Uploaded 19/09/14

So here it is, the first chapter of The Emperor's Trilogy II: The Emperor's Shadow, I hope you all enjoy the read and please review!

Last time...

The boy's heart began to pump at an increasingly fast rhythm as through trying to fit the beats of a life time into those precious few seconds that remained. And then...

Silence replaced the skittish beats.

Everyone held their breath, frozen as still as stone, waiting for someone else to make the first move when Kuroko did nothing.

Losing his patience first, Aomine squeezed Kuroko's hand.

"Tetsu'?" He questioned hesitantly.

Two blood red eyes snapped open.

Now...

The Emperor's Trilogy II
The Emperor's Shadow
Chapter 1

Two blood red eyes snapped open and the petit body twisted in graceful struggle, a pale hand torn from the restraint of one much darker. Aomine cried out in surprise automatically reaching out to regain his grasp on his shadow but hesitated at the quiet but feral growl that rolled up Kuroko's throat. Just as quickly as all this had happened, Kuroko was restrained again this time in Akashi's hold.

The redhead wrapped one arm around the newborn's waist and his other hand glided though the soft hair upon a thrashing head. The boy struggled in his grasp, his fingers tearing at the domineering arm, but as the others moved to help Akashi's glare halted them.

"Tetsuya..." He breathed into the shadow's ear and he stilled for an instant but his harsh pants proved he was far from calm. "Tetsuya, there is no need for this. You are in no danger, none of us will harm you; you are among friends." He promised in hushed whispers but the boy continued to try and jerk away from the redhead, unable to comprehend every new thing at once but the feelings of confusion and threat. "Tetsuya," Akashi barked after a particularly painful scratch up his arm, "calm down." The command was met by immediate stillness the pastel blue mop of hair in his vision slumped against his chest, his head down.

"Oi... Tetsu'?" Aomine hesitantly questioned when the silence that followed lasted a little too long for his liking. The movement was sharp and of inhuman speed as the boy's head lifting to face his light. Aomine was faced with the striking difference the red orbs were to the blue pools he was used to. The only comfort he could find was that they retained the irritatingly dead emotionless gaze of before.

And that they would most likely fade back to their original colour as his and the others' had.

"Aomine...kun?" The words fell awkwardly from new lips but the voice was gorgeous as was the case with all vampires. Aomine nodded with a grin and moved back, off the bed, and stood beside the others. "Midorima-kun... Murasakibara-kun... Kise-kun..." Catching a glimpse of red in his peripheral vision he continued, "...and Akashi-kun?"

"Hai!" Kise confirmed with a bright grin stretching his lips. He looked ready to pounce on the newborn if not for the large oppressive force of Murasakibara's hand that had returned to his shoulder.

"He doesn't smell." The same giant informed the others, disappointed he would not get another sweet scent to immerse himself in.

With a start the others realised what Murasakibara said was true.

"His scent before was faint to all but Akashi. Now it has faded completely." Midorima confirmed.

"Are you calm now, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked softly." At the boy's quick, still unnaturally fast bob of the head Akashi slowly released him from his hold. Kuroko swiftly removed himself from his ex-captain's lap and settled cross-legged on the bed, side on so he could see Akashi and the others from his old team at the same time.

As he observed them and they watched him he considered the calm his mind seemed to have settled into. Just minutes before his mind had been turmoil, not knowing how to fully interpret all the information it was taking in, in far too much detail to be possible. It had been too much for a mind that had already been trained in its humanity to be observant to continue to try and take in everything at once when everything was now so much more. But even now, beneath this calm blanket that subdued his emotions, he found himself adapting and finding a method to the madness just as he had before when training for his misdirection.

Another part of his now spacious mind was puzzled by how this calm had been forced upon him. Akashi had ordered it and he had obeyed. Not him, his body. His breathing had slowed and his limbs relaxed and whilst his thoughts had remained his own his mind had also slowed allowing clarity among the chaos of touch, smell, sound, taste and sight that had befallen him.

Before there had only been pain and then Aomine, Akashi and the others.

But no, there must have been a before, before the pain.

Thinking about it was cloudy and hard like it happened long ago and the details had been weathered away by time. However now that he was focusing he remembered his life, family and friends and especially the friends that were with him now and just how he had come to know them. He also recalled their calming, caring, comforting presences throughout the burning that had only faded five or so minutes ago.

That was a lie. It still burned, but now it was a raw flame at the back of his throat. And the more he thought on it the more it hurt.

"How are you feeling Tetsuya?" Akashi asked, the mismatching eyes staring intently at him. Kuroko's eyes moved rapidly from Akashi, to the others and back again. Another lightning fast shrug.

He knew something was not right. Not wrong as such, he felt fine and he was sure a drink would quench this unimaginable thirst, just not normal.

He settled for staring at the others. They were obviously in on what was happening and he was aware of how uncomfortable his staring always made them; they would tell him.

But he could really use a glass of water... or something thicker. Milkshake? No, the thought of it made him want to gag...

"I understand everything must be overwhelming at the moment." Midorima stated, also carefully watching Kuroko for any indication of what he may do. He sighed when he realised the newborn had settled into a countenance void of emotion just as he had worn in his humanity.

Kuroko reciprocated the other's study. He noted the way his skin sparkled in the miniscule amount of late evening sunlight seeping through the gap in the curtains. He also noticed the lack of any distortion from the glasses the other pushed up his nose with his ever bandaged fingers. He pondered over the fake glasses for a moment before nodding in conformation to Midorima's words.

"You have been through a change. The best way to do this is I tell you plainly. You're a vampire now."

They all waited expectantly for Kuroko's response and when none was made they assumed he was in shock at the declaration.

"This will all be overwhelming at first. Your mind will be far more capable of interpreting things and your body able to accomplish things the strongest of humans are incapable of even dreaming. It will take some getting used to and I'm sure you are far from even believing what I say is true." Midorima continued. "However I assure you it is."

"I know." Kuroko stated, monotone. The others looked on in puzzlement. "I've always known you were... different. Kise-kun was normal at first but after challenging Haizaki-san and disappearing for those weeks after, he wasn't the same."

All but Akashi were astonished by the revelation, they had not realised Kuroko was suspicious of them before. Of course truthfully Kuroko had not been suspicious as such, their strangeness had simply been noted and added to his vast amount of observations he made every day.

The redhead however had never been one to underestimate the shadow's observation skills and had always presumed he was aware to some extent that his teammates were not normal for lack of a better word.

"I see." Midorima uttered, still a little mystified by the surprise. "So you accept you're a vampire? Just like that?"

"Hai. If that is what Midorima-kun says then it must be so."

"You must be thirsty, Tetsuya." Akashi stated, taking note of how the newborn swallowed far too regularly.

"Hai." Kuroko responded simply.

"If you wait a little longer I will take you out hunting personally." The redhead suggested.

"Hai."

"First I shall clarify things for you." Akashi stated. "To begin with, with the exception of Kise, we are all far older than we appear. In fact I am one of the first vampires to have existed and certainly the oldest to still walk the earth, my existence extending in excess of six millennia.

"Until around 3000 years ago I was content with my life as Asia's Emperor and I ruled fairly in peace. I was made to rule what with my talent: absolute control. However a coven of newborns possessing talents decided they wanted what was mine. They had already claimed the western lands and all that remained for them to conquer was Asia. Of course it would be a simple matter to kill them and it was my right to do so when they had the gall to tell me to surrender. But they had tamed the vampires of the west into something vaguely civilized so I let them go with half their numbers still intact.

"Yet they didn't learn their lesson. Only fifty years later, now calling themselves the Volturi, they attacked again. This time they let rumours spread of the freedom our race would experience under their rule and painted a picture of a world ruled by vampires with humans as our slaves.

"The stupidity of the commoners never fails to amaze, for they fell for the lies and soon I ruled lands filled with rebellious lesser beings. Again it would have been simple to kill the coven causing such troubles, however I thought it best my subjects learn their lesson." Akashi finished.

"Akashi-san and I have been travelling since then. We've been collecting others who have talents of interest so that when the time comes we are prepared to reclaim his throne." Midorima finished for Akashi. "And that time is near."

There was a lengthy pause and the newborn stared at the former Emperor seemingly in thought.

The sun outside had finally set and the strange dusky light, when the sun's light still lingered in the air and the moon's ethereal glow was in the process of beginning it's nightly saturation of the earth, seeped through the gap in the curtains throwing everything in the tense room into sharp relief.

"I want you with me Tetsuya." The red head stated.

Unwavering red orbs stared blankly into the mismatched ones of their former captain. Something flickered in their depths but then it was gone and a single word slipped from their owner's pastel lips.

"Hai."

-x-

Akashi led Kuroko into the entrance of a shadowed alley between two run down office buildings. Just round the corner was the busy main street bustling with the nightlife crowd that always accompanied a Friday night as everyone let their hair down after a week of stressful work and smothering suits. The humans' excitement of a promising night out permeated the air and left Kuroko's throat burning in need at all the eager heartbeats.

"Tetsuya," Akashi said drawing the newborn's red eyes to him. He raised a hand and cupped the younger vampire's pale cheek. "Tetsuya, you need to wait here." The redhead ordered. At a low whine that unknowingly escaped Kuroko's throat, Akashi ran his fingers through the other's smooth locks and hushed him softly.

Akashi always had a soft spot for newborns made of his own venom, but the pull he felt to soothe Kuroko went beyond that and he found himself indulging the boy.

"I'm going to make the burning stop." Akashi promised, letting the hand that had been on his cheek slip down to gently caress his throat. He released the boy slowly and took a step back and out of the ally. "Stay." He ordered again, and this time imbued the word with power.

Akashi had said he was made to rule, and really what other conclusion could be drawn from the talent his vampirism had bestowed upon him? His every word had the potential to control all those they fell upon. He liked to call it Absolute Control and in most conditions this was true, however as is the case with all powers, there was a weakness.

Absolute Control, once placed upon someone would last no matter how far away the distance between Akashi and subject would grow and could be used on multiply subjects at a time. The downside was that ultimately the talent was Akashi overpowering the subject's own willpower with his own. Therefore there was only so much will power he could beat down in the subjects at any one time. This meant that he could control hundreds of people sometimes and potentially not even one at others, not that this had ever come to pass yet. It all depended entirely on how important it was to the subject to defy the order.

The order to stay would have no problem binding Kuroko when the only thing to fight down was newborn instincts and not any real defiance on Kuroko's part. As such the vampire stayed just as told with little to no resistance.

The red head retreated to the main street, scouting around for potential meals for him and Kuroko. Closing his eyes he concentrated purely upon his sense of smell, determined to find the sweetest of bloods for the newborn's first drink.

Within seconds he decided on a human to his liking, a young woman he estimated to have only recently entered her twenties. She was in a hurry ignoring the street employees trying to entice her into the multitude of nightclubs consuming the vast majority of the buildings. Instead she walked purposeful and hastily.

As she was about to pass the redhead, Akashi cleared his throat and she slowed to an almost halt taking in his short figure and demanding presence.

"I was wondering if you could direct me to the office prefecture?" He asked politely, ignoring the restless glance she made to her watch.

"Sure," the female responded hurriedly, "it's just down that street there." She pointed out the road Akashi had just come from.

"Ah, you know the area? Could you show me to where the Miracle Finance office is?" He persisted.

"I'm in a hurry." She said bluntly, tugging at the watch's strap impatiently and stepped past the redhead calling an insincere "sorry-" over her shoulder.

"Stop." Akashi finally resorted to Absolute Control. "Now turn round." The woman, as told, froze and turned back around. "Now follow me."

The ancient vampire proceeded to weave through the crowded street with ease, heading back to Kuroko. The human followed obediently behind, her pace no longer reflecting the urgency of before.

However Akashi's smugness at the meal he fetched vanished at the empty alley he found himself in the entrance of. His narrowed eyes surveyed the thin space between two blackened brick walls but no matter the fact he knew his control over Kuroko remained unbroken, it was evident the newborn was not there.

"Tetsuya..." He hissed and the female shifted uneasily at the menacing aura.

"Hai," the vampire's droning tone came from right in front of him, right where he'd left him. Akashi blinked, confused for a moment.

"Tetsuya, I can't see you." He stated.

"Oh?" His voice came again, just as monotonous as before.

Akashi stared at the space he understood Kuroko must be occupying and slowly a smirk overtook his features. Stepping forward and raising an arm he walked forward till his hand made contact with the invisible boy and grasped what he supposed must be his shoulder.

"Hmm..." He pondered for a moment. But as he watched Kuroko faded back into existence right before his eyes as though he had been there all along.

"How about now?" The newborn questioned and Akashi nodded absentmindedly studying the now visible vampire intently.

"Can you do that again...?" The red head began, but quickly shook his head and instead released his shoulder and stepped to one side allowing the human to come before Kuroko's direct line of sight. "That can wait for later, now: you must feed."

He took the girl by her wrist and his throat burned at the delightful thrum of pulse beneath his fingers as he dragged her to stand before Kuroko. He observed how the boy's breath hitched as she drew closer and his hands clenched with supernatural strength at his sides in attempted restraint.

Releasing the girl's wrist, he pushed her head to one side and swiped her hair out of the way to leave her neck bare before their hungry gazes. The redhead then circled around the newborn to rest his chin on his shoulder and continue his lingering gaze on her strong pulsing artery.

"Bite. Drink. Feed." Akashi whispered fiercely into Kuroko's ear.

With inhuman speed, but much slower than that of most vampires Akashi noted, Kuroko lunged forward and latched his mouth onto her neck right over the point Akashi had been staring so thirstily at not a fraction of a second before. And he sucked.

Akashi chuckled softly at the sight before him, something he had been waiting for since his eyes had first accomplished the difficult task of landing upon Kuroko's fragile human form.

Unable to resist the temptation, though he knew he should not, he reached out slowly, at almost human speed, and planted his hand at the base of the newborn's lower back. He was immensely surprised at the lack of any territorial instincts flaring up, after all, when feeding, fighting and mating vampires fall into their most instinctive state of mind. As such Kuroko should be defending his prey and right to feed, not accept his touch.

Grinning at the prospect that maybe his theory had been correct, Akashi decided to push things further. Keeping his hand pressed into the newborn's back he moved to stand at the woman's other side and slowly, observing Kuroko carefully, he placed his lips to the other side of her throat and allowed his teeth to slide through skin.

The sweet rich blood pooled into his mouth and he swallowed greedily and almost closed his eyes in bliss, for he had chosen well, this girl was by far the sweetest he had tasted in several years. But he kept his eyes open for there was far more to gain from seeing than there was from savouring the taste.

Kuroko's lower face was obscured by the rapidly dying girl's neck between them; his eyes however were just mere centimetres away from his own. Like he had wanted to Kuroko's were closed in pleasure, a rare display of emotion from the boy, and Akashi had always found him to be fascinating.

Long pale lashes hovered over the boys cheeks in a delicate fan that twitched with the movement of the hidden reddened orbs. And the way the skin, now stronger than diamond, crinkled a little round the edges of his lids was a wonder.

With both their efforts the girl was finished in under a minute and Kuroko pulled away from the dead, whining pitifully, both hands clasped to his still burning throat.

"Shhh..." Akashi soothed letting the limp body fall to the ground without a care, and a lightning fast step later found the other vampire pulled into his embrace. He now regretted sharing Kuroko's first meal what with the insatiable thirst all newborns experience. "I'll fetch more, Tetsuya." He promised sincerely.

-x-

"Tetsuya, I'm coming in." Akashi announced.

The newborn had been silent since the return to Akashi's mansion the evening before and had not left his room either. Growing frustrated with the lack of, well, anything from the newborn Akashi had decided to intrude upon the vampire's persistent isolation.

Opening the heavy oak door Akashi found the newborn that his thoughts were so focused on sitting on the edge of the bed in the square of setting sun's light intruding through the bare window.

The redhead's unnecessary breath caught at the sight of Kuroko shimmering where the beams hit his bare skin. He noted the boy was also staring at the spectacle, staring at his hands held before his face with a blank expression, the redhead witnessed as he moved around the bed. Something in the boy's eyes did not seem so impassive though, and the self hatred Akashi found there certainly did not please him.

"It had to be done." Akashi stated harshly. "And it will have to be done again."

The silence lengthened and Akashi growled softly at the lack of response. He stepped between the newborn and the window, casting him into shadow and making his skin dull once more, and he firmly grasped his chin, jerking it up so their eyes met.

"Five." The boy muttered.

"Four," Akashi corrected, "I drank far more than you from the first."

"I killed five people, five innocent people." Kuroko fixedly stated his sadness clear in his eyes.

"And in comparison to the hundreds of thousands that I have killed in my existence I hardly think the number to be noteworthy."

"Akashi-kun, they were living, breathing people with a future and friends and family..." The newborn trailed off in growing horror.

The redhead sighed heavily, released Kuroko, and joined him on the bed sitting to his right. He then pulled the boy down to rest his head in his lap. They both stared out the window in silence for a moment before Akashi spoke once more.

"It didn't use to be like this. Before the Volturi took over Asia and reduced our kind to nothing more than myths and legends, we were worshipped. We lived along side humans and were treated as gods. Most of the time we didn't kill to feed as we had our own Menageries: a group of people that we fed a little from each so that they would live. Those that were a part of a Menagerie were treated in high regard by the other humans, like royalty and the likes.

"I know that such a lifestyle is no longer possible after our long absence from the world's reality. However when I become Emperor once more I will bring about another age of Menagerie, where we are believed to be fictional by the world but for a select few that cater our needs."

Kuroko gazed up at him, his eyes once again betraying a small amount of the emotions he felt: awe. Akashi smiled. And Kuroko's eyes widened a sliver at the rare soft quality it held.

"I bit you Kuroko, I made you what you are... anything you do from here on is my responsibility, not yours. You never asked for this, but this is what is. Soon, though, I will reign once more and things will be as they should."

Kuroko's lips trembled for a second and he turned his head to bury his face in Akashi's stomach. The redhead stroked the pastel blue hair till the sun rose the next day.

That's all folks :)
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