It was when Akashi and Kuroko was on their way back to Kuroko's cottage from picking apples a month later that Kuroko demonstrated to Akashi his ability.

There was a young doe resting beneath a tree, licking a wound caused by a predator. Probably a fox or a wolf, judging from the shape and size of the claw marks on the deer's back.

Kuroko quietly approached the doe. It did not shy away. Nor did it get up and run away. It merely looked at him inquisitively. Because nobody ever came into the forest, when any animal sighted Kuroko, he was greeted with curiosity.

"Kuroko?" Akashi placed a hand on Kuroko's shoulder.

Kuroko put his hand on top of Akashi's and smiled at him reassuringly. He tilted his head as a gesture for Akashi to follow him.

Kuroko knelt down before the deer and placed his hand gently on the wound. At that, the deer started and flinched slightly. "Don't worry," Kuroko murmured in a comforting voice. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Then, a glow emanated from Kuroko's hand and soon, the claw marks on the deer's back disappeared. The deer's flesh had closed up. Since it was a minor wound, it could be fully healed with Kuroko's power. The doe was good to go. Kuroko rubbed the area he had healed before the deer got to its feet and scampered away.

Kuroko stood up to walk away. He turned around to face Akashi, who was gaping at him with a stunned expression. The basket of apples Akashi was holding had tilted, causing the apples to fall to the ground.

"Akashi-kun?" Kuroko waved his hand in front of Akashi's face. He grabbed Akashi's shoulder and shook him lightly. "Akashi-kun!"

Shaken out of his stupor, Akashi took a step back. "Have… have you always been able to do that?"

Kuroko sighed. "Maybe we should sit down. I am very sure you will need to sit down when you listen to what I am going to tell you." He plopped down onto the ground.

Akashi, too, sat down on the ground. He didn't speak, and Kuroko took the silence as his cue to begin his explanation.

"This was what I was referring to when I said that there was something that I haven't told you about me the day you confessed, Akashi-kun," said Kuroko. "And, to answer your question, I have been granted these powers, so I haven't always been able to do this. But I have been able to heal for a long time."

Akashi stared at Kuroko.

"With these powers, I have also been granted immortality. I have been alive for a few hundred years."

Akashi's eyes widened. "What?" he croaked.

"I have been alive for a few hundred years," repeated Kuroko. "A very long time," he stressed. "And I think my immortality has also affected Aomine-kun and Kise-kun, as they, too, have been alive for a long time."

Kuroko looked at Akashi, who was still gawking at him. Well, he didn't blame Akashi. Such information would take some time to sink in.

So, the two of them sat in silence for a while, as Akashi digested what Kuroko had just told him.

Finally, Kuroko said, "This is the reason I live in the forest – I cut off human contact so that nobody will find out that I am immortal. I mean, people will start asking questions when they notice that I don't age, and I don't really know how to explain this to them. I don't even know how people are going to react…"

There was a pause before Kuroko continued, "That's why I wanted you to know this first, before anything happened between us. You probably don't want to be together with a freak like me."

Suddenly, Akashi burst out laughing. "That's what you thought? That I don't want to be with you because you can live forever?" he asked. Akashi extended his arms and wrapped them around Kuroko's lithe body, bringing the blue-haired man closer to his body. "If anything, I think I love you even more now."

"Ha?"

"I was right, you know?" Akashi murmured into Kuroko's ear.

"About what?"

"That you're remarkable. That you're special. That you're one of a kind," replied Akashi, inhaling the scent of Kuroko's hair.

"That's-"

"Ne," Akashi said, pulling away from the hug to look at Kuroko in the eye. "Can I kiss you?"

"Y-yeah…"

Akashi leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on Kuroko's lips. Akashi's lips were warm, soft and tender, and when Akashi kissed him, Kuroko felt his stomach fluttering in joy. Kuroko hoped that Akashi felt the same way. When Kuroko returned the kiss, Akashi got a little bolder, kissing Kuroko with more passion. This indicated to Kuroko that kissing him also most probably felt good to Akashi; this brought a sense of relief to Kuroko's heart.

When Akashi and Kuroko broke apart, Kuroko was rendered breathless. "So… what does this make us?" Kuroko asked.

"Well," Akashi began. "I'm saying that you being a supernatural being doesn't affect what I feel about you, so… I'm hoping that we could be together?" said Akashi hopefully.

Kuroko hoped that his decision to become Akashi's lover would not bite him in the ass like his previous relationships. He was breaking his vow to himself for this. But Akashi seemed like the type who was serious about whatever he did, and that also extended to his relationships. "I… I would like that too," replied Kuroko.

Akashi grinned cheerfully. He took Kuroko's hand and rubbed circles on the back of it. "Shall we pick these apples up and head back?"

"Okay."

When Akashi and Kuroko reached the cottage, hand-in-hand, Aomine and Kise were in the backyard feasting on what looked like a dead ungulate, judging from the size of the skeleton and the hoofed legs. Probably an antelope. Well, at least Aomine was. Kise looked like his hunger had already been sated and was content to watch Aomine wolf down his food.

Kise was the first to look up at Akashi and Kuroko's approaching figures. When he noticed that they were holding hands, his expression turned into a smirk. Kise made a sound, and Aomine, too, looked away from his food to stare at Akashi and Kuroko. He saw that they were indeed holding hands; he shot Kise a look that said, I told you so.

"Akashi-kun, why don't you take the apples indoors and pick out a few for a salad?" said Kuroko. "I'm going to talk to these guys for a while."

Akashi nodded and let go of Kuroko's hand. "Okay."

When Akashi entered the cottage through the back door, he briefly wondered where Tama was. Since she wasn't with the large cats while they were eating, he had presumed that she would be inside. True enough, Akashi could see Tama sleeping soundly in Kuroko's shoe on the kitchen floor. She was indeed a true foodie – even while sleeping, she wanted to be near food.

Akashi poured the lot of apples from the basket into a bowl Kuroko kept on the dining table specially for fruit. Then, he took five apples from the lot and brought them to the kitchen counter.

From the kitchen window, Akashi could see Kuroko kneeling on the soil before Aomine and Kise. Kuroko was tickling Kise's stomach, while Kise squirmed around on the ground. If leopards could laugh, Akashi was sure Kise would be guffawing aloud.

Akashi smiled to himself. It was soothing that Kuroko possessed this affinity towards animals. Akashi couldn't explain why, but it calmed his heart to see Kuroko so at ease and in his element around animals. When he first met Kuroko, Akashi was sure Kuroko wasn't very comfortable around him – probably because Kuroko didn't have any human company around and hadn't been in contact with many people. But since then, he had certainly warmed up to Akashi.

When Kuroko entered the house, he had a smear of blood on his cheek.

Immediately, Akashi was all over Kuroko. "What happened, Kuroko?" he asked worriedly, reaching out to touch Kuroko's face. "Did you get hurt?"

"I'm alright," said Kuroko, laughing quietly. "Aomine-kun licked me, that's all. That idiot hadn't even swallowed all of his food and his mouth was all bloody…"

Akashi heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god…"

"I'll get to cooking dinner now, I guess," said Kuroko as he stretched his body. "Anything in particular you want to eat?"

Akashi shook his head. "I'm fine with whatever you cook," he replied. "Say… Kuroko? Have you baked before?"

"Huh? No…"

"Well, I have an oven in my house… and we can make an apple pie with the apples we've picked today," explained Akashi. "I'm only so-so with baking, but I'm sure if we follow a recipe, we'll be okay!"

Kuroko smiled. "I'd like that."