A/N: hAPPY NEW YEAR, I'm back with a surprisingly fast update HAHA (is this what being able to sleep for a long time gives me) so I did a New Year's special, as suggested by LADY-P-R-I-S-M, and then after that is another chapter for Teiko Arc ksbfkls i love this arc.

After this chapter, though, I will be focusing on revising the first two chapters (Prologue, Childhood Arc 1) because I think they were kinda meh / lacking in details and stuff. If you'd like to revisit them after I revise them, feel free to do so, but I'll be mentioning the revisions done in the A/N for the next chapter so that you won't have to go back to them c:

ALSO: please note i have no idea how new year's works in japan. I'm just basing it off of what my fam does during new year's eve + random ideas + what we do when visiting graves (tho we don't do this on new year's eve— we do this during October/November, but let's just assume it happens for this fanfic).

Enjoy!

"Seijuuro talking"

Seijuuro thinking

The voice talking

"Person on the other end of the call talking"

New Year's Special

(NOT part of the fanfic's timeline)

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It was December 31, New Year's Eve. Seijuuro was sure everyone was busy with preparations for dinner, or maybe for the festival later on, excitedly waiting for the new year to arrive. Seijuuro, however, was cut off from that sphere of excitement as she and Masaomi headed to Shiori's grave. Since the Akashis were rich, they had a mausoleum to house deceased members of the Akashi family, but Shiori's grave was found on the small garden directly in front of the mausoleum. It irked Seijuuro to see that, but visiting Shiori was more important at the moment.

In Seijuuro's hands was a bouquet of white lilies that contrasted with the black skater dress that she wore. Her white sneakers barely made a sound as she walked up the stone path towards the mausoleum.

The mausoleum was colored a pure white with some red decorations. From outside, Seijuuro could see pictures of other red-haired ancestors who were buried there. Seijuuro stopped herself from sneering; she knew it wasn't their fault for her mother's current condition.

Seijuuro reached the end of the path and stopped once she reached the garden containing Shiori's grave. There's not even a picture of her, she huffed. All the grave said was: Yanagi-Akashi Shiori, b. XXXX, d. XXXX, A Loving Daughter, Wife, and Mother.

Gently, Seijuuro placed the flowers down on the grave. Beside her, Masaomi placed a candle down on the ground and lit it with a lighter. He then wordlessly handed her a small bundle of incense sticks. Seijuuro took the incense sticks and lit them, holding them in her hands once a small flame appeared to burn on the sticks. She closed her eyes and remained silent for a few seconds before opening them and moving the sticks forwards and backwards thrice for the fire to be put out. She then inserted the sticks in the soil of the ground and watched the small wisps of smoke erupt from the sticks.

I hope you're fine now, wherever you are. And that you're healthy this time. Rid of your sickness. Living the life you should've lived.

I'm sure she's fine.

Comforting, now, are we?

…She's probably alright.

…I hope so, too.

Seijuuro then glanced at Masaomi, who was just staring at the grave. His incense sticks were also on the ground, placed beside hers.

"I'll just be close to the car, Father," she told him before walking towards the direction of where she knew Kon to be waiting.

Behind her, the sun began to set.

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Once they returned home, Seijuuro took a deep breath before making her mindset have a lighter feeling. She showered before slipping into a black-colored yukata with silver linings and a white-colored pattern of butterflies. She then curled her hair, allowing it to form soft curls, before she went downstairs.

The entrance to Masaomi's study was closed, but she could see light through the small crack underneath the doors.

Guess he's not celebrating today, either.

Seijuuro turned away and continued her short trek downstairs, where Shougo, Shuuzo, and Kazuya were waiting for her. Shougo was wearing an aquamarine-colored yukata with a turquoise-colored pattern of diamonds, while Shuuzo was wearing a silver-colored yukata with black markings. Kazuya, on the other hand, was wearing a sky blue-colored yukata with teal-colored designs.

"Hello, boys," Seijuuro greeted them as they began walking towards the festival nearby.

"I can't wait for the food!" Shougo cheered happily, jumping up and down as they walked.

"Imagine all the noodles there," Kazuya added with an excited tone in his voice.

"The games could be nice," Shuuzo shrugged. "What about you, Sei?"

"I just want to see the fireworks later on," the aforementioned girl smiled in response as she gazed at the lights on the lampposts that illuminated the streets they passed by.

The festival was already packed by the time they got there, but the kids didn't mind as they hurriedly bought takoyaki before seating themselves at a ramen stand and placing their orders.

Seijuuro, the only one who didn't purchase a takoyaki, stared at the boys incredulously. "So you're going to eat those alongside the ramen?"

"Not all of us have small appetites like you, Sei," Shougo laughed before eating two takoyaki balls in one bite.

"It's probably why she's so small," Kazuya remarked, making the other boys laughed.

Seijuuro couldn't help but pout at this, crossing her arms. "That's a foul right there."

"Just stating facts," Kazuya snickered with Shougo.

Before Seijuuro or anyone else could add to the conversation, their ramen had arrived and they all eagerly slurped down the hot broth. When Seijuuro had finished her ramen, her phone started to ring. She checked it and saw that Tatsuya was asking for a video call. She smiled before accepting the call. Immediately, Tatsuya's face could be seen in her phone. He was wearing a light colored scarf around his neck.

"Hello, Tatsuya."

"Nice to see you, too, Seijuuro," Tatsuya chuckled. "Taiga and I wanted to wish you an advanced happy new year because we figured we'd end up forgetting later on during the party."

"So where's Taiga, then?" Seijuuro asked curiously, not seeing any redhead near Tatsuya at all.

"Uh, that's the thing," Tatsuya rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "He said something about 'giving Tatsuya and his girl some privacy' before running off with Alex."

"Tell him I'm going to kill him once I meet him." This is where I threaten him with the real Akashi's trademark scissors, I guess.

"Will do."

It was, of course, a joke, so both of them ended up laughing before Seijuuro said, "I suppose I'll wish you an advanced happy new year, as well. Shuuzo, Shougo, Kazuya, and I are going up a hill in a bit to see the fireworks. I probably won't be able to call you then since neither of us would hear anything when we talk."

"Point," Tatsuya chuckled. "That's okay, though. See you, Seijuuro."

"See you, Tatsuya," Seijuuro smiled before ending the call and pocketing her phone.

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The walk up the hill where they would be watching the fireworks was tiring, considering that some paths were really steep. Shougo and Kazuya had slipped more than once, to each other's amusement, and it was only Shuuzo nagging at them to stop fooling around that they managed to reach their spot on the hill minutes before the fireworks were about to begin.

The four of them sat down on the cool earth beneath them, Sei in between Shougo and Shuuzo, and Kazuya beside Shuuzo, at the latter's insistence to prevent him and Shougo from doing something stupid like rolling down the hill because they got bored.

"Next year's gonna be a blast, I'm calling it!" Shougo shouted out loud with joy, and Seijuuro couldn't fault him for hoping so.

"I'll be able to get more mint flavored gum next year from different parts of the world!" Kazuya grinned with excitement.

"What are you guys hoping for?"

"Maa, I have one, but you're not supposed to tell people your wishes, you know. Otherwise, it won't come true. Surely, you know that?" Shuuzo smirked at the two boys, who paled.

"The blast!"

"The gum!"

Seijuuro snorted before hearing a whistling sound and then an explosion. Pointing at the sky, she said, "Look!"

Above them, different colored fireworks decorated the night sky, exploding and appearing like ephemeral streaks among the stars. At that moment, Seijuuro forgot about how distant Masaomi now was, about how she was missing Shiori, about her worries for the future. At the moment, she was just a girl, watching the sky and embracing the new year with her friends.

Chapter 15

It was a weekend. Normally, she would be disappointed to have to wake up early in the morning, but Momoi Satsuki was a happy girl. When she, along with two other girls named Kikuchi Atsuko and Arai Miki, had been told to see Sanada Naoto at nine in the morning, she already had an idea as to what was going to happen. That was why she simply smiled when he announced that the three girls were selected to be the managers for the basketball club. Arai Miki would be handling the third-string, Kikuchi Atsuko the second-string, and Satsuki would be getting the first-string.

That particular piece of information made Satsuki even more happier. She knew she had a shot at being selected to be a manager, but she didn't think she'd end up being the manager for the same string Daiki was in.

Wait 'til I tell Dai-chan about this! Waa~ I'm so happy! And Haizaki-san and Akashi-san will be there, too!

Basically, as a manager, she would do what she did during tryouts: help in recording information about the players during trainings and providing water bottles and towels. However, she would also act as an assistant to the coach as she would be handing the players their schedules, keeping them updated on what was new, and helping the captain, a Nijimura Shuuzo, oversee the training of those in the first-string. She would also be handling the documents that the players may need to show their teachers, such as excuse letters should they need to be pulled out of class for a match once the Inter-High or the Winter Cup came.

After Sanada made sure all three girls understood what their job entailed, he gave them information sheets on the players that they would need to familiarize themselves with. The papers were to be returned to him later that week.

Afterwards, he had dismissed them.

Satsuki watched as Kikuchi Atsuko and Arai Miki excitedly spoke to each other about their new job before leaving together. Satsuki felt a little disappointed that the two girls already knew each other. She was hoping that none of them would know each other so that it would be easier to introduce themselves and to start a friendship. Satsuki wasn't sure how she would be able to talk to them now, considering how nervous she was to socialize with them.

With a sigh, Satsuki headed over to a cafe near Teiko. She purchased a cherry-flavored frappuccino and gave the drink a good mix before turning to the papers she placed on the table. Compared to the other managers, she had the fewest papers, probably because so few could enter the standards of the first-string.

She looked through the papers one at a time, saving Daiki's for last because she was sure she pretty much knew all the non-basketball-related information on him. Sekiguchi Toru was a second-year with spiky blond hair and blue eyes. His height was average, but his other statistics made up for it. On the other hand, Kubota Masaya was a second-year with long black hair and of a similarly average height and build. His stats for three-pointers and free throws were quite good.

Satsuki then took a sip from her drink before moving on to Murasakibara Atsushi. She choked on what she was drinking when she saw that the purple-haired boy was 6'1. And he's a first year like me?! Satsuki marvelled at his height, along with the scribbled comments of Sanada, indicating that he was quite powerful admit seemingly lumpish.

It seemed Murasakibara's paper wasn't the only one that surprised Satsuki. There was Midorima Shintaro, a green-haired boy at 5'9, whose shooting was simply perfect. Then there was Haizaki Shougo, the grey-haired boy she met at the cafeteria, standing at 5'7 but with exceptional ball-handling skills.

And then there was Akashi Seijuuro, the only girl in the entire basketball club who stood at 5'2 and had notable speed and technique.

Satsuki felt really impressed by the girl, who seemed to be on equal footing with the other boys.

With a smile, Satsuki turned to Daiki's paper and read through it.

At eleven in the morning that same day, Seijuuro arrived at Akashi Hirohito's mansion. It had dull colors of black, brown, and gray on the outside, and the interior seemed cold with all the formal paintings and lack of anything that made the house seem like a home. A maid named Mina directed Seijuuro to Hirohito's study.

The study was quite similar to Masaomi's, except it was darker, not well-lit, colder. Behind the mahogany desk and behind the pile of documents on the desk, sat Akashi Hirohito. To Seijuuro, it was like looking at an older version of Masaomi, but sterner and with small gray streaks decorating his hair.

Hirohito continued on writing on a document even when Mina had closed the doors behind Seijuuro. Seijuuro stood there awkwardly before clearing her throat. The action prompted Hirohito to look at her disinterestedly for a second before turning back to his document.

Seijuuro wasn't sure if she should be seating herself down somewhere — there aren't any chairs here? — or clearing her throat again, although the latter would be rude.

He's the one being rude, though.

That's true, but we don't need to give him a reason to dislike me more. Why is he even like that?

Ask?

I'll pass on that.

With a sigh, Seijuuro waited for her grandfather to finish the document. Once Hirohito put down the pen, he scoffed. "Akashi heirs don't wait for people. People wait on them. You just failed the first test I've set for you."

I— what.

…

Is this why you told me to ask?

…There is still uncertainty with regards to the outcome if you had asked.

"I apologize, Grandfather, but I was raised to be respectful. Stopping you from doing your work would be quite rude of me, don't you think?"

"Watch how you speak, girl," Hirohito told her with a sniff. "Of course, Masaomi had to go and disappoint by giving me a female heir. Giving you a male name means nothing. Nothing. People will begin to mock the Akashi name with how you act."

Seijuuro felt ticked off by his words because she had done what she could to be as close to the perfect heir that Masaomi — and Hirohito — wanted as much as possible. Still, she knew better than to voice out her opinion and settled for taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Masaomi informed me that you were in your school's basketball team? You're still a girl, child. What are you thinking, roughhousing with other boys like that? That does not make you one of them. You're different. You are an Akashi and you are supposed to be above that. Surely, there were more intellectual options? Chess, perhaps?" Hirohito scoffed. "This is precisely why I had kept Masaomi from sports. What was he thinking letting you do so?"

"Or," Hirohito hummed as he looked at Seijuuro condescendingly, "perhaps, it was that woman's fault. Of course. It must have been her influence that turned you to this."

"If you are referring to my mother, I would like it if you'd use her name, Grandfather. Her name was Shiori."

"And what do I care of your wants?" Hirohito grumbled. "That woman loosened my hold on Masaomi."

"Is this what you called me here for, Grandfather?" Seijuuro hoped not. Otherwise, she was this close to exploding at him. He was belittling her. Insulting Shiori. What right did he have to do so?

"I called you here to tighten my hold once more on Masaomi," Hirohito said. "For starters, you will resign from the basketball team starting tomorrow."

Seijuuro couldn't stop her eyes from widening slightly in indignation. How dare he?

"Not quite to your liking?" Hirohito smiled cruelly. "Yes, that is something you will do."

"That's something I won't do, Grandfather. If your concern is with my father, take it up with him. Do not carry over your disappointment of him to me. As you said, Grandfather, I'm different," Seijuuro told him with a blank but hard look on her face. Quit the basketball team? Is he nuts? Did the real Akashi have to go through this, too?

How will you convince him not to push through with that?

Well, surely, there's another way?

Hmm.

"Then, perhaps, you will consider the alternative," Hirohito said with an amused look on his face. He opened of the drawers on his desk and pulled out a thin binder. "This contains a list of the eligible bachelors fit to wed an Akashi heiress."

"You— you wish for me to be betrothed?" Seijuuro couldn't keep the shock out of her voice. She had never known anyone back in her life as Elise who had to go through this. Was this… was this kind of thing common? She wasn't ready for a betrothal. She wasn't even thinking about marriage, not in this life, not as Elise. She wasn't even at the age to be thinking of marriage!

Among the world's leading businessmen and their families? It's quite common. They tend to do it to secure wealth or to amass more wealth.

And if I refuse?

There is a possibility that you cannot refuse. Not in this case.

"Precisely," Hirohito mockingly clapped. "So choose: basketball or a betrothal?"

The practical option, from an outsider's perspective, would probably be basketball. What was removing a sport compared to a lifetime trapped in a potentially loveless marriage? But Seijuuro needed basketball. That was where her friends were. That was where she had to be in order to realize the plot of the manga. Thus, the choice seemed clear, at least, as clear as it could be considering she was put on the spot.

Besides, I still have time, don't I? To get out of the betrothal.

That may not be the case.

I'll risk it, anyways. I don't really have much of a choice, and I think he knows that, too.

"…I will choose the betrothal, Grandfather."

"Excellent," he told her with false cheer as he handed her the portfolio. "Return here at the same time in a month with your decision. You may choose to discuss this with Masaomi, but I doubt he would be of much help to you."

Seijuuro looked confused. "What do you—"

"That is all. Dismissed."

Seijuuro found herself walking outside aimlessly. When she got home, the shock hadn't worn off, and Masaomi wasn't there to make things a little clearer for her, so she ended up outside. It was only a few minutes later that she found herself standing across her old pre-school. Memories of her pride at being the best, memories of Shiori being proud of her for her marks, flashed by.

Those were easier times.

"Ara, is that Akashi-chan?"

The familiar voice pulled Seijuuro away from her thoughts as she found herself next to her old teacher. "Wakana-sensei!"

"It's nice to see you again after so long, Akashi-chan!" Wakana beamed at her. The woman had aged gracefully, her hair tied into a neat bun. "How are you?"

"I'm…" Seijuuro hesitated. "…fine. What about you, sensei?"

"Well, I'm still teaching here," Wakana said as she gestured towards the pre-school. "I love teaching kids. I don't think I can find myself working anywhere else."

They eventually ended up catching up, with Wakana sharing that Seijuuro wasn't the first of her class to come by the pre-school. Even Matsumoto Kyoto had come to visit to thank Wakana for her efforts back then.

It was so easy to speak with Wakana, and Seijuuro found herself itching to tell her what had happened earlier.

Then talk to her.

Would it be wise?

Is anything stopping you?

With a nod, Seijuuro said, "Actually, sensei, I'm not fine."

Wakana's mouth formed a small 'o' as she looked at Seijuuro with genuine concern. "What's wrong, Akashi-chan?"

"I— I don't know where to start."

"Let's continue this at my house, shall we? It's quite close, and it'll be a much more relaxing place to converse in," Wakana told her as the woman led her past a few streets before they entered a quaint, yellow-colored house. Wakana served Seijuuro a plate of cookies and milk as they settled down in Wakana's living room. Though it appeared to be something that a kid would rather have, Seijuuro found herself amused as she took a bite of the cookie.

Wakana took a seat in front of her. "You can start from anywhere, Akashi-chan."

Seijuuro took a deep breath before she began with what she could remember about being an Akashi as a child, about the expectations placed on her and how they worsened once Shiori died, and about the meeting earlier today. Wakana listened without voicing out any opinion mid-way. After taking a sip from her own glass of milk, Wakana said, "First of all, I'm proud of you, Akashi-chan. You've gone through all that pressure, and you still came out on top. Today's meeting is just another hurdle. I know it."

"…How? How do I get past a betrothal?" Seijuuro sighed.

Wakana stood up and exited the room, coming back a few seconds later with two picture frames in her hand. She handed them to Seijuuro once she sat back down, and Seijuuro was surprised to see them. The first picture was of a younger Wakana dressed in a pale blue gown. Beside her were four other women, one being a younger Shiori, who was dressed in white and was wearing a veil. The second picture, on the other hand, contained Wakana as a child with what appeared to be Masaomi as a child next to her.

"I don't—"

"I knew your father since we were little. He sent you to your pre-school because he knew I was working there. Masaomi and I were close at one point. We drifted apart in college, but we were still catching up with each other. That's why I was invited to his wedding with your mother. That's her right there," Wakana explained before pointing at a woman beside Shiori. "This woman right here is Mari. She used to be betrothed to your father."

Seijuuro's eyes widened as she gazed at the blonde woman with green eyes. "Father was supposed to marry her? What happened?"

"Mari and your father agreed that they would still have their freedoms whilst betrothed to each other. They could date who they wanted in their own time, as long as it was discreet. They managed to break it off when your father brought Shiori to meet his parents, and that's when he and Mari told your grandparents that they were breaking the engagement and that your father was choosing Shiori."

"I take it Grandfather didn't take it well," Seijuuro snorted derisively.

Wakana chuckled. "He didn't."

"So based on your story, whoever I choose— we have to find a way to bring someone that we really like home and then marry them instead?"

"I'm just saying that that's what your father did," Wakana told her gently. "That it's possible to break off a betrothal. So don't worry too much about it right now, okay?"

"I'll try."

One of Satsuki's jobs was to deliver the practice schedules of the first-stringers, so she started with the second years on the second floor before heading back down to deliver those of the first years'. She started with Daiki because he was the most convenient, and then she went to Murasakibara. It was easy to spot him. Once the door to his classroom was opened, she found him on his seat being surrounded by other people, a pile of snacks on his table. She sweatdropped before shyly handing him his practice schedule. He nodded and thanked her before munching on another one of his snacks.

After that, she handed a schedule to Haizaki, who was walking along the hallway at the time.

That then left Midorima and Akashi, who were classmates. Satsuki headed over to their classroom and knocked on the door. A helpful classmate of theirs let her in their classroom and looked at the chalkboard, noticing that the seat plan had placed Akashi and Midorima next to each other. It was quite convenient.

Satsuki turned around and saw Midorima speaking with two of his classmates. His back was facing her, and when she neared them, she saw the scowls on the faces of those he was speaking to.

"—Virgo and Pisces are pretty low right now in Oha-Asa's rankings. It would be a shame if your luck would turn even worse."

"That's not the—"

"I suggest you refrain from speaking such when I am here. Are we clear?"

"Tch."

The two classmates left after that, and that was when Satsuki interjected, "Um, Midorima-san?"

Midorima turned around and looked at her. He had had a stern look on his face before he shifted it to a blank one. "Momoi-san, yes? I was informed you were to be the manager of the first-string. Did you need something?"

"Ah, just to hand you your training schedule," she said, handing him a slip of paper. "Is Akashi-san here? I'm supposed to hand her her's as well."

"You can hand me hers, Momoi-san. I will make sure she receives it."

"You'd do that, Midorima-san?" Satsuki asked with awe as she handed him Akashi's schedule.

Midorima took it but scowled. "I'm only doing it because it is almost time for first period. If you are late, Akashi-san could be held accountable for making you wait. Sagittarius has bad luck today, according to Oha-Asa, and as her seatmate, I refuse to have that bad luck spread to me. As such, I will take it upon myself to do this good deed in order to counteract her bad luck and prevent Cancer's luck from being tainted."

Although Satsuki didn't understand his reasoning, she was still grateful he would be giving the schedule to Akashi, so she thanked him before leaving for her classroom.

A/N: And that's the end for this chapter c: Hope you guys liked it hehe! Probably won't update anytime soon, but I'll try to do another update this month before my break ends because I know for sure I'll be having a hard time next sem c:

REPLIES TO REVIEWS

(hope i spelled your usernames right)

LADY-P-R-I-S-M: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too! Here's the new year's special hehe I hope it was okay c: And what happened in the meeting was now revealed and I hope it adds spice to the pairing and the plot. I'll think of other potential extra crossovers to do hehe as for Furihata, we'll be seeing more of him next chapter!

LittleWesties9: Perhaps. I myself am unsure if I'm going to have Sei approach Kuroko early on hehe and don't worry, the rambling is fine! c: Thank you so much and here's an update! (surprisingly the quickest one i've done like ever HAHA)