Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket is owned by Fujimaki Tadatoshi
A/N: I was supposed to post this yesterday but I got sidetracked and procrastinated a little. But better late then never, right?
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2nd Quarter: Reenactment
Kuroko half-listened as their English teacher droned on about the rules and such on her class. Since it was the first day, the teachers seemed more laidback, just explaining what they will expect for the rest of the school year. But he knew that it was just a farce and after the first week was over, they'll turn back to being serious and pushed their students to study harder. Such is the way of being a Teikou Middle School student or so he had heard.
Working the advantage of having a weak presence, he looked out the window and watched the sakura petals in the courtyard dance around in the wind and fall into the ground. Sensing someone's eyes on him, he turned to his seatmate—Akashi Seijuurou, who was slightly smiling at him and nodded his head to the front.
He focused his attention back to the teacher, who was explaining about a year-long project and told them to pick a partner for it.
"You wouldn't mind if I'm your partner, right Tetsuya?"
Kuroko turned to the red head beside him. He got the feeling that Akashi wasn't really asking him but more of a decision being made and had no choice but to go along with it. Nevertheless, he nodded his consent. "I don't mind having Akashi-kun as my partner."
They shifted their focus back to their English teacher though his mind was still at his red haired classmate. It was subtle but from his observations, Akashi seems to know a lot of things about him like volunteering to be his partner and even offered to be his tutor in his weakest subjects such as Science, Math and just now English. Akashi even helped him to be noticed by the teachers when they took attendance. Also, Akashi lent him a copy of a book that they were going to discuss in Japanese Literature and even recommended interesting novels from the library that suits his tastes even if he hasn't told him that he was an avid reader (though technically, he was reading when Akashi first saw him but still that doesn't say much). And Akashi even offered him vanilla candy during their break time and vanilla is his favorite.
But even so, he wasn't worried. He got a feeling that Akashi isn't a dangerous person and wouldn't try to harm him. He was just curious as to why the red head seemed to know him though he could pass his observations off as coincidence.
The school bell then rang, signaling their lunch break. Kuroko tidied up his notes before taking out the bento his mother made.
"Tetsuya, let's have lunch together," said Akashi.
It didn't escape his notice that Akashi seemed to order a lot and even most of their classmates listen to him and do as he bid, but he couldn't blame them. The red head exudes a charismatic charm and showed excellent leadership capabilities that you couldn't just help but follow his lead.
"Where do you suggest we eat Akashi-kun?" he asked.
"The rooftop," Akashi simply answered and gestured for him to follow.
xXx
"You really don't eat much, do you Tetsuya?" Akashi asked as he watched him eat.
Kuroko glanced at his meager bento and to Akashi's elegant one. "I don't have much of an appetite."
"You should eat a little more Tetsuya," Akashi said. "It will do well for your body and health."
"I'll keep that in mind Akashi-kun," he said before taking a bite of his karaage.
Akashi sighed at his answer but they resumed eating their lunch in companionable silence. Even though they've only just recently met, he sensed camaraderie between him and Akashi. He hoped that they'll be good friends throughout their middle school.
Akashi broke the silence between them. "Are you interested in joining any club Tetsuya?"
Kuroko nodded before swallowing. "I'm going to join the basketball club."
"What a coincidence, I'm going to join the basketball club as well."
He blinked. "Really? Akashi-kun is playing basketball, too?"
"Yes," Akashi nodded. "It's a sport that uses not only your physical aspects but your mental abilities for strategizing as well."
"That's true," he agreed. "Does Akashi-kun play basketball well?"
"You could say that," Akashi vaguely replied. "What about you Tetsuya?"
"I'm not that particularly good," he said. "I can't even shoot the ball properly through the net." He turned to Akashi, who was watching him carefully. "But I'll do my best and practice hard so I could play in matches. I have a promise to fulfill after all."
He noticed how Akashi slightly gripped his chopsticks tighter in the corner of his eye when he said that but quickly dismissed it.
"What kind of promise?" Akashi asked before eating a tamagoyaki.
Kuroko let out a small smile as he recalled his promise with Ogiwara. "I made a promise with my childhood friend that we'll face each other again in an official match."
Akashi looked at him. "You do know that Teikou has at least a hundred members in their basketball club, right?"
"They do?" he asked in surprise. Truthfully, he didn't know that.
"Yes," said Akashi, nodding a little. "I've heard that their try-outs are hard and they follow strict rules since they want maintain their winning streak in the Championships."
He thoughtfully looked down at his lunch. "Hearing that from Akashi-kun, I wonder if I could even join much less play."
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to discourage you Tetsuya."
He brought his gaze back to his red haired classmate.
Akashi smiled. "I'm sure you'll do just fine."
Kuroko gave the red head a small smile of his own. "Thank you Akashi-kun."
Was it his imagination or did he saw a flicker of pain in Akashi's eyes for a second?
He mentally shook his head. "I hope I'll get to play with Akashi-kun in the same court one day."
Akashi smiled a secretive smile. "Don't worry Tetsuya. I'm sure we'll get to play together soon."
xXx
Akashi and Kuroko were walking down the hallway as they made their way back to their classroom when someone called for Akashi.
"Aka-chin~"
The both of them looked back and saw a very tall student with purple hair languidly walking up to them while munching some chocolate bar in right hand while the other carrying a plastic bag filled with variety of snacks and was staring at them thoughtfully.
"Aka-chin, Kuro-chin, how are you?" Murasakibara greeted them.
At the corner of his eyes, Akashi noticed Kuroko's confused expression and before Murasakibara could expose their secret, he introduced the purple head. "Tetsuya, this Murasakibara Atsushi, a friend of mine." He turned to Murasakibara, staring at him knowingly, giving him a silent message. "Atsushi, this Kuroko Tetsuya, my classmate."
He watched as Kuroko silently let the purple head pat him on the head. "Does Murasakibara-kun know me? You called me Kuro-chin."
He interrupted before Murasakibara could come up a lie to answer the teal head's question. "Tetsuya, you wouldn't mind if I talk with Atsushi first, would you?"
Kuroko shook his head. "I don't mind Akashi-kun. I'll go ahead then." He slightly bowed to Murasakibara and said, "Nice to meet you, Murasakibara-kun."
He watched Kuroko's retreating figure before turning to Murasakibara. "Follow me."
Akashi led the purple head in the courtyard where they could freely talk alone without any interruption and without anyone hearing their conversation.
"Aka-chin, doesn't Kuro-chin remember us?" Murasakibara asked, once they were alone.
He crossed his arms. "It's more accurate to say that Tetsuya didn't come from the future like us," he said.
"Aka-chin doesn't seem surprised that I also came from the future."
He stared at Murasakibara for a moment before turning to the sakura trees and its falling flowers. "It doesn't make any sense if I was the only one who went back in time specifically in here. I figured that the rest of our former team is here as well."
He returned his gaze back to the purple head. "Though I'm quite surprised that Atsushi first noticed that everyone else is here as well."
Murasakibara shrugged at him. "I only noticed because Aka-chin moved to Kuro-chin's class."
Akashi nodded, accepting his reason. "Good. We'll explain to everyone else about Tetsuya when we see them at the gym later."
"Eh, even Kise-chin? Won't he join next year?"
"Ryouta wouldn't waste time to interact with Tetsuya and Daiki earlier. Besides, he wouldn't pass up the chance to steal the regular spot from Haizaki," he explained.
"That's true," Murasakibara agreed. He then stared at him thoughtfully. "What about Kuro-chin, Aka-chin? Are you going to teach Kuro-chin his misdirection now so he could be placed at the first string with us?"
He shook his head. "Not yet, Tetsuya isn't ready yet."
"What do you mean Aka-chin?"
"The reason Tetsuya successfully developed misdirection from the clues I'd given him before was his unyielding determination to play with Daiki in the same court as well as his promise with his childhood friend. The rest I helped him foster it," he said. "If I tell Tetsuya the misdirection style now, he wouldn't give the same exact result as he did in the original timeline and wouldn't be able to improve greatly. Tetsuya has to resolve himself into doing the best he can for himself and for the team."
"I understand," said Murasakibara. "Aka-chin really expects a lot from Kuro-chin, huh?"
Akashi smiled a small smile. "Of course, Tetsuya is the only person who exceeded my expectations after all."
xXx
Kise whistled as he made his way to gym where the basketball try-outs are. He waited for the whole class to end so he could finally join the basketball club. His amber eyes wandered around the gym as he stepped inside, shocked at how many students were there for the try-outs. Since he only joined at the start of his second year, he never knew that there were a lot of people hoping to be a part of the Teikou basketball team. He guessed it was to be expected considering Teikou's reputation.
He casually strolled around, hoping to see familiar faces even if they didn't know him yet. And, of course, he first saw the tallest person inside the gym, his purple hair and the overflowing snacks he was carrying around was making him standout. He happily made his way towards Murasakibara. He could befriend the purple head earlier and it would give him a sense of familiarity if he's with Murasakibara.
He stopped at the purple head's left and gave a friendly smile. "Hi," he greeted.
Murasakibara turned to him still munching a chocolate bar. "Ah, Kise-chin you're here."
He laughed. "Yeah, I was—"he suddenly stopped and stared wide-eyed at the purple head. "W-What?! Y-You—"
"You were right Aka-chin," said Murasakibara.
"I'm never wrong Atsushi."
Kise knew that voice. His eyes shifted to the person beside the purple head and gulped when Akashi's sharp red eyes caught his. "A-Akashicchi?"
"You look like you've seen a ghost Ryouta," Akashi nonchalantly commented.
He took a step back and bumped into someone. He spun around to apologize only to stop.
"Watch where you're go—Kise?"
His jaw dropped open in shock. "A-Aominecchi!"
"AHH!" they both screamed while pointing at each other incredulously.
"What the hell are you doing here Kise?"
"You, too!" he shouted and then paused. "Wait, you know me?!"
"What's with all the ruckus here?"
He and Aomine both whirled around and found Midorima walking towards them while carrying a phone book in his left hand.
"Mi-Midorimacchi!"
The green head's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion at seeing him. "Kise?"
"Good, now everyone is here."
Every one of them turned to Akashi after he said that; as if the red head planned all of this to happen (he wouldn't be surprised if that were the case).
Akashi eyed each of them. "It's a good thing that all of you remembered our usual meeting place—under Atsushi."
"I'm not a landmark Aka-chin," Murasakibara pouted.
"Wait just a damn second!" Aomine shouted, glaring at Akashi. "What the hell is going on here?!"
"I will explain, but first"—Akashi glared right back at Aomine—"lower your voice Daiki. You're attracting unwanted attention."
Kise's eyes furtively glanced around and finally noticed that almost everyone in the gym were staring and whispering about them.
"There's a free spot over there Aka-chin," Murasakibara said as he pointed somewhere to their right.
"Let's go," Akashi ordered, leading the way.
And as if on auto-pilot, Kise found himself silently following the red head with no complaints and with the rest of his former—or rather future teammates in tow.
xXx
"Okay, tell me, what's going on?" Aomine immediately asked as soon as they were out of earshot. "Are all of you here also from the…from the…"
"Yes, we also came from where you were Daiki," supplied Akashi when he couldn't finish his sentence.
He stared at the red haired for a while. "You're kidding me, right? How did all of you get here? Why the hell are we even here in the first place?!"
"You're panicking Aomine," Midorima observed.
"Who wouldn't!?" He turned his eyes back to Akashi. "Tell me, why did this happen? You know everything, right Akashi?"
Akashi raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm surprise that you highly regard me that way, Daiki. But unfortunately, even I don't know why or how we sent back here. All I know is that somehow the answer lies with Tetsuya."
He blinked. "Tetsu?"
"Wait, Akashicchi," Kise interrupted. "Was Kurokocchi sent back here, too just like us?"
Akashi shook his head. "No, he didn't."
Aomine scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "If Tetsu didn't came back here with us then what made you say that Tetsu is the answer to all of this?"
Akashi stared at him for a moment and though Akashi's eyes were both still red, he instinctively knew that Akashi was observing him with his Emperor Eye. "You and I both know that Tetsuya is the focal point of what happened before." Akashi crossed his arms and pensively eyed each of them. "There's no point in pretending, we all knew what we must do if we sent back here, right?"
Kise pocketed his hands in his shorts while frowning. "To stop what happened in third year, to what happened—to what we did to his friend," he answered.
"Even before that Ryouta," said Akashi.
Aomine stared at a distance, he couldn't face them when his mind kept replaying what happened in middle school, particularly…"To strengthen our bond with Tetsu instead of destroying it," he find himself answering.
Akashi nodded. "That's right."
"But Akashi," Midorima interjected. "Even if we knew what's going to happen it doesn't mean that everything will go accordingly to what we want. What if because we changed one instance and another outcome that we didn't predict will come? What if somehow this outcome is more severe than we can handle?"
"I already thought of that Shintarou," said Akashi. "We'll take that risk. But just the same, we won't change any major occurrences that will happen up to the point where we diverge from the original timeline and maintained our bond as a team. Understood?"
Kise sighed and shook his head. "I really don't get it but we just have to reconnect and get along, right?"
"Kise-chin is really slow~" Murasakibara remarked and looked at Akashi, ignoring Kise's whines. "Does that mean that we will be here for three years? What about the place where we came from, Aka-chin?"
"It's safe to say that since we changed the past, the future will change as well."
Kise looked at Akashi in shock. "So what you're saying Akashicchi is that we might go back to a future that is different than where we came from? Like I won't meet all my senpai in Kaijou?"
"That is a possibility," answered Akashi. "But we could still separate and attend the high schools we picked so the future won't change dramatically."
"Ugh! This is all so confusing!" Kise complained.
Akashi then turned to look at him. "Daiki, you're too quiet."
Aomine averted his eyes from those sharp red ones. "I heard you, just like Kise said we just have to get along, right? It's a pain in the ass if you ask me, we're not that even close before," he said, shrugging casually but judging by the stare that Akashi was giving him, he knew that he wasn't fooling anyone.
"Akashi-kun."
He jumped in surprise and whirled around to find the teal head standing behind him, looking at Akashi.
Akashi softly smiled at Kuroko. "Ah, Tetsuya you're here."
He gaped at the red head in astonishment; it has been a long time since he last saw Akashi smiled. Recently, all his been doing is intimidating and staring down at people with that creepy eyes of his.
And as if hearing his thoughts, Akashi looked at him, frowning a little.
"Um, Akashi-kun," Kuroko interrupted before the red head could say anything to him and eyed each of them. "Are they all your friends?"
"Yes," Akashi promptly respond, making him and Kise choke on air. Akashi never treated or called them friends before.
Akashi walked towards the teal head and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Everyone, this is Kuroko Tetsuya," he introduced. "Tetsuya these are my friends, Midorima Shintarou, Kise Ryouta, Aomine Daiki and you already met Atsushi."
"Hi again, Kuro-chin~" Murasakibara greeted the teal head. "Do you want some snacks? I have vanilla candy."
Kuroko shook his head. "Thank you for the offer Murasakibara-kun but I'm afraid I have to refuse."
"Eh~ But it's vanilla Kuro-chin~"
"Maybe next time Murasakibara-kun."
"Wait," said Kise looking between Kuroko and Murasakibara. "You already know each other?"
Kuroko nodded. "Yes, we met during lunch time."
Kise pouted at that but seemed to quickly accept it and smiled brightly at Kuroko. He moved closer to the teal head and grabbed both of his hands. "Nice to meet you, Kurokocchi!"
Kuroko blankly blinked at the blond before looking down at their intertwined hands. "Likewise," said Kuroko, "is I would like to say but Kise-kun is getting too familiar and please refrain from calling me in that name."
"Kurokocchi, you're so mean!" Kise cried.
Aomine couldn't help but to let out an amused snort and smirked at the blond. "Too bad you're charm isn't working on him, huh Kise?"
"Shut up Aominecchi!"
Ignoring Kise, he turned to his former—or rather future shadow and partner. "Yo, Tetsu," he greeted nonchalantly though inside he was nervous.
"Nice to meet you Aomine-kun," replied Kuroko.
"Wait, how come Aominecchi, Murasakibaracchi and Akashicchi can call you in various nicknames while I can't?!" protested Kise.
Midorima smack the back of Kise's head with his phone book. "Because the way you call people is weird," he said before turning to Kuroko and greeted him. "Kuroko."
Kuroko slightly bowed. "Hello Midorima-kun."
Akashi patted Kuroko in the back. "Good, now that everyone is acquainted, let's head to the front. I just saw the coaches coming in."
"Okay," everyone chorused except for Aomine.
He gazed at Kuroko's back where Akashi touched him and then eyed the red head. Since when did Akashi become the type to touch people so casually? was his last thought before following everyone else.
xXx
Midorima watched as Kise jumped with the ball in his hand, copying one of Aomine's formless shots only for the ball to hit the board and bounce back to his face. He sighed when the blond fell unceremoniously on the floor.
"What the hell are you doing Kise? Get your ass in gear! It's basketball not dodge ball!" Aomine shouted in the sidelines.
"I'm trying!" Kise griped as he stood up from the floor.
"Then try harder, idiot! Or I'm the one who's going to smack you in the face with a ball!"
Trust Aomine to hurl insults and threats to someone as a form of encouragement though Kuroko was an exception to this…most of the time.
He pushed his glasses up his nose. Kise should have known better than to copy their movements from the future. Even if they have the knowledge that they accumulated in three years, their bodies were still that of a thirteen year old so they couldn't keep up with any of their techniques yet, physically.
As much as he hated to admit it, even he had a difficult time adjusting at first with his own body but he got well acquainted with it again after some time. He knows what he was capable of at this stage so he knew that he passed the try-outs with high marks and performed even better than he did the first time.
Aomine effortlessly breezed through the try-outs as if it was just warm up to him which isn't an entirely farfetched idea in the blue head's case. Akashi, of course, did everything perfectly as if he'll do anything less. While Murasakibara lazily did what he had previously done in the original timeline. And aside from Kise's recent mishap, he knew that every one of them will be placed in the first string.
Midorima then turned to Kuroko when he noticed that it was the teal head's turn. He once again sighed when Kuroko tried to do a lay-up only to miss. He almost forgot how Kuroko was terrible when it comes to shooting since it's been a long time since he last saw it and he was already used to seeing Kuroko's phantom shot.
Seeing Kuroko in such a state without his misdirection, he finally understands that the teal head was really weak. Although he have to admit that Kuroko is good at strategizing, not as good as Akashi for certain but he has a penchant for thinking up unusual ideas whenever he or his team in Seirin were in a tight spot.
He understands why Akashi opted to wait instead of just outright telling Kuroko about the misdirection style when Murasakibara told him about it. Kuroko has to have a strong determination so that he could unlock his own potential. It's not like he isn't determined now but it's not enough yet. Kuroko grows stronger when properly motivated.
Kuroko may be a shadow but he saw Kuroko grew stronger while playing with Seirin that he somehow emits a light of his own, although faint it was still there. And he knew that everyone from the Generation of Miracles, Seirin and Kagami could see it. A light that only a shadow could illuminate.
Midorima snapped out of his musings when he heard the whistle blow and Coach Sanada announced the results of the try-outs starting with the third string.
"…and number thirty-one, Kuroko Tetsuya," Coach Sanada finished.
He looked at the direction of Kuroko when his name was called but he was suddenly out of his sight.
"…and for the first string—"
His attention snapped back to the coach.
"—number eight, Aomine Daiki. Number eleven, Midorima Shintarou. Number twenty, Kise Ryouta. Number twenty-three, Murasakibara Atsushi and number twenty-nine, Akashi Seijuurou."
Midorima expected the outcome the same as in the original timeline with Kise being admitted as a difference. He looked down at his left hand and tightly clenched it. He has to train harder in shooting if he wants to be able to shoot like he does in the future. He won't wait until after the second championship for his talent to bloom. He'll force his talent to bloom with his own power if he had to.
xXx
Murasakibara was leaning against the wall while waiting for the others in the courtyard when the try-outs were done. Akashi told him to meet there so they could go to a convenience store and buy snacks as a way of celebrating. He was a little surprise to hear that from the red head but he didn't protest since it must be a part of the plan Akashi was devising. Why would he anyway, when there were snacks involved.
"Murasakibara-kun?"
He turned his head to the side and found Kuroko looking up at him with an expressionless face. He reached out a hand to ruffle his hair; Kuroko's hair was really soft. "Kuro-chin~" he greeted.
Kuroko closed one eye while he did that. "Please stop that Murasakibara-kun. I feel like I'm getting shorter if you continue to do that."
"Eh~? But I like touching Kuro-chin's hair," he complained but he did stopped what he was doing. "Do you need something Kuro-chin?"
"Yes," said Kuroko. "Have you seen Akashi-kun?"
He tipped his head to the side. "Aka-chin?" He looked back to the direction of the gym. "I think Aka-chin is talking to the coach."
"Is that so?"
He turned his eyes back to the teal head. "Why are you looking for Aka-chin, Kuro-chin?"
Kuroko shrugged. "Akashi-kun asked me to wait for him here."
"Oh~ Are you going to join us, too Kuro-chin?" he asked.
Kuroko blinked up at him. "Join in what?"
Before Murasakibara could answer the teal head, he was interrupted by Kise calling his name.
"Murasakibaracchi!" the blond stopped in front of him, panting. "How come you're done changing already?"
He shrugged. "Kise-chin is just so slow~"
"Kise, do you seriously think that Murasakibara will dawdle around when snacks are concerned?" Midorima said while walking towards them with Aomine behind him.
Kise confusingly looked at Midorima. "Eh? Snacks?"
Aomine's eyes looked around the courtyard. "Hey, where's Akashi?"
"Akashi-kun is talking to the coach."
Murasakibara amusingly watched everyone's shocked reactions when Kuroko finally announced his presence to them.
"Gah, Tetsu!"
"Ku-Kurokocchi?!"
"Kuroko!"
Unfazed at their startled yelps, Kuroko slightly bowed to them. "Hello."
"Stop scaring the hell outta me, Tetsu!" Aomine shouted while clutching his wildly thumping chest.
"I'm sorry," Kuroko apologized emotionlessly.
"How long have you've been standing there Kurokocchi?" Kise asked.
Murasakibara wasn't surprised when Kuroko, in his deadpan voice, said, "I've been here the whole time."
Midorima eyed Kuroko thoughtfully. "Are you waiting for Akashi, too Kuroko?"
"Yes," Kuroko nodded.
"Jeez, what's taking him so long anyway?" Aomine grumbled. "Telling us to meet here and then arrived late."
"If you're going to complain then you're welcome to go home Daiki."
Aomine jumped in surprise and whirled around to face Akashi. "Akashi!"
"Sorry. I've kept you waiting Tetsuya, Atsushi and Shintarou," Akashi said while eyeing each of them as he said their name.
"Why am I being left out?!" Kise whined which Akashi chose to ignore.
Kuroko stared at Akashi with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Is there a reason why you called me and everyone else here Akashi-kun?"
Akashi's mouth twitched upward in a smile. "Since we managed to successfully join the basketball club, I felt like celebrating."
Murasakibara was already notified beforehand and so was Midorima so they weren't shocked as Kise and Aomine were.
"Eh? Really Akashicchi?" Kise asked, staring at the red head like it was the apocalypse or something.
"The hell Akashi, did you hit your head or something?"
Murasakibara wondered if Aomine was the one who got hit in the head since he's been cursing while talking to Akashi for quite some time now. Doesn't he know the consequences to that?
"Ah, Daiki," said Akashi, smiling ominously. "You're training is tripled."
"The hell, you can't do that!" Aomine protested.
"Keep cursing and I'll quadruple it," Akashi said while looking at the blue head coolly. "And I can do that since Coach Sanada and Nijimura-senpai gave me free reign to do whatever I want with the rest of you."
Aomine gritted his teeth in frustration. "Sadistic tyrant," he muttered under his breath.
Akashi seemed to hear it though and casually said, "Quadruple."
Aomine have a hand in mind to shut his mouth before the red head could punish him more.
"Wait, Akashi-kun," Kuroko interrupted. "What do you mean the coach gave you free reign?"
Akashi looked at Kuroko. "I persuaded Coach Sanada that I'll be the one responsible for them and made sure that we'll be promoted to regulars."
"Akashi-kun sure is great," said Kuroko before looking forlorn. "I feel inadequate to the rest of you."
Murasakibara wasn't the only one who suddenly felt awkward at Kuroko's words. Thankfully, Kise saved the day and hugged Kuroko. "Don't worry Kurokocchi! Someday you'll join the first string and play with the rest of us. You have a unique talent that only you can use once you figure out what it is." Kise was sure laying it on thick out there.
Aomine forcibly grabbed Kise's collar and away from the teal head. "Damn it Kise, stop harassing Tetsu!"
"I wasn't!" Kise spluttered incredulously.
Akashi sighed in exasperation. "Let's just go to the convenience store before I changed my mind."
xXx
Once everyone has their GoriGori-kun that Kise paid for them much to his chagrin, they decided to hang around in front of the store.
Kise glared at the popsicle in his hand. "Why do I have to pay for everyone?" he muttered to himself.
"Thank you for the treat Kise-kun," said Kuroko.
Kise did a three hundred sixty degree and smiled dazzlingly at the teal head. "You're welcome Kurokocchi! I'll treat you anytime and anywhere."
"You're sounding like a creep Kise," Aomine commented, eyeing the blond dispassionately before he slung an arm to Kuroko's shoulders. "Tetsu, if you got the winning stick, let me have it."
"Sure," Kuroko nodded. "I don't think I can eat another one anyway." He turned his head to the side to look at Aomine. "But Aomine-kun, I'm not sure if I got the winning stick. There's a high chance that I won't have it."
Aomine ruffled Kuroko's hair, grinning slightly. "I'm pretty sure you'll get it."
Murasakibara tapped Kise on the shoulders. "Kise-chin, buy me a box of Maiubo~"
Kise almost choked on his Popsicle. "What am I, you're mom? And why do I have to buy you one?"
"But I'm still hungry~"
"Then, have Akashicchi or Midorimacchi treat you."
Murasakibara pouted. "But you have a lot of money Kise-chin."
"Midorimacchi and especially Akashicchi are richer than me!" Kise protested.
Midorima glared at Kise when he heard his name being mentioned. "Don't drag me into this Kise. And I only use my money for important things like my lucky items," he said, pushing his glasses at the bridge of his nose.
"Lucky items aren't important things!"
The bickering stopped when Kuroko announced, "Ah, I got it."
Everyone looked at Kuroko and to the popsicle stick in his hand that has the word 'win' written on it.
Aomine grinned. "Good job, Tetsu!" he exclaimed before taking the stick that Kuroko handed him and went inside the store so he could exchange it.
Murasakibara followed the blue head to the store as he pulled Kise with him ignoring his complains of "Let me go Murasakibaracchi! I'm not paying for you!" and since Kise can't free himself from the purple head's grasp, he clasped his hands around Midorima's right arm dragging the green head with them, "You're coming with us Midorimacchi!" much to Midorima's annoyance.
Kuroko watched them in amusement. He never saw a group of friends with so many clashing personalities but for some reason click together in a very strange way. "They're weird," he couldn't help but note.
Akashi lightly chuckled at his observation. "I supposed they are. We all are actually."
Kuroko stared at the red head beside him. "It's only because of Akashi-kun that I met them."
"You'll meet them eventually since we're in the same club," Akashi reasoned, staring back at the teal head with a soft smile on his face. "Welcome to the group Tetsuya."
Kuroko blinked in astonishment before smiling back at the red head. "Thank you Akashi-kun."