Chapter 2: The Basketball in which Kuroko Plays

An azure haired, blank faced boy stepped in front of Riko with his hand half-raised, "I'm Kuroko."


If you were to look at Riko closely, you would have seen the sight of a sophomore girl's teeth clattering as she shook and shut her eyes out of fright, yet at that moment everyone around her can see her shoot her arm back and hear an echoing-

"GYAAH!"

"What?" Hyuuga faced the culprit of the scene in bewilderment, "How long have you been there?"

"I've been here the whole time."

'He was right in front of me and I didn't even notice?' processed Riko's thoughts all the while she kept her incredulously shocked expression, 'What? Did he say he's Kuroko? What? He's practically invisible!'

"What? This guy's part of the Generation of Miracles?" Koganei asked after running up with Hyuuga to Riko and Kuroko, "He couldn't have been a regular."

"Of course not," Captain said, "Right Kuroko-kun?"

"I played in games."

"Right?" Hyuuga said lightly as if it was a joke, "Eh?"

"Eh?" (Koganei)

"What?!" the two shouted in synch, which caused Riko to back away and look at them like she never knew the pair, while Kagami stared as the conversation took place.

"Generation of Miracles? What's that?" he questioned in his head.

"Take off your shirt!"

Kuroko blinked. "What? Okay," and did as he was told. Riko stared but for some reason, her face grew surprised- not that I don't see why.


Staring, she saw Kuroko's stats in deep thoughts with smiley headphones adorning her serious head, her hands resting on her schoolbag that currently sat on her lap as she stared out the window of the bus driving through the sleepless city.

'Who is he?' she pondered, 'His stats are too low. All his numbers are below average. On top of that, he's already almost at his limit. There's no way he could have been a regular on such a strong team.

'However, those two-the twins… What are they up to? Despite the fact Shimizu was still wearing clothes, I can estimate that she and her brother are of equal strength…. Now that I look back on it, those two- What on Earth…'


"Swoosh," the ball hit the earth after making it into the basket. After bouncing once, a hand of a vermilion dyed white tiger caught the prey, the ran back to to the territory it marked while bouncing the ball from left to right. At that marked territory, it was then the tides started to become unstable. As Kagami jumped to shoot, he noticed the new moon in the disoriented sight from the speed of the jump, causing his shot to hit off the basket when that gravitational power pulled his eyes and land into the hands of the phantom man in the moon.

"When did you get there?" Kagami asked the teen with a presence as black as the night in a low voice, hands on knees.

"Nice to see you," was his reply and the tiger put a hand to his hip as he stood up straight.

"What the heel are you doing?"

"What are you doing here by yourself?" Kuroko threw back the ball, in which was caught.

"Nothing. I'm not doing anything."

"Is that so?"

"... I was in America until my second year of middle school," Kagami broke the ice, "I've been appalled ever since I came back by how low the standard are here. I'm not looking to play basketball for fun. I want to play a more serious game that really gets me going. I've heard all about you-I've heard all about the supposedly strong Generation of Miracles from our year. You were on that team, weren't you?" He began spinning the ball on one finger.

"I have a pretty good sense of how good others are. People who can succeed smell different from the rest," and threw it to Kuroko, "But something's not right with you. The weak should smell weak, but you... You don't smell like anything and your strength has no scent. Let me see. Show me...

"Show me just how good your Generation of Miracles really is."

:( At least consider the time, person, and occasion to get your hopes up, so wipe that face off.

"How fortunate," Kuroko said to my surprise as I stood in the background with Kiyomizu and Kuroko unzipped the school jacket, "I've also been hoping to play against you. One on one."

"You wanna go?"


Kagami has the ball and is currently bouncing it in his right hand. Suddenly he moves to dunk and Kuroko tries to block it, however is to low, making the eyes the mirror widen his eyes. 'He's...'

It happened again.

Kuroko has the ball, but the tiger swiftly steals it.

The tiger outran the tortoise again.

Kuroko was about to shoot, but Kagami smacked it out of his hands, which made Kuroko run after the ball.

'He's so bad I could die,' Kagami thought. A fight between men, huh..? Wait, can that even be called a fight? Not, that I'm trying to preach, but they shouldn't have started this "one on one" in the first place, this is a one to no one. Honestly, I can't help but give them a look that screams, 'You're so dense.'

'Even though they weren't blessed with physical strength, there have been plenty of athletes who have excelled by polishing their skills. But this guy is hardly better than an amateur at dribbling and shooting. There's nothing good about him. This is ridiculous.'

Kuroko picks up the ball and runs back in front of Kagami. "You've got to be kidding me," the tiger growled, "Have you been listening to me? How much do you have to overestimate your own abilities to think you can beat me?" he then point's his finger at him, "I can't believe how arrogantly you challenged me!"

"You can't be serious," Kuroko said, "Of course you're stronger than me. I knew that before we even started." At that statement, I turned to look at my twin, but he was already asleep on the courtyard floor when Kagami grabbed his collar and pulled him to his face.

"You want a fight? What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I wanted to see how good you are for myself."

"What?" he loosened his claws, unable to comprehend what my cousin just said and puts a hand to his idiotic head. 'Unbelievable,' he thought, 'There must've been something wrong with me, too. He's just so weak that he doesn't smell like anything. This is stupid.'

"Um..." Kuroko gestures the ball toward Kagami, but the put his other hand to signal...

"Enough," he walks away, "I'm not interested the weak... Come, to think about it..." he turned his head towards me, "What about you?"

"Me?" Considering how my twin and changed out of our school uniform and into our street clothes, people mistaken us for each other, since I am kind of tomboyish and our hair isn't parted to the side, we just let it on both sides. Still, if it means I can play, I'm in. However...

"A magician never reveal his trick*," I said, "Ah, but for you, I'll trip the light fantastic.**"

"Huh?" he asked, to getting the idiom.

"Come on, lets take it to the hoop*** this time." He grinned.

"Then enough talking," he threw the ball for me to catch, which I did and rand as fast the stormy winds while dribbling the ball. Jumping and dunking it sideways into the hoop.

"Fast," Kagami said with widen eyes. I threw the ball to him then got into defense position. He dribble the ball to move past me, but I stole the ball from him. He turned back in surprise to see me spinning the ball on the tip my finger. This time Kagami went in defense position, but I ran right past him and made the ball into the basket using the tear drop shot before he even got a chance to block it.

'This shortie,' the tiger thought as we continued to play, 'How high can he really jump? And those moves-it's like an elegant dance. A free-styler, yet loyal to the basics.'


"Let me tell you one last thing," Kagami said as he got his jacket off the bench and turned back to Kuroko, "You should quit basketball. However much you try to cover it up with nice words like effort, raw talent is a fact of life. You've got no talent for basketball," then turned his back to leave. However,

"I don't accept that," Kuroko spoke out and Kagami turned his head back.

"Huh?" Kuroko walks to the bench where his thing were.

"First of all, I love basketball. And I don't share your opinion. I don't care who's strong or who's weak."

"What did you say?" Kagami asked while he turned his head a little more as Kuroko's shadow was shaped from the streetlamp.

"I'm not like you. I'm a shadow."


Gray clouds filled the sky in a depressing color which shrouded the school gym that was lit up on the inside with in my view during my walk towards the place. Drip!

"Ame?" I ask face the sky while the ground silently grew soak at a steady fast rate as I to get in the gym that led to the empty locker room. I did whatever I needed to do and went out to be greeted by Riko.

"What ARE you thinking?"


"What? A mini-match?" Kawahara's open mouth let out as the sophomores were warming up, "I can'T believe we're playing the senpais already," .

Fukuda turned to him. "Do you remember the record from last year they told us about during our first meeting? They went to the finals just in their first year."

"Are you serious?"

"That's not normal," Furihata stated.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Kagami said with eyes closed and voice full of confidence, "It's always better to have stronger opponents than weak ones. Let's go."

'Let's see what these rookies can do,' Riko stood in interest while watching them and holding a whistle in her right hand. She bent down in position to throw the ball up into the air.

"TWEET!" It flies, Mitobe and Kagami shoot towards it however, Kagami was the one to smack the ball, in which Kawahara caught. He ran forward to the basket, but was blocked by the senpais, yet yet he threw to an open Kagami waving his arm. The sphere traveled over the arms of foes and landed at the intended destination. The wild guy took a few steps and jumped for the dunk, knocking Mitobe over.

"That dunk was unbelievable," the one who sent him the ball said.

"Amazing..." his brown haired friend let out.

As I looked around, everyone looked at him agape if if he was on fire-including Riko whose whistle was aimed towards her mouth, but not yet blown on due to her process of thinking, 'They're way better than I expected. Such destructive force for such unpolished intuitive play.'

"This is unbelievable," Hyuuga voiced out, wiping his forehead after Kagami jumped of the hoop.

'He's more than ready. He's a monster.'


After dunking two times, Kagami passed the ball, in the mist of the pack of bear cubs, to a certain true-blue**** person who was suddenly block, but not without an ace up a sleeve. Sounds of squeaking sneakers echoed around the court as acceleration happened just as instant as fast legs and deceleration when blocked once again. Only, to trip the light fantastic the way out with no avail, then lower the posture to bypass the defense, as the ball got released when the body was nearly parallel to the ground.

"Swoosh."

1st Year: 11 :: 2nd Year: 08

"I can't believe the first years are this strong," the captain panted out in his no. 4 jersey as Koganei bent down with his hands on his knees.

"Kagami's doing it all himself with at least Kiyomizu's help!" he let out.

'Shit!' Kagami thought while glaring at Kuroko, who held the ball, 'That kid has me on the edge!'

Izuki stole the ball out of his hands and threw it to Koganei.

"It's him again!" Furihata said and ran around the court as did Kuroko and Kagami.

"Keep it together!"

'For all the profound things he says, he can't play for shit! Guys who are all talk...'

Kawahara guarded the basket as Koganei approached, but the teddy bear mouthed man passed to Mitobe who almost scored due to the interference of a pissed tiger.

'Piss me off more than anything!'

"So high!"

"Nothing can stop Kagami now!"

"TWEET!"

"Time to put them in their place," Hyuuga smiled in which Izuki responded with a nod saying, "It's on."


'Three?!' Kagami thought in frustration of the position he was in, being surrounded by numbers 4, 10, and 12 while trying to shift his way out.

"They're desperate to stop Kagami!"

B/ "Thank you Mr. Obvious," I said to him.

"They're double-teaming him even though he doesn't have the ball! They have no intention of letting him touch the ball!" I once gain gave my "You are dense" face. How much more obvious can you three get? Do you three have a common ancestor or something?

Hyuuga shoots, Hyuuga scores.

The was so close, yet so faraway as Koganei blocked with his arm and Izuki caught-now it's really unreachable!

Furihata has the ball-or not -_-'. Mitobe smacks the ball out of his hands and into Captains. He runs and makes the basket.

1st Year: 15 :: 2nd Year: 31

"They're good." Fukuda panted along with his two friends.

"There's no way we could have won,"voiced out Kawahara.

"I've had enough," spoke Furihara, who was grabbed by the jersey by,guess who, an enraged Kagami.

"Enough? What the hell are you talking about?!" Unbeknownst to the tiger, Kuroko walked up behind him and kneed him in the back of Kagami's knees.

"Please calm down." The pained tiger turned his head and glared with an evil-looking smile etched in his face

"You bastard..." The tree other freshmen suddenly had a look of panicked dread.

"Looks like they're fighting," Koganei said as he stared at the school of fishes. Meanwhile, Izuki widened his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Watching the antics Izuki asked, "Was he in the game?"

"Kuroko?" Koganei replied when Kagami grabbed the said person in the jersey, "I dunno."

'Even I forgot and I was the referee,' Riko thought with an incredulous look and whistle in her mouth, which soon fell out from realization, 'Huh? How long has he been in?' Seeing coach's, revelation, I couldn't help but smirk.


"Excuse me," Kuroko said, directing his sentence to Fukuda, as he flicked his wrist with the black wristband, "Could you pass me the ball?"

"What?"

1st Year: 15 :: 2nd Year: 31

"You can do it! Three more minutes!"

'What can you do with the ball once you get it? At least don't let them take it.' (Throws ball to Kuroko) The ball suddenly changed course and near the designated basket which Furihata ran at to catch the ball and make it in the basket. Like a bolt from the blue, everyone stared, unable to comprehend the event that just unfolded.

"Eh?" Hyuuga stuttered and pushed up this glasses, "It went in... What? How did that pass go through?"

'Why do I feel so uneasy?' Riko wondered as she stared at Kuroko with widen eyes, 'Is something unbelievable happening?'

Kawahara has the ball, yet is blocked by Koganei when he notices Kuroko within the struggle and passes to the phantom who passes to Fukuda.

"Go for it!" Kagami shout, "Shoot!" in which the does so.

"They passed the ball and made the shot before we even knew it!"

"What's going on?"

'Is he using his lack of presence to pass?' raced Riko's thought's, 'He's not even touching the ball for very long! Could he be diminishing his already weak presence even more? Misdirection: a technique used in sleight of hand. He's drawing his opponent's attention away from himself. To be more accurate, he's not using his lack of presence, but directing his opponent's attention elsewhere.

'He's the invisible regular of Teiko who excelled at passing. I'd heard rumors, but I didn't think he actually existed. The sixth phantom member of the Generation of Miracles!'

Kuroko suddenly passes the ball, which landed in Kagami's hands.

'Damn it,' Hyuuga thought, 'I got caught up in Kuroko's pass!'

He shoots... he scores!

1st Year: 36 :: 2nd Year: 37

"I don't believe it! It's only a one point difference!"

Koganei passes the ball to Mitobe, but it gets smacked to-surprise, surprise... Kuroko who caught it in midair.

"Crap!" Captain yelled as Kuroko runs to make the shot.

"Go, Kuroko!" Everyone's hearts are pumped in belief that he'll make it and eyes all on him as he jumps.

A replay of his dunk with the paper cup happened again, only this time, everyone's reactions were negatively, 'Are you kidding me?'

As the ball still flew in the air, the hand of a tiger caught it for the dunk.

"That's why I hate the weak!" (Dunk) "You have to make the shot, dumbass!" is what he said, yet unbeknownst to the speaker, a phantom of a smile was etched on the shadow's face due to his position in the air.

"Great job, itoko!" I yelled out to him from the bench, "You go Phantom Boy!"

"You're speaking English," he said.

"I'm here!" an all too familiar voice rung out in the gym. All the occupants of the gym, excluding Riko and myself, turned their heads to find my look alike standing at the doors.

"You're late," I said, "the game just ended." There was a pregnant silence until...

"EHH?!"

"Sorry, sorry," he said ignoring the many reactions from what they saw before them, "I was the one who had to stay to take care of the delivery men. Speaking of which, didn't I tell you to let the attendance lady know that I'll be absent?"

"Yep," I replied, "I told her to 'please excuse a my twin sibling for not being able to attend school today due to dealing with the delivery men.'"

"E-EHH?!"

"Yeah, but I didn't say you could replace me, imoto-chan."

"W-wait a minute!" Kagami shouted pointing at me, "You're Shimizu?!"

"Yep, last night too."

(O_O) !


*Kuroko is an actual term that means stagehands in Japanese theater.

**to dance

*** to accomplish a project successfully

**** dependable