When he was invisible Kuroko hoped to be visible. Now that he is, he didn't enjoy it. Not at the least. One, he can't fall asleep in class. Two, the boys in the class actually bully him. Because they can friggin see him. His weak of a presence is like having a broken off and on button. Sometimes everybody ignored him like he wasn't even there but most of the time he is holding the spotlight, for being bullied by the boys in his class.
Kuroko being Kuroko did nothing to defend himself and instead just let them trample all over him. Kuroko had to took notes, buy them drinks, carry their stuff. Most people would feel really bad for themselves and start having a depressed look on their face but Kuroko's expression didn't change in the slightest. Some students started to gave him a nickname, Ice Heart or Stone Face. Kuroko ignored the buzzing in his ears as they were merely a hindrance.
When Kuroko walked towards the gym his thought run over Seirin. He was glad, glad that Seirin wished him the best even though he would be going to the school that defeated them. They wished him the utmost luck in being a regular player. They were certainly a family and a team he would miss.
Kuroko opened the door to the gym for the first-stringers since Akashi told him to go here. None of the regulars were there so Kuroko decided to head to the locker room and change his clothes. When Kuroko was about to walk out of the locker room he accidentally bumped into a few of his classmates. Kuroko fell on his ass. At first the people he bumped into panicked but when realizing who they'd bumped into they simply smirked.
"Oh, what do you know. He actually came to the basketball club." One of the three said.
"What are you doing here? This is for the first-strings and I think you actually need to hand over form sheets before actually joining." Said the tallest of them, the only one kind enough to Kuroko. Kuroko find him to be pleasant enough though he can't say the same goes for his group of friends.
"Maybe he is being delusional." The shortest of them cracked up. He maybe the shortest but he is at least one foot half taller than Kuroko.
"Hello, Sakaki-kun, Natsui-kun and Shiki-kun." Kuroko greeted them respectively and bowed a little. "I didn't know you guys are on the first-string."
The person called Sakaki sighed. "Well yeah, but it sure is hard as hell to just be and maintain on the first-string."
Shiki shrugged.
"We made it because we practice everyday even when official prctice ends we kinda stayed behind sometimes when the training isn't so aggressive." Natsui said a with small smile.
They heard a blow of whistle from outside the locker room at the gymnasium and the three panicked and ran out, unconciously dragging Kuroko with them, so that they won't get punished with extra drills or something even worse.
"Oi, if you wanna survive in the basketball club." Sakaki started.
"Beware of Akashi Seijuurou." Shiki finished.
All of the first-stringers lined up and gathered around and their attention were all onto the small group four regular respected players. Kuroko blinked his eyes a bit and observed his surrounding harder before he started noticing Mayuzumi. The bluenette look at the other phantom who noticed the staring and return the gaze. For some reason Kuroko flushed and reverted his gaze immediately to somewhere else.
Akashi noted the bluenette's blush. He wondered what caused that…or who. His eyes flashed dangerously.
"We have a new member joining. He is a new student." Akashi started calmly. "And I would like to dictate him as the new vice-captain."
This caught Kuroko off-guard. Why would…
"Tetsuya, please come forward." Akashi continued.
Gulping Kuroko slowly walked past the others to the front. His eyes staring at the redhead's face with bewilderment. There was a silent confusion when he walked up front, the members of the first-strings were very much surprised especially Kuroko's new classmates. The Rakuzan High Basketball coach eyed Kuroko with curious yet furious eyes.
Kuroko stopped in front of Akashi and looked at him with an empty expression. Empty mind too. And he turned around facing the crowd.
"Tetsuya is my former teammate in Teikou Middle and part of the Generation of Miracles." A few eyes widened in disbelief. "If you're wondering, his ability is like our own phantom sixth man, Mayuzumi Chihiro though he is the older prototype."
Kuroko's bangs shadowed his eyes.
"Chihiro, you'll show him around. Rakuzan High is different with Seirin afterall." Akashi pointed Mayuzumi as the caretaker.
Kuroko's heart took a short leap and his eyes darted to the other 'shadow' that presumably stole his place next to Akashi but also the one who seems to get him. Mayzumi returned his gaze with blank emotions and even more blank gaze but Kuroko could see a small smile that seems to radiate like an aura. Kuroko felt the urge to smile back but that would not bode well with Akashi-kun so he settle for a nod.
Then the redhead captain dismissed the short assembly and told them to get on with practice. As the captain assigned the other first-stringers to teams and have a mini competition and seeing some of them starting on their training regiment, the regulars of Rakuzan High acquaint themselve with the newest addition of the basketball team.
"So~ Tetsuya Kuroko, right? Can I call you Tecchan~? You might now me already, I'm Mibuchi Reo." He winked at the bluenette.
"Hello." Kuroko greeted back.
"Hello, hello, hello. Please don't hold us back." Hayama said with a true sick smile on his face.
"Welcome to Rakuzan High, shortie." Eikichi patted the tealhead with unintended force, unintentionally making Kuroko stumble forward and crashed into someone.
"Careful." Mayuzumi said as he steadies Kuroko when he crashed to his chest, his hand on the bluenette arms as he steadies the quite stunned tealhead. Kuroko just stared at the blank face with a dumb stare, though somehow he can hear the amusement in his word.
"Thank you, senpai." Kuroko bowed in an awkward angle.
"Eikichi, Mibuchi, Hayama. Could you please leave us alone for awhile." It wasn't a request. Clearly so.
"Huh? Why? Are you going to bully him?"
"Okay~ Chicchan! See ya later, nee Tecchan."
"Sure! Gotta eat some meat 'nyway before training."
With that the three of them dismissed.
Mayuzumi went to retrieve one basket ball. "Come." He said and walked out of the first gym with Kuroko trailing behind him. The short walk was only filled with a comfortable silence, Kuroko idly wondered where they were heading to. Kuroko saw a few more gyms that was filled with noises of shouts and squeaks of sport shoes running across the court.
"The fourth gym." The brown-haired announced. "Nobody uses it."
"Why?"
"Rumors says there are ghost in the gym…though I think it was me." Mayuzumi chuckled slightly.
Kuroko smiled just a little at that sentence. He can actually really relate to that when he thought of Teikou Middle. They entered the building with pleasant silence. Somehow the building is bigger than the first gym and it was spotless and empty save for the basketball hoop and a few cleaning stuffs.
Mayuzumi walked to the nearest hoop, bounce the ball for a few times and shoot. Gracefully it went into the basket and scored. Kuroko watch with passive eyes. The other phantom walked under the hoop and took the orange ball ebfore walking towards Kuroko.
"Your lack of presence is not working anymore." Mayuzumi stated.
That stung Kuroko a bit. His face twitched in annoyance.
"But not necessarily Misdirection." He finished.
"What do you mean?"
"Before you discovered the technique Misdirection, people in your string must have noticed you right. They know you are there."
Kuroko thought about it for a second. It was true. The people in the third strings know him well and when they play basketball they can sense him but after discovering Misdirection he uses certain moves to direct his acquaintances attentions away from him. Moves…
"Misdirection is not about having a lack of presence but directing your opponents attention elsewhere." Mayuzumi said.
"I know but Rakuzan needs not another player that can use Misdirection."
Mayuzumi thought this over. "I don't have a light." He started. "So do you, here anyway. But shadows can get darker on their own, two shadows combining can create a darker shadow. And also Kuroko Tetsuya. Although you call yourself a shadow, you have your own light that you shone."
That was the most Kuroko has heard from the new phantom sixth man. "My own light?" But he is a shadow, how can he shine a light?
"Kuroko, create your own style of basketball. One that has no need of Akashi's guidance."