UPDATE FIC! Finding GoM Matching Partner ~Signal: Epilog~ (AkaFuri, KaKu, AoKi, MiTa, MuHi; Pg-15)
Signal
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Rating: Pg-15/T
Genre: Drama/Family/Romance (no humor this time, sorry! >_<)
Pairing: Akashi/Furihata-main, Kagami/Kuroko, Aomine/Kise, Midorima/Takao, Murasakibara/Himuro
Summary: There's a reason why Kagami was sent back home to Japan. Akashi pulled some strings? Or was it his family? Why does Furihata get involved in this craziness? Will Akashi give his blessing to all the GoM members' new 'partners'? This is the conclusion. Akashi's 'eyes' are there for a very important reason, not just for basketball.
Beta: tora-chan83 (thanks a LOT for the help!)
Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke isn't mine. Luna only plays with the characters~<3
Warning: the usual, language, shounen ai/yaoi, AU, oh, and beware of the twist 2nd OMAKE~
A/N: Yah! Minna-san! Sorry for making you wait for so long for this update! This is the Epilog of Signal and Finding GoM Matching Partner Series! I hope you will enjoy this expanded epilog and OMAKES (yes, it's plural *grins*) to the very last detail! Saa! Doozo yoroshiku!
Finding GoM Matching Partner
Signal: Epilogue
Akashi was looking upward at the winter sky from where he stood in the middle of a city park at Ginza. It was a fine morning, albeit rather chilly, but it was okay since he was always strong against cold air. The sea of grey above his head poured the snowflakes slowly down to the earth, creating a beautiful sight.
Akashi chuckled lightly at himself for thinking so uncharacteristically like that. He had never thought that he could find such a simple natural occurrence a pretty thing. Well, not when he was still trapped in the idealism of his closed perfect-like world. Before he could only taste the freedom from the shackles that had bound him and his entire life until recently, before he understood the true meaning of friendship and-
Love….
Akashi smiled lightly remembering the events that happened to him just a week ago, when he was still rather weak because of the drug and he had to stay over at Furihata's house…
A knock on the door of Furihata's room brought Akashi, Kagami, Takao, Himuro and Aomine's attention away from each other. They turned to face it as someone opened the door and Furihata's head snuck in from the gap between the door and its frame.
"Hey, is everything okay here?" Furihata asked with an attentive small smile plastered on his face.
"Yeah, Furihata. We're good," Kagami answered with an easy grin.
"What's wrong, Kouki?" Akashi asked as the smaller brunet seemed to hesitate at the doorstep.
"Um… there are more people who want to see Akashi-kun, but if you don't feel like it, I can tell them to come back later," Furihata informed.
"More people?" Akashi was puzzled since he didn't recall inviting anyone but the GoM and their respective partners.
However, before Furihata could tell him who they were, the door was unexpectedly slammed open wider as some people rushed inside the room while shouting.
"Sei-chan!"
"Akashi!"
Akashi widened his eyes slightly seeing his Crownless Kings suddenly appear there, looking very much concerned and agitated for some reasons. "You guys… why are you here?"
They immediately made a face as if Akashi had grown a second head. "What do you mean why we are here? Is that a serious question?" Mibuchi was visibly distraught.
"Akashi, we are worried about you," Hayama said, kneeling beside the bed and looking at Akashi in the eye, expression grave and somber, unlike the usually energetic and cheery Hayama.
"Coach suddenly announced that you might not come back to Rakuzan next spring. Everyone was in shock, you know. And they all asked questions. We asked questions. Why? It's not true, right?" Nebuya frowned deeply, clenching his fists slightly.
Akashi was silent for a moment while spotting from the corner of his eyes that Kagami, Aomine, Takao and Himuro, along with Furihata discreetly walked out of the room to give him, them, some sort of privacy.
The door closed quietly as Akashi sighed, grateful that Furihata and the others were considerate enough. He looked upward slowly again to Hayama a moment later. "I did send the two-week notice to coach," he confessed, and the three boys near him paled slightly. He could see the tell tale of protest bubbling up in their expressions and Mibuchi seemed about to voice it out when Akashi beat him to it.
"But it's not my intention to leave Rakuzan."
That stopped the dark haired teen. Instead, he looked confused now, as well as Hayama and Nebuya.
"Are you guys aware of my situation?" Akashi asked a few seconds later and they nodded slightly.
"We know bits and pieces… about your family circumstances, but we haven't yet heard the details of what actually happened that caused you to transfer," Mibuchi said, sounding calmer than before, but he still looked anxious.
"Akashi… can't we do anything to help?" Hayama asked, looking helpless. "Are we really that useless to you as friends… teammates, that you can't even rely on us?"
Akashi didn't change his expression, but inside, he flinched. Indeed, he didn't consider them as that, friends, until now, but seeing them like this… concerned and seriously worried about him, Akashi guessed that he had made another mistake.
"Akashi?" Nebuya called him and the red head closed his eyes, trying his hardest to hold down his pride to do the right thing, as much as he resented this. Rome wasn't built in one day. Of course Akashi would still feel very reluctant to do this. But he needed to do it. He had to if he wanted to change, to be a better individual, a better person.
To be fully human with all of their imperfections….
Akashi inhaled deeply and paced his breathing to calm down, to prepare himself to do something he wouldn't have thought to do in million years if his friends hadn't pounded some senses into him. He repeated the maneuver a few times, before being sure enough to say "Is it too late if I want to ask for your help?"
His friends didn't seem to expect that at all. They went rigidly silent with stunned looks on their faces. Akashi felt rather self-conscious when he was gawked at so blatantly like that. They didn't even try to be discreet with their expressions of wonder about what just happened.
Akashi felt that he had slipped, doing something so aberrantly like this, and was about to take back what he said when Hayama suddenly surged forward and gave him a bone-crushing hug, surprising him so much that he actually almost yelped.
"Kotarou?"
"Of course it's not too late! You can ask anything! Anything at all!" Hayama tightened his embrace and Akashi was slightly bewildered at the sudden action. Moreover, Mibuchi gave the gentlest smile Akashi had ever seen from him and Nebuya grinned so widely that his cheeks almost looked like they were splitting.
"Everyone…" Akashi reached up slightly to touch Hayama's back, still feeling rather surreal with the warmth he could feel from him. Even though it was different from the warmth he felt from Furihata, it was exactly the same warmth he could always feel from his GoM friends.
"Akashi belongs with us in Rakuzan," Mibuchi said while sitting on the bed, reaching out and draping his arms around Akashi and Hayama.
"We will do anything in our capabilities so you can come back to Rakuzan with us." Nebuya also moved closer and looked at Akashi's eyes surely, his dark caramel colored eyes reassuring, and Akashi instantly knew that he had done the right thing.
Akashi could trust these people as well, because they were…
"We're friends; that's why! And we want to be with you," they said and Akashi could feel that they were sincere, honest… and serious with every word they uttered.
The ex-GOM captain knew it was ridiculous because no one could guarantee that, and he also didn't exactly use his Eye to see whether they were lying or not, but he just could feel it, that their words were true.
Akashi smiled gently then. "I'd like to stay in Rakuzan too…"
Akashi's smile widened slightly as he felt another gush of warmth inside his chest after remembering that time. He recollected how they started to discuss what to do to cancel the transfer. Luckily, they didn't have to do anything at all because Seiji, his father, promised to immediately fix that for him, saying to the destination school that the transfer was a mistake and the paper works were lost or something, so the decision could be annulled.
Father can be cunning and devious too once in awhile-Akashi couldn't help smirking as he recalled how frantic Seiji was when he called Akashi at the evening, when Akashi was still staying at Furihata's residence.
Seiji said he had heard everything from Setsuna. After learning the details from Akashi himself regarding the matter, he also promised that he and Kurenai would take care of Soujirou the next day.
Well, from the rumors a few days later, Akashi knew that Kurenai was furious about what happened, and if Seiji didn't put Soujirou into safety, she would probably have murdered him or something, so Seiji admitted Soujirou into a psychiatric ward at the Tokyo Central Hospital before moving him to a nut-house somewhere away from Kurenai.
Akashi had visited Soujirou the day before yesterday, and no, Akashi hadn't come home to the Akashi Family's main house yet despite Kurenai's wish. Seiji somehow had made sure she didn't know where Akashi stayed after he recuperated in Furihata's home, which was actually at Kagami's apartment.
Akashi lowered his gaze as he recollected the events when he was visiting Soujirou in the nut-house.
Akashi stoically looked at Soujirou who was smiling from his comfortable looking plush seat. "Good to see you here, Sei-nii," the younger greeted, but Akashi didn't say anything back. He didn't want to say anything. He merely raised his eyebrows slightly.
Soujirou chuckled at his minimal response. "I know you probably want to say 'I told you so', but you can save your breath because this isn't over," he continued, looking upward at Akashi easily. "My position as your right hand man is still valid. Not even mother can revoke me from that role," he sounded perfectly confident with everything he said, but Akashi knew better.
"Delusion won't get you anywhere, Soujirou," Akashi said frostily. "Get a life. I'm tired of you. You aren't my shadow. You don't have to act with that mindset anymore. You have your own life to live. Go for it."
Soujirou looked especially shocked by what Akashi said, but then his expression softened slightly before he started laughing as if he had lost his mind. "Oh, Sei-nii, you are so funny," he shook his head, seeming to have difficulty toning down his laughter. "You forgot, didn't you? I don't have a life without you in it. I have no purpose in living if you're not around. Is this how you want to get rid of me? By abandoning your role as an heir, are you abandoning me?" he looked at Akashi again, smirking acrimoniously.
Akashi was silent for almost ten seconds (yes, he's counting), before he reached out to put his hand on Soujirou's cheek. "You're wrong. I will succeed the family, but I don't need you as my right hand man," he inanely stroked the skin under his palm as Soujirou widened his eyes slightly. "You are my little brother, so you should act like one."
There was a pregnant silence stretching for almost two minutes after that before Soujirou put his hand on top of Akashi's, his eyes glassed, years of unshed tears beginning to gather below his eyelids.
Akashi sighed slightly as he saw the younger slowly close his eyes and nuzzle his palm, his tears dripping one by one like a broken dam. He instantaneously knew he had made the right choice. "Mother won't interfere with our lives anymore. You don't need to please me or her to be recognized as one of Akashi's."
Akashi could feel Soujirou tighten his hold on his hand as he started to sob faintly and Akashi alleviated his expression as he reached out his other hand to ruffle the slightly taller boy's hair for good measure.
Akashi knew Soujirou needed to stay longer in that place for treatment over his 'ideas' of the perfect, strongest family and ideal world, but he'd like to think that he already freed Soujirou from their mother's shackles that imprisoned him to all the Akashi Family's doctrines.
As for Akashi's mother… there was rumor that Kurenai was busy hunting down Soujirou's loyal servants and making their lives miserable.
Akashi chuckled. His mother could be childish too sometimes. He couldn't help feeling flattered of how much he was loved, regardless of his wish that she would control her possessiveness a little bit more. Too bad Akashi didn't get to know much of the details of her hunt (even though he really wanted to see those insolents squirm as well) since Seiji had set some ground rules that forced Kurenai to stay out of Akashi's sight until everything was settled down.
Akashi was actually wondering how Seiji did that… forcing Kurenai to back off. Well, wondering without knowing was never in Akashi's agenda, so he asked the closest person that knew about it outside the family.
"It was an ultimatum, that Seiji-san delivered to Kurenai. 'Stop interfering with my children's lives or I'll leave with them,' he said. Kurenai was pretty shaken up because she loves him more than she thought she did and she can't afford to lose him and her children at the same time. She is a rationalist and a perfectionist, so she backed off for the time being, or something similar to the past might happen again," Setsuna explained.
"You mean when you decided to leave," Akashi nodded somberly and Setsuna smiled rather forlornly at that.
"I hate to be bound by rules and my father put chains on me, so I retaliated and ran away. Kurenai helped me because she wanted to have the Akashi Family for herself. However, she also regarded me as a part of her Akashi Family, so the night I ran away, she swore that she would get me back in again after she possessed everything else," Setsuna chuckled now. "She thought I didn't love her anymore after leaving… and Taira- ah, he's my husband by the way, is seen as her enemy because he took me away from her, so… I just don't want to see her again because she will do something bad to him."
"You don't know that," Akashi raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, I know. Trust me. I know Kurenai the best. What she wants, she gets it by any means necessary. She's just like that, beyond saving," Setsuna chuckled again, sounding amused.
"You seem 'okay' with that," Akashi was curious because there was no resentment in Setsuna's tone. It was weird because he thought Setsuna would at least hate Kurenai a little because of her selfish trait.
"Well, that's why she's my younger sister. I mean… I love her despite all of that. She's not always so hateful, you know? She can be cute too sometimes," Setsuna shrugged, before grinning easily, apparently feeling nostalgic. "She just takes the Akashi Family's doctrine too far and too long under our father's order, so… just like you before all of this, Seijuurou, she doesn't know how to love normally except possessing them completely," she explained, looking rather poignant.
"How come you are so different from her?" Akashi asked strangely. Setsuna's existence and personality were like an anomaly in the Akashi Family after all. It was honestly intriguing.
"Hmm… maybe because I've had Taira since I was a kid. He was the only person in the family who dared enough to scold me when I did something wrong or selfish in the commoners' eyes," Setsuna said, smiling fondly as she seemed to reminiscence the past events.
"I thought he was supposed to be your bodyguard. Was he allowed do that, scold you?" Akashi raised his eyebrows again in wonder. Normally, Akashi would have that Taira guy's head if he dared to question his decision despite only being an SP.
"Taira was not only my bodyguard, but also like my caretaker. Mother passed away early and father was too caught up in his ambition to make the Akashi Family even bigger than it already had, so… he didn't have much time to bond with us and only shoved the family principles down our throats via special educations and whatever, you know the gist. Kurenai did the same things to you and Soujirou, right?" Setsuna looked apologetic as she gazed at Akashi and the younger teen could only sigh at that.
"So it is a family tradition after all… hiding the existence of one brother or sister from the other," Akashi mumbled quietly, feeling rather annoyed at the information. If he succeeded the family name, that was the first tradition he would wipe off.
"Well, that didn't happen to Kurenai and me. I guess it's because we're twins. We just… realized each other's existence from birth. But since our caretakers were different… the way we were brought up was different as well," Setsuna shrugged, looking carefree.
"Huh? Wait a moment, how old is this Taira guy?" It suddenly occurred to Akashi. If what Setsuna had told him about having Taira since she was a kid was true, then… how much of an age difference did they have when they got married?
Setsuna laughed lightly at his question. "Seriously, Soujirou, call him uncle," then she giggled for a few moment until Akashi gave her a look of impatience. "Relax. No need to be so uptight with me. Well, I guess you are the type that dislikes to be made waiting, huh? One of the Akashi's characteristics. Very fitting. I have to admit that I'm like that as well," she continued before her chuckles receded. "He's 48 now," she answered a moment later.
"And you are around 36…" Akashi mumbled slowly. Setsuna made a protesting noise about how he made her sound so old for mentioning her age so indelicately like that.
So it was 12 years difference. No wonder the Akashi family forbade the relationship, not only for the status disparity, the age gap alone was already controversial. "Did he really take you away when you were 18?" he asked again, feeling rather skeptical.
"Yes, I was old enough to get married, so we did get married right after that, but he didn't touch me until I turned 19, even then, it was because I forced him to, since his morals and conscience wouldn't let him take advantage of me," Setsuna smiled very softly as she talked about that man. It was extremely clear that even until now, she was still very much in love with her husband.
It was true love, Akashi believed, if even until after 18 years the fire of the passion never faded from Setsuna's ruby colored eyes. He wondered if he could find that kind of love as well someday…
"Akashi-kun."
Akashi blinked slightly as someone's face appeared in his mind. He almost choked at the bizarre image because that boy's smiling expression came up right after he thought about some cheesy stuff like true love.
No, it wasn't because Akashi thought about him as a 'true love' candidate or anything. It was just a fleeting thought. He hadn't known that boy for long and even though he occasionally felt his heart thump faster when he was nearby, it didn't mean he had fallen for him or anything.
…
Okay, Akashi knew he was pushing it. There was a limit for being in a denial, but he just hadn't acknowledged his feelings as the real deal, because let's face it, he was still a teen… a young boy with hormones. He couldn't yet make a wise decision regarding 'love' and 'relationship' since chemistries in his brain would cloud his judgment. Physiological responses couldn't be taken as real feelings and now when he wasn't as weak as the last time he saw that boy, he couldn't help having second thoughts.
Really, having an outstanding logical mind could be very vexing because it interfered with Akashi's feelings and instincts. He just couldn't help the way his mind worked over things like this. He was Akashi Seijuurou. Planning and plotting were something he does on daily basis, like breathing air. Of course he couldn't just drop that habit.
"Ah, Akashi-kun!"
Akashi blinked in surprise when he truly heard a voice call him, bringing him back from his train of thought. He slowly turned around to face the owner of the voice as the boy waved at him with a cheery smile on his face.
Akashi thought his heart just thumped harder for a second, but he ignored it in favor of smiling back at the shorter brunet who had helped him a week before. "Good morning, Kouki," he greeted as Furihata arrived in front of him.
"Morning. Sorry, did you wait for long?" Furihata asked as he checked his watch, looking quite nervous now, apparently thinking that he had made Akashi wait.
"No, I just wanted to enjoy the view of the sky before you came, so I arrived earlier than our promised time. You aren't late," Akashi answered reassuringly.
"Oh, thank god. Alright then…" Furihata looked down for awhile before looking upward again. "Um, so… where do you want to go?" he asked timidly.
Honestly, Akashi felt relatively perturb at how Furihata seemed still rather wary of him even though he should know that Akashi wouldn't hurt him or anything. He thought it was odd at first because he usually encouraged such behavior on other people when they dealt with Akashi, but somehow, Akashi didn't like it when it was Furihata.
"Do you have something in mind?" Akashi asked, optioning to give the other boy a freedom of choice because he was sure that Furihata would go along with whatever Akashi wanted just to be in the safe zone, and Akashi wouldn't know what kind of boy Kouki was if he didn't see the boy decide on something by himself.
"Eh, you want me to decide?" Furihata widened his eyes, outwardly surprised.
"Yes, aren't you the one who promised me an outing a week ago to celebrate my recovery?" Akashi smirked slightly, not intending to tease him, but Furihata's cheeks turned fairly pink anyway at the remembrance.
Yep, a week ago, when Akashi had just recovered from the fever, the drugs, and everything else, he felt rather disappointed because he needed to go home. Furihata seemed to sense his loss even though Akashi didn't say anything, so he offered Akashi to hang out together sometimes. He gave him his cell phone number and yesterday, Akashi had called him, saying he wanted to go on an outing in Tokyo. Furihata had agreed to go with him.
"Uh… um, then, there are a lot of places in Tokyo where you can hang out with friends. Ah, but these places aren't fancy, okay? It's high school boys' level of sites after all," Furihata warned tentatively.
Akashi chuckled at his response, suddenly wanting to know everything Furihata could offer with his knowledge about entertaining him. "Do your worst."
Epilog B
Part 9