Forever yours

Chapter 23

I woke up to banging on the door and sat up, blurry eyed as Akashi stood up and placed a blanket over my naked body. He then padded over to the door, clad in a pair of boxers and opened it to revel a group of exorcists with Momoi and Mitobe in the front. I stood up, keeping the blanket around me and moved to the bedroom doorway.

"What is the meaning of this early call?"

I looked over at the clock. It was three in the morning of the day I was supposed to meet granny for another session at recalling my memories.

"We have to ask both of you to come with us to the council chambers."

I looked around at their faces, they all looked nervous.

"Where's Kagami?"

The pink haired exorcist met my eyes and I could she stared at me intensely, as if trying to relay a message.

"He is being questioned now, for what I don't know."

I hid my surprise as she dropped an eye lid in a quick wink. They knew what had happened that night with Haizaki, someone had spilt the beans. They knew who my father was and what had been done to Kagami.

"Let us get decent first and we will be out."

Akashi closed the door and I sagged against the door frame.

"What's going to happen? They know who Kagutsuchi is and what I did to Kagami!"

Akashi moved forward and pulled me against his chest and I held on to him tightly, my small body shaking.

"Stay calm. I need you to promise me something."

He grabbed my chin and lifted my face to look into his serious eyes.

"If things turn bad you need to run, forget about me and the others, we will be fine but you need to escape."

"I can't do that!"

"You can and you will if you must. Your mother died to protect you, I will do no less."

"But Akashi"-

He silenced me with a kiss and when he pulled away he smiled down at me.

"We don't know what will happen. Let's take it one step at a time."

We walked in the middle of the large group of exorcists as they escorted us to the council chambers on the seventh floor. We were led through the double doors and indicated to stand in the middle of the auditorium. A slightly raised dais was set up in front of us where the seven council leaders sat. I saw Kagami standing off to the side and he flashed me a quick reassuring smile but I could only manage a small trembling one in return. Around the room the seats were filled with exorcists as they looked down at us and my shaking intensified. Akashi reached over and grabbed my hand giving it a quick squeeze. I locked my trembling knees in place and looked up at the council members.

"It has come to our attention of the true parentage of the abomination called Tetsuya Kuroko."

I heard a grumbling of anger echo around the room at the use of the word and I saw Akashi's cheek twitch in anger. The man who had spoken coughed and I could have sworn his face was pale and sleek with sweat.

"My apologies, it was tactless of me to say such a thing."

I couldn't hold my emotionless mask in place and looked up in shock at the man. I wasn't alone, even Kagami and Akashi were surprised. The council had only ever called me abomination and never apologised for it.

"The truth has been revealed and with it we see that the past had been altered, our teachings polluted from the words of liars and men seeking power. To all who sit here, let it be known Kuroko is the child of our saviour, the great lord of fire, the phoenix."