#i think way too much about this kansai boy *eye twitch*

[fure-dcmk]

As far as i know

Names with 次 (means next) are usually given to 2nd sons. First sons tend to be named like Shinichi (新一) does, which include the kanji for one (一).

Heiji is implied to be an only child and yet his name is 平次. Considering the Hattori family seems a tad more traditional this is a bit strange.

Does Heiji actually have an elder brother? Or perhaps Shizuka had a miscarriage and so they named Heiji in a way to remember their unborn child?

[ruruumin]

the prince (2).

₊˚ ᗢ suna rintarou x figure skater! fem! reader.

⤷ [drabble] you finally enter inarizaki high.

“seriously? the prince is here?”

“where are they? i want an autograph!” 

“no way! what class are they in?��

you’ve heard many things about inarizaki high, but you would have never expected such a large crowd of students to greet you! they must have done this with every transfer, you thought. it's a special day for you then! your smile grew wide as you waved to several students. your coach had given you the green light to attend school again. after training for your free skate program for the last three months, she thought it would be a good opportunity for you to take a break. she figured you might be bored of doing continuous salchows. 

you turn every corner, peeking your head over the wave of students in search of a tall, dark-brown haired, fox-eyed boy. you gently push through the crowd, whining in frustration as you begin to feel lost at sea. there were so many students pouring out of classrooms. too many voices for you to keep track of. shifting your head off to the side, you can see your target just a few feet away. his obnoxious loud teammate had his arm around his neck, his twin pointing out with a disgusted expression about how mentaiko and pudding do not mix. as they bickered back and forth, you notice the thick kansai accent oozing off of their words, making suna’s speech stand out all the more to you. 

calling out his name, his head quickly faced you, his arms instinctively outstretched as he is met with a tight hug. you wrapped your legs around his torso, beaming brightly as you latch onto him like a koala. his eyes were wide as saucers, what were you doing here? last time you called, you said you’d be busy with your free skate. and yet now you were here, snuggling up to him as if there wasn’t a crowd. he sighs before patting your back, rolling his eyes to the whistles he heard from atsumu’s annoying lips. 

it’ll be one hell of a week for him. 

you knew that suna was failing physics, you just didn’t know it was this bad. on his paper were several red x’s, every other question had something wrong with it. he would do calculations where there were none or completely wrong calculations. your eye twitches a little when you notice he wrote down that a cardboard box weighed twelve hundred tons. in what world did he think this was right? pressing your lips together, you lightly hit the top of his head with his rolled-up test, causing him to lower his phone and stick out his tongue playfully. what an annoying guy! 

the boys’ volleyball team was more than stoked to meet you. after seeing your performance, they were hooked on asking you everything they wanted to know about figure skating. how does the point system work? how much did it cost to start the sport? but they’ll trail onto more personal questions: where did you find suna? how did you guys become friends? what was he like when he was a kid? you would answer all of them with a cheerful expression, much to suna’s horror and disbelief. you were sitting at the table, blabbering about how he used to be chased around by a kid who picked his nose, unknowingly feeding his well-kept secrets to the others. 

though, when he looks at the excited expression on your face, he doesn’t have the heart to tell you to stop. even when you talk about his stomach nearly exploding at the number of chuupets he ate as a kid, or the time he received a volleyball spike to the groin, none of it mattered. if anything, it makes it clear to the others that you were far out of their league. every part of your life had been in one way or another connected. whether it be phone calls at night, talking about the foods you ate or the countries you’ve visited, or his attempts at pigeon mail when he got his phone taken away, he and you were like soulmates. you knew him better than he did for himself, and you’d say the same.

while they are fighting with each other about the logistics of their ice skating, he slips his hand under the table, squeezing yours as you both turn to look at each other. a giggle escapes your lips as atsumu and osamu shake each other by their shoulders, arguing about something nonsensical. 

the next day, aran suggested that you try out volleyball, something you’ve expressed interest in after seeing them practice. suna groans as you tug him by his arm, dragging him onto the court with you. suna was begging you the other day to help him with a physics exam, something he’d never done until now. his efforts were washed away when the team captain showed up to say he had no exams that week. kita was kind enough to teach you the basic stance. guiding you to lower your body and hold out your forearms. you give osamu a thumbs up, signaling him to serve the ball. 

however, with atsumu’s relentless annoyance over not being able to serve first, osamu puts too much force into his serve. you instinctively flinch and close your eyes, hearing the slam of a ball. you see suna standing in front of you, with a very red forehead and bleeding nose. he sighs, whispering under his breath about how much he didn’t want you to play volleyball with the twins. 

osamu felt a shiver run down his spine as suna gave him a very frigid stare. an evident bulge forming in his neck. however, the anger that was building up in his chest quickly dissipated when you held onto his cheeks, wiping away at the blood with a handkerchief. you press your lips together in focus as you lightly brush away his hair. he can feel the surface of his face grow warmer as your breath hovers over his lips. 

everything will be fine, he thought, it was worth getting hit by the ball if he could see you like this.

[ryntaia]

Title: Etwas Passierte Diese Woche

Fandom: Yu Gi Oh

Rating: M (Strong child abuse) 

Genre: Angst/Friendship

Pairing: Implied KaiJou/Puppyshipping/Violetshipping

Summary: Kaiba Seto, eleven years old, and learning German from Kaiba Gozuburo. He doesn’t have time to be distracted. Yet for one week, he is. 

Status: Complete

Read on Ao3!

Read on FF.net!

Or read below the cut.

Sunday – Sonntag

           This week, he was learning German.

            Last week it was English. The week before that it was Finnish. It’s all blurring together at this point for Kaiba Seto. In the back of his young mind he already knows that the mush these languages are blending into will infuriate Gozaburo. As if instinct his hand lifted to his neck to caress the marks around it; cuts and bruises from a tightened collar. He has passed out enough to know that his adoptive father is not joking when he pushes the riding crop under his chin and tightens the loop around his collar.

           His eyes blurred; it has only been a year with the megalomaniac but it felt like decades off his life. In the back of his mind he blearily tried to remember why he’s there; faintly he thought of wild black hair and lost dark eyes. A child weak and meek, to protect. Seto grimaced; his folly has put him right out of the frying pan and into the fire. It had taken all he had to distract Gozaburo from Mokuba and even after all of that effort, the man would barely let him see his brother.

           “Sie hat einen Vogal, sie hat niche alle Tassen im Schrank.” He processed his boorish pronunciation of the words in the book before him and shook his head. It wouldn’t do; his accent was still too thickly Japanese. Gozaburo had snapped the riding crop for far less than that. “Nul acht funfzehn…”

           A buzzing sound broke him out of his reverie.

           The young child cautiously strode to the door of the library to catch an entourage of guards rushing down the hall. Glancing back and forth down the hall, he slipped out of his room to creep quietly down the halls. The bodyguards were busy and Gozaburo was likely happily snoring in his sleep—Seto wrinkled his nose at the thought, bidding back a dark feeling that had been growing over the past few months to interrupt his adoptive father’s sleep with a knife in the neck. He never would do that, though.

           It wouldn’t be quite enough.

           Instead he carefully followed after the trope of guards. The back of Seto’s mind questioned his logic; he had work to do, even if it was only Sunday. He couldn’t slack or else there would be consequences to face. But there was that small piece inside him, that very obnoxious annoying child that stomped its feet and demanded to know what was going on. Usually easy to ignore but…well, it was late and he was a bit out of it. So after them he followed.

           Passing through the double doors that lead outside the house, he was greeted with a bit of a strange sight. The massive guards of the Kaiba manor….holding up a small child by the cuff of his shirt as the boy struggled vehemently and swore loudly. Seto wasn’t unused to the sight of the guards hurting children, per se—they would do it to him on Gozaburo’s command—but they rarely would push violence onto children outside of the manor or the KaibaCorp building. Too easy to stir up ugly press if anyone saw the employees harassing children.

           Then again, if the boy’s screaming expletives and obnoxious kicking was any sign, he wasn’t the type who encouraged people to want to be around him. He would’ve thought that any child with common sense would know not to yell and kick at six foot tall men with bulging muscles in suits, but apparently this one either lacked that sense or was arrogant enough to just not care. Judging by his behavior it was possibly a combination of the two.

           “What’s going on?” Seto’s voice was soft and quiet, yet commanding and icy. It sparked some sense of pride in him that it brought pause to all of the men in front of him, cautiously looking backwards at the young heir to the company. After they didn’t answer his question, he pressed on, his tone more demanding. “Did you not hear me? What’s going on here?”

           “Y-young master,” The largest man stumbled over his words, trying to find what to say. The boy dangling from his grip shot him an annoyed look; Seto could see the small hands curling into fists. “We saw this child on the surveillance camera. He was trespassing in the manor’s gardens.”

           “So instead of simply tossing him out, you’re sitting here picking fights with eleven year olds?” Seto said, making the annoyance in his voice as clear as possible. The bodyguards exchanged looks. They were all under the control of Gozaburo yet something about the youthful Kaiba ward made a lot of the housing staff nervous. He liked it better that way, the lot of fools they were. The less they liked him the less likely it was that they would bother him.

           “We thought that, uh, he might be…trouble,” The guard said lamely.

           “You thought that a grade schooler would be trouble.”

           “I, well, it’s possible?”

           “Put him down, you idiot.”

           “Y-yes, young master.”

           The minute the other boy hit the ground, he turned on the heel of his foot and spat at the foot of the bodyguard. Seto’s eyes widened a fraction; did this child have no sense of self-preservation? Apparently not, as he immediately launched forward to kick the massive man in the knee right afterwards. A howl of pain filled the quiet night and a vein of frustration pulsed at Kaiba Seto’s forehead as the odd boy turned to run off through the gardens and towards the gates.

           Before he did, though, he hazarded a glance at the brunette.  

Monday – Montag

           Hazel. Yes, they were hazel eyes. The color had evaded Seto in the moment that the other boy had glanced at him. He tapped the tip of his mechanical pencil against the paper absentmindedly. It had been a long time since he had felt this unfocused, and his stomach turned at the idea of being caught acting so nonchalant, but his own mind had fixated on the odd happenings of the previous night. The cowardly, idiotic guards and the mysterious boy who seemed to be fueled by pure aggression.

           In retrospect it was more than the aggression. The boy they had caught was, for lack of a better word, a bit unusual. He stood out. Seto hadn’t focused on it the actual evening prior but when he mused on the events, the pieces started to click together. Hazel eyes, those weren’t uncommon, although they leaned more towards that odd shade that looked like the honey that Gozaburo’s maids put in his tea. But the Kaiba family lived in Japan. One could find plenty of hazel-eyed children in Japan, but one could rarely see a blonde child running around haphazardly.

           And so aggressive. American, perhaps.

           But he realized that couldn’t be right either; the child had possessed features that were definitely Japanese. Seto groaned in irritation, trying to focus back on the homework sheet in front of him—he had a good twelve more to finish before noon and yet he had spent a good whole of the morning dwelling on the happenings of the previous night. With a groan, he stood to slam open the window; perhaps some fresh air would clear his mind.

           It didn’t.

           Mostly because down in the garden, crouching by the entrance of the hedge maze, was the same boy from last night.

           Seto could feel irritation pounding at his ears as he stormed downstairs, homework forgotten; none of the maids stopped him, only exchanged worried glances. They knew all too well that the ward of the household was beginning to pick up on Gozaburo’s less desirable tendencies, most particularly his paper thin patience and irritability. If the master of the house wished to do something about it then he could but for now, the house staff let him by without a complaint. The brunette youth was soon standing out in the garden with an incredulous look on his already sharp features.

           The other child was digging around in the hedge.

           “What,” Seto asked slowly, letting his shadow fall over the blonde. “Do you think you are doing back here, exactly?”

           The kid looked up, apparently surprised. Then he stuck his tongue out obstinately, returning to digging through the thick leaves of the hedge maze. Seto fumed internally; he had helped this boy from getting his idiotic self hurt only the night before, and this was how he was going to treat the brunette? This shameless, low bred…

           “Bonkotsu!” Seto snapped. That caught the blonde’s attention; he whipped his head up to glare at the other boy and rose to his feet to step threateningly towards the wealthy heir. Seto didn’t as much as twitch. The intruder was not taller than him and he was not older than him, and chances were that if he wanted to pick a fight that he wouldn’t be able to hold his own. The Kaiba family had already enrolled him in regular self-defense lessons.

           “What’dya call me, huh?!” The blonde barked. “Screw off!”

           “One would think that you’d show some modicum of respect to someone who had HELPED you.” Seto replied, shifting his weight from foot to foot as his crossed his arms and glared harshly at the other. The blonde’s look of annoyance didn’t fade, lower lip jutted out in annoyance, but he didn’t seem to have a retort for that comment. Silence overtook the two boys for a slight moment.

           “….’m lookin’ for my sister’s ball.”

           Seto was a bit thrown off by that. He hadn’t actually expected a reply that was anything but cursing; that was all the blonde kid had done so far anyways. With his voice more controlled, Seto could detect the slightest hints of an accent he couldn’t quite peg—Kansai, maybe? He wasn’t sure. All he could tell was that the boy was kicking his hole filled sneakers back and forth in the dirt that lined the pathway of the hedge maze, eyes squarely focused on his feet. As if he was embarrassed with himself or something. One half of his mind was proud of himself for humiliating the boy. The other half tugged at his chest when he heard the word sister.

           “Was that why you came in last night too?”

           “Well, yeah. She knocked it over earlier and I jumped the gate.”

           “…I see.” Seto took a deep breath. “If its still here then its already been taken inside by the garden staff. It won’t be out here.”

           “Wha…huh? Are you serious?” The blonde gaped stupidly. Seto nodded slowly. “Oh maaaan, are you SERIOUS?! I jumped the goddamn gate twice for nothing!”

           “Come back tomorrow. I’ll…see what I can do.”

           Seto wasn’t sure what had compelled him to say what he said. Maybe it’s the panic in the blonde’s voice, or maybe it’s the little bit at the back of his head that has sympathy for any brother looking out for a sibling. Maybe it’s the fact that the blonde clearly didn’t think any of this through and his idiotic overreacting is charming in its own way. Whatever it is, he received a weird look for it.

           But the blonde nodded anyways.

Tuesday – Dienstag

           It’s probably the first time that Kaiba Seto had a guest since he and his brother moved in with Gozaburo. Although it’s hard to call the weird kid, whose name he didn’t even know, a guest. The blonde seemed to agree; his eyes were darting back and forth nervously. Judging by the state of the kid’s clothing, Seto could easily figure that the ratty mess had never set foot anywhere near a house as nice as the Kaiba Manor. His earlier insult of ‘bonkotsu’ might have been too generous, even—the boy was so out of his element that it was almost funny.

           “Uh, this place is…uh, big.” The blonde said lamely. Seto nodded, a smile threatening to flicker on his lips. “This is all just for one family? I thought it was a club or somethin’…you like, super rich or something?”

           “My family is quite wealthy.” Seto replied shortly, resting his hand on the cool metal of the doorknob to the garden supplies room. “My…father owns a company that produces a large amount of military technology. It’s quite lucrative. Now, are you coming or not?”

           “Wha…oh, we’re here?”

           As if he expected us to be walking forever. There’s only so much manor here.

           Behind the door is a bevy of gardening supplies for the always short handed gardening staff. It was impossible to ever be fully staffed for the huge expanse that was the Kaiba Manor gardens. Despite any of this, though, the blonde immediately dove into a pile of the supplies in an effort to find what he wanted. Seto raised an eyebrow; he certainly wasn’t going to find his sister’s ball alongside the garden sheers.

           “If its here then it will be in the basket in the back.”

           Immediately the blonde looked up, nodding determinedly as he dove into the basket. The outsider didn’t have any of the tact that the staff of the manor had. He acted more akin to the wilder children of the orphanage. Seto narrowed his eyes at that; his time now was certainly not pleasant but he had no love lost for that filthy rathole either. The other children behaved like animals, treated THEM like animals, treated Mokuba like a disposable punching bag. It was the determination of desperation to be the last man standing in a hellhole.

           All that had let Seto hold on was his brother.

           I’m looking for my sister’s ball.

           He paused.

           “What were you and your sister doing over on this side of town?” Seto asked, fingers tightly gripping together behind his back. Like hell he was going to let a stranger see his frustration and confusion. The blonde looked up with his head cocked to one side, then coughed awkwardly into his head. “Well? I believe its fair to say that this isn’t your neighborhood. So why were you loitering around our Manor?”

           “…It’s none of your business.”

           “I won’t let you have your sister’s ball back if you don’t tell me.”

           The blonde paused, irritation scrawled over his features as he looked back to the brunette. Seto didn’t feel particularly proud of himself—his word had come out like a little kid who was upset about not getting the right fast food toy. He had put himself above the child but not by much thanks to his poor delivery. Deep in his head he swore that he’d improve on that; he couldn’t be sounding like a child, even if he was one. It would allow too much potential room for Gozaburo to punish ‘unworthy’ mannerisms.

           “…M’dad dumped us there, alright?” He sighed. “He does it sometimes when he’s really drunk. Are you goddamn happy?”

           Dumped?

           Seto suddenly wished he hadn’t pushed the issue. The room went silent for several minutes as he observed the blonde move carefully through the basket, finally bringing up what looked like a pile of deflated rubber. It was hanging off a pair of old and rusty garden sheers that had been out of use for god only knew how long. The rubber had bright pink and yellow patterns across, and what looked like small white cats printed across it.

           The blonde sighed in irritation.

           “Great.”

           “I believe there might be a suitable replacement. I’ll have to check with the staff about it.”

           There he went again, saying things that he never intended to say. Seto felt a bit like a fool under the gaze of this other kid, a feeling he wasn’t quite used to. Despite the other boy’s somewhat punkish behavior and clothing, he had eyes that could drill right into the back of a grown man’s skull. He was somehow both intimidating and not at all, intimidated and yet fearless of the situation he had placed himself in not once but twice.

           “Come back tomorrow.”

           Was auch immer sein wird, wird sein.

           Whatever will be, will be.

Wednesday – Mittwoch

           “I didn’t catch your name.”

           Seto blinked as he handed the ball to the blonde boy; it’s an old one that Mokuba used to play with, now replaced with a newer one with some sort of cartoons on it. It wasn’t as if the one he was giving away had any sentimental value. If anything, it had nothing but memories of blood and beatings from orphan fists attached to it, so the brunette was more than willing to give it away. It certainly wasn’t ‘cute white kitties’ like a little girl would prefer but it was something and he dared the brat’s sister to challenge it.

           “And I didn’t catch yours.” Seto replied sharply; it was more of a challenge than it was a genuine question. The blonde raised a brow at this, cocking his head to the side; apparently Seto’s aggression didn’t quite get to him. Carefully he bounced the ball a few times to test it out.

           “I’m not tellin’ you my name, rich boy. You’ll try to sue me for trespassing or something.”

           “I assure you, bonkotsu, if I wanted to do that then I would’ve done it already.” Seto said irritably; the blonde boy bit his lip in frustration. He seemed to really dislike that nickname. The brunette filed the thought to the back of his mind to remember (the commoner doesn’t like being called a commoner) but made no move to apologize. Finally, “If it annoys you so much then just tell me what your name is.”

           “I thought this was to get YOU to tell me YOUR name.”

           “I suppose the odds changed against you, then.”

           “Katsuya. It’s Katsuya.” Seto waited patiently; there was no more. “Don’t look at me like that! I’m not tellin’ you my whole name.”

           “Why not?”

           “It…its not a common last name.”

           He was lying, Seto could tell, but there was no point pushing the issue. It was obvious that Katsuya was not planning to reveal much of his personal information. Again the brunette found himself wondering why he even cared. Maybe he was just so far removed from other children that actually encountering another boy his age felt near novel. Gozaburo didn’t allow Seto much interaction with other children; the only one he was really allowed to speak to on a regular basis was his younger brother and even that was heavily controlled.

           This was not. Nothing about this felt controlled.

           Seto wasn’t sure he liked that, but then, he wasn’t even really sure what to make of this situation as a whole.

           “Do you like games?” He found himself suddenly saying. Katsuya stopped bouncing the ball in his hands to stare blankly at the brunette. “I mean like card games and board games.”

           “Uhh, I don’t really play board games much…” Katsuya scratched his cheek awkwardly; he clearly was having trouble figuring out why the brunette was keeping him up like this. Seto would’ve liked an answer to that question himself but he was not about to let it show.  “…m’dad taught me some card games, though. I can play blackjack.”

           “I see…”

           Silence. Again.

           “Y’wanna play blackjack?”

           “…I suppose.”

           He should’ve been doing his worksheets, and he knew that. He should’ve been reading those thick German books with their words that sounded like choking on spit. He should’ve been refining his accent in the language and perfecting it for business practices. He should’ve been doing anything other than sitting down in the garden supplies closet to take out the deck of standard cards in his pockets to lay them down and play several rounds of blackjack with this stranger who he barely trusted and who barely trusted him.

           Yet he did anyways.

           Kaiba Seto had been surprising himself a lot, lately.

           The other boy was clearly no prodigy in gaming like he was, though. Certainly it could be said that blackjack was a game of luck in the end but one usually had to utilize some kind of logic and sense to really become good at it. Katsuya seemed to  have streaks of random good luck but his form was sloppy, almost as if his learning of the game was second-hand rather than genuinely taught. He surprised Seto once or twice but never on purpose.

           He ended up playing the blonde enough rounds to get all the way to sunset, though, so there was something to be said for Katsuya anyhow. Somehow, when the boy was leaving, he ended up being invited to come back again.

           Surprising that he would agree without asking for Seto’s name again.

           An unfocused mind, indeed.

Thursday – Donnerstag

           The blonde didn’t come on Thursday.

           Seto couldn’t comprehend it. The boy had come back every time before when he was asked—no, TOLD. Irritation itched at the back of his skull as he scribbled down German phrases. The brunette had gone back to his assignments from Gozaburo almost immediately, as they had been nagging him the entire week. But it was now hard to focus; his mind was going on over the rounds of blackjack and the one or two hands that Katsuya had won. Stressfully trying to remember the details of their little game, mildly remembering how he noticed the sunset because it dappled the blonde of Katsuya’s hair.

           It was frustrating.

           Sehr nervig…very annoying.

           He couldn’t even figure out why he should care, anyways.

           The assignments still lay half done for hours.

Friday – Freitag

           “Why didn’t you come yesterday?”

           Katsuya looked up from the blackjack game that Seto had engaged him in again. He wasn’t wearing his usual ratty clothing, now replaced by a suspiciously oversized sweater. It was very ill suiting for the weather—the boy was more than likely sweltering in the heat. Seto wasn’t about to ask questions, though. He already had figured out that Katsuya did what he wanted and wasn’t interested in any questioning towards his actions.

           He did hate when the blonde didn’t answer his questions, though.

           “Katsuya.” He pressed. “Erklären.”

           The blonde gave him a weird look and Seto had to resist a groan. He had been using German all throughout the day, all throughout the blackjack game, and he had gotten the same glance from the blonde every time he had done it. But he couldn’t focus just on these petty games. He just COULDN’T. He could feel the collar already tightening around his neck just at the thought, the burning riding crop scars on his back protesting at the mere idea.

           Katsuya was still staring at him blankly.

           Seto sighed.

           “Explain.”

           “Oh. It’s none of your goddamn business. Hit me.” Katsuya said easily, as if he had said the same thing time and time again. His voice was still muffled by the sweater; Seto studied it carefully as he placed another card out in front of the blonde. As Katsuya swore up a storm at his bad luck—pulling a king, putting him way past twenty on—the brunette carefully reached a manicured finger out to pull the sweater away from his face.

           Blood.

           A huge, welting bandage on his cheek that was coated with dried blood.

           His finger snapped back immediately; that imaginary collar around his neck seemed to tighten more as Katsuya slapped his hands across the sweater and pushed it over his face. The cards dropped between them, hitting the floor and echoing in their ears. Seto processed quickly that the blonde was glaring almost homicidally at him now. Defensively, like an animal caught in a trap.

           Aber Warum…But why?

           Nein.

           You aren’t stupid, Seto. You know WHY.

           He played the rest of the game through quietly, not mentioning the sweater or the dried and bloodied wound on the other boy’s cheek. Katsuya seemed to appreciate the withdrawal from discussion.

           It wasn’t like Seto wanted to talk about when Gozaburo hit him, either.

           The hand played through.

           No one won.

           Not really.

           But something tugged at Seto and made that person across from him feel a little less distant, even as he tried to ignore the appreciation in the blonde’s eyes.

           Komm morgen zurück?

           Come back tomorrow.

           I’m starting to miss you.

Saturday – Saamstag

           He hadn’t been expected to be summoned to Kaiba Gozaburo’s study first thing in the morning. Certainly, he was expected to have an audience with the man at least once a day for ‘personalized training’. But it wasn’t like the man had any personal interest in either of his sons. Seto was more like a toy for the man to play with as he willed, and Mokuba may as well not be there for all that Gozaburo cared. Though Seto had to admit the latter was probably for the best. The last thing he wanted was Gozaburo focusing his attention on Mokuba.

           Mokuba watched him with huge, fretful black eyes as he entered the polished study of the megalomaniac that he laughably called a parent. Seto turned around to pointedly shut the door in his little brother’s face; the last thing that Mokuba needed was to see whatever it was that Gozaburo had in mind for him. It was cruel but it was what had to be done.

           He tried to remind himself of this as he clicked the lock shut and turned to the middle-aged businessman.

           Gozaburo stood with his back facing the boy, dark against the morning light of the window. One hand held out from his massive body, gesturing the small child forward to stand beside him. Seto swallowed his fear, ignored the tugging sensation that ghosted his neck, and strode up as confidently as he could to stand aside the intimidating creature that called itself his ‘father’ now.

One thick hand grasped tightly—too tightly—on his shoulder. Seto bit back the sensation of pain as he stared out the window with Gozaburo. They looked out on the garden that faced towards the gate, down at the hedge maze that Seto had been in just a few days ago. Down at the doorstop where, in this early morning light, no one stood.

           “Your friend is coming, Seto.”

           His resolve was immediately chipped at.

           Katsuya was standing at the gate—he had just arrived—and was being spoken to by one of the maids. Their conversation didn’t seem to be unpleasant but considering where he was, Seto could only have a bad feeling about the direction this was about to go. Especially as Gozaburo’s grip on his shoulder increased to a near burning level.

           “Hold out your hand, Seto.”

           He obliged the older man, biting his lip furiously and narrowing his dark blue eyes. In his hands Gozaburo placed a small button controller. Seto looked at it curiously, unable to control a feeling of discomfort twisting up in his stomach. He hazarded a quick glance at his adoptive father; he wore a smirk across his aging features, malevolence gleaming in his eyes.

           His grip tightened.

           “Report the child to security, Seto. He’s trespassing.”

           “No he’s not, I invited—”

           “No, Seto. You didn’t. Because if you did, then you have failed to learn a damn thing.” Gozaburo interrupted. The brunette felt as if his shoulder was about to dislocate with the grip held on him. “You are a Kaiba. That down there is a commoner. Your duty is to present me with what I need, do the work I require of you, and become worthy of this name. That down there has nothing to do with any of it so therefore, has nothing to do with you.”

           “What…”

           The hand on his shoulder loosened, rubbed Seto’s sore arm almost soothingly; somehow this was even more unnerving. He clutched the remote in his hand tightly as he looked down on the maid and the blonde child. He still was wearing that ungainly sweater, covering that sore on his face. But…

           “You know, the more time you spend with other children the less time you have to spend on my lessons. If you’re that unworthy than perhaps I’ll switch my focus to Mokuba.”

           He pressed down on the remote with his thumb, hard.

           In a way he could say he didn’t want to see this, that Gozaburo had held him there against his will. But he hadn’t. With dull, fading blue eyes he watched over the whole ordeal as blood splattered and the wound on the blonde’s cheek tore open again. Spit and blood was left where the boy had been talking with the maid, now left aghast as the guards bodily threw Katsuya out the gate of the Kaiba Manor. He could say he didn’t watch all of this of his own will.

           He could say that.

           But he wouldn’t.

           Because watching it helped what was left of him die.

           “A Kaiba shouldn’t be interacting with the common people. You have so much more that you have to do to prove yourself to me, Seto.”

           He was silent for a moment. Then…

           “Da liegt der Hund begraben.”

           Gozaburo chuckled darkly.

           “How morose.”

           That’s where the dog is buried.

[teaberrii]

Kings & Queens

A Kuroko No Basuke & Prince Of Tennis Crossover MultiChapter Fanfiction. [Various Pairings]

Summary: Street sports had an uncanny way of bringing people together.

Rating: M

Warnings: Adult Situations, Language, Mild Violence, OCs

Genre: Slice Of Life & Romance

Chapter One: When Worlds Collide

Chapter Two: It’s A Date! 

The moment Kasamatsu decided to step out of the comfort of his own home in exchange for time with Kise came with arguably heavy consequences. While Kasamatsu didn’t necessarily hate spending time with his teammate, the model did unintentionally bring extra baggage that was taking a toll on Kasamatsu’s patience.

“Excuse me,” said a female. With his irritated countenance unchanged, Kasamatsu turned to the female and stared at him with narrowed eyes. “Are you Kise-kun’s manager?”

“Oh, for crying out loud!”

“Senpai, sorry I made you w–” Kasamatsu’s annoyed glare stopped Kise’s hand before it landed on his shoulder. The blonde chuckled nervously. “A-are you mad?”

“I was just asked if I was your manager.”

“Eh, what’s wrong with that?” asked Kise lightheartedly, his hands now placed behind his head.

The corner of Kasamatsu’s eye twitched.

…

“Hey, did you wait long?”

The familiar voice caught Kise’s attention. He turned around to see Kagami hurriedly approaching a girl considered of short stature. The blonde smiled mischievously as he watched the two walk off towards the nearest train station. This didn’t go unnoticed by Kasamatsu. The former captain of Kaijo’s basketball team had not only saw the curious rendezvous but also the way his teammate was looking at them with much interest. A little too much interest for Kasamatsu’s liking.

“Kagamicchi has a girlfriend!” Kise spun around eagerly. “Senpai, let’s follow them!”

“No,” was the blunt and stern reply.

“You aren’t even a little curious?”

“No, not at all.”

As Kasamatsu stared at Kise’s pouting face and half-heartedly listened to his whine of, “Senpai, you aren’t being serious, right?” Kasamatsu had never regretted the decision of stepping out of his house so deeply before.

“I’m going home.”

“W-wait a minute, senpai!”

~x~

It had been a spontaneous glance from the magazine shelf Inui Sadaharu had been looking at, but the girl had caught his attention. 

From across the street, he was watching her and her unfamiliar male companion talking amicably inside a sports shop. Inui recognized her as a regular from Rikkaidai Fuzoku’s tennis club, a teammate of the girl he was currently accompanying. Inui’s brow furrowed as his eyes went to the tall red haired boy. He glanced at the sports magazine in his hands and back up again. 

It clicked.

“Inui, what are you looking at?” Nozomi approached him with a bag full of snacks. She followed his gaze and saw her friend walk out of the shop just as another male approached them.

“Hey!”

“Tatsuya, you made it!”

...

“Was that a date?”

“It could be a double date,” suggested Inui.

Nozomi was looking at Inui as she said, “With only one girl?”

Pause.

“This situation feels strangely familiar.”

An eyebrow raised, Nozomi asked, “What are you talking about?”

With Inui’s eyes fixated on the magazines in front of him and Nozomi’s attention on the pondering male, they thus missed two males stride past them, one displaying much more enthusiasm than the other.

~x~

With a box of his usual favorites protected tightly in his large hands, Murasakibara had seen Himuro from across the street accompanied by two others. While the sight had sparked an extremely mild interest, his attention was quickly diverted upon noticing his former blonde teammate rushing up the steps of the bridge Murasakibara was currently crossing.

“Kise-chin, what are you doing?”

“Ah, Murasakibaracchi!” exclaimed Kise excitedly. “We’re on a mission!”

“You mean you’re on a mission,” muttered Kasamatsu.

“Don’t be like that, senpai! Why else would you be here then?”

Kasamatsu glared at him. “Yes, I wonder.”

“Senpai, this isn’t any fun,” Kise had said with a pout.

“Why don’t you go by yourself then?” muttered an irritated Kasamatsu.

Kise smiled mischievously. “Because it’s more fun with other people!”

Kasamatsu sighed loudly, his patience wearing incredibly thin until he spotted the recent transfer student from Kise’s class. His fingers begun brushing against his palms, his head slightly lowered and turned, and his eyes were focused on the pavement rather than what was in front of him. Kise had noticed the sudden change in his former captain’s attitude and was proud to know what exactly was causing it. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

“Kanzaki-chan!” yelled Kise, waving enthusiastically towards his classmate.

Kanzaki Chitose turned and saw Kise Ryouta and the boy she only knew by surname walking towards her, the former approaching much more eagerly than the latter.

“What are you doing here, Kanzaki-chan?”

“I’m babysitting my nephew and his friend.” She gestured toward the two boys playing in the sandbox in the park in front of her. “What are you two up to?”

The somewhat dramatic sigh from Kise made Kasamatsu uneasy. “Unfortunately, nothing. Senpai refuses to go anywhere with me today! He’s so mean. Isn’t he, Kanzaki-chan?”

While her presence had been enough to send Kasamatsu into a frenzy, Kise had to go the dangerous step forward of directing attention to him. As Kasamatsu’s eyes met her curious stare, his blush had visibly darkened and was about to break into a cold sweat before she spoke.

“I don’t believe I properly introduced myself last time.” Surprised, Kasamatsu instinctively looked her in the eyes which sent his heart and mind racing at incredible speeds. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kasamatsu-san. My name is Kanzaki Chitose. Your guitar playing last time was incredible.”

Kise had difficulty suppressing his laugh as Kasamatsu was at a loss for words. “You flatter him too much, Kanzaki-chan,” Kise said while swinging a reassuring arm around his friend. When Kasamatsu said nothing, Kise continued. “Kanzaki-chan, I think you should convince him to spend some time with me. I’ve been very lonely the past few weeks.”

“Is that right?” asked Chitose. Her eyes landed on Kasamatsu once again. “But Kasamatsu-san looks unwell.” To the boys’ amazement, she placed her hand on top of Kasamatsu’s forehead. “Do you have a fever?”

Kasamatsu had never wanted to disappear so fast in his entire life.

“It has been getting colder recently, so be sure to stay warm.” She turned to Kise. “You too, Kise-kun.” 

“Chitose-chan, I’m hungry!” Chitose glanced downwards at her nephew who was pulling her coat impatiently. “Can we get something to eat now?”

“Of course, Sasuke-kun.” She turned to her friends. The utterance of his name forced Kasamatsu to look in her the eyes. “Kise-kun has been working very hard to improve his grades these last few weeks. I think it’ll be nice to spend some time with him if you aren’t busy, Kasamatsu-san.”

Murasakibara was already on the last snack as Kasamatsu slapped Kise for failing to hold his tongue. Just as he was about to take the last bite, it suddenly and unexpectedly slipped from his grasp as he felt a powerful force collide into him. What took him by slight surprise was the swiftness of the suddenly extended hand that held his snack.

“I’m so sorry!” Her Kansai accent was strong. “I wasn’t watching where I was going!”

Murasakibara took the snack from her tiny hand. He stared downwards at the girl whose height only reached his stomach. With a small tennis bag over her shoulder, she swiftly raced off. Murasakibara bent over and picked up the dropped handkerchief. His eyes went to the girl who was descending the stairs, deliberating whether he should make the effort to return the item or not. To give him the extra energy, Murasakibara quickly popped the snack into his mouth.  

~x~

Upon unwrapping the goodness, Nozomi tossed her apple flavored chewing gum into her mouth before saying, “Hm, she did say she was meeting some old friends today.” Inui had his notebook opened in one hand and his pen held tightly in the other. He was scribbling something down until Nozomi had attempted to steal a glance. “You’re always writing something down, Inui. Just what kind of data could you get from that?”

“You’ll be amazed at what you can find out about people from the smallest things.” Nozomi looked displeased but allowed the topic to drop when Inui spoke of the brunette that was currently rushing across the bridge in front of them. “Isn’t that Imayoshi-san?”

But it wasn’t just her Nozomi had noticed. Putting the thought aside, she said, “You’re right. I wonder where she’s headed today.” As Nozomi watched her teammate reach the center of the bridge, she shouted her name.

Without stopping, Imayoshi Mika had turned and smiled at her friend. Mere seconds later, she was saying sincerely, “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going!” As she descended the stairs, her friends’ names left her lips in an excited manner.

“What brings you two out here? Could this be a date?!”

“Before that, are you okay? That looked like it hurt,” said Nozomi, concerned.

“You don’t seem to have any visible injuries,” added Inui.

Mika waved her hand dismissively. “Mika will always be a-okay! So, what’s the deal with you two? Is this a secret date?”

“Far from it,” said Nozomi. “I’m dropping some notes for Renji. Bumped into this kid, and he decided to tag along.”

“I do ask that you refrain from calling your seniors a kid, Serizawa-san.”

“Since when are the formalities coming out?” The simultaneous voices of Mika and Nozomi made Inui feel like he was being attacked.

“So, what about you? What’s the rush?” asked Nozomi.

“Long story short, I was getting my strings fixed until my stupid brother called me for whatever reason.” Mika’s voice suddenly went an octave lower. “‘Mika, you’d better come quickly!’” She narrowed her eyes. “Who does he think he is? My time is precious!”

Though having known Mika for a year, Nozomi realized that she had never once seen her brother who was the former captain of a basketball team at Touou Gakuen. She had heard bits and pieces of rumors here and there but never anything from Mika directly.

“I hate having siblings!” cried Mika. “Don’t you agree, Inui-san?”

“Unfortunately I cannot relate,” replied Inui. “But best of luck with whatever you have to do.”

“Do not ever underestimate the power and pleasure of being an only child,” said Mika sternly.

“We will never ever take it for granted. Right, Inui?” 

“I beg to differ.”

“Just ignore him,” said Nozomi playfully. “His opinion is not important anyway.”

“Is that any way to treat your seniors?” asked Inui. 

“It’s the closest respect you’ll be getting out of us,” said Mika teasingly.

~x~

Kise was the first to notice the handkerchief in Murasakibara’s hands. “Murasakibaracchi, why do you have a handkerchief?”

“Oh, this? It was dropped by the girl who ran into me.” 

Kise glanced behind Murasakibara and asked, “Oh, her?”

Without even a glance he uttered, “Sure. Can you return it for me, Kise-chin?”

Kise took the handkerchief from his tall teammate and was about to call until he noticed the carefully and brightly stitched name on the side, Imayoshi Mika. His countenance turned serious, but only for the swift duration of watching the girl out of the corner of his eye run in another direction. Kise briefly noted that they did have a similar face shape and eye color. For now, he decided to pocket the hanky.

All this time, Kasamatsu’s eyes had been wandering between who he assumed was the girl’s friends. He had seen them before in many sports magazines: the male, if he remembered correctly, was Inui Sadaharu from Seishun Gakuen, a school known for its rapid progress in school clubs. The female was Serizawa Nozomi, a strong tennis player from the elite school Rikkaidai Fuzoku.

Kasamatsu had come across the school name many times in sports magazines. They seem like a popular bunch, for many reporters had showered them with praise. While he hadn’t read much about their basketball team, their female tennis team had become the strongest in Japan while their male counterparts snagged silver in nationals, their defeat suffering at the hands of Seishun Gakuen.

“Kise-chin, are you going to see Muro-chin or not?”

Kise had nearly forgotten Murasakibara in front of him. “O-oh, yeah, I guess we are.”

“Can you give him a message for me then?” drawled the tall Yosen player. “Tell him that he owes me four large of Nerune candy for ditching me.”

“Eh?” said a surprised Kise. “You guys had plans?”

“We were supposed to go shopping for sweets. But he left suddenly saying that something came up. Talking about it makes me kind of annoyed honestly.”

“Why don’t you tell him yourself, Murasakibaracchi?” asked Kise with a wink.

“Kise!” yelled Kasamatsu. “Stop dragging other people into this mess!”

Kise pouted. “But, but, I’m sure Murasakibaracchi would want to know too!”

Murasakibara frowned and asked, “About what?”

“Himurocchi’s girlfriend!”

~x~

Shopping was always a fun pastime for Riko. One that she often preferred to do alone. However, after befriending Momoi Satsuki through many interactions regarding coaching the new and improved Generation of Miracles, her free time became more socially occupied. Riko considered their personalities to be on opposites of the spectrum with the biggest difference in their display of femininity. Yet despite their differences and banter, Riko came to love her as a friend.

“Riko-rin, look at this!” The corner of Riko’s eye twitched by her ‘unflattering’ nickname. She had argued against it, insisting Momoi to simply call her ‘Riko’, but the outgoing female insisted otherwise. “I think this bathing suit will look super cute on you!”

“I already have one,” said Riko, cringing slightly at how ‘revealing’ the attire was.

“But this one looks cuter!” insisted Momoi. “Besides, this one will be more likely to get Hyuuga-san’s attention!”

Riko didn’t blush but was flustered by the unexpected comment. Refusing to acknowledge how rapidly her heart was pounding, she cleared her throat. “Momoi-san, I hope you know that this is not a vacation.”

Momoi looked innocuously at her. “But it is still a vacation! Ah, or do you just feel nervous that everyone is going to be there?”

“Why in the world are we coming in here?” complained a male voice.

While Momoi was busy scrounging through many swimsuits, Riko briefly glanced at the small group of first-year high school students who just entered the shop. The salesperson greeted them politely and attempted to usher the three hesitant males to the men’s section. Beside them, the girl with long, bushy, pigtails had a predatory gaze that contrasted drastically with her friend’s soft doe-eyes.

“Again, why are we here? We’re supposed to be on shopping duty!”

“If you must know, Horio, we’re taking the opportunity to look for the perfect swimsuit for Sakuno!”

“Tomo-chan, please keep your voice down,” her friend said, her cheeks turning pink.

“Why don’t you guys take the time to look for a swimsuit too?” asked Tomoka.

“I don’t think we’ll be needing one. We’re only volunteers after all.”

“A vacation is still a vacation, Kachiro!” said Tomoka excitedly.

“Is it really a vacation?”

Horio placed both his hands behind his head and turned to Mizuno who had just spoken. “It’s a rare chance we get to go on a gigantic cruise! Let’s make the best of it!”

“Anyway,” said Tomoka loudly. “It’ll be a chance to get back at Rikkaidai Fuzoku!”

Riko turned her head slightly at the mention of the school, her eyes landing on the freshmen again.

“Oh, is Seigaku planning a counterattack?”

The freshmen almost jumped at the sudden voice behind them.

“T-Tachibana-san!” gasped Sakuno. “What brings you here?”

“Probably the same reason that brought all of you here,” said An with a smile. “So, how’s Seigaku’s condition?”

“We aren’t going to lose to Rikkaidai twice!” said Tomoka excitedly.

“Osakada-san, you make it sound like you were the one who played against them,” said Kachiro quietly.

Tomoka glared at her friend. “I heard that!”

The friendly argument happening between her friends created the opportunity for An to check her phone. She flipped the device open and went aside to call her friend.

“Hey, sorry I missed your call. What’s up?”

“Are you free right now? I’m with some friends and we need an extra person to play a game.”

“A game you say?”

The girl on the other line smiled and said, “Yeah, you in?”

~x~

The basketball teetered on the rim before dropping through the hoop.

“You lost your touch since you started playing tennis,” said Himuro.

Standing closest to the hoop, Kagami tossed the ball back to her to which she proceeded to make another shot while replying, “I don’t think I ever had one to begin with, Tatsuya. Appreciate the comment, though. Makes me feel like I’m on par with the two of you.”

“Well, you are doing your best with tennis,” commented Kagami. “Tatsuya and I saw your game. You were really great.”

“We had to get back at Seigaku this year. There’s no way was Rikkaidai affording another loss.”

“Just like how we’re going to get back at Seirin next year, Taiga.”

Kagami smiled, a competitive glint in his eyes. “Bring it on, Tatsuya!”

“Taiga’s all fired up now.”

“There’s no cooling his engine now,” added Himuro.

Kagami frowned and asked loudly, “Why does it sound like you two are mocking me?”

Himuro exchanged a playful smile with his female friend. “By the way, who’s this friend you called?”

“Ah, she’s a teammate of mine. I think you guys will like her.”

From afar, Murasakibara still held a box of uneaten snacks in his hands. He looked downwards at Kise who had been quietly observing the three behind a large building. On the way, to Kise’s dismay, Kasamatsu had abandoned the mission and had given a quick but stern lecture on respecting other people’s time and to stay out of other people’s affairs to his junior. While it was a lecture that Kise had heard many times from his sisters and parents and understood, life was much more interesting when he pursued his curious nature.

“Kise-chin, it doesn’t really look like a date.”

Kise frowned. “If this wasn’t a date, I’m going to be super disappointed.” The blonde noticed his teammate’s eyes had wandered to the trio and hadn’t strayed. “Are you checking her out, Murasakibaracchi?”

“I think I’ve seen her somewhere before.”

“Eh?” asked Kise with a mischievous smile. “Is that your excuse?”

Murasakibara narrowed his eyes at him. “No, I really think I’ve seen her somewhere before. I just forgot where.”

“Could it be that she works at the sweets shop you visit almost every day?” guessed Kise on a whim.

“No. That would be Seri-chin.”

“Eh?” said Kise loudly. “Seri-chin?”

“The girl who works at the sweets shop.”

Kise was about to inquire further when the call of his familiar nickname made him turn around to see a waving pink haired girl running towards him. Following behind her was their team’s second reluctant coach.

“Momocchi!” Kise then smiled widely at Riko who now stood beside her. “And Aidacchi!”

“Stop with the nicknames,” said Riko flatly.

“What are you guys doing here? It’s rare to see you two together,” wondered Momoi.

After taking a large bite of his snack, Murasakibara said, “Kise-chin is eavesdropping.”

Momoi didn’t look too surprised. “On who?”

Kise gestured toward the trio on a nearby basketball court to which Riko responded with an audible “Ah!” after a look in the direction.

“Kagamin and Himuro-san,” began Momoi, “And… Riko-rin, where are you going?”

Behind Riko, there were questionable looks from Momoi and Kise while Murasakibara was paying little mind to this entire scenario. Just as Riko arrived in the surrounding area of the small basketball court, a girl loudly shouted the name that had crossed her mind.

“Azusa!”

Azusa had just shot the basketball into the hoop when her teammate had arrived. She was about to greet her when Kagami’s loud voice took over.

“It’s you!”

An looked surprised but smiled in response, “Hey, look who it is! Azusa, I didn’t know the friends you were talking about included Kagami-kun.”

“Kagami-kun?”

The simultaneous voices of Azusa and Himuro drowned out the hurried footsteps from Momoi and Kise with Murasakibara’s long lazy strides following behind.

“Kagamicchi!”

“K-Kise?!”

“Atsushi!”

“Muro-chin, you owe me.”

“Hey, aren’t you’re the one from that night?”

“I didn’t get a chance to thank you the other day for saving me.”

“Saving? What happened, Riko-rin?”

“Is this your girlfriend, Kagamicchi? She’s really cute!”

“She’s not my girlfriend!”

“But you’re blushing.”

“Tatsuya, you know that’s not true!”

“You blushing or that she’s not your girlfriend?” inquired Momoi.

“Both!”

“You sure are flustered, Kaga-chin.”

“Are you really going out with Kagamicchi?”

Azusa glanced at the curious stares before her eyes landed on Kagami’s annoyed countenance. “We might have dated before.”

“Stop lying, Azusa!” shouted Kagami.

“It’s not really a lie,” said Himuro.

“Tatsuya, not you too!”

“It was more of a spur of a moment kind of thing,” added Azusa, smiling.

This was certainly the strangest icebreaker An had ever seen.