[A/N] Hey there, this is my first contribution to the 黒バス fandom, so I'm a little nervous. I hope you like my first chapter to, what I hope will be, an exciting story.

I would like to dedicate this to my great friends Midori, Michiko and Zevi for acting as beta readers and offering moral suppot. I love you guys XD

Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own 黒子のバスケ.

Warnings: AU. Kuroko is older than the other MiraGen by one year. Everyone else's ages are the same.

Pairings: Slight Kuroko/MiraGen (sans Midorima) with final pairing of Kuro/Momo, and TakaMido. More may be included.

Chapter 1: The Haunted Gym and Broken Dreams

Kuroko Tetsuya loved basketball. He had loved it ever since he was a child who could barely dribble the ball properly let alone toss it high enough to fall into the hoop in his backyard. Back then his parents weren't so busy. His father would play with him every evening when he came home from work. Kuroko could honestly say those were the best days he could remember. They seemed so long ago.

Even when his father's presence on the court slowly came to a stop, Kuroko still loved to play. He played every day, after he'd finished his homework of course. He would never get better if his mother was constantly pulling him away to work on his studies. He awaited the day his father would once again join him in their yard for a game. He wanted to show him just how much he'd improved.

That day never seemed to get any closer. Soon his father began to leave overseas constantly. His mother would always tell him that his father's work was important, and required a lot of his time. She told him that everything his father did was for his future. Kuroko would always nod in response, no matter how sad it made him. Basketball was no fun when you have to play alone.

As he progressed through elementary school, Kuroko noticed that he was often overlooked. No one noticed him unless he spoke up, not even his teachers. When he tried to play basketball with others, they'd forget he was even in the game. As time passed he came to accept that he was always in the shadows. He even had a hard time making friends in school without taking his lack of presence into account.

The other students found his lack of expression and monotone responses to be a little creepy. No matter what hurdle he was presented with, he'd deal with it. He would never quit. All he wanted was to play basketball. Even if he was always forgotten, as long as he could stand on the court and be a part of a team he was content. All he had to do was improve, so much so that he would be noticed.

He entered Teikou Middle School, renowned for its top notch sports facilities and teams, with high hopes and an even stronger passion for the game. It was there that Kuroko Tetsuya's world fell apart.

Patience was something that Kuroko Tetsuya had a lot of. It took a lot to get on his nerves. There were not many things that could get that stoic expression off of his face. Something of that magnitude had certainly occurred lately, for Kuroko Tetsuya was angrily shooting basketballs at the hoop, missing every single shot. This wasn't too new to him. It seemed as though he had not improved much since elementary school, but that wasn't what was bothering him.

"I've failed to advance again."

Kuroko's emotionless voice echoed through the empty gym, breaking the tense silence that had been nearly deafening.

He was the only member of the basketball club's third string. The first and second stringers practiced in the first and second gyms. Kuroko had the entire third gym to himself. It was horribly lonely, but Kuroko had been good at ignoring that until now.

This was the third time he was tested to joined the second string, and he failed again. Nothing he did seemed to help at all. He had gotten into a habit of staying behind at school much later than the other club members to practice. It was better than going home to an empty house in his mind. He'd thought his extra effort would pay off in the long run.

He'd been hoping to finally advance to the second string so he could play on a team. Basketball was no fun if you were all alone. He learned that pretty quickly since he started practice. He watched as his last ball hit the rim of the hoop and fell back. He made no move to catch it as it bounced away. He could see its shape beginning to blur as tears pricked at his eyes. He hastily wiped them away before they could fall.

"Have I just been kidding myself all along?"

He glanced around the empty gym and scowled. It was all for nothing wasn't it? Kuroko could feel his anger and sadness welling up, his composure was slipping. He roughly kicked over the ball stand next to him.

"Arrrrrrgggggggggghhhh!" He let out an anguished scream. No one would be around to hear him anyway.

Feeling a bit better, he composed himself and collected the scattered balls and put them back on the rack to return them to the clubroom. He grabbed his things from the floor and pushed the rack back to the main gym, for what he felt would be the last time. He decided to stop fighting lost battles.

With everything in order he picked up his things and began his walk home. Within five minutes if leaving the school gates, it began to rain. It was almost like the skies were representing how he currently felt. Kuroko picked up his pace, hoping to minimize possible water damage to his school books. As he ran down the empty street, the wind sent a chill through him, bringing a small smile to his face. It was nice to be able to feel something other than hopelessness.

The next morning, Kuroko walked to school with a heavy conscience and an envelope in his hand. He stifled a yawn as he approached the main gym. Sleep wasn't something he had much of that night. He'd spent the majority of it staring at the ceiling and debating whether or not he would go through with his plans to quit.

The thought of giving up didn't sit well with him, but he found that feeling seemed to fade faster and faster with each passing hour.

The gym was loud as morning practice went on. Kuroko easily weaved through the various members to the office where the coach and manager usually were. He planned to deliver his resignation directly and leave quickly. He wanted a sense of finality rather than leaving it on the desk to be overlooked.

Much to his disappointment, the office was rather empty. Instead of just leaving, an idea that he found very appealing, he decided to ask some of the club members. With any luck they'd be able to point him in the right direction. Now for the ever enjoyable task of getting someone's attention...

Kuroko silently advanced toward a pair of second stringers headed back to the benches to cool off.

"Nice shot Takeda, keep that up and we'll make it to the first string in no time!" The taller of the two complimented his partner.

"I wouldn't go that far Noda-kun, the first stringers are really tough to compete against."

"You'll never advance thinking that way." Noda teased. "Never mind, let's just relax a little." He smiled sitting down and grabbing a water bottle.

Takeda nodded and joined the other, opening his bottle and taking a long gulp. Neither of them noticed the figure standing behind them.

"Excuse me..." A soft voice spoke up.

"Gaaaaah!" Takeda and Noda flew from their seats, spewing their water all over the floor. They turned to face the cause of their near heart attacks.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Noda nearly shouted. Takeda nodded in agreement.

"I've been here the whole time actually." Kuroko responded stoically. He was used to such questions anyway.

"O-oh.."

"I just have a question to ask, then I'll leave you two alone."

"Alright..."

"Where could I find the coach or manager? The office is empty." Kuroko went straight to the point. He didn't want to spend excessive time in the place he rather wanted to avoid these days.

"Oh, they both went out to take care of errands today." Takeda offered, trying to wipe up most of his spilled water on the floor.

"They should be back around afternoon practice though." Noda finished.

"Is that so..." Kuroko mumbled under his breath. "Thank you." With that, he seemingly vanished before the pair's eyes.

"Y-yeah..."

By the time Kuroko dragged himself back to the gym, everyone had finished their warm ups and were being split into teams to play practice matches. He quickly scanned the gym for the coach, managing to catch a glimpse of him heading to the supply room. Eager to get things over with, he made his way after him.

"Coach?" Kuroko spoke up as soon as he got close enough to be heard.

Said man jumped in surprise before turning to face the quiet teen.

"Yes? Did you need something?"

Kuroko clenched the envelope in his hand and took a deep breath...

A/N: Thank you for reading my 'Pilot.' This chapter has been brought to you by copious amounts of pepsi, Step Up Revolution, and RADWIMPS music. If you liked this beginning please leave a review and let me know :)

P.S. If anyone can guess where the two second stringers' names came from you get a cookie.

P.P.S. How is the length? Should they be longer? They fine?