Hello again, everyone! Welcome to the next chapter! Funnily enough, it took me only one day to write the chapter required for me to post this chapter (chapter 9, so episode 9 for everyone curious), so we're cruising right along! Luckily, this chapter is also longer then the previous chapter, so hopefully it keeps up the previous work you've seen from me. Trying to keep these many PoV switches in line is difficult, but it only gets harder from here, considering how many people can be at a single game and have something important to say, haha! (Looking at you Seirin vs Rakuzan with every single Miracle, good thing I've got a ways before that one).

Anyways, thanks to LetTheWorldHonorTheFallen (thanks for such a nice review! I love hearing whatever you want to say, and I'm glad you think the boys are in character, especially Kuroko and Kise's manipulative sides!) for reviewing, all 13 followers, 9 favorites and 114 readers!

Okay, guys, here's the first BIG game. Hopefully I wrote this well...any advice if I messed this up or it doesn't read well would be appreciated! Enjoy!

Chapter 3: The First Battle

"This place is huge." Hyuuga gasped as he and Riko led the Seirin team onto Kaijo High School's property. "You can really tell when a school is devoted to its athletics."

Kuroko had to agree, Kaijo was pretty fancy. He wouldn't be surprised to find their gyms were as nice as Teiko's either (for all the pain Teiko brought Kuroko, he had always found peace within those gymnasium walls).

But he wasn't really focused on his surroundings, but on his zombie like Light.

"Kagami-kun, the look in your eyes is worse than usual." Kuroko stated bluntly. If this affected how Kagami played in the practice game today…then there could be a problem. Kuroko was not planning on losing, not even to Kise.

"Shut up." Kagami snapped. "I was a little too excited."

"What are you, a kid going on a field trip?" Kuroko questioned, feeling exasperation cling to his skin like a winter coat. Honestly, this was ridiculous, even more than mediating Aomine and Kise at their most childish.

(Kuroko suddenly had a bad premonition should he succeed in beating Aomine, as he should.)

"What'd you say?" Kagami demanded, his attempt at a fearsome glare not succeeding with his tired zombie eyes.

Besides, Kuroko had faced scarier glares before and rarely backed down from them. Honestly, Akashi, Coach Shirogane and Nijimura-senpai's smiles were more terrifying than any glare Kagami could ever give Kuroko.

"Hey, guys!"

"Kise!" Kagami yelled before Kuroko could as the entire team turned to see Kise running towards them, smiling brightly.

Of course, his smile was only real because he was staring solely at Kuroko. Kuroko returned it with a small smile of his own, his fingers brushing his left wrist as he silently greeted the copycat. And, just like clockwork, Kise's fingers brushed against his stomach before he raised a hand in greeting.

"This place is big, so I thought I'd come get you." Kise explained and while that may genuinely be his reason (or rather, he came to get Kuroko, considering how little Kise cared for people he didn't respect), Kuroko was pretty sure there was more to it than that.

"Hello." Riko greeted Kise with a bow.

"Kise…hey!" Kagami cried as he stepped towards Kise, only for the copycat to ignore him and approach Kuroko again.

"Kurokocchi, ever since you turned down my invitation to join us, I've been crying into my pillow every night." Kise whined, rubbing his eyes dramatically. Just as Kuroko expected, Kise continued to play up his act just as he had when he visited Seirin.

"What's wrong with him?" Hyuuga questioned.

Kuroko smiled inwardly with pride. Kise truly was one of the best of them at manipulating the people they wanted manipulated.

"Just show us the way." Kagami demanded, obviously not liking how much attention Kise was showing Kuroko.

Apologies, Kagami-kun, but Kise-kun is mine and I am his. It should be no surprise that we ignore all others when we're together. Kuroko thought to himself.

"Not even a girl has turned me down before." Kise continued, a twinkle in his eyes telling Kuroko that he was enjoying himself immensely. Kuroko didn't blame him for one instance, considering it was still very fun to scare his own team almost every day.

"Are you ignoring me?" Kagami growled in irritation.

"Could you please stop being so sarcastic?" Kuroko requested, figuring it was time to end their game. They had a time limit and a battle to fight. And in that battle, they would not be friends. So, no matter what Kuroko wished, he had to wait until the game ended to act on it.

Kise's expression changed then, growing sharper in a way that Kuroko recognized and welcomed. Just being on the other end of it gave him a thrill, knowing that in moments they would begin the fight to see which of them was stronger.

The Phantom or the Copycat.

"I'm interested to know more about the guy who's making Kurokocchi say those things." Kise stated, his eyes going colder as he turned away from Kuroko and towards Kagami. His body shifted, as if he were blocking Kuroko from Kagami's sight, a movement Kuroko recognized as an instinct engraved into all Teiko members.

After all, if the phantom was hidden from the sight of the enemy, his attacks were much more poignant than if he had been in plain sight.

"I don't care much about being called the Generation of Miracles," Kise admitted as he walked past Kagami (that was true, none of them cared, but the title meant that they had proven themselves the best, over and over, and would not stop, not even now). "but I can't ignore such an obvious challenge." He looked back then, his eyes seemingly on Kagami, but Kuroko knew he was staring at him. "I'm not mature enough to let it side."

This was, after all, a battle between Kise and Kuroko. Seirin and Kagami, especially, were the tools Kuroko needed to fight that battle, but ultimately that's what it was, under the pretense of a practice match between Kaijo and Seirin.

"Sorry, but I'm going to crush you with everything I have." Kise apologized, not sounding sorry at all. His voice was cold, detached, and the earned pride in himself was clear as day to Kuroko.

It was, after all, mirrored in Kuroko himself, his eyes challenging Kise and making the same promise back. His pride, after all, was equally as earned as Kise's.

"Sounds good." Kagami grinned, obviously thinking he was included in this conversation when, in actuality, he was simply drawing the attention away from Kuroko, hiding him in plain sight.

After that, Kise wrapped an arm around Kuroko's shoulders and pulled the phantom ahead of the group as they made their way to the gym, leaning down to whisper into Kuroko's ear.

"Now, Kurokocchi, don't be angry. Between you and me, we can fix this."

Kuroko shot him a slightly confused look, wondering just what he and Kise could fix, and what Kise thought needed to be fixed, when they were now considered enemies.

But it was the look in Kise's eyes that kept Kuroko from complaining about the arm around his shoulders. Instead, he subtly leaned in and raised his hand to rest it against Kise's stomach, the gesture a surprisingly intimate one, something the copycat obviously hadn't been expecting. But it sent Kuroko's message loud and clear.

No matter what, I trust you.

"This is it." Kise exclaimed as they reached the gym, releasing Kuroko and spreading his arms widely, though he knew exactly why Seirin, and Kuroko especially, looked so…disappointed.

Coach Takeuchi, after all, had instructed the team to put up a net so the practice match would be a half court while the other half continued to practice as normal.

Sending Kuroko one more apologetic look, Kise made his way over to change into his uniform. He was determined to play today, no matter what his coach had to say about it, after all.

"There we go." Kise said to himself as he finished getting ready.

"Kise, why are you wearing your uniform?" Coach Takeuchi asked and Kise turned to see the coach had finished speaking to Seirin. "You're not playing. I know we've got star players from all the middle schools, but you're on a whole different level."

"Don't do that, Coach." Kise pleaded. "Seriously, stop saying that."

Of course, Kise wasn't saying that to be humble or anything. He knew he was on a whole different level, that if he wanted to, he could take any player here one on one and win. But he also had an image to keep up and showing off just how good he knew he was wouldn't help him keep that. It was the same as when he was crying his crocodile tears or being sarcastic when only the other Miracles could catch him. Shades of his true self were seldom let out, but they were precious. So, yeah, his coach constantly putting him on such a high pedestal? Not a good way for him to keep his reputation intact.

"If I let you play, it won't even be a game anymore." Takeuchi stated and Kise almost flinched from the force of the flashbacks hitting him.

Games so boring and easy that he made games out of them.

Games so lame that he found his old apathy starting to creep back into his skin.

Games so far from being games anymore that there were days Kise only continued to play because if he quit, that meant he lost.

And that was not allowed.

But today wouldn't be like that, Kise knew it! Today's game, especially when he played, would be a game.

After all, there were two Miracles in this gym, one for each team.

No game with those circumstances could ever stop being a game.

But still…

Kise ran over to Seirin, his eyes on Kuroko only.

"I'm sorry. Seriously sorry." He apologized as he reached them. "I'll be on the bench." Then he lowered his voice, cupping his mouth as he did so, and pointed at Coach Takeuchi. "If you give his guys a beating, I'm sure he'll put me in. Besides…if you can't force him to put me in, you shouldn't go around saying you'll beat the Generation of Miracles."

If you can't force him to put me in, you wouldn't be participating in the battle, Kurokocchi.

"Hey, show the Seirin guys to the locker room." Coach Takeuchi called out before Kuroko could respond.

"It's fine." Kuroko cut in. Kise turned only to see Seirin heading there on their own, Kuroko's eyes never leaving Kise's. They were burning with the cold anger Kise recognized as turned towards those who disrespected Kuroko or one of the Miracles (especially the Miracles) in some way. He'd never thought he'd see that anger burning for him again and his heart melted at the sight of it. "Please warm up. We don't have time to wait."

Kise stared after him for a moment before a genuine smile grew on his face and he did as Kuroko suggested.

It would not do, after all, to disappoint Kuroko.

"Let the practice game between Seirin High School and Kaijo High School begin."

"Alright, let's go!" Hyuuga shouted as they all lined up.

"Uh, we're about to get started, so Seirin, please have your five line up." The referee said.

"There's five of us." Kuroko cut in, causing the referee and the Kaijo team to jump and scream in surprise. Kuroko could see Kise stifling a laugh on the bench, even as his eyes coldly tracked the game.

Kise, after all, was a lot smarter in terms of basketball than others gave him credit for.

Kuroko could hear the Kaijo members talking about him and his team, but he ignored it. For now…he had to show these guys that they needed Kise on the court if they had any hopes of winning. Because Kuroko was determined to not lose, not to anyone. And especially not to a team without a Miracle on it.

The tip off began and Kaijo won it.

"Alright. One. Let's keep it up." Kaijo's captain called out as he caught the ball.

But he was too slow…

Kuroko moved and stole the ball right out of the unsuspecting captain's hands. He caught it and dribbled to the other side of the half court as quickly as he could.

"Where'd he come from?" The captain yelled behind him as he no doubt followed Kuroko and easily caught up.

But Kuroko had planned for that. Shifting his grip on the ball, he passed it behind his body, where Kagami was ready to catch it and dunk it into the hoop…hard enough that he came down holding the hoop itself.

"Alright!" Kagami grinned. Before he noticed he was holding the hoop, and everyone promptly freaked out.

"That thing's dangerous. One of the bolts is rusted." Izuki commented as he examined the hoop.

"Even so, that's not normal." Kaijo's captain countered, still looking shocked.

Of course, with his eyes on Kagami's actions, he easily missed the true threat. After all, Kagami wouldn't have been able to dunk the ball quite so quickly if Kuroko had been replaced with somebody else. It was only because he was here that this was possible at all.

The time of the new Light and Shadow had begun.

Quietly, Kuroko led Kagami over to Takeuchi and bowed.

"I'm sorry we broke your hoop." Not. Kuroko mentally added. They deserved it for underestimating Kuroko, and his team, and benching Kise. "Since we can't play like this, could we use the full court?"

Takeuchi glared up at him, but he listened.

As the court was being set up, Kise came over to Kuroko and laughed.

"Now that's what you call a beating." He grinned, staring at the broken hoop.

"Huh?" Kagami asked from beside Kuroko, oh so easily falling into his role.

"I've never seen the coach like that before." Kise explained, his body relaxed and open, yet Kuroko could see the open excitement on his face, ready to get in the game and battle Kuroko as they promised.

It was the excitement Kuroko had started to miss in their last year of Teiko, sparking anew in his own veins as well (no game could ever compare to facing his Teiko teammates, his other parts to himself).

"You should tell him that's what he gets for underestimating us!" Kagami snapped.

"How much do you think a replacement hoop will cost?" Kuroko mused, walking away. He couldn't afford to get sucked into the pull he felt towards Kise (as well as the other Miracles) now, not when there was a battle to fight and win.

(But even as he walked away, Kuroko could feel his left wrist burning with the desire to reaffirm the bond he had with Kise. Not yet…not yet…)

"Huh? We have to pay for that?" Kagami cried, quite comically.

It also felt like back when the Generation of Miracles had first broken a hoop…Akashi, Coach Shirogane and Nijimura-senpai had been so angry at them all, even Kuroko's training menu had been quadrupled…for an entire week. They'd learned not to do that again after that incident (most of the time…if Murasakibara got angry, then they had to do it all over again. Punishment like that had earned Akashi the title of 'demon' even before their third year).

"Let the game resume." The referee called out.

And sure enough, Kise stepped onto the court, ready to play.

Now, the real battle began.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Kise greeted Kuroko, brushing his fingers against his stomach.

"You're finally in." Kagami sighed as Kuroko gently brushed his own fingers against his left wrist in return.

"You're way too intense for a model when you're on." Hyuuga commented.

"He's not just putting on a show." Kuroko warned. Kise had done enough for them to underestimate him by this point, Kuroko didn't want them to underestimate him too much. That'd be detrimental to winning.

Right before the game was about to begin, the cheering of Kise's fangirls filled the gym. Kuroko didn't even turn around to look at them, holding back a long suffering sigh.

Where's Momoi-san and Akashi-kun when you need them? And how does Kise-kun deal with this every day?

Back at Teiko, the entire team had refused to let this happen. Even Nijimura-senpai had taken a turn to scare away Kise's fangirls. But Kuroko couldn't do that now, not when the game was starting. His frustration must've been evident, considering Kise winked at him subtly.

"Huh? What's all that?" Hyuuga cried, shocked. The Kaijo captain began to explain that it always happened when Kise played as the copycat waved at his fangirls to appease them.

Of course, right after, said captain suddenly kicked Kise to the floor (it was impressive, considering Kise was much taller than his captain).

"Quit waving to them! I'll hit you!" The captain shouted.

"Ow…you already hit me, Kasamatsu-senpai." Kise complained as he stood back up.

Kuroko paused at that, surprised. It was rare for any Miracle, outside of Kuroko himself and Momoi (simply because they were polite), to call someone 'senpai' and mean it. Especially when they haven't known said 'senpai' for long. It was very difficult to earn a Miracle's genuine respect, especially in such a short amount of time.

After all, the only ones the Generation of Miracles genuinely listened to without fail were Akashi, Coach Shirogane and Nijimura-senpai. Nobody else was deserving to listen to, to be obeyed without question. After all, even now, Kuroko would completely ignore anything Seirin asked of him if it conflicted with Akashi's orders, and the same held true if Coach Shirogane or Nijimura-senpai came back. It was simply a fact the Miracles lived by.

So how had this Kasamatsu earned Kise's respect so quickly, that he was calling him 'senpai'? It was quite curious, if you asked Kuroko.

Of course, then the two started whispering and Kuroko could tell Kise was bragging about him. He tried to smother the pride growing in his chest at the sight, but it was difficult. Kuroko had always been bad at denying himself the chance to feel pleasure at the sound of his teammates praising him. It meant they thought he was good, despite everyone else thinking him weak and undeserving of them.

But then Kise's stance shifted and Kuroko knew what would happen in the next play.

Kasamatsu had the ball and drove it straight to the other side of the court, while Kise evaded his mark, Kagami, easily. Then once they were close enough, Kasamatsu passed the ball between Hyuuga's legs and Kise jumped, a perfect copy of Kagami's previous dunk.

The fangirls screamed as Kise hung from the net for a moment before dropping to the ground. Instantly, Kasamatsu kicked him once more.

"You idiot, I told you to break it!" Kasamatsu yelled.

"Sorry!" Kise apologized. And Kuroko could understand why, even he could tell that Kise had upped the strength of the dunk. Had the hoop contained a rusty nail like the one Kagami broke, it would've easily snapped under the force of Kise's dunk. "I can't say the same for girls, but I've never failed to return a favor on the court." Kise said as he walked past Kagami and paused near him, his eyes sharp like steel.

"Bring it on!" Kagami grinned.

But it was Kuroko that Kise was actually staring at, his eyes only slightly softer. They were enemies here, after all. And Kuroko met them head on, with his own steel eyes.

The real fight, after all, started at that moment.

Hyuuga dribbled the ball before passing it to Kuroko, who instantly hit it towards Kagami, no doubt stunning Kasamatsu once more. Without hesitation, Kagami charged to the hoop and dunked the ball.

As soon as Kagami returned to the floor, he yelled,

"Let's go all out!"

"Yeah!" The rest of Seirin yelled in agreement while Kuroko simply smiled slightly.

That was the plan from the start, Kagami-kun. To go all out and win, no matter what.

From there, the game became so very high paced, only Kuroko and Kise were keeping up with everything easily (and for Kuroko, it was only his mind, his body was too weak compared to it). The same was true of Kagami, only because of his easy receiving of Kuroko's passes, acting as the tool Kuroko scored through.

The scores continued climbing higher, reaching 17-16 in Kaijo's favor in barely three minutes.

But then Kise blocked Kagami as he shot a fadeaway, only to charge back across the court and pull the same movement against Seirin, scoring easily.

"Don't stop, move your feet!" Hyuuga cried.

"Captain…" Kuroko called out, startling the captain he was running behind, though thankfully he didn't lose the ball.

"Where'd you come from?" Hyuuga demanded. "Why are you talking to me?"

"I want a time out." Kuroko requested. "This high pace is taking its toll on my body."

"What? How can you be so weak?" Hyuuga sighed.

But I am not weak where it truly counts, it is why I am considered miraculous.

"Also, we need Kagami-kun to cool down." Kuroko said aloud. "The harder Kagami-kun plays, the harder Kise-kun plays. At this rate, it'll take everything we have just to keep up, and it will only get worse." Especially if Kise was determined to prove to Kuroko not only that he was stronger, but that Kagami was a poor choice of Light. Kise always had looked up to Aomine, after all, and they had been close.

"Seirin, time out." The referee called shortly after.

As soon as Kuroko returned to the bench, he wiped his face clear of sweat with a towel. Suddenly, and with a sharp pain, he wished Momoi was there with her bright smile, to tell him that he was doing a good job. Or Midorima with his logical mindset to give the favorable predictions of how their game would end (always in their favor). Or Murasakibara with his sweets, always saving the vanilla flavored ones for Kuroko. Or Aomine with his fist held out ready to bump against his own, telling him how great his passes were. Or Akashi with his soft smile, telling Kuroko that he had succeeded all his expectations even now.

Or even Kise with his lanky arms wrapping around Kuroko's shoulders, too sweaty and too close, but a reminder that he was there.

But none of them were there. Kuroko was alone and was fighting against Kise. So, he pushed the feelings of loss and homesickness down and returned his focus to the situation at hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" Takeuchi yelled then, loud enough that it echoed throughout the whole gym. "How many points are you gonna let them take? Is the defense asleep? Huh?"

Kuroko glanced over, just for a moment, and saw the wide smile Kise always got when he was bragging about all of them, the pride and joy in his eyes genuine. Kuroko allowed himself a small, pleased smile before he shifted his eyes away, knowing that Kise's eyes would soon grow cold with the focus of battle.

"We have to deal with Kise-kun first." Riko was saying, kneeling in front of a model of the court she just finished setting up.

"I can't believe Kagami can't handle the guy himself." Hyuuga stated in disbelief. "Should we put another guy on him?"

"What?" Kagami cried. "Hey, wait…please."

"Please?" Riko repeated.

"There is a way." Kuroko cut in then, causing all eyes to turn to him. He knew, then, that Kise was doing the exact same thing as he was, but that didn't matter. He would not keep any secret that could prevent his victory. Not now, with the stakes as high as they were. "They have a weakness."

"A weakness?" Riko repeated.

"What? You should've told us sooner." Hyuuga complained.

"No, to be honest, I'm not even sure you could call it a weakness." Kuroko clarified. "Either way, I'm sorry. There's another problem. Because of the unexpectedly high-paced play, my effectiveness is already wearing off."

"Wh-what?" Hyuuga stuttered. Riko only stared in shocked silence.

Kuroko couldn't blame them; he was angry too. But he knew this was likely, extremely likely, as soon as he stepped onto the court. After all, Kise knew this weakness of his quite clearly. If Kuroko hadn't started the game at such a high pace to force them to full court and get Kise out, then perhaps they wouldn't be here. But Kise would've pushed the game as much as he could, to attempt to nullify Kuroko's misdirection as quickly as possible, making Seirin an easy picking.

Nobody could ever say that Kise Ryouta wasn't exceptionally smart in basketball. Nobody, no matter how much he played up his act of being a dumb blonde.

"Why didn't you tell us something so important sooner?" Riko shouted before wrapping her arms around Kuroko's neck in a strong chokehold.

This is still not nearly as terrifying as Akashi-kun.

Nobody disappointed Akashi and not even the threat of being choked could compare to the fear an angry Akashi could instill in Kuroko.

"I'm sorry. You didn't ask." Kuroko apologized, unable to help the cheeky comment.

"Do you not say anything unless you're asked?" Riko demanded as she shifted her chokehold tighter.

I haven't had to for the past several years. Not when everyone important understood me and I understood them without shallow words.

"Your time out is over." The referee called.

"All I got to do was hit Kuroko-kun!" Riko cried out in realization.

Then why did you waste time with that anyway?

Kuroko sat on the bench and let the words of his coach and Kagami wash over him, his mind flipping through possible strategies as quickly as he could while tying his shoes. There was a way, he knew there was a way.

"Also, slow down your pace, Kuroko-kun. Just don't let the gap get too big." Riko added as the others ran onto the court. "Can you do that?"

"I'll try." Kuroko stated as he stood up and walked onto the court.

Kaijo started off with the ball, specifically Kise. And as Kise reached the other side of the court, Seirin set up the zone defense.

But Kuroko could see where this was going. After all, Kuroko wasn't the only Miracle that saw the use of teammates.

Instead of trying to pass them, Kise passed the ball to Kasamatsu, who scored a three pointer, leaving the score 28-22 in Kaijo's favor.

"A three pointer!" A spectator yelled.

"You got it, Kasamatsu! You got it, Kasamatsu!" All of the spectators began to cheer then.

"Are you underestimating the Kaijo regulars?" Kasamatsu smirked as he ran back to the other side of the court. "This is too pathetic."

"Man, this is tough." Hyuuga whispered.

The crowd began to cheer 'defense! Defense!' as Seirin got possession of the ball.

Kagami had it, with Kise marking him. Seeing his Light couldn't move, Kuroko got close and held his hands up. Sure enough, Kagami passed to him-

But then Kaijo's number 5 stole the ball before it could even touch Kuroko's palms. He then ran to the other end of the court and scored.

"I see. I think I'm getting used to it." Number 5 mused to Kasamatsu.

"You got it, Moriyama! You got it, Moriyama!" The spectators cheered for number 5, Moriyama.

The score was now 33-25 in Kaijo's favor.

"This isn't good." Izuki commented.

"What should we do, Izuki?" Hyuuga questioned.

"Yeah." Izuki nodded.

The next time Seirin had the ball, it was in Mitobe's hands and he passed to Kagami, who was open. Instantly, Kagami attempted to shoot, but Kise was on him and the ball went out.

"Out of bounds. White ball." The referee declared.

"Why don't you acknowledge it already?" Kise asked as he stared at Kagami's back. "You're years away from challenging the Generation of Miracles."

"What'd you say?" Kagami demanded.

But Kuroko heard what Kise was actually saying.

'Are you sure you can win with this Light, Kurokocchi? Is he really the correct tool to use?'

And Kuroko understood, he himself would freely admit that there was a zero chance in hell that Kagami could beat a single Miracle on his own. But that's why Kuroko was here, even as his misdirection became less effective. Because Kuroko would not give up in this battle until the final buzzer rang out.

"The gap between our scores might get bigger, but it certainly won't get any smaller." Kise stated out loud, his aura confident and self-assured. And it wasn't truly arrogant, not when he had the skills and the team to back up his claims. "More than formations or strategies, basketball is about your build. It's a sport of size."

Unless you were Akashi or Kuroko. Kuroko, and he knew Kise as well, mentally added.

"The difference between your team and ours is simply too great." Kise continued. "You were the only one who stood a chance against us, but I see now how good you are. I'll admit you have potential, but you're still far below me. No matter what you throw at me, with one look, I'll return it twice as good. You can struggle, but you'll never beat me. The real world isn't that easy."

Kagami started laughing then, long and loud. Kuroko found himself staring at the boy, unable to comprehend what was happening. After all, usually if a Miracle stated the truth in front of them like this in the middle of a losing game, the other person ended up crushed and the fun in the game was lost.

But Kagami…didn't look like that. In fact, he was grinning.

Suddenly, and clearly, Kuroko knew he made the right choice. After all, the only way to beat the Generation of Miracles his way was with a tool, a Light, strong enough to withstand the psychological attack simply playing against the Generation of Miracles caused. And if Kagami was laughing of all things instead of losing all hope…then he truly, incredibly, was the perfect Light.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just so happy." Kagami smiled.

"Happy?" Kise repeated, honestly confused.

"It's been a long time since anyone's said that to me." Kagami explained. "I heard it all the time over there."

"Over there?" Kise repeated.

"In America." Kagami answered.

"You lived in America? That's amazing!" Kise cried, playing up his act while hiding genuine amazement. Kise always loved talking about going overseas someday, learning languages from Akashi when they had free time, talking about someday being a pilot when he was finished with modeling.

"I thought I jumped the gun coming back here to play." Kagami continued, ignoring Kise's words with a smile on his face. "Hearing you say that is encouraging, really. Life is all about challenges. There's no point in living if there's no one strong to play." As Kagami spoke, Kuroko watched as Kise's body shifted, his eyes no doubt becoming cold. Kuroko, too, felt that familiar cold focus of a game growing over his bones. "It's better if I can't win. We're just getting started. Don't you think it's a little soon to be saying you won? Besides, thanks to you, now I know your weakness." As Kagami spoke, he walked past Kise.

"What weakness?" Kise questioned. Even Kuroko was curious, had Kagami truly caught on? After all, this was information only the other Miracles knew about. Nobody else, in the two years Kise had been part of them, had ever learned of this.

"I'm sure it wasn't easy for you to say it yourself." Kagami said, keeping his back to Kise. "With one look? What if you don't see it? Against a guy who's already invisible, it's impossible. No matter how athletic you are, you'll never achieve an invisible basketball style. In other words…"

Suddenly, a hand touched the top of Kuroko's head and he was dragged in front of Kagami, who was now grinning at Kise.

"This guy is your weakness." Kagami declared proudly. Kise only stared at them (probably waiting for the other shoe to drop with Kuroko) while Kagami simply laughed.

"What are you doing?" Kuroko asked, feeling anger spike in him at how Kagami grabbed him, as if he were belittling him (he hated being grabbed like this, and Murasakibara was the worst culprit of it. He needed to train this out of Kagami now, this was the second time!). And, of course, all of Kaijo's eyes were now on him.

This is not how my basketball works best, Kagami-kun. Kuroko thought in exasperation.

But still…this game was far from over and Kuroko would not give up. He'd win and that was a promise, from him to Kise.

And there we are! The first half of the Seirin and Kaijo game! How'd I do? Writing games is hard guys, especially when I learn about the sport through the show, haha.

As you can probably tell, my goal is to reference every Miracle several times before they appear. Of course, it's hard not to when Kuroko spent three years with them (and Kise two), so references to them, Nijimura-senpai and the coaches (mostly Shirogane) will often pop up because the Miracles aren't used to not having the others part of their lives yet, and some of their most formative years were spent together, so that means lots of mentions.

Let's see what else...oh yeah, the mention of Kise being a pilot comes from the Characters Bible, I will reference stuff like that occasionally. Plus it fit with how Kise fangirled a little about going to America.

And...if I forgot anything, let me know and I'll fix it! See you all when I finish the next chapter!