"…ould we tell… hen he wakes up?"

"Don't. It's not… ight be better."

Light began to fill his eyes as he slowly opened them. Everything was blurred together before it began to clear, revealing stark white everywhere.

"Tetsu…?"

Slowly shifting his eyes to the side, he saw a dark skinned man with dark blue hair and matching eyes. He just stared with wide eyes and mouth agape in shock as if he saw a ghost. Next to him was a girl with long bright pink and eyes and a tall guy with dark red and black hair who both had the same amount of shock on their faces as the dark blue male.

"Uwa, Kuro-chin's awake."

Turning his head to the other side, there was an extremely tall man with shoulder length lavender colored hair and violet eyes, nonchalantly eating a bag of potato chips. Also on this side were two other males. One was taller, having dark green hair and light green eyes, wearing a pair of black frame glasses. The other was rather short compared to all the other guys in the room, having red hair and eyes. Like the girl and guys from the other side of his bed, the two of them also shared their looks of disbelief.

"Tetsu-kun~! Thank goodness, you're finally awake! We were all so worried about you!" The pink haired girl cried happily, suffocating him in a hug that knocked all the air out of his lungs.

The dark blue haired guy got out of his chair, glaring at the girl. "Oi, Satsuki! Tetsu just woke up! Don't kill him!"

Realizing that she was practically choking him, she hurriedly released him from her tight grip. "Ah, I'm so sorry, Tetsu-kun!"

Getting up from his bed slowly, he took deep breaths until the air returned to his lungs. "…It's okay."

"We're glad you're awake, Kuroko. How are you feeling?" The red haired guy asked in a calm tone, gently taking one of his hands into his.

"I'm feeling fine, but…" Bringing his other hand up to his forehead, he had a puzzled look on his face as he looked at everyone in the room. "…Who am I?"

Amnesia: a partial loss or total loss of memory. That was what Tetsuya Kuroko was diagnosed with when he woke up that day.

Some of the rainbow people that were in the room with him when he woke up were practically in tears when the doctor told them the news. Despite seeing them cry and knowing that these people were his friends, he couldn't even empathize with them. That was something that scared him…

The dark red haired male who claimed to be his best friend, Kagami, was the one to take him back to his home once the doctor deemed him well enough to go back home.

"This is your room, 711. Here are you keys, too." Kagami said, handing him a single silver key and a golden star keychain attached to it. "I live a few streets away, so if you need anything, don't be afraid to call."

Kuroko nodded his head as he stared down at the key in his hand. "Yes, thank you, Kagami-kun."

Once Kuroko unlocked the door to his apartment, he felt rather shocked at seeing that he owned a pretty decent apartment even though he was the only one living there. There was a small living room area connected to a kitchenette on the left side and the right led to his bathroom and bedroom. As he walked into his room, he took note of the large bookcase that was against the wall next to what he assumed was his work desk as it was full of various papers and pens scattered across the surface.

As he examined his desk some more, he noticed a picture frame was faced down and buried beneath a box. Curious, he moved the box aside and picked up the frame. It was a picture of him and a blond haired man. In the photo, Kuroko and this man were lying down on a grassy field, Kuroko having a small smile on his face while the blond had a charming smile on his while winking to the camera. Judging from the angle, he could only assume that the blond took this photo. This blond… His name…

Ryota Kise.

A small smile curved onto Kuroko's lips as he recalled the name so easily. His heart was beating slightly faster in his chest and there was a heat rising to his cheeks as he held the picture against his chest happily.

Despite his memory loss, Kuroko could easily remember his name. That made him happy, as it meant that Kuroko didn't forget the most important person in his life. Ryota Kise, his lover.

Bumping into the box he set aside earlier, the lid came off and the contents spilled out, envelopes scattering across the floor. Gently setting the picture back on his desk, he bent down to pick up the envelopes. As he picked them up one by one, he raised a brow curiously as he examined the last one. Every envelope was already opened and they all had a yellow star sticker in the bottom left corner of the side with the flap. On the other side, they all had the same thing written in black ink.

To Kurokocchi

Four months passed and Kuroko's memories still haven't returned. There is still no reply.

Everyday, Kuroko would peek into his mailbox to check for a letter from his lover, but none came. However, that didn't stop him from sending letters. Every morning, Kuroko would write a letter for Kise and send it off in the afternoon. From what he could recall, this was something that Kuroko did every single day before his accident. For the rest of his day, he would stay in his apartment and go through the old letters from Kise.

These letters were what kept Kuroko sane despite his amnesia. Even though he could barely remember anything about his friends or his own life, knowing that he was able to remember everything about his blond lover made him happy. Every letter from Kise was full of his affections for Kuroko and he couldn't believe he was so blessed to have such an amazing lover in his life.

Even if Kuroko read through the letter already, he would read it again and again with the same happy smile on his face. Whether it be to read Kise affectionately writing 'Kurokocchi' as much as humanly possible or be it just to see the silly faces that Kise would doodle in between sentences. All these little things about Kise made Kuroko fall more and more in love with the blond.

Nine months have passed and Kuroko's memories still haven't returned. There is still no reply.

Anxiety began to fill his being every day he would check his mailbox and there would still be no letter from his lover. But that still didn't stop him from sending a letter every single day. His routine remained the same as before, write a letter to Kise in the morning and send it off in the afternoon. However, as days went by, things slowly began to change.

Kuroko had read all the letters from Kise so much that he knew each one by heart. Even though these letters were what kept him sane throughout his amnesia, they were slowly losing their effect. Kuroko would wake up each day feeling scared that he still couldn't remember anything about his friends or himself, all he would know is Ryota Kise.

It was upsetting, and he couldn't take it anymore.

Tears trailed down his face as he cried, continuously banging his head against the hard wood of his bookshelf. "Why can't I remember anything?"

THUMP

"I can barely remember my friends and family…"

THUMP

"I can barely remember anything about myself…"

THUMP THUMP

"Why isn't there anything from you, Kise-kun?!"

THUMP THUMP THUMP

Why can't he remember anything other than Ryota Kise? Was this some kind of curse for forgetting everything else in his life?

Pulling his head as far back as he possibly could, he leaned forward fast and hit his head hard against the bookshelf.

THUMP

Hearing something crash, Kuroko looked up and noticed a small metal box had fallen on the floor. Tilting his head to the side, Kuroko crawled over to the box and put it right side up. The box was locked with a four number code and he noticed a small index card taped on the top of the box, his eyes widening when he read the words written.

DO NOT OPEN

Ten months have passed and Kuroko's memories still haven't returned. There is still no reply.

9899

…No good.

9900

…Nothing.

9901

…Once again, nothing.

Kuroko frowned as he crossed out the number combination he just tried and moved onto the next one. He had been at this for an entire month straight and still has yet to find the right code. Well, he should be getting close to figuring it out now since he was slowly reaching the end of possible number combinations for this stupid box.

He didn't care if anyone thought he was crazy for trying to figure out the right code to open this box. Maybe, just maybe, whatever was in here would finally help him remember everything prior to his accident.

9996

…Nope. Almost there…

9997

…No, so now there's only one combination left…

Kuroko was shaking slightly as he slid the 7 to 8. Swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, he pressed the button.

…Nothing.

He shook his head. No way… He tried every possible combination, all from 1000 all the way up to 9999 and you're saying none of those combinations worked? Kuroko glared at the box through his tears as he kicked it, the box sliding across his floor and stopping at the wall where Kuroko hung the pictures of him and Kise. When the box hit the wall, one of the photos came off the wall and fell to the floor.

Sniffling, Kuroko got up and bent down to pick up the fallen photo. When he looked at it, he couldn't help but smile at the fond memory. It was a photo of him and Kise after their first game together at Teiko. They were both covered in sweat, smiling happily (or at least Kise was, since Kuroko wasn't really one for smiling, especially during his younger years) at their victory. As he stared at the picture, he noticed it.

Kise's jersey number was 8. Kuroko's jersey number was 15. 8 and 15… There was no way; it wasn't a four-digit code. Unless…

Setting the photo back on the wall, Kuroko hurried back to the floor and looked at the lock. He pressed his lips together as he slowly moved the dial to the right numbers.

0815

Taking a deep breath, Kuroko hesitantly pressed the button.

CLICK

The box clicked opened and he could barely contain himself as he hurriedly flipped the top open. When he peeked inside, his eyes widened as he pulled out the one object inside the small box. A single silver key and a light blue crescent moon keychain attached to it, as well as a small paper with writing that filled Kuroko's heart with anticipation.

Key to Kise-kun's apartment

Eleven months have passed and Kuroko's memories have returned. There is still no reply.

After a month of arguing with himself, Kuroko finally decided to go. He was finally here, standing in front of the apartment door with the nameplate with the name 'Kise' written on it right next to it. The key was already in the doorknob and all he had to do was turn it.

So he did, and the door opened to reveal an apartment completely empty except for the piles of envelopes that flooded the doorway.

"Kurokocchi~ Thanks for coming all this way to visit me!"

As the sight sunk in, Kuroko slowly fell to his knees and elbows.

"Come on in, I've already made tea! I made sure to make your favorite!"

The tears began to stream down his cheeks as he wailed deafeningly, his loud and pain filled cries echoing within the empty apartment.

Kuroko's 'accident' wasn't an accident…

These screams were what shattered the illusion of Ryota Kise greeting him.

It was a suicide attempt.

His memories flooding his mind as he continued to cry loudly as the reality hit him.

Because his lover, Ryota Kise, passed away two years ago.

One year has passed and Kuroko's memories have returned. There would never be any reply.

When all his memories came back, Kuroko just stayed in his room and continued to write his letters to Kise religiously. Yes, he knows he will never receive a reply, but that doesn't stop him from loving Kise with all his heart. After all, Kuroko had to continue living his life as happy as he could be for both of them. It was the least he could do for him, after all.

While digging through his drawer of paper, he was shocked to feel nothing. Did he really run out without noticing? Looking into the drawer, his eyes narrowed in confusion when he noticed a small envelope and box tucked away in the deep end of the drawer. Taking the small piece of paper in his hand, he took it out to examine it. The envelope was of high quality, he could tell from how the paper felt. As he stared at the envelope, he noticed a single yellow star sticker decorating the bottom left corner. His heartbeat began to increase. There was no way… Turning it over, his eyes widened.

To Kurokocchi

One year has passed and Kuroko's memories have returned. The reply has finally been received.

Author's Note

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket.

UGH OKAY LOOK I CAN EXPLAIN. I know I'm on hiatus for Wasurenagusa because I need a break from writing, but I've been itching to write a one shot so I might as well do it to get it out of my system. I wrote this in like a day and edited it in two hours after I finished writing it, so forgive me if it's not that great. I just wanted to get this out of my system. I've been wanting to write Kikuro for a while, but I wasn't sure what to do. So I decided on this and I hate myself for it because I'm crying at the thought of this happening to my little babies. I HATE THAT I DO THIS TO MYSELF.

Anyway, this little one shot was inspired by the song, A Clingy Boy Sticking for 15 Years. I listened to that song years ago and always wanted to write a story based on it, but I decided to go the one shot route instead since too much of my time has been consumed by the story known as Wasurenagusa (this thing is a monster to write for... Like it's only five chapters in and it's already over 40,000 words)

I'll come back and edit any mistakes that I missed during the editing process!

I honestly don't expect much, but feel free to favorite this and leave a review if you liked or enjoyed it. I like to know what my readers think. Follow me on tumblr at Ari Yukimoto for updates and previews of things I work on, I'm just starting out there so there's not much but I'm hoping it'll grow eventually.

Thanks for reading!

-Ari