Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket is owned by Fujimaki Tadatoshi

A/N: So it turns out another half a year passed before I updated again. *sighs*

Thanks to my reviewers: Anglo-Chan, Kandaka, Kulaso, AsianCutie93, Made2352, imKimTheWriter, Resya018, WrittenWhim, XxDeadSkiesxX, Kagamine Hikari, denOden, ririnto, MADStar529, pansy25, PinkSugarDust, MusaMortis, Kichou, JackFrost25, Calico Neko, fostinefoli, Shiro Yukino, Lacila, MarshmallowCastle, mimi-chan, M, Mgluvsbl25, Evilrelena, Bellatrix Trickster, Ayazanekokeke, arya304, Julijulgran, SerinasHarmony, TakedaEmo120, Kyne, Indirianna, CloudCarnivore, bright oblivion of abyss 09, Melashnaw, Jay Dawn, ChelseaHemmings, sexy Seren, saki, Chieri Sono, arry-indonesia, otakutilldeath1, Shichi-chan, Belanore, Jennosaur, Loverfiona and 6 Guests. Thanks for the favorite and follow alerts, too.

Omake 3: A Gift for the Emperor

Akashi Seijuurou, the student council president of Rakuzan High School and captain of its basketball club, was playing shogi alone in his family's house in Kyoto. He was done with his council work as well as some business proposals his father made him look through and decided to play shogi to pass the time. He was contemplating his next move when he heard a maid's voice through the shoji doors.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, young master," the maid said as she sat in the hallway and carefully opened the shoji door. "A package has been delivered to you."

The red head didn't look up from the board as he asked, "A package from whom?"

"From Murasakibara-dono, young master," the maid quietly answered as she pushed the package closer to Akashi.

Akashi turned to his package which is a white paper bag and took it. I do recall today is Atsushi's turn to take care of Tetsuya. He removed two boxes from the paper bag; one is covered with a purple wrapper tied with a white ribbon while the other is enveloped in a red and black stripes wrapper with a teal ribbon adorning it. He noticed a note was inserted between the two boxes and read it.

Aka-chin~
I took good care of Kuro-chin today and we had fun at the bazaar~
Here's a present from us!

"Bring me some tea, please," Akashi ordered to the maid, who was waiting for his instructions, since he already knew the packages were desserts.

The maid bowed her head. "As you wish, young master," she complied as she gently closed the shoji door and did as she was bid.

Once left alone, Akashi opened Murasakibara's gift first and found an Opera cake which has three layers of sponge cake soaked thoroughly in coffee syrup with coffee buttercream and ganache filling and covered with a shiny tempered chocolate glaze. As expected of Atsushi, he knows my taste in desserts.

Next, Akashi held Kuroko's gift for him and inwardly smirked at the chosen colors of the wrapper as he deftly opened it. The corner of his mouth curved upward in a smile as he stared at the red cherry blossom shaped namagashi in front of him.

"Here's your tea, young master," the maid said as she quietly went inside to gently place the tray of tea on the table and once done bowed down to Akashi before leaving.

Akashi took a bite out of the namagashi and hummed in satisfaction when the sweet taste of the red bean paste burst on his tongue, it wasn't overly sweet but saccharinity of it lingers as he continued to eat it.

For some reason, it reminded him of the nostalgic memories from his middle school before their talents bloomed, being under Nijimura-senpai's reign in their first year and him as the vice-captain, meeting Kuroko and helped him discover his misdirection, hard everyday practices, hellish training camps, eating ice cream from the convenience with everyone after practice, and playing matches with their team.

He also reminisced the bittersweet memory of their last year in Teikou, Aomine blooming first and then skipped practice, Murasakibara rebelling against him, the awakening of his emperor eye as well as his other personality, the last match at the nationals against Meikou—against Kuroko's childhood friend, breaking their promise, Kuroko quitting the basketball club as well as the oath the Generation of Miracles promised.

There was also the Winter Cup, seeing his former teammates, almost stabbing Kagami (he chuckled at the reminder) with scissors, playing against Midorima and Shuutoku and then his first time losing against Kuroko and his team Seirin. Kuroko really did exceed his expectation and let him see the error of his way.

Akashi looked at the open shoji doors to his right, showing the tranquil garden with the crystal pond reflecting the dark, stray night and bright full moon, the trees swaying slightly as a soft breeze brushed by and the sound of the shishi-odoshi hitting against the rock add as an accompaniment to the peaceful silence.

Remembering those, Akashi let out a small wistful smile. How Kuroko could forgive any of them especially him for what they did, he doesn't know. But he was glad that Kuroko has a forgiving heart and a strong will to teach them a lesson about their wrongdoings.

Meeting and being friends with Kuroko again was something he was grateful for.

Akashi blinked at his musings and then proceeded to finish the namagashi. He called the maid over again and instructed her to put away the opera cake from Murasakibara as he would eat it later. Once done, he took a sip of his tea before taking out his cellphone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello~"

"Good evening Atsushi."

"Ah, it's Aka-chin~! Did you receive our presents yet?"

"I did and both of them were delicious. Thank you for that."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it Aka-chin~"

"Did you and Tetsuya have fun today?"

"We did! We bought a lot of sweets and even got some for free because of Kuro-chin~"

Akashi couldn't help but smile as he has an inkling as to why and how that happened. "Is Tetsuya with you?"

"Nope~ I left Kuro-chin with Mido-chin a while ago."

So it's Shintarou's turn now, Akashi thought.

"When will Aka-chin have his turn? Are you still busy?"

"I am but only for a few more days and once I'm done, I will have some free time to take care of Tetsuya."

"I see~ Ah! I have to go, my mom is calling me."

"Alright then, don't keep your mother waiting. Farewell Atsushi."

"Bye Aka-chin~"

Akashi took another sip of his tea after pocketing his phone and stared up at the starry obscure evening sky, smiling slightly and couldn't wait for his turn to take care of little Kuroko.

Omake 4: Playing Together with Two Lights

Kise looked up at the blue sky as the clouds covered up the sun's blinding light. He then sighed as he tightened his grip on little Kuroko's right hand. The night came to pass too soon for him and morning arrived thereafter. As much as he wants to spend more time with little Kuroko, he can't because Akashi will surely make him pay if he stole his time with Kuroko. So he has no choice but to suck it up and accept that his time with little Kuroko was almost over.

"Is there something wrong Kise nii-chan?" little Kuroko asked, snapping Kise out of his reverie. "Your sigh was too deep."

Kise shook his head. "Nothing's wrong Kurokocchi. It's just I'll really, really miss you."

"But I haven't left yet Kise nii-chan," little Kuroko said, gazing up at Kise with confusion on his sky blue eyes. "Shouldn't you miss someone when you're far apart?"

Kise let out a small smile. "That's true. But imagining Kurokocchi leaving me later makes me a little sad."

Little Kuroko stared at Kise for a moment before giving him a wide smile. "I'll miss you, too Kise nii-chan!"

Kise got a little teary-eyed because of that (and because it was probably the first time he heard Kuroko saying he'll miss him) and proceeded to smother the mini phantom to a crushing hug. "Kurokocchi!" Little Kuroko seemed to let him do as he pleased and didn't voice out any complain while being hugged to death by him.

The sound of Kise's cellphone ringing made the blond released little Kuroko from his embrace. Kise took out his phone from his pocket to answer it (while silently praying it wasn't Akashi). It turns out it was only Ryouko, asking him to do an errand. He once again sighed since his sister pretty much ordered him and didn't leave him with any choice.

"What did Ryouko nee-san want?" little Kuroko asked.

"Just telling me to pick up something from the convenience store," Kise answered.

"Are we going there now Kise nii-chan?"

Kise shook his head. "No. I'll do it after Akashicchi picked Kurokocchi up." He held out his left hand for the mini phantom to take before resuming their way to the street ball court. As they walked closer to the court, they heard someone playing, the thumping sound of the ball bouncing, basketball shoes skidding against the ground and angry voices shouting that were kind of familiar to both of them.

Both Kise and little Kuroko stopped to a halt when they saw who were playing inside the court. "Ah, it's Kagami-kun and Aomine nii-chan!" the mini phantom exclaimed excitedly.

The aforementioned two abruptly paused from their playing when they heard little Kuroko's voice and turned towards them, a bit shocked judging by their wide-eyed expressions. "Kise? Tetsu?" Aomine said, staring at them incredulously. "What are you two doing here?"

Kise pouted. "Shouldn't we ask you that?" he countered as he and little Kuroko stepped inside the court and towards the two aces.

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it? We're here to play basketball," Kagami answered, spinning the ball with his finger and looked down at the mini shadow, ruffling his teal locks with his free hand. "Why are you with Kuroko?"

"Kagamicchi, it's like you're saying I don't have the right to be with Kurokocchi!" Kise protested which Kagami paid no mind to.

Aomine crouched down to little Kuroko's level. "Yo Tetsu, if Kise kidnapped you, tell me and I'll beat up that idiot right away."

"I didn't kidnap Kurokocchi! It was my turn to take care of Kurokocchi last night."

Little Kuroko taking pity on his Kise nii-chan decided to defend him. "Kise nii-chan is telling the truth. I stayed with him last night."

"Still, what are you two here?" Kagami asked. "Are you going to teach Kuroko basketball or something?"

The mini phantom was the one who answered. "No, Sei-nii said he'll pick me up here."

"So it's Akashi's turn now, huh?" Aomine grumbled. He gently put his hands on little Kuroko's shoulders and gazed at him with a serious expression on his face. "Tetsu, no matter what Akashi says or do, if you think he starts going crazy run far, far away as fast as you can and call me or anyone else and—"he was interrupted when Kagami knocked his head hard.

"Idiot!" Kagami shouted. "What the hell are you telling Kuroko? Yeah, I agree Akashi is pretty scary but I don't think he'll do anything to Kuroko."

Aomine glared at his arch rival while rubbing a soothing hand to his head. "I was just making sure. And you didn't have to whack my head Bakagami!"

Kise clapped his hands together as an idea hit him. "Aominecchi, Kagamicchi," he called, catching the two ace's attention. "Can you watch over Kurokocchi for a bit? My sister asked me to buy something from the convenience store and it might be gone if I buy it later. It's just for a little while, please?"—As he clasped his hands together as if in a prayer—"I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise!"

Kagami and Aomine looked at each other, then to the teal head boy, who seemed fine with it before turning to Kise. "Fine," they both said.

"But be back before Akashi gets here," Aomine reminded the blond.

"Sure!" Kise agreed before giving little Kuroko a tight hug and then waved at them. "See ya!"

The three of them watched Kise's retreating back before looking at each other. Kagami broke the silence that was turning into an uncomfortable territory. "So what are we going to do?" he asked, eyeing Aomine and the teal head boy.

Aomine looked down at little Kuroko, leaving the decision to him. "What do you want to do Tetsu?" he asked. "Ah, but if you want to go somewhere, don't pick far. Akashi won't like it if you're not here when he arrived."

"Hmm…" the teal head boy mulled over, cutely placing his finger on his chin while thinking. "Can we just stay here? I can watch Kagami-kun and Aomine nii-chan play basketball."

"Won't you get bored?" asked Aomine, grabbing the ball from the ground and dribbled it.

"Nope," little Kuroko shook his head. "I want to watch you play anyway."

Kagami shrugged his shoulders, agreeing. "Suit yourself," he said and turned to Aomine, stealing the ball from him. "Let's go Aomine!" He ran past the blue head as he dribbled the ball towards the goal.

Aomine snarled at Kagami for stealing the ball and catches up to him to defend and then jumped, slapping the ball away before Kagami could dunk. The teal head boy watched in fascination as Aomine and Kagami continuously (and aggressively) played their favorite sport. Little Kuroko could tell that the two teenagers were having fun playing against each other. He continued to watch as the two aces tried to outdo each other with cool moves.

Aomine scored again with his formless shot and smirked smugly at Kagami. "I win again," he bragged. "Admit it, I'm stronger than you."

"Keep telling yourself that," Kagami retorted as he grabbed the ball and throw the ball hard at him. "One more!"

Aomine caught the ball in one hand as he sighed. "Don't wanna," he drawled out. "I'm tired."

"You're just scared I'm going to beat you!"

"I just won, remember?"

Kagami whirled to the teal head boy, who sat on the bench and was happily watching them play. "What do you think Kuroko? Who's better, me or Aomine? It's me, right?"

"Yeah, right," Aomine snorted. He looked at the little Kuroko. "Tetsu don't listen to this idiot. I'm better. You just saw me win."

The teal head boy looked between Aomine and Kagami and then smiled widely. "I think both of you are great, Kagami-kun, Aomine nii-chan! I wish I could play like you!"

The two aces blinked and stared at little Kuroko in bewilderment before they tried to hide their flushed faces from the boy. Chibi Kuroko was too cute and adorable for their own good. Kagami was the first to snap out of his stupor as he remembered something.

"Hey, Kuroko remember my promise?" said Kagami to which the teal head boy only tilted his head in confusion. "You know, us playing basketball together. Aomine is here but whatever. Do you wanna play with us?"

"Really?" little Kuroko asked, his sky blue eyes glittered in excitement. "I can play with both of you?"

"Sure, why not," Aomine said as he gave the ball to his former shadow turned chibi. "Let's play Tetsu!"

"Un!"

Even if Kagami and Aomine never want to admit it, but that day the two of them played with little Kuroko was the most fun they had in a while. They weren't playing to see who scored the most points but just to feel the camaraderie while playing with each other, the teal head boy connecting the two of them just like always.

The game was paused when Kise came back and wanted to join in (after minutes of complaining that they didn't wait for him and wanted to hog Kuroko's attention). There was a scuffle as to who will be little Kuroko's partner for a two-on-two as the three teenagers wanted the role. It was settled with a game of rock-paper-scissors with Aomine as the winner. (Of course, he did. He has all the luck in the world.) So it was Aomine and Kuroko versus Kagami and Kise.

Time passed without any of them noticing as they were all having fun. They only stopped when Kise noticed that the teal head boy was getting tired. After bullying Aomine to buy everyone's drink (he only gave in when little Kuroko gave him puppy eyes), they sat on the bench to rest and relax, basking under the warm sunlight and the cool breeze.

Little Kuroko giggled as he observed Kagami and Aomine argue again, it seems it was a norm for both of them and just as long it doesn't turn physical he was okay with it. Sometimes Kise was unluckily dragged in their bicker. The teal head boy was amused when they're all absorbed in their squabbles that they forgot about him until he tugged one of their sleeves to catch their attention, frightening them particularly Kagami and Aomine. Kise told him that the two teens were scared of ghosts much to his surprise. That, of course, started another one of their fights.

"Hey, what time did Akashi say he was coming?" Kagami asked, checking the time on his phone as one of their tiffs ended.

"Sei-nii said he'll be here by mid-morning," answered little Kuroko, his feet swinging happily after drinking his water.

Aomine took the ball from the ground and spun it with his finger as he turned to the teal head boy. "It's almost eleven," he said. "Maybe he won't come."

"If that were to happen, Akashicchi would have called or texted me," Kise contradicted after taking everyone's empty bottles to the trash can. "Maybe something came up so he's running a little late."

Aomine shrugged indifferently. "Maybe. Well, that guy's always late anyway."

"Maybe that's him," said Kagami, pointing at a black car coming towards the street court.

It looks like Kagami was right when it stopped and saw Akashi stepping out of the car and the red haired captain made his way over to them. Little Kuroko jumped from the bench and excitedly ran to Akashi, who easily caught the boy and effortlessly carried him in his arms.

"Ryouta, Daiki and Kagami," Akashi greeted them and the three aces more or less greeted him back. He particularly eyed the aces of Seirin and Touou. "It's a surprise to see you both here."

Aomine pocketed his hands. "The usual street court I went to had many people so I wandered around and found this one empty."

"I was on an errand and saw Aomine playing so I joined," Kagami added. Though he did wonder why they were explaining this to Akashi.

Akashi nodded. "I see." He looked down at the teal head boy in his arms when little Kuroko lightly tugged his shirt.

"Are we going Sei-nii?" the mini phantom asked.

"How badly do you want to leaves us Kurokocchi?" Kise complained which no one paid no mind to.

"We're going now Tetsuya. So say goodbye to them."

Little Kuroko turned to the three teens and gave them a cute smile. "Bye Kagami-kun, Aomine nii-chan and Kise nii-chan. And please say thank you to Ryouko nee-san and Reiko nee-chan, 'kay Kise nii-chan?"

"I will Kurokocchi," Kise sniffed and had this huge urge to hug the teal head boy but because Akashi wasn't letting the boy go, he just appeased himself to a smile to little Kuroko. "Bye Kurokocchi!"

Aomine nodded in goodbye. "Bye Tetsu." I hope he remembers what I said before. I wasn't exactly joking.

"Bye Kuroko," Kagami said and was the only one braved enough to reach out and ruffled the teal head boy's hair while Akashi was there.

"Good. We have to go, we have a long drive ahead of us," Akashi said as he nodded at the three aces in goodbye and walked out of the street ball court and towards the parked car. Little Kuroko peeked over the red head's shoulder and enthusiastically waved at Aomine, Kagami and Kise, who waved back.

Once inside the car and the driver started the engine, Akashi didn't let go of the mini phantom and placed him on his lap. "How are you Tetsuya?" he asked, looking down at him with a gentle smile.

"I'm good," little Kuroko adorably smiled. "I had fun playing basketball with Kise nii-chan, Aomine nii-chan and Kagami-kun today!"

"Is that so?"

"Yup!" the teal head boy nodded eagerly. "Ne, Sei-nii, where are we going?"

"To Kyoto," Akashi simply answered.

Little Kuroko blinked in surprise. "Eh? Sei-nii lives in Kyoto?"

"Yes," Akashi nodded. "You don't mind the long ride, do you Tetsuya?"

The teal head boy shook his head. "Nope, I don't mind, Sei-nii." As soon as he said that, he let out a cute yawn and rubbed his eyes.

Akashi smiled at the adorable sight. "Tired Tetsuya?" he asked and little Kuroko nodded his head, too tired to say anything. "You can sleep Tetsuya. I'll wake you up when we're there."

The teal head boy snuggled up closer to the red head as if seeking his warmth and was lulled to sleep by Akashi, who was running his hand through his teal hair and rubbing his back in a soothing motion.

"Sweet dreams Tetsuya," Akashi softly whispered as he watched little Kuroko peacefully sleep.

NEXT: Tradition, Tea and Shogi

A/N: Okay, next is the most anticipated chapter of Akashi. Ugh, I'm getting pressured. And don't worry, it won't take half a year again for the next update. I plan to finish this fic this year. I have so many stories to write (and that includes the fics I haven't posted yet). So next is The Phantom Trade...