A/N: This was written at the request of my wonderful friend on tumblr, Fuwacchi! She wanted AkaKaga AU with Kagami at Rakuzan.

Red hair and basketball.

Those were the only two things Kagami Taiga and Akashi Seijuro had in common. Personality, temperament, intellect, everything else about them was completely opposite. And even the hair wasn't quite the same, Kagami's the shade of a dark, crimson sunset, Akashi's the bright color of a precious ruby.

When they were on the court, though, Kagami's powerful, wild, bold moves were a perfect foil for Akashi's calm, dispassionate tactics. Enemies were completely thrown off guard when Kagami's big, muscled body barreled toward them, eyes blazing, feral grin wide and intimidating. They tried to escape only to be faced with the deceptively small Akashi and his cool, analytical gaze that instantly discovered their weakness and just as easily stripped the ball from their unsuspecting hands.

As a pair, they were fearsome, magnificent, and unstoppable. "The Emperor and His Knight" they were called by their rivals, and even by some of their teammates. It was a fitting description.

When Kagami had first come to Rakuzan, he hadn't known anything about Akashi or the Generation of Miracles. All he had known was this little shrimp with mismatched eyes had an ego as big as he was small. It was only when Kagami was on his ass, blinking up in astonishment at Akashi's pixie-like face that he realized his new captain's arrogance was 100% justified.

Not that it changed his mind completely about Akashi. Kagami still didn't care for his "I'm always right" attitude. Still, he watched the shorter man carefully. With all that unbelievable, miraculous talent, Akashi worked hard, trained hard, pushing himself more fiercely than he pushed the rest of them. Kagami gained a grudging respect for Akashi, a respect that only grew as Akashi pulled from each of them the hidden strength they didn't even know they possessed.

The team coalesced around him, this man who never lied, who never hid anything from them, who gave them praise when they earned it and discipline when they deserved it.

And yet … and yet, Kagami couldn't quite quell the uneasiness he always felt around Akashi when they weren't on the court. His skin was itchy, the back of his neck prickled, his breath would quicken and his heart would race. He didn't know why, but he thought it had something to do with that red and gold gaze that looked at him, through him, and seemed to pierce his soul.

"Taiga, you should dry your hair after you get out of the shower or you will catch a cold," a cultured, authoritative voice called out in front of him, startling Kagami. He had been lost in thought sitting on the Rakuzan locker room bench, towel wrapped around his neck and hair dripping unnoticed down his face.

"A-Akashi," Kagami's dark red eyes darted upward, finding his captain standing before him, almost between his bent knees. A quick glance around showed him the other team members had disappeared sometime while his mind had been wandering. "Ah, what are you still doing here?"

"As captain, I can't lock up until I'm sure everything is put away and the locker room is clear. You're a pretty big hindrance to that."

There wasn't annoyance or anger in those words, just a simple statement of fact, yet Kagami blushed anyway.

"Yeah, sorry, I got distracted," Kagami mumbled, taking the towel and running it haphazardly over his hair.

Clucking his tongue, Akashi moved closer and held out his hand. "Give that to me."

"What?" A rather inarticulate response, but Kagami was having a hard time thinking with Akashi's scent, cool and crisp like winter, filling his lungs. The itchy sensation was back, and his blood was pounding in his ears.

"The towel, Taiga, hand it to me," Akashi was patient, like he was speaking to a halfwit, but there was a light in his heterochromatic eyes that Kagami didn't understand.

Somehow, Kagami meekly presented the towel to Akashi, afterward not really knowing why he did it.

Akashi moved closer, his hard, slim legs brushing up against Kagami's inner thighs. The sensation made Kagami acutely aware of his nudity under the skimpy towel and he fidgeted.

"Something wrong, Taiga?" Akashi inquired softly as he put the towel on Kagami's head and began to rub vigorously.

"Um," his tongue felt thick and clumsy in his mouth, "I appreciate the concern, but I think I can dry my hair myself. I'm not a kid."

"Aren't you?" Akashi chuckled, his warm breath ruffling the top of Kagami's damp hair. "You certainly are reckless and easily excitable like a child."

Kagami snapped his head back violently, dislodging the towel and almost falling off the bench. "Hey! That's not … not …," his eyes clashed with Akashi's eerie gaze and he couldn't complete the sentence.

One thin, red eyebrow lifted slightly as if to say "I told you so," but Akashi was much too dignified to utter the words out loud. He simply picked the towel back up and resumed his ministrations on Kagami's hair.

Embarrassed, Kagami looked down. His eyes were now level with his captain's slender chest. He could probably almost span that small chest with just one of his hands, he thought absently, and then was unsettled by his own musings.

He lapsed into silence, struggling with thoughts and emotions that were foreign to him. Basketball was his love, his mistress. Nothing got his adrenaline running, got his pulse racing, like going up against big, bad, strong players. Yet that same feeling, that same euphoria, was creeping up on him now, thoroughly confusing him.

"There, all done." Akashi pulled the towel from Kagami's head and took a step back.

Without stopping to think about his actions, or their consequences, Kagami squeezed his legs shut, locking his knees, and Akashi, in place. He grabbed the loose end of the towel, tugging on it until it stretched between them.

Akashi's gaze flicked toward the legs imprisoning him before lifting to meet Kagami's again. There was an unfathomable look in his eyes.

"What are you doing, Taiga?" Expression never wavering, his tone was cool, calm, and slightly menacing.

Kagami swallowed, wondering at his own audacity, not even sure why he detained Akashi, knowing only he wanted to maintain a connection between them even if it was just for a few minutes longer.

"I," he opened his mouth to apologize, but what came out instead was, "did you treat your other team, those Generation of Miracles, like this?"

If Akashi was surprised by the query, he didn't show it. Kagami's face was the one registering shock at his own question.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Akashi responded smoothly, but something in his voice seemed to belie his statement, seemed to hint that he was actually amused by Kagami's inquiry.

Letting go of the towel, Kagami shrugged helplessly. "I don't, I mean were you this gentle, this caring toward them?"

The words tumbled unbidden from his lips. Why did he care at all how Akashi acted when he was in middle school? It shouldn't matter at all, but it did.

At first, it seemed Akashi was not going to answer him. A whole minute passed and, just when Kagami was sure he had crossed the line, Akashi stirred.

"I gave them what they needed."

An answer that wasn't really an answer at all. Kagami blew out a frustrated breath.

"Let me ask you something," Akashi took the towel and wrapped it around Kagami's neck, holding the ends in his hands. "Why do you want to know?"

Why did he want to know? Kagami was at a loss.

Akashi wound the towel around his fists, tighter and tighter until Kagami's neck tilted back from the pressure. He leaned down, bringing his face dangerously close, and his sweet breath puffed over Kagami's lips when he spoke again.

"Once you figure it out, when you are ready to face the truth, come find me, Taiga. I'll be waiting for you."

He abruptly let go, easily sliding out from between Kagami's legs, proving he had stood there of his own will and not because Kagami had caged him in.

"Now, I would really like to lock up. If you don't mind, please get dressed," Akashi declared briskly.

More confused than ever, Kagami hurriedly slipped his clothes on. He couldn't think of anything else to say, so he kept quiet. In the back of his mind, an inkling of understanding started to take root. Pulling his bag out of his locker, he slung it over his shoulder and headed for the exit. Akashi called out to him right when he reached the door.

"I am many things, but excessively tolerant is not one of them. Hurry up and find your answer."

Kagami almost turned around, that charismatic, slightly dangerous voice tugging at his body like it was a puppet on a string. He didn't, not sure if he was ready for what Akashi wanted from him, what he wanted from Akashi. Instead, he simply nodded again and walked away, realizing sooner or later he would have to make a decision, and the consequences of that decision would most likely change his life forever.

Fin.