AN: This was inspired by a Harry Potter fic that I read a long time ago, and since I love the Teiko boys, I decided to write this about them. There will be little to no Seirin unless I decide to continue this after the Teiko arc (not sure if I will yet), because as much as I like Seirin, the GOM are my favorites.

This follows the Teiko arc, so spoilers for the entire thing if you haven't read it. Also, of course, those of you who have read it know what happens already, but this story follows the path to get there rather than the end result. While all the main events will be there, however, I probably won't be copying word for word from the scanlations and new events will be added.

I hope you'll enjoy this.

August: Before Teiko

Kuroko Tetsuya stared up at the basketball hoop, wondering if there was a day when a ball that left his hands would go through the net. He had seen an NBA game on the television and found himself hooked with the sport. His mother, though slightly dubious at his chance of success, was nevertheless supportive with her son's new interest. She had gone to the store to buy him a new basketball, a sleek ball that he now held in his hands.

There weren't any basketball clubs for kids in the neighborhood, so Kuroko had been forced to practice by himself in the spare basketball court in the park. While sometimes he would get kicked off when older players wanted to use it, the court was generally empty for his use.

It also may or may not be because the court was rumored to be haunted.

It didn't surprise Kuroko. Ever since he was young, he had always had very little presence. Besides his parents, who were exposed to him every day and therefore had gotten used to it, not many people could spot him easily. Because of this, he didn't have very many friends, opting instead to stay in the background to observe rather than join in on the spotlight.

His mother had inquired once whether or not he was lonely, having no playmates. All her coworkers talked about the heaps of friends their children had come every day, and it made her worried that Kuroko was all alone. He had informed her that it was alright; the other kids, when they noticed him, treated him nicely, and besides, he wasn't much of a talker, anyways.

However, as he stared up at the empty hoop, he sort of wished he had a friend, or at least an acquaintance to play ball with. It was a little hard to play basketball by himself, and there was only so much shooting and missing a person could take.

Nonetheless, Kuroko was determined to become a good basketball player. He was aware of the less stamina he had compared to others—he chose to believe it was because he was out of shape from sitting around and just reading books, but his mother told him that it might continue to follow him no matter how hard he trained—so he decided to work extra hard to make up for it.

One time, they had an evaluation in gym to see how long it'd take each student to run half a mile. Kuroko, of course, had been trailing near the end and had to stop to catch his breath multiple times. The gym teacher had almost excused him from the exercise, but Kuroko had refused; he wanted to stand on equal ground with everyone without any special treatment.

A very tiring thirty minutes later, Kuroko managed to complete his half mile run. By then, most of the students had gone home, but it hadn't diminished the sense of accomplishment Kuroko had felt. He could see that the gym instructor hadn't expected him to finish, and when Kuroko was congratulated, he felt a lot happier than the person who had managed to complete the assignment in a mere two minutes.

His current mentality had begun there. Ever since that half mile run, Kuroko believed that no matter how talentless a person may be, hard work compensated for it. Nothing was impossible, not even to the weakest, because as long as they worked hard, they could accomplish anything.

There was no such thing as a useless effort.

As the ball hit the rim and bounced off for the millionth time, Kuroko let out a dejected sigh, but willed himself to keep at it. To be able to hit the rim, he reminded himself, was a huge accomplishment. When he first began two weeks ago, he had thrown up so many air balls that it had been almost embarrassing.

The hot sun shone down on his drenched body, the heat biting at his skin. It was mid-August, and school would be starting up once again in September. It was his last semester of elementary school before he entered middle school in April. His teachers had started recommending schools for the students to look at, but Kuroko still had no idea where he wanted to go. The only requirement he had was that he wanted to stay close to home.

He also hoped that the school had a good basketball program.

Kuroko dribbled the ball a couple of times, feeling the weight of it under his fingers. His dribbling had improved dramatically over the past few days. It was still not excellent, but it was much better than it had been before, and it was a long way ahead of his shooting. Those were the only two skills Kuroko had practiced. There was no way he could practice passing by himself.

Besides, Kuroko had great ambitions. He had seen the three point shots and layups on television. Scoring seemed like the most important skill in basketball. After all, if you couldn't score, how could you win? Passing came after that. A great passer can't win by himself.

Kuroko took a deep breath, and, having rested enough, looked up at the basket again. This time, he decided, he would try another layup. Theoretically, that shot had a higher rate of success than three point shots, anyway.

Kuroko moved to the basket, maintaining as much control over the ball as he could. When he neared the hoop, he jumped slightly, extending his arm so that the ball was sitting on his outstretched palm. He took a deep breath, praying that this time the ball would actually go in, and then let the ball release—

"Hey!"

Momentarily distracted, Kuroko fumbled slightly. He knew, the moment it left his hands, that the ball would not go in, and indeed it didn't. It hit the hoop with a clang before dropping uselessly to the ground.

Kuroko turned around and was surprised to see a boy staring directly at him. He was average height and had orange hair, brighter near the top and a dark shade near the bottom. He looked about Kuroko's age and wore a plain t-shirt with matching basketball shorts.

"Oops, sorry," the boy said, not looking very apologetic at all. He was grinning from ear to ear. "I didn't mean to distract you."

Kuroko blinked a couple of times. "You can see me?" The words fell out of his mouth before he could think them through.

The boy looked momentarily surprised, and then he laughed. "Yeah. I heard a rumor that there was something weird going on on this court a week ago, so I came to see. I couldn't see you well at first, but I've been watching you practice every day, so it's getting easier."

Kuroko didn't know whether to be flattered or scared that a random stranger had been watching him play—and not very well at that—for the past week without his knowledge.

The boy picked up the ball, which had rolled over to his foot, and grinned at Kuroko. "My name is Ogiwara Shigehiro. I'm eleven, and I love basketball!"

Kuroko stared at him for awhile, still rather surprised that the boy was conversing with him normally, before bending down into a respectful bow. "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. I'm also eleven. It's very nice to meet you, Ogiwara-kun."

"You're so formal," Ogiwara laughed. He dribbled the ball a couple of times. "Did you just start playing basketball? I could tell from watching."

Kuroko blanched.

Ogiwara, upon seeing Kuroko's face, quickly backtracked. "That's not what I meant at all! It's just the beginners usually have difficulties with their shooting forms. That doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad player or anything." Ogiwara's face suddenly lit up. "Hey, want to play together? I don't go to school here, but it wouldn't be hard to come here every day to practice."

Kuroko blinked at him, a little surprised at the proposal. "Are you sure that's alright?"

"Of course! You looked lonely here by yourself, and I haven't found someone who practices so diligently like you to play against. It's a win-win situation for both of us!" Ogiwara suddenly stopped, reaching into his pocket to pull something out.

It was a buzzing phone. Ogiwara quickly opened it, scanning something written on the screen. "My mom says I have to go home now," he said. "Hey, Kuroko, do you have a phone? Let's exchange numbers so we can keep in touch."

"No, I don't."

Ogiwara's eyes widened. "You don't?! How do you live? How do you communicate with others that live far away?"

"I send them letters."

Ogiwara looked rather overwhelmed, but then a grin broke across his face. "That sounds cool. I haven't tried that one yet." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a scrap of paper and a pencil. Upon noticing Kuroko looking, he quickly explained, "I always carry these around in case of emergencies, like now."

He scribbled something down, and then handed it to Kuroko. "That's my address," he said. "We'll be seeing each other for awhile, but when school starts, it'll be harder to make time. We can communicate this way." Ogiwara's phone buzzed again, and he shot it a quick look. "Okay, I need to go now! I'll see you tomorrow, Kuroko!"

"Bye," Kuroko said, but the boy was already gone, sprinting away faster than anyone Kuroko had ever seen.

Kuroko glanced down at the slip of paper in his hand, and the pokerfaced kid felt a small smile appear from his usually impassive face.

August was the month of new friendships.

September: Before Teiko

"Kuroko! Try extending your right arm a little more! No, that's too much. You look like an airplane now."

Kuroko soon found out that Ogiwara's definition of 'playing together' mostly revolved around him teaching Kuroko. Since Ogiwara was much better than him, there were a lot of things that could be learned. Ogiwara didn't seem to mind either, and the two of them often practiced until the park closed every day.

They did send each other letters, though given the nature of letter sending, it usually took a couple of days before the mail arrived. And since the two of them saw each other every day anyways, it was not really convenient to talk about everyday activities on paper when they could meet face to face.

However, Kuroko had still insisted on maintaining an exchange, so they talked about deeper things in their letters. Things that wouldn't really come up during a basketball practice. It, of course, had not been a smooth ride, as other than basketball, their interests differed greatly. Kuroko enjoyed a life of solitude while Ogiwara loved socializing. It was hard to find a topic to suite both of them.

However, when it came to the love of basketball, neither of them lost to each other. Ogiwara, as it turned out, started basketball just a couple of months before Kuroko did, but it was hard to tell with their difference of skills. However, Ogiwara never once looked down on Kuroko and instead admired his friend for preserving through all the difficulties.

One day, Kuroko sat on the bench next to the basketball court with his ball in his lap. Ogiwara was running a little late, which wasn't surprising; there was quite a distance between his hometown and Kuroko's.

Kuroko had suggested for him to only come on weekends, but Ogiwara had refused, stating that it was not trouble for him to come every day, and he wouldn't miss practice with Kuroko for anything. The latter, though he never said it, was secretly glad at Ogiwara's response. They had been practicing together so often recently that Kuroko couldn't remember when he had to practice by himself.

A cool object pressed against Kuroko's cheek, and he instinctively flinched away from the cold. Turning around, he saw Ogiwara grinning, holding two popsicles in his hands. He held one out for Kuroko, who gladly accepted it.

"Sorry I'm running late. It's still a little hot out, so I went to buy some popsicles from the nearby convenience store. It took awhile, though, because they thought I stole the money. Stole? Do I look like someone capable of stealing anything?"

Kuroko smiled, but didn't say anything. He knew that that was a rhetorical question that wasn't meant to be answered.

"I can't even steal my brother's stuff when he's sleeping! How do you think I'm supposed to take a wallet out of someone's bag? They'd see me right away!" He stopped, pondering slightly. "Though, Kuroko, you'd be great at that, don't you think? They'd never even know it's missing."

Kuroko frowned. "It's not good to steal."

"I know that, of course! It was just hypothetical." Ogiwara took a moment to open his popsicle; Kuroko did the same. "Did you have any luck with it?"

Kuroko shook his head. It was last week when he brought up the fact of his low presence. While it may be good for scoring, as no one could stop him, it seemed hard to catch a pass from an invisible person.

Ogiwara had suggested to try and boost his presence, making him do all kinds of ridiculous acts that would draw others' attentions to him. It had worked fine initially, and Kuroko was often very embarrassed, but after awhile in the spotlight, he would fade again.

"Well," Ogiwara said after a long silence. "Why don't you try regarding it in a positive light? If you can't get rid of it, why don't you try using it to your advantage?"

"How?"

Ogiwara had no answer to that.

Kuroko sighed, but feeling bad for dragging his friend into his own personal business, he quickly changed the topic. "How is school? Are you busy?"

Ogiwara's face instantly lit up. "It's good! Great, in fact! I've read all the books you recommended to me!"

Kuroko stared. "Really?"

"No, of course I haven't," Ogiwara said, unashamed at his lie. However, Kuroko had grown used to this aspect of him and simply ignored it whenever it appeared. "But I did read some. My teacher thought the world was ending. You should've seen her. 'Ogiwara Shigehiro, is that a book I see in your hands?! Oh dear, are you feeling feverish?'"

Kuroko was rather bemused at Ogiwara's attempt to imitate his teacher. "Did you enjoy them?"

"Some of them. Others were just weird, though I finished them because people thought I was smart if I read books during my free time. So, suddenly, I was a genius even though I still failed most of my exams."

"No you didn't."

"Nah, if I did, my mom would have my head and I wouldn't be here talking to you. I get decent grades, but nowhere near genius level." Ogiwara shrugged. "They continued it, though, until a girl named Kana told them that it's possible for me to read and not being a genius. So now, Kana's the genius of the class for figuring that out."

"I'm very sorry. I know that title meant a lot to you," Kuroko said, smiling slightly.

Ogiwara huffed. "What about you, Kuroko? Anything interesting with your life?"

"Not really. I did finish another book, though. If you want, I can give it to you."

"No! Please don't. I'm done with books for a lifetime." Ogiwara slid down on the bench so his body was almost parallel to the ground. "Is that all that goes on with your life?"

"I'm focusing on basketball at the moment, so I don't have time for much else."

Upon hearing the word, Ogiwara instantly perked up. "Well, it's showing! You've gotten much better, Kuroko! You're improving so quickly! Almost as quickly as me!"

"Please don't be so humble."

Ogiwara laughed, throwing his empty popsicle bag in the trash. Kuroko did the same. "Come on. Let's practice, then." His eyes were shining. "I saw the Japanese national team on television the other day. They were so cool! Hey, Kuroko, let's play together on that team one day, okay?"

"Okay," Kuroko smiled, joining his friend on the basketball court.

"We'll be the best in Japan!"

"Yes."

"And we'll be the aces and led the team to victory! Afterwards, they'll hand us the trophies and we'll stand on the podium and—"

"Ogiwara-kun, please stop talking."

"...sorry."

September was the month of promises.

October: Before Teiko

Two months of practicing later, Kuroko Tetsuya made his first consecutive shots.

"Kuroko! You did it!" Ogiwara whooped from his spot next to the bench. Kuroko, though not as vocal, was equally excited, clenching his fist and allowing a proud smile on his face as a feeling of accomplishment surged through him.

Ogiwara launched himself at his friend, and the two of them ended on the ground, tangled up in a mountain of arms and legs. It took some time for Kuroko to break free, as the other boy was taller and heavier than he was, but he managed to do it after some effort.

The two of them lay on the court, not even bothering to get up. Ogiwara, Kuroko was sure, had fallen asleep, his breaths evening out—quiet, unlike his usual boisterous personality. That left Kuroko alone to ponder over his thoughts.

He had made consecutive shots, but he was still far from being a good basketball player. Comparing the amount of shots he made to the amount of shots he missed, no sane coach would allow him to play in games.

He had to get better. Two consecutive shots were nothing to be proud of. Ogiwara could do it with his eyes closed.

But, for now, Kuroko allowed himself to feel proud that against the odds, he had managed to accomplish such a feat.

"Hey, Kuroko?" Ogiwara didn't move, instead keeping his eyes glued on the sky. "I looked it up when I got home. The national basketball tournament takes place every two years. That means we can play next year!"

"Do you think they'll let us play?" They were, after all, two eleven year olds.

"If they won't let us play, then we'll just have to make them let us!" Ogiwara announced proudly.

It was at that moment that Kuroko realized why he and Ogiwara got along so well. They both valued the merits of hard work and the accomplishments that it entailed. They both weren't particularly talented at basketball, but they had managed to get up to their current skill levels through perseverance and determination.

"Let's work hard, Kuroko!" Ogiwara exclaimed, sitting up and reaching over to help his friend up. "There's no time to be slacking! If you have time to be resting, you better be running laps!"

Kuroko smiled at his friend's failed attempt to sound like a strict coach and allowed himself to be helped up.

"But," Ogiwara stopped to ponder. "We'll need positions, won't we? Hmmm. Kuroko, have any ideas?" Kuroko shook his head. "Well, we can definitely cross out the Center position. We both don't have the proper build for that."

Kuroko imagined himself playing Center and the only scenario his mind could come up with was him being elbowed and knocked down dozens of times. While he could probably get a few fouls the first couple of times, he definitely couldn't keep it up the whole game, and he didn't think his body could stand the rough inside play.

"That just leaves four positions," Ogiwara concluded. "Kuroko, have you thought about playing as a point guard? You're getting really good at passing and you seem to have a good view of what's going on."

Kuroko had noticed, after starting to practice passing, that it came to him a lot easier than shooting. While he still wanted to score points—albeit he wasn't very good at it—he realized that there was something thrilling about sending a pass to the right place.

However, of course, it would be very different in a match. There would be players guarding him. With his small stature, it would be hard to get the ball into his teammates' hands. Just seeing the court wasn't enough; he had to have the skill to execute his plans.

"What about you, Ogiwara-kun?" Kuroko asked. Ogiwara, unlike him, was much better at shooting. Kuroko had noticed, amused, that Ogiwara could score effectively in a hoop so small, yet when aiming for a person to pass to, he was rather off target.

"I'll be the ace, of course!" Ogiwara grinned. "You know the one who gets 50 points a game and caries his team to victory? That'll be me."

"An ace isn't a position," Kuroko pointed out.

"Can't you let a boy dream?" Ogiwara sniffed. "Fine, I'll be an ace and a power forward! How's that? I'll shoot all these crazy shots from all over the court that'll leave the audience completely stunned!"

"You'll be the best ace, Ogiwara-kun," Kuroko said.

Ogiwara beamed at him, before stealing the ball in his hands and putting it in the basket. "Alright, then! Now that that's taken care of, it's hard work and sweat! No slacking off, Kuroko! I'm not going to wait up for you!"

October was the month of dream and ambitions.

November: Before Teiko

Kuroko knew there was something wrong when Ogiwara was later than usual. Even if he had gone to buy popsicles, he should've been here a long time ago. It was one of the only times that Kuroko really regretted not having a cell phone. He could always go home and send a letter, of course, but that would take awhile, and by the time it reached Ogiwara's home, Kuroko would've seen him—hopefully—at least once in person.

An hour ticked by.

Two hours.

Kuroko dribbled a basketball idly, telling himself that he should probably be practicing even if Ogiwara wasn't here. However, his heart wasn't in it, and none of the shots he was showing up seemed to be going in.

It had been awhile since he had last been on this court by himself.

Kuroko was deciding whether or not to go home—it was almost dinner time, after all—when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Happily, he spun around, clutching the ball in his hands. However, the smile soon slid off his face when he saw his friend staring at the ground, no trace of the energetic boy he had gotten to know over the past few months.

"Ogiwara-kun?" Kuroko said hesitatingly, as he approached his friend. The other boy, at least, didn't look like he had been injured. "Are you okay?"

Ogiwara shifted slightly, his eyes still cast downwards. "You know how I said we'd play together on the National Team?" Kuroko nodded, unsure where this was going. "It looks like that won't be happening anymore."

Kuroko blinked as his friend finally met his eyes. There was no sign of excitement usually present on his face. "Why?" Kuroko asked, stepping closer. "Are you injured? Did you hurt yourself during our last practice?"

"What? No. My parents got a new job, and I..." Ogiwara took a deep breath. "I...I'mmovingnextweek."

"...what?"

"I'm moving next week."

"Moving where?"

"Away." Catching the look Kuroko was giving him, Ogiwara quickly amended his statement. "It'll be pretty far. I won't be able to come here anymore after school. We probably won't be seeing each other for awhile."

Ogiwara still looked very upset. "It's okay," Kuroko said. "I'm just glad you're not hurt and kept from playing sports indefinitely."

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? The National Team will wait for us. If we can't go next year, we can go sometime in the future," Kuroko smiled. "Meanwhile, we can continue to train and get stronger."

"I...I guess you're right." Ogiwara seemed a little happier, though there was still a look of uncertainty on his face. "I'm sorry for dumping this on you, Kuroko. I was just upset when my parents told me so suddenly. I just wanted to continue playing with you through middle school."

"I know. I did too."

Ogiwara took a deep breath, and then plastered a look of determination on his face. "That means that next time we meet on the court, we'll be enemies!"

"Yes," Kuroko said. "I won't lose."

"Neither will I! You just watch, Kuroko! I'll wow you with all my amazing shots!" Ogiwara grinned. "That's our new promise! Let's stand across from each other on the court one day and play a nice game!"

"Yes."

"I won't break this promise."

"You're not breaking the other one either. It's just on hold."

"Work hard at your middle school, Kuroko! And I'll work hard too and become a regular! And when we face off, I won't go easy on you!" Ogiwara extended his hand. "Let's shake on it."

They shook.

November was the month of farewells.

December-March: Before Teiko

Kuroko soon realized that for all the bravado he spouted, internally, he was a puddle of mess. It had been a lot easier to act when he knew that he had to be happy and positive in front of Ogiwara.

A month passed, and then two. Every day, Kuroko returned to the basketball court, as if hoping against all hope that Ogiwara would suddenly pop up one day and announce that the whole thing had been a joke.

That never happened.

Kuroko was now glad that he had begun a tradition of letter sending. At least this way, the two of them were still communicating. The mail took awhile to send, now that the distance between them had grown, but Ogiwara always responded as quickly as possible.

He described his new life to Kuroko. He had met some other basketball loving kids in the neighborhood and could now play a full game. He invited Kuroko over, but since it was so close to his elementary school graduation, his mother refused.

They made plans for the next break, but that was still so far away.

Ogiwara also mentioned that he had enrolled in Meiko Junior High, a school with a decent basketball program. He had asked Kuroko if he had chosen where he wanted to attend middle school, but he hadn't.

At least, not until he noticed the pamphlet on his mother's desk one morning.

"Oh, that?" His mother had said when Kuroko asked about it. "That's Teiko Junior High. My friend's daughter graduated from there last year and I've been meaning to show it to you, but it keeps slipping my mind."

Kuroko stared at it. They apparently had a literary club, which he wanted to join, and their basketball team seemed to be strong. It was also not too far from his house. It didn't seem to be a bad choice.

His mother glanced at him. "Are you interested? I can enroll you. My friend said it was a decent school, and I wouldn't mind you attending there. You'll have to walk home every day, though. Your father and I won't have time to pick you up."

After a couple of days of filling out forms and getting all his medical history and profile update to date, Kuroko found himself with a junior high to attend.

Teiko Junior High.

April: Teiko Year One

It was a day of such clear blue skies that it was hard to believe that it was spring.

Kuroko clutched his book as he maneuvered through the crowd of new students. At times like these, he was grateful for his little presence. No one noticed him and allowed him to walk freely without any disturbances.

The clubs seemed to be recruiting as the members stood in front of the front entrance, flashing signs with catching slogans and colorful pictures. Kuroko ignored all of them. He did not want to sign up for a club that he wasn't planning to go to anyway.

Steering his way through the crowd, Kuroko accidently bumped into a taller figure. Without looking up from his reading, he quickly muttered a 'pardon me' as he continued his way through the crowd. He missed the look the other boy shot him, blinking at the spot Kuroko had stood in before.

"What is it, Dai-chan?"

"No, it's just...ah, whatever."

Behind him stood a green haired man, pushing up his glasses irritably as he was assaulted with yet another sign. "You misunderstand," he said. "This is a phone book."

"That's quite alright. Phone books are books too!" The club member suddenly blinked. "Wait, why are you carrying around a phone book?!"

"It's my lucky item," the man said.

Next to the entrance stood a purple haired boy who looked almost taller than the school gates. He held a bag of chips in his hand and munched on them, his eyes drooping. He let out a loud yawn as people flocked around him.

"Whoa, you're huge!"

"Amazing!"

"How tall are you?"

A pamphlet was thrust into his hands, the highest part of his body that the others could reach. The purple haired boy glanced at it lazily.

"You got to join the volleyball club!" Someone said. "Imagine playing with your height! We'd definitely win!"

"Ehhh, I dunno, maybe. But it's such a pain..."

Next to him was a shorter man, though with no less presence. "Hey, hey, isn't that guy over there really good looking?" A girl whispered, pointing towards the blonde man who found himself already surrounded by girls.

"Wow, he totally is!"

And outside the school gates, a chauffeur parked the car as he let his passenger out. "Your father wants me to see you to the school gates," the chauffeur protested.

"My father has nothing to do with this. Doing something like this every morning makes one stand out. People will laugh," the red haired boy said. "...at least let me have my freedom at school."

In front of the school's front doors, Kuroko Tetsuya stood. All the other freshmen were still milling around in the ocean of clubs, so he was the first one here. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and took his first step into Teiko Junior High.

April was the month of beginnings.

And that's where this story begins.

The only thing I kind of changed was the date of Kuroko's and Ogiwara's meeting. I'm pretty sure they met much earlier, but as I wanted to keep this short, I moved it up so it's closer to Kuroko's entrance to Teiko.

This was an obligatory Ogiwara chapter, so I apologize if it may seem slow and tedious. The next chapter will be Teiko, so hopefully it'll pick up from there.