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He was thirty-three when the headaches began.
The first time it happened was the morning after a late night entertaining some business partners. Seijuurou did not often overindulge in alcohol – particularly in important company, but he woke up to a pounding headache that had him wondering if his age was already catching up with him. The room swayed when he stood so he took a moment to steady himself. Glancing at the clock, he nearly cursed out loud. He had overslept.
“Saki,” he called out. In response, there was a brief knock on his door followed by his aide entering the room. “Why did you not wake me?”
“My apologies, sir. I did try, but you did not seem well.”
Seijuurou glared at the man. He didn’t remember being woken up. He was not the type of person to go back to sleep – but neither was Saki the type to lie. He let out an annoyed huff. The headache was getting worse.
“Bring me some pain medication and prepare the car. Have you moved my schedule?”
Saki bowed his head. “Yes sir. I cleared up your morning.”
Seijuurou waved a hand to dismiss the man and made his way to the bathroom after the door had shut behind Saki. The face that scowled back at him clearly conveyed how badly he had slept. The scowl deepened. He had always made it a point to keep his body in good shape. He was too young for a night of drinking to have such an effect on him. Sighing, he passed a hand over his face. He would have to be more careful. Hopefully he wasn’t coming down with the flu.
xxx
Seijuurou all but collapsed into the chair once he entered his room. Alone, his shoulders slumped forward and he buried his face in his hands. How long had it been since he last had a decent night’s sleep? It must have only been a week – why did it feel much longer than that?
The pounding in his head was becoming a familiar sensation. He could barely recall what it felt like to have a clear mind. Today had been especially bad. It had been a day full of meetings that he could not remember the details of. The decline was glaringly obvious to him. He had been keeping up a front of grouchy competence. No one had noticed that he was not doing his job properly – yet.
He leaned back, dropping his head over the back of the chair. The pounding eased slightly.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
xxx
The world swam into view when he opened his eyes. Blearily, he lifted a hand to his face. His mouth tasted funny and his body felt heavy. Wearily, he rubbed his eyes and glanced down at the thing that brushed the back of his arm. It took him a few moments to realise what it was that he was looking at. His eyes traveled slowly around his room, strewn with unfamiliar, beeping devices. Red eyes landed on the man watching him from the end of the bed. Seijuurou frowned.
“What is this?”
Saki replied, “I found you unconscious the other day, sir. You wouldn’t wake up so the family physician visited.”
Seijuurou closed his eyes briefly. His first instinct was to berate his aide for making a fuss out of this. He was just having headaches.
“Well? What is the diagnosis?”
“He believes it might be fatigue. You have been working very hard for a long time, sir.”
One red eye opened to stare at the other man. He didn’t like that tone of reproach. Saki went on, seemingly unaware of his mood. “He recommends taking some time off to recover.”
“Isn’t this time off?” Seijuurou asked drily, lifting the hand with the IV line running from it. “How long was I unconscious?”
“Four days, sir.” Saki added quickly, “The vice-president has stepped in to take over in your absence. Your schedule has been cleared for the rest of the month.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Seijuurou sat up, ignoring the throbbing in the back of his head. “I don’t need that much time off.”
“Doctor’s orders, sir.” Saki said firmly. He grimaced. Perhaps he had given his aide too much freedom— another stab in the back of his head dispelled his budding grievance.
“Fine,” he sighed. His gaze landed on the bright blue spring sky outside the hospital window. On a whim, he said, “I’ll return to the estate.”
xxx
The sprawling Akashi estate was abuzz with long-missing activity. With the death of the previous patriarch and Seijuurou’s lack of interest in continuing the bloodline, it has fallen into a lull - the days for the few servants that managed the estate were akin to guarding an Emperor’s tomb in times gone by.
Seijuurou only needed a small wing for his stay, but every maid, cook, and groundskeeper took up arms like they were preparing to welcome a battalion returning from a successful conquest.
In a beautifully manicured courtyard, two gardeners were standing beneath a towering tree, creating quite a picturesque scene.
“I don’t see any buds,” one said, somewhat displeased.
The younger man beside him also tilted his head back. “We’ve done everything we can. It’s not like nature is on our schedule.” He was a new addition to the Akashi estate, apprenticing under the old groundskeeper who had started as a boy during Seijuurou’s grandfather’s time. His expression was slightly incredulous as he asked, “The Master isn’t expecting to have the tree in full bloom when he comes, is he? It’s only been spring for a week.”
Though he hesitated briefly, the older man shook his head. He had not seen the Master since he left for university over a decade ago, but in his memories, Seijuurou had always been quiet, uninterested in anything but shogi and his books. Nearly every waking moment had been spent on the patio overlooking these gardens.
“It would have been nice, that’s all,” he said at last. “It’s been nearly fifteen years since Master Seijuurou was last here - it’d be good to make a good impression, you know?”
xxx
Seijuurou was a step ahead of his attendant entering through the newly shined gates.
The old butler, Taiga, still stood ramrod straight but there was an unmistakable frailty about him. Beside him stood his deputy, a woman whom Seijuurou had never met.
A smile creased the deep lines around Taiga’s face as he bowed deeply to the head of the household that had not returned since taking over the position. “Welcome back, Sir.”
His headache had been exacerbated by the long, winding drive, but Seijuurou schooled his features to a gentle smile. “Thank you, Taiga. It’s been a while.”
“We are glad to have you back, Sir.” Taiga turned to lead the way toward the main house. “We have done our best to prepare for your visit, but please let me know if there is anything amiss.” He paused briefly when they entered the front doors. “The room you used on your last visit is ready for you.”
Seijuurou nodded in acknowledgement and glanced back at Saki. “Rest. The drive was long.”
Saki bowed his head and followed a maid who led him down a different hallway.
Seijuurou watched him leave, somewhat amused. He knew that the vice president and his personal assistant were swamped with work. No one knew better than himself how much he had on his plate.
There was no question in his mind that Saki had come along just to make sure he was settled, and would return to the company soon.
xxx
As Taiga pottered around his room, putting things away, Seijuurou took off his jacket and went out to the patio to inspect the garden.
His grandmother’s beloved cherry blossom tree stood tall, looking anything but majestic.
“It is a bit early in the season.” Taiga’s voice drifted from behind, followed by the soft thunk of a tray being put down.
Seijuurou hummed and accepted the steaming cup of tea that was proffered.
“The garden looks good,” he remarked. “Has the groundskeeper changed?”
“He is training an apprentice.” Taiga smiled. “I will pass on your praise,”
Seijuurou took a sip of the tea and smiled slightly. There was something calming about being in this place - where the few good memories of his time in the estate had been made.
Perhaps Saki was due for a raise, he mused. Bonus season was approaching.
Taiga had quietly withdrawn, leaving Seijuurou leaning against the handrail, lost in thought as he stared at the scrawny tree on the lawn.
xxx
As he predicted, Saki stayed for one night, and then left the next evening. Seijuurou suspected that he would have left earlier, but was making sure that Seijuurou hadn’t stowed away his work laptop.
After leaving a slew of repeated warnings, and exchanging exasperated glances and head shakes with Taiga, Saki finally boarded the car and shut the door. The look of determination on his face made Seijuurou think that the man was leaving to fight a war.
“Sir,” The deputy butler began, “Saki-san has arranged for an in-house masseuse to attend to you during your stay. He would like to meet you to discuss a treatment plan.”
Seijuurou hummed, and said, “Have him join me for dinner. I could do with a little company.”
The woman bowed. Before she could turn to leave, he called out, “What’s your name?”
“Momoi Satsuki,” she replied.
“And how long have you been working here?”
“This will be my second year, Sir.”
“How do you find the job?”
“It has been good,” she smiled. “It is a beautiful estate, and there are many things that I have learned in this short period of time.”
Seijuurou echoed her smile and nodded to dismiss her. She walked away, back straight as a board. It seemed that she was being groomed to take over Taiga’s position.
Everyone was getting older, including himself.
xxx
The masseuse was a short man with a strong grip and a warm smile. He seemed to know what he was doing, so Seijuurou only made idle small talk with him over the meal before agreeing to whatever treatment plan he recommended.
He was skeptical of how effective the treatment would be, but in a rare display of the faith he had in his assistant’s abilities, he decided to treat the new few weeks as a holiday.
Even though, at the moment, it felt like a self-imposed exile.
xxx
Despite his skepticism, Seijuurou only found himself itching to check his emails for the first three days. He only caved in five times. After the fifth time, he mentally berated himself for doing such a futile thing. Saki was undoubtedly keeping a close eye on things - any action that he took would alert his assistant, leading to another bout of being told off.
The Akashi estate was large, and there were plenty of amusements available.
Unlike his youth, he had free reign in the estate and the neighbouring town which had developed into a popular tourist destination in the fifteen years he had been absent.
At the urging of the butler, Seijuurou allowed himself to be dropped off at the town centre. The deputy butler tagged along as a tour guide, having spent most of her days off exploring the town. She greeted the proprietors of the stores they entered with great familiarity. He had to admit that he was slightly impressed by her ability to network.
After a couple of hours of strolling around, they stopped for a coffee break at a cafe Momoi recommended. The owner grinned and waved when he saw her enter. Their order had a small complimentary bowl of coffee jelly topped with whipped cream.
Seijuurou was observing Momoi as she unloaded the tray, placing a steaming cup of pour over coffee in front of him.
When she sat down opposite him, he remarked, “You’re quite good with people.”
A flash of surprise crossed her face, then her eyes bent in a smile. “Thank you for the compliment.” She sipped the foam off her cappuccino, a look of nostalgia tinting her expression. “When I was a kid, all my friends were awkward people, so I had to do all the talking.” She laughed. “Maybe it’s because I’ve always been chatty and thick-skinned, so I was the only one who could talk to those ice blocks.”
“What made you decide to take this job, then?”
“I get to work with people. And it’s something new every day.” She replied.
Seijuurou took a sip of the mellow coffee. “You should know that your abilities would get you a lot further elsewhere. Tokyo, for example.” He took another sip. “The Akashi corporation can always use someone like you.”
Momoi broke into a grin. “Are you poaching me from yourself, boss?”
Seijuurou returned her smile with a small one. “I really dislike inefficiency.”
Chuckling, Momoi shook her head gently. “I truly appreciate the offer, Sir, but I am not someone with ambition.” Her gaze turned toward the bustling street outside the window. Softly, she added, “A peaceful life isn’t so bad, is it?”
Seijuurou followed her gaze and realised that there were buds growing on the cherry blossom trees. They were still weeks away from blooming, but the sight heralded spring.
xxx
That evening, after a simple dinner in town, he returned to the estate with his deputy butler, faintly feeling like he might have made a friend. What a truly formidable woman, to make him - a man who is usually highly suspicious of people approaching him for personal gain - feel relaxed after one outing.
He showered, then went out to the courtyard to have a look at the cherry blossom tree. Nothing had changed from this morning. The branches were still pitifully barren. He inspected the tree for a long time by moonlight, only returning to his room when his hands began to go numb.
He felt a tinge of disappointment, but enough time had passed to dull the ache in his chest. Though he no longer questioned whether he had just been hallucinating as a child, a part of him was also content to leave the blue-eyed, blue-haired guardian in his memories, alongside the warmth from his grandmother whose face had started to blur in his recollection.
There, reality could not meddle.
xxx
Five days into his exile masked as a holiday, Seijuurou was feeling noticeable better. His sleep was restful, though his dreams were messy. In them, he interacted with various colourful characters - the most understated being a familiar man with features that reminded him of a spring morning.
The masseuse had spent an hour every day working out the knots in his muscles, and he had taken to morning runs around the estate. He had always been a runner, but there was a great difference between sprinting on a moving platform, and propelling his body through the snappy spring wind that carried the faint scent of dew.
He had gotten into the habit of relaxing after his run with a hot pot of tea and a book on his bedroom patio.
On the fifth morning of his new routine, he caught sight of Kuroko approaching from the yard. All his years in business had honed him for this moment - although his heart leapt in disbelief, his face only revealed a gentle smile.
He recalled that often, Kuroko would appear by him suddenly. The thought occurred to him that maybe he just hadn’t noticed the pale-skinned man approaching.
There was a little tuft of hair on the side of Kuroko’s head that defied gravity. Again, that nearly forgotten feeling of familiarity – he found himself smiling wider at the sight.
“Good morning, Tetsuya.” Seijuurou greeted when Kuroko was within earshot.
“Good morning, Akashi-kun.” Kuroko replied. There was a roll to his words that gave away his sleepiness. Abruptly, Kuroko halted his ascent of the patio stairs. He stared at the lounging man who had turned his attention back to his book.
“A—Seijuurou-kun?”
Seijuurou hummed, eyes still on the page before him. The words looked foreign to him. How long has he been staring at the same page? Nonchalantly, he flipped the page and glanced up.
Kuroko was watching him intently. Not much changed in his expression, but Seijuurou was able to follow his thought process without much difficulty.
He couldn’t resist the temptation.
“Is there a problem, Tetsuya?”
Kuroko frowned. “Why are you calling me that?”
“It’s your name, isn’t it?” Seijuurou said. He would have a great time talking himself out of this if he was wrong.
“Yes, but you have never called me that,” Kuroko said, easing his worry. The likelihood of his dream being a memory was fairly high then. “And I do not recall telling you my name.”
Seijuurou put down the book and leaned his cheek on a fist. “Does it make you feel uncomfortable if I call you that?”
“How do you know it?” Kuroko asked.
“I’ve known it for a while.”
Blue eyes bore into his. “That does not answer my question.”
Seijuurou stared right back. “I must have heard it from my grandmother when I was a child.”
Kuroko paused at that. Seijuurou wasn’t sure if he was convinced – after all, it wasn’t a very good lie. But Kuroko seemed to mull it over for a while then sat down in the seat next to him.
“I trust you slept well.” He said after a few moments of silence.
“I could do with more.” Kuroko replied, stifling a yawn.
“What’s stopping you?”
“It has been a while since you were last here. It would have been rude of me not to greet you.”
“I am flattered.” He smirked slightly. “Should I have stayed away longer?”
Kuroko all but shrugged. After a beat he said, “You look well.”
Seijuurou shot the pale-skinned man a sideways glance. Surprisingly, Kuroko caught his look with a small smile that was a bit too knowing.
“As do you.” He responded. “I’m curious. How long did it feel like to you?”
Kuroko lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I was asleep for most of it.”
“I see you have a lot on your plate.” Seijuurou said drily.
Kuroko glanced around him at the tea table. “No offerings for a visiting god?”
“The offering I made yesterday was ignored so I didn’t bother today.”
“I am surprised that you gave up so quickly.” He leaned across Seijuurou’s lap and picked up his cup of cooling tea, downing it all in one go. Kuroko settled comfortably into the seat with a short, satisfied huff.
Seijuurou took the cup held out to him, stuck between annoyance, exasperation, and something else. Wryly, he asked, “Does that appease you?”
Kuroko gave him a sideways glance. There was a hint of a smirk on his lips. “It will do.”
Seijuurou smiled and picked up his book.
xxx
The upside to having no fixed schedule is that Seijuurou didn’t feel a hint of guilt that he spent the entire day on the patio chatting with the visiting deity.
Saki might have thought that he was possessed by a ghost if he saw how much he had to say.
“I thought it would be a few more weeks before I got to see you,” Seijuurou remarked.
Kuroko was nursing his fourth cup of tea. “Why?”
“The tree isn’t anywhere near blooming.”
Kuroko pondered this for a while and realised that the previous times he had visited, the tree had been in full bloom. “It is a coincidence,” he said without elaboration.
Seijuurou said lightly, “It seems so. You seem more like a lotus type of person.”
Blue eyes burned into his profile. Seijuurou rather enjoyed this feeling of being intensely scrutinised. He schooled his features into a faint smile, and cocked an eyebrow as he met Kuroko’s gaze. “No?”
“You are quite confident in your profiling of others, Seijuurou-kun.” Kuroko said.
Seijuurou took this as a compliment. “One must be confident in business.”
The line between confidence and narcissism was a bit more blurred in an Akashi than normal people, Kuroko thought.
A soft knock drew their attention, and the paper screen door behind them slid open to reveal Momoi. She paused in surprise, then plastered on a professional smile.
“My apologies Sir, I didn’t know you had company. The kitchen has just received a fresh shipment of mandarins, and I was told to check if you would like some.” She said.
Seijuurou nodded and said, “Bring us a fresh pot of hot water as well.”
“Very well, Sir.” Momoi flashed a smile at Kuroko who responded with a nod. The screen slid shut soundlessly.
“Is she new?” Kuroko asked.
Seijuurou hummed and glanced at Kuroko out of the corner of his eye. “You seem to know the staff quite well.”
Kuroko gave him a serene smile. “I have been here for a long time.”
xxx
The night was deep and most of the Akashi estate had turned in for the day.
With a new moon tonight, there was not much that could be seen by the naked eye. Therefore, it was nearly impossible to notice the silent lengthening of a shadow beneath the empty branches of the cherry blossom tree.
Just out of sight of the security cameras, Momoi waited, twiddling the light brown strands of her hair.
“Momoi-san.” A greeting floated from her left. She turned quickly to see the blue-eyed man giving her a very faint smile.
She shot him a dazzling smile, leaning forward to cup his face.
With practiced ease, he intercepted her hands and locked them in a grip to prevent them from straying. Momoi wriggled her fingers in a half-hearted attempt to get him to release her, then accepted her fate.
“What are you doing here?” He asked, his tone softening unconsciously. “Did you come alone?”
“Dai-chan is dead, and can stay dead for all I care.” she replied.
Kuroko’s gaze encouraged her to continue. She sighed, wondering why she expected an iceberg to display shock.
“He got in trouble again and is under house arrest, so I thought I’d come see how you were doing.” She pouted, and there was a tinge of accusation to her next words. “You hid your pond, so I couldn’t find you. I had to come down here and look for Akashi-kun instead.”
“How did you find him?”
“I looked him up online,” she said drily. “He can’t stand not being high profile.”
Kuroko huffed out a chuckle. “How long have you been waiting?”
“A couple of years.”
“What if I hadn’t come?” He asked, sounding a bit exasperated. “Were you going to wait for a lifetime?”
“Dai-chan told me you were here.” She dismissed his words easily. “You know he can’t keep a secret from me.”
Kuroko felt a headache come on at this revelation. It was almost impressive how unreliable his teammate was in anything that wasn’t a physical battle.
“Who else knows?”
Momoi shrugged. “I haven’t told anyone.”
“Has anyone been asking about Akashi-kun?”
“Nope,” she said. “Dai-chan and Ki-chan have been keeping them busy.”
Kuroko relaxed at this. The two of them were the most well-known troublemakers in their realm. As long as they remained unconstrained, no one else would have the time or capacity to worry about a missing god.
And the only one who could keep them in check was sound asleep past the patio doors behind him.
“Are you able to reach the others?” He asked. “I have a message to relay.”
xxx
When Seijuurou opened his eyes, he found himself on an unfamiliar bed, staring at an unfamiliar canopy. Used to these realistic dreams, he waited patiently.
As anticipated, the version of him in the dream glanced to the side and sat up slowly when he noticed that the spot next to him was empty.
The sky outside was a dark purple tinged with blue. He guessed that it was some time just past dawn. His dream-self stood, pulled on a robe over his naked shoulders, and walked away from the bedroom door to where paper screen doors framed a large circular courtyard. The main feature in the courtyard was a generous pond of giant lotuses that were bobbing gently from unidentified ripples.
Dream-Akashi stood by the threshold for a while until he spotted the light-haired man squatting by the courtyard wall. He strolled over and watched with interest as Kuroko played tug-of-war with a black and white puppy.
“You are up early,” Akashi remarked, and reached out to smooth down the tuft of hair that was sticking up on the side of Kuroko’s head.
Kuroko did not avoid his touch, but remained unresponsive.
“Did you have trouble sleeping?” He asked gently. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted that the lotuses in the pond were bobbing with a bit more vigour.
Kuroko hummed. “It was alright. I was not used to the bed.”
It was Akashi’s turn to hum in acknowledgement. Seijuurou was only a spectator here – he had pieced together bits and pieces of what seemed to be his history from the dreams with great difficulty as there was often no rhyme or reason to them.
Most of them revolved around the blue-eyed man before him, but he had seen many hints that there was more than met the eye.
Even though he was only sharing what was seen through the eyes of his dream-self, Seijuurou could feel the undercurrent of tension between him and Kuroko right then.
The silence that the pair fell into seemed to engulf them. Akashi was the first to interrupt the fragile peace.
“Tetsuya,” He began. The other man glanced at him in askance. “I am leaving.”
Kuroko stayed crouching by the little black and white furball, fingers idly playing with the puppy. “I see.”
“It may be a while before I return.”
“I see.”
“You won’t reconsider?”
Kuroko shook his head slightly.
The corners of Akashi’s lips tightened, the only indication of his displeasure.
Kuroko interrupted his next words, despite knowing the answer. When had Akashi ever done anything he wasn’t sure of? “Do you think this is wise?”
He immediately understood that this was a show of concern for him. His lips ticked up in a small smile. “Has Satsuki been filling you with worries again?”
Kuroko turned his attention back to the dog. “She is not the only one who has shared concerns with me.”
“There is—”
“Be careful.” Kuroko interrupted. “You promise you will return?”
He smirked. “Of course.”
xxx
“Hello, Aomine-kun, Midorima-kun. It has been a while.” Kuroko inclined his head at the two men who had just appeared. He gave the taller of the pair a glance that was almost teasing. “I hear you have been keeping busy. I appreciate the risk you have taken in circumventing your house arrest.”
“You’re welcome.” The dark-skinned man grinned at him. He reached out to ruffle the light-blue locks roughly. “No joke; you haven’t been back in ages!”
“Kuroko.” The green-haired man inclined his head stiffly. “You look well.”
“I presume you are here because of my message?”
“That is correct. It is rather alarming news.” Midorima said, adjusting his glasses. “Are you sure?”
“He’s still got a while to go, hasn’t he?” Aomine interjected before Kuroko could say a word.
“He is approaching the end sooner than we projected.” Kuroko responded. “Momoi-san must have told you about his fate in this lifetime. The debt has almost been settled.”
Aomine shrugged. “What’s the problem then? It’s practically over anyway.”
“The problem is that we are not prepared for an early return.” Midorima sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose then adjusted his glasses. Kuroko remembered that he did that a lot when Aomine was around. Green eyes met his. “How much does he remember?”
“I cannot say,” he replied, a small furrow between his eyebrows. “It seems to be little things… mostly about us.”
Midorima frowned. “Us?”
“Me and him.”
“Oh.” Midorima paused. “Nothing about—“
Kuroko shook his head. Midorima pursed his lips. “I see.”
“Is this the first time he’s remembering things?” Aomine suddenly asked.
The other two exchanged surprised glances at hearing an insightful question coming from the least brainy of the group, but quickly resumed their deadpan expressions.
“Yes,” Kuroko replied. His brow furrowed slightly after a pause. “Though, it could be that this is just the first time he is mentioning it to me. He seems to be testing me.”
“Sounds like Akashi,” Aomine drawled. “Still neurotic.”
Kuroko ignored that comment. “Have things been well on your end?”
Aomine shrugged while Midorima adjusted his glasses again and said, “We’re on schedule. Like I said, we’re not prepared for an early return.”
Kuroko said, “I do not think that there is a need for concern yet. This might just be a symptom of the end approaching.”
“Perhaps.” Midorima conceded. “But it would be wise for us to re-evaluate the plan. You will let us know if anything changes?”
Kuroko inclined his head. “Of course.”
“Thanks for doing this, Tetsu.” Aomine grinned. “Let’s hang out again when this is all over.”
“I look forward to it. Take care.”
The men vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. Kuroko looked up at the crescent moon high in the sky and sighed.