I've broken 100 reviews for this story.
WHAT THE HELL PEOPLE, WE'RE ONLY ON CHAPTER FOURTEEN. YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL PEOPLE.
Apparently the link I gave last chapter doesn't work. Oh well. Go to youtube and search for "Kagami saved Kuroko's life". It's by CandyNe28.
BEWARE SPOILERS! If you're following the recent updates and the Teikou arc... Am I only the only who thinks "damn, they were so cute back then. What the hell happened to make them into the assholes they are today?". And am I the only one who, back in chapter 203, immediately thought "I KNEW Akashi was schizo!" And one last thing... I find it unspeakably adorable that Kuroko, the one Haizaki bullies the most (except maybe Kise) and doesn't even like the guy is the only one who cares enough to ask him about why he's quitting.
(Sorry, I lied about that being the last thing... WHEN ARE WE ACTUALLY GONNA FIND OUT WHO KUROKO'S CHILDHOOD FRIEND IS?!)
"What do they think you are, their mother?" Taiga asks incredulously.
Kuroko eyes his ex-teammates wearily.
"Yes," he sighs. "I'm afraid that's exactly what they think."
Taiga looks over his head into the gym. Aomine's lounging onto a bench, looking every bit like a petulant child waiting to go out, yet determined not to move an inch before he gets what he wants, and wearing a falsely endearing expression that Taiga could have told him four-years-old were too old to pull off. Coach is very distinctly Not Impressed, if the hands on her hips are anything to go by.
Kise is whining (for a change), hanging on to Kiyoshi-senpai's t-shirt, wailing about how Kurokocchi won't let him stay to watch his practice, and it's not fair, because he just wants to see his Kurokocchi – Taiga doesn't think he's imagined Izuki-senpai's scowl when Kise says that – and they never get any time together anymore, and Aominecchi is totally Kurokocchi's favourite, and he shouldn't have favourites –
Taiga tunes him out. Luckily for him, Kiyoshi-senpai looks amused rather than annoyed. Hyuuga-senpai, on the other hand, seems ready to spit fire.
Midorima – Taiga draws a blank. He can't actually tell what Midorima is doing, or why he is here, except that he's crouching over some small object on the floor, fiddling with it and no, just no, Taiga just refuses to consider the possible apocalyptic consequences of the way Koganei-senpai is leaning over his shoulder with an altogether unhealthy interest in whatever that thing is, and all the while Midorima is sneaking glances over at Kuroko as if to make sure he's still there, just like a child waiting to be told any minute that he should take his playing outside. His partner, the point guard from Shuutoku, Takao something, is here too, but he's absolutely no help, all but cackling in delight as he waits for all hell to break loose.
Akashi's not here. Taiga supposes that merits a prayer of thanks and a couple of dozen of offerings to whatever crazy god decided the world needed the Generation of Miracle.
Murasakibara, naturally, is eating one of Mitobe's bentos and asking for more.
Momoi's crouching in front of Nigou, cooing and babbling and desperately trying to hug her would-be boyfriend's evil twin. Nigou, naturally, is having none of it. Good boy. He may be the spawn of Satan, but at least he knows how to recognize the enemy.
Taiga swears that Coach looks like she wants to bang her head on a wall.
Kuroko sighs once more and Taiga looks back down at him. His partner squares his shoulders as if he's going into battle.
"We're not going to get to practice until they're gone, are we?"
"It's fine," Kuroko assures him, with rather more conviction that he projects. "I'm used to it. I'll get them out."
He steps around Taiga, and Aomine's face brightens as he proceeds to ignore Coach entirely. Kise looks up from drenching Kiyoshi-senpai's t-shirt in Tears of Emotional Pain ™ and beams at Kuroko, and Midorima rather looks like someone's finally come to pluck him out of the alligator pit. Even Murasakibara deigns to look around, and Momoi just plain throws herself upon him.
That's when Taiga decides this is enough. Because the eruption is imminent on Hyuuga's face, and Coach looks as if maybe she thinks she can get away with justifiable homicide, and that never ends well for anyone (and to be honest, maybe he's a little pissed because they still presume Kuroko's theirs. He doesn't think he's the only one, judging by the ugly look on his fellow freshmen's face). He snags the back of Momoi's shirt, yanking her to a stop, and scowls at all of them (it's pretty much his default reaction for all of Kuroko's ex-teammates).
Kuroko's not their mother, dammit.
He's Seirin's. And he's Taiga's brother. And Taiga refuses to be related to these idiots.