UPDATE! Signal Part 5 (Aka/Furi, Kaga/Kuro, Ao/Ki, Mido/Taka, Mura/Himu; Pg-15)

[lunaryu]

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.
Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki-sensei. Luna only plays with the characters~
Warning: AU, slight oOC, language, yaoi, OCs alert (for the family members), Akashi (and his family *lol*), etc…
Beta: tora-chan38.

A/N: Sorry, it takes so long to update. My GOD! Last week I was so busy I couldn't even come home before 10 p.m. I tried to type as fast as I could at weekend, but I ended up making so many mistakes for my beta to correct that it took even longer time to complete. Sorry, tora-chan38 (T_T) and thank you sooo much for your help! XD

Anyway, I won't babble much. Thank you very much for the reviews from the previous chapter! Also for who faves and alerts this, I hope all of you enjoy this chapter as well!

Signal

Part 5



"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?"

Kagami Taiga and Akashi Seijuurou are… COUSINS?!

Everyone in the room (except Kuroko and Setsuna) literally dropped their jaws in shock as that fact sank in their mind. Even Midorima couldn't escape the inevitable of making himself look ridiculous like a fish out of water.

"Akashi-kun… and Kagami-kun…?" Kuroko was astonished as he heard that. Even though he didn't show it much, he was as shocked as the others about it.

Kagami's eyes were very wide as he seemed to try to digest the information in his not so brilliant brain. "That's… a joke, right?" He laughed very nervously, seeming unable to accept her statement.

Setsuna threw Kagami an apologetic look. "I'm afraid not, Taiga. You and Akashi Seijuurou are indeed cousin," she said, sighing slightly.

…

"How… how could that be? I mean; they don't even look alike!" Takao was the first of the speechless group who finally found his voice after a very suffocating silence. Everyone snapped in response and immediately nodded eagerly, looking still skeptical.

"Kagami-kun and Akashi-kun… can't be cousins," even Kuroko was in disbelief. "After all, how could a guy as pure as Kagami-kun have any relation at all with someone like Akashi-kun?" To think that part of their beings share the same 'something' was very hard to stomach.

Setsuna chuckled at this. "I don't think them being related has anything to do with their personalities, after all, they were raised in different environments."

"But still… they really don't look alike, Aunt Setsuna," Himuro suddenly spoke, still looking very shocked as well even though he seemed calmer than the others. "If you and Akashi Seijuurou's mother are sisters, then… Taiga should at least have some resemblance with him," he continued.

"No, but… they do share some things in common," Momoi interrupted, looking thoughtful after she seemed to calm down as well. Then she turned to face Kagami who was still speechless, and assessed his appearance. "Red eyes… red hair… I think they are similar to Akashi-kun's before he got 'The Eye'," she continued and Kuroko widened his eyes for a fraction, though no one seemed to notice since they were quite distracted with what Momoi had said.

Kise and Aomine were still gaping as Midorima apprehensively fixed his glasses position. Murasakibara looked slightly disturbed as well while Takao frowned deeply.

"What do you mean by… before getting 'The Eye'?" Himuro seemed to be more interested in that part as he asked and Kagami looked upward at Himuro in a surprise. However, the redhead was clearly interested in it as well when he turned to face the GoM members again, including Kuroko.

Kuroko looked down, feeling rather distressed suddenly. He really didn't want to talk about this when there was a more pressing matter at hand. Who would have thought that Kagami had such relation with Akashi? Was this really a coincidence?

Somehow, Kuroko couldn't help feeling rather paranoid. Because this was Akashi Seijuurou they were talking about, anything was possible. But… he wouldn't have gone as far as setting up Kagami and Kuroko's meeting as well, right? It was… plainly impossible!

"Shin-chan, can I tell these guys what you told me?" Takao suddenly raised his hand, surprising the others, especially Kuroko. All eyes centered on the Hawk Eyed point guard before slowly moving to Midorima who looked very bothered at that moment.

"You told him already?" Aomine who appeared to finally find his voice again asked, looking rather indignant. Kise looked distraught beside him, clenching at the hem of his clothes while Momoi looked peeved. Murasakibara just eyed the green haired teen with an unreadable expression and Kuroko couldn't help frowning slightly.

"It is inevitable," Midorima replied slowly. "Sooner or later, we have to inform them if we really want to involve them in our life… especially concerning Akashi because he's someone who will always be in our lives no matter what," he continued steadily, his expression pained for some reasons. "You of all people should have realized this, Aomine."

Aomine flinched. The tan ace gritted his teeth, looking very disgruntled as he clenched his hand hard.

"Aomine-chi…" Kise reached out to hold his fist, slowly stroking and prying for his fingers to loosen so his nails wouldn't dig into his palm. He was trying to comfort Aomine somehow, and the dark-blue haired teen appeared to notice this as well when he took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

"What's going on here?" Kagami seemed to catch on that there was something… something bigger that happened in the past. Of course even he would notice if everyone suddenly made such anxious gestures and disturbed expressions, he wasn't that dull.

Kuroko himself… as much as he wanted to mask his worry and agitation with an indifferent look, couldn't help seething painfully as he recalled those memories. It wasn't that far away in the past. It was only almost two years ago. That event… that changed their lives forever.

"It seems… something did happen in the past," Setsuna was the one who broke the unbearable stillness and the GoM winced slightly at that. "Would you guys tell us… what happened?"

They seemed very reluctant. Heck, even Kuroko was hesitant. Honestly, if it was possible, Kuroko wanted to forget, because… what Akashi did that time… had bounded them to the GoM Captain forever, whether they liked it or not.

But the thing was… it was deeper than that. No one seemed to notice this yet, but Kuroko… he knew. He had seen the truth behind all of Akashi's masks and actions back then.

"Akashi-kun… had an accident when we were in the third year," Momoi spoke slowly.

"Accident?" Himuro asked as Kagami looked surprised. Setsuna turned rather serious in her silence, listening to the pink haired girl speak since the others didn't seem willing to open their mouths.

"Before… Akashi-kun's eyes were both red in color, but… after the accident, he acquired the 'Emperor Eye'," Momoi spoke again. "I've never dared to ask from where, but… rumor said it was from his mother," she continued slowly, carefully as if she were talking about something taboo.

Setsuna narrowed her eyes as she heard this, and Kuroko was wondering why, but it wasn't the time to question Kagami's mother when Momoi was bearing her soul (information) to the strangers about something only the GoM should know.

"What happened in the accident?" Kagami asked further, looking very curious.

"After the GoM of Teikou secured two years of victory in the Middle School Championship Games, the GoM's name soared highly and they became very famous. However, some people disliked that fact. From the chatter around, I picked up some disturbing rumors about 'basketball gamble'."

Kagami and Himuro snapped as they heard this. "Basketball gamble…! Tatsuya, it's…!"

"Yeah," Himuro nodded seriously. "It's almost the same as in the U.S. Basketball gamble is common even in Japan between in a certain circle."

Momoi nodded before she continued. "The continuous victory of the Teikou team made some very dangerous people unhappy because they lost money in this 'basketball gamble'. Then, the GoM started getting harassed right after the preliminary game started."

…

…

"You got harassed?" Kagami and Himuro shouted in unison. They didn't seem to expect that news. Takao looked surprised as well. It seemed Midorima didn't tell him that far about what the GoM had been going through in middle school that caused the accident.

"We did. Well, most of us ignored these harassments at first because it was common for other people to feel jealous of what we have, and they were actually petty at first, like hate letters or hiding our things. Regardless, we never got physically hurt or anything. The worst was when someone stole Midorin's lucky item so he wouldn't show up in our match, but that's it. However… one time, it escalated into something pretty bad," Momoi looked down.

"What?" Takao asked.

"Threatening letter," Momoi whispered. "Just one time, two days before our fifth official match for the preliminaries of the Championship Game in our third year," she closed her eyes then, her complexion looking slightly paler. "The letter demanded Aomine Daiki to skip the next match, or something bad would happen to him or the people around him. At that time, Dai-chan had started to skip practices more, and so he didn't know about the letter. Akashi-kun tried to contact him, we all did, but Dai-chan had a bad habit of ignoring his call or turning his cell phone off when he was skipping, so... Well, we decided to find him, but apparently, he wasn't at school that time."

Aomine shut his eyes at that. He seemed very repentant for some reason, but he still didn't say anything and neither did everyone else, especially Kagami, Himuro and Takao. They seemed very inquisitive to know the whole story.

"Akashi-kun suggested that we split up to look for him," Momoi spoke again after pausing to take a breath.

"Wait, you didn't tell the school about it?" Himuro asked, looking confused.

"We did, but the school decided not to involve the police because it could create a scene, right? After all, Teikou is a prestigious school, so they didn't want any bad news involving their school name. Akashi-kun seemed pretty mad at that time, but he decided to go along with the boards' wish to keep it quiet, so we looked for Dai-chan with the help of our basketball club members only," Momoi explained.

"Tsk. What is wrong with that school?" Kagami grunted, seemingly annoyed.

"Private school is usually like that," Takao nodded grimly.

"Anyway, we looked for Dai-chan separately, but then…" Momoi went very quiet at this point, and she didn't seem to be strong enough to continue, so Kise picked up her story.

"The real purpose of the letter was actually to separate us from each other. We… got attacked by some people we didn't know when we looked for Aomine-chi. Of course we ran away, but Momoi-chi wasn't very lucky… she…" Kise gulped at this. "She was almost…," he didn't seem able to say it, but Himuro and Takao appeared to catch on pretty quickly. Kagami looked pretty confused at first before Himuro whispered something in his ear, causing him to make a horrified expression.

"No way!" Kagami was still gaping when Momoi scooted closer to Aomine and gripped his clothes with trembling hands.

Kise took a deep shaky breath before he continued. "Luckily, Akashi-chi stopped it before it got too far. He called us and we helped Momoi-chi run away, and… when we almost got involved in a fight… Akashi-chi… he did something," the blond looked weary at this point, his caramel colored eyes watery.

"What did he do?" Kagami gulped slightly at the suspense.

"He talked to them," Midorima answered for Kise. "We didn't know what he said back then because it was such a dire situation and we were in panic, trying to run away. The next thing we knew, one of the guys bashed Akashi-chi's left side head."

"Eh?" Both Kagami and Himuro looked stricken at that. Takao grimaced.

"That wasn't all. It was apparently Akashi's offer in exchange of letting us go," Midorima continued before he looked at Takao seriously. "I told Takao… that we owed our lives to Akashi… because he let some insignificant people injure him, so Akashi wouldn't be able to come out in the next match. But in exchange, they would leave the rest of us alone," he gritted his teeth. "Even though he could have just run… but for us… he…!"

"He's that kind of guy, isn't he?" Aomine said, looking very scornful and hateful. "He did that… to reprimand me for skipping too many practices and ignoring his call…!"

"Aomine-kun!" Kuroko raised his voice at that, and everyone snapped in shock as if they had just realized that Kuroko was there with them. "Akashi wouldn't…! That kind of thing…!" He was mortified at how his ex-partner was thinking about their ex-Captain.

"But there was a rumor that he even controlled those guys!" Aomine shouted in retaliation.

"It was a baseless rumor! We have talked about this repeatedly!" Kuroko shouted back, which seemed to surprise everyone even more because he never shouted so loudly, not to that extent. Even Aomine looked bewildered at that.

…

A heavy silence befell the room before Kise broke it with a whisper of "Akashi-chi… didn't deny that rumor, though."

Kuroko turned to face Kise who looked very heartbroken. "Yes… he didn't deny that. But…" He bit his bottom lip slightly.

"Consider it a warning for you all. From now on, stick together at all cost and always answer your phone if I call. There's no excuse the second time."

Akashi had said that from a hospital bed when the six of them visited him. With that kind of speech, with a look so cold and serious, even though it was only with one sharp eye looking at them (since the other was covered with cotton and bandaged), of course Aomine would be crushed with remorse and a heavy sense of responsibility. After all, Momoi also got hurt because of him.

Of course, some of them would also think that it was Akashi's plan all along. They knew the redhead well. He was capable and would go as far as hurting himself and other people to make his point across.

"What a troublesome ace."

Kuroko remembered how Akashi had looked after they were left alone in the room. He looked rueful as he spoke, as if losing his left eye was a small thing.

"Why… why did you go that far, Akashi-kun…?" It wasn't normal. No matter how everyone looked at it, it was too much. Kuroko wanted to know why Akashi would go overboard for them, for his basketball team.

Akashi turned to face Kuroko and smiled kindly before saying "This is a cheap price, so long as I can keep all of us on the top safely."

At that time, Kuroko knew that it was the truth. No matter how cruel or sadistic Akashi was sometimes with his training regiment, his psychological game or even in his threats, he always did what he needed to do for the GoM's own good. However, Kuroko also knew that this… this obsession he had towards them… would definitely destroy himself… and them, someday.

That's why… after that, Kuroko was trying to maintain distance. He had seen what kind of guy Akashi Seijuurou was. How far he would go to keep them close under his wing, how much he was willing to do pretty much anything to make sure of it… In a sense, aside from Kuroko's respect and admiration, there was also fear towards Akashi's conviction in his heart.

"But… there was no proof, and it did not change the fact that he saved us that day… He traded his left eye for our safety…" Kuroko spoke again, continuing his words as he closed his eyes.

"You're still so naïve, huh… Tetsu?" Aomine looked bitter now. "But you… you also know deep down that it wasn't true and you left because of that, right? It wasn't just because of our fallout as partners. I saw the way you looked at Akashi sometimes, you know," he continued, holding Momoi close with one hand while the other held Kise's hand.

Kuroko couldn't say anything back to that. As much as he wanted to tell them about his speculation, he also didn't have any proof that Akashi was obsessed with them. Even though he was pretty sure that he was right, Akashi wouldn't admit it. Kuroko wasn't even sure if Akashi realized why he did what he did.

"I see… something like that happened, huh?" Setsuna mumbled slightly. Kagami looked perplexed and Himuro appeared to be astounded.

"No wonder he spoke about gauging his own eyes out for just winning a game…" Takao sighed while muttering, looking irked rather than impressed. "He's psychotic," he huffed.

"He is, isn't he?" Kise smiled sadly at that.

"But…" Murasakibara spoke so suddenly, surprising the others because he hadn't said a thing after Momoi started telling the story earlier. "Deep down, Aka-chin is a very fragile and gentle person," he said.

Everyone looked at the purple haired boy as if he had grown a second head. Akashi Seijuurou was far from fragile. Manipulative. Cruel. Sometimes gentle maybe, sometimes, but never fragile. There was even a sharp edge in Akashi's gentleness.

However, but Kuroko couldn't exactly argued with Murasakibara even though there was no proof of his theory since Kuroko himself didn't have any hard proof to object it.

"I see," Setsuna suddenly clasped her hands, seemingly trying to gain everyone's attention and dispel the degenerating moment. "I understand the situation now. So… basically you guys don't want something like what occurred in the past to happen again because you missed his call, huh? That's why you don't want to leave Satsuki-chan alone since she could be targeted again if Seijuurou-kun indeed was behind that attack," she declared and nodded surely. "Don't worry. I will watch over her," she said reassuringly to the others who looked relieved as the mood was somehow lightened slightly with her supportive words and kind smile.

Still, before they could properly express their gratitude, Setsuna added, "However, I want to be where you are when you meet Seijuurou-kun later."

…

…

"Eh?" The GoM, including Kuroko, blinked at her in surprise and confusion.

"There's something that bugged me with the story just now…" Setsuna looked thoughtful as she explained. "I just want to make sure that I've got the wrong idea…maybe."

Kuroko looked at Setsuna, very curious of what she was thinking because she looked… like she knew about something that they didn't. However, it was hard to ask her because it seemed like she didn't want to share her thought before she was sure of it.

"We understand. Setsuna-san can come with us, but… you have to put some distance from our meeting point, so Akashi won't notice you," Midorima agreed and the others didn't seem to mind either.

"If Mom goes, I'm going too," Kagami said suddenly.

"Me too," Takao followed.

"Of course I will go too," Himuro smiled.

"Eh, but…!" now the GoM looked like they minded. Even Kuroko didn't think it was a good idea. Akashi wouldn't be happy if all of them tagged along.

"I'm not sure how to deal with Akashi after knowing that we are cousins, but…" Kagami looked at Kuroko. "I will protect you, Kuroko. I know you are loyal to Akashi, but don't forget that you are min-I mean, my partner now." He coughed slightly at that. For some reasons, his face colored slightly. "I won't let him hurt you, not even a strand of hair," he continued with serious face afterwards.

At the total conviction in Kagami's voice and tone, Kuroko couldn't help feeling amazed of how sincere, how true and honest Kagami was with his promise.

"Well said, Kagami," Takao grinned widely at the redhead before he turned to face his Shin-chan. "Don't underestimate our conviction as the GoM's new partners. We will follow you and watch your back, always," he also made a promise with such confidence that Midorima widened his eyes in astonishment.

"I already made a promise that I'd always be by your side, no matter what happens. That is my devotion to you," Himuro also looked at Murasakibara with total assurance and a very gentle smile that was worth a thousand stars. Murasakibara blinked once before a smile bloomed on his usually bored expression.

"Aww~ aren't they so sweet?" Setsuna squealed and giggled as she witnessed such cheesy confessions. The three boys who said such corny lines blushed slightly as they seemed to realize what they had said, looking very embarrassed suddenly.

"Mom!" Kagami complained at her indignantly, his face still looking very funny.

Aomine and Kise looked at each other, not saying anything but they tightened their hold on each others' hands before Kise smiled softly and Aomine huffed a slight laugh, shaking his head. Momoi was also smiling at this, looking extremely relieved that they had someone… a few people who honestly cared for them as who they are rather than as what they are.

Kuroko couldn't help himself as he approached Kagami, and then reached for his clothes before he put his head on Kagami's chest, surprising the redhead slightly. "Ku-Kuroko?" he sounded confused, his hands moving to hold Kuroko's back as if by reflex.

Kuroko smiled gently from the bottom of his heart as he thought about how instinctively protective Kagami's gesture was. He closed his eyes and hugged Kagami back. "If Kagami-kun is here, my heart feels very strong," he spoke slowly, as quietly as possible so only Kagami could hear it.

Kuroko could feel Kagami's heartbeat jump at his words, and the redhead must have been flustered because Kuroko could hear the giggles, snickers and snorts from everyone else in the room. Kagami made a protesting noise, but Kuroko could care less at that moment, because that was how he felt, honestly.

Kuroko and the others had vowed that they would never betray Akashi, but this was different. Even if Akashi didn't approve, Kuroko wouldn't lose Kagami. No matter what, he would make Akashi understand that Kagami was a necessary element in his life.

Murasakibara and Midorima must have thought the same thing. Kuroko knew, because their feelings were as strong as his towards their new partners.

~Akashi x Furihata~

Akashi looked at his watch. It was almost the promised time. He stood and left the café, walking down the street of Ginza to go back to the deserted park he had decided as the meeting point. He wasn't in a rush since he could be as fashionably late as usual. It was his privilege as the GoM Captain after all.

Akashi's eyes caught some people looking at his direction, but he ignored them. They were probably just the extension of his mother's eyes. He also noticed some ambulances stopped in front of the alleys. The paramedics rushed some injured people in and Akashi recognized those guys albeit they pretty beaten up.

Sheesh… Soujirou… always doing something unnecessary…-Akashi frowned, feeling displeased. His brother always did something without thinking about the consequence. In the end Akashi always had to clean after his mess and it really annoyed him.

"Sei-nii… you want those people, right? How about I give you a hand?"

"This Akashi Soujirou will be your shadow, Sei-nii. Use me at your free will."

Akashi's frown deepened. He ended up remembering something unpleasant. He didn't want to get involved in that world after all. That world was too dark for his comfort. He didn't like being in that world. However…

"Do you want 'these eyes', Seijuurou-san?"

Akashi raised his hand to cover his left eye.

"Yes, I want those eyes, Mother."

Akashi smirked. That was right. His deed of sacrificing his left eye for his GoM was just a way to get his mother's eyes. Well, one eye was enough, though. With that eye he was invincible. With the 'Emperor Eye', he was allowed see a 'future' even though it was only for a fraction of a second before it happened.

Everything was according plan. Everything was in place. He only had to remind his generals that they were his. That everything he did was for their own good. There was nothing for him to worry about.

Nothing at all.

Akashi arrived at the meeting point and the five other members of the GoM were there, waiting for him in tense silence. Akashi smiled, pleased that they still held that fear and respect for him in their eyes. They looked extra wary though, but that was normal since they realized they had done something wrong, something worth a little scolding, and maybe a bit of punishment.

"Good, you aren't running away, Daiki, Ryouta, Shintarou, Atsushi and… Tetsuya," Akashi greeted them calmly, his smile never faltering. He could see them (except Kuroko) flinch slightly at the way he spoke their name just a little more intense than usual.

"Good morning, Akashi-kun," Kuroko, still with his dull expression and toneless voice, spoke first, returning his greeting. The others nodded at the redhead respectfully, following the Phantom Sixth Player's example.

"I see all of you look good, perfectly healthy," Akashi trained his eyes on the features of his generals one by one. "Then I will just ask directly. Do you know why you are here today?" he hardened his stare now and they all winced at that, except maybe Kuroko because he only stared at him unfazed. Just like usual he didn't flinch in Akashi's vicinity as Akashi had expected of a person that filled the 'queen' role in his chess game.

Well, Akashi knew Kuroko just used his mask very well, better than anyone else, but he must have been as scared and anxious as the others. He was expressionless, but his eyes showed emotion more than his face and his words. Akashi's eyes could see it.

Surprisingly, it was Aomine who answered it. "We missed your call, sorry," he looked annoyed, but the beads of sweat on his face informed Akashi just as clearly that he was indeed very sorry.

Kise nodded frantically beside the tan ace, his eyes already teary and his face terrified as he tried to appear as small as possible under Akashi's gaze. Of course Akashi noticed how the blond stood a little bit closer to Aomine than the rest and how he tried to hide himself behind the taller teen, as if he were seeking protection.

Akashi raised his eyebrows at that. That was new. Since when have Ryouta and Daiki gotten so close? At the normal occurrence, usually it would be Ryouta hiding behind Tetsuya and Daiki standing slightly in front of his ex-partner. But…what did I miss when I wasn't around?

Akashi also noticed how Midorima looked at him with a more alarmed expression and that Murasakibara took a slight distance away from him. It was also unusual. He was quite close with Midorima during their middle school days and Murasakibara would stand very close to Akashi no matter what happened.

Akashi sighed slightly. It seemed that a lot of things had changed since the last time they met at the gathering. "Alright, you knew what you did wrong. I want to know the reasons of why you broke your promise to always answer your phone when I call. I didn't even call in unreasonable hour." He continued calmly, but he didn't forget adding the edge on his voice to show how disappointed he was in their behavior.

No one seemed willing to answer that. Akashi was waiting patiently, but as the silence stretched, his temper got the better of him. "You do remember the last time one of you missed my calls, right?"

Aomine winced at that. Good. The ace still remembered.

"It… it's not like that this time," Midorima actually gulped when he spoke, stuttering slightly, so unlike the usual him.

"I believed I told you there's no excuse for the second time, no matter what the situation was," Akashi lowered his tone, seeming to send chills down to his generals' spines at how eerie his voice was.

Good. They needed the fright and terror.

"A-Akashi-chi… I swear there's a strong reason for this…" Kise's voice trembled, his body shaking, and his eyes looking very scared.

"Well, that better be the case. I would understand if one or two of you couldn't make it in time to answer the call. But the five of you actually ignored my call at once…? That raised a big question. What happened?" Akashi asked gravely. Kise yelped and gripped Aomine's clothes more tightly than before.

"Akashi-kun…" Kuroko immediately took over before Akashi could scare Kise to death. Now Akashi focused his sharp gaze at Kuroko who took a deep breath, seemingly trying to be as calm as possible when he continued his words. "I… we… were spending time together with our loved ones last night."

Akashi kept staring at Kuroko for a long time in silence before, "What?" he finally asked. Although his facial expression didn't change much, he was actually surprised. No, maybe he was more confused than surprised. Or maybe Akashi just simply heard Kuroko wrong.

Kuroko actually blushed slightly at the question and Akashi's left eye twitched. The teal haired boy averted his gaze looking rather shy for some reason, such that the twitch increased in number and intensity. Then the worst came when Murasakibara said, "That's right, Aka-chin. We were too busy playing with our partners that we didn't notice there was a call."

To say that he was angry was an understatement, really, because Akashi was officially going berserk as he heard that. Of course he showed the rage by smiling his death smile at those idiots. They saw it pretty well too that he was beyond mad at this point because they stepped back with paler faces. Some even tried to kick and hit Murasakibara for speaking too much.

Akashi's hands were itching to grab his scissors and throw it at their heads, but then again, killing them wouldn't do Akashi any good, so he kept his threatening expression intact, but suppressed the killing urge to the minimum level. "You… I really should give you guys a haircut. Maybe making all of you bald won't be such a bad idea since those bugs won't even glance at you anymore..." Well, at least Akashi still could use his scissors in that context.

"Noooo! Akashi-chi! Please don't! My modeling career will be over if I'm bald! Waaaah!" Of course Kise would be the first to crack. He actually cried with both hands trying to cover his head.

"T-thank you very much for your offer, Akashi, but NO. My hair is short enough and I will look horrendous with bald head." Aomine actually looked ready to bolt at seeing the metallic scissors in Akashi's hand. His face was very pale as well.

"My parents will lock me up in the house if I'm bald, Akashi, just to make sure I won't shame them with my bald head," Midorima shuddered, seeming about to panic at that point.

"Will Aka-chin still spoil me if I'm bald?" Murasakibara was sweating slightly as he asked.

"I must humbly decline your offer at all cost," despite sounding and acting polite with his half bow, Kuroko's line seemed to be spoken with total certainty that he would struggle as much as possible to stop Akashi from getting anywhere near his hair with a pair of scissors.

Akashi was getting more irritated at this point. "Who and where are those leeches?" He would dispose them, seriously.

"Akashi-kun, please…" hearing Kuroko's plea, Akashi toned down his killing intent more. Apparently, he wasn't very success in controlling his urge to destroy something or some people at that matter since the black aura was still pouring into the air around Akashi's body and several yards ahead.

"Have you guys forgotten about your oath?" Akashi asked, narrowing his eyes dangerously at the still trembling guys in front of him.

"No," Kuroko said.

"Then what were you guys doing, choosing your partner over me?" Akashi hissed slightly.

"No, we did not!" Midorima objected looking scandalized.

"It was different, Akashi!" Aomine raised his voice but he immediately averted his gaze from the redhead when he set his glare at the tan ace.

"We-we love our partners, but our loyalty is still with you! We swear!" Kise exclaimed earnestly.

"What is that? You can't possibly think that you can divide your loyalty and love into two different compartments. If there's a time where you have to choose between me and your loved one, you can only choose one. I don't care if you want to fool around, but don't forget. When the situation turns to the worse, it is me you have to listen to," Akashi said sternly.

Kuroko looked surprised as he heard that, but then he seemed to harden his heart. "Our life is ours, Akashi-kun. You can't choose for us," he said.

Akashi smirked at that. "Your life isn't only yours," he responded coldly and the others snapped as they heard the implication of it as well. "Don't forget. Whatever I do, it's for your own good. If you value your lives, don't question me and do as I say."

It was the best that Akashi could do to keep them in line. That was the sentence he kept repeating and practicing over and over in front of a mirror to perfect his expression and tone, so there was no opening, not even a single crack where they could find the true meaning behind the threat and the tyrannous mask.

"Ah, jeez… I can't watch it anymore!"

Suddenly some… people showed up from behind Akashi and he was surprised because he didn't feel their presence nearby just a moment before. Maybe it was because he was too focused on his generals, but still. He narrowed his eyes when he found Kagami Taiga, Himuro Tatsuya and Takao Kazunari there.

"The longer we listen to this ridiculousness, the more we felt the need to intervene," Takao said, huffing, looking rather annoyed for some reasons.

"It is nice to meet you, Akashi Seijuurou-kun. I really wish that we could meet in different circumstances, though," Himuro said slowly, smiling politely at the redhead, but Akashi could just see through his smile that he wasn't very pleased as well with this situation.

"Kagami-kun," Kuroko looked concerned immediately.

Well, that was new. For the usually stoic and expressionless Kuroko to actually react that strongly until he showed such expression… so the loved one Kuroko had mentioned earlier must have been this person. Kagami Taiga. What an eyesore.

"Takao! I told you to stay still!" Midorima reprimanded the owner of the Hawk Eye.

Takao Kazunari. The one Midorima gave his full trust in court. It seemed that the court wasn't the only place he gave him his confidence… no. For Akashi's eyes, it looked more than just simple trust and confidence. Could it be… affection? Even Midorima could have such feeling for another person. That was surprising since even in Akashi's eyes Midorima was a unique individual. Who would have thought that someone beside Akashi could see such a charm in Midorima's personality?

"Muro-chin… you shouldn't have come out…" Murasakibara spoke slowly, looking mildly worried as well.

Even Murasakibara… the usually spoiled lazy Murasakibara… showed such a worried look towards someone else other than Akashi… What had happened when he was away? Where had his ruthless warrior gone to? Who were these people, showing such weakness in front of Akashi like that?

Didn't they know how dangerous it was to show such obvious affection in front of Akashi? He already had their weaknesses in his hand, but they just added the ammunition to give Akashi and them more chances to break them.

"Bunch of fools that don't know their places," Akashi mumbled, looking down on the three guys even though it was rather difficult because they were taller than him. It was seriously annoying. Maybe he would make them kneel over as well after this.

"You know, I really couldn't stand you," Kagami said, glaring at Akashi and Akashi was about to say that he too despised Kagami's being, but he blinked in surprise when Kagamo suddenly sat in front of him. He actually sat on the ground. It was such a sudden gesture that even Akashi couldn't predict it, throwing him off.

"What… are you doing?" Akashi couldn't help asking and he was even more confused when Takao and Himuro followed Kagami's example and sat down as well. The other GoM also looked very surprised at this turn of event.

"You have a bad habit of forcing people taller than you to collapse so you can look down on them, right? We thought we will spare you the trouble because we don't care about our places," Kagami said, looking upward at Akashi in the eye without the slightest shame.

"In this position, not even Akashi Seijurou can make us fall, huh? Crazy, but nice work, Kagami, I LIKE this," Takao snickered heartily.

"Taiga is a street-smart kind of guy. He knows how to deal with troublesome individuals," Himuro laughed slightly at that.

"So that's how it is. Will you give us a chance to speak if we know our places, Akashi Seijuurou?" Kagami asked again and honestly, it was the first time that he was faced by some people who were actually willingly placing themselves lower than him despite being his opponents. It was… rather surprising because he usually had to force them first to do that.

This was really unexpected. For the first time in his life, Akashi Seijuurou didn't know how to response to a situation. Kagami asked for a chance to speak to him, right? What did he…?

Akashi snapped in realization as his eyes caught a sight of some people around them. Since when…?!

This wasn't the time to talk anymore. Akashi checked his watch. He had wasted time since he spoke to his minions. He didn't realize that he had taken too much time to reprimand them about their miss that he failed to get away before they were surrounded.

"Tsk," Akashi clicked his tongue and sighed slightly in exasperation. "Alright then, but I don't think I want to waste my time here anymore than I already have," he said as he looked back at Kagami and the other two guys that weren't part of his GoM members.

"You will speak with us, then?" Himuro raised his face, his visible eye alight with delight.

"Another time. I will give you the time and place to meet. Now, I have to go," Akashi then turned over to his GoM and looked at them one by one with meaningful intensity. "You are all dismissed for now. But your punishment will come for you. Watch your backs," he said before walking away, not looking back at them anymore until he was sure the people that surrounded them followed him away from his minions.

Akashi looked back just once and caught the sight of Momoi and a woman with red hair approaching the other guys at the meeting place earlier. He widened his eyes slightly as he saw the red haired woman's face from afar.

Mother…?

But Akashi immediately noticed that she wasn't actually his mother. Although, he was quite taken aback by the resemblance, he perfectly realized that his mother wouldn't wear such modern clothes and style her hair in such a… ordinary hairstyle. Simple high pony tail wouldn't suit her. But then again, how come there was a woman who looked like his mother and she was even talking to his minions and their partners.

Impossible. Did mother do something when I was away…?-Akashi couldn't help thinking while clenching his fist. He set his dangerous look when a black limousine stopped in front of him and someone opened the passenger door, revealing a guy, the first waiter from the café he had visited earlier that had served him the cups of coffee he had smacked away because he knew they were spiked with something.

"We have been waiting for you, Seijuurou-sama. Let's go home," the man said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes and Akashi could only glare harder at the car.

The thought that his own family wanted to kidnap him was sickening and ridiculous. But she could do something like this using any means necessary if it meant that she would get what she wants. "Mother…"

Akashi knew he wouldn't get too far if he ran. Moreover, those guys would get involved if he tried anything funny. Akashi wasn't stupid enough to do something that could unnecessarily endanger his possessions. "Alright, bring me home," he said as he got in the car and let himself be taken away to where his family was.

~Akashi x Furihata~

"You guys alright?" Setsuna asked as she and Momoi checked on her son and his friends. They were helping each other stand up.

Well, Kuroko helped Kagami, Midorima helped Takao and Murasakibara helped Himuro. Aomine and Kise also helped the three straighten themselves afterwards.

"Yeah," Kagami said. "Though, I didn't expect that he would agree that easily…" He looked puzzled at that. "He looked kind of strange when he left," he continued.

"You noticed too?" Takao piped in. "He looked kind of surprised earlier. Well, he started to act strange after some people showed up," he said.

"What people?" Himuro asked and the others also looked at Takao wonderingly.

"Dunno. But they hid around this park. My 'Hawk Eyes' saw them slightly, but they quickly left as soon as Akashi walked away," Takao explained.

"What… does that mean…?" Momoi asked, looking confused as the others appeared mystified as well.

"I see… so that's how it is…" Setsuna mumbled slowly, understanding what was going on immediately.

"What is it, mom? You know something, don't you?" Kagami asked, looking at her curiously.

"I had my suspicion earlier about the accident you guys mention during your third year, about the basketball gamble and the rumor that Seijuurou-kun controlled some bad people," Setsuna said with a small smile.

"And?" they asked in unison. Everyone blinked at each other in surprise before looking at one another, seeming to recognize the look of perplexity in each person's eyes.

"I noticed… that it was the other way around," Setsuna said in confidence.

The others widened their eyes at her announcement. "Eh?"

"Akashi Seijuurou… is actually trying to protect you guys."

End of Chapter 5

Tbc…

A/N: Yes, yes, yes! Finally this chapter comes out! Just a little bit more complications and the climax will explode! XD But, too bad I can't bring out Furihata here. I need Akashi to interact with the GoM first. And the next is Akashi interacting with his family... fufufu. It's here. Maybe I will write it down ASAP so I can update faster! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well as I enjoy making it. Now, time for feed back! Let me know what you think! ^_^

Part 6
Part 4