Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket is owned by Fujimaki Tadatoshi

Pairing: AkaKuro

First posted on Tumblr for AkaKuroWeek2014.

First Night: The Emperor's Captivation

It was a night of a full moon.

The city was bustling along as any ordinary night had been. With the cars speeding down the roads illuminated by its headlights. Establishments with colorful and flashing neon lights to attract people and customers. Crowds from office workers, to families, to students and other types of people walking, running or strolling down the busy streets.

However, atop of one tall skyscraper stood a young man wearing a dark long coat with a white shirt and a red tie underneath, black trousers and black boots. With his right foot stepping on the ledge of the rooftop, he carefully surveyed the busy city below him. He didn't mind that he was at the edge and could fall off any minute especially when a gust of wind flew by.

Not that he could anyway.

Watching the moving crowds below, he recalled that it has been a long time since he came into a city. He preferred living in a peaceful and quiet area with less people in sight. Ironically, he did need humans to live no matter how annoying they ought to be.

He was, after all, a vampire.

Still, there was one advantage to living close to a city—a variety of humans he could choose from for his feedings. He didn't want any ordinary human either. He was a bit particular when it came to the blood he drinks as some humans tasted vile or bland. His companions knew of his preference and brought humans adequate to his taste. Nonetheless, what he wanted was a human with a sweet tasting blood and he would find that person soon. He would do anything to taste that kind of blood.

That was why, on that particular night, he chose to go hunting.

He vaguely remembered the last time he hunted and wanted to feel the rush of hunting again. It was only natural, of course, to have this kind of instinct. All predators have that.

He smiled at the thought; showing sharp fangs as his red eyes glowed eerily, equally matching his crimson hair.

Tugging his black gloves tighter in his hands, he jumped from building to building and let his wild instincts guide him and then suddenly vanished into the dark night.

It was now time to hunt for his prey.

xXx

"You're going home now, Kuroko? You wanna come join us to Maji Burger?"

Kuroko turned to Furihata Kouki—a classmate of his and a member of the library committee like him—who asked and beside the brown haired freshman was Kawahara Kouichi and Fukuda Hiroshi. Kuroko shook his head as he slipped onto his outdoor shoes. "I'm sorry. I have to refuse."

"This is rare," said Fukuda. "You're refusing vanilla milkshake."

Kuroko almost pouted when he heard that. "There's a book that came out recently and I'm going to the bookstore to buy it before it closes."

"But bookstores don't close this early," Kawahara said while checking his watch.

"It's a rare book and only sold at certain bookstores," Kuroko explained.

"Okay, we'll see you tomorrow then Kuroko," Furihata said, waving goodbye to him.

Kuroko waved goodbye to his three friends before making his way out of the school and to the bookstore. While walking, he texted his mother that he would be coming home late so as not to worry her. With his weak presence, he easily passed the crowd of people in the street undetected. Moving like a shadow, he finally arrived at his destination and after paying for his purchase, soon left after.

As he walked into a quiet neighborhood, Kuroko debated whether he should go to Maji Burger to get his favorite vanilla milkshake or go home straight where his mother was preparing dinner.

Suddenly, Kuroko stopped in his tracks. He furtively glanced behind him only to find no one in the vicinity. He furrowed his brows in confusion. He had the feeling that someone was following him but maybe it was his imagination. No one could follow him anyway.

Even so, it was better to be safe. So he decided to head home instead of going to Maji Burger.

Kuroko took the longest route to his house where a flock of people passed by rather than the usual directions he always took.

xXx

Akashi Seijuurou was fascinated.

He never knew he could be this interested in a human. But the human wasn't quite ordinary either.

Akashi was passing down a busy street, blending into the shadows when he saw a human doing the same thing as him. Moving along like a ghost. He even had a fleeting thought that the human might be a ghost or even a vampire until he heard the human's beating heart. He never met a human like him before and his curiosity was then piqued. His intuition was even telling him to keep an eye on the human. So he silently trailed after the human to a bookstore and watched as the other purchased a book.

It was when he was following after the human in a silent neighborhood that he finally got a whiff of a sweet scent of blood. And, surprisingly, it was coming from the human he was tailing. The human's blood scent was so faint that a normal vampire wouldn't be able to discern it.

Akashi smirked. But he wasn't an ordinary vampire and he could sense the sweet tasting blood coming from the human.

He was about to close in when the human boy unexpectedly stopped. He swiftly jumped onto a nearby roof before the human could turn around.

He narrowed his eyes contemplatively. He knew that no human or even a vampire was following the boy and in turn him so there was no reason for the human to cautiously look back. Unless…

Akashi smiled. This kept getting more and more interesting especially when the human boy took a mobbed area to go home instead of the, while nearest, a secluded and dark path where he might be captured.

xXx

Kuroko rubbed the back of his neck nervously and looked around the school courtyard. Aside from the trees and its falling leaves, birds chirping as they flew by and some students mingling around, there wasn't anyone he found suspicious enough. He had this uneasy feeling of being watched and followed ever since he left his house this morning.

Kuroko knew he was feeling a bit paranoid. But who wouldn't, particularly when he was used to being invisible and overlooked due to his weak presence. So the feeling of being stalked made his guard up and put him on edge. Whoever was shadowing him was pretty good at hiding since he never caught even a glimpse and even his misdirection didn't seem to work when he tried to blend in a crowd to confuse his stalker only to no avail.

"You okay Kuroko? You haven't touched your food yet."

Kuroko turned to Kawahara, who was staring at him worriedly. "I'm fine," he reassured them and started to eat his bento.

"Are you sure?" it was Furihata's turn to ask. "You seem a little tense."

"I just have a lot of things in my mind."

"Well, if you have any problems don't hesitate to talk to us," Fukuda said. "We'll listen and help you as best as we can."

Kuroko let out a soft smile at his friend's supportiveness. "Thank you."

xXx

Akashi leaned back against the railing of the rooftop as he watched the human—no, Kuroko Tetsuya across the building he was currently at. He finally got to know his name last night when he heard Kuroko's mother calling him for dinner.

From his observations of the boy, Kuroko Tetsuya was an average high school student with an even more average grade, low stamina and seemed to be hopeless at sports aside from—surprisingly—basketball, very formal, quiet and diligent, loved to read in his spare time and was even part of the library committee and preferred to be alone except while hanging out with three students Akashi saw at lunch, who seemed to be Kuroko's friends (and probably even his only friends).

Kuroko Tetsuya was an ordinary human with the exception of his low presence, of course.

That weak presence was probably the reason why the boy's scent of blood was unnoticeable. This was the first time Akashi met an intriguing human like Kuroko. Though he did notice that Kuroko's mother had the same low presence but it seemed like Kuroko's were much weaker.

Akashi's musings were interrupted when his cell phone suddenly rang. "Shintarou," he greeted first, already knowing who was at the other line.

"Akashi, I don't mean to pry but where are you? Not that I'm worried or anything, it's just that Murasakibara and Kise won't leave me alone and kept asking me your whereabouts."

"I'm in a school."

"School?"

Akashi could hear the confusion and incredulousness in Midorima's voice. But he didn't have time for any of that.

"Shintarou, take the coven out of the mansion tonight."

"Is there something wrong Akashi?"

"No, nothing is wrong Shintarou. Just do as I say."

"As you wish, Akashi. We'll leave at dusk."

Akashi hanged up and turned to the teal haired human boy that caught his interest.

He smirked. It was time.

xXx

Kuroko breathed a sigh of relief as walked towards his house while reading his book. The sensation of being watched and shadowed vanished after lunch time. Though his intuition was telling to still keep his guard up and he would until he was in the safe haven of his home.

Kuroko was lost in his own thoughts that he wasn't minding where he was going and bumped into someone, dropping his book. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

Kuroko looked at the person he bumped into and blinked at the red eyes staring deeply at him. The stranger crouched down to pick up Kuroko's fallen book and held it out to him. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Kuroko said and took his book.

All of a sudden, he shivered when their hands briefly touched. His instincts were screaming at him to go away. He stared wide eyed at the person in front of him and even though he wanted to run away from there, he couldn't and stayed frozen on his spot.

The stranger seemed to know what he was thinking and shook his head. "I'm afraid we can't have that."

The next thing Kuroko knew, he felt a sharp blow on his nape, knocking him out and darkness swallowed his vision.

He knew nothing more.