Hello, lovelies! I want to thank everyone who's left kudos/bookmarked/commented on this. Thank you so much. You guys make me happy :3

This chapter is a bit strange, in my own opinion. This story just keeps getting away from me and going off in its own direction, haha. I'm sorry about the characters being rather OOC. In my defense, I haven't read or watched KnB in quite a long time and since this is an AU I'm not trying particularly hard. So, sorry if it bothers you! I hope you enjoy anyway!

Warning: This chapter contains some possibly triggering content but nothing explicit.

Seijurou's in a body much smaller than the one he has now. A child's. He's huddled in a corner of a small room - a closet, maybe - while a faceless man yells at him. The man seems very angry at him, though Seijurou doesn't understand why. He's scared and he cries as the man lifts him up by his small arms and slams him into the wall before smacking him very hard across his face.

The scene changes and now he's running by some trees with a bundle of something in his arms. The thing is an old, brown sack with something squirming around inside of it. As he tries to calm the thing down, the sack splits and he feels small, sharp teeth sink into his left arm. He cries out in pain, tripping over his feet, trying to get the teeth out of him. The fall breaks the creature's hold on his arm and the black and white thing goes rolling across the ground. He struggles to crawl after it and grab it before it escapes.

The scene changes again. He's in his own room this time, gazing down at a sleeping boy with pale skin and blue hair. He gently strokes the boy's face and down his neck, being careful not to wake him. He backs off a bit, making himself comfortable on the bed between the boy's legs. He runs his nails up pale thighs, leaving small, red marks. The shorts don't stop him; he just slides them up with his fingers, revealing more flesh, and oh, he wants him bad. How easy it would be to just pull those shorts off and have his way with his sleeping friend.

Seijurou jolts awake with a gasp. Breathing hard, he glaces at his surroundings. Confirming that he is indeed in his own bed, he relaxes a bit and covers his face with his hands. He's no stranger to these type of dreams, but they're still unpleasant. The first one he's very familiar with. It's usually not the same, but variations of an angry man hurting a child, always from the child's point of view. He can't help but think that these come from his body-mate's twisted mind.

The door to his room creaks open and in walks Kuroko, in shorts and a t-shirt, sipping water from a glass. He catches Seijurou's eye and says, "Oh, you're awake. I was on my way to get you."

"Kuroko?" Seijurou sits up, eyes flicking to his alarm clock. 8:23 am. "Why are you at my house so early?"

Kuroko gives him a strange look. "For someone so smart, you can be really dumb sometimes," he deadpans. "I stayed over last night, Bakashi-kun."

Seijurou shifts his gaze away from Kuroko and to his knees, hurt at the sudden insult. He doesn't remember Kuroko staying over. In fact, he remembers falling asleep in the sitting room while reading and being awoken by large hands and a deep voice, but nothing after that. He's still a bit shaky from the dream he had, so maybe he just doesn't recall it at the moment.

"Why'd you start using my family name again, anyway?" Kuroko inquires, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "You said you liked Tetsuya better."

Seijurou looks up from his knees quickly and re-meets the other boy's eyes. "I don't call you Tetsuya," he points out. "I've always used your family name."

"Why are you acting like this?" A stab of guilt shoots through Seijurou's heart at the tone. He's made Kuroko upset. "You've be using Tetsuya for a while now."

Seijurou wants to argue that, no, he certainly hasn't been calling him by his given name, but why would Kuroko be lying? What purpose would that serve? Plus, Seijurou can't even remember some things. He has no way of telling for sure that he hasn't called him Tetsuya before. Especially when, Seijurou realises, a certain other person has taken to calling the blue-haired boy in such a friendly manner.

"Concussed, remember?" he quickly excuses, reaching up to rub his head. The bandage is no longer there. "What's today's date?" he asks, just to confirm something.

Kuroko thinks for a moment. "The eighteenth, I believe."

Dread settles itself in Seijurou's stomach as he quickly does the math. Two weeks, he thinks. I've lost two weeks. He bites his bottom lip hard, trying to stop the horrible feeling of wanting to cry from overtaking his body. Two entire weeks. Usually his blackouts last a couple of hours, no more than a day, bar the last time when he hit his head. And they usually don't happen so close together, one or two a year, maybe. Is that other guy getting more powerful? Or is Seijurou's mind just getting weaker?

Kuroko scoots closer, a concerned expression on his face. "You don't look very well," he speaks, placing a hand on Seijurou's forehead. "Here, drink this. I'm going to go get a washcloth."

The glass of water Kuroko was holding is forced into Seijurou's hands and the bed shifts as Kuroko gets up and pads out of the room. Seijurou gulps down the water. It does make him feel better. He didn't even notice how hot he was before. He goes to place the empty cup on his bedside table, but it slips out of his his shaky hand and smashes into pieces on the floor. He notices a small scar on his forearm. When did he get that? Mustn't have been long ago. Maybe when he fell in the woods. It looks an awful lot like teeth marks. Dog teeth, perhaps.

Two weeks, he thinks as he slides out of bed and kneels on the floor in front of the broken glass. Two entire fucking weeks. He slowly picks up the largest shard and squeezes it till it hurts. He's angry, more angry than he's ever been. The memory of hands on Kuroko's pale thighs flashes behind his eyes and his insides burn with disgust. Why was he touching Kuroko that way? While he was freaking sleeping.

"Fuck you," he says in his head, speaking to the person that that memory belongs to. "Stay away from him." The glass in his hand snaps in two and cuts sharply into his palm. He scrunches his eyes shut and hits the floor and other bits of the broken cup with his fist. Fire is burning in his stomach. "You don't get to touch him. You don't get to touch him youdontgettotouchhimyoudontgettotouchhimYOU DON'T GET TO TOUCH HIM."

"Akashi-kun!"

He's brought out of his rage by the voice and the fast footsteps of someone behind him. The pain of the glass being forced into his skin hits him and he stills his movements.

Kuroko slumps to his knees next to him and grabs his injured hand, carefully wrapping the wet cloth that was intended for his head around it. He brings a trembling hand to Seijurou's cheek and lightly caresses it with his thumb. "What's wrong?"

Seijurou opens his eyes and Kuroko's troubled features swim into view. His hand hurts. He can feel the blood seeping through the cloth and onto the floor, leaving red drops on the wood. He realises his eyes are wet and he leans into Kuroko's chest, hiding his face in his shirt. How embarrassing, he thinks. Kuroko is definitely going to think he's crazy now. Hopefully his rage stayed silent and none of his thoughts slipped out. He might actually die if Kuroko walked in on him yelling like a maniac.

Kuroko lurches a bit at the sudden impact to his chest, but he quickly steadies himself and wraps his arms around Seijurou, one hand stroking his hair softly. "What's wrong?" he asks again. "Are those tears of pain from your hand or are you sad?"

Seijurou doesn't respond, afraid that if he says anything he might start outright sobbing. His insides hurt. Kuroko spent two weeks with him, without actually being with him. Happy weeks, it seems. It's not fair. Why does that guy have to ruin everything? Why does he have to try to take Kuroko away? He's already favoured by his mother. Why his only friend too? "Please just leave him alone," he pleads silently. "Don't ruin this."

But what if he's not trying to steal Kuroko? What if he's preparing to hurt him? Seijurou wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it. He can't even watch when that guy takes over. He completely blacks out. The thought makes him almost throw up, so he squeezes his fist again, the pain counteracting the sick feeling.

"Do you want me to get someone?" Kuroko tries, despite the lack of response. " Your mom, maybe?" Seijurou shakes his head. "Okay. Do you want to just stay like this?" Seijurou nods. "Only for a couple more minutes though. We need to take care of your hand."

Seijurou calms in Kuroko's warm hold, soothed by the soft rubbing on his back. He tries to regulate his breathing, so he doesn't sound so emotional when he says, "I should tell you." He should. He should tell Kuroko all about his fucked up 'friend', how to tell the difference between the two of them, to stay away when he isn't Seijurou. When he calls him Tetsuya and not Kuroko.

"Tell me what?" he urges when Seijurou doesn't continue.

But Seijurou doesn't have the courage to. What if Kuroko doesn't want to be around him after finding out? Seijurou wouldn't be able to handle that. He's a big baby. A little scaredy-cat. A wimp who needs to get over his pathetic crap and act like a man worthy of the name Akashi. Yes, someone who won't let a bastard control their shared body. That guy must be able to so easily now because Seijurou has gotten too sensitive. Wiping his eyes roughly with his good hand, he pushes away from Kuroko and sits up straight. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"Eh?" Kuroko lets out. "Please do not bring up telling me something and then fail to do so. It's annoying."

Seijurou laughs and suddenly things are a lot less tense. For him, anyway. His friend still looks wary. He starts picking shards of glass out of his hand, wincing a bit. Kuroko cleans up the glass and blood from the floor.

"Are you really okay?" Kuroko asks after the room is glass free and Seijurou's hand is bandaged up. "If you're depressed about something, you can tell me, you know."

"I know," Seijurou sniffs. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that. It was really nothing. Just a bad dream." He isn't completely lying. He just wants to forget it happened. Kuroko still looks concerned, so Seijurou takes his hand in his good one and plants a soft kiss on his forehead. "You're really cute."

Kuroko's cheeks turn pink and he looks away bashfully. "Akashi-kun is the cute one," he mutters to the floor. He regains his composure and tugs Seijurou's hand. "Come on. One of the nice ladies was making breakfast while I was downstairs. That was my original reason for coming up here to wake you."

Seijurou smiles, actually feeling good. "Then let's go, my adorable Kuroko Tetsuya." And they proceed to spend the rest of the day smiling and joking with each other, though the worry never leaves Kuroko's eyes.

A few days later they find themselves at an old, weathered park. It's just starting to get dark so there's no children around. Just Seijurou and Kuroko, sitting on a swing under the stars. Seijurou's sitting on the faded plastic regularly while Kuroko sits in his lap, facing him, his legs on either side of Seijurou's hips. It's an intimate position and Seijurou is happy that's he's the one with Kuroko, getting lost in those blue orbs.

"You have such gorgeous eyes," Seijurou tells him for probably the millionth time. It's true though.

"I don't," Kuroko says, modest as ever. "Akashi-kun's the one with the really nice eyes. They're different colours."

"Huh? They're the same." His eyes are red, they've always been red.

"They're different," Kuroko insists. "This one is red." A touch under his right eye. "And this one is gold." A touch under his left.

Seijurou turns his eyes down. "The same." That other guy is the one with gold and he's unreasonably hurt that Kuroko can't tell the difference.

"Ah, so stubborn," the blue-eyed boy complains monotonously. "So annoying." He slumps into Seijurou as if out of energy from arguing and the swing sways a bit, the metal chain squeaking quietly. Seijurou wraps his arms around Kuroko's waist, holding him close.

"Hey," Kuroko starts, sitting up properly. "You need to come have dinner at my house sometime. You should meet my dad."

"Why?" Seijurou grunts in reply.

"Because I want you to," he answers. "I think you two will get along well. He already likes you for helping me with my grades." Seijurou doesn't reply so Kuroko branches off on a slightly different track. "You know, all the time I spend at your house, I've never met your dad."

Instead of responding to that, he asks, "Do your parents know about us?"

"No. I'm not sure how they would take it." Kuroko snuggles into Seijurou. "I don't think my father would mind very much, but I know my mother wants grandchildren and I'm an only child."

"I'm sure mine would disown me," Seijurou says. He presses Kuroko as close as he can to his body. He's so warm and soft and Seijurou wishes he could just stay against him forever.

"I don't think your mom would," Kuroko tells him. "She seems too nice. And she obviously loves you more than anything." He chuckles quietly. "It's really sweet how close you two are, to be honest."

"We're not close," Seijurou defends. "She just likes to smother me. It's a bit annoying." Even though he does occasionally enjoy the attention, he's not going to admit that. "She wanted me to take a bath with her the other day."

"That's a bit much, but it's still nice," the blue-haired boy states. He wriggles out of Seijurou's tight hold and places his hands on Seijurou's chest to keep himself steady against the rocking of the swing. "I want to take a bath with Akashi-kun too."

It's a bold statement and Seijurou can't help but nip playfully at Kuroko's plump lip. "Maybe next time." He knows his friend is probably just joking, but Seijurou means it. He's definitely into the idea of being in a bath with Kuroko. After his short sentence, his lips return to Kuroko's soft ones. He slides his hands up Kuroko's back to his neck and deepens the kiss, but then returns his hands to their previous spot on his hips. He pries Kuroko's lips apart with his tongue and invades his mouth. It's a bit weird, licking the inside of someone's mouth, but he tastes sweet, like mint maybe. Kuroko tangles his tongue with Seijurou's. It's messy, but Seijurou likes it. The hands he has settled on Kuroko's hips move closer to his back and he presses Kuroko into himself.

Kuroko gasps audibly into Seijurou's mouth at the pressure. The sound triggers something in Seijurou, a warm tingle he can't quite explain. He just knows he wants to feel it again, so he pushes the blue-haired boy's hips against his, a little more forcefully this time. A nice feeling shoots through him and he has to wonder - is Kuroko feeling this as well? Judging by the bated breath coming from the boy, he is.

Seijurou's jeans feel tight and he wants more. He's never been a particularly sexual person - never interested him much - but right here, with Kuroko, he wants. He's not sure what exactly, but he definitely likes this feeling. It's not the same kind of sick want he felt in the dream of the other guy's flashbacks. No, it feels different, like instead of wanting selfish pleasure he wants Kuroko to feel good too. Kuroko moves against him with Seijurou's help and the feeling builds a bit, then there's a loud whoosh of air, a thump, and pain.

Seijurou goes temporarily blind as the back of his skull smacks hard into the ground beneath the swing. There's a weight on him that he assumes is Kuroko that mutters, "Ouch, my knees," before lifting off of him. Seijurou sits up, gingerly holding the back of his head, and buries his face into his bent knees, fighting off the sick feeling in his stomach from the pain. It's not nearly as bad as when he fell in the woods, but pain is pain.

"O-oh, your head," Kuroko says softly, moving to sit next to Seijurou, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" Seijurou nods into his knees, eyes still squeezed shut against the pain. "Of course you're not," Kuroko frets. "You just got over a head injury and now you're probably concussed again. I'm calling for an ambulance."

Seijurou reaches out and grabs Kuroko's hand that's heading for his pocket. "No, I'm fine," he insists. "No blood. It's okay, just hurts a little." Even though he probably is concussed again, having a hospital trip twice in one month is definitely embarrassing. He's not a child. He can take care of himself.

The blue-eyed boy looks unconvinced but doesn't push the ambulance idea. He does, however, carefully kiss the back of Seijurou's head. "Any better?"

It's such an innocent, child-like thing to do that Seijurou laughs out loud. "Yeah, a lot better, thanks," he assures, not entirely lying. He's definitely going to have a serious headache, but he no longer feels sick. "Major mood-killer, though."

"Ah, yeah," Kuroko shrugs, turning his head away. He's embarrassed, Seijurou concludes, about their little make out session. It was a little heavy to do in a public place, despite no one else being around.

Kuroko checks his phone and sighs. "We should probably get home. I don't want to miss the last train."

Seijurou had completely forgotten that his friend takes the train when he wants to go somewhere. It was always just a quick phone call away to get a ride for himself, as long as his chauffeurs are on the clock. Seijurou lives close enough to this park to walk though, and he knows Kuroko will refuse making the chauffeurs go out of their way for him. "Let me walk you to the station, then," he suggests.

"No thank you," Kuroko rejects instantly. "I'm walking you home in case you have a brain hemorrhage and die on the way or something." He stands and holds a hand out to help Seijurou up. "I can make it to the station myself."

Seijurou takes the offered hand and is hauled to his feet. "I'm fine," he mumbles, but decides against arguing. He wouldn't win anyway. Keeping ahold of Kuroko's warm hand, he starts to lead the way to his house.

The walk there is mostly without talk. The two of them just enjoy each other's presence without the need for conversation. That's what Seijurou loves about this kid. He can feel completely comfortable around him without awkward, forced small talk. And the way Kuroko doesn't judge him is a beautiful asset. He knows Seijurou is from a high class family and yet he treats him like any old friend. He knows Seijurou is a little - really - bad with people. He doesn't seem to mind that either, and even helps when he can. If only Seijurou had the guts to tell him about the other Akashi. Maybe he could help with that too. They could both make fun of how stupid wanting to be called Emperor is, and the ridiculous obsession he has with their mother. They could laugh at everything he does, maybe make him want to stay hidden forever, and then Seijurou could be free. It could be just Seijurou and Kuroko, alone forever.

He mulls over the possibilities. What if Kuroko completely rejects him after finding out? He might think it's creepy, or that he's crazy or making stuff up. He gives a sideways glance to the gorgeous boy next to him. The teen is humming quietly and gently caressing Seijurou's hand with his thumb. That doesn't seem likely, but does he really want to risk it at this point?

They round the last corner and Seijurou's house comes in to view. "It still fascinates me that this is in Japan," Kuroko states rather randomly as they come up to the front gate. "It's so big and modern. I like it a lot."

"It's not bad," Seijurou agrees offhandedly. He takes both of Kuroko's hands in his, making the other boy face him. "There's something I want to tell you."

Kuroko looks up at him with wide, expecting eyes. "What is it? he urges. "And you better not say it's nothing this time."

Seijurou gazes down into those eyes, biting his lip with hesitation. What's he doing? He doesn't even know, but he wants to say it so badly. "I..." He trails off for a moment, taking a deep breath before blurting out something he's not even expecting to say. "I love you."

His own breath catches in his throat at the confession as he looks into those brilliant, blue orbs, deep and full of surprise. Kuroko's pale lips are slightly parted as he takes in what Seijurou just admitted to.

"That's the kind of thing you should say before trying to bone me in a public park."

Seijurou is taken aback at the absurd reply. It certainly isn't what he was expecting and he feels his heart start to pulse painfully. Is he being turned down? What kind of a response is that? Then he sees the almost-smile on Kuroko's lips and nearly bursts out laughing. So much for thinking he was embarrassed earlier!

"Sorry, I feel really shy all of a sudden and that was the first thing that popped into my head," the boy tries to excuse.

He's so cute Seijurou can barely stand it. He lets go of the boy's hand, choosing to instead wrap his arms around slim shoulders and buries his nose into soft, blue locks and the white flesh of his neck, breathing in the distant scent of cheap shampoo. "So, do you...?" He leaves the question hanging.

He feels Kuroko return the hug and nod against him. "I do."

Good, Seijurou thinks. He still feels a bit embarrassed. How did he let that slip out? The setting isn't even romantic. Kuroko deserves a better love confession for sure, but there's nothing he can do about it now except be glad his feelings are reciprocated. He revels in the warmth and comfort of the hug for another couple of minutes, then nudges Kuroko. "Your parents are going to worry."

"You're right," Kuroko agrees, breaking the embrace, fingers still lingering by Seijurou's waist. "Ah, I'm so happy I feel like crying. So shameful," he says uncomfortably, keeping his head down.

Seijurou grabs Kuroko's chin lifts it softly, forcing him to show his handsome face. "Nothing you do is shameful," he remarks. "You're adorable."

Kuroko breaks away and rubs at his watery eyes. "Stop being so sincere or I'm really going to cry," he jokes.

"Okay, I'll stop," Seijurou chuckles. "Just give me a kiss."

Kuroko makes a face but complies, pecking him on the cheek. "I'll see you later, Akashi-kun," he promises, turning and heading back down the path. Seijurou watches him until he takes a corner and disappears from view.

"Are you ever going to introduce me to your dad?" The question comes out of no where. It's lunchtime and they decided to eat outside today, under the shade of a large tree. "I've talked to your mom multiple times as well as your maids and chauffeurs. I want to meet the head of my boyfriend's family."

"I won't," Seijurou responds. It's a reoccurring discussion, and honestly he's sick of it. Kuroko should just drop it, but the blue-head is stubborn, as Seijurou knows very well. He's the same way. It's what makes them such good conversational partners.

"But I don't understand why not," he complains, in that expressionless way of his. "You've met my entire family."

Seijurou scoops some fried rice up with his chopsticks and forces it into Kuroko's mouth. He's noticed that when the shorter teen starts on something like this, he doesn't eat. Seijurou's made it his mission to make sure he eats at least half of his lunch every day, even if it interrupts their conversation. "I have my reasons," he informs Kuroko.

Kuroko swallows the rice quickly. "What is your reason, then?"

Seijurou sighs. "Will you just give up already?" he asks, already knowing the answer. Sure enough, the boy shakes his head. He sighs again, this time with defeat. "Fine. I won't introduce you to him because I've never met him."

"Eh?" They blue-eyed boy blinks, confused. "You live in the same house as him, Akashi-kun, I'm not going to believe that."

"Believe what you want. It's true," he mumbles bitterly. And it is true. The thirteen years he's been alive, he's never once met the man called his father, despite living under the same roof. "Never even seen the guy."

An awkward silence envelops the two. Kuroko takes a few bites of his lunch and Seijurou finishes his, still feeling bitter. He knows he shouldn't be angry. If it was Kuroko hiding something like that, he'd be furious, so he can't blame him. They're good enough friends that he doesn't need to do something awkward like apologize though. They'll be back to usual soon. During the silence, he takes to watching the shorter boy eat. He pokes through his food like a picky child, Seijurou notices. Skipping over certain food as if he doesn't like it, though since it's his own lunch, he must like everything.

The short silence is broken by Kuroko. "That's sad, Akashi-kun. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Seijurou grunts in reply. "If he wants to see me, he knows where I am." The man is definitely aware of his existence, Seijurou knows. He makes sure the maids reinforce his stupid rules of no video games and no unapproved extracurricular activities. It just irks Seijurou that his father won't ever talk to him face to face. It's always the maids with, "Seijurou-sama, your father said this," and "The head said that."

Kuroko seems to contemplate something, biting the point of his chopstick. "Have you ever tried to meet him?" he asks. "Like waiting outside his office door or something?"

"I have," Seijurou admits. He vaguely remembers standing outside the large, decorative doors he knew must belong to the head, for hours, waiting, just to catch a glimpse of him and maybe ask if he wants to play. He can recall being summoned by his father, but he doesn't remember the outcome, just that he never met with him. "I stopped trying to get his attention years ago."

The atmosphere is starting to feel awkward. Seijurou knows that Kuroko is pitying him, but he doesn't want him to. It's just how he grew up. He's used to it. He tries to think of a casual way to change the conversation. It turns out he doesn't have to; Kuroko does it for him.

"You know that math lesson today? I didn't understand it. Please teach me."

Seijurou soon discovers that Kuroko has a bully.

It's one of their homeroom classmates. He sits two seats to the right of Seijurou. There's nothing special about him, so Seijurou hasn't even noticed his existence. Until one day while he's walking down the hall before class starts, he sees a very peculiar scene.

To the average person, it may just seem like a group of friends having a casual chat, but Seijurou picks up on the way Kuroko bites the inside of his cheeks, the way he does when he's not happy. The culprit says something Seijurou can't hear and gestures rudely to the blue-haired boy, who's up against the wall. The nearby people laugh loudly and Kuroko manages to break away from the group, heading for the classroom, it would seem.

"Ah, don't be such a pussy!" the rude teen shouts, trailing after Kuroko and not-so-gently shoving him into the room. He then turns and heads back to his friends, seeing how there's still a few minutes until class officially begins.

Seijurou unfreezes his legs and also heads for the classroom. Even though he knows Kuroko's seat is just one spot behind his own, it still takes him a moment to lock his eyes on the boy. Deciding to be casual about it, he sets his bag down and sits before questioning his friend.

"I just saw a rather strange scene outside the classroom," he hints, turning backwards in his chair in order to face Kuroko.

"Ah, did you?" he intones in a similar manor. So Kuroko-like, Seijurou thinks.

Instead of continuing with their fake ignorance, he requests, "Care to explain what that was?"

Kuroko's eyes shift away from Seijurou, as if he's bored of the conversation. "Takahashi-kun was just using me to make himself look cool," he explains like it's an everyday process. The teacher enters the room along with the last of the students, but Seijurou keeps his back turned.

"You mean he was making fun of you," Seijurou growls, anger boiling up in him.

"If you want to put it that way, yes."

Seijurou wants to slam his closed fist down on Kuroko's desk. Why is he being so nonchalant about this? He shouldn't let people treat him this way, especially that trash. Mostly he's mad at himself. How could he not notice? He's been hanging out with Kuroko for a couple months now and never realized the kid was being bullied. Didn't even realize that Kuroko ever talked to anyone else.

"Class is now beginning," the teacher announces, taking her spot at the front of the room. Kuroko attempts to look around Seijurou to pay attention to the teacher, but the red-head is not going to be ignored.

"I'm not done here," he says, reaching across the desk to nudge his friend's arm, drawing his attention back to himself. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since the start of school," the blue-haired boy confesses. "It doesn't bother me so it shouldn't bother Akashi-kun either." This time when he looks past Seijurou his eyes stay there, not even twitching at the hand in his face.

"Akashi!" the woman up front barks at him. "Turn around. I'm not going to tell you to pay attention, but please stop distracting other students."

You can't tell me what to do, Seijurou almost says. Not wanting to cause a scene, he bites his tongue and faces front, slightly embarrassed that he of all people got called out in class. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see that brat - Takahashi, was it? - smirking, and he feels the fury in him worsen. What a piece of shit. The next time he sees that guy go anywhere near Kuroko, he is definitely not going to hold back.

Seijurou isn't lying when he tells himself he's just going to talk; he really means it. As much as he would like to bash the little bastard's head in, he doesn't feel like violence is a healthy way to deal with this. And there's the fact that Takahashi is bigger than him.

"I would like you to leave Kuroko Tetsuya alone," he tells the guy when he finds a moment where he's not with his group of friends. He spots Kuroko a bit down the hall, presumably heading to class because he's not one to linger around. Seijurou hopes he gets into the classroom and doesn't see them.

"Oh? Why?" Takahashi asks, leaning up against the wall, glancing uninterested at Seijurou.

"I don't like you so I don't want you talking to him," he says slowly, as if speaking to a child.

The bully spies Kuroko over Seijurou's shoulder and calls him over. "Oi! Come here!" The blue-haired boy saunters over, eyeing the two suspiciously. Takahashi unkindly throws an arm around his neck and pulls him close. "Tell this guy me and you are good friends."

"Please let go of me, Takahashi-kun," Kuroko asks, polite as ever, despite having an arm around his throat.

"Aw, don't be like that." The bully tightens his hold and rubs a fist into sky-blue hair. The uncomfortable look on Kuroko's face makes Seijurou's blood boil.

"Stop touching him," Seijurou commands, taking a step towards them. Takahashi gives him a smirk and continues with his harassment. Well, if he isn't going to listen... Seijurou reaches a hand out and grabs the offending arm, squeezing tightly. "Let go."

The smirk drops from Takahashi's face. "What's your problem?" he snarls.

Seijurou tightens his hold, digging his nails into the soft flesh until the bastard rips his arm away. Kuroko stumbles forward a bit and Seijurou extends an arm to steady him. He quickly checks his friend over for any harm before returning his attention to Takahashi. "Stay away," he warns. "I promise you won't like the consequences if you continue to mess with him."

Takahashi studies Seijurou for a moment, assessing how serious he is. He takes a step back, seemingly giving up, but he says something before he leaves, not heading in the direction of the classroom. "You better watch yourself. Me and my boys could beat the shit out of both of you and there's nothing you could do to stop them. Fucking fags."

The vulgar word doesn't bother Seijurou. It's not like he actually knows about their relationship, he just used it because he couldn't think of anything else. What really bothers him is the fact that he threatened Kuroko. Sure, he threatened Seijurou too, but he can take care of himself. Kuroko probably wouldn't fight back. He'd just stand there and take it.

"You should have just left it, Akashi-kun," Kuroko huffs. Not really what Seijurou was expecting. Where's the gratitude? "I'm not a child. I don't need you to protect me." He turns away and heads for the classroom.

"Sorry for trying to help," Sejurou snaps at his back, though he understands the anger. Maybe he's ashamed of having someone fight his battles. But really, if Kuroko is mad at anyone, it should be at that bastard Takahashi. How fucking dare that guy. Messing with someone like Kuroko. And now Kuroko is upset with him, even though he was just trying to help.

Damn it. His mind feels wrong. He's not entirely positive of his own thoughts. He knows one thing for sure though: Takahashi has to pay.