571Chapter 12: Tradition, Tea and Shogi
For the first time in his life, Akashi seemed at lost on what to do.
The problem?
Little Kuroko was pouting.
A full on pout with his arms crossed, sulking on the corner of Kuroko's room that Akashi provided and glaringly obvious in his intention to ignore Akashi to the best of his ability.
Akashi rubbed the bridge of his nose to mask his confusion to this perplexing situation he got himself in. And like Kuroko, he tried his hardest to disregard the palpable amusement coming from the maids organizing Kuroko's belongings in the room.
He asked Kuroko if he had any problems which was how the pouting started, though Kuroko looked like he had something to say but couldn't quite expressed so he kept his mouth shut leaving Akashi to guess. He then assumed the boy didn't like his room and told him there are several guest rooms he can choose from. To Akashi's surprise, Kuroko gave him a (cute) glare and proceeded to ignore Akashi after that.
With the maids done, Akashi waved them off and paid no heed to their muffled giggling. He has a petulant boy to win over after all. Walking over to where little Kuroko sat, Akashi took a seat beside the boy leaving an adequate distance between them as to not breach Kuroko's space.
The hush blanketing the room slowly grew to an awkward stillness but Akashi didn't mind and watched the beautiful garden through the open shoji doors as he waited for Kuroko. He picked this room because he knew Kuroko would like the gorgeous scenery which the boy did when they first stepped inside the room. He wondered what Kuroko has seen to change his mind in an instant.
Akashi's patience bore fruit when Kuroko finally broke his self-imposed silence. "Sei-nii," the boy called. His voice so soft and only through Akashi's keen hearing was he able to hear it.
"What is it, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked when Kuroko trailed off and seemed to keep his mouth shut again.
Kuroko fiddled with his fingers before glancing up at Akashi and whatever he saw in his face seemed to encourage him and crawled over to Akashi. He wrapped his arms over the boy and situated him nicely on his lap while Kuroko buried his face on Akashi's chest.
"…don't want to…" was all Akashi picked up from Kuroko's mumbles and requested for him to repeat it.
Little Kuroko finally looked up to stare at Akashi and said, "I don't want to stay here. I want to be with Sei-nii."
Oh, so that's what it was all about. No wonder the maids were so amused.
Akashi couldn't help chuckling over that and leaned down to press his forehead to Kuroko's. "Of course you can stay with me, Tetsuya. You should have said so from the beginning."
Kuroko tried to avoid his gaze though it proved to be futile when their faces were so close. "…I thought Sei-nii didn't want to."
"Not at all," Akashi said. "I thought Tetsuya wanted his own room."
He can sense that Kuroko still felt a bit discomfited and lightly kissed the boy on the head. "How about making a promise?"
"Promise?" Kuroko blinked in confusion.
"Yes," Akashi nodded. "Instead of assuming things, let's ask each other on what we want to prevent this kind of misunderstanding from happening again. So if there's anything you want to say, Tetsuya, don't hesitate to tell me and I'll do the same."
Little Kuroko finally showed Akashi his sweet smile. "Okay, Sei-nii!" he agreed and sticks out his right pinky finger to Akashi. "I promise."
Akashi reached out his own pinky to Kuroko's linking them together as he vowed. "I promise, too."
And with their brief quarrel (?) all sorted out at last, Akashi requested Kuroko to change his clothes as he declared they were going out. Akashi picked out his outfit helping the boy before carrying Kuroko out of the room and instructed a passing maid to transfer Kuroko's belongings to his room much to the boy's pleasure.
"Where are we going Sei-nii?" the boy asked especially when they stepped outside the house—or rather, mansion.
"It's a surprise."
xXx
Kuroko stared.
And stared.
And stared some more.
A gentle laughter coming from beside him finally snapped the boy out of his stupor and looked up at his Sei-nii, reflexively closing one eye as Akashi ruffled his hair. "Are you going to stare at Yukimaru all day, Tetsuya?"
"But it's the first time I've seen a horse this close!" Kuroko exclaimed before turning to stare at the horse—Akashi's horse again. "And she's so white like snow! Can I touch her Sei-nii, please? Please?"
"Of course you can," said Akashi as they took a step closer to Yukimaru and the boy marveled at the huge and dignified animal in front of him. Yukimaru, perhaps sensing her master, bent its head as Akashi petted her.
Suddenly being picked up, Kuroko blinked in shock but that soon vanished as Yukimaru turned to him and he could finally touch the horse. He hesitantly reached out and carefully patted the horse. When it seemed that Yukimaru liked his touch, Kuroko nuzzled his face closer to the horse which Yukimaru seemed to like.
"Yukimaru is nice."
"And it will be nicer if we take her for a ride," Akashi suggests which made the boy immediately perked up.
"Really Sei-nii? Can we ride Yukimaru now?"
In lieu of answering, Akashi gently placed Kuroko on the saddle and once the boy was firmly in place, put one foot on the stirrup and mounted Yukimaru with ease. Kuroko marveled at his Sei-nii's graceful movements and dignified poise. Sei-nii looked like a prince just then.
(Little Kuroko decided right then and there that yes, Akashi is indeed a prince.)
He squealed in delight and giggled when Akashi stirred Yukimaru to a gallop. The wind brushing his face was cold and biting but Kuroko didn't mind as he was far more amazed as the luscious scenery passed them by. He burrowed closer to Akashi's body for warmth and yelped in glee when Yukimaru leaped over a protrude trunk of a tree.
Kuroko had no idea where they were going but he trusted Akashi and Yukimaru so he just enjoyed the ride until the horse slowed down to a trot with Akashi guiding her to somewhere. "Where are we going, Sei-nii?" he asked since Akashi seemed to have an exact destination in mind.
"It's a surprise," Akashi murmured. "You'll see when we get there."
And see Kuroko did, because once they passed a grove of trees an open field of bright and vivid flowers unveiled itself that Kuroko couldn't help but gasp and stare in awe. "Wow! This is so cool, Sei-nii!"
"I'm glad you like it, Tetsuya," Akashi said as he steered Yukimaru under the shade of a big tree.
Seeing where they were headed, Kuroko noticed the picnic blanket and basket arrayed neatly on the grass. He looked over at Akashi and gestured at it. "Is that ours, Sei-nii?"
"Yes," Akashi nodded as Yukimaru stopped. He jumped off and helped the boy down, setting him on the ground and lightly pushed him towards the tree since he had to tie Yukimaru first. "I asked the chef to arrange a late lunch for us. You are hungry, aren't you?"
The sound of stomach growling fills the air as if answering Akashi's question and Kuroko giggled, his face flushing in embarrassment. "I guess I am hungry, Sei-nii."
Akashi let out a small smile and patted the boy on the head. "Okay, go on first. I'll catch up to you."
With Akashi's permission, Kuroko dashed towards the tree and toed off his shoes before stepping on the blanket, making a beeline to the basket and opened it only to gawk at the assortment of food he saw. He wondered if he and his Sei-nii can finish all of it since it would be bad if everything goes to waste.
"Aren't you going to eat, Tetsuya?" Akashi commented when he saw the boy staring at the basket for a whole minute. "Don't you like the food?"
Kuroko shook his head. "There's a lot. I don't know if we can finish all of it, Sei-nii."
"I'm sure we can," Akashi reassured him and took out some food from the basket, handing out a club sandwich for the boy.
It seemed Kuroko's worry about wasting food were for naught as they passed the time eating and didn't notice how they slowly but surely consumed everything. It looked they were more starved than they thought and it only thanks to the servants that their stomachs were full.
To settle their stomachs down, Akashi suggested they looked over the flowers which Kuroko readily agreed to and grab Akashi's hand to pull him towards the flower field. The boy marveled at the pretty colorful flowers and gotten more excited when Akashi told him their names, meaning and a short history. Little Kuroko loved learning all kinds of things after all and Akashi seemed to know a lot.
"Sei-nii, what's your favorite flower?" Kuroko asked, a smidge of curiosity touching his tone.
Akashi seemed to think about it before replying, "I don't really have a flower that I particularly like. What about you, Tetsuya?"
"I like cherry blossoms!" the boy exclaimed with so much enthusiasm. "I really love it when Otou-sama, Okaa-sama, Obaa-sama and I go for a flower viewing. There are so many people gathering, there's also lots of food and everything is just so fun!"
"Is that so," Akashi mused and picked up Kuroko in his arms, booping his small button nose with his finger. "Then I guess, my favorite flower now is cherry blossom, too."
"Eh? Why?"
"Because whatever Tetsuya likes, I like it, too."
Instead of being happy Kuroko looked a bit put off by it though. "But Sei-nii can't just like things because I like it. You should find what you really want, Sei-nii."
A bit surprised at the boy's remark, Akashi let out a small smile. Trust Kuroko to be so perceptive despite regressing to a kid. "I suppose you're right, Tetsuya."
The yawn little Kuroko let out seemed to alert Akashi as they came back to clean up their lunch and climbed onto Yukimaru to go back to the mansion. The ride back home was a little different than earlier with Kuroko looked ready to sleep so Akashi maneuvered Yukimaru to go faster.
Little Kuroko deserved a nice nap after all.
xXx
"Hmm...Sei-nii what are you doing?"
Akashi blinked out of his musings as he glanced to his side, watching as Kuroko inched towards him and settled comfortably on his lap. He naturally wrapped an arm around the boy to secure him in place as the both of them faced the shogi board.
He was having a match with himself as usual while Kuroko napped after their fun outing with Yukimaru. He must be too focused on his game that he didn't notice Kuroko waking up. A quick peek down on the child on his lap though proved that Kuroko was still sleepy. Akashi briefly wondered what interrupted his nap but that didn't matter now. He would just lull him back to sleep.
"Playing a game of shogi," he answered the boy's question.
The small yawn the boy made was too cute for words as Akashi stroked Kuroko's hair in a soothing manner. "Shogi? Ojii-sama often played it before, Obaa-sama said so. But why are you playing alone Sei-nii?"
"Just to pass the time," he said, voice soft so little Kuroko would go back to sleep.
"But isn't it lonely playing alone?"
The clack of the shogi piece Akashi placed down on the board may be a bit louder than normal but Kuroko's innocent question brought upon memories he didn't want to dwell in. He knew the boy was alluding to his shogi game and yet the only thing he could recall was that last year in Teikou or the finals last Winter Cup.
"It does," Akashi agreed in a murmur.
It took him a long time to get to this point but perhaps it was intended for him to get through those past experiences to get where he is now. Also, he wasn't alone as everyone helped him and he is grateful for them but most particularly to the person with him right now.
"Next time, we'll play together. No matter how many times," Akashi whispered, alluding to more than just a game of shogi and promised to fulfill that wish once everything was back to normal.
Kuroko nodded his head even though he didn't understand and just cuddled closer to his Sei-nii already half-asleep.
After deciding to stop his game, Akashi put the boy down on the futon again and laid beside him. Patting little Kuroko's back gently to a deeper sleep, Akashi didn't notice how his face was full of fondness with a soft smile hanging on his lips.
His eyes slowly drifted to a close and tugged Kuroko to his embrace as he followed the boy, letting sleep overtake him.
xXx
(A maid had peek inside the room and paused when she saw the two figures cuddling close as they slept. It was too cute of a moment to pass up and it would be too bad if no one commemorates the beautiful scene so she took out her phone to snap a picture. But she quickly came back to herself and remembered that this is the young master and his guest and panicked a little.
Maybe if she showed the photo to the young master she won't get fired? Oh, she really hoped so.
The next day, in lieu of getting fired she got a bonus instead.)
xXx
Little Kuroko scrunched his eyes as he stirred awake from his dreams and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked as alertness gradually seeped into his brain and found himself curled up within Akashi's embrace. He peered up to find Akashi sleeping as well and wondered how they got tangled like this in their nap.
He languidly sat up careful not jostle too much so Akashi won't wake up yet. He noticed how tired his Sei-nii was despite trying to hide it. He crawled closer to watch Akashi sleep and couldn't help giggling a little when he saw Akashi having a wild bed head like him, too.
An elated squeal escaped from Kuroko's lips when hands suddenly tickled his stomach and tried to sneak away but Akashi was fast and easily caught him in his arms again.
"Where do you think you're going, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked, eyes still closed but his lips quirked up in amusement. "What are you giggling about?"
Kuroko's muffled answer was indecipherable to Akashi's ear and loosened his grip on the boy. Kuroko's head popped out of his grasp and let out another giggled as he reached out towards Akashi's hair.
"Sei-nii has the same hair as me!" he exclaimed and tried to pat Akashi's hair back to normal though it was obvious how it wasn't working.
Akashi hummed, not fully awake yet. "Is that so?"
"Um, Akashi-sama…?"
They both turned towards the door and saw several maids peeking in cautiously. Little Kuroko smiled as soon as he saw them and gave them an excited wave, a far cry from his timidity earlier in the afternoon when he first arrived. "Hello!"
"Good evening, Kuroko-sama," they all bowed at the young boy. One of them turned to Akashi. "Akashi-sama, the preparations for dinner are done."
"I see," was Akashi's reply as he got up still not letting go of Kuroko and dismissed them. "We'll follow soon."
Kuroko said bye-bye to them before looking up at Akashi. "Are we gonna eat now, Sei-nii?" he asked since the maids said dinner.
"Not yet," Akashi answered and untangled his hair with his fingers to get them back in order. He did the same with the boy's hair but with a help of a comb. They may have the same bed hair but Kuroko's was far more ridiculous than his.
After fixing themselves into a semblance of order, Akashi picked up Kuroko and made their way out of the room and trekked the hallways past the dining hall and into the kitchen where the head chef greeted them.
"Good evening Akashi-sama, Kuroko-sama," he said, bowing and gestured to the table where various ingredients were laid upon. "Everything you need is all here. If you acquire our help all you need is to call upon us, Akashi-sama." He bowed again and left the kitchen with the other staff.
Kuroko watched them leave before looking back at the table and glanced up at Akashi in confusion. "What's happening, Sei-nii?"
Placing back the chibi Kuroko on the floor, Akashi crouched down to his level and gestured to the ingredients. "We're going to cook dinner, Tetsuya," he answered. "So what do you want to eat?"
"What's your favorite food, Sei-nii?" Kuroko asked. "I want to eat what you like!"
Akashi smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. "I guess we're going to make tofu soup."
"Tofu!" Kuroko raised his arms in excitement.
A chuckle left out of Akashi's lips as he watched Kuroko bounced in eagerness and took out a mini apron from the table, putting it on the boy and another one for him. A small stool had been situated near the table so Kuroko can reach anything and Akashi requested the boy to bring him the essential ingredients while cutting some vegetables and the tofu.
He decided a hamburger steak and a salad to accompany the soup since he knew the boy will like it. They moved silently and Akashi was thankful how little Kuroko was very obedient and always listened to him. He didn't want an accident to happen after all.
Kuroko became Akashi's taste tester and let him taste all the food they cooked if they were ready. "It tastes good, Sei-nii!" the boy said, smiling a wide grin.
"Good," Akashi replied and patted Kuroko on the head. "Why don't you help set up the table, Tetsuya?"
"Okay!" the boy agreed, running towards the dining hall.
Akashi could hear the titters from the maids and the boy's happy chatters. He tried to finish cooking faster before Kuroko could make all the staff in the house fall for his charms. They were already wrapped around his tiny finger as it is.
A couple of maids brought the food to the dining hall where Kuroko waited for Akashi and sat next to the boy. The boy clasped his hands together before saying, "Thanks for the food!"
"Thanks for the food," Akashi echoed as they both dug in their dinner. He let out a pleased hum after taking a sip of the tofu soup, satisfied that he cooked it right. He regarded Kuroko, who was taking a bite of the hamburger steak. "So how is it, Tetsuya?"
Little Kuroko chewed happily and swallowed before answering, "Everything's so delicious, Sei-nii. Sei-nii is a good cook!"
"I'm glad you like it, Tetsuya," Akashi said and reached out to wipe off the sauce near Kuroko's mouth with a napkin.
Dinner finished without much fanfare, the only highlight was when Kuroko tried to feed him food and vice versa.
(Akashi didn't mind when he noticed some maids subtly trying to take pictures of them and just reminded himself to get those later.)
To aid with their digestion, Akashi led Kuroko outside the garden and contentedly watched the boy marveled at the countless fireflies lighting up their path as they made their way towards the main building. At first, he wanted to stay with Kuroko at the guest courtyard but since the boy wanted to sleep in the same room as him, then Akashi could only obliged and decided to stay in his personal quarters.
Kuroko looked left and right as they entered the mansion since it was his first time seeing such a grand house. The one from before was Japanese style and he was used to it but setting foot here felt different. He wasn't nervous though since he has his Sei-nii with him. (But maybe he'll stick a little closer since he doesn't want to get lost to such a big place after all.)
Climbing up the stairs and passing by dozens of rooms, they finally arrived at Akashi's room and he ushered little Kuroko inside. The room wasn't at all grandiose but anyone can tell that a young master lived there. The only way Kuroko could tell it was Akashi's room was the bookshelf filled with books, a shogi board with an ongoing match placed at a table and a basketball in the corner of the room.
But the one thing that really interested Kuroko was the picture frames displayed at a low cabinet. The boy moved closer and saw several photos, looking intently at them.
Wondering what caught little Kuroko's attention, Akashi asked. "What is it, Tetsuya?"
"Is this your mother, Sei-nii?" Kuroko frankly asked, pointing at a picture showing a beautiful woman in a white dress with flowing red hair like sunset and holding a bouquet of roses, a gentle smile on her crimson lips.
It took a few moments before Akashi answered. "Yes, she is."
"I knew it. You look exactly like her, Sei-nii!"
"I do?" Akashi reacted in surprise. Most people who met him always said he resembled his father and even his maternal side of the family agreed that he only inherited faint features of his mother.
Little Kuroko gave him a wide smile. "Un!"
Akashi hadn't notice how a small smile light up his face as he patted Kuroko on the head and sat down beside the boy.
"Remember when you asked me about my favorite flower? I'm sorry I lied," said Akashi, remembering their pinky promise before. "Actually, my favorite flower is red roses."
"Because it reminds Sei-nii of his mother?" Kuroko guessed, cutely tilting his head.
Akashi nodded. "My mother planted red roses here in the garden. Whenever she tended them I always come along. She was so careful handing those roses to me so I won't get pricked by thorns. It's one of my cherised memories with her."
There must had been something in his voice that Kuroko leaned closer and wrapped his tiny arms around Akashi.
"She must have really love you, Sei-nii," little Kuroko whispered.
"Yes," Akashi said. "And so do I."
Not wanting to end their day with such melancholy, Akashi carried Kuroko as he left his room and headed elsewhere. Kuroko made no inquiries and just let Akashi do whatever he wants. They entered a room and the boy saw a grand piano occupying in the middle but Akashi didn't head there and instead put Kuroko down on a sofa. Kuroko looked up at Akashi in question.
"My mother always liked to listen to me play the violin," Akashi explained as he took out a violin in its case. "Would you like to listen, too, Tetsuya?"
Kuroko's eyes shined so bright at that. "Really? Then I wanna hear Sei-nii play!"
Positioning the violin, Akashi stood in a trance before closing his eyes as he started playing. Memories of his mother flashed his mind as his bow danced over the strings, plucking familiar notes and tones of a once bygone lullaby.
He doesn't know why he decided to share something so intimate and personal to him. But perhaps it was because Kuroko in his childlike purity reminded him of his once beautiful past and that went past his guard, letting his walls come down.
Akashi doesn't know if Kuroko will have any memories of his time as a child but whether he does or not, Akashi was glad that the person who saw this side of him was Kuroko.
With the last note echoing in the room, little Kuroko clapped with enthusiasm. "That was great, Sei-nii!"
Giving a shallow bow to his lone audience, Akashi gave the boy a warm smile. "Did you like it?"
"Yes!" Kuroko exclaimed with all the excitement he could muster. "But what song was that, Sei-nii?"
"It was a song composed by my mother for me," Akashi answered as he put away the violin, a bit curious why Kuroko hasn't said anything. Once he turned around, he saw little Kuroko's cute face and his eyes sparkle like stars.
"Thank you for sharing that with me, Sei-nii."
Akashi couldn't help but lightly pinched the boy's chubby cheek. It seemed that little Kuroko discerned a faint hint of Akashi's feelings and silently accepted the trust he placed on the boy.
"Do you want to go to bed now, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked and when Kuroko nodded his head in agreement, they made their way back to his room.
After washing up and changing to their pajamas, the both of them laid on the soft, big bed as little Kuroko snuggled closer in Akashi's arms.
"I had fun today, Sei-nii," the boy mumbled.
"Me, too, Tetsuya."
"Can we do this again?"
"Of course."
Although Akashi knows that it won't come true, he still gave his word and he knows that next time it will be with the normal Kuroko. It might not be soon but in the future, Akashi hopes he and Kuroko will grow closer in order to fulfill that promise.
As if having an inkling to Akashi's thoughts, the boy burrowed deeper to Akashi's chest to hide the flush on his cheeks as little Kuroko mumbled, "Good night, Sei-nii."
"Good night, Tetsuya," Akashi murmured and dropped a kiss atop Kuroko's head.
Both of them falling asleep into sweet dreams of the future.
Next: Kuroko's Adventure to School