Disclaimer: I don't own KnB. Just Ayane.


Chapter 1—Because I am a Girl

The only sound was the dull roar of the rain. Hundreds of drops hit the ground as they continued to pour from the sky. In contrast, the gym was scarily quiet. Practice had ended almost an hour ago by this point. Yet a few people still remained, all of them standing in the doorway of the gym as they watched the rain.

"I wanna go home," Kise pouted, shifting slightly. No one bothered with a reply to that, but they all agreed. All of them wanted to head home at this point. The deceptively sunny sky from this morning, however, kept them rooted to the spot. Not a single one of them had thought to grab an umbrella this morning. Now they were forced to wait for the storm to blow over.

"Of course this is how it ends up," Midorima groused, shooting a nasty look at the Russian nesting doll he held in his left hand. "I knew I should have gotten the bigger one. This one wasn't able to cancel out my bad luck for today."

"Then I blame you for this," Aomine drawled from his position against the doorframe. "You should remember this the next time you need to buy one of those things."

"Shut up," Midorima barked, adjusting his glasses. Though the subject was dropped, they all knew that the boy was taking that advice very seriously. The much joked about intervention would have to happen soon or else he'd be planning the birth of his children according to that ridiculous horoscope.

"I'm hungry~," Murasakibara said suddenly. He immediately began to rummage through his snack bag. A thought seemed to have crossed his mind, for he paused and glanced down at the redhead next to him. "Hey, Aka-chin, can I have a snack?"

"Fine, but only one," Akashi replied immediately. His foot tapped against the ground in an uncharacteristic show of impatience as he glared at the still falling rain. Had it been anything but a force of nature, the rain would have already stopped.

"Ah! I just remembered!" Kise shouted. Four pairs of eyes slid towards him. Kise gave a jubilant grin, practically bouncing in place. "Kurokocchi had an umbrella at practice this morning!"

The Generation of Miracles froze, suddenly remembering. Their phantom sixth man had indeed come to school with an umbrella. Considering the bright weather, they had teased him about it and then promptly forgotten. Now they realized Kuroko had probably been the smartest out of all of them. All five quickly looked around, hoping to spot the pale boy.

"Kuro-chin's gone," Murasakibara said, disappointment lacing his voice.

"So it would seem," Midorima sighed.

"I'm still here," a voice piped up. Akashi was the only one who didn't jump out of his skin at the voice, Aomine and Kise giving the added bonus of shocked yells. Kuroko stepped forward from his position behind the rest of them, his face blank as usual. "I've been here the whole time."

"Damn it Tetsu," Aomine forced out, still trying to recover. "We need to get you a bell or something."

"Absolutely not," Kuroko deadpanned. He gave a small sigh before continuing. "You all were saying something about an umbrella?"

"Yes! You brought one to school!" Kise quickly nodded. He then blinked in confusion. "Hey wait, if you have an umbrella why are you still here?"

"Ah, that," Kuroko said. "I don't have it."

"What? But, but…" Kise sputtered out, deflating as his last hope proved false.

"What happened to it, Kuroko?" Akashi asked in surprise. Kuroko seemed to hesitate before giving the closest thing to a shrug any of them had ever seen from him.

"I…gave it to someone else," he finally said.

"You gave it to someone else?" Aomine repeated. He grabbed Kuroko by the shoulders and began to shake him. "You gave it to some other person before your own partner? What kind of person does that?"

"Mine-chin, don't break Kuro-chin," Murasakibara cautioned as he reached out to rescue the smaller boy.

"Kurokocchi!" Kise cried, also going forward to rescue his teammate.

Before the blond reached him, however, Murasakibara successfully pulled Kuroko from Aomine's grasp. Surprised, Aomine stumbled forwards into the approaching Kise. The two fell into a tangle of limbs on the ground with various exclamations and swears. Akashi heaved an irritated sigh as he watched, though his gaze seemed distant.

"Honestly…" Midorima huffed as he took a calculated step away from the scuffle. Aomine and Kise continued to bicker as they tried to get back to their feet.

"Enough," Akashi finally snapped. The two froze, looking at their captain nervously. Akashi, however, ignored them and turned his attention to Kuroko, who was still being held by Murasakibara. "Kuroko, who did you give the umbrella to?"

Kuroko blinked his baby blue eyes once or twice, the only visible sign of his surprise. The other four gave far more obvious ones. They were all interested in who had the umbrella. Though Kuroko was unfailingly polite and kind, he wouldn't just randomly hand out his umbrella. Akashi's interest in the matter seemed different, more personal. As soon as they touched on that, everyone veered away quickly. That was a can of worms no one wanted to open.

After a long moment of silence, Kuroko finally opened his mouth to answer. Yet it wasn't his words that broke the silence. It was a loud and out of place ringing. It took a second for it to be identified as a phone ringing and not anything more dangerous. Glances were then exchanged to locate the source. Surprisingly, it was Kuroko who answered the phone.

"Hello?" he said. Everyone watched quietly as he listened to the person on the other end. "I was waiting out the rain. I'm still at the school. Did you get home all right? …Good. I am glad I was able to be of some assistance." Akashi's eyes narrowed at that, though no words were said by anyone. "Is that so? Yes, I can. No, it's not a problem. Of course. Good bye." With that Kuroko ended the call and prepared to leave.

"Whoa, wait a sec Tetsu," Aomine suddenly said. He sat up from his position on the ground, causing Kise to tumble off of him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"It seems there are a few errands I have to run," Kuroko said absently.

"For the person on the phone?" Akashi asked. The question was innocently worded and politely presented, but there was no doubting the poison present.

"Yes," Kuroko said simply. He glanced at everyone before giving a short bow. "I will see everyone tomorrow then." And he stepped out into the downpour, becoming drenched in almost the same second.

"Wait, Kurokocchi!" Kise called after him, eyes wide in horror. "Don't go! It's still raining!"

"Aquarius did have the worst luck for today," Midorima said sagely. He was largely ignored.

"Hey, Aka-chin," Murasakibara said. "If Kuro-chin is leaving, does that mean the rest of us can leave as well?"

"No, Murasakibara, it does not," Akashi sighed. He seemed defeated somehow. That was ignored as well, though for the sake of their lives instead of exasperation.

"But why not?" Murasakibara whined. Akashi glared at him briefly before sighing again.

"Because walking out in this weather will make you sick," Akashi said with forced patience. Murasakibara thought on that for a moment.

"Does that mean Kuro-chin is going to get sick?" he finally asked. No one bothered to reply to that.


When Kuroko failed to show up for morning practice the next day, no one was surprised. After his escapade the day before, everyone just assumed that he was at home in bed with a fever and a runny nose. Considering Kuroko's character, no one had any reason to question that assumption. Even Aomine agreed with it. Which is why he was completely surprised that afternoon when he saw Kuroko vanish around a corner.

At first, Aomine just stared at the spot and blinked. There was no way that had been Kuroko. That person, whoever they had been, was headed in the opposite direction of the gym they used for practice. Not to mention there had been a girl trailing just behind them. The only reason any of that would apply to Kuroko, should he actually be at school, would be if there was a blue moon and pigs grew wings. Aomine shook his head quickly. Even then it would probably be impossible.

But there was one thing that made all of that irrelevant. Even though it had only been a quick glimpse, Aomine was sure of one thing: that person had had powder blue hair. Though he was often overlooked, Kuroko actually had very distinctive looks. And he was the only person Aomine knew of with that color of hair. So, as unlikely as it seemed, it had been Kuroko he had seen.

That confirmation was what finally spurred Aomine into moving. A scowl marred his face and irritation fueled his steps. If Kuroko was well enough to be in school, then he was more than well enough to come to practice. Or, if he really did want to skip practice, then he should have told Aomine so they could skip together. That's what partners did, after all. Not surprisingly, it wasn't long before Kuroko came into view again. The girl who had been following him was already gone. Aomine sped up slightly.

"Oi, Tetsu!" Aomine called out. Surprisingly, the little bluenette didn't turn around. Aomine gritted his teeth and walked even faster, his long legs eating up the distance between them. He grabbed Kuroko's arm, making the other turn slightly in surprise. But Aomine was already dragging him back towards the gym.

"H-Hey, wait a second!" Kuroko said in surprise, trying uselessly to remove his arm from Aomine's grasp.

"Oh no you don't," Aomine snapped, turning his head to glare at his partner. "You were trying to skip again. Without me. That's just not…"

Aomine's voice trailed off and his footsteps slowed but didn't stop, his eyes widening in shock as he finally processed what he was seeing. Just as he had already confirmed, the hair was the same powder blue. He could now confirm that the eyes were the exact shade of baby blue he was more than familiar with. This person even looked like Kuroko. Logically, this meant it was Kuroko. But at the same time, it wasn't Kuroko. Two pigtails were tied on either side of this person's head, the ends just brushing what was very obviously not the chest of a male. The face Aomine swore he knew as well as the back of his hand was softer and the always-present poker face was noticeably missing. Instead, confusion and surprise were etched into every feature and danced in the usually blank blue eyes.

"…the hell?" Aomine finally said, those two words loaded with every once of bafflement he could muster. Kuroko opened his mouth to reply, only to instead widen his eyes at something in front of Aomine.

"Watch out!" Kuroko cried in a voice that was definitely higher pitched than normal.

"What?" Aomine asked blankly, turning his head around to see what had surprised his partner. The minute he did, his face came into contact with a wall. Kuroko bumped into him from behind, only to tumble to the ground when Aomine jumped backwards cursing, both hands clapped over his nose.

"Ouch…" Kuroko mumbled, getting back to his feet a bit disgruntled. He brushed himself off before turning back to Aomine, who was still clutching his nose and swearing. His eyes widened almost immediately. "Are you okay?"

"No, I am not okay," Aomine snapped, glaring at his partner with slightly blurred eyes. He pulled one of his hands away from his face to see it dotted with blood. "I just ran into a wall."

"Right…" Kuroko mumbled, blushing a bit. Aomine stared at this development in horror. The more he was faced with this strange development, the more he was forced to admit to himself a very uncomfortable fact. Aomine was attracted to Kuroko right now. Though he had never been drawn to Kuroko as a male, right now he made a very pretty girl. But since he wasn't a girl, this meant that Aomine was just attracted to Kuroko in general, right? He was jolted out of his thoughts by a small piece of fabric being shoved in his face. Kuroko looked up at him with an earnest expression. "Here, use this."

"Thanks," Aomine managed to say before taking the handkerchief and quickly pressing it against his nose. He stared at his shorter partner for a long moment before giving an irritated sigh. "Why the hell are you dressed like that?"

"Eh?" Kuroko blinked, glancing down at himself. Aomine followed his gaze as well. Rather than his usual uniform or even the clothes he wore to practice, Kuroko was currently wearing a black skirt, what seemed to be a slightly oversized sweater, and a blue shirt. In other words, it was the girls' school uniform. An outfit that, Aomine admitted to himself reluctantly, the boy was pulling off rather well. Kuroko looked back towards Aomine in confusion. "Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Is there…" Aomine sputtered. One hand gestured wildly towards Kuroko while the other held the handkerchief firmly to his face. "You're dressed like that and you ask me if something is wrong? Have you gone nuts?"

"Um…" Kuroko said hesitantly, biting his lip nervously. He seemed to think something over before continuing to speak. "I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding."

"No shit!" Aomine shouted, forcing himself not to stare at the lip Kuroko was still biting. Why did Kuroko have to make such a pretty girl? "Do you mind explaining to me why you're dressed as a girl?"

"Because I am a girl," Kuroko said reproachfully, giving Aomine a baleful look. Aomine stared at him in shock before shaking his head quickly.

"No, no you're not," Aomine said firmly. "I've seen you in the locker room. You are definitely a guy, Tetsu." Even if there was a blue moon and pigs could suddenly fly, there was no way Kuroko thought he was or had any desire to be a girl. At least, Aomine hoped that was the case because otherwise things were going to be really awkward between the two of them from now on.

"Tetsu…" Kuroko repeated thoughtfully. Then his face lit up in understanding. "Oh! You think I'm Tetsuya!"

"Uh…" Aomine said brilliantly, suddenly confused. He thought this was Kuroko? Wasn't it Kuroko? "Because you are Tetsu, right?"

"No," Kuroko denied with a shake of his head, his pigtails flying through the air. "Tetsuya's my brother."

"Your brother," Aomine repeated blankly. His brain had officially stopped working. "You're Tetsu's…sister?"

"I'm Kuroko Ayane, Tetsuya's younger twin sister," Kuroko said while giving a smile that made Aomine's heart skip a beat and his mind wonder why Kuroko of all people was smiling. "It's nice to meet you."

"Ah…" Aomine managed, struggling to form a coherent thought. The person standing before him wasn't Kuroko but Kuroko's sister. A sister that he had never heard of before. And a sister that Aomine couldn't help but admit he was attracted to. At least the sister was female. It was easier than trying to deal with a sudden attraction to his partner.

"And you're Aomine-kun, right?" she continued. Aomine's eyes widened even further in surprise. The girl just smiled again. "Tetsuya's mentioned you a few times. You can just call me Ayane, almost everyone does. So then, were you looking for Tetsuya?"

"…Not exactly," Aomine muttered unwillingly. "Just thought you were him, that's all."

"Oh," Ayane said. Her fingers came up to fiddle with the end of one of her pigtails. "I see. It's not the first time it's happened."

"Right," Aomine mumbled. An awkward silence reigned for a long moment.

"What about your nose?" Ayane said suddenly. She looked up at him again, worry obvious in her eyes. "Is it going to be all right?"

"What?" Aomine said. He removed the handkerchief from his nose. "Yeah, it'll be fine. It's already stopped bleeding."

"Okay then," Ayane said. "You can give the handkerchief back to me later. Or just give it to Tetsuya."

"Sure," Aomine said, turning away. "I better head to practice now."

"Of course," Ayane nodded. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too," Aomine muttered as he walked away.

Aomine didn't offer a word of complaint at the punishment Akashi gave him for being late. His mind was too wrapped up in thoughts about the girl he had just met. The girl who was Kuroko's twin sister.


AN: Well, here's chapter 1, just like I promised. I hope it's better than the prologue. I know that wasn't really all that interesting, but trust me, there's a reason I wrote it. Next chapter we'll learn a little bit more about Ayane, I promise.