Chapter I:
A Night to Remember

Kagami

I was able to shoot my last dunk at the championship game against Rakuzan, and I still can't believe that in the score of 88-90, we won.

Yes, we won the championship! Seirin became the number one high school team in Japan… and I, their most valuable player.

After we had bowed to each other, all of the members returned to their respective benches. I saw Coach Riko shake hands with the coach of the enemy team, smiling through her tears, while Captain Hyuuga comforted her on the side with a similar expression on his face.

And then, I saw Kuroko, talking quietly to Akashi Seijuurou at the center of the court, and improbably, I think everyone noticed that, as the whole stadium became transfixed at the sight, looking at the center where Kuroko and Akashi are standing, suddenly aware that something important, something phenomenal, is going on.

Akashi had raised his hand unnecessarily to draw attention and silence, his voice raised slightly so that everyone could hear. "Everyone! I know that all of you players here who have once faced the Generation of Miracles during the past three years knew the rumors about the famed Phantom Sixth Man… but the fact remains that many of you are unaware that you have played against him in this tournament."

"Akashi-kun." Kuroko seemed uncertain beside him.

"Generation of Miracles! Stand!" Akashi called—and one by one, from the stands, I saw Aomine Daiki, Midorima Shintarou, Murasakibara Atsushi, and Kise Ryouta rise, under the gaze of every person in the hall. The audience tittered curiously, but Akashi raised his hand again for silence, and his charisma was such that everyone fell silent.

"Once, we have disapproved of his way of playing, disapproved so much to the point that he resigned from the Teikou Basketball Club." He looked around, his mismatched eyes startling. "But the fact remains that when we were created, the team whose starting five would be nicknamed the Generation of Miracles, we were the lights that needed his shadow to hold us together. We were children."

The way Akashi called themselves children would have shocked the audience into silence if they weren't already. As such, each of the Generation seemed to be astounded at how much Akashi was humbling himself.

"And then, we grew. You, Daiki, became his sole light, and because that same light burned bright and hot, it burned even your shadow away."

Aomine just smiled bitterly, and flashed Kuroko with a smirk. Kuroko returned it with a gentle grin.

"I know that already, Akashi, even without all that drama. I would say that I regretted it, but now he is in there, in that joke of a team that none of us who have been hailed as geniuses could destroy completely. Never was there a time when I believed that Kuroko could shoot actual points, but there he was. And I'm glad I was the one who taught him." Aomine's statement made his former teammates smile, even Midorima and Akashi, who wore begrudging looks of amusement on their faces. "He has chosen his own path. And I'm proud of him for it."

Akashi seemed satisfied, and nodded at Aomine like a parent who approved of his child. "And Atsushi was at constant odds with Tetsuya because of their differing views on basketball and the way geniuses and hard workers differed in general."

Murasakibara shrugged, and then scratched the back of his head as though to stall for time. However, when his dull voice began resounding all throughout the stadium, it was steady, without hesitation.

"Kurochin won our bet… and proved that everything I had believed in was wrong. That even a runt can beat a giant in basketball, a game that supposedly favors the tall."

Kuroko smiled at Murasakibara. "Murasakibara-kun, I don't think I proved everything you believed in was necessarily wrong… But I did find out that your belief in hating the sport I love was false, and I am happy with just that."

Meanwhile, Midorima's words were direct, needing no prompting from his former captain to say, "Kuroko, we will face each other again."

Kuroko nodded. "That we will."

Kise needed no prompting as well, bursting in as Kuroko had finished uttering the last syllable, his golden eyes glinting.

"Kurokocchi... We're also happy for you!" he had exclaimed, while showing a thumbs up.

"So now there you have it, Tetsuya. Congratulations." Akashi's smile had a genuine tinge in it this time. "Kuroko Tetsuya, once the Phantom Sixth Man of the Teikou Middle School Basketball Team… No, rather…"

"Thank you." Kuroko's smile was pure joy. Then—

"You dumbaaass!" And Captain Hyuuga, Kiyoshi-san, Izuki-senpai, and all the other Seirin players were swarming over to where Kuroko stood frozen, everyone laughing and talking and shouting all at the same time.

"Thank you…" Kuroko repeated, but this time his voice trembled, and I saw that he was crying. I approached him and lifted him up in a massive hug.

"We did it! WE DID IT!" I yelled, with tears involuntarily streaming down my face as well. "We're number one in Japan!"

After everyone from the stands has gone home and the team had finished packing up in the locker rooms, Coach Riko then said that we could go out to celebrate, or we could just go home and get some rest. However, we found Kise and Aomine, with Momoi Satsuki pulling along a very grumpy Midorima behind, asking us if Kuroko and I could spend the night with them.

Captain Hyuuga grudgingly agreed to let Kuroko and me with the idiots when Kuroko pleaded, and we set off into the cold night. I noticed how Aomine seemed to talk with Kuroko with a lighter mood than before, implying how better their relationship got after the whole thing. I guess all was put behind them, for now. It was, after all, the night after the last match of the season. However, when Aomine dipped his head slightly closer to Kuroko's, I felt a quick twinge in my chest, which only grew when Kuroko laughed lightly, presumably at some joke the latter had just said.

So this is how they were when they were still mates, I thought with an irritation which surprised me with its intensity.

Momoi, surprisingly, seemed to decide upon me as a conversation partner, her long fluttery hair tied back in a massive ponytail as she looked up at me with a sly grin. "Kagami-kun…what's with that look?"

"W-What look?" I tried to concentrate on the road before me instead, but Momoi's voice sank into a conspiratorial whisper.

"You look as if you're ready to kill Dai-chan."

I turned to look at her quickly, and saw a knowing smile flit on her lips before it vanished. I chose to believe that it was just my imagination. "What's so interesting about that? Everyone wants to kill Aomine, I would think. The size of the guy's ego could feed the whole planet…"

Momoi pouted mockingly. "Ooh, is that true?"

"Who's killing Aominecchi?" And suddenly, Kise's bright voice was in my ear, and turning to look, Momoi and I saw Kise in the space between us, slinging his arms over our shoulders casually. "Seems interesting."

"Never you mind," I groused brusquely, making Kise pout with theatrical flair.

"Aw, Kagamicchi, so mean. I want in too!"

"I said never mind! So stop being so persistent!"

"But…"

"Kise, stop it." Midorima's baritone suddenly echoed behind us three, and we spun to see him holding a brightly red pencil in his taped left hand. "You're waking up the whole neighborhood with your racket. And here we are," he added, pointing at the place where Aomine and Kuroko had finally stopped, with an unoccupied right hand.

"Says this place is reserved…" Kise read out the sign tacked on the door.

"Well… Akachin and I did." Surprised at another person suddenly speaking behind us, we watched Murasakibara just step up and slide the door open. "Come on in. Everyone's waiting."

"Everyone?" Aomine queried. "And why the hell…"

"Well, the food here is very delicious…" Murasakibara muttered slowly.

"That wasn't what I was asking," Aomine grumbled, but with a bound, Momoi just went with a "Let's go, Dai-chan!" and pushed him right over into the premises. We all followed suit.

"How did you know that, Atsushi?" Tatsuya, standing behind him, gave me a little smile, which I returned with a nod. "Eaten here already?"

"Well… Used to eat here during our middle school days when we're not in the convenience store. Actually, we just suggested it to Akachin since he wasn't able to eat with us during that time. Don't worry, Murochin, what I'll recommend you is probably the best dish that they have." His lip quirked in a smile at Kuroko, which surprised us, as there had been no indication prior that their relationship was on the mend. "Kurochin loves the salmon dishes in here… Right, Kurochin?"

Kuroko nodded. "You could say that."

"Coach?" I gasped as I caught sight of the rest of the Seirin team huddled in one corner, looking at their menus as though being there was the most natural thing. Coach Riko looked up and grinned apologetically.

"Well, actually, Coach Araki had asked us to come," she said, gesturing toward the lady coach of Yosen High, in another side with her own team. "And I thought that it was a good idea to let these guys celebrate a bit as well, you know."

"I see." I nodded in understanding. Feeling Kuroko tug at my sleeve, I raised a hand to excuse myself from the conversation. "Well, glad to see you guys. Later."

"Yep," Coach Riko nodded her assent, and I turned away.

"Wait... A while ago, you mentioned something about a bet," I asked Murasakibara as we seated ourselves. "What was it about?"

"Yes… well…" Kise propped up his elbows on the table, and leaned forward. "Actually, Kurokocchi was not around that time but after we graduated from middle school, we made a bet that whoever wins the winter championship will get prizes, and this is it."

"Er, just this? A food fest?" I scratched my head. "Pretty weak, if you ask me."

"We were middle schoolers," Aomine snorted. "And for us, this wasn't a war… This was a game. You were the ones treating this like it's serious stuff."

"Of course basketball is like a game for you, Aominecchi," Kise laughed. "You were the best of us, after all!"

"But…" I frowned at Kuroko, who was blankly sipping a glass of water from a tray that a waitress had brought to the table.

"…But since Tetsuya wasn't around that time, his prize was to be recognized by everyone," and with a dramatic statement, Akashi sat at our table, his mismatched eyes meeting mine. "And as for you all…it will be my treat—for a victory you won against the Emperors of Creation."

"So that's why Rakuzan is here," I remarked after glancing at the Rakuzan crowd. They were rather noisy even after getting off the court.

"That was rather rude, Kagami-kun," Kuroko said with a little smile.

I blushed. "Shut up."

"Anyway… this is the first time that Rakuzan lost against a relatively new team, right?" Kise stared around the table with his golden gaze. "Isn't it?"

"Thank you for pointing out that which was already known from the start, Ryouta," Akashi said icily. The table went quiet.

"I still can't believe that we won," Kuroko said, half-addressed to me and half-addressed to the table in general, making everybody look at us quickly. Akashi seemed to have let Kise's insensitive remark slide for now, however, so the atmosphere gradually lightened.

"Yeah." I can't keep myself from breaking out into a grin once more. "So I guess you did fulfill your promise to me, eh?"

"If not for the efforts of the team and Kagami-kun, that dream would have remained a dream," he replied, meekly.

I smiled and looked down at the menu that a smiling Momoi passed me.

This evening would be just perfect.

Kuroko

Some time ago, Aomine-kun had told me that I was able to find the right person to be my light.

I had always thought the same, more especially today, as we have successfully helped each other reach the pinnacle of Japanese high school basketball. Kagami-kun and I, even though we were at odds in the beginning because of our apparent differences in ability, didn't let them tear us apart.

"Say, Kuroko." Kagami-kun matched my pace as we walked home from the restaurant, the other Seirin members walking at a distance before us. Everyone seemed to be in a rowdy mood after the congratulatory party that the others had thrown for us.

"What is it, Kagami-kun?" I said in a purposefully dismissive tone, noticing how unusually somber he looked, very different from the Kagami-kun that I know.

"I still can't come to terms with all of this," he said with a short laugh, making me smile back.

"I know," I replied. "I also feel similarly."

"Well, you know, now that this is all over…" Kagami-kun fidgeted, making me raise an eyebrow. Seeing my expression, he quickly backtracked. "Er, well, you see… now that we have achieved our promise… Does that mean that you wouldn't need me any longer?"

I stopped walking out of pure surprise. "Were you thinking of that ever since we beat Akashi-kun?"

"No… well, maybe…" Kagami-kun sighed. "Look, you said so yourself, you were using me to beat those guys… And we've already gone and done just that." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Er, don't take it negatively."

"I didn't. I was just really shocked that you of all people can suggest that." I chuckled lightly at Kagami-kun's contrite expression.

"Well, then, could I still be your light?"

We both paused at that sudden question, Kagami-kun blushing to the roots of his fiery hair as he realized how that would have sounded. I was glancing back and forth between his eyes, and noticed how the Seirin crowd must have left us already, unwittingly.

"Of course," I answered carefully, and he looked up at me quickly. "You needn't ask. You're still my light. You can never be not my light after all that we've gone through."

He looked so happy, so radiant, so, so luminous at that moment, the glimmer of something like hope glittering in his eyes, that I then did what might either be the stupidest or the most natural thing for me to do back then.

I stood on tiptoes and touched my lips to his.

I drew back quickly, breathless at what I just did, Kagami-kun not the less surprised.

"I…" he struggled to begin, and failed. "That was…"

"Sorry," I gasped, and gripping the strap of my bag, I turned on my heel—and ran. Ran, ran into the swallowing darkness.

You were supposed to be the smart one, Tetsuya.

I ducked into a playground to rest, hiding in the shadow of the slide as I thought furiously about what I just did. Why did I even do that? It wasn't as if I liked Kagami-kun romantically… But then, his eyes just reminded me so much of the sparkle that Aomine-kun had possessed before…

Maybe I just wanted to preserve that moment in memory, I reasoned. Maybe I was just carried by my overwhelming happiness. Maybe I ate too much. Maybe…

And yet, I instinctively knew that I was making excuses, and promptly shut my mind up.

When had I become unconsciously attracted to Kagami-kun, like a moth to the candle? Was it when he showed Kise-kun up in a bid to keep me to the team? Was it when Midorima-kun found out that shooting points without expecting help is not everything in basketball? When Kagami-kun swore to crush Aomine-kun to the dust? When he forced Murasakibara-kun's hand, reducing him to admitting that he had a fierce love for the game that he had sworn was so unfair? When he had thrown Akashi-kun from his pedestal? When? When?

When?

Or perhaps, it was way, way before then.

So… was it when he challenged me to a one-on-one that I knew I would lose?

I remembered his hungry expression back then, his dry lips as he spoke like a man dying of thirst. That is, a thirst for a game that could keep him on his toes. I knew I couldn't have given him something like that. So…

I swore that I would help him on his way to matches that could satisfy that craving. I drove him to the path of the Generation of Miracles. And not only because of my selfishness, I could see that now.

I did this so that Kagami-kun could also see for himself that he could become greater if he could but only beat those opponents that he so thirsted for.

"So… so did I fall for him back then?" I murmured involuntarily, and that was when I suddenly felt someone suddenly move behind me.

I turned quickly, but apparently not quickly enough, for the handkerchief was already smothering me and the smell of the chloroform strong in my nostrils.

What…

The last thing I remembered doing before blacking out is a cry of Kagami-kun's name.