A/N: Sorry for the wait. Without further ado!

Kagami Taiga never really understood Alex's fascination with the Japanese Culture. Sure, it was pretty different from America, but to extend her stay to enjoy sightseeing was a little excessive in his opinion.

That was until now he supposed.

Even when the summer festival has attracted a gigantic crowd in the Ueno Park, not to mention he could not count the number of people had jostled him, a bump on his shoulder or accidentally stepping on his toes, the sight before him made that all worthwhile. He was pretty damn sure the rest of the guys agree.

Aida Riko was dressed in a sunny orange yukata be speckled with huge deep purple morning glories, tied together with a blue obi that was adorned with a goldfish at the front. The two small hairpins that she used to sweep her fringe to her side had added to the cheerful and genki appeal of her looks. Kagami noticed that Hyuuga had struggled to keep his jaw from dropping back to the floor.

Momoi Satsuki was in a silver white yukata and the pink daisies on it had complemented her bright pink hair perfectly. She braided her hair and it fall effortlessly to her side; her feet pointing inwards and her blushing cheeks as she stood fidgeting before Tetsuya, had made her look incredibly cute and adorable like a baby rabbit.

What firmly had his attention, however, was the refined purple-haired beauty in front of him. Kuroko Setsuna had her hair braided into a bun, her long fringe was pinned to the side with a beautiful yellow Tsubaki in the forefront. The crimson red yukata that were decorated with white Tsubaki flowers, contrasted with her cerulean blue eyes had in fact brought to life the most redeeming feature of the Kuroko bloodline. Setsuna effortlessly carried an air of elegance and dignity, in the way she walked and how she fold her hands neatly in front of her. Kagami had a feeling that the traditional Japanese get-up seemed to suit her image more so than modern dresses. Perhaps this is what it meant when his seniors called her the stereotypical Kyoto beauty.

"Kagami kun…" Tetsuya elbowed him, breaking him out of his revere," You are staring. Too much I might add."

Kagami blushed, stuttering incoherently for a few seconds before giving up, physically dragging his Seirin shadow to the nearby stands for food.

"Oi, oi Kagamicchi! Wait up for us!" Kise shouted, clamoring as their huge group slowly made their way inwards. Momoi grabbed onto Tetsuya's shirt sleeve shyly, while her other hand had a vice grip on the perpetually irritated Aomine who seemed ready to bolt from the crowd at any time.

Midorima sighed, pushing up his glasses while gripping firmly his lucky item of the day, a small box of three colored dango. He had to make sure Murasakibara kept his hands to himself, who had been eyeing it hungrily ever since they met up.

Setsuna started getting ready to follow them, when Akashi stepped forward, gently smiling at her. He was effortlessly dressed in a light blue collar shirt and black pants, exulting confidence and suaveness.

"…It suits you." He said simply as he reached out brushing a stray strand of her fringe, tugging it to her hairpin.

His heated touch on her forehead and just three words reduced Setsuna into a blushing mess of goo. They stood there for a few moments, just gazing and mesmerized with each other, sheltered in their little bubble of happiness away from the immense huge crowd of people.

"Thank you…" Setsuna finally managed to stutter out referring to the gift and its meaning," But it was uncharacteristically forward of you…"

Akashi smiled, tilting his head a little, with an amused glint in his eyes," Am I?"

He do enjoy making Setsuna squirm once in a while and if the accusing playful glare from her is anything to go by, she know full well how devious Akashi can be as well. It finally took an eye roll from Midorima and Kise's shout to bring the two 'lovebirds' forward, joining the rest of the gang.

They slowly wade through the crowd, going through each and every stall. Since this is Kagami's first time in a long while to a summer festival, Tetsuya slowly explained the stall games to him. Once in a while, he was goaded into a childish match with Aomine, the two of them bickering to emerge as the victor, whether at scooping the goldfish or shooting tin cans.

However, it was clear that Murasakibara benefited the most from their tirade, since all the snacks went to him, while the toys were split between the girls. Setsuna had so much fun as she laughed till her jaw was aching. She really missed her friends in Japan, she was not burdened with her talent or needlessly enduring the harsh whispers or stares from hostile teammates. She was just simply "Suna", surrounded by crazy and warm friends.

"Akachin~" Murasakibara called out, waving Akashi towards the front of a mobile stall," Help me get all the snacks from the front row."

The purple haired giant handed 500 yen to the stall owner, then handed the toy rifle loaded with 3 plastic bullets to Akashi.

"The front row has 6 tins right?" Hyuuga asked," With three bulle-"

The Seirin Captain had not even finished when Akashi took the first shot dropping the first tin; that in itself would have been pretty good… Except the bullet had went on to ricochet hitting a second one.

"What?" Setsuna asked Hyuuga smilingly, standing beside Akashi," 6 tins for Sei-kun is easy. There's a reason why Murasakibara asked for his help specifically."

Hyuuga had to keep reminding himself that he is in the presence of people whose skills had long went beyond the realms of mortals.

As the night went on, the crowd almost seemed like it doubled and it became physically impossible for the entire group to stick together. The gang splintered off slowly, and even as Setsuna watched the final group of four; Aomine, Kagami, Tetsuya and Momoi walked away together, she could not help but worry.

The tightening of the grip on her hand turned her attention back to her fiancé who has been keenly observing her all this time.

"Don't worry. Our job is done." He said coolly but Setsuna, well-verse in reading him all these years, know he care as much as she does. He is right however, there is only so much they could do, the rest will be up to them.

"Where are the rest?" Setsuna asked, changing the topic.

"Kise was stopped by a group of girls, Murasakibara was hunting for more food with Midorima following hotly behind."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow to the final odd pair, and Akashi supplemented with more information," Murasakibara ate one of his three-colored dango."

The girl blinked in understanding while the scion tugged her gently along," Come. There's a place I want to show you."

Their trek out of the stalls was slow but peaceful as Setsuna take in their surroundings and the distant cricket calls. She finally heaved a sigh of relief as the crowd started to thin out the further away they go. She also noticed they passed by more and more beautiful hydrangea bushes till the various pink, blue and purple colours of their flower heads litter the entire hill they were on.

"It's so beautiful here!" She turned around, marveling at the sight around her," Is this what you want to show me?"

"Partially." Akashi glanced to his phone and looked back up to the clear sky," Should be about time."

"Woah!" Setsuna could not help widening her eyes just as fireworks burst through the dark night, fiery blooms amongst the stars. The little hill that Akashi had brought her to had an almost unobstructed view of the summer fireworks erupting in the sky. Distracted by the dazzling lights, Setsuna had failed to notice how Akashi was less interested in the display than in watching her expressions, how they light up her face just as she smiled in wonder.

Setsuna felt happy. So elated that at that cusp of this happiness, she was suddenly reminded how desperately unhappy she was in America. Here in Japan, she is surrounded by her friends and loved ones. Here, everyone saw her as who she is. There, she was always alone and seen as the intruder and enemy. She could not remember why she had put herself in such misery.

That thought, that self-pity momentarily crushed her. Akashi had never looked away from her, so he was briefly alarmed when he saw her emotions playing out in front of him. She wept silently, her head now bowed, the vivid spectacle happening above them all but forgotten.

Akashi's instincts told him there is a lot more going on with Setsuna that she had not been forthcoming with him. He still wanted her to tell him herself. With the sound of fireworks still exploding above, he reached out for her and held her in his arms tightly, nestling her head on his shoulders. Something that he had always wanted to do whenever they were conversing in the past six months. It hurt to see her like this and even though he is equally troubled, the only thing that betrayed his thoughts was a small frown on his forehead.

The warmth of Akashi appeared to have only broke Setsuna's dams, she cried her heart out while she tightened her grip, clinging on to Akashi's arms desperately. Flashbacks of the situations came vividly in her mind where she was secluded from her teammates, the punishing routine her coach Gillian set up for her and how disgusted Gold made her feel. She hated how weak she felt, hated how things had snowballed into an uncontrollable mess. And she finally let it all out.

By the time she regained any notion of control, the fireworks had already long ended and Akashi's shirt is all a mess of her tears. She pulled back from Akashi slightly, desperately cleaning both of them up with her handkerchief. He allowed her to do so only so slightly with his hands possessively dropping to her waist as if saying that is as far as she can go.

"I-I'm sorry." Setsuna apologized, though what she is sorry for, it was unclear. She chuckled trying to lighten the tension," That really came out of nowhere huh?"

Brushing her heated swollen cheeks lightly with his fingers, Akashi replied," I haven't seen you cry like this for years."

That is Akashi's loaded way of telling her that he can now more than confirm that something serious is going on that he is not aware of and he is waiting for an explanation. It is funny how little that Setsuna cried is now working against her. Setsuna is more than ready to tell him, but where should she begin?

Lifting her head and staring up at his crimson eyes resolutely, she started with," I miss you."

"Me too." Akashi unabashedly replied, patting her head, subtly urging her to continue.

"It's not so s-simple. T-Things are pretty tough in America… It wasn't all a bed of roses. When I arrived…" Setsuna finally begun to slowly tell him the difficulties and culture differences that she met in school. She narrated the situation around her as if it was all happening to another person. At times, Akashi frowned deeply from her stories, and other times, when Setsuna appeared to be on the verge of breaking down again, he hugged her tight, patting her back up and down gently, signaling her to slow down and that he could wait.

"Do you want to come back to Japan?" Always the one to cut through the heart of things, Akashi had asked once Setsuna finally lapsed back into silence, her story told.

Setsuna hesitated. Despite the entire length of her story, she only briefly mentioned about her coach and never once remarked about Gold. Therefore by extension, Akashi still did not know how close she is from dropping out of the academy. Deep down, she knew if she were to tell him the entire history, Akashi will definitely want her back in Japan, no questions asked. There is also a basketball match down the horizon and she did not want this to affect him. However most of all, Setsuna felt ashamed and guilty how things are starting to unravel on her end. She was the one who boldly said she wanted to accept the scholarship, but what now?

She parsed her response carefully," I don't know. I'm… quite confused right now."

Seemingly accepting her answer for now and still holding her, Akashi leaned forward placing a gentle kiss on each of her eyelids consoling her.

"I can make things happen." Akashi stated vaguely," But only if you want it."

The hetero chromatic eyed version of him would have settled this on her behalf without further question, but this is Sei-kun, the one who is always so loving and considerate. Setsuna knew Akashi is respecting her decision but this kindness only made her feel guiltier two-fold. She closed the box to her troubles again, smiling up to him gratefully even when her heart is at odds," Thank you, Sei kun. I just needed time to consider."

Nodding to her response, their hands once again entwined, Akashi took her to the nearest water cooler in the park, wetting his handkerchief and handing it to Setsuna. The amethyst girl used it in a weak attempt to reduce her swollen eyes and it was then her hand-phone rang.

"Suna chan, where are you? Are you with Akashi kun?" Momoi called out on the other end. Judging from the noise in the background, she appeared to still be at the summer festival.

Clearing her throat, Setsuna responded," Yea, we wandered off nearby to see the fireworks. Are you guys leaving already?"

"Oh, no! I'm calling because Dai-chan and Kagami-kun won a ton of sparklers from the stalls and we want to set them off near the lake before calling it a night. Do you two want to join us?"

"Oh, more fireworks?" Setsuna briefly looked at Akashi hopefully and having a rough idea of the conversation, he nodded in consent. The girl responded cheerfully" Sure, we will be right there!"

After confirming where to meet, Momoi was just about to end the call when Setsuna suddenly recalled something," Wa-wait!"

"Yea?" Momoi asked.

"Are... things okay now?" Setsuna asked, referring to their original purpose of coming here.

A cheerful laughter greeted her ears, and Setsuna sighed in relief.

"Yes! Operation success! I will tell you more about it later!"

Putting her handphone safely back in her bag, Setsuna turned to the wryly smiling Akashi who offered his arm to her, "Told you things will be work out by themselves."

And as the beautiful couple meandered slowly towards their destination, Setsuna only hoped that things on her end will be sorted out soon too.