AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I don't own Kuroko no Basket (I wish though), and this is purely fiction set in a university AU where the Kiseki no Sedai/Generation of Miracles live in Tokyo again.

It had been exactly one week since the death of Nigou and Kuroko had yet to actually come out of his room and have a proper conversation with his friends, much less his roommate.

At this moment, Kagami was standing outside the door to Kuroko's residence, wondering whether or not he should knock and retrieve the guy. Kuroko had chosen, at the very beginning of the school year, that he would live off campus with his significant other. Initially, Kagami thought that his lover had ordered it, but Kuroko denied that, along with other reasons that Kagami kept thinking of. It was a mutual decision they had made, since they were approaching that part of their relationship. After all, it had been three years since they had properly been around each other for a while. Kagami eventually gave in.

Before he could decide, however, someone opened the door. "Good morning, Kagami-kun."

Kuroko's appearance surprised Kagami, but he quickly regained his composure. "Morning. How are you holding up?" he asked, concerned for his friend.

Kuroko could read the worry lines on Kagami's face, and he answered, "I feel better today. Now let's go, Kagami-kun, we have a training camp to attend. Coach will quadruple our training menu if we're late even by a second."

Kagami nodded, but realized there was something wrong with the picture in front of him. Though his partner was dressed in his jersey and sweatpants and carried his duffel bag with him, something was bothering Kagami. He took another look at him, wondering if he had eaten breakfast this morning or dinner last night. Was that it? Or was it the slight bedhead that he still had? Kagami's stomach did a double take. He hoped his shadow was okay, even after the passing of Nigou.

He must have been worrying for too long, for Kuroko asked him, "Is everything okay?"

Kagami nodded quickly, and Kuroko shut the door. Kagami glanced down, checking if his shoes matched. They did, much to his relief. Thinking that maybe he really was overreacting, Kagami descended down the stairs, with Kuroko following in tow. But the nagging feeling would not go away, and it was really starting to irritate Kagami.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Kagami turned to face him. "Are you sure you didn't forget anything? Did you even eat this morning?"

Kuroko blinked. "I did eat breakfast this morning, Kagami-kun, and I don't believe I forgot anything in the apartment. I have a couple shirts in here, some pants, a pair of shoes, and my living essentials. I do not think there was anything else I needed, unless Coach sent out a text saying something," he responded. "Are you sure you're okay, Kagami-kun?" he asked for confirmation.

"Yeah, it's just something's bothering me, and it's annoying the hell out of me. I don't know what's wrong, I just know something's wrong," Kagami confessed. "Maybe it's just me then."

"Did you eat breakfast today?" Kuroko asked. "Did you bring everything?"

"I double checked before I left my dorm. I have everything I need for the camp," Kagami replied. "And yes, I did eat breakfast. Five omelets might have been a little too much though, now that I think about it."

"I can't think of anything out of line, then," Kuroko said.

Then it hit Kagami what was missing from the picture, and he almost wanted to hit himself with something for forgetting. Well, it wouldn't just be him hurt, though. Kagami looked at Kuroko and studied his expression. Kuroko hid all of emotions as usual, but Kagami was trying his hardest to really read his expression. Kuroko tilted his head to the side, wondering what his light was doing.

"Have you even spoken to your significant other today?" Kagami asked at last. By Kuroko's delayed reaction, he knew he touched a soft spot. "What happened?"

"We got in an argument last night," Kuroko confessed after several minutes ticked by. By then, Kagami had taken the liberty to drag Kuroko to his car so they could have a more private conversation and they could get to the training camp on time. It was located in Tokyo, which was about an hour drive by car. "I know he means well, but I couldn't help but to fight him. After all, he was locked in - "

"I got it," Kagami interrupted. He could sense the tension radiating from Kuroko's aura, and the sadness still evident in his aura and tone. Whether it was from his boyfriend or Nigou, he didn't know, but the two happening at the same time was clearly not helping the situation. "Want me to punch some sense into him?"

"No," Kuroko replied. "He went to Midorima's. He'll do something about it, I know he will. Midorima has always been able to cool him down if I couldn't do anything. They've been friends since middle school, before everything happened."

"Okay," Kagami answered. "I'll trust him then."

Kagami dropped the topic after that. He brought up other things, mainly to distract Kuroko from the week's events. They kept the conversation going, even though sometimes his shadow didn't want to press further into certain topics. Kagami wondered if there was anything he could do to get his best friend out of his current state. He suspected that this was also the reason why he and his boyfriend fought as well. No one really liked a depressed Kuroko, after all.

They arrived in Tokyo on schedule. After years of living in the bustling city, the two of them knew their way around quite well. Kagami found the place of their training camp with ease, and they got to practice on time.

"Two hundred laps around the gym after your stretches, boys," the coach barked at the duo when they walked in. Kagami and Kuroko stripped off their shirts and joined the rest of their team at basketball practice, ready to give it their all.

Even the death of Nigou cannot stop Kuroko from attending practice at least.

Akashi woke up that morning lying in a different bed than usual. The rumpled bedsheets and foreign smelling pillow gave it away. He blinked twice, wondering where he was. At the sight of the random objects in the room, he realized where he had fallen asleep. Frowning, he got out of bed and searched for his clothes from yesterday, which were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps the people residing in the dorm would know where they went.

One step outside of the guest room and Akashi was greeted with the smell of something cooking in the kitchen. He walked down the hall and peered into the kitchen, where Takao was cooking breakfast for the three of them.

"Good morning, Takao," he greeted. "Do you know where my clothes are? I'd like to be dressed in something other than my boxers this morning."

"Morning, Akashi," Takao replied. The two of them were familiar enough with each other than honorifics were deemed unnecessary, especially since Akashi doesn't use any with people he's familiar with. "Your clothes are being washed by Shin-chan right now. You can borrow some of mine or Shin-chan's if you want." Then, like the caring guy he was, he asked, "Did you sleep okay? You had a rough night last night."

That was nice of Midorima. Akashi told himself to reward him later. "Yes, thank you for asking," Akashi replied. Truth was, it wasn't that well, but he'd be damned if anyone found out. "Thank you for letting me stay the night, by the way."

"You're welcome. Shin-chan was more than willing to let you stay tonight as well, even though he'll never admit it," Takao offered. "I have no problems with it."

"That won't be necessary," Akashi replied. "Kuroko's at a training camp in Tokyo for the next couple days. Kagami's taking care of him. I have plans during that time, anyways."

One of Takao's eyebrows shot up. "Oh really? And what are those plans?" Knowing Akashi, it's something devious, since his eyes had a cold glint to them, as if his other persona was going to take over. Plus, Takao was curious. His partner would be curious as well to know what his friend was planning.

Akashi thought about it for a second. "Meet me at our apartment in the next two hours. I'll tell everyone to meet me there so we can discuss some things," he ordered.

Takao nodded as he flipped the pancakes onto the plate. "Your pancakes are ready, Akashi. At least eat something before you go out and do things on a whim."

Akashi sat down at the kitchen table, and Takao served him the pancakes, along with syrup and blueberries on the side. "Thank you, Takao, for the meal." Takao merely flashed him a smile in response.

"Was that my plate of pancakes you just offered Akashi?" Midorima asked the moment he stepped foot into the kitchen, holding an extra set of clothes. He tossed them at Akashi, who had briefly looked up from his breakfast. Akashi caught them and hurriedly put the clothes on. He didn't like sitting around in boxers normally. "Today's lucky item is a tiger, and that plate has a tiger on it. You know how I feel when something goes wrong concerning Oha-Asa."

Takao had to stifle his laughter. "Shin-chan, we have about five plates with tigers on it. Calm down," he said, offering his boyfriend another plate topped with pancakes.

"I am calm." Midorima accepted his plate of pancakes and sat down next to Akashi, who was now fully clothed and on his phone. Another moment later and his phone vibrated, along with Takao's. He looked at the message, and then looked back at his former captain. "You're lucky it's Saturday, Akashi."

"Oh?" Akashi said, raising an eyebrow. "What were you going to do, ditch and go on a date with your boyfriend?"

Midorima didn't want to admit it, but he had the idea locked in his head for a while and was finally going to act on it today. Scowling, he merely replied, "No. I wouldn't ditch for something foolish as romance."

Takao laughed again. "He would, Akashi." Midorima tried to sway Akashi into believing the opposite, but he wasn't fooled for a second. Akashi was well aware of the affection the two of them showed each other.

When Takao finished making the last batch of pancakes for himself, he came to sit down with the other two people in the dorm. Together, the three of them continued a steady conversation about anything that popped into their minds. Akashi and Midorima arranged a day in which they could face off again at shogi, which had been long overdue for a while now. They haven't played each other since middle school, after all. Takao told the story of the rickshaw being destroyed to pieces after a hard loss against Yosen during the Winter Cup their third year of high school. Midorima cringed at the story; after all, the incident had been his and Miyaji's fault. Akashi's eyebrow was raised the entire time, and Midorima suspected that this might turn into blackmail material if he wasn't careful.

After the Winter Cup their first year of high school, and the reunion of the Generation of Miracles, everyone had quickly become friends. It wasn't difficult anymore for Seirin to get practice matches against powerhouse schools, since they had won the Winter Cup and the other Miracles wanted to fight against Kuroko over and over again, Rakuzan especially. They had found worthy opponents and friends in Seirin's team, and the two schools were always having practice matches against each other for the next couple years.

Basketball wasn't the only reason Akashi kept asking for practice matches with Seirin, though.

"Aw, we're out of pancakes," Takao said, breaking Akashi's train of thought. Akashi didn't remember when he had stopped listening to him, but since he couldn't retell the story, he guessed he tuned out from the very beginning. The two words, Winter Cup, were memory triggering, after all.

"I guess so," Akashi replied, looking down at his syrup filled plate. "I have to go, anyways. Midorima, when do you want your clothes back?"

Midorima looked at the clothes, wondering if he actually wanted them back. They seemed to fit Akashi well, other than the obviously oversized shirt. Plus, the clothes were a size too small for him. "You can keep them," Midorima finalized. "I'll return your clothes at the meeting."

"Oh? Then thank you very much," Akashi smiled.

"It's not like I need them or anything," Midorima defended, seeing the smirk forming on Akashi's face. Takao laughed as he picked up the silverware and plates to wash them.

Akashi excused himself and the two boys bid him a farewell. Though Akashi had pointed out that it would be futile, Midorima and Takao thought it was more polite to at least give him a 'see you later'. Before he left, however, Takao whispered something to the red haired man. Hearing it, Akashi's eyes narrowed.

"I am Akashi Seijuurou, and I am absolute in everything I do," was all he said in response, and he closed the door behind him.

When he left, Midorima looked at his boyfriend. "What did you tell him?" he asked, half shuddering in fear if his other persona was making its return.

Takao smiled and reassured him that his other personality wasn't returning. "You have nothing to fear. They'll be okay," he said, knowing that Midorima deep down was concerned for his two friends. He knew that Midorima secretly supported their relationship, and the distance between the two of them would only cause room for pain and hurt.

Midorima sighed, realizing that Takao had once again read through him. "Go finish your chores, Takao."

"Okay!" he cheered, and Midorima bit back a comment about his motherly side.

In their apartment, Akashi laid on the couch as the meteorologist rambled on about the weather for the day on the television. In his hand was a picture of himself and Kuroko at their first date. Akashi himself had taken the photo, saying that he didn't have a picture with him and he wanted a memento of that night. Kuroko had agreed, and the two of them have taken a picture at the top of a cliff, watching the night sky go by.

The memory was bittersweet. Akashi somehow remembered the events of last night, though much of it was still hazy in his mind. After all, his other persona had taken over last night when his real self had succumbed to his anxieties and started a fight with Kuroko. Even if Nigou had died last week, the pain hasn't quite disappeared yet and he had initiated the fight at an especially bad time. Sometime during the fight, he had threatened to call it quits, saying something about not wanting to date a weak, cowardly person who couldn't get over the passing of a mere dog. Akashi doesn't remember when he stormed out of the apartment, angry, and how he ended up at Midorima's that night, but he was grateful for that the following morning.

Akashi blinked. He rushed into their room and leaped onto the bed, wanting to smell his scent all over the bed. He held one of their pillows tight, not wanting to let go. Kuroko's scent was particularly strong in this pillow (probably since he uses it every night), and Akashi adored this scent. He missed his boyfriend, and he wanted him at his side every waking moment of the day.

He hoped Kuroko would forgive him for sinning once again.

Akashi laid in their bed for a long time until he heard the knocks on his door. He checked the time on his phone. It was indeed time for the meeting with his friends, the Generation of Miracles. Only Kuroko wouldn't show up, and he knew the reasons why he wouldn't be able to. He got up from the bed and opened the door for his guests.

"Akashicchi!" Kise's overly cheery voice greeted. Kise dived for Akashi with the intention of hugging him, but Akashi dodged at the last moment, leaving the blonde model on the floor. "Why are you so mean?" he asked, pretending to cry.

Aomine kicked his foot. "Oi Kise, you're blocking the way." Turning to Akashi, who was leaning against the wall now, he greeted him in a more polite manner. "Yo, Akashi."

"Hello Kise, Aomine," he greeted in return. Looking at Kise on the floor, the redhead suddenly got an idea. "If Kise is done spreading his germs on the floor, you both may sit in the living room and wait for Midorima and Murasakibara to arrive."

"Huh? What germs?" Kise asked, confused, as he moved into a standing position. He believed that he wasn't contagious with bad bacteria. "Akashi, why are you so mean still? I thought Kuroko beat it out of you?"

"Beat what out of me?" Akashi asked, an eyebrow raised. "Are you implying that I've changed during my relationship with Kuroko?"

Aomine looked at Kise. "Don't bother, Kise." With that, he took off his shoes and walked into the living room.

"Aominecchi!" Kise whined as he retreated into the living room. Akashi watched them silently from his position.

Akashi wouldn't admit it to anyone, but Kuroko really had changed him. Before, Akashi would have locked up his own feelings and tossed them aside because of other priorities. If it weren't for Kuroko, he might have never experienced things like this. Even during their relationship, Kuroko kept teaching him different things, things that went beyond his expectations. Though Akashi took most of the initiative during the relationship, most of anything Kuroko did was purely romantic, and Akashi couldn't help but to take second place in being the most affectionate in the relationship.

Kuroko spiced up Akashi's life for the better, and Akashi didn't want to let him go.

"Mido-chin, hurry up, they're already waiting on us," Akashi heard someone say.

Since he had not closed the door after Kise and Aomine walked in (blame Kise and his need to sprawl on the floor like a baby), Akashi peered outside to see Murasakibara and Midorima coming up the stairs to their apartment door. Murasakibara, when he reached the entrance to the apartment, greeted Akashi with a snack and had to duck to enter. Midorima came moments later with his boyfriend in tow. Akashi didn't mind, since Takao had somewhat made this happen.

"Murasakibaracchi, Midorimacchi!" Kise exclaimed as he hugged both of them.

"Ki-chin," Murasakibara replied. Midorima merely stood there, unaffected by the hug, although his eyes screamed bloody murder. Takao snickered at his boyfriend, which fueled the flames even more.

"Kise, sit down in the living room," Akashi ordered, and Kise followed through. This gave a chance for the three newcomers to sit down somewhere, and Akashi closed the door to the apartment. After all, everyone that he had invited were now sitting in his living room.

Akashi took a seat on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table from Murasakibara. On the couch were Aomine, Kise, and Midorima. Takao was seated right beneath Midorima's feet. Although it was slightly weird, it made sense, since Takao was the more lovey dovey person in the relationship. Midorima muttered something about being seen as that kind of couple, but Takao ended up slapping him playfully on the leg and said something to push aside his worries.

"I need your help," Akashi stated. "I need the following to get done within the next two days…"

Kagami loaded everything back into the car, along with Kuroko's belongings. The training camp (of hell, they wanted to add) was finally over, and their muscles were still burning as if they had been set on fire and the fire could not be extinguished. The camp had worn them out physically and mentally, and it was enough for Kuroko to vomit several times during the exercises. There had been no relaxation at all during the two days, just constant work on basketball.

"I'm glad it's over now," Kagami said.

"Me too, Kagami-kun," Kuroko replied. "Can I get a vanilla milkshake now?"

Kagami thought about it for a moment. "How about this, we go for a Maji Burger dinner like we used to at Seirin? Old habits die hard."

"Sure," Kuroko allowed. Kagami nodded as he turned on the engine and drove away from the camp.

When they got back to Tokyo, they hit the Maji Burger place to refresh themselves on fast food and a shake for Kuroko. He had been denied of his shakes for more than a week now, and the food at the camp wasn't exactly five star gourmet food, but at least it was not as bad as their old coach's cooking. Kagami and Kuroko both share nightmares with her cooking still, even if she isn't their coach anymore.

Over the food, Kagami pried further into the rift between Kuroko and Akashi. While Kuroko had stated before that it wasn't a big deal, Kagami could tell that Kuroko wanted to stall for time before he had to return to his apartment. Therefore, he allowed the Maji Burger visit. Kagami was a little sick of the place now, but he'd do anything for his shadow, even if it would kill him in the long run.

"What did you two fight over?" Kagami inquired.

"Akash-kun wanted to try and replace Nigou," Kuroko answered, almost as if he was going to cry. Kagami instantly knew that the subject was still delicate. "And in my state, I wasn't thinking clearly, and I guilt tripped him and accused him of things that I shouldn't have."

"Oh," Kagami said. "Was it bad?"

Kuroko grimaced. "Very bad. Akashi-kun left the apartment shortly after I said all of those horrible things, and I didn't get to apologize."

Kagami slapped his partner's back. "Hey, Akashi's strong. He probably understands what you're thinking, even if it's weird and demented and shit. You should apologize soon though, or he'll hold a grudge forever," he advised.

Kuroko nodded. "Okay."

Kuroko thought about telling his light how wrong he was about his boyfriend, but decided not to. After all, some things should stay private, and some things are not his to blab to the world. Plus, at least Akashi's image wouldn't shatter completely for Kagami. Akashi would probably not like it all if his public image was ruined, friend or not.

"You want to go back home tonight?" Kagami asked, although he already knew the answer when he asked.

"Yes, I do," Kuroko replied. "Thank you for taking me to the camp and back, Kagami-kun."

They exited Maji Burger together and Kagami drove his partner home. When they arrived at the apartment, Kagami noticed how they were extra cars in the parking lot. Not only that, but some of the extra cars were familiar, as if they belonged to people that he knew. He glanced up at Kuroko's apartment, but the lights were off. How odd.

"Is your boyfriend at home?" Kagami gruffed. He didn't want his partner to get into another fight tonight, and he definitely didn't want his partner to be sad tomorrow if Akashi did another dumb thing.

"No idea. Akashi-kun hasn't bothered to text or call me while we were at the training camp," Kuroko responded as he took out his duffel bag from the car. "Good night, Kagami-kun."

Kagami bid him a good night as well as he drove away. Kuroko walked upstairs to his apartment door and noticed that it was unlocked. He remembered locking the door just before he left the house for the training camp, and Akashi wasn't stupid enough to leave the door unlocked for intruders to come in as they please, so it stumped Kuroko as to why the door was unlocked. Nervous, he opened the door anyways, hoping someone did not break into the apartment.

He opened the door and turned on the lights. Once he had confirmed that no one was going to kill him, Kuroko took off his shoes and put his duffel bag down in the hallway. He would deal with the mess in there later. Right now, Kuroko was more interested in taking a shower and going to bed for the night. It was getting late, after all.

"Tet-su-ya," a voice moaned from behind him, sending shivers down Kuroko's spine. He wrapped his arms around Kuroko's shoulders, which did not help the situation.

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko replied stiffly, not wanting to turn around and see his other personality there instead of his real boyfriend.

Akashi looked hurt at the tone his boyfriend was using. "Sei-kun," he said, reminding Kuroko of his nickname.

Kuroko turned around to take a good look at what his boyfriend was. When he saw the two red eyes staring at him, he was relieved. No one wanted to deal with the heterochromatic Akashi ever again, not after Teiko and the first year of high school. "Sei-kun," he repeated, "I'm home."

Akashi nodded. "Yes, you are, and it's Tuesday. Shall we call it a movie night?"

Kuroko nodded, which completed the first part of Akashi's plan, to have a date night inside the apartment. It was what Akashi had originally intended, after all. "As long as I pick the movie," he said boldly.

Akashi raised both eyebrows. He usually picked out the movies they watched. "What movie would you like, then?" He hadn't expected this part, but Kuroko Tetsuya had always exceeded his expectations, after all.

Kuroko thought about it for a second. "Insidious," he declared. Akashi nodded and popped the disc into the player, and then came to sit with his boyfriend on the loveseat.

They watched the movie in silence. At the beginning, Akashi had gotten up to make the popcorn, and the two of them ate out of the same bowl. The popcorn was gone by the halfway point in the movie. Kuroko ended up lying on Akashi's lap by the end, though, since the horror was setting in and he felt more sick than anything by then. Akashi combed his hair as he lied there on his lap.

Akashi turned off the television when the credits began to roll. His other hand was still intertwined with Kuroko's hair, and Kuroko himself was staring blankly at the television. He supposed Kuroko still hasn't gotten over his initial fear of horror movies, so he was perplexed as to why he had asked to watch one.

He casually helped Kuroko sit up and lie back down on the couch so that he could get off the couch. Then Akashi went into their room to get the most important thing out of there and carried it to his boyfriend, who was still staring at the television, motionless.

"Tetsuya," he said, "hold this for a second." Akashi gave Kuroko the life sized stuffed toy to hug. "Why did you insist on watching a horror movie if you knew you couldn't handle it?"

Kuroko hugged the toy tightly, not realizing what the toy actually looked like. "Because I wanted to please Akashi-kun," he finally whispered. Akashi barely caught the words.

Akashi's eyes widened when he realized what he was referring to. He went up to his boyfriend and hugged the living daylights out of him. "I'm sorry," he apologized so many times. "I'm sorry I made you upset, I'm sorry I yelled at you, I'm sorry I left you that night, I'm sorry - "

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko's quiet voice said over his apologies. "Don't be sorry." A sad smile was on his face. "I should be the one apologizing, after all. I said mean things to Akashi-kun that night, things that I didn't mean."

"No," Akashi wiped his eyes and his lover's eyes, "you were right. I was stupid and tried to rush the grieving process, even though I should know better than that. I lost my mother, and I still haven't gotten over her death. I'm the one who should be apologizing, not you."

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko said, now that he had realized that he was hugging something completely foreign to him, was taking a look at the stuffed animal, "is this - "

"Yes, it is," Akashi cut him off. "It's a toy version of Nigou. It probably won't fill up the hole he left when he died, and it won't replace him, but we hope that it will at least ease some of the tears left." He kissed the top of Kuroko's head. "We hope you like it."

"We?" Kuroko asked, catching the pronoun used.

"It was my idea," Akashi boasted for a second, "but the other Miracles helped to pull it off."

Kuroko gave him a genuine, warm smile. "I'll have to thank them all later. This is really wonderful to have something to at least remember him by. Thank you, Akashi-kun."

Akashi blushed. "It was nothing. Thank the others for actually pulling it off."

Kuroko sat up and kissed Akashi on the cheek. "But it was your idea," he murmured into his ear.

It ended up in a makeout session for the two lovers, as they kissed each other passionately on the loveseat in the living room. Kuroko eventually dropped the life sized stuffed Nigou on the floor just to hold his boyfriend as he kissed him. Akashi ended up having to force himself to get off the couch and wash up for the night, while Kuroko was still leaving kisses all along his cheek.

All in all, it had been a pretty successful night for Akashi, since his entire plan had gone exactly the way it should have. As he looked over at Kuroko, sleeping on the couch after kissing him so many times that he actually got tired enough to go to sleep, he smiled to himself, happy to have his boyfriend back in good spirits. That was his original goal, after all.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Review please?