A/N – Thank you for the favourites, reviews, comments and kudos! :) You have no idea how much I appreciate each and every one of them even though I generally don't reply (that's because I get so happy I am at a loss for words, haha). Thanks for sticking with me throughout this story. I have a short side-story to this work in the works and should be up in a couple of days, so look forward to that? Hehe. Anyway, I thank you for enjoying the story and here's the last chapter!

"Nigou! Here, boy!"

"No fair, Kurokocchi!" wailed Kise from the other end of the basketball court. "He's your dog, so of course he'd listen to you!"

Kuroko, Kise and Takao were just randomly shooting the basketball into hoops. No one was really keeping score. Meanwhile, Akashi was sitting on a bench and watching them from the side, entertaining Nigou, who was alternating between the group on the basketball court and Akashi with a game of fetch.

This was a form of exercise for Nigou too.

Nigou bounced the basketball over to Kuroko using his snout.

Kuroko caught the ball. "Good boy, Nigou!" he praised.

Nigou barked a few times and leapt up high into the air.

"Why is it that whenever I go over to your place, that dog just barks and runs around your house, but once he gets out of the house, he gets this sudden burst of energy that no one can compete with?" Takao complained. "I can't keep up with him!"

"What can I say?" Kuroko shrugged. He threw the basketball to Takao. "Nigou's an outdoor dog."

"Dogs are a lot faster than humans anyway, Takao-kun, so of course you can't keep up with him," chirped Kise.

Nigou was roughly seven months old at that point, so he was a big puppy. Even being the runt of his litter didn't slow down his growth. But he wasn't a full-grown dog yet. Nevertheless, being an Alaskan malamute, which had been bred to pull sleds and haul heavy loads in the wintry plains over a long distance, Nigou had a lot of energy and strength.

Then, Nigou let out a howl and ran towards Akashi. Akashi received the puppy with a delicious treat and an affectionate scratch at the bottom of his chin. Akashi was rewarded with slobber all over his shoes. By this time, Akashi was already so accustomed to Nigou for that to bother him.

Akashi threw a small bouncy ball across the basketball court, and Nigou ran to retrieve it.

When Nigou brought the ball back, Akashi gave him a dog's equivalent of a high-five.

Akashi looked up in time to see Kise perform an alley-loop with Kuroko. He glanced at Nigou. "Do you still want to play with them?"

Nigou whined. The thing about Nigou was that even though he was an overexcited puppy, he got bored very easily.

Akashi then offered another treat to Nigou, which he chomped down with gusto. "Then what do you want to do?"

Nigou barked once, and then began chasing his own tail.

"Okay… if that entertains you…"

Akashi leaned back onto the backrest of the bench and looked at his mate attempt to throw the basketball into the hoop. Kuroko was right when he said that he was not a very good basketball player – the ball missed the hoop and bounced off the rim. Takao caught the basketball and shot it into the hoop. But even so, Akashi knew Kuroko well enough by now to know that even though he lacked the basketball skills to excel as a basketball player, he played a more supportive role on the court and was more of a passing specialist – Kuroko couldn't shoot, but he could pass very efficiently and quickly that any opponent wouldn't be aware that the ball had passed him.

Akashi lifted head to face the sky. He didn't believe in god, but he thanked whatever deity that was out there to cause that explosion in the warehouse at that particular moment when Akashi had been there. If not for that accident, Akashi's senses wouldn't have gone haywire and he wouldn't have needed a Guide to calm him down. If not for that accident, Akashi wouldn't have gone to the clinic to be match-made to the appropriate omega-Guide. If not for that accident, Akashi wouldn't have met Kuroko. If not for that accident, Akashi wouldn't have bonded with the most perfect person ever. If not for that accident, Akashi wouldn't have the almost complete family he never thought he would ever have. If not for that accident, Akashi wouldn't be the happy and complete person he is today.

It is true what they say: every cloud has a silver lining.