See author's note at the next chapter for details. Once again, thanks a lot for reading this! Is this author's note scaring you? Ahahaha, it's no big deal really. Two updates in one day! (It's really late at night here though...)

Enjoy!

"You have five days, Generation of Miracles – I trust you're aware what will happen if you don't."

Time had seemed all the more important now, and as they heard the sound of the clock's hands tick, they would feel their heartbeat fasten as well, their chest tightening in the thought of Kuroko – whatever had happened to him.

"I'll be waiting in the place where everything started."

"Come on!" Aomine suddenly shouted, shaking with anger out of knowing not what to do, "It's been a fucking day already! Can't we do anything?"

"Keep quiet Aomine," Midorima said calmly with a tinge of sadness, not enough for the bluenette to notice, who had now gripped Midorima's collar rashly, Akashi sighed, almost about to let Murasakibara handle it when Midorima spoke.

"You're not the only one feeling useless and hopeless here, Aomine." Midorima muttered low, "You're not the only one wondering what we're doing at a time like this, but remember, don't let your anger blind you."

Such a calm façade had confused Aomine for a moment – that Kuroko had actually been there, then he would wonder what they were fighting about. But then... Kuroko hadn't been there, he felt angry – yet he realized he had taken it too far.

He apologized and sat down, feeling restless. Indeed, he hadn't been the only one. It had been evident since the boy's absence, they had felt out of everything – their world was simply incomplete without him.

It was as simple as that and yet...

"I wonder what Kuorkocchi would think if he saw us like this?" Kise chuckled sadly.

"He would tell us to cheer up and get a grip of ourselves..." Murasakibara answered.

"Then he would ask whatever's bothering us..." Aomine had added.

"And he would do whatever he could to bring our hopes up..." Midorima said, in the back of his mind thinking: But then... our hopes were bound to fall again...

Like now.

"And he definitely would think it's not like us to sit around," Kagami interrupted, out of place – though of no matter, "I mean come on, surely the Generation of Miracles aren't this weak?"

"Humph." was all Akashi could say, smirking at Kagami who treated it as belittlement, yet the following words proved him wrong.

"We aren't the Generation of Miracles without Tetsuya, Kagami Taiga, and you will do well to remember that."

Kuroko had been the one who would unite them at times they would fight, he would be the one who calmed them down at times they would waver, he had been the one who taught them that... they weren't alone, and that they had each other.

"Let's go, we're going to see someone." Akashi proposed, they knew better to complain – but a brave one (Murasakibara) had asked who they needed to visit now of all times, Akashi turned the doorknob and answered.

"My father."

They had meant to move on without any distractions when Akashi turned to see a sulking redhead, he smirked.

"Kagami Taiga." he addressed.

Kagami's head shot up, annoyed by such a cocky smirk – still as annoying as ever... even in times like these.

"Well? Are you coming?"

"Yeah... yeah, I am."

"...Father." Had been the first thing Akashi Seiji heard from across the room – near the doorway. He had not been surprised – he had expected them to come to him when the time was right, together like they were now. He sits up, putting the view of the outside world from his office window behind him and faced his visitors, who he had expected.

He had expected this time to come too, so long ago, and destiny – fate was making its move.

"I trust you came to me in hopes I would answer all your questions?"

A nod confirmed what he suspected, he then stood up and took a picture frame out of a drawer – wiping the dust away, having been hidden for all those years.

It's been a good ten years, all which passed in the blink of an eye for him.

"I'm not the one to answer them – not all of them at least, and for now I can only give you one clue."

"We don't have time for clues and riddles! We want answers!" Aomine Daiki growled, enraged – driven by anger, confused – it reminded him of so much, it had been a common sight to him, the expression a boy would have. He suspected he had done such so many times, so many years ago he had never bothered to keep count – with each one of them being only one out of millions that had only resulted to a change of fate.

"Aominecchi..." Kise shook his head, silencing Aomine who muttered an apology – not that anyone could blame him. No one wasn't as insane as he was right now.

They couldn't even bring to think sanely.

"Daichi's son I presume?" Akashi Seiji questioned, not meeting those cold blue eyes for an answer. He had known, it was all planned out – and he had already known that he would be facing an Aomine in this very room before he could have answered.

"Strange, how people could be driven by emotion so much they don't even realize what they truly want. I trust you all know – that answers are not the only things you are seeking – what you want most isn't the answers...

But the boy – you want the boy's heart, you want him to live."

He held out the picture frame showing him and another man who had looked ever so familiar to them – with those big blue eyes brimming with warmth, sky coloured locks – the same pale complexion, the same air, the same look.

If it had not been in the records of time – they would have mistaken it as Kuroko Tetsuya, but in all truth, it wasn't him – for one thing had been sure, the man in the picture looking endearingly like Akashi Seijuro now, was Akashi Seiji in his teenage days.

"We all want our loved ones safe and alive – and I can guarantee one thing... the moment you lose him – is the moment you'll know you want him, like now. See?"

The truth hurts they say, and it had been a truth they were denied of for too long.

"I cannot give you all the answers – I am incomplete, and I am only part of the story – that woman, that... bitch," he cursed, "She has a big part in everything, and I can never fill up that gap even if it means turning back time, I will never know why she did such, but she will – and there is one other person, but he will have to wait."

He took out a slip of paper and wrote something on i, offering it to Akashi who held it firmly, examining it for a moment before looking at his father, who had faced him with the expression he had never dreamed of seeing – but today had proved him wrong.

"The tale starts out small – in that address I gave you. That is the start – you'll understand my part of the story, but you'll never understand it the way she did unless you speak to her – and that is what makes this important – a story can have many lies..."

"But there is only one truth." Akashi continued.

He had meant to thank his father first and leave when a single motion from Midorima told him his father had something to tell him first. He raised his heel and turned to face his father once again, making out the words:

"I'm proud of you son, go kick them in the ass."

"Damn it, I feel like a sore whiner." Aomine muttered.

"Aw come on Aominecchi... just think of us being detectives uncovering some random case! Isn't it fun that way?"

"Except it's not anything random," Midorima reminded, "How can you be so optimistic?"

"Midochin's just too negative." Murasakibara said, attracting their attention. Midorima shot him an annoyed look, not understand how he could possibly act like how Kise did at such times, questioning what Murasakibara had meant by his statement.

"All we have to do is crush everyone in the way and save Kurochin right? Then that's not any different from what we did before..." Murasakibara stated in such a simple tone, it had almost convinced them.

"More like Tetsu's the one who saves us." Aomine shrugged, "Guess this is our way to say thank you, yeah thanks, now I feel like I got sucker punched right in the face."

"Still prideful as always, aren't you?"

They turned to the voice that belonged to Kagami Taiga who had caught up with them it seemed, he had been panting, not that they had any intention to take him with them anyway. Kagami faced them almost looking desperate, and it seemed to be the same look they had on their faces moments ago.

It felt like he was part of them.

"Kagami Taiga, why have you come?"

Kagami looked back for a moment and sighed, "Coming with you of course, it may not look like it but I can kick some butt."

"That's not all we need, Kagami Taiga." Akashi warned, "We need someone who is willing to risk his life for someone they barely know – or barely had the chance to truly know, you not only have to be prepared physically – but mentally as well."

"It's Akachin's way of saying he doesn't think you're capable."

"Except Kuroko isn't someone I barely know – true, having met a person and spending time with them doesn't mean knowing them entirely – and I barely know him like you all do, but all I know is that I'm crazy over him... and that I don't need your permission to save him. That a problem?"

"Wow, so it's true people have their heroic sides brought out at times like these, huh?"

"Hey, Ahomine! What's that supposed to mean?!"

They had almost started another fist fight at a time like this until Kise got in between, "Now now," he said like he always did, "Kurokocchi would be sad to see the two of you fighting like this now..."

"He'll probably scold us."

"And punish us."

"And you'll have to be ready for it." Akashi nodded, "Very well said Kagami Taiga."

Without another word, they all got into the car – with Akashi driving – no one even joked if it was even legal, they only had one thing in mind – their objective clear, they set out without any regrets.

"Next stop – Meiko orphanage."

That;s a wrap, thank you for reading!

-BerryBliss