This is the prequel to Bloodlust. If you haven't read it, please do before you read this to get more information about this. Basically this is about how Akashi found out that Kuroko is an immortal/vampire. Not romance-based, but just the gist of how it all started.

Take it as my thanks to everyone who liked and reviewed Bloodlust. Shall I do a version for Bitten as well?

And as usual, if there's something that you're not clear about, feel free to ask.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Kuroko no Basket and also the whole vampire/immortal concept comes from Lindsay Sands' Argeneau and Rogue Hunter series.

Guide:

Sample text - Kuroko's thoughts

~Blood of Beginnings~

It's not good; he can't control himself any longer.

It has been long… too long since he last fed.

He needed blood.

Now.

Kuroko Tetsuya clutched at his chest, trying to contain the raging thirst that was building up in his throat.

It was no good.

He really, really needed to feed now.

If he doesn't, the Nano-machines in his body will start to eat into his organs for more blood.

And being out in the sun on a summer morning doesn't help at all.

At this rate, he'll never make it in time for practice…

"Hey, are you alright? You look really pale."

Kuroko turned his head towards the voice that had spoken to him. It belonged to a man who looked in his mid-twenties, dressed in a suit.

"Are you alright?" He repeated with a look of concern on his face. "Do you have anaemia? Do you want to get something to eat?"

Kuroko looked around him.

There weren't many people in the street at this time of the morning, which was surprising since it was a Sunday. However, it was good for him.

"I guess I have no choice," Kuroko muttered under his breath.

"Huh? Did you just say some—"

The man paused mid-sentence, his body becoming still as Kuroko entered his mind.

Agata Hirotaka, aged 27; office worker. Born and raised in the Hokkaido Prefecture. Height is 172 centimetres and weighs 73 kilograms. Works out at the gym three times a week to keep fit. Loves steak that is done medium rare. Hobbies include playing tennis with his friends.

Looks like this guy's good.

Still in control of the man's— Agata's mind, Kuroko led him inconspicuously into one of the alleys, away from the eyes of the people on the street.

However, he did not notice that he was being watched from afar.

Kuroko closed his eyes, doing a mental scan of the area. Once he was sure that there was no one in the vicinity, he let out a small sigh of relief.

He loosened the man's tie and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt, just enough to expose the nape of his neck.

"I'm sorry about this," Kuroko apologized to the man.

He located the vein quickly, the sound of the blood rushing through the vessel tempting to make his lose every bit of his prided self-control.

Leaning up to his 'victim', Kuroko opened his mouth, allowing his fangs to slide out for the first time in who-knows-how-long. He sank them into the man's neck, drawing out his blood little by little.

Normally, he wouldn't resort to this, but it was an emergency and he was desperate.

A little bit.

Just a little bit of his blood will do.

Just enough to last one more second, one more minute, one more day.

His nose pricked when he smelt the familiar, rusty-iron scent of fresh blood, its salty taste bringing some sort of nostalgia. The burning thirst that had been clawing at his throat for the past several days was starting to quell, and the fatigue and pain that had been weighing him down was gone.

Not wanting to take too much from the man, he withdrew his fangs when he felt that he had enough.

He wiped off the excess blood on the man's neck, re-buttoned his shirt and pulled up his tie, ensuring that not even a hair was out of place.

He wiped the man's memory of their encounter, replacing it with a mental note that the two marks on his neck was caused by a little shaving accident that had occurred that morning.

He turned towards the entrance of the alley, ready to leave. However, he was shocked to find a familiar person standing there.

"As I have thought. It is you, Tetsuya."

"A-Akashi-kun?"

Why was Akashi here? And since when had he been here? He did not sense his presence at all, which was something that had never happened before.

Did he see everything that had happened here?

"Akashi-kun, did you—"

"See what had happened? As a matter of fact, I did. I saw everything."

Kuroko paled.

He was going to be in trouble if he doesn't handle this situation quickly.

He calmed himself down and tried to enter Akashi's mind, with the intention of wiping his memory.

"Eh…?"

"For what reason are you spacing out for, Tetsuya? If you don't want to be late for practice, hurry up and follow me. We will talk about this later."

"A-Ah. I… understand."

Kuroko followed behind his captain, his eyes focused on the latter's head of red hair.

He couldn't help but to be worried about the matter at hand, but there was something else that he was more concerned about.

Why was it… that he was not able to enter Akashi's mind?

This is the first time that something has happened.

Even when he was young, he could read minds easily, except those of his kind that where older than him; they were able to put up a 'wall' to prevent others from messing with their heads.

However, he did not feel any of this from Akashi.

There was no resistance.

It was as if Akashi was simply inaccessible to him.

"Tetsuya?" Akashi's voice snapped him out of his train of thought.

"Y-Yes, Akashi-kun?"

"Don't space out so much. You may unnecessarily injure yourself if you do."

"I will take caution."

When he was younger, he recalled his mother saying something about a certain special person who would appear in his life, a person whose mind he could never read or touch. When he meets this person, his life would start to change, more often for the better.

That person would be the one whom he was destined to love and long for the rest of his life… his life mate.

Kuroko didn't like to read other people's minds, so he wouldn't have known whether they were readable or not. Also, it may take decades, or even centuries for one of his kind to find their special person.

But he can't deny the fact that his life did change when he met Akashi, in many more ways than one.

So could it be possible that… Akashi Seijuurou was… his…

"There's no way," He scoffed under his breath.

"Did you say something, Tetsuya?"

"No… It's nothing."

There's no way Akashi would accept that logic after what he had seen.

But it puzzled him as to why Akashi was acting so… normal.

As if he had never stumbled across that scene.

But what… how does Akashi think of him now, Kuroko wonders.

"Ah!" Kuroko let out a sound of surprise as he tripped over a fallen branch, which he did not notice.

Before he could fall, Akashi managed to catch him in time.

"This is why I told you to pay attention to your surroundings. Are you injured, Tetsuya?"

"N-No, I'm fine. Thank you for catching me, Akashi-kun."

"It was no trouble at all. Just be careful from now on," Akashi smiled before adopting a more serious expression. "Is there something that you want to say to me?"

"Akashi-kun… May I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

"… Why should I be?"

"Isn't it obvious by what you saw, Akashi-kun?"

"Obvious…?" Akashi echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you say that, Tetsuya?"

"Please don't act as if you weren't affected by it, Akashi-kun. I know what you must be thinking… that I am a monster. That I… am not human."

"Those are your own words, Tetsuya. I never said anything of that sort."

"But you saw me doing something… abnormal, and yet you still act the same way. Why? Most people would be frightened; terrified even."

"I have to say I'm surprised, at the very least. However, that does not change my opinion of you, no matter what you are. You probably have your reasons for keeping it secret, but no matter what it is, I will understand."

"Such beautiful words…"

"I mean what I say, Tetsuya; and you know I always do," Akashi reached out, gently cupping one of Kuroko's cheeks.

He was tempted to smirk when he realized that they were warm, just like his own.

"But…"

"Why are you being so insecure, Tetsuya? This isn't like you at all."

"It's just that… Well…"

"Is it something that you cannot tell me?"

"It's not that I can't tell you…"

"Is it because you cannot trust me?"

"It's not that, either. I know that I can trust Akashi-kun. However, it is something that is… difficult to talk about. It's not something that can be told to just any person. I would say that you would have to be… special to know."

"I see," Akashi withdrew his hand.

That expression on his face… was that disappointment? Or was it sadness?

"If you aren't able to tell me, I won't force you to," He turned around to continue walking. "However… I do hope that I can become one of your 'special people'…"

"At this moment, here is only one 'special person'… And that is you, Akashi-kun."

That was what Kuroko wanted to reply, but decided against it.

Maybe one day, when their relationship starts to truly mean something to each other, he will be able to tell everything to him.

But for now, this is just the beginning for them.