A/N: I'm back again! I'm on spring break at the moment, so hopefully I can get the fourth chapter to you asap.

Also, from now on I'll be doing quick summaries at the start of each chapter. This is because I don't have a regular update schedule, so if my old readers aren't sure what happened in the previous chapters, they had refresh their memories by reading the summary.

So far in the story:

Kuroko, a servant who lives in the highly hierarchical country of Teiko, is delighted by the fact that the drought has finally come to an end. The storm that strikes that night forces a strange nobleman to seek shelter at the estate for the night — a man by the name of Akashi, with whom Kuroko finds himself to be deeply fascinated by. Unfortunately the next day they have to bid farewell, but a group of assassinates attack Akashi soon after he has resumed his journey. After witnessing Kuroko's lack of presence and his sharp instincts in action, Akashi requests from the landlord that he could take Kuroko as his new escort. Preparations are made, and Kuroko is given exactly an hour to get ready — and to break the news to his childhood best friend, Kise.

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Chapter 3 - Left or Right

The estate was at its liveliest at this time of the day. There were people, animals, and insects everywhere; everybody seemed to have found their place, Kuroko thought, making his way to the stables.

From the bees that buzzed in the nearby dandelions to the children playing tag in the garden, everybody had assumed a position in the balance of the day. Even Kagami, who was new to the farm, seemed to fit perfectly into the estate's life — the redhead was currently pushing a heavily loaded wheelbarrow across the yard, and he made it look so effortless that it was hard to believe that he was a newcomer.

And then of course, there was Kuroko, who wasn't sure anymore where is place in the world was. Everything he had possessed in the past — his best friend, his job, his home in the attic, his life at the estate — it had all been stuffed into an hourglass. A cold, unbreakable hourglass that counted his last 60 minutes at the estate.

He was no longer a farm worker, but a bodyguard. He was no longer tied to a single place, but destined to travel.

Kuroko wasn't sure if he'd ever had a place in the world to begin with.

A flock of chickens had gathered on the main road, cackling and hustling away from Kuroko's path as the bluenette approached. Even with the beaming sunlight and tweeting birds and the scent of rain from last night, he felt depressed. How on earth was he going to break the news to Kise?

He walked in silence until he had reached the stables; his footsteps clearly turned more and more hesitant the closer he came. The weather-worn building towered menacingly over him, and all of a sudden Kuroko realised that all the happy memories it contained had been switched to lament… The bluenette stood for a moment silently on the wide open doorway into the stables, eyes pressing shut like those of a desperately praying man, lungs sucking in a shaky breath—

"—Kise-kun", he called out into the building. There was an immediate reaction: from one of the furthest stalls at the back of the stables, a blond head shot up in surprise and enthusiasm… and upon seeing him, Kise quickly bolted over like a hyper golden retriever, leaving the mucking of the stall half-finished.

"Kurokocchi!" He enthused, immediately taking a hold of the bluenette's shoulders and shaking him. "Now you're going to tell me everything! What the hell happened? Did you kill those guys out there? Kagami and I had to go bury the bodies and it was disgusting, but at the same time really interesting—"

The blissful obliviousness of his friend hit him harder than he had expected. Kuroko stared up at the blond: he had such a friendly face, and even friendlier eyes, and the thought of shattering Kise's good spirits really, really hurt. Kuroko wanted to answer right away, but words got stuck in his throat; his lips parted, but nothing ever came out.

Kise gazed down at Kuroko expectantly, his golden eyes wide and awaiting. But when Kuroko didn't reply nor did he stir in the slightest response, his smile fell a bit — he looked slightly confused for a second, before fearful intuition finally settled in.

"Oi, Kurokocchi." He forced a laugh, but there was no hiding of the anxiousness in his voice. "Nothing bad happened, right? You're alright, aren't you, Kurokocchi?"

Kise's fingers curled into the bluenette's shoulders, and he could feel the slight tremor within the touch — it was the same fear that rasped in Kise's breath, the same fear that swarmed in his eyes. Kuroko found it difficult to face him in a such a state. I've betrayed him, the bluenette could only think.

"I'm alright." He started, mumbling at first, but then his voice gained steadiness and he began to talk. "But I'm not going to stay here for much longer. Akashi-san offered me a job, and I accepted it — I really had to. I'm going to be his new escort."

"W-wait."

Like a child that didn't quite understand what was going on, Kise tilted his head. He wore a wonky, puzzled smile on his lips, but that smile was paired with eyes that looked like they were going to well with tears at any moment. Within that beautiful blend of gold, Kise's eyes looked pleading: he was silently, wholeheartedly praying that Kuroko didn't mean what he thought he was meaning.

Carefully, Kise allowed his hold of Kuroko's shoulders loosen, and his arms fell limp against his sides.

"So… you're leaving without me?"

Kuroko wanted to run away, he wanted to avert eyes. But something about breaking your best friend's heart leaves you helplessly stuck staring at the mess you've made; it not a sight you can easily turn a blind eye to. Kuroko's breath hitched, the tremor shaking him down to the very last branches of his lungs.

"Yes."

And that shattering word broke the camel's back; perhaps Kise had still thought that the two of them, having spent all their lives together, would still continue along the same path from this crossroad. The blond who had moments ago been tongue-tied and misbelieving, was now bursting into life — loudly.

"No! You couldn't possibly think—", his voice was shrill and hurt. "—that I'd just let you run off with that disgusting, spoiled, arrogant prick—"

"Kise!" For the first time in ages, Kuroko raised his voice to an astounded yelp. His usually blank and vacant eyes now casted a bewildered look upon his friend, who stared right back in defiance, absolutely adamant not to back down. It was hard for him to remember that these were his last 60 minutes on the estate, when his best friend was attacking him head-on for a situation that was out of his control.

"This isn't the end, Kise-kun." He explained hurriedly, fighting back his characteristically steady tone. "I won't be gone forever. Trust me, I would have asked if you could come along, but it's not possible. Akashi-san wants me to be his bodyguard because of my lack of presence — he says that he needs to disguise himself better, so he needs an escort that doesn't draw attention…"

But Kise didn't even listen.

"I don't care about your Akashi, I just need you here! Don't you idiot know that you're all that I have?!" The blond shouted, and this time his voice cracked as if he was about to burst into tears. The moment those words had left his mouth, some kind of realisation seemed to dawn upon his face, and the overwhelm, and shock, and anguish finally broke him. Kuroko watched helplessly as his best friend fell apart, burying his face in his hands to hide the tears that he could no longer manage.

All this, Akashi, departure, his new job, it was all so much harder and less appealing as his best friend wept in front of him. Kuroko felt sick.

"Kise-kun…"

The blond sniffed, and Kuroko could tell by his sheepish body language that he felt embarrassed. Kise shook his head as if to regain his self-control, and gulped. "Aaah, I'm so sorry, Kurokocchi, I don't mean to hurt you… I- I know that it's not your fault…" He tried scrubbing his tears away with the back of his hand, but the dirt on his hands just rubbed off on his cheeks. "But you still could have considered bringing me with you."

"I already told you."

"You're too proper, Kurokocchi." Kise gave a tearful laugh. "It isn't something Akashi needs to know about…"

At that, something sharpened in the depths of two icy orbs. Kise, busy wiping his tear-stained hands on his trousers, didn't seem to notice, not until he had lifted his gaze back up and caught the bluenette's eye. For a moment he looked slightly confused, but then realisation poured into him, and he made a disapproving click with his tongue.

"Okay, okay, I know you don't like foul play. But this isn't!" His still-teary eyes blinked at Kuroko pleadingly. "I'll follow you two. I'm guessing that you won't stray off the main roads? Just tell me where you're headed, and I'll come along, just trailing some distance behind. When you stop by at an inn or an estate, you can… You can mark the place somehow?"

Kuroko opened his mouth to object, but Kise spoke over him. "I know! Remember the red handkerchief?"

Oh, he wouldn't.

The very mention of the red handkerchief sent Kuroko's mind plummeting two years into the past.

It had been the day of their departure — a very hot, dry summer day — and Kuroko remembered having stood there on the road, waiting, watching as Kise said his final goodbyes to his family. Secretly inside, he felt a pang of jealousy as he watched the blond pull his parents into a bone-crunching hug, half-laughing, half-crying; happy to go out there and experience the world, but sad to part ways with the people who had raised him.

Kuroko's own parents had reacted quite mildly to the news. They had said that they respected his decision, and that they wished him luck, and that a life of servitude was tough, so Kuroko better have known what he was getting himself into. He had only nodded along to their words, eyes empty and heart even emptier, and then embraced them both briefly, whispering his thank you's and I love you's before letting go of them — and of the life here among the bandits, and of all the dishonesty and violence that he so hated.

Kuroko's parents had been servants at the largest estate in Seirin, but a lifetime of unfair treatment had left them cold. Fleeing their fate at the bottom of the food chain, they had quit their jobs and joined a group of bandits here in Kaijo. Kuroko had been only seven at the time, so he hadn't experienced back-breaking labour just yet. He knew that his parents probably thought that he just didn't understand what servitude was like; maybe they expected him to come running back home after a few weeks, unable to live under such treatment.

Some estates treated servants very poorly — like slaves. They were beaten. They were starved. They weren't let out.

But Kuroko knew that there were some landlords out there that didn't treat their workers as badly. "People aren't inherently evil", he always told his parents, "We're just blind. Blind to a lot of things. But deep down, we are good."

They never believed him.

It had even taken months of convincing and pleading looks to talk Kise into this. The blond wasn't really the type to submit to authority. Neither was he the type that was particularly bothered by crime — if anything, he might have even enjoyed the lifestyle a bit. But Kuroko and Kise had been best friends for years now, and they had sworn to remain together against all odds.

Kuroko waited, watching as Kise said his final goodbyes to his family. His mother, a beautiful woman with golden hair that flowed past her shoulders, pulled away from the embrace, tears openly streaming down her cheeks. Kuroko could see her smile tearfully and speak to her son; he was too far to hear her words, but he could hear the love and tenderness of her voice, and it was a sad, sad thing. The woman took Kise's hands in her own and placed a simple red handkerchief in them, never stopping to smile.

When the exchange was over, Kise hurried back to Kuroko, the sack that contained all his belongings flung over his shoulder. He seemed a bit fidgety and agitated, judging by his flushed face and quick movements, but he sheepishly grinned at Kuroko the moment they made eye contact, as if to signal that he was ready to get going.

"What did she give you?" Kuroko asked, eyes on the streak of red cloth that peered out of Kise's enclosed fist.

"Ah, it's her handkerchief." Kise replied softly, smiling as he looked down on the red cloth. "She said that she wanted to give me something to remember her by, but you know, she doesn't really have much… I think it's nice though. It smells like her."

Kuroko nodded, and turned to look at the road ahead of them. For a moment he just stood there silent, gazing into an unguessable future that lurked for them somewhere at the end of this road.

"Ready to go, Kise-kun?" He said finally, almost tenderly; feeling that unguessable future tug him closer into the unknown.

"Yeah." He could hear the blond laugh. "Lets go."

It had now been two years since they had left, and after a dozen failed attempts to get work, the two had finally landed a job here. This estate was smaller than the one Kuroko had been born into, but a small size had its perks — landlords of small estates tended not to treat their workers as cruelly as the bigger ones. Kise, for whom this was the first estate, didn't quite realize that — hence why he was always making snarky comments behind their landlord's back and criticising him in every possible way. But despite his flaws, the blond had loyally stayed right beside Kuroko just because he knew that if he left, it would break his blue-headed friend's heart.

That might have also been why Kise had gotten so upset over the news. He had put up with a lifestyle that chained and smothered him; all for his best friend, and all only to get left alone in the end.

"What about the handkerchief?" Kuroko asked, a degree of distress creeping into his steady tone. Oh god, he didn't want this. No, no, no, no, no.

With every passing moment, the fire in Kise's eyes only seemed to fuel. It was funny how quickly could a man go from hopelessness to a state of passion where everything felt as if it was within reach; but, Kuroko got a sense that it was denial that fueled Kise's enthusiasm. The idea was ridiculous. If Kise followed them, he would starve, he would die out in the cold, he would get lost, he would be torn apart by wolves, he would be robbed of everything he owned by faceless strangers.

He would collapse to the side of the road, stripped and starved and sweaty and stained, and he would have no will to ever rise up to his feet again.

Kise's eyes were drying from the tears now. He laughed. "Don't worry, Kurokocchi! I will cut it in strips, and you can tie a shred around a tree branch, or a rock, or whatever, to signal that you've stopped there for the night. I will arrive an hour or two later, see it, and stop as well! I'll collect the handkerchief back piece by piece."

"This is a terrible idea. Akashi-san will recognise you—"

"You idiot. I'll hide in the forest or something. I wouldn't let him see me—"

"Kise-kun, please listen to reason. You can't let your emotions take over like this. There are so many things that could go wrong. You might not see the mark, and you could get lost. You would fall far behind because I'm going to be on horseback and you're going to be on foot." He paused for a second before mumbling: "And if Akashi-san finds out, I don't know what he would do to me."

For a second Kise held a weird, pitying look in his eyes. "Of course I don't want you to get in trouble…" He began, speaking very gently at first, but that considerateness dried out as he went on; too much of a daredevil to place any real thought on the consequences. "But you really can't stop me though. If you refuse to collaborate, that's fine — I'll find another way, that I can promise."

There was a kind of surreality to the air they breathed, or at least that's what it felt like to Kuroko, whose rib cage felt like it had suddenly gotten a couple of sizes tighter around his heart. Breathing was difficult, talking was difficult — hell, even thinking was difficult, although it was usually something Kuroko was able to do no matter how bad the situation was. Kuroko allowed his head to droop low, and his pastel fringe fell over his eyes.

"Fine…" It was a defeated whisper: perhaps some were born to die young. "I'll help, but… Kise-kun… Why are you doing this?"

It took a few seconds for his words to sink into Kise. Kuroko knew that because there was a brief pause during which neither of them moved nor spoke, but soon that stunned silence was over, and Kise had leapt forwards to embrace the thin bluenette.

"Because you are my best friend, Kurokocchi." He murmured into the crook of Kuroko's neck — in his relief and gratefulness he had lifted the bluenette off his feet, forcing Kuroko to grip Kise's shoulders to secure himself in the hold. "And nothing in this cruel world can do best friends apart."

Kuroko left the stables that day with a head full of haze and jumbled plans for the future; a future that looked grimmer and unfriendlier with every step he took towards the main building where Akashi waited.

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Kuroko had taken a quick bath in one of the small ponds at the estate, then rushed back to the stables with still-wet hair, and stuffed everything he owned into a sack (which was actually meant for potatoes).

He was well aware of the fact that his clothes would now on smell like soil and dirt, but maybe, he thought while tying the contraption onto the saddle of his horse, that earthly smell would always be a reminder of the life here at the estate. Kise leaned his back on the wall of the stall while Kuroko fiddled with the ropes, making sure that the sack was securely tied, and he prattled in his usual manner, although this time it felt like he was doing it just to fake his happiness.

As Kuroko finished his job and took the reins to lead the horse outside, a sense of finality flooded into him.

"…so I'm definitely going to ask Momoi to sneak some food for me before I go — oh, wait, you're done now?"

Kuroko nodded shortly, eyes still fixated on his horse. Like Yukimaru, it was calm and well-behaved when grooming, but it wasn't an arabian horse — it didn't have the same slender build, nor the same elegantly arched neck, nor the same silky quality to its hair. It was breathtakingly beautiful, with its powerful physique and defined muscles, but Kuroko somehow felt a stronger connection with the refined arab in the other stall.

"Yes. Could you get Yukimaru?"

"Yuki— oh. Sure, of course." The blond seemed downcast as he moved past Kuroko to slip onto the hallway.

They walked the horses outside the stables and onto the gravelled main road. The sun was now high up in the sky, its scorching rays of heat attacking them immediately after they had stepped out of the shade. Albeit a little uncomfortable, Kuroko found their walk to the main building surprisingly leisurely — the horses chortled lazily and swished their tails across their hind legs to swat off flies; bees buzzed in the wild flowers that lined the main road; and the cows were grazing on the meadow to their right… The grass was a bit yellow and wilted after the drought that had lasted all summer, but that didn't ruin the overall quiet, serene atmosphere.

On their way, a familiar figure came trailing down the road — a redhead with broad shoulders and curiously divided eyebrows. Kise gave him a lazy, casual wave of his hand (as the experience of burying bodies together had apparently faded their earlier resentments for each other), but Kagami's attention was on Kuroko. He approached with the kind of body language that let on that he was intending to speak with him.

"Uhh… Hi. Kuroko, was it?"

The three all paused on the road; Kuroko looked up at the much taller male with a very neutral expression on his features, and nodded.

"Why yes, yes it is. And I'm Kise, in case you forgot…?" Kise seemed huffy to have been ignored.

Kagami only rolled his eyes, and ignored the blond again. "I heard that you were leaving."

"Yes, I'm going to escort Akashi-san. We're on our way right now."

Kagami's gaze flickered over the two fully equipped horses, and he nodded in understanding. When he spoke, it did actually sound like he was trying to be tactful, but it clearly wasn't his strongest point: "…Don't mean to be rude or anything, but are you sure? It's just… You don't look like the type to be a bodyguard."

Kuroko gave him a soft little smile, knowing that these remarks would be something he would simply have to get used to. "I'm sure. Thank you for your concern, though."

And when Kagami gazed down at him again, something in his eyes had changed. Kuroko was unable to tell exactly what it was, but it did have a wistful, regretful, even a tad sorry touch to it. The redhead blinked once, then cleared his throat in a manner that suggested that he was awkwardly aware of the look in his eyes.

"Alright then. But you know… I have this strange feeling that we would have been good friends, if only we had ever had the time."

Kuroko smiled again; weirdly, he felt the same. It was a shame that their paths had crossed so briefly, but maybe somehow, someday, somewhere… they would meet again.

"Maybe so."

They stood there in mutual awkwardness for a couple of more seconds, but Kise's patience was quick to run out, and he let out an implying "soooo?" which definitely was everything but subtle. Kagami hastily muttered his goodbye's and exchanged nods with Kuroko before they parted ways — Kagami continuing his way down the road, and Kuroko and Kise resuming their walk towards the main building.

"Is everything alright?" Kuroko inquired as they walked, to which Kise rolled his eyes at and laughed.

The only reply he got was an amused, "You know, I really hate his eyebrows."

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It was here… the end.

Regardless of the summer heat hanging heavily in the air, Kuroko's skin was prickled by gooseflesh as he stood on the road leading away from the estate. The finality that he had felt back at the stables came back to haunt him; he knew that when the estate gates would swing closed behind him, it would be the last scene of Act I.

The small group of people — he, Akashi, the landlord, the landlady, and Momoi — they were all gathered by the main gates in an event that almost felt ceremonial. It was like setting a caged dove free, or sending your child to war, or bidding farewell to a wanderer; there was an uncanny kind of sentimentality that came with not knowing if you'd ever see each other again.

Akashi called out to him, but his voice felt oddly faraway, even though the male was mere meters away. "Go say your goodbyes, Kuroko."

He moved as if in a dream, feeling detached from reality while he hugged Kise for the last time — supposedly. The blond's grip was almost despairing, and it saddened him because it only made it seem like they weren't going to ever see each other again… Which they were, right?

"See you soon." The words were murmured right by his ear. "I promise."

Kuroko felt like laughing in heartbroken relief, but all he could manage was a slight twist of his lips. Muttering something along the lines of "okay, okay", Kuroko gently pulled back, already feeling like he was delaying their departure too much. Akashi was already seated in his saddle and observing the scene that played in front of him; in his unsettling silence and unreachable detachment, it was impossible to tell what went on inside his mind.

Kuroko was a bit nervous, but not for the obvious reasons. Although he had been dealing with horses for years now, his understanding didn't extend far beyond care-taking and the reading of their body language. There was no way that he could reach Akashi's level of expertise…

The said redhead and Yukimaru — they worked together in harmony. The pearly animal conformed to every little signal its owner gave it, so attuned and compliant that from an observer's point of view it looked like they were communicating telepathically. Even now, when they weren't moving, the arabian horse had a perfect stance — its weight distributed equally on all four legs, its head uplifted, and its tail carried high.

Kuroko grabbed the reins of his horse in his hand, casting one last glance at the group of people clustered by the gates. Kise stood apart from the rest; he was quite a good actor, Kuroko had to note, masking his true anticipations under a cover that appeared concerned for entirely different reasons. The blond's jaw was tight and his knuckles white, but Kuroko was the only one able to see that the anxiousness of his eyes came from the fact that he, too, would be departing soon.

Kise was avid, but to everyone else it looked like his heart was shattered.

Next Kuroko's gaze drifted to the host family. The usual sour look was plastered across the landlord's face, but the landlady was expressionless as she comfortingly rubbed Momoi's back in circular motions — the child had buried her face in her mother's skirt and was now silently crying against it. Under other circumstances she would have never been permitted to come to the gates, but Momoi had screamed and cried and won her mother's compassion to her side. Much to Kuroko's horror, in her desperation the thoughtless child had blurted everything out to her parents, but curiously neither of them had said a word to him.

Although Kuroko had been given abundant reminders that he wasn't allowed to speak with Momoi, now that it turned out that he had disobeyed, nobody lifted a finger to punish him.

"Momoi-chan… It's time." He called out to her, so tenderly that it was if he'd feared that a tone any louder would have damaged her. Slowly, hesitantly, her sobs quieted down and she lifted her chin, turning to look at Kuroko — her pink irises no longer stood out so strikingly from the puffy redness of her eyes, but she was still a very beautiful sight, even in her disorderly state.

"T-tetsu… kun…" She whimpered, her bottom lip quivering, and all of a sudden she had ran over and plunged into his arms, her little hands enclosing around his torso as far as they could.

She could hardly speak through her sobs. "You p-promised… that we would talk again… you promised…"

Kuroko placed a hand upon her head, whispering a remorseful, "I'm so sorry", although he knew that they were just empty words echoing to deaf ears.

"You… have to t-take me with you." Puffy, glistening eyes lifted up to meet his own; Momoi was so much shorter than him that she had to tilt her head far back to be able to lock eyes. "Father t-told me that he was going to find me a husband. They're going to force me to marry… They're g-going to send me to a-another estate… I will never be happy, never, ever, ever!"

She broke down to sobs again, but Kuroko's same sorrowful expression didn't even twitch — the news was no surprise to him. He had been perfectly well aware that the daughters of landlords were sold into marriage much like Kuroko himself had been sold to Akashi… Females weren't respected enough to grant them a say in their own fate, and although it was a cruel, inhumane thing to do, there was no running from hierarchy.

"Shhh. Momoi-chan." Cooing to her as if she were his own child, Kuroko lowered down to his knees and pulled her into an embrace; cherishing, treasuring these last moments they could spend together. "Everything will be alright in the end. I promise that in the end, you will be happy. This world is a terrible place, but there are good people in here — you'll meet them eventually; somehow, someday, somewhere, you will."

She snivelled pitifully, arms draped around Kuroko's neck and her little chin resting upon his shoulder. When she spoke, she did so very softly, the words breathing off her lips almost as if in a sigh. "I.. I wish I could just marry you instead. If we were the same age, I'd definitely love you, Tetsu-kun."

They broke apart; Momoi smiling tearfully through her sadness, and Kuroko looking at her through the adoring eyes of the parent he would never be.

"Kuroko, we must go now."

Kuroko jolted; the sharp tone had slashed through his dream-like daze and made him suddenly all too aware of the four pairs of staring eyes. He blinked — once, twice — before giving Momoi one last smile and rising up, immediately met by the pungent stare of Akashi. For something so bright and fiery, it was weird how little those eyes actually revealed… They were like windows made out of unbreakable, darkened glass; seeing everything, but letting nothing to be seen.

"I apologise for the delay." He deadpanned, giving the redhead a quick, polite bow. He then hastened to turn to his horse — the animal seemed enormous now that he knew that he had to climb atop it, and the bluenette found himself swallowing dryly.

Curling his fingers around the pommel of the saddle, Kuroko then made the final leap into his new life as he used the stirrup to vault himself onto the seat. The horse under him was impatiently stepping on spot, chortling in agitation; its movements felt uncontrollable and powerful like the underwater currents of an ocean.

Kuroko did not belong here.

"Thank you for everything." Akashi's voice spoke up; the redhead was now eyeing at the host family gathered by the gates. "Once my previous bodyguard is in sufficient condition to travel again, send him back to the capital. I've already paid for the expenses so that shouldn't be a problem."

The landlord, who had been following the situation closely, lifted his eyes to meet Akashi's, and twisted his lips into a smarmy smile. "No, it is not." He said slowly. "I wish you a good journey."

"Thank you."

His tone and words were at conflict again: absolutely no speck of gratefulness was anywhere visible on Akashi's condescending features. He turned coldly away, and with incredible dexterity, he had Yukimaru almost dancing her way next to Kuroko and his horse; the awed servant could only silently admire the performance. When they paused abreast, Akashi turned to look at Kuroko, attentive eyes already having noticed Kuroko's hesitance.

"Can you ride?"

It was a strange time to ask, now that they were already seated in their saddles and minutes away from departure. Kuroko offered him a sort of a lopsided smile, trying to assure him that everything was fine, but the smile was stiff and unfitted on his lips. "Passably."

Akashi's eyes skimmed over the bluenette's body — assessing his form, the position of his feet and hands, the centre of his weight, the posture of his shoulders and back — and evidently arrived to the conclusion that 'passable' wasn't good enough. The way his lips pressed together was almost chiding.

"As my escort, you must reach a certain standard. I'll teach you." Akashi boldly reached for eye contact, holding Kuroko captive in a paralysing stare. "But we'll do so later. We're already behind schedule — we must get as far as we can today. No more holdups."

"Understood."

And just like that, Kuroko found that everything had come to an end. Akashi left the conversation just as swiftly as he had stroke it up, eyes gliding back onto the road that loomed in front of them. They were so close to departure… So close, so close, so close… The horses stood with tensed muscles and erect ears, waiting; the host family watched expectantly, waiting; Kuroko could feel Kise's burning gaze on his back… waiting.

"Lets go."

End of Act I.

At the exact same moment, both Akashi and Kuroko slammed their calfs onto the sides of their horses.

Powerful feet beneath Kuroko sprung into movement; the unprepared rider atop jerked backwards as the horse launched forward, having not expected it to be so explosive. His hands gripped the reins in an attempt to find balance and prevent himself from flying off — he could feel the horse's mouth at the other end, grinding the bits, pushing onwards, ignoring his attempts to slow down.

Thump, thump, thump — thump, thump, thump — thump, thump, thump.

There was no slowing down. The horse galloped down the road, and it was all hoofbeats, and wind, and nausea, and overwhelm, and blurring backgrounds for Kuroko. He was having trouble staying in the saddle. Every time the horse leapt off the ground into another stride, a hollow feeling rose at the bottom of his stomach… and every time its front legs collided with the earth again, he ungracefully slammed into the saddle.

He couldn't do this, he was going to fall off, he—

"Kuroko!"

The close proximity of the voice surprised him. Even through the wind howling in his ears, Akashi's voice had the same clarity and piercing quality as it did on steady ground.

Kuroko glanced at him; the redhead was right next to him, but it wasn't such out-of-control maladroitness for him. Yukimaru wasn't running ahead of herself — her footsteps were coordinated and measured, her strides level and light-footed. She was almost like a phantom in her deadly calmness.

Akashi — if possible, emitted an aura of an even greater degree of utter, complete, absolute calmness.

"Sit down in the saddle." His instructions, incredibly, were audible over the clamour of hoofbeats. "Hold him back with the reins. Be stubborn with him."

Some miracle — perhaps the adrenaline rush or his eagerness to please Akashi — gave him the strength to lock his fingers tightly around the reins and force the horse to slow down. His shoulders and arms ached, it was that hard that he had to pull. Kuroko's horse and Yukimaru now cantered side by side at a reasonable pace; the bluenette wasn't anymore nearly thrown off with each new stride which reassured and calmed him greatly. Perhaps this wasn't so bad, perhaps he could do this…

Realising that they hadn't yet made it far, the temptation to look back grew too big — and he threw a glance over his shoulder, just to see his old home once more.

And he had turned to look just in time to witness the mighty swing of the landlord's fist — and then, as if time had slowed down, pink hair whelmed and a girlish shriek pierced the air. Momoi struck the ground like a rag doll, and her father towered above her with a fist raised to strike again.

Kuroko's face went white and bloodless as realisation dawned upon him. The landlord hadn't punished him, oh no… His blind rage showered upon his daughter.

"Don't look back, Kuroko!" Akashi yelled, determinately keeping his eyes on the road ahead, gripping his reins so tight that his knuckles went white. "Just ride!"

Kuroko jerked his head back, pale and breathless. The road veered behind a curve and the estate fell out of sight, but even over the hoofbeats and blood rushing in his ears, Kuroko could hear Momoi's screaming echo over the tree tops. It was mixed with sobs and pleads and cries for help, but Kuroko was further and further away with every passing second.

The screaming didn't stop — it was Akashi and Kuroko that rode so far that it could no longer be heard.

xxx

xxx

Day 1 was a challenge.

Kuroko couldn't get the sound of Momoi's screaming out of his head, no matter how he massaged his temples or tried to concentrate on the road ahead of him. The telltale glances that Akashi kept on making at him from the corner of his eye let on that the redhead was well aware of this, but he wasn't the talkative type — or then, perhaps, he didn't care to bother with a lowly servant.

So, not a word was uttered about the topic.

But not that a lot was uttered about anything else, either. While they had cantered down the road, they had raced in mutual, understanding silence; neither of them wanted to speak, and somehow, wordlessly, they both knew it.

Kaijo — which was the district they were currently in — was known for its birch trees. It didn't take long that the road dived straight into the depths of yet another birch tree forest, a lambent wildwood where rays of sunlight filtered gently through the branches. The trunks of birches had a white and smooth bark, but one that was marked with black lenticels — it was as if someone had slashed through the bark with a knife, ripping dark cuts into the otherwise ashen surface.

In other words: they had a zebra pattern. There was no other tree like a birch, Kuroko thought, having developed a certain fondness for them… His throat felt dry as he realised that he might never see birches again — this journey was sure to take his life.

They cantered through the forest, and something about the lightness and serenity made it all seem as they had been moving through a dream. When it was over and the horses burst out of the chasms of the wood, still in full speed, the dream-likeness ripped like a lenticel of the a birch.

Oh what a journey waits for you.

After a while Akashi had slowed Yukimaru down to a trot, and a bit later on down to a walk. Kuroko complied. Their shared silence remained unshattered and untouched, but it blended into other sounds: the of clopping of hooves onto dirt, the chirping of grasshoppers, the hum of wind moving through the surrounding trees.

Akashi certainly wasn't the talkative type, as neither of them spoke for hours to come. They simply followed the road dedicatedly, occasionally accelerating to a trot or a gallop (which seemed to be entirely dependent on Akashi's mood swings), and at one time they stopped by at a river stream to let their horses refuel on fresh water. Akashi didn't have to tie Yukimaru to a tree as he himself had hopped down to drink, the pearly animal waiting patiently for her owner as he kneeled by the waterfront.

But god forbid Kuroko tried the same. When his horse was done drinking, and Kuroko had slid off the saddle and let go of the reins, it immediately recognised its freedom. This resulted in a brief chase during which the capricious animal danced away and a panicked bluenette jogged behind it, trying to catch grip of the reins but failing as the horse jerked its head away every time Kuroko even came close. Akashi had frozen on spot, knelt by the river front with his cupped palms dipped in the water, an unreadable expression ironed onto his face as he watched his new bodyguard's failing game of tag.

Eventually Kuroko managed to tangle his fingers into a tuft of black mane, and through that cut his steed's runaway short. His cheeks flushed; the sharp stare of Akashi's eyes landed upon his back as he walked the horse to a nearby tree and tied it by the reins onto it.

"Akira is a tricky one. You have to earn his trust." He heard Akashi speak from the waterfront, his voice having a nonchalant quality to it, but Kuroko knew not to trust it. Something as fallacious as a tone of voice was not something to count on, not when trying to guess what went on in the aristocrat's head.

Akira. Well, at least now his headache had a name.

They continued their journey soon after, again falling into that familiar silence. They passed more forests, more streams, more estates, and an occasional horse caravan or another traveller. Kaijo was a quiet area: there weren't a lot of people, and the ones that there were had securely locked themselves inside their estates.

Slowly the firmament that spread above them began to bloom in red, orange, and purple. The sun was setting, the day was ending, but their journey showed no signs of slackening. Kuroko was no stranger to hunger, but that didn't mean that he enjoyed the gnawing pain in his gut — he had last eaten back at the estate, which was six, seven hours ago? He was surprised that a nourished nobleman like Akashi wasn't particular about meal breaks, because after all, he certainly could afford to be.

It only got darker from here. The night slowly descended onto them, dimming the lights and stretching the shadows until all had fallen into its hollows. They still trailed along the same main road, but it wasn't the same path during nighttime: it's newly acquired menace was unsettling for the untravelled bluenette, as he wasn't acquainted with the night.

Akashi on the other hand waded into the darkness trustingly, a seasoned globe-trotter, already familiar with the shadows, and the ringing silence, and the treacherous paths; Akashi could see through the darkness' tricks and pass them with a smirk.

But for Kuroko, each deformed tree looked like a wild beast. Each hoot of an owl send shivers up his spine. Each crack in the forest made his heart flutter.

Thankfully Yukimaru's silvery coat was easy to distinguish. But though she gleamed through the dimness like a ghost, if she trailed too far ahead of Kuroko, the darkness would swallow her up and out of sight. After experiencing it a few unfortunate times, Kuroko had made it his goal to stick as close to Akashi and Yukimaru as possible… He followed Akashi's lead into the abyss, trusting his employer to know the way.

This journey will do you grievous harm.

For the past five minutes they had been walking, the main road had been lined by a tall stone wall on the left-hand-side. Kuroko recognised it as the wall of an estate, similar to the one that had girded Kuroko's previous estate, too.

Then the blaze of a night watch's fire loomed into sight. It's faint light engulfed the surroundings in a small sphere of illumination; lighting up the metallic gates and the man that sat on a rock guarding it. Kuroko and Akashi drew nearer, and the sound of approaching hoof beats caught the night guard's attention. His hand flew to the knife sheath dangling from his belt, but he didn't attack, didn't even flinch — he was simply taking safety precautions.

"Do you take visitors?" Akashi called out as they emerged from the darkness.

The night guard's shoulders relaxed. "Well 'course we do, that's why I'm here. Welcome to The Heron Inn, every traveller's trusted night-stay."

He had a rugged appearance — an unkempt beard and clothes that definitely could have used a wash — but at the mercy of the night, Kuroko granted him his trust immediately. The night guard stood up from his rock and began to open the gates for them, the wooden signboard reading The Heron Inn swinging sadly.

Kuroko had almost forgotten about Kise — the blond must have already departed as well, and perhaps was only a couple of hours away from reaching this very same site. Oh God, how was he afraid. Doing this behind Akashi's back made him feel dirty and dishonest: if the nobleman were to find out, there was no knowing of what he'd do.

Still, Kuroko was a man of his word — be it a promise to a devil or to a saint. As Akashi guided Yukimaru through the gates and as the night guard's eyes were focused on the redhead, he pulled loose the knot that tied his sack of belongings onto the saddle. The contraption fell with a clatter; clothes, a hair comb, a tin mug, a mini lantern, and other miscellaneous items toppling out of the bag. Akira snapped at the sound and chortled in agitation, but this time Kuroko managed to keep him under control.

"I apologise. I'll clean this up and follow you as soon as possible."

Akashi had paused at the gates; his eyes flickered scornfully at the mess. "Fine. Be quick."

The night guard lit up a torch and then the two of them were off — Kuroko watched them go, watched the speck of light inch further into the distance, until all that was left was the fire's lonely rattling and Kuroko's heightened breathing.

This journey will rain blood on you.

An owl hooted in one of the trees nearby, and the sudden reminder snapped Kuroko at once back into reality. He was out alone in the dark, unprotected; lingering was probably not in his best interest.

He was brisk in his movements: he slid off the saddle, chained the horse to a tree, jammed all the clothes and whatnot back into the sack, and then was left with the red handkerchief — tattered into long strips, tied into a neat bundle with a string. Kise's only memento of his mother lay there on the gravel, in the hands of an unintended owner, in the serve of an unaimed purpose. Kuroko picked it up tenderly, pulling a strip apart with strange care.

He tied it around a sizeable rock, and then placed it right in the middle of the road into perfect visibility.

Kuroko could feel something tug at his heart again as he gazed down the road, the same road he knew his best friend to be on… at this very moment.

"Please stay alive." He whispered. "And please… Try to understand my decision."

It had now been 24 hours since he had seen Akashi through the storm. Act II was going to unfold its opening scene soon — and Kuroko's mouth went dry from the fear of what it'd bring along.

From a cloudless, clear sky, the first raindrops fell.

xxx

xxx

A/N: Please leave a review and let me know what are your thoughts on the new turn of events. Your feedback means so much to me, thank you to all those who have shown their support. :)

I will continue soon!