A/N: The last of the four parts that makes up the main story. There will be another chapter for the epilogue.

And again, many thanks for AokazuSei for the beta reading this work.

Part 4: His Wish

When spring came, Seijūrō made good of his promise to Tetsuya. He invited his friends back in Teikō for a three-day vacation, and to everyone's surprise, he even invited Seirin's Kagami Taiga. Kuroko, on the other hand, didn't know whether to feel excited because he could finally meet the person who Kise regarded highly, or to feel vindictive because it was this same person who defeated Seijūrō and his friends. But it turned out that he didn't have to choose. Kagami Taiga got along well with everyone, with a special exception of Midorima who had always been a little socially stunted. The fish grew to like Kagami. He thought that if he was as fun to tease as Aomine, then surely he was also a good person.

If Kagami were to be asked, he would say that he was frightened of the fish, which was by now a meter long and half-a-meter wide. It would often pop out of nowhere from the pond and at times display its jagged teeth, which he still didn't think was a form of greeting despite what everyone said otherwise.

He actually thought Kuroko was a ghost fish at first, like the Flying Dutchman that loitered around the dead areas of the seas, or the Loch Ness monster that resided in Scottish lakes. He believed that Kuroko Tetsuya was a specter fish that haunted Akashi Seijūrō's pond. He justified that Akashi's sadistic streak could have earned him a vindictive ghost or two. It didn't calm his nerves that he was also scared of Seijūrō who seemed to always have a pair of scissors somewhere nearby, including the garden shears. It was no surprise that he thought that the fish had developed a mean sadistic streak since it was Seijūrō's pet, ghost fish or not. If given a choice, he wouldn't be there, but Seijūrō ordered him to come, so he had to.

"They have all changed," Tetsuya thought. "But it doesn't feel bad, like the last time. Rather, it feels very pleasant."

It was when Seijūrō suggested a game of basketball for that afternoon that Tetsuya saw their eyes gleamed with barely-contained excitement and love for the game.

"This is how they should be," he thought. Then, a sudden longing came to him that he also wanted to play this basketball game with them and share their passion for the sport.

As the friends frolicked and joked around, mostly at Kagami's expense, Tetsuya felt that he was the happiest but also the loneliest fish. His most beloved human friends were in plain sight, yet their distance seemed farther than the distance between Kyōto and Tōkyō.

"What is this unbearable loneliness?" the fish thought. "They are here, and I am not alone. I am definitely happy, yet there is this uncomfortable feeling that's more unbearable than how I first felt when we moved here."

But deep inside, he knew that he already had the answer: he grew to love them.

...

It was before dawn on the last day of their stay that Midorima finally approached the fish. The fish already anticipated this during their whole stay, though he should have expected that the green-haired boy would wait until the very last moment to approach him. Like the previous time, the boy stayed at the edge hesitating, and would have continued to do so until the sun rose, if Tetsuya had not coaxed him into talking.

"Kuroko," he started at last after much splashing around from the fish's part, "This feels more ridiculous than before, so don't make me repeat it."

The fish wanted to roll his eyes and tell the boy that even if he wanted to, he couldn't.

"I'm not sure whether you can actually grant wishes, or if it was because I made a wish, but I'm glad that Akashi is back. I think that you're partly the reason why he's back. I saw his pendant. Those were your scales right? He wears it even in his sleep. You got through him. He's back, and you have my gratitude."

"Akashi is not the only one who changed. We all did, for the better I think. Kise is more passionate about the game now. Aomine also remembered his love for basketball. Murasakibara is learning to have fun. Satsuki is back to her cheerful self now that she doesn't have to worry about Aomine. And I-," he paused and shifted his glasses. Tetsuya guessed that the boy was about to say something embarrassing again, so he waited with anticipation.

"Um, I guess I'm also learning to have fun playing with my team." Then he paused and studied a fish as if he was expecting some reaction, but the fish just made water waves to his direction. "I-I'm only saying this because Akashi told us that you missed us," the flustered teen defended.

Even if Midorima claimed that Cancer and Aquarius weren't compatible, Tetsuya still considered the boy as one of his favorite humans.

Then the boy cleared his throat. "When I said that Akashi is back, what I mean is Akashi's old personality resurfaced; but the other Akashi is also still there. I think it's more appropriate to say that their personalities merged and became the current Akashi. I think this Akashi is the real him, the whole of the two parts. He's stronger than he ever was now.

"Also, when Akashi said you could grant wishes, my father told me about his circumstances. I knew that the first thing Akashi would ask for is for his mother's recovery. But I think Akashi is slowly accepting his mother's condition, so you don't need to worry about it anymore."

"What I want to say is, you don't need to worry about him, about us, or about anything. Akashi told me about your shedding problem. We think that the stress got you over the last years. I'll also do my best to find you a cure. So... you better take good care of yourself. Akashi is worried about you. He is very fond of you, and he'll be devastated if he'll lose you."

Tetsuya wanted to reassure the boy that he wasn't going anywhere. Seijūrō was his home, and he would never leave him. But a part of him was telling him that he was fading away. He could feel it in his bones, and it was not just the stress that was causing it. He did not know what was happening to him. He was afraid, and more often than not, he felt the need to be near Seijūrō.

"I-" he paused and corrected himself, "We'll also be sad if we lose you. Satsuki likes you. She keeps on saying that you're the most fascinating creature. As for Kise, I think he wants you to be his pet. His sister has a large aquarium, but it's nothing compared to this pond, so don't accept it. Aomine and Murasakibara also think that you're... unique. As for me, I-" he suddenly stuttered. "Um, I think of you as- as a... a f-"

Then suddenly the door to Seijūrō's room opened, and out came Seijūrō himself. The two scales of his pendant glinted with the first soft rays of the peeking sun, and Tetsuya saw that it was indeed beautiful.

"Shintarō, why are you up so early? Is there a problem?" Seijūrō asked. Even if he had just woken up, there was not a sign of fatigue on his face.

"A fish. I suddenly want fish for breakfast," Midorima quickly covered.

Seijūrō stared dubiously at the boy. "You aren't thinking of eating Tetsuya, are you?"

"N-no! Of course not! I'm just asking him about his fish preference." The boy shifted his glasses and trying to figure out how he could escape this awkward and embarrassing situation.

"We all know that he doesn't eat fish," Seijūrō just continued to stare, further unnerving Midorima.

"L-let's go back inside. Oha Asa is calling me."

"It's not even six yet, Shintarō." Though Seijūrō acquiesced, and they went inside, but not without greeting his pet a 'good morning' first. The fish knew that Seijūrō was only teasing Midorima. He also knew that he had, in fact, listened to Midorima's speech; the tell-tale smirk was an obvious giveaway.

"A friend," Tetsuya finished Midorima's sentence from before. Fishes can't smile, but he knew that if he could, he would have been sporting the largest one right now. He thought that having spent too much time with humans, he was becoming more human-like than fish.

Later on, only Akashi and Midorima was not surprised as to why Midorima was served a special breakfast that consisted of sardines and miso soup, while the rest of them had sausages, bacon, and eggs. Seijūrō tried to hide his smile, while Midorima tried to hide his scowl, and from his pond, Tetsuya couldn't laugh even if he badly wanted to.

...

The spring that followed was the hardest time for Seijūrō. Tetsuya's scales continued to fall, and he grew weaker each day. Seijūrō had already called a fish specialist to check on him, but they couldn't find what was wrong with the fish. There was nothing wrong with the pond, since the rest of the fishes were perfectly fine, with the exception of Tetsuya.

However, they offered him their services, and in case something unfortunate happened to the fish, they asked to take custody of the fish's remains. Seijūrō politely declined. He knew that they only wanted to get their hands on the rare fish. Midorima visited again during their ordeal and told them that he could also find no cure. The green-haired boy wouldn't admit that he was worried, but the dark circles under his eyes told Seijūrō otherwise.

The time came when Tetsuya could barely move. Seijūrō requested an extended leave from his school, and perhaps it was because he was a stellar student that he easily got his leave approved, provided that he continued to work on his homework, problem sets, special exams, and papers during the leave.

That was how Tetsuya met Mibuchi Reo, Seijūrō's upperclassman and basketball teammate, who would drop by every day after school to hand over Seijūrō's academic load, and take the finished workload in the morning.

"I appreciate the troubles you go through just to deliver my work, but wouldn't it be more convenient for you if one of my classmates delivered them instead?" asked Seijūrō one day.

"It's no problem, Sei-chan. Besides, I want to check up on you too. We can't have our dearest Sei-chan getting sick now, can we?" came Mibuchi's reply. Tetsuya was both glad and relieved that Seijūrō also had great friends in Kyōto, ones that loved Seijūrō. Those days, Tetsuya was slowly accepting his circumstance. His only concerns centered around Seijūrō after he was gone.

...

Seijūrō almost never left Tetsuya's side during those days. He would talk with to the fish and tell him stories of fairy tales and fables with other intelligent animals as characters, hoping that the fish could relate. When he could think of no story, he would go back to the past and reminisce their times, and the funny times with his friends. And when he was done and could think no more, he would quietly sit beside the shogi board and play a game by himself; Tetsuya had grown too weak that he couldn't even move the tiles anymore. He would offer shogi advice every now and then if he encountered a familiar shogi problem, but other than that, he was silent, and only the sound of clacking wood against the shogi board resonating through the water remained.

Tetsuya learned to love the sound of the tiles once again, because they would whisper to him that Seijūrō was nearby. The cherry blossoms faded and spring came to an end, and Seijūrō would still be seen together with the fish.

Finally, the night came when Tetsuya knew that should he go into a fish-like sleep once more, he would never be able to wake up again. Seijūrō also came to the same realization when he saw Tetsuya's shallow breathing and the few remaining scales, too few for his liking. Seijūrō's chest tightened at the sight, and it was suddenly hard for him to breathe.

"Tetsuya," he called, but the fish was already too weak to answer. So he waded through the pond instead, uncaring of how his kimono was getting wet, and held the fish close.

Tetsuya's sight was already very blurred, and his hearing impaired, so he could not see or hear Seijūrō approach. He was trying to focus on the sounds of the shogi tiles, but when it stopped, he thought that Seijūrō had left.

He wanted Seijūrō to continue playing shogi, to hear that very dear sound of the tiles. He only wanted Seijūrō to be there, with him. He was very disheartened when the sound stopped. But then, he suddenly felt two very warm hands on each of his side. Seijūrō was embracing him.

He used to think that human hands were hot, uncomfortably hot. It was still very hot for his fish body, but now he felt only relief and comfort when he felt the touch of his dearest human friend.

"It was also a night like this when I named you, wasn't it? How befitting that we should part on this endless night." Seijūrō's voice sounded close and whispered, but strained. "Seven years is too short. They told me that you could have easily lived up to twice your age now. Have I unwittingly caused you to diminish untimely?"

Tetsuya wanted to reassure him that it wasn't his fault, that it was some inevitable fate. But by then, he realized that he was no longer scared. Maybe it was because Seijūrō was loved by many that he could leave at peace, or maybe it was because Seijūrō was at his side that it gave him courage to face what was coming.

"When my father bought you for me, I thought I would just use you to grant my wish and get my mother back. But now, you've become so dear and precious to me. I couldn't and wouldn't make the wish. It would be too cruel of me if I were to use you. I still wish to see my mother get better, that is and will be my foremost wish until she wakes up."

Tetsuya wanted to tell him that if he could, he would make his wish come true, and he needed only to name it.

"But I will not ask it from you. You are no wish-maker, but my dearest friend. I will endure until I see the day that she would open her eyes. I will grant that wish myself."

"I have been selfish, and I have caused you too many grievances. It was only when you gave me your scales that I realized that I've hurt you and the people around me who mattered. You reminded me that there's a fool who would willingly sacrifice so much for my sake, that I am not alone and can never truly be as long as there is at least one who still loves me. When I suffer, all the people close to me also do, and likewise, when they suffer, I do. That is, perhaps, the price we had to pay for such precious bonds."

Then he chuckled weakly. "Friendship is a very mysterious thing. It multiplies our laughter, and abates our sorrow." Then he reached for his sleeve and took out a pendant, which Tetsuya couldn't clearly see, but if he could he would have known that the pendant was one of his scales that he had given to the boy.

"You gave me two scales: a pair; you and I. Therefore, it is only right that I give to you the other half as it is rightfully yours. We are pair: partners, rivals, and best friends, kindred souls despite being different species. That was what you wanted to convey, wasn't it?"

Then, despite his tears that started to fall, Seijūrō smiled. "We are an odd pair: a man and a fish, but we made the impossible happen. No story of men would tell of this strange friendship between us."

Then, Seijūrō took the pendant and placed it around Tetsuya's fin. "Now we match. I won't let you ever be alone again."

And Tetsuya wanted to tell the boy that he doesn't want Seijūrō to feel alone ever again, that if he could have one wish, he'd be with Seijūrō until the end of his days.

"So don't leave me," Seijūrō choked, now openly crying. "If I can truly have one wish, then I want to see you well again, at my side. So please," he begged, "Stay with me, Tetsuya."

And suddenly, Tetsuya felt afraid. He was afraid of leaving Seijūrō. Seven years was too short of a time to be with Seijūrō. He wanted to experience more of the world with Seijūrō. If fish could cry, Tetsuya thought that he undoubtedly would.

…

That was the longest night for Seijūrō and Tetsuya. For the longest time, Seijūrō sat at the edge of the pond holding Tetsuya close. Kana saw them like that and had no heart to break them apart, so she just silently draped a blanket across her young master's shoulder and gave him a warm cup of cocoa.

Seijūrō spent the rest of the night reminiscing with Tetsuya all the years they have gone together, until he could keep his eyes open no longer, and sleep took him at last. And Tetsuya, with a last glimpse of Seijūrō's blurred figure, finally gave in to sleep.

...

It was already two hours past midnight when a sleeping Kana was woken up by the ringing phone at the living room.

"Now who might that be?" she thought. "Must be important if they had to call at this hour."

Her roommate, the old housekeeper of the mansion, also woke up. But Kana told her that she'll take care of the call and sent her back to sleep. She wrapped her blanket around her and left the servant's quarters, quietly maneuvering through the dark halls until she was in front of the ringing phone. She was suddenly awake with alarm when she saw the caller ID displayed Midorima's name.

"Hello, Midorima-san? This is Kana. Is everything alright?"

There was a pause at the other end of the line. "Good evening, Kana. Yes, everything is fine. Is Akashi there?"

Kana sighed in relief. "Don't you think it's a little too late for a ' good evening'?"

"Ah, I'm sorry for calling at this hour," answered Midorima.

Kana chuckled. "Alright young man, you're off the hook this time. You called to check on Seijūrō-bocchan?"

"Y-yes," Midorima stuttered. "Can I speak with him?"

"Just a moment. I'll see if he's still up." She put the call on hold and softly padded through the wooden hallway towards the back door. She changed to her outdoor slippers, and silently opened the shoji door, fearing for a moment that she might have woken up the strict housekeeper.

But she soon went out to porch, rounded the corner to her left, and went to the garden. When she reached the pond, she saw that Seijūrō was already asleep and his blanket had fallen. She picked it up and draped it across Seijūrō again. She took a glance at the fish her young master was still holding and saw that it was very still. Kana teared up and pity swelled in her heart for her young master. She couldn't wake her master now only for him to see his dearest pet dead.

She silently went back to the living room and wiped her tears. It wouldn't do to also have Seijūrō's friend worried. "Hello, Midorima-san? I'm afraid he's already asleep."

"Asleep? Really? I can't imagine him sleeping through this."

Kana smiled. "My thoughts exactly. But he's been tired these days. I think we should let him-" but she stopped mid-sentence because she suddenly heard the leaves outside rustling loudly, and the shoji screens rattling. Her eyes widened, and all her thoughts turned to her young master. She dropped the phone and immediately rushed to the garden.

...

Midorima couldn't sleep. Akashi called him earlier that day, and he sounded so broken when he told him the grave news; that it might be Tetsuya's last day. He had begged him to tell him how to save Tetsuya, but he couldn't answer. He had no answer to give.

It was already past two when he finally gave in and dialed Akashi's number. If it was truly Tetsuya's last day, then he knew it was going to be a long night. If Tetsuya was already gone, then Akashi would need someone. Midorima didn't want Akashi to be broken again; he couldn't stand to watch it. When Akashi didn't answer his phone, he quickly dialed his home number, fearing that he might be too late. It took a second call before someone finally answered.

"Hello, Midorima-san? This is Kana. Is everything alright?" Kana sounded worried. Was he too late? Dread settled in his stomach, and he suddenly want to know Akashi's state.

"Good evening, Kana. Yes, everything is fine. Is Akashi there?"

"Don't you think it's a little too late for a 'good evening'?" Now Kana sounded amused, and Midorima was confused. Perhaps there was still time after all. Women really confused Midorima.

"Ah, I'm sorry for calling at this hour."

He heard a chuckle. "Alright young man, you're off the hook this time. You called to check on Seijūrō-bocchan?"

He blushed and stuttered out a "Yes…Can I speak with him?"

"Just a moment. I'll see if he's still up."

There was only silence at the other line. He kept his anxiousness at bay by browsing through his collection of lucky items on the shelf. When he was on his third row, the phone was picked up again.

"Hello, Midorima-san? I'm afraid he's already asleep." That surprised Midorima.

"Asleep? Really? I can't imagine him sleeping through this."

"My thoughts exactly. But he's been tired these days. I think we should let him-" Then there was a pregnant pause at the end of the other line.

"Hello? Kana, are you still there?" Then, he heard the phone being dropped. He was starting to get very worried, and alarmed.

"Kana? Hello? Kana!"

It was then that he saw an unnatural light reflected on his lucky items. His eyes widened, and he immediately turned to his window.

...

Momoi was reviewing and correcting her notes late into the night for Toou's upcoming basketball match in the Inter-High tournament. When she was finally done, she stood up and stretched her muscles, sore from sitting for too long. She went out to the balcony to have some fresh air before she would turn in for the night. The summer night was cool and crisp, and the stars shone brightly in the night sky. With the Inter-High tournament so close, she briefly wondered how everyone was doing.

And then she saw it.

...

Kise would toss and turn and would even move around when he slept, so he was used to falling off the bed. But this time, when he woke up after he fell, he saw a pale blue light emitted from his window. He moved and saw at the southwest direction, the sky seemed to open up about the size of his outstretched thumb. His eyes widened when he saw something pale and blue coming out from the opening.

He quickly ran to wake up everyone in the house.

...

All Aomine wanted to do was to sleep. Unfortunately, he did so poorly on his last exam, and coupled together with his poor attendance record, it was no surprise that he was forced to take the optional summer classes. That was how he found himself way past midnight working through numbers that made no sense to him.

He would rather take on his whole class on a game of basketball all by himself than do his algebra homework. He was about to grab the second page of his work sheet when suddenly a strong breeze sent it flying from his study table. He muttered a silent curse and stood up to close his windows, when suddenly he stopped dead.

Up in the night sky was a glowing orb of pale blue light that was shrinking and growing continuously. It reminded him of those urban legends about will-o-wisps and gho- something that he'd rather not name. The color drained from his face, and he fell with a "thud!"

He finally got his sleep.

...

Kagami just came back from the US, and he was still adjusting from the jetlag and different time zones. That was why he was out on the streets jogging around the neighborhood despite the fact that it was way past midnight. He had to exhaust himself if he wanted to sleep, which was fairly necessary since Inter-High preliminaries was starting in three- no, two days. When he finally felt the beginnings of exhaustion, he turned around to head back to his apartment.

That was when he saw it: a glowing orb of pale blue light suddenly grew and burst out a pillar of light that connected to the ground somewhere faraway.

He thought that the aliens that Americans loved to talk about had finally invaded their homeland. He ran as fast as he could back to his apartment. And no, he wasn't scared at all.

...

Reo was still up revising all the other club member's training schedule. Inter-High was around the corner, and with their captain on an extended leave, he was dumped with all of Akashi's work as his vice captain.

Ever since Akashi's leave, he had been struggling with his work on individual training programs, team schedules, club activities, training camp preparations, data collection on their opponents, analysis on that data, devising individual and team strategies, and even club budgeting! He seriously didn't know how Akashi could pull it off and still have time for the student council and his private lessons.

He heard the winds rustle loudly outside, but paid it no mind. He was busy. Very busy.

Then, a sudden blinding flash of light came from outside his window and lit up his entire room. He finally paused from reading each of the club member's statistics, though he was reluctant to admit that he lingered longer on his Sei-chan's records.

One moment the room was flooded with light, and the next it was gone. He blinked. He didn't understand what just happened, or if it had really happened, so he resumed reading Hayama's profile.

He thought that he finally understood why his Sei-chan was a little mad inside.

...

Murasakibara was fast asleep when suddenly he was having a nightmare about his cakes and snacks chasing him, hell-bent on getting their revenge. He woke up sweating before turning to his window and catching a glimpse of something small outside, a strange pale blue light- or was it a large star- in the sky far away though it was slowly fading away. Somehow, the color reminded him of Aka-chin's fish.

He just went back to sleep.

...

Three years later, Akashi Shiori finally opened her eyes, but that is a tale that won't be told in this story.

...

Kana hurried to the garden. She was in such a rush that she even forget to change her slippers, which she mentally berated herself for later. She urgently needed to check on her young charge. When she reached there, a pale blue light was fading around Seijūrō's still figure. Kana's heartbeat thrummed loudly in apprehension. The light completely faded, and she slowly approached her young master. But what she saw made her stop.

At the edge of the pond and cradled by Seijūrō's sleeping figure was a sleeping boy, very much naked with the exception of a pendant around his neck, one that looked exactly the same as what her young master was currently wearing. His appearance was very similar to Seijūrō's, only paler and with a notable difference of their hair color.

The stranger's hair color was the exact same shade of blue as Tetsuya's eyes.