"So, Kagami-kun, right?" Aida Riko, coordinator of the Seirin Investigation group asked. "What's your reason for wanting to join us?"
"Nothing, really." He replied. "I just want to continue doing what I did before."
"Hmmm…." She muttered. "I think you'd make a good pair with Kuroko-kun."
"Kuroko…-kun?"
Hyuuga nodded. "Kuroko Tetsuya. He joined three years ago, but never partnered up with anyone while here for more than a month. He works well with others, though."
"And he's previous partner, before he came here…" Furihata muttered. "He was scary."
"Eh?"
"Kuroko was in Teikou Special Course. The Special Course, it's a cruel thing to go through. Many groups want a member of the Teikou elite to join them. Our own team isn't as old as others but, Kuroko came and joined us. His partner in Teikou came here with him, talked with us and then left."
"If the people on that 'special course' are strong, then why did they have partners?"
"Because they are children. Teikou High doesn't give birth to investigators, but soldiers. Those who survive both training and fighting… They can be called monsters, in a sense."
"What about his partner?"
"He said he couldn't stay in Tokyo anymore, so he had to join one of the groups here. They seemed really close. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were relatives or something." Riko added, leaving.
"Wait, where is she going?" Kagami yelled.
"On a date."
"Wait, seriously?"
"We devote our lives to what we do, but that doesn't mean we cut ourselves from the rest. Everyone needs a sense of normalcy. Besides, we're located in one of most peaceful areas of Tokyo." A new voice replied.
Kagami screamed and turned around, to locate the origin of the voice. "Who are you, and how long have you been there?"
"From the moment Teikou was mentioned." The other replied.
"Ah, Kuroko!" Hyuuga smiled at the newcomer. "This is Kagami Taiga. From today on, he'll be your new partner."
Kagami and Kuroko observed each other. Kagami couldn't make out much out of the shorter male's expressionless face. He looked much like a child, with his small, lean frame and pale skin, baby blue eyes and hair of the same shade. He had heard that Teikou was located on what was perhaps the most dangerous area of the metropolis, and how could someone like Kuroko survive in a place like that, was beyond him.
Then he remembered his so-called partner. He must be some short of monster, then. That, or Kuroko had some kind of a special talent.
Kuroko then allowed himself a small upward curving of his lips. "I'm in your hands then, Kagami-kun."
Yes. Definitely his partner.
Kuroko took Kagami's hand and lead him outside.
"Wait, where are we going?" he asked.
"I thought Kagami-kun maybe wanted to know more about me… So I thought we could talk over some coffee, perhaps?" he offered.
"Sure, why not?" was Kagami's reluctant reply.
Without any other word, Kuroko led the way to a nearby café, entering first. "It's really popular for its quality and prices," he explained, "so it's often busy." There was an empty table close to the entrance, so he prompted the taller youth to sit there.
Kuroko had ordered a vanilla milkshake (as always, but Kagami didn't know that, yet), and the returnee asked for the strongest coffee available. They enjoyed the silence for a while, until Kagami decided he, indeed, wanted and needed to know his new partner better.
"So, uhh, Kuroko…" Kagami attempted to initiate conversation. "How is life in Tokyo?"
Kuroko seemed to be in deep thought for a moment. "Ordinary."
"Eh?"
"It's not different than any other place with high ghoul activity." Kuroko explained. "Kagami-kun, you came from the States, right? How was it there?"
"It's quiet, I guess. From what I hear, things are wild here."
"You don't have to reply but… What made you come, then?"
Kagami's fingers were clenched into a fist. "My parents. They came to Japan a few years back, and they were killed by ghouls. I'm here because I want revenge; this is why I'm following the same path they did in their lives."
It couldn't be…
Kagami took out of this pocket a pair of photographs. The one pictured two boys smiling on the camera, and a lean, blonde woman with a charming smile. The other portrayed a couple, distantly similar to the returnee's appearance.
No way…
Kuroko remembered those two. He remembered every single person he had encountered in his life, more so if he had witnessed them die, no matter if he was the one to kill them or not. And he remembers those two well.
For a fleeting moment, he sees it happening in front of his eyes; he thinks it's Midorima who does the act, still merciful, even all that negativity that has gathered inside him.
"Kuroko!" Kagami tries, and manages to make him return to reality, to now. "Something wrong?"
The shorter shook his head. "Nothing, just… I thought I've seen them before, for a glimpse of the eye." he lied. "I apologize."
"It's fine." the other replied. "I'm sure you've lost some of your own loved ones."
"You can say that…" Kuroko muttered. "I lost my friends."
Kagami threw a questioning look.
"Ah, no, not that way." Kuroko was quick to add. "We just drifted apart from one another. We used to be inseparable as a team, now we're more like rivals. It's fine, as long as they're still alive and well." he concluded, and his new partner decided it was better if he didn't pry any further, at least for now.
(Chapter End.)
I have good news! I got a new charger *does the happy dance*. The bad news, well, I don't have my tablet anymore, I think I've trashed it completely. And I had some precious sheet music saved there, not to mention a couple of funny apps! *cries eternally*
Anyways, to more story-related things. We're one or two years forward in the story, where Kagami returns to Japan (and soon, Himuro will follow, as well!), meets with Kuroko, and are forced into partnership. Kuroko is a bit vague about things, he's not willing to trust easy anyone anymore. Everyone has their own issues, and I really hope the next few chapters will focus on Seirin.
If everyone's interested in my AU collection/challenge, you can PM me, or check knbau-library on tumblr. Thank you and have a nice day!