Akashi sighed, "This isn't exactly a good time-" "Then when is?" Kuroko cut with a narrow of his eyes. "You know better to cut me off Tetsuya." The redhead said with a warning look.

"I do but Akashi-kun why can't we talk now?" He tried again. The said man looked at him with a conflicted look, three years ago he was afraid to show him this but after all of the days had passed he was willing to show this to him.

"I have a tight schedule and where is Alexandra?" Speaking of the blonde, the blunet was also questioning her disappearance mentally. "She said she will be back shortly." He said.

"Typical of her to say, Tetsuya follow me." He said while gesturing his hand for the pale man to follow. Kuroko hesitated but nevertheless followed him out and went to private elevator.

The blunet shifted from one foot to another as he looked anywhere else than the man beside who clearly was too close for comfort. The strawberry scent was strong when he accidentally leaned but the redhead didn't bother acknowledging it.

"I see you've change quite a lot." Akashi commented briefly. The blunet snapped his head to see the unreadable eyes of his former master but didn't bother comment immediately.

"Likewise." He mumbled while coughing lightly. Akashi sighed once more but it sounded more desperate.

"Tetsuya I know I've lied to you and I'm not asking for your forgiveness but I liked to be acquainted again if that's alright. I've lost you twice and I'm not really looking forward for a thrice." He chuckled humorless before looking at the dead sky blue orbs.

Kuroko cracked a smile but looked like a grimance. "Convince me if you're worthy Akashi-kun because I'm not really forgiving." 'That's what Chihiro said three years ago.' Akashi thought while nodding his head.

"By the way Tetsuya, how long are you staying here?" Akashi asked just to pass the time. It's almost ten minutes and they were still inside the elevator.

"About two weeks from now." The said man said nonchalantly while looking at the clear-glassed windows, the scenery was nice as they slowly descended. When they went up it felt much of five minutes had passed.

Akashi hummed but didn't said a word as the door of the elevator finally opened and they walked out. "Where excatly are we going?" Kuroko asked as they went to the private section of the parking lot.

"You have to wait and see." The redhead said while opening the door and gestured for the blunet to get in. "What are you waiting for?" Akashi said impatiently with a raised eyebrow.

"It's strange to see you driving. Usually someone would drive for you." Kuroko said honestly surprised with shocked glint in his eyes. "I'm not in school anymore. I can drive on my own perfectly fine." He gestured for the blunet to come inside and he did.

"Of course." Kuroko mumbled when the redhead entered the driver's seat. Akashi inserted the key and twisted it on as the car slowly roared to life and next he knew they were now on the highway bridge going to who knows what.

"I've contacted Alexandra and I was right since last week." Akashi said after minutes of silence. "About what?" Kuroko asked as he stared at the right side of his former master's blank face.

"She knew three years ago that I wanted you to meet her but I was still conflicted about us then you met Masako who wasn't informed about the sudden changes and that's when things got messy." Akashi said with another sigh. "Care to enlighten me?" Kuroko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well where should I start? Five years ago my father decided that I should be engage with Araki Tadashi's daughter as you well know was your highschool senpai Masako. Father said if I was wed to Masako the stakes will double for both companies and profiting us better but that all change after two years when I met you again. Tetsuya I loved you I still do even when I was engaged. Alexandra disliked Masako because Alexandra was engaged to Masako's cousin who is the current owner of the language translator company. I'm not sure why but she just does. When our feelings were mutual I've convinced my father that I wanted to marry you instead and he was conflicted at first so I asked your mother to have a word with him and for return she would see you again. Yes, it was the day you punched me. Proven that you love me no matter what I wanted you to meet someone who took care of me but as you know Masako was tricked by Chihiro clearly confusing the both of you." He explained as the car's engine stopped. The dark red car was now in front a private land.

"Where are we?" That was the first thing Kuroko asked since the redhead's explanation. Akashi blink at him once then twice then before he knew it he was smiling at him.

"I guess some things left unchanged." He said before getting out of the car. Kuroko pouted slightly before following the redhead and went out as well.

"You haven't answered my question Akashi-kun-" "If I kiss you right now will that make you stop talking?" The said man couldn't helped but said it as he stared wide-eyed at his words. "You wanted to be acquainted and convincing me that your worthy by saying that I don't think so." Kuroko said firmly as he pursed his pale lips.

"Tetsuya that was on impulse. You know that's what I always do to you when you ramble to much." Akashi said ss he rubbed his face with one hand. "So you think my rambling is irritating?" The blunet spat.

"That's what you said. I never thought of it as that." The redhead said while shrugging his shoulders while climbing the cemented stairs to a small hill with a visible willow tree at the other side of the tall barbed wire metallic gate. Kuroko felt his cheeks flushed by his assumption as he kept quiet for a moment as he too climb up the flight of stairs.

"Akashi-kun I'm sorry." He muttered when the said man was pulling out his ring of keys and inserted one and twisted it open. "There's nothing to be sorry. I should be the one apologizing so I apologized." He said as he led the blunet inside.

It was a small hill with a large Willow tree at the center with red rose bushes surrounding the silver tombstone in front of the old tree that was glistening against the sun's rays. The blunet found the place to be beautiful for a private cemetery of one's grave.

"Tetsuya come closer." He didn't realized that Akashi was now crossed seated infront of the tombstone and patting the space next to him. He did as he was told and sat beside him.

Kuroko glanced at the redhead to see him pulling out a small box that was neatly wrapped around a white wrapper with a grey ribbon plastered at the top of it. He placed it at the below part of the tombstone before running his hands at the words.

And below that was the date of her death. Kuroko was shocked that she died ten years older than him which was thirty-seven years old.

And calculating what age the redhead was and when he did, he looked at Akashi with his mouth in a small 'o'. "She died three years after I lost you for the first time. I was eleven so in my fifth year in elementary. It was hard losing you both and with father being strict I wanted to die but mother wouldn't like that if I did. I kept moving forward, mother said that someday we'll see each other again and looked where it got us." He said while smiling at the tombstone and Kuroko with unshed tears.

"I never really thought I would fall for you so hard. I don't know how my feelings for you started but I'm absolutely sure it'll end when I die." He stopped speaking further as he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Akashi-kun stop crying." He said while wiping away his tears.

He didn't knew he was crying until Kuroko mentioned it. He just smiled, 'I'm getting you back Tetsuya.' He thought as he pushed the blunet to the ground with his arm along with him as they looked up to the cloudless sky.

"Alex it's been over an hour what do you think they are doing now?" The older Akashi asked with an impatient tone on his old voice. For a fifty-year old he was acts like he was on his twenties.

"Oh shush it Kaito, Can't you hear I'm talking to the my real meeting partner?!" The blonde sighed while pinching her nose.They purposely left Kuroko on that room where Akashi thought he would meet up with his own business partner.

It was hard convincing his secetary but found a way when she was the younger sister of one of the older Akashi's butlers, Koganei. She heard him let out a sigh of his own before hanging.

'Thank you.' She thought to herself while continuing on discussing with her partner. After final words were exchanged and hands shook they left the room in good terms much to the american's please.

"Shigehiro did Tetsuya contact you whatsoever?" Alex asked when she walked towards the ginger. "Nope." Popping the 'p' he answered with a shake of his head.

"I see..." She nodded. "Where are the twins?" She asked again as she looked to see no brunet twins.

Ogiwara laughed nervously. "Funny thing you should know about that..." That made Alex tipped her glasses with her narrowed emerald orbs as she asked again.

He mumbled the words quickly but audible for Alex. "They what?!"

A livid American slammed a door opened. "Sasaki Twins!" She shrieked as she grabbed their ears and pulled them off from their chair.

Somehow they smoothly came inside the CCTV room without the guards noticing and besides it was their break time. Alex was angry because they walked off without the mistress' constent.

She rolled her eyes at their apologies. "Here take them, Kaito's calling me." She pushed the twins to the ginger and grabbed her phone without missing a beat.

"Yellow." She said as she stared at the brunet twins with a warning look. They gulped but smiled as they gave a mocked salute.

"You're plan backfired." That made the blonde wide eyed and mouth agaped. "You're serious?" She said in a tiny voice.

"Of course Sei-kun told me that his taking Kuroko to lunch. Surprise them by coming I'll message you the address." She released a relief breath. The older redhead sure know how to scare her.

"Alright. See you later." And with that the call ended. "Time for lunch boys." She said as she gestured her butlers to follow her.

They all gave knowing looks before following their mistress. They were in a safe distance, the blonde's grin was so wide they were surprised it didn't added wrinkles to her light-tanned face.

"Mother I like you to meet Tetsuya. You remember him right? His Miyuki's son the retired police chief that you befriended with since highschool. Say hi Tetsuya." Akashi mumbled the last part as he nudged Kuroko. "It's nice to meet my ex's mother. It's really a shame that I didn't get to see you again. I remembered you were the one who would tolerate my mother and I's lack of presence aside from my father and other relatives. Sometimes you would visit us with a suitcase full of completed novels and light novels. I had to asked my father back then to change the attic into my mini-library." He and the redhead chuckled in nothing particular.

"Happy birthday mother, and also happy mother's day." He greeted. He should have began with that first but his emotions took him over and he gone through a breakdown.

"Mother's day doesn't start until tomorrow." Kuroko whispered. "I have an even tighter schedule tomorrow so that's why I'm doing in now Tetsuya." The redhead said with grunt as he ran his fingers of the engraved words.

"It's almost fifteen years." He said in nothing particular. "And you were strong in those years." The blunet said with a small smile.

Akashi smiled back. Even though Kuroko was hard to earn a trust with, he won't give up.

This time he won't let him go.

"Would you like to have lunch with me?" The redhead asked making Kuroko thought for a moment. "I'm not sure, I have to asked permission-" "Alexandra won't mind. I'll tell father." He said with a reassuring smile.

"If you say so." He mumbled unsurely as he glanced at the tombstone. "See you later mother." Akashi bid goodbye before gesturing the blunet to follow him.

"It's nice meeting you again Akashi-san." He said as he too bid goodbye. "It's really a relief to have you back in my life again Tetsuya." Akashi said with a grin as he went inside the car.

"Remember the deal Akashi-kun. You've got to earn it." Kuroko said as he went inside the car and the same time the car roared to life. "Of course Tetsuya, and by the way..." Kuroko hummed as he stared curiously at the redhead.

"I love you."

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