I changed the old title Lightless Shadow. The previous title… just didn't make sense with the given plot bunny. I can't think of a better name for this story, sorry.
Whoops, I forgot to post this a week ago, haha.
The song in this fic is their first duet: Tsugi au Hi Made/Until the Day We Meet Again.
I'm updating now because I won't be around for the next two weeks, taking my exams and all.
R & R.
Enjoy~!
Before we meet again, I want to grow and improve
So that I can hold my head high when we stand on the same court
We may be apart, but that doesn't change our friendship
I know just how hard you've worked, and that's what keeps me going strong
.
The squeak of basketball shoes on the court
Reverberates just like a heartbeat
This place has taught us both frustration and laughter
"Kurokocchi!"
The teal-haired male sighed as a familiar blond came running to him. Kuroko had already braced himself for the inevitable meeting with the rest of the Miracles just a month prior today. The wounds from middle school was still fresh in his mind, but he would not step down if he met his teammates again.
And he also had no idea on how the copycat player got his number. He made sure not to tell anyone about it. It must be Akashi's doing.
Kise had called him yesterday to talk to him, and now they were here in a local park.
"Kise-kun," He gave the taller male a nod. "what did you want to talk about?" The bluenet sipped a bit from his milkshake as his former teammate scratched the back of his head.
"Still as blunt as ever, huh," The blond grinned. "Well, I… I just wanted to ask you…"
Kuroko raised an eyebrow.
"Please go to Kaijo with me!" The model bowed in front of him. "Let's play Basketball together again, Kurokocchi!"
The teal-haired male was taken by surprise (though it didn't show on his face). The blond was well aware of what has transpired back in Teiko, and yet here he was trying to recruit him into his school.
"Kise-kun," His voice had a hint of warning in it. Kise did not pay heed to this.
"I respect you, Kurokocchi, I really do," He added. "That's why don't waste your talent in some other school. Please consider Kaijo and me!"
Kuroko was confused. Kise rarely acted like this, despite his clingy and overbearing (at times) nature. "I'm honored that you think of me that way, but I will have to respectfully decline." Besides, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to join Seirin's Basketball team and show his former team where he was once he played for high school. He didn't want to reveal his school to them just yet.
"Please don't decline my offer," Kise whined a bit. "I won't end up like him! I won't lose either because winning is everything for us!"
There was no need to elaborate on who the copycat was referring to. "Kise-kun, I don't think that way anymore, and I didn't decline your offer because of that." The blond looked slightly hopeful at that, but visibly deflated at his next words. "None of you need me now. You are all strong on your own, especially Aomine-kun."
"Kurokocchi…"
"I'm not sure if I'll join my school's team, so there is no need to transfer to Kaijo." The teal-haired male stared at the ground as if it was the most interesting object in the world. "Besides, playing Basketball… doesn't seem fun anymore. What is victory, when you can't even enjoy it with your team?"
Kise looked away, reminded of the pain that the other was going through. He couldn't blame him, though. It was all their fault, and the blond only realized this once the bluenet had already left the team.
He knew it was painful that a friend was gone because of you, but it seemed extra agonizing when it was the other. The model had thought about it before— what if it wasn't the bluenet that disappeared? What if it was Momoi? Aomine? Midorima? Murasakibara? Hell, what if it was even Akashi?
Nothing compared to the pain that he experienced when the fact, that it was Kuroko of all people to leave, had sunk in his mind.
He didn't understand why, but he didn't want to feel this way again.
"Then… then…" The blond started. "I will make you play again!" That got the shorter teen's attention. The copycat player pumped his fists in the air. "I will prove myself to you— that Basketball and I are worth your time!"
The teen blinked. He hadn't expected this from Kise, since the blond was as arrogant and bored like the others. "Kise-kun…"
"If you won't join Kaijo, then could you at least take me in as your student again?" Kise gazed at him sheepishly, finally calmed down after his previous outburst. "I'll grow stronger until the day we meet in the court again."
Kuroko gave him a small smile, a contemplative expression on his face. "Is that so?" He closed his eyes. "Then I will think about it."
Kise looked hopeful again.
"But remember this, Kise-kun." Kuroko said. "You're not the Copycat of Teiko anymore. You are Kise Ryouta of Kaijo, now."
The blond has no idea that his outburst had just changed Kuroko's mind completely. The bluenet no longer had plans to join Seirin's Basketball club in favor of devoting his time to training the model. The teal-haired teen simply didn't give him an immediate answer because he wanted to see what the blond was capable of by this time, and if his resolve would never waver.
Well, that and that Kuroko had a soft spot for him. The teal-haired male couldn't refuse him completely anyways.
Even though each of us has his own kind of talent
We go head-to-head and aim ever higher
Higher and higher and higher and higher
Seeking a challenge
Until we seize the greatest victory
If the road we travel is one and the same
Then forever and ever and ever and ever
We'll be connected
Kuroko watched as Seirin had a practice game with Kaijo. He had permission from the school (and used his misdirection) to watch them. He found out about this match from Kagami, his classmate and seatmate, who was talking quite loudly to himself.
Right now, he was observing the red-haired player who was marking Kise. The tall redhead was holding fairly good against the blond, but he had ways to go before he can truly match up to the Generation of Miracles (Kuroko overheard his shout from the school roof).
Watching the tall player made him feel nostalgic. His previous light, Aomine, had been exactly like him. A Basketball idiot who only had to worry about the sport and his studies, no complications. A Basketball idiot who had great potential. An unpolished gem.
If Kise had not been able to change Kuroko's mind (albeit unknowingly), the teal-haired teen would've chosen Kagami Taiga as his new light.
Anyways, for some reason, Kise was focusing a lot on the game. The blond never took any game seriously, unless he was provoked. Well, he was provoked this time (by Kagami) but he was determined to win more than usual. It made him ponder on what could've pushed the model to do this.
He wasn't aware of his words' effect to the blond. Honestly.
Meanwhile, Kise gritted his teeth in frustration as Kagami had made another dunk, equalling Seirin and Kaijo's scores. The redhead was pretty good, he had to admit, but he didn't want to lose— especially when Kurokocchi's watching.
However, the game ended with Seirin winning. The blond cried tears of frustration. 'Why? Why did we lose to a no-name school?' He stared at the cheering team on the other end of the court. 'Was this the reason why Kurokocchi chose them?' "I… lost…?"
Kagami approached the model kneeling on the floor. "Don't be so pathetic! What matters most is that you had a good game with your team, right?"
"What is victory, when you can't even enjoy it with your team?"
Kise had a small smile on his face, despite the tears falling from his eyes.
'Kurokocchi is right, as always.'
Kasamatsu also gave the blond a whack to the head. "And stop sobbing! It's unbecoming of a model, right?"
The model wiped his tears and nodded at his captain. That's right. He had Kasamatsu-sempai and all the others now.
"You're not the Copycat of Teiko anymore. You are Kise Ryouta of Kaijo, now."
He jabbed a finger towards Kagami, which surprised everyone sans Kuroko on the sidelines. "I won't forget this, Kagamicchi! Next time, I— we won't lose to you!"
"K-Kagamicchi?!" The redhead spluttered before grinning at him. "Then I'll be waiting."
The Seirin team left. It was Kuroko's turn to give Kise a piece of his mind.
"Kise-kun," The bluenet appeared in the middle of the Kaijo team. They yelled in surprise.
"Whoa!"
"Did anyone notice him walk here?"
"He has a low presence!"
"Since when were you there?"
Before Kuroko could say anything, Kise had already glomped him. "Kurokocchi~!" He turned his head to his captain. "He's my friend. I'm just going to talk to him outside~!" And the two quickly fled the scene.
Once they were outside, the pair sat on a bench on the school grounds.
"It looks like you won't be teaching me, huh, Kurokocchi," Kise muttered, smiling sadly. "I tried my best."
The bluenet only patted his head, looking very amused. "Whoever said that I wasn't going to teach you, Kise-kun?"
"Huh?" The blond was shocked. "B-But I lost! And you said that you'll think about it!"
"I never said you had to win." Kuroko stood up. "Practice starts this weekend, Kise-kun."
Kise had lit up like a kid who had received their Christmas present. Somehow, the teal-haired male's statement made him happier than ever. He hugged the other, suffocating the shorter teen slightly.
"Kurokocchi!"
Every time we compete,
I want to make your heart pound with excitement
I acknowledge your strength I can,
because it's you and that's who we are
.
I knew from the beginning
That this would never be easy
But I had no idea I would get totally lost in this dream
Kuroko entered the building with Nigou tucked safely inside his bag. Nigou was a Siberian Husky puppy that he and the blond found during one of their training sessions. Kise had invited him to seat in with his captain, Kasamatsu Yukio. The three (or four, counting Nigou) are going to watch the match between Seirin and Shutoku.
"Kurokocchi, over here!" The copycat waved excitedly, the Kaijo captain at his side. It took the model quite some time before he spotted his elusive instructor.
"Kise-kun, Kaijo no taichou-san," He nodded in acknowledgment.
"Ah, you're that kid who came to our practice game last time," The older teen stated before extending a polite hand, which the bluenet accepted. "I haven't told you my name yet, right? I'm Kasamatsu Yukio."
"It's nice to meet you, Kasamatsu-san. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya."
"Kise dragged you here, too, huh," The PG commented as they took their respective seats near the edge. Kuroko nodded at him as he let Nigou out of his bag. "Yes, Kise-kun wouldn't budge during training until I agreed to go with him."
"I see— wait, training?"
Kuroko blinked at him. It already occurred to him that Kaijo and their coach had no idea about their secret sessions, but he didn't expect that Kise didn't say anything at all. He had expected the model to announce it to their team or something. "Kise-kun didn't tell you? A week before classes started, he had asked me to be his instructor. We train together on weekends, and occassionally on weekdays."
Kasamatsu stared at him as if he had swallowed a very sour lemon. His face was painted with great disbelief. The bluenet didn't blame him— he didn't look like a player, much less an instructor of one of the Miracles.
It was at this moment that Kise had joined the conversation. "That's right, Kasamatsu-sempai! Kurokocchi is our phantom sixth man and my former instructor in Teiko. I had asked him to train me again!" He cried fake tears. "And he's a real slave driver, too!"
"So you're telling me that you've been having secret training sessions?"
Kise nodded.
"And the times that you've gone home early was to go with him?"
He nodded again.
"Why didn't you tell me? I'm your captain!" He shouted. "More or less, why didn't you tell the coach, either?"
Kise dug his grave deeper. "It didn't occur to me…?"
"How can you forget something like th—"
"Um, the match is starting already," Kuroko interrupted. Kasamatsu gave him a sideway glance before glaring back at Kise. "We'll continue this later."
The model remained glued to his seat.
Anyways, after the little spat with Kasamatsu, the trio had focused on the game; moreso on Midorima, who performed a full court shot. Kuroko silently watched, mentally noting to make a strategy to block the said shot just in case of a future match with Shutoku. Kise and Kasamatsu could only gape on how ridiculously high the arc was and how it still went in the basket despite the distance.
Meanwhile, the bluenet's eyes narrowed at the sight of the green-haired shooter turning his back as he slowly walked away from hoop. Not just Kise (before he lost to Seirin), but the Oha-Asa believer had become too arrogant as to lower his guard in the middle of the match. The old Midorima would never turn his back carelessly and would keep his eyes on the ball at all times.
The sight had only fueled Kuroko's determination to make Kise stronger.
He didn't realize that there was another reason why he was so fixated on helping the blond.
As I run after the ball, I'll live up to my true potential
I want to get stronger I'm wholeheartedly set on this goal
And yet, and yet, and yet, and yet
I've got so much farther to go
I can't accept the fact that I made you lose heart
I'll find even greater strength
I'll never, never, never, never
Never let you down
"I-I really wanted to win," Kise sobbed in the locker room. "After I managed to copy Aominecchi's moves, I thought that maybe I had a chance— that maybe I can win— but he was just so… strong." A bitter smile was on his face. "As expected of the person I admired. His skills in Basketball are truly amazing."
The teal-haired male only listened to his ramblings.
The match between Kaijo and Touou had been nerve-wrecking for both males. One, because Kise may or may not have been able to copy Aomine for he admired him. Two, because Aomine was a very strong player hence why he was Kuroko's light in Teiko. And three, because Touou also had Momoi on their side; a very large advantage when it comes to a strategical battle.
Kuroko had been watching along with Seirin. Even if Kise had changed a lot and had improved a lot, it seems that there was still a big gap between him and Aomine.
Just hearing the tanned male's name reminded the bluenet of the painful memories of their broken friendship. The phantom player felt helpless. He wanted to revert everyone back to the way they were before and show them their wrongdoings, and yet he wasn't doing anything. There he was on the bleachers, blending amongst the audience, watching.
His guidance on Kise wasn't enough to break the wall that was Aomine's arrogance, just like how his determination wasn't enough to save Ogiwara back then.
He was useless. Maybe he should give up on his best friend…
"Don't even think about it, Kurokocchi!" The blond exclaimed out of the blue. The teal-haired teen didn't realize he had said the last part out loud. "You're not the useless one, I am! I… really wanted to prove myself to you but I lost." He looked down on the ground. "I should be the one quitting."
Kuroko's heart clenched at the sight of the sad copycat. He didn't understand why, but he couldn't bear to see the blond being mopey like that. "You shouldn't think like that. I deeply apologize, Kise-kun. I didn't mean for you to feel bad because of my words. I guess we're both idiots."
"K-Kurokocchi?"
He stared at nowhere in particular. "Someone once told me, 'do what you love, and love what you do'." He gave Kise a small smile. "Whether we win or lose, we should always have fun. That means we shouldn't give up simply because we can't jump a hurdle, right?"
Kise blushed a bit at the other's smile. Kuroko had no idea how his normally expressionless face lits up brightly whenever he smiles. He's oblivious to the effects of that teeny tiny sliver of emotion. 'Ah, Kurokocchi's so cute-ssu! I really want to kiss—'
He mentally slapped himself for that thought. There was no way he was going to slip now, after these past few years that he managed to hold his feelings in. It was thanks to Kasamatsu that he was able to realize and understand this. His captain had knocked some sense into his head (literally) and said that he should man up and spit his feelings out already.
He never noticed that he had loved Kuroko since middle school, and that he was deliberately hiding his affections for the bluenet. And as the phantom player was doing his best to comfort him and cheer him up, he couldn't stop the fluttery feeling in his chest.
'Even if he sees me as just a friend—'
"Yes, you're right!"
'—it's okay as long as I can stay be his side.'
"We'll win next time." Kise grinned. "Let's do our best!"
'I'll be stronger. I'll never let you down, Kurokocchi!'
Even though each of us has his own kind of talent
We go head-to-head and aim ever higher
Higher and higher and higher and higher
Seeking a challenge
Until we seize the greatest victory
If the road we travel is one and the same
Then forever and ever and ever and ever
We'll be connected
In the end, Kise and Kaijo did beat Touou once and for all, but lost to Seirin in the semi-finals of the Winter Cup. The blond really wanted to beat Kagami this time, as they never had their rematch in the Inter-High.
Kise had really been determined because of Kuroko's last words before the start of the match.
"You know, Kise-kun. I've always felt a one-sided rivalry with you."
"What do you mean by that, Kurokocchi?"
"It's because I'm your instructor, and yet you managed to surpass me in a short span of time."
"Those words really fired me up, Kurokocchi! Thank you!"
But his Perfect Copy wasn't enough to beat Kagami's Meteor Jam and extremely difficult to block Lane Ups.
He had cried for a few good minutes before wiping them and approaching Seirin, congratulating the team of Kuroko's school. Unlike the rest of the Miracles, Kagami deserved to win. He was the one who charged headstrongly into anything. He was the one who worked so hard to get to where he was now. He was the one who never gave up.
He was also the one who had been able to make Kuroko join the Basketball team.
Kise fondly recalled what happened after back at the gym.
The blond could only offer his hand for a shake, which the tall redhead accepted. The other members of Kaijo and Seirin did the same.
"Though you lost, that was quite the improvement, Kise-kun." The teal-haired male had appeared yet again. He was standing in the middle of the two teams. Everyone jumped in shock.
"What the hell?!"
"Hey, it's that kid from before!"
"Are you lost?"
"Not again!"
"Seriously, Kuroko, stop doing that." Kagami grabbed the bluenet's head. He noticed the amused gleam in the other's eyes. "You little bastard. You enjoy scaring the crap out of people, don't you?"
"Please release me, Kagami-kun. You are very sweaty and smelly right now."
"Why I outta—" Before he could do anything, Kise had already tackled the phantom player.
"I'm so sorry, Kurokocchi! Even after helping me train all this time, I still lost!" He wailed into Kuroko's shirt, staining it wet with tears. The shorter teen only sighed and patted the model's head.
"It's alright, Kise-kun. You did your best."
Kagami intervened. "Hold on a minute. You two know each other?"
Kuroko was about to cover the blond's mouth to prevent him from boasting and flailing his previous status to everyone, but the copycat already gave his reply. "Kurokocchi's an old teammate from Teiko. He's the phantom sixth man of the Generation of Miracles!" He stared at the bluenet as if he was a god or something. "He's my instructor since middle school, too."
"EHHHHHH?!"
"You guys didn't know that?" Riko stated. Well, she didn't know either until she did a research on him shortly after they met him hanging out with Kagami. She always wondered why the sixth man of Teiko didn't join the team, and now she figured out why. The brunette can see it as plain as day in the pair's eyes.
"Ah, Coach." Kuroko rummaged in his bag and plucked out a piece of paper. "I've decided."
Riko smiled. "Good to have you on the team, Kuroko-kun."
"Yes. Please take care of me."
"Eh? Eh?" Kise swerved his head back and forth from the two short teens. "Kurokocchi, I thought you didn't have any plans to join your school's team."
"I didn't, but now I have. Kagami-kun's play managed to convince me. I was filling out the form in the bleachers a while ago."
Kise's eyes became downcast. It seems that Kuroko's instructor days are over. In a burst of emotions, the blond ran away from the scene; ignoring the shouts from others.
He blankly stared at the ground. 'No matter what Kurokocchi's decision is, I'll only support and be happy for him.' He tried to ignore the images of Kuroko and Kagami playing Basketball together, hanging out together, spending every second of their time together, and ending up… ending up…
He shook his head profusely. He didn't want to think on what could become of the bluenet's acquaintance with the redhead.
"What's with the long face, Kise-kun?" The bluenet arrived with two water bottles. He offered one to the blond.
"Kurokocchi!" He greeted before accepting the bottle. The model glanced wistfully at him. "Well, it looks like you won't be my instructor anymore. You'll be partnered up with Kagamicchi and he'll be your new 'light'."
"So that's what this was all about." Kuroko sighed and sat down beside him. "Kise-kun's an idiot."
"Huh?"
"When I say light, I'm referring to a Basketball player." He stared directly into the model's eyes. "Even if I'm no longer your instructor, that doesn't mean you don't matter to me anymore."
"He… ran away."
"I guess he did."
"You two are idiots, you know that?"
"What do you mean by that, Coach?"
"Why did you agree to become Kise's instructor again, anyway?"
"I… actually don't know. I guess I'm just attached to him, is all."
"What do you mean 'attached'? I can't believe you're that blind. You love him, you idiot!"
"Huh?"
"Go after him, hurry!"
He had to thank Riko later for this.
"Why did you think I became your instructor again?"
The blond only looked at the teal-haired male confusedly. "Wasn't it because you felt a sense of responsibility?"
"It was because I wanted to improve alongside you. That way, I'll finally be able to stand with you on the same court."
He closed the distance between them. The blond's eyes widened as Kuroko's lips touched his.
"I have, and always been, dedicated to you," He grabbed the model's hand. "And only you."
Kise's heart burst from all the emotions.
"I love Kurokocchi, too-ssu!"
He tackled Kuroko for a hug.
Before we meet again, I want to grow and improve
So that I can hold my head high when we stand on the same court
Until the day we meet again
And it's done! It looks like my only pending one-shots for Kurobas are MidoKuro, Kuroko's fanclub, and one last KagaKuro. Hooray!
Stay tuned for the rest of the stories.
Ciao ciao~! -Flonne.