NOTE: Thank you so much to Sorii for showing me the now-used cover art! It's so beautiful QAQ
Okay, this was supposed to be updated next week but then came the OVA. I COMPLETELY BLAME THAT.
Regardless, as promised, I will be swiftly updating and completing this story!
Wait, let me spazz about it for a sec. Ahem.
OMG, my feels are just dying from the TIP-OFF OVA. I'm actually really glad I decided to wait it out until after it aired because OMGOMG SO MUCH NEW MATERIAL AND FEELS HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO ME!
I mean, Akashi got like 20 seconds of screen time in total but it's enough! My heart is happy ^A^ (now strangely enough, Akashi gets about 20 secs in total here too but pfft. They are awesome 20 seconds right? XD)
-FIN
"Remind me why I'm forced to be here again," Midorima Shintarou sighed as he found what could of been a relaxing school closure day turn into an outing with the color gang he was ashamed to be part of from his Middle School years.
"Obviously for Tetsu-kun's sake!" Momoi Satsuki, the girl beauty-turned-beast hissed as she hid behind a bush, impatiently checking her watch.
"That's right Midorimac-hey! Aominecchi don't try to step out! What if he sees you and runs?!" Kise Ryouta disparaged, immediately pulling back a swarthy male clad in a snug black jacket, heaving out a yawn.
"Can I go already? I don't see how stalking Kagami would be for Tetsu or our sake, unless Satsuki's developed a thing for Kaga-OW!" Aomine winced, untimely kicked in the shin by a scowling Momoi.
"Be quiet you Ahomine!" She cried.
"Ngh?! Ahomine?!" He gaped. "Oi what do you mea-"
"Ahhh stop it already you two, it's too loud here, we're going to be found out!" Kise whined amidst their bantering before the two childhood friends immediately glared at the blond and cried, "hah?! I'm not too loud, you are!"
Kise sweatdropped. "EHH?! WHY IS THIS MY FAULT NOW?!"
Immediately, an argument formed between the trio though mainly, it was just Aomine and Momoi both shooting verbal attacks at each other and Kise. Within the Generation of Miracles, Kise's status as a model was never acknowledged as much as it was used against him.
Midorima sighed, glad to not take part for once.
In all honesty, he knew exactly why Momoi was suddenly fixated on Kagami: it was for information on the camera.
It was simple to conclude that Seirin knew of it if they allowed Kuroko to skip practice like that. Yet, what even the well-lauded informant was unaware of was Midorima's knowledge of the contraption and Akashi's former possession of one.
That was a fatal mistake.
After all, Midorima didn't plan to tell.
Not only did Akashi instruct his silence, if he did, that sure-fire bombardment would be for him instead.
He sighed once more, thumbing his temples in irritation at the noise. Yet, once he opened his eyes, the intensity of his scowl only increased.
"Uh...what are you guys doing?" A confused Kagami awkwardly asked before he was promptly tackled by a cry of "Kagamin!"
The noise escalated.
Midorima twitched. This...was going to be a long day...and not just for him, but for Kuroko too.
He checked the horoscope app on his phone.
"Beware of Sagittarius Aquarius! Despite your wave of good luck, meeting one will deeply decreased your luck!"
...Right. Akashi was definitely a Sagittarius and moreover, he was a scheming one.
Midorima wondered if he should've at least notified the Aquarian youth of his lucky item.
Kuroko met Murasakibara at noon.
Really, with his stature, the giant wasn't hard to spot, much less if he happened to be outside a crepe store with a bag of crepes in arm.
"Ah, Kurochin." Murasakibara greeted in-between mouthfuls.
"Good afternoon Murasakibara-kun. I didn't know you were staying around the area." Kuroko politely bowed.
"Ah? Yeah. I'm staying there since my school got second," Murasakibara informed, hinting of the Inter-High results before vaguely pointing to the towering 4-star hotel on a hill.
"Hah...that does look very luxurious. Is Akashi-kun staying there too?"
"Mhn? Mhn! Aka-chin is but I haven't seen him much."
"I see." Kuroko muttered in understanding
"Ah but Kuro-chin, since its lunch and all, want to join me? Muro-chin and the others left early to explore Tokyo," Murasakibara invited as Kuroko contemplated what the sweets-loving-squirrel defined as "lunch".
From past experience, he would surely be taken to an all-you-can-eat sweets shop. Yet, seeing that it had been a while since he had last seen his former teammate, he only bowed and said, "yes, if you don't mind."
Murasakibara smiled. "Then...let's go to my room," he languidly declared, pointing at the hotel.
Kuroko froze.
He tilted his head up, face expressionless as usual before he blinked. "Excuse me?"
The runner-up of the Inter-High came with many benefits, including a grandiose hotel room that happened to have a full-scale kitchen within its walls.
"...What's this Murasakibara-kun?" Kuroko asked as he entered the furnished room with duo double-sized beds, a flat-screened television, a loveseat set, all colored in a regal mahogany that matched the light amber walls in harmony.
Yet, that had nothing to do with Kuroko's words. The only thing registered in the youth's eyes was the countertop of the kitchen, covered in a layer of flour that had fallen from an open flour bag with mixing bowls tilting perilously beside it.
"Ah, I was making stuff this morning. Mhmm...Muro-chin said people would come to clean it up..." Murasakibara murmured with a puzzled look before ambling towards the stack, utilizing his large hands to smack the whole thing into an empty corner.
Kuroko stayed silent, azure orbs curiously outlining the array of measuring cups, cracked eggshells and what-not.
This...was very strange.
"But...Murasakibara-kun, when did you learn to cook?" Kuroko finally asked, pinning down the culprit behind this irregularity.
"...Couldn't I always?" Murasakibara blinked, turning to the boy.
Immediately, a slight twitch wedged itself between Kuroko's brows. No. That was utterly impossible. Not when back in Teiko, whenever Murasakibara was asked to cook or participate in anything home economics-related, he would nearly blow up the school.
...Wait, on the other hand, he was learning from Momoi.
Regardless, Kuroko's only reply was, "No."
"...Oh then, it's probably because of Muro-chin. We went to the cooking club and some people showed me." Murasakibara murmured as he promptly began measuring flour into the cups, slightly startling Kuroko with his celerity.
He had never seen Murasakibara cook...or look concentrated, especially when performing careful tasks the giant claimed he loathed.
Then again, compared to the rest of them, Kuroko didn't know Murasakibara and Akashi as well as the rest. He slightly frowned, noticing his own ignorance of the situation.
A strange silence shrouded the two as the purple giant continued to create using his large hands to deftly crack eggs and beat batter while Kuroko silently took a seat on a chair, unsure of where to place himself.
He once said Murasakibara was like a kid with a screw-loose. Though it sounded harsh, to him, it was the only way he could describe Murasakibara due to his ever-estranged actions. He wasn't much of a talker and neither was Kuroko. Unless there was a medium like Kise or even Midorima, Kuroko would seldom understand the logic behind his actions...if there were any.
"...Murasakibara-kun. Do you plan on cooking yourself?" Kuroko began, attempting to start conversation.
"Mhnn. I like cooking so I'll make something for Kuro-chin." Murasakibara returned absent-mindedly, clearly more concentrated on measuring.
"...I see."
As expected, the conversation gradually died off yet, although Kuroko was glad the youth finally found something he could enjoy so easily, he found the sight of Murasakibara carefully crafting sweets to be almost a bit unnerving.
He found something he openly enjoyed, something Kuroko had never seen from him since their middle school days, but...that wasn't basketball.
That one difference made Kuroko slightly uneasy as he clutched the camera hidden inside his jacket. From the beginning, it was already inevitable that Murasakibara's photo would be related to sweets instead of basketball. Yet, Kuroko still wanted to bet on that meteor's chance that he would believe otherwise.
"Murasakibara-kun, how do you find your new school?" Kuroko voiced.
"Mhnn? It's pretty good. The cafeteria food is good." The aspiring baker replied.
"I see. Then it was worth accepting the bribe for free meal tickets from Yosen's coach if you joined." Kuroko remarked.
He saw the Center's eyes widen with a pause, before a smile splayed on his lips. "Heh, mhnn," He smiled, amused. "Muro-chin and the others are all very nice."
"So they feed you a lot."
Murasakibara nodded as slowly, Kuroko's understanding of the male returned.
A faint smile spread on his lips. Strangely enough, Kuroko found solace despite the lack of the usual rowdiness that accompanied most of his interactions. There weren't people like Murasakibara in Seirin, nor in the rest of the Generation of Miracles. He was one of a kind.
Since it had been a year since they had a normal conversation that wasn't threatening, Kuroko felt it was a nice change.
"But Aka-chin and Kuro-chin did that a lot too." Murasakibara suddenly piped.
"Eh?"
"Aka-chin always gave me the snacks he won at tournaments and Kuro-chin gave me a lot of snacks you won at the arcade."
Kuroko nodded. "Yes, that was so. Although Akashi-kun provided most of it."
"Mhnn, and Aka-chin's snacks were good too. But Kuro-chin also gave me a lot of good things. That's why...I'm cooking for Kuro-chin."
Suddenly, a loud thud resounded in the kitchen as Kuroko stared at Murasakibara who had placed a clearly heavy bag on the counter.
It was the bag from earlier yet, unlike Kuroko's initial thoughts, the bag contained not crepes but baking supplies and decorating tools as he whipped out some marzipan and began molding something after placing what Kuroko presumed to be a cake in the oven.
The bluenette blinked, surprised by his sudden statement before slowly, understanding registered within his vast azure irises that softened into a curt yet gentle smile.
Initially, Murasakibara knowing how to bake was surprising in itself but, at the very least, one could conclude that it was because he thought it would be easier to make sweets himself so he could eat them whenever he wanted.
Yet, as Kuroko glanced over at the silhouette of his former teammate, carefully tending to the shaping of what looked like a blue-haired boy, he didn't seem at all to be someone who planned on making food only for himself.
"Murasakibara-kun, why did you want to learn how to bake?"
"Mhn? Because the cooking club girls said I can make people even happier with my own sweets." He answered simply as Kuroko slowly recalled all those times Murasakibara offered him candy.
He smiled. That's right. Murasakibara Atsushi was silent and often spoke in fragmented thoughts as if he expected people to understand through mere gestures. Well, being with the self-proclaimed oracle Akashi might've had something to do with it but it was because of that, Murasakibara was a silent support.
He was there, presence undeniable, personality the complete opposite of Kuroko that they often meshed like oil and water during practices yet, even so, Kuroko was content.
Even if they didn't mix, it was fine, because the very essence of Murasakibara was simple and kind.
The cake was perfect, covered in a heavenly vanilla coating as Kuroko took a bite from it, relishing its harmonious flavors. "This is very delicious Murasakibara-kun." He commented, noting that it nearly rivalled his love for vanilla milkshakes.
A contented grin brightened Murasakibara's indolent face. "Really? That's good."
"Has Akashi-kun tried this yet?" Kuroko asked, taking another scoop at the sponge cake within.
Surprisingly, Murasakibara shook his head. "No, Akita is too far from Kyoto and Aka-chin was busy since yesterday so I didn't get to see him." He answered, voice barely bothered by it.
Kuroko frowned. Before, Murasakibara would definitely be slightly dejected by that but then again, time has passed for them and, if it wasn't Murasakibara who had changed, it was Akashi Seijuro—the one that told them to go to separate schools.
"I see. Well, Akashi-kun's always been busy."
Murasakibara nodded in agreement. "But...that's fine because I can make sweets now. I can make something for Aka-chin anytime now." He began, immediately taking something from a box he had held in his hand and placing it on the cake.
Kuroko blinked in surprise. It was a miniature marzipan version of Akashi, clad in his Teiko uniform.
"I can make sweets for Kuro-chin too...and then Mido-chin and Sa-chin and Mine-chin and Kise-chin..." He mumbled, a near foreign smile dancing on his lips as he added another miniature chibi with every name, assembling a collection of rainbow-haired dolls on the cake.
"Murasakibara-kun..." Kuroko murmured in astonishment as he finally understood the message behind his actions.
Murasakibara Atsushi was aloof, attached to nothing but sweets. It was completely normal for Kuroko to assume whatever would appear in his photo would be snacks, not friends, not a beloved, not anything but snacks. Yet, then again, despite him being honest and simple, he unlike Kuroko wasn't very good at expressing them through words but actions. With Kuroko's permanently blank-face, expressing through action was difficult.
Kuroko misread him. He was his opposite, both physically and mentally and he, despite everything, was not what his words seemed.
If that was so, then...
"Ah, Murasakibara-kun. Would you like to take a picture with the cake? I would like a photo if possible." Kuroko suddenly asked, swapping out the infamous camera.
"Mhn? Sure." Was the wisteria-eyed over-sized child's reply as he posed beside the vanilla cake, holding up his fingers for victory sign.
*SNAP!*
A photo slid out, the image being scanned by a pair of blue eyes.
Kuroko smiled. He was right.
"Um...Murasakibara-kun, do you still hate basketball?" Kuroko asked, the words immediately causing the looming teen to whirl around, expression darkening at the forbidden words.
"...I hate basketball Kuro-chin and that's not going to change no matter what you say." He scowled, guard up like he did every time the duo got into a fight over the sport.
Yet, Kuroko didn't retaliate whatsoever. All he did was nod in understanding, thoroughly confusing the teen.
Only when Murasakibara clambored over to the sink to shove down all the dishes and mixing bowls did Kuroko whisper, "but, that's not really true is it?" as he stared back at the picture below, a picture of rainbow-hair basketball players rushing down a court, the bright stage lights shining down and defining every detail of movement they held, creating a passionate atmosphere contrary to Murasakibara's everyday demeanor.
Kuroko smiled.
"...Tetsuya?" A pristine voice asked, emanating from behind the boy.
Kuroko immediately whipped around, blue meeting a heterochromatic set of red and gold, framed by a smooth and equally wan face but with short red hair.
"...Akashi-kun." Kuroko released, surprised by the Rakuzan captain's sudden appearance.
Yet, even before Kuroko met Akashi or Murasakibara for that matter, did strange things begin to occur.
"HAH? A camera that makes you cry?" Aomine gaped in disbelief after hearing Kagami's explanation about the camera and Kuroko's sudden decision to take it and go. "What are you, five?" He cried, scorning Kagami for his almost fantasy-like description.
Immediately Kagami's eyebrows snapped. "Oi shut up Aomine! I'm serious! It actually does do that!" He roared in defence before both "lights" grew testy towards each other.
Momoi slapped her forehead at the sight. "Okay, Aomine-kun, we're not here to kill Kagamin so stop it already!" She cried before wrenching the swarthy male away from the returnee.
Of course, they still didn't stop shooting death glares at each other but well...it was a start.
"But that explains some things at least..." Kise murmured, the only one actually on task as he vaguely recalled Kuroko's words to him.
Momoi nodded in agreement. "It does doesn't i-"
"Oi. Kagami! Did Kuroko take a photo of himself!" A low voice suddenly demanded, startling everyone with its urgency as all eyes fell on Midorima, looking uncharacteristically flustered.
"E-eh? Y-yeah?" The red-head blurted in shock.
Immediately, Midorima scowled. "Then tell me what you saw, right now." He commanded, eyes sharpened to the point of threatening.
The rest of his erstwhile partners blinked. They had rarely seen Midorima like this, ever.
Of course, Midorima had every right to be, especially since depending on the answer, it was a question of how sketchy Akashi's scheme would be.
However, Kagami's expression dampened. "Well...it was empty; his photo was completely blank. He then told me, he had nothing important to him."
Everyone in the vicinity blinked. "Eh?"
"T-tetsu-kun's empty?! How is that possible?" Momoi gasped incredulously.
"Oi, isn't that camera broken then?! How the hell could Tetsu not find anything to be precious to him?! He loved basketball so much, he worked his butt off for it so much, how is tha-"
"MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS!"
Immediately, Aomine was cut off by an incensed, tiger-like roar that silenced as the rest of the color gang gaped, watching Kagami of all people shake, eyes glazed with anger.
"I don't know. I don't know anything about Kuroko despite being with him for a whole year! But, you guys are definitely the reason, in fact, you guys should know! You guys should know that because of you, Kuroko hated basketball!" He finally released, pouring out all his frustrations at the whole situation.
Silence.
Utter silence, much more deafening than any roar surrounded the group.
Kagami huffed, heaving out his anger in a steady tempo.
"Eh? K-k-kurokocchi h-hated basketball?" Kise slowly gasped, his voice choked behind his throat as he uttered the unthinkable. "B-bu-"
"No. Kagami's right. It's true, Tetsu hated basketball. He told me." Aomine darkly confirmed causing Kise to turn to his, eyes glazed over in disbelief.
"A-aominecchi, even you...?"
"No, I wouldn't be surprised if he did. He did quit the team," Midorima quipped and Momoi nodded sadly in agreement.
It was a truth they were all aware of but one none chose to admit for all this time.
Kise could no longer interject, he could only stare at the pavement beneath his feet, unsure of what to think.
The silence buzzed behind Kagami's ears as he stared at the sight. Well look at that, the ever-rowdy Generation of Miracles that were known to constantly impose their wills on him and the rest of the world were finally quiet but...he could only gnash his teeth.
"Oi, why the hell are you guys quiet all of a sudden?" Kagami demanded.
"Eh? But...Tetsu-kun hated basketball because of us..." Momoi whispered dolefully.
He sighed. "But that was before! He's been playing something he hates unrelentingly for the past year?! How would that be even possible?!" He cried as realization dawned on the members.
"Eh? Why would Kurokocchi be doing that then...?" Kise murmured, being the first to ask the million dollar question.
"I don't know! Why the hell are you asking me?!" Kagami disparaged.
Kise sweatdropped.
Okay...there went his million dollar question.
"You're supposed to be asking him right? Why would he hate basketball? Why did he take it up again? Why was his picture empty? Why was he taking your pictures? Go ask him! In fact, ask him right now!" Kagami exclaimed, sucking in a huge breath of air from the horribly long sentence.
"Eh? Now? But we don't even know where Kurokocchi is-"
"He's with Akashi! He's with Murasakibara and Akashi at the Yumesaki hotel on Akaji and Torita!" Midorima suddenly declared as all froze, turning to him in astonishment.
"Eh? Mi-midorin, how do you have that information..." Momoi asked, hand reaching for Midorima's shoulder as she gaped at its accuracy. Only she was supposed to know about his that! Unless...
"L-let's just go already!" Midorima huffed, batting Momoi's hand away before swiftly shuffling down the street, doing his upmost to avoid Momoi's critical gaze.
"Ah, Midorimacchi! Wait up!" Kise called, running after him before the rest of them joined the verdant shooting guard.
Watching them leave, Kagami released a sigh.
"Oi, you ain't coming Kagami?" A deep voice calmly asked as the red-head looked up, only to find Aomine with his hands tucked in his winter jacket.
A melancholic smile formed on the red-head's lips. "No, I'm not. The ones Kuroko wants to see are you guys."
Aomine scoffed. "Oi, is that seriously coming from a guy whose supposed to be his 'light'?"
Kagami only snorted. "Unfortunately, other than basketball, I don't get along well with that guy at all."
Aomine paused. "Hmm...is that so?" He murmured as he turned, walking away.
"Until now...I used to think that way too."
Back at the hotel, what was once two people was now three.
"Aka-chin. Weren't you really busy?" Murasakibara asked, turning to his former captain.
Akashi nodded. "Yes I was but that's finally behind me now. I came here to see what you were making but I didn't expect to find Tetsuya here too." He explained. "Although this certainly is a pleasant surprise. What brings you here Tetsuya?" He asked or rather, demanded as he turned to the bluenette, eyes daunting as usual.
"Ah, nothing in particular. I was in the area."
"Hmm...I see. Well, may I join in on the festivities? Atsushi did bake a cake after all. I haven't tried it like I was supposed to."He smiled, turning to the giant as if politely asking for permission to taste.
Of course, Murasakibara readily agreed as Akashi sat down beside Kuroko, biting down onto the spongy texture in nonchalance.
Here came the other person Kuroko couldn't completely read. Although he understood the basis of Akashi's thoughts that were usually if not always fixated on victory, there were times when his actions eluded Kuroko, especially after they graduated, had always Kuroko felt something was different from about Akashi but, it was too slight for him to discern.
"Oh but what's this Tetsuya?" Akashi suddenly called, snapping Kuroko back from his reverie as he caught Akashi playing with an old automatic camera—the one Kiyoshi gave Kuroko.
Immediately Kuroko darted to his side of the table, certain that he once left it there. But, it was in Akashi's hands.
"Ah, that's Kuro-chin's camera," Murasakibara identified.
"Hmm? A Kodac A-318. I don't believe we've used this in our lifetime. Where did you find this Tetsuya?" Akashi mused, thoroughly inspecting it.
"Ah, a friend lent it to me." Kuroko explained, subconsciously feeling slightly uneasy by the turn of events. It was strange. He was certain Akashi had no knowledge of the true face of the contraption yet, he couldn't shake off the unease ghosting down his neck.
"Well it definitely is in very good condition...Tetsuya, may I test it out on you?"
Kuroko froze, blue orbs finally widening as he noticed the camera train itself on him, Akashi's slender pointer finger already on the shutter.
"Akashi-k-"
"Kurokocchi!"
Immediately, the door that really should've been locked was promptly opened by Murasakibara...all while a band of rainbow-colored basketball players poured in.
I AM SO DONE.
I swear, I can't portray Mukkun properly. I just can't understand Mukkun! ;A; Still, I went through many different fics (hur hur, see what I'm doing with my time? ORZ) to get a better understanding of him so hopefully I didn't make him too OOC ;A;
Well, next time, I'm going back to doing what I'm best at: MYSTERY!, so ON WITH THE CLIMAX!
PS Would you want me to make another chapter after the 6th or should I just end it next chapter? Because if you say yes, let's just say, "there will be A LOT of trolling plot twists ;D"