Title: The Cookie Crime
Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke is created by none other than the great Fujimaki-sama.
I don't have a beta reader, so pardon me for my grammar. Sometimes it's due to my lack of knowledge in English, sometimes it's only because I got too excited typing this fanfic. Anyway, please enjoy.
Teiko Middle School Basketball Club is one of the most famous basketball teams in Japan. It consists of 100 members, divided into three different strings based on the level of the members' abilities. They have won three consecutive championships, and have an amazing track record. Teiko is also known for its group of basketball prodigies, known as the Generation of Miracles: Kise Ryota, the fast-improving small forward; Midorima Shintaro, the long-range shooting guard; Aomine Daiki, Teiko's ace and power forward, known as the super scorer; Murasakibara Atsushi, the center with absolute defense; Akashi Seijuro, the team captain and the point guard; and Kuroko Tetsuya, the unsung hero with superb passing abilities and is known as the phantom sixth man.
It was the Generation of Miracles that placed Teiko on top for three years straight. They have the reputation that rivaled no one saved the equally well-known Uncrowned Kings. But little does everyone know that Teiko had once faced a small incident that nearly had them lose their long-protected title.
The incident happened a week before the start of playoffs. With Akashi leading the battalion, practice was as necessary as breathing. Their club time became an hour earlier than the usual. The only positive thing about it was that the teachers allowed the basketball team members to skip the cleaning hours.
But aside from the natural tension felt as the playoffs were just a few days away, it was supposed to be a peaceful afternoon for them.
"Tsk. Practice time again." Aomine grumbled. Truth be told, he would have left school early, had not Akashi persuaded him to stay. The captain did so by holding Aomine's limited edition of Mai-chan photobook hostage. Presumably, it was in the school's incinerator, ready to be burned. Until now, Aomine was wondering which among Kuroko, Momoi and Kise betrayed him.
"Stop complaining, Aomine-kun." Said Momoi Satsuki. "You've been skipping practice recently."
The two were on their way to the clubroom. It was always the captain's habit to hold a meeting with the prodigies before they begin practice. Momoi was required to attend as well, because she served not only as the team manager but also as the information specialist for the team. She researches everything about Teiko's players, and that of their opponent schools.
"This is the fifth meeting in a row. Akashi is getting too paranoid. It's only the start of the playoffs."
"It's ok for him to be paranoid, he's the captain. You, on the other hand, are getting too lax about it, Aomine-kun. You should exert some effort. Who knows, we might encounter a tough opponent in our first game."
Aomine glanced at her and smirked.
"A tough opponent?" he scoffed. "I doubt it."
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by an earsplitting yell. They both stared that the clubroom ahead.
"What was that?" Momoi was puzzled.
Teiko's clubroom resembled a smaller version of the classroom, with some shelves to keep things. There were chairs as well, placed on all the sides, save the one where a white board was placed.
Aomine rushed into the clubroom, Momoi following behind. They were wide eyed in surprise when they saw Kise, who was struggling to get rid of the dead weight that pinioned him to the floor that was Murasakibara.
"Kise!" Aomine said, still in shock.
"Aominecchi!" Kise uttered a desperate cry. "Momocchi! Help me!"
Aomine and Momoi had to use their combined strength to drag Murasakibara's body off Kise. The blond got up slowly.
"What happened?" Momoi asked.
Aomine sat on his haunches and checked on Murasakibara. The lanky purple-haired center was unconscious. Aomine was checking his pulse when Midorima entered the room in a hurry.
"What's going on?" He said. "I heard a girl scream."
Kise fell silent, abashed. Aomine turned his head to face Midorima.
"Atsushi fainted." He said grimly. "We need to take him to the clinic."
Murasakibara was taken to the school clinic. He was currently watched by Momoi. Aomine, Kise and Midorima gathered at the clubroom and waited for their captain.
"The doctor said it was a minor food poisoning." Midorima spoke. "Murasakibara is going to be fine."
"Will he make it to the playoffs, though?" Kise asked. He was straddling on a chair. He had a concerned look on his face.
Midorima scowled. If Teiko has to come out full force at the playoffs, the team would really need Murasakibara. It might take an entire week for the guy to recover, though.
"Honestly," he sighed. "I have no idea."
It was during this moment of frustration that the captain chose to arrive. Akashi came in with a severe look etched on his face. Apparently, he has already heard about the problem. And the captain hearing anything about a problem in his team meant that the members were about to be under fire.
"How did he get poisoned?" he asked, failing to keep his voice level.
Midorima glanced at Kise, who simply shrugged in return.
"When I came in, he fell on me like timber." The blonde said.
Aomine was quiet the entire time, but he could not stay still in one place. He was roaming around the club room, as if he was looking for something.
Akashi became aware of his strange behavior. "What are you looking for?"
Aomine crawled under a chair. He had found something. When he got up, he was holding a small pouch held half-close by a silver ribbon.
"It has to be this…" he raised the suspected murder weapon to Akashi.
The captain eyed the pouch suspiciously. "Open it."
Aomine opened the pouch. Inside were at least a dozen of freshly-baked cookies. He took out a piece and took a closer look at it, as if he could see the finger prints of whoever baked it.
"Looks normal to me." He murmured.
Akashi, however, thought otherwise.
"Kise." He said. "Eat one of those."
Kise's jaw dropped. "Eh?" he whined. "Why me?"
Akashi's glare could have drilled holes through a brick wall.
"Are you against my orders?"
Kise shook his head, spooked. He glanced at Aomine helplessly. The blonde looked as if he was about to cry.
"Don't worry." Aomine assured him. And why not? Kise has endured a lot of bullying since he became one of the Generation of Miracles. Most of the time, the bully was Akashi himself.
"I think Atsushi baked these. I doubt he can poison himself. Not with cookies."
Kise was unconvinced, but he ate a cookie anyway.
"Mmm." The blonde chewed the cookie thoroughly.
"It's not bad…I don't think it's poisonous – " He could no longer complete his speech; he suddenly dropped to the floor, unconscious.
Akashi sighed knowingly. "Take him to the clinic as well."
Aomine stared at the cookies worryingly.
"I don't think Atsushi made them." He said.
Momoi came back into the room a few minutes later.
"Why was Kise-kun taken to the clinic as well?" She asked.
"Oi, Satsuki!" Aomine raised the pouch of cookies accusingly at her. "You made these cookies of death, didn't you?"
"How dare you?" Momoi pouted, indignant.
"I did not make those. If I ever baked cookies, I'd give them directly to Tetsu-kun. I wouldn't give you any of it!"
Like hell I would want your cookies, Aomine thought.
A thought suddenly occurred to Midorima. "Now that you have mentioned Kuroko," he said, "where is he?"
As if on cue, the phantom sixth man came in. his sky blue eyes were wide in panic, and he was breathing heavily as if he ran a marathon race.
"I'm sorry I'm late," he said, "I've been looking for – " he saw the bag of cookies.
"You've found my Home Economics project."
A moment of silence came upon the rest of the prodigies. They all stared at Kuroko, then at the cookies, and back to Kuroko.
Kuroko had a smile of relief on his face. "Thank goodness you've found it. In return you can eat some of it."
All of a sudden, the rest of the Generation of Miracles were under pressure. They all suffered the dilemma of choosing between death and ungratefulness towards Kuroko.
Kuroko frowned. "You don't want to eat them."
They all panicked, even Midorima and Akashi.
"Well, your cookies were – "Midorima was about to tell the truth, but Momoi cut him off.
"It's okay, Tetsu-kun." She said. "They really want to try your cookies." She gave a chilling smile at the other boys. "Right?"
Aomine and Midorima were both terrified by this unwomanly way of forcing them to endure a week of stomach ache and confining to bed. Akashi, on the other hand, narrowly escaped by "remembering something important". He swiftly left the room.
"Go on." Kuroko smiled innocently at Aomine and Midorima.
What followed after the incident was a week spent in the hospital by almost all of the prodigies. All because of a deadly home economics project.