Kagami had seen Kuroko got crushed verbally before, damn that Aomine, but not even he could make Kuroko kneel on the field, trembling in sheer fear.
"Don't disappoint me too much, Tetsu." Just from those words and the fact that he'd caught the ignite pass kai, Kagami thought that he'd seen Kuroko in his worst state.
But, that redhead with crimson and golden eyes destroyed Kuroko to the point that he couldn't even pass at all in the second quarter.
Kagami had been there when Kuroko faced off against his former captain. He was waiting for the pass he trusted Kuroko could do, but even before Kuroko could touch (or punch, in ignite pass' case) the ball, that redhead had stolen it from him, making all Kuroko's effort useless.
"Haven't I plant it in your head enough, Tetsuya?" The redhead said as he stared down at Kuroko, who was kneeling on the ground in absolute shock. "I am absolute, I am your leader, and I am also a light. You are to support me and obey me as the shadow of Teikou, right?" But that wasn't what made Kuroko tremble in fear. It was what the redhead did after that.
He put his hand on top of Kuroko's hair, ruffling it slightly before walking away. "Your basketball is mine, Tetsuya, of course I will do it better than you. You should just return to the bench and watch my game. Do not pass to anyone other than the ones I told you to, just like before."
Ever since Akashi said that, Kuroko hadn't been able to make any pass at all. He would always look towards Akashi like he was the captain and not Hyuuga. In the end, the coach requested a timeout. She, along with the others, asked him what was wrong.
But Kuroko didn't answer. He kept his head low as he muttered numerous apologies. The others then looked at Kagami, pleading silently to bring back their trump card. After all, Kagami had done it during the match against Aomine, everyone believed that he could do it again.
"Get a grip, idiot." Kagami said as he dropped a towel on top of Kuroko's head, just like before. "Your basketball is yours, and you have to listen to your instincts or Hyuuga. He's-"
"The Captain is never wrong." Kuroko mumbled, his eyes wide and intent on the small captain just across them. "But your captain is Hyuuga, not him!" Kagami smacked him on the head, hoping to return him back to his senses, but Kuroko didn't budge.
"Akashi-kun is... absolute." Kuroko muttered, as if he'd spoken those words thousands of time. "He is light, and I am shadow. It's only obvious that I-!"
"But I'm your light now, got it?! Aomine was your light too! Don't speak as if you'll die if you don't obey him."
Striking blue eyes looked up towards Kagami's blazing red, as blank as ever, and yet also very resolute.
"That... just might be true, Kagami-kun. I can't fight in a match against Akashi-kun, it's useless..." Kuroko then stood up, put on his white Seirin t-shirt before heading away to the door.
"It's as Aomine-kun said..." He mumbled. "Shadows exist because of light, not the other way round. Akashi-kun was like the sun for us. There's no way that a shadow like myself, would be able to go against the sun..." Everyone was stunned at Kuroko's declaration.
It made perfect sense for Kagami though. The Generation of Miracles were made of amazing people, full of pride. And yet they could be summoned like they were underlings by one person who showed up late, spoke a few words, and then left. He... the one who lead them, must've been the one who made the others gravitate towards him. The fact that the three Crownless Generals followed his orders didn't help any matter either.
Nobody said anything as Kuroko left the court, not even Kagami, who was stunned into silence.
Akashi didn't need to dirty his hands in the second half.
After Tetsuya left, Seirin's morale was blasted into oblivion. Rakuzan ended up tripling Seirin's score and crushed them. But none of that mattered to him, after all, winning was a given thing for him.
Akashi changed into his trousers and jackets faster than everybody else. He also left faster, trying to spot an individual who was really hard to find amidst the crowd.
But then he found him. Tetsuya was leaning to the steel railing behind him, his eyes fixed on the grayish blue sky. He only wore his t-shirt, as if unaware of the cold.
Akashi approached him, earning the boy's immediate attention. "It's been a long time since we can talk so leisurely, Tetsuya." The blue-haired boy didn't look at him, eyes still unmoving from the sky. "Yes, Akashi-kun."
"You will catch a cold if you continue to stand here without your jacket." Akashi got out a spare jacket out of his bag and gave it to the boy, who took it soundlessly.
He had to admit that the color of Rakuzan fitted well with Tetsuya. White and baby blue, just like his Phantom's hair.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck Akashi's mind. He scooted closer to the broken boy and smiled. "Hey, Tetsuya-"
Seirin was ready.
This year, they'd beaten Shutoku, Touou, and Kaijou to advance to the inter-high finals. And this time, they were ready to fight off against Rakuzan.
Kagami, as usual, played magnificently. He guarded very well against Akashi, who'd been using his eye to no avail. But Akashi didn't look like he was getting pressured at all. He only smiled as he passed his ball to the thin air behind Kagami.
When a sudden pass made its way to Eikichi Nebuya (who scored a horridly fast dunk after that), Kagami was startled. Why?! There was no one there...
But then he saw a flash of sky-blue hair disappearing into the flow of the court. Kagami and everyone from Seirin was startled when the Rakuzan went back to defense. He was there, inconspicuously trailing behind the proud steps of Teikou and Rakuzan's sun, Seijuurou Akashi.
Suddenly, everything clicked within Kagami's mind. When he suddenly disappeared, Aomine had told him everything about Kuroko's basketball. Including how Akashi founded and polished it. And also how the sly redhead had sabotaged Kuroko into thinking that he cannot shoot at all.
What Akashi wanted, Kagami realized, was not victory. Because after all, being victorious was like breathing to him. Oh no, no.
What Akashi wanted wasn't victory, it was Teikou's Phantom Sixth Man and Seirin's Trump Card. He wanted Tetsuya Kuroko.
And now, Rakuzan's Invisible Phantom was all his.