Pairing: Kirisaki Daiichi/Kuroko and any combination of the team
Word Count: 4,720 Words
I have a feeling a lot of people are not going to like how I ended this chapter...
"Didn't I tell you Kurokocchi was awesome? Did you see how he stole the ball from you? He's so cool…" Kise cooed as he stared intensely at the fellow Miracle on the other side of the court. Kasamatsu growled and jabbed the freshman in the gut. How could that idiot be so excited when they were down four points? Prodigies were absolutely insufferable during these moments. "Ah… so rough Kasamatsu-sempai…" The blonde whined. "You don't have to worry Kasamatsu-sempai. They don't have a strong, scoring member to go with Kurokocchi's passes, which means eventually when they have to bench him or they get too tired, we have free reign of the court. Besides, like I said, they don't have someone strong enough to pair with him and use him to his fullest potential." The Kaijou Captain was confused by the model's analysis until he saw the yellow hue in Kise's eyes intensify. So the idiot was going to play seriously? The spiky-haired man sighed; despite not liking the younger player, Yukio had faith in his team's ace and his talents. Both teams faced each other, and both appeared to have a devious plan in the work. Kaijou's ace and Kirisaki Daiichi's shadow stared at each other, and Kise could not help but feel his stomach coil when he saw the sly, coy smile that graced the usually expressionless face. "Neh Kurokocchi, do you know the team that your sempais beat 89-85 during the Winter Cup Preliminaries?"
"Yes, Seirin High School, I saw the match." It was the fateful day the shadow met Hanamiya Makoto.
"Our practice match with them was actually pretty interesting. They have a guy that is a pretty good, power forward that reminds me of Aominecchi." Kise smiled as he recalled the red-and-black haired kid. "He's not as good obviously, but he was the one that prevented us from double-scoring his team. We only won 108-79." Ryouta did not like the way Tetsuya snorted at his words. "Kurokocchi, what's so amusing?" Kise pouted.
"You should not try to sound intimidating Kise-kun. It is like a boy trying to wear his father's suit." Kuroko said and walked to his needed position for his plan. He leaned over quickly to his Captain, and whispered "I want everyone to fake that we're struggling, allow Kaijou to even the score until I get everything set up. Make sure that when the time comes, that everyone is always ready to receive the ball." The Uncrowned King nodded.
"If this causes us to be unable to regain our lead, you will be punished." Makoto sneered but it did not seem threatening. The phantom nodded and readied himself for continued battle. As requested, Hanamiya silently commanded his team with tiny gestures to fake bad shots, weak passes, and breaks in concentration in order to lull Kaijou into an elated and unknowing state. The score was now in Kaijou High School's favor in 23-22, but Coach Genta was uneasy.
Kaijou had control of the ball again, Moriyama dribbling while Kasamatsu tried to figure out what was going on and why they were building momentum at this time. Unfortunately in the middle of thinking, a flash of powder blue zoomed by and pushed the ball out of Moriyama's hands. It looked as if the ball was going straight into Kirisaki Daiichi's power forward Hara, even the lavender-haired boy was surprised when the low ball bounced higher and changed course to go to the right, and into Hanamiya's hands. Everyone was stunned into silence as they watched the bad boy of basketball rushed in and scored an easy two points, making the score 24-23 in his team's favor once again. Furuhashi's eyebrows rose in shock, but when he saw the corners of the younger, small forward curl upwards he could not stop his own from doing the same. So this was what he had in mind. When everyone snapped out of their initial shock and continued playing, the dead-eyed teen observed the shadow to understand what was going on. Kuroko's movements did not seem different or out-of-the-norm until the sky-blue teen dashed in for another opportunity. The shot that curved sharply was caused by the extreme contortions of the first year's body, specifically his right arm. Kuroko would twist practically every muscle in that limb from his shoulders to the delicate wrist and fingertips, putting a heavy spin on the ball. While it appeared to be another, low pass to put pressure on the opponents' knees who would try to steal the ball, the spin would cause the call to curve in the direction Tetsuya truly desired the orange sphere to go, causing the massive confusion. It was brilliant. While the passes from the transparent teen were fast, they were not hard to predict. To add this weapon to their arsenal, the confusion and psychological pressure would make them even more formidable.
Kise frowned. It was like the former trump card of the Generation of Miracles to have some new technique under his belt. It was the annoying thing about Kuroko Tetsuya. The boy cannot shoot accurately, dunk, and even his dribbling skills were poor, and yet he was someone they all had to acknowledge as their equal. But the blonde would not be stopped that easily. Yet, where the ball would bounce depended on Kuroko's desire, but there were those few moments where it traveled like a normal ball. All one had to do was snatch the ball before it bounced and changed course like a mad man. Kise sensed by instinct that his former instructor was going in for another steal, and prepared himself. The ball was smacked out of Kobori's hold, and Ryouta dashed towards the ball. While it was fast, Kise was faster and the copycat grinned when his palm made contact. However, he did not expect the ball's spin to still have an effect even when it made contact with his hand, and before the blonde could clench his fingertips around the ball, the sphere jumped out of his grasp and into Yamazaki's. The shooting guard grinned triumphantly and took the easy shot. How was this possible? The ball should have been Kaijou's.
"I would be in trouble if you could counter my moves so easily Kise-kun." Kuroko quipped, as if he knew what his former teammate was thinking. Those mocking words awoke something feral inside Kise. No, he would not lose to someone that was worse than him. The blonde charged the ball and dunked, almost breaking the hoop in the process. He did not hear his Coach or Captain scold him for his reckless behavior. Kise was furious.
"I will not lose, even if it is Kurokocchi!" The blonde declared even if the score was 27-25 in Kirisaki Daiichi's favor. Hara turned to his shortest teammate, shocked by the personality change in the model.
"What did you say to the guy?" The bubblegum teen asked.
"I only spoke the truth." The invisible man shrugged. Kazuya laughed.
"No wonder he's angry." The lavender-haired boy said. Hanamiya ordered both of them to stop slacking off, but neither seemed bothered by his harsh words. They were having fun. Kirisaki Daiichi's Captain and Coach grabbed Kuroko's arm, giving a bored an annoyed look.
"Yes Captain Hanamiya," Kuroko addressed.
"I'm bored. Is this really it?" Makoto said, resembling a bitterly disappointed child. The shadow sighed and gave a soft smile to the Uncrowned King.
"I guess I could return all the favors Captain Hanamiya has done for me." How would he do that?
Hanamiya got his answer soon after that. It just appeared to be another curving pass, but it was quicker, savage, and almost pointless in nature, until it catapulted from the ground and collided into the unprepared Moriyama Yoshitaka. The basketball with unusual speed and spin crashed into the dark-haired, shooting guard's wrist, causing the third year to howl in pain. Coach Genta and the referee gasped, immediately whistling and stopping the game. Yoshitaka tried to laugh it off as a careless mistake and wave everyone off, but Kasamatsu knew his best friend better than that. Moriyama was subbed out with Nakamura Shinya, who adjusted his glasses and took off up warm-up jacket to prepare himself for the game. Kise gave his lady-obsessed sempai a look of pity, but could not help but think there was something sinister about all of this. The blonde turned away as a Second String member escorted Kaijou's shooting guard to the nurse's office, seeing Kuroko looking at everything blankly. While it was not an unusual sight to see on the pale teen, he usually expressed some remorse or concern if someone was injured. But Ryouta felt himself being pulled by something dark and ugly, drawing his attention from Tetsuya and towards the bad boy of basketball. Those dark, almost muddy green eyes were glowing with a gold tint, thick brows raised in interest, and full lips were formed into a devious smile. He knew injuries were the Uncrowned King's style, but this was done by Kuroko. The sky-blue teen would never do this… would he? He was part of the Generation of Miracles, too talented to require such a thing, and they were loyal to Akashi and his rules. There was no way that Kise's former teammate was actually thinking he would defy the Captain of the Miracles with Hanamiya Makoto by his side? Kise observed Hanamiya calmly saunter to the shorter teen, and placed a hand of gratitude and amusement on Kuroko's slight shoulders. No… it is impossible…
"Kurokocchi…" Kise sighed. He sounded like he was about to cry. He rushed to his former teammate and lifted the phantom by his jersey. "How could you do that to Moriyama-sempai? Is Hanamiya telling you to? Don't let him control you! I can help you! If he is threatening you, I can get you help. Don't do this to yourself Kurokocchi… this is not you. This isn't the man that I admire…" Ryouta quivered and shouted. But Kuroko only gave his former teammate a bored look and a request to be put down on the ground. Kise tightened his grasp on the shirt as if that futile action would solve everything.
"Kise, you're an idiot! Put him down. It was an accident. No one could have predicted this would happen." Kasamatsu tried to reason with his ace. Kise gulped. No, if it is the one that was dangling from his grasp, anything was possible.
"Kise, you better put him down now!" Kaijou's Coach commanded. The blonde shuddered, but did as he was told. This would not end like this. He would not lose Kuroko or this game to Hanamiya. Too bad for Kise, he had already lost the first one to the Uncrowned King.
The score was kept close after that, all due to Kise's determination. Still, everyone could tell that Kirisaki Daiichi was controlling the flow. Through unusual, spinning passes, Hanamiya and Seto's perfect positioning, and the constant pressure from the Spider Web made it so that Kaijou was always playing catch up. Even though Kise was strong, he could not handle all five guys on the team. Just as he was about to catch a pass from Yukio, Ryouta made the mistake of not moving. Instead, he witnessed the sky-blue boy zip by and passed the ball to Hara. But through Kise's mistake, the blonde knew Kuroko made one too. The phantom revealed his new technique to the copycat's ever-observant eyes. The learning prodigy did not witness all of the motion, only the follow-through of the wrist and fingertips, but it was enough for him to guess how it was done. Now the only thing Ryouta had to do was to think of how to utilize it to its fullest. Where would it hit Kirisaki Daiichi the most? Deep in thought, Kise did not notice his mark switched places with Kuroko, meaning the invisible teen was going to try to foul him to break his rhythm and allow an opening for the bad boys in teal. Kise drove hard, not realizing the sky-blue teen's plan and collided against the smaller boy hard. Hanamiya knew Kuroko was not as fragile as he appeared, but the collision sounded painful. The Captain of Kirisaki Daiichi sprinted to his fallen subordinate, a little startled to see a trail of blood from the aquamarine teen's forehead and down to the top of his cheek. Hara gasped, his gum fell out of his mouth as he did so.
"Kuroko, are you okay?" Seto asked worriedly. The shadow of the team nodded as he got up, but his vision was blurry and he lacked the balance to stand properly. Tetsuya fell backwards and almost hit his head again had Yamazaki not rushed in and gently caught the petite player in his arms. Before Hanamiya could say anything, Furuhashi came with the first aid kit to patch the wound. Everyone stood back as the pale teen was gently placed on the floor and Hanamiya kneeled down to treat the head wound. Kise was about to apologize to the bleeding boy, but when he took a step towards him, all of the members of Kirisaki Daiichi glared at the blonde. Nakamura put a hand on the remorseful, small forward's shoulder, and assured their youngest member that Kuroko's team could ten to him for now. Five minutes later, Hanamiya had bandaged the wound and ordered Seto and Hara to carefully lead the boy to lie down on the floor behind their bench. Tetsuya tried to excuse the injury as being minor and did not wish to be subbed out before his usefulness ran out, but the boy's lack of balance and lazy eyes were not proving his case. Kaijou was even surprised when they heard Hanamiya softly chuckle at the injured teammate, and pressed a firm finger to Kuroko's lips to silence the boy on the issue. It was gentle, almost nurturing. Was this not the bad boy of basketball?
"Close your eyes Kuroko." Makoto ordered. Knowing it could be a waste of effort if he argued further with his Captain, plus that tone that appeared sweet and concerned was actually one of great annoyance, Kuroko closed his eyes and said nothing. "Honestly, you are way too stubborn sometimes." It was the last thing he heard Hanamiya say before slipping into the realm of sleep.
"Is Kuroko going to be okay?" Kazuya asked. The bad boy of basketball nodded.
"It only looks bad because it is a head injury." Hanamiya sent a pleased smile in Kise's direction. "And people say our team is foul. You are worse than me; honestly, I might be a little jealous." The Uncrowned King mocked.
"I didn't-"
"Sh… he's sleeping." Seto hushed the blonde Miracle. With Kuroko out, Furuhashi stepped in. The score was 58-54 with Kirisaki Daiichi in the lead. And yes, I do have confidence in you Furuhashi-sempai. Well, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to put those words to justice.
Hanamiya settled for the Spider Web formation, even if it felt incomplete with the transparent teen out of commission. This web had fewer threads, as if someone savagely severed them. It appeared to be working well when the score went up to 62-54, but Kasamatsu and Kise quickly found openings that could not be closed. The gap soon dwindled, but during that time, Ryouta had been penalized with charging fouls twice by Koujirou. Foul play was more than an elbow digging into someone's ribs or stepping on some feet. Kise growled at the persistent, Kirisaki Daiichi, small forward. His greater agility should have made avoiding the dead-eyed teen easily. The score was 66-68, but Kirisaki Daiichi was not worried. Kaijou was getting slower, their plays were now being down out of habit then by desire. People sometimes forget that a strain on the mind is a strain on the body as well. Struggling against the Spider Web only made the defeat much more savory to the devious teens.
Kuroko yawned and sat up. The youngest member of the team grabbed his water bottle and checked the score, surprised to see that it was still so close. He smiled. It was nice to have such reliable sempais. The shadow made eye contact with Koujirou, and knew the other did this for him. Seeing those usually unreadable eyes look at him with pride and respect propelled Furuhashi for another foul, making it Kise's fourth one.
"Baka! One more and you're out of the game!" Kasamatsu shouted. There was only three minutes and thirty seconds left in the third quarter, and the score was still 66-68 in Kaijou's favor. But everyone knew it could be anyone's game. If their ace was benched, the blue elites would be in serious trouble. Hanamiya called for the referee and requested for a member change. Immediately after that, Furuhashi walked towards the bench and Kuroko knew it was his turn again.
"I have confidence in you." The volume was so low that the phantom was not sure they were real until he locked eyes with the second year, small forward. Kuroko nodded and rushed in. They would see the true web of destruction that they could weave. Just as he did when Teiko struggled, the petite teen changed the flow dramatically made the match in his team's favor. Fast passes, flashes of light blue, and perfect instinct pushed the score to 77-68 with Kirisaki Daiichi with a solid lead. It seemed like nothing could stop the combined intelligence of Hanamiya and Seto, aided with Kuroko's special abilities. But with only four seconds on the clock, Kise shot an unorthodox, three-pointer that was exactly Moriyama's, signifying that the real battle had just begun. When the fourth quarter began, Kise unleased his version of the curving pass, making it appear to be going to Hayakawa only to rebound into Nakamura's hands. Another three points made the score 77-74 with Kirisaki Daiichi still in the lead. If Hanamiya seemed worried, he did not show it. Kuroko heard the Captain whispering to himself numbers, wondering what it meant. Did Hanamiya have something planned? Tetsuya saw Kentarou shake his head in disbelief, but with a devious grin. Hara smacked the freshman on the back and blew a large bubble with his new piece.
"Now you'll see why Hanamiya is the ace of the team." The bubblegum teen assured, knowing the rookie would be a little shook up after seeing his move copied with ease. Kuroko was confused. He knew that Hanamiya was the ace, Captain, Coach, leader, the anchor, and thee everything of this team. Tetsuya thought he knew the heavy burden Makoto carried for this team. What else was the Uncrowned King capable of? The two stationed in their given positions for the spider web, unsure how the team was going to counter the curving pass. Kise slipped in with the call in his hands and analyzed his options, not knowing that was what the Kirisaki Daiichi Captain was doing as well. Mitsuhiro seemed to be the option, so Ryouta used the curving pass, making it appear as it was going straight to Yukio. The ball flung away as desired, but everyone gasped when Hanamiya intercepted the supposedly unpredictable pass. Kuroko was stunned, feet cemented to the ground, and his eyes were unable to leave the bad boy's graceful form as he weaved through the players that tried to guard him. Kuroko watched as he slithered and slid past them as if Hanamiya were water, and tossed the orange sphere into the hoop. The numbers… it was the genius crunching them into the equation, so he could neutralize the move. Was there really someone that intelligent? Yamazaki ruffled Kuroko's hair, wide smirk on his face due to the rookie's reaction. It was the same one everyone else had when the devious, point guard ran circles around them the first time, making them fumble and stumble like bumbling toddlers. This was the ace of Kirisaki Daiichi.
"How is he doing that?" Kuroko finally blurted out. Hanamiya looked back at the new addition to their team, only to roll his eyes in frustration.
"Baka, do you think I couldn't calculate such easy physics equations in my head? Don't insult my intelligence again." The ghostly teen nodded, never again would he question.
The game ended 104-98, Kirisaki Daiichi clenching the win when Hara dunked the rebound and slyly grazed Hayakawa's knee with his foot as he did so. It would not be fair if they did not have even a little bit of fun during this. Kaijou felt dirty losing to them, but a loss was something that was given when one played sports. Everyone cannot win. They bowed, and immediately Kise rushed out of the gym with hot, blinding tears falling down his face.
"It must be hard for the guy. He probably isn't used to loss." Hiroshi commented. Kuroko shook his head and retrieved a small slip of folded paper from his pocket.
"Actually, he lost a lot to Aomine-kun and Haizaki-kun once beat him so badly that Kise-kun was on his knees. He just cries easily." The shadow explained and walked outside to make the blonde follow through on their wager. The blonde was drenching his head under the steady stream under the fountain. Kuroko stood next to the other, making sure his footsteps were loud enough for Kise to hear. The model sighed and shuddered from the defeat, but there was no supposed foul play according to the Coach (otherwise the portly man would have called off the match). The former trump card of the Generation of Miracles won. The copycat shut off the faucet, and lifted his head to look at those blank eyes. With a small smile, Ryouta took the small slip of paper with thirty addresses. No practice or official matches for a month… this was going to be hard to explain to his Coach. "Be prepared, sometimes there is a price for all the joys you squandered Kise-kun." The transparent teen warned before returning to his team. Ryouta groaned. Another set of footsteps approached him. Midorima Shintaro.
"Haven't seen you since Middle School… still taping your fingers Midorimacchi?" Kise asked. "Did you watch my match with Kurokocchi?" Midorima shrugged.
"It was disappointing. I cannot believe you lost to those delinquents. They did not even use Kuroko's skills properly." Shintaro scolded as he adjusted his glasses. "But with your monkey-like movements, I guess it is no wonder they won." The blonde cutely pouted from the harsh words.
"Why did you show up? You never cared for either of us."
"You're an idiot, but I will acknowledge that your ways have some merit. As for Kuroko, unfortunately, I wish to hate him but he does not allow me too. I respect his style, but that is it. We could never get along due to our different personalities. As for recently, my biggest disappointment in him is his lousy choice in teammates." Midorima clarified. "I am surprised that he did not go to Aomine's school or your school."
"I know! I tried to convince him, and I even made a bet that if I won that he would have to transfer to my school." The green-haired teen's intrigue made Kise nervous. "Are you also going to bet for Kurokocchi when you face him? You can't have him if I can't have him! I'm not letting you have an advantage over us…" Ryouta said. Shintaro cocked an eyebrow at the model, but just ignored the other's weird choice in words (honestly, did he realize that it sounded as if they were competing for the phantom's affections instead of his skills?).
"No, I don't want to deal with his clashing personality." Midorima grimaced at the thought of Kuroko on his team. "But if we were to make a bet, I would ask that if I won that he teaches one of my new teammates his misdirection technique."
The phantom of Kirisaki Daiichi went to the changing area designated for them, surprised that the only one there was Hanamiya reading A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. It seemed like an odd choice for the sadistic man due to the journey that the main character Alex goes through, but the shadow made no comment on it.
"Where are the others?"
"Looking for a place to eat." Not tearing his eyes from the book as he answered.
"Why aren't you with them?"
"A Coach needs to make sure his players return home in one piece, and safely. I don't trust those goodie-goodies to not try to taint you into joining their team or holding you hostage." It was true. Just because Kise lost, that did not mean his desire to recruit Kuroko died. The invisible, sixth man disrobed himself of his clothing, and strolled into the shower area with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash cradled in his left arm. The warm water felt great on his strained muscles. He left out a soft groan, not knowing how it echoed against the porcelain tiles and enclosed space. Makoto shuddered at the sound as he read. The sound of pleasure and relief caused his stomach to coil uncomfortably. He hoped the younger boy did not starting singing. It was already tiring, dealing with Yamazaki's uncomfortable, off-key, off-rhythm, tone deaf and animal-like screeches that the orange-haired teen called singing. But as the gentle hum of Kuroko's voice blended with the steady stream, Hanamiya lay back on the bench and sighed. It was not unpleasant, but the act made his body cringe. Why? He was not sure, and that was the worst part. The Uncrowned King liked total control over everything in his grasp, especially his body. The shower ended quickly and so did Tetsuya's melodic whispers. It was then that Makoto realized something. The sky-blue teen broke his own request in order to make the Captain happy. "Why did you attack their shooting guard? I thought you said that you were useless when it came to physical attacks?" Kuroko carelessly wiped the water droplets that clung to his wispy hair, standing completely naked and uncaring in front of the Captain and Coach of Kirisaki Daiichi.
"Oh, Hanamiya-san seemed bored and after all the favors you have done to get me on this team, I thought it was not a big deal to go against that desire once. I knew eventually that I would have to bend my requests for when we meet Kiyoshi Teppei's team. Even if he is a victim of Murisakibara, I know you want to break him even further, and make sure to cripple him until you see your masterpiece completed." Hanamiya glared at the younger man and stood up so that he could look down at Kuroko. He ripped the towel from the cyan-blue boy's hands and pushed the mysterious, small forward against the lockers. The youngest regular groaned, more due to the cold metal making contact with his heated skin than actual pain. The dark-haired, point guard stomped toward the shocked teen. The power difference was evident in every way, height, weight, muscle mass, and even down to one of them being fully clothed while the other stood cornered and naked. Both felt their blood rushing and trembling through them, this dangerous thrill exciting them just as much as the match.
"Don't you ever think that you know what I want phantom." Hanamiya said when he slammed both hands on either side of Kuroko's head. "What would you know about me? You're just a naïve child that doesn't know the extent of my darkness. You are only grappling, struggling, and crawling, and I'm generous enough to give a fucking hand." The ebony-haired man grinned devilishly as his right hand trailed down, the fingertips barely brushing against the pale neck. Kuroko shivered. Hanamiya's hand was cold. He felt it slowly travel his body; those icy fingers were stealing his warmth. This is what the Uncrowned King did. The anger that Kuroko felt that was going to consume him was being quilled, filled, and satisfied by Hanamiya. Neither noticed the bad boy of basketball's phone beep when it received a text. Makoto was too busy stealing a kiss, and Tetsuya was gripping his Captain's jacket, desperately trying to pull the leader closer.
Hope you liked this chapter, and I'll try to write the next chapter as soon as possible. ;)