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

Chapter 1: Death comes for us all

The sun was shining bright in the sky, the clouds had retreated across the sea, and he had just finished his school day. It seemed like life was looking up.

Of course, that was not accounting for the massive semi-truck barreling straight towards him.

That... was not so great. He would say that was the understatement of the century, but he knew better. It didn't make the situation any less threatening though.

At that moment, he recalled that people with near-death experiences saw their lives flashing before their eyes, but now that he was in the same situation, he could say that was utter bullcrap. His eyes were way too preoccupied with taking in his soon-to-be killer that was getting closer and closer to his location in slow motion. Yes, slow motion. Though, that could probably be chalked up to adrenaline. Nothing gets your blood pumping like being crushed to death after all.

As Akira Hinode watched the truck getting closer and closer, a thought crossed his mind.

I should probably be running, shouldn't I?

Yea... that sounded about right.

He tried to move his legs, but they wouldn't budge an inch, no matter what he did. They were frozen, unable, or most likely unwilling, to move.

Ah.

His body wouldn't listen to his mind. It was frozen in fear, complete and absolute terror. The only reason he wasn't freaking out was probably that his mind was refusing to process what was actually going on, which wasn't all that bad because he wouldn't live to process anything.

It helped somewhat knowing that he didn't have anyone who would really miss him. He was an orphan, and though he did have friends, his death wouldn't hit them as hard as it would if they were family. It wasn't the best comfort, but it was the only thing he could think of. After all, he didn't have much time anymore...

Time...

He... was going to die. Wasn't he?

A scream started to bubble up in his mouth and panic started to set in. This was the end. He wouldn't even live to see his eighteenth birthday. The thought... terrified him.

No, he couldn't die here. He wanted to live. He wanted to make something out of himself, wanted to grow up, wanted to get a job and maybe even a family of his own. He wanted... so much. Yet life doesn't always give you what you want, does it? Tears started to form in his eyes. He didn't know what he wanted to do of course, but he still wanted to do something. Anything. He wanted to see the world, to- to experience everything the world had to offer.

IT WASN'T FAIR! WHY DID I HAVE TO DIE, WHY ME, WH-

Tears started to fall from his eyes as he stopped his thoughts in their tracks. A sense of calm and sorrow came over him, a quiet resignation. He turned his head away. He didn't want to see his impending death as it approached him. There was no more fear, just... acceptance.

He let out a deep sigh. There was nothing to do. There was nothing left.

As the front of the truck hit his body, he simply closed his eyes. Pain burst forward, as his life faded away. Then there was only darkness.

(~)

The darkness consumed him. There was nothing to see, nothing to feel, nothing to hear. There was simply... nothing. If Akira could have screamed, he would have. If he could have laughed, he would have. Yet there was nothing he could do. So, having nothing else to do, the teenage boy began to recall his life.

From a young age, Akira had loved running. He had loved parkour, and in general, he had loved moving about. Staying in one place didn't really suit him, so he was constantly on the move, from one place to the next. And better yet, he had been good at running. Better than any of his peers in the orphanage and better than any other child he came across. It was a talent that had served him well, especially when he had to run away from adults in his youth because he had been caught stealing. Those weren't his proudest days, Akira would admit to that wholeheartedly, but he had managed to steal quite a bit because of his agility.

The first school he attended didn't break this morally dubious habit, as it was a public school that didn't care much for him, however, when Akira entered high school, he was scouted for his running ability, joining the Track and Field Team and performing exceptionally, getting 46th place in the 10km run, 48th in the 8km run and 47th in the 5km run in his first year. He continued to climb the ranks until he achieved 2nd place in the 10km run during his second year, and 4th in the 8km run, with his 5km ranking only a bit behind at 6th place. It was during his time in junior high that Akira stopped stealing from others as he threw himself into track and field, eventually getting the best time for the 10km run in his final year, and claiming first place.

After winning, Akira had decided to celebrate in the city. It was after that event that he had been killed by a semi-truck.

High school was also where he had been introduced to anime and other sports by one of his friends who Akira had lived with after he had left the orphanage. Akira's life had been looking up. It was a shame that it was now... over.

Then, without warning, the darkness began to recede as Akira once more began to feel.