Kuroko opened and closed his eyes slowly. He got up slowly, wondering why the room he was in was a blank white with silver cupboards. This wasn't how airplanes looked like in the inside. They had a comfy seat and plenty of windows, painted a relaxing cream color. He looked behind, and saw the shock of his life. He saw himself. That him was covered in bruises and scars, lying on a cold metal table, eyes closed peacefully. Kuroko gasped. Why was he looking at himself? He noticed a man across the room. He was standing next to an exact replica of himself too, and he was sighing at the door. Kuroko slowly approached him. He tapped his shoulder. The man turned behind.
"Excuse me, but do you know why there is other us on the tables?" Kuroko asked politely.
"Don't you get it kid?" The man said, a tear rolling down his cheek slowly. "We're dead."
"W-what do you mean?" Kuroko stuttered. The man pointed towards the door. Signaling him to go there. Kuroko slowly walked there. Outside, he heard voices.
"The plane from Canada flight JH17 had been shot down a few days ago on its way back to Japan. There were 280 passengers on this flight, all dead. Among the corpses, we also found the body of basketball player Kuroko Tetsuya…." Kuroko stepped away from the door, shaking. A wave of realization hit him. Flight JH 17 was his flight. He was a soul. That was his body. Kuroko Tetsuya is long dead. Gone from this world.
Kise found himself replaying the news over and over again.
"The plane from Canada flight JH17 had been shot down a few days ago on its way back to Japan. There were 280 passengers on this flight, all dead. Among the corpses, we also found the body of basketball player Kuroko Tetsuya of the Generation of Miracles. The case is being inspected and the bodies will be sent back in a matter of time…."
He let it play over and over again. He looked up. He was sitting on a bench in Rakuzan's gym. Since the news, the Generation of Miracles had taken refuge in the gym, avoiding questions and paparazzi. Aomine was playing one on one with Kagami. They made dunk after dunk, they ran fast and played intensely, but their expressions were dead. Blank. Kise felt tears at the edges of his eyes.
"Ne, Aominecchi…..It isn't true right? *hic* Kurokocchi isn't*hic* dead, right?*hic* It's all*hic*a big*hic*lie, right?" Kise said as he tried to resist the tears in his eyes from falling. He failed. Warm, salty tears flowed down his cheeks mercilessly. Aomine growled slightly as he harshly dunked the ball in the hoop.
"Kise don't you DARE cry or I'll, I'll start,start crying….And for, for heaven's sake pause that stupid thing already!" Aomine croaked as he grabbed the cell phone out of Kise's hand, pausing it then slamming it onto the floor. "I don't want to hear it anymore! Godammit! Tetsu! Why did you HAVE to go to that STUPID place called Canada anyway!? Can't you spend your summer holidays in Japan!? You idiot! Look what's happened!"
Aomine felt the basketball hit him on the back of his head. He growled, tears in his eyes. Behind him, Kagami was fuming.
"SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT ANYMORE!" He shouted. "I DON'T WANT TO KEEP HEARING ANY OF THIS EITHER! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT IT ANYMORE! I WISH THERE WAS SOMEONE HERE OTHER THAN HIM WHO KNEW HOW TO SHUT YOU UP! BUT THERE ISN'T! SO JUST SHUT up already…" Kagami's yell turned into a whisper. He punched the ground and repeated it again and again, as if that would bring him back to life. He gave up eventually, curled up in a ball on the basketball court, sobbing.
Midorima felt numb. He didn't feel sad or angry, just numb. Numb all over. He refused to show any emotion, he didn't get up to hit anything or anyone. He just sat there, staring at nothing. The wall stared back at him. He didn't keep up to the horoscope anymore. He couldn't care for it anymore. He remembered the events so clear and precise; it was like a movie haunting him. The day they were waiting for Kuroko at the airport.
"When will Kurokocchi be back? I want to play basketball with him, go to Maji burger with him, run around the…." Kise said happily as he stood at the airport with the Generation of Miracles and Kagami, waiting for Kuroko to come back from his holiday in Canada.
'Shut up Kise. Tetsu isn't yours." Aomine grumbled.
"Nor is he yours." Kagami said, glaring at the tanned player.
"All of you should shut up, nanodayo. You are all so immature. Can't you just grow up and wait quietly?" Midorima said, pushing up his glasses. He had a bag in his hand, which contained Aquarius's lucky item of the day. A welcome home gift. They heard a voice through the speakers.
"Excuse me, I am very sorry for the new I am about to say. Flight JH 17 from Canada has accidently been shot down on its way here, killing all of the passengers on the flight. There is a total of 280 people on this plane, and among the corpses, we have identified several passengers, for example, Hideoshi Tamashi, Akari Arisu, Nuroshi Gohashi, and even a basketball player, Kuroko Tetsuya….."
Midorima dropped his bag.
Murasakibara got up and kicked the bench to the floor. He kept kicking it as if it was the cause of the crash. He was throwing a tantrum again, kicking and screaming like a kid. Akashi dodn't stop him as he broke his third bench of the day. Murasakibara's mood was like an on and off switch. One second he would be sitting on the bench, staring at the ceiling, another he would be breaking anything in his path. Who could blame him? He was just as upset as the other players, only he couldn't choose how to express it. Murasakibara went back to quiet mode and grabbed another banch to sit on. He hadn't ate any type of sweet or snack that day. All he had done was break benches and stare at the ceiling. He felt a tear roll down his cheek. Maybe he would just express it like this. Quiet sobbing. Just like Momoi who was sitting on the floor next to him crouched in a ball.
"Tetsu-kun….." Momoi sobbed silently into her knees. Her face was covered in tears, which didn't stop coming no matter how hard she tried. "Tetsu-kun…Why did you have to leave?" The tears came faster than before, and drops were falling on the floor like rain. In her hand she had the prize ice cream stick, and she was holding on to it like it was all she had left. And it was. All she had left of him. She wanted to throw a tantrum like Aomine and Murasakibara, shout or take it out on something. She felt an arm wrap around her. It was Aomine.
"You don't have to keep it in Satsuki."
Soon, Momoi was crying loudly and kicking the benches harshly, tears dropping on the floor endlessly. Aomine stood next to her, his huge hand covering his crying face.
"You don't have to keep it in. Let it all out."
Akashi replayed the recorded conversation on his phone again and again. Despite it lasting 10 minutes long, he didn't stop. The overseas call to Kuroko a day before he came back. The last time he heard his voice. And through a phone. What the hell? His friend is gone and all he has left is a recorded conversation with him through a phone. Akashi raised the volume and played it again. It started, and it was loud enough for the whole gym to hear. He wanted all of them to hear it again.
"Hello?"
"Hello. Is this Tetsuya?"
"Oh. Hello Akashi-kun."
"How is it in Canada?"
"It's fine. What's going on in Japan?"
"It's…Ok. Well-Ryouta give me back the phone now!"
*Sounds of yells and footsteps*
"What's going on?"
"Hi Kurokocchi! I knew Akashicchi was calling you and I knew he wouldn't let me talk to you cause he's selfish! How is it in Canada?"
"Are you running away from Akashi-kun now?"
"How'd you guess? Well, I guess it's natural! He's gonna kill me later but I don't care~ As long as I get to hear your voice!"
"You'll die, Kise-kun."
"Nah~I'll survive somehow. So-ACK!"
*The phone dropped to the floor and someone picked it up*
"Kise-kun?"
"Hello? Is this Kuro-chin?"
"Murasakibara-kun. What happened to Kise-kun?"
"Ki-chin fainted when he bumped into me. He was holding Aka-chin's phone. So it is in my hands now. How are you Kuro-chin? Do you miss Japan yet? How is the food there?"
"The food's here okay. Of course I do, Murasakibara-kun. How many sweets have you had today?"
"Plenty~ Come back quickly, Kuro-chin. I accidently bought too much vanilla candy-"
*Someone snatching the phone and running*
"Hey Tetsu!"
"Domo, Aomine-kun."
"How is that place called Canada? Does it have basketball? Did you join in any games?"
"All you think about is basketball, Aomine-kun."
"Yeesh. Just answer my question-HEY!"
*sounds of bumping and dropping of the phone*
"Hey Kuroko!"
"Kagami-kun."
"Just comeback already! I want to play basketball and defeat this bunch of idiots with you again!"
"But we already did."
"Then I want to do it again! Hey let go of the-"
*Shouts and sequels of struggle and anger*
"Tetsu-kun!"
"Domo, Momoi-chan."
"How is Canada? Have you been eating properly? I heard western food is full of calories! That should put you in shape!"
"Momoi-chan, you're acting like my mother."
"Am I? You really need to shape up, Tetsu-kun! Or you might not defeat us next time~!"
"No. We will."
"So sure? Well, anyway Tetsu-kun-HEY! MIDORIN!"
*Momoi's screaming and calm footsteps*
"Hello, Kuroko."
"Hello, Midorima-kun"
"Akashi asked me to get his phone back. So its not like I really want to talk to you. But since I have the phone I might as well do so."
"Yes, I know that Akashi told you to get the phone and you are too much of a Tsundere to say you wanted to talk to me."
"…."
"….."
"How much has Takao influenced you, Kuroko?"
"Has he?"
"I found Akashi."
"Hello again, Akashi."
"Hello Tetsuya."
"What are you going to do with them?"
"Oh, them…."
"Please don't kill them."
"I'll try not to. See you when you get back. I'll look forward to it."
"Hai. I'll definitely come back quickly."
"I thought you said you were coming back, Tetsuya. Why do you keep defying my orders?" Akashi said as a lone tear escaped from his eye, knowing that he will never appear in his life again, knowing he is gone, knowing he is and will always be irreplaceable.
He is their irreplaceable Kuroko Tetsuya the sixth phantom man.
No matter how they tried, he couldn't be replaced.
He can and will never be.
Kuroko Tetsuya.
The most honored of the Generation of Miracles, gone, and never to come back.