MISSING [Fem!Kuro, KNB fanfic]

Grow a backbone

"But we simply can't hand Seijuuro over! He is not a bargaining chip!" Shuzo yelled in frustration, kicking the leg of the table (which was obviously the worst choice to make) as he continued to curse and swear like no tomorrow. He was the most expressive at the moment, being especially protective over the girl through the years.

"And you won't be simply handing him over." A voice bellowed. All of them turned to see the senior Akashi walking towards them slowly, gravely, his butler standing at the door. The younger ones bowed politely and Masaomi motioned them to sit down.

The senior gestured for them to pass him the kidnapper's message, which the raven head swiftly complied. Quickly reading through, his brows furrowed as fast at each word, now knowing how bad the situation is.

"If this happened to some other woman, I would have sent the police after them without a single glance."

Shintarou blinked in confusion. He knew that the older Akashi had not quite liked Tetsuki in the past, even though it was very different long ago. Could he have now seen the significance of the blue haired girl in his son's life?

"I owe the Kuroko's a lot, even though I have not treated them as pleasantly in the past."

Seijuuro looked at his feet, recalling how his father sent her family to the states just because he did not want the children to interact. It was utterly selfish of the man and till now, he did not understand why they were sent away. "For business" was his answer, but it seemed like so much more right now.

"Without them, my business would probably not be as successful as today. They create alliances for the company and they're one of the biggest investors too. Should I leave her behind-" Masaomi shook his head, not wanting to continue his sentence but successfully putting his point across.

There was a pregnant pause.

All of them were now puzzled. They had seen the hostility the senior exuded when they mentioned Tetsuki before in one of their visits to the Akashi mansion. To see the man putting them in high respect is just weird, as if there was an ulterior motive. Yet all that held in the eyes of the man were guilt, wariness and warmth. Silently, they watched as gears turned in his head, thinking of the safest way to save the pianist and his son.

For a moment, his expression soured but he looked at them, his expression seemingly finalised on something. Shuzo and Shintarou recognised that look as their faces hardened, ready to jump to defend someone.

"I don't want to risk anyone's safety, but unless Seijuuro can find a doppelganger of himself, I'm afraid I have to send him in--"

"A doppelganger for Seijuuro-nii-sama? Why didn't you say so?"

A sharp voice interrupted and a smirk could be heard in it. All of them whipped their heads to the direction of said voice, now noticing a boy standing at the doorway.

The three childhood friends looked like deers caught by incoming headlights while the others were confused. The room turned colder -warmer, varying from person to person. He emitted a frightening, yet cheery aura, there was hardly anything else in between.

"Akabane!" The green head exclaimed.

"Call me Karma like my friends would, Shintarou-kun. Not to mention, you're older than me."

"Karma-kun, what are you doing here?" Shuzo asked. Said boy shrugged his shoulders, making his way towards his extended family.

"My school's nearby and so happened to drop by but accidentally eavesdropped." He replied with a Cheshire grin.

Seijuuro frowned at him, the offer still ringing in his head. Akabane Karma is an extremely gifted individual. He is the perfect example of how an Akashi should be -smart, strong, an all-rounder with skills in every department. Not to mention, he is also a trained assassin... or hitman. He would be the best candidate to save Tetsuki right now, but to send a child as a bait... it is not his cup of tea.