A/N: It was not my plan to be back so early… but the immense support you guys provided just helped me a lot. And I even forgot to thank you guys for the 300+ followers and 100+ reviews!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! To display my gratitude, this chapter is EXTRA LONG!

Also, just a fair warning (because you guys deserve it) – I did say I wasn't going to completely follow the manga's story plot, right? That means, that some characters that don't appear later in the anime might appear right now…

Ft. The Angst Begins.

Chapter 15

"I understood her pain. I wanted to help her, so I had no choice but to break her heart first."

It was not the best of days when Murasakibara Atsushi's siblings were making an absolute mess out of the residence. Birthday cake icing painting their tiled floor, broken glass shards that originated from their mother's favorite tea cup set, Soji's Biochemistry essay soaked in earl grey tea, and the 4 older brothers and sister arguing endlessly, skillfully avoiding the muddle on the floor.

Everything began from another one-night-stand of the eldest sibling, Murasakibara Toshi. The matters wouldn't have complicated so much, if he didn't get the girl he slept with pregnant. Of course, albeit done with the consent of the female, they didn't expect that even with protection, it was possible ("protection" – very clumsily done in drunken states, that was). Due to this incident, Toshi's scholarship was almost suspended – almost. The university overlooked this mistake, as he was of legal age and all that – the only problem was what to with the girl and the child.

Of course, the Murasakibara's parents did not take this matter lightly. They were aware of their son's dissolute personal life, but hadn't believed it would go to this extent. Skipping all the inconsequential details, Toshi started an outburst that affected the rest of the siblings except Murasakibara Atsushi, and as a result, messed up the whole living room by deciding that a physical battle would settle the situation.

"It wasn't my fault." Toshi growled, making it clear with illogical reasoning.

"Then whose was it? The girl's?" Miyuki shot back, as the other three brothers started mumbling gibberish of their own. The parents were long gone, removing their hands from the conflict. Which naturally meant, that Murasakibara was in charge of taking care of the mess.

Dear Lord, Murasakibara thought grudgingly, if you exist, just do me a favor and shut those people up. He picked up the glass shards, trying his best to dodge the furious stomps that flew from his siblings every now and then. It was kind of difficult, considering how massive he was.

Suddenly, Toshi's index finger pointed at him. "Atsushi, where's your input in this? Was it my fault that this had to happen?" His expression was clearly threatening him to say no.

Appearing oblivious, Murasakibara answered, "What?"

"Look at this useless brother!" Toshi rolled his eyes, throwing his arms into the air. "Atsushi, do you listen to anything we say? You're always so out of it – seriously, you're not even an inch close to being 'smart' or 'insightful'! We were literally just arguing at the top of our heads about this problem! And all you say is, 'what'? Are you kidding me?" A contemptuous glance. Pompous mannerisms. Underestimating him.

"For once, I agree." Shibuki, the third brother, snorted. "Atsushi, you should be a wife to some rich dude some day. It'd help the family."

Murasakibara sucked in a patient sigh. He was used to this. This was the way his household worked. Four would clash, and one would fix up their clutter. He threw the last glass shard into the plastic bag, and opened his mouth to speak. "I know that."

When Soji continued, Murasakibara knew something was going to pull a string. "You know it, huh. Gee, how negative. Do you know that negativity is contagious?"

Miyuki laughed, as if she found some great humor in this whole situation. "Well said, well said! But we do have to keep him, you know? Without Atsushi, we don't have anyone to take care of anything!"

"True. Maybe we should hire him as a maid. Pay him, perhaps?"

They saw him as property. His property. Her property. Their property. But this was his family. Where he was bound to for life, where he was born, where he was forced to love and accept. It was where he-

"Atsushi, can you go out for the groceries?" His mom interrupted his trail of thoughts, calmly speaking the words, seeming undisturbed by the environment of the house. "I would've done so, but I'm not done with my work here." As if to prove a point, Toshi smirked, and the other three did the same. It was amusing how they were fighting five minutes ago, and reconciled over the incompetence of their brother. This way or that, Murasakibara decided to take his sacrifice as a fortunate thing.

Taking the keys to the front door, Murasakibara exited the house. He was a lazy, unproductive person. At least, that was his natural instinct, a trait he was born with. Said trait seemed invisible at most times, but it showed in his sluggish form of walking, his slow words, and hunched back. Perhaps it was because he spent so much of his energy on trying to keep a perfect composition within the household, that he couldn't hold off during the rest of the day. Either way, it was terrible.

When he was about halfway there to the grocery store, he was stopped by a person shorter than him (naturally).

"Hey!" He flashed a bright smile, as Murasakibara blinked, processing the situation that was laid out in front of him. "I was going to ask some directions, you know? But it is kind of scary to ask people I don't know – and then I saw you! Familiar faces are great, don't you think? Oh, but it's nothing surprising that you don't know me. Most people don't anyway." Talkative, this one.

Murasakibara had many questions perk up in his mind, but was too tired and worn out for the day to get everything through – so we jumped straight too the point. This boy reminded him so much of Kise, that it was starting to irritate him. "So? Where are you trying to get? I'm not good with directions either, just a heads up."

"Right, right." The latter raised his baseball cap and took out a crumpled map. "It's this house, right over here, near a field. More like an apartment. My friend lives here. I was wondering if you know – despite having a map, I'm just hopeless with these things." He paused, and then observed Murasakibara for a while. "My friend goes to the same school as you, by the way. Basketball team."

Now that made much more sense to why this guy seemed to know him so well (unknown to Murasakibara who had no interest in the media or press, any practical civilian knew his face and name, due to the popularity of the Generation of Miracles). He didn't inquire who the friend was, however, as he just wasn't in the mood for curiosity. It's not like he had much of it in the first place, anyway. "You just need to go straight from this road, and then turn left, and then go straight again. It's a blue building with a white roof."

The guy gave him a thankful, grateful smile – for some reason, it startled Murasakibara a little – it had been a few long years since anyone had ever openly presented their appreciation towards him. "Thanks, tall buddy! Oh, my name's Ogiwara Shigehiro, by the way! It was nice to talk to you, Murasakibara!" Ogiwara waved to him and ran off to the direction he was told.

Ogiwara? Murasakibara thought, as the name resounded in his head. It was a familiar name. The address he had shown to him was equally familiar, too.

Oh well, it's none of my business.

If only he cared a little more then…

"Your friend is coming over?"

"Yes. He called me just twenty minutes ago without any warning beforehand."

"During the weekend?"

"Yes, during the weekend."

"Oh. Funny."

Haizaki Shogo and Kuroko Tetsuya were engaging themselves with studying for an upcoming chemistry test. Or more like, Haizaki was distracting Kuroko from studying for her chemistry test. Either way, he wasn't exactly helping her with anything.

"It's not funny," Kuroko argued, snapping her pencil down on the table, "he could've informed me earlier- now I have to clean the house, because you messed it up, and –"

"Look, Tetsuya." Popping a boiled egg into his mouth, Haizaki rolled his eyes. "You two were best friends, right? He probably cares less about how your room is unorganized or whatnot. Best friends are not supposed to care about how clean one's room is, you know."

Kuroko paused – because Haizaki was right. Ogiwara was never the type to care about those things. He would probably ask her about her wellbeing, request for a small meal, and then go for sightseeing around the area… "I guess you have a point there." She resumed to completing the study guide, as she sat down in a more comfortable position.

It almost seemed like a very obvious occurrence that Haizaki came to her house everyday, whether it was for homework, a group project, or before a test or an exam. During their final year in high school, they were magically assigned to the same homeroom – which resulted in constant meetings and encounters in class. While Haizaki was friends with practically every single male classmate in school, Kuroko found difficulties socializing with others – not because she was horrible at conversing, but because nobody ever noticed her. So naturally, Haizaki took the initiative to be in the same group or partner with her every time, at least until she gained some female friends to hang around with.

Kuroko appreciated his concern, but it was quite irritating at times when he distracted her from work. Despite the fact that Haizaki would choose to be in the same group with her willingly, that didn't mean that he did his job. He was still the lazy, uncooperative Haizaki.

"Haizaki-kun, the three types of bonding in chemistry aren't kissing, hugging, and sex." The teal-haired girl heaved a sigh, shaking her head as she put his study guide down.

"What? You serious?" Dumbfounded, Haizaki's jaw dropped.

"It's ionic, covalent, and metallic. It's the most basic types of bonding – what were you doing while Hayasaka-sensei was talking in class?" She narrowed her eyes, as Haizaki looked away, ignoring the question. "Look, it's not my fault if you fail your first chemistry test, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah what –"

Ding dong-

The doorbell rang, as Kuroko stood up. Haizaki stared at her take small steps towards the entrance. His palm was covering his mouth, as he gave the door a tentative glance. It wasn't like this Ogiwara was a total stranger to him – he saw him in old photographs of Kuroko, and heard about him through a variety of stories that Kuroko told him. In conclusion, it sounded like he was a nice guy that was slightly dense and obsessed with basketball.

Kind of like Aomine. The male thought bitterly, reminding himself of the position he was in mere two years ago. A bystander in Kuroko's love, and her life as whole. That was indifferent even now; the only transformation being that Aomine was no longer attracted to the girl. However, Kuroko…

"Hey, Kuroko!" A bright, cheery voice that screamed 'I-am-a-friendly-dude' on every single note echoed through the corridor as Kuroko opened the door. "Long time no see, don't you think?"

From a few meters away, Haizaki heard Kuroko's small, gentle voice reply, "Ogiwara-kun, it's nice to meet you. Although it would've been favorable if you passed on some kind of warning beforehand." Their footsteps neared, and Haizaki tensed up a little. It wasn't like he was nervous – as if a mere dude could make him nervous. The crucial point in this situation was that Ogiwara was Kuroko's childhood friend.

Ogiwara Shigehiro was just like how he had been described previously. A nice looking dude, with basketball equipment in his gigantic bag. The newcomer blinked, and then glimpsed at Kuroko. "Your friend?"

"He's my classmate. His name is Haizaki Shogo. Haizaki-kun, this Ogiwara Shigehiro, my childhood friend."

Haizaki hesitantly spoke up, straightening his back a little. "… Hi." He couldn't muster a smile – he just couldn't do that.

In comparison to Haizaki's awkward greeting, Ogiwara lunged forward and passed an amicable slap on his shoulder, laughing. "So you're Haizaki!" He grabbed both of Haizaki's hands and started shaking them violently, his eyes sparkling. "I heard a lot about you from Kuroko! You're friends with her, right? Man, I really wanted to meet you! I also heard that you used to play basketball – first string, eh? You must be pretty strong, then! What's your signature moves? Dunks? Passes- nah, that's Kuroko's specialty. Blocking? Drives? Who's your favorite NBA player? To be able to meet two great basketball players today – the gods must be at my favor!"

"Two?" Kuroko frowned, puzzled. "Did you meet someone on the way?"

"Oh, sure I did." Ogiwara said, setting his bag down on the floor. "The really tall, nearly two meter one. Murasakibara, was it? He taught me how to get to your house when I was kind of lost. Seemed like a pretty down dude – his face looked sickly, let me tell you that much."

At the mention of one of the Generation of Miracles, Kuroko's shoulders hunched up in slight unknown shame. Was it shame that originated from the distaste she gained in her teammates, or because the worthlessness she now displayed by remaining on the team? She didn't know.

"I just came here for a visit, anyway." Ogiwara put his cap back on. "Meiko is here for a school trip, you know – we have four school trips each year, one in January, one in May, one in August, and one in December. We just happened to come to your district this time, so I snuck out from the crowd with a promise that I'd return within an hour's time." He paused, while putting his bag over his shoulders. "I also wanted to see how you were doing, I guess. You rarely talk about yourself nowadays." He gave her a pat on the arm. "Let's meet at the Finals next time, eh?"

A shadow loomed near Kuroko's eyes, as if reflecting her feelings directly. Haizaki wanted to cover up for her, but unfortunately this wasn't his place to butt in. "… Yes, definitely." She forced a smile on her lips, as Ogiwara parted and bid his farewell to both of them.

A moment of pregnant silence blanketed the vicinity, as Kuroko remained still, standing. Her expression showed no particular emotion, just emptiness.

"…Tetsuya." Haizaki began. "Take a seat. It wouldn't make a difference whether you stand and sulk or sit and sulk."

Kuroko followed his instructions. She didn't utter another word, though.

"It's a must and for sure that Teiko will be going to the Finals. It's only the matter of whether or not that guy's school will –"

"It's not that." Kuroko interjected. "I'm not…" Her voice trailed away. "… I'm not an essential source for victory on Teiko anymore. By the time Ogiwara-kun gets to the finals, I probably won't even be standing on court. There are so many on the team that is capable of taking my position as a regular. Teiko… doesn't find a shadow necessary anymore."

Haizaki gritted his teeth a little, clenching his fists in frustration. "That's not true. Don't get overly pessimistic just because the shitty Generation of Douchebags are hitting puberty. Teiko needs you to win."

Kuroko didn't answer.

"Arata."

"Here."

"Yuu."

"Here."

"Aomine."

Silence.

"Aomine?"

More silence.

"Again?" Coach Sanada groaned. It was the fourth time Aomine was missing practice that week. The fact that they were only four weekdays through didn't explain anything. "Akashi, did you check on his location? Anyone who saw him?" Many shaking heads arrived in response. The coach pinched the bridge of his nose, greatly distressed. Apparently the said ace found that practice was unnecessary for someone like him – practice would only make him stronger, thus resulting in him being further out of everyone's league.

"He must be chilling at the rooftop or something." Murasakibara murmured, making a free throw from the three-point line. The ball passed swiftly through the net. His skill had been increasing quite significantly these past few days, and the giant was beginning to comprehend the reason why Aomine find this so troublesome. Midorima, on the other hand, continuously practiced just like he always did. Kise was a random one that practiced when he wanted, and didn't when he felt like flirting with some girls on campus.

Distorted, was the right word for their current status of their relationship. Every one of them was too occupied to now feel an emotion named anguish, and none of them grieved the loss of one another. They were never that closely bonded to begin with – breaking apart was an easy task, with just the right amount of force given.

"Momoi, go find Aomine. The rest of you, keep on practicing." Coach Sanada turned away from the members, as they separated one another and headed to different sides of the court.

Kuroko made a shot at the hoop, knowing she was going to miss. The ball hit the edge, and bounced back down on the rubbery court, squeaking against the floor. She stared as it hit the wall. Was there a point in going to fetch it? No, there wasn't. She wouldn't be able to make a successful shot, and it wasn't like she was going to improve unless she had someone to support. Where did she benefit from this repetitive routine? She wasn't particularly talented in any other aspect of basketball, excluding passing. So what? Teiko still won without her passes.

Her chest began to ache, and she crouched on the floor, hugging her legs as she buried her face in her knees.

I'm a hindrance to this team.

No longer needed.

Phantom sixth man…

No longer needed.

Shadow…

No longer needed.

Victory…

No longer needed.

"Kuroko?" Midorima tapped her on the shoulder lightly. "Kuroko, are you feeling alright?" His voice hinted at no concern, but a formal inquiry. The ache worsened upon being conscious of that point.

"… I'm fine." She didn't move, but instead replied, hoping it would be to his satisfaction. She didn't want to be comforted my empty words. Facing the truth was her mission, and she had to accomplish that. Face the painful truth that she was no longer essential for Teiko to function. Teiko was now an upgraded machine, and it deemed her as a useless piece. Somehow bringing herself back up to stand again, Kuroko got another ball.

Midorima observed her from a fair distance. "I see." But before she could completely walk away, he opened his mouth once more. "Kuroko, I won't be able to fully comprehend what is possessing your mind, but dispose it." When the girl sent him a bewildered expression, he simply took off his glasses and wiped the lenses. "Oha Asa stated that Aquarians would have troublesome worries in their heads today. Just a fair warning."

With that the shooting guard jogged his way across the court, fetching the ball his teammate missed and shooting it from half-court.

He's right. Kuroko sucked in the stale air. "If I don't believe in myself, who will?" Clutching the basketball in her small, tough hands, Kuroko turned her attention to the hoop above of her. The only thing I can accomplish is to support the team. As a Shadow, I'll perfect my skills and my passes until they can become of use. "Set needless worries aside…" Whispering, she threw the ball into the air.

When practice was over, the Generation of Miracles, excluding their ace, changed in the locker rooms. A year ago, the locker room would've been overwhelmed by their chit-chat sessions and insane noises, blended in with altercations of Murasakibara and Midorima, an enterprising vibe exploding from Kise while Aomine cursing with his flamboyant language, and a calm and composed structure of Akashi at the sidelines, altogether forming the Generation of Miracles.

Now, hushed stillness engulfed the room, only the irritable sound of the electric fan on the ceiling and the ancient 'creaks' of the lockers audible. None of them dared to share a syllable – none of them thought of it, either. To the Generation of Miracles, it was now an ordinary occurrence that all of them were strangers, mere acquaintances, in fact, that only used to be close with one another.

"… What are we going to do with Aominecchi?" Kise, the sole being that despised the ice, broke the solitary silence. His voice was nothing close to his usual amiable friendliness, just a robotic monotone, as if recorded beforehand. "You're the captain, Akashicchi. Is it acceptable to you that there's a member skipping out on practice constantly?"

Kise's inquiry was more like a disparaging demand. Perhaps, the one that was at dissent the most of the whole idea of them distancing themselves was the blonde.

"It is not a matter you need to associate yourself with, Kise." Akashi mumbled, buttoning his uniform shirt. "He will eventually return if he finds practice necessary. It isn't like Teiko's power would suddenly decline just because of his absence." It was undeniable, Akashi's remark. It was a definite statement that Teiko would continue to remain the primary school in terms of force and invincibility, even with having one of their core members missing. There were still four others, after all.

The small forward, obviously agitated, continued to urge Akashi. "Then why do we still need Kurokocchi on the regular lineup?"

Every single player in the room grew absolutely motionless at that.

"You guys have to stay by her side, until the very end."

Despite all of them growing distant, despite them breaking apart, despite them distributing themselves to their own lives and directions once again – it was an unspoken vow amongst the previous Generation of Miracles (including Haizaki, but not Kise), to never bring up the value of Kuroko Tetsuya amongst themselves ever again. Yes, the majority of them were aware, somewhere within their sanity, that she was no longer an essential tool for the victory of the team. They believed that was quite self explanatory, as not only finding Kuroko unnecessary for the team – they found each other unnecessary for the team.

"… Kise." Akashi closed his locker, throwing his jersey inside. "We will not bring up Kuroko when it comes to this topic."

"But –"

"Kuroko," Midorima began, drawing attention to himself, "necessary or not, has always supported us. It is not an exaggeration even if we state that because of her existence on the team that we were able to evolve. To get rid of her now –"

"I'm not saying we have to literally ban her from club activities." Slamming his locker against the pane, Kise growled. "I'm not saying she's useless, or that she had absolutely no role in the evolution of the team. Without her, very well, you have a point – Teiko would've remained the same old Teiko. But why can't you think of her position?"

So far through the oddly heated conversation tossed back and forth, Murasakibara was the only one that continued to remain quiet, taking a neutral stance.

"Do you know how agonizing it is, to be treated like you are "useful", when you actually aren't? To convince yourself and deceive yourself that you can improve, when there's nothing you can do? To be waited upon, and to be expected to wait patiently until someone finds a place for you – when that moment will never arrive? To be pitied instead of infuriated at?" Taking broad steps forward towards Akashi, Kise glowered at his captain. It was the first time Kise had shown any signs of animosity to any of them, and it startled the rest.

Gritting his teeth, Kise lowered his head, and spoke. "Don't act like you care about her when you don't." He spat, edging away as he exited the locker rooms with a furious slam of the door. At this point, Akashi was at loss for words, and so were the other Generation of Miracles.

Don't act like you care about her when you don't. The sentence filled with pure enmity and bitterness consumed their mind. To their utmost emotion and will to oppose Kise's remark, they had to accept the truth – none of them truly cared what happened to Kuroko. Keeping her would not only distract them, but bring their pace and progress down. All they were doing were casting an illusion, as if she still had a part in Teiko.

"Perhaps…" Murasakibara finally decided to share his opinion. "Perhaps, Kise-chin was the one that cared most about her amongst all of us."

Midorima Shintaro, annoyed, fixed the position of his spectacles and shot back. "What do you mean, Murasakibara? If I have to add my personal input inside, he's the one that cared least about Kuroko's wellbeing. Think about it, all of you – who was the one that abandoned Kuroko first, amongst this chaos? Who was the one that all of a sudden only focused on polishing his own talents, and detached himself from Kuroko, contradicting his actions when he first entered the club? It was Kise. Out of all people, he has no right to chastise us, or order us around."

"He was attempting to reduce the pain." Zipping his bag shut, Murasakibara sat on one of the benches. "By wearing a façade, we were faking our friendship with Kuro-chin. If we just ignored her from the beginning, she wouldn't be so desperate to cling to us right now." Upon witnessing the dissatisfied expressions of the other two, the purple head averted his eyes. "… At least, that's what I think. If Mido-chin and Aka-chin think differently, then I'm okay with that."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Murasakibara." Midorima said coldly, stepping forward as he set himself in the hallway. "You're not in the position to correct our mistakes."

"I never said I was." Raising his voice, Murasakibara's eyebrows furrowed. "It isn't a spurious statement to say that we were only torturing Kuro-chin with our uncertain behavior."

An intense wave of contempt was exchanged between the two, before Akashi stepped in between and looked at them. "It doesn't matter whether Kuroko is hurt or not to us, does it?" Murasakibara and Midorima flinched dangerously. "The only thing we are all focused on is getting stronger."

"That's not –"

"Enough." Akashi snapped, as he glared viciously at the two. "This discussion is done. I'm going home."

Murasakibara spoke, for the last time that day. "Aka-chin, you really don't care what happens to Kuro-chin now, do you?"

The mere few seconds that Akashi refused to provide a satisfactory response was sufficient for an answer. Murasakibara and Midorima both turned away, both holding their own thoughts and sorrow towards the matter, as Akashi's silent grief went unknown to them.

It was an understatement to say that Kise Ryouta was the one that could probably relate to Kuroko Tetsuya the most, considering everyone she knew.

He could relate, all right, just in a dissimilar way. Their circumstances differed, for one thing. Kise was about his disposition in his family, while Kuroko was about the team.

Kise Ryouta wanted to create a location in his family – he wanted to be understood, he wanted to be noticed, he wanted to be needed – he wanted to be a valued person. Much to his disappointment, all he could do was play a role in paying back his debtors, slowly making a fill in the hole his mother created. A massive debt she left for them – a debt they were forced to pay.

His family made it seem like he was a necessary piece – because they were a 'family'. Because they possessed an unbreakable bond – that fact alone supported the cause behind Kise's position. And because the blonde had no other to choice to trust them, he continued to work. He ran various part-time jobs, and even upgraded his status as a model.

However, as days and weeks passed by, he came to realize something. As his family regained stability, grew financially steady, the less Kise seemed to be recognized. His sisters had already set out to a bright future spread beautifully in front of them, and his father was finally able to take a rest from his vast workload. The three were perfectly content without him staying there, just like how the four of them proved to be just fine without a motherly figure.

Kise stared outside the bus window. It was raining, and the traffic was terrible. He was stuck in the said green and white vehicle for about thirty minutes, when his house was only ten minutes away. But he didn't have an umbrella either, so his alternative was stolen away.

Ah, damn it. He rubbed the back of his neck regretfully. Why did I do that? It's not like I would've been as intimidating as Aominecchi, or as convincing as Midorimacchi… His mind was still pacing around his actions in the locker room, before he made a quite turbulent exit. "Akashicchi is scary when he gets mad, too…" Sighing, Kise feared the amount of practice that would presumably be doubled due to his moment of dramatic outburst.

A few voices distracted him from his thoughts.

"Shit, that's a lot of rain."

"See, I really would've appreciated the appearance of some stunning girls right now."

"Moriyama, if you don't shut up right now, I'm going to fucking slaughter you."

"Whew, Kasamatsu, so scary."

Loud… are they high schoolers? Kise took a short glance at the three males that stepped inside the bus, soaked with rainwater. Their gray uniforms read "Kaijo High School". The one that seemed to be going with name of 'Kasamatsu' sat down next to Kise.

"It's your fault that we're here all the way in Tokyo, anyway. Do you know how long it's going to take us to Kanagawa?" The taller and slimmer one among the three shook his head, grabbing the handles above to balance himself on the moving bus.

Kaijo… If I remember correctly, it's a basketball powerhouse, isn't it? What are they doing here in Tokyo? Well… not my business, but-

"Hey, Yukio, isn't the guy you're sitting next to Kise Ryouta from the Generation of Miracles?" The said Kasamatsu Yukio now frowned as he turned to look at Kise. The blonde blinked, as the question wasn't asked to him directly.

"You're right." Kasamatsu nodded. "Hey, nice to meet you."

Is that normally how you treat a complete stranger? Kise scooted back a little. "… Um, hello."

"To meet one of the Generation of Miracles – see, it was a great thing that we strayed to Tokyo! Hey, you, do you have any plans to join Kaijo?" The one that Kise vaguely remembered as Moriyama, suggested cheerfully. "I think you might be able to attract many cute girls, you know? Your looks and build and all."

"Uh –" Kise then glanced at the door, noticing a second too late that it was his stop. "Sorry, I need to go!" He ran through the closing exit, and dashed through the rain straight towards his house.

However, his mind still loomed around Kuroko, and now Kaijo.

Kaijo… huh.

A/N: … Okay, fine. Maybe that wasn't EXTRA long, but it was kind of long. It was a chapter in which Kise's opinion was cleared, and where future plans took a place.

Relax, guys, it's only the beginning of greater angst sessions to come! I have to admit, that more than Aomine and Midorima, this first book is way more concentrated on the other three. But seriously, they're all getting their respective roles later on!

Also, this is just an early heads up, but at the end of this first book, I'll be taking questions from all of you guys. You can ask about really anything, whether it'd be about what you didn't quite understand in the first book, or my plans about the second book (without me spoiling the whole plot to you guys).

And also, this is super random, but yes, there will be yaoi pairs in the second book as well. Look forward to it, please.

Meiko