Power and authority are very fickle things, exuding it naturally and consistently is a near impossible task, only years of confidence and success and at least ten people running around calling you "sir" could achieve an authoritative stance. At least that was what you thought before you attended Teiko.
You were walking down the hallways, clutching an armful of books, wishing you had a third arm so you could check which room you were meant to be in (the information was precariously in your timetable) for the next lesson. You were so enamoured in trying to find your schedule that you didn't notice the constant murmurings of the hallways silenced and people moved to the side.
No, you were still obliviously walking in the middle of the hallway and it wasn't until you heard a single, threatening order that your ears perked up, "Move."
You turned around and immediately the baby fine hairs on the back of your neck stood up and your stomach twisted into knots at the sight. There, standing taller than you, was a boy with an arrogant face. His hair redder than the deepest depths of hell with a matching eye, which struck terror into your very being. His other eye was golden, a combination that would have looked strange on anyone else.
But for him, his frightening features worked together to exude an intimidating aura that made your hands shake and your knees almost buckle underneath you. You wanted to apologise, you wanted to clear his path as quickly as possible. But your lips couldn't be opened with steel and your feet were planted to the ground.
He raised his hand and your eyes widened, he looked as though he was about to hit you, but before you could found out if that was his attention, someone who you couldn't see grabbed your elbows from the back and dragged you away from him and Akashi continued walking and once he was out of sight, the crowd resumed normalcy.
You turned around, gripping the arm of the person who saved you so you could remain standing and saw the concerned face of a hallway monitor.
"Thank you." You muttered once you finally found your words again.
"No problem." The hall monitor said, "You should avoid that one, my job is to make sure all students are safe in school and he is not one to be crossed. I'll tell you that for free."
"W-what's his name?" You stuttered out, you wanted to fall to the floor in fear.
"Akashi Seijuro." He responded.
Akashi? You had heard of Akashi Inc. the most successful, multi-billion yen company in Japan, was it possible that Akashi was a relation to the CEO of the organisation, Akashi Masaomi? As if he had read your mind, the hallway monitor answered your question.
"He is the son of Akashi Masaomi, who funded the entire west wing library." The hallway monitor said, "Leave him be and you shall be fine."
"Thank you." You whispered and let go of the hallway monitor's hand.
You headed to the bathroom and raced into a stall, locking it immediately behind you. Exhaling until you felt weightless, you ran your fingers over your scalp and through your hair. You sat on the lid of the toilet, hugging your knees. You were so afraid of him, but a creeping feeling inside of you was fascinated.
You did everything you could to repress that little voice. But it seemed that it was impossible to silence. Every day, you did your best to concentrate on your studies as you did before Akashi came into your life, but now that nagging feeling of curiosity tugged at you and you released your instincts and common sense to obey them. When he walked into a room, you couldn't help but look. Whenever he spoke or was spoken of, you couldn't help but listen.
Over time, you learned more about him. Your fascination became more profound and began to twist into something you had never experienced or even read of. You had even spoken to him on occasion, now that you weren't tongue-tied, you did your best to be as elegant, funny and intelligent as possible through your speech in the hopes that he would speak to you more.
