Six - The Shadow of Red is Darker Than Red

"Akashi-san, do you remember the first time we met? Before I moved to Teitan High?"

"Yeah, Akakage-kun. How can I forget such a fight?"

"You're right."

"But I still don't understand. What do you mean by 'monstrous intimidation'?"

"Oh? You really want to know?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll tell you. If you are one of the originals by Trivia's side, you have a defence, or in this case, an offence technique called 'The Medusa's Stare'. This allows anyone who looks into the scarlet or ruby red eyes unable to move and get past them quickly using an attack."

"That's why my teammates and I can't stop your fast attacks: it's not because you're fast, it's because we were slowed down."

"Exactly."

"But why do you hide all these secrets? What are you, really?"

"I don't know."

"What?"

"I don't know. I might be a killer, I might as well be a protector, adviser... I don't know. I can be whatever you want me to be."

"Killer? Do you really killed people?"

"Yeah, I did."

Akashi shivers.

"Once you realised that you've killed someone, you can never erase the sin, Akashi-san. I don't want you to meet the same fate as I do, forced to kill people to survive, forced to kill people to protect the ones you wanted to protect. I want to protect you and not let you touch any blood of murder. Afterall...

Scarlet is a shade of red.

The shadow of red is darker than red."

"..."

"If you're scared of me, say it. The people that I've met, when I said this to them, they often stop being friends with me. So it's fine for you to say no."

"It's fine."

"...What?"

"It's fine with me. I am willing to be friends with you."

"...Why?"

"Because I have been thinking of you ever since you left High School tournaments. You never showed up again with the Teitan team, I was looking forward to having a match with you again. And yet..."

"Are you telling me you missed me?"

"Yeah. I do."

Flashback to the First Time Akashi meets Akakage at Rakuzan High School

"Today we have a temporary new student. He will be transferred away a few weeks later."

Akakage walks up.

"My name is Akakage Yukine. Nice to meet you all!"

He smiles.

Akashi looks at Akakage. His hair of silver swiftly into a mullet, scarlet eyes gleamed with a sort of light, a light of life.

"Akakage-san, please go to the seat behind Akashi-san. Akashi-san, please raise your-"

Akakage went straight to the seat behind Akashi. The teacher looks surprised.

"Akakage-san, you actually know Akashi-san?"

"Ah, you see, I have my intuition."

That sentence sounded much more than just the definition of these words.

Throughout the classes, Akakage was able to answer all the questions the teachers throw at him. Akashi looks impressed at this newcomer.

Though the most surprising part came at the end.

"Do you want to see our basketball club?"

"Sure."

They walked into the basketball court and saw a muscular guy, a lighting-dribbler guy, a threes-thrower guy and also, the person that Akashi mentioned before, the "phantom" guy. Akakage doesn't seem to think that that guy is a "phantom" invisible guy.

"So what do ya have there, Akashi? A skinny bamboo stick?" Nebuya Eikichi asked, half teasing.

"Is he joining us in the basketball club?" Hayama Kotarou asked.

"He's just coming to see us practise."

"Okay."

"You wanna play some matches? You seem quite interested in basketball." Mibuchi Reo asked.

"Can I just watch and then play with you guys? I am a newbie at this game since I just started."

"Fine by me."

After a while of their practice, Akakage joined in. That's when Akashi starts to feel weird about this guy in front of him. The guy who has now managed to block every possible path to shoot.

"You have a solid defence there. Not bad." Akashi says.

"Thank you, that's the information that I got when you guys are practising."

"Really, huh?" Akashi did his usual ankle break, trying to let Akakage fall, but fail. The quick pivots of Akakage feel like dance steps.

In fact, they are dance steps.

Akashi dribbles the ball, realising how strong Akakage is. He decided to use the Emperor Eye.

It's not complete yet at that time. But it stunned Akakage because the atmosphere around Akashi changed dramatically.

Akashi scored a basket finally, 3 points.

Akakage smirks mischievously.

"Why are you smiling, Akakage-kun?" Akashi asked.

"Ah, because I know you are a worthy opponent, a beast of strategy. I have no worries because I can play without limits now." Akakage said.

"Akashi-san, what do you call those eyes of prediction for?" Akakage added

"Emperor Eye."

"I see. I will slaughter the Emperor inside you then. I mean, when people start to hate the emperor's rules, people come up and kill the ruler. And in Greek and Roman mythologies, the cruel kings and queens die. I just want you to know, my style of basketball is dead or alive. You lose, you die; you win, you survive."

The atmosphere became tenser.

Pressure spread quickly, and the source? Akakage Yukine.

Spreading the killing intent to scare your opponents. Then take time to kill. One step at a time. This is the style of Akakage.

The muscle dude, Eikichi uses force and get passed Akakage and jumped to dunk. Akashi can see the moment of victory, except...

In a scarlet flash, Akakage grabbed the ball from Eikichi's dunking hand and pushed the ball, spinning, towards the basket.

Under normal circumstances, and also under Akashi's Emperor Eye, it won't score.

That's until the ball's speed in spinning decreased. By the time it's close to the basket, it bounces, no, gently tapped the board and in through the hoop, it goes.

The ball dropped to the ground, and so did Akakage and Eikichi.

"... How did you do that?" Akashi asked.

"Well, beats me. I don't know anything about this. The basic scoring system in basketball is to get the ball through the hoop, right? So I aimed at the hoop."

I don't believe this. Such speed and unpredictable response. Akashi thought.

I think I start to like this guy.

That match ended up 5-3, Akakage alone versus Team Rakuzan.

"You win. We lost." Akashi smiled.

"No, that's not it at all. It's only because I used my monstrous intimidation to bring things back. Even so, you scored 3 points though." Akakage smiles warmly.

That's when Akashi got interested by Akakage and began playing basketball with him every afternoon until it is time for him to leave this school.

By that time, they have a strong bond with each other.

It's the first time that Akashi ever missed someone so much. He was the person who brought him to his old self these days.

And now he left.

And so the Emperor returns to the matches.

End of Flashback

"Don't you know? It's the first time I had ever missed someone that much since my mother passed away."

"Well, I kinda missed you, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's been a while and I haven't seen a player winning me in shoji."

"Ha, that one time you tried shoji. You're quite good for a newcomer in this, though."

"Oh really? Thanks."

"You're welcome."

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Hi guys, I manage to finish the sixth chapter!

Word count is 1132, I think...

What do you think of this ship? Comment down below.

Thank you for reading this story!

Silence as Deduction/Sweet Silent Death