Chapter 4: The Phantom Sixth Man

The black king.

The purple bishop.

The blue lance.

The green knight.

And the red general.

Everything was in place.

Murasakibara would jump over his opponent and give Teikō the possession of the ball during tip off. The two pairs of purple and navy blue eyes would exchange glances with the red ones; upon approval, the ball would quickly be passed to Aomine as the opposing players gathered around Murasakibara. Aomine would then effortlessly bypass the opponent's defense and score the basket. When it was the opponent's team turn to be in the offense, Nijimura would steal the ball and charge to the opposite side of the court with his strong and fast drive. His black eyes would direct to the green ones; within seconds the ball would be thrown to Midorima who would then shoot a perfect three-pointer.

Indeed, the entire scenario just went through Akashi's mind—accurately so—before the finals match even started.

Beep.

The buzzer went off for the first quarter. Akashi looked at the score.

26-7

Beep.

The second quarter had just ended. The opposing team began to see a pattern in Teikō's tactics.

44-17

Beep.

The opposing team was catching up. Teikō's passes were becoming far too predictable.

53-32

Beep.

The buzz went off for the final time.

64-51

The audience celebrated Teikō's championship in this year's Nationals with a huge cheer. However, a sigh of relief could be heard from the victory team: their results was to be expected. How else would they be able to live up to their motto of "Ever-Victorious"?

Akashi, Nijimura, and the two coaches, Shirogane and Sanada, nodded at each other in silent agreement: they knew all too well the reason Teikō had won was due to only a matter of difference between the skills of the two teams.

"Akashi-san."

What was needed for Teikō's basketball team was a change.

"Akashi-san."

To be precise, someone who would go beyond not only his own expectations, but also those of the opposing team.

"Akashi-san!"

The pensive eyes drifted away from the auburn leaves behind the windows and to a student who did not belong to his classroom.

"Good morning, Itō-san."

The same pair of red eyes were now rested at the vase the ash brown-haired girl was holding. "Are you assigned to take care of the flowers for our year this term?"

"Good morning, Akashi-san. It's as you said." Itō placed the Aster flowers delicately into the vase and approached Akashi whose gaze was still following her movements. "It's rare to see you at school this early in the morning."

"Aa. It's sometimes nice to arrive at school earlier than everyone else."

"It is indeed a nice place to muse." Itō pursed her lips. "I see you've been in thought lately..."

"Oh, yes...I guess so."

"Is it about the Nationals the other day? You didn't seem as happy as the other regulars right after the game."

"I guess I did seem that way. We did win, but there were a few scares. If I were to think one or two years ahead, I can't say victory is concrete."

"Is it not enough for you all to grow your skills?"

"Potential-wise, we have no issue at present. But…"

"But everything is too straightforward?"

Her observations never disappointed him. "Yes. What I want is a curveball. For instance, a valued sixth man who can change the game's momentum; a player of that nature."

"Hmm. I haven't seen a person like that in the first-string…"

"That's exactly what I'm a little concerned about."

"But…" A reassuring smile greeted the troubled boy. "Even if you couldn't find such a person, I'm sure you'll be able to find another way to change the course of things. You're not alone. You have your teammates you could depend on to secure victory for the next two years. Shirogane-san and Momoi-san too. Of course, me too, this time as your team's official assistant manager."

Akashi replied with a smile. "You may be right."

Like a pendulum, he started swinging his head back and forth ever so slightly, his eyelids fluttering against his will, and his hazed eyes barely recognising the worried expression of the girl standing in front of his desk.

"If you want...you could take a quick nap here. Since I'm done with my duty, I'll stay here and wake you up once people start arriving."

"No, I'm fine," stated the redhead.

"You haven't slept much, have you? You haven't been looking well lately."

"I thought I've hidden that fairly well at school."

"Not with the dark circles under your eyes," Itō remarked, her tone tinged with concern. "After all the times you helped me back in the training camp, let me be useful for this one time. You probably won't rest anytime soon. Besides, the members won't be happy when they notice a tired vice-captain, will they?"

"They wouldn't notice."

"Come now…"

"Although...it's true that I have work to do until late tonight." The stubborn teenager finally yielded to the proposal. "Then I'll kindly take you up on that offer."

Akashi rested his head and arms on the desk, his face facing towards the windows, and his wearied voice muffling, "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

At this brink of a moment the boy facing Itō was no longer someone who had always held his head up high, or someone who had to be responsible for everyone's expectations on him. He was a mere teenage boy—nothing more, nothing less.

She found her hand subconsciously hovering over his hair, tempted to pat and stroke the red strands glittering under the bright rays, but it ultimately hesitated and pulled itself away, clenching into a fist over her chest. Strange. Had her heart always beat this fast?

The smiling teenage girl whispered in the crisp air, "Have a good rest."

Sadly, her words were never heard by the boy who had already fallen fast asleep.

"I'm telling you it's true!" Momoi stared firmly at her tired friend. "After practice, you could hear the sound of a basketball bouncing in the third gym when no one is there!"

With a heavy basket of towels in their hands, the manager and her assistant stood outside the first gym where the first-stringers were still having practice after the sky had turned dark, chatting about the rumour that had been spreading around the basketball club lately.

"Momoi-san." Itō sighed for the third time. "Ghosts don't exist."

"But how do you explain the sound then! It wasn't only me. People who passed by the third gym heard it too. A ghost was definitely playing basketball!"

"Even if ghosts do exist, they can't play basketball with the way their bodies are." Itō put her heavy basket on the ground and clasped Momoi's arm with both hands. "Come on, let's go!"

"To where?"

"To prove that the ghost doesn't exist."

"...W-what?" Momoi refused to budge, her legs trembling uncontrollably. "N-no way! You go ahead!"

"Momoi-san, are you perhaps…"

"O-of course I am! What's so strange about that!"

"Should I take a photo of the ghost if I do manage to see one?" Itō secretly enjoyed teasing her friend.

Momoi pushed her friend away to hide her pale face. "J-just go by yourself! I'll be here waiting for you!"

"If you say so." Itō was now a few steps away from the first gym. "Wait for the good news!"

"Saya-chan, you meanie!"

The mixed sounds of running footsteps and a bouncing ball travelled to Itō's ears before she reached to the third gym. Although unlike what the rumours had said, the running footsteps seemed to belong to more than one "ghost".

She slowly pushed open the door, her calm voice slipping through the doorway and into the court. "Hello, is anyone―ah, Aomine-san. Good evening."

The sport shoes made a final squeak against the ground and twisted to the entrance.

"Oh, it's you, Itō. What are you doing here in the third gym?"

"To find the ghost."

The tanned boy burst out laughing. "So Satsuki also told you about the rumour. There's no such thing as a ghost. Look behind you."

"Hello."

Following Aomine's advice, Itō jumped and shrieked as soon as she trailed the frail voice coming from behind her.

"When did you…?!"

"This guy's the ghost that Satsuki's referring to."

"Aomine-kun, it's a bit rude to say that," said the light blue-haired boy who had nearly given Itō a slight heart attack.

"My bad, my bad." Aomine propped his hands on his hips and chortled. "He's been known not to have much presence around people, which I find amazing."

"You are laughing too much, Aomine-kun."

Itō wondered what kind of friendship the two boys shared. "Ah, I see. And you're…?"

"I'm a third-stringer."

"No, no." The boy certainly knew how to accentuate his lack of presence. "I'm asking for your name."

"Oh, I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. Nice to meet you, Itō-san."

"Nice to meet you, Kuroko-sa―h-how did you know my name?"

"Because you're the new assistant manager...and my classmate."

"You are in my class?!" The ash brown-haired girl felt rather embarrassed by the revelation.

"We've been in the same class for half a year…"

"I'm so sorry! I...didn't notice…" Itō apologised, hands clapping together, head tilting towards the ground, and eyes staring at the worn-out shoes that Kuroko was wearing. Someone who practises everyday but whose skills and presence are not noticed by others. Maybe…just maybe...

"It's fine. I'm used to it."

"By the way, Kuroko-san. You stay behind to practise every night, don't you?"

"I do. How did you..."

"Your shoes show." Itō's hazelnut eyes lit up. "So you really are the rumoured ghost...the ghost that a certain person might be looking for."

"Huh. Who's that person?" Aomine never truly understood what was going on in the mind of Momoi's friend.

"You'll know in time." The girl turned to Kuroko, her kind smile glinting in the fluorescent light. "Don't worry, even though you're in the third-string, I'm sure your efforts won't be wasted as long as you keep on working hard."

"Really? Do you think so...?"

"Itō's right, and you have me practising with you every day. We will definitely stand on the court together someday." Aomine draped his arm over his friend's shoulder and grinned widely.

"Standing on the court together someday…" Itō pondered over the possibility. "Actually, that really might come true."

Kuroko smiled, deeply touched by their words of encouragement. "Thank you, Aomine-kun and Itō-san."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Itō pulled out her phone from her pocket. "Kuroko-san, is it okay if I take a photo of you?"

"A photo of me?"

"What's that for?"

"It's to show Momoi-san who the "ghost" really is. She is still waiting for me outside the first gym."

Aomine mischievously snickered. "If that's the case, add me in! I bet you 100 yen Satsuki would only be able to spot me in the photo."

"I'm placing a 500 yen bet on that."

"Wait. What if we both win?"

"Then I'll receive a profit of 400 yen?"

Kuroko realised that if there was one thing Aomine and Itō had in common, it would be the amount of pleasure they derived from teasing their poor friend...and perhaps himself.

"The test for raising a string is today?"

"Yes. It should be happening for the second and third-string today," Akashi replied to Aomine while he pulled off his shirt drenched with sweat. "I wonder how many are going to be raised to the first-string."

"I see. Alright!"

The vice-captain caught a glimpse at his teammate rising from his chair and dashing out of the changing room. A conversation he had exchanged with Itō a few days ago suddenly crossed his mind.

"Itō-san, do you know where Aomine has gone for practice lately? I haven't been seeing him."

"Oh, Aomine-san has been practising in the third gym recently."

"The third gym?"

"Yes, do visit him there sometime soon. You might be able to find what you're looking for there."

Based on what Itō had said and how Aomine had just oddly reacted to the test for raising a string, there must be someone from the third-string that might interest him. Even so, there was no need to hurry: he would find an answer to this mystery very soon.

"Oh, Mine-chin, you're still going to practice?" With a Maiubo on his hand, Murasakibara muttered to a hurried Aomine in the corridor.

"Yea! Next time I go against Inoue, I'm definitely going to get 20 points against him!" Aomine answered with a determined grin.

"Eh. Do your best then."

The apathetic boy entered the changing room to find all anxious eyes on the disgruntled greenhead who was spraying the lockers with a deodorizer. "Mido-chin, what are you doing?"

"There has been a bad smell here lately."

"Oh, that."

Quivering in fear, Aomine darted out of the corridor at the perfect time.

"Mine-chin and Zaki-chin piled their unwashed t-shirts in a locker."

Midorima whipped his head to the door, his mouth gaping and his brows creasing in rage at the tanned boy. He was certainly getting impatient at the number of times his teammate had managed to escape from him.

"AOMINEEEE!"

Murasakibara welcomed the end of another tiring practice session with a big yawn, his sluggish eyes wandering around the changing room and finally noticing that something, no, someone, was missing.

"Where is Mine-chin? He wasn't in the first gym in today's practice and he isn't here either."

"Don't tell me that you just realised that. Aomine hasn't been practising in the first gym since last week," Midorima replied.

"Oh, really? Huh." The purplehead turned to Akashi. "Aka-chin, do you have any idea where Mine-chin is?"

"Yes, Aomine is in the third gym."

"The third gym?" Both Midorima and Murasakibara repeated in surprise.

"Yes, and that's where we'll be heading to when you two are done in the changing room."

Akashi did not have look up to see how the polar opposites reacted to his suggestion: the green-haired boy lifted his brows in question while the purple-haired teenager let out another yawn. He also understood that, despite their contrasting natures, the two very same teammates had a peculiar habit of carrying an item with them wherever they went: one with his lucky item and another with a pack of snacks.

Today was no exception: the three bright-haired teenagers entered the third gym, one with a spray on his palm and another holding a pack of chocolate sticks.

"Aomine." Akashi's firm voice filled in the court. "I thought I haven't seen you lately, so you were practising at a place like this."

"Oh, Akashi." The pair of sport shoes came to a halt. "Yea, since the gyms reserved for the first and second-stringers are too crowded these days."

"I'm surprised you practise so much by yourself," Murasakibara mumbled, a chocolate stick in his mouth.

"I'm not alone."

At Aomine's words, Akashi twisted his head and gaped slightly at the sight of a light blue-haired boy standing behind him.

"W-wait, seriously? Since when were you there?" Murasakibara uttered.

"He is…?" Is he perhaps...

"Tetsu. He's always been practising with me."

"I haven't seen his face before," stated Midorima.

"That's because he isn't in the first-string. He's still in the third-string."

"Oh, is that so." Murasakibara had just finished munching on his last stick. He wanted more. "Let's go already. I still need to visit the convenience store."

"No, I'm a little interested in him." He is, after all, the person she is referring to.

Midorima threw a glance at his teammate who was always a few steps ahead of everyone, including himself.

A mysterious smile graced Akashi's face as he stepped closer to Kuroko. "You're interesting. It's my first time seeing a type like you. You may be hiding a talent that none of us has ever seen."

Kuroko stared blankly at the redhead.

"I'm sorry, but could you come with me to the second gym?" The vice-captain then turned to his teammates. "You two should head back home first. It's getting late."

Rather than his lack of presence, it would be more accurate to say that Akashi's fascination with Kuroko stemmed from his consecutive failures in throwing the ball into the basket.

"This is my first time seeing someone devoted to basketball as much as you and don't have his efforts pay out."

Kuroko froze at Akashi's remark, his fingers quivering while clutching the basketball. "I-I'm sorry...I'm not in the mental state to accept that statement."

Akashi lifted his hands and shook them. "I apologise. That's not what I meant. I find it laudable."

Kuroko could not tell whether what the vice-captain had just said was sarcasm.

"Your motor skills aren't terrible. Your career and amount of practice are enough to call you a veteran. Yet still, I feel nothing looking at you." Akashi's black pupils dilated to match up with his unusually vicious smile. "This is quite a peculiar thing. Regardless of what kind of person you are, your seasoned aura should show through by practising hard, yet you lack that. But this is not a fault; it's an advantage for you. If you can capitalise on it, it's sure to become an enormous weapon for the team."

"Capitalise on the lack of presence?" Kuroko was confused by the vice-captain's advice. "Is such a thing even possible?"

"I'm sorry, but this is as much as I can say."

Akashi grabbed his bag from the floor and toss it over his shoulder. It was not the case that the redhead thought he had given out enough clues, but he himself did not have a clear idea on how Kuroko could make use of his lack of presence yet.

"When you find the answer, come find me." His cold eyes reverted back to gentle ones as he smiled at the still puzzled Kuroko. "I can't force you. It's up to you whether you want to join the team."

A soft voice reached Akashi's ears the moment he stepped outside the gym.

"So what do you think of Kuroko-san?"

He would not need to turn his head to find out to whom this voice belonged.

"You've heard all of that, Itō-san?"

He also would not need to open his eyes to know that his question was responded with a smile.

"By chance. I just wanted to hand you the notes Momoi told me to give you, and I assumed that you were here since I couldn't find you in the first gym or the changing room. So here you go." Itō handed Akashi the notes that she had been holding over her chest.

"I see. Thank you."

The two teenagers strolled beside the sports ground, enjoying the quiet air that they had once shared in the summer training camp.

"Do you think he will transform?"

"Who knows? I felt the possibility, but he's a stranger I just met; far from a friend. I have no obligation to tend to this and that."

Itō threw her head to Akashi's direction, her widened eyes trying to flicker away the disbelief of what she had just heard. It was true that he was far too busy to tend to minor details, yet the Akashi Itō had known would still eventually take care of them, even if it were not his duty to do so. Or had she been wrong all along? Her wavering thoughts were further disoriented by the pair of foreign eyes that stared aloofly into the dark night.

"I only let the string hang down. Whether or not he can use it to climb up depends on him."

"Akashi-san…?"

Was it Itō's imagination, or was there another person within Akashi?

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke written by Fujimaki Tadatoshi-san. All credit to the wonderful people that contributed to the creation of the manga and anime for this series, and to the translation teams for their hard work in putting on subtitles for the manga and anime that are used in this fanfiction.

Author's Note:

As always, thank you so, so much for all the reviews, favourites, and follows! I greatly appreciate them! :D

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter even though it's rather short compared to the other ones! Next chapter will still be focused around Kuroko (and it'll be the longest chapter in this story...so far); it will definitely be up by the end of next week. Do get excited for the two chapters after next, my lovely readers, because they will be centred on Akashi's background which I think was not explored enough in both the anime and manga (since it's revolved around basketball and not Akashi, haha). I'm so excited to share those two chapters with you all~!

Time to respond to the wonderful reviews!

onewhoreadstoomuch: Fangirls can really be scary even in real life. I've witnessed that before so I have an idea what they can do! Hehe, Akashi always plans things around people he cares about; he just doesn't like making things obvious. *wink* I agree, I'm having so much fun thinking and writing about the GoM at that age.

Wikked: Thank you as always~! Please look forward to the future chapters! I already have rough drafts for the next four chapters so they will definitely be up soon!

Lyrakon: Aww thank you~! I'm glad that you enjoyed the interactions between Akashi and Itō because it actually takes me the longest time to think about how to make their interactions seem real and plausible with Akashi's current personality. I'll slowly reveal to you Itō's background as the story progresses, but right now the story will still be focused around Akashi and the GoM!

TheLunaGoddess: Aah thank you so much! The next four or five chapters will definitely be up the next few weeks so please look forward to it! I hope I won't disappoint. :)