Ahahaha, back in an update spree!I had meant to update last week but crappy connection got in the way.

Warning: Grammatical Errors and incorrect word usage, Slight OOC-ness depending on the situation.

Thank you for all the favorites and follows ;-; I'm touched, and the reviews all read of course: Guest, Reader, Seitsuya1104, EclipseKuran, deLovelyBones, Lily Fenton Phantom, and Assasin8. :3

Disclaimer: ... KnB is not mine by all means.

"Even if the whole world goes against you... I'll be by your side, no matter what."

- Yuzuriha Inori (Guilty Crown)

"How can someone make Kurokocchi cry like this?! So unforgivable - !"

"Idiot, keep quiet, the guy needs to be alone for now, he's been through a lot – some things you couldn't possibly handle with your low emotional range."

"And it would be appreciated if the two of you keep your silence if you want the boy to truly calm down."

"Kurochin?"

"I'm fine now," Kuroko answers – quite monotonously, as if the boy who was crying from earlier was completely gone. "Thank you for your concern – I have a favour to ask all of you, though. Would you please hear me out?"

"What is it, Kurokocchi?" Kise says while removing the first layer of clothing on Kuroko's petit body with Aomine muttering something under his breath – most likely voicing out his jealousy.

"Hey, Kise – you idiot!" Kise rolls his eyes at Aomine as if questioning how many times he had been called an idiot by the said man – and the others, "Tetsu didn't give you permission to remove his fucking clothes yet. Decency, remember?"

"Aomine, you have no right in lecturing Kise about decency," Midorima says while trying to prevent himself from helping in removing Kuroko's clothes as well, "When you don't have any such thing in your entire being."

"No, it's okay Midorima-kun, let him lecture Kise-kun, I'll miss hearing such." Kuroko manages to say, managing a sad smile.

"Kuroko..."

"We're going to miss Kurochin too..."

They could only stay silent when Murasakibara actually said something good about a person – though true enough to those words, they would miss Kuroko – and they knew the days up ahead were going to be hard for all of them.

All because of the certain arrival of a man named Akashi Seijuro.

"Is it wrong to be scared?" Kuroko breathes out, trying a horrible attempt in hiding the quivering in his voice.

"No, Kurokocchi, it just shows you're human – unlike that guy, he's getting on my nerves!" Kise says in defence, but it doesn't ease Kuroko in the least.

"Who wouldn't? If you want, we could shit the pants out of-"

"Aomine," Midorima warns, and Aomine decides to keep his thoughts to himself – for the mind was the ideal place to rant over things. "Kuroko, what do you think... of Akashi Seijuro?"

"Well, we could always crush him, no matter how strong they say he is~"

"No," Kuroko interrupts, and they are albeit surprised by this – he was actually defending Akashi Seijuro. "Akashi-san doesn't seem to be that kind of person, he couldn't be... my eyes don't lie to me – something's making him act this way, I'm sure of it... no matter how merciless he may seem to be..."

"You have got to be kidding me – I mean, what do you see in that guy? He's doing this shit to you and then you-"

"Aominecchi, calm down –" Kise interrupts, and Aomine shoots him an annoyed look, asking how he could take this so calmly.

"I have to admit, even though I don't see the sense in these nonsensical events, you have to understand that Kurokocchi has his own mind too – he can't always agree with us, no matter how much we want him to."

"Humph, this is what happens when people don't listen – Kuroko, you are being quite naïve yourself."

"Midorima, why you-"

"No, Midorima-kun's right, I'm thinking too much ahead – when I don't know Akashi-san that much yet, I shouldn't jump to conclusions, no matter how hard it may be not to."

"Midochin's just worried, he just doesn't want to show it, ne Midochin?" Murasakibara drawls, and Midorima slightly blushes – not slightly, it could even be described as madly.

"It's late, we'd better let Kuroko have some sleep – he leaves tomorrow morning," Midorima quickly says, changing the topic – though with true concern, having no intent whatsoever. That wasn't how they saw it though.

Kuroko was just thanking that they were so blind as to notice his sadness – and he didn't see anything wrong in feeling weakness when no one was there – it had always been like this before – yet it felt so painful right now.

He doubted he could sleep – not when only one thing was in his mind.

Akashi Seijuro.

He lay down, feeling too tired to even fix his terrible state – he did change clothes though, and here it was in his hands. He looked at the intricate designs – having their own respective patterns, coloured vibrantly from warm tones to that of rougher ones – and then he saw it all ruined by the torn portion, only to be replaced by a dent which couldn't be filled by the same thing again – no matter how much it was mended, it would never be the same.

"There is no true replacement for a certain existence."

Then what was he to Akashi Seijuro?

He bended to his will – the inner part of him telling him to sleep, and so he does, but his thoughts never remain silent, his screams grew louder and louder.

Until they subsided – he could do nothing but listen.

The port of Teikou's kingdom was lively as always – all the more so when they had heard of the presence of Kuroko Tetsuya – their dear prince, though not knowing who he was at first, for he had never really gone out of the palace gates.

Strangely though, this was in no way freedom.

The world continues its daily routine – men working for their families carrying or getting whatever job they could, the aroma of the sea greeting the morning like how it always did, crew preparing the ships for their departure.

It continues even if his life had just turned a whole 180 degrees.

The sight of ships wasn't foreign to Kuroko – not really, he had seen several in books he had used to read – even now, he would read of great journeys in history leading to discoveries – what was beyond Teikou he never really knew. He was about to find out – normally he would be happy, he would be able to see what was beyond those seas.

If only this ship wasn't leading him to what could be considered his demise.

"Uwaaa, he's the prince? He looks sooo pretty!" A child bubbles up, and the lady beside the said child – the mother smiled and bowed to Kuroko – to which he bowed to as well. He had never known his mother well, but now... he might, even if it was just a little bit more.

He was actually following his mother's footsteps, about to be sent to some foreign land he knew nothing about –his life had changed in a single instant.

He wondered if his mother had felt what he was feeling now those times when she was in such a situation.

If only the hand extended out to him was one of pulling him out of this dream, then he would have been more reassured – it just had to be one pulling him in even deeper.

It was Akashi Seijuro's.

Ahahahaha, *awkward laughter* I know, that was bad. I'm finding difficulty in story consistency, but I'll try my best to make it up to all of you, since I have the key parts of this story planned out. But meeeeeh, I can't update often. School. /shot/

Till the next update :)

-BerryBliss