Pairing: Kirisaki Daiichi/Kuroko and any combination of the team
Word Count: 4,756 Words
By the way... possible one-time ImaKuro, ImaSaku, and SakuKuro might happen in this fanfic. I am thinking of about it.
"Ah, this is the team that has an Uncrowned King, but everyone else is just average at best, right Captain?" Tsugawa asked excitedly during the warm up, and pointed at the dark-haired, point guard that was casually shooting baskets to loosen his wrists. Iwamura did not seem to have listened to a word their youngest regular was saying as he was stretching. "Not that it really matters though. If he's an Uncrowned King, that means he isn't as good as Kise. It is too bad that they don't have any players strong enough for us to have fun." The Seiho freshman beamed. Hanamiya turned to the obnoxious player on the rival team, a small, kind looking smile on his face. Kuroko watched the poised Captain and Coach of Kirisaki Daiichi, interest in how the leader and ace was going to handle the bad-mouthing underclassman.
"Hm… it is too bad that we might not be a good enough opponent for you Tsugawa." The bad boy of basketball said with fake concern. For a brief second, Tomoki narrowed his eyes in disappointment at the sight of the tranquil opponent and his calm, agreeing words. "But you know what they say about geniuses, prodigies, and men who try to pour everything into what the love, don't you?" When the bald-headed rival shook his head, Hanamiya let out a soft chuckle, one a wise man would breathe out around his loyal students. "No matter how much talent or hard work they do, once they are broken, they're all just garbage. Trash… all people can be brought to the same level with that logic." Makoto sighed contently. Instinctively, Tsugawa's body clenched in the intense air around the Uncrowned King, the evil aura was overwhelming and great; it was like a thick miasma taking over the court. This was not like anything the talented, Seiho ace had experienced. Usually other teams' aces emitted a powerful light that lifted the varsity players' morals and hope, but being near the vicious teen made every nerve jump, goose bumps rose up, and his mouth that rambled and flowed freely with trash-talk felt heavy. When he stared at those forest green eyes that seemed so pleasant and good-natured, he saw that they were glimmering fold under the intense lights of the stadium. The small smile was sinister and all-knowing, but it was those perfectly pointed fangs that poked through and seemed hungry that caused the unknowing, young man to internally shudder. Now he knew why everyone else seemed to be uneasy when they heard they were going against the basketball team in teal.
"Are you saying nonsense again?" Iwamura asked the impish, first year. Tsugawa looked behind him guiltily to see his Captain's unamused face. Seiho's Center player forced his underclassman to bow towards the Uncrowned King. "Sorry about him. He can be annoying and rude at times." Hanamiya shrugged.
"Don't worry about it. It is just a conversation between a senior and underclassman." The ebony-haired, point guard smiled in an overly-sweet fashion.
"Senior? You're only a year older than me!" The Seiho ace laughed, but was immediately silenced by the hard-faced Captain and his head for forced to bow down again.
"Still, I know he days stupid things a lot." The third year, Seiho Captain said, his steel expression hardly changing.
"No, he was just worried about today's match and it possibly not being challenging for him." Hanamiya confessed to Iwamura.
"Ah, there need be no worry. Our team will win no matter what happens, challenge or not." The Center player paused to relinquish his hold on his annoying kohai. "I'm afraid your usual tricks won't work on us."
"Hm… I have no idea what you mean."
"I know you don't." Tsutomu said to the Uncrowned King before dragging Tomoki to their side.
"Captain! You apologize but you say even meaner things than I do!" The bald, first year whined.
"Do not be ridiculous. I just do not sugarcoat my thoughts." The elder, wider man said before effectively disciplining the first year ace by making him sit by the bench until warm up was over.
"Hm… such confidence from such trash…" The bad boy of basketball mused to himself. Makoto turned to see that Tetsuya was watching the whole thing, and that was when he let the good boy act fall. The wide, toothy smirk overtook the second year, Kirisaki Daiichi Captain's features, twisting the sinister boy's face into something extremely dark and devilish that Kuroko could not help but shiver in delight. The elder, talented player strolled towards his young subordinate, not breaking eye contact as he did so. Hanamiya sighed contently when he saw the look of admiration and awe on the phantom's face, relishing in the attention and praise from the youngest regular's eyes. "Are you ready to fulfill your part Kuroko?" The Uncrowned King asked once they were standing side by side. "You'll need to cast some doubt in them; otherwise we might have difficulty breaking them."
"I will do my best to do that."
"To do this, you might have to play my role for a while." What? "You will for this game have to play individually instead of participating in the group, attack pattern with the rest of the team. I know you haven't done that since Middle School, but I know your instincts and abilities haven't decayed much since them." It felt good to be under Hanamiya's rule. The way the point guard spoke and ordered, was similar to a sleazy dictator. He used sweet words of encouragement to use people, words that were a brilliant mix of fact and tapping into his subordinates' weaknesses so that it blended effortlessly, and it was done so well that even if you were smart enough to see past the illusion, it did not matter. It was the way the Uncrowned King knew how to stroke others to rise, that made the Miracle boy feel alive and desire to propel himself to play well for the bad boy of basketball. The pale male felt his body curl towards his Captain, resting his head against the devious, point guard's shoulder affectionately. A gentle and that he saw ordered the destruction of several people lifted up and tenderly stroked his hair. A soft chuckle rang through Hanamiya, comfortably vibrating against Kuroko's small frame. "Continue to make me proud." The transparent teen was shocked by the statement to answer before the Coach left to practice his shots. Was that why Makoto was angry with Tetsuya when he recklessly challenged the thugs from Meijo Academy? Did he really value the first year that much? The invisible, sixth man dribbled a basketball to calm his thoughts, but a jubilant smile threatened to take over his face.
"Ah! Kuroko's bad is moving on its own!" Yamazaki gasped. A small bark came from the gym bag and Nigou's head popped out of the unzipped hole that allowed air in. "Ah, Nigou… is he wearing our basketball uniform?" The orange-haired, shooting guard asked.
"Yes, my grandmother made it for him. I was going to ask after our games today if Tetsuya Number Two could become our mascot." The shadow said.
"Aw, he looks so cute!" Hara cooed.
"I am sure it would be easy to do. I am pretty sure that you would just have to fill out some forms, and then Hanamiya could approve of it. Right?" Seto asked the dark-haired genius.
"Yeah, as long as a veterinarian checks him for parasites and diseases, it will be okay to have Tetsuya Number Two as a mascot." Hanamiya said, bringing another smile onto Kuroko's face.
"You guys have to line up now." Furuhashi pointed out.
Hanamiya, Kuroko, Yamazaki, Hara, and a Center player from the second string lined up, but the shadow and orange-haired man switched their usual marks, so that Kuroko was facing Tsugawa and Yamazaki was guarding against Sakamoto. Seto was perched in his lounge chair; the sleep mask covered his closed eyes and he was already lightly snoring. The dead-eyed, small forward sat patiently on the bench with some of the other second string, Kirisaki Daiichi members that were there in case Seiho was too weak for them to bother using their full strength. The ball was tossed into the air, sending the chatting, waiting crowd into silence. The lavender-haired teen was able to utilize his greater height against Oomuro, grabbing the orange sphere quickly. Tsugawa gasped. Where was the short, pale male he was just guarding? The bubblegum-loving teen appeared by the other team to have thrown a careless-looking pass to the Kirisaki Daiichi, Center player, when really the playful, power forward trusted their shadow to swoop in. As predicted, before Iwamura or Tsugawa could capture the call, Kuroko crouched in and slapped the ball to Yamazaki. The shooting guard in teal scored an easy two points. Seiho's Coach was shocked that anyone could get passed Tsugawa and scored against their great defense so easily. Number eleven was a more dangerous opponent than they had anticipated. They needed to keep their distance to prevent obtaining injuries from the rough play of Kirisaki Daiichi, but that might not be possible if the players in teal have a weapon like the passing specialist in their arsenal along with a steady, shooting guard.
"Oh man… Kirisaki Daiichi was quick to start like that against such a team of defense experts." Kasamatsu said to his blonde underclassman, sounding thoroughly impressed.
"Hm… if it is that guy, anything is possible." Kise said but could not believe how easily Tsugawa was neutralized, and how swiftly this was accomplished. The model wondered if his former instructor would continue this, but then remembered that he listened to the program Midorima trusted, Oha-Asa. Aquarius' were ranked last while Cancers were placed first today. Did that mean Kirisaki Daiichi's great plays would be no use against Shuutoku? The team in orange and white were doing well against their opponents, a Middle-tier team that scrapped enough luck to get this far. The green-haired, Miracle teen smoothly moved to a shooting position; he sent the basketball into the air with that ridiculous, well-known arch, and scored three points. "It appears Midorimacchi is in top form today." The crowd roared. Kirisaki Daiichi scored another two points through Hanamiya's steal and Hara's dunk. "How come they aren't attempting or using any rough plays? Did Kurokocchi really affect his team that much?" Kise blurted out.
"While that could be the reason, I do not think that is why. Their kind of cheating is able to get by uncaught because they are able to block the referee's field of vision by screening him and allowing the inside players to do whatever they please during that time. Seiho's defenses are different from other teams. They can put pressure on an opponent without closing the distance, and this is done by the combination of their specialized movements and endurance. With the greater distance to cover, it is harder to obscure the referee's sight and perform these maneuvers. The Captain of Kirisaki Daiichi is smart; he probably saw this problem, and is taking full use of your former teammate from Teiko to put pressure on Seiho to make them tighten their defenses." Kasamatsu added his opinion and expertise.
"Eh, but Seiho could just counter and comeback when they eventually bench Kurokocchi. Also, if they want any chance of winning against Shuutoku, they need to lessen his play time in this game as well. Do they really think they can accumulate enough points during his time inside the court to make the counter attack useless?"
"They could be, but I don't think that is Hanamiya's strategy." Halfway into the first counter, the score was 12-8 in Kirisaki Daiichi's favor and Tsugawa Tomoki was infuriated. No matter how hard he concentrated, the loudmouth, Seiho ace could not keep track of the unnoticeable teen with magic passes. The sky-blue boy would be in his sight, but his low presence made him easily slip through the shooting guard's sharp eyes and his calm demeanor was the perfect counter to Tsugawa's boisterous and booming personality. Thankfully the Seiho, point guard Ryuhei was able to find and strategize some openings for the team, causing the close score, but quickly after they score, the bad boy of basketball would counter with his own brilliant plays, coordinating with the rest of the team while the shadowy player would wait and strike. Where was the flaw in Kirisaki Daiichi's team? "Look at Seiho's eyes. They have doubt. They need to keep a cool head if they want any chance of winning instead of playing catch up. Kirisaki Daiichi may be known to play rough, but that usually isn't what messes a team that is an elite level like ours or Seiho. It is the cloud of doubt in your abilities that looms over your head and the frustration that comes from it, that breaks you the most. You think that channeling all of your anger on the game will make you work harder, which usually leads to faster play and possibly more points, but all it actually does is makes your moves more predictable and make you more tired." Kasamatsu evaluated and pointed at the Seiho freshman that effectively stopped Kise in Middle School. "Don't you think he is sweating too much for just the first quarter?"
"I see… so Kirisaki Daiichi is using their own passion and determination against them. That is just… pure evil…" The blonde whispered in awe and horror. The Kaijou Captain shrugged. It was only another psychological facet of sports that Hanamiya was taking advantage of. The first quarter ended 26-19 with Kirisaki Daiichi in the lead. Unfortunately for Seiho, they would stand no chance in the second quarter. The ebony-haired, point guard called out Seto's name, causing the sleepy Center to instantly wake up and yawn. Kuroko handed the borderline genius his hair wax; they sweetly kissed during the exchange. "Urgh… it is so wrong, seeing Kurokocchi kiss them. It is like seeing your younger sibling date before you do, or knowing that they lost virginity sooner than you." Ryouta shuddered when he saw them kiss.
"Idiot, just don't look at them!" Yukio scolded the model. The small break between quarters ended, Seto cracked his neck and knuckled to help loosen him up. The golden-tan teen stood up, stretching his limbs under the intense, stadium lights.
"I get that you can't concentrate when your hair is in your face, but can't you just part it? Your hairs looks nicer when it is down." Hara complained.
"No," Seto answered.
"And we just turn on your big brain now by pressing that button on your forehead-"
"That is my mole Hara," The Center player corrected.
"Can you do something about that strand-?"
"No I cannot." Tsugawa watched the display between the Kirisaki Daiichi, power forward and the new player that was entering the court. They were the ones that were winning?
"Sempai, we cannot lose to these people." The bald, first year boldly declared. The third years turned to the usually excitable freshman, surprised by his serious tone. "I refuse to lose to people this uncool!" Tomoki cried, earning him a slap in the back of his head. Despite the Seiho ace's declaration, the team in black was useless against the completed, Spider Web formation. As Kasuga passed the ball to Sakamoto, Hanamiya rushed in and stole the ball. Kirisaki Daiichi scored three points to make the score 29-19. Iwamura patted his friend on the back, telling him to keep calm but the blonde, point guard still felt uneasy. It is hard to steal their passes due to their unusual height that they passed to each other at and speed, so this was either a fluke or a serious problem for their team. Seiho tried to regain control of the flow of the game, but a pass from Oomuro to Iwamura was intercepted by the transparent teen. The ball was passed from Kuroko to the orange-haired, shooting guard, who scored another three points for the boys in teal. The crowd cheered once again, students and other fans of Kirisaki Daiichi happy to see the team doing so well. While it was a great risk, Coach Matsumoto knew that they would not win by fruitlessly continuing the strategy they had been using. A time out was called. Hanamiya Makoto sighed contently; his mossy-green eyes scanned the micro expressions of the elder Coach and the information he extrapolated made him smirk. Everything was going to plan. The bad boy of basketball checked the other court. Shuutoku had a solid lead of twenty points against their current opponent. They were probably going to bench their inexperienced freshmen Midorima and Takao soon, just like he knew that Kuroko needed rest as well.
"My my, that look and posture on him… Hana-chan is certainly lively today." A smooth voice with a Kansai dialect commented. Kasamatsu glanced to his left, surprised to see Imayoshi Shoichi of Touou and a fidgety, slim brunette that looked like he was a freshman. "Oh, how interesting, Kaijou is here watching Kirisaki Daiichi's match. How are you Kasamatsu-kun?"
"I'm doing well." The Kaijou Captain said and extended his hand to the other third year, dark-haired Captain. "Yes, we are. Kise wants to cheer for Kuroko, and I want to make sure Kirisaki Daiichi wins so that we may have a rematch." Imayoshi shook the firm, fellow Captain's hand. "How are you?"
"Good! I wanted to see one of my former kohais from Middle School play, but I accidentally thought the games were starting later instead of ten minutes ago. Silly me," The messy-haired, Touou man shrugged and took the seat next to the familiar student. Shoichi's companion sat next to him, his face still doe-eyed and anxious. "Sakurai-kun was kind enough to keep me company." The buzzer beeped. Time out was over.
"So who used to go to your Middle School?" Kise asked curiously, knowing the elder most likely did not attend Teiko.
"Ah, the bad boy, but during the old days Hana-chan was just known as Hanamiya Makoto, an intelligent boy with a gift for basketball." Imayoshi chuckled. "It is funny; the boy used to have a reputation for being nice and no one disliked him. It is nice to see him be who he really is, even though his lack of restraint can be a little frightening." The young man paused to adjust his glasses. While Seiho closed in, Kirisaki Daiichi scored two points. His foxlike, unsettling eyes gazed on Kuroko's petite form. Shoichi licked his lips in delight. "But I must confess, I also find Hana-chan's new recruit from Teiko quite stimulating." Kise felt terrified by the tone of Imayoshi's voice. "It is quite fascinating. I never suspected a boy like him to join Kirisaki Daiichi. At first, when I heard of your guys' defeat and the rumor of the ghost player, I thought the boy was an oblivious, innocent fly that got caught in Hanamiya's trap. But then Momoi-san corrected me." It made the young, sky-blue teen all the more interesting. An angelic boy that followed the path of the nice, quiet, docile, and sweet child, now a morally-ambiguous shadow that allowed Kirisaki Daiichi to utilize his talents to their advantage. "Neh Sakurai-kun, you are interested in the phantom player as well?" The easily flustered freshman gulped and nodded. Imayoshi laughed at the bashful response; it was easy to make the Touou, shooting guard disoriented and tripped up. The devious, basketball team scored another two points, yet the only thing the glasses-wearing, point guard could think of was that it was unfair of the fellow, Tokyo-based team did not share this newly-acquired treasure with him. A wicked smile spread over Imayoshi's face. He could not wait to have a match between their teams.
Seconds kept ticking away, and soon the King of Defense was down 19-46, not having scored once in the second quarter. The benched, Shuutoku players Midorima and Takao watched the match with fascination, amazed by the sheer dominance of Kirisaki Daiichi. Everyone was shocked how well Hanamiya and all of his subordinates were playing. Sure, their High School was known for being in the top eight when it came to Tokyo basketball, but this was Seiho, one of the Kings of the region, the team that would only take second or third to Shuutoku or Senshinkan was drastically behind in this game in the second quarter. When the specialized team of defense scored, the whole stadium jumped and applauded. At the end of the quarter, Kirisaki Daiichi may be in the lead of 51-23, but there was hope for more. The bad boys in teal walked out of the arena to enjoy their ten minute break in the locker room; their heads were down, faces calm, but the Captain of Touou could swear he saw dangerous smirks threatening to bubble at the surface. After all, Hanamiya only knew his skills of reading micro expression from his beloved, Middle School sempai. Imayoshi wondered what the Uncrowned King had set up for Seiho.
"They have been playing well, haven't they Shin-chan?" Takao commented.
"They have been playing decently, but who knows what will happen when they eventually have to bench Kuroko." The emerald-colored, shooting guard said as he dried himself with a towel.
"Huh, why?"
"For two reasons, the most important one being that Kuroko has low stamina. He could not possibly play two basketball games in one day, with only an hour of time between them. The other is that soon, Kuroko will lose his ability to use misdirection and his usefulness after forty minutes of exposure to his presence, people begin to notice him." Midorima explained as the Shuutoku, point guard took a sip of water.
"Ah, I guess I wouldn't notice such things." Kazunari said with a touch of evil mischief in his words. Shintaro rolled his eyes.
"Of course you would not notice when he becomes visible, when you can already see him when he's invisible." The playful, dark-haired teen chuckled.
"Very true, especially when he is surrounded by darkness, for even just the tiniest light stands out like the sun." Takao said with a wide grin. The Shuutoku freshman were suddenly interrupted by the sounds of high-pitched, immature whining from the crowd. Apparently Kise accused Imayoshi of giving Kuroko a lecherous look (something the Touou, point guard denied doing), and was spewing nonsense about how the sky-blue teen already had too many boyfriends in Kirisaki Daiichi, and anymore would exhaust the ghostly man to the point that he would not be able to play basketball. Takao laughed merrily at the awkward exchange, and Midorima blushed and grumbled something about Kise being as inappropriate as ever. Thankfully, it stopped once Kasamatsu restrained and disciplined the blonde, but their high amount of presence earned some stares. "I must admit Shin-chan, if your other, former teammates are anything like Kise or Kuroko, you must have had an much more interesting, Middle School experience than I did." Midorima was grateful that Akashi, Aomine, and Murisakibara were nothing like Kise and Kuroko, but they were not much better company.
Kirisaki Daiichi walked back in, Furuhashi and another Center player from the second string were adjusting their players' jerseys, while Seto and Kuroko were wearing their jackets and sweatpants to keep warm in the frigid stadium.
"Oy, I wanted to try guarding that blue kid!" Tsugawa pouted when he realized the dead-eyed teen would be his mark. "I swear he was getting easier to track." The elder, small forward of Kirisaki Daiichi shrugged at the Seiho, shooting guard's complains about the situation.
"Your expression is so aggressive. Perhaps you should relax." It was not the statements that freaked Tomoki out, but the combination of creepy eyes that resembled a dead fish and voice that was almost completely devoid of emotion, that made the loud cringe. "Besides, Kuroko gets tired easily." Furuhashi explained by pointing at the yawning, invisible, sixth man who sat comfortable in Seto's lap. The sleep man said he wanted the youngest regular to cuddle with him because the borderline genius needed to keep his leg muscles warm for the fourth quarter, but everyone around the pair knew that it was a flimsy excuse to have the shadow sit on his lap. Tsugawa laughed nervously at the unusual regulars.
"They are rather close, aren't they?" The bad boy commented.
"Really? I wouldn't think they are any closer than I to them." The brunette, small forward said as he returned to his position for the third quarter.
The start of the second half of the match felt different. Kirisaki Daiichi weren't playing at a high pace, and the team in teal and black did not seem to be interested in scoring. Were they underestimating them? Seiho scored three points, trying to lessen the great gap. Hanamiya breathed deeply, doing his best to contain his joy. His gold-rimmed eyes locked onto Tsugawa's right elbow, analyzing the weak point in great detail. While the devious, point guard had a much more limited knowledge of martial arts compared to his teammate Furuhashi Koujirou, he knew what almost all those that practiced the discipline did to strengthen their bodies. They would push their bodies to the limit, down to their bones, by causing small, tiny fractures that would heal back thicker and stronger gradually. It was what allowed them to have supposed, superhuman strength and durability, but there was something no human could strengthen with all of their might, and was just as vulnerable whether or not one was an expert in fitness. Joints were always deteriorating in strength and durability. Yes, one may retain flexibility and movement with the right kind of training, but put enough pressure and even the mightiest of men would fall to their knees in agony. If only Tsugawa was a little taller, his demise would almost be as beautiful as Kiyoshi's last year. But the misery would be another masterpiece to add to the collection of memories Hanamiya would cherish in his genius mind.
Furuhashi saw that look and he knew what to do. He saw that Hara had the ball and Tsugawa was closely guarding him. They were out of the referee's range. The first rule of combat was that the best defense was a good offense. The dead-eyed, small forward moved so that he could jam his elbow into the younger man's ribs, easily escaping the boy marking him and receiving the bubblegum teen's pass. He ran through the open court efficiently, no unnecessary steps taken when he cot to the three-point line. He allowed everyone to catch up. An easy fight is never an entertaining fight. Rule two of martial arts, when you cannot find any openings, you make one. Because this was basketball, it was easy to coordinate with your team to do so. Yamazaki charged around his exhausted mark Sakamoto, roughly screened the obnoxious freshman that was elbowed earlier, and allowing the quiet man to slip closer to the basket. While he luckily scored two points, making the score 53-26, Furuhashi did not care whether the orange sphere went in. No, when he was on the court, he was a tool of destruction used to execute the bad boy's sadistic plans. The dead-eyed teen knew that he could depend on the transparent regular to focus on the score. This was the silent arrangement between them. They were on the counter attack, the annoying, Seiho ace keeping his distance. No matter what they futilely did, once the spider web was set, those who struggled only suffocated under their torturous grasp.
The next time the placid-faced brunette shoots, he intentionally aims for the backboard, causing both teams to scramble for the rebound. It was a tangle of limbs, but Hara was able to keep the freshman ace planted on the ground by stepping on his feet. Tsugawa squirmed, still angry about his recent injuries, and the young, basketball player desperately tried to free himself. The mauve-colored, power forward jumped to catch the rebound and did so with no competition. Tsugawa tried to push the ball out of Hara's hands, but instead got struck hard against his right elbow and cried out. It was a familiar sound, a cry of horror, pain, and agony that made Hanamiya incredibly proud of his team. The referee called for a charging foul on Tsugawa, but the rest of Seiho dashed towards their injured player.
Poor Tsugawa, I actually think he's kind of funny and cute.