Kuroko no Basket One Shots - One More Shot

Promise - Seijuro

| Akashi Seijuro |

Akari sat beside the vending machine, her can of soda hanging from her fingers. She replayed what she had just saw in her mind. Rakuzan against Seiren. One point and Rakuzan had fallen. It wasn't that Akari was upset, nothing like that. She really didn't feel anything, maybe a little disappointment, but Akari wasn't in the stands to cheer for a team. She was there merely to observe.

Rakuzan was supposed to win. No matter how much you argued and bantered, it would always stay the same. Rakuzan should've won. They were the almighty undefeated team after all. They just lacked what Seiren owned. Akari didn't know exactly what that was yet, but she knew that that's what Rakuzan needed to work on.

No, it wasn't anything like Touou and Seiren's situation, where teamwork was what was missing, but it was definitely something important.

"Akari?" She looked up to find Akashi holding a drink.

"You lost." Akari stated, her eyes returning to the can of soda she held.

"Yes." Akashi attempted to mask it, but Akira could still detect the pain in his voice.

"So, you're going?"

Akashi and Akari were childhood acquaintances. She was the only person in Rakuzan who could defy Akashi's authority, and Akashi seemed to not posses the ability to punish her. Akari didn't go around breaking the rules, but she did stand up to Akashi when she wanted to.

The other day, Akashi told Akari something that she didn't like hearing at all. They were side by side on the rooftop, looking out over the school.

"If we lose to Seiren, I'm leaving to train." Akari abruptly turned to Akashi, shock decorating her expression.

"Where would you go?" She was nervous about asking. Was he leaving to another city, state, country?

"America." Akari felt her heart shatter.
You see, over the time that Akari got to know Akashi better, she had slowly fallen in love with him.

She buried her feelings, knowing that this was Akashi's choice. This time, she wasn't going to stand up to him.

"Good luck then." Akari replied in monotone, replacing her shocked expression with a neutral one.

She couldn't tell him, Akari didn't want to be the one to hold him back. But it wasn't like Akashi held any feelings for her, right?

"I will." Akari wanted to dig a hole and just cry in it. She wanted to yell at him, Akari wanted to sob and bawl tears and just let everything out. But she kept it together, just like she always does.

"Have fun." Her voice was thick, as if she was about to cry, which was true.

She looked down, part of hair falling and covering some of Akari's face, like a curtain. Don't cry, don't let those tears out.

Akari felt light pressure on her forehead, and a thumb gently wiped away a few traitor tears that had left her eyes.

"Don't worry, Akari, I'll be back." She was about to break down at the sound of his soothing voice, "And I'll love you and treat you right like I should've ages ago."

Her heart danced in joy but at the same time, cried in hurt and pain.

She lifted her hand, her fingers curled except her pinkie and thumb.

"Promise?"

Another pinkie and thumb connected with Akari's.

"Promise."

{ ~ }

Akashiiii ヽ(；▽；)ノ