Author's Note:

Hey guys, here's the latest on Akashi and Setsuna. Hope you enjoy, and remember, if you have something to say, say it! I love reviews.

Chapter Fourteen:

He blinked in surprise at my words. "You want me to teach you basketball?"

"Please."

"Why?" His voice was genuinely puzzled.

I bit my lip and twisted the ball around in my hands. I was going to have to explain a good portion of my situation to him if I hoped to get his help…

Tilting my chin, I met his eyes and explained, "Akashi has been training me in return for some important information; but the other day, he decided that he didn't want to wait for it anymore. When I refused to tell him, he left me to train by myself. He was my only chance…" I swallowed and clenched my fists around the ball, recalling the intensity in his left eye that afternoon.

"Only chance for what?" When I glanced at him, Kise was looking at me sympathetically, encouraging me to continue.

"I made a bet with a girl. She kind of… knows something about me, and if I don't win against her in a one-on-one basketball match, she'll tell the whole school about it. I'd never played basketball, so you can guess how much of a bind I was in."

He walked over and startled me by placing a comforting hand on my shoulder and smiling down at me. I twitched with the urge to shrug it off, but suppressed it.

"Setsunacchi," he began, and I raised a brow at his informal rendition of my name, "You don't have to explain. I can guess what happened next; Akashi offered to help you, and then he left you to learn basketball all alone." Kise shook his head in disgust at his friend.

'Offered' isn't a word I'd use to describe that particular situation, I thought to myself, recalling the time I'd had to challenge the high school's genius to a game of Shogi in front of the entire library to have him even acknowledge my request.

"Yeah, that's about what happened," I confirmed.

He nodded, frowning thoughtfully, and then placed his hands on his hips. "All right. No use mulling over it; show me your move from before, and I'll see what I can do to help."

Excitement suffused me at his words and the resolve behind them. "Okay!" Kise Ryota is going to teach me his basketball! This was almost as good as having Akashi here again. Although, if he'd never left, I probably would have already mastered a move like this by now…

No, don't think about that now!

Shaking my head, I moved to the middle of the court and began to bounce the ball. Once again imagining my opponent, I executed the moves with as much concentration as I could muster, but left disappointed when I was met with the same result.

"Hmmm, it seems you're not dribbling wide enough," Kise announced, straightening to his full height. "When you exit your spin, you're swapping to the left hand fine, but you keep the ball too close to your body, causing you to lose your centre of balance and the ball as well. Try it again, this time doing the bounce a little farther away from your body."

I raised a brow, mildly impressed by his knowledgeable proclamation; who said cute guys lacked brains? "Um, sure, I'll try it."

Half a minute later, I was smiling with pride at my success. Impressed, Kise beamed and exclaimed, "It worked! You did it!"

"I guess I did," I murmured, grinning back at him.

"Your fundamentals seem down," he commented. "And you learn pretty fast… Have you ever played basketball before?" I shook my head. "Never? How long have you been training with Akashi?"

"Two weeks," I replied, absently whirling the ball between my hands.

His eyes widened in disbelief, and he blew out a breath. "Guess I should expect that from the former captain of the Generation of Miracles. But still, I'm impressed by how far you've come for an amateur, even with his help. You must really want to win this match."

A vein popped in my forehead at his patronizing words. "Enough that I've had to endure two weeks of physical and mental torture."

He tilted his head quizzically. "Has Akashicchi… been hard on you?"

I merely shrugged, overall not wanting to talk about it and more than ready to get back to training, but his troubled expression made me pause. "What is it?"

"Nothing, it's just… I remember how he used to train us back in junior high, and I'm curious to see if his methods have changed." His eyes were searching when he asked, "How hard has he been on you, really?"

I chewed my lip, thinking back to the time he'd mocked me so harshly for having feelings for him, and then the most recent confrontation; both incidents still made me shudder with dismay. But… I recalled his grudging kindness the night he'd said those cruel words, how he'd dragged me along after him to take me to his house and let me use his shower, and then patiently played Shogi with me while I collected myself before heading home. And after that, he'd come to my house and fooled Oba-san into thinking our training sessions were in fact tutoring sessions. And training with him everyday… Sure, it had been tough, but I got a strange gratification from being with him during those brief hours.

"It was okay," I said. "I mean, sometimes he was so unpleasant I almost called the whole thing off, and other times he showed a grudging kind of benevolence that was strange yet… nice. It's like he has bipolar or something. When I met him, I thought he was the personification of 'cold', but as I trained with him, I…" Abruptly I blinked and glanced up at Kise, only to find him stifling a grin. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied, but the smirk had leaked out. "The way you're describing him…" The humour abruptly faded and his lips turned down. "It sounds like an Akashi I once knew."

"What are you talking about?"

He shook his head. "Nothing."

But I was already too interested. Midorima had said something similar about Akashi being different 'back then'. What did 'back then' mean?

"Does this have anything to do with Rakuzan's match against Seirin?" At his questioning look, I explained, "Midorima-san explained it to me one day. Akashi's basketball was beaten by the Phantom Sixth Man, Kuroko."

"Yep, Midorimacchi was right," he confirmed, but despite the cheeriness to his voice, there was a strange ruefulness about him that made me want to know even more. "And Kagami. Both of them together were enough to beat Akashicchi in the Winter Cup finals." Kise held his hands out for the ball, flicking his blonde hair in a very model-like manner, and I had to suppress a snicker as I passed it to him. "It was a turning point for him," he said as he dribbled, and I immediately took up a defensive stance. "I think it was the first time he'd ever been beaten at anything. Afterward, he… wasn't the same."

"What does that mean? What happened to him?" He faked to the left and then twisted to the right, but I had anticipated that and blocked his path.

"Nice block," he commented, grinning. "Akashi used to be what you might call a sore-loser, only on a whole other level. He never lost at anything, no matter what it was." Crossing to his left hand, he attempted to pass me, but I caught up and boxed him in at the sideline. "He took control of situations, even our team, without anyone questioning his authority; it's like he was made to be in charge, but he was always so cold about it. If anyone stood in his way, he removed them without even batting an eye."

That definitely sounded like Akashi. "So how did he change?"

Kise twisted, and then turned back to the right when I fell for it. Stepping forward, he shot the ball at the hoop, and it went in with a soft swish. He quickly retrieved the ball and tossed it to me as he adopted a defensive stance. "After his match against Seirin he went off the grid for a few days, and when Midorimacchi went to talk to him, he told me that Akashicchi was different; more 'accepting', not that I know what that meant. But even I noticed the change in him. Although," he pointed out as I began to dribble toward him, "From what you're telling me, it seems Akashicchi is the same as he was before."

Great. So I get to experience the old, grumpy Akashi, while everybody else gets to see his good side. Muttering to myself, I made a dash around Kise, and when his hand shot out, twisted around to escape his grasp. It was an aggressive move, but if executed quickly, could earn me the win. However, he was quick to catch up to me, and I was forced to stop.

"So what information does Akashicchi want from you anyway?"

I tensed, momentarily seizing my dribbling. "The same that the girl holds against me. The reason I'm learning basketball in the first place."

"Hmmm," he said, contemplating while I began to dribble again. "So she's got dirt on you then. But… why would Akashi…?"

"What?"

He rubbed his chin in confusion. "Akashi is at the head of some of the leading business companies in Japan, so he's rich and probably has ears everywhere. If he wanted to get some dirt on you, it wouldn't be hard on his part to do some digging and find something out. To be honest," he mused, "I'm surprised he showed an interest in the whole situation in the first place."

I was reeling from his words, wondering why I'd never thought of this before, and barely had time to respond when he made a lunge for the ball. Immediately I snapped into action and twisted around him, dribbling toward the hoop. Sensing him rapidly approaching from my right, an idea formed in my mind and I reacted without thinking. I stopped in my tracks and took a quick step back, lined up the ball, and quickly released it before Kise could react.

The satisfying swishing of the net had me grinning in triumph. He caught me smiling and reflected it with his own. "Nice shot!"

I retrieved the ball, and as I made my way over asked, "Why would Akashi help me if he could find out anything he wanted otherwise?"

He shrugged. "I was hoping you had some dirt on him or something, and that I could persuade you to tell me." When he winked a golden eye suggestively, I rolled my eyes.

"I'd rather willingly jump into a boiling pit of lava then risk his wrath." Kise laughed, but my mirth was short-lived as another thought occurred to me. "Guess he was just following an impulse, after all. That's what he led me to believe."

Seeing my desolate expression, Kise placed his hand on my shoulder again. "Hey, don't worry, Setsunacchi. If you're that torn up about it then you should talk to him about coming back to train you."

I opened my mouth to reply that I most certainly was not 'torn up about it', when I abruptly heard someone outside grumble, "Kise, are you done in there yet?" I frowned and tried to investigate but his hand tightened, halting me.

Kise's smiled comfortingly down at me, and for a moment, I was flawed by his model-like beauty. "Akashi knows how badly you want to win; how could he not? Even I can see how hard you're trying. I'm not sure why he decided to leave you to train without him, but if you talk to him – make him realise the mistake he made by leaving – he'll have no choice but to help you out. That's the kind of guy my former-captain is." He winked and gave me a thumbs-up.

Two things processed in my brain as he spoke. One, a tall figure had entered the doorway; two, it came streaking at Kise so quickly I barely had time to jump back before he went flying across the court. In his place stood a black-haired boy with his foot raised at the height Kise's head had been just moments before.

He lowered his foot with a huff and straightened his ruffled uniform. "You left me waiting out there while you were in here talking to a girl?" the boy barked out, and even I flinched at the sharpness in the commanding voice. "I thought you came here to speak with Akashi!"

Kise seemed to be out cold on his stomach, but before I moved to check on him he twitched and moaned, rolling onto his arm. Despite the fact that he'd almost knocked his friend unconscious, the boy wasn't in the least remorseful, nor was he finished with his tirade. "You think it's okay to waste my time? I've got finals to study for, baka! Do you want me to kick you?"

I blinked. "You already kicked him –"

"– You already kicked me, Kasamatsu-senpai!" Kise moaned from the floor.

"I'll knock you around some more if you don't wrap this up now, baka!"

Poor Kise finally managed to stand, rubbing the side of his head as he did. "Sorry senpai, but I can't leave just yet." When Kasamatsu took a threatening step forward, he hastily explained, "Akashi isn't here, so I got talking to Setsunacchi and she needs my help with something."

"I don't care," he grumbled, crossing his arms. "If Akashi's not here, then we're heading back."

"But senpai –"

"We're leaving, Kise. Say goodbye." Marching over, Kasamatsu grabbed a hold of Kise's collar and began unceremoniously dragging him toward the door.

Kise barely had time to choke out, "Good luck with everything, Setsunacchi!" before he was forcibly hauled away.

Still reeling by their abrupt exit, I scratched my red hair in bewilderment and glanced at the clock; I still had another forty-five minutes before I had to be home…

'If you're that torn up about it then you should talk to him about coming back to train you.'

I bit my lip, torn; talking to him would involve facing him again, and after two days of silence, I was more reluctant than ever to break it. But if I didn't try, I would be left to train alone and most likely lose the bet against Chinami. As soon as she made that final basket, I'd barely have time to escape out the door before the rumours would start…

No, I couldn't let that happen. I wasn't going to allow Akashi Seijuro to ruin everything I'd strived for these past weeks.

Squaring my shoulders, I replaced the ball and snatched up my bag, heading for the Akashi residence with a fervent stride.

"May I help you?"

I jumped at the voice, surprised I'd finally received an answer after buzzing for a full three minutes. "Um, is Akashi Seijuro available? I would like to talk to him –"

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Sighing in annoyance, I pressed the button I hadn't noticed before and repeated, "I would like to speak to Akashi Seijuro, please. Is he available?"

"Whom is enquiring?" The voice was male and definitely not accustomed to addressing people of lower social status. In fact, I was positive this was the first time someone had actually dared buzz the gate.

"My name is Koizumi Setsuna. I'm a student at Rakuzan high, so we know each other…" Try and sound like you know what you're talking about, Setsuna.

"One moment please."

"Sure."

Ten minutes later, I came to realise that 'one moment' in the Akashi household meant a freaking lifetime. Glaring at the gigantic front door from my perch against the stone column gate, I wondered if the butler had forgotten about me standing out here, and turned around, finger raised to press the button again.

"Koizumi-san?"

My finger quickly changed course to the intercom button. "Y-Yes? I'm here."

"I'm afraid Seijuro-sama is busy with his duties, and cannot meet with you at the present time. Would you like me to take a message?"

I scowled at the speaker. Busy, my butt – this was the time he usually spent training with me, so it couldn't be that important. Damn that Akashi, he was avoiding me… Sighing, I rubbed my forehead and replied, "Could you tell him to see me at school tomorrow? We have a… project that really needs to be done."

"Very well. Good day." The click of the speaker going off ended the conversation.

"And good day to you, grumpy old geezer."

I huffed and whirled away, tempted to poke my tongue out at the mansion as I did. "Damn. If there's still time for my day to get worse, I'll adopt Midorima-san's habit of carrying around a lucky item everywhere I go…"

As it turned out, the sun had yet to go down by the time I arrived home. As soon as I walked through the door I heard them; my aunt and uncle were arguing again, and it didn't take a genius to guess what about. Quickly shedding my shoes and jacket, I attempted to tiptoe as quickly as possible to the stairs, but my ears still managed to record everything they were saying.

"I said no, Fumio!" Oba-san's voice was hoarse but firm; obviously they'd been arguing for a while. "Don't you dare say anything."

Oji-chan positively growled, "You don't get to make that decision. She's my niece, so I'll decide what's best for her. Keeping this from –"

"You think dropping a bomb like this is what's best for her? She's struggling with her studies enough as it is; do you want to ruin her future over something that she isn't involved with?"

"Isn't involved with?" he boomed, and I flinched under the weight of my uncle's anger. "Aito, these people murdered her parents. She needs to know what's going on."

I froze, my foot touching the top landing. They were talking about…

"I know. I know. But not yet; we are going to do everything we can to keep this from happening, and at the end when it's all resolved, we'll tell her." There was a note of hysteria in her voice.

"That could take months," my uncle rumbled. "What if the trial goes ahead? She'll be forced to give a statement –"

My aunt broke in with a shriek, "That's not going to happen! We won't allow it." She took a deep breath. "Look, everything is going to be fine. We'll keep monitoring the situation and take action if it gets out of hand. Just… leave Setsuna out of this."

I closed my eyes, then hastened to my room, quietly shutting the door. The rumble of my uncle's voice still echoed, but fortunately, I couldn't hear the words.

The next morning was worse than any I'd ever had. My eyes were surrounded by dark shadows from a night of restless sleep; I'd tossed and turned, flitting in and out of dreams and nightmares while a multitude of faces with glowing red eyes flickered through my head too fast to process. I'd barely kept track of what we were doing in class. By the time I walked into the library, I desperately hoped to see Eisuke there, sitting in the same place as always, but once again suffered a strangling disappointment when I saw it empty.

I plonked into my seat with no enthusiasm whatsoever, itching to play Shogi. I was surprised how much Eisuke's absence was affecting me; his stubbornness was reaching ridiculous proportions. Maybe he was waiting for me to approach him first…

I threw my head back in aggravation. What the hell did Eisuke want from me anyway?

"Hey, what's going on out there?"

"I'm not sure, there are too many people… Isn't that the guy who's supposed to be the new ace for the basketball team?"

New ace, huh? I smiled evilly. Better watch out, Seijuro…

"Yeah, that's him! He looks really pissed. Think there'll be a fight?"

"I hope so. Most entertainment we get here, anyway… He looks like he's gonna throttle that skinny guy. What's his name again?"

I frowned as something occurred to me. New ace…

"The big one or the good-looking one?"

"The big one."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure his name is Oshiro Eisuke. He always sits in here and makes a big ruckus –"

I bolted out of my chair and rushed to the window, almost knocking the two boys out of my way. Outside, a crowd had gathered in a loose circle around a pair of students; one was that boy who loved to buy juice for Chinami, and the other…

Oh, God.

I spun and fled out the door, down the stairs, and outside to the commotion. Short as I was, it was difficult pushing my way through the growing throng of people, but when I finally stumbled into the circle, it was at Eisuke's large back as he faced off against the other, significantly smaller boy. For a moment I was hit with a deep feeling of nostalgia, and I had to fight back sudden tears when I glimpsed his blazing blue eyes surrounded by black bangs. I really had missed him…

Shaking my head, I rushed to his side and grabbed his forearm, tugging to get his attention. When he glanced down at me, his deep blue eyes widened in surprise. "Setsuna-chan? What are you doing?"

"No," I grumbled, voice surprisingly hoarse. "What are you doing? You can't fight him! Do you want to get suspended?"

There was a flicker of emotion in his face as I spoke, but then he sighed and his expression became heated again. "I don't care."

"What?" I exclaimed, fisting my hands over my hips. "Of course you do."

"No, I don't," he said, and I was momentarily stumped. Glancing down at me once, he dismissed me by shrugging me off. "Just go, Setsuna. This doesn't concern you."

Suddenly, the boy across from us spoke up, his sneering face catching me off guard. "Actually, it does. In fact, we were just talking about you, Setsuna-chan." The way he jeered my name caused my back to stiffen. What in the world was his problem?

Frowning, I asked, "Do I know you?"

"Oh no," he taunted, chuckling. "But I know you. Oh yes, do I know you…"

My frown became more pronounced; who the hell was this guy? I knew he was a friend of Chinami's –

A horrible feeling began to grow in my stomach, and looking at him now only made it worse. No, there was no way… This violated the terms of the bet! Chinami couldn't have told him!

Oh God, but what if she had?

Sensing my growing dread, Eisuke abruptly grabbed my arm and began dragging me toward the edge of the circle. "Don't listen to him, Setsuna. Come with me."

But no matter how fast he hastened me away, it couldn't stop the boy's next words:

"Leaving already? Aw, Setsuna-chan, you're no fun!" His sickly sweet voice adopted a sinister tone. "Well, anyway, say hello to your parent's for me, will you?" I felt Eisuke's hand tighten on my arm as my face drained of blood. "That is, when you go to visit them at the cemetery –"

And then he was gone.

It took me a fraction of a second to process what he was going to do, but no matter how quickly I spun, I knew it would be too slow. "Eisuke, no –!"

The sound of flesh hitting flesh resounded throughout the circle, and a collective gasp went up from the students surrounding me. Eyes wide with shock, I barely processed what was in front of me.

Eisuke stood a few feet in front of me, arm raised in a punching motion, but his fist was caught in the dark grip of someone who was larger even than him. I squinted; Nebuya Eikichi stood in front of the smaller boy, clasping the punch meant for him in a large hand and frowning down at Eisuke.

"You definitely don't want to be doing that in a place like this," he stated in a deep voice. Eisuke scoffed and pulled away with a scowl.

Nebuya turned to the crowd and fixed them with a lethal glower, which had them hustling away at a breakneck pace, muttering to each other. Still in shock, I didn't resist when Eisuke came over and nudged me along. "Come on, let's go."

My eyes wandered the scene, and in the haze of my mind I abruptly remembered something; I glanced up at the windows above us, wondering if those two kids had gotten their fill from the show. Noting all the gaping faces, I concluded that they had and was about to look away when my gaze caught a blazing flash of red.

A familiar pair of red and orange-gold eyes watched us from above. I twitched in surprise as my green eyes met his; it was the first form of interaction we'd had in three days. But just as a small thrill began to course through me, I fully processed what I was seeing, and almost shrunk back in fear.

Akashi was staring down at us with absolute fury in his eyes. I'd never seen such an emotion in them, and I couldn't stop the shudder that ran through me when they latched onto me.

– desperation in his eyes as they met mine, pleading with me for something. Something essential I was meant to know –

"Hey, Setsuna-chan! Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing." I tore my gaze away from those frightening, mismatched eyes and focused ahead of me. "Let's just get out of here."