Voice 2: Your Name

There is a part of me that I myself find quite unappealing.

The part of me that loves the colour red.

The part of me that isn't bothered by the scent of blood.

The part of me that feels nothing as I shoot a bullet through someone's head.

There is a part of me that I myself... loathed.

.

.

.

Akashi was leaning against one of the window panels in his bedroom, staring quietly at the dim-lit road outside, dead of any movement or form of life. The small vintage grandfather clock hanging on the wall struck four times. It was four o'clock in the morning, which explained the lack of activity and liveliness of the usually bustling streets.

He languidly brought his gaze to the bed, his bed which was occupied by someone else for the first time ever. Not a family, not a friend and definitely not a woman but a frail-looking teal-haired male with an average build of a high schooler. And enshrouding him was a strange condition where he would enter into a (berserk?) state though the trigger was currently unknown. Emotional stress perhaps? And why was such a fragile man with that kind of a disposition again? Yet another mystery that needed solving.

But the real question was – why did he, an assassin, readily brought another human back with him? Even though this was just one of the many places he lived and in this city, he was known as Akaho. Akaho Itsuki. It wasn't his real name of course. A man of many names would be best to describe him.

Names. Did they really played such a significant role in one's life? He wouldn't know. Akashi let out a small sigh. He couldn't even remember the last time someone had called him by his real name. Then he paused for a few seconds.

Or was it..?

Akashi-kun...

Crimson orbs softened as the redhead recalled his recent dreams of a man faintly calling him by his real name. The very same man who was now sleeping soundly under the covers. His voice was very distinguishable and Akashi immediately knew by instinct that they were of the same person.

Ruby orbs then travelled to a packet of cigarettes on a cream accent table near where he was standing, a hand soon reaching for it before popping one of the cigarette sticks to the corner of his mouth. A small spark of light momentarily flashed a corner of the dark room as he lit the cig up.

His train of thoughts abruptly halted when he heard the bed creaking and saw the once laying figure sitting upright slowly. "...where..." The bluenette soon jolted and crashed his back to the nearest wall by the bed before slipping to the floor, panting heavily and whipping his head left and right in a panic.

"Where..! Did he took me back..? W-Who are you..!"

"Call me Akaho. Now if you need an explanation I can give you one but please calm down first." Akashi had already walked towards the bed, pressing a hand on the thin shoulder to calm him down.

"NO! Don't touch me-!" The bluenette aggressively swung his arm and ultimately scratched Akashi's cheek, a thin red line broke out of the grazed skin before trailing down his cheek a little.

With one swift movement, the redhead easily overpowered the hysteric man, holding both of his arms locked above his teal head. "We should be over this pattern by now, shouldn't we, young man..?"

"..." The bluenette went silent, stopping all violent motions altogether as he bore his slightly trembling sky blue eyes into ruby red ones. "You are..."

"Yes, I am the very same man whom you tried pouncing and possibly ripping his head off." Akashi flatly said, accompanied by a saccharine smile on his bow-shaped lips.

"I-I... deeply apologise... I told you that I'm not-"

"-human?" Akashi decidedly cut in between, "But, you're not being too convincing when you have every quality a human should have. At least your outer appearance, that is." Akashi removed himself from the bluenette seconds later when he deemed the young man no longer posed a threat.

"Even I'm not so sure myself. I could barely remember what happened before I collapsed. Just... fragments of blurred memories here and there." Admitted the teal-head as he shakily clenched his hands into a ball of fists.

'He can converse normally. And in a very proper manner too. Though the same didn't apply when he went berserk earlier...'

Akashi simply observed every single one of the bluenette's behaviour from the sides – with a bored look in his fiery crimson eyes. He was actually in a decision-making process right now. On whether he should keep or discard the stray away.

"What's your name, if I may ask?" Akashi smiled again, the insipid expression never leaving his face. The young man had very well caught his attention, adding the fact that he kept having these weird dreams where this person was continuously calling out to him. Of course, he would never admit that he was rather intrigued by him.

The teal-head stared back, looking clueless and somewhat confused as light-coloured eyebrows scrunched up a little by that particular word. "My name... what was it again?" He whispered, bringing his hand slowly to his temple as he tried hard to recall but failed. "I... I can't remember somehow?"

Akashi in response went silent, bringing two fingers under his chin before he reopened his mouth. "Hn, should I give you a name, then?" He became particularly good at making up names as of late. And the reason for that was as clear as day.

"What." The bluenette replied monotonously but Akashi could very well see his soft blue irises constricted for a split second. "Is it important for you to know what my name is?"

"Addressing someone I just met with just 'hey' or 'you' doesn't sound very polite now, does it?" Akashi returned the question with another question, exhaling puffs of white smoke from his mouth, the smell of cigarette smoke soon filled the enclosed room.

'I'm just as curious. Am I not..? To know yours as the you from my dream knew mine.'

The redhead rhetorically noted in his mind, quickly dismissing the absurd thought at the drop of a hat. It wasn't wise to pursue on such matter anymore. He should never become a man with unnecessary attachments towards another human.

'Since there may be a day when I have to dispose of them. There are no friends or foes. Just me or 'them'.'

Which was why he was fine on carrying with the way he had been living. Listening and tending to people's problems during the day, but taking people's lives at night. Oh, the irony of it all.

'Though this person right before me may easily cross over from the other side.

Just like 'he' did.'

A gamble he was willing to make.

On the contrary, figuring out the young man's name would be a piece of cake for a psychologist of his calibre. Perhaps it was his ego taking over but Akashi would very much like to prove himself right. "Why don't we play a game then?"

"...a game? What kind of game?" The bluenette asked, genuine curiosity gleamed through his sky blue eyes. Almost as if he still retained this child-like innocence and Akashi couldn't say he disliked that part in him or in anyone else for that matter.

Innocence of a child who had yet to learn the harshness and cruelty of the world. That which Akashi didn't get to experience even as a child. The ways of an assassin were obviously beaten into him ever since he was still at a very tender age. Betrayal or perfidiousness were common occurrences in his daily life.

Akashi took one last smoke before lightly crushing the cigarette's butt in an ashtray. "Close your eyes and count to ten. And listen closely to what I will tell you afterwards."

"I understand." The bluenette readily shut his eyes, muttering the count under his breath.

"As soon as you hear the clicking of my fingers, you will fall into a state of neither wake nor sleep. And you will know the answer to the question that I will ask. Do I make myself clear?"

"Mm-hm..." The smell of cigarette soon infiltrated his nostrils and the bluenette felt light headed all of a sudden. That person... That person was also always-

"One, two..."

Snap!

With the snap of Akashi's finger, the bluenette froze, head hung low. The hypnosis seemed to be working very well, the redhead nodded to himself in satisfaction. Mind over matter, as they always say.

"What is your name?" he immediately directed the same question to the tranced man once more whom obediently answered in return;

"...Ku..ro..ko.. Te..tsu..ya.."

Akashi raised an eyebrow before snapping his finger for a second time. And the bluenette instantly fell forwards but was safely caught in his arms.

'Kuroko Tetsuya, huh?'

The redhead re-tucked the 'Kuroko' person in bed and rested his head on a propped elbow beside the now sleeping man.

'I've gone and picked up another stray, Chihiro.' Akashi silently thought to himself, an image of another man came into mind, a man no longer of this world, staring at him with his usual dead-fish eyes. The quiet sound of Kuroko's soft breathings was strangely calming and it lulled him into a peaceful slumber in the end.

To be continued...

Hiya everyone! It's been such a long time since I last updated this, haven't I *grovels* I had a burst of inspiration a while back but it died as quickly as it came~ XD

So I decided to post this up as soon as it reached similar word count as the first one. Thanks for reading and feel free to share some thoughts, I'd love to hear them all! :D