The Willful Sky
Summary: By reflecting visible light, an image can be seen in the mirror. After a twist of fate, Kuroko meets a basketball team highly skilled in group play. In order to convey their passion to the rest of Japan, Kuroko makes it his duty to polish their individual talents, and produce results more brilliant than anyone could've imagined. "故意の空 (Koi no Sora) - The Willful Sky
Disclaimer: This fan-fiction was set on the shared accounts Hirari Haru of EternalWaltz and Made2353. We do not own Kuroko no Basuke, just this fic. Along with any characters involved. There are spoilers included into this story and OC's (Original Characters) later in the story will appear.
Warning: There will be some spoilers from the Kuroko no Basuke/Basket series.
Prologue
The shadow's role is the absence of the light. Guiding it and helping it along the way so that the light may grow stronger every day: the stronger the light, the bigger the shadow. I never outshine it, I just follow, mimicking its power to the extent of my abilities, and I will never reach its full capacity. But in this world, if mirrors can reflect light, than I suppose that a shadow such as myself can be called a " mirror". And there are many mirrors in this world. I am one to this team. Striking this world with a roar like thunder, shining out like the sun, yet I outwash the problems like rain and whisk around similar to a breeze; watching a distance like the clouds. No, I am no sky like the 5 I have named, and they are no miracles. But like the water reflecting the sky till dawn and dusk, I will reflect and guide them till they are complete.
It was three days after the tear pouring, sweat-soaked, and lingering determination and sentiment of the Finals at Winter Cup. Some would describe the results a dream, others a sign of luck or karma. With these results,perhaps a bit of everything: Seirin vs. Rakuzan—victors Seirin, with a one point difference of 106-105. When that momentous day came to a close, Kiyoshi left towards America to fix his knee injury, everyone still engaged in training, and Kuroko… he finally accomplished what he started with the Generation of Miracles. In the end, he became the "Shadow that surpassed the Light".
An hour or two after twelve, it was near late January, only days away from February. The days had become shorter, colder, and people had begun to stock up on chocolates and paper hearts. But it's not exactly a bad thing; it's a time some people love or hate. The sky was no clear blue, but instead it was overcast with grey clouds like soot and smoke. The sun still peeks out of the cracks, only to disappear a second later.
The soft breath of snoring, along with the sounds of a page being turned, he laid his body on the bed. His back was up against the headboard, his eyes reflecting the words across the paper, only to shift with the flip of a page. Engrossed into the book, next to him laid a bundle of fur, which whimpered and snuggled up close to his owner, who was petting the dog into a sweet comfort behind its ears. A soft knock interrupted the silence, and echoed through the room. Looking up toward the wooden door, he sat up, placed a book mark into the white pages, and walked toward the door.
He looked down at the small figure, only inches smaller in height. "Okaasan…" He opened up his door for his mother to enter.
"Tetsuya, you have mail." Her voice was silvery, clear, light and pleasant to the ears. Kuroko Tetsuya and his mother both had a similar set of eyes, big and doe-cerulean colored. They stared back at each other affectionately. Their light blue hair had a texture soft to the touch, pale skin, and blank expressions with the barest hint of soft insight. After all, Kuroko had inherited his looks and low-presence from his mother and his personality from his father. She handed over two envelopes, you could easily differentiate the context in each envelope. One was a big brown envelope, and the other was an average-sized white one.
"Thank you." Kuroko looked down at each address, and printed on the page were the words he had been waiting for.
"Tetsuya…" He looked up at his mother; she wore a smile-that tingled like the sun. But her eyes held quite the opposite, concern and sadness. "I trust your choice." Tracing her hand along her son's cheek, the soft touch made Kuroko shake a bit. He reached and held his mother hand back,
"I know…" She left then, leaving a lingering presence of bittersweet. Kuroko swallowed before exhaling deeply, clutching the envelopes in his hands just a little tighter.
Walking over to his desk, with the new papers in his hand, he opened the white envelope first. He scanned the content of the letter, and words similar to the first letter appeared.
Dear Parents/Guardians of Kuroko Tetsuya,
Your child has been one of the few to be chosen to participate in the "New World Exchange Program" or better known as the "N.W.E.P." We will be humbly honored if your child will participate in this program. This program involves your child going to one of the selected schools in Japan, where they will transfer for a period of time. This program will start and end on or around January 31st, 2014. He/she will stay one year and he will most likely stay there when he moves to the next grade. Your child can visit home or places outside the school during leisure periods. If you were given this letter, that means that you and your child have already decided to participate in the program, and you should have been given an envelope about the school your child will be attending. If you did not get the envelope, than please contact us-further information can be found below.
If you would like more information about the program or school your child is attending, than please check with our program's website, your child's future school, or the envelope that came with this letter.
Sincerely, New World Exchange Program
Mentally sighing to himself, he opened up the envelope, and scanned over the school he would be attending. "Ryuudou Gakuen: All Boys' Academy located in the Yamagata district. Good social standings and great academic learning. Every extraneous cost will be paid for by the N.W.E. P...Living in a new home or commuting to and from school shouldn't be a problem- all I have to do is live in the dorms," he muttered to himself. Scanning the area and things along with his classes and clubs available, the minutes passed, and the weight on his heart only increased. The paper once clean and dry was now pattered with a drop of mineral water, which continued to run down the cheeks of the dear phantom. "Goodbye…"
Midday, on Monday morning, a set of freshmen males were walking down the halls and heading towards the cafeteria.
"Man, I can't believe we actually won Winter Cup."
"Yeah, it feels like a dream." The smallest of the three, and almost the same height as Kuroko had light brown, mid-length hair. He played number 12 on the Seirin Basketball Team: Furihata Kouki. Next was number 15, average height with very short, black hair: Koichi Kawahara. Finally there was Fukuda Hiroshi, number 13. He had black, spikey hair with strands hanging off his forehead, with rather long eyes lashes.
"Hey, so what are you guys getting for lunch?" Kawahara asked.
"Hmm… Furihata what are you getting?" Fukuda wasn't really sure, so he relied on the person next to him.
"Anything really, as long as I have the mon- ah!" He quickly scavenged through his pockets, only to feel the empty presence of metal and paper. "I forgot the money back at the classroom." He quickly started heading back the direction he was just from. "Go ahead, I'll be right there. Try saving me something before it's all gone." He started running back to his classroom, right down the hall and passes the teacher's lounge.
"Crap, I hope- Gyaah!"
He suddenly stumbled a bit forward, and looked back at the door he was just about to pass. Students looked around and stared back at the door where a scream came behind it. "What was that?" He groaned, getting himself up. Wiping off any dirt or dust stained on his uniform, his eyes looked up at the sign. "Teacher's Lounge… Did something happen?" Looking at the door, he stared in temptation, finally to submit to it. He slid the door open a crack, and looked inside.
"Gomenasai sensei, I didn't mean to startle you." In the middle of the room was a panting teacher, shaking with a terrified look of relief.
"It's alright Kuroko; your lack of presence always does this sort of thing." The male teacher sat down, and looked up at the teen who had been an uncanny margin away from giving him a heart attack. "What's wrong?"
"Well, I filled the information for the program."
'Program…?' Furihata listened in more.
"That was fast," Kuroko handed over the papers, and the teacher scanned over. "It seems good, but are you sure you're ready for this?" Tilting his head to the side, he had a thought of confusion. "Just days ago did you win the tournament for you club, one of your teammates left to America and now your suddenly leaving. Have you even informed your coach and adviser?"
'Leaving!?' Furihata clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from blurting out the word.
"I told my advisor for the club, but everyone else: no." Kuroko's voice wavered a bit on the last word.
The teacher looked up at his student with concern. "Kuroko, I believe this is a great opportunity, and it's definitely not given easily to students. And for you to get this chance…" He lapsed briefly to shake his head, and ran a hand through his hair. "What I'm trying to say is that I want you to be sure this choice is yours, and you truly believe this is what you want. Because… you could cost a friendship or two if you're not careful."
Kuroko stared down at the floor. "I know…" His voice was soft and brittle. He met his teacher's gaze in an effort to reassure him, lips pressed together in what was assumed to be determination.
The teacher already had tears in his eyes. Moving his lips upward, he forced a sweet, pained smile.
"But I'm ready, thank you for being concerned," Kuroko finished.
"Hey!" The teacher's sudden exclamation put the converaation on pause as he sat up and stared at the door. "Who left the door open? Students could be eavesdropping if we're not careful."
During practice…
"Okay everyone! Line up!" A whistle blew and echoed off the gym's walls. "Okay, let's start with our usual warm ups." Another whistle was sounded, and everyone stared their training.
"Kuroko, want to team up?" Kuroko looked behind him, and stared at his fellow freshmen, Furihata. Giving a small and friendly nod, he quickly joined Furihata as they got in position. They made small talk as they stretched their legs.
"How's Furihata-kun been?"
"Fine, though it's still hard to believe we won Winter Cup."
"Why?"
"Eh?" Furihata looked up into those blue eyes of abyss.
"Why is it hard to believe," Kuroko persisted.
"Eh, well… Rakuzan has not only a member of the generation of miracles, but three uncrowned kings and someone with a presence similar to Kuroko's."
A sweet sound reached Furihata's ears, as a soft chuckle escaped Kuroko's lips. "They were pretty tough huh? I believed that we could win though."
"Gyah! Nigou stay away!" Looking away from the conversation, they could see a red head screaming and running away from a bundle of black and white.
"And here I thought he got used to Nigou already," Furihata mused. He watched as Kagami ran, but he felt a taunting feeling and sneaked a glance at his friend. Kuroko's face shone with happiness, and Furhihata couldn't dismiss the ephemeral feeling he couldn't quite grasp.
"Kuroko…"
"Yes?"
"I-"
"Everyone, stretching is over, time to jog!"
"Eh?" Furihata looked around as everyone started to get up, and realized that he might lose his chance to ask Kuroko. "Wait, Kuroko!" Reaching over and tugging Kuroko's shoulder, he stopped him in his tracks. Riko looked at the two, for they weren't joining the group.
"Oi, you two, what are you do-"
Kuroko cleared his throat before delivering the statement that would leave his companion speechless. "Yes, Furihata-kun… I'm leaving Seirin."
A new beginning will start, for Kuroko's role as Seirin's shadow has finished. Instead, he'll become a mirror, the mirror that will reflect its sky and help it become ever more willful.
Made2352: Hello guys, thanks for giving this read a chance and hope you will enjoy this story. Now, if you're not really cleared about the story and what it is about, Kuroko is transferring to an Academy. His reasons why and everyone's thoughts about this subject will be revealed in the next chapter. This is the prologue, if you don't understand by the time the next chapter is set-than we'll explain it then. Thanks for reading and hope for more. Please review, favorite and follow, and swing by our individual profiles, just type our names or you can click the links on Hirari Haru profile.
EternalWaltz: Hey guys, thanks for checking this out. In case you guys were wondering our roles in this collaboration, the wondeful Made2352 writes the story -pauses for a round of cyber applause-, and I co-brainstorm/edit. We're having a great time, so we hope you can enjoy this as much as we've been.