I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of it's characters but I wish I did, pic by Kuro-Arisu on DeviantArt

.

Chapter 2: Greetings from a Stranger

.

"…Eh?"

Kagami blinked awake. He shifted on the park bench, groaning as he heard his joints click and knuckles crack with the flexing of his hand.

He hadn't been there long, definitely less than an hour, but other than the starry sky filling his vision the only thing to catch the red-head's attention was a rhythm on cold gravel. That was what probably woke him up, it sounded like something familiar. Wait- it couldn't be, did those idiots leave their basketball there?

Kagami sat up quickly - too quickly for his head, he held it as he sat on the edge of the bench with a grimace on his face. The cool air wasn't the best on his cut lip and bruised face but he wasn't new to the feeling.

As he rubbed a rough hand on his face to wipe away the sleep he felt a damp cold that told him it was probably going to rain soon. No-one would believe that he would predict storms on instinct alone. Despite his torso aching from taking the brunt of the hits he told himself he would be able to grab that ball and make it home before any changes in weather. They better not have come back to get it, if anything a free ball wouldn't be bad as payback.

Though there was confidence in his thoughts he was a little tentative while walking back to the court. It's not like he didn't want to run into them again since he could totally give them a beating like this, it was just too late in the day to run into any more trouble. He grumbled more excuses like that as he pressed himself to a brick wall spy style, peeking through the fence to see who it was making that familiar sound. Then he was struck numb.

There was no-one there.

The sound had completely stopped without him noticing, and no ball was in sight either. Did he get some kind of brain damage from those assholes earlier? Just as Kagami looked away, thinking about giving up on it, he got a shock up his spine as the noise started again. He felt like shouting at the gods to knock it off but elected to calmly look back into the court instead. This time there was definitely something he didn't notice before. Rather than any old suspicious creep or beating-induced hallucination, what he saw was just some random kid bouncing the ball like he was dribbling on a normal court. Ugh, he must have just been tired or something to not have noticed them, plus whoever it was really blended in with the background. At least the ball was easy enough to follow.

The kid took a shot – form well practised, well timed, completely prepared. It barely even reached the net, and they didn't seem surprised.

The heck? What's this guy doing in the middle of the night?

He assumed it was a guy at least.

Before he could think to ask the same question for himself he moved into the court and made a loud sound as he leaned against the gate. Again the kid didn't seem surprised when he looked up to see him. In fact he was kind of expressionless. What made it worse was that the kid's stare was just as creepy as the kid himself. Instead of him being scared, Kagami was the one holding back shivers.

"What do you think you're doing out so late? Gotta be past your bedtime kid." The red-head called, still acting confident.

The kid frowned, holding the ball in his hands as he turned to the new person.

"I am probably older than you." Kuroko replied. "And I can take care of myself."

Kagami flinched from the blunt biting reply, but then walked over with a smirk. "Watcha talkin bout pipsqueak? Little guys like you should be careful without friends in these parts. How can you be so sure you're older?" He taunted and gripped the smaller male on the head with his large hand, only getting a half-ass'd glare in return.

"Because only a young person would be idiotic enough to pick a fight with Hanamiya and his friends. That or you are just an idiot in general."

Kagami's eyes went wide, a second later turning to a glare with a dark smile.

"Oi oi, you'd better not be saying you're those guys' little friend now, kid."

Kuroko didn't bother to frown this time, just hit away the hand on his head after Kagami's grip tightened.

"No, they walked right passed me on my way here. I heard one of them say his name. Besides, after that…" He looked down to the ball and turned it in his hands. "I recognised him from a game; he plays national basketball for his school."

"Is that so?" The red-head frowned and took a moment to watch him.

Now that he thought about it, it was a little weird. Sure the guy was short but no shorter than a lot of people in his year. Since Kagami was used to people being intimidated by his size alone it caught him off guard that he never even looked away from the towering red-head. As well as that, this guy really did have no presence at all. Nothing was noticeable about him aside from being a little creepy - his scent wasn't even strong or weak, just invisible. It was like if his mind trailed off for a second he would forget he was even there. At least he would if he wasn't standing so close to him. Short height, light and baggy clothes, just as light hair and pale skin as well – was he trying to imitate a ghost?

Ugh what was he doing, he didn't have time for this!

"Whatever, just give me that ball."

"No."

"What the heck? That's my payback and I'm gettin' outta here." Kagami growled, threatening to grip his head again but Kuroko kept his cool.

"But I'm not."

"What are you a spoiled brat?!"

There was a flinch at that.

"I hope not. But I don't want to go home yet and the ball in my room was tossed away."

"Ugh what the hell…"

Kagami scratched the back of his head and sighed, only looking up again when he heard the bouncing of the ball start once more.

"If you want this ball, you will have to play for a bit. If you win you get to keep the ball."

"Huh? Play one on one against you? You couldn't even shoot anywhere near the net!"

"Yes. And you can only see properly through one eye after getting your ass handed to you."

Kagami grit his teeth. This kid had a mouth on him as well after all.

"Fine, not like anything's gonna change. First to three wins. That ball is mine."

Kuroko gave a nod of determination and a second later the ball was flying through the air.

The match didn't last long.

Of course the much taller male got the ball first and teased him with it easily thanks to the height difference. He travelled round the court, pretending to taunt him but really testing a bit of his reflexes at the same time until he was unimpressed enough to finish it with a dunk. Another round and Kuroko had the ball – not for long. It got stolen off of him and went through the hoop in one swift motion. The next time was the same as well; Kagami grabbed the ball, shot once but flinched thanks to his wounds and missed. Kuroko did get the rebound but missed as well only for Kagami to dunk it in as soon as it hit the hoop.

It was a short game barely even worth watching but still Kuroko seemed to be breathless by the end, especially compared to Kagami. The red-head would have been completely unimpressed if he wasn't so pleased that he was right about the guy.

"See? I told you kid, the ball is mine whether you use your 'scary eyes' at me or not."

Kuroko just stared back with those blank eyes of his. Finally he caught his breath and gave a light smile.

"Eh? What you lookin' at me like that for?"

"Ah, it's just," Kuroko closed his eyes and straightened out his shirt, "it's been so long since I last played with a real basket ball. And running around was fun too. Can we go another round?"

"What?!" Kagami's eyes widened. He looked like he was about to pick up the kid by his feet. "The ball is mine idiot! I'm gonna play with it when I want and right now I want a cold drink and late night TV." The redhead scoffed and took the ball, grabbing his jacket before leaving the court and heading down the street.

He didn't hear anything of protest from the little guy but he told himself he didn't care.

….

All at once he was alone again. The streets were so quiet; it was a mixture of peaceful and eerie.

Turning a few corners, the red-head moved into the apartment building and tapped for the elevator. As he waited a weird feeling snuck up on his chest.

To be honest it had been the first time in a long while that he had been able to talk to someone who wasn't angry at him for some reason or another, or even be with someone who seemed to be happy about something for that matter. Not counting his team of course. Whoever that was, he seemed… different. Mysterious if you want to talk fancy. Kagami couldn't help but accept that he wanted to know more about him, and that he might never get another chance to.

"Ah whatever, at least I got another chance to beat those bastards tomorrow." He sighed and spun the ball on his finger.

"Challenging them again tomorrow would be a bad idea."

"WHA-?!" Kagami almost tripped over his own feet and rushed to catch the ball before it fell out of his hands, himself ending up inside the opening elevator at the same time. He spun round to see a ghost boy coming out of the shadows. "What the heck are you doing here?!" Pissed off more than anything, he looked over to the kid that had apparently been following him.

"I've been here the whole time."

"No you damn- why?!" He hadn't even noticed him leave the court! Did this guy intend to follow him from the start?

Kagami frowned when he didn't get an answer and pressed his floor number, making a face when Kuroko followed in before the door closed.

"I'm not playing another game with you brat, I told you I was going home."

"And I told you I am not ready to go home yet. And I'm not a brat."

"Tch, bastard, do you want me to rip you a new one?"

Kuroko just raised his brow like he didn't understand – which just irritated Kagami even more.

"Argh, do whatever you want. I'm goin' home."

"I know. You've said that three times already."

"Shut it!" Kagami seethed. He took a breath, and then exhaled. "Fine, if that's how you're gonna play…"

Silence filled the cubic room. They stood beside each other, both staring at the door. The red-head tried to hide his restlessness. Lights filled up the buttons one at a time without pause until the only light was on the originally pressed button. Slowly the elevator came to a stop and the doors began to open.

Kagami bolted.

He jumped out, turned on his heels and launched himself down the hallway, not caring what his neighbours would have to say about him stomping outside their doors. The ball was in one hand while the other got his keys out early as he got closer and closer to his door, the air rushing past like a high speed chase. As soon as he made it to the goal he stumbled to a stop before unlocking the door easily. Not even trying to open the door wide enough for comfort, he slipped in and slammed the door shut without a second thought. At last all was at peace, he leaned against the door and sighed as he finally got to rest.

"Bastard, what was his problem?" He grumbled, holding his head.

He listened for a moment longer and turned around to face the door. His fingers twitched, telling him this wasn't over. His gaze turned to a glare, he even gave a snarl.

Eventually he gave into his instincts. He opened it only a crack and peered out to see if the guy was still there. "…Huh?" He opened the door just a little wider so that he could stick his head out. No stalker kid to be seen. With a sigh he shook his head and shut the door before starting to walk in like nothing had happened. "He finally gave up. Sure hope I don't run into him tomorrow."

"You probably won't."

A violent shock ran quick through his whole body – the stalker kid was right behind him!

"YOU, WHAT, HOW-"

"I predicted that you would run, and I'm good at slipping through tight spaces." Kuroko stared like it was nothing creepy at all. "Thank you for opening the door for me, you would have been too fast for me."

Kagami just stood there, speechless. He had been standing right in the middle of the opening in the door, but he still managed to slip by him when he was literally looking for him?

This guy… could not be good news.

"You know what-" The red-head opened the door and grabbed the stoic ghost by the collar, pushing him out the door and literally holding him off the floor since Kuroko refused to put his feet down. Kagami could just feel how much enough of this he'd had. "I'm not gonna hold my arm out forever, hope you like broken kneecaps kid."

"Wait a moment please."

Kagami made a face as the shorter boy clutched his wrists and tried to look at him over his shirt.

"I won't make a mess and have no intention of stealing; I really can't go home right now. There are… family issues."

Whether it was a good or bad sign there was silence between the two for a long moment. Kagami stared at him with a weird sort of glare, maybe testing whether or not he should believe him. On one hand this was a kid who silently stalked him back to his home. On the other the look in his eye was different to the blankness that he saw before. Eventually the red-head just sighed.

"Jeez." He growled as he threw him back inside. "I think you have more than just family issues. Take your damn shoes off."

Kuroko stumbled but managed to catch his balance quickly.

"Thank you."

He smiled lightly and watched Kagami walk in as he took off his shoes. He hoped the other wouldn't notice how fancy they were compared to the rest of his outfit but he was too distracted by how grateful his feet were to be free of them.

For the first time the blue haired boy looked around to see where he actually was. The place was surprisingly big; it looked kind of dull until the lights were turned on. Compared to its owner the place was actually sophisticated and overall relaxing to look at. The space was at least, but in actuality there was barely anything around apart from in the well-used kitchen and the clean bathroom. No fancy ornaments, nothing incredibly expensive looking overall, he actually found himself surprised that there were only useful things as far as he could see. Kuroko watched his host for a moment longer as the red-head sighed and threw his jacket over the nearest couch, then collapsed onto it with a sigh and turned the TV on.

"Oi, if you're going to hang around make yourself useful and get me something to drink from the fridge."

"Ah, sure." Kuroko removed himself from isolation and moved over to the kitchen. He found a surprise when he opened the fridge and picked up a bottle to look at. "Beer?" He raised a brow. "Do your parents let you drink this?"

"Not up to them. I live alone."

Kuroko frowned slightly and looked over to the other but was distracted again when he saw Kagami reach up with a grabby hand. He didn't have confidence in his tossing skill so just went over to give it to him.

"So you decide what is in this house?"

"Err, I guess? I can only afford the bare necessities. Everything you see here came with the house; parent's allowance only gives me enough to get by."

"I'm amazed you have survived."

"Oh Yeah? Why's that?" Kagami said boredly as he opened the bottle and took a drink.

"Because you are a young idiot."

"PFF-" He almost choked. "How many times you brat, I'm not younger than you!"

"And I am not younger than you, so this situation is impossible."

Kagami rolled his eyes and decided to ignore him, flipping the channel from the sports network that was only showing tennis while mumbling something about 'pansy sports' in a language Kuroko didn't know very well.

Seeing that there was nothing interesting happening on the screen Kuroko wandered off for a moment, only to come back later with a towel in his hand. He held it like a sack and slowly leaned over before pressing the large part of it onto the red-head's cheek.

"BWAGH!" Kagami scrambled away and glared at him with disdain. "What, the hell."

"I saw ice in your fridge. If you don't do anything about it you're going to be walking around with a closed eye and purple cheek tomorrow."

Kagami narrowed his eyes at him. But, to his own surprise, rather than arguing this time he swiped the make-shift icepack and grumbled as he put the cold to his cheek.

Kuroko stared as Kagami flipped through channels, both staying silent for now. He watched him lean back and stare at the TV, relaxing, continuing despite him. A part of him wondered if he had forgotten he was there already. "I'm not sure how to enjoy a beer in the middle of the night." He spoke up. "And whatever age either of us are I doubt you would be able to legally buy that."

"Huh? Oh. One of the seniors in the basketball team bought me a ton for winning an eating competition."

"Basketball team?" Kuroko seemed especially interested in this.

"Yeah, at my school." Kagami paused and stared at the bottle. He shook his head. "But, I'm thinking of quitting."

"…Why? You beat three people who play on national level easily and suddenly basketball isn't fun anymore?" Kuroko was trying his hardest not to think of the people he used to call friends.

"Nah, I could never hate basket ball." Kagami gave a smile for as long as the thought lasted. "But, our team keeps on getting beat by these guys from some posh-ass schools and if we don't start making it big I wont be able to rely on basketball forever. Everyone's bugging me about my studies and stuff; it's hard to keep doing what you love when the world doesn't want you to."

Kuroko's gaze lowered. He knew that feeling all too well.

"Well, whatever." The red-head sighed as he continued. "Everyone on the team keeps saying we need a push, something to break through the line. But without that guess there's nothing I can do."

For a moment there was silence.

"I can do it."

"Hm?"

"I can help you win if you want."

Kagami stopped what he was doing, looked round and gave Kuroko a glare.

"Bullshit. You can't shoot for shit."

"Yes, but my skills aren't in that field."

"There is no way I will believe you can dunk."

"No, not that either. It is hard to explain without showing you."

"Right, sure."

Kagami didn't look very convinced as he looked back to the TV. Kuroko frowned.

How could he convince him…?

"The 'rich guy' teams, is the captain of one of them Akashi Seijuro?"

"Huh? Yeah I think so, haven't played 'em yet. How did you know?"

"I am on his team." He was going to say 'was' but he wanted to convince Kagami as best he could.

Neither of them moved.

"No fucking way."

"Yes."

"You?"

"Yes."

"You're lying. That's the best team in the country, and like I said you can't play for shit."

"If you don't want to even try then that's your loss."

Kagami frowned, staring daggers at the kid.

"If you want to keep playing basketball, I want to help you." Kuroko stared back.

Their glares showed very different levels of trust. Taking such a wild swing in the dark, Kagami had a bad feeling that he should think about the offer more than just him 'wanting to help'. He was just too… ghostly.

Kagami turned back to the TV, still silent for just a moment longer.

"Do what you want…"

This time it was Kuroko who was surprised. That was a tone he had never heard before; he didn't know what to think about it. In the end there was nothing he could do, so for now he just went round to sit on the couch with him.

The sound and light from the box was just barely enough to keep them both from closing their eyes. Maybe it was getting late after all.

"My name is Kuroko Tetsuya."

Kagami blinked and looked over to see the other still just staring at the TV. He paused and then looked back as well.

"Kagami Taiga."

Taiga.

Tiger?

"You're a cat."

"Where the hell did that come from?!"

Kuroko couldn't hold in his smile.

.

Chapter 2: End

.

Gaaaaaaaaaaagh I cant believe I got favs and follows after just the first chapter! I'm so happy TTuTT

Thanks for taking a read guys, hope I captured the characters in-character enough since it's a little hard when swerving away from the canon storyline.

If you've got something to say please make sure to review so that I can improve future chapters, and I shall see you for next week's upload~