Author's Note: Haha~ So this is my first Kuroko No Basket fic. Or at least, the first I finished. I'm completely obsessed with KnB right now so yeah… XD. This is Akashi's POV… I feel like I did him quite a bit OOC, but who knows, I'm a bit nitpicky. Anyways, hope you enjoy this fic… It's short and it's a one-shot so it's kinda unlike me but whatever~. Not to mention there's only hinted AkaKuro or hinted any pairings which is also very unlike me… The title is a bit ambiguous I think, it probably won't make sense until the end. It was the best I could come up with, I may even change it if I get a spark of inspiration. Regardless, I had fun writing it and I hope you like it! Please review, they make me feel loved~

Teikou middle school was at the top of its game. Their next big match was the Nationals. The Generation of Miracles were unstoppable and nothing could dampen their excitement upon their indubitable three-year undefeated reign.

That is what they thought.

Akashi frowned to himself as he checked the time. He was already ten minutes late to practice. Why was it that teachers had to schedule cleaning a few days before the Nationals? He knew that his players would start practice themselves but he still hated being late. Akashi perked up when he saw Kuroko leaving one of the rooms ahead. Ah, he's late too! Akashi felt the tiniest bit better that someone who was just as punctual as him was also late.

"Tetsuya!" he called, planning on reprimanding Kuroko for his tardiness. However, he was walking too fast and didn't seem to hear him. Akashi scowled and shook his head.

"Ah, Akashi, it's you," said someone from the room that Kuroko had come from. Akashi turned and saw that it was the athletics director. Akashi raised an eyebrow at him.

"What is it? I'm busy," he said coldly, now put-off by Kuroko not hearing him call out.

"I was told not to give this to you until after Nationals, but since you're right here it just makes this easier. Make sure you give it to the coach so he knows," the athletic director walked over and handed Akashi a piece of paper. The paper slipped through his hands and Akashi felt a twinge in his finger where it was sliced open. "What is this?" he murmured, unfazed by the paper cut. He picked the paper off of the ground and felt a jolt go through his entire body. The one word printed on the front of the paper stood out sharply and ominously: 'Resignation'. "What is this?" he repeated shakily, his breath hitching and lungs collapsing. He ripped the paper open and found a hastily written letter. It was unmistakably Kuroko's handwriting.

"Akashi and everyone,

I'm sorry this is so sudden. But I can't play this kind of basketball anymore. I enjoyed playing basketball in the beginning. But I can't do it anymore. I hate this kind of basketball. So I'm going to leave. I'm sorry. I know it's inconvenient right now, so I'm having this given to you after Nationals. I'm going to find my own basketball that I enjoy. Thank you for all of your time and I will never forget this team. I'm sorry, but this is farewell. Signed, Kuroko Tetsuya."

The letter fell from Akashi's hands, his eyes going wide. The athletic director looked like he regretted giving him the resignation. "Akashi, is something wrong?" he asked, extending his hand as if to console him. Akashi gave the man a slightly crazy look and stepped away from him. He smirked and shook his head, leaving silently. It wasn't until he was out the door that he broke into a dead sprint after Kuroko, eyes set and determined. What is going on? What does this mean? Resignation?

"Tetsuya!" he shouted, his voice cracking. No... have to calm down. He stopped, his breath coming out raspy. He steadied himself with his arm against the wall. "Tetsuya..." he gritted his teeth, overwhelmed. Akashi noticed that he had unconsciously run to the gym. Composing himself instantly, Akashi flung open the door. The room instantly quieted and everyone turned to look at him.

"Akashi-kun! You're late!" cried Momoi, puffing out her cheeks and glaring at him. "It's nearly the Nationals, we can't afford anyone to be late! Especially the captain!" she grumbled. Akashi paid no attention to her. His eyes were searching the room for Kuroko. He finally found him, stretching his arms and pretending nothing had happened.

"Practice is cancelled," breathed Akashi. Momoi let out a surprised cry and she even looked angry at Akashi. "All of you, go home," Akashi gave them a stern look. Momoi whirled around so she was directly in front of him. She pointed a finger in his face, narrowing her eyes.

"Akashi, you may be the captain but I'm the manager and our coach doesn't want to cancel practice. You aren't the final word!" stressed Momoi. "It's nearly the Nationals, we can't afford a missed practice!" she cried. Akashi closed his eyes and pushed her hand away from his face.

"It's useless. Winning is a definite, or rather, a prerequisite. Practice is cancelled," said Akashi bluntly, opening his eyes and giving her a cold look. Aomine and Kise ran up, giving Akashi a strange look.

"Akashicchi? What's the meaning of this?" cried Kise, looking heartbroken, he was dripping in sweat, he must have been working hard. Aomine looked indifferent, he never worked hard anymore anyways. Even Murasakibara looked put-out. Kuroko slid into the picture trying to be inconspicuous. But for once, Akashi's gaze was trained on the usually invisible young man. He found that he was glaring malevolently at him and Kuroko fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Akachin? Is something wrong?" asked Murasakibara, chewing on a cracker. Akashi snapped out of his stupor.

"I don't care what you all do. I'm going home," he muttered, casting a glance at Kuroko and putting a hand on his forehead. "But first," he turned back around, his eyes narrowing to slits. He sauntered up to Kuroko. "Is there something you'd like to say, Tetsuya?" he asked. A look flashed through Kuroko's eyes but, as always, he remained calm. He glanced at the ground and then bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry," he said. Akashi blinked, he wasn't expecting this. "I was actually fifteen minutes late for practice today," he said plainly. Akashi felt deflated. How anticlimactic... The captain shook his head and turned away from him. Kuroko obviously wasn't going to say anything. Regardless, Akashi was going to find out whether Kuroko wanted to tell him or not.

"I want to talk to you later, Tetsuya," he said hardly, quietly leaving the room. He didn't get it. He didn't get why Kuroko would suddenly call it quits. He'd barely made it out of the gym before he couldn't see, black spots leaping into his vision and blinding him. He put a hand over his eyes. This was affecting him more than he thought it would. It was because he hadn't expected it. Normally, everything was predictable. But Kuroko quitting the club was far beyond any logical explanation.

"Akashi-kun?" Kuroko's voice made Akashi jump in shock. "Is something wrong?" Akashi sent Kuroko a glower. Before he knew it he had Kuroko by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up so they were face to face.

"Don't act so innocent, Tetsuya. I know what you've done," growled Akashi. Kuroko's eyes widened slightly. "How can you just abandon us! What the hell are you doing, Tetsuya!" Akashi couldn't take it anymore. He was angry at Kuroko. He felt betrayed. "I was the one that found your talent. Your position in Teikou is because of me. And this is how you repay me? By just quitting?" Akashi was far past the point where someone could bring him back to sensible judgment.

"You weren't supposed to find out until after Nationals," breathed Kuroko, looking distressed.

"But I did. It doesn't matter what was supposed to happen because now it has. I'm not going to allow you to quit," Akashi gave Kuroko a stern glare. Kuroko countered with an equally angry look.

"You have no authority to keep me from doing so, Akashi-kun. After the Nationals, I don't have to listen to you anymore. You will no longer be my captain and I will no longer be your player," he said rationally. Akashi let go of Kuroko and grimaced angrily at him. "I can no longer play the basketball all of you are currently playing," he raised his hands up in front of his face, inspecting them as if they weren't his. They were shaking. "I can't stand this basketball. I can't stand being part of it. I can't stand hating something I once loved," he met Akashi's gaze. "I'll finish off the Nationals with you. I wouldn't inconvenience you like that. But you can't get me to stay. Don't tell the others, Akashi-kun. They don't need that before the game. This will be our secret," a hint of a smile played over Kuroko's lips. Akashi's lips curled back in a snarl and he refused to meet Kuroko's cool gaze. He didn't like this. I'm supposed to be the leader. I'm supposed to be able to control everyone. How is it that I can control Daiki and Atsushi but not Tetsuya? he turned to the teal-haired boy, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. How is it I can't control the most levelheaded, weak player on my team?

"Kurokocchi?" Kise ran out but stopped when he saw Akashi and Kuroko at the tail end of their argument. "Akashicchi? You're still here? I thought for a moment that Kurokocchi left too but I guess I was wrong," mumbled Kise. Akashi gave the tall blond a discontented look and began to walk away. Kuroko watched as their captain left.

"How did he find out?" he muttered dejectedly.

"What was that, Kurokocchi?" Kise tilted his head to the side in confusion. Kuroko frowned at him.

"It's nothing."

It was only a day before the Nationals and the team was itching to play. But with Akashi in the mood he was in they couldn't enjoy the anticipation without being punished. Aomine groaned and collapsed onto the ground, glaring at Kuroko, who had already fallen asleep. "Wake up, idiot!" snapped the dark-skinned boy. Kuroko moaned in exhaustion and twisted around, wiping sweat off of his face. Akashi had been particularly hard on him. He couldn't blame him. But he still didn't like doing it.

"Jeez, Kuroko, what did you do to Akashi? He's working us more than usual!" snapped Midorima. It wasn't even their normal workout that they did before a game. There were no drills, no practice games. It was purely just hardcore workout. There was no purpose to the workout, after all, they were all in their prime condition. Kuroko shrugged at Midorima. He felt a little guilty for being the cause of the intense workout, but it wasn't supposed to happen like this. They weren't supposed to find out until Nationals were over. And yet, Akashi did find out and now they all had to pay for it.

Their captain walked over to them, giving them a reprimanding look. "Who said you could rest?" he said dangerously. They all hopped up, fear crossing their faces. Murasakibara pouted.

"Akachin, this is too much, there's no point to all of this running," he complained. Akashi turned to their tall center and smiled at him.

"Atsushi's menu has just been doubled," he said cheerily. Murasakibara paled and looked grumpily at the ground. The other teammates sent him silent condolences and began to run again. Akashi stepped into pace with Kuroko and sent him a sideways glance. Kuroko was shying away. Akashi hmphed and smirked a bit at him. "It's all your fault, Tetsuya," he breathed so only Kuroko could hear. Kuroko halted, his eyes going wide. Akashi stopped with him but the others didn't seem to even notice.

"You don't need to punish them because of me," panted Kuroko, looking exhausted. Akashi gave Kuroko an emotionless look and he shook his head.

"It's a team effort, Tetsuya. Your betrayal is just as much their fault as it is yours," he said plainly.

"As of late, this isn't a team," said Kuroko coldly, causing Akashi's eyes to widen. "At most, we're five people on a court. But we're far from a team," Kuroko narrowed his eyes and ran forward, attempting to catch up with the others. Akashi smirked, trying to hide his anger.

"Oi! Captain! If we're not allowed to stop, neither are you!" cried Aomine, looking pissed.

"Daiki's training menu is tripled," seethed Akashi, causing the ace of the team to trip in his shock.

"You'll die," sighed Midorima, running past him.

"Yup, Aominecchi's dead," Kise said cheerily while trotting past.

"Oh, too bad, Minechin~" Murasakibara breezed past the fallen Aomine, feeling better now that he wasn't the only one given extra work. Kuroko watched the interaction and stopped running to help Aomine up.

"Tetsuya, do you want me to add to your menu too?" threatened Akashi. This is your fault, Tetsuya. I won't let you forget what you've done. He smiled menacingly at the two of them. Aomine was staring at Akashi as if their captain had finally gone completely batshit insane.

"You never give Tetsu more work," he breathed, looking confused.

"I don't mind. Just stop taking your anger out on them," mumbled Kuroko, running forward. Not satisfied with the defiance that Kuroko had dealt him, Akashi turned away.

"Akashi-kun, aren't you pushing them a little far?" asked Momoi, staring after the retreating Aomine and Kuroko. Akashi shrugged and decided not to answer her. Momoi glared at him. "Akashi-kun!" she yelled, balling her hands into fists and making him stop. The others across the court also stopped their training. "You're running your team into the ground! Do you want to lose the Nationals? They won't be able to play properly if they're physically exhausted!" she reprimanded.

"Winning is already a given, Satsuki. I train them how I want them to be trained. And now, they run," sighed Akashi, hauntingly calm.

"Ever since that day you cancelled practice, all you've done is made them run! They've hardly touched a basketball. Just what are you doing? Tell me what is going on, Akashi-kun!" she demanded. Akashi narrowed his eyes. He let out a puff of air and turned to their manager.

"Fine. They can all go home and rest. Exhausted or not, we're going to win tomorrow. And then it will all be over," he sent Kuroko a look from across the gym and headed for the locker room.

"What... did he mean by that?" mumbled Kise, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. The others had no comment. The only one who knew was Kuroko, but he had already silently left them all.

It was silent as the clock ticked down to zero. The whole stadium was holding its breath as Midorima's final buzzer beater swished perfectly through the net. Of course, the buzzer beater wasn't needed. Teikou had nearly doubled the other team's score. It was all for show. But the crowd loved it and they burst into applause and cheering. The defeated team seemed content with their fate, they'd known that it would end up like that. After all, this was the team that was being called the Generation of Miracles as of late. They'd put up a good fight and that would have to do. Akashi smiled and quietly congratulated them on their victory, even though he already knew they'd win. Winning was always a definite. And therefore, Akashi had lost any sort of happiness when winning. Kuroko was grinning from ear to ear while Kise picked him up and practically snapped him in half with a bone-crushing hug.

Akashi wasn't pleased with that. How can you be happy, Tetsuya? He narrowed his eyes. How can you smile and laugh with the rest of us when you are leaving us? Akashi was almost overwhelmed in anger and betrayal.

"Akashicchi!" yelled Kise, taking him by his waist and twirling him around.

"Ryouta! Put me down!" cried Akashi. He didn't like to be handled by other people.

"You got us here, Akashicchi. Thank you!" Kise tightly hugged Akashi until the latter couldn't even breathe.

"Okay boys! Okay!" Momoi clapped her hands, smiling breathlessly in happiness. "We have interviews in a few minutes so go get changed!" she instructed, slapping Kise on his ass and grinning at them. Kise looked embarrassed but he quickly got over it as they headed to the locker room, completely ecstatic.

"And that one shot you had, Aominecchi, it was incredible!" breathed Kise. "And that final basket, Midorimacchi, just wow," he was already reliving every moment of it. "All of Kurokocchi's passes were amazing!"

"You're talking too much, Kise," grumbled Aomine, sending the blond a derisive glare. Aomine had held back. He'd had a few above-normal shots but for the most part he'd looked bored on the court. It wasn't a surprise but he obviously wasn't happy about it.

Akashi stared at them, so happy that they had won, as if there was ever a chance of losing. Kuroko silently got dressed, not smiling anymore. Perhaps he's thinking of telling everyone? Akashi frowned. No...Tetsuya...You wouldn't do that to us, would you? Momoi was calling for them but Akashi wasn't even listening. The others had filed their way outside except for him and Kuroko.

"Akachin, Kurochin, are you guys coming?" called Murasakibara from the doorway.

"Go without us, we'll catch up!" shouted Akashi. Kuroko was halfway to the door when he stopped, expecting Akashi to say something. It was completely silent now. "You forgot to tie your shoes, Tetsuya," breathed Akashi. Kuroko kneeled down. Akashi was breathing erratically. How can you leave us, Tetsuya? How? He forced himself to look away, gritting his teeth, his eyes clamped shut. Kuroko stood up, glancing at Akashi before starting to leave. He got his hand on the door before Akashi couldn't take it anymore. He took one step over to him and wrapped his arms around Kuroko's shoulders, putting his face into the crook of his neck.

"Akashi-kun..." mumbled Kuroko.

"You can't leave us, Tetsuya. You just can't," Akashi gripped onto him, digging his fingernails into Kuroko's skin.

"I've already filed in my resignation. And I told you that I'd be leaving after this tournament. In fact, this game proved to me that I absolutely have to leave," Kuroko's voice was soft and controlled.

"No, we can void it. P-please, don't leave us. Tetsuya, you can't just abandon us," he pleaded. "You can't just abandon me," he breathed pitifully.

"Akashi-kun, you have to go. As the captain they'll be waiting for you," mumbled Kuroko. Akashi's eyes opened and his breath stilled a moment. He's not even coming to the interviews? Akashi held Kuroko tighter. "I have to go," he murmured, trying to move. The captain's breath stopped and his legs gave out from under him, taking Kuroko with him. "Wah!" even Kuroko's surprised cry was monotone. It was so bland that he didn't even sound surprised.

"Tetsuya..." breathed Akashi, burying his head further into Kuroko's neck.

"Akashi-kun, please let me go," ordered Kuroko.

"No, Tetsuya... Ju-Just, a little longer," Akashi squeezed his eyes shut. "Just stay with me like this, just a little longer, Tetsuya..." small tears welled up and escaped from Akashi's eyes. His eyes widened, realizing that he was crying, and he bit his lip, clamping his eyes shut to force them back, just trying to hold back the convulsions that were attempting to shake through his body.

Kuroko felt his shoulder dampen with what he could only guess we're Akashi's tears. Akashi's arms around him were shaking but Kuroko could feel that Akashi was trying with all of his might to hold them back. Kuroko relaxed and sunk back into Akashi's chest. "Just a little while..." he sighed, letting his head fall against Akashi's and closing his eyes.

Before Akashi knew it, Kuroko had left him alone in that locker room. He didn't know how long they had sat there together. Shakily, he stood up and glanced around at the silent, dark room. Tetsuya... he finally made his way out of the locker room and ventured to find his team. They were waiting for him in the hallway.

"Akashicchi!" shouted Kise, surprised. The others all turned to look at their captain. "Wait..." Kise's face fell. There are tearstains on Akashicchi's cheeks... Are those... His? No, they have to be someone else's... Kise's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Momoi seemed to notice too and her hands went to her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Akachin? Where's Kurochin?" asked Murasakibara insensitively. Akashi turned to the freakishly tall middle school student.

"Tetsuya?" he said numbly.

"Yeah, Akashi, where's Tetsu? We can't start without him," grumbled Aomine.

"Oh... Well... Tetsuya won't be joining us today," muttered Akashi.

"What are you talking about?" asked Midorima.

"Tetsuya... Quit... Teikou..." Akashi could barely manage the words. There was a collective silence as they all took in the words. The first to break were Momoi and Kise, simultaneously. Momoi let out a sob, crying into her hands and Kise turned away, fighting back tears.

"What are you saying, Akashi!" cried Aomine. He was the next to crack. "Tetsu wouldn't just quit!" he yelled.

"Tetsuya... Handed his resignation in last week. He wasn't going to tell us until after Nationals but..."

"You knew, Akachin?" Murasakibara looked hurt.

"I did..." breathed Akashi.

"How could you not tell us!" yelled Aomine.

"Because Tetsuya told me not to," said Akashi truthfully. "For all of your sakes," he added.

"Bastard," Aomine turned away, he was shaking in anger and hurt from what Kuroko did.

"Let's go get this over with," sighed Akashi, walking forward. The others all stared after them.

"You all saw them too, right?" whispered Kise, hiccupping and tears pouring from his eyes. "There were tearstains on Akashi's face... He's keeping his composure for us..."

Akashi only saw Kuroko one more time before the end of their middle school career. He'd called them all together, and even through Kuroko's adamant refusals he managed to get a reluctant yes.

They met at a park, Akashi could see that the others were already there, except for Kuroko and himself. Akashi greeted them cheerily and sat on one of the benches.

"What's the meaning of this, Akashi?" demanded Aomine.

"Calm down, I just wanted to speak with you all," assured the red-haired teen. "We're just waiting for one more," he leaned back on his arms.

"Eh? Who are you..." Aomine cut himself off and his face fell a fraction.

"Kurokocchi?" breathed Kise, his gaze hopeful.

"I'm here," murmured Kuroko from somewhere in the back. The others all looked shocked and backed away but Akashi merely smiled at him.

"Come here, Tetsuya," Akashi gestured with his finger, beckoning Kuroko forward. Kuroko grudgingly obeyed. Akashi put his hand under Kuroko's chin, his eyes lowering to his face. The others watched in stony silence, unsure of what their former captain was planning. "Tetsuya, what you did to us... we can't forget that. You in particular are in debt to me and this team. But I want you all to listen to me. We can never forget our days here at Teikou. So, I want you all to take an oath; and Tetsuya, you specifically cannot refuse. But I want you all to take an oath for the old Teikou team that we all became our best in. And as your captain, even after we split ways, you will all still listen to me. That's what I want you all to promise me," upon hearing Akashi's demands, Kuroko violently pulled away.

"This is why quit, Akashi-kun!" he said sharply but softly.

"I have to refuse too," sighed Midorima.

"Yeah, Akashi, our time ends here," Aomine glared harshly at his captain.

"I don't mind, Akachin," stated Murasakibara, sucking on a lollipop drowsily.

Akashi knew they would initially refuse. But he had an idea already on how to get them to change their minds.

"Ryouta," Akashi turned to the blond and Kise jumped. "Who was it that saw your potential and admitted you into the first string?" he said, watching as Kise's face contorted. He turned, contemplating Akashi's words.

"Shintarou, who was it they forced the coach to allow your lucky items onto the bench?" Akashi smiled at Midorima and the shooting ace scowled.

"Daiki, who vouched for you when your grades would have gotten you disqualified from the tournament?" Akashi was truly getting vicious now. Aomine's eyes widened and he looked at Akashi in shame.

"And you, Tetsuya..." Akashi finally turned to whom the entire meeting was really about. You couldn't expect to defy me and get away with it, Tetsuya... "You are the one that owes me most of all," he put his hand on Kuroko's neck. The teal haired boy averted his gaze. "You... I discovered your talent, Tetsuya. Without me, you wouldn't be one of us-"

"Maybe that would have been for the better," murmured Kuroko.

"You know that's a lie, Tetsuya. From the moment I witnessed that phantom pass of yours, I knew that you were special. You were vital to our team. But you repay us by quitting after the Nationals? You make me pretend as if you hadn't just betrayed us in order for the finals to go smoothly? You owe me so much, Tetsuya, and yet you refuse to abide to my one final demand?"

Kuroko looked Akashi sharply in the eyes. "Teikou's basketball wasn't for me. You're partly to blame for that, Akashi-kun. You're partly to blame for my quitting. If you all hadn't been so absorbed in the individual game, if you hadn't stopped loving basketball for the fun rather than the victory, then I would have stayed. But that isn't how it worked out. You all decided to ostracize me and I just couldn't go along with it. It was Teikou's fault that I quit. So I'm not going to cling to the morals that drove me away," Kuroko pulled away from Akashi again. Akashi stared at him, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Tetsuya, I'm not giving you any sort of choice," he breathed, gritting his teeth.

"Well I refuse to answer to an ultimatum," answered Kuroko defiantly.

"Of all of you, you should be the one that understand the most, Tetsuya," retorted Akashi angrily. The other Generation of Miracles stared mutely at their argument.

"Maybe you just understand me the least, Akashi-kun," breathed Kuroko, his eyes fiercely defiant. Tetsuya... To think you'd be the one that'd give me the most trouble... Akashi lowered his eyes sadly.

"I knew you'd come today," he said after a minute's hesitation. Kuroko raised an eyebrow in confusion. "If you'd been dead-set on not listening to me, you wouldn't have come, Tetsuya. You still want to listen to me as much as the others. You still will obey my every order because you know that I'm always right. You will always be my sixth player, Tetsuya. Whether you quit or not is irrelevant. You won't defy me, because you know what such an action would entail. You've already defied me twice, though. So you're due for a punishment," Kuroko's eyes darkened at Akashi's revelations. "And this time, your punishment is obeying me this once, and always after that as the oath details," Akashi smirked devilishly. "You owe me for what you've done." Akashi turned to the others. "Do you all agree? Will you promise me this oath?" he searched through each of their eyes, burning into their minds what would happen if they refused.

"If you insist, Akashi..." murmured Midorima.

"Akashicchi has never been wrong," added Kise reluctantly.

"...Fine..." muttered Aomine gruffly.

Akashi smiled contentedly and turned to Kuroko. "You're all that's left, Tetsuya," he breathed. Kuroko shifted from each of his feet. He wanted to disappear but he knew he couldn't do it with Akashi. Akashi wasn't that stupid to fall for his trick.

"I... promise..." he lowered his eyes to the ground.

"That's a good boy, Tetsuya," simpered Akashi, patting him on the head. That's right, Tetsuya. You owe me more than you think. Like I've said, you owe me for discovering your talent. You owe me for betraying us all. But you also owe me for that day in the locker room when you left; when you saw me in such a state. I couldn't let something like that pass. Not even if it's you, Tetsuya. Akashi smirked in satisfaction. He'd gotten exactly what he'd wanted.

But that smirk faded with the defeated look on Kuroko's face. And all that was left was a bitterness. The others had similar looks about them, as if they'd just sold their soul to the devil, except for Murasakibara, who'd agreed from the beginning. But the one that truly ripped through Akashi was Kuroko. Only if it's you, Tetsuya... Akashi smiled sadly at them. Their last days at Teikou would be this memory; this one, sour, harrowing memory. Akashi wasn't happy with it. He'd gotten what he wanted. But he wasn't happy with it. Regardless, he put the smirk forcefully back onto his face and stood up.

"I'll leave you all until then," and he walked off without another word, the beaten-puppy look of Kuroko imprinted into his mind. You can't get away with defying me, Tetsuya. I simply won't allow it.