Title: Third Time is The Charm

Writer: Amariys

Words count: 4647 words

Fandom/Characters: Kuroko no Basket/Generation of Miracles.

Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket is not mine. No trademark infringement or profit taken from the writing of this story.

Rating: R

Summary: Truth revealed, or in which there was a masquerade party and an after party meeting in which Kuroko finally met Akashi. Sequel to Second Lie, part 3 of my AU!Yakuza series.

Warnings: Length, cursing, AU!Fic, Self-edited, shounen-ai.

Kuroko had never gone into a formal party. He was not from a high-class family, didn't have friends who had link to influential people, and certainly wasn't important enough to be invited into one. Naturally, he also didn't have a nice, formal suit. The only suits he had were actually ones he usually wore for work. So, when Kuroko got an invitation to a really extravagant party—he knew because the invitation itself was embodied with pure golden string along the side—he was quite worried.

"Momoi-san, I don't have any suit fitting for this kind of party." Kuroko said to Momoi Satsuki, the person who gave him the invitation.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Tetsu-kun ! I'll send you a suit special for this event later on today!" Momoi replied cheerfully, her eyes glinting with happiness as she sat in front of Kuroko and simply watched the man reading the invitation. She was a regular 'guest' in Kuroko and Aomine's office and since she was the Head Department's old friend, most of the police members respected her, never questioning her intention coming there.

Momoi first met Kuroko when she had planned a surprise visit to the office, only to find Aomine was out on some kind of meeting with the other chiefs. Thankfully, Kuroko was there and he gladly accompanied her spending the day, listening attentively to every words she had spoken—even though in all actuality, Kuroko just let her rambled while he worked on his paper work. Ever since that, Momoi had taken a liking to Kuroko, claiming that he was her first crush.

"Oy, Satsuki! Why does Tetsu get a new suit for free while I have to buy one with my own money? That's so unfair!" Aomine protested from his desk. The same invitation lie opened on top of his finished paperwork. Of course he was also invited. It was a party held by Teikou group, after all. Apparently, Akashi really didn't have the patience to wait any longer. Not that Kuroko would suspect anything about it, of course. Aomine sighed heavily.

"Well, it's obvious because your pay roll is more than enough to buy a new suit, Dai-chan ! Besides, it's a lot more useful than your Horikita Mai's collection." The pink haired girl answered without looking back at Aomine. She was still absorbed in her Kuroko-watching activity.

Aomine's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I will have you know Horikita Mai-chan is a very talented and beautiful model!"

"Yes, yes, of course she is," Momoi didn't even have the grace to act like she meant it. Aomine grumbled something about stupid woman before dropping it. "Anyway, Tetsu-kun, you really don't have any plan tonight, right? I'll ask Dai-chan to pick you up at around 7, okay? I really want to pick you up, too, but unfortunately, I can't. I shall wait patiently and endure until you arrive."

Kuroko only nodded. It was enough to make Momoi beamed with happiness. After that, the girl excused herself since her delivery job was done and left the room. Once the door closed behind Momoi, Kuroko put the invitation on top of his desk and turned his attention at Aomine.

"This party is held by Teikou group." Kuroko's voice was as calm as ever, but from the glint Aomine could see in his clear blue eyes, the other man knew Kuroko wanted explanation. "Why are they inviting us?"

Aomine was silent as he stared back at Kuroko. He considered lying, but somehow, it didn't feel right to keep Kuroko in the dark for longer. However, Aomine also knew he couldn't just spill everything to his junior. Akashi would surely gouge his eyes out if he did that. So, he opted to give a half-lie. "The Teikou's leader is my associate. Sometimes he will invite me to their parties. It's just a formality, to get in the police's good grace, you know?"

Kuroko's eyes narrowed and Aomine knew he was in trouble. Kuroko's expression would only change under extreme situation, either he was extremely happy or extremely pissed. This time, unfortunately, apparently it was the second one. "Do not lie to me, Aomine-kun."

Aomine swore the temperature in the room dropped few degrees as Kuroko said that. It was very uncharacteristically of him, but seeing Kuroko like this actually sent a shiver of something close to fear down Aomine's spine. It was quite a feat, since there were not a lot of things could instill fear in an assassin like him. Aomine grunted in annoyance before propping his chin with his palm. "You will know all the truth in the later party, Tetsu. Just come and you will find all the answers you want."

It was the best Aomine could give. He really couldn't go against Akashi's order.

Thankfully, Kuroko seemed to accept that answer after pondering about it for a while. The teal haired boy finally nodded wordlessly, his expression back to that of a blank mask. Aomine couldn't help but to chuckle slightly.

"You are a lot scarier man than me, Tetsu." Whether he was praising or mocking, not even Aomine himself knew.

xXXx

The party theme was masquerade, probably to protect the identity of the guests. Kuroko looked rather charming wearing a black suit with sky blue shirt and a black tie. The suit felt stiff for him, probably because he had never worn expensive clothes like that before. Half of his face was covered in a mask, like all of the guests here, but as Kuroko observed, his mask was the only colored one there. All of the other guests were wearing either black or white masks, so unlike his light blue one.

"Aomine-kun, why are we the only one wearing colored masks?" Kuroko asked his senior who was walking beside him.

Like Kuroko, Aomine was dressed in black suit but with dark blue inner shirt. The top two buttons of his inner shirt was opened and he wore his tie carelessly, as if he couldn't be bothered to appropriately tying them. Aomine's dark blue eyes were framed with a midnight blue mask that looked almost black. The Head Department didn't look happy at all as he lead his companion further into the ballroom, skillfully navigating around the crowds of people.

"Ah? Oh, it's because the dress code is monochrome," Aomine answered in a rather loud voice, trying to beat the noise created by the chattering crowds. "However, some people are given colored masks as a … sign, you can say."

Kuroko tilted his head, about to ask further, when suddenly he was tackled back by a blur of white. Blinking, the teal haired boy looked down only to see that now he had his arms full of Momoi.

"Tetsu-kun, you look so handsome in that suit!" Momoi squealed, lifting her head to gaze directly at Kuroko. The girl's soft pink orbs shined like they had found a treasure. Kuroko noted that Momoi's mask was peach in color. As she stepped back, Kuroko could see she was wearing a white, silk dress that went down to her knees. The dress accentuated every curve of her body, making her looked very stunning.

"Aah! Momocchi, that's cheating! I'm the one who spotted Kurokocchi first!" A whiny voice could be heard trailing after Momoi. As Kuroko looked up, he saw Kise Ryouta walking towards them with a pout on his face. Seeing Kise now, Kuroko really believed the man should have been a model. The pure white suit and inner shirt he wore hugged his body so deliciously, making every people's eyes drawn to him. Kise's blond hair was styled in a sophisticated way, making him look mature and elegant. Kise's golden mask was a few shades lighter than his hair and it brought out the color of his honey brown orbs fabulously.

"Oy, don't I get any greetings, here? What am I, invisible?" Aomine grumbled indignantly, crossing his arms on his chest as he glared at both Momoi and Kise.

"Aw, is Aominecchi jealous?" Kise asked in teasing tone as he walked up towards the annoyed man. "Don't worry, we're not forgetting about you, right, Momocchi?"

"Of course!" Momoi agreed. She was already hugging Kuroko's arm, as if to make sure he wouldn't go away too far. Kuroko didn't look too happy with it. "It's just that I can see you all the time, Dai-chan, but I may not get another chance to see Tetsu-kun in a suit!"

"Che, you all just love Tetsu more, don't you?" Aomine started to walk again, knowing fully Momoi and Kise would follow him—while dragging Kuroko along.

"Well, that's obvious!" The answer came from both Kise and Momoi at the same time, making Aomine growled at them both. Unfortunately, the two nuisances only laughed before they started launching a light chatter while walking towards the buffet.

Meanwhile, Kuroko silently watched their interaction. He had known Momoi and Aomine were childhood friends and Kise had also said he had known Aomine for a long time, but Kuroko never really believed it up until now. It was obvious Aomine felt comfortable among them—despite his previous suspicion of Kise being a murderer before. The tanned skin man might be grumbling and scowling, but his posture was more relax than Kuroko had ever seen before and his eyes softened whenever he spoke with Momoi or Kise. Kuroko's lips curved into a small smile. Aomine really cared a lot about his friends, even though he tried to hide it behind rude façade.

"Tetsu-kun, do you want vanilla ice cream?" Momoi suddenly asked, offering a cup of vanilla ice cream towards the teal haired man.

"Thank you, Momoi-san." Kuroko answered with a grateful nod. He took the cup from Momoi and tasted the ice. Almost immediately, Kuroko's eyes lightened up. The ice cream was really delicious!

His delighted expression made both Momoi and Kise flushed, while Aomine just rolled his eyes. He had seen Kuroko making that kind of expression often enough it didn't faze him anymore, but the same couldn't be said for his two friends as they immediately started to shove more foods into Kuroko's hand, trying to make him showing that expression again.

"Gee, you two are still as idiotic as ever."

"Now, now, don't say that, Daiki. It's good if everyone is getting along, right?"

The deep voice from behind him made Aomine froze as his blood ran cold. He knew that voice very well. Turning around, his fear was proven true as he looked at a young man with red hair who wore blood red suit and no mask. Heterochromatic eyes gazed back calmly at him, amusement and a small hint of malice lurking inside. Akashi's lips curved into delighted smirk as he saw the fear written all over Aomine's face. Good. Aomine hadn't forgotten his place.

"Aka-chin, can I have some of the foods too?" A tall man behind Akashi asked as he munched on a biscuit. Murasakibara was Akashi's personal bodyguard. His big body and strength fitted the job perfectly as people naturally felt small and insignificant beside him. Strangely, despite his huge posture, Murasakibara always acted like a little kid to the people he was close to. He never disobeyed Akashi. Not even once.

"Of course. You may ask Satsuki and Ryouta to pick the foods for you, Atsushi. I need to talk with Daiki and his … companion."

By that time, Momoi and Kise had noticed Akashi's arrival too, and they became noticeably quieter. In fact, they seemed slightly uncomfortable even as they turned to Murasakibara and walked to the next buffet, leaving Kuroko with Aomine and Akashi.

"Thank you for attending my party, Kuroko Tetsuya," Akashi stepped closer to Kuroko, ignoring Aomine who tensed considerably. "I am Akashi Seijuurou, the current Teikou Group's leader."

"… Thank you for inviting me." Kuroko answered with a bow, making Akashi's smirk widened.

"You are such a polite man. That's good. I'm sure you'll fit in just fine." Akashi's heterochromatic eyes glinted dangerously as he reached out to caress the outer line of Kuroko's mask. "Come meet me after party, Tetsuya. I'd love to have a chat with you."

"Akashi, I don't think—" Aomine tried to protest, but then he felt the cold sensation of metal pressed against his skin. Looking down, he gulped as he saw a knife pricking the skin of his neck.

"I don't remember asking your opinion, Daiki," Akashi stated calmly before lowering his knife. "However, you are welcomed to come with Tetsuya. In fact, I already order all of the elite team to gather. It'll be so much fun, don't you think?"

Aomine didn't say anything. He could only nod. The fear was still consuming him and he was reminded, once again, why none of them dared to defy Akashi. That man was a psychopath!

Seemingly satisfied with Aomine's response, Akashi put his knife back to his pocket before walking away from the police men. "Well then, I'll see you two later on and please, do enjoy the party."

Silence took reign after Akashi had left. Even the noises from the party didn't seem to reach Kuroko and Aomine's ears. They were still frozen in place, until finally Kuroko broke the silence with, "Akashi-kun is quite scary."

That understatement managed to startle a laugh out of Aomine's lips. Just like that, the heavy atmosphere around them was shattered. Even Kuroko had a small smile playing on his face, as if he had said that words intentionally. Aomine shook his head. "I will never win against you, Tetsu." He said with the slightest bit of fondness in his voice.

"I'm glad we're not enemies, then," Kuroko replied before turning somber once again. "We can't just ignore Akashi-kun's order, can we?"

"… No, we can't." Aomine paused. "I hope we won't be enemies, Tetsu."

xXXx

Aomine was extremely anxious as he led Tetsu to a hidden meeting room in the building as they left the ballroom once the party was over. Of course, he was not one to show his anxiousness clearly, so Aomine hid it with heavy scowl on his face and stiff posture. It was easy to mask every feeling with rage and Aomine was a pro at doing that. His brisk paces made Kuroko had difficulty to follow up, since the teal haired man wasn't as tall as his senior, but Kuroko didn't say anything. He knew Aomine would only snap at him if he tried to speak up.

As they came near to the end of the corridor, they could see someone waiting for them. Even with the lack of light around them—the corridor didn't have even a candle to light it up—the pure white suit the waiting man wore revealed the man's identity easily. The golden mask was no longer framing his eyes, Kuroko guessed it was stored away somewhere, just like his and Aomine's masks, now that the party was officially over. Kise looked worried as they approached him. His brows were furrowed and his honey brown eyes were serious. The smile he usually wore could still be seen, though, even if it was nothing compared to his usually dazzling grins.

"Kurokocchi, everyone's been waiting inside." The blond man said in a forced light tone, tilting his head towards the wooden door in front of them. "Do you think you can come inside first? I want to talk to Aominecchi just for a second."

Kuroko was already nodding when Aomine suddenly stepped in front of him, effectively blocking his way to the door. When he looked up, Kuroko noticed Aomine was looking at Kise with an expression Kuroko had never seen before. Aomine was beyond furious. It actually looked like he wanted nothing more than strangling Kise right there and then. Kuroko must give Kise credit for being still absolutely calm under Aomine's murderous gaze, but on closer inspection, he could see Kise's soft eyes were now as cold as chips of ice.

Kuroko's sky blue orbs met with Kise's honey brown ones and, for mere seconds, those orbs became warm as the man's smile widened. "Go on, Kurokocchi. We won't be long, I promise."

Kise grabbed hold of Aomine's wrist, none too gently dragging the taller man to the corner, leaving Kuroko's path to the door unblocked. Kuroko hesitated for a moment, but he figured it would be better if he didn't get involved with the two men for now. So Kuroko took a deep breath before taking hold of the door's knob and pushing the wooden door opened. He wanted to get his answers.

The first thing Kuroko noticed as he entered the room was the light. In the contrary from the corridor outside, the meeting room was very bright. Kuroko's eyes narrowed as they adapted to the sudden light and it actually hurt a little. Once he regained his eyesight, Kuroko could see there was a long table in the center of the room. There were four people inside, all of which eyes were now trained to Kuroko. The teal haired man kept his face as an expressionless mask, although he felt quite nervous. Kuroko often was forgotten by people, so he wasn't accustomed with being under the spotlight.

"Welcome, Tetsuya." It was Akashi who broke the silence. The red haired man was sitting with both elbows propped on the desk, resting his chin on his linked fingers. He was smiling as he saw Kuroko entered the room. "Do take a seat. I'm sure Daiki and Ryouta will come soon. We'll start the introduction once everyone is here."

Kuroko considered refusing, just because he didn't particularly like anyone ordering him around, but there was something in Akashi's voice and eyes—something that made Kuroko felt compelled to do as he was told. In the end, Kuroko could only nod before taking a seat beside Momoi. She was the least dangerous one out of the four people in the room, after all. Silence took hold once they waited for Aomine and Kise to walk in. Kuroko took this chance to observe the people around him.

The green haired man sitting in front of him was Midorima, if Kuroko wasn't mistaken. He was the lawyer who had come to get Kise when the blond haired man landed himself in the interrogation room. Midorima looked as strict as ever, even though the white teddy bear on his hand immediately threw that image away. Kuroko took note that Midorima's left fingers were tapped carefully and he wondered if the man was injured somehow, but it didn't look that way. The teal haired man concluded it was just a habit. A strange habit, for sure, but then again Midorima did look a little bit strange.

Shifting his eyes, Kuroko's gaze landed on the big man beside Midorima. The man was really tall, he even towered over the others while he was sitting and perhaps that was why he was sitting with a slouch. The man's eyes were droopy, as if he was constantly sleepy, but Kuroko could see the man's irises were that of rare purple color. The eyes color matched the purple locks falling almost silkily around his face. The man didn't look tense at all—a stark contrast to Midorima—as he happily ate a chocolate pudding.

"Ah, it looks like Daiki and Ryouta are done."

Akashi's voice broke Kuroko's observation. He looked at the door in reflex, like everyone else in the room, and true enough, the wooden door was opened not a second later, revealing an annoyed Aomine who stepped into the room followed by a grinning Kise. Aomine didn't look as angry as he was before and Kuroko took that as a good sign. Kise, on the other hand, had a rather large bruise on his left cheek and his lips were split, dry blood caking there, but still he grinned as if the injuries he got were nothing. Kuroko could only lift his eyebrow. Who would have thought Kise Ryouta was a masochist?

Aomine took a seat beside Kuroko while Kise moved to Midorima's side, giving a cheeky smile to the green haired man before settling down on an empty seat beside him. "I am sorry we're late!" the blond man said cheerfully while Aomine just scoffed.

"Now that we've all gathered here, allow me to introduce these people to you, Tetsuya," Akashi started in a light voice. "I'm sure you've known Ryouta, Satsuki and Aomine. The man with purple hair is Murasakibara Atsushi and the green haired one beside him is Midorima Shintarou. You've met Shintarou before." It was a statement, said in matter-of-fact tone. Akashi paused slightly before his lips curved into a smirk as he continued, "These people are the elite members of Teikou. In a way, they are Teikou's weapons."

From the corner of his eyes, Kuroko could see Aomine gritting his teeth, but the tanned man didn't say anything. He didn't deny Akashi's words. So, Kuroko's suspicion was true. Aomine was actually a member of Teikou. "I don't understand. What do you mean as weapons?"

"Exactly what it means, Tetsuya. Except for Satsuki, everyone here is an assassin working for me. They are professionals. In fact, I'm sure no other assassin is better than them."

This time, Kuroko couldn't hide his surprise. His eyes widened as the truth of Akashi's words entered his mind. Assassins. If Akashi was telling the truth, it meant Aomine's hands had also been dirtied by blood. The senior Kuroko looked up to had taken people's lives long before Kuroko met him and now was acting as the one putting murderers behind iron bars. How ironic. Kuroko took a deep breath to calm the slowly building rage inside of him. It wouldn't do to get mad over this. Not with Akashi's heterochromatic eyes watching every single bit of his reaction.

"Why are you calling me here, Akashi-kun?"

Akashi smiled as if Kuroko had asked just the right question. Strangely, seeing that smile on the Teikou's leader just sent a shiver down Kuroko's spine. It was not a comforting sight at all. The atmosphere inside the room changed as the tension increased all of the sudden. "There is only one reason I call you here, Tetsuya. I'm simply welcoming Teikou's new elite member."

Kuroko clenched his hands as he returned Akashi's gaze. "I have not agreed to be Teikou's member."

Akashi's eyes narrowed in face of Kuroko's defiance. "Indeed, you haven't, but you will, Tetsuya. You will because I can offer you something you really want."

"I don't want anything." Kuroko denied calmly.

"Now, there's where you're lying," Akashi leant forward, his heterochromatic eyes glinted with a maniac gleam as his lips formed a predatory smirk. "I know you want Haizaki Shougo," someone gasped as the name was uttered, but Akashi continued as if nothing had happened. "I can give him to you. Better yet, we can kill him for you."

Silence so heavy blanketed the room after that. Everyone waited in bated breath to see Kuroko's response. The teal haired man had looked surprise when he heard Akashi's words, but then he bowed his head, hiding his expression from everyone in the room. Akashi watched calmly, quite amused by the response Kuroko gave, while the others were anxious. No one had dared to defy Akashi as blatantly as Kuroko just did before. Besides, Haizaki Shougo was a name they all would rather forget. It only brought back the feelings of rage and hate, after all.

"Oy, Tetsu, you al—" Aomine's words died on his lips when he saw Kuroko's expression. His junior was furious. Kuroko looked calm on the outside, but Aomine knew those eyes. He had seen them so many times on Kise—and occasionally on Midorima. It was the eyes of someone with blood-lust. He was rather surprised Kuroko could even show that kind of expression.

"Why do you want me to join you, Akashi-kun?" Kuroko finally spoke up, even though he hadn't lifted his head up back.

"I am interested with your natural skill of misdirection, Tetsuya," Akashi answered honestly. "It was a really useful skill. It can be the strongest weapon I've ever gotten in my hand and I don't want to miss this chance. Join us and I swear to you I'll bring Shougo to his knees right in front of you."

It was the devil's whispering, offering the sweetest temptation to Kuroko. It was, unfortunately, a temptation Kuroko couldn't simply ignore. Finally lifting his head, Kuroko's voice rang clear in the room as he said, "Bring me Haizaki Shougo first and I will join you, Akashi-kun."

The victorious smile on Akashi's face was the most terrifying thing one could ever see. "Consider it's done, Tetsuya."

-End.

A/N: That's the end of this story! I'm sorry if I leave you all with a cliffhanger, but I promise the next part of this verse would clear everything—or almost everything, at least! Thank you for reading this story, despite the monstrous length. /cringe Oh, and for Kagami's fans, the red-head would appear in the next installment.

There's an omake after this, because I just can't neglect my love for Ao/Kise. He he. Hope you're enjoying both the story and the omake! Reviews are always loved and if someone is interested to be my beta for this series, do tell me in a review/PM.

Omake : Kise and Aomine Outside The Meeting Room

"The Hell do you want to talk about, Kise?" Aomine growled as he wretched his hand free from Kise's grip roughly and punched the other man hard on the cheek. He didn't have time to play with the blond haired man! Kuroko was inside and who knew what Akashi had said to him by now?! "Spill it out or just fuck off!"

Kise slowly turned around to face a furious Aomine, a bruise already forming on the spot where Aomine punched him before and fresh trickles of blood spilled from his split lips. His gaze was cold as they met Aomine's blazing hot blue orbs. They were like fire and ice. Aomine's rage was like molten lava which would destroy anything on his sight, while Kise turned cold when fury took control of his mind. Perhaps, it was their contrasting personalities that actually brought them together. Like the opposite sides of magnet, they pulled towards each other instead.

"What do you think will happen if you stormed into the meeting room and lashed out at Akashicchi? You are stupid if you think Akashicchi would let you do that without dire consequences. You want to protect Kurokocchi don't you, Aominecchi? Then start using your brain to think before jumping into action!" Kise glared at the taller man in front of him. "Fucking calm yourself down or you'd better not get inside at all."

Aomine growled in frustration, but he couldn't say anything in return. He knew Kise had a point, loathed though he was to admit it. Defying Akashi would only make everything worse and he couldn't risk Kuroko only because he was having his bouts of anger. However, the urge to brutally destroy something was still shimmering hot inside of him. Aomine needed to hurt someone. Badly.

As if reading Aomine's thought, Kise's lips formed a sly smirk. "Heh, you're as easy to read as an open book, Daiki." He whispered before roughly pushing Aomine's head down and crushed their lips together in a brutal kiss. Kise's blood mingled with their saliva, introducing the well-known coppery taste into their kiss. Kise could hear Aomine growling deep inside his throat and then he was slammed against the wall, Aomine's teeth mercilessly biting on his already split lips. Kise flinched, because it fucking hurts, but he just pushed himself into Aomine's, wanting—no, needing to feel those hard muscles against his.

Aomine sucked on Kise's bleeding lips enthusiastically, as if the blood was the most delicious drink he had ever had. None of them had their eyes closed throughout the violent kiss. When the taller man finally broke their kiss, Kise was panting. Even without Aomine's lips blocking one of his air tracks, it was still difficult to breathe. His chest felt full with feelings, it was squeezing his heart painfully.

Seeing Kise's dazed yet satisfied expression, Aomine only smirked superiorly. "You, Ryouta, are really my own personal drug."

The grin Kise gave to him in return was the most beautiful one Aomine had ever seen. "You're welcome, Aominecchi!"