Title: Cinderella Chapter 2

Pairing: Akashi x Kuroko x Kise

A/N: I'm glad that everyone liked the last chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Sorry that I haven't updated in a long time.

-x-x-

Recap of the last chapter:

"Ah..." Kuroko turned around and noticed yellow mixed in with all the green. "Kise-kun...?" He called out.

The blond male chuckled nervously and stepped away from the trees and into the clearing. "I've been looking for you."

"How long have you...?" Kuroko began, but was then pulled behind Akashi.

"What are you doing here?" Although the two of them had been glaring at each other, it was nothing like the darkness in his voice right now.

Kise glared at him. He wanted nothing more than to make him suffer, but instead, he kept the smile on his face and reach out a hand towards the blue haired male. "Aomine-cchi's been looking for you. He nearly strangled me when I said I didn't know. I had a feeling you would be here."

"Aomine-kun did?" This caused Kuroko to break away from Akashi and walked to where Kise stood. "He must be pissed."

"Wait...!" The scene of Kuroko walking away with Kise brought images to his mind of the previous night. When he came to his senses, the two were already gone. "It couldn't be...could it?"

-x-x-

"Romance is thinking about your significant other,

When you are supposed to be thinking of something else."

-Nicholas Sparks

In most kingdoms, the dining table would be long to show their wealth, but the King of Teikou preferred to keep it short since it was their personal table. On one end, the King sat, opposite of an empty chair. On the King's left, his eldest son Seijuurou sat. Opposite of Seijuurou, his siblings sat, eating their food. His sister, Satsuki, age thirteen and his brother, Taiga, age seven. The two were from different mothers. The King's first wife passed when Seijuurou turned ten from a serious disease. His second died when Satsuki was a few years old from a carriage accident and his third perished right after giving birth to Taiga. Luckily, the two were too young to have any memories of their mothers. To honor them, the King allowed them to keep their mother's surnames. However, everyone knew that they were certainly the King's children.

"Sei-nii," Taiga pushed the food on his plate back and forth with his fork. "Are you going out to the village today?"

Akashi made sure to swallow his food before speaking, "I have a meeting today with Father. Why do you ask?"

"Well..." Taiga looked at Akashi with a small pout. "I wanted to visit a friend of mine."

"If the meeting finishes early, I will take you to the village," Akashi took another bite of his food.

Taiga grinned, "Is that a promise?"

"If you eat your vegetables, I will see what I can do." Akashi smiled as his little brother did as he was told, grumbling the entire time.

However, Akashi found it difficult to keep his promise. During the meeting, he found his thoughts wandering. He would think of his blue haired maiden, but then it would flash to the male he met in the forest. He felt a connection. The fact that his maiden left her wig behind...it could definitely mean that they were the same person.

"If they really are the same person...would I still like him?" Akashi wasn't sure at all. That would mean he likes men. As the heir to the kingdom, he would need children of his own to continue the royal lineage. The townspeople would certainly be in an outrage if they found out that rather than a Queen, he would wed a male. His fans would be out for his head. What would his father say?

"Seijuurou-sama?" The person across from him called his name.

Akashi looked at them as if cold water was just thrown on him. He didn't realize that he was distracted from the meeting.

"Do you feel ill?" The man asked, sounding worried.

Although the King didn't say anything, he watched his son from the other side of the round table. He stroked his red beard, thinking.

Akashi smiled at them and shook his head, "I'm fine," he then motioned for them to carry on. They continued to discuss matters while he inwardly discussed his own. One of the men on the other hand, clicked their tongue before listening like the others.

Akashi continued to smile until he was sure they were engrossed in their discussion. One way he would know if the two were the same person would be to meet them himself. He couldn't go into the village yet due to his previous engagements, but he could never refuse his younger brother a trip.

The meeting was finally over and he was the last to leave. When he left the room, he noticed a patch of dark red hair poking out from a corner. He slowly walked towards his brother without making a sound.

"Sei-nii!" Taiga pouted, "I wanted to surprise you!"

"Next time you need to prepare a better hiding spot." Akashi smirked and picked his brother up, letting him climb onto his shoulders. He didn't need to worry about him hitting his head because of the castle's high ceilings.

The two took a carriage to the village. Satsuki decided to stay at home since she scheduled to have a tea party with the guards like she always did when she got bored.

"Look Sei-nii!" Taiga wouldn't sit properly and continued to poke his head out of the window, pointing at random things. Since Akashi would always be busy with meetings, Taiga didn't get to go out often. However, every once in a while, Taiga's personal guard would take him into the village since the young boy would often need fresh air or else he would throw a fit.

"So where are we heading to Taiga?" Akashi asked while looking out of the other window since his little brother's head was in the way of the view.

"It's a secret!" Taiga sat back and grinned at him.

"Oh?" Akashi smirked and tickled him on his sides, making him squirm, "I won't stop until you tell me."

"N-No! Stop Sei-nii!" Taiga giggled, trying to get away from his brother. He glanced out the window and smiled. "We're here!"

Akashi stepped out of the carriage after Taiga. He told the driver to pick them up in a few hours. "Where are we?" He asked but his brother was no longer beside him.

"Come on Sei-nii!" Taiga called out to him from beside a tree on the right side of one of the homes. If they went deeper in, they would definitely be inside the forest. "It's this way!"

Akashi slowly followed his brother at a close distance. He didn't want to lose him or get lost in the unfamiliar forest. As they got deeper into the woods, he noticed how the view of the castle was closer but on the right side of it. They were getting farther away from the village.

Taiga suddenly ran through the thick woods and Akashi had to quicken his step to catch up. "It's a good thing our hair is red," Akashi whispered to himself as a wooden house came into view. His little brother ran towards the wooden house that was nothing in comparison to their castle with a hop in his step and loudly knocked on the plain door.

"Taiga don't do it so loudly," Akashi scolded softly before they heard a faint voice inside the house. The door opened slightly, a head of light blue hair and matching eyes staring at them until they realized who they were. They closed the door quickly, to take off the chain that locked it. "Uh, come in," they opened it wide to reveal polished floors and not a cobweb in sight.

"Hi Kuro-nii!" Taiga walked inside confidently, knowing where to go without being told.

"Taiga, don't be so rude," Akashi muttered loud enough for the seven year old to hear before realizing that Kuroko was waiting for him to follow his brother inside.

Kuroko made sure to lock the door behind the prince and checked to see if there was anyone outside. He then walked into his living room, knowing full well that the young prince would be there munching on the cookies he prepared.

"What are you doing here your Highness?" Kuroko suddenly blurted out, "I heard that only Taiga-kun would be the only one visiting me today." He gestured to the pot of tea beside the platter of cookies.

Akashi shook his head with a small smile. "I am sorry to not have informed you beforehand about my visit. I did not know that Taiga would lead me here."

"Satsu-nee told Ao-nii this morning to tell you that I was coming like usual. I guess Ao-nii forgot that Sei-nii was coming too," Taiga grinned with crumbs stuck on his cheek.

Kuroko immediately wiped it away with a handkerchief.

"Ao-nii?" Akashi asked and then realized he must be talking about Aomine Daiki, Taiga's personal guard and one of their highest ranked officials in their 20s.

"Yes, Aomine-kun is my brother and only living relative. My parents died when I was little."

"I'm sorry to hear that," He turned towards Kuroko and finally looked him in the eyes. His jaw went slack. "You're the boy from the woods..." He then scrambled into his leather pouch and took out the blue wig his maiden dropped. "This belongs to you, doesn't it?"

Kuroko immediately stood up, feigning ignorance. "I have never seen it before in my life." He then took the tray from the table and quickly headed towards the kitchen, preparing a fresh batch.

Akashi followed him with a small smile on his face. He stood in the exit so that Kuroko wouldn't be able to run away. "You're the fair maiden I danced with at the ball...aren't you?"

"As you can see your Highness," Kuroko patted his own chest, "I am a male so there is no way I would have danced with you."

"Ah I see. So that's why you were in the forest the other day. You were trying to peek on me," Akashi tapped his chin at the thought.

"Preposterous!" Kuroko slammed the tray down. "I would never go to the castle for such a lame excuse as watching your Highness in secret."

"Then I guess you dropped the wig on purpose so that I could return it to you."

"Of course not," Kuroko crossed his arms, a little peeved. "Aomine-kun would get angry if Kise and I returned past midnight so I had to leave."

Akashi picked up one of the cookies and took a bite with a smirk as Kuroko's face heated up. "Who does the wig belong to Ko-chan?" Akashi asked, knowing he won the argument.

"Kise-kun's sister..." Kuroko turned around to hide his embarrassment. "So what are you going to do? I swear I didn't try to lead you on your Highness-,"

"I know."

"I mean Kise-kun made me be his date and you...understand?" Kuroko faced him, his eyes widening slightly.

"You wouldn't lie to me," Akashi smirked, leaning forward to grab the tray from on top of the counter and headed back to where his brother was. However, by the way Taiga was fidgeting; he knew that he heard everything. "Now then," Akashi picked up the pot, "How about a cup of tea?"

Kuroko covered his mouth to hide his smile. He was glad that the prince wasn't mad at him. He could have easily executed him for something like that.

-x-x-

"What...is your relationship to him?" Akashi asked as the two headed towards the castle's garden where the forest ends. The sun was falling towards the horizon and it would soon be dark. In all honesty, he had a great time with Kuroko. Even though it turned out his Ko-chan was actually a male named Kuroko Tetsuya didn't bother him at all. His mind had been so preoccupied before with worry about the truth of his crush, but now that he finally found him, he felt fine. The two walked slowly through the thick woods as quietly as possible. It was a secret that Kuroko would take care of his little brother so no one would be able to kidnap him so no one could see them together and he wanted it to stay that way.

"Who...?" Kuroko continued to watch Taiga as he ran around the forest ahead of them.

"The blond," Akashi felt his mouth turn dry.

"He's my childhood friend," Kuroko shrugged. "Whenever Aomine-kun was at the castle, I would be home alone doing all the chores. Kise-kun would sometimes come by and keep me company."

"I see..." Akashi kept his eyes on his brother, but his mind was occupied on something else.

The two of them walked in silence the rest of the way. They finally spoke up when they could see the maze on their left that would confuse intruders in case someone found out that the forest lead to the castle.

Finally, they saw a tall man in armor with the Akashi family crest on his left breast. He saluted the royals and then shot them a cocky grin. "I see you have a new friend Tetsu."

Kuroko rolled his eyes but his lips twitched a little.

"Ao-nii!" Taiga immediately ran into his guard's arms and was hefted up.

"Were you good Taiga-sama?" He asked.

"Of course I was," the little boy pouted but smiled as he was lifted onto Aomine's shoulders.

"I'll see you later Tetsu," Aomine winked at Kuroko before walking through the maze towards the castle.

"Well then," Kuroko smiled as his little friend got a ride on his older brother's shoulders. "I shall take my leave."

"Wait!" Akashi grabbed Kuroko's wrist, stopping him.

"Your Highness?" Kuroko asked, but the grip on his wrist tightened.

"When will I be able to see you again?" Akashi whispered.

"Eh?" Kuroko blinked.

"I want to see you again...soon," Akashi blushed lightly.

Kuroko shook his head, "But your Highness, I'm a male."

The prince scowled at him. "As long as it's you, I don't care what gender you are. Love knows no bounds."

"But I..." Kuroko frowned, "But I do not know if I love you your Highness," he confessed.

"I know," Kuroko smiled but it did not reach his eyes. "However, as long as there is a chance to be the one you love, I will take it."

"I...I must go before it becomes night," Kuroko broke away from his hold and bowed. "Goodnight your Highness."

Akashi watched Kuroko walk away knowing that there was a chance his love would never be returned, but it was the lease of his problems when he noticed a figure from behind a tree. "Reveal yourself."

"Hello Akashi-sama," Kise said mockingly as he stepped out from underneath a huge oak tree after Kuroko left to return home. "So you really are going after Kurokocchi..."

Akashi didn't say anything, however, his fists tightened behind his back.

"You know, I'm fine living in the village with only my sister. I am fine with continuing to live without the love of a father...and a mother. You sleep in your warm rooms with high ceilings and tall windows but I can live without that," the blond whispered. "However, the one thing I thought would be mine...I should at least have the person I love. Kurokocchi is the one person that I would never hand over to you!" Kise shouted. Birds in the trees flew away as fast as they could. Squirrels scurried across branches as their home shook from his angry punch.

Akashi took a step back, Kise's angry golden eyes glaring at his red and yellow ones.

"I will not let you take Kurokocchi from me!" Kise turned slightly; ready to head back to the village. "...Even if that means taking back what's mine...cousin."

The prince watched his cousin's back as he disappeared into the forest. He wasn't sure what he meant, but he knew that Kise wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted, even if it means destroying the kingdom in the process.

-x-x-

A/N: Ehehehehehehe...sorry that this chapter is seriously late! I've been too caught up with the other fics, but I swear I will finish this story even if it's shorter than what you wanted. I honestly expected this to be a one shot with my usual 2k to 5k range (mainly the latter) so this is a little harder to write in that aspect. Anyway, please review because its what keep me going!