This was born out of my unjustifiable love of Imayoshi and a need for a Kuroko/Imayoshi brotp and a Kuroko/GoM fix-it fic. Plus, you can't honestly tell me that you don't think Kuroko is a lot more sly and intelligent than people give him credit for. I mean, c'mon, his entire play revolves around observing people and manipulating their attention; you cant tell me that doesn't take at least a bit of analytical thinking. Also, I realise Imayoshi might seem a bit OOC - I know. Creative freedom and all.
anyway, drop me a line and tell me what you think ;)
Kuroko Tetsuya was not an evil guy.
Far from it. He was not cunning in the way that Hanamiya was, or off-puttingly insincere like Imayoshi, or even capable of "seeing the future" like a certain redhead he was currently playing claimed to be able to do.
But he was also far from the meek, forever genuine puppy others seemed to see him as. He was determined, he had absolute faith in his teammates and he was occasionally deemed as 'sappy' with his declarations of trust and faith in his teammates, but that was not all he was. He also took all the measures he could to win. And it just so happened that he had to win this game.
And for that, he needed to do something only he could do. The final pieces were finally in place.
(Something almost like a smirk graced his face, and Mayuzumi's eyes widened)
Kuroko Tetsuya was determined to a fault.
"Very good, Tetsuya-kun!" a quiet chuckle followed the sly praise.
Up in the stands where the person sat, the people around him turned to face him in shock. "T-the fuck, Imayoshi?!" Aomine snarled, startled by the familiarity with which the Captain of Touou murmured his ex-partner's name, and the uneasy feeling that told him the bespectacled raven knew something he would not like.
"Mou, no need to be so hostile, Aomine." the other replied sweetly, his trademark insincere grin never faltering. "I was merely proud of Tetsuya-kun for how well he's playing the game." he pacified, yet the way he said it implied he was referring to a slightly different game than the one that was talking place below them.
"The fuck you were! And since when do you refer to Tetsu so familiarly, eh?!" the ace of Touou was far from pacified, despite Imayoshi's words and Momoi's efforts beside him.
"Besides," Wakamatsu interrupted, "he really isn't doing that much. It was Kagami awakening the team ZONE that really picked up Seirin's spirit!" he argued. Just as Aomine was going to snap at the blond that it was obviously thanks to Tetsu that Kagami was able to open the second door, Imayoshi replied.
"That may be so." he admitted easily, seemingly not at all bothered by the fact that all eyes of the Touou players were on him. "But that's still not enough for Seirin to win." he ignored Sakurai's surprised gasp, glasses glinting ominously in the bright light. "No, the only thing that can bring Tetsuya-kun's darling team to victory is what he plans to do with the pieces in his grasp."
"Pieces in his-! This is not shogi, you crazy bastard!" Aomine raged, thrown off. Imayoshi was making it sound like Kuroko was doing something special, something different, and Aomine struggled to understand a) what it was that his ex-shadow was doing b) why he was doing it; surely with Kagami pulling them along and the newly lifted spirits of the team, they could beat Akashi? Or was Tetsu doubting them...? Before he had more time to ponder, Imayoshi chuckled again.
"On the contrary, Aomine. Tetsuya-kun might look like he's playing basketball, but in his mind is a shogi board. Now the only move he has left is to either check Akashi or to resign the game."
The dark bluenette eyed the Captain critically and shrugged, dismissing him. "Whatever. Tetsu doesn't even play shogi so I have no idea what you're talking about." he grumbled.
"Oh, he doesn't, does he?" Aomine definitely did not enjoy the grin on the other's face or the 'I-know-something-you-don't' expression. "Then how do you explain him playing with me nearly every day since they defeated us?" the raven inquired slyly. Momoi's gasp and wide eyes told him that she just figured something out as she was starting at Kuroko in horror, a look he had never seen on her face when directed at the powder bluenette before. Yet, she did not make any indication that she was going to share her discovery with him, so he decided to pester Imayoshi instead.
"What do you mean him playing you?! As if he would actually seek you out!" he snapped at the grinning man. "Besides, that was before their game with Murasakibara, or Kise - Kuroko has a lot of blind faith in his teammates and is almost stupidly determined, but those games were not easy! They nearly lost, both times! Tetsu had no guarantee that he would get to play Akashi at all. And even if he did, how could you help him anyway?!"
"I think you're underestimating your dear shadow's faith in his teammates, Aomine." his senior replied slyly before addressing the second part of his question. "That, and you seem totally oblivious to the fact that some of the ways in which Kuroko plays and thinks are quite similar to Akashi's. They are both analytical, strategic thinkers, despite different uses of said observations. Also, it's like Akashi said: despite being a shadow, Tetsuya-kun utilises flashy, game-changing moves that put him as the focal point of Seirin's offense. Kagami might look like Seirin's light, but it's Kuroko who really determines the outcome of the games. So what he needed was an advantage over Akashi, something the other wouldn't expect. I merely helped provide him with that, just as you did with the Phantom Shot."
Kuroko Tetsuya was not an idiot.
Aomine was looking at him with the look that clearly said he thought he was insane, but Imayoshi's grin merely grew. "Think about it; the Vanishing Drive against Shuutoku - it threw Midorima and Takao off, disrupting the flow of the game in Seirin's favour. The jump he did for the loose ball in the game against us awakened Kagami's ZONE, then there was his Misdirection Overflow, not to mention that he was the source of the pass for the last basket that allowed them to win. His shot against Murasakibara - the source of the first two points against the Shield of Aegis. The block he delivered to Murasakibara at the end of the game, stopping Yosen from making the winning basket. Figuring out how to induce a particular style of play from Kise to leave them those all important four seconds to win the game. Overwriting his presence with Mayuzumi's to allow him to steal passes, aiding Kagami with that Quasi Emperor's Eye of his. All of that puts him as a central point in Seirin's victories - with all that in mind, doesn't his style of play remind you of someone? A certain redhead, in fact? The only difference is really the view on teamwork, one regarding it as essential the other as means to an end, but they both have the same 'if all wise fails, I'll have something up my sleeve' mentality."
Kuroko Tetsuya was more than met the eye.
Aomine tried in vain to wrap his head around what the crazy captain of his was spouting. Was it possible that Tetsu's 'team basketball' was just a means to an end for him as well, despite what Imayoshi said? No, no way - he shook his head, chasing the notion away - he played with the squirt for years and saw his play now with Kagami; trust like that was impossible to fake, and like Kise had said, the determination to aid his team from the shadows was real. He relaxed, deciding that he would not give Imayoshi, the sick bastard, the satisfaction of messing with his head. He knows Tetsu, probably better than anybody else. While he won't deny that some of the things Imayoshi said raised some suspicions and were slightly disconcerting - (because they brought his attention to the fact of just how important Tetsu was and just how stupid he had been) - he decided that he won't risk the relationship he only just managed to fix over some misplaced suspicion. Besides, Tetsu is not Akashi. He can't see the future.
"Ah. Now you're underestimating Tetsuya-kun's analytical prowess. Well, not surprising, really." Imayoshi smirked and Aomine grew uneasy with how it seemed that the raven could read his mind. "Tetsuya-kun can't predict the future of his opponents, that's true. Which is why he asked to play shogi with me; Akashi approaches a game of basketball like a game of shogi, as you probably already know, and in that aspect, we're quite similar. Tetsuya-kun realised that soon after our game and asked if I'd help him understand how Akashi thinks because, despite some interesting similarities, Akashi is much crueller than Tetsuya-kun, which influences the decisions he makes. And, well, who was I to say no since I won't deny being curious about what in him could've held your interest for so long? Plus the sweetening of the deal when, after about the third visit, he also offered some embarrassing stories from your times in middle school?" Aomine groaned and Imayoshi laughed excitedly. "By the way, how did you enjoy a popsicle down your shirt, huh, Aomine-kun?" beside him, Momoi laughed, familiar with the story already, while Aomine just felt betrayed by his shadow; that was embarrassing, damn it!
"But, back to the game at hand; Tetsuya-kun has all the pieces in the best place he can probably get them in the minute that's left. This is his time to act; the deciding action of the game."
Momoi leaned over Aomine's shoulder, a look like she knew what the deciding action was going to be but for the first time hoped to be wrong clear on her face. "And what's the action going to be, Imayoshi-kun?"
At that, the Captain of Touou merely grinned and adjusted his glasses, impossible smirk widening even more. "He's going to predict which pawn Akashi will use."
Down in the courts, Akashi had just increased Rakuzan's lead to seven points, and Kuroko grew worried that what he and Imayoshi had worked on in their shogi games, his plan to learn how Akashi thinks and to finally be able to predict his future would be for nought. Already, so many things had surprised him in this game. He had hoped that he would be able to somehow bring back the old Akashi, but he did not entertain that possibility too much; yet as the change did in fact transpire, and passing became more favourable for Akashi than scoring himself, just as it had been during their Teiko days, he was annoyed at himself for not putting more faith in the potential of his and Kagami's teamwork. He could feel the hot claws of panic squeezing his lungs to the point where breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of light reflecting off somebody's glasses up in the stands and he forced himself to calm down and take a deep breath. Him and Imayoshi had worked hard the past few days, (he would admit to even somehow enjoying the raven's company) and although he had not managed to beat the elder, he had had his king in check once, a feat that surprised even Imayoshi, although he still ended up winning. He remembered what the elder had told him then;
"It's just like with Kise's quirks when it comes to copying the Generation of Miracles - everyone subconsciously avoids using the same move consecutively, but they will still have one play that they favour over others. Work out that quirk, and exploit it."
For Kise, the quirk was Aomine's drive, as was clear during his game with Haizaki or even Kuroko's own team. And the longer Kuroko watched the redhead, the surer he became that Akashi's quirk was his pass to the shooting guard, Mibuchi.
But now, with less than a minute left on the clock and Rakuzan five points ahead, (all thank Kagami-kun's counterattack dunk for narrowing that lead down again) Kuroko just knew that Akashi would play for time; a quick pass for a three pointer was not the most favourable choice, with the lead being as marginal as it was, a quick score enabled quick come-back for the opposition. So Kuroko needed to force that quirk, to make Akashi see the future Kuroko wanted him to see. And he had an idea of just how he could do that. On their way to defense, he murmured to Kagami to lean slightly more to his left, to make it seem as if he is more concerned with the potential pass to Mibuchi than Hayama. Kagami sent him a puzzled look but nodded regardless. Kuroko took in the positions of the players on the court; Akashi at the top, Mibuchi and Hayama on either side, spread out along the top of the three point line, Mayuzumi on Hayama's left in the corner, and Nebuya in the middle, fighting for position with Kiyoshi.
Kuroko took a deep breath. What he was doing was a gamble, and a dangerous one at that. But he needed to break Akashi out of his ZONE, and for that, he grudgingly agreed with Imayoshi; he needed to break him mentally. He needed to somehow convince the redhead that he was not absolute. The first crack appared when Kagami dunked on him. The second when they stopped his offense. The third when all of Seirin entered ZONE-induced speed. The fourth would be the final one, and it was something he could not share with his teammates because it was something he could not have Akashi predicting; he needed to steal Akashi's pass to Mibuchi, thereby exposing his quirk and destroying his absolution. But for that, he needed to get three or four steps ahead.
He gazed at his mark, Mayuzumi, and couldn't help an inward expression of indignation at how he could've been afraid of him; the pale-haired player he had no love for basketball, as was clear from the look of boredom on his face as the last few seconds ticked by. Kuroko knew that he needed to somehow force Akashi to pass the ball to Hayama, then convince the redhead to demand it back and send it flying to Mibuchi, but that would only happen if he could see that Hyuga's attention was directed elsewhere which would result in a pass to 'open' Mibuchi. But Kuroko would be there, ready to intercept the pass and lead the fast break that would take Seirin to victory. Now, what would grab Hyuga's attention long enough for Akashi to exploit? Kuroko gazed at Mayuzami again, noting how his left foot was slightly in front of his right, then gazed at Hyuga's position on court. Perfect. He winced, remembering Hanamiya, but accepted that as his only option. As the ball left Akashi's hands and traveled towards Hayama, Kuroko put all his weight on his left side and stepped on Mayuzami's foot.
"Hey!"
Kuroko Tetsuya was not a saint.
"Hey!"
Imayoshi outright laughed. No, really, he was in stitches. It seemed even he had underestimated Kuroko and his determination to win. Imayoshi was the only one who had not missed the bluenette's foot landing on that of his copycat, being the only one paying attention to Kuroko rather than the potential for another one on one between Kagami and Akashi. The indignant call that came from Mayuzami, seemingly for nothing according to the other viewers, and Imayoshi realised the goal of such a sneaky action; Hyuga's attention momentarily shifted from his mark to the source of the commotion, and immediately, the pass came back to Akashi, and the redhead didn't even turn, merely sent it further along its path to the now unguarded Mibuchi and -
Straight into the waiting arms of Kuroko.
A few quick dribbles and a Phantom Shot later, and the difference in scores was three points. The sound of the buzzer indicating a made basket was the only thing that managed to bring everyone, on and off court, out of their stupor. Seirin, as well as the people rooting for them erupted in cheers. Others were staring at the court, mixed expressions of shock, surprise and awe on every face. Kuroko's teammates finally caught up with him, as all had stayed on the other end of the court, too shocked by the quick change of possession, having been equally as taken off guard by the sudden steal as Rakuzan appeared to be.
And Akashi. Oh, Akashi! Imayoshi was laughing fully now, full, uninhibited chuckles coming freely and escaping into the hubbub that rose after Kuroko's steal. The redhead was standing there, arms still outstretched towards Mibuchi, staring blindly between the spot that the ball should have reached and the empty tips of his fingers, eyes wide and uncomprehending, mouth opening and closing but no sound came. Clearly, he had not expected anyone to figure out his quirk, much less to force him to act on it. He could see the cogs turning in the redhead's head, everything from the sudden noise to Kagami's faulty defense forming the same puzzle that Kuroko had pieced together a few seconds prior, and the narrowing of his eyes that followed when the pieces finally fit.
Turning his gaze from the redhead to Seirin, Imayoshi watched as they joyfully trekked back, carefully setting up their full-court man-to-man stealth defence. But the opposing team had yet to move to take the ball from the referee waiting at the other end. Imayoshi smirked. Two more seconds and the ref will call a turnover. Either Rakuzan gets themselves together or they're surrendering the chance for another score. Mayuzumi was the first to snap out of the daze, running towards the referee to in-bound the ball.
But Akashi's eyes were on Kuroko.
Aomine's eyes were wide as he started at Imayoshi in shock. "You're telling me playing shogi with you got him to beat Akashi?!"
Imayoshi grinned. "A game's a game. And one Tetsuya-kun and I have been playing for a while." deciding to be a bit nicer, he expanded slightly, "It didn't allow him to beat Akashi. It allowed him to see how I, and, by proxy, Akashi, approach the games mentally."
"That's stupid as f-!" Aomine began but was silenced by the sudden hush that fell over the arena as Akashi walked up to Kuroko, closer than marking him would call for, closer than even his teammates stood when discussing tactics or congratulating each other. No one in the stands could hear what was being said, but the people closest to the duo paled considerably and stared at Akashi in horror. Suddenly, the shrill call of the whistle startled everyone as the referee called a five seconds violation to inbound the ball.
"Alright, our ball!" he heard Hyuga bellow joyfully and the rest of Seirin followed, leaving Akashi behind. The rest of the Generals eventually came back on defense but they were distracted, and Mibuchi was a second too slow on getting to Hyuga on defence and the Captain sunk a three pointer and was awarded a free throw for Mibuchi's foul. Seirin was now ahead by one point. Imayoshi smirked. 15 seconds left on the clock. But the real showdown had only just begun.
Kuroko Tetsuya was not to be underestimated.
"I don't know what stunt you think you pulled there, Tetsuya; I am absolute, I am final and I do not fumble. So, explain." angry crimson eyes bore into Kuroko's, and the pale bluenette remembered a similar situation with Imayoshi, the time when he had had the raven's king in his check and it had startled the usually stoic captain so out of his comfort zone that he must bluntly asked "How?" and Kuroko had secretly taken great pleasure in sharing with him the cause behind his near-downfall. "You've become predictable, Shouichi-kun.
He gazed at Akashi now, deciding that the whole reason behind the games with Imayoshi led to this moment, to breaking down that final barrier. "You've become awfully predictable, Akashi-kun."
Imayoshi watched with something that felt an awful lot like pride as the Rakuzan team fell out of the Akashi-induced ZONE, and thus grew too sluggish to keep up with Seirin's passes, and how in the last few seconds, the offense's perseverance paid off and they found an opening in the form of Izuki, the shot sinking just as the buzzer went off, signalling Seirin's win.
By three points, the Winter Cup was theirs.
Chaos broke out.
After everyone on Seirin had thoroughly hugged, congratulated, cried and laughed together, after the official awards ceremony, after the Generation of Miracles that had been up in the stands came round Kuroko, hugging, congratulating and looking happier than he had ever seen them, after various family members gushed over their incredible sons, after Kuroko reunited with Ogiwara and thanked him for his continued support, after Akashi had slowly walked up to Kuroko, shook hands and exchanged a few words that left the powder bluenette positively beaming, after he had witnessed countless meaningless teams come and congratulate Seirin, and only after Kaijo, Shutoku, Yosen, and his own team were downstairs and still celebrating with the victors as well as the sullen Rakuzan mulling around them, only then did he come down from the stands and onto the court, blending with the crowd but not, most definitely not, because pale blue eyes immediately found his own half closed ones, and he was on the receiving end of a thousand-watt grin and a gleeful, unrestrained call of "Shouichi-kun!" (which needless to say attached the attention of pretty much everyone gathered there) and he suddenly had his arms full of frail pale blue boy and the shocked stares of all who witnessed the scene, only then did he bend down so his eyes were level with the bluenette's and said in the most sincere tone he could muster "Well done, Tetsuya-kun."
And when he realised that he was suddenly surrounded by all the people he'd played and with the Generation of Miracles coming towards him led by Akashi, who seemed to be in a much too good mood for someone who just lost, and all the others trailing behind him with smiles or hopeful expressions on their faces, he realised that he had yet to let go of the petite bluenette.
"I can't believe you beat Akashicchi by playing shogi with Aominecchi's captain of all people, Kurokocchi!" Kise exclaimed loudly making sure that the attention they had gathered stayed on them. It was in that moment that Kagami decided to push his way into the circle as well.
"Oi, Kuroko, why didn't you tell me that you were playing shogi with this creep?" he asked, pointing at Imayoshi distrustfully.
Kuroko sighed, but still made no move to extract himself from Imayoshi's arms and the raven did not feel particularly inclined to be the one to end the contact either. He rather enjoyed the indignant squawking of the Kaijo captain and Midorima's face that was gradually starting to look more and more like his hair and the way Seirin seemed to think that this was some sort of prank as they kept looking around for some hidden camera because obviously their dear darling Kuroko cannot possibly be standing calmly in Imayoshi's arms and chatting idly with the Generation of Miracles like the past year didn't exist.
"Besides," Kagami continued, oblivious, "why shogi anyway?"
Before Kuroko could answer, Akashi cut in. "Tetsuya saw a similarity, a weakness he could learn to exploit. Imayoshi-san was the person whom he knew would help him, am I right?" the redhead inquired, and at Kuroko's nod smiled. "Very good, Tetsuya. More analytical and sly than I had expected of you. I'm impressed." and if Kuroko had been beaming before, he was definitely glowing now. "Come now, Tetsuya. I'm taking you all out for dinner."
"Like old times, Akashi-kun?" the sheer hope in the bluenette's voice would've melted any lesser man, but Imayoshi stood tall (the same could not be said for Momoi, Riko or Kise - all three were varying shades of red at Kuroko's unexpected cuteness)
Kuroko Tetsuya was, occasionally, very adorable.
"Yes, Tetsuya." Akashi acknowledged. "Just like old times."
Kuroko turned to Imayoshi, head tilted up considerably to be able to look at the older teen. "Thank you so much, Shouichi-kun." he thanked quietly. "And if you don't mind, I'd still like to continue our shogi games. I still need to win." the last sentence was delivered with the same competitive glint in his eyes as he had seen during their games, both on, and off court.
"Of course, Tetsuya-kun." he agreed easily, at which Kuroko smiled one last time and detached himself and started walking off with Akashi, the other four following them till Aomine and Kise stopped before Imayoshi, suspicious eyebrows raised.
"How the hell did you get Tetsu to refer to you so familiarly?" Aomine asked, apparently still in disbelief at the 'Shouichi-kun' that left his partner's lips.
"'Cause we've been teammates with Kurokocchi for three years and we're still on a last name basis." Kise continued, eyeing Imayoshi up.
The Touou captain laughed. "I appealed to his competitive side with a simple bargain; winner of every game gets loser to do what he wants. Just so happens that my first request was that he call me by my name." he explained, grin only growing when from a few metres away came Kuroko's sly addition of; "That was actually one of his more innocent requests." the implications of the bluenette's words causing those who heard them to tinge pink. As Aomine and Kise ran out demanding that Kuroko explain what the hell he meant by that, Imayoshi established one final, important thing:
Kuroko Tetsuya was a goddamn tease.
honestly, I just love Imayoshi, and I just love the idea of him bringing out Kuroko's mischievous/analytical side, like we saw glimpses of in the anime (popsicle down Aomine's shirt, siccing Nigou on Kagami, appearing to make it his goal to startle as many people as humanly possible every time, etc) also, one thing I noticed while watching the anime is that Kuroko is not as much of a shadow as a self-proclaimed shadow would imply - all the things Imayoshi listed actually took place in the games and always had a very important outcome in Seirin's favour.
also, I can't NOT jump on the 'Kuroko-is-not-as-innocent-and-clueless-as-people-make-him-out-to-be' bandwagon. I mean, c'mon!
hope you enjoyed this random one-shot, might or might not add in a second chapter describing the dinner or the reactions of others, etc.
but for now,
lots of love,
I.S