I'm back bitches! And this fic is rushed I'm so sorry. Some things could be kinda vague? Maybe I should explain at the bottom of the fic.

Anyways, I've been out of commission for… almost half a year? That's end of March then April, then the first two weeks of May, then the entirety of June… yeah. I got stupid and burned my hands in what I call "The Cooking Attempt that Never Was". I am never attempting to cook again. Maybe. For a while.

I think I've gotten carried away with the second part. It's a long, long, painful chapter. Disclaimer, not mine, yada, yada. Go on and read it.

ALSO, I'VE DECIDED TO DUMP DRABBLES AND WHATEVER I WRITE ON TUMBLR. Link is on my profile page.

R & R.

Enjoy~!

To the "me" in another life,

"Mama, if the angel became bad, does that mean he can't go back to heaven?" A young blue-haired child inquired.

Kuroko let out a small 'tsk' as the monitor screen buzzed and faded to static.

He had failed yet again. If only he had not been injured to the point that his legs were paralyzed because of a hit to his spinal cord, he would be out in the battlefield, fighting and winning. As he originally thought, dolls are not as effective in conjuring flames.

The blue-haired man made a miscalculation with the Vongola Family's aptitude. To think that Chrome woman was skilled enough to see through his doll's illusion at her age— the Tenth Generation was indeed to be feared. Those kids were getting stronger and stronger each time, and if they are now at this level, who can't see how great they would be once they reach adulthood?

Their current adult selves were significantly weaker than the Millefiore Family's upper echelon, and if they can keep up with them at their supposed-to-be weaker age, then the mafia would probably have a field day with them after all of this.

His eyes narrowed in thought. Try as they may, Kuroko knew that somehow, the others would be defeated. Personally, he wanted the young Vongola Decimo to win; not because he was a traitor, but he knows what is needed to be done and he knows what is best for Byakuran. His friend has gone down a dark path and like before, with them, he was unable to help.

(Sawada Tsunayoshi may be the key to stop Byakuran once and for all.)

But right now, he had a job to do, and that is being the Millefiore Family's Mist Guardian.

He turned off the multiple monitors, took a paper mache mask on his desk, and solidified said mask with his Lightning flames, forming the familiar brown cover he was known for. With a wave of his hand, a metallic doll not unlike Torikabuto sprang to life. Said marionette grabbed his wheelchair and moved him out of their emergency hideout in Namimori. Kuroko placed the mask on his face, Mist flames gathering around him and the doll. To the naked eye, they were invisible.

He quietly tracked them down using the flame detector that Spanner and Shoichi once gave to him as a gift. From his spot, he could see where the other Funeral Wreaths were positioned. It has been a day since the others last saw those children (whom he cannot detect as the signatures of the Vongola rings are not registered to the detector) and simply hoped that Byakuran would not toy with them as he did with the rest of Millefiore's enemies.

(It was one thing to battle an adult, and it was another to fight a child.)

The detector's radar went crazy as it picked up a strong surge of flames from the local forest area. Not only did he detect the surge, the radar picked up Byakuran's flame signature. 'How could that be, when he's not anywhere near me?' The last time he saw his boss, he was still enjoying himself at some cafe.

The blue-haired Guardian picked up the pace. He had a bad feeling about this.

The deeper he got into the forest, the worse his insides felt. It was as if something was sucking the life force out of him. From his periferal view, he noted something green flicker. At first he dismissed it as nothing, but then the flash came again and he spotted a large, green flame-like tendril headed his way. Using every bit of upper body strength that he had, he threw himself out of the way, with the tendril tearing his wheelchair apart and going straight through his doll's body.

Kuroko was stunned when the flames wrapped around his creation was being absorbed by said tendril. Not only that, flames leaked out from the Mare Mist ring and the grade-A lightning ring on his hand. He felt his chest tightening and he found it a bit hard to breath. The atmosphere was dense and he was running out of energy. This was bad.

If this goes on, he'll run out of flames and die.

He took a deep breath and struggled to rest on the side of a tree. Damn his paralyzed legs! If only he could move…!

The blue-haired man closed his eyes and anticipated the worst when the tendril was headed straight towards him. He managed to dodge by going straight for the ground clumsily, nonetheless, he was thoroughly weakened by the flame drain. Not only that, the tendril remained.

(He was going to die at this rate.)

There was a great flash from afar and Kuroko shielded his face from how bright it was, despite the fact that his eyes had been closed. When he opened them, he was surprised to see the tendril gone, and a large orange dome appeared out of nowhere. The man was entranced by the sight— it wasn't everyday that you could see a dome made of the purest Sky flames known to man.

He slowly sat up from the ground, trying to catch his breath. The dense atmosphere has been lifted. Be that as it may, that didn't mean things weren't about to go to hell. He tried to conjure more flames, but he didn't have enough energy. Though he wasn't in direct contact with those tendrils, some of his flames have been sapped and that was enough for his frail body to give up on him.

A hand suddenly clamped on his shoulders and he instantly whipped out a gun towards the stranger's face. He growled when he discovered it was a bespectacled white-haired man. He was wearing the typical Japanese yukata, though that wasn't what set Kuroko off. This person was the same man who gave Byakuran the Hell ring Genkishi had.

He didn't know why he was here and he didn't bother to figure out what he had in mind when he gave the ring to Byakuran, regardless, he does know one thing—

This man is dangerous.

"Why are you here?"

The man simply gave him an amiable smile.

"That's simple."

The blue-haired man could see the triumphant gleaming eyes underneath the man's glasses.

"The restoration of the Arcobaleno."

His own eyes narrowed. What nonsense was this man talking about? Byakuran… he already killed off every last one of the Strongest Seven, except for Yuni whom he had taken in to control. He regretfully lowered his head. He didn't approve of any of it. In spite of that—

"Tetsuya-kun, help me create a new world."

His smile—

"I always win, therefore I'm always right."

It was the same smile of madness that Akashi had.

The moment he caught a glimpse of that, he knew it was too late to stop him.

On the other hand, this man, Kawahira—if that is his real name—is confident that things would go his way; that things would not go for Byakuran's favor. What did this man mean by restoration?

As if he read his mind, the bespectacled man pointed his finger towards the dome. "Simply sit back and enjoy the show, Kuroko Tetsuya."

What he witnessed could not be described in a multitude of words.

Only one word could pin it accurately. It was—

His blue eyes widened as he viewed the barrage of flames headed right for Byakuran, who was frozen stiff in place. He can't deny it.

—a miracle.

Kuroko watched at the immobile man on the hospital bed. Bandages covered the man's body, hiding the multiple burns he received from the brown-haired boy's attack. Tubes were attached to his arms and an oxygen mask was strapped to his face. The constant beeping of the heart monitor was the only noise in the room.

The blue-haired man further examined Byakuran's condition.

His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was curved downwards. His eyelids were crinkled and stress lines showed on his face. Even though he was unconscious, Byakuran's fists were clenched tightly and his entire body was rigid, as if even now, when they have lost and no one knew where they were, he could not rest.

It was only the two of them, alone again.

Bluebell, Zakuro, and Kikyo were gone, Daisy was out of the question, and they all knew what happened to their mysterious Lightning Guardian trump card.

(He found it kind of ironic, really. Byakuran went to great lengths to recruit them and have companions and now, it was his actions that cost him his Guardians. Even now, he was preparing to leave their Sky, too.)

There was nothing for him to do here anymore. The others aren't around, Byakuran was out of commission, Yuni left as well, those kids from the past have returned to their proper time, and they lost. And it's not as if he was needed, since in the end, he was another tool to be used and discarded— he was useless, too.

At any rate, losing the battle was for the best.

(At that moment, he no longer saw the white-haired man and his fellow Guardians. Instead, he saw a group of kids with hair the colors of the rainbow. A sad smile appeared on his face.)

To go on our separate ways…

Kuroko closed his eyes briefly before taking a deep breath. He bowed in front of the unconscious man. "I'm sorry," For being a failure. For being too late to stop you. For not seeing the moment you started to fall. "Thank you." For giving me a second chance. For showing me a new light to follow. For being my friend.

He placed a bouquet of flowers on the bedside desk and silently left the room, not spotting the slight twitch of man's hand.

The next day, Byakuran opened his eyes.

It's been days since he left Byakuran in the hospital and never showed his face again. He was lost in front of the crossroads again.

The first time he'd been confronted by this, the white-haired man had shown him the way. This time, he was alone in his endeavour; no one to catch him should he ever fall and no one to help him should he ever face difficulty. That doesn't change the fact that he can't wallow up in despair. He wasn't some naive, innocent kid whose heart broke easily because of a game. His hands, so bloody and tired of this life, could attest to that.

This was the world of adults, and he was a part of it.

And that is why he decided to come back here, after all these years.

The blue-haired man stared at the arch.

Teiko Middle School.

His lips twitched and his grip on the wheelchair tightened. 'How nostalgic.'

So many bittersweet memories buried within the school. It's been years since he last came here and yet, it did not fail to clench his soul. His past, which he had never moved on, persists to exist, mocking him and his failures.

(He grew up and he took Byakuran's hand. In truth, he only ignored his problems. Even now, he could not fully face his regrets. I am weak; a coward.)

With a heavy heart, he wheeled himself to leave. Before he could do so, a rather familiar voice called out to him. He looked back and froze.

Pink hair and matching eyes greeted him. "Tetsu-kun?"

Kuroko and Momoi walked around the school, exchanging hesitant smiles. The heavy silence was slowly suffocating them with awkwardness and anticipation. Momoi, physically, didn't change much, but he knew she was different from before.

(Her hair, her eyes, and her face were the same from his memories. Her stance was friendly and her personality was as bubbly as ever. The way she walked, it was the same, too— confident and headstrong, that was the Momoi-san he knew.

On the other hand, he could see the lines of tension on her face, partially hidden by her amiable smile. Her friendly stance was stiff, and her voice and tone was firm and bold.)

Despite these new things he perceived, he could tell she became successful, what with serving as the coach of today's Teiko Basketball team. It was only regretful that he wasn't there to see his friend grow.

"So, um, Tetsu-kun," She started again. "I didn't expect to see you come back here." And in a wheelchair no less, were the unspoken words.

"I didn't either," Wasn't planning on it. "I felt like visiting today." I wanted to see if anything has improved.

"You know, everyone changed after that day." Kuroko stared at her in confusion. "We tried to hold it together. In the end, everyone drifted away from each other. I mean sure we keep contact and such, but it wasn't the same anymore. We grew up differently and by the time we were aware of it, we were too different and drifted apart."

He held his silence as Momoi pressed on, her voice gaining a sad, nostalgic tone.

"Ki-chan is a pilot. At first he wanted to resume his modeling career, but flying and exploring the sky was his dream. He often told me 'the sky's the limit, Momoicchi!' and 'reach for the skies!'. He tried so hard to keep it a secret and make the pilot thing a surprise but you know he can't hide anything with how obvious he was." They shared a chuckle at that.

Both stopped in front of the gym entrance and observed the group of students who were inside. They were laughing, exchanging smiles, as they practiced and played. Kuroko found himself smiling at the scene. It was nice sight, being a carefree kid whose deepest worries were only studying and maintaining their grades, not once thinking much of the problems of the adult world.

"Dai-chan, well, it's really funny actually. He became a cop," Momoi held in her laughter. His eyebrows shot up in response. That certainly was a surprise. "I mean, him… a cop, really?! But you know, he's reliable and strong and actually has a strong sense of justice hidden underneath all that perversion and procrastination of his. Even now, he continues to amaze me. He never stopped playing, too."

Her eyes twinkled. "In fact, he found himself a rival."

Kuroko softly snorted, unable to completely believe or dismiss what she said. Aomine, finding a rival? That was even more preposterous than him being a cop!

When she noted his dumbfounded gaze, she smiled. "Don't believe me? Really, he revised his ways of life for the better." Momoi's head lowered a bit. "I'm sad that he didn't see his mistake until you were gone."

"Momoi-san, I—"

An orange basketball rolled their way and bumped into Kuroko's wheelchair. The blue-haired man hesitated before picking it up with shaky hands. He managed to toss it back towards the students before his grip could falter.

"Sorry, sensei!" The kids shouted.

"It's okay. No harm done!" She hollered back.

Momoi went on with her story, not noticing what happened or if she did, bothered not to say anything.

"Midorin, or should I say, Midorima-sensei… is a doctor now— a pediatrician actually. But don't worry," She said, waving her arms. "He's as big a tsundere as he was back in middle school. He's the same in every one bit of quirk when it comes to the horoscopes."

The pink-haired woman pushed his wheelchair away from the gym and they carried on with their trek in the school grounds.

"Mukkun and Akashi-kun are the ones whom I don't hear a lot from. The last time we talked, Mukkun was preparing for his flight to be a pastry chef in France while Akashi-kun was getting ready for a shogi tournament. From what Ki-chan told me, he's actually a businessman and the tournament was a simple hobby."

Kuroko's lips twitched at the news. His friends were truly bright lights.

They have gotten prosperous in a span of ten years, while he, invisible, easily overlooked Kuroko, had fallen so low that he could only find a purpose in the underground world, taking other people's lives and wrapping his own life in lies. He could only go on by assisting a madman to drown in his own madness, effectively transforming into a tool who had lost his sense of self.

Guardian?

Merely a fancy word for what sorry excuse he had eventually turned into.

(His existence was pitiful.)

She suddenly halted and Kuroko learned that they were back at the entrance. He was so lost in their conversation that he didn't have the time to realize that they managed to come back in such a quick time.

"So, Tetsu-kun, what about you?" Momoi said. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

For the second time, he didn't answer her.

After his chat with Momoi, Kuroko proceeded to explore the city. The city's pace of transformation was constant— unwavering and not minding the people who reside in it. The buildings rose taller, the cars were renewed, the road fixed and maintained, the smoke of pollution thickening; it didn't matter whether you were able to keep up or not. It was a city of evolution; a city of never-ending alteration.

("Did you find what you were looking for?")

He exhaled. I don't know, Momoi-san. Kuroko wheeled his chair, bypassing a kindergarten daycare. An orange-haired man was facing the other way, his back faced towards the blue-haired mafioso. He must be their teacher. He glanced at him, remembering his old dream.

If things had been different, would I have been a teacher, too, I wonder?

He blinked in disbelief when the man turned around.

Ogiwara was picking up the children's discarded toys when he felt the hairs on his nape rise. His eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. Someone was watching him. He turned around. But who?

He didn't spot anyone.

He approached the fence and peered in. Still no sign of anyone but a few people from across the street. "Huh," He scratched his cheek. "I was sure someone was just there."

"Oi, Shige, pick up the pace. You're in charge of the next lesson!" Another man yelled at him. "And get that grain of rice out of your cheek. We wouldn't want kids to poke fun at their sensei now, do we?"

"Sorry! Will be there right away!" He answered. Taking once last look at the fence, the orange-haired man shook his head and went back to picking up the toys. "Must be my imagination."

A slight breeze swept through when he halted, suddenly having an epiphany.

There was only one person he could think of that he wouldn't have been able to see unless he was specifically searching for him.

("Kuroko…")

"Was that—" He started to get up from his spot when he stopped. Yes, there was only one person he could think of, but he could not come up with any reason for him to be there. It's been a long time since they communicated and he was sure that the other didn't know what became of him now. "—nah, it couldn't have been him."

No friendship was left between them.

Some friendships don't last forever.

Ogiwara smiles bitterly.

"It's been two years. Did something change?" A smile.

"When we actually meet up like this, I'm at a loss." A pat on the back.

"It's finally time to fulfill our promise!" An oath.

"Sorry, Kuroko… we lost." A tear.

"I can't do this— I'm so frustrated I can't talk straight. You guys won, right?" A disappointment.

"Kuroko…" An empty gaze.

While trying to put as much distance between him and Ogiwara as possible, he found an empty court with a lone, abandoned basketball on the floor. He carefully wheels himself towards it.

Kuroko gently picks up the ball, his hands shaking just like before. He willed himself to stay still. The familiar feeling of the ball in his hand was something he missed. The rubber texture, the orange color, the roundness of the ball— these were things that he used to appreciate. It was a reminder of what he gained: friends and teammates bonded through a game.

However, the surface also felt cold in his grasp.

(He has always been a shadow. He never tried taking the spotlight ever since his talent for Misdirection had been cultivated. All he could do was pass and steal the ball. He can't go for a shot, though.)

He glanced upwards and focused on the net. Should he dare try?

Feeling a bit silly, he decides to try and shoot. What did he have to lose anyway?

He elevates the ball to his chest, with his entire palm holding it from the bottom. With a shrug, he thrusts the ball forward using his palm and watches as it flies higher than any shot he previously tried. The ball follows a high arc before quickly falling…

And falling…

Kuroko lets out a small gasp.

And falling…

His eyes widened and his stare glued to the ball.

And falling…

In an instant, the ball completely descends in and through the hoop.

It was a perfect, clean shot.

His entire form trembles.

If all this time, he was able to do that…

What kind of life could he have been leading if he knew?

(Images of the past fill his vision. He doesn't register the tears that won't stop, nor his hyperventilating breaths, and his shaking form. He was filled with a sense of dread and numbness.)

The time he wasted, the mistakes he committed, the chances he missed, the regrets he never resolved, the things he could have done, the possibilities he never knew, the lives he took, the orders he obeyed, the ideals he threw away, the dreams he gave up, the sacrifices he made— was it all for nothing?

If he hadn't thought that his level of skill was adequate enough; if he believed that he could do better, would he have never fallen this low?

Would he never have lost sight of himself?

(He couldn't accept it, this harsh reality in which he'd lost his sense of self.)

Kuroko hurriedly leaves the court, not paying attention to a tall, red-haired man carrying a plastic bag of burgers.

Somewhere else, a blue-haired teen and a red-haired one shared a fist bump as they walked home, happy and satisfied after a long game of Basketball.

Behind them, the rest of the team exchanged laughs and smiles as they celebrated their win earlier that day.

The first time it happened was after he received Ogiwara's wristband from his teammate.

He's been having strange dreams recently. They weren't the random dreams a person would usually have. They were so vivid and clear that the blue-haired teen was half-convinced it was a bunch of memories.

In his dreams, he was an adult man who had lost his sense of self. He was alone in the world, lonely and horribly lost. He was so lost that he didn't know what to do and didn't know if he could go on. He didn't have a purpose in life.

It sent shivers down his spine.

What could those dreams mean, he always wondered. Were they telling him of a dark future he avoided? Or was it a warning that he could follow the same path? Were those dreams showing him the what-could-have-beens or were they a manifestation of his fears and weaknesses?

…That couldn't be it, right?

There were flames the colors of the rainbow and faces that he was sure he'd never seen before. He would hear their voices, but he doesn't understand a single thing. And in those dreams—memories? visions?—there was one person who appeared in most of them; a white-haired man who loved marshmallows. He had a friendly smile on his face, and the look of intense insanity in his eyes.

(He reminded Kuroko of Akashi.)

Whenever he recalled the white-haired man, a feeling of regret, sadness, and gratitude wash over him in a confusing vortex of emotions. Who was that man and why had he affected him this way?

He didn't understand.

Fortunately, his questions won't remain unanswered. Not when a certain place keeps replaying in his dreams— the place where all of these crazy events have occurred. Hopefully, he would find something there and get to the bottom of the mystery.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" A voice from a distant future (past?) called out to him in the deepest recesses of his mind.

Namimori, Japan.

The second time it happened was during his trip to Namimori.

It's been a week since he arrived and there was nothing out of the ordinary.

The only useful thing he learned was that a few students seem to be missing and none of their families, friends, or classmates have seen them for a couple of days, but that was irrelevant to his search.

He'd gotten nothing from this little excursion.

(While he was walking around town, he passed by a bespectacled ginger-haired boy.)

It was odd on how he found nothing, and at the same time, it was silly of him to think he'd find the answers when they were just dreams— a product of his imagination. And it's not as if Namimori was the only place he checked. He went to Kokuyo because the name rang bells in his head and decided to stop by.

Kuroko felt his stomach rumble and sighed. It was time to pick up some lunch. He decided to go to that sushi place he'd been hearing a lot about.

The moment he stepped into the restaurant, his entire body froze.

There was nothing weird or strange going on. The sushi chef was simply catering to some kid and a pink-haired lady. The other customers were simply enjoying their food. The teen shook his head and ignored his instincts and sat on one of the chairs in front of the counter. He stayed quiet, tapping the counter silently whilst waiting for the man to notice him. When he showed no signs of seeing Kuroko, he decided to speak up.

"Excuse me."

The man jumped and his gaze hardened before they went to Kuroko and he relaxed. An unnatural reaction from a sushi chef, but it wasn't any of his business if the man was paranoid. "Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there, kid. What can I get you?"

"Amaebi for one, please."

"Okay, one plate of amaebi coming right up!"

While waiting for his order, Kuroko watched the news from the small television set up on the wall. From what he saw, there were a lot of decimated buildings and large cracks filled the road.

"This just in. It seems there was an earthquake with a magnitude of—"

An earthquake in all the towns near Namimori? There was nothing suspicious about it, but the fact that this town was safe from an earthquake that occurred in the ones next to it made him pause. There was something else going on around here.

That's it. After this, he'd head over there and see it for himself.

"Are you okay?" Kuroko asked as he helped a red-haired boy stand up. The younger teen lost his balance during the aftershock.

The redhead gladly took his hand to pull himself up. "Ah, yes. Thank you, um…"

"Kuroko Tetsuya."

The other gave him a small smile of gratitude. "Thank you very much for helping me, Kuroko-san. I'm Kozato Enma."

The third time it happened, it was when he returned to Namimori

Kuroko found himself wandering back to the aforementioned town. Enma told him they were headed here for a school transfer and a permanent move of residence because of the relatively safe location from natural disasters, and thus, he tagged along.

While he was lost in his thoughts, he bumped into someone. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It was just an accident, after all!" A cheery, brown-haired woman waved his apology off. He noticed the slight crease of her eyebrows and before he could recompose himself, he had pointed it out on impulse. "Is there something wrong? You seem worried."

Her bright smile dimmed a bit, but she still held happy expression grin in place. "Oh my, even a stranger noticed. I—" The woman's smile completely disappeared and she bit her lip in worry.

She started to elaborate on her predicament. "You see, I was looking for my son. I haven't seen him for days now and— you know what? Nevermind." The woman paused. "I'm sure Tsu-kun is fine… somewhere…"

"It's perfectly understandable to be worried about your son, ma'am," Kuroko replied. "Maybe I've seen him somewhere. What is his name and what does he look like?"

"Oh! His name is Sawada Tsunayoshi and—"

Kuroko froze.

The name was so familiar and he was sure he'd never seen or heard of that name before… yet it struck a chord in him.

Why?

He could see it vividly— flames the colors of the rainbow filled his vision. Green and indigo intertwined in his grasp, while orange enveloped him gently.

Kuroko eyes shot open and he sat up from his bed.

The blue-haired male stared at his surroundings. He was… in a bedroom? How? He was so sure he had been in a Basketball court outside…

He paused.

Outside?

He immediately left his bed and took a peek out from the window. He could see houses everywhere. There weren't a lot of people outside, but he could see middle-aged women gossiping in one corner, kids playing at the other side of the street, and an ice cream truck passing by. Everything looked ordinary. From afar, he could see a few skyscrapers and other establishments.

What's going on?

He never noticed his fists trembling.

The teen slowly backed away from the window. He didn't understand what was happening, but he figured out that he was still in Tokyo. Kuroko sped off to the bathroom to look at his reflection.

His hand shakily reached towards the reflection. It was really him… but he was ten years younger. He was sixteen again. But then again, he remembered being admitted to a local high school just a week ago, and he definitely never left Japan to go to Italy. This was strange.

(He definitely remembered being an adult, but he was so sure he had never joined the mafia. It was a unique experience for him— to not know whether he was a broken little boy or an aged, jaded man.)

"Tetsuya, there's someone here at the door for you!" A very familiar voice called out to him. Kuroko felt his eyes begin to water. He hasn't heard his mother's voice in a long time since he accepted Byakuran's offer. He missed her a lot, along with his father and grandmother.

"Coming!" He replied.

When he finally went down, he was surprised to see a white-haired man at his doorstep—

No, Kuroko corrected himself. He's only a kid, like me.

Byakuran had a teasing smile on his face. "So are you going to make us stand here or are you letting us in?"

Behind Byakuran, a green-haired girl smiled and waved at him. "It's nice to see you again, Kuroko-san!"

The teen blinked at her appearance. Yuni and Byakuran… were together? And Byakuran had a light-hearted smile on his face, as if a great burden was lifted from his shoulders. He could feel himself sigh in relief and relax upon seeing him— the last time he saw his… friend, he wasn't exactly in the best condition.

The last time he saw the other, he had failed him.

"This is your second chance, Tetsuya-kun," The white-haired teen informed him. "I won't ask you for forgiveness, but I owe you at least this much."

"Welcome back, Kuroko-san."

He took both of their hands.

"I'm home."

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A lone angel descended upon the earth,

And was corrupted by power and strife.

Yet a shadow supported him along the way,

So he may find his path back to heaven.

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Byakuran sipped a bit of tea before he settled into his chair.

"Are you happy with your new life? It must be nice… having everything back in order— no mafia to change anything and ruin it."

"Yes, it is nice."

He closed his eyes and recalled everything that has happened to him. He gave the other a soulful stare.

"But even if it's in another life, I have never regretted meeting you."

A tear formed in Byakuran's eye. He blinked and looked up so it would go away before he would end up crying. "I didn't know you had a cute side, Tetsuya-kun. How dare you hide this from me."

"I do not know what you're talking about, Byakuran-kun."

They shared one more look before exchanging smiles, hot tea forgotten in their reconciliation.

As they sat there lounging to their heart's content, Kuroko couldn't help but think on how great his life was.

All was right in the world.

"Oh, but he did return to heaven. He had a friendly shadow to show him the way." The mother answered.

Never forget.

And that's a wrap!

Here's a summary of events: Basically Kuroko loses his purpose in life because the mafia was all he had left then he failed Byakuran, too. Then he wanders around Tokyo, meets Momoi and hears about his former friends' lives without him. He also sees Ogiwara happy. Then when he tries to shoot, he actually fucking can after believing he had no future in Basketball after all these years.

Fast-forward to the future, Kuroko has been having weird dreams lately, and they all point to Namimori. There's also been earthquakes in towns around it, so he's been suspicious about it. His scouting proves to be a lost cause, though. He even meets Enma in another town. When he comes back to stop by in Namimori one last time, he runs into Nana, and when he heard Tsuna's name, it sounded familiar.

That name was the key to everything. That night, he received all of his memories from the future (signified by the flames enveloping him and stuff), so understandably, he was confused when he woke up. He remembers being an adult and a freshman in Seirin at the same time. That morning, Byakuran and Yuni stop by. This is the moment they recruit him back.

In the vague, and very short, epilogue, it's just Byakuran and Kuroko talking about Seirin and the mafia and shit like that.

I've decided to turn this into a two-shot because it had so many loose ends. I'm not going to elaborate on KHR or KnB canon since we all know what's going to happen next anyway. I've decided to simply show Kuroko's side of the things and this was getting too long.

Also, since I've been hanging around tumblr recently, I was able to get a bit of writing groove from over there. I've fallen out of practice for fanfics and that's why I only finished this now. I have other stuff to write, too, and I haven't given up yet!

Ciao~!