Disclaimer: I own nothing

Year 1

Two hundred to zero was the final score when the buzzer sounded. This was not just a blow-out game. The final score showed a complete dominance that had rarely been seen in any sport, let alone basketball. It was a result that no one had predicted, even if one of the teams was the Generation of Miracles. Without a doubt, it was a record breaking moment.

There was no reveling in victory, though. As soon as the buzzer sounded, the entire stadium went silent except for the heavy breathing of the opposite team. No one in the crowd cheered. The referees were in stunned. Even the remaining members of each team were shocked to silence. Only the players on the court were able to move. While the Teiko members mildly paced to the center of the court, their Meikō counterparts collapsed to their knees in complete defeat. As always, no one noticed as the smallest member on the Teiko team moved away from her teammates.

Kuroko Tamaki stood in front of the kneeling form of her childhood friend, Ogiwara Shigehiro. Unlike the young man's average looks with a combination of brown hair and eyes, Tamaki was a conundrum of beauty and invisibility. Her lack of presence made zoning in on her a near impossible ask if she didn't want you to see her. At the same time, once someone took notice of her, they would be captivated by the soft, smooth features of her currently sweat covered face. Her long, blue locks of silk were pulled back into a single pony tail.

Wiping some of the sweat from her brow with her jersey, Kuroko looked down to her friend, "Shigehiro?"

Tears began to run down Ogiwara's face as he looked up hopelessly to her, "I-I don't…Why?"

"Why?" Kuroko blinked. "Wasn't this what we promised? That we play against each other at full strength?"

"Y-Yeah, but…" Ogiwara looked down at trembling fingers. "I never expected this. Such a gap of ability exists? Not just them. You. You're a monster."

Kuroko flinched slightly, "M-Monster?"

"What's the point of even playing?" Ogiwara questioned. "There's not only people like you that exist, there's a whole team of you. No amount of effort could ever close this gap. It's pointless. We should have given up from the start."

Kuroko tried to say something but paused when she saw the look on his face. It was a look that she had seen many times throughout her third year of middle school. All of her teammates had that look every day. There was no faking that emotion. While her nakama gained it out of boredom, Ogiwara had the look because she forced it on him. A feeling of sickness overcame her as she stared into the face of a man that now truly hated basketball.

Keeping her features set on her normal neutrality, Kuroko slipped back into her old habit of fading out of notice. Turning, she left Ogiwara to cry on the ground. With her lack of presence, the bluenette slipped off the court without any of the stunned crowd noticing her movements. Even the teammates that she fought with for three years barely noticed her departure until she was at the door. Ignoring the shouts of the five people she considered her equals, she slammed the door shut behind her. With the calm grace expected from the Queen of Miracles, Kuroko stepped through the quiet halls of the stadium until she reached a women's restroom.

Upon slipping into the washroom, Kuroko approached the sink. She stared into the mirror. Her stunning features now lacked the shine of sweat. Slowly, she reached up to remove the scrunchy which held her hair up. Once the blue locks fell around her face like a halo, Tamaki allowed her mask to crack. Pink lips twisted into a pout. The flawless skin of her brow wrinkled. Her bright blue eyes began to lightly leak out tears.

A soft sob left her lips as she leaned forward to hide her own face from herself. Giving a loud whine, Kuroko began to cry in earnest. Months of suppressed stress poured out of her heart. She clawed at the porcelain of the sink while muttering out explicit curses to any god which crossed her mind. This was not how things were supposed to go. This was supposed to be the moment which made everything worth the suffering.

Lifting her head up, Kuroko stared at her broken features. Years ago, she never even thought that she would had made second string of her team, let alone this. Part of her wished that she hadn't actually succeeding in shattering through her limits. Being a nobody at the bottom of the team had to be better than this. At least then, she wouldn't be in this situation. If she hadn't become the phantom six member of the Generation of Miracles, then Kuroko Tamaki never would have grown to hate basketball.

"Kuroko Tamaki?" the coach stared down at the name in confusion. The new players around him mumbled in confusion. "Is this a prank? Did one of you write a girl's name to—"

"No. I wrote my own name down."

"Woah!" the coach jumped as he just noticed the girl that was literally right in front of him. He took solace in seeing that the recruits appeared just as shocked as he did. "When did you get here?!"

"I've been here the whole time," new Middle schooler bowed. "My name is Kuroko Tamaki. I would like to join the basketball team."

"Um," the coach scratched his cheek. "This is the boys' team."

Kuroko came up from her bow, "I know. Unfortunately, there is no girls' team at this school. I tried to start a petition to create one, but I lack the presence to gain the attention of people without scaring them. As such, I thought that joining the already established team would be more plausible."

"I see. That makes sense, but…"

"Oh. I'm sorry. Is there a rule dividing the genders in sports? I didn't see one when I read the academy's rule book."

"N-No. There's no rule or anything about a girl joining the boy's team, but…" the coach looked at her body in a way that judged her athletics rather than anything perverse. While most her form was hidden beneath baggy workout clothes, he could still see just how scrawny the girl was compared to other females her own age. Only the softness of her features and short blue hair which ended right below her ears suggested anything feminine about her. She looked like a toothpick. "You do know that this is a champion level team, right? We are the best of the best. Our moto is that winning is everything and losing is not accepted. That means that we only accept the best to play."

"I understand," Kuroko nodded.

The coach sighed. He decided to just go with this until the girl quit, otherwise he might get accused of sexism, "Alright then. I'll finish roll call, and then we'll get started. You'll be expected to finish all of the exercises."

"Hai."

Laps. Suicide runs. More laps. Sharp cuts around cones. Squats. More laps. Dribble drills. Free throw shots. Scrimmage game. Even more laps.

By the time, Kuroko finished her last lap, the other members of the team had retired for the evening long ago. Completely drenched in sweat, she finally let herself collapse. Every muscle in her body ached. Bruises were spread across the skin of her arm and back. She had thrown up twice and would have done so a third time if there had been anything left in her stomach. Overall, Tamaki looked like a complete mess, but she finished every exercise.

A sudden presence at her side drew her attention upward. The coach stared down at her. He offered a hand. She slowly took the offer and allowed him to guide her to the bleachers. Once they were seated, the man spoke, "Whelp, you did everything. That's more than I expected. Well done."

Tamaki gave a small smile, "T-Thank you."

"While I am impressed with you, though, it's only to the level of which I first judged you," the coach sighed. "Your physical abilities are still far, far below that of an average boy your age. You got guts. No doubt about that. Guts isn't enough for this team, though. There's a zero percent chance that I'd ever play you. It's rare for us to cut people if they don't break any rules, so I'll let you stick around. But everyone on the team would consider you less than third string. Fourth string."

"I see."

"Perhaps you'd prefer to become a manager?" the coach suggested. "We need people with your work ethic. Plus, after today, I'm sure that you've earned the respect of everyone on the team. You'd be helping the first string immediately. I guarantee it."

"Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline," Tamaki looked up to the gymnasium roof. "I want to play basketball."

"Why?" the coach asked.

"Because I love basketball," with that said, Kuroko shakily stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I must get ready to go home. I will come back for practice tomorrow."

The coach sighed, "I can't stop you. If you want to try this, then go ahead. But everything I said was true."

"I know," Kuroko whispered. "But I have to try."

As the girl began to limp her way to the female changing room, mismatched eyes stared at from the gym entrance. He had been curious about her when she first popped up. Very few people could hover below his radar. At first, he thought that it was just that. Someone with very little presence existed. That didn't mean that she was worth anything. As practice went on though, he noticed something in her. An amazing potential existed with her. She was glorious.

Akashi Seijūrō smirked as he turned away. He already scouted a few other players with potential. His mind began to turn with possibilities. If they all could reach their full potential…No. Best to put that on hold for now. He would have to wait to see if they continued to show the guts to continue down the road to becoming the best.

Life was hell for Tamaki from that day onward. She could hardly move the morning after her first practice. Her entire body screamed at her to stay in bed, yet she refused to listen. One skipped day would ruin everything she built up. Barely able to stand, she dragged herself to school and then to practice. Just like before, Kuroko forced herself to complete every task placed before her. She finished at an even later time than her first day.

The third practice was even worse, and the fourth day nearly made her faint. For the first week, things continued in a down spiral. Kuroko honestly thought that she was going to die as she numbly dragged herself home at the end of the week. She couldn't focus in her classes. Every time she reached her home, she immediately passed out. Meals never seemed to be enough to sustain her. A deep part of her mind tempted her with pleasurable thoughts of quitting as she final received a day of rest on Sunday. Despite the agony, she refused to relent. On Monday, Kuroko trudged onward as always to find out a joyful fact. Her body was adapting.

Tamaki finished practice at a far earlier time with many less aches. She still finished long after the boys finished, and her body still ached terribly; but it was an improvement. Encouraged, she continued to push herself through practices. Slowly, the agony faded into simpler pains. Her time steadily improved to where she finished her exercises at the same time as the others. After a month of torture, she had dragged her fitness level into what could be considered slightly below average. She did not stop there, though.

Kuroko bowed before her coach. He stared at her with raised eyebrows, "Overtime practice?"

"Hai."

The coach rubbed the back of his head, "I don't mind, but make sure to return the key and go home when the school closes."

That was how Kuroko got to where she was at this moment. Covered in sweat, she raised shaking arms to shoot the ball from the free throw line. Upon releasing the ball, Tamaki watched as it came short of the basket and tumbled uselessly onto the clean boards of the basketball court. The sinking feeling of another air ball rushed through her stomach as she once again trudged to the ball in order to retrieve it.

As she picked up the orb, the sound of one of the gym doors opening drew her attention. Upon seeing a mop of red hair, Kuroko turned away. One of the other players probably just forgot something. He wouldn't noticed her.

"I'm impressed. You really stuck with it."

Blinking, Kuroko turned back to the boy in mild surprised. She then recognized the combination of crimson hair and mismatched eyes. The girl gave a small bow, "Akashi Seijūrō. I'm sorry for not addressing you sooner, senpai."

Akashi's calculating gaze shimmered with slight amusement, "You don't need to call me that. We're the same age."

"But you're in first string," Kuroko came up from her bow. "That's a more important seniority than age in this sport."

Her words were true. Surprisingly, Seijūrō was one of a few first years that actually managed to make first string in the Teikō basketball team. It was even more surprising considering his average stature. The other three which immediately moved to the top were extremely tall for Japanese boys entering puberty. Akashi had no such physical advantage. He was at the top for his unparalleled skill.

"Fair enough," Akashi admitted. "But that's a gap that I think that will be closed soon enough."

Kuroko tilted her head cutely, "Excuse me? I don't understand what you mean."

"Well, when you make it to the first string, we'll be equals," Akashi explained as if it were obvious.

"First string?" Kuroko let out a light giggle. "Skills and a sense of humor. Life is unfair sometimes."

"I assure you that I'm not joking," Akashi's face remained stern.

Kuroko frowned, "Are you mocking me?"

Akashi was not expecting her to say that, "What?"

"Well, I doubt that you'd be hitting on me. I'll be the first one to admit that I'm not special in terms of femininity, especially for someone like you," Kuroko shrugged in an acceptance that she learned long ago. "So I'm assuming that you're mocking me. While it's…understandable, I find it extremely rude. There's no way that I would ever make second string, let alone first."

Akashi raised an eyebrow, "Then why do you train so hard? You push yourself past your limits every day. Even when you look like death, you drag yourself forward to get even a tiny bit stronger. Through sheer force of will, you withstood hell for over a month and came out one hundred times better than you were before. No one with a loser mentality would do that."

"I'm not deluded," Kuroko stared at the basketball in her hands. "I'm well aware of my limits. My intent was always to play basketball. Considering the competition here, I considered going to a different middle school, but that wouldn't have made a difference. No matter which school I went to, I never would have played on the boy's team."

"Why did it have to be on the boy's team?" Akashi felt curiosity boil in his stomach.

"It's a personal reason," Kuroko's tone left no room for argument. "In the end, Teikō is just an excuse for me not being able to make it. I could always just say that the competition was too great for even excellent boy players to overcome."

"Yet you're still trying," Akashi noted. "Why?"

"Because I love basketball," Kuroko looked back up to meet his eyes. Passion burned in her eyes.

"That's it?"

"I don't need anything else. I love this game so much that it hurts, but sometimes the things you love will never love you back," Kuroko sighed. "Well, if you'll excuse me, it's getting late. I need to get ready to head home."

"What if I told you that you were wrong?"

Kuroko gave him a look of confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I think there might be a way for you to become an invaluable player," Akashi smirked. "But you'll never achieve it by continuing this path. You have a strength that I've never encountered before. Your lack of presence is so great that it borderlines on ninjustu. Even I, who has been trained his entire life to notice every little detail around him, failed to notice you when you first showed up for practice. In order for me to keep track of you, I have to devote every speck of my attention on you. One small distraction, and you're gone. It's an overwhelming power."

Kuroko didn't know how to respond to that. No one had ever described her lack of presence in a positive way. Most people considered her creepy and pathetic.

"Find a way to hone your power," Akashi turned away from her and began to walk away. "That's the only tip I can provide. The rest is up to you."

"How do I know that you're not lying to me?" Kuroko inquired.

Akashi looked back at her, "Because I don't waste my time on people who aren't worthy of it. You have an amazing potential. I'd hate for you to squander it."

Kuroko watched as he left. Once the door slammed shut behind him, her blue eyes turned back down to the basketball. Did she really have that sort of potential? She always thought of others' tendencies to ignore her as a curse that she just had to live through. Could she really weaponized it?

Thoughts of her conversation with Akashi consumed her. She thought about how to use her ability in a useful way even during classes, not that her teachers noticed her daydream and scribble in her notebooks. For a week, she contemplated on how she could possibly be of any use during a game. Her dribbling was pathetic. Her shooting was even more so. All she could think of was passing. She could do that, but how would that help?

During her overtime practice, she experimented. Kuroko sloppily dribbled the basketball around cones and then bounce passed the ball to a target she set up. The ball rocketed to the target and easily hit its mark. Kuroko knew that the pass was sharp, but it wasn't enough. There was no way to use it in a game if she couldn't be noticed even by her teammates. With a sigh, she picked up the ball so that she could move to sit on the bleachers. Perhaps Akashi was wrong.

The gym doors opening drew her attention upward. Panic surged through her chest at the familiar situation. If Akashi confronted her now, she would have nothing to show him. Relief came upon seeing a navy haired boy with a tanner skin tone. Kuroko then frowned and wondered if he was sent to spy on her considering who he was. Standing, she approached the other basketball player.

"Ha. Ghost my ass."

"Aomine-senpai?"

"Holy shit!" Aomine jumped at the sudden voice. Face twisted with terror, he turned to see the tiny girl. "Woah! What the hell!? You scared the hell out me!"

"I apologize," Kuroko's tone was not very apologetic.

"Yeah right," Aomine huffed. "Hey, what are you doing in here anyway? This court is only for basketball players, you know."

"Yes. I'm a player."

"Oh…" Aomine scratched his cheek. "Didn't know that we had a girls' team."

"No, there is no girls' team. I'm on the boys' team."

"You're kidding me?!" Aomine burst out laughing. "We have a girl on the team as a player?"

"Yes, but I'm on third string," Kuroko admitted.

"Geeze. How weird," Aomine's eyebrows suddenly shot up. "Wait…I remember you. You were at the first practice before I got moved up to first string. I thought that you would have quit by now."

"No, I didn't quit," Kuroko felt annoyed. "In fact, I'm currently in the middle of overtime practice."

"Really?" Aomine found himself being surprised by the girl every few seconds. "That's…impressive. I don't even know any first string guys that dedicated."

"Yes, well, I'm not very good," Kuroko looked down in shame. "The only way for me to possibly get better is to train harder than everyone else."

"You want to move up that badly?" Aomine asked.

"Of course. I want to play basketball."

"Why go through all this trouble? There has to be easier options."

"Maybe, but I have my reasons for doing this," Kuroko clenched the ball in her hands. "I want to contribute to the team like how Akashi-senpai said."

"Akashi said that he thought that you could contribute?" Aomine almost died of shock in that moment.

"Yes, but I'm still trying to figure out how," Kuroko sighed. "But I won't stop until I figure it out."

"Wow. I'm impressed. Never thought anyone was this passionate about the game," Aomine smiled.

"Of course. I love basketball," Kuroko tilted her head. "Don't you?"

Aomine blinked at the question. His smile grew until it threatened to split his face. "You're damn right I do! It's the best! Ha! I've decided!"

"Decided what?"

"I'm going to help you! If Akashi sees something in you, then you're definitely something special!" Aomine extended a hand. "My name's Aomine Daiki."

Kuroko slowly reached up to grasp the extended hand. "My name is Kuroko Tamaki. Please take care of me, Aomine-senpai."

"Woah. Way too much formality. Call me Daiki, Tamaki-chan."

"Um, okay, Daiki-san."

"Well…It's an improvement, I guess."

Kuroko thought that Aomine was joking. No starter would stay after practice to help a nobody third string. To her shock, he did show up the next day to train with her. He continued to join in the overtime work each day. While surprised, Tamaki embraced the assistance. Aomine Daiki was a basketball genius and really helped her improved. Not to mention how moralizing it was to have someone around to encourage her.

Despite his excellent help in improving her basics, though, Aomine was clueless when it came to figuring out how to weaponized her lack of presence. He suggested a curved pass, but Kuroko didn't believe that physics would let her do that. Nevertheless, she greatly enjoyed speaking with the boy. It was nice to feel as though she had a friend. Most people were creeped out by her tendency to fade away. Aomine didn't care about that. He appreciated anyone that shared his love of basketball.

Most days after training, he even walked her home. While she insisted that no one would notice her enough to attack her, Aomine still stated that he would feel like a 'dick' if he left her. Having enjoyed his companionship, she decided not to argue with him. Instead, Kuroko enjoyed their unusual conversations.

"So, your childhood friend is the team's manager?" Kuroko questioned.

"Huh?" Aomine scratched the back of his head. "Satsuki? Yeah. She's a pain. I think she did it just to keep an eye on me."

"You sound close," Kuroko noted.

"Meh, I guess. She's way too overbearing, though. I wish she'd take a note out of your book and just be cool," Aomine shrugged.

"Does she wonder what you're doing after practice?" Kuroko questioned.

"I told her that I was doing some extra training and messing around," Aomine explained. "She acted shocked, though. I'm not that lazy…"

Kuroko gave him a sideways glance, "You didn't tell her about me? Are you hiding the fact that we're practicing together?"

"What? No." Aomine sighed. "She'd just want to meet you, and then she'd freak out over the fact that you're a girl."

"Oh. She would be jealous. That's understandable from your girlfriend. You should just tell her that our relationship is completely platonic."

"Girlfriend?! Satsuki? Hell no! That's just…gross," Aomine gagged.

"But I've seen her. She's a lot like those idols on the magazines you stare at," Kuroko kept her features completely still. "You know. The ones with the large breasts."

Aomine grimaced, "Err…you caught me doing that?"

"Yes," Kuroko turned her head to stare at him. "Hentai."

"W-What?! I'm not a pervert!"

"If you say so."

"I'm not! I swear!"

Most conversations ended up going on like that. Kuroko even shared bits of her own history with him. She explained that she made a promise with a childhood friend to eventually play against each other.

"Your friend was a guy, right?" Aomine nodded. "So that's why you're working so hard to make the boy's team."

"Yes. When we were small, we didn't really understand why boys and girls teams were separated," Kuroko noted. "Considering that girls playing with boys isn't completely unheard of, I just said that I'd work hard to make it on the guy team. He probably doesn't expect me to keep a dumb kid promise, but it means a lot to me. It's how I got introduced to basketball, after all."

"I see," Aomine grinned. "Well, I can't guarantee anything, but we'll work hard to make it a reality."

Kuroko smiled, "Yes."

Soon, Tamaki grew to look forward to their talks. They were the highlights of her hard days of training. It was the only point when she wasn't consumed with thoughts of how to improve her basketball skills. They even discussed things that Tamaki had no knowledge of.

"So…the point of the game is to kill your target?" Kuroko tried to wrap her head around the concept.

"Yeah. You're not supposed to be caught. If you do, it lowers your score," Aomine explained. "But you also can't just randomly kill people to make it easier. That hurts your score too. Instead, you avoid being seen without hurting anyone and then take out your target. After that, you sneak away without drawing attention to yourself."

"I see. That sounds violent, but I can see the appeal," Kuroko slowly nodded. "Maybe I should try to play one of the video games on my days off."

"Nice. At least then, these talks wouldn't be so one-sided," Aomine chuckled. "The only thing we seem to have in common is basketball. It'd be nice to do some actual gamer talk with you."

"Or you could pick up a book," Kuroko suggested.

"Err, I think it'd be faster for you just to play a game for an hour," Aomine scratched his chin sheepishly.

Kuroko gave a small giggle, "Did you just insult your own intelligence?"

"S-Shut up!" Aomine gained a tiny blush. "It would be better for you anyway. If you play stealth games, it might give ideas on what Akashi was talking about."

"I don't think that this Hitman game will translate to basketball."

"You never know. Wouldn't it be cool? You sneaking around the court, taking out the enemy. Biding your time until the time is right, and then you strike. People would be like, 'Woah! Where'd she come from!?' But then you sneak away while people are cleaning up the blood," Aomine grinned. "That would be awesome. You'd probably get a bunch of fouls if you literally killed the other team, though. Right, Kuroko?"

Aomine realized that the girl was no longer by his side. He turned to see her staring at him.

"Tamaki-chan?"

Kuroko's eyes were wide, "I…You just gave me an idea."

"Um, you know that I was joking, right? You can't actually kill the other team.

"No. Not that," Kuroko shook her head. Possibilities rushed through her head. Images of her stealing the ball during passes and dribbling rushed through her head. Her mind then moved to offense. Screening and secret passes would be like the dagger into the back of her opponents. They would never notice her creeping up on them until it was too late. If she got the ball in the hands of her teammates, the enemy quickly forget about her. She would not get any stats or joyful celebrations, but she could contribute on the court during an actual game. "I need to go to the book store real fast. I might be there a while. You can go ahead and head home, Aomine-san."

"It's Daiki," Aomine then tried to speak again, but Kuroko rushed off. He watched her go. For a moment, he considered rushing after her but decided against it. She rarely lit up like that. Whatever she had in mind must be impressive. It might be for the best to let her go. He would just have to ask about it tomorrow.

Lunch time was a very silent time for Kuroko. She often spent the time in a quiet corner. While she ate, she divided her attention between her meal and getting ahead on her homework. Most students would have mocked her for such "loser" actions if they noticed her, but Tamaki didn't care. Almost every day after practice, she was too tired to study. Getting it done during lunch made life a lot easier.

Today was different, though. Instead of schoolwork, she stared at one of the books she had bought on the previous night. "The Art of Misdirection" was the just the first of many reading materials that she purchased. Kuroko doubted that the writer intended for it to be used for basketball, but the book gave her plenty of ideas. If she could implement the ideas during the game, she could become a dagger in the backs of her enemies. She had to test it out.

Packing up her stuff, she moved from her remote corner of the school to her classroom. Once entering the familiar setting, she glanced around to the various desks. One of the workplaces had a book on its corner. On the other end of the room stood a group of boys. She saw one of their phones sticking out of his pocket. Nodding, she moved to the book and nudged it so that it began to slide off the edge of the desk. As it teetered, Kuroko swiftly moved behind the boys.

Once the book fell, the boys turned to see what made the loud bang. With lightning fast hands gained from her extra training with Aomine, Kuroko grabbed the phone and slid it onto the desk next to the boy. She then slipped away before anyone could notice her. Upon sitting back into her chair, Tamaki glanced back. The boy didn't even seem to realize that his phone had been moved.

Kuroko smiled. Her first test was a success. That was an excellent sign. Now, she just had to figure out to do that in a basketball game.

Practice often brought about scrimmage games. This gave Kuroko plenty of time to practice her new technique. While she often struggled to keep up physically, she delighted in rushing down the court. It was such a rush to hear the squeaking of sneakers on the floorboards. Tamaki had to force herself to focus on her experiments.

Defense proved to be an easy adjustment for her. Stealing the ball during passes and rushes was rather simple, and the boys struggled to adjust to her change in strategy. Despite intercepting the ball many times during their games, they had yet to adapt to her attempts to misdirect them. Eventually, they should have taken notice of her stealth tactics, yet they still seemed to underestimate her.

While her defensive strategy only took a few days to create, offensive tactics proved to be more difficult. Screening directly often hurt her, so she had to slowly find a way to block the defenders without getting run over. Passing proved difficult as well. Getting the attention of her teammates was a challenge. When she did, her passes weren't as smooth as she wanted.

For a month, she worked during regular practice and training with Aomine on developing her offensive tactics. Daiki helped her find the right angle to trip up her screen target without getting killed. Slowly, her passes developed to the point where she could catch and throw the ball without a delay. Aomine seemed to enjoy passing to her for alioops.

After dozens of practice hours, Kuroko found her first success. Upon screening for the point guard, Tamaki made eye contact with her teammate. Rolling around Kuroko held her hands out expectantly. Just like she predicted, the boy tossed the ball into her hands. Without letting the others settle their attention onto her, she passed the basketball to an open receiver. Shocked that he suddenly received the ball, he paused for a few seconds before shooting the ball into the basketball.

While her teammates celebrated, Kuroko looked down at her hands. That was it. She finally found her first success. Tamaki crushed down any joy which popped up, though. Her misdirection was far from perfect. She had a lot of work to do before she could approach Akashi with her style of basketball.

"Hey, you have a visitor, Akashi!"

The crimson haired boy turned around to see Kuroko Tamaki standing off the sideline of the court. Smiling, he made his way from the other players on first string. He ignored his comrades' whispering in order to address the girl, "Hello, Kuroko-san. You made me wait. I thought that you wouldn't make it by the end of the season. Did you find your answer?"

"I have," Kuroko's eyes burned with resolve. "My style is ready for demonstration, but it's only effective in an actual game. Is there any way for me to show you that way?"

Akashi smiled, "Very well. I think that I can arrange something."

"In order to avoid drawing too much suspicion, it's been decided to combine second and third string practice today," Akashi explained to the girl.

"I see," Kuroko eyed the first string coach and captain from across the gym.

"This is a test. Third string vs second string. Five on five. Just as you requested," Akashi noted. "I stuck my neck out for this. I was met with a lot of skepticism when I mentioned that a player in third string could be of use in first string. Even more so when I told them about you. Let me say this, your team has to win. As it stands, third string has no way of matching up to second string. They will definitely lose without some kind of outlier. If you show that you're good enough to drag your team past their limits, then you will get our couch's attention. If you lose, though, even by a single point…it will be over. You will never get a chance again."

Kuroko adjusted her wristbands, "I understand. I swear that I won't let you down."

Akashi nodded, "Good luck."

As she stepped onto the court, Kuroko felt the pressure pile on her back. The gazes of the first string management were firmly locked onto her. She could feel their judgement. If she messed up here, then her dreams were over. Despite the stress, though, Kuroko didn't even feel sweat in her palms. This was it. All the effort until now would show its fruit. Both Aomine and Akashi believed in her, and Kuroko would rather die than fail to live up to their expectations.

Once the scrimmage initiated, Kuroko went into the flow of the game. Her opponents got the ball first, as expected. The second string immediately moved to initiate their practiced offense. Using her lack of presence, Tamaki rushed to the recipient of a pass. With her enemy barely noticing her, she reached to grab the ball and knock it into the hands of her teammate.

With everyone, even her own teammates, wondering what occurred, Kuroko slinked back into the back of their thoughts by hiding behind the man from whom she just stole the ball. Now that the basketball was in her team's possession, the ten players on the court rushed to the other basket. Her defensive guard quickly lost track of her. Gaining the attention of the point guard, Kuroko redirected a pass to the center below the basket. Giving a shriek, the player shot the ball up and in for a layup.

"What the hell?!" one of the second string players shouted.

Another bench player voiced his own opinion, "No way third string could get the first points! You were supposed to guard him!"

"I-I was, but the ball just came out of nowhere!"

As the other players bickered, Kuroko reached up to wipe the sweat from her brow. Going at such a high pace right at the start would completely exhaust her by the end of the scrimmage, but she could accept that. Now was definitely time to go all out. Using her opponents' distraction, Kuroko snuck a peak off the court. Her judges were staring with open mouths in shock. Akashi didn't look surprised in the least, though. If Tamaki had had to describe the smile on his face, she would think of it as excited.

Quickly bringing her attention back to the game, Kuroko shook her head. She could not let her focus linger off the scrimmage. They could easily lose the lead that she helped gain. No way Tamaki was going to let that happen. Third string would win the scrimmage decisively. Kuroko would make sure of it.

Her words proved true. Third string beat second string by a solid ten points. Completely exhausted, Kuroko slumped onto the benches to get off her trembling legs. At her limit, she could only barely focus on how Akashi was talking with his coach and captain. Part of her wanted to approach them, but she knew better. She would find out soon if her style impressed them or not.

"As of this day, Kuroko Tamaki will move up to first string."

Kuroko stared at the third string coach with wide eyes. Her teammates quickly voiced their shock and displeasure at getting passed up by a small girl. She paid them no attention, though. Her mind was focused on not letting herself collapse to the floor.

"Silence!" their coach shouted. "It's already been decided! In case you didn't notice, Kuroko was the only reason you beat the second string the other day. The director has decided that her show of ability proved that she belonged with the starters. If you have any complaints, go to him."

The entire third string was silent.

"I thought so," the third string coach shook his head. "Instead of complaining, you should all work your asses off to improve like Kuroko did. Let's start with suicides! I want ten of them right now! The last one to finish has to do two more!"

Groaning, the players rushed to obey their coach. Out of instinct, Kuroko moved to follow them. Her thoughts focused on not being the one to do the extra sprints. She stopped when the coach called out to her.

"Where are you going, Kuroko?"

Tamaki turned to give the man a questioning look.

"You're no longer under my command," he explained. "Starting tomorrow, you're on the first string. Go home and get some rest. You're going to need it for tomorrow, because they're going to make my training look easy. I have no doubt that you'll long for the days of such simple workouts."

Kuroko nodded, "I understand. I'll go get my stuff."

Turning, Tamaki moved to leave. Before she could, though, her coach said one last thing to her, "Oh, and Kuroko…I'm not above admitting when I'm wrong. You got to first string without a word of encouragement from me. Shoving my own words down my throat like that…You're one hell of a player. You should be damn proud."

Kuroko turned to eye the coach. His eyes shined in acknowledgement of all the work she put in to accomplish this, "Hai. I am proud. Thank you for everything."

"I didn't do anything," he sighed. "That's what makes it even worse. Next time, I won't just dismiss someone like you. Maybe the love of the game really can take a person to the top."

"Hai," Kuroko continued her trek to leave the third string court for her final practice with the bench warmers. "I believe so too."

Once she was back in the girl's locker room, Tamaki moved past her locker to a sink. A quick look around revealed that she was definitely alone. She stared at her image for a few seconds before releasing the emotions that she held in since the announcement was made. Tamaki reached a hand up to cover her mouth. Tears gushed from her eyes. Joy rushed through her whole body. She had to use her other hand to grip the sink in order to keep her from collapsing.

"I did it," Kuroko gasped between her smothered sobs of joy. "I can't believe it. First string…I did it."

"Is…Kuroko-kun here?" a pretty, pink haired spoke out to the third string gym. "I'm supposed to take him to meet the starters."

"I am Kuroko," Tamaki spoke up from directly beside the girl. "But I am a girl, you know."

"EH?!" Momoi Satsuki jumped at having the other girl appear right beside her. "When did you get here?!"

"I was here the whole time."

"R-Really? Wait…You're Kuroko?" Momoi looked down at her clipboard. "Tamaki…I guess that I should have looked at your first name, Kuroko-chan. Um, is this right? This says that you're playing with the boy's first string team."

"Hai. It's true," Kuroko bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Please take care of me."

Momoi fought the borderline sneer forming on her face upon seeing the other girl. While not overly vain, Satsuki was well aware of her own attractive looks. Boys never let her forget about it, after all. Kuroko Tamaki was the exact opposite of her. The bluenette lacked presence and charisma. Her hair was short and boyish. Only a tiny hint of muscle showed on her thin and underdeveloped frame. Momoi's keen eye told her that this little girl wasn't someone that could gain the attention of anyone, let alone…

"Woah," Momoi giggled. "You actually got Dai-chan's attention? He mentioned you before, but he never spoke of…this."

"Aomine-san practiced with me," Kuroko explained. "Without him, I wouldn't have made it this far."

"Well…whatever," Momoi shrugged. "If this is a prank, I'm putting the blame on Dai-chan. Let's go, Kuroko-san."

"Hai."

The reaction to Kuroko by the starters wasn't any better than Momoi's. Upon being introduced, almost all the players stared judgmentally at the bowing girl. An incredibly tall middle schooler with long purple hair stepped forward to speak.

"Is this a joke?" Murasakibara Atsushi questioned.

"No, it's not Murasakibara," the team captain ran his hands through his dark locks. "Kuroko-san will be a part of first string now. Don't give her any special treatment."

"You passed the tests and got approval from the director?" the green haired Midorima Shintarō adjusted his glasses to better examine the tiny girl.

"Hai," Kuroko came up from her bow.

"There is no need to worry," Akashi spoke. "I have evaluated her potential. She will be an invaluable asset to us soon enough. Give her a month, and she'll be ready."

"Yeah, she'll do great!" Aomine nodded. "I know that Kuroko—Hey! What are you doing Murasakibara?!"

Kuroko blinked up to the man rubbing the top of her head, "Is there a reason that you're touching my head?"

"It felt natural," Murasakibara shrugged.

"Well, could you stop?"

"Hmm…" the giant pulled his arm back. "Well, I don't care as long she doesn't get in my way."

Midorima sighed, "I trust your judgement, Akashi."

"Hey! What's up!?" a boy with messy gray hair stepped into the gym.

"You're late, Haizaki," Akashi noted in disapproval

"Yeah, yeah. It won't happen again," Haizaki smirked as he accidentally bumped into Kuroko. "Ah!? What the hell!? Who's this little girl!? Don't tell me that she's the new manager! She sucks as eye candy!"

"I am Kuroko," Tamaki bowed to the rude boy. "I'm the newest member on first string. Please take care of me."

Haizaki stared at her before bursting out into laughter, "Hahahaha! You?! You got to be kidding me! You look like you'd break if I poked you too hard!"

"Hey! Kuroko is better than she looks!" Aomine glared at the other boy. "I know for sure that she works harder than your lazy ass. You better watch your back, or she'll take your spot."

Haizaki sneered, "I'd like to see her try."

To Kuroko's utter shame, she could not finish the practice. The third string coach had undersold the difficulty of first string training. Her teammates ran at a speed which exhausted her within minutes. The labs and sprints swiftly burned out her leg muscles. She was blown away by partner drills in which she had to drive towards the basket. Every scenario in which she was given the ball, it was immediately stolen by her opponents.

Halfway through the practice, Tamaki collapsed and began vomiting. It was only with Momoi's help that she made it to the restroom to compose herself. Once she finished emptying her stomach, Kuroko's body gave out on her. She leaned with her back against the wall. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't force herself to her feet. A quick glance to her arms revealed that her sweat drenched form was covered in bruises.

'This is my limit,' Kuroko thought bitterly as she took in the sound of her teammates still practicing.

Eventually, the noise of sneakers squeaking against the court faded to signal the end of the training. Aomine's voice echoed from the restroom entrance, "Tamaki-chan? Are you still in there?"

"Yes," Kuroko called out weakly. "Um…C-Could you come in please? I need some help…"

"Err...sure. You're decent, right?"

"I am."

Secure with the knowledge that Kuroko wouldn't freak out at him, Aomine entered the restroom. He quickly spotted the downed Tamaki. Waving off his concern, Kuroko asked for him to help her stand. With him supporting all of her weight, Kuroko made it to her feet, "This…is shameful."

"Hey, don't worry," Aomine reassured her. "Plenty of players have trouble on their first day of first string."

"Did you?"

"Err…"

"I didn't think so," Kuroko fought against the stinging in her eyes. "I want to play as equals on the court, Aomine-san. But right now, I'm dead weight. I wouldn't be surprised if the director throws me back down the third string."

"He wouldn't do that so quickly," Aomine argued.

"Yes, I still have time," Kuroko gritted her teeth. "I will improve. By the end of the week, I'll be able to finish practice. Then, when I'm used to that, we can do our overtime practice again…if you're okay with that."

Aomine scoffed, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Good," Kuroko gained a tint of a blush. "A-And…um, could you help me get home? I-I don't think that I'll make it there on my own."

"Alright, but on one condition," Aomine smiled. "Promise to call me Daiki from now on."

"…I suppose that's fair, Daiki-san."

"Good. No going back this time, okay?"

Midorima eyed his female teammate as he passed her for the tenth time. The tiny girl was drenched in sweat and breathing harder than healthy. Despite her inability to keep up, she still finished every drill and exercise given to her. It was a significant improvement from the previous week, but she was still embarrassingly slow compared to the other first string players. They were ordered to finish practice with laps, and her tired body could only allow her to do it at a snail's pace.

Normally, he could easily overlook the girl, but she looked too pathetic to ignore. Once done with his laps, the spectacled middle schooler waited for her to catch up to the starting point. He fast walked to keep up with her current top speed, "Why are you doing this to yourself? This can't be fun for you."

"Can't…talk…" Kuroko panted. "Must…focus…"

Midorima sighed. He looked to the exit before shaking his head. Rushing to his bag, he pulled out a book before returning to Kuroko's side. As the girl trudged along, he walked beside her while reading. After fifteen minutes, she finished and collapsed. Now that she was done, Midorima snapped his novel shut so that he could speak again, "Now can you answer my question?"

"I…" Kuroko was gasping for air as she collapsed to her knees. "W-What was…the question again?"

"Why torture yourself like this?" Midorima inquired.

"Because…I love…basketball…"

"You…" Midorima said his words slowly as if he were tasting them, "do it because you love basketball?"

"Yes," Kuroko tilted her head to the side. "Don't you?"

"I…suppose," Midorima sighed. "Not as much as you, though. I don't think I know if anyone does considering what you put yourself through."

"I see," Kuroko shakily forced herself up. "Then I suppose I'm just different."

Midorima turned away, "That I can agree on."

"What the hell are you eating?"

Kuroko looked up from her little corner of the school to see Murasakibara staring at her. A bag of candy stood in his large hands. She tilted her head in confusion, "My lunch. Why?"

"I could smell it from across the building," Murasakibara grimaced. "I thought that someone had died, so I came to investigate. Imagine my surprise when I see the invisible girl from my team eating some monstrosities to mankind."

Kuroko looked at the carefully constructed lunch of fresh vegetables, vitamins, and juices, "I need the proper nutrition in order to help recover from practices. If I follow a strict eating schedule, I can have the best possible health so that I can improve in basketball."

"Is that so?" Murasakibara popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth. "That has to suck. I feel like vomiting just being close to it."

"Yes, it is not the best tasting meal, but it is necessary," Kuroko noted. She gained a small pout. "Could you not eat candy like that around me? I already have cravings for milkshakes as it is."

"Whatever," Murasakibara turned away. "You know, some sweets wouldn't kill you."

"Maybe, but I want my progress to be as swift as possible," Kuroko shook her head. "I can have a reward once I can contribute in a game."

Murasakibara snorted, "Then you'll eat that crap forever."

Kuroko groaned as she pushed herself to get ready for school. Mornings were always hard. Her sore muscles often screamed at her for the abuse she put them through. Nevertheless, she pushed on to continue her schedule. Tamaki refuse to be lazy until she got the results she wanted.

"Hmm?" Kuroko blinked as she finished putting on her uniform. Something was odd. Moving to the mirror, she glanced at herself to realize what had changed. She ordered her uniform to be loose and baggy, but that wasn't the case anymore. What was once loose was now tight, especially in her chest and hip area.

Tamaki frowned. She hated puberty. Her periods were had enough on her when she had to do a lot of running. Things were even worse with her training and dieting having a significant influence on her muscles. Shaking her head, Kuroko moved to grab a jacket. She felt weird being so exposed. It would be best to get a bigger uniform before other people saw through her lack of presence.

"Momoi-san?"

"EH?!" Momoi jumped and turned around to see the other girl. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I apologize," Kuroko bowed. "I wasn't trying to scare you."

"Fine, fine," Momoi released a breath. "Do you need something?"

"Um, yes," Kuroko shifted uncomfortably. "You're the manager, correct?"

"Yep. Why?"

"Well, I would hate to ask for special treatment, but…" Kuroko blushed. "I could use some help. Y-You see…I'm having some issues with chaffing and things rubbing together. Along with…other things."

"Oh…" Momoi's eyes widened. "Oooooooh…"

"Yes. Considering that you are a girl, I thought it would be most appropriate to ask you," Kuroko pressed her fingers together in embarrassment.

Momoi suddenly found herself overwhelmed. She considered the girl plain before, but right now, Tamaki looked completely adorable. Part of her wondered when that happened, "Sure, I can help, Kuroko-chan. Let's go shopping after practice."

"Thank you, Momoi-san," Kuroko bowed.

Momoi's eyes danced with excitement with the thoughts of dressing up the adorable girl, "We can also get you some more cute outfits. Oh, and some makeup! Some lipstick would really make you stand out more. You have naturally pouty lips, Kuroko-chan. I'm jealous."

"Err…thank you, but I don't really want to stand out," Kuroko mentioned. "Plus, any makeup I put on would start to run rather quickly with how much I sweat during practice."

Her words were lost on Momoi, though. The pinkette continued to speak on end about things which would help her look cuter. Kuroko was fine with most of it, but she got worried when the other girl mentioned that she would look cute with cat ears.

Kuroko finished her laps before collapsing onto her knees. With practice over, she finally allowed herself to rest. Tamaki still finished practice drenched in sweat and completely exhausted, but she was slowly improving her finish time every day. One day, she would finish at the same time as—

"Well done," Midorima spoke.

Tamaki looked up to see the spectacled boy giving her an approving look, "E-Excuse me?"

"You kept up," Midorima noted.

"I…did?" Kuroko looked around to see that the other players had just recently finished their laps as well.

"I'm not surprised that you didn't notice," Midorima adjusted his glasses. "You were really focused during your run. You were beside me the whole time. I didn't even have to slow down."

"Yes," Kuroko pushed herself up onto shaky legs. "Finally."

"Well done," Midorima stated in acknowledgement. "You continue to impress, Kuroko-san. As always, Akashi was right. One month. It's astounding."

Aomine grinned, "You can do overtime practice again?"

"Yes," Kuroko nodded. "I have adapted enough to first string practice to train with you again, Daiki-san."

"Awesome!" Aomine pumped his fist. "I can't wait to try out some ideas with you! If we can implement your passes with my jumps, our opponents couldn't stop us."

Kuroko nodded, "Yes. I look forward to playing with you in an actual game."

"Yeah, it will be great…" Aomine paused. "Wait…since when did you wear earrings?"

"Oh?" Kuroko reached a hand up to remove the butterfly earrings. "Momoi-san took me out shopping to help me buy things that would…help in practice for a girl. She insisted on me getting some 'cute' things. I didn't want to go through the trouble of getting my ears pierced and risk possibly losing practice times. So I just got clip-ons. I must admit that they are cute."

"Yeah," Aomine nodded. "You act so different from other girls. Guess that I sometimes forget that you are one."

"…"

"Um, Kuroko? What's with that look?"

"…"

"Oh crap, you're mad aren't you?"

"…"

"I'm sorry. It's just that…You know what. Better not. I'd just dig myself deeper into the hole."

Games were an exciting experience for Kuroko. While she never got to play, she did get to sit with the first string players. Most of the time, she cheered from the sidelines and enjoyed the game. One day, she hoped to play herself, but she didn't know when that time would come.

"Damn it! Where's Haizaki?!"

Today was that day.

"You're starting, Kuroko."

Tamaki's eyes were wide, "M-Me?"

"Yes," the coach's eyes darted to Akashi and Aomine. "I've been informed that you're ready. With Haizaki gone, I've decided to give you a chance. Don't mess it up."

"I-I…won't…"

The coach sighed, "You don't sound very certain."

Kuroko took a deep breath, "I will meet your expectations."

"That's better," the coach turned to leave.

Aomine immediately rushed over, "You hear that?! We get to play at the same time! This will be great!

Kuroko trembled in fear, "Y-Yes."

Once the game was about to start, Kuroko stepped onto the court with shaking legs. Just as soon as the game started, her legs gave out on her. She immediately tumbled to the floor and gave herself a bloody nose.

Kuroko looked down in shame. Her debut game seemed to be a failure. Even when her bloody nose stopped, her coach refused to put her back into the match. She didn't blame him. Tamaki wouldn't play herself either. An entire season of busting her ass was wasted on a single moment of embarrassment. Shame seeped into her chest.

After the halftime meeting, the coach pulled her off to the side, "I don't think that this is going to work."

Kuroko silently lowered her head.

"You work three times harder than anyone else. I'll admit that, but its not enough," the coach shook his head. "If I put you in the game again, then there's a high chance that we'll lose. Winning is everything on this team. As such, after today, you're off the te—"

"No!" Aomine rushed in between them. "Kuroko deserves to be on the team!"

The coach sighed, "Aomine, this isn't about what people deserve. This is about victory."

"We can win with Kuroko!" Aomine argued. "Hell, if we're on the court at the same time, then we can dominate! Give her one last chance! If she fails, then I'll quit too!"

The coach frowned, "We gain nothing from losing you, Aomine."

"If you want me, we need her," Aomine hissed. "She'll awe you. I guarantee it."

"…Fine. If she messes up, then I expect your resignation," the coach turned away. "We can't be dragged down by sentimentality."

Kuroko looked to Aomine, "Why would you do that? I'm not worth it."

"Tamaki-chan, you love basketball more than anyone," Aomine's eyes narrowed. "After everything you've done for this chance, I can't just let you get thrown off the team. We're in this together now. Show everyone just what you got."

Aomine thrust a fist forward. Kuroko stared at it, "Um…"

"It's a fist bump."

Kuroko slowly reached her hand up to bump her fist into his knuckles, "I…won't let you down."

"I know you won't."

Kuroko was on the court. She didn't immediately give herself a bloody nose. That was a good start. Her team had the ball. Akashi dribbled the ball up the court. His sharp eyes darted around to see the possibilities on the court. Tamaki had the feeling that he was looking for her, but part of her just wanted to hide. Every limb on her body trembled in terror.

Once again, she was in a do or die situation. This time, though, it wasn't just her basketball dreams on the line. Aomine's place on the team was in jeopardy. If she failed, then he failed. The pressure was unbelievable. All she wanted to do was run the restroom and hide. She never had someone else rely on her like this. It was overwhelming. It was terrifying. It was…

Amazing.

This was basketball. It wasn't a one person sport. Teamwork was more important than anything. The weight of the entire team was on a player every time they were on the court. While the pressure was intense, it was also beautiful. Fight together. Win together. Lose together. That was the very essence of basketball.

'This is it,' Kuroko realized as she stopped shaking. 'This is basketball. I'm finally playing basketball. Not a scrimmage. I'm in the game. This is everything that I ever wanted. I won't fail now.'

Her body moved on its own. She slipped past her guard in order to get to get in Akashi's line of sight. The point guard immediately looked to her. His pass was fast. Her moves were even faster. The ball immediately moved from her palms to the basket in a way that almost looked like a curved shot. While there was no way for it to go in on its own, that wasn't the point of the play.

"Yeah!" Aomine leapt up to dunk the ball into the basket.

"Holy shit!"

"What was that pass?! How'd the red head kid do that?!"

"Forget the pass! That guy just dunked with ease!"

Kuroko received no acknowledgement from her opponents. That was fine. Akashi's approving look and Aomine's glee were more than enough of an award for her efforts. Moving to Aomine, she whispered, "Stay close to half court."

The boy nodded, and Kuroko began her plan. Just as her opponents were going to pass the ball back into the court, Tamaki jumped in to intercept the ball. Before they could realize what she was doing, Kuroko flung the ball back to the approaching Aomine's hands. He immediately ran it in for a layup.

"You idiot! Look out for other players!"

"S-She came out of nowhere…Wait, she?"

As they ran back to get into their defensive position, Kuroko looked to Aomine, "I won't hesitate anymore, Daiki-san. From now on, consider me your shadow. As long as I'm on the court, you'll become unstoppable."

Aomine grinned as she held her fist out. He immediately bumped it, "Hell yeah."

"You were amazing, Kuroko-chan!" Momoi gushed to the other girl. "I didn't know that you could play like that."

An exhausted Kuroko leaned back in her chair. Her limbs felt numb from the pressure of playing an entire half of a basketball game, "Thank you, Momoi-chan."

"See? I told you that she was awesome," Aomine grinned.

"Hmm," Momoi tilted her head to the side. "Well, I suppose Dai-chan can be right sometimes."

"Sometimes?! Like hell, woman, I'm right all the time!"

Kuroko smiled as she watched her friends bicker. Their team had won by twenty points by the end of the match. To celebrate, they went out to eat. Kuroko didn't purchase anything, as she still needed to stick to her eating schedule. Nevertheless, she still enjoyed the glorious feeling of victory. Knowing that her and Aomine's places on the team were secured, Tamaki just rested and watched her team celebrate. She didn't know how this moment could be better.

At least, that's what she thought until a cup was placed in front of her.

Blue eye blinked at the drink. She looked to who gave her the cup to see a retreating Murasakibara. He said nothing to her and didn't look back. A quick glance into the cup made her smile grow. It was a vanilla milkshake.

"What was that?" Aomine questioned.

"A milkshake," Momoi blinked upon looking at the drink. "I've never seen Murasakibara-kun share food before. Why would he do that?"

Kuroko let out a tiny giggle, "I think that Murasakibara-san is a man who speaks with his actions better than his words."

While her friends were still confused, Kuroko brought the milkshake up and took a long sip. It was the best tasting thing that she ever had. So this was what being a winner was like.

"Hey! What's up!?"

Akashi frowned at the gray haired boy walking into the gym, "You missed the game yesterday, Haizaki."

"My bad. My mom got sick, so I had to take care of her," Haizaki smirked, giving a hint that he was lying. "I was so worried that I forgot to call. Don't worry, it won't happen again."

"It better not," the team captain glared while stepping up next to the red haired prodigy. "Remember your place, first year. You're replaceable, you know."

Haizaki scoffed, "Yeah, yeah. So what happened in the game? We won, right?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you, asshole," Aomine growled. "But I guess I should thank you. Because you flaked, Tamaki-chan got to play."

"What?!" Haizaki sneered. "Then I guess that you barely won."

"Incorrect," Midorima shook his head. "We won by a serviceable amount thanks to Kuroko-san's abilities."

"She was less annoying than you too," Murasakibara grunted. "Maybe you should skip more so that we won't have to deal with you."

Haizuke glowered at the taller man, "You want to start something?"

"Oh?" Murasakibara looked at Haizuke like he would look at an interesting bug. "If I did, you wouldn't be standing right now."

"Please don't fight," Kuroko intervened. "It's not good for the team. Besides, we need to start practice."

Akashi nodded, "You're right. Now that you're able to play in games, we need to figure out the best strategies to implement with you."

As the other moved onto the court, Haizuke stared at the girl. Something was different about her. She changed in the few short months that he knew her. He didn't like it, "Kuroko Tamaki…bitch."

Unfortunately for Kuroko, her time on the team for the season did not last long. Her work to get on the first string took all year, and the national tournament was right around the corner. Despite her readiness, she did not get to play much during the preliminary games. Even when they drew up to the top of the bracket, she only played for a few minutes at a time to help enhance her teammates' abilities enough for them to get a comfortable lead.

Despite wanting to play, Kuroko did not complain. She patiently sat on the bench and supported her comrades. Surprisingly, Aomine didn't say anything either. He was usually her biggest advocate, yet he only said that they would get to play together soon. Tamaki decided to trust her light along with the team management. In her mind, she was a weapon to be used at the team's discretion.

Eventually, they made it to the final game of the season. Kuroko once again sat on the bench and watched. Her entire team was exhausted from the grueling several games that they had in such a short amount of time. Even Akashi showed his growing fatigue. By the time the second half of the game was about to start, they were behind and had plenty of players in foul trouble.

"This last half belongs to the first years," the head director of the team stated.

"Ha! Nice!" Haizaki sneered at his senpai. "Looks like we have to carry your sorry asses."

"Not you, Haizaki," the director noted. "Kuroko is going in."

"Her?!" Haizaki pointed to the stoic girl. "But she has barely played this entire tournament!"

"Duh," Aomine scoffed. "Does she look like her stamina could handle being played every day for a week straight? Even I could get the feel that the director was saving her."

"Aomine's right," the director nodded. "We needed her to be as fresh as possible, along with keeping her a secret. We're the most scouted team in this tournament. They probably know every hidden card that we have. Except for her. Her misdirection is key to victory. With everyone tired and in foul trouble, we need to amplify our abilities. The enemy won't have a clue either."

"But…" Haizaki gritted his teeth.

"Enough," Akashi narrowed his eyes. Even Haizaki knew better than to anger the red head. "This strategy has been decided for a while. It is our best chance of victory. That is all that matters."

"Tch…" Haizaki looked away.

The director turned to Kuroko, "I'm gambling on you again. Everything is on you right now, Kuroko, but you have shown that you thrive under pressure and scrutiny. Go out there and show everyone just why you made it to the top of Teikō."

Kuroko's eyes burned with passion, "Hai."

Kuroko rushed in for a screen. Akashi recognized her move and swung past her to leave the confused guard in the dust. Kuroko then rolled around to receive the back pass from the point guard. She immediately passed it to the open Midorima who easily shot a three pointer. As soon as the shot was made, Akashi shouted for a press. Teikō immediately found their men to guard.

Murasakibara's massive frame blocked the view of the play outside of bounds. His opponent immediately began to panic upon having his vision blocked. Upon seeing what he thought was an open player, he passed the ball. What he didn't realize was that the man he passed to was guarded by Kuroko. The girl borderline punched the ball back and into the waiting Murasakibara's hands. A roar sounded out from the crowd at the dunk which followed.

Akashi shouted out for a box and one defense. The team rushed back to ready themselves for the next play. Frustrated, the enemy's point guard rushed down to the court to find an open man. As his head whipped away from the direction of the ball, Kuroko slipped in to smack the basketball to her light. Grinning like a mad man, Aomine sprinted down the court at speeds that no middle schooler should be able to accomplish and succeed in the following layup.

"Time out!" the opponent couch shouted over the roar of the crowd at Teikō getting seven consecutive points in less than thirty seconds.

Running back to the bench, Kuroko couldn't help but smile. The director saw that and frowned, "Don't get cocky, girl. The half just started. I expect you to keep this up. If we don't win by twenty points, then I'm doubling the suicides you have to do."

"Hai," Kuroko hid her smile but couldn't stop the joy in her heart. Basketball was so much fun.

The final buzzer sounded with Akashi making one last three pointer to finish the game with an even thirty point lead. While their enemy collapsed in shock at being dominated in the second half, the Teikō team roared in approval and rushed onto the court to embrace the first year players. To Kuroko's shock, they all crowded around her to gush over her abilities.

"Hey give her some space!" Aomine pushed his way to the center of the crowd to swing an arm around her. "We did it, Tamaki-chan!"

Midorima smirked, "Give her space, huh? That doesn't look like space to me."

"Shut it!" Aomine shouted. "I've got a lot invested into this!"

Murasakibara let out a breath, "Aka-chin was the first to notice her, though. You psychic or something?"

"No," Akashi had a satisfied smile on his face. "I just have a good eye for talent."

"Hey!" one of the referees spoke up. "You still need to line up!"

"Come one, Tamaki," Aomine kept his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go."

Kuroko shakily held the large trophy, "Are you sure that I should hold this?"

"Of course! We all agreed to it," Aomine gave a thumbs up.

"Meh," Murasakibara stood behind her. He reached over to help steady the trophy. "Why not? I'd would just lift it out of frame."

"Besides," Midorima adjusted his glasses. "You probably wouldn't be noticed in the picture if you didn't hold it."

"Just accept it Kuroko," Akashi noted. "Bask in the glory of victory. We are at the top, as it should be."

Kuroko nodded. She held the trophy in front of her but made sure that her face could be seen. Staring at the trophy, she saw her reflection. To her complete shock, she was crying.

"What's wrong?" Aomine whispered.

"I…I've just never been this happy," Kuroko wiped her face on her shoulder to get rid of the tears.

"Well, get used to it," Aomine placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is what life's going to be like from now on."

Kuroko nodded and gained the largest smile in her life. This had to be the happiest moment of her existence so far. While she never got the chance to play Shigehiro this season, she managed to play basketball in a national game. Nothing could ruin this moment for her.

I found this story while looking through my old folders. Last year, I discovered Kuroko no Basket and loved it. My favorite part was the flashback showing the origins of the Generation of Miracles. Normally, gender bends isn't my thing, but this idea just wouldn't get out of my head. I wrote this just so that I could move on. At first, I didn't think that it would be good, but I liked it more after reading again a few weeks ago. Originally, it was a huge over 30,000 word chapter, but I decided to break it up by year for organization purposes. Next chapter will be out next week.

Thank you all for reading and please remember to...

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