Seven Minutes in Heaven ||°Kuroko no Basuke°||

Seijuro Akashi

 "So, since someone had a problem with having to pick their own partner out, it looks like I'm going to have to hand pick both players." Riko shook her head and sighed. "I guess it's not all that bad. I'll just have to think of it as cultivating a new romance each and every turn." Happy with this thought of hers, she no longer seemed to mind her new job. "Let me see here." Tapping her chin with the very tip of her finger, Riko looked around the crowded gym and finally helped you from the floor. "I think you'll be a good player. And for your partner, I choose-."

"Me." Cutting her off and effectively taking over the turn, Akashi stood up and made his way over to you. No one really liked the idea of him playing along, or being alone with one of the girls. But the last thing anyone wanted to do was make Akashi mad, especially when everyone was locked in the same room with him. "Well, come on."

"R-right, I'm on my way." Though you really weren't sure whether or not you should be following him, you'd heard rumors about what he'd done to Kagami when he hadn't listened. Not wanting the same to happen to you, you swallowed hard and followed him into the supply closet.

When you stepped inside, Akashi was smiling in what seemed to be a friendly sort of way. You weren't sure if this simple action made him less threatening, or even more threatening than he was before. "Sit down, and close the door while you're at it."

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry, I guess I'm not thinking very clearly right now." Once again doing as he'd said, you shut the door and sat down on the messy floor. "Situations like these always leave me feeling a little lost and confused. When I don't know what to do, or how to act, I tend to over think things and I just end up messing things up." You sighed, knowing you probably shouldn't be talking as much as you were. "I'm sorry, again."

Akashi suddenly leaned forward and roughly covered your mouth with the palm of his hand, wrapping his fingers around your face as he did so. With his face now only inches from yours, he stared down at you with his oddly colored eyes. "You should have more dignity. Acting pathetic won't get you any sympathy from anyone. Least of all me. It only confirms what everyone else already thinks of you, that you're weak, and worthless. It's disgusting." After staring at you in silence to insure you understood what he was saying, he dropped his hand from your face and relaxed again.

"I wasn't trying to act pathetic. There's nothing pathetic about apologizing or admitting that you're wrong." Moving away from him slightly, you continued speaking against your better judgment. "Actually, I think it takes a strong person to admit their faults. It's a much weaker person that can't admit that they've done something wrong."

The fact that you were disagreeing with him, and doing so so bluntly, didn't go over very well with Akashi at all, and you knew it. "That's not true at all. The truth is quite the opposite, actually." He smirked. "In short, simple terms, you're wrong."

"Maybe I am." You shrugged, giving the illusion that you cared very little what he thought. If he didn't want you to be apologetic or kind, you could definitely accommodate that. "Unless something happens to change my mind, I'm going to continue believing what I believe." Though you knew full well what you were about to say would upset him, you couldn't stop your lips from moving. "For all we know, you're the one that's wrong here."

"Is that so?" The corner of Akashi's mouth twitched into a strange, twisted smile. The air filling that tiny closet suddenly thickened, making it hard for you to breathe. It felt as if it was weighing down on your shoulders, pressing your body into the floor.

"Hey, everyone is still okay." Riko roughly pulled you to your feet and gave your back a relieved pat. "That's really good to see." "As you can tell, your time is up, so I need both of you to get out of here now." Akashi stared up at Riko with a displeased expression, but eventually did as he was told and left. As soon as he was a couple feet away from you, she relaxed. "What did you do to make him so mad? He looked like he was ready to stab you."

Knowing you would be ridiculed for your rather stupid mistake, you answered her under your breath, almost hoping she wouldn't hear you. "I disagreed with him. And I did it more than once if I'm not mistaken."

"Why would you do something like that? Things could have ended really badly if I hadn't shown up for you when I did." Surprised and even a little annoyed my your idiocy, Riko slumped over and let out a loud sigh.

"In all honesty, I don't really know why I did it." Embarrassed by your lack of caution, you smiled wearily. "He's confusing though, and incredibly intimidating. I had no idea what to do in there. Everything was upsetting him."

"That is true I suppose." She nodded weakly as she started back towards the group with you. "This game is already getting a little too dangerous for my liking." Riko groaned. "If we ever play this game with him again, remind me to pat him down for scissors first."