The updates for this story will be unspecified because my motivation resembles a roller coaster. Take that as you will.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko No Basuke

Text within "" - Speech

Italic Text - Thoughts

Note: The names in this fanfic are structured with the given name first like in anglophone countries. This is how it was done in the wiki, so I'm doing it that way as well.

Chapter 2: A New Beginning

The next thing he knew, Akira was blinded by light. As the light cleared and Akira started to take in his surroundings, he realized that the light he had seen was simply a ceiling light that hung over his head. It had seemed as bright as it had because he had been in total and utter darkness for so long that light, any light, was blinding beyond belief.

Akira took in the ceiling light for a few more moments before a panic attack hit him, and he began to scream, tears streaming down his eyes. It wasn't a voluntary action by any means, but instead a necessary one. After all, he was... alive again. He could feel again, and after being in that darkness where there was nothing, Akira was equal parts ecstatic and terrified. All the frustration, fear and anger of his life in that darkness was released all at once.

During this panic attack, Akira felt a hand over his body, as he was pulled into a body, one much larger than his. His panic attack interrupted by shock, Akira turned his eyes to the side, where a giant face now loomed. It... was a woman. One with auburn hair and striking blue eyes that couldn't have been older than 25.

The woman made a soothing noise as her hand ran over Akira's body, one now still as a rock as his mind processed what was going on. His mouth opened as he tried to speak, yet when he did...

"Gaaaa?" Only noises came out, unrecognizable in every language that Akira had heard of.

"His name will be Akira. Akira Hinode." The woman said in a clear tone, looking down at him, her voice unfamiliar and foreign.

It was his name. It was familiar and being called it should have been given. It should have been... normal. Yet the name now carried with it a different meaning, carried by an unknown voice, but one he would soon be very familiar with.

After all, Akira had just realized that he was once more alive, but as a baby, born once more. His name was the same though, which could mean any number of things, with one possibility clear in his mind.

The woman holding him was his mother. However, was she his mother just in this life, or was she also his mother in his previous one? Was the world Akira now inhabited the same as the one he had lived in before? Those thoughts raged in his mind, disorienting his entire sense of being before his consciousness was robbed by his body's need for sleep.

(~)

So it's true. This isn't Earth.

Akira Hinode looked at the mirror opposite him, staring at his own features with curiosity. An underdeveloped face with blue eyes and white hair looked back at him. His features were different. Before he had had plain features, brown eyes, and black hair, now he looked far more unique. His name was the same. Yet his body and the world were not. And neither was the Earth he now lived in.

First of all, Akira had seen people with hair and eye colours that were clearly natural yet were not present on his Earth. Colours such as green, purple, blue, or his own white. His country of Japan seemed to be mostly the same, though there were a few differences that he had noted. Chief among them were the names of the schools he had heard about from his parents when they were discussing what school they should send him to.

He didn't recognize any of the names and having been an athlete, he had known quite a few schools, not just in Tokyo but in the entirety of Japan as well.

In his baby crib, Akira sighed. He really didn't know what to make of his situation. There was no way for him to search for answers at the moment, and even if he could, he didn't know where he would start. For now, the only thing he could do was to live. Even with his doubts in hand.

"-eiko is a good jounier high scho-"

...What?

That was strange, for a second Akira thought he had heard the name-

"Teiko, huh?"

Ah. Ahhhhhhh. AHHHHH-

...

Well then. At least that cleared up quite a few things.

Akira looked towards his parents, who were still debating which school was the best for him. As the shock of where he was now fading, Akira began to smile. He didn't know what the future would bring, but having parents who were concerned for him was something he could get used to.

(~)

"Gaaaarrrr."

Akira sighed in his mind. Being a baby was annoying. You couldn't do much of anything but sleep and some other stuff he would rather not speak about. There was almost nothing good about it. Except for the fact that he had time to think. Lots of it.

Time to think about his new life in the world of Kuroko No Basuke. Time to think about his new parents.

Emphasis on new. They were his new parents. Despite his name being the same, Akira was mostly sure at this point that his parents weren't the same as in his previous life. His features were just too different to justify his parents being the same people. Additionally, as Akira had learned the hard way...

"You want the toy? Oh yes, you do~"

His new father was an affectionate moron.

With white hair and blue eyes just like him, Hinode Daisuke was born in America to a Japanese father and an American mother. Daisuke was tall, standing at 6'3" and looked, for lack of a better term, handsome, in a sort of high class way. After getting a bachelor's degree, Daisuke had moved to Japan, eventually marrying Akira's mother, Eiko, who had taken Daisuke's family name. Hinode Eiko herself was actually half American as well, but she had grown up in Japan, as she had been the daughter of an American soldier and a Japanese businesswoman.

In contrast to his previous life, Akira's financial situation was much better as his father had become a successful lawyer and his mother was an IT manager in a major company. Both of them loved Akira greatly since he was currently an only child, which showed despite both parents not being able to care for him that much due to having to work. Yet...

"Hey, I'm heading out to work, ok? Stay right there and I'll be back before you know it." Hinode Eiko said, smiling before leaving.

These two have no clue how to raise a child...

If it wasn't for his past life, Akira might have had serious issues. The lack of supervision meant that he had free reign, something that normal babies would most likely spend doing dumb stuff that got them killed. However, he was content to just lie in his crib, conserving his energy. His body had quite a bit of energy, but less could be said of his mental energy. Having been through death, and seeing what it was like, Akira was happy simply being.

Alone in his new house, Akira once more started to drift off to sleep.

(~)

"Paaaa-"

"So close! Come on, come on..."

"Paaa?"

"No, no, it's papa. Pa-Pa. Now let's try this just one more time..."

"Papa?"

"...HE DID IT! HEY HONEY, GET OVER HERE AKIRA SAID HIS FIRST WORD!-"

(~)

"AKIRA'S WALKING! HE DID IT EIKO! EIKO-"

(~)

Kill me now...

Akira sighed, his expression pained in a way that was very uncharacteristic of a three-year-old. He enjoyed his new life and the new luxury that his new family provided, however having been an orphan who looked out for himself, the way his father acted was really overwhelming.

Even so, a smile began to creep onto his face. It wasn't all that bad after all. Even if his parents didn't know how to raise a child, and were overbearing, and even if his father was far too loud, they still loved him. It was something he had gotten used to in the past three years, and he could say for certain that he enjoyed his new life.

Things were looking up. Akira had been doing some thinking about his new life since his conception, about what he should do with his new life. Since he was in the world of Kuroko No Basuke, the natural path was to play basketball, but his heart was still in track and field. Running was easy and fun. You didn't need to think or train any particular skills. It was mostly just physical training and experience more than anything else. Basketball on the other hand was a much more complex sport. A player needed to learn skills, coordination and strategies on top of physical training. Running was mechanical. Basketball needed conscious thought and action.

The shift would be drastic, however, it was a decision that needed to be made as soon as possible. Akira had gotten good at running because of his previous childhood, however, basketball wasn't something you just picked up normally. The skills and techniques required to dominate the game took years to build and master. It would take effort, a monumental amount of it.

Akira wasn't afraid of effort. He wasn't afraid of pain nor loss. There was only one thing that scared him now. Nothing else came close. Besides, he was intelligent as well. He had street smarts, and to steal purses as he had done in his previous life, he had had to strategize quite a bit to not get caught. He had never gotten caught.

He had played basketball before. It was during his high school years in his past life that Akira had decided to try his hand at other sports, even if he knew he would never change his focus. His friend, the very same who had introduced him to anime, had been an avid basketball player and Akira had learned the rules and a few basic skills from him. It was a headstart over others for sure, but it was minor at best. Additionally, raw talent seemed to play a major role in the abilities of the players inside the world he was now in, and Akira didn't know if his new body had any talent at all.

A choice had to be made... Akira wanted to continue competing in Track and Field, something he knew he could do well in due to his experience, but the allure of basketball in the world of Kuroko No Basuke was overwhelming. The skills and abilities displayed by the characters were inhuman, and to play against the generation of miracles would undoubtedly be difficult, but even so, he could create an impact on the plot.

Besides that, learning how to do any of the stuff that the anime characters pulled off was enough to shift his preference towards the ball sport over track and field.

...Moreover Akira had already reached what he believed to be the peak of track and field. Sure, he could try to claim other titles besides the 10km run, however, doing the same thing that he did in his previous life appealed to him less and less.

After all, he was in an anime of all things. What point was there to living another mundane life when there was something new, something that was previously impossible, that he could now do? Akira was drawn to the unique opportunity that his new life gave him. The allure was overwhelming. After seeing all the emotions, the triumphs and even the failures of characters on screen, what person would not wish to live through the very same experiences if they could?

Additionally, some of the characters acquired superpowers during their time in basketball, which was a major incentive to play all on its own. It wasn't as if Akira disliked basketball either.

Well look's like the answer is clear.

Basketball it was. Even if leaving behind track and field did leave pain in his chest.

(~)

"Papa, I want the ball." Akira pointed towards a nearby basketball court, where two teams were playing streetball. His father smiled at his request, before watching the ongoing game himself.

"You interested in basketball Akira?"

The child nodded, his eyes still fixed on the players.

A year had passed since Akira Hinode had decided on his future course of action and it had taken a year for an opportunity to present itself. Since he was now able to walk, his father had started to take him on small walks now and then when he wasn't busy, which culminated in this very moment. He would act fascinated by the basketball game and hopefully, his dad would catch on. It was a perfectly planned and executed strategy.

"Well look at you, already taking an interest in sports! I'm proud of you Akira, already following in the footsteps of your papa."

How is that something to be proud of!? Also, aren't you a lawyer dad? How on Earth is this considered taking after you? This is embarrassing...

As his father started chuckling, Akira hid behind him, covering his underdeveloped face with his hands. People were starting to stare and Akira would be damned if he didn't deflect all the attention to the shameless moron beside him.

When his father was finally done drawing attention to himself and Akira by right of proximity, he clapped one of his hands onto Akira's back, shaking his head.

"Ah, I remember when I was young. Playing sports, chasing girls and getting top grades on top of that. What a time it was.."

Akira raised an eyebrow, taking a moment to process his father's words.

...Damnit Dad, I'm four. He sighed as he deadpanned towards his father, who was still going on about his childhood. Still, a smile managed to eventually creep onto Akira's face. After all, his dad was pretty weird but he meant well. Additionally, Akira could tell that his father loved him and his mother quite a lot. Even so...

"-Anyways Akira, I'm sure you have a great future ahead. After all, you're my son so you can do anything you want, got it? Chase that distant star, seize it with all your might-"

Please tell me he has an off switch...

(~)

"Hey Akira, come over for dinner sweetie."

"Yes, Mom. Coming!"

As Akira headed to the dining room for dinner, he walked with basketball in hand to the dining table. It had become his most prized possession, and he had taken a few shots when he had convinced his father to go to the nearest streetball court with him. They had all missed, of course, however, it had still been a momentous occasion. The shots he had taken that day had been the first he had taken since being reborn, and those shots had been the first step on his path to becoming a player.

Sitting down at the dinner table, Akira ate with only his mother, as his father was at work on some case or other. His mother's cooking was quite good, and this was coming from someone who had needed to cook a lot of his own food when he had the money to afford it after he had reached an age when he could work part-time. It had taken a while to get the hang of it in his previous life, but he had become a decent cook because of necessity.

"Are you enjoying the meal?"

"Yes, thank you for making it."

"That's good. Well, mommy is finished with her food, so call me if you need anything ok?"

"Ok."

Akira genuinely admired and loved his mother, as she was kind and caring but in a more reserved way. In a way, Eiko and Daisuke complemented each other, although Akira didn't know how in the world they ended up together in the first place with his dad being so strange and all. She had definitely become much better at parenting than when Akira had been born, after which she had mostly been busy with work. Now though, she had cut back on her hours to take better care of him, something that he appreciated even if it wasn't necessarily needed.

Less could be said about his father, but Akira acknowledged that his dad still put in a lot of effort when he could. After all, working was important.

Though, if there was one thing that Akira disliked was the fact that he had to go with one of his parents to the streetball court, even if it was only a ten-minute walk away. Being a child sucked even if it was better than being a baby. His family lived in an apartment building as even though they were upper class, Japan didn't have much in the way of houses, especially in major cities like Osaka, where his family lived.

It did suck a bit, but what could you do. It was Japan, the population density was immense. That fact didn't change between worlds, despite Akira's wishes.

He would have to wait for a while before he could start training seriously, which was a shame, and in the meantime, Akira also had to attend elementary school, going through the school system once more, learning what he already knew. It would be a pain to go through, however, school would also be much easier this time around because of his past life. Even though he was a mostly athletic-oriented person, the now child had still always come to class on time and done well in school, to ensure a better future for himself. He hadn't been a straight-A student due to his focus on sports, yet his marks had been adequate, mostly getting B's and alongside a few A's. It would be a breeze this time around.

The thought of having to attend school with children who were as mentally old as they were physically still annoyed him though.

Akira sighed, finishing his food and picking up his basketball, going back to his room. He had much to think about and aside from school, another thought weighed heavy on his mind.

He would have to find someone who would teach him how to play basketball soon. It was something he had been thinking about for a while. He needed to learn from someone after all, and though the street courts were decent enough, they taught you more about how to adapt and better your skills instead of teaching them. The only problem was that Akira didn't know where to start on finding someone to teach him.

He would probably have to ask his parents, but for that, he'd have to be a bit older. More waiting... After four years of it, Akira was really getting tired of sitting around until he got older. It was boring beyond belief. His vow that he would play basketball and go up against the famed generation of miracles was all well and good but he was getting impatient. He was making no progress because he had no way to make progress.

The only major thing he had done in the past month was confirming with absolute certainty that he was in the world of Kuroko No Basuke by searching up Kagetora Aida, who came up as a former player on the National team and a former coach, only having quit the later profession to become a sports trainer a few years ago.

Wait...

Well, that was certainly an option. It would put him into close contact with three canon characters as if he recalled correctly, Junpei Hyuga was Riko Aida's childhood friend, which might change a few things in the future and Akira wasn't certain if he wanted to change the timeline so early on. He knew his very presence was most likely already causing ripples, but something like that would cause some major waves, which would cause changes that he could spin widely out of control.

Dismissing the thought, Akira flopped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. Something like asking Kagetora Aida to train him would also require parental permission and money. For those things, he would need to be older. If he pushed hard enough, he could probably get what he wanted at age seven or eight, but until then, he was out of options.

It was with resignation that he went to sleep, dreading the school days to come.

Author's Notes:

Damn it I keep writing the last name first and I have to correct myself every single time. So, that's another chapter done and I'm currently in the middle of my final exams so I have no clue when I'll get around to the next one.

Also, I had to change Daisuke's lines three times because I didn't know what personality to give him and I settled on this one. Tbh I have no clue if it was the right choice but I've made my bed so I guess I have to lay in it now.

Oh, yea so I'll add character tags as needed.

I'll be honest I wanted this chapter to be longer but I have no clue how to make it longer so yea. Might come back and stretch out the chapter in the future.