A/N: The story character plot ended with the most recently introduced character, and it must begin with them.

Upon waking to find the situation with Haizaki-san had been settled, I left toward the inner garden.

I had an appointment with Akashi-kun.

After passing Riko-san and Kiyoshi-san's conversation in what could have been the basic infirmary or one of their rooms, my second stop was the Seirin secretary's desk.

When I cleared my throat to get the nearest secretary's attention, they jumped and glanced up at me, startled and not sensing my presence. Clearly trained at their position, the person hid their surprise and smiled, resembling a cat.

"Hello. Would you know how Doctor Alex is doing?" I asked.

The secretary by the name of Koganei Shinji, according to his desk name plate, paused to think for a moment, then turned toward his fellow secretary, a large but mellow looking Mitobe Rinnosuke.

"Hey, Mitobe, do you know how Alex-san is doing?" Koganei-san asked Mitobe-san.

Mitobe-san shook his head and made a few gestures with his hands. Koganei-san nodded and turned back to me.

"Mitobe says Alex-san will be out sick until her afternoon sessions, so ask for her again before her first one, okay?" Koganei-san translated. He bent to fetch something behind the counter and requested as he rummaged around, "Tell me your name, so if Alex-san stops by I can tell her you were looking for her. Where is that pen?"

"Kuroko," I said, taking note that it might be a while before the secretary would emerge, thoroughly delaying his sight of Mitobe-san desperately trying to get his attention. He waved the needed pen in question with silent exasperation.

Mitobe-san looked to me, nodding in dismissal. I nodded back and turned to leave, realizing halfway down the hall that Mitobe-san could have written my name down for Koganei-san, pointlessly letting the two secretaries make more work for themselves.

Too late to go back now, I thought ruefully.

Since I had no other way of entering the garden quietly without causing alarm from entering the outside entrance, I turned into the mess hall, prepared for the sight of any familiar faces.

There was only one, and Takao-kun looked like he had been waiting for me. The sense of hurry from yesterday was gone.

"Good morning," I said as I approached his table.

"Kuroko," Takao-kun's expression was grave, serious unlike any other expression from the past two days, "we need to talk."

Genuine confusion showed itself as the rise of my eyebrows, different from the unease of yesterday's incident with Haizaki-san. I sat in the seat opposite of him and placed my bag on the back. I waited for Takao-kun's next move.

Takao-kun breathed out slowly, and then winced. He peered at me, seeing if I noticed, and spoke firmly.

"You saw me two nights ago." He said it like a statement. "You saw Shin-chan."

I tilted my head and waited for him to continue. All of that was true.

His breath shaking slightly, he lifted a hand to rest on his scarf, a gray color with orange seamed detail.

"You saw it?" he asked, refusing to meet my eyes.

"Yes," I replied, unhesitant.

Takao-kun dared a glance at me. He rested his gaze on my face, and then laughed breathily in relief.

"You're taking this better than I expected."

I did not know what he referred to, but I assumed it was a test for me, one I may have barely managed to pass. It was important to Takao-kun.

Something seemed to dawn on Takao-kun as he stared at me. He leaned back in his seat and placed a hand over his eyes, maybe from his bout of enlightenment or shock.

"I mean, of course you would, wouldn't you?" he asked, not making sense to me, voice high as if he couldn't believe it himself. "What was the phrase? Birds of a feather flock together?"

"I do not understand," I said.

"No, you wouldn't," Takao-kun seemed to realize and raised his eyes to meet mine. The storminess from earlier had lessened some, but something moved there like the torrent of current under a faux trickle of streams.

"Takao-kun, do you not have classes today?" I attempted to avert the conversation to a safe one. The silence that had begun to form strained the air.

Takao-kun remained in deep thought, pressing his nose into his clasped hands.

"No, I have off this whole week. The weather's been terrible lately, so they're doing some troubleshooting at campus so the lights won't go out during lectures if a storm passes through."

This turn of events upset Takao-kun, reading from the crease between his brows and his sigh.

"Shin-chan is also doing overtime since Doctor Alex is out for the morning, so I'm stuck with Pineapple and Captain Serious. Gloomy weather affects us patients easily, you know? It reminds us of bad times then and to come."

Carefully archiving the mysterious 'Pineapple' and 'Captain Serious' as another of Takao-kun's nicknames for his Shuutoku wing mates, I flipped through Takao-kun's observation (or was it experience?) about bad weather. The clouds did look overcast and very dark in contrast from yesterday's perfect summer day. The birds beside my window were more frenzied than the other day, sensing they would be getting surplus of their normal intake of food.

Speaking of food, I should quickly take a visit to Kagami-kun's place and prepare Nigou and Kagami-kun their breakfast. I worried about the outcome of the night when I left, because I saw no need to put Nigou on a leash in the bare room.

Takao-kun stood up and reached forward to flick me in the head.

"Hey, are you alright?" Takao-kun pursed his lips. "You zoned out on me."

"Ah, sorry," I said immediately.

"It happens," said Takao-kun, leaning back with a half-shrug. "I asked you if you heard what happened last night. There was some commotion outside, but the staff told us to stay in our rooms. Do you know anything?"

"I was there," I said. "Doctor Alex is out sick because a few delinquents attacked her last night while we were on our way back to Teiko."

Takao-kun rose and slammed his hands onto the table. "What? You were there? Did you get hurt anywhere?" He slid out of his seat and came around to my side, squinting to see if I had any visible injuries.

"No, I was unwounded. Akashi-kun and Kiyoshi-san handled everything after I passed out."

"Akashi?" Takao-kun's expression darkened. "Who…?"

"Riko-san and Kiyoshi-san called him the 'Young Master'…" I answered like a question.

"Oh, that one," Takao-kun muttered, displeased. "I hate that guy. Thinks Shin-chan isn't all that great. I honestly don't like him one bit."

I tilted my head at the animosity threaded so strongly in his words.

"You dislike Akashi-kun because he deems Midorima-kun as weaker?" I asked.

"No." Takao-kun's eyes hardened and he replied steely, "That monster's whole existence is an insult to mine, because we're so fucking alike. I hate it, because he's a douche but also like he's made like a demigod. Me, a mere mortal; him, one foot among the gods. What the heck is wrong with this picture?"

Takao-kun ran his hands through his hair, huffing at the vehemence at which he so hated Akashi-kun.

"Anyways, I need to go. Although classes at the university are cancelled, I still have online homework that needs to get done. I'll see you around, Kuroko?"

"Yes," I nodded and waved as he let himself out the mess hall, "I will see you, too."

After that, I strode toward my real destination: the "monster" which we had previously been discussing as godlike.

Akashi-kun was not there, even as I had come a few minutes early. Perhaps he was the type to go at his own pace. I waited for ten minutes, and then another fifteen. It became thirty just as soon.

He was not going to arrive.

As I was contemplating whether to leave for Kagami-kun's, the paneled door to Akashi-kun's quarters slid open. Figuring it might be the woman from yesterday, I hid behind the fountain where a gathering of tall grasses hid me from view.

There was some rustling, a concerning thump, and a defeated groan. Despite having never heard it before, I still recognized the pitch of his voice.

I rose. "Akashi-kun," I called out, hoping not to disturb him with my appearance.

He had his back facing me, but his clothing was a stark difference from last time. His clothes more resembled mine in their modern style, but obviously expensive. Shorts and a sweater over a plain solid t-shirt looked to be of high quality. His red hair could not be mistaken anywhere else, however.

"I have come as you had requested," I said to his motionless back. He had yet to turn to me. "I unfortunately do not have the images as you wanted. I was hoping for you to give me more time. I do not wish to inconvenience you by you issuing me a new one without charge."

I stopped talking, finding myself afraid. His silence was unnerving. Akashi-kun looked to have been toiling with something while I was out of sight. Slowly, he turned to face me.

I could feel my expectant expression fall. He appeared confused, and slightly uncomfortable. More than being uncomfortable, he looked almost angry. It was as if Akashi-kun regarded me the same way he would regard an intruder.

"Who are you?" the person with Akashi-kun's face demanded.