#Why did he end up at Tetsu's place specifically? Why did he do the whole pretend contract thing instead of acting alone? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

suganovakawa · 4 years

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two anons asked for more introverted and shy! reader .

Omg the headcanon w suga was so good TT I wanted to ask if you could do the same one with kags;-; 💞 like the introverted shy one

Oh my goooddddd the Suga one was so cuteeeee! Can I request the same one w kuroo? ;-; if not it’s totally fine!

and you know what ? i love this headcanon so much so i’m gonna do more of this . i hope you don’t mind i put both in one , it’s easier to post !

𝐒𝐇𝐘 , 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄 !

karasuno and nekoma boys protect you because of your shyness !

— check out my masterlist !!

you being a shy introvert has never affected these boys’ feelings for you . if anything , they feel more obligated to keep you safe and protected ! these guys will do everything to make sure you’re supported and loved .

a / n : ehehehehe as a somewhat shy person myself i needed this

holy moly this came out so much longer than i originally planned , especially tobio’s — enjoy 😭

anyways ! if you want to be part of my general taglist - just ask ! and be specific if you want to be updated for certain things ( just headcanons , just scenarios , etc ) 🥺

tobio kageyama

both of you are extremely shy but somehow you make your relationship work perfectly

well , tobio isn't shy , per se - he's just extremely awkward

shoyo was literally the one who had to do most of the communication between you and him before you two became a thing

kags became brave enough to ask you out himself after countless weeks of psyching himself up for it

he was beyond thankful when you said yes , his confidence was boosted now that he conquered his fear of confessing to you

kageyama is very understanding of your shyness - he won't ever make you do anything you're uncomfortable with , and will always make sure you feel safe when you two are out together

as more of an introvert himself , he prefers to spend time with you in private , so it's a win-win situation for the two of you in that case

you love to cuddle with tobio when it's just you two - he's become accustomed to you just climbing on top of him whenever and just making yourself at home

hinata was the one who encouraged you to meet the rest of the volleyball team - kags hit him on the head when he mentioned it

" BOKE ! THEY'RE SHY ! BE CONSIDERATE OF THEIR FEELINGS ! "

" no , it's okay tobio !! i'd love to meet your team ! "

he said o-o ??

" really , y/n ? you'll come to practice to meet everyone ? "

" y-yeah ! i'm sure it's not too bad . and maybe i could watch you practice too , if that's allowed ? "

" OMG KAGEYAMA PLEASE LET Y/N WATCH US PRACTICE IT WOULD BE SO COOL TO HAVE THEM THERE WE SHOULD TOTALLY - "

" SHUT UP DUMBASS IT'S THEIR CHOICE IF THEY WANNA WATCH "

yes you wanted to watch , but working your way up to meet them was a terrifying experience

what if they didn't like you ?

you mentioned your fear to tobio after school , who shook his head with a smile

" they're going to love you , y/n . you'd be surprised with how accepting they are . hinata and i told you about our first day , right ? "

" yes , yes you did "

WOAH A BUZZ CUT GUY OPENED THE DOOR

you jumped behind kageyama as the bald guy started yelling at him about who knows what , you were too spooked to listen

shoyo was already at the gym , and noticed you hiding behind your boyfriend

" guys , guys ! that's kageyama's s.o. ! the one hiding behind him ! "

did hinata forget you're shy or something like wtf dude

you peeked out from behind kags , going pale as a whole sea of tall men stared right back at you

" everyone , this is y/n . y/n , this is my volleyball team . " taking you by the hand , tobio kept you close to him as he pulled you to his side

everyone collectively said hi , quietly to not overwhelm you

" damn kageyama , already cuffed as a first year , huh ? " this short dude with a blond tuft in front of his forehead patted him on the shoulder , and you watched as tobio struggled to reply , his cheeks going pink in embarrassment

you stayed away from the third years , as they had this powerful presence around them that intimidated you - especially that guy in the man bun , he's terrifying

you kept your distance from tsukishima , too - he's tall , sassy , and very scary

thankfully kiyoko was soft spoken enough to make you feel comfortable with being left with her - WTF WHO IS THAT INCOMING GROWN MAN HIDE

wait it's just the coach - NEVERMIND FALSE ALARM

you had never seen kageyama play volleyball until now - you heard about his middle school reputation , but he felt self conscious about it . so , you hardly ever brought it up in conversation

watching him in action was like falling for him all over again

the way he handled the ball so easily ; he could probably set in his sleep if he wanted to

and that quick attack - like damn , shoyo and tobio really are the dream team

after practice , WOOO BOY you were all over your him

practically gawking over everything you saw during practice - like DAMN , that setter is your boyfriend

you begged him to let you watch karasuno practice again , you'd end up warming up to the others eventually - you had him and hinata for support

he felt shy with how excited you were to watch him practice , but agreed to let you come to practice with him from now on

" tobio , you're so cool !! i wanna learn how to do the amazing things you do "

" cutie . i'd love to teach you sometime , y/n .

tetsurou kuroo

needless to say , tetsurou is anything but shy

how you managed to snag a catch like kuroo is beyond you

he likes - no , loves - your soft atmosphere , the peace that your presence brings him

he was literally a magnet to you in his quest of wooing you

the moment you even appeared in the same room for a second he’d end up right there with you

even if he was clingy in a sense , he respected your shyness and your boundaries , and would step away if he felt like you were uncomfortable with him

yes we stan gentleman kuroo anyway

eventually his charismatic tendencies and alluring charms got to you and you began to enjoy his company more and more

yes , you agreed to becoming his s.o. , only if he understood that you would be sometimes too shy to go out places with him

he didn’t care , he didn’t care if all you two did was stay at home — this boy was over the moon that you were now officially his

the first thing he did was brag to his team lmao

did i mention that nekoma was betting on him being able to get you ?

kenma and lev owed yamamoto yen for being kuroo’s only supporter BFHSJNFNF

yaku took it a step further and told tetsu to bring you here — to which he internally panicked

he wasn’t planning on introducing you to the others so early , you two were still trying to get in the groove of being in a relationship

but after being pestered by literally everyone else on the team , he finally gave in and agreed to ask you the next time he saw you

he sugar coated it to the max when he saw you the next day

“ y/n , my absolute darling , i know you said you’re a shy little cutie and all , but — ”

“ tetsu , please just tell me what you need from me . ”

LMAOOOO you can read the third year like a book ; he shut up immediately when you shot an eyebrow upwards

“ i wasn’t planning to introduce you this early but , the guys from my volleyball team want to meet you . today , after school , preferably . ”

y/n.exe has stopped working

“ baby , baby ! you don’t have to , i swear ! i’m not gonna push you to do anything you don’t want , they just want to meet you in person once , is all . you never have to go again if you decide to go only one time , i promise . ”

hhhhhhhhh why is tetsurou like this

“ fine , i’ll go today . i have nothing to do after school anyway . but after that , no more . i can only take so much , you know that . ”

he punched his fists in the air before snatching a kiss to your temple

“ thank you , baby ! you won’t regret meeting them , i promise . ”

it took a lot of psyching yourself up to actually go through with this

but kuroo looked so happy when you agreed , you didn’t wanna let him down :(

so you two met up after school — he was already with kenma

you already met kenma in the past , so seeing him didn’t bother you ; he was an introvert too so he understood how you felt

“ hi , y/n . i’m surprised you can keep up with kuroo the way you do . ”

“ it’s strenuous sometimes , but worth it . ”

aww look at you two bonding — even if it was at kuroo’s expense , he looked like he was about to explode in tears of joy

that moment of peace left the moment the gym doors bashed open — WHO THE FGIDKFK WAS STANDING AT THE DOOR

BIG SCARY DUDE WITH WHITE HAIR

“ KENMA KENMA KENMA KENMA CAN YOU PLEAAAAAAASE SET ME SOME BALLS ”

“ not now , lev . ”

oh my god he saw you

no turning back now

the so-called lev widened his eyes , his jaw dropped for a few seconds before running back into the gym

“ GUYS , GUYS ! HE DID IT ! HE BROUGHT Y/N ! ITS HAPPENING ! ”

kuroo appeared like a deer in headlights as you looked at him dumbfoundedly

“ tetsurou . what , and i mean what , is going on ? ”

you watched as someone much much smaller than him — you recognized yaku , he was your classmate — literally kick lev across the back , causing him to fall over

“ they’re a rowdy bunch , y/n . but they won’t lay a hand on you , i assure you . they’ve got much more bark than bite . if they even do have a bite . ”

kenma answered you before kuroo could ; he was blubbering away with incoherent excuses answers you couldn’t even understand

a dude with a mohawk came up to inspect you , and you screamed

tetsurou slapped him away , before wrapping his arms around you protectively

“ don’t go near y/n ! they’re very shy , so please be careful ! ”

this is so embarrassing you might just die

kenma and yaku made sure everyone else yamamoto and lev gave you personal space

once they were all settled down , you actually thought they were a nice bunch — it also helped to know that lev was a first year , it made him appear much less scary

kuroo insisted that you stay for practice , and after some pestering from him and the rest of the team , you agreed

watching them practice was not what you expected

where was tetsurou kuroo and what did they do to him

you didn’t even recognize your boyfriend as he took his rightful role as captain on the court , helping the others and giving pointers wherever needed

the others fell in place , too — watching everyone practice was totally different to how they acted before

you were actually mesmerized , watching them — you didn’t even realize practice was over until kuroo walked over to you and told you that it was over

“ i-it’s over already ? ”

“ yeah , baby . it’s done . did you enjoy it ? ”

“ yeah . . . yeah , i did . i enjoyed it a lot , actually ! ”

“ well , if you’re up for it , the manager spot is very much open . but you don’t have to take it , i know you said this would be the only time you’d come with me . ”

oh no no no you were not gonna miss a chance to be mesmerized like that again

“ y’know what , tetsu ? i want to be the manager . sign me up . ”

cue a screaming yamamoto and long legs lev jumping for joy as tetsurou grinned like crazy at your response

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seesawproductions · 4 years

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day three : lazy days

“ your cold touches leave me burning to the touch ”. @bokurooweek

kuroo got back to bokuto laying listlessly on the kitchen counter, an bag of opened chips and his phone blaring heavy rock into the small apartment. it was a surprise that nobody was waiting for him in the hallway really with his roommate's music seeping out the walls.

"hey". he called, throwing his bags on the couch. the house keys went in the small basket near bokuto's feet and pen he had borrowed dangled over bokuto's face teasingly before bokuto snatched up it up, turning a bright smile towards him.

"TETSU". bokuto shouted. kuroo smiled in acknowledgement wincing at the loudness of it all.

he waved and bokuto turned the music off, shuffling to pull himself up and place the bag of chips somewhere else when he was taking all every available space on the island. he ended up placing it on his lap. "how did your classes go?".

"good i guess". kuroo replied, reaching forward to grab some chips out of the bag. bokuto pushed it towards him, looking like he already had his fill of the big packet.

the chips tasted weird and with a mouth turning up, he read the packaging.

when did bokuto started liking yogurt flavored chips, wasn't that daichi's favourite? "didn't you go to class?".

kuroo specifically remembered watching bokuto leave first with his bag dragging on the floor, mainly because bokuto had said something again, something on the lines of him having pretty eyes and kuroo had went all statue like. he so wasn't telling kenma about this, his childhood bestie would roast the fuck out of him for that and no way was kuroo giving him another piece of that material.

he had ended up giving that though, sitting in the class as the teacher had left to do a small errand - she had accidentally left her laptop in her car like how do you do that? her whole lesson worked around powerpoints on the projecter.

"classes got canceled early so i decided to come back". he wiggled his eyebrows. "i had to entertain my best friend once in a while right?".

"shut up". kuroo whined, quickly grabbing the whole packet and making a run for it. the door locked behind him, bokuto right on his heels and calling him a second hand stealer.

he crackled, yelling back that he'll snitch on him to daichi, knowing that the other would allow them in his dorm afterwards. it still managed to get the desired effect and bokuto ended up sacrificing his first born to him - not really, he was to simply bring out his chocolate stash for him to eat.

and that's how kuroo and bokuto spent their afternoon, laying on their stomach as they filled themselves in with chocolatey goodness. in a half assed attempt at homework, kuroo had his book open in front of him but he was doobling on it - his cat was turning more hideous looking then he had expected.

"kotoro ". he said into the void.

" yes tetsu". the void answered, the warm body of his best friend shifting as it further pressed into his side. now he really wanted bokuto to massage him, wondering - fantasies he wakes up to actually - how his hands to feel working into his back, sliding down his back and kneading all the tension out - "kuroo?".

he tried to get early though back. "... can you get me an ice cream?".

bokuto pushed himself up, nudging him with his toes. kuroo tried to push them off, they made his sides ticklish. "no".

"i want ice cream though". he was yet again addressing the void, the small space between his beanbags and desktop. he had placed his laptop there, because he had to keep up with kenma somehow and if it was through the difficult levels of overwatch then so be it. though he sure hoped kenma's mother didn't buy him the nintendo he wanted because then kuroo will have no other choice but to shake his friend out of something he was too broke for right now. "please get me the weirdest flavor in there".

he heard bokuto sigh beside him, muttering something under his breath as he pushed himself up. "fine i'll you something, you demon".

"thank you". he smiled. he watched bokuto leave, waving from his position on the bed like a wife sending her husband off to war.

and he stayed in that spot, slowly eating the candy and staring into the void until bokuto returned from his mission, placing the tub of ice cream in front of him in victory and extending a spoon towards him.

he took it, giving him a watery smile which got a laugh out of him. "dude how long have you been staring at that thing? your eyes are so watery", he sounded incredulous but kuroo just shrugged muttering "ice cream".

bokuto laughed again, his laughter loud in the silent room. "drumroll please". he asked.

kuroo smirked, pleasing him with a dramatic drum roll which just turned to be him rolling to face the ceiling and drumming on his stomach.

bokuto turned away, snickering but kuroo didn't really care. he had caught a smile pulling into his lips and he had yet again though he was still surviving. it was a question he asked every day in his presence. "you really look like your cat, tetsu".

"no i don't. i look better then mewto". his cat didn't look at all like the Pokémon but mean like one and in his pokemon phase had named the creature for enternity. kuroo let him calm down, drumming his fingers on the still cold sides of the tub, his spoon hitting soundessly on his stomach.

bokuto exclaimed, once the laughter had left his system."the most weirdest ice cream i could find in the corner store : butterscotch".

"i haven't tried it yet".

"i know. that's why i bought it".

"okay". this time he pulled himself up, letting their shoulders brush as bokuto pulled the tub open and they dug in. kuroo didn't even care that eating so many sweets and melting ice cream would create a mess in his stomach - somethings were worth it. and chocolate and ice cream was worth everything.

"it tastes great". bokuto said into his mouthful and kuroo nodded. it surprising was good, but not that good you know. "so much better then mint".

he made a disgusted noise, agreeing with him. they had bought mint once and it was like tasting nothing and coldness at once. they had thrown the tub half full when they couldn't force themselves to finish it. "it tasted like puke". he added.

he suppressed his smirk when bokuto choked. "god, can you not do that kuroo. that wasn't helpful".

"i know". he told him, stuffing his mouth like the ice cream. "that's why i said it lolz".

this time to turned to watch bokuto choke on his ice cream, coughing a laugh and shooting an horrified look his way. "why?", he moans.

kuroo shrugs.

"then you really do deserve this".

"deserve-". and bokuto kissed him.

not on his lips though, near them with too cold lips and exaggerated sound. his heart stuttered, and his face was tingling - if it was because of cold of bokuto's lips or the blush he didn't know.

"can you do it again?". he blurted.

and he did it again and again until his heart was pounding.

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haiky-u-lously · 6 years

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Haikyuu: Soulmate AU Bo and Ku-Chapter 2

a/n: Hi everyone, so again. Keeping with my word to share some previous work. I think I might actually start being someone who asks for others to like “shout out” maybe I’ll get some traction on the request for asks...Anyway! Enjoy the next installment. And again, don’t get angry for the angst I was in a dark place, but I promise the next chapters get fluffier.

Questions/comments/concerns/ideas/etc. are welcome as always-Admin Red

Chapters: One | Two | Three | Four

You sat on your bed crying into your phone. “(B/F/N) I can’t do this anymore. I hate this class. I don’t have anyone to call my own. I’m a disappointment to literally everyone in my life and now I’m taking your time away from your soulmate to listen to me complain about nothing new. I am so so so sorry. I want to change I do, you know I do. And I do try. It just takes so much energy. And time. And I have to pretend to be happy all the time. And I just..I just…son’t want….to …behere…any more.” You sniffled at the end of your speech. Knowing if anyone saw your right now you’d feel worse at the fact that you’d break their image of you rather then embarrassed at how you look.

Hearing her take a deep breath, you know (B/F/N) was about to give you a speech about how you weren’t all these negative things. That it wasn’t your fault you felt this way, or that you had no motivation to do anything. That it was just your body. The universe playing a cruel trick on you. That you had made it through so much worse. Give a pep-talk as to why you shouldn’t take your own life, despite how you might be viewing it as a better way out then dealing with life.

You cut her off before she even started. “I know okay.” You breathed out, “I’m not going to do anything. Maybe I’ll go run. Try to get my mind off it.”

“That’s a good idea. But it doesn’t have to be running you know.” She said, you let out a singular chuckle.

“It’ll also tire me out so maybe I’ll get to sleep in peace for once this week.” You countered.

Saying her agreement, you gave your goodbyes. Wanting nothing more than to shut yourself off from the surrounding world.

If only I didn’t feel as alone anymore.

As you ran out of your apartment, on a trail you had mapped out long ago for these specific times, you let your mind wonder.

If I had someone to call my own, someone that wanted to call me theirs…would I still feel this way? That I let down everyone in my life? One already tried to kill me, multiple times. The other mentally abused me to the point that I couldn’t sleep at night.

As you ran your thoughts grew deeper and deeper into the trenches.

He didn’t care either. If he did, wouldn’t he had listened to me about the second one? Would (Sibling/cousin) have sided with their kid over me? Why didn’t anyone stop that stupid disgusting wedding? Why didn’t they care that I spent the whole week crying whenever I wasn’t with (B/F/N)? Should I even still be here?

While you had promised your friend you wouldn’t do anything, you said nothing about letting your thoughts go down that path.

She’d be happy. I’d be out of the picture. Out of the way. Maybe he’d be happy to. Less drama between me and her to deal with. I wouldn’t be a burden to the extended family anymore. No one would have to listen to me complain. Everyone could be happy again.

You were finding it hard to breathe and slowed your pace.

I was supposed to die all those years ago anyway. I’m so “accident” prone that it wouldn’t be too surprising. I’d only let one person down once if I did this. But I can’t do that to them. Not them. Not after everything (B/F/N) has done for me. I’ll at least stick it out until after next week. That way I keep my word to her.

Reaching your apartment’s door, you let yourself back in. Huffing and puffing, you went to your phone.

Scrolling through the social media sites you find yourself perusing in times of needing to not think properly.

When the notifications start coming in.

All the messages saying to kill yourself. That you were useless. A waste of space.

A soulmate-less nobody.

Someone who took resources from those that could have actually used them. From people who have soulmates that would rely on them.

It was all your fault.

You let them down.

You failed.

And it was the pebble that caused the avalanche.

Running to the bathroom, you grabbed the pocket knife your dad had given you for protection while away at college.

Sitting on the ground next to the bathtub, you cried.

The knife hovering over your neck.

Split between wanting to shove it through why you were still so upset that you weren’t sure you’d feel it, and wanting to wait until you calmed down enough to feel something other than the misery that has encased your existence for as long as you could recall.

You screamed at your indecisiveness.

Pulling the knife far enough away to rub the tears dry.

And you paused.

Intake of air hitching.

As your arm became covered in green and red markings.

Markings you couldn’t understand.

You didn’t believe it.

Not now. Not when you were the closest you had ever been.

Not when you were actually ready.

You pricked the end of your pointer finger. Too caught up in disbelief to waste energy to get a marker.

Writing on your thigh, ‘I don’t understand.’ Drawing a circle with a line across it.

___________________________________________________________

Bokuto was jumping even though he was in a seated position. Shaking Kuroo’s arm. “They responded! They responded Tetsu! They responded!”

However, the male being shook didn’t miss the…ink…you used to respond to them. And found himself quickly in a state of concern. Writing in his red sharpie, ‘Are you okay?’

____________________________________________________________

You laughed. They knew (your language).

‘Nope.’

Looking back, you saw a new green message this time. In all caps.

‘WHATSWRONG’

They’re strange. First time writing in this life and they pick two different colors. Doesn’t matter that the colors chosen were your favorite or anything. But the fact the writing kept showing up in the same spots made an itch twitch in the back of your mind.

You wondered if you were imagining it like you had when you were a kid.

‘life’ you responded.

The blood from your finger now clotting, you wondered. If this were to continue you’d have to actually get a marker, or re-draw more blood.

You didn’t want to waste time cleaning more blood stains later and opted to get the pen. You were past the point of being ready now. Not like (B/F/N) would complain about it anyway.

‘Anything specific?’ The red prodded.

You tapped you fingers against your desk. Which color to use…well they’re using red and green so guess I’m avoiding those…

When you didn’t respond fast enough to their liking, you saw the green text being erased and replaced with an all new phrase. Still in all caps.

‘CAN WE HELP?’

You stalled. We? Your mind questioned, staring at the words on your arm.

Picking up the closest sharpie at hand, you put a question mark in dark blue directly next to the green ‘WE’.

You started wondering if your soulmate might have a disorder you remember hearing about in one of your psychology courses. What was it again…it used to be called multiple personality disorder, but what was it called now..?

You soon gave up trying to review your own thoughts.

Looking over your body you realized you hadn’t cleaned off any of your previous responses.

Wow, isn’t this a great first soulmate conversation…why’d they even decide to write?

You took two minutes with hot water and germ-x to rid all the markings on your skin. The only writing left over was a new one in red.

A lot longer than any of the others.

‘Yea, we. As in 2 soulmates. Different colors didn’t give it away?’

You wanted to laugh.

And scream.

And cry.

And call (B/F/N). Maybe she would be able to tell you what to do.

Not only had I been ignored by you my whole life but two of you were ignoring me??

You almost felt ready to go back into the bathroom and ignore the individuals that decided now you were enough for them.

‘Yea. Right.’ You responded. Not believing for a second that it could be true.

You finished clearing the text on your thigh before writing something a bit more involved.

‘So not only did I have one soulmate that completely ignored me till now. I had two. Two people that should have been my other halves that couldn’t draw/write a single thing back my whole life.’

There was no response and you sighed at how you sort of expected it to happen.

It was their own faults.

They actually had ignored you that whole time.

What else where you supposed to think.

You grabbed your phone off your bed, sending a quick text to (B/F/N) before crawling underneath the covers. To mentally exhausted to worry about turning off the lights overhead.

__________________________________________________________

Bokuto was floored by your message. Completely shocked silent.

He knew you’d be angry. At least with him.

But he did not expect you to say that. To claim that neither ever marked their skin for you.

That his boyfriend did not reach out.

Looking over to his partner, the owl-like boy saw an empty expression.

Kuroo sat in a dazed like state.

First, he realized you were writing in blood. They even wiped it clean before Bo could realize. He took a glance at his boyfriend, still lost in his own thought. Maybe he did realize and didn’t say anything out of guilt.

But when it took you too long to respond to his question, Kuroo’s mind wondered to the possibility of you being in the middle of self-harming, and not just that you were used to it.

His suspicions were just confirmed with your last message.

Maybe it was the soulmate thing. Maybe it was the fact that he felt like he knew you through your drawings. Or, that he was so use to figuring things out from as little as Kenma said or expressed.

Whatever it was, whatever the reason for this feeling, he knew that you had had a tough life. That you hadn’t always drew on yourself out of boredom.

And because of my and Bo’s parents, they went through it alone.

Then Kuroo got angry.

How dare you say that he didn’t write or draw a single thing your whole life? He had done what he could. Sneaked stamps past his warden of a mother. Sought help from teammates and friends over the years to draw on his back for him, so he could ‘blame’ it on his friends to his parents.

Hell, you had even responded to one of them, hadn’t you?

It was a day after he drew the volleyball on your back, wasn’t it?

“Bo,” Kuroo spoke, breaking the silence that had engulfed the pair. Still staring at your last message. “Do you remember how far apart the volleyball on the back and the volleyball on the forearm were from each other?”

His golden eyes seemed to roll back into his mind as he looked into the depths of his memory bank. “Um I think I was just getting out of the shower when I saw the one on my back and it hadn’t been there when I got in…and the forearm came before I finished getting dressed.”

Kuroo’s entire reasoning crashed and burned. If they drawings appeared that closely, it was possible you didn’t see it.

But wouldn’t they’ve seen it when they shed their clothes?

The cat-like male’s mind began to race again, but Bokuto did not want to return to the deafening silence. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” Kuroo replied smoothly.

Smiling slightly, Bokuto released a tight breath. “What if they had their friends draw on their back and whenever they saw pictures there, they just assumed it was one of those guys? I mean they obviously believe they weren’t having any communication with us, you, anyone…”

Kuroo shook his head at his boyfriend’s logic. Smirking at the out of the box idea that could very well be true with Bokuto’s intuition. “Yea, I didn’t think of that…”

“How do we show they were you?”

“Would it even matter?” He retaliated.

Bokuto pouted before straddling his boyfriend’s lap. “They can be mad at me for never doing anything until now. But you tried. You deserve a second chance.”

Cupping the side of Bokuto’s face, Kuroo’s eyes shinned with sincerity. “So. Do. You.” And kissed him deeply.

Both males forgetting they never responded to you.

____________________________________________________________

You woke to a thorough surprise.

Your lights were on overhead, and it took a bit to register you hadn’t turned them off.

Then you noticed your phone had a surplus of notifications.

One from your dad, saying you needed to call him about something. Great, just what I wanted to deal with today.

Another from social media telling you certain people you followed were active again. Probably just saying sorry for the absence and that it will continue…

A bunch from all the games you have downloaded, reminding you haven’t played them in months. Being too busy with college to find time to enjoy the summer pastimes you saved.

Thirteen calls from (B/F/N), and three texts.

[Favorite person]

I forgot you go to bed early.

[Favorite person]

Call me when you wake up. You better not have hurt yourself last night.

[Favorite person]

HE PROPOSED!!!! CALL ME

You quickly shot up as you pressed the phone icon at the top of the page, and pulled the phone to your ear.

“(F/N)!!!!!!” She shouted, causing you to pull the phone away from your ear drum.

Laughing, you began in a much calmer tone, “I am so happy for you (B/F/N). You guys are beautiful together. How’d it happen?”

She went into the story, and you listened intently. Thinking how lucky she was to have someone care so much to want to spend the rest of their lives with you. Yea they were soulmates but getting married was a choice. And he chose her.

Who wouldn’t? (B/F/N) is fantastic.

You smiled to yourself as she wrapped up the story.

“And then everyone started cheering and I was crying and he hugged me and it was just so…so…so perfect. I wish you could have been there. Like I understand the time zone difference but gahhh!” She was still squealing as you chuckled in response.

You glanced at your alarm clock and silently deflated. Time to get ready for class…

As much as you would rather spend your day talking with your best friend you were paying for this course. So, you didn’t want to miss it. You reminded your friend and said you’d try calling her again later.

“Okay, I love you.” She said sincerely.

You shook your head but responded, “Love you to. I’m so happy for you.”

As soon as she hung up you went into the bathroom.

The stark red against the tub a reminder of the night before.

Tears threatened to spill over as you cleaned up. And you couldn’t decide if the tears were for how you almost failed, or how close you were to succeeding.

You wiped your tears away after you finished cleaning. Turning on the shower to heat the water.

When you glanced over your body.

Floored again by all the markings on your skin.

Drawings.

Copies of what you drew years ago.

Twisting and turning you saw more marks then skin.

They even went up your neck.

You stepped in front of a full body mirror that hung off the back of the bathroom door.

Facing your back to it, and using a hand mirror to look over your shoulders.

Pulling your hair out of the day with your other hand, there were more.

Including a small blue and yellow volleyball along your spinal cord near your underwear line.

And you gasped.

Almost dropping the hand mirror as you remembered seeing the same image, in the exact same position the day after you joined the volleyball team at a new school.

“Hey (F/N), what do you do to relax after practice?” Your new captain asked after an intense day of hitting drills.

“Um,” you began, “Well before I moved I’d have (B/F/N) draw on my back. The pressure was enough that it felt like a message but it wasn’t uncomfortable for them since I didn’t care what she drew. Sometimes, since she was in art class, she’d practice her assignments on me first and then draw them on the poster. Or just draw in circles while we talked.” You were embarrassed, but had been truthful because you wanted to start off on as good as terms as could happen. It was a new school after all, better try not to be an outcast right from the get go.

She smiled at you. “that’s exactly what I like to do to. Wanna sleep over tonight and we can do each other’s?”

You nodded at her weakly, before running out to you father’s car to ask for permission. He agreed.

Later that night you laid on her bed as she drew all over your back. The pressure felt wonderful on your tight muscles.

“Hey (F/N). Have you ever drawn about volleyball on yourself?” She asked suddenly, not pausing in her motions thought.

You shook your head in the negative.

“Well why don’t you.” She told you more then asked.

Conceding, you picked up a black sharpie, drew a simple volleyball and net combo. Shoving it into the air, you showed her, “Good enough?”

Your captain laughed at your antics. “What about your number? Isn’t that a defining feature of your volleyball career?”

Sighing again, you dropped your arm back into a position you could easily write on. On the other side of the net, adding a simple ‘1’ to the drawing.

Your new friend giggled and said, “Okay my turn again. Draw something super intricate okay?”

Laughing as you switched positions you expressed you’d try.

The next day you were using mirror to clean off you back and noticed the little volleyball. It made you smile because you had drawn one in a matching position on your team captain’s back.

You had thought it was just coincidence at the time. You had thought it was her.

This whole time.

It had been your soulmate.

They had marked themselves for you at least once, and you had never known.

You were crying fully now, and didn’t think you’d be able to stop. So, you finished stripping and stepped into the shower. Thinking that the tears mixing with the warmth of the water would somehow cause you to calm down.

___________________________________________________________

“Kuroo, what do we do now?” Bokuto asked his boyfriend.

The males had skipped their own courses for the day, but neither wanted to skip volleyball practice.

The rooster-haired male smirked, “Just wait. We can wait a few hours, heck days even for them. I mean put yourself in their shoes…They feel like they waited for years for us, don’t they?”

Bokuto nodded a few times.

Both males shook out their personal stress before stepping into the volleyball practice gym. Ready to be focused on the task at hand.

__________________________________________________________

You washed away your seemingly horrible comment from the night before. Feeling horrible that you had blamed them in that manor. Just because I’m such a freaking idiot.

Hoping out of the shower and drying yourself off before dressing in a pair of shorts and a hoodie. Taking a thick black sharpie, you covered the space in as large of a text as possible.

‘I’m so sorry.’

You pulled sweatpants on over your shorts and grabbed your bookbag.

Headed to the class you dreaded.

Why do we have to meet Tuesday-Thursday anyway? College classes are stupid. You thought, two days of this torture was enough, wasn’t it? Why’d you have to come to this third one…

The wind picked up your hair, making it fly around your face.

Luckily it fell back where you had positioned it. You really didn’t want anyone to mention the marks on your skin. Thankfully it was fall and your outfit wasn’t surprising. Most wearing similar gear to combat the morning weather.

You sat through the lecture, bored. Disinterested. Uncaring.

After being released, you backed up your computer and notebook. You missed pretty much everything, but you understood the stuff when you looked over it home later the last few times this has happened so you weren’t concerned.

Until your professor called out to you.

Making you halt before crossing the gateway of the door frame to the outside.

Mentally chiding yourself, you held in an exasperated sigh. “Yes?” You answered, stepping closer to the front podium, even thought you were still a good 6 feet from where they stood facing you.

Letting out their own huff of annoyance, the professor closed the gap enough so you could hear them without their having to shout. “Are you okay?”

Your eyebrow arched at their question. “You’re asking, why exactly? My grades haven’t dropped or anything.”

Nodding, they added. “True, but you’re paying attention less and less in class lately, and I was just wanting to make sure nothing major was bothering you.”

You wanted to laugh at the professor’s obvious show at concern. Thinking back to how they caused everything to resurface so quickly. “Thanks for asking, but I’m fine.” You planted one of the biggest, fakest smiles you held in your arsenal.

They consented, and finally shared, “Well if you ever need anything, just know I’m here. Okay?”

After you nodded in returned they added, “And try to pay more attention in class. It is for your major, is it not?”

You nodded again. Thanked the professor for their concern, even thought it was a lie through your teeth, and took your leave.

Once home, you were ready to ignore the world again. You had another class you should go to, but all the work was online anyway, so why bother.

You took the time to go through that classes work for the day. Putting yourself hours ahead of the other students, just because you wanted to skip.

#soulmate #soulmate au #soulmate alternate universe #haikyuu!!#haikyuu #haikyū!!#haikyuu soulmate au #writing on your skin #bokuto koutarou #kuroo tetsurou #kuroo tetsurō #bokuto x reader #kuroo x reader #reader insert #depressed reader #chapter 2 #Haikyuu Soulmate AU Bo and Ku #Bo and Ku #bokuto x kuroo x reader

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reikahazumi · 4 years

Text

Homework

Originally published on Wattpad

Pairing: Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader

Word Count: 1509 words

Warning: Light Cursing

"Shit!" You muttered under your breath as you quickly grab your backpack and start packing my important things for school, your laptop, books and notebooks, pens, basically a normal student will bring

"(Y/N) hurry up! You'll be late for school!" You heard your mom yelled from downstairs

"Give me a minute!" You yelled back

You stood in front of a mirror and fix yourself for the last time, then you hang your backpack on your shoulder and you head downstairs.

"Mom I'll be going now!" You called out

You saw your mom walk towards you from the kitchen as she wipes his hands on her apron.

She kisses you on the cheek "Be careful alright?"

You nod and you kiss her back "Yes Mom"

You wave at her as you exited the house, you go to the train station and take the train to your school. Of course it's full of people and awkward glances inside the train, then you lay an eye on a specific person at the other side of the train

Kuroo Tetsurou

One of your classmate at your school, Nekoma High, your childhood friend. He's sitting beside his best friend, and your childhood friend as well, Kozume Kenma. Kuroo has his earphones on and he rock his head slightly to the sound of his music.

At that point he gazes upward and he takes a gander at you, he presumably felt that somebody's gazing at him for a really long time and he discovered that it's you. He grins and he gave you a wily grin

You smiled and wave back at him, then you notice he grab his phone and he starts typing

You heard your phone buzzed and you look to see who message you.

Rooster Head

Oi, did you do the homework on Chemistry?

Your eyes widen as you read the text "What the.. We have homework?!" You yelled through your thoughts

Rooster Head

What's with the expression

You look back up to him and you see him doing whatever it takes not to chuckle at your demeanor, you gaze back to your phone and start typing

(Y/N)

Shut up, and yes I forgot

You look at him and you saw him laughing, you gaze back down to your phone and you start to type

(Y/N)

What are you laughing at idiot?

Not a minute passed you got a reply

Rooster Head

Nothing, it's just you always forgot the homeworks and teachers ended up scolding you infront of the class for not doing it

You rolled your eyes, you're about to reply back but the train has already reach your destination, you get off with the other people and you start to walk to your school

"(Y/N)!" You heard Kuroo's voice from behind

You pivot and you see him running towards you, Kenma follows behind him while he use his phone. Kuroo pants as he slows down "Hey, did I take it too far? I'm sorry" he apologized and he chuckles

You shook your head and you chuckled "No it's fine, and besides it's all true though" you said

Then you look at Kenma, you flick his forehead "(Y/N) why did you do that?" he pouts as he rubs his slightly red forehead

"You're always on your phone, you might damage your eyesight"

Kuroo chuckles and he rub Kenma's hair and Kenma start to swat his hand away "Trust me, I always tell him that, and he won't listen" then he return his gaze at you "Why did you forgot the homework anyway?" He asked

"I-I was tired.. and lazy" you admitted

"Hey Kuroo-san! Kenma-kun!" Yamamoto came running towards the three of you "Coach said that we're gonna practice for the whole day, he already talked to our teachers so we're excuse for the whole class"

"Lucky bastards" You said

He looks at Kenma "You go on Kenma, I'll catch up"

Kenma just gestures accordingly, he went back to the gym with Yamamoto

He opens his bag and he takes out his Chemistry Notebook "Well, you can copy my homework" Kuroo hand it to you

You smiled at him as you push his notebook away "It's okay Tetsu, I can't.. copy your homework"

"No it's fine really, take it" He offers again "Besides, we're excuse for the day" he teases

"No—"

"(Y/N) take it, if you don't you'll have to treat me to lunch"

You look at him and you can see the tease on his face, you sighed and you take his notebook "Alright fine, Thank you I guess.."

He grins at you "No worries, glad I could help" then he closes his bag "Next time you should definitely do your homework if you don't want to fail" he said

"You sound like my mom" you joke around. You look at your watch and it's 3 minutes before your first class starts "I gotta go now" you start to walk away but you stop and you turn to them "I'll return your notebook after class" you said to him "Thanks again"

He nods "No problem"

~•~•~•~•~•~

After you've finishes your classes for the day, you immediately packed your stuff

"(Y/N)?" one of your club member peek inside of your classroom

"Hey, what's up?" you close your bag and you made your way to her

"Can you help us set up the room for the club meeting tomorrow?"

You nod "Of course" but then you remembered about Kuroo's notebook "I'll catch up to the club room okay? I have to go somewhere first"

She nods "Okay, see you there"

You made your way to the volleyball gym, you already can hear the ball getting hit, the shoes squeaking against the floor, you peak inside and you can see them playing

"Hi! are you looking for someone?" the silvered-hair first year approach you

You look up to him and you jumped a little due to his tall height "Hi! umm I'm looking for Kuroo? It's okay I can wait, I'll see him after the practice—"

"Hey Kuroo! Someone's looking for you!" Lev wave his hand around to get Kuroo's attention

Kuroo place his towel on his shoulder, he walks over to you "Hey (Y/N)" then he looks at Lev "Now it's your turn to practice rookie, go practice with Yak-kun and Kenma" He gestured at the two small males

Lev sulks and he slumps down "Fine.." he said sleepily and he advanced toward his partners

"H-He's a first year?" You asked as you look at Lev

"Him? Yeah he is, he's pretty tall isn't he?" He said as both of you watches them practice

"Oh!" You grab his notebook inside of your backpack and you hand it to him "Thanks again for borrowing it to me, don't worry next time I won't forget my homework"

He smiles and he takes it "You better, this is the only time I'll allow you to copy my homework—"

"You insisted you idiot!"

He chuckles "I know, I'm just kidding"

You gaze at the clock at the side of the gym, you look back at Kuroo "I got to go, I have some club stuff to do"

He nods then he place his hands on his hips "Okay"

"Okay see you—"

"Wait (Y/N)"

You turn back to him "Yeah?"

He rubs the back of his head "I was meant to ask you before, wanna have dinner together later after our club?"

You raised your eyebrow "M-Me? How about Kenma?"

"I know he'll be exhausted after this practice, he can't even survive the half of the day" He pointed out

You look at Kenma who's already panting, sweat covering his whole body, you gaze back at Kuroo "You have a point" then you remembered his questions "W-Why me though?"

"Am I not allowed to have dinner with my best friend?" He chuckles "I mean we haven't had a proper hang out for a long time since Kenma and I joined the volleyball team" He explained "Come on, it's my treat"

You look at him for a moment and you nod "Okay, let's have dinner later"

"Alright! I know you're gonna agree" he turn his back at you "Because I said that it's my treat" you hear a tease on his voice

You grab the towel on his shoulder and you slap his back with it "Idiot!"

He faces back at you and he snatch back the towel "I'm just kidding! Jeez you can't take a joke" He chuckles

"Kuroo! let's get back to practice!" Kai yelled from the middle of the court

"I'll be right there!" he yelled back, then he gazed back at you "I'll come get you to your club room later after practice okay?"

You nod "Yeah, goodluck on your practice"

He rubs the top of your head "Thanks, see ya later" then he went back to his fellow teammates

You wave at him as he runs back, you exhaled then you made your way to your club room

#kuroo tetsurou #kuroo x y/n #kuroo tetsuro x reader #kuroo x you #kuroo x reader #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#haikyū!!#kuroo tetsurō #kuroo tetsuro imagine #kuroo tetsuro x you #kuroo tetsuro oneshot #haikyuu oneshots

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furederiko · 7 years

Photo

What does a Policeman, Sheriff, and Rebellion have in common? Space. ...Because I'm talking about a Super Sentai multiverse crossover!

- Our episode begins right away with Madako SUCCESSFULLY stealing the Pyxis Kyu Globe! Don't know how this new sultry version was able to do that, it just sort of... happened. Off screen. Oh, in case you forgot why, we get a quick flashback of Scorpio commanding her to obtain the Carina Kyu Globe. How Madako even had the knowledge that Pyxis is the radar to locate the item is beyond me, but the most important thing is... she now accidentally gets sucked into a black hole. Yikes! - Since Pyxis is vital to their mission (though I'd argue they didn't really use it to locate Vela before), Leo Red simply ignores the factual threat of said black hole, and jumps in. Totally dragging his away team along with him. Speaking of team, this current away team consists of Lucky, Garu, Hammy, Naga and Commander Xiao this time. Why this particular combination, one wonders? Well, because aside from Hammy, the others are necessary to service the story. I'll get to this soon. - For some reason, our heroes pop out of the... MOON? Which means, yes, they are returning to Earth. But why does this one look... different? Is this even the same planet? NOPE, because a certain someone who witnesses their entrance kindly explains that arriving through a wormhole means... these illegal trespassers must have arrived from 'ANOTHER UNIVERSE'. Wait, WHAT? And this observer is none other than... Banban 'Ban' Akaza (Ryuji Sainei) of "Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger"! - Yeah, this brief moment of clarity firmly establishes that Kyuranger is NOT taking place in the same universe to previous, 40 Sentai seasons. So to those out there hoping for them to bump into everyone's favorite Gokaiger anytime soon (who have been established to be canon with Dekaranger, hence that crossover episode), don't get your hopes up too high. Unless the team stumbles upon another black hole once more. This also clears up the confusion to why no trace of Zyuland can be found on Kyuranger's Earth, meaning there's no continuity issue like I pointed out 17 weeks ago. Wait a sec, then how did they show up in "Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger vs Shuriken Sentai Ninninger" then? Hmmmm... - Oh, and Deka Red isn't alone, because Geki Juumonji (Yuma Ishigaki) a.k.a Space Sheriff Gavan Type-G is present as well. Yep, not the original metal hero series Gavan, but the 2nd generation who debuted in "Uchuu Keiji Gavan: The Movie" a few years back. Is this a coincidence, then? Absolutely NOT. Considering "SPACE SQUAD: Space Sheriff Gavan vs Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger", the crossover movie between Dekaranger and Gavan Type-G is arriving on Japanese theatres tomorrow. Specifically Saturday, June 17th, 2017! Yes folks, that means you're not wrong if you see this as shameless marketing. LOL. - Lucky and Naga are confusedly admiring a Consumarz-free Earth, when they notice Geki is escorting Madako like the dumb-heroic gentleman he's always been. Cue the misunderstanding! Aaaah, Gavan Type-G is so metalic... and SHINY ("PIKA... PIKA...", says Naga), my eyes hurts. Oh, and Ophiucus Silver kindly explains why he's being paired up with Leo Red this time, because obviously Deka Red is going to pair up with Gavan Type-G. Don't sweat it, it's a kids show after all. Just your daily Red and Silver situation! LOL. - Adding further insult to the injury, two more Dekaranger members arrive to... arrest Garu, Hammy, and Xiao. Just as our poor Kyurangers are being dumbfounded to see an Earth with so much PEACE, smiles, and laughters. On what reason? Due to the lack of proper 'interplanetary visa', complete with a nice joke that works as a follow up to last week's ending. Officers in charge are none other than our brainy Senichi 'Sen' Enari (Yousuke Itou), and bathtub-enthusiast Koume 'Umeko' Kodou (Mika Kikuchi). They are Deka Green and Pink respectively, in case you're not familiar with Space Police Dekaranger. For the record, the timeline of this universe chronologically takes place after their "Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger 10 YEARS AFTER" V-Cinema. We're getting some development regarding this pair later in the closing scene, as a prove to that. One that also explains why Umeko still hasn't changed her family name into Enari... (^^) - Hold on, make that THREE members. Considering our 'trespassers' are immediately taken to the Neo Deka Base, where they get to meet... Chief Doggie Kruger (VA: Tetsu Inada). Obviously he's present to become direct comparison to Garu, or vice versa. The wolfman even calls him... "ANIKI!!!". LOL. It works the same with Xiao, because both are non-human anthropomorphic leaders of their respective teams. So yeah, it's one of that small dream-sequence that only Super Sentai fans would understand and appreciate... *grins*. It's genuine hillarious though, and easily my favorite part of the episode. NOTE: Too bad fan favorite Marika 'Jasmine' Reimon (Ayumi Kinoshita) is a no-show. Her actress had recently announced her 2nd pregnancy via her blog. So likely that's the reason behind her absence. - Hot-headed hot-blooded loud-mouthed Gavan and Leo Red are busy fighting, they practically let Madako go unscathed. Ophiucus Silver senses that something feels off, and stops the fight by... getting punched in the face. By BOTH. OOWWWW!! Naga also nails this next joke, thanks to his naive curiosity about 'Policeman'. A term that apparently does NOT exist in their "Star Wars"-inspired Jark Matter-infested universe. But seriously though, it's really these character moments that makes crossover stories so great. Hey, even Sharivan, Shaider, and the original Gavan are making quick flashback-cameo! - The whole comparison between 'Policeman' and 'Universe Saviors' needs to be put on hold though, because Madako is running away using Geki's Dolgiran. She's using the spaceshuttle as her escape route to return home, because as Doggie had stated before, the dimensional rift is closing soon. Thankfully, hitching a ride on Leo Voyager (with siren! LOL), Geki jumps into the ship to regain control. Simply by crashlanding it to the ground. YIKES! Call me weird... but I haven't seen the Gavan series yet, nor any of those Space Sheriff title. But on the other hand, I've always dig the Akira Kushida's theme song. It just sounds so cool, catchy and... addictive to listen to, eventhough it could be regarded as an old tune. Speaking of old, I also just noticed that aside from looking older and darker-skinned than the last I saw him (in that 2013 "Super Hero Taisen Z" movie, assuming my memory is sound), Geki seems to be more buffed than usual as well. In a country whose people are mostly skinny as a stick, that's... NICE! *grins* - Ban arrives on scene and saves the day! I guess Lucky and Geki are too good of a combi (they practically share the exact personality, even their names rhyme! LOL), the equally hyperactive hot-blooded Ban doesn't have a place, eh? Similar to Gavan Type-G, I didn't actually see Dekaranger because of this... thing with police-themed shows. But dang it, the Dekaranger BGM sounds cool as well, particularly that high-spirited theme song by PSYCHIC LOVER. Anyway, Ban's the Fire Squad Captain now? I didn't remember that from the 10 YEARS AFTER movie. Perhaps he has gotten promotion ever since? He explains that the other Kyurangers, as well as Dekarangers (appearing via stock footage only. Old footage is OLD!) are using Ryutei-Oh and Deka Wing to stall the wormhole from shrinking. So it's up to the Red-Silver Team to tidy up their side of the table then. - Deka Red and Leo Red team up to take on Madako (who is equally Red...), while Gavan and Ophiucus Silver deal with the Deathworm she brought. Their joint-finishers are amazing, particularly that last one with the galactic backdrop. Truly fan-service delight, after all... these ARE Space Heroes. I guess Madako is gone for good this time, huh? Rather unceremoniously too. But since every Super Sentai episode needs a giant mecha fight, of course the Deathworm grows large. How to deal with this situation, when the other Kyurangers are busy with the wormhole? Time for Gavan's Electronic Star-Beast Dol (it's the blue lower part of Dolgiran, by the way) to steal the show. But hold that thought, because Draco Voyager comes rushing in for a SWEET double dragon-mecha combi. I have had an inking suspicion that this episode is going to pull this off, ever since I read the headline that Gavan Type-G would be guest starring in Kyuranger. But I sure didn't expect Leo Red to jump towards to Voyager's head, in order to mimic Gavan's movement. Now THAT is what I call pleasant surprise! - Lucky and the others make it back safely to the Orion, where Spada, maid-Raptor and maid-Balance (seriously, he's Sentai official queer character, guys! At least... IMO) greet them with some piping hot Takoyaki. A rather cruel way to celebrate the absence of Madako, huh? Nah... likely because takoyaki are ball-shaped. Pyxis Kyu Globe is back in their possession, so now they can proceed to locate the final piece of Argo Navis. All's well ends well. Or is it? We see Stinger removing his Constellation Blaster and Rebellion jacket, replaces them with his desert cape, and walks away from the Rebellion HQ. This is the appearances of when he debuted in the show, serving as a rogue spy. Does this mean Stinger officially walks out from being a Kyuranger? Hence that solo V-Cinema? We'll see...

Overall: Naruhisa Arakawa, the same guy who wrote Dekaranger was in charge of this episode. And he's truly the man when it comes to crossovers. As proven by "Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger", Arakawa has a strong sense of what makes each separate series and their characters shine, hence why this episode came equipped with a good amount of fan-service moments for our genuine pleasure. It wasn't perfect, nope, because one mere episode was a bit too short and brief to be considered a full-on crossover. Especially one that involves three different series! Hence why the opening started off rather rough and rushed, and the absence of the remaining Dekarangers/Gavan supporting cast. Which honestly felt a little disappointing somehow. Plus, the non Red-Silver team was easily sidelined, to the point we didn't even see them transform nor fight together on screen. IMHO, this would've been way better as a 2-parter, to allow more character interactions and bonding, which is easily the gem of any crossovers. Minor nitpickings aside, this was obviously still MUCH better than that bland Ex-Aid episode. Thanks to that whole multiverse angle, I'm now crossing my fingers, in the hope that one day the Kyuranger eventually runs into Gokaiger, or other Sentai team that is not Zyuohger (because they WILL have a Versus movie next year). Here's hoping if such wishful thinking comes to life, Arakawa will be given the privilege to write one. At the very least, he needs to do another episode in this show! Next week: Battle for Carina! And forest...Elves? PS: There's no episode on June 18th due to annual Golf championship. Kyuranger will return on June 25th...

Episode 18 Score: 8 out of 10

Visit THIS LINK to view a continuously updated listing of the Kyutama / Kyu Globes. Last Updated: June 11th, 2017 - Version 2.04. (WARNING: It might contain spoilers for future episodes)

All images are screencaptured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

#tokusatsu #SuperSentai #kyuranger #uchu sentai kyuranger #uchuu sentai kyuranger #review #Just for Fun #tokusou sentai dekaranger #Uchuu Keiji Gavan

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lunenari · 7 years

Text

Beloved Jewel (Prt 13/18)

As the crown prince, Seijuro had access to many rare jewels, but there was always one he cherished more than the rest. But through a cruel twist of fate, it managed to slip through his outstretched fingers. Now, years later, on the cusp of being crowned emperor, his search resumes for it, not expecting to find the treasure under the guard of another. Akashi x Furihata, Kuroko x Furihata

Read on Ao3

Go back to Chapter One

Kouki froze, hands clasped over his mouth as he realized the fatal error he’d made.

He’d never expected to say what he had. Hadn’t he decided days ago that he wasn’t attending with Kuroko? That should have been the end, then and there. But he’d once more underestimated his heart, for it had won that battle, and prevailed victoriously before he could regain control of his actions.

Kuroko moved to stand beside him, surprise washing over his face.

“Is that what you want, Kiku-san?”

Kouki gripped the doorway, his breath hitching. This was the final time. After that, there would be no more chances. He knew the risks, yes, knew there was potential that everything between Akashi and him was in shambles. But he had to try. Kouki would never forgive himself if he lost this opportunity. Whatever other worries he had on his plate now could be dealt with after Kuroko and he returned.

“…I… yes, Kuroko-san. I would like to go. If that’s okay with you.”

Kuroko smiled. “Of course it is, but you will need to pack.”

Kouki’s lips trembled slightly. It was taking all his composure to act normal, and now he had another reason to loathe his decision.

“I’ll be delaying you now.”

“That is no matter. We will leave tomorrow instead.”

It didn’t ease his anxiety any. “But won’t that make you late?”

Kuroko shook his head. “I have things to finish. While you pack, I’ll attend to them.”

His attention shifted to the servant lounging against the wall.

“Kagami-kun, please assist Kiku-san with anything she needs.”

Realism returned. “Ah, it’s okay, Kuroko-san.” Kouki waved his hands. “I can do it myself.”

Aside from the fact that he didn’t require any assistance, Kouki needed to rest his voice. Though the servant was unlikely to spark any conversation, Kouki wanted to eliminate the possibility. The feminine high-pitched tone he used day in and out was beginning to agitate his throat, and he couldn’t rest or indeed, retreat to his usual voice with Kagami in the room.

“Very well. When you are finished, someone will come and take your luggage to the carriage for our trip tomorrow morning.”

Kouki nodded. “Thank you, Kuroko-san. I’ll go and pack now.”

He turned back into the suite, heading toward the closet. A few steps in, he paused in his tracks when he realized the items within the room weren’t remotely close to his. Kouki’s cheeks flushed, and he hurried out into the hall to see Kuroko blankly staring at him.

His mind must have been completely preoccupied.

“Oops,” he laughed sheepishly, “I forgot where I was.”

The faint smile he received was enough for Kouki to flee down the hall. Anything to avoid further embarrassment. Though, the difficulty of walking in heels wasn’t aiding him any. Destination reached, he nudged at the door, which he knew for certain was his room, and then slowly closed it behind himself. It was better to do this without anyone sneaking up behind him- even Kuroko.

For certain purposes.

Tugging open his closet, Kouki began to skim the countless outfits inside. All were truly lovely, as was everything Kuroko had gifted him in the past. Beautifully crafted to perfection, down to the final stitch. However….

He peered behind himself for good measure before venturing further into the walk-in closet. Shuffling through dress after dress, he paused when his attention landed on one in particular. He gazed at it, eyes capturing every breathless aspect, while his hands trailed over the elegant material.

Truthfully, he had wanted to store it where it originally came from, but it had been designed for him. Created from pure scratch for a rather special, if not one of the most important, occasions. He didn’t want to reject the gift by abandoning it.

But he couldn’t wear it there. Wouldn’t that enrage Akashi, if he wasn’t already at that point? Or would Akashi be elated to see that he had held onto it and treasured the gown? Then again, Kuroko would ask him where he got it from, and then…

“Argh!”

Kouki quickly slapped a hand to his face. Idiot! Hopefully his closet was as deep as it looked, and concealed any sudden, alarming sounds.

Packing wasn’t the issue. If that was all he had to do, he would have been done ages ago. He had many casual outfits for voyaging, but this was a ball. And not only just a ball, but the one where Akashi was to…

He bit his lip, tossing that thought aside. This wasn’t helping him decide any quicker.

“You need something really fancy,” he tried to soothe himself, “That’s all. Fancy for a nice ball. There’s nothing else. It’s only a ball.”

But what? Nothing, despite how fancy they were, would be as luxurious to wear to a ball at the palace. He could… maybe… no, that would take time, and they were leaving tomorrow. Besides, that would be extremely selfish on his part.

This conundrum would have to be figured out later tonight.

"How long are you going to glare at me like that?”

Reo scowled and pointed to the clutter on the counter.

“Until you stop making a mess!”

Flour coated most of the surface, pieces of moist dough clinging to the edges. Large bowls and pans lined with some dark paste were piled in the sink, and for some reason, frosting was stuck to the once-polished taps. If it wasn’t frosting, some other condiment had spilled, marking a path toward where the stove was.

To think this was only one section of the kitchen.

“I’m already behind.” Nebuya paused to shake the powder off his apron. “You gonna help me, or complain? I know you can do this stuff, too. Better than me, I’d bet.”

The chamberlain scoffed.

“I have no time for baking. The ballroom is only half-decorated, nothing is in the order it should be, and Sei-chan is already in a foul mood. Which makes me wonder why he’s even holding this ball.”

“Probably bored.”

Unconvinced, Reo began to fold the embroidered napkins they’d be using for the ball’s table settings.

“No. You don’t understand, Ei-chan.” The uncertainty oozed in his tone. “This makes absolutely no sense. Sei-chan doesn’t have any interest in anything the council suggests.”

He peered over to see Nebuya removing a cake from the oven. From what he could distinguish, it seemed edible, but that was never the issue. The issue was Nebuya indulging in cakes before they ever made it to the guests. Which usually resulted in Reo rushing to produce a replacement.

Thankfully, the last few hadn’t met that tragic demise.

“Sei-chan never agrees with them on anything. He can’t stand parties, balls, anything where he’s flocked to by the public.”

Not only was this a rather large gala, but it had a specific purpose. A purpose the council had been nagging Akashi about constantly for months now. That should have been enough of a motive for him to reject their request, but for some bizarre reason, he hadn’t. There hadn’t even been a slight disagreement, no hint of provoking a quarrel. Something that always occurred when the council presented their demands.

It didn’t make any sense.

“Yeah,” Nebuya placed the cakes on top of one another, “but if he picks some chick, then they’ll stop bugging him. That’s why.”

Reo tried not to roll his eyes. “Believe me, Ei-chan. When I say that’s not happening, it’s not.”

“Isn’t that the point of this shit? All these people coming all over because that’s what he’s supposed to do?”

Reo sighed. “Yes, it is the point. Which is why I’m saying it makes no sense. Something is fishy about the whole situation.”

“What do you think’s happening?”

Wasn’t that the question he had been asking since this all began? Akashi was a mystery in of himself. It was difficult enough to understand what he was thinking, even more complicated to get him to admit anything. But this was something Reo was stumped on, even when he was the top person that Akashi confided in. For him to invite Kuroko, without informing the chamberlain as to why, Reo knew something was amiss.

Not only Kuroko, but Furihata as well. Why would he allow them to be here and accept the notion the council was requesting? Especially Furihata.

He could easily prove Akashi had no interest because of Furihata. However, no one else knew of the masqueraded boy’s true identity, and he surely wasn’t about to expose that. Unless there was some underlying cause that Reo was hoping wasn’t the reason; the dots weren’t connecting the way they should have been.

“I’m not sure, but I have a feeling we’ll find out later.”

Reo paused in folding the napkin, squeezing the material between his fingers. He couldn’t soothe the pit of dread that had formed in his stomach, and it was only flourishing with each passing second. What was Akashi planning, and why had he kept him in the dark about it?

All this left him extremely unsettled.

“Though I’m not sure I really want to…”

There were a few raps against his door. Gentle enough to know it wasn’t Kagami or Aomine knocking, but persistent enough to where he knew exactly it belonged to. Who was he trying to fool? This should have been predictable. Word traveled fast in these parts, especially with the soaring gossip from the upcoming event.

Hopefully it was only her, though.

Gathering his long skirts, Kouki approached the door to grant entrance. He was barely able to utter a greeting, as he was swept into a pink cloud when Momoi stepped into the room. Her beaming smile and giddy posture revealed all he needed to know about why she was here, even so late in the evening.

“Kiku-chan! Tetsu-kun tells me you’re going after all!”

His laugh was wary. “Yeah, I...um…” Kouki stumbled over his words, “I-I thought it over, and decided I really did want to go.”

When in all truth, no, he didn’t want to go. Kouki didn’t wish to be around all these strangers. Crowds made him nervous as it was. And though he knew Kuroko would be there by his side, the thought of being surrounded by people from possibly all over the world was only increasing his anxiety. If it wasn’t for the chance to see Akashi, maybe for the final time, he would have never given it a second thought.

How come it had to be this way?

“What changed your mind?” Momoi’s voice pierced his troubled thoughts.

That was the grand question, wasn’t it. What had changed his mind? Aside from that he was carelessly leaping into the opportunity, there was no solid answer. Surely Kuroko would be asking him the same during the trip there.

“Nothing really… I… um… thought maybe it would be nice to go.”

He sounded so unconvincing, it was pathetic. Get the spotlight off you, Kouki! Get it off! If they continued to discuss this reason, he would end up rambling on about everything he had worked so hard to keep hidden.

“I’m surprised you’re not going, Momoi-san. You said you liked adventures.”

Momoi giggled. “This is a bit too much, Kiku-chan. I’ll sit this one out.”

Did she ever have it right on the mark. It definitely was too much, overwhelming in fact. He wished he could sit it out as well, but there was one leading factor preventing that. The only resolution he had was to go, even if every passing thought was building up a sickening feeling inside.

Kouki smiled faintly. “Maybe next time?”

If there was a next time.

“Maybe.” She noticed the half-packed bag. “Are you leaving tonight?”

He shook his head. “Ah, no. Tomorrow morning, but really early. Kuroko-san had something to take care of. …um…”

Momoi frowned at the hesitation.

“What’s wrong?”

He could at least tell her that.

“I really wanted to wear something fancy,” he confessed, “All my clothes are pretty, but I’m not sure they would suit a ball at the palace…”

Well, one did, but that was completely out of the question. Geez, was this fuss called for? Maybe he was the one being too critical, and there would be no consequences in wearing one of his usual. Besides, he was sure Kuroko wasn’t griping about the whole ordeal as he was. He never did.

Momoi tapped her chin in thought.

“I have just the thing, Kiku-chan!” She latched onto his hand and headed toward the door. “Come on!”

He didn’t believe revealing his dilemma would result in being dragged through the manor.

“W-where are we going?”

“Back to my place.”

Kouki froze. “O-outside? I-in the night?”

The one time they had tried that, it had evolved into a disaster. Not only had it been in the middle of the village, with Kuroko a few paces away, but had occurred during the daylight. If it had floundered then, Kouki was certain traveling in the evening wasn’t going to be any better. In fact, he was positive it would be worse. And though he knew she was trying to help, the wisest choice would have been to stay at the manor.

Fearful of a relapse, he quickly thought of a way to politely decline. He wouldn’t be alone, yes, but that wasn’t enough to appease him. After all, back at the palace, he had been with two of the servants. The journey had been for their own selfish reasons, and Momoi surely wouldn’t abandon him as they had done… but it still didn’t change the fact it was out there, during nightfall.

If something did occur, there would be no Akashi there to rescue them as there had been the last time. But then again, Momoi was extremely self-reliant and could handle herself. She wouldn’t need to be watched over.

It was the sudden footsteps that made their own halt.

“Momoi-san,” Kouki could hear the frown in Kuroko’s tone, “Where are you going, and with Kiku-san?”

She quickly turned to him with a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, Tetsu-kun! I promise I’ll have her back soon! We’re just going to my place for a bit to get something.”

Kuroko didn’t budge. “Momoi-san, I don’t want you two going to the village right now. It is not safe. Besides, Kise-kun will be done soon.”

“Silly Tetsu-kun. We’re not walking there! The carriage is still here. We won’t be gone long.”

Kouki had to laugh to himself. He too had assumed the same. The carriage, of course. It was that moment he was thankful for never objecting more, for he would have appeared completely ridiculous. Of course they wouldn’t be walking somewhere so far away. He was foolish to ever think so.

The lord’s gaze locked with his, and Kouki smiled softly in return, nodding.

“All right,” Kuroko sighed, “But do hurry back. Kiku-san needs her rest for the long trip in the morning.”

Satsuki winked, raised her thumb, and then Kouki was once more being dragged from the manor.

“Come this way, Kiku-chan.”

This wasn’t his first visit to the estate, but he wasn’t familiar with the section they were in. Come to think of it, he wasn’t familiar with any except one area. Each visit, they had always been confined to one room, and it was always a brief trip. By the way it was going on, it didn’t seem as though he was about to get the grand tour tonight either.

They were on limited time, yes, but whatever Momoi had come for, she was anxious to show him.

Before arriving, they had met Riko, and she too had been dragged decided to tag along, Momoi insisting on her help. She seemed as clueless as he, but Kouki could only assume this was in regards to his dress woes. After all, what else could it be if not? Did she know someone who was a swift-paced dressmaker?

No, that wouldn’t be practical. Besides, they could have been the most skilled seamstress in the world, and they wouldn’t be able to produce a gown that quickly.

They entered what he assumed had to be Momoi’s room, with the pink and light blue décor. He was guided to a chair, and then she was heading toward the closet, disappearing for a few moments. Together, Riko and he awaited her return, Kouki peering around at his surroundings.

When she did, she was holding a gown, a beautifully crafted one. Kouki was certain he felt his eyes go wide at the sight of it. Was this…?

“Try it on!” she urged, placing it on his lap.

Kouki stared down at the dress, fingers squeezing the soft material. Even with the numerous cushions underneath his clothing, it would be obvious. Obvious he wasn’t feminine, at least not in one certain sense. There was no turnaround for that fact, something he knew that no matter how much makeup he was caked in, would never change.

He was going to have to think of a way out of this, and fast.

“I’m…. um….” Kouki blushed, words tangling, “I-I’m kind of shy. I’m not like…er…”

However, Momoi somehow understood.

“Oh, don’t worry about that! Aida-san relates to that completely. You see how flat chested she is.”

Riko glared. “She didn’t need to know that.”

“I think it was kind of obvious.” Satsuki stuck her tongue out.

She continued to glare. “You don’t have to bring it up each time!”

Kouki waved before them. “Uh, girls?”

“I wasn’t trying to! Kiku-san is shy, so I figured she needed to know it was perfectly normal.”

“Then use a better example next time!”

Kouki frowned, once more attempting to regain their attention. How would he have ever thought speaking of his physical appearance would result in a massive quarrel. He could only hope it wasn’t going to last much longer, since not only would he feel guilty for causing it, but they were on a time limit.

“Sorry,” Riko sighed, the argument finally diminishing, “I’m constantly bothered by that…and Momoi is really…”

Momoi’s eyebrow quirked.

“Let’s just say… she’s always in my face.”

Kouki couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s kind of how I met her.”

“Okay, okay, enough about my chest.” Satsuki quickly switched back to the previous discussion. “You don’t have to try it on then now, Kiku-chan. But maybe you could…”

Guiding him toward the mirror, she positioned him before it. Her fingers ran through the long chestnut locks, ridding them of any tangles and placing them delicately over his shoulders. It was a soothing gesture, but Kouki was more concerned that the wig would slip off somehow and raise unwanted questions.

“Aida-san, get the dress, please.”

Once it was in hand, Momoi placed the gown against him, holding Kouki in place as she returned her gaze to the mirror. It wasn’t a proper fit since he wasn’t exactly wearing it, but the design and colors were enough to convince him.

This was the one he wanted to wear.

“Perfect!” She beamed. “It’s going to look wonderful on you, Kiku-san. You’ll be the prettiest girl there.”

“And maybe even become the suitor,” Riko chimed in, causing Momoi to giggle.

Kouki nearly choked. “Ha… haha… y-yeah…maybe.”

…If only you knew… They had absolutely no clue how right on point they really were.

Reo's forehead wrinkled, teal eyes twitching within their slumber as light poured through. Who decided it was a brilliant idea to leave the curtains open? Especially when he absolutely loathed it first thing in the morning? It certainly wouldn’t have been him, so he could only blame the other occupant.

Groaning, he rolled around until he was shielded from the harsh sun’s path. He buried his face in the pillows, once more closing his eyes. As far as he was concerned, it was too early to function properly, or remove himself from the sheets. Whatever had to be done now could wait a few more minutes… or hours.

At least, that was what he was counting on. Something was trickling onto his brow, causing sleep once again to be disrupted. Bewildered, he cracked his eyes open and peered over to see Nebuya drooling in his sleep. Resisting the urge to push him to the floor, Reo settled on smacking him with one of the pillows on their bed.

“Disgusting! Ugh!”

Unfazed, his lover remained immobile. How typical.

Now thoroughly roused, Reo surrendered to reality and climbed out of bed. There was absolutely no point in trying anymore. Besides, there were countless tasks to be done before the grand hour was upon them. Maybe he could use this spare time to somehow clarify what was afoot here.

He was relying on faith today, in hopes it wasn’t going to transpire the way he had been envisioning. There had to be some other hidden concept about the whole matter, and he had yet to learn it. In truth, Reo was banking on hearing it directly from Akashi, and not having to guess himself, or sit by as the event unfolded.

Exiting from his quarters, he encountered vacant halls. Thank heavens for that. Now maybe he could somehow make a beeline toward Akashi and discover his intentions. They were still within the wee hours, so he could easily travel without any other presences in the way.

If it wasn’t for the sudden joyful, yet extremely annoying voice that was soon piercing the air, that was.

Reo’s steps came to a halt. Of course it had to be one of them. Who else would interrupt his plans other than one of them? Sometimes he swore they had some sort of tracking or monitoring device hidden so they knew when someone was alert in the palace to greet them.

Or kick them out, which was usually the preferred option.

“Mibuchi!” Oh, that voice was grating. “Why the long face? Today is a big day!”

He chose to remain silent. Maybe it would prevent the council member from babbling on more, and then he could be on his way.

“And where is Seijuro-sama?”

No such luck.

Reo shrugged. “I assume still asleep.”

“Well, that shouldn’t be. He should be wide awake and ready for today. It’s an important event, you know.”

The chamberlain rolled his eyes.

“Yes, I know,” he muttered, “You’ve only talked about it nonstop since I’ve had the misfortune of bumping into you.”

“Then I will assume everything is ready?”

At this rate, he would never get to his destination.

“Yes,” he repeated, “Everything is going according to plan. Now if you don’t mind —”

The council member wasn’t convinced. “Why isn’t this area decorated?” He gestured all around them. “Should you not have decorated the whole palace?”

“Oh, how forgetful of me.” Reo’s teeth clenched. “I suppose I should get right on that! Even if no one will be within this part since they are forbidden to be.”

A tsk. “That shouldn’t be. They should be able to enter whatever parts they want.”

“Is that so?” another voice quipped, “They should be able to access areas I deem private?”

Akashi glided down the hallways, already dressed to perfection, and crimson locks secured in a tidy braid. His heterochromatic orbs were narrowed, the expression he wore not requiring an explanation. Once he had arrived where the two stood, his gaze was instantly upon the council member, features darkening more than they already were.

“What, may I ask, is the reason for your visit? I care not for your drivel at this early hour.”

From what he could perceive, Akashi was already in a foul mood, and this unwanted visit would only enhance it. He wouldn’t get the chance to interrogate him. Why did fate have to be so cruel… or better yet, why did the council members have to be so damn annoying and persistent.

“To discuss the occasion of course, Seijuro-sama.”

Akashi’s brow rose. “What occasion are you speaking of?”

“Why, the ball today! You’re going to choose the one to become your empress.”

His tone certainly didn’t match the council member’s elated one.

“Hmm, that.”

The council member nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Why are you not excited? This is your future!”

Reo’s suspicions magnified when the emperor’s glower unfolded. Was it his imagination, or was Akashi’s lethal aura diminishing at that statement? Akashi was actually eager for this ball? He had been erroneous this whole time, and there was no other meaning behind this? No, that couldn’t be. Then that meant everything his heart held onto for so long would dissolve. Every memory, every cherished moment, and then soon Furihata would be nonexistent.

A chuckle was heard, a low and satirical one.

“You’re more ignorant than I thought you were.”

If he could, Reo would have shouted in joy. That was it, the one remark he had needed, what he had been waiting for. To have some confirmation that he hadn’t been wrong all along. Oh, what a relief it was to know, to hear! And the crowning moment was the confused expression of the council member.

“I don’t under —”

“Leave now.” Akashi’s stoic mien had returned. “I do not need to be pestered since this foolishness isn’t starting for a few more hours.”

Ignoring any protests, Akashi focused on his head servant.

“Come, Reo. We have much to discuss.”

He didn’t have to be told twice. In a split second, Reo was by his side. Now if the damn old fool would leave, maybe Akashi would reveal his hidden intentions. But of course, why would it be that easy? It never was, and usually required some form of extreme manipulation on Akashi’s part.

That wasn’t the case this time around, for Akashi’s patience was already far too thin.

“Apparently, you have become hard of hearing. I said to leave now. I will meet with you in the afternoon.”

No longer caring, Akashi began to walk away, Reo trailing behind him. He was going to uncover everything even if it meant doing some serious prying.

Conveniently, he’d always been good at being nosy.

Prior to this moment, Kouki could only recall one other incident where his anxiety had been this elevated. It had been an entirely different sense of fear compared to those of his childhood, and ironically, it was due to the same person. Only this time, Akashi knew unquestionably who was beneath the many layers of fabric. Unlike the last, when he thought Kouki was simply a guest that he had been forced to take under his wing while Kuroko was away.

No, this time there was a chance Akashi loathed him, and given the purpose of the invite, Kouki was sure he was no longer the center of Akashi’s universe. Honestly though, how could he blame him? He had no say in what happened in Akashi’s life and the choices he made. After all, he had made the ultimate one over a year ago, had he not?

Dreary thoughts aside, Kouki returned to gazing at his reflection. Momoi’s dress fit him like a glove, which had caught him by surprise… given certain aspects. The color scheme was simple, yet elegant enough that it overshadowed any others. Beautifully crafted white lace with a sky-blue trimming interlaced was the top portion of the dress, flowing gracefully down to the middle. The gown itself was the same light blue, made of the softest silk Kouki had ever touched.

Aside from one other dress.

Now alone, Kouki could admit to himself the reason he had accepted said gown. Being able to mingle with the scheme of royalty wasn’t why he had searched so frantically for a fancy ensemble. No, and while he knew it was now completely pointless… he was hoping. Hoping that it would be enough for Akashi to once more turn in his direction, to turn away from whatever or whomever he was involved in. It was selfish, yes… but Kouki could no longer quarrel with his true feelings.

A knock interrupted his troubles.

“Kiku?” Kagami’s voice rang from the other side. “Uh, Kuroko is ready to leave.”

“Ah, coming!”

He rushed to unlock the door, and was surprised to find Kuroko standing there now instead.

“You look beautiful, Furihata-kun.”

Kouki froze at the name, but then realized it was only them. He laughed softly, cheeks lightly tinted, and reached for the hand being offered to him.

“You look nice as well, Kuroko-san. We kind of match.”

Tetsuya smiled. “Shall we?”

Dawn was barely breaking as they exited the manor. But the sun wouldn’t surface, not within that specific period. A light drizzle had begun to fall from the heavens, and Kouki was quickly covered with a large umbrella. Calm before the storm, wasn’t that the saying? Because a storm was certainly brewing.

“What a pity,” Kuroko tsked, “Good thing it takes place indoors.”

Kouki nodded, slowly climbing into the carriage. His heart thumped heavily in his chest, and he could feel the butterflies flapping their wings against his uneasiness. After so long and so many attempts to stay in contact without anyone knowing, he would finally be within Akashi’s presence. Soon, there would no longer be distance between them… physically.

But Kouki was unsure about anything else.

Reo maneuvered through the crowds, greeting each maiden he happened to encounter. Most were solo, as they should have been, yet some were attached to a partner. A concept he didn’t understand. What was the logic behind that if you were trying to snag the emperor’s attention? Not that it mattered, since he knew Akashi cared not, but they were unaware.

They were only making themselves appear ridiculous.

He had even been cursed by some batting their darkened eyelashes at him. Reo scoffed at the feeble gestures, but continued to smile politely. His teeth were starting to ache, and he was counting down the seconds until everything would conclude. Even if it had only been an hour since these shenanigans began, he was already clawing at the walls to escape. But there was a purpose, and he was hoping that purpose would soon come to pass.

Or else everything would be in vain.

Finding a clearing, he made his way toward the entrance where he spotted the other chamberlain.

“Kota-chan, have you seen any sign of Kuroko?”

Hayama cocked his head to the side. “Who, Reo-nee?”

“Kuroko Tetsuya,” Reo huffed, “You know, blue hair, blue eyes, nearly Sei-chan’s height?”

He received a blank stare.

Reo scowled. “Then have you seen Kiku? You must remember her. She was here for over a week!”

Tongue poking through his teeth, Hayama brushed it against his lip in thought. His brows furrowed, forehead scrunched in concentration as he tried to recall. There were countless people that went in and out of the palace, so it was hard to pinpoint exactly who it was. But he did know that name from somewhere, didn’t he?

“Oh, her!” Finally, some sort of recognition. “Yeah, there was something really weird about her.”

Reo rolled his eyes.

“Whatever. Keep watch for her or Kuroko, okay?”

Hayama frowned. “How come?”

“Don’t ask questions.” He knew this would end up in a circle. “Just come find me as soon as you see them.”

“Gotcha!”

Turning on his heel, Reo peered around the grand ballroom. There were many guests, most of whom he had never seen before. But the one they were gathered there for was currently absent. Akashi had every reason to be in hiding. The council was watching his every move, and each time some maiden approached him, they were instantly there with their annoying commentary.

The whole matter, as far as Reo was concerned, was a waste of time and effort. Not to mention extremely aggravating. A formality Akashi never would have given a second thought about until the instant it gushed from the council’s lips.

And never would have been arranged, if it wasn’t for the reason of…

“Reo-nee!”

Frozen in path, he turned to see Hayama rushing toward him. That was quick, far too quick. He had only left him with instructions only moments ago. Had Kuroko actually shown up?

“We ran out of small cakes!”

Reo’s eye twitched.

“Then tell Ei-chan! I’m busy! I told you to come and get me if you saw Kuroko or Kiku!”

Hayama bowed his head. “Right, right!” He straightened, hand in salute. “Sorry, I’ll keep watch! You can count on me!”

“I’m beginning to wonder otherwise,” he mumbled.

Heaving an irritated sigh, Reo resumed his search for the roving emperor. The guests in their redundant ballgowns made it difficult to thread through the space. But Akashi couldn’t have wandered too far, not when he knew what this pointless event could deliver.

More so, who it could possibly bring.

They were nearing the entrance when Kouki suddenly froze.

His grip on Kuroko’s hand tightened, his eyes swelling, and soon his breaths were expelling in short-winded gasps. A cool sweat was pooling around the base of his neck and trickling down his back as he began to tremble. Oh, gods. Was he having a panic attack amidst everything else? Kouki didn’t know what was worse, to collapse in front of thousands of people, or to appear foolish in front of Akashi.

Either way, one of the two was about to happen.

“Aomine-kun, Kagami-kun, go on ahead,” Kuroko instructed, “I will meet you soon.”

Despite being a bit skeptical about parting from their lord, the two nodded and left.

With them now out of sight, Kuroko guided him toward a bench and away from the guests’ path. Kouki used the moment to compose himself, trying to prevent any tears from escaping and destroying his makeup. He had worked too hard to beautify himself, and he wasn’t about to let this ruin everything.

To think he had been in control the entire ride, yet the second they arrived…

“I’m… okay,” he breathed, “I just got scared for a moment. That’s all.”

Scared wasn’t remotely close to how he felt. If he said he was about to spew his insides? That might have been somewhat more on the level. The sight of the gates that guarded the palace entrance only caused his heartrate to accelerate. His hands trembled, his chest ached, and his bubbling stomach wasn’t aiding the situation any.

Tetsuya frowned. “We don’t have to go if you don’t wish to, Furihata-kun.”

He quickly shook his head. “No, Kuroko-san. We came all the way here. I couldn’t do that.”

“I do not want you scared.” He brushed a loose strand behind his ear. “I can’t have you feel that way, and you know that. All these people might be a bit too much.”

Kouki’s lips trembled, and he squeezed Kuroko’s hand.

“I’ll be okay,” he repeated in a laugh, hoping it masked his uneasiness, “I promise I will be.”

I have to be… I need to see him.

“Reo-nee!”

Mibuchi groaned. He was exhausted from being thrown back and forth. In the past three hours or so, Hayama had come running to him about pointless rambles about ten times. Which wasn’t remotely close to what he had been ordered to do. Aside from that, keeping tabs on Akashi was beginning to wear him down as well, especially when he was snagged by some official each time.

Quite frankly, he was ready to admit defeat.

“What?!” he snapped, “Kota-chan, I am tired of this. I told you that — ”

“But Kuroko is here!” Hayama bounced forward. “And that girl!”

Reo’s eyes widened. He hadn’t been expecting that.

“Are you certain?”

“Yup!” Hayama pointed. “See?”

Peering over the numerous guests, Reo spotted a familiar head. Sure enough, it was Kuroko, and thankfully by some miracle, Furihata was with him. Finally, luck was beginning to shine his way. Even if he wasn’t too keen about what the results would bring, at least they had come.

“Go and get Sei-chan. I think he was… ugh... with one of the council members.” He stomped his foot when Hayama didn’t move. “I said go now!”

Arm entwined with Kuroko’s, Kouki was guided through the masses of ball gowns. His eyes were peeled for some sort of an opening, as Kuroko knew crowds weren’t his forte. But it was next to impossible, even in such a large room, to locate a vacant area. There had to be thousands of people present, and one of them would be it.

They would be the one to stand next to Akashi.

Kouki could feel the burning gazes on them. While he knew his dress was one to attract attention, that wasn’t the reason. Peering ahead, he caught sight of Akashi approaching them, and there was absolutely nothing standing in his path. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to run.

“Tetsuya.” He nodded respectfully. “It’s wonderful that you have come.”

Kouki’s pulse once more began its violent rampage, and he was sure everyone around could hear it. How long had it been since he peered into those mismatched orbs? That he had seen that face? It was agonizing to grasp this was happening before him. Right then, right there.

Dazed, he could only watch in utter silence as Akashi’s eyes drifted to him.

“And, Kiku, you have returned.” His tone was cool, practically glacial. “I do hope your second stay is enjoyable.”

Thankfully, Kuroko was there to rescue him, as always. Kouki hadn’t even realized how tightly he had been gripping the lord’s hand until Kuroko moved at his side to respond. But Akashi surely did. Perhaps that was the reason for his icy welcome.

“We thank you for the invite, Akashi-kun. This must be a very important occasion for you.”

Akashi’s gaze lingered on the masqueraded form, and he faintly smiled.

“It has served its purpose.”

Confusion swelled in his heart. So he had already chosen someone? Where were they then? Was he going to announce it soon? These horrible, unanswered questions roamed Kouki’s mind, and suddenly he didn’t wish to be there. It was painful enough to accompany Kuroko when he knew of the potential outcome. But now that Akashi had confirmed it, this was the end to anything else. There was absolutely no reason for him to stay, and Kouki found himself searching for an escape.

It was then when the music changed to a slower tempo, and Akashi’s gaze was once more on him. His lips curled slowly, eyes lowering, and he held out his hand.

“May I have this dance, Kiku?” He quickly scanned Kuroko. “That is, if Tetsuya doesn’t mind.”

Kuroko smiled. “It’s Kiku-san’s decision.”

By some bizarre motion on his part, Kouki found himself nodding. Why he had done so, he didn’t know. His heart seemed to still be in control, but he was convinced it was a tad confused. He knew Akashi had another, and the only logical explanation his fogged brain could hatch was that he wanted to gloat. To show Kouki he didn’t need him, without revealing to Kuroko he knew of his hidden identity.

He was then whisked away.

For a few moments, they danced in silence, Kouki debating if he wanted to lean forward and indulge in the warmth radiating from him. He had yearned for it for over a year, but there was now something preventing fulfilling his desires. No longer could he seek shelter in Akashi’s embrace, he could never listen to his soothing voice diminish his fears, never be able to restore the bond that he himself had crippled.

This dance wasn’t anything like the one they had shared alone on the balcony that one magical night. After this, there would be no more, for Akashi’s heart now belonged to another. Someone who wasn’t him. But this was what he had wanted all along, wasn’t it? For Akashi to be happy, for he knew it could never be with him.

Why did it hurt so much, then?

Using their closeness as the opportunity, he began to survey Akashi.

His hair was a glaring feature, now grown down to his shoulders, but tied back neatly in an elegant braid. How Kouki wished he could comb his hands through it, and his trembling fingers exposed that. Akashi’s cheekbones were high, chiseled to perfection, exactly the way Kouki had remembered them. His crimson bangs were much longer now, easily shielding his eyes from the world around him.

… Those... eyes… the mismatched depths that once harbored such warmth only for him, were hardened, callous, absolutely chilling to peer into. At times, Kouki had to look away because it was almost frightening to do so.

Still, despite the darkening aura surrounding him, Kouki found him beautiful.

Akashi never spoke a word, never spared him a glance as they continued to sway gracefully to the music. Even the way he was holding his hand didn’t feel the same. Maybe because it had been so long, that Kouki had forgotten? That was a possibility, but it was beginning to seem like —

He was then dipped, and gently pulled back up. Akashi’s lips brushed against his ear.

“Did you believe I didn’t have some way to bring you back to me?”

Kouki stiffened, but it didn’t stop their movements, Akashi leading their steps with ease. Had he heard right? This was a ploy to lure him back? There was no… wait, this was too confusing for Kouki to follow correctly!

Around them, no one suspected anything. Not as the emperor continued to twist and twirl a mystery girl around on the dance floor. Surely many eyes were upon them, questioning who she was. If only they knew what Akashi and him were to each other, what they once were. And Kuroko, only a few paces, believing it was a simple gesture by the emperor to dance with the girl he had cared for in his absence.

It was so much more.

Somehow, he found his voice. “W-wasn’t this set up by the officials? For the whole… y-you were supposed to find someone to be your empress.”

Akashi laughed lowly. “So, you do know about that.”

Of course he did. That was the reason he believed this event was for, before he learned it had hidden intentions.

“They didn’t pressure me. It would be foolish on their part to do so, but seeing how they spoke of a ball being held for the occasion, I went along with them. They, being clueless, were elated, and had no idea that I would use this to my advantage.” His expression was once again detached. “I’m actually surprised you came. I didn’t think you would.”

Kouki frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“You can answer your own question, Kouki.”

The coldness had diminished, and he could now detect the hurt in Akashi’s tone. It was almost unbearable to hear, especially this close, and to know he had been the cause, only strengthened his guilt.

“Why are you doing this?” he whispered.

Kouki tried not to cringe at the tightened grip.

“I am not a switch, Kouki. You cannot flick me and expect that I would forget everything so quickly. But apparently, you can.”

Forgotten? Kouki was lucky if a day passed where he wouldn’t think of him, if he was able to settle in at night when he yearned for the warmth he had become so accustomed to. The lack of security that he could only find in Akashi’s arms. Sure he had Kuroko, and now Momoi and Riko by his side, but it would never be the same, but Akashi wouldn’t understand that. Not when he had left without an explanation, an explanation he knew he could never explain.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

There was nothing else he could say.

“Not as sorry as I am.”

Akashi swayed him to the side, and then he was once more back in his embrace.

“How is it with Tetsuya?” he suddenly asked, “Is he treating you well?”

Kouki’s head lowered. “O-of course.”

“I suppose better than I, since you chose to go with him instead.”

No, this wasn’t correct at all!

“That’s not true,” he found himself raising his voice, “None of it.”

Akashi’s brow rose. “Oh? You didn’t abandon me over a year ago? After I told you exactly how I felt, and you supposedly the same? Or, was that another lie, Kouki?”

“It was never a lie. Nothing was. Everything I’ve said has always been the truth.”

“Is it now?”

Kouki nodded. “Yes. It always has been.”

“I find that difficult to believe.” The coolness had returned. “Do tell, Kouki. Does Tetsuya hold you the way I do? Does he let you stay with him when you cannot fall asleep? Embraces you when a storm is near so you don’t have to fear it?”

“He….”

“I suppose he drops everything to assure you are safe. Doesn’t tolerate anyone who mistreats you, who lays a finger on you.”

Kouki’s eyes began to water. “Sei, please stop, I — ”

“You will address me as Akashi.” His mismatched orbs narrowed. “Only those who are close to me are allowed to call me by name. Since you are at least in the ward of one of my acquaintances, I won't expect you to address me by title. Consider yourself privileged.”

It was all Kouki could endure.

Jerking away from Akashi, he disconnected their joined hands, and fled into the masses of people.

Aomine winked at a passing girl, chuckling when she stuck her nose in the air and continued down the hall.

“Right back at you, babe!”

Kagami scowled. “You’re ridiculous. You’re making yourself look more like an idiot than usual. If that’s possible.”

“Jealous, Kagami?”

Taiga rolled his eyes. “Yeah. I’m jealous of your skills at failing to flirt.”

Daiki sat on the couch, sliding closer until their knees bumped.

“There’s no need to be,” he cooed, “You know I have eyes for one person.”

A snort. “Yeah. Yourself.”

“That’s not who I meant.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “You know exactly who.”

Kagami blushed. “Listen, asshole, I — ”

Their banter was interrupted when a blur of blue and white came spiraling down the hallway. Instantly, Kagami rushed after it, trying to prevent any further damage, while also trying to figure out the cause. Why was she alone, and where the hell was Kuroko?

“Whoa, Kiku! Calm down!” His hands shot out. “What’s wrong?”

Aomine had joined in, steadily grasping Kouki’s shoulders.

“Hey! Kiku!”

But Kouki’s fragile mind had lost this battle, morphing in a whirlwind of tangled emotion. His anxiety from earlier had magnified, and any sense of sanity he had left was hanging in shreds. Vaguely, could hear Kagami’s panicked voice, feel hands against his back that were elevating him. But his vision was becoming murkier with each passing moment.

And then all he could see was darkness.

Beneath sealed eyelids, Kouki listened as concerned voices flickered in and out all around him. Almost instantly, he recognized Kuroko’s. The other, however, was a bit distorted against his fogged memory. Something was oddly familiar about it, though. He knew this person; that much he was able to grasp, but from where, and why was he having such a difficult time recalling?

As much as he wished to peek for himself, his head was throbbing. His throat was raw and scratchy, though he couldn’t remember why, his chest tight, and his eyes ached. The previous scene continued to flash before him, and Kouki had to restrain himself from unleashing another set of tears.

In simpler terms, he was a complete wreck, and he wasn’t sure if this time he’d be able to piece himself back together.

“Will she be okay?” the owner of the second voice questioned softly, interrupting his thoughts, “She’s been out for a while now.”

Kouki heard Kuroko sigh.

“It probably was not a good idea to come here with so many people around.”

Regret bled in the lord’s tone, and Kouki’s heart clenched. This wasn’t Kuroko’s fault, none of it was. He had been the one who wanted to go, to at least have one last glimpse of person he loved in secret. Even if Akashi was resentful… which he had discovered the hard way, Kouki had wanted to see him one last time. But the results had been absolutely disastrous.

A fine web he had tangled himself in.

“Do crowds bother Kiku-san?” The worry was practically melded into their tone. “Or, perhaps, did she see something that frightened her?”

Kouki grimaced internally. If the fragments of your heart being obliterated in front of the one you loved consisted as a reason for being frightened, then maybe. Yet again, he couldn’t blame Akashi entirely for how he reacted. He had been the one to provoke that, all of it, and now he was probably adding onto Akashi’s confusion.

The silence reigned between the two, and then Kuroko heaved another sigh, a mournful, strained one.

“She has an extreme fear of crowds.” Kouki could tell Kuroko was hesitating. “I’m sure that was the cause of this.”

“Does she become anxious around them?”

Why was this person so interested in his wellbeing?

“In a way. But it’s not exactly like that, Mibuchi-san.” Kouki fought to open his eyes. Of course! How could he not recognize Mibuchi’s voice? “I do not wish to talk about it since it hurts Kiku-san, but she had something happen to her. Something that shouldn’t happen to anyone, and that is why she becomes afraid so easily.”

Reo’s concern only magnified, as did his curiosity, but he didn’t want to prod an already extremely delicate situation. If Akashi wasn’t allowed to learn the reason of Furihata’s past and for his disguise, then it was something that was well guarded. He wasn’t going to push any further.

Instead he bowed his head. “I hope she gets all the rest she needs. Please, take all the time that is required and more, and don’t hesitate to call me if you should need anything.”

Kuroko smiled faintly. “Thank you, Mibuchi-san.”

“Of course.” He nodded once more. “I’ll be on my way, now.”

Departing from the room, Reo closed the door and stepped out into the hallway. He expected to encounter Kuroko’s two servants, lazily leaning against the wall and not wanting to interfere in their lord’s care for Furihata.

Yet it still wasn’t a surprise who was there awaiting his return instead.

Akashi stood a few paces to the side, arms crossed and eyes narrowed, the same coldness chiseled into his features. The façade would be easily believed to anyone who had the misfortune of crossing paths with him, but Reo saw right through. Cracks of that frigid demeanor were beginning to form, and the heart that adored and treasured Furihata with its everything was trying to regain control.

He glanced at the emperor and shrugged his shoulders.

“Kou-chan just needs a lot of rest.” And he would have left it at that, but there was no such thing as being brief with Akashi.

“You were in there quite a while for that to be all you discussed.”

Reo frowned, knowing there was no way around it.

“I don’t know much, Sei-chan. All Kuroko said was that Kou-chan had something happen that causes him to be afraid of crowds. Something that shouldn’t happen to anyone.” Akashi’s gaze pressed him, but Reo protested. “Please, let’s not push it, and let Kou-chan rest.”

The chamberlain’s breath pinched as Seijuro’s eyes continued to bore holes into his soul. Reo was silently pleading it had been enough to convince him to leave it at that, for Furihata’s sake. He knew how stubborn his superior could be, and there was a storm brewing in those mismatched orbs, one he knew had no intention in settling or diminishing anytime soon.

Then, to his relief, Akashi glided past him, without another word, in the opposite direction of where Furihata was resting.

Reo expelled a gust of air. “I didn’t think he’d listen.” But there was a nagging feeling within him that refused to budge.

Back inside his quarters, Akashi slammed the door closed with such a force that the candles on the wall vibrated. His fingers clenched around the knobs, knuckles becoming white with how firm he was gripping onto them. He could feel his pulse quicken, his emotions whirling through him, and pulling him deeper and deeper into their vortex.

When Kouki had first appeared at the entrance, what had come over him was indescribable. Anger, pain, confusion, and if he had to say, relief. After they had parted, he didn’t believe the masqueraded boy would show again. And yet, he had. Kouki had taken the bait he had hoped would lure him back.

It was impossible to forget, though, and the expression on Kouki’s face only irritated him more. Here, for the past year, he had been dealing with the loss, and Kouki had shown up, clinging to Kuroko’s side as though he had not a single worry in the world. As though he wasn’t in the home of the person he claimed to love, and then left without so much as an explanation.

All of that had enraged the emperor.

Fueled by that pain, it became difficult to control the words that expelled from his own lips. Akashi wanted him to experience the hurt he had been enduring for the past year, to feel what impact he had caused by rejecting him for Kuroko. The words he’d used had shown that, and had caused the masqueraded boy to run from him once more in a fit of tears. He’d wanted to go after him then, but he couldn’t find the will to move in that moment.

That mixture of emotions had vanished into concern when he learned Kouki was unconscious.

A simple argument between them wouldn’t have caused that. Not entirely. There was some underlying cause, and it was only perplexing Akashi more and more.

At first, he thought of letting it slide. After all, he had a promise to uphold. No matter how much it was ripping him apart, he would keep his pledge to Kouki and not reveal anything to Kuroko. That was the way his father had raised him, to be a man of his word.

But that all changed after Reo’s vague explanation, vague but taunting enough to kindle the remains of his sanity. There was a limit, and that limit had finally been reached.

His grip loosened on the door, and Akashi ran a hand through his untied mane. Eyes fluttering, he eased his thundering pulse, and heaved a long, shaky breath.

“Forgive me, Kouki, but I can’t do this anymore.”

Gathering himself, he pulled open the doors and peered out into the hallway to see his chamberlain hadn’t moved from his post. Reo probably was still unsettled from their discussion. This would make everything a bit easier, and hopefully a lot quicker.

“Reo.”

The chamberlain was instantly before him.

Akashi didn’t hesitate. “Bring Tetsuya to me.”

He frowned, his brows lowering. “Sei-chan, you don’t —”

“I didn’t call you over here to have a debate. Find him, and tell him to meet me in my quarters.”

Mibuchi bowed his head, knowing it was futile to try to convince him anymore.

“As you wish.”

Turning on his heel, Reo made his way back toward the guest part of the palace. That harrowing feeling had magnified now, and he couldn’t cease the queasiness that was beginning to form. Somewhere in him, he had hope that he had persuaded Akashi to not interfere, that he wouldn’t mingle in everything, and it would work out the way it should.

He should have known better.

“Please, Sei-chan,” he whispered to himself as he stood before the portal, “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

Knocking twice, Reo waited until one of the servants granted him entrance, and stepped into the room. He forced himself forward, his heart plunging when he saw Kuroko was seated at Furihata’s bedside. Oh, how he didn’t wish to intrude, but these were Akashi’s orders. One would be foolish to try to defy him.

“I don’t mean to disturb.” Furihata still inert only made him more uneasy, and now Kuroko would be leaving his side. “But Akashi-sama wishes to see you, Kuroko-san.”

Kuroko seemed surprised by the request, but it was for a flicker of a second before his usual blank stare resumed. He slowly nodded, and then turned his gaze to his only servant present within the room with them.

“Kagami-kun, please keep an eye on Kiku-san. If she awakens, make sure she drinks plenty of water.”

With a false smile, to where his teeth were grinding into each other, Reo led Kuroko back out into the dim hallways. They traveled in silence, though Reo wondered if the other took notice of his unstable heart rate.

It couldn’t be helped. He was terrified. For himself, for Furihata, and especially for Kuroko. When Akashi allowed his emotions to control him, anything could happen. Sometimes it had a positive outcome, but as of lately, it had been the entire opposite. The past year had been absolute hell, and it was even more tiring pushing Akashi to rule the damn country since he’d been in this slump.

He could only plead to the gods this time would be different.

Stopping before the grand doors of the emperor’s domain, Reo shrugged off knocking, and pushed them open. He held out a hand, and allowed Kuroko to step through first until they were completely out of the archway.

Reo peered around the large area until he located the other presence, seated across the spacious zone. Carefully guiding Kuroko through with whatever candles were lit at the moment, he stopped before the set of cushioned chairs, where Akashi had rose to greet the lord with a short nod.

“Akashi-kun.” He nodded in return.

His superior’s state was enhancing Reo’s jitteriness. Akashi was far too calm for his liking. Comparing it against a bomb ready to detonate was fairly apt, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to be here any longer.

“You may go now, Reo.” He couldn’t have been more grateful for those words. “Thank you for bringing him.”

The emperor waited until Mibuchi made his exit before gesturing toward one of the chairs.

“Sit down and make yourself comfortable, Tetsuya. I do believe we are in need of a long talk.”

#akafuri #kurofuri #Akashi x Furihata #kuroko x furihata

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lesbianlametron · 7 years

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Bokuroo Week day 6

(maybe by day 7, I’ll actually put one out on time)

Prompt: Transportation

Title: Two Stops

Rating: T

Summary: ((I’ve been writing nearly all of these on the train, but I actually thought of this one while driving yesterday.)) Kuroo hates the train sometimes, but it is his daily excuse to see Bokuto every day since they only live two stops apart. Today something different happens and shakes up Kuroo’s normal routine.

Trains were not necessarily Kuroo’s favorite mode of transportation. They were stuffy and sometimes loud, depending on what annoying people were sitting around him. They sometimes ran late or ran early and he’d have to sprint to them. There was nothing worse than sitting on a train and being all sweaty. Most of the time there was a weird smell that permeated the car and clung to everything like dust. The worst for him was when there weren’t enough seats. He was already exhausted from pushing himself at volleyball practice and didn’t want to stand for the duration of his ride. Kuroo loved his personal space and there were very few people he allowed in his bubble. Two to be exact. Despite all of that, riding the train home was the best part of Kuroo’s day.

Third car from the front, sitting hopefully with an open seat next to him. Two stops and then Bokuto would get on. Most of the time, he was grinning, but sometimes sullen depending on how practice went. Either mood was fine with Kuroo because he, with tips from Akaashi and a few thrown in, knew exactly how to cheer up his best friend. There were rare times when there weren’t enough seats and Bokuto was forced to stand in front of Kuroo. That was problematic only because of Kuroo’s huge crush on his best friend. Twenty minutes of being basically eye level with Bokuto’s crotch. Bokuto would point this out, but add the ‘no homo’ joke at the end. Kuroo would laugh, but internally, he was screaming.

Next to him or across from him, depending was Kenma who would speak to him without words. They were mostly looks of pity, but other times, Kenma’s eyes said, ‘just confess already dummy’. Kenma didn’t understand because things had been easy for him and Akaashi, without try or really saying much of anything. Everything just fell into place. One day on the train they were sitting and discussing one of Kenma’s games and the next Akaashi sat closer with their arms linked. Kuroo suspected the only reason they didn’t hold hands was to give Kenma both his hands for game play. Akaashi would watch Kenma play with his chin resting on Kenma’s shoulder.

Kuroo asked him about it once and Kenma said they just realized they both liked each other and started dating. It seemed so simple and for them it was, but Bokuto was complicated. He was moody and gave thousands of mixed signals. He was touchy with everyone so it was normal for him to have his arm around Kuroo or Akaashi or even the Shrimp from Karasuno when he was talking. Other times he felt like Bokuto’s touches lingered longer then they should or he didn’t know…they just felt different. And the bro and no homo talk, Bokuto only used with him. Like he specifically wanted to show that they were never going to happen. But then again, besides Akaashi, Kuroo was the only one Bokuto was closet to, and the only one who Bokuto called by his first name. They had known each other since middle school, so maybe that was why.

The automated voice announced Bokuto’s stop and Kuroo felt his heart kick into high gear. Akaashi entered first looking tired and took the seat next to Kenma. He laid his head on Kenma’s shoulder and murmured something Kuroo couldn’t hear, but it made Kenma smile. Kuroo was happy there was someone other than himself that could make Kenma smile. Someone else to talk volleyball and trade strategies with, Kuroo had to actually thank Akaashi for keeping Kenma excited about volleyball.

“Hey Kou.” Kuroo greeted his friend, hoping his tone was as level as he meant it. Bokuto gave him a weak smile. That meant either practice didn’t go well or it was more intense than normal. “You okay, buddy?”

“Mmhm. ‘Kashi and I were just working on a new move of mine. It went well, but we ran it so many times. I’m tired.” Bokuto plopped down next to him and laid his head on Kuroo’s shoulder.

“A new move huh? Maybe I should be scared for the next time we face you. We should do something this weekend.”

“Sure, but will you do me a favor?”

Kuroo’s heart jump in his chest as it stupidly got its hopes up. “Anything, bro, you know that.”

“Will you wake me when your stop comes up?” He yawned and closed his eyes, missing the crestfallen look on Kuroo’s face.

“Sure.” Bokuto was out in less than a minute Kuroo looked down between them and realized their hands were barely inches apart. His hand inched to intertwine with Bokuto’s, but he was able to restrain himself. Kenma looked and locked eyes with Kuroo for a moment and Akaashi raised an eyebrow. He could tell they were both telling him to go for it, but he just couldn’t. This was infuriating to say the least, but he was okay. He’d get over Bokuto eventually. He had no plans to ruin the closeness they had or the friendship they shared. They only had less than a year together like this and they both had plans to go to separate colleges. By this time next year, maybe he’d be coming home for break with a new boyfriend. Kuroo just resolved for sighing and looking out the window.

After a couple of minutes, he felt a pressure in his left hand and his eyes widened. They dropped a few inches to meet Kenma’s who was grinning at him. He almost didn’t dare, but his eyes traveled further South and he saw, yep just like he thought, Bokuto had grabbed his hand. He knew he shouldn’t take advantage of this, he should pull away, but he just didn’t want to. He couldn’t make himself either and just ran with it, lacing their fingers together. It was stupid and it shouldn’t have felt that right to hold hands.

“Tetsu…”

Kuroo froze thinking Bokuto had woken up, but his eyes were still closed and his breathing was even.

“I have something to tell you…”

Kuroo’s eyes widen even more and he was sure they would pop out of his head. He connected eyes with Akaashi searching his face for any clues, but Akaashi just smirked at him. Kuroo didn’t know what that meant, but Akaashi nor Kenma dared to speak in fear of waking Bokuto up. Kuroo wasn’t sure if Akaashi just knew that he liked Bokuto or if he knew what Bokuto’s words meant. He wanted to slap the smirk off Akaashi’s face, but he didn’t dare move.

“…but I’m afraid how you’ll react.”

Kuroo’s heart felt like it was going to burst and his stomach was doing so many flips it should be a gymnast. Suddenly Bokuto woke up, scaring both himself and Kuroo.

“What? What’s going on? Did I miss my stop?”

“We’re two stops away from mine, Kou.” Kuroo decided to be bold and to tease Bokuto about his sleeping words. “So what did you want to tell me?”

Bokuto narrowed his eyes and his brows knit together. “What?”

“I don’t know, you said you wanted tell me something while you were asleep. Were you dreaming about me?”

“I did?”

Kuroo couldn’t tell if Bokuto was playing dumb or just didn’t remember the dream. He was already halfway there and just decided to go for it. He could always switch to a different car or take a different train all together if this didn’t work out. He’d been pining for so long and these had been good signs so far. Bokuto had never held his hand before. “Does it have to do something with this?” He held up their linked hands.

Bokuto’s eyes went wide, he looked over at Akaashi, and his face flushed. “What? Did I…you didn’t do that?”

“No, but I don’t mind it.”

“Y-you don’t?”

“Well only if you don’t!” Kuroo said defensively, losing his nerve as a blush creeped onto his face as well.

“I don’t…okay. Okay…okay, Tetsu—I mean—Tetsurou…” Bokuto looked over at Akaashi and Kenma who both gave him an encouraging thumbs up.

WHAT? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? He used my full name, this must be serious and his STILL hasn’t let go of my hand.

“I…I think I’m in love with you.”

...what? Kuroo was speechless for the first time in his life. He had dreamed about this moment so many times, but he never thought it would actually happen. He didn’t know what to say or what to do. It was like his whole brain stopped functioning.

“Tetsu, please say something. I don’t care if you don’t feel the same, but say something…no that’s not right. I’ll be sad if you don’t feel the same. You’re my bro and I want to be with you forever. I mean we always say together until we die and even when we do, we’ll hang out in hell, right? Please don’t hate me.”

Kuroo was blushing so hard and still couldn’t make his lips move.

“Oh, come on!” They all looked at Kenma, surprised by his sudden, out of character outburst. He wasn’t looking at his game but directly at the two of them. “Kuro, you’re hopeless. He’s in love with you too.”

Bokuto looked at Kuroo and grinned, “Really?” Kuroo finally managed to nod and Bokuto broke out into the most dazzling grin that Kuroo had ever seen. He didn’t think there was ever a time that he made another person that happy.

“It’s Friday, do you want to come over?” Kuroo actually was able to make his brain function after Bokuto had accepted his confession.

“Do you want to be my boyfriend?” Bokuto had said it at the same time as Kuroo spoke and they both just stared at each other before laughing.

“Yes.”

“Finally.” Akaashi muttered under his breath.

“I know.” Kenma answered him and went back to his game.

“WAIT YOU TWO KNEW?” Bokuto yelled.

“Kou, babe, we’re on a train.” It was true, several people were looking at them and many with annoyed or disgusted looks. “I mean I’m excited too.”

“I think everyone knew, but you two.”

Bokuto was about to respond to Akaashi when he realized what Kuroo had called him. He turned to him and blushed. “Babe?”

“No?”

“No…I mean, not no, I liked it.”

“Me too…babe.” Bokuto and Kuroo were just grinning at each other like idiots.

“And we’ve lost them.”

“Yeah, I’m not walking home with that. Can I come over?” Kenma wrinkled his nose and leaned into Akaashi.

“Of course, Kenma, I always enjoy your presence.”

“Wait! Before we get off, I’m not done with you, Akaashi. You knew Kuroo liked me and you didn’t say anything?”

Akaashi sighed. “Bokuto-san, it wouldn’t be the same if I just told you. That would be rude to Kuroo-san. He should be the only one to tell you. Now this is your stop. Have fun you two.”

Kuroo stood up, still holding his hand and led him out of the train. Bokuto was still glaring at Akaashi as Kuroo pulled him away.

“Dude, we could have been dating longer if he had just said something!”

Kuroo leaned over and kissed Bokuto’s cheek and that immediately shut him up. “It doesn’t matter, Kou, let’s just focus on right now.”

“I texted my mom that I’m sleeping over.” Kuroo raised an eyebrow at him and Bokuto stuck his tongue out at him. “Geez, Tetsu. I was just going say we could cuddle and stay up late together. Sorry for wanting to spend time with my new boyfriend.”

Bokuto dropped Kuroo’s hand when they reached his doorstep. “True.”

Kuroo unlocked the door and took a deep breath. He hoped he’d be convincing enough and not blush in front of his mom. “Hey mom. Can Kou stay over? His mom said it was fine.”

“Oh hello, Koutarou. That’s fine with me. We ordered pizza and ate without you. Your dad was hungry. Feel free to grab some.” She smiled at them and didn’t even suspect anything. They grabbed plates and took the rest of the pizza before sneaking off to Kuroo’s room.

“I don’t think I would have been able to look at your mom if she made us eat with her.”

Kuroo nodded and sat on the bed next to Bokuto who had already made himself at home. He turned on the TV for background noise, but also to muffle their conversations a little. “I know. I was convinced I was going to somehow give it away.”

“I know! I could hardly contain myself. I’m just so excited.”

“Me too.”

“Oh, I meant to tell you, I’ve changed my mind for college.” Bokuto started between bites of pizza.

“Where are you going?” Kuroo was hopeful and he could hardly contain his excitement. He hoped Bokuto was about to say what he thought he was about to say.

“To Tokyo University with you. I accepted yesterday and requested you as my roommate.”

“Hell yes. I’m going to submit my acceptance tomorrow! Babe, this is going to be amazing.” Neither even thought of the possibility of ‘what if we broke up’ they didn’t care. It was early, but neither even considered it because they had been friends for so long.

“I’m glad you’re happy too.” Kuroo pushed their empty paper plates off the bed and placed his hands on Bokuto’s face. He didn’t care if he was getting pizza grease on Bokuto’s face. It didn’t matter. Before Bokuto could compute was happening, Kuroo pressed a kiss onto his lips. Bokuto’s lips were soft and he tasted a little like pizza. Kuroo loved it all the same and Bokuto eagerly pulled Kuroo close and kissed him back. They were both a little sloppy at it, but neither could find in themselves to care. They were together, they were kissing like the imagined a million times. It was way better than either could have imagined.

“Geez, Tetsu, you could have given me a little warning.”

“Nah.”

Bokuto chuckled and laid down on his back. “That was my first kiss and everything.”

Kuroo lay down beside him with a smile. “Mine too.”

Bokuto reached between them and took Kuroo’s hand again. It was like their hands were always meant to fit together. “How long?”

“Training camp during our second year, maybe? I think that’s when I noticed it.”

“Shit…”

“What?”

“Me too.”

Kuroo groaned and curled into Bokuto’s side, hugging him. “We really are dense.”

“I know. I was totally flirting with you and being touchy because I just didn’t know how to contain my feelings for you. I used the no homo thing to cover it up.” Bokuto admitted.

“You ass! I knew it! You gave me so many fucking mixed signals. I was dying inside every time you said, ‘no homo’.”

Bokuto kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry. I promise I’m it was always full homo.”

Kuroo snorted and buried his face into Bokuto’s chest. “You’re such a dork.”

“I’m your dork now.”

“Kou!” Kuroo was blushing again and Bokuto laughed, running a hand through his hair. He could finally touch Kuroo all he wanted, flirt with him all he wanted, and not have to take it back.

“I’m glad I grabbed your hand in my sleep.”

“Me too. I probably would have waited until the day before I left for college to tell you. Then I could leave and get over you with some random college guy.”

“That would have sucked. I picked a different college for that purpose too, but I just couldn’t do it. I wanted to be with you. I was just planning on getting over you somehow while living with you. Either that or never wearing a shirt and seducing you.”

“I would have cracked so easily. Dorm rooms are not big. I would have probably gotten drunk at party and came home to make out with you.”

“Well, now you can still do that.”

“You bet I will.”

Bokuto rolled over and trapped Kuroo beneath him. “We don’t need to be drunk though.” He leaned down and eagerly closed the space between them with a soft kiss. It was much like the first, but they would get better with practice. They had plenty of time to practice now.

#bokuroo week #bokuroo week 2017 #bokuroo #akaken #day 6 #transportation #my writing #i'm tired #so #barely edited #I start these earlier but can never finish on time #oh well #will eventually be uploaded to AO3 #ficsforvera

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missstormcaller · 7 years

Text

WE DO knot ALWAYS LOVE YOU Part 9 Translation

Hey! Thought I should get to doing more WDkALY again before I leave it too long, I did as much as I could in my free time today, I hope no one will mind, but I cut marriage registration ‘1’ a little bit shorter (not too much happens here aside from setting up the scene for later on) so I can get to translating marriage registration ‘2’, I have a busy few weeks ahead of me so these translations may end up being slow anyway, sorry about that!

Marriage Registration

pages 90-96

6th sector - Kuchiki clan mansion

On a morning after one week since the gathering at the marriage announcement has passed.

"Nii-sama!"

Finishing squad preparations, Kuchiki Byakuya exited his room only to be called to a halt by Rukia. She nimbly folded her knees and propped herself up with both hands on the plain wood of the hallway.

"Today I will leave for the nyuseki* formalities"

(*entering a family register as a married couple)

After bowing and then raising her face, Byakuya looked at Rukia with softened eyes.

"I see……has an appointment for going to the Kininkai already been settled?

Rukia tilted her head at hearing this unfamiliar word 'Kininkai'.

"Go to……Kininkai……? Don't I simply submit a notification to the Personnel Record Administration Bureau……?"

Watching his younger sister-in-law who looked puzzled, Byakuya's eyes widened in bewilderment for just a moment.

"……Chiyo"

"Yes, I'm here!"

Immediately there was a reply coming from the right hand side behind Rukia. Turning to look over her shoulder, to her surprise, her maid Chiyo was kneeling there whilst lowering her head in a deep bow.

"Give a detailed explanation to Rukia"

Without saying what, Byakuya gave this command with only a few brief words.

Having no need to enquire back, Chiyo responded with "as you please"

"……I will go now"

"Take care, Byakuya sama"

"Take care, Nii-sama!"

Chiyo said that whilst remaining in a low bow, Rukia stood up and watched his back until he was out of sight.

"Well then……Chiyo. What in the world is this 'Kininkai' that nii-sama was talking about?"

Rukia returned to her room accompanied by Chiyo, together with Abarai Renji who had just come to pick her up, they sat face to face with Chiyo.

"Kininkai is an abbreviation for 'Kinin* (*Golden seal) noble assembly. In cases of marriages involving the four noble clans it is compulsory to submit a document to the Kinin noble assembly, that document should be presented by the head of the family themselves."

"I see……! So that's why nii-sama asked me if I had a fixed appointment for going to the Kininkai"

Chiyo nodded 'that's right'.

"Where is this 'Kinin noble assembly'?"

When Renji asked, Chiyo laughed "you should avoid being impatient, Renji sama!", she spread out a piece of paper with four folds that was kept in between her waist sash, in front of the other two.

"In which case, please allow Chiyo to deliver an explanation regarding the process of the nyuseki!"

On that paper that was entitled [Rukia sama, Renji sama course of events up to the nyuseki], there was beautifully brushed writing and a myriad of details were penned. Chiyo pointed at them one by one, she carefully explained the numerous formalities leading up to the nyuseki.

"It……it's this complicated!?"

"I even feel the ill will of someone who doesn't intend to get married……!"

The pair who had finished listening to everything, both had their heads resting in in their arms, a summary of the nyuseki process is as follows.

1- For the marriages of persons residing within Seireitei - submission of marriage registration to the (7th sector) Personnel Record Administration Bureau.

2 - For the marriages of Gotei 13 soldiers - submission of regimental soldier marriage registration to the (4th sector) Gotei Soldier Record Administration Bureau.

3 - For the marriages of official seats and above - submission of high spirit marriage registration to the (6th sector) Higher Order Spirit Rank Administration Bureau.

4 - For the marriages of nobles - submission of noble marriage registration to the (Central 1st sector) Noble Assembly.

5 - For the marriages of the four great noble clans, a marriage certificate is presented to the Kinin Noble Assembly (Central 1st sector), the husband and wife are present under the head of the family who submits it.

6 - Report to the captain/vice captain of the entire division at the squad's headquarters.

"By the way, the reception counter of the Kinin Noble Assembly is only open from 9am to 11am, so please be aware of that! It is for that reason that Byakuya sama was concerned about going to a Kininkai appointment"

"Is that so, that's no good I can't take half the day off……!"

Nodding a 'yes', Chiyo looked at her pocket watch.

"If you are going to face this process from now……because you are both well accustomed to using shunpo, Chiyo thinks you will be just in time to present yourselves for regimental soldier marriage registration!"

"Even if we use shunpo we can't visit more than two places!? Right now it's still……"

"It is seven minutes past nine"

"It is!? I understand that the Kininkai is compulsory, I hope I can go as far as submitting a document to the Noble Assembly!"

"Renji sama……the offices have a waiting time, that part is unavoidable. Since there is no way that each administration Bureau will simply do marriage registration at the reception desk……"

The Personnel record Administration Bureau that deal with people going in and out of Seireitei is particularly busy, it was famous for its long waiting times, it is said that they handle all procedures throughout the whole day.

"Renji, I wonder if there is no help for what you were saying to Chiyo?……Chiyo do you mind if I take these instructions?"

"Of course not!"

Chiyo gladly folded the paper up and respectfully held it out to Rukia. Putting it into her pocket, Rukia clapped Renji's shoulder and stood up, "let's go"

Marriage Registration

pages 96-113

7th division barracks.

Whilst walking Goro the pet dog at the back of the squad building, the 7th division's captain, Iba Tetsuzaemon, went around the premises to collect the previous day's paperwork.

The typical collection method is that after work, each soldier submits their paperwork of the day to the collection box in front of the office, but the former captain Komamura Sajin did this in a specific way, "Morning collection walk", which Iba continued to this day.

Upon finishing the collection, Iba returned Goro to his pen, he took a seat on a bench that was placed next to that pen. The bench was right under the growing shade of a Yamamomo tree, and a refreshing breeze was blowing. Iba took out a bundle of reports from the documents container, he shifted his sunglasses to his forehead and eyed the contents thoroughly, he then inked areas of concern in red.

When the paper bundle reached half its original amount, Goro who was sprawled out by Iba's feet with a white fur coat that swayed in the gentle breeze, pricked up his ears, and then raised his body.

"What's wrong, Goro?"

Goro barked once as if to bring attention to something, he gazed intently at the alleyway beside the squad building and wagged his tail excitedly. Before long from that alleyway appeared two young werewolves wearing student's hakama indicating they were students of the Shino Academy, they started sprinting into a tumble.

"Urui! Shouma!"

"Tetsu saaaan!!"

The older brother Urui, who's grey fur fluttered, jumped at Iba's right leg as he stood up from the bench.

"Tetsu San, Tetsu San!!"

The younger brother Shouma who had an ivory-white coat of fur, clung to the left leg also. Goro delightfully ran laps around Iba.

"What have you been up to so early in the morning?"

After patting their heads, Iba grasped the back of their collars, peeled them off of him and then lowered them back to the ground. The pair playfully followed and pet a slightly disheveled Goro whilst talking.

"Since we are starting the apprenticeship from tomorrow, throughout today we are learning the path leading to the barracks of the division we are temporarily affiliated with, sensei told us to examine what's around us!"

Shouma declared, "it's the last day off before things become terribly busy!" Urui added.

"So then, Tetsu san! We……"

Pulling Urui's sleeve whilst breaking him off mid-sentence, Shouma said "Big brother that's unfair! I will also say it!"

"Well then, let's say it on go! Ready, set, go!"

"We were assigned to the 7th division!"

From around his waist height, two sets of cute round eyes stared up at Iba.

"Both of you! That's amazing!"

"Right! It's awesome! Since it's 1 out of 13 and 1 out of 13……err……"

"1 out of 169!"

"Ah! That's the probability! Big brother calculates fast……!"

With a "that's right!" Urui placed his hands on his hips and threw out his chest. The thick bushy tail that protruded from his hakama swayed left and right.

Normally, the former apprentices were selected at random, the head of the academy probably allocated them both to the 7th division whilst considering their feelings, Iba thought.

"Ah, that's right! We wanted Tetsu san to make us a tail hole again, today we've brought our Shihakushou's hakama given to us by sensei!"

Urui tucked up his sleeves, from a bag he took out a black hakama accompanied by a small sewing box which he then handed over to Iba. "Mine too" Shouma also took a hakama out from the bag.

"Of course……even though I'm not your mother……"

Despite uttering that complaint, Iba opened up the sewing box and began working. Contrary to that manly appearance, Iba was nimble fingered, from carpentry to housework and sewing, he could do anything. It was also Iba that made a hole in their student hakama for their tails to pass through which the werewolf brothers were currently wearing.

Urui and Shouma sat on both sides like they were sandwiching Iba, they watched fixedly, captivated by his skill.

"Hey, Tetsu san. We went to meet Sajin sama yesterday night. We informed him that 'we are starting our apprenticeship from the day after tomorrow'."

Urui said whilst focusing his gaze on the tip of the needle sowing forward with a *prick-prick*.

"You snuck out of your dormitories again!……then, was Sajin dono doing well?"

"Uh huh! When we went and hunted such a plump pheasant!"

Shouma spread both of his hands widely with a complacent smile.

"I see. that's good"

"It was still warm and delicious"

Urui watched as Shouma licked his lips, "That's bad manners!" he chided.

"Sajin sama wanted us to tell Tetsu san that as a leader of people you must, more than anyone else, take care of yourself"

As Urui said that, Iba's hand suddenly stopped moving.

"Tetsu San was at the training field late at night and was discovered by Sajin sama" Shouma giggled.

"……He can see through anything…… I'm no match for Sajin dono……"

Iba sighed and then laughed a little.

Komamura Sajin did battle using the secret "Humanisation technique" handed down to him by his werewolf clan in order to strike down the enemies of Genryusai, in the end, the price he paid for that was transforming into an animal that could not speak.

Along with becoming a wolf, Komamura survived through the Great War, he remained hidden in the hills behind the training fields, Iba reported to everyone that "Captain was killed in action".

All the existing captains and vice captains felt the spiritual pressure of Komamura - although it became much smaller and could not compare to before - but respecting the decision of Iba, they dealt with it as if he were killed in action.

Even when it became a popular topic of conversation that a large wolf had settled in the hills behind the 7th division's training grounds, everyone in the inner circle thought "it's Komamura Sajin……" whilst maintaining an air of indifference towards the subject.

One night, after half a year had passed since Komamura began living on the hillside.

Iba thought that it seemed as if Sajin was summoning him, he jumped up from his futon. He grabbed his haori and rushed out the front.

"It's going to be getting reasonably cold……"

Iba walked upon the training grounds, Komamura sat at the foot of a grass covered hill. When he caught sight of Iba's figure, he got up and gave a small bark, he then lead Iba up the hill. As he followed, he tread firmly on the soft ground were fallen leaves had accumulated, he was guided before a hole, approximately one meter in diameter, dug directly into a steep slope.

"Is there something inside……?"

Iba stooped down and concentrated his gaze inside the the pitch dark hole.

"Who is it? Sajin sama……?"

He thought he had imagined hearing the small voice coming from inside. Komamura barked towards the inside, there were sounds of something stirring about, two young werewolf boys creeped out. They were wearing clothes that were similar to rags, their fur was slightly dirty, only their eyes were a breathtaking vibrant orange colour.

"This is……! Are they werewolf children……!?"

Looking at the surprised Iba, the two werewolves with cute eyes said "Wooow!" in a raised voice.

"It's Iba Tetsuzaemon San!"

"Awesome, awesome! It's the real Tetsuzaemon san!"

The pair delightfully ran around Iba.

"Sajin sama called him here! Thank you very much!"

The young boy with grey fur threw his arms around Komamura's neck. Komamura responded with a sniff and softened his eyes.

"Tetsu san! We came here because we want to become shinigami!"

The other young boy with ivory-white fur, jumped about whilst grasping Iba's clothes, he teared himself away and said "hey! When people meet people, they introduce themselves first!"

The pair kneeled alongside each other whilst resting on both hands in front of Iba.

"It's nice to meet you! I am Urui of the werewolf family! I'm this guy's older brother"

"I am called Shouma! I'm the younger brother!"

In unison they voiced a "pleased to meet you" and bowed.

"I'm Tetsuzaemon Iba. 7th division captain."

Iba bowed sternly, "we know!" Shouma laughed.

"We read this and decided we want to become shinigami!"

Urui carefully took out a worn out magazine that was inside his pocket, he showed the front cover to Iba.

It was a squad 7 special feature issue of 'Seireitei communication' published many years ago.

Iba carried the two back to the squad house, they both took a bath first of all. Meanwhile, he quickly prepared rice balls and soup in the kitchen, the pair got up from the bathtub and put on new clothes, they then sat in front of the hibachi* (*traditional Japanese heating device) and ate their meal. Komamura hated the idea of heading inside, but he was pulled in regardless given no choice by the brothers, thinking "good grief" at the situation, he settled himself down in the corner of the room.

"So you guys, how did you come here?"

Iba asked the two who were now completely clean, whilst he was warming up with hot sake.

"We were packed into uncle's* cargo!" (Note: this ‘uncle’ person is not actually their uncle, ojisan is not uncle in this context but using other words like ‘mister’ didn’t flow well with the text so he will be referred to as ‘uncle’)

"Shouma, he won't understand if you just talk about that all of a sudden! Tetsu san, is it okay if this becomes a little long?"

Watching as Iba nodded, Urui put down his soup bowl and began talking.

"Because our werewolf clan normally live inside a den, we almost invariably don't know anything about the situation of the outside world. Even if we ask adults they say they don't know, so I thought I should go see for myself, together with Shouma, we secretly sneaked out of our den at the dead of night……"

"We went to a nearby town! The stars that came out were amazing!"

"The werewolf clan live on top of a large mineral deposit where various gems are mined, they are extracted for business. Since we knew that once a month, an adult takes the gems to a nearby town to exchange them for clothes and other supplies, we followed the scent and went there. It was night so there was no one on the streets but, the both of us got to take a look around for a while."

"Then, we met uncle!"

At the edge of town, a large refined looking man with a muscular build, was happy to see the two small werewolves and gave a broad smile.

"That person, he always carried out the gem transactions with our werewolf clan, he was uncle goods transporter."

"This book, he gave it to us!!"

Shouma put aside his food and instead picked up and embraced the "Seireitei communication" magazine.

"Since we knew uncle would be in town in the evenings of the days the adults would go bartering for goods, we went to meet up with him many times, we heard about the outside world……stories of the Gotei squads. The fact that a very powerful ryoka came, that there was a battle to protect a human world town, that there was an awfully huge war and a lot of shinigami lost their lives……"

"Apparently, a lot of the 7th division shinigami also passed away. Sajin sama too……we were told he was dead. However we would not believe that! Such a big, strong and cool person like Sajin sama could not be dead……!"

"So then, we decided to go and confirm it. If he had truly died, at that moment……we said, let's become shinigami in Sajin sama’s place!"

The Hibachi's glowing embers were reflecting in the eyes of the two who looked directly up at Iba. The original orange mixed with red, it appeared as if the insides of their eyes were set ablaze.

"If we said that to our mother, she would tell us 'don't say say such reckless things!' She'd get so angry that she'd lock our bedroom door from the outside at night……in the daytime the adults are watching and we can't sneak out, we were worried about what to do, on the day our father had bartering duty, he took us with him to town"

Before departing, their father said "since they've been secluded in a den the whole time, they've started talking about becoming shinigami. If I show them around outside a little it may calm them down." He persuaded their dissenting mother and then took the pair out.

"Our father did the business transaction at the edge of town with uncle goods transporter, at the end he said "won't you transport these guys to Seireitei".

"At that moment father handed over a red gem wrapped in a cloth, I saw it!"

"It was a ruby I think. I guess that was our transport fee.……father said 'shrewdly follow down the path that Sajin sama has opened up' with a smile he sent us off."

Watching his father's figure as he waved his hands enthusiastically, Urui suddenly thought that their father also might in fact have wanted to become shinigami. 'Did he give that up when we were born'.

As they both remembered their father, they seemed lonely, their ears turned downwards. The quiet room resounded with the noise of crackling charcoal.

"Uncle gave us cloth to hide our faces, so we wore that and walked through Rukongai for several days……we were then concealed inside a wooden box and loaded onto a cart before a huge gate."

"We were taken in swiftly without being exposed but, we were told we couldn't be unloaded in a place where there were people watching, so we went to uncle's delivery destination! It was a very big workshop called 'Omaeda Jewels'."

“The Omaedas' company buy gems from our werewolf clan……!"

'Omaeda Jewels' is one of soul society's Jewelers run by the Omaeda clan. The second division's vice captain Omaeda Marechiyo serves as the manager of the precious metals department; it was a familiar company Iba thought, but he's never heard of there being any relation to the werewolf clan before.

"To start with, we thought we should meet Tetsu san, we asked uncle about the location of the 7th division. In order to not be discovered by people, we only traveled at night time, we passed through mountainous terrain and forests……on the night of the third day, in the middle of the forest we detected the scent of a fellow wolf……!"

"We thought, Sajin sama is alive after all! We followed the scent and arrived at that hole, finally we found Sajin sama!!"

At that moment their excitement returned, Shouma stood up and started hopping up and down on the spot.

"We explained to Sajin sama about everything until we came here, 'Tetsuzaemon will surely be of help to you' he told us……"

"Wait a minute! You guys can understand the captain's speech……!?"

"Eh? Tetsu san doesn't understand?"

"Shouma, people don't understand wolf language. That's normal."

Urui declared, Shouma sadly lowered his tail and walked towards Komamura. Sitting beside him Shouma said "Sajin sama is there anything you want to tell Tetsu san? I can relay it for you", he brought his ear close to Komamura's mouth. After pondering on this for a little while, Komamura gave several low barks, catching his words, Shouma came back in front of the hibachi with a smiling face.

"What did captain say……?"

"First of all he wants you to stop calling him 'captain'! Since Tetsu San is the captain now, it's uncomfortable to be called so"

"I, I see……! I apologise, ca…… Sajin dono!"

Facing towards Komamura, Iba bowed his head, "you saved it at the last moment just now!" Urui said.

"And one more thing, 'Tetsuzaemon is well suited for parenting' he says!"

"Huuuuh……!?"

"Hahaha! I also think so too Sajin sama!"

"Me too I also think so!"

Watching as the pair rolled with laughter, a slightly embarrassed Iba took a gulp of his sake.

"What in the world do you think the time is right now……captain Iba!?"

Vice captain Iemura Yasochika, who came to give a warning to what seemed like soldiers staying up late, was lost for words when he saw the line up of faces illuminated by the Hibachi.

(Who are those wolf children!? And could that big wolf in the corner possibly be Komamura Sajin sama then……!? So does that mean those wolf children are members of Sajin sama's clan……!?)

"Ah! I know this guy!" Said Shouma pointing at Iemura whose mouth was agape.

"He's the person that's third seat of the 4th division!"

"If I'm not mistaken……that is Iemura san! Hey Tetsu san, why is there a 4th division member here so late?"

"You both might have read in 'Seireitei Communication' that this guy is in the 4th division, well he's my vice captain now"

Hearing that, the pair exchanged a glance at each other's faces "vice captain!?" they rushed over to Iemura.

"Nice to meet you! I'm called Urui, of the werewolf clan!"

"I'm called Shouma!"

Together they said, "Pleased to meet you lieutenant Iemura!" and they bowed.

"Th-that's very kind…… I'm Iemura Yasochika, vice captain of squad 7……"

"These children, I will take responsibility over these werewolf brothers"

"Tetsu san, you’re accepting us!?"

"Hooray!!"

The two kicked off the floor, flying past the hibachi to embrace Iba. Behind his sunglasses, Iba looked fondly at them, he gently placed his hands on the two heads.

"What are you mumbling about Iemura, it's off-putting! Spit it out clearly!"

"No, that……it’s just that captain Iba makes that kind of facial expression too……"

It was the first time in half a year seeing Iba with a smiling face. Naturally he was a man who didn't smile very much, after the Great War and since the captain's inauguration, his face was always tense and stern.

"What, you have the cheek to say that……!"

Iba tried to throw his sake cup at Iemura after feeling embarrassed that his smiling expression was seen but was stopped from doing so by Komamura. Komamura barked several times in a row, before long Urui translated the contents.

"You get too worked up. You need to loosen up the tension in your shoulders some more"

Dropping his raised arm, Iba apologised to Iemura, "sorry".

"Please don't apologise……it was on the spur of the moment. I will understand if I get a scolding right now however, if you will just allow me to say this……"

Iemura came closer to the hibachi, he sat on his heels in front of Iba and pushed his spectacles up.

"Captain Iba, I believe you have the tendency to be a little too stubborn. You train until late every night, regardless of the late hour I have to wake up to heal your wounds. It seems as if I was seated as vice captain because of the fact that I was from the 4th division. Even if I tell you to take a little rest, you do not listen, you relinquish your day off to train again and again……watching the captain being like that, the troops also train all the time until late, they barge into my place to fix their broken arms and fractured bones. Even when I have vice captain duties. Everyone says 'I want to be strong like captain someday', 'I want to be able to support the captain someday', truly……you are a wonderful captain. Except in just one place, you don't seem to appreciate your vice captain much."

Iemura said almost without taking a breath, he fearfully raised his face, Iba silently held out a sake cup for him.

"……thank you very much"

Iemura accepted it and remained quiet as the sake was poured.

The werewolves who were exhausted fell asleep atop Iba's knees, their light snoring could be heard. Settling against the Hibachi's embers, the two continued to drink together in peace.

Illustration of Iba, Iemura and the wolves in front of the Hibachi is placed here!

A few more pages of Marriage registration 2 left by the way I just stopped at the illustration.

#we do knot always love you #WDkALY #bleach #bleach novel #renruki #translation #renji abarai #Rukia Kuchiki #chiyo #Byakuya Kuchiki #sajin komamura #tetsuzaemon iba #shouma #Urui #Iemura Yasochika #marechiyo omaeda #long post #jfc very long post

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seitjun · 7 years

Text

tea parties

title: tea parties

pairing: akakuro

rating: G

summary: akashi seijuurou didn't know someone like kuroko would appear in his life, but there he is, suddenly in his life. in the end, though, he finds that he doesn't mind him at all, especially when it's over tea.

notes: for my akashi, @ssanctuses , despite how the beginning sounds, it’s actually super lighthearted and is closer to a humor/romance genre! i tried to write a cool thing, but am i cool enough? nah, but i did throw in a fight scene.

read on ao3 or below!

As the emperor of the greatest dynasty in all of Japan’s history, Akashi Seijuurou is powerful. He knows this perfectly well, spending the last twenty-six years of his life and the last eight years of his rule in finely-tuned, absolute control; everything that happens is planned and everything that’s planned happens.

It’s a simple fact of life for the Teikou Empire, but not so for the little, outside village of Seirin.

Scarlet-gold eyes watch as person after person are pushed down to their knees to kneel below him. His gaze travels the entire room, mentally counting all of the present people, only to frown in displeasure when he realizes there’s one less person in the room from his guard. Who was missing didn’t click until a second later, one second too late as a loud yell had already traveled to him and his ears.

“Ryouta! Find Daiki now!”

A head of blond hair immediately moves into action, bolting out of the room. A head of green and purple only stare at the disappearing figure, but Akashi can see the tenseness in their shoulders, the slightest frown on their lips, and the hard glint in their eyes.

Contrary to popular belief, he cared quite a bit for his personal guard, and whoever had caused Daiki to scream and for the others to be worried, they would die.

Another scream erupts, and Akashi is debating if he’ll have to send himself to dispose of the attacker – or he’s assuming it’s an attacker, at least. But his debate proves useless in the end when familiar gold enters his vision, followed by limping navy carrying sky blue before the body is thrown carelessly onto the floor.

Akashi eyes Daiki’s state, narrowing at the sight of slashed skin and dripping blood, feeling a tundra creep into his body. He moves onto the pitiful lump in front of him, sneering at the audacity of the man for attacking his reputed guards; he had guts, but it meant nothing if he didn’t win in the end.

Before he can speak to announce the fool’s punishment, Daiki is already speaking…

“Sheesh, Tetsu, you didn’t have to be so harsh on me! 8 years we don’t get to see each other, and this is how I’m greeted? Pft!”

...and laughing.

Raising an eyebrow in bemusement, he switches back to the lump on the floor, eyes widening in surprise when the figure picked their upper half up, supported by weak and shaky arms, but unblemished.

“Perhaps you weren’t fighting harsh enough, Daiki, if this,” Akashi gestures his hand to the navy-haired guard and the guest, “is the result of your fight. Do you wish to be trained by me again?”

Fear overtakes Daiki’s navy eyes, but it’s ignored for a sudden tinkling of soft, barely there laughter, echoing everywhere and capturing everyone’s attention.

“He was actually much harsher on me,” blue eyes suddenly appear in Akashi’s visage, and he suddenly feels enamored for a foolish moment. “It’s just in less obvious locations. Take that however you will.”

“Oi, Tetsu, don’t say shit like that! We’re not fucking,” Daiki denies, red blooming beneath tanned skin. “We’ve just been friends for a long time now, graduating from the Academy at the same time. And y’know, the whole 8 years thing I said earlier.”

Oh. Now, that was an interesting fact. Akashi muses, now viewing the tiny blunet in a new light; this frail looking man managed to graduate from such a prestigious school and not only manage to at least tie Daiki in a fight, but also be friends with him? Heterochromatic eyes gleam in amusement.

“Yes, hello. I am Kuroko Tetsuya,” the ‘Tetsu’ kid greeted, slowly getting up onto shaking legs and bowing. “And as you can tell, I’ve come here to tell you that you’ve captured the wrong people. I’d like for them to be released, but I can alway do so myself.”

Akashi doesn’t miss the sharp gleam in teal eyes and the smallest smirk on his lips; his own lips twitch slightly. Is this what being finally surprised at something truly unexpected felt?

“There’ll be no need for that. We’ll talk in my study.”

And it’s only a few moments later that Akashi and his personal guard find themselves watching a certain Kuroko Tetsuya sit in front of them. He sits primly and properly, sipping his green tea apathetically as he silently nodded along to Aomine’s words.

Aomine is the only one sitting on the same couch as the boy, a tanned arm lazily hanging around a pale neck while sporting a lazy grin and fond look as he spoke. It’s clear to the others that the kid is special when Aomine himself looks so cheery and docile for once, his usual smug and fiery aura suddenly gone.

“I wish you coulda’ seen me at the sparring competition held in Teikou last year, Tetsu. Bet you would have been impressed with how easily I beat everyone,” he brags, flexing his free arm and showing off his muscles.

“I actually was present for a few of the matches, Aomine-kun,” Kuroko replies. “My favorite was your last match in which you managed to somehow stab yourself instead.”

“Oi, that was an accident! The guy was nimble as hell! And how come that’s your favorite, bastard?!”

It’s useless for the taller male to argue when everyone around him starts to chuckle or make a noise in agreement with Kuroko. He shuts his mouth immediately and sulks, grumbling about ‘traitor friends’ and ‘a stupid Tetsu’.

Akashi is the only one besides Kuroko and Aomine that isn’t laughing, but his eyes betray his slight amusement before he clears his throat; the room turns silent almost instantaneously, and Kuroko’s eyes shift over to him.

“While I’m pleased that you’ve had your overdue reunion, we originally came here to talk about your Seirin friends, yes?”

The other males nods. “Yes, I came here because I heard that you deemed the Seirin responsible for the massacre in Seihou last month.” He doesn’t elaborate, instead choosing to take out a slim folder – where was that hiding? – the white sheets of the files inside peeking out, and hands it to Akashi.

Heterochromatic eyes read over the information, expression remaining unchanged as he flips over page after page. His personal guard looks between their emperor and the guest, slight worry blossoming in Aomine’s chest; he knew how Akashi could be if meetings like these were found unsatisfactory, especially if it dealt with crimes or information. After all, he joked silently, it was hard to impress the emperor with information when Satsuki was on his side.

Except his worries turn to naught when Kuroko’s hand gently touches his arm, and he looks up to see a smug smile on Akashi’s face. It’s cold and sharp, much like the look in his eyes, and Aomine feels himself shiver, but at least Kuroko wasn’t being executed for being ‘unsatisfactory’ to the redhead.

(Akashi’s words, not his, Aomine says later, defending himself to Tetsu.)

“So, Hanamiya Makoto is the true perpetrator?”

“Yes,” Kuroko confirms, nodding once more and placing his teacup down. “His original motive in arriving at Seihou was to recruit the village into their own budding empire due to the old family lines that lived there. Many of them were samurai families, and while quite a few still follow that path, most of them are at least experts in ancient martial arts and possess ancient moves that have been long forgotten by most societies today. Not only that, they also hold quite a varied storage of weapons that specifically improved their fighting styles, and in extension, their skill.”

“While that’s a fine explanation, how do I know you aren’t doing to trick us into giving you your Seirin friends back? What if you were secretly part of Hanamiya’s entourage? And even if you aren’t, you could also easily be lying to get us to incarcerate the wrong people.”

The tealnet didn’t seem bothered by the accusations, choosing to slightly tilt his head as he regards the emperor. “You read through the information and asked me a question regarding the information instead of ignoring it and immediately sentencing me to death. You at least accepted the information, finding it accurate. You’re also quite known for knowing when one is trying to deceive you. Besides,” Kuroko paused, “you already captured the wrong people once. What would be new?”

Akashi’s personal guard swallow the lump in their throat, feeling sorry for Aomine’s friend; Aomine himself just gapes at Kuroko’s bluntness, silently mourning his good-as-dead friend. May he rest in peace and hopefully in one piece once the redhead was finished with him, he prays.

But Akashi simply mirrors Kuroko’s head tilt and rests his cheek on the palm of his hand, his other hand motioning for him to continue on; he ignores the surprised looks of his guards aimed at him. Maybe he’ll appoint them some more rounds of his training regime, feeling slightly irked that his personal guard found it surprising that he wasn’t always violent.

“And anyway,” Kuroko continues, ignoring the atmosphere, “who said anything about you having to worry about incarcerating the people? I already have him and his inner circle of nobles captured, currently being held by Kiyoshi Teppei and Hyuuga Junpei, both members of Seirin.

“Do you now see why I asked for Seirin’s people back? Of course, if you oblige, I’ll hand over the culprits to you. If need be, I’d be willing to offer more. If you don’t, I’ll simply let them free and call it an accident on my part,” he finished, shrugging lightly at his last sentence.

Akashi hums in contemplation while half-lidded eyes finally took in more of the small man in front of him. He didn’t look too impressive at first glance being so tiny and soft with only the odd blue hair and apathetic expression being noteworthy; yet the male ended up being sharp and fearless, close to being a threat after he had seen the navy-haired man’s appearance after the surprise match.

(He’s suddenly slightly glad for said tanned male to be friends with the tealnet. It’d be annoying if he was on completely opposite sides of Akashi.)

“How irritatingly fascinating,” he faux sighs before smirking. “I’ll agree to your deal of exchanging Hanamiya and his men for Seirin. However, I’ll also take your offer of adding more if need be, and I wish for you to temporarily join my personal guard.” Akashi ignores the surprised yell from said guards, eyes focusing only on Kuroko.

“I’ll gladly do so, Akashi-sama. I’m pleased that we have reached an agreement.”

Kuroko picks up his tea again and Akashi’s eyes flash in acceptance.

“Ah, there’s a steam of a tea leaf standing up.”

“I thought the kid would die for sure, Midorimacchi, but instead he gets temporarily hired by Akashicchi instantly!”

“Stop your annoying wailing, Kise. While I admit that it’s a surprise that Akashi didn’t punish the boy, it’s obvious that the boy had caught his attention the moment he was thrown to the floor and noticed Aomine’s wounds. You, of all people, should know how hard it is to harm the idiot in a fight.”

“Aka-chin also smiled more or at least looked somewhat happy. Plus he volunteered to be the guide while Kuro-chin stays in the palace for a while.”

“No way. And Kuro-chin? You give him a nickname on the first day, but it takes me a year?!”

“Shut up, that’s not the important part. I’m annoyed that Akashi did this without consulting us first, but we’ll have no choice to accept it. And despite the outcome of Aomine’s match, Kuroko still looks extremely weak, and it’s only a matter of time until Akashi retracts his invitation for him to join the guard.”

“True, Midorimacchi! Don’t let Aominecchi hear you say that, though.”

“He does look like he can be crushed easily…”

“So you were the one who took out the entirety of Fukuda Sougou? Even Haizaki Shougo himself?”

Akashi finds himself asking as Kuroko nods over his cup of tea. The both of them had been spending the early morning out in the palace gardens, having tea as they learned more about the other. And suffice to say, the redhead was learning quite a lot, and he felt himself being more and more enamored.

His eyes momentarily flicker towards the contents of the table: the multiple pages of information concerning Tetsuya surrounded by pencils, the momentarily forgotten shogi board still unfixed from their last match – and the empty china that once held strong and warm tea.

“I admit that he wasn’t an easy fight, far from it, but even the strongest man will fall to a silent, invisible threat. How that threat plays out is a different matter. Don’t you agree, Akashi-sama?”

He raises an eyebrow at the question. “Is this your own way of threatening me? I’ll have you know that there’s a reason why I have a bloody reputation.”

The bluenet chuckles lightly. “Of course not, Akashi-sama, and like most people in this world, I know who you are. But I still stand by my previous statement.” Kuroko bows. “Forgive me.”

Without hesitation, Akashi pushes his chair back and dodges to the left, eyes narrowing at the sound of a broken teacup. He stands up, Kuroko following, and unsheathes a small kunai hidden in his sleeve before lunging. Kuroko evades him easily, and he catches the glint of a silver dagger coming straight for his eyes.

He parries the blow, a grin overtaking his features as he pushes Kuroko back. A soft breeze alerts him of another weapon, but far too late to prevent the shallow cut on his cheek. He ignores the cut, focused on evading both of the weapons. He pulls away to gain some distance from the dual-wielder, foot trampling on flowers.

His eyes narrow again as he watches Kuroko stay back, scrutinizing him as well. Akashi shifts into a defensive position again, barely blocking one dagger as the other lands another, deeper cut. He clicks his tongue at his own inability, but a few cuts wouldn’t mean anything as long as he won.

His free hand jerks forward, catching the wrist holding the unblocked weapon, and presses a finger against a pressure point. Kuroko hisses and drops the dagger, aiming a high kick towards the redhead and twists his body around. The grip loosens and he drops down into a ball to roll away before stopping and squatting in the soil.

He glances at the soil before secretly grabbing a handful, watching Akashi lunge towards him. He growls quietly as the kunai slashes his cheek and tosses the soil into a pair of heterochromatic eyes. Said eyes shut tightly reflexively, and Kuroko doesn’t hesitate as he disappears.

Akashi opens his eyes only to find no more Kuroko in front of him. His guard is up even higher, gaze flickering everywhere in the garden, but he can’t fucking find the dude until the brief feeling of cold metal against his nape makes him twitch away. He ducks under Kuroko, his hand holding the kunai already moving to knock the last dagger away as he trips the bluenet.

Kuroko huffs as he falls and his second dagger is kicked away from him before rolling to the side as a kunai lodges itself into the soil where his head once was. He huffs again as he gets up, bolting towards the table and grabbing a pair of sharp pencils, immediately throwing two of them. They catch onto the hem of Akashi’s robe, keeping him there for a brief moment.

But the garment is easily shed, and Kuroko discards the idea of throwing pencils. He slips one into his own sleeve and drops the rest before grabbing the pot of lukewarm tea and chucks it. He doesn’t check to see if it hits Akashi when he can hear the sharp hiss of said male.

Kuroko takes a moment to breathe, already feeling his stamina start to run out at the fight’s fast pace. But he grunts almost silently, grabbing the shogi board as a shield, wincing as the tip of Akashi’s weapon almost went straight through. He shoves the board back at Akashi and takes the brief glance Akashi aimed at the board to disappear again.

His eyes flicker towards his kicked weapon and dashes towards it only for something to grip the hem of his pants, and he feels himself collide with the soil. Kuroko kicks wildly before slipping the pencil out and jabbing it forward, stopping just before Akashi’s golden eye right as a kunai presses against his throat.

Blue eyes look at a pair of red-gold ones hovering above his body, Akashi sitting on his waist to keep him still.

“How lewd, Akashi-sama, we’ve only known each other for a week.”

“How irritatingly fascinating,” Akashi simply repeats.

They get up from their positions and start to dust themselves off. Despite the minimal amount of cuts and bruising, Akashi couldn’t help but grin again at their brief fight, at the momentary feeling of being alive.

He watches Kuroko from the side of his eyes as he helped restore some sort of order in the unfortunately ruined garden, picking up scattered shogi pieces and fragments of shattered china. The two of them nearly silent with the only sounds being their harsher than normal breathing and the shifting fabric of their clothes as they moved all over the garden to fix it.

Akashi is the one to find Kuroko’s weapons in the end once the cleaning is done, for the most part, hidden in a once beautiful but now trampled section of red roses. He chuckles as he hands the two daggers to the bluenet while in the roses, the smaller male flushing before bowing in gratitude.

“Once again, forgive me for the sudden brawl I had initiated, Akashi-sama,” Kuroko apologized, but a small smile had overtaken his lips as he stared fondly at his daggers. “However, that was one of best legitimate fights I’ve had. As someone who’s used to stealthy and subtle assassinations, I don’t get to fight directly much.”

“It was no problem at all considering it was also one of the better matches I’ve had in my life. However, I could see what you mean by an invisible threat from what I’ve witnessed and what Daiki had briefed me a few days ago. Though, I am surprised that you chose to stop using your misdirection during your stay so far.”

“Yes, I usually employ misdirection everywhere at all times subconsciously, but it does get tiring after a while. It explains why I hadn’t been able to use it much during the fight or my stay here so far.” Kuroko hums for a moment before adding on. “And now that I think about it, my fighting style could be considered an invisible threat, but I was mostly referring to poison and such.”

The bluenet sheathes his daggers and wipes the sweat from his forehead, eyes glimmering with something as he meets Akashi’s gaze after.

“We should train together and spar again, Akashi-sama.”

A smile graces the redhead’s at the other’s suggestion, nodding his head in agreement. He looks up, only now noticing the blinding brightness of the overhead sun, and clicks his tongue before turning to the bluenet, offering his arm.

“It’s nearing lunchtime. Let’s return back, and talk more over some food and drinks. And if you won’t mind, preferably in my study as everyone in my personal guard will most likely question us.”

Kuroko accepts and loops his arm around Akashi’s offered one, letting the taller male lead him until he muses, “I find it quite offensive that Akashi-sama says everyone in his personal guard, but forgets that I’m temporarily part of it.”

“Ah, that is true. I apologize for that,” he chuckles as he enters the house and takes a left turn. “However, please, don’t call me Akashi-sama anymore.”

“But Akashi-sama is the leader. It’s only polite to address you as such.”

“And as the leader, I’m telling you to address me in a less formal way.”

Kuroko sighs inwardly. “You can be Akashi-kun, but no more than that.”

“That’s good enough for now...Tetsuya.”

“Seriously?! The guy is here for a week, and Tetsu is already comfortable enough to let the sadist touch him and let him call him by his given name? The fuck?”

“Is that jealousy I hear, Aominecchi?”

“Kise, fuck off! Don’t tell me you don’t find it weird that the redhead psycho was being nice and smiley when he passed by us with Tetsu.”

“Fine, you do have a point, Aominecchi…”

“Oi, you two idiots! Have you been the ones ruining the garden? There’s sections of flowers all trampled, soil dug up, and the furniture’s been all moved and dirtied. I thought I told you to start acting responsibly!”

“Eh? I’ve been with Aominecchi working on the whole Seirin and Kiridai exchange at the gates this whole morning!”

“Who else could have done it then besides you idiots?”

“Ah, Mido-chin, stop being so mad...it was Kuro-chin and Aka-chin, y’know? They were in the garden for morning before they fought and left.”

“What?! They fought?! Great, now when Akashi calls, I have to dispose of Tetsu’s body. I can’t believe my best friend is dead already...”

Kuroko hums lightly as he sits on a couch in Akashi’s study with said owner sitting next to him; his body is pressed up to Akashi’s side, head resting against the broad chest and legs almost intertwining with each other’s. His eyes lazily follow character after character of the paper the redhead is reading, only speaking when he points out a mistake in the numerical reports of the villages – otherwise, he hums, enjoying the feeling of Akashi’s hand running through his hair and the taste of warm tea.

He thinks about the last three months he’s spent in the redhead’s home, originally here to only be a temporary part of his personal guard, yet now finding himself enjoying the home more and more; it was like a permanent base, a place to return to after difficult missions and to spend time with the people he had grown close to.

More than that, it was where Kuroko could return to Akashi over and over again.

He sneaks a glance towards the taller male, eyes tracing features he had grown to memorize and appreciate. His lips quirk up into the smallest of smiles only to quickly bring the teacup to his face to hide his smile when Akashi caught him looking.

“Is there something on my face, Tetsuya? Or are you staring because of my looks?”

Kuroko suppresses the urge to roll his eyes, only commenting, “How egotistical of you.”

“I’m simply going off of what a few of the women in our city whisper about me. Besides, I didn’t hear Tetsuya denying it,” Akashi smirks, leaning down to bump noses with the smaller male. “Tell me, Tetsuya, do you find me attractive?”

“Quite honestly, I do think of Akashi-kun as attractive,” he confesses, placing down his tea cup before shifting his body closer to the Akashi and looking up, blue eyes meeting red and gold. “Of course, I find him attractive in other ways besides appearance such as his intelligence, hard work in improving his skills, and even his odd sense of humor.”

Akashi finds himself smiling genuinely at Kuroko’s words – even at the slight jab of his sense of humor – and the pair of blue eyes that were glimmering with heartfelt fondness, his heart picking up the slightest bit. He chuckles softly, pressing his forehead against Kuroko’s, his mind racing with thoughts filled with the same affection and fondness.

“Is this your way of confessing your feelings to me, my dear? If so, I believe it’s too late when I’m quite aware of your feelings for me.”

Kuroko huffs quietly. “Then Akashi-kun should have told me and rejected me the moment he realized instead of doing nothing and leading me on.” Blue eyes tear away, and Akashi finds himself dropping the pile of papers and lifting his hands up to cup both of Kuroko’s cheeks.

“Who said I was leading you on, Tetsuya? It’s actually the opposite considering that I, too, am infatuated with you and your odd self. From your apathetic exterior yet emotional interior, your need to be polite and kind to everyone yet also be so witty and teasing towards me, your own hard work into improving as well, and of course, there’s a lot more to list, but that’s for another day,” he lists, voice slowly quieting into a gentle murmur at the end.

“Yet you still didn’t do anything earlier?”

“Forgive me for that. As surprising it may sound, I’m actually not the best at handling and processing emotions, love included. It took me a while to realize that I did indeed reciprocate your feelings for me after all,” Akashi admits. “That, and the fact that Daiki will become much more annoying than before.”

Kuroko jerks slightly as he breathed out a puff of laughter at the last comment, his eyes turning back to face the redhead, now shining again with love.

“You’re an idiot, Bakashi-kun.”

“Yes, I am, my love,” Akashi sighs, resigning himself to his nickname as he watched his now lover pick up the teacup again. Except instead of drinking from it, blue eyes peer into the cup before looking at Akashi once more.

“Ah, Akashi-kun, look at all the bubbles in this tea,” Kuroko smiles. “Do you know what means?”

Akashi raises an eyebrow at the bluenet, but gives in to his quiet laughter before pressing his forehead against Kuroko’s once.

“If I’m correct, according to superstition, it correlates with how many kisses you’ll receive. Considering the amount of tea we’ve had together over these last 3 months, we’ll be extremely busy, my love.”

“I don’t mind at all, Akashi-kun.”

Akashi steals a glance at the bright look in teal eyes before it flutters shut, Kuroko pressing his lips against the emperor’s. He can feel the softness and warmth of smooth lips, the taste of strong, black tea, and the electricity buzzing under his skin as they shifted closer until there is no more room left in between them.

Their kiss is innocent and gentle that it reminds them of the feeling of light spring breezes that hit their skin in the palace gardens, of the warm and bubbling tea they would always talk over, of quiet days spent in the study simply enjoying the other’s presence, and of their deep yet sweet-tempered affections.

It feels like forever had passed when they finally pull apart, Kuroko now sitting on Akashi’s lap with pale arms wound around his neck and the brightest smile Akashi had ever been gifted with. It’s gone a moment later when it turns to the laughter he had heard months before during their first meeting, and Akashi finds himself falling further into fondness without any fight.

“I love you a lot, Akashi-kun.”

If this was what defeat felt like, Akashi Seijuurou would have chosen to lose a long while ago.

“You’re kidding me, right, Kise?”

“No! Why would I joke about our Akashicchi dating your Kurokocchi?!”

“You joke about a lot of things, Kise. That, and you’re pretty dumb and gullible sometimes.”

“Fine, let’s go ask Akashicchi and Kurokocchi if they’re dating then since you won’t believe me, Ahominecchi!”

“Oi, Tetsu, you here with Akashi?!”

Kuroko levels his best friend with a blank look for barging in unannounced into the study. Glancing at Akashi, he can see the displeasure starting to form along with a frown. He blinks as he waits for the reason as to why Aomine thought it’d be a good idea to just storm in impatiently instead of waiting like a normal, refined person.

(Of course, Kuroko knows that Aomine is the farthest thing from normal and refined, but he digresses.)

Another familiar head pops up right beside his, golden eyes sparkling in happiness and curiosity the moment his eyes landed on the bluenet. Kise opens his mouth to yell out something and lunges forward, only to be stopped by two fists grabbing the collar of his shirt, and instead ends up whining by the doorway.

“Oh, look, Midorima’s here too. You interested in hearing?”

Said green-haired male glares at the tanned one before replying, “Interested in hearing what? You two being fools and rudely coming into Akashi’s private study without notice or invitation?”

“Man, I sure do feel bad when you put it that way,” Aomine sneers. “No, carrot-top, we’re here because we’re asking Tetsu and Akashi if they’re dating or fucking or whatever.”

“Aominecchi, that’s crude,” Kise screeches, whacking him before huffing and turning back to face two in question. His face morphs back into cheeriness, personality back to being like a dog. “So? Is it true that you guys are finally together?”

Kuroko only sighs in exasperation at the rest of the group while Akashi chuckles in amusement. He intertwines his hand with the bluenet’s before lifting it up to show to the rest of them before moving forward to place a soft peck on Kuroko’s lips.

(Still soft and reminiscent of tea, he notes.)

Kise is screeching again, but out of happiness, and smiles smugly at a shocked Aomine, his mouth open in disbelief. Midorima only turns away, jaw clenching and unclenching as he tried to process the new information.

“Hmm..? Why is everyone here?”

“Oh, Murasakibaracchi! You’re here,” Kise grins. “We just got the official news of Kurokocchi and Akashicchi finally being togeher!”

Aomine rolls his eyes before asking, “Oi, Tetsu, that means you’re staying here permanently now, though, right?”

Kuroko gazes at Akashi’s face, smiling lightly before nodding and feeling the smallest warmth travel to his cheeks.

“Ah...Mido-chin was wrong before. Kuro-chin ended up staying with Aka-chin in the end.”

“Murasakibara,” Midorima glares, looking affronted.

“Oh? Shintarou, what is Atsushi referring to,” Akashi smiles, grim and sharp.

“Yeah, a few months ago, Midorimacchi thought you would end up finding that Kurokocchi was weak and take back your invitation for him to join your personal guard,” Kise happily supplies.

“Kise!”

“You thought Tetsu was some weak guy even though he ended up tying me and managing to actually harm me in an actual span? He even managed to land at least a cut on Akashi when you couldn’t!”

“Daiki speaks the truth, Shintarou.”

“You can’t blame me for thinking that way, and even Kise and Murasakibara agreed with me,” Midorima argues, trying to lessen the damage.

“Daiki may not be able to blame you, but I can. I’m offended that you thought so lowly of my lover, and for that, you’ll be properly punished. You’ll be on cleaning duty for my entire home for 2 months, become a personal helper for Daiki during those 2 months, and as well as returning to old training regime for you, only tripled this time. Ryouta and Atsushi will haves their punishment decided later.”

“U-Understood,” Midorima says, balking.

“I think I should be the one offended since I was the one being insulted,” Kuroko interrupts, eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Am I allowed to poison him, Akashi-kun?”

“Tetsu, you’re already just like Akashi! What the fu–”

“Excuse me, what is that supposed to mean, Daiki?”

“Nothing!”

“Good.”

Kuroko just sighs again, but looks at the scene fondly before squeezing the hand intertwined with his, and rested his forehead at the nape of Akashi’s neck, feeling happiness flutter in his heart.

OMAKE:

“Akashi-kun, do you remember our fight and how we conversed for a bit after that?”

“Yes, Tetsuya, what about it?”

“Poison isn’t my only specialty,” the bluenet hums, “I also do quite well with seduction.”

“Is this another threat?”

“I retract my statement.”

“What?”

I’ll be sleeping in Aomine-kun’s room tonight. Good night, Akashi-kun.”

“Tetsuya!”

#AkaKuroValentine2017 #akashi seijuro #kuroko tetsuya #akakuro #knb #ssanctuses #kuroko no basuke #will the real otp please stand up #seiju writes

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