Kuroko went to the kitchen and sipped on a vanilla milkshake. Ahh, at least this taste would always be there to comfort him, if nothing else. He was feeling unsettled and decided to lay down on the couch for a while before retiring to the bedroom once more.
His relaxation was interrupted when a door was opened.
On instinct, Kuroko called out, "Who's there?" Then he realized that no one else could be here other than his other self.
"Kuuuroookooo-kuuun~" A green eye peeked from behind the door. "Long time no see!"
Kuroko sat up and turned around to look at him. He seemed so different in person than how he looked on the TV screen. If, by chance, the loneliness he had sensed in him was real, was there a reason that he had appeared at this particular time? If the reason he appeared was because Kuroko, who was so used to hiding his emotions, suddenly felt strong feelings of hatred, why did he appear now? Why didn't he appear before, when his friends had abandoned him? Why didn't he appear when Hanamiya-
He froze. Hanamiya is dead because of him. Hanamiya is... Hanamiya is...!
"Kuroko-kun? Ne, Kuroko-kuuun? Anybody home? Oi! Oi?!" Nise-kun poked Kuroko in a (failed) attempt to get Kuroko's attention. Kuroko's figure was trembling and sweat was rolling down his face. His pupils were dilated and his breathing was increasing in speed.
"Kuroko-kun. You don't look so well. Are you okay?" Kuroko's attention remained elsewhere.
Sighing, Nise-kun decided it was time to use his trump card. "Kuroko, the GOM invited me to go play some basketball with them. Can I go? Is that okay? Is it?"
Kuroko's head jerked towards Nise-kun's and his pupils returned to their normal size. Almost immediately, he replied in a shaky voice, "No. Don't you dare go play with them in my body."
"But we're sharing we're this body, aren't we?"
"Yes, we are are. But leave them alone. I don't want you to go near them. They're my friends, not yours."
"Let's see if they're still your friends after I'm done dealing with them," he giggles.
"They wouldn't abandon me like that! They wouldn't do that again!"
"What makes you think that history wouldn't repeat? You just sit here and watch as I take them from you, one by one. I'll make sure to gain Akashi's affection last. You can look forward to it. This is what you wanted, right?"
"No... this isn't what I wanted. Don't take them from me. Please... they're my only friends..." Kuroko begs.
"So why don't you make more friends?"
Kuroko mutters something inaudible. A long silence ensues. "What was that? I didn't catch that?" Nise-kun inquires.
"IT'S BECAUSE I'M TOO INVISIBLE FOR ANYONE TO NOTICE ME!" Kuroko shoots upwards, tears flying out from the corners of his eyes. "Even if they do notice me... They'll forget about me in due time..." He sits back down with a sigh.
"I'll never forget you..." He walks to where Kuroko is sitting and bends down in front of him. He brushes Kuroko's bangs to the side. Lifting his fingers to Kuroko's chin, he tilts it downwards towards him. He looks straight into Kuroko's eyes. "I'll always be here for you..."
"Everybody says that... But in the end, they always leave me behind. The only ones who have stayed with me are the GoM."
"I'm not like those people. Even if you try, you won't be able to get rid of me... After all, I am you."
"I don't care if you're part of me... Just leave me alone!"
Nise-kun looked genuinely upset. "You'll learn to like me; after all, I'm the only one who's here for you..." He walks to the door and excuses himself. "I've got a basketball game to get to. I'll be back later. Ja ne~"
Kuroko was once again alone. He slowly brings his hands together on his lap and then lowers his head onto his hands. He sobs quietly. "Maybe I should trust him..."
-Meanwhile in the real world-
Nise-kun walks up to the empty basketball court. Looks like I'm 5 minutes early, I guess I'll start warming up. He sweeps the area once more for any of the GoM and breaks into a jog.
By the time the GoM arrived, he had already finished warming up. "Done already?" Akashi queries. "You better have run at least 10 laps."
"10 laps?" Nise-kun scoffs. "I ran 40 laps at the very least. I lost track somewhere in the middle." Noticing that Akashi was gaping at him, he smirks, "What, are you that shocked? Kuroko never reached his full potential because YOU held him back. The others too."
Akashi frowns slightly. "What makes you say that?" He fiddles with his eyepatch.
In an attempt to hide his smile, he looks away and giggles, "At any rate, you should go warm up. I'll be waiting A-ka-shi-kuuuuun~"
"Tch!" Akashi starts to run his laps and quickly catches up to the other Miracles.
Once Akashi was out of ear-shot, Nise-kun let out a roaring laugh. They didn't have any idea just how amazing his Kuroko would be at this moment if they weren't near him. Kuroko himself hadn't even realized his own potential, which was surprising considering that his observing skills were of top class.
Akashi and the rest of the Miracles run towards where Nise-kun stands, leaning against the fence. "Okay, let's decide the tea-"
"There's no need. One on five. I'll show you what I meant when I said that you're holding him back. No need to go easy on me; if you do, you'll regret it."
"Very well." With a cross look on his face, Akashi steps onto the court with the reverence of an emperor. His eyepatch made him seem more intimidating than before. "You may start with the ball."
Akashi gently passes the ball to Nise-kun. The moment the ball hits the palm of Nise-kun's hand, there was a flash of teal and green right in front of him. Then, all he could hear was the sound of the basketball net swishing behind him. "You guys are too slow~"
The ball bounces near Midorima's feet. "It's our turn now. I don't care whether we win or not, but I'll be taking those two points back." Midorima raises his arms and gets into shooting position.
Then, he realizes- the ball isn't in his possession.
Looking around wildly, he spots a blur of teal and green heading towards the 3 point line at a near impossible speed. Before anyone could react, another swish was heard.
"Midorima-kun? What happened to those points you were taking back? Looks like they went to me instead~" He cackled.
Raising his glasses, Midorima looks away and scoffs, "You're better than I thought you'd be."
"Of course, I did tell you not to underestimate me. Also, my first shot was a three pointer as well."
How is it possible for two different personalities of Tetsu to have such a difference in skill? Aomine was dumbfounded.
Turning to Kise, his eyes twinkle mischievously, "Were you watching carefully? A basketball player of your caliber should be able to copy something at this level easily, right?"
Kise is speechless. How am I supposed to copy this?!
The game continued on. By the third quarter, Nise-kun was winning with a score of 36-0.
Akashi had never seen anything like this. His precious Kuroko had turned into a monster before his very eyes. How was he able to play like this? Kuroko never trained his shooting skills; he never trained anything other than his passing in the first place. So, how? How was this possible?
How was it possible for the entire Generation of Miracles to be laying down on the floor from exhaustion? In contrast, Nise-kun had just started panting.
"You know what? I'm quite exhausted. Kuroko is a basketball genius, but his body doesn't have enough stamina... I'll have to increase his stamina for him."
"Tetsu... no, other-Tetsu... how are you so strong when Tetsu could barely keep up with us?"
The entire group turns to glare at him, as if sending the message, "He isn't useless!"
"D-don't get me wrong, his misdirection is amazing in itself, but... he was never able to keep up with us physically. So, how?"
"I told you, didn't I? All of you are holding him back. He's a basketball prodigy, you know? No- the word prodigy is an understatement. He never wanted to score, so he was never able to score by himself. If he never met you utter fools, he would probably be in the Japanese national team by now."
"Then how come he was in Teiko's third string?" Akashi responds.
"He hadn't realized his potential at that point. He realized his true strength after you abandoned him, after you left him alone because he was 'useless'. It was at this point that he tried an offensive playstyle. And it suited him perfectly. But you know what? He wanted to bring you guys back to your senses. Instead of becoming the god of basketball players, he decided to bring you back onto the right path without destroying your spirits."
His eyes narrow and his smile widens to the point of creepiness. "If it wasn't for you," he whispers, "he would be a light, not a shadow."
He walks away from the astonished group. "Let's play again sometime!"
-Back in the mindscape-
Kuroko sprints to the door the moment he hears it open. "WHY DID YOU TELL THEM?" He screamed.
"Why not? Now you can play however you like! They'll think you're looking down on them if you play like a shadow."
"No, you don't understand. I enjoy playing like this. I enjoy being a shadow. I'm... not a monster like you."
"Are you now? Remember who killed Hanamiya?"
Nise-kun smirks and whispers into Kuroko's ear, "It was YOU."