SORRY SORRY SORRY! I know it's been a long time since I've updated. I don't really have an excuse. It's just that I had difficulty trying to figure out how to go about the conflict with Akashi's father. As you all may notice, the way I characterized Akashi's father may not be the best way possible, but please just endure it.

*PLEASE READ BELOW*

Also, I noticed that one or two people were mentioning in the first few chapters that I 'forgot' to incorporate the fact that Akashi could enter the zone. And I just wanted to remind you that I began writing this story when the match between Seirin and Rakuzan had just started in the manga. Because of that, I was unaware that Akashi was given the ability to enter the Zone when I was writing the story.

And without further ado, Chapter 10!

Chapter 10: A Bright Future

At the sound of the doorbell, Akashi got up and walked towards the door while Midorima and Kuroko tensed up. Now would be the moment of truth. They were finally going to confront Akashi's father.

Once Akashi opened the door, Kuroko and Midorima got a perfect front-view of Akashi's father. To say he was intimidating was an understatement. The first trait they noticed was his piercing red eyes that seemed slightly similar to Akashi's with minor differences. It was evident that Akashi had earned his hair color from his mother, seeing as how his father's hair was a perfect brown.

But if the hair color and eyes were made to match, it would be unquestionable that the father and son were exact replicas of each other. The man had a completely straight posture that portrayed elegance and superiority. The man practically oozed dominance.

The second he entered the room and took notice of Kuroko and Midorima, his eyes narrowed perceptively as the atmosphere grew tense. Kuroko, a master of emotions maintained his straight face, refusing to show any weakness for a first impression. And although Midorima found it possible to do the same, he felt sweat slowly forming at the back of his neck.

'This is ridiculous' Midorima thought as he steadied his breathing rate. The man had not even been in the house for 2 minutes and Midorima was nearly hyperventilating. The man was most-definitely shorter than Midorima, yet he felt like an insignificant critter in the face of a 20-foot giant towering over him.

"Hohhh?" Akashi's father said as he raised an eyebrow. "It seems we've some guest Seijuro."

"Yes, these are several of my acquaintances that I've played with since Teiko." Akashi responded as he pointed towards Midorima and Kuroko, who were still sitting down.

Midorima, who sat frozen in his position under Akashi's father's gaze, did nothing until Kuroko tugged on his shirt. Midorima looked at Kuroko to see him standing. His eyes widened as he just realized how rude it was that he remained sitting instead of introducing himself. He immediately stood up, hoping to make a good impression on Akashi's father.

"Ahem, hello sir. My name is Shintaro Midorima." Midorima said as he bowed respectively.

"And I am Tetsuya Kuroko, a pleasure to meet you." Kuroko said as he followed in Midorima's steps.

"Hm, yes nice to meet you as well. As you can see, I am Seijuro's father." Akashi's father said half-heartedly. "Is this a study session of some sort?" Akashi's father inquired with his eyebrow raised.

"….No. We've come to simply….discuss some matters." Midorima said carefully. It was obvious that Akashi's father was a man of business and did not deal with useless matters. He and Kuroko had to be careful now. The situation was like a minefield; one wrong step and it would be utter chaos.

"….Is there any problem?" Akashi's father asked as he narrowed his eyes at Seijuro.

"No father, there is no problem. Simply a trivial matter." Akashi reassured his father. His father kept his eyes narrowed on Akashi, before looking away with a 'hmph'.

Kuroko looked at Akashi and was definitely caught off-guard by his reaction, although he did not show it. Akashi merely said nothing in response to his father's accusation and rude action.

It took Kuroko a second to remember that this was Akashi's father. He furrowed his eyebrows while deep in thought. It seemed that Akashi's father was the one person that Akashi put above himself. And if Akashi was someone who did not permit disobedience from those below him, then what did he think of those above him. Kuroko inwardly cursed to himself as he realized they would not be getting any help from Akashi in convincing his father.

"Then what seems to be the issue here?" Akashi's father inquired with eyes that seemed to be naturally narrowed.

Kuroko gulped slightly, now was the moment that they had come for. Now, the real challenge started.

"…We've come here to address the issue of Akashi's social absence since the end of the Winter Sports season." Midorima was the first out of the two to respond to Akashi's father.

Akashi's father was caught off-guard slightly as his eyes widened, but his expression immediately hardened as he shook off Midorima's statement with a 'hmph'.

"I hardly see the issue. Akashi is merely spending his free time more wisely by focusing on more important matters, such as his education in school." said Akashi's father as Akashi did nothing but sit on the couch and listen. Seeing how no one spoke after that, he continued.

"Alongside club activity, having a good foundation educationally provides a head start in a person's future career, giving him the advantage over possible competitors." He continued.

"If we're referring to education and club activities, would it not be better to hone Akashi's skills in basketball? After all as you said, excelling in club activities and obtaining first is just as crucial as obtaining first educationally." Midorima fought back. It was evident that trying to convince Akashi's father that his ideals were wrong would be suicidal. The man truly believed being the best was a necessity for their family, and his status in society did nothing but promote and strengthen his ideals. As such, Midorima would have to fight on his father's terms.

Akashi's father raised an eyebrow at Midorima's challenge, partially impressed at the boy's perception and the potential he held. But still, he was the best of the best, and no 16-year old boy is going to show him up.

"You imply that he isn't the best as of now, but is that really true?" Akashi's father responded to Midorima. Seeing as how Midorima was about to retort, he continued.

"I already saw a replay of the finals for the Winter Cup. Yes, Akashi lost, but be that as it may…." His father trailed off as he looked at Kuroko.

"I've seen the toll it plays on your body. And I would call it foolish if you attempted to play like that every time you face my son Seijuro in the future." Akashi's father continued. Kuroko showed no reaction as if expecting this, which he did. This was Akashi's father after all, this level of perception was already a given.

"This thing that you call the Zone? It seems to be some form of attribute boost or so. But without it, you are all powerless to stop Seijuro. So rather than using it every time, it would obviously be wiser to simply accept who is superior to whom." Akashi's father ended with that claim.

….

….

Silence ensued afterwards. It seemed that the group had trailed off slightly from their topic, which was to originally speak about lifting the restrictions on Akashi. But they could not say anything to what Akashi's father had just said, seeing as how it wasn't exactly incorrect.

"….So you're just going to leave it as it is?" Kuroko spoke up suddenly. The other three in the room were slightly caught off-guard, seeing as how this was the first time Kuroko actually spoke.

"Hm? So you do speak up now and then?" Akashi's father asked rhetorically.

Kuroko ignored his words and continued to speak. "Regardless of whether I can defeat Akashi-kun without Zone or not, the fact is that I can be Akashi overall. And that one fact completely contradicts the thought that Akashi-kun is the best. Because if he was…then I wouldn't be able to beat him no matter what." Kuroko said as he looked up at Akashi's father with challenging eyes.

"So I'll re-word my question….Are you really satisfied with the results?" Kuroko questioned Akashi's father.

"Tetsuya…" Akashi muttered as he watched his friend fight for his sake.

Akashi's father narrowed his eyes and glared at Kuroko, who refused to back down. "Hm? It looks like the quiet one has some spunk in him." He replied.

"Not to mention that spending time outside of the house allows Akashi to develop social skills." Midorima spoke up, his will revitalized by Kuroko's challenge. It seems that he still planned to fight back from a logical point of view, seeing as how he felt it to be the best way to get their thoughts through to his father.

"By keeping Akashi indoors and focusing solely on studying, his social skills may diminish as a price, which could negatively affect him in the future." Midorima argued.

"Social skills are vital when it comes to one's ability to communicate with fellow citizens and in different situations. So would it not be better if Akashi were to spend more time conversing with others in society?" Midorima asked rhetorically. Although he made a valid point, Akashi's father refused to budge an inch.

"Hmph, such things are unnecessary for a micro-manager. All we need is the ability to control and order others if we are to succeed. Things like social skills would provide no benefiting traits to such a job." Akashi's father remained steadfast on his decisions as he glared at Midorima challengingly.

"…I see…" Midorima was unable to respond to Akashi's father. Midorima found no logical flaw in what his father had just said, since what he said seemed true. A micromanager's work did seem to revolve around controlling other subordinates work. Because of that, communicating with employees wouldn't benefit their work in any way.

….

….

"…So that's the kind of lifestyle you want for you own son? Because all I can see is a lonely future." Kuroko spoke up again, gaining the attention of the other three in the room.

"Hah?" Akashi's father dumbly responded. Was this kid serious? Lonely? That was his issue?

"Its true that it sounds trivial, being lonely when you can have so much. But what good is being at the top if you're there all by yourself?" Kuroko asked to Akashi's father.

"Hah? Are you questioning my ideals?" Akashi's father responded with a deadly glare at Kuroko.

"I've been in my position for more than the last 20 years, child. There is no possible way that you can even try to correct my ideals." Akashi's father said.

Akashi, seeing how an intense killing aura filled the air, made his way to Kuroko with the intention to end this argument.

"That's enough, Tetsuya. It would be wise to leave things as they are before it becomes more climactic." Akashi muttered as he grabbed the sleeve on Kuroko's shirt and began ushering him towards the door. But before he could, Kuroko shrugged Akashi's hand off, much to Akashi's surprise.

"I'm sorry, Akashi-kun. But this is something I must do for the sake of our friendship." Kuroko said with a smile as he looked at Akashi, leaving him dumbfounded. He then turned his gaze to Akashi's father, who had yet to take his eyes off of him.

"…I realize that I am in no place to criticize what you believe in. But spending time with those you hold dearly to your hearts has absolutely nothing to do with your status in life." Kuroko said to Akashi's father. He then pointed his finger at him, before continuing.

"How can you say that Akashi-kun spending time with his classmates and friends would hinder him, if you've clearly never experienced such things Akashi-san?" Kuroko questioned Akashi's father. (The 'san' implies he's referring to Akashi's father). Akashi's father began to lose his composure as his tightened the grip on his fist in frustration.

"Who are you to tell me that I've never had friends before?" Akashi's father said slowly as he tried to hold back his anger.

"With all due respect, I can see it clearly…because if you did have friends, then you would be lonely by now."

Akashi's father went limp suddenly at Kuroko's remark.

"If you did experience what came with the bonds that you've made with others, then you would be missing it right now. You would be lonely, being at the top all by yourself with no one to talk to or to share your struggles with. So how can you say that friendship is such a trivial thing?" Kuroko repeated his question.

Akashi's father took a deep breath and exhaled. Losing his composure would do nothing to benefit him. Although he had to admit, this pale youngster had definitely caught him off-guard.

"It's really quite simple." Akashi's father said as he tightened the tie on his shirt.

"If Seijuro were to focus his time dawdling with others, he would gradually become distracted. Eventually, he'll fail to prioritize what's more important, and as a result he will begin to slack in more than just grades." He continued. He stared at Kuroko right in the eye.

"It may be true that I've yet to experience any real bonds that you speak of, but simply because I chose not to. Socializing with others can only bring us down and will distract Seijuro from what's really important. As Seijuro begins to direct his focus at you people, he'll begin to slack off which is COMPLETELY unacceptable." Akashi's father said with a firm tone.

"…Do you really have that little faith in Akashi-kun?" Kuroko asked honestly as he frowned at that last remark. Akashi's father was slightly caught off-guard by Kuroko's question.

"What a preposterous question! I have utmost faith in Seijuro's capabilities. He's been at the top of everything up until now, and that can easily be regained if it's my son." Akashi's father replied.

"Hmph, it doesn't sound as if you do, based off what you just said." Midorima muttered, yet Akashi's father had heard him.

"…What are you implying? Are you questioning the trust I hold in Seijuro?" Akashi's father inquired as he narrowed his eyes on Midorima.

"Akashi-san. Is it not hypocritical to speak say you have faith in Akashi, yet claim that he would be distracted so easily?" Midorima directed a glare that challenged Akashi's father's own glare.

"You say that you have faith in Akashi's abilities, and yet you also immediately assume that he would slack off if he spent time with us. How can you have faith in him if you think so little of Akashi based off that judgment?" Midorima said to Akashi's father.

"Tch…" Akashi's father, finding no argument to speak out, gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"Nn. I agree with Midorima-kun. Akashi-kun isn't the kind of man to let others hold him down. I have faith that he can take care of himself, even in the presence of others." Kuroko, finding that they were making progress, supported Midorima's statement.

"Not to mention, you yourself said that Akashi was at the top up until now. Wouldn't that imply that he was at his best even during his years at Teiko, when he spent nearly everyday with us after school?" Midorima followed up with another question, one that was impossible to deny.

"Huff…" Akashi's father nearly hit his tipping point and was about to begin shouting as he was hammered by comments from Kuroko and Midorima repeatedly, until he took a deep breath and exhaled.

Akashi merely sat on the couch by the side, watching everything go down. Although the atmosphere was till tense, he could not deny that he found the situation amusing. To him, it looked like two talkative children hammering their father with curious questions, the only thing missing being the father blowing his gasket and yelling for them to leave him alone.

Once Akashi's father cooled down, he opened his eyes and looked at both Midorima and Kuroko calmly.

"…Regardless of what you say, my decision is final and will not change." Akashi's father said firmly.

And that one sentence ended it all. No matter how many arguments they could make, not matter how irrational it would be to reject their proposal, if Akashi's father did not comply then it would be meaningless.

"…Please…."

Midorima looked at Kuroko in surprise. It seemed that he still refused to give up.

"Please….make a deal with us." Kuroko said desperately.

Akashi's father raised an eyebrow in amusement. A simple boy trying to make a deal with him of all people?

"Akashi-kun isn't the kind of man that would be distracted so easily. So I'm begging you to at least give it a try." Kuroko pleaded with Akashi's father.

"Hoh? And why would I do that?" Akashi's father urged Kuroko to continue.

Kuroko did not respond for a second or so as he looked over to Akashi.

"As I said before, you wouldn't understand because you've never established any friendly relationships, but I can tell that Akashi-kun is suffering." Kuroko replied. Akashi's eyes widened in surprise at Kuroko's comment and turned to look at him, only to see Kuroko smiling back at him.

"S-Suffering?" Akashi's father responded as he took a look at Akashi, who merely looked away.

"Nn. I can tell that Akashi-kun is unhappy, that he's suffering from the loneliness that fills his heart, something that you cannot possibly understand." Kuroko continued, gradually raising his voice.

….

….

Silence ensued as all the attention was directed at Akashi's father, waiting to see his reaction.

"…Explain the details of this deal that you speak of." Akashi's father finally responded after what seemed like eternity.

"Akashi isn't the only one suffering from these restraints. All of us wish to have our dear friend back by our side every day. That is all we ask for. Not only that, but it seems that even you are underestimating Akashi's abilities if you think something like our friendship would hold him back." Midorima spoke up for Kuroko, and looked at Akashi.

"So let him prove you wrong." And with that, a smile graced Akashi's face as he looked at Midorima and Kuroko.

"….I see. And what if you are wrong and it does affect Seijuro's performance? Then what do you propose would happen?" Akashi's father inquired.

"Then I'll sever my ties with them." All attention was directed at Akashi, who seems to have spoken for the first time since his father arrived.

"…Akashi-kun. There's no need-"

"There is, Tetsuya." Akashi cut off Kuroko's refusal with rejection.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it tou-san? If this fails, I'm willing to give you what you wanted all along." Akashi said to his father, who raised an eyebrow at Akashi's determination.

And it was just then that Akashi's father noticed something in his son. He saw a light emanating from his son's eyes, something full of hope.. In the span of time that his son had been born up till now, he hadn't seen such lively emotions from his son ever since his mother had passed away. Akashi always seemed to have a mechanical expression on his face, as if he simply took orders and served them out with no emotions whatsoever. Up until now that is.

And then he looked over to the two boys, Kuroko and Midorima, who were waiting for his response to their proposal.

'Are these boys responsible for what I'm seeing in Seijuro right now?' Akashi's father thought to himself.

And it was then that he made up his mind. He would give this a test drive and see how the results were.

"….Very well." Akashi's father replied to their proposal with agreement.

"….So…that's it?" Kuroko asked hesitantly. Akashi's father raised an eyebrow at Kuroko.

"Do you have anything else you would like to complain about?" he asked Midorima and Kuroko. Almost immediately, the two of them shook their head left and right fervently. "Then yes. We're done."

"Hah…" Midorima finally exhaled in relief after just realizing that he had been holding in his breath the whole time, while Kuroko simply sat back down on the couch with a relieved expression on his face.

"Hm? What's gotten into you two? Hmph, am I truly that difficult to communicate with?" Akashi's father remarked, raising an eyebrow questioningly after seeing Kuroko's and Midorima's reactions.

At the sound of chuckling, he turned his head and was caught-off guard at the sight of Akashi smiling as he watched Kuroko and Midorima. And he simply stared at his son's relaxed expression, as if he had just seen his son smile for the first time in years (which may actually be true).

"…Well then, I suppose this deal will go into act starting from tomorrow. I suggest you boys depart now, it's getting quite late." Akashi's father said. He then looked over to his son.

"Seijuro, will you see them off to the door?" It wasn't a question, but more of an order, something that Akashi was willing to comply to.

"Nn. Let's go Tetsuya, Shintaro. It's getting late." Akashi said as he walked towards the front door and went outside.

The two complied and followed after him after saying goodbye to Akashi's father, who did nothing but nod his head and stood there. After the two exited alongside his son, Akashi's father went to the front window and watched the scene of the three standing in front of the house.

The three now stood outside of the house in the night, with Kuroko and Midorima outside the entrance gate and Akashi inside of it.

"The two of, thank you for what you've done." Akashi said with a genuine smile on his face.

"Hmph, don't thank us yet. The rest is all up to you now; it's your job to keep your father satisfied now." Midorima snorted.

"…But Akashi-kun…Are you sure you're all right with the consequences?" Kuroko asked, his voice laced with concern.

Akashi was well aware that Kuroko was referring to the deal Akashi made about severing his ties with them. He did nothing but smile at Kuroko.

"Do you trust me?" Akashi asked with a smile on his face.

Kuroko's eyes widened, before he began smiling as well. "…Nn. I trust you."

"Well then, that settles that. I shall see the two of you the next time we intend to meet up." Akashi said.

"Pft, then I expect you to comply the next time we offer having a rendezvous or such." Midorima huffed as he was the first to leave. Akashi did nothing but shake his head and turned to look at Kuroko…who was already gone.

Akashi blinked his eyes several times.

"Heh heh…hah hah hah." Akashi began chuckling at first, gradually raising his voice until it was a soft, genuine laugh.

For him, the future seemed to have gotten a bit brighter just after today for him.

From inside, Akashi's father stood by the window and watched the whole scene take place. And when Akashi began laughing, he paid close attention to the sound of his son's voice. That voice…there was no source of pain or loneliness in that voice at all, at least from his perspective… Could it be that those boys were the ones that were truly responsible for making his son happy?

'Remember, Haru-kun.'

The sound of his late wife, Sonya rang through his head.

'No matter how successful our Seijuro is, no matter how far he gets in life. If there is no one to make him happy and to support him, then all he will be is just an empty lifeless shell. Only then, will Akashi truly lose his touch with the outside world.'

"...Heh, it seems I've still a lot to learn, Sonya."

Brrrp, brrrp

Brrrp, brrrp

"Ughhh…" Akashi groaned as he was forced awake by a mysterious sound that seemed to resemble an object vibrating against a hard surface. Akashi opened his eyes slightly, and squinted as his eyes began to slowly adjust to the bright lights that penetrated his windows.

Brrrp, brrrp

Yet again, his attention was drawn to his phone which was vibrating beside his bed on his study table.

"…Hello. Who is this?" Akashi muttered out a few words while rubbing his eyes.

"…Akashi-kun. Are you awake?"

Akashi was about to sarcastically deny, seeing as how he obviously had to be awake to answer, yet forced back the retort once he realized it was Kuroko on the phone.

"Tetsuya….it's 7:00 A.M. on a Saturday morning…" Akashi muttered to Kuroko.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to let you know that Seirin will be going to the public pool on the corner of Hyuma Street at 1:00. I asked Aida-senpai and we'd like for you to come as well." Kuroko stated. It seemed that regardless of the time, Kuroko was already wide awake.

"R-really? I see…" Akashi was slightly caught off-guard by Kuroko's invitation. Although it was evident that from yesterday's situation that he would definitely be spending more time with the GoM, he didn't expect it to start as early as the next day.

"…Can you not attend?" Kuroko waited several seconds after mentioning his request. After not receiving a reply, he had assumed that Akashi would not be attending.

"No, I'll be there at 1:00 sharp." Akashi agreed to meet up with them.

"…Also…one more thing. Kise-kun will be coming as well…is that okay?" Kuroko asked hesitantly.

Akashi inwardly groaned. Although he did not detest the blond-haired model in anyway, he did not deny that Kise's optimistic attitude and talkative personality tended to get him irritated.

"Heh heh, I think I can endure. Thank you for your concern, Tetsuya." Akashi said wryly.

"Nn! We'll see you there." And with that, the line cut off. Akashi smiled at Kuroko's reply, hearing the sudden upbeat in his tone once Akashi agreed to go. It seemed that Kuroko was really concerned about putting him and Kise in the same room for several hours.

Akashi put the phone back down on his table and lay back on the bed while looking up at the white ceiling in his room.

"Hahhh" Akashi took a deep breath and exhaled. It was just then that Akashi noticed how light his chest felt. He had the sudden urge to laugh for some reason.

"…So this is what it means to feel excited…I've much to remember."

In the public pool by Hyuma Street, the members of Touou were enjoying a nice day off in the hot summer weather, coincidentally on the same day that Seirin planned to, albeit several hours earlier.

Although the purpose of the pool was to enjoy the cool water in the hot weather, a majority of the males, both Touou members and other civilians, were spending their time gazing at the angel that went by the name of Momoi.

'Hm? Hello everyone! Please excuse the large number of people we brought with us. We'll do our best to stay out of your way, but please take good care of us!' Momoi said with an innocent smile on her face as she closed her eyes and tilted her head to the left adorably.

That was all it took for the other civilians in the public pool to become infatuated with her. Currently, the woman that had nearly all the attention placed on her was lying on her back in the water, allowing the current produced by other swimmers to guide her movement.

"Hahhhh, such nice, cold water…" Momoi sighed blissfully, her pink her free-flowing all over the water, and her chest sticking out, gaining the attention of numerous males in the pool….that is, until a certain blue-haired GoM player gave them all a deadly glare, replacing their heart-filled eyes with ones that portrayed utter fear. It was evident what message Aomine was trying to send. Back off

"Oi, Satsuki! Can we go already?" Aomine asked irritatingly as he just gave another man the glare. Honestly, these men were at least ten years older than her and it just irked Aomine to no end and was creeping him out to know that these older men were shamelessly gawking at a teenage girl.

"Mouuu just a little longer, Aomine-kun! The water is so nice~" Momoi said blissfully as she swung her arms around in the water.

Aomine stared at Momoi, who was still laying the water and was unaware that he was staring at her. It was then, that Kise's words from that day in the grocery store rang through his head.

'Do you plan on trying to convince her to stay? Best do it before you regret it pal.'

It was then that Aomine realized that this may be his last chance to speak to Momoi alone.

"Satsuki…." Aomine called out quietly, making sure not to gain to attention of anyone else.

"Hmmm~" Momoi hummed in response, clearly still in a daze.

"How's life in Seirin?" Aomine asked.

"Oh! It's wonderful. I get to see Tetsu-kun throughout the whole day, not to mention after school during practice! And everyone is so nice to me, just like at Touou!" Satsuki remarked. It seemed that Aomine's question had brought her back down to earth as her face suddenly lit up and she stood up in the water. ('I wonder why…' Aomine thought to himself at this moment)

Then, the smile fell of Momoi's faced and was replaced with an expression of confusion.

"Wait, why are you asking?" Momoi inquired. Aomine was never the kind of person to actually care about such a trivial thing.

"Hm? Oh, no reason. Just wondering is all." Aomine said half-heartedly. He turned his back to Momoi and looked around uncomfortably.

'Convince her, my ass! Why is this so frikin' hard?' Aomine thought to himself.

"I see…." Momoi said suspiciously. Suddenly, a thought struck her and a mischievous grin set upon her face. She creeped up behind Aomine slowly…

"Oof!" said Aomine as Momoi jumped and latched herself onto Aomine's back.

"Gahhh! No fair!"

"Ahhh, the feeling of those blessed mountains rubbing on my back instead~"

"H-Hey! You're nose is bleeding!"

It seemed that the two of them had gained some attention from the ruckus that Momoi had just made. Well….that was until Aomine gave all of them the glare again.

"Eep!" Was the mutual reaction among the bystanders as they all looked away.

"O-Oi! Satsuki, get off of me!" Aomine grouched as he was caught off-balance by Momoi's actions. Yet all he succeeded in doing was convincing Momoi to tighten her grip on Aomine's back.

"Nope! Not until Aomine-kun tells me what's on his mind~" Momoi said playfully. Suddenly, Aomine stopped moving.

"…Aomine-kun?" Momoi said slowly. Still, Aomine refused to move and stood still with Momoi on his back. Unbeknown to the two of them, Imayoshi was watching intently on what Aomine intended to do.

"Satsuki…have you…ever had any feelings for me?"

Momoi's grip on Aomine suddenly stiffened at Aomine's question. She hopped off of Aomine's back and took several steps back.

"W-What?" Momoi responded as her body stiffened. Suddenly, Aomine turned around and grasped Momoi's shoulders.

"D-Dai-chan?!" Momoi exclaimed. In all the sudden rush, she had reverted to calling him by his old nickname in public. Although he was right in front of her, holding her shoulders, his head was drooping down with his hair covering his eyes.

"Don't. Don't leave Touou. Stay with us. Stay with me." Aomine said as he refused to look up at Momoi.

….

….

Silence ensued as neither of them knew what to do. Momoi had no idea what to say, and Aomine was waiting for Momoi's response.

"You know…" After a minute or so, Momoi finally spoke up.

"I think I liked you one time."

Aomine's eyes widened as he looked up at her.

"W-What?" Aomine said. He was at a loss for words after hearing what Momoi just said. Momoi did nothing but nod her head slowly and averted her gaze to the water.

"I think I did…back when we were kids and I had just met you. At first…I just thought you looked cute, but after spending time with you…I think I might've developed a crush on you in elementary school." Momoi explained.

"Then you'll-"

"But, only in elementary school."

Aomine was cut off and his hopes seemed to dash away at those words as his grip on Momoi's shoulders slackened.

"Back in elementary school, I would blush when I saw you, and I would panic sometimes over what to say. But…after getting comfortable around you, I think those feelings faded away…Which is why I think that it was simply a childish crush on you at the time." Momoi said slowly. She looked up, only to see Aomine looking down at the water, with his arms by his side. She swam over to his side and touched his left arm.

"But my feelings for Tetsu-kun, those are real. I really am in love with Tetsu-kun; which is why I transferred to Seirin. I want to get closer to him, to be with him the rest of the way through high school." Momoi said.

"…I see…" Aomine mumbled. Momoi removed her hand from his arm, awaiting his response. Suddenly, Aomine began to chuckle to himself.

"A-Aomine-kun?" Momoi asked worryingly. Aomine did not stop laughing quietly.

"Hahhh. I figured as much. Well at least about the whole thing with Tetsu." Aomine said after he was done laughing. He then looked at Momoi, and gave her a genuine smile.

"Don't worry, I understand. I'm just glad that we got through with this." And with that, Aomine laid his back on the water like Momoi had done previously, and let the current guide him.

"I think now…I can move on and look for someone else now." Aomine said as he swung his arms in the water. Suddenly, he got back up and looked at Momoi, catching her by surprise slightly.

"Say…you said you really do like Tetsu, right?" Aomine asked her.

"O-Oh my, is it that obvious? You don't have to say it so openly~" Momoi blushed as she averted her gaze to the water, closing her eyes and placing both hands on her red cheeks.

'Practically everyone that sees you knows about it…' Aomine thought to himself. He shook the thought out of his head, and got back on topic.

"Then, I'll help you." Aomine said, gaining Momoi's attention again. "I'll ask Tetsu about his feelings, and I'll relay them to you. And if he doesn't like you, then I'll just knock some sense into him." Aomine said with a genuine smile on his face. Momoi's face brightened as she tackled Aomine with a huge hug.

"Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you, Dai-chan!" Momoi exclaimed as she tightened her grip on Aomine.

"O-Oi! Satsuki, you're going to give everyone here the wrong idea!" Aomine yelled at her. Momoi showed no sign of letting up, as she shook her head.

"It's okay…because this is a hug meant for someone very dear to me." Momoi said with a smile on her face.

"…Tch, so cheesy…." Aomine said as he averted his gaze and forced back the blush that threatened to bloom on his face. Momoi let go of Aomine and looked at him.

"Let's go back, ne? I don't want my skin to wrinkle in the pool." Momoi said with a smile as she guided Aomine out of the pool. Yet, they both froze once they turned around. It was just then that the two realized that all of the members of Touou had watched the two of them the whole time.

Several of the players had teasing smiles on their faces, others looking as if they wanted to make a funny remark, and the more mature members nodding approvingly of the outcome.

"Don't you dare say anything…Whoever says a single word is gonna get a mouth full of water." Aomine growled as Momoi giggled at Aomine's embarrassment.

From the side, Imayoshi watched the whole scene go down with a smile on his face.

"So, you cleared everything up with Akashi?" Kagami asked Kuroko, who was walking alongside him. It was currently 1:00, the members of Seirin had just finished morning drills, and were now planning to cool off in the public pool. Currently, Kagami and Kuroko were leading the group with the rest trailing them.

"Nn. Everything is fine now. And….Aida-senpai?" Kuroko asked hesitantly. In order to meet with Akashi, Kuroko had skipped nighttime practice with the members of Seirin. And if there was one thing that annoyed their coach more than her chest size, it was the players disobeying her orders. Meaning that Kuroko had naturally signed his death sentence, but…

"Don't worry. Got it all covered. I told her and just let her blow off some steam. Consider it repaying the favor for helping me patch things up with Himuro." Kagami reassured Kuroko, who let out a silent sigh of relief.

"So, what did Aida-senpai do to calm down?" Kuroko asked. Kagami unconsciously thought back to the demon that had replaced the coach they all knew, remembering about the drastic increase in drills and how sore he was afterwards. Kagami shuddered at the thought.

"I'd rather not speak about it…." Kagami said weakly. His sore back began acting up at just the mere thought of it.

"Tetsuya."

Both boys had their attention drawn to the voice that derived from right in front of them, where they found Akashi in a pair of red trunks with an undershirt on and a bag slung over his left shoulder.

"Good morning, Akashi-kun. Right on time, as usual." Kuroko replied. Kagami stiffened at the sight of Akashi, who simply stared at him. Although they bore no ill-will towards each other, they weren't exactly on friendly terms either. Yet Kagami relaxed once Akashi nodded his head at him.

"Has Kise-kun arrived yet?" Kuroko asked Akashi, who shook his head. Yet it was at that key moment that someone put their arm around Kuroko's head and pulled him into a half-hug.

"Kurokocchi! Akashicchi! Kagamicchi! It's good to see the two of you!" Kise exclaimed. He ignored Kagami's angry retort about calling him that nickname as he rubbed Kuroko's head playfully.

"Kise-kun, please stop. You are messing up my hair." Kuroko said with a voice that showed no irritation or annoyance.

"Eh? But we're going in the water! It's gonna get messed up either way!" Kise replied.

"Hm. Seeing as we're all here, shall we all head to the public pool now?" Akashi spoke out, gaining the attention of the three as the rest of Seirin were seconds away from catching up.

"Tetsu-kun~!"

Before anybody could turn their head in response to whoever called out, a blur of pink flew past Akashi and landed itself on Kuroko. Seconds later, everyone noticed the blur to be Momoi, who had tackled Kuroko in a hug.

"Momochhi? What are you doing here all by yourself?" Kise asked with a smile on his face. Sure, her appearance was unexpected, but the more, the merrier in Kise's perspective.

"Hm? What do you mean? I came with Aomine-kun and Touou of course!" Momoi said with a smile on her face as she swayed back on forth while holding onto Kuroko.

"M-Momoi-san?!"

"That outfit's pretty cute…"

Pshhh

"H-Hey! You're nose is bleeding!"

Currently, Momoi was wearing what can only be assumed to be a red two-piece swimsuit, seeing as how her top half was covered by a thin white jacket.

"Hm? Oh, right I forgot, you guys were all coming at 1:00 right?" Aomine said as he walked up to the group of GoM members and Kagami. Kuroko frowned as Aomine walked up to them.

"Aomine-kun? But I thought you said you were unable to come to the pool today." Kuroko said. Aomine raised an eyebrow and scratched his head, as if trying to recall such an event. Eventually, he came to a conclusion as he made an 'ah!' expression.

"Oh yea, bout that. I was planning on comin', till I heard that Kise was gonna be coming. Then I figured an hour or so at the pool wouldn't be worth the migraine that came afterwards since Kise obviously wouldn't be shutting up." Aomine said half-heartedly.

"Ehhh?! Is it only me that's an issue here?!" Kise asked rhetorically as tears cascaded from his eyes. Momoi giggled before reaching up and rubbing Kise's hair, while repeatedly saying "there, there".

"Seeing as you're still here, would you like to accompany Tetsuya, the rest and I to the pool?" Akashi invited Aomine to the pool once again. At the sound of Kuroko's name and the word 'pool' put together, Momoi's eyes lit up instantaneously.

"Nah, I'm gonna hit the bed once I get home. And Satsuki said she didn't to get wrinkles or anything…." Aomine trailed off in the end as a blur of pink dashed past him towards the pool once again, this time accompanied by a blur of light blue. They then all turned around, and faced the entrance of the public pool to see Momoi dashing towards the entrance and dragging Kuroko, who did not resist, by the collar of his white t-shirt.

Everyone sweatdropped at the sight as Momoi and Kuroko vanished behind the sliding doors.

"Heh heh, guess that settles that then." Kise said as he rubbed the back of his head. And with that, the rest of the GoM and the players of Seirin followed after the two into the public pool.

Riko Aida was the last one to enter the public pool. As she did so, she unsurprisingly found literally every single person, albeit the GoM players and Kuroko, staring at Momoi. Momoi, of course, was completely unaware as she sat on the edge of the pool with her legs dipped in the water and swinging around while giving Kuroko her full undivided attention.

twitch twitch

Riko Aida's eyes began twitching as she reached into her bag slung over her shoulder….

~two minutes later~

"Gahhh…my back…"

"So much for swimming…"

"...why is everything moving so much…"

"Mou…I get hitting your own members…but was it necessary to hit everyone..." Kise said as he left eye began to swell, like his right cheek. Riko Aida smiled sheepishly as she hid the bat behind her back.

"Eh heh heh….guess I got carried away….sorry?" Riko Aida said as she blushed out of embarrassment.

"And what's with hitting everyone besides Kuroko and Akashi?!" Kagami complained as he rubbed the bump on his head tenderly. Currently every male, yes even the civilians, except Kuroko and Akashi were sporting some sort of injury with a bat imprint.

Riko Aida looked over to Akashi, who merely raised an eyebrow questioningly.

'Fwip!' Riko Aida quickly looked the other way. Akashi did nothing but laugh quietly at the scene before him. The atmosphere was practically oozing happiness, as everyone carried on without a care in the world for the consequences.

Yes, the future did seem to have gotten a bit brighter.

Just a heads-up for everyone. Currently, I'm volunteering at a summer school for kids for summer until I leave for Canada on August 7th. Although I will be free on weekends, I may not find the time to continue writing. Although this chapter took a while to update, I had been working on it ever since the posting of Chapter 9. It's just that it was difficult for me to write. But this time, I may not start Chapter 11 until a while later when I'm not feeling tired from volunteer work and am available.

So I ask that you guys can just please be patient until then.