Everyone was a little down even after the coach's pep talk. Kagami was at least able to play now but he wasn't showing up until well into the practices. Everyone was at least picking up the pieces a little. Kuroko, well…
They were playing a bit of a practice game.
"Good guys!" Riko cried. Kuroko was doing better now but where in the world was Kagami?
The ball came again toward their smallest blue haired player. He spun the ball around himself and fired it off again. The pass was way off and never made it to Koga but it did make Kuroko keep spinning.
"Hey!" Hyuga shouted trying to catch Kuroko as the smaller player fell over the captain's foot.
Kuroko gasped windmilling his arms. He ran right into the corner of the wheeled wire cart of basketballs using it in vain to stop himself. The cart slid and toppled over sending his head right into the wall.
"Kuroko!" The team sprinted towards him.
They stepped back as Kuroko got up quickly.
"Kuroko?" Riko called warily.
Something was off. The short male was still reeling a bit. Like a top you didn't set down correctly.
"What happened?" He asked. Koga was about to answer with a laugh but Kuroko didn't stop there. "Why did it happen? What did I do? I'm just a shadow. What went wrong?" He wasn't looking at them but kind of past them.
The team glanced at each other.
"Maybe shadows aren't actually good for anything. Maybe their useless. Nothing they do ever changes what we do. Useless." He rolled the word like it tasted bad. "Shadows are a lack of anything. Not just light. Skill. Hope. Necessity."
Seirin was taken aback. Kuroko's eyes were strange. Not focused, drifting lazily about. Was this what he was thinking about every day?
"Maybe that's why my lights left me. It hurts a lot to lose your light. A lot."
"Kagami?" Izuki asked.
"I don't know how to explain it to people."
Kuroko wandered back and forth amongst the scattered basketballs. When his foot touched one he changed directions like a lost little ping pong ball.
"What wrong with him?" Everyone jumped as Kagami growled.
Riko spoke up. "He hit his head really hard."
"And he's not at the hospital why?"
"Shh." Someone hissed.
"I guess for non-shadows it would be. Would be. Would be. Like the ball walking off the court and telling the team to keeping playing. It leaves you nowhere. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to stand. Nothing."
Tetsu two whined.
The redhead stepped forward and grabbed one of Kuroko's arms and looked back. "Hello? Earth to Seirin?"
"Right." Hyuga took Kuroko's other arm.
They probably could have held him aloft between the two of them but they kept the blue head's feet on the ground.
"I thought more light would help." Kuroko kept talking and talking even as they left. "Have one spotlight and a bunch of other lights. Seirin's really bright all around. It's clearer. Shadows don't mix with lights. More light doesn't make a darker shadow. It makes shadows go away. It makes them useless."
"What is he spouting off about?" Kagami asked a little put off.
Riko shook her head. "I think this is what he's been thinking since the game."
"Idiot." Kagami shook him slightly. "Are you even listening to me?"
"Shadows bring everyone down instead of helping." Kuroko couldn't hear him.
"Kuroko!" Both team mates holding the pale player jostled him trying to wake him up.
"That's why my lights left me."
"What do you mean your lights left you?" Kagami growled stopping his shoulder from hitting him again.
"Aomine told me he couldn't play with me anymore. No one could beat him. I was useless. Kagami told me the same thing."
It wasn't really an answer it just seemed to be what Kuroko was thinking. Like a stream of consciousness.
"Maybe I should just quit."
Riko steamed. "Kuroko would you shut UP!"
"I can't pass to Kagami so that eliminates a lot of choices on the court. I'm just a stupid shadow anyway. No one wants a creepy dark little sha"
Bang. Kuroko hit the ground for the second time today.
"Kagami!" Riko screeched.
Hyuga looked from his now empty shoulder to the ground to his teammate and back again.
"What?" The red head shouted extremely frustrated and red in the face. "You can't tell me that wasn't pissing you off as well."
"Well it's your fault in the first place!" Riko yelled back. "I don't know what you told him but it's been putting him off game for weeks!"
Kagami opened his mouth then shut it again then opened it. "I did that so I would get strong enough to make him more useful." He said, realization dawning on him. "I guess he could have taken it the wrong way…"
Hyuga sighed pushing up his glasses. "I would say he could and he did."
They stared until a small huff interrupted the heavy thoughts. The blue head touched his eyes and rubbed them sitting up. His even bluer eyes came into focus. He looked, recognizing his team then turned to confusion.
"Where did the gym go?" Was the first thing out of his mouth.
Riko had to hold herself back not to bash his head in anymore. "We're three fourths of the way to the hospital 'cause you had to play chicken with the wall. You hit your head pretty hard."
"I can feel that part." He said softly, blinking. "Sorry." He stood up, a bit self-consciously and wavering, took a step. "I can get myself the rest of the way there if you want to go back to practice."
"Idiot." Kagami snarled taking his arm again.
"Like we could let you walk alone." Koga skipped along with them happily.
This time Hyuga and the other player did lift Kuroko straight off the ground between them when he even tried to talk again. He hung between them like some lustrous center piece for a feast after a long hunt. Fortunately he only had a minor concussion and got his head wrapped up. He was forced to sit in the waiting room while his painkiller kicked in.
"Hey ah." Kagami sat down heavily.
Kuroko watched him silently.
"I told you something." He rubbed his neck. "A while ago that I might not have been supposed to say."
A nurse interrupted him by coming over to check Kuroko. She asked some bothersome questions than gave him a go ahead from the doctor.
"Take care sweetie." She patted his head annoyingly.
The team scootched through the doors and walked a bit in front of the two first years giving them some space.
"Listen Kuroko." Kagami said fed-up with waiting. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings when I said don't pass to me. I meant for me to get better. I can't play on your level yet and I need to if we're going to compete."
The blue eyes held a perplexed expression. "But your way above my level."
"No. I'm. Ack. Forget it. I'm just." The red head huffed speeding up. "Sorry."
Kuroko followed him in his silent way and Kagami felt like he could walk relaxed for the first time in forever. You always come to miss your shadow. Right behind him the blue haired person watched him a bit confused but pleased all the same. You always come to miss your light.