Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke does not belong to me.
A/N: The Yayoi period that is briefly mentioned in here is roughly dated 300 BC to AD 300. In other words, Kuroko's older than he looks. ;-)
I hope you like this chapter!
I've Been Here the Whole Time
Chapter 3
When Kuroko returned to the spirit realm it was like instantly shedding invisible chains – he felt renewed, and the powerful energy he suppressed in the mortal world came flooding back to him almost instantly. It was always a mixed blessing to be back, as he was quickly inundated with greetings, forms that needed his signature, emergency petitions that needed his approval, and other minutia that formed the backbone of his department. He handled it with the calm efficiency he'd learned from centuries of practice and in short order he'd waded through the chaos that had accumulated since his last report. He was less pleased when he checked in with a member of his staff about the status of one Kise Ryota.
"The Lady of Luck and Beauty has laid claim to his talent and he's been focusing on his modeling rather than sports due to her influence? Do you really mean to tell me that Kishijoten's control is somehow stronger than Sedai Myojin's with such a powerful athlete? Why is she even interested in him? Her usual preference is for opera and geisha girls!"
The apologetic subordinate tried to explain, "She's been expanding her purview toward actors and performers for several decades due to the waning popularity of opera and traditional entertainment; and she thinks he's pretty."
Kuroko frowned. It wasn't that unusual for more than one kami to be interested in the same human, and the nature of Kise's talent in particular would call to any number of them. It was a dilemma because even though the gift originally came from his division, in essence it was the ability to learn quickly, and that didn't have to manifest in athletics. Others could lay claim to directing and overseeing the growth of his skills and if it suited the human's inclination, then it was considered fair to poach. Kise's work meant crossovers with acting, stage work, and other such efforts that might well have labelled him a performer under Kishijoten's jurisdiction, if Kuroko didn't already have plans for him. Kishijoten's interest in the blonde was perhaps understandable, he was certainly attractive enough and if she was being creative in stating her right to his talent, it could feasibly take root elsewhere. But Kuroko wasn't about to let such a promising light be stolen from him like this, he would handle it.
He sighed heavily and then asked, "Is she open to any negotiation?"
There was a tense pause before the quiet reply was heard. "Yes. But you're not going to like it. In exchange for relinquishing her claim over Kise, she either wants you to transfer to her sector when you finish this project, or she wants Sedai Myojin to reassign some of the "pretty sports" to her. She's specifically asked for at least all forms of dancing; she's bitter over those being taken away from her in the 19th century since she still has the poetic claim to them, if not the power."
A malicious giggle interrupted their conferral and a sweetly-poisonous voice began speaking. "Kuroko-sama, you shouldn't be so capable. It has caused all kinds of covetous eyes to look your way lately. And of course, if we're speaking of pretty, she would naturally want you on staff. Although, it could be your discussion with her regarding the close ties of artistry and athleticism at the conclave last century that somehow caught her attention. You may have proven a little too convincing in that regard."
Kuroko glared at the newcomer, a kitsune emissary of Susanoo, the god of the sea and storms that could be prone to mischievous impulses. This particular courier had guarded his name from all but his overlord and although Kuroko had dealt with him for centuries, he had no name for the spirit other than 'messenger' to which the other nonchalantly responded.
"How may I be of assistance, messenger?" Kuroko's tone was polite but the centuries of mutual dislike between the two spirits was just barely hidden.
Coldly amused eyes looked at the shadow spirit. "Ah, but I believe it is I who might be able to help you, Kuroko-sama." The words were well-mannered, but the messenger always managed to add mockery to an honorific, making it sound far less a courtesy than an insult. "Lord Susanoo sends his regards to Seidai Myojin's devoted servant. He asks that before you rashly consider Lady Kishijoten's offer, you remember that there were shadows in the storms and seas long before the land came to house your precious athletes. He will intervene with the Lady Kishijoten and allow you to continue your odd little experiment, if you will return your contract to his service, he is sure your true strength is better suited to such work."
Kuroko inclined his head in acknowledgment. "I am honored by this offer, Lord Susanoo is a powerful spirit and the shadows in his service are known to be formidable. I have lost much of my power and rank from that time so to be thought worthy enough for such ascension is indeed flattering. But my loyalty has long been to Seidai Myojin, it is for him to say if my services are no longer needed before I can entertain any thought of transfer."
The kitsune's smile was sharp and mocking. "I am sure he expects nothing less from you. All this fuss over one peculiar mortal, and one tiny shadow. It rather makes one wonder. But no matter, my job's done for now. Go talk with your lord. We're all waiting with such eagerness to see how you might try to extract yourself from this little tangle." With no further comment, the messenger vanished.
Kuroko turned back to his subordinate. "It appears that word has spread about this situation?"
The other nodded. "It has been so long since you took human form for such an extended period, it quickly made the gossip rounds. And Lord Susanoo's messenger was not wrong, many curious eyes have been watching."
Silence descended for a moment while Kuroko considered his options. Finally he realized he had only one. "I'm going to see Seidai Myojin before anything else. If I don't come back after the meeting, and nothing critical arises before then, I'll be back in two weeks for the next report." He followed that with wishes for a good day and went to see his master, waiting until he was granted permission before entering the room.
Seidai Myojin's expression told Kuroko before any words were exchanged that not only did his master know of the situation, but that he was not going to give Kuroko to Lady Kishijoten. He felt a sense of relief; for all her beauty, she was a capricious spirit that could be infinitely cruel if she chose, and he would not have any easy time with her.
"Kuroko, I've already been briefed about both Kishijoten and Susanoo. I know you don't want to serve either of them, so we won't mention it further. However, I must ask, is this plan of yours really worth all of this? I don't really like the idea of giving one of my prodigies over to Kishijoten, but you would still have the other four to redeem if we chose not to fight her over Kise."
The shadow spirit calmly met his lord's gaze and what he said next made the kami close his eyes in horror. He shouldn't be surprised that his servant had been so reckless; if anything he should have expected something like this when he first read over Kuroko's request. Tying one's own fate to the five prodigies? Of course he would have done such a thing, but it meant that Kuroko absolutely could not fail to gather any of them back into the fold of honorable competition or he would be lost just as much as they would.
It was just like that unfortunate incident from the Yayoi era, when Kuroko had done something similar to aid in the endeavors of a warrior-priest trying to repel the invaders seeking to conquer the territory. The man had ultimately betrayed the shadow spirit and Kuroko had lost everything from that debacle. He'd even been cast out of the god of war, Hachiman's, service as punishment. It had taken him centuries to regain enough of himself to finally earn a place with Seidai Myojin, who was a relative newcomer to the pantheon and certainly it was a far less prestigious post than he'd previously held. Kuroko had fallen far in status because of his disastrous trust in the human, but he'd served the lesser kami as faithfully and loyally as he had Hachiman and Susanoo before him. Kuroko had never hinted by as much as a sigh that he might resent any of it, either. Seidai Myojin was not unaware of this, which is why he knew how dangerous the situation could become.
"I should be furious with you that you did not tell me about that little detail. But it is so true to character for you that I can't help but admire your faith in those five. Still, it rather changes the stakes." The kami's words lacked real heat and Kuroko knew his master understood his motivations.
"Sire, if you don't wish to give her dominion over the dancing, I think I may have a solution. All we really need to do is ensure Kise chooses to play basketball; he doesn't have to stop modeling altogether, but we could easily share his talent with her. If he does both, then honor is satisfied. Lady Kishijoten must recognize the free will of humans just as we do, so if we don't want to back down from this and open ourselves up to an influx of challenges over other prodigies in the future, this could set a reasonable precedent."
Seidai Myojin smiled at his clever way out of the tricky situation. "It always amazes me how you seem to find the obvious solution, it does you credit as a protector of strategy. You are certainly correct, if the human chose to do both, then his talent is equally split and both of us would receive a portion of his energy. If he picks only basketball, we would still win. It is only if he chooses to abandon sports altogether that we might run into an issue. I don't necessarily mind giving her the dancers to ensure you have a clear chance to work with him, but I don't like the message it sends as we have crossover with other kami's jurisdictions as well. Do you think you can entice him to focus on sports, at least enough to reinforce our claim on him?"
Kuroko nodded. "Absolutely. All he needs is a push in the right direction and I think I know exactly how to do that."
"Very well, I will convey to Lady Kishijoten our decision. However, I wish you hadn't been so reckless, Kuroko. I won't be able to save you if you aren't successful. But I can promise you this, if it does come to that, I won't turn you out. I know you will recover eventually and your place will still be here if you wish it. But, in light of this recent development, I think you need additional support while in the human realm." He thought for a moment before a delighted smile crossed his face. "I think I have just the answer." The kami turned toward a shadow portal and softly called for what he wanted. Moments later, a small shadow entered and floated over in front of Kuroko. It swirled and shook briefly before it finally solidified in the form of a small puppy with eyes the same shade as Kuroko's.
"He's a new addition to our staff, he doesn't even have a name yet, but he's enthusiastic. From what I understand, it is common for human children to have a pet, so in this guise he should not be too out of place. He can be your second in command, if you will. If nothing else, he can serve as a messenger if you should need it."
Kuroko smiled down at the shadow puppy. He was familiar with the concept of pets but it had not occurred to him to acquire one; this was a far better solution really as it would not need the same care as a dog from the human realm. The creature barked joyously and Kuroko understood that the spirit was happy to be of assistance. "Then Nigou you shall be, yes? At least for now, but I must admit that naming is not one of my strengths. Perhaps you will select something for yourself when you are ready."
Nigou seemed unconcerned about such an unimportant detail; he was far more interested in whether Kuroko would show him some of the sports and competitions he'd been hearing about. And of course Kuroko assured him that would be no problem. So the two of them were pleased by this new arrangement and their master had some peace of mind that Kuroko would not be alone while he continued his work.
"Well then, what other news do you have, Kuroko? Are things progressing as you expected?"
And so Kuroko proceeded to fill his master in on the developments so far. He managed to make Seidai Myojin laugh several times as he recounted his less than stellar performances in his limited human form. When Kuroko was finished, the kami smiled fondly at him. It was sometimes difficult to remember that in his previous contract, this figure used to be concerned with waging battles on the scale of imperial clashes, but as Seidai listened to the thoroughly plotted out plan of attack that Kuroko had devised, it was all too clear that Kuroko's prowess had merely shifted focus, but not lost any intensity.
After a few exchanges regarding Kuroko's next few moves, they bid one another farewell and Kuroko held Nigou to guide his first interdimensional transport. Nigou would be able to do it himself the next time, but he was, comparatively speaking, an infant that would need some training for a while to be of actual use to Kuroko. But neither shadow minded, they'd taken an instant liking to one another and it would prove to be a beneficial friendship for them both.
Kuroko set their time of return early enough so that he could still get to school on time. He didn't like using shadow transport while in his current human form, it could be done, but with his powers bound as they were it took more energy than he really wanted to expend. Which simply meant he had to observe the same principles of preparing for his commute as normal humans did if he wanted to avoid being late. On entering his home, he showed Nigou around and briefly explained his routine so the other spirit would know when to expect him. Nigou was overall much weaker than Kuroko was, but he did retain the ability to come and go at will, so there was no issue of his being unnecessarily confined if he wanted to explore. But before that, Kuroko had a special assignment for the small shadow. Nigou was ecstatic to already be put to work and energetically agreed to the plan.
Feeling far more animated than he had in a few days, Kuroko headed off to school. Today was his last practice before the trial game tomorrow, and he was excited. But even more importantly, he was going to have to do something about Kise. Nigou's assignment was to follow the blond for the day and report to Kuroko about his activities and behaviors - Kuroko needed more information to be most effective in his challenge to keep Kise's talent out of Lady Kishijoten's exclusive reach.
The blond didn't notice the dog of course; Nigou kept himself invisible while observing the human, but his utter apathy toward everything confused the young spirit. He didn't understand everything about Kuroko's plans and interest in these creatures, but he'd assumed there would be something more notably special about this one at least.
When he reported his impressions to Kuroko, the older shadow didn't immediately say anything. But eventually he looked into the familiarly hued eyes and explained his plan for Kise. Nigou yelped his understanding – they would have to wait a while, and Kuroko would certainly have extra pressure for tomorrow's game to make this possible, but it seemed feasible. Kise would eventually take his place with the Kiseki no Sedai, the expression on Kuroko's face was so resolutely determined that if Nigou were a betting spirit, then he'd wager everything he had on that outcome. But no matter, tomorrow was an important step in their plans, they would soon know where to go from there.
