Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket! (I want Nigou though)
You can keep as quiet as you like, but one of these days somebody is going to find you.
- Haruki Murakami
"Who are the Generation of Miracles?" A girl asked, staring at her father expectantly.
The man chuckled, ruffling her hair. "The Generation of Miracles are our current rulers. Akashi Seijuuro of Rakuzan, Aomine Daiki of Tōō, Midorima Shintarou of Shuutoku, Murasakibara Atsushi of Yosen and Kise Ryouta of Kaijo. They are prodigious talents that come from Teiko Academy, all gifted in various subjects. Perhaps—" He said wistfully— "That was where their glory all started. From geniuses to the heroes that led the rebellion against the corrupt king, they gained victory and ascended to the throne. They are the great rulers that brought much prosperity to Teiko."
"Then who rules Seirin?"
A glint of amusement appeared in the man's eyes as he leaned in, as if to whisper conspiratorially. "Rumour has it that the Generation of the Miracles has a phantom member of equal calibre."
"Phantom?" The girl asked, scrunching her nose. "What can a ghost do?"
The man only laughed. "No one knows who the person is…. But for sure… They say the Phantom exists and only the Generation of Miracles know who it is. Some even say… She's a lady."
Year XX94
"Kagami-kun."
The voice had whispered into his ears, its hot breath brushing against his skin and heating it up for a second, making him jump back in fright. His scarlet eyes contracted as he brought up the dagger he was polishing, only to meet a similar-looking dagger inches before it met its wielder.
A loud, sonorous clang rose into the air, a common sound that would often be heard in a blacksmith's house, except that the current one was crisper as his mock opponent skillfully parried and flicked his dagger away.
"You shouldn't try and play a game you can't win, Kagami-kun." The blue-eyed beauty commented tartly about his performance as she sheathed the dagger back into her long, billowy sleeve.
Kagami grunted. "Then make yourself more noticeable, Kuroko. I'm going to die from shock one day with the amount of times you pop out from nowhere in a year."
The said person remained unfazed by his blatant insult that her sustenance was like air.
"Likewise, I ask of you to call me by my name for the umpteenth time."
"The name Teruna doesn't sit well with me."
"I never recalled giving you a choice to call me otherwise when I hired you to be my attendant Kagami-kun."
"You did not hire me," Kagami corrected, "I tagged along because I had nothing better to do and it's not every day you see someone look like they had walked through a shower of blood in the meat locker of the butcher's three streets down."
Kuroko clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Perish that memory would you?"
The redhead smirked. "Not a chance."
Ignoring him, she continued on to her previous topic. "What were you doing Kagami-kun?"
"Polishing some blades, yours in particular." He replied, his forehead creasing as he inspected the dagger that he had just used.
"There is no need for you to be concerned about my weaponry, Kagami-kun." She said stiffly, removing the hood, revealing a dark charcoal shade in an up-do with a few odd strands framing her face. While it highlighted her deathly pale complexion and brought out her cerulean blue eyes, Kagami wasn't quite sure if that shade of hair fitted her well.
On some rare days where she would loosen her usual prim up-do, he swore he noticed the tips of her hair being a shade lighter than her eyes under the sunlight. The lady that he had accompanied for close to half a decade hardly let anyone else in, be it appearance, personality or history wise.
She always woke up before him, albeit to the fact that he preferred to sleep in. He would only rouse when the aroma of breakfast wafted towards his room where she would already be dressed to pristine perfection, hardly any flaws in sight. Always in a simple get-up that never caught attention but if anyone bothered to pay closer attention, Kuroko Teruna was indeed beautiful in her own way.
If only the enigma would smile more for a change instead of constantly being expressionless.
"If I don't, who will? On the short list of things you cannot do, polishing and sharpening your weapons happen to be one of them. For someone who carries a weapon around every day, isn't that quite odd?"
"That is quite rich coming from an all-rounded idiot." She countered.
A sweat-soaked rag was thrown at her which she skilfully dodged.
"Shut up."
Kuroko frowned as she tucked tendrils of hair behind her ear, picking up the cloth and throwing it back at his face before proceeding to move towards the kitchen to prepare dinner. He was half tempted to stick his tongue out for her failed attempt but held himself back, resigned to going back to the task at hand.
Customary silence set in as they fell into their routine, neither of them distraction one another in their own business. While the constant sounds of metal clashing and ringing against metal emitting from Kagami's work bench, occasional clatters from the kitchen would join in. Once in awhile, the redhead would look up to see her moving around the place with practiced ease, chopping a large variety of vegetables while salting the water and letting it boil.
Seeing her at peace with herself and concentrated, he would feel assured before working once more.
Yet, today was like every other day and also not the same.
"Oh right, there was a letter sent for you." Her companion suddenly spoke, snapping his fingers in realization. He hurriedly pushed aside some of his tools and a thin layer of soot to triumphantly reveal a stained grey letter bound by its elaborate red wax seal was still impossible to ignore.
Her perceptive eyes would never fail her. Her breath got caught in her throat when she saw the familiar insignia of a pair of wings surrounding the words, forcing the old memories up to the surface. She wavered for a moment in torrid attempt to force them back down once more, striding forward towards Kagami so fast that she had looked like a flash as she violently ripped the letter out of his hands and clasp it to her heart.
"You didn't read it, did you?" She asked with a chilling gaze.
"If I did, it wouldn't be sealed, would it?" He tried to say steadily, his throat feeling constricted under her sudden outburst.
Moments like this, more than any other times that she had scared him on purpose made him realize how merciful she was. Even with no element of surprise to pounce, she could still handle a man that was well towering over her. With the graceful way she handled herself, she could have ended his life a hundred – even a thousand – times over if she wished whether he was sleeping or working.
Her posture stiffened for a moment before her look of suspicion faded back to placidness. "Right," she said softly. "I'm just being paranoid, there is no way you could even reseal a wax seal like this."
His eyebrow twitched slightly. "What's that suppose to mean."
"Nothing you have to be concerned about." She avoided the subject.
Kagami gritted his teeth at her nonchalance. Eternally, she would always hide her woes and problems behind her practiced mask. He had thought time would erode the impenetrable walls that she had put up against everyone, but he seemed nowhere close to even causing a dent on them. He didn't want to pry because he knew she would only do something when it was called for and it would only make her shield even further away from him if he did.
That didn't mean his patience wasn't wearing thin.
'Just who are you, Kuroko Teruna?' He asked rhetorically, his eyes never straying from her retreating figure that clambered up the stairs to her own room.
Without doubt, she was a puzzle that he had wanted to solve but he had no idea where to start.
Closing the door swiftly behind her, she quickly and silently shut the windows and curtains to her room. She lit up the oil lamp that was on her desk, cleanly breaking off the red wax seal.
With trembling fingers, she pulled out the content within; already dreading what might be written when she saw the familiar scripture that she used to long to see.
'Time surely has changed,' She thought bitterly to herself, her eyes scanning the letter.
Dear Kuroko Tetsuya,
Or is it Kuroko Teruna now?
I must commend you, Kuroko, for you have exceeded my expectations once more. As expected of the Phantom, is it not?
She scowled. "I don't want to meet your expectations."
You really have hidden yourself well, such that it had taken us close to a quarter of a year to locate and ensure that you were the correct person. Hiding in the outskirts of our lands and in the middle of the forsaken in the war, where our jurisdiction did not reach is quite applaudable, but the more surprising fact was that you were not caught and executed. However, it is quite naive of you to think that we might not have connections there. As you have suspected, this is not a letter of congratulations but one to send an order.
An absolute one that you are not allowed to reject.
Teiko needs you. An uprising is occurring once more and whether it is of coincidence or on purpose, you are quite near the heart of their operation. If they were to succeed, what we achieved as mere children while ascending to adulthood will be for naught.
Your indispensible skills will be needed once more.
I have to keep the details of this letter brief. Some things should only be left as verbal information and any written or engraved should be immediately disposed. However, it is a risk I am not willing to take.
At dawn tomorrow, my men will arrive for you to escort you to our meeting place. Do not be late. Tardiness is not pardoned, Tetsuya.
Akashi Senjiro
Representative of the Teiko Council
King of Rakuzan
Kuroko couldn't help but involuntarily clench her fists when she reached the end of the letter, so much that she had wanted to rip the crumpled paper into shreds.
She slammed the letter onto the table, biting her lip from omitting a hoarse, frustrated scream.
Long had she knew that trying to escape her fate at the Phantom of the Generation of Miracles and Teiko Council would be impossible. She knew that she could never step out of the silent deal that was made the day she had decided to join her old comrades to overthrow the corrupt emperor. Invisible chains would always bond her to duty – the duty of disposing the unneeded, corrupted and rebellious.
Had she been more thorough with her disguise, perhaps she would have bought more time before she moved again. Alas, that was clearly not the case. The family name of 'Kuroko' was something she could never abandon, something that she had clung onto as a life support. If she threw that away, all that would be left was an ugly resonance.
She wouldn't dare not to think that there were already people watching her every move, ready to capture her if she dared to steal away at any given time. Akashi knew her too well to not know that it might be something she would attempt.
He would have sent his best men to subdue her if necessary for that was the way he ruled and ensured he was absolute.
Unlocking the lowest compartment drawer in her desk, she pulled out the dagger that she had preserved in it. She laughed lowly as she caressed the blade, feeling every groove and slight curve etched into the blade, her eyes closing as she pictured the days of old painted in fear and blood and inevitably, brutal victory.
The same victory that was hanging on the balance.
Kuroko Tetsuya had to resurface again.
And words could not begin to describe how much she loathed that fact.
...
And with that, the first chapter is complete!
I've never changed a gender of a protagonist or wrote a Kuroko no Basket fanfic, so this is a definite first for me.
Offer your criticism! I'm all ears.