Chapter 2: Arranged marriage

"We'll stop here today. See you next Tuesday."

Kuroko sighed. It was a long two-hour lecture. He had eagerly dreaded for time to approach the moment that signifies the end of the lecture. The professor had announced as the last bell chimed. His first day was finally over. So much for being a college freshman. He gathered his things and headed for the door. His professor's sharp eyes would not allow it.

"Kuroko Tetsuya-kun. Where are you going?" His professor had asked, the underlying meanings of his words running deep. Kuroko had groaned, slapped a hand across his face. He is screwed. He sighed and turned back, walked down the stairs to the corner of the lecture hall where the teacher's desk was.

"Is there anything you need, Professor Akashi?" Kuroko's inscrutable personality returned, making it extremely challenging for the other party to decrypt the chaotic thoughts that were running corybantic deep within his mind. Kuroko internally prayed for an escape route. With the history between them, Kuroko wanted nothing to do with his professor.

Akashi began to speak after everyone had left the hall. Only the both of them were left in the capacious lecture hall. "You can't pretend nothing happened, Tetsuya. It's such a surprise you're a student at this university, and a student from my class. It seems like my efforts were futile. I look forward to getting to know you, Kuroko Tetsuya-kun." He had smirked, leaning closer towards Kuroko. There was sarcasm evident in the tone of his professor's voice. "You'll be surprised what the future entails. I promised we'll meet each other again, but I have no idea we would meet again like this so soon. Fate is such a amusing thing."

"I didn't know the man who kissed me was my professor either. What an astounding surprise." Kuroko agreed. "If you have nothing else to say, I'll be taking my leave. See you next Tuesday, Professor Akashi." Kuroko sighed. His personality and demeanor was apathetic as ever. Kuroko's voice was icy cold than ever.

Akashi had smirked, watching Kuroko's small figure leaving the hall. Things are going to be much more interesting. There will be no escape, the predative eyes of the great Akashi Seijuurou would make sure of that. Akashi found it interesting messing with the person named Kuroko Tetsuya.

Kuroko was sprawled on the sparkling clean table in the cafeteria he shared with Kagami, Aomine and Kise. It was lunch time. Kagami was busy wolfing down burgers like a squirrel. "What happened? Don't you like vanilla shake?" Aomine asked, eyeing the cup of vanilla shake his boyfriend had bought for Kurokocchi.

Kuroko had sighed. "That's not it, Aomine-kun." Kuroko groaned. "The universe hates me."

"What are you so depressed about?" Kagami had asked, through mouthfuls of burgers. "It's only the first day. Did you realize you had entered the wrong choice?"

"Remember yesterday I said I had a bad feeling?" Kuroko said. "And I might see him again?" Kise and Aomine nodded vigorously, waiting for their friend to spill the beans. "Well, I did see him again. He was my professor." Kuroko buried his face into the table again. Kagami was totally clueless what had happened as he was busy with his basketball training. Aomine was an exception. It was simple. He skipped practice.

"Say.... WHAT?!" Aomine and Kise echoed simultaneously. Aomine grinned and Kise was laughing his eyes out.

"That's...certainly something to be worried about." Aomine commented. "But can't you escape, since you're always invisible and go under the radar?"

Kuroko sighed. "It's not funny, Aomine-kun. It's too late. He recognized me."

Kagami had choked on his food. "What? How?"

"I wonder too," Kuroko groaned into the table. He remembered Akashi had noticed his weak presence at a first glance too. It was mysterious. Kuroko was still moping on his way back home after saying goodbye to his friends. He still could not wrap the idea that the man he had met last night was his professor.

Kuroko made his way home after classes had ended. He waved goodbye to his best friends. Aomine and Kagami went for their basketball practice, and Kise had another fashion magazine photoshoot scheduled by his manager. His friends had a busy day. Kuroko felt he should not be disturbing them, and thus he decided he should go home and get some rest. Kuroko lived in a small apartment alone which was twenty minutes by foot. Aomine and Kise used to fuss about and was worried about Kuroko living alone. This was an apartment which he had been living in since he had moved out of his parents' home in elementary school after the big incident happened.

It wasn't anything lavish. It was a place just right for people like Kuroko. An average Japanese student. Kuroko found two people outside his home as he approached his apartment door. Kuroko lived on the third floor. Kuroko frowned as he identified the faces of people that had been waiting for him. They had matching features and possessed similar appearances. There was a man dressed in a suit and a refined lady who wore sparkling jewelries. One glance anyone would know they come from a distinguished family background.

"What are you doing here?" Kuroko's voice was cold as ice. The tone of his voice was deadly.

"It is also your duty as the son of the Kuroko family, Tetsuya." The lady reprimanded. The couple were his parents. Kuroko's apathetic stare pierced through the couple. They were Kuroko's parents. Kuroko guessed they must have deliberately picked a time when he was alone. Aomine and Kise often worked together as Kuroko's bodyguards since that incident during their elementary school years. Parents who don't care for their children were trash. They were the worst kind of parents. They cared for the family name, money and fame. Their youngest son who refused to become their tool, was neglected and abandoned. He was stomped underfoot.

Kuroko unlocked the doors of his apartment. His parents followed him into the apartment. Kuroko sighed as he put down his bag in a corner. The apartment wasn't small. It wasn't extravagant either. It was an average home for a typical university student. His parents frowned at the state of Kuroko's home.

"Is this the place you've been staying in? Hmph. Serves you right. It's a dump for losers like you." His father sneered.

Kuroko glared at the couple. "I don't recall inviting you both into my home. I am no longer tied to the Kuroko family. Please get out."

His mother huffed. "This is a promise made to the Akashi family years ago." She handed Kuroko a contract. Kuroko frowned at the papers. He had a bad feeling. "It is exactly what it is. Don't be late. Your father will pick you up tomorrow evening. Don't you dare escape. Who knows what will happen to Chihiro if you disobey my words. It's your last duty, Tetsuya." His parents left the apartment, leaving the evidence of their presence behind. The evidence that reminded Kuroko he was once a child of the Kuroko family.

Kuroko could not believe the words of his own parents. Even after so many years, they never changed. He was getting sold to another family. Getting enraged at them will not change the situation. Kuroko sighed. He stepped into the bathroom and turned on the water. Warm water trickled down as he splashed himself with water. After he was cleaned and dressed in a fresh pair of clothes, he took out his books and spread them on his work table. He began working on his assignments his instructors had given during the lectures.

Kuroko sighed as he thought of Professor Akashi. It gave him unsettling trepidations. It was a little past dinner time when Kuroko was done with his assignments and reports. He tidied and kept his books into his bag, and pulled out a pastel cerulean file from one of the shelves in his work room. Kuroko pulled the file open, revealing its contents. They were music sheets and manuscripts, written by Kuroko himself.

The front door bell rang. Kuroko heard a loud click, evident that someone else had invited himself into Kuroko's apartment. Kuroko rose from his chair, finding a young man in his early twenties standing in the middle of his hallway. Kuroko scowled at him.

"Geez, what are you doing at the front entrance, Izuki-kun? Stop that habit of ringing my doorbell. Afterall, you have my spare key."

The man named Izuki grinned. "Just felt like it." Kuroko sighed. "Are you ready? We should get going soon." Izuki reminded Kuroko. Kuroko nodded. He went back to his work room, grabbed his pastel cerulean file, stuffing them into his messenger bag and his coat which was hanging at the doorway.

"Let's go."

Kuroko was dressed in a slightly oversized white shirt and black tights. A black coat was worn over his petite shoulders. The pair got into a white car parked just outside the guardhouse. It was as if the driver had been waiting for Kuroko. Kuroko had a solemn expression as they travelled to their destination. Although his comrades were not experts in reading people like Kuroko, Izuki handles it well enough for him to understand something must have happened to his family, again.

"What happened this time, Kuroko?" Izuki had asked.

Kuroko shook his head. "It's alright, Izuki. I'll handle it on my own. I'm not a child anymore. Besides, that childish level of blackmail isn't enough to bring me down." He gave Izuki a gentle smile. "Don't we have more important things to do tonight?" The driver maneuvered through the heavy traffic, finally reaching their final destination. It was a stadium which a certain artist often performs onstage. The driver drove in through the back entrance to avoid unnecessary attention from fans and the audience.

Upon getting out of the car, Kuroko was ambushed by his comrades. He was pulled into a bear hug. The contentment of joy at the sight of Kuroko was evident. The driver was the last to get out of the car. He sighed. "Stop doing that every single time. Kuroko is getting sandwiched."

A woman had a terrifying grin sneaked behind the group. She appeared to be in her early twenties, just like the members of the group. She was dressed in formal clothes, a name tag was attached to her coat. It read: Aida Riko. "What.... Are.... you... People.... Doing.... Go get ready!" The members froze at the sight of her.

"Yes, ma'am!" They scurried and scrambled into their respective dressing rooms. Kuroko sighed, making way to his own dressing room. Izuki chuckled at the terrified faces of his friends. He was amused. Aida glanced at Izuki.

"How was it?" She asked Izuki. Izuki sighed, shaking his head. His reaction was more than enough evidence. She had to make plans. Soon. More than anything, they were terrified of Kuroko's safety. Kuroko was the only child that was still underage under their care. His eighteenth birthday was encroaching upon them. With the knowledge of Kuroko's twisted parents' history, misfortune will definitely greet Kuroko's coming of age. After all, Kuroko was deeply loved. By the people he could call friends.

Akashi stared at the countless people gathered in the stadium. He was invited by his peers, the sons of his father's shareholders. The son of a renowned cardiac surgeon, Midorima Shintarou; son of a famous chef, Murasakibara Atsushi; and the son of the famed fashion designer, Kise Ryouhei. Ryouhei had reserved VIP seats, and had invited his peers to view the concert of a genius artist. Ryouhei passed his peers a poster of a musical band. Their name was [Seirin]. The pastel cerulean hair of their vocal singer caught Akashi's eye. His identity and personal data were concealed. Akashi had found it strange, since he was the only performer in the band who donned a masquerade mask.

The color of the hair reminded him of the person he fell in love. Albeit it was a fleeting moment, Akashi was sure of his feelings. It was love at first sight. It was fate that he had met him as an equal, not as a student of his class. Akashi felt the vocal singer striked extreme resemblance to the person he had fallen in love with. He was reminded of the person named Kuroko Tetsuya. He observed from his seat as the concert started. His peers were creeped out by Akashi's odd behaviour. For the first time, Akashi said nothing about Kise's unnecessary behaviours. Akashi silently watched the splendid performance. His peers exchanged glances. Akashi was drawn to the vocal singer's voice. For some reason, he had felt that his soul was captivated by the gentle voice.

"He's not mad?" Kise whispered. His peers shrugged, clueless of the underlying reasons for Akashi's strange behaviour.

Akashi was still in a daze even after his chauffeur had brought Akashi and his peers home. Upon stepping foot into his home, he was greeted by his father. His father was home, for a change. Newspaper was clutched in his hands, and a cup of hot coffee was served in front of him. It was rare that the master of the Akashi family would be home. He was not the type of person to be bothered with his own son's well-being.

"You're back, Seijuurou." His father spoke.