AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, Merry X-Mas everyone! Here's some brotherly love full of sweetness! And to be honest, Akashi may seem to be demanding (his alter ego at least) when it comes to victory, I can still see him as a reasonable person when it comes to circumstances, especially when it comes to the family. His strict father, after all, pressures him pretty hard to attain a lot of things for the sake of the family.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Tetsuya sighed for the umpteenth time as he changed his house clothes to outwear clothes. Akashi-kun had finally messaged him about their inevitable meeting, and that the red head would be waiting in a cafe nearby Kaijo. Today is a Saturday, and there was no morning training today so both brothers stayed home while their parents are out working. Nigou pats his master's leg, hoping to catch attention and convey his message through his eyes that he wants to take a walk in the park. The teal haired teen picks his puppy and strokes his fluffy fur. "Of course you can come with me Nigou. After meeting Akashi-kun we can take a walk in the park."

"Where are you going?"

Yukio stood by the door of his room, also on his way out when his younger brother stepped out of his room. He noted the casual clothes he wore and assumed that he was going out to do something other than walking Nigou (he wore much more comfortable clothes than what he is wearing). A nagging voice inside his head was saying that something is going to happen. He tries to ignore it. Tetsuya can take care of himself. He's in trouble. His younger brother is responsible (unlike some people he knows).

But then again, the younger Kasamatsu also has the ability to attract trouble like moths to flame.

Tetsuya momentarily contemplated whether to tell his older brother the truth. He decided to do so anyways. He doesn't like lying. Especially to family. "I'm going to meet Akashi-kun in a cafe near school."

For some reason, Yukio thought that something like that was going to happen sooner or later. From what he observed from the other Kiseki no Sedai, their former Captain, and the current Captain of Rakuzan, is possessive about 'his' players. Even though they don't belong on the same team anymore. Or even go to the same school. He's half worried about what can possibly happen to his younger brother in this meeting, but Tetsuya isn't so weak to not be able to defend himself. Akashi Seijuurou isn't all that intimidating physically anyways. And any psychological bullcrap the red head is going to throw won't bother Tetsuya anyways. The younger Kasamatsu's mental threshold isn't weak. Far from it.

"I'll walk Nigou to the park." Yukio said as he took the puppy's leash out of his brother's hands.

The message was conspicuous, but Tetsuya understood what his brother implied.

I'll be waiting for you at the park.

The teal haired teen was touched by his older brother's trust in him and his willingness to wait for him to tell him about his concerns and at the same time show his concern over him. He really has the best older brother in the world. He gave Yukio a bright smile. "Thank you Yukio-niisan."

Akashi Seijuurou patiently waited for the former Sixth Phantom to arrive at their meeting place. He had ordered a cup of tea in advance while waiting, and tried to think of what the teal haired male will explain. Tetsuya had always been about team work and leaving no man behind, so what prompted the other to leave the perfect team for his ideals and transfer to Ryouta's school? There could a hundred possible reasons, but he knows that Tetsuya isn't that type of person to just suddenly do those things. Circumstances, maybe? Uncontrollable circumstance that cannot be helped? If that is so, then things have become complicated for Tetsuya.

"Akashi-kun."

The red haired teen turned up to see his former team mate standing before him. It really is fascinating how one person can do such a thing. "Tetsuya. Long time no see, take a seat and order something you like before we have our talk."

The former phantom took a seat across his former captain and numerously tried to call the waitress' attention to no avail. In the end, the other teen placed the order for him.

Once the vanilla tea has been delivered (it's a little too chilly for a milkshake), the two of them spent a couple of moments in silence before Akashi turned his attention on Tetsuya.

"You've changed." was his blunt conversation starter.

Tetsuya jolted in surprise. That was unexpected. He was expecting along the lines of asking why he was in Kise-kun's school. "Pardon?"

Along those moments of silence, Akashi took the opportunity to study the teen in front of him. Still lacks presence, but his face...expressed more emotions than usual (not that anyone else would notice, he mused) and it looked like he was...content. Happy. He's still not sure why, but this is what the meeting was for. To find out why. To have the answers to his questions.

"You're more expressive than before. More relaxed. Happy, even." The red haired teen elaborated. He took another sip of his tea.

The teal haired teen almost squirmed on his seat. This kind of talk made him uncomfortable. Especially around Akashi-kun. The change in his behavior (and face, apparently) is not something he's comfortable being discussed about. He now knows what the other was exactly doing, delaying the inevitable by making him nervous so that he won't be able to lie his way out if things didn't favor him. He took a sip of his vanilla tea, and was glad that the tea was able to help him relax. "Well, there has been...circumstances that could not be avoided. But the receiving end of it makes me happy."

Ah, so it was an uncontrollable circumstance, Akashi thought. But what, is the question.

"Hmmm, while I am glad that it is making you happy Tetsuya, but it still does not explain why you're in Kaijo."

Ah, there it was.

Tetsuya straightened his posture (more so than he is now) and looked at his former captain at the eye. "It was not entirely my choice to move to Kaijo." he started.

"My mother...she had remarried. We're living with my step father right now, together with an older step brother. I could not possibly ask her if I could stay behind in Tokyo to continue attending in Seirin. I don't want to burden her, or my step father."

And even if Tetsuya continues to be in Seirin, it will be too far from where he is living, Akashi thought.

And Akashi understands. Family comes first before your wants. It works like that in a way in his family as well. "Then how are you going to participate in our oath?" he asked. He already knows that the teal haired teen before him already has a plan to execute even under these circumstance.

"I joined the team. As a manager."

The Rakuzan Captain raised a brow. As a manager? While both Tetsuya and Ryouta are not going to play on the court, the teal haired teen is still a participant in the game, as much as the players. I see, so this is the path you decided to take, Akashi thought. He never fails to surprise me sometimes, he added. Shintaro had been his Vice Captain and Momoi was their manager back in Teiko, but Tetsuya's observational skills are superb, much like his own. Using this skill as a manager, he can't wait to see what kind of results that will come in the Winter Cup. Well, now that he has his answers, he is going back to Kyoto. He will accept this arrangement (he is very curious as to how the Kaijo turns out with Tetsuya as their manager) for now, but when Winter Cup is over, this has to be changed.

Tetsuya right away understood what his former captain is thinking. Akashi truly believed that even with this sudden and unexpected change, that he will win in the end.

"Well then, before I leave, I would like to know your official last name as of now." the red haired teen asked as he drank the rest of his tea.

"Kasamatsu."

If Akashi was someone like their former ace, or the copy cat player Ryouta, he would've spat his drink or choked on it like a fool. But no, he's the opposite and swallowed his surprise. That would mean that the Kaijo Captain would be the other's step older brother. Or is this a coincidence? Either way, Tetsuya is no longer Kuroko Tetsuya, but Kasamatsu Tetsuya. "Well then, I will take my leave. Have a pleasant morning, Tetsuya. I look forward to your future games." the red haired teen said as he left his share of money with the familiar, superior look on his face.

The teal haired teen exhaled once his former captain had left the cafe, most of the tension in his chest finally lifted. To be honest, he had expected for his captain to not accept it, but it seems that that's not that case, fortunately for him. Tetsuya drank the rest of his lukewarm tea, and also left his share of money before leaving the cafe.

Yukio rubbed Nigou's paws, amused by the puppy's reactions, and occasionally stroking his soft fur while he waited for his younger brother. He never knew that it's fun taking care of a dog, since he never really had a pet before. And seeing at how disciplined and well-behaved the puppy is, Tetsuya is one good owner, he thought. Then again, he was team mates with Kise, who is comparable to a hyperactive puppy for three years (and now, until high school). Ok, other than Kise, there are also the Kiseki no Sedai who are handfuls themselves. He pities the former captain who took care of the rainbow colored themed yet impossibly skilled basketball players.

But he still can't help but be worried about his younger brother. He's been meaning to ask Mom about Kuroko-san, but he needs to find the right timing for it. But he doesn't want to hurt his mom by possibly bringing up sensitive topics so he'll wait. Or maybe he can ask dad. Because from what he observed, Tetsuya didn't...have such a pleasant past. One, something must have happened with the Kuroko family. Something not good. And then basketball. It's the one thing that Tetsuya treasured the most aside from his family. It was how he gained his friends. It was how he found his perfect team. And it was also the thing that gave him such painful memories. He recalled Tetsuya's story about his childhood friend who had taught him the sport he came to love. Until middle school. Yukio can already guess what happened during that time. And not just his only childhood friend, but the Kiseki no Sedai themselves. He had heard from Kise one time that they were a great team. One who actually had team work before they started becoming a team without it. So Tetsuya lost his closest friend since childhood and lost communication with him, and the team he had developed his basketball style with. Is that why he's...did he actually learned to reduce his presence and control his emotions so that he won't break? Yukio thought.

It's surprising that his younger brother still wants to play basketball.

"Yukio-niisan."

The older Kasamatsu shoved his thoughts at the back of his head as he turned to his younger brother. He smiled at him and moved over to give the teal haired teen some space to sit on the bench. The puppy barks happily to greet his other master.

"He didn't do anything bad to you, did he?" Yukio asks his younger brother with a serious expression. The things he would do to Akashi Seijuuro if he dared to touch his younger brother.

The teal haired teen shook his head. "All we did was talk. I was honestly surprised that Akashi-kun is fine with me being the manager of the team."

Yukio raised a brow. "Does it matter if he's fine with it or not."

Tetsuya smiles. "No. No, it doesn't."

The older Kasamatsu huffed. "Good. Cause even though I think that you should play in the team, I also think that having a Kiseki player and the Phantom Sixth Man in the team is overkill...actually, Rakuzan having a Kiseki player (the captain no less) and three Uncrowned Kings is overkill. You know what, maybe you should play after all." Yukio teases, knowing that the younger teen wont change his mind about being a manager. Anyways, Tetsuya is doing a magnificent job as a manager.

The former phantom chuckled at his older brother's response. He never expected for his life to turn this way, he thought. The first time he met the Kaijo Captain was in the practice match between Seirin and Kaijo. While he isn't as tall as other Captains, he is skilled and talented in his own right and not only that, he is a responsible Captain who looks after his players (and is able to control them if they get too out of hand; Kise), and he is also sensitive to other people's feelings. What Tetsuya likes the most about his older brother is how mature and wise he is. How the older teen lets him have his time adjusting in the house, how he takes no for an answer when it comes to health (Tetsuya muses that it was one thing he was awkward about at first, but now he accepts his concerns whole-heartedly because he trusts Yukio-niisan), and how he always knows what actions to take to make Tetsuya happy and comfortable. Just like a real older brother would be. No, Tetsuya corrected, he is my older brother, he thought proudly.

"Tetsuya, I want you to know that I'll be by your side all the time. Whether you want me to be or not. So when something bothers you so bad that you feel like crying or tear your hair out of frustration, I'm more than willing to listen." Yukio said. "I'm your older brother," he continued with a bit of uncertainty. "And I want you safe. I want you to be happy. I'm sure that you've been through a lot of things that aren't exactly pleasant, but the past are one of the things that help you shape who you are now and I don't want to say I'm happy that it turned out that way, but I'm happy that you're here right now, beside me and becoming my younger brother." he finished in confidence.

Tetsuya stared at his older brother with wide eyes, his face showing a clear, shocked expression, honestly surprised with his older brother's speech. This...this is the first time someone had ever said something like that to him. And hearing that his presence mattered and how important he is to Yukio-niisan brought tears to his eyes. The only person who have ever expressed that he is important to them is his mother. And now he has Yukio-niisan and of course, Papa. He blinked his tears away as he rubbed his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt and gave his brother the largest, and brightest smile he could offer. "Thank you, Yukio-niisan. I would always be by your side as well. And if you ever need something, I'm here to help you. I may not be the best person for moral support, but I will do my best for my nii-san."

The two brothers grinned.

Omake

Moriyama and Kise watched the brothers interact while they ate lunch by the infirmary. Tetsuya shyly asked if they wanted to eat with them, him and Kise-kun, to eat lunch in their usual spot (which is the infirmary). And judging by how close they are acting, both shooting guard and small forward knew that with every passing day, the brothers grow close to one another.

'Bro-cons. Both of them.' Moriyama concluded.

'Kurokocchi is so cute.' Kise concluded as he watched the teal haired teen smile.