuroko felt warmth reach her cheek as he said her name. She quickly pulled away as though his touch burned, and he let her. Standing up, he said, "Return to your full health soon, Princess Kuroko."

Kuroko watched him leave, wondering what has just transpired between them, her previous anger forgotten.

Riko and Kagami were waiting anxiously when she returned to her pavilion, back in full health a few days later. She assured them that she was alright, and both appeared extremely relieved.

Akashi hadn't visited her again after she awoke, but she had received a few visits from the other princes. Midorima was good company, often times acting uncaring, which leads her to teasing him a lot. She enjoyed his indignant and flustered expression. Not that she would ever tell him that.

Murasakibara had also become a popular choice of company for Kuroko. Once she got past her annoyance with his lack of passion for anything, she resorted to treating him like one would do a child. A very large child. It worked for the two and they easily fell into small banter and agreements.

Kise was annoying on a whole new level for Kuroko. He would often times cuddle and cling tightly to her. At times, she didn't mind and would let him do as he wish. However, it does get annoying once in a while. During those times, a few phrases here and there did the trick. Despite his bubbliness and sometimes naivety, Kise can be quite sharp at times.

Aomine visited her the least, yet the two can talk for hours when they meet. It was unusual as Aomine was practically everything Kuroko is not. The only exception being their interest in weaponry. They would often discuss strategies and different weapons or moves, immersing themselves in the complicated details for hours. As much as they enjoy their discussions, they would also have the fiercest disagreements. Yet, despite the arguments, Kuroko enjoys her time with Aomine immensely.

Kuroko spent time peacefully in her pavilion for the next few months. All the princes came to visit once in a while, even Akashi. The two started to enjoy tea together followed up by a short walk around the gardens. Sometimes, they would converse about the politics of Rakuzan, and sometimes, they would simply talk of their general life. Their time together usually ends quickly whenever it reached more personal aspects like family. Whenever Kuroko mentioned her family, Akashi would always find a way to effectively end the conversation, leaving Kuroko curious as to his reason why.

The warm summer cooled down and the harvest months came with the excitements of the servants. Apparently, a festival has been hold at this time of the year annually, bringing much excitement to everyone in the capital. Even Riko and Kagami were excited upon hearing of the event, and had informed Kuroko on everything they were told. Kuroko, curious, had asked Riko to take her as well. After much convincement from Kuroko, the reluctant Riko finally agreed to take her to the festival.

Therefore, Kuroko found herself changing into the simplest kimono she had when Akashi came to the pavilion. Not having time to change, Kuroko hurried to greet him. He paused a bit when he saw what she wore, but quickly recovered and inquired, "Do you wish to head down to the festival?"

Kuroko snapped her head up during mid-bow, blinking in surprise.

"You won't try to stop me?" Kuroko asked curiously.

Akashi gave a miniscule tilt of his lips as he retorted, "You are not a prisoner, so why should I?" He paused as though contemplating something before continuing, "In fact, do you mind if I am to join you, Princess?"

Taken by surprise, Kuroko only gave a small nod of her head in acceptance.

"Good." Akashi confirmed.

The trip was mostly calm. Akashi asked a few questions now and then while Kuroko replied dutifully. Finally, they arrived upon the festive streets of the city. Kuroko couldn't help but admire the colorful lanterns and the bright decorations as their carriage came to a stop. Akashi stepped out first before helping Kuroko out onto the busy street. Many took notice of the two's royal carriage and made way for them with awe. Kuroko couldn't help but note the fear that appeared on some of the people with a slight ache in her heart. She had seen the same features on some of her people. It proved that nobles still evoke fear among commoners, no matter how much they try to enforce laws to stop the wealthy from domineering the poor.

"Are you feeling unwell, Princess Kuroko?" Akashi's voice broke through Kuroko's train of thoughts.

Shaking her head a bit to clear the depressing thoughts, Kuroko gave a practiced smile and replied, "I am very well, Prince Akashi. I apologize for causing any worry for you."

"As long as you are well, you have nothing to apologize for. You are a guest of mine. It would be troublesome if you fall ill under my care." Akashi stated.

Kuroko gave a slight tilt of her head in acknowledgement of his reasoning, turning to look at the stalls and people while they walked. Her hands clenched into a fist as she felt confusion bubble through her. Even though his statement was cold, it shouldn't have affected her this much, so why does her chest feel so constricted like she's suffocating?

Unknown to her, she had stopped following Akashi. He noticed the lack of her pause and turned around to face her. He noted her expression and softened his gaze a bit. He took her hand, much to her surprise, and led her to a small bookshop.

When Kuroko realized where they were, she looked at Akashi in surprise. He explained in a matter-of-fact manner, "I noticed that you like books."

Kuroko gave a small smile to Akashi before she started to move through the stacks of books, looking into ones that prove to be of interest. Akashi browsed through the novels between looking at Kuroko once in a while and the street outside, carefully watching the crowd. Finally Kuroko had stated that she had found what she wanted, and the two paid for the bundle of books. The stack was left to Riko, who gave them to some of the attendants to take to the carriage.

They walked through a few other shops, stopping at a rather prosperous restaurant for a meal. The food was not quite what they were used to but it was pretty good. Akashi had excused himself in the middle of the meal, but quickly returned, so Kuroko thought nothing of it. After the meal, Kuroko requested that they return to the palace as she was feeling drowsy. The carriage ride home was quiet as well and Akashi dropped Kuroko off at her pavilion before leaving. Kuroko quickly retired to her room, having greatly enjoyed herself that day.

Akashi walked up to the man, barely regaining consciousness, tied to the chair, a small knife in Akashi's hand. He lowered the blade onto the man's throat, letting the sharp edge slide across a vein. A thin line of blood appeared on the soft flesh, and the man visibly gulped.

Akashi smirked, a deadly glint in his eyes, "Now then, let's get to the point, shall we?" His voice turned commanding as his eyes glowed eerily, "Do not try to lie this time. Why have you been following the Seirin Princess?"