Summary: After years of living abroad a childhood friend returns and soon reunites with an unsuspecting friend. However, what will happen when they meet again after years apart and they are no longer the innocent children they once were.

Disclaimer: Un-betaed so sorry for any missed grammar mistakes and any OOC-ness but since they're not originally my characters that's bound to happen. Like everybody else writing fanficts . . I DON'T own Kurobasu and never will!

AN: No warnings in this chapter, but future warnings will be noted in respective chapters. Also a reminder that this will eventually have some violence/gore/shounen-ai moments in future chapters.


~ I : Distance ~

8 years later

It was like any other Monday recently, wake up early only to arrive here and stay for hours on end. 'Why did I even want to go here? I could've just gotten a job or something, but no, I had to listen to dad and go to college.' Was the thoughts running through his mind as he made his way to the campus that morning.

He lived on campus and didn't have that far to travel, but waking up early every morning now, when he had hoped to have been able to sleep in a little like some of his other friends who didn't have classes until later. He would've been that way too, if the class he's currently going to, some sort of language class. He didn't bother remembering the official title of the course, as he only signed up because it was a required course. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to major in, just taking random classes that seemed interesting and easy until he found what he wanted. It was times like this, thinking of the future, that he envied some people. They seemed to have their life figured out and knew what direction to go in, and then here he was wandering aimlessly without a goal in place.

'I wonder what he is doing now? Would he being in college as well? Probably so, he was always the studious type with his nose constantly stuck in a book of some kind.' He thought with a chuckle thinking of his old friend. It has been years since they last say each other, or even communicated. They were the best of friends for the longest time, until one day the other's father got a job transfer and their family had to leave. He still remembered how the other bawled his eyes out as they said good-bye before his family had to go, and he wasn't any better off. It was the hardest thing he had to go through at that time, being separated from his best friend like that really hurt him, and even thinking back on it now, the pain from that day still made his heart hurt some.

From that day, they would write back and forth, talking about any and everything that they could think of. The letters were few and far between but he always returned them, that was until one day. He remembered sending a letter, one that was something about some new show that he took interest in, nothing that interesting thinking back now but it the best thing at the time to a 10 year-old kid. He ranted on and on about how good the show was and if the other had watched it or if he had any shows that he liked as well. He sent that letter and like with every other on prior, eagerly awaited a reply.

One week...two weeks...a month passed and still no reply.

His parents just reassured him that maybe he was busy or it got lost in the mail on the way. With that he sent another, and waited, but still no reply. He was still hopeful that his friend would reply and he didn't care how long it took. He knew the other would never forget about him, in much the same way that he would never for get him.

Even his father had no luck, despite him knowing the other boy's father and their contact information he was not able to receive a response either. That worried him, not knowing how his friend was; if he was hurt or okay, or maybe his mind was just thinking too much and that they just moved and things haven't got situated yet and once they are all settled in again they would get in contact and things will go back. However, it never happened; and as the months turned to years, he soon gave up on ever receiving anything. Then now eight years later, here he was going to college and still not a clue as to where his friend might be.

"Oi, Ogiwara!" A voice yelled out at him snapping him from his thoughts. He almost made it to the canteen for breakfast without even knowing it.

"Hey, Furihata." Ogiwara said, as he turned towards the voice spotting his friend running up to meet him. "You going to the canteen?"

"Yeah, I was on my way to meet up with Sakurai when I saw you." Furihata said. "Wanna join us?"

"Sure. By the way did you do the work for..um...for that one class?"

"You really should remember the names of your classes." Furihata reprimanded.

Ogiwara sheepishly scratched his cheek as he grinned. "All the classes are so boring, I can't help but forget." I wasn't his fault, it was just that all the classes seemed the same to him; a bunch of information and professors who tried to hammer it into their skulls with work and papers.

"Honestly, I wonder how you even passed the entrance exams let alone were accepted."

Stopping in his tracks, he looked him straight in the eye with the most serious expression the other had ever seen him wear and in a firm voice said, "Luck."

Furihata sweat-dropped at his antics and continued on his way, leaving his friend behind.


'Ah, I'm so sleepy.' Ogiwara thought to himself.

He was now in the lecture hall of his first class. He was a little early, for him, and class was about to start, but he couldn't find it in himself to even try to stay awake any longer. The other people in the class were busy trying to finish last-minute assignments or socialize, but he was more concerned about catching a little more sleep. 'I know I shouldn't have stayed up that late.' He had yet to get used to the schedule despite already being enrolled for a couple of weeks now.

'Maybe I can just shut my eyes for a couple of minutes, at least until the professor arrives.' He placed his head down on his folded arms on the desk top in front of him then closing his eyes he drifted off.


*Poke* "hmm..." he grumbled out. *Poke* 'Go away!'

Shifting in his seat a little to get away from the prodding, but it was to no avail.

*Poke* "Psst, Ogiwara-kun, wake up." A voice whispered. *Poke*

Having enough of the interruption to his rest he lifted his head and turned around glaring at the one that kept poking him. "S-s-sorry." the one that was poking him replied as he stuttered at the look in the others eyes.

"Sorry, for waking you up. Sorry for poking you. I'm really sorry. Sorry." The apologies kept flying out of his mouth, slowly rising from a timid whisper to normal volume, gaining some looks from fellow classmates. Before it could continue any longer, a hand clamped down over his mouth preventing any further apologizing from the man. "That's enough Sakurai, get yourself together!" Sakurai's seat mate, a boy by the name of Fukuda Hiroshi, said in a low tone trying to calm the boy down.

"I'm sorry Sakurai, Fukuda." Ogiwara said, after Sakurai calmed down some and stopped with the excessive apologizing. "Thanks for waking me up." Sending an apologetic smile towards the two, he turned back to the front surprised to not see the professor standing at the podium glaring at them for interrupting the lecture. Looking at the clock placed on the wall, he saw that class already should have started and yet he were nowhere to be found.

Just when he thought that maybe the professor wasn't going to come, the door opened. 'Well, speak of the devil.' There was the professor walking in with a stack of papers, probably the essays they had to turn in a few days ago. 'There's another failed paper.' He thought letting out a depressed sigh at the thought.

"Good morning class," the professor, Harasawa, said as he made his way to his desk in the front of the room, as the class responded back. Dropping the papers off onto the desk he then faced the class. "Today we have a new student joining this class, they should be here soon."

As those words left his mouth, a chorus of excited whispers broke out among those listening. The guys hoped it was a girl, while the females wanted a handsome male to join. It was a rare sight to see someone new join a class once the first week is over and the class lists are finalized.

"Quiet down, this isn't high school anymore." Harasawa-sensei said, and immediately the talks simmered down. "Now, I'll return your papers to you." he said going back to his abandoned papers on his desk. "When I call your name-" a knock interrupted his talking. Immediately the excited whispers returned, as they expected it to be the previously mentioned new student joining the class.

The door to the room opened and in walked, nothing. There was nobody there. However, there had to be as the door was opened and was then shut. Confused whispers now took over, as students wondered what happened and who opened the door.

*Ahem* Clearing his throat to get attention centered back on him. "As I was saying-"

"Excuse me." A soft voice said out of nowhere, startling those who heard it. Some even shouted out in fright or exclamations of 'ghost' rang out throughout the lecture hall.

Looking around for the source of the voice, Harasawa then suddenly jumped back. Suddenly appearing in front of him was a boy he never seen before staring at him expectantly with round blue eyes. "W-when did you get there." he stuttered out in shock.

"I just came in through the door." he responded in a clear blank voice. "I'm the new student joining this class today."

Calming down as he had a hand pressed against his racing heart. "So, you're Kuroko-kun?" He said trying to figure out how this person could walk into the crowded room and not be noticed.

"Yes."

"Well, please introduce yourself to the class and then have a seat." He said slightly unnerved by the blank look on the other's face.

"Hello, I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. Nice to meet you." He said politely as he bowed to the class.

Looking up, he looked around at the faces of those in the room as they locked onto a pair of brown eyes that were staring directly at him.


In the time that the teacher came into the room and announced the expectant arrival of a new student joining the class, he just tuned out. There was no point in getting excited over the arrival of another person. He was half-way paying attention to the talks around him, as he gazed out the window beside him. Ogiwara didn't care one way or the other of who they were, he just wanted this day to be over so he could go back to sleep. But those thoughts changed when he heard the shouts of surprise from those surrounding him.

Looking towards the front in hopes of spotting what was so shocking to garner those responses and soon found his eyes landing on a familiar mop of azure hair. 'It could be someone else.' Then the person faced the class and introduced themself with a polite tone that he hadn't heard in years. "...Kuroko Tetsuya..." 'Kuroko. He said Kuroko.' His mind replayed the name, one he hadn't heard in years, one he had resigned himself to not being able to hear again.

Staring at the boy standing in the front of the room, watching as he looked around the room, and then their eyes locked. Those eyes, that opalescent cerulean, such a beautiful color he always thought. That was all it took for him to know that this was that Kuroko, his Kuroko.

'It's him! He came back!'

Not knowing when he did, but he did. He got out of his seat and flew towards the front of the room tackling the blue-head in a bear hug, causing them both to fall in a heap on the ground. He was so happy to have this person back, he waited so long, and now finally they were back, back with him. "You came back." he sighed out in the other's ear. Tightening his grip as if the other would vanish at any moment, afraid that this is all a trick his mind was playing on him. But it wasn't, this was real, the person in his arms is real.

Suddenly a pair of hands were on him pulling him up and off of the smaller boy who was trapped under him. "Get off of him." It was Harasawa-sensei that was trying to separate them.

It was a shock to all of them as a brown blur suddenly took off towards the front and tackled the new student shortly after he introduced himself. It soon wore off as people looked on curious as to why Ogiwara did that. He was always acting strange and would get into trouble with the professors from not paying attention and by sleeping in class, but this was a new one.

"What's gotten into you? You can't just do that to somebody!" Harasawa reprimanded Ogiwara. "Are you okay?" he then asked the blue-haired youth, who nodded as he slowly got up and brushed off his clothes.

"Sorry about that," Ogiwara apologized to Kuroko. "I guess I got too excited."

Sighing, Harasawa waved them off. "Go back to your seat, Ogiwara. Kuroko please take an empty seat anywhere."

Seeing his chance he grabbed the hand closest to him, and lead Kuroko back to where his seat was located. He didn't see a problem with this as he didn't have anyone seated beside him and Kuroko needed a seat, so it was perfect.


It was tough during the lecture; being so close, yet unable to talk. With the way the professor was watching him like a hawk to keep him in line, especially from that stunt he pulled earlier. He also didn't want to disturb Kuroko, he was always the studious type, unlike himself. 'At least that hadn't changed.'

Opting out of following the lecture, he instead observed his new seatmate. The years had been good to the other, as he was now a handsome young man. He was still shorter and slimmer than him and had the same expressionless look on his face. He let his hair grow a little as it now fell in layers with the longest brushing the back of his neck. His eyes were still the color of a clear summer sky. He seemed the same, but older, yet there was something different about him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something changed.

His mind was full of the boy beside him and for the remainder of the class, thoughts about the other and questions he was dying to ask filled his mind. Questions like: Why did he come back? What happened back then? Did he ever get the letters he had sent?

'I'll get my chance to ask them soon enough. After class ends we can talk and catch up on everything we missed.' Nodding to himself, he sat back and willed for the minutes to pass faster.


As soon as the clock struck the next hour, Harasawa dismissed the class. 'Finally!' Turning to the side to face Kuroko, he opened his mouth to speak, only to find the one he wanted to talk to gone. There was no trace of him ever being there.

"Hey Sakurai, Fukuda. Did y'all see Kuroko leave?" He asked his two friends seated behind him.

"No, sorry, I didn't see him. Sorry." Sakurai said, and Fukuda just shook his head.

"Thanks anyway." Ogiwara said as he threw his books in his bag and slung it over his shoulder and took off out of the room to look for the elusive blunet. It was a big campus and a lot of people, but he had time and he really wanted to talk to Kuroko again.


Looking around everywhere in hopes of spotting the blunet, but not having any luck in his search. About to give up in his search of the campus, he then spotted a blue head of hair belonging to the boy he was searching for who was currently resting under the shade of a tree in the courtyard reading a book.

Staring at the sight of the other sitting on the ground under that tree as the shade blocked the sun from reaching him and the wind gently ruffled his hair. It sent a wave of nostalgia through him. Looking at the scene before him reminded him of when they first met. He remembered it clearly, it was a vivid image in his mind; the bright green of the lush grass and the pale pink of the flowers in the tree that when the wind blew some would softly tinker down and float away in the breeze.

He was in the park near his home with some friends to play hide-and-seek. He was supposed to hide, and after searching the area he thought he found the perfect spot that no one could find, only to realize that it was occupied by this small boy with his nose pressed into a book. Just like that time he found him self walking towards the other, his sights transfixed on the other and as he got closer, just like that time a pair of cerulean eyes the same shade of blue as the clear sky overhead.

"I've been looking for you. You vanished as soon as class ended and I couldn't find you anywhere." He said as a smile bloomed on his face at being able to get the chance to speak with his long lost friend.

"You still really like books, don't you? I remember, there was hardly a day that went by that you didn't have a book with you, I'm glad that didn't change. So what kinda book are you reading now?" Ogiwara asked as he sat down beside the other under the tree. "Is it one of those weird books you always liked back then?"

Kuroko marked the page he was reading and put his book down. He looked towards the other that was now seated beside him. Opening his mouth he said, "I'm sorry, but who are you?"