Hi there~ This is my first Kuroko no Basuke fic and it probably won't be my last. I just couldn't help but wonder just what really went on behind closed doors and decided that I might as well write my own version of it!

Disclaimer : I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or its characters. Only the following story is my own. (T^T)

Akashi was busy.

A fact which, by itself, was hardly worth noting as the captain of the Teiko basketball team was a man very much in demand. No, the oddity lay in the fact that though the demon overlord was away, none of his regulars were absent. But not a single one of them had basketball on their minds at the current time.

Half an hour earlier, the group of Teiko's regulars, save Kuroko, had strolled into the gym along with the rest of the basketball club members only to find out that their captain was absent and that he would be so for the entirety of their practice that day. However, before any of them could register the pleasure at the news and even begin to consider skipping out of the court, Kuroko had appeared alongside them, leaning further back than was humanly possible, arms filled to the brim with – among other things - giant cardboard pieces, swatches of cloth, staple guns, a huge bottle of glue, and what appeared to be a bag of sequins. He monotonously informed them that he was preparing banners for the upcoming annual carnival that their school was playing host to, which also explained why Akashi would be gone for so long.

And so Kise decided that, since Kurokocchi was going to be spending his practice time doing something evidently more useful than staring at a blank wall, he too would assist his favourite person. Without waiting for an answer from Kuroko, he relieved him of some of the heavier things that he carried, immediately walking over to a corner of the court and setting the things down on the floor.

This sparked some debate amongst the remaining three members of the Generation of Miracles (though Murasakibara's contribution was mostly loud crunching noises) on whether they should help Kuroko or leave early. The knowledge that if the redhead devil of a captain found out that they had skipped (which he undoubtedly would) had their resolve slightly wavering but it was the sight of Kise practically sparkling at Kuroko while the two of them laid out cardboard pieces and the blue-haired boy was explaining his idea to the overly-engrossed blonde that had them deciding to stay.

That was why, even as the court was filled with people and the sound of sneakers on the polished floor echoed around the gym, along with resounding laughter, the corner usually reserved for the regulars was unusually quiet. But peace was always meant to be broken. The day's disruption came in the form of a certain white-haired individual whose presence sent a hush over the gym. Lost in their own little intent bubble, the Generation of Miracles failed to notice the new arrival until his shadow blocked what little light Aomine was squinting by to sew on a sequin onto a piece of cloth.

The annoyed expression when Aomine looked up was replaced immediately by fury when he realized who it was, and as the rest of his team come to notice their surroundings and the new intruder, the looks that they shot him ranged from distaste to outrage.

"That's a good look on you, Daiki." Haizaki Shougo said by way of greeting, his trademark sneer in place.

"Bastard," Aomine snarled. "The hell are you doing showing your ugly mug around here?"

"Still as courteous as ever, I see," the unwanted man sighed. "I was passing by."

"We are not your parents, Haizaki-san." Midorima said, obviously irritated. "You do not need to visit whenever you are 'passing by'."

"I didn't come to see you, idiot." The ex-regular shot back. He looked around the court interestedly, as though it was the first time he was there. "Man, they really did up the place."

He turned his attention to the group of players on the floor; each paused in the midst of their tasks. Kise had a pen in hand and had been drawing something on a piece of cardboard, while Midorima was seated with a small frog in his lap – his lucky item of the day, of course – and was stapling pieces of cloth to the cardboard banners as Murasakibara assisted by holding everything in place with his feet, on account of his hands being occupied.

The sight he beheld make him burst out in laughter. This was the Generation of Miracles that he had left.

"Eh, where's the demon captain?" He asked, lips wobbly from trying to hold back his amusement. "Too busy being all high and mighty to be messing with the commoners, huh?"

"Why you - " Aomine couldn't stand the asshole anymore. Even if he didn't particularly like their captain, he respected him, and the bastard was going too far, especially when he had been forcibly removed from the regulars because of his jackass personality. He shot to his feet; fists already bunched and took a single step towards the white-haired male before he felt small fingers curl around his forearm.

"Haizaki-san." Kuroko intoned his face as neutral as ever. "It is a surprise to see you here."

Haizaki blinked at him for a moment. "Where'd you come from?"

"I was here the whole time." Kuroko replied. "Kise-kun has been helping me design the banners," he adds, holding up a black marker as proof.

"Still on the regulars, Tetsuya?" Haizaki sneered, easily gaining his composure back. "I'm surprised you're able to keep up with them, what with that weak physique of yours. And you're still as short as I remember."

The tension surrounding them suddenly seemed to thicken, and Midorima could have sworn that he felt some sort of electrical buzz in the air. Even Murasakibara paused with a chip halfway to his mouth, his eyes wide. Kuroko's face betrayed no feelings, but Aomine winced at the sudden sting in his arm.

"I believe, Haizaki-san, that you should refresh your memory about what happened the last time we had a chat." The fact that the petite boy's voice was still as emotionless as before seemed like a worse indication for the ex-member's fate than if he had yelled at him.

"And since I am such a weakling, I hope you will help me carry a few things from the classroom." With that, Kuroko turned and walked away, headed towards the school building. The delinquent stared after his retreating back, fear etched into his features. He followed Kuroko, looking like a man going to the gallows.

The four remaining members of the Teiko team exchanged looks of wide eyed shock. There hadn't been anybody idiotic enough since Kise first joined the regulars to even imply that Kuroko was short. Akashi had made it clear that it was tantamount to calling himself short and the message had been pretty clearly sent and received.

It was about 20 minutes later, after everyone had gotten over the shock and awe and all of them had returned to their previous tasks, save Midorima for he couldn't manage to locate the staple gun that he had been previously using, that Haizaki and Kuroko finally reappeared, the former sporting a pile much larger than the one Kuroko had walked in with initially. His trademark sneer gone, he practically collapsed to the floor with the pile of stationery and immediately shot to his feet and bent himself into a 90 degree bow directed at the his former teammates with a high-pitched, "I'M SORRY FOR THE INTRUSION!" before dashing out of the gym before any of them could react.

The speculative looks they shot Kuroko was duly ignored.

"There it is!" Midorima suddenly exclaimed. Those surrounding him turned quizzical looks his way. "I was looking for that staple gun, Kuroko-san"

Kuroko looked at the thing in his hand as though he only just realized he was holding something.

"I'm sorry. Here," he said, handing it over to the green-eyed shooter. Midorima took it with a muttered thank you and stooped to staple a corner of the cloth to the cardboard when he stilled.

"Kuroko-san."

"Yes?" Kuroko looked up from where he had plopped down to continue his drawing.

"The gun is empty."

"Is there a problem with that?" He asked, blinking slowly.

"I just refilled it just now." At his words, all activity ceased and three pairs of eyes turned to the blue-eyed boy. The barely noticeable smile that lifted the corners of his lips sent chills down their spines.

"That is unfortunate. Here, I'll refill it again for you," he offered, hand extended to take the staple gun from his teammate. Clearly reluctant, but not willing to spark an argument over such a matter, Midorima handed it over to him. All four flinched at the sound of metal snapping into place.

Two days later.

"Tetsuya!" Akashi burst into the court, disturbing vibes emitting off him.

"Ah, Akashi-kun." The said boy greeted. "Welcome back."

"I heard that moron Haizaki walked in during practice while I was gone the other day." Akashi's dislike of the former member was a well-known fact throughout the school. And it was also a well known fact that he was the only one whom the delinquent was afraid of.

"Yes, he mentioned that he was passing by."

"Tch," Aomine scoffed. "The bastard just wanted to waste our time."

"Yeah," Kise piped up. "He was being mean, what with insulting you and calling Kurokocchi s –" The quick hand that Midorima clamped over Kise's mouth was the only thing that saved them from certain death.

"A-Anyway, Tetsu dealt with him pretty well." Aomine picked up instantly, hoping that his shadow would ignore the blonde's words.

"He even apologized when he left, after helping Kurokocchi carry things, too!" The awe in Kise's voice spoke for his teammates too. Akashi leveled a gaze at Kuroko who only looked back at him mildly.

"You wouldn't happen to know why there are so many tiny holes in the wall outside the school building, Tetsuya?" He asked, sounding as though he was asking for the time.

"No," monochromatic eyes bore into sky blue ones. "Why would you ask?"

"I can't be certain, but there were a lot of stapler bullets on the ground around."

"Is that so?" The smile in Kuroko's voice was evident for only a second. "That is very strange."

And so the Generation of Miracles learned that although their captain was the physical embodiment of the devil, hell hath no fury like Kuroko Tetsuya scorned.