Chapter 1: Introductions

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I only own the OC.

Tatsuya Himuro was, at least for the time being, the person everyone at Yosen wanted to be friends with. His status as the new transfer student made him very popular, he was good-looking and athletic enough to catch the attention of the student population, and he was charismatic enough to garner the likings of both peers and teachers alike. He was charming and open, yet somehow enigmatic- and that only served to add to his allure. As expected from someone with his status as the 'new kid', Tatsuya tried to maintain a well-groomed image in the eyes of his schoolmates and educators in the hopes of acclimating himself with the new environment he was in. Attention was something he definitely received often, but not something he was too keen on giving out on his own- so it honestly surprised him when one particular student caught his eye.

It started during basketball practice, during break time. Tatsuya and his teammates were taking a break from their strenuous activities, and he was taking a sip from his bottle of water when he saw her, sitting way at the back of the stands of the basketball court. With her average height and plain looks, she wasn't really anything out of the ordinary. What caught his attention later on, however, was the fact that she showed up every time during basketball practice without fail, occasionally flipping through a book in her lap whenever the team wasn't doing anything particularly interesting. However, Tatsuya couldn't help but notice that every time he glanced up at her during one of the team's practice matches, she would almost always be watching one person in particular- Atsushi Murasakibara; the team's centre, and arguably one of his closest companions in school.

When Tatsuya had asked Coach Araki about the girl's presence, the teacher had simply shrugged it off with a vague reply. "She's been there since last year. As long as she doesn't interfere with practice, I don't care what she does."

That had been enough to satiate Tatsuya's curiosity back when he first noticed her. But after a whole month of the same thing happening every week, Tatsuya finally decided to do something about his increasing curiosity regarding the peculiar brunette. So, halfway through the usual break from practice one day, he approached her.

"Hello." Tatsuya called out, gaining the attention of the girl as he walked up the stairs leading up to the stands. She started at his call and looked up from her book, while Tatsuya gave a small half-smile as he came up to her- he figured that he might as well try to make himself seem a bit more approachable when dealing with a stranger. "Sorry to interrupt you- I was just wondering if there's something I could help you with?"

"No, thank you." She responded simply, turning her gaze back towards her book.

"Oh. Okay." Tatsuya blinked, thrown somewhat off-guard. He definitely hadn't expected such a brief answer. "Is there someone you're looking for?"

"No. I'm fine." The girl replied again, not allowing much room for him to start a conversation.

"If I might ask, is there any particular reason you're up here?" Tatsuya grasped for a reason to continue the awkward conversation, though his attempts were continuously being thrown off by the girl's short answers.

"I just want to watch you all play- has the coach requested that I should leave?" She spared him a glance then, and Tatsuya was struck by the dark, yet prominently blue shade of her eyes. In response to her question though, he just shook his head, noticing how the girl relaxed slightly at the reassurance.

"Don't worry, coach doesn't really mind you being here. I was just wondering if there was a reason you keep coming back here." His eyes darted towards where the rest of his teammates were lounging around, some of them clearly trying their best not to seem as though they were watching him confront the stranger. "A fan of one of our members, maybe?"

"Oh, please." She muttered with a slight roll of her eyes, and Tatsuya almost smiled at the display of such blunt indifference. Okamura would have been devastated by such a reply. "No offence to the lot of you, but I'm not that interested."

"Are you interested in the sport, yourself?"

"I don't see why I would be here if I wasn't."

"Oh? Are you looking to join the club?"

"Not that interested." The brunette responded almost sarcastically, before she shot him another look with narrowed eyes. "Shouldn't you go back to your team?"

"Chasing me away already?"

"This conversation is increasingly one-sided. I'll spare you the tension." She sighed then, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she said, "Whatever bet you have with the team to come talk to me, you can just tell them you've won. Make something up, or just-"

"Wait, wait." Tatsuya interrupted, "You think I'm talking to you on a bet?"

"Why else would you just start up a conversation with me?"

That just sounds sad, Tatsuya thought to himself with a wince. Even though she'd said it as though it were completely natural, with about as much feeling as old tree bark, the assumption just didn't sit right with him. Was that the sort of image he had in her eyes? Taking a breath, Tatsuya rubbed at his neck as he said, "I was genuinely curious, that's all. I wouldn't just take up a dare to make someone feel bad like that."

That got her to look up, those startlingly blue eyes seeming to stare right through him. Her flat stare didn't make him feel uncomfortable so much as it made him feel judged, but all of a sudden, an expression of remorse crossed her face before she glanced away. "Sorry. I don't mean to take this out on you- it's been a bad week."

At that, Tatsuya smiled- more sincerely this time- as he bowed slightly, feeling somewhat relieved. "I get that. I apologise if I pushed for too much, as well."

"T-that's far too formal." The girl waved her hand almost dismissively, sounding flustered at his apology. Tatsuya looked up curiously at that, surprised to see the look of curiosity on her face. "You're not… from around here, are you?"

"Not at all. I actually just moved back here from America."

"Oh- you're the transfer student from class 2-B."

"That'd be right." He brought his hand up in greeting then, a soft laugh falling from his lips. "I probably should have mentioned this earlier. My name's Tatsuya Himuro. What's yours, if I might ask?"

"I'm-"

"Himuro!" The voice of Coach Araki suddenly interrupted, cutting the girl off before she could finish her sentence. Tatsuya looked back at the court to see the coach shooting him a pointed look, nodding towards the main court where the rest of his teammates had started getting ready to warm up. "Break's over- back to practice."

"Alright, coach!" He called back, nodding in affirmation. However, the moment the coach had her eyes off of him, he glanced back at the brunette, urging her to finish her sentence. However, she was looking over in Coach Araki's direction, her brow furrowed.

"You'd best go." She said, sounding almost concerned as she looked back at him. Tatsuya couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at that- was she going to just chase him away without telling him her name? Still, he understood that she had a point- he'd better not test Coach Araki's patience, lest she go after the girl as well for interrupting training, which was the only reason her presence was tolerated here. With one last nod of affirmation at the mystery girl, he began his descent down the flight of steps leading up to the stands, mentally reminding himself to ask if anyone else knew her name- before a quiet voice interrupted his thoughts.

"And… It's Shirato." Tatsuya's steps stilled at that, and he chanced a look back at the girl who met his gaze evenly. "My name is Mikoto Shirato."

Despite himself, Tatsuya couldn't help the small smile that graced his face. With a slight tilt of his head, he asked, "Will you be here next practice?"

"Most likely," Mikoto responded, her voice holding a hint of caution, as though she wasn't sure why he was asking. Tatsuya just nodded at that, slowly walking towards his team once again as he threw his next sentence over his shoulder.

"In that case, I'll talk to you then." He replied, before turning away fully. The brief conversation he'd just had lingered in his mind somewhat- most people he came across had the tendency to warm up to him easily. To have someone be so wary of him like that had been… interesting, if not a little disheartening. He wondered if it had just been in her nature to be so distrustful of strangers, or if the girl- Shirato, he reminded himself- was just being wary around him alone. It unsettled him more than he would have liked to admit- Tatsuya didn't think himself the type to be bothered by the opinions of others, but to think someone believed he was so shallow as to accept a bet to talk to people…

"Himuro, you're stalling." Araki interrupted his internal musings yet again as he grabbed a ball from the bin, this time raising an eyebrow at him. However, she left it at that before she said, "We start practice rounds in five minutes. Go do your warm-ups."

"Got it, coach." Tatsuya nodded, doing as he was told. He bounced the ball a few time on the floor before tossing it towards the basket, watching with satisfaction as it fell through the hoop. However, he couldn't help but chance a quick glance over his shoulder- and to his pleasant surprise, he found that Shirato was watching him this time instead of Atsushi, who was practising on the other side of the court.

"You look distracted, Himuro." A heavy arm slung carelessly over his shoulders all of a sudden, and Tatsuya winced slightly as he looked up at the large form of Kenichi Okamura. He forced a short laugh from himself, trying not to stumble under the sheer mass of the third-year as he nudged his arm off of him.

"I assure you, that's not the case."

"I call bullshit." Kensuke Fukui's voice chimed in just then- it appeared that he had wandered over from where he was practising away from them earlier, and Kensuke raised an eyebrow at him as he asked, "So, how'd your conversation with the ice queen go for you?"

Before Tatsuya could respond, a basketball found itself bouncing off Fukui's head with enough force to make the third year flinch. Blinking in surprise, Tatsuya glanced over at the person behind Fukui and saw none other than Wei Liu, who wore his usual, monotone expression as he said, "Ah. It appears my hands have slipped."

"'Your hands slipped' my ass!" Fukui hissed, turning on Liu with a glare as the latter went to retrieve the ball. "What was that for?"

"You would insult my laboratory partner while she is in our presence," Liu responded in his usual, formal manner. "It would be deemed rude if I were to ignore such a slight on her honour."

"Since when did you become such a gentleman?!"

"Shirato can be vengeful. I would rather not incur her wrath again, however indirectly."

"'Again'?" Tatsuya blinked at that. During his short conversation with her, he hadn't gotten the impression that Shirato was the spiteful sort- if anything, she seemed like the kind to just keep her grudges to herself.

"Wait," Okamura snapped his fingers then, realisation dawning on his face. "Is she the lab partner who you said made your solution boil over on purpose so you had to miss practice and repeat the entire experiment last year?"

"I would rather not recall that incident," Liu responded shortly.

"What did you do to make her do that?" Tatsuya asked, unable to stop himself from being curious. Liu's eyebrow twitched, before he shut his eyes and sighed.

"I merely made a comment that did not sit well with her."

"Oh yeah you did. You made her best friend cry because you called her out on her crush and got her rejected in front of the entire school," Kensuke groused, still rubbing the back of his head.

"That really was a dick move, Liu. Hinata-chan didn't show up to class for a whole week after that." Okamura shot a disapproving look at Liu, who merely cleared his throat and made his shot from the two pointer line.

"It was an accident. I have since apologised and made my peace."

"Matsuki's a damn saint for forgiving you for that, let me tell you." Fukui snorted, lightly elbowing Tatsuya as he added, "You shoulda seen the look on Shirato's face when it happened. Liu was doomed from the start."

"My quarrel with Shirato has ended. Now, can we cease this meaningless reflection on our past mistakes and continue with practice before Coach reprimands us?" Liu snapped, sounding more wound up than Tatsuya had ever heard him before. A glance over at Coach Araki quickly revealed, however, that she did indeed seem like she was on the verge of snapping at any second, and all of them made their decision quickly.

"Yeah, you got a point. Hey, Murasakibara!" Okamura hollered at the first-year across the court, who slowly turned at the call. "Let's get this game started!"

"Do we have to?" Atsushi bemoaned, much to Tatsuya's amusement- and Okamura's annoyance.

"Do you want to die?!"

A soft chuckle left Tatsuya's lips as he took his position on his team's half of the court, preparing for the 4-on-4 that was about to take place. However, he couldn't help but cast one last look over at Shirato, who he noted was once again fixated upon Atsushi as the latter yawned in evident boredom. He couldn't quite read her expression from this distance, but Tatsuya could have sworn she looked much more stern than normal as she eyed the overgrown first-year.

Tatsuya liked to believe himself capable of accurately analysing a person's intentions within a short time. From his prior experiences, he knew himself to be a good judge of character- but all that he'd heard from his teammates and the impression he had of Shirato had been completely at odds. He'd taken her for the introverted, quiet sort- not the sort of person who would willingly butt heads with Liu, of all people, or the kind to have gained the staunch, yet somewhat quirky transfer student's respect as well. Even Tatsuya found it difficult to associate with Liu at times- but more than that, he found it curious why she seemed so interested in Atsushi, even though no one had mentioned her having anything to do with the first-year.

Despite his musings, Tatsuya decided to file those curious thoughts away for another day as the tip-off began. However, if his eyes wandered over to the stands more often than they did before throughout the day, well, he decided he just couldn't help himself.

Later that night, Mikoto Shirato sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the phone in her hands as her thumb hesitantly hovered over the 'call' button. She had plenty on her mind as it was- namely the fact that the apparent dreamboat of a transfer student that everyone in her class couldn't stop talking about had practically invited her to talk to him again- but the other troubles that plagued her wouldn't ease up either. She sighed, placing a hand on her head as she urged herself to stop overthinking everything. However, she still didn't buy the fact that Himuro had just up and decided to talk to her without any further prompting. She couldn't just attribute it to being a foreign quirk of some sort- she doubted her attitude would have prompted anyone, no matter how social to start up a conversation with her.

There had to be some motive behind it. If not a dare, maybe a request from the coach or captain to make her leave. Was she bothering them? She thought it was fine if she didn't interfere. It was a habit that was hard to break- back when she was in middle school, she'd done it all the time. Granted, the people here were different, but…

Mikoto shook herself free of that thought before it could manifest- she would not allow herself to think of them, not now. Not with what she was currently trying to work up the guts to do.

Taking a deep breath, Mikoto finally pushed down the 'call' option, twisting the ends of her braid around her finger as she held her phone to her ear. The line started ringing almost immediately, but no one was picking it up yet. She prayed silently that this time the person she was trying to call would finally answer- it had been so long since she'd last spoken to him, she'd lost count of the days. It had been, what, several months? A year, even….

"The person you are calling is not available," Came the pre-recorded voice that would redirect her to voice mail. "Please leave a message after the tone."

After that came a beep, and Mikoto gave a small, almost bitter sigh. She'd been through this routine every single time she'd tried calling him, and at some point, she'd given up on leaving any more voice mails. Not even once had she gotten a single reply- some days, she wondered why she even bothered.

"So much for that," She sighed, looking at the phone screen as the letters 'Shuuzo Nijimura' stared back at her. The one person she would have trusted to give her advice on where to go, on what to do from here, and he wasn't picking up. She'd tried so many ways to contact him- hell, she'd even searched him up online just to see if the fool had finally opened a social media account of some sorts- but to no avail. One of her best friends, lost just like that. Mikoto had reduced her attempts at reconnecting again after what happened last year, but it didn't make it sting any less- especially now that she had virtually no one to turn to and confide in.

Right as she thought that, her phone began vibrating with the arrival of a new caller. Snapping out of her musings, Mikoto stared at the glowing screen with wide eyes, stumped at the name of the contact that was calling. She hesitated for a good while, trying to decide if she should pick up… before she slowly tapped on the answer button.

"Hello," She greeted stiffly, still unsure as to how she should feel. The person on the other end of the line sighed audibly, making her clench her fist almost out of instinct. He had the gall to sound annoyed at her? "If this is about that time, don't expect me t-"

"I'm not gonna apologise, Miko." The voice on the other end cut her off, further sparking Mikoto's ire. However, before she could retort, the voice continued, "Dad wants to know if you're coming down for summer break like you did last year."

"I'll think about it. I have schoolwork."

"Schoolwork, sure." This time, Mikoto actually scowled.

"It's the truth," She replied calmly, trying her best not to lose her composure. "Will that be all?"

"… I guess." Another sigh, but Mikoto felt no sympathy for being as difficult as she was.

"Alright. Goodnight, then." There was a brief pause, before she added, almost absently, "Don't stay up too late."

A beat of silence followed, and Mikoto wanted to hit her head against the wall for being such an idiot. Before she could entertain the idea further, however, the voice eventually spoke up- muttering in a quiet, barely audible tone, "Goodnight."

When the click on the other end sounded, Mikoto exhaled a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, falling onto her back on the bed as she held dropped her phone onto the mattress. Pressing the base of her palms against her eyelids, she held back a groan of absolute frustration- both at herself and at the person on the other end of the line.

"No." Mikoto muttered, one of her hands moving to clutch the worn, leather bracelet hanging off her left wrist. "I'm not caving in. Not this time."

There were things that she had to think about. This would not be one of them.

Edited note: The first revision of many to come. I thought I'd just tweak some things, but nope- have an entire revision fellas. Here's hoping I go through em fast lmfao.

AN: Hey guys- Droids here! I suppose this new fic that suddenly came out of nowhere must be a surprise to those of ya'll who are following GATG now, but the idea for this story just got to me and I couldn't resist the urge to write at least one chapter. I cannot run from the Kurobasu fanbase 8'D

But anyway... This chapter was sort of a test drive- to see if I could catch the characterization of the characters properly, and also to try my hand at something different from what I'm used to. I won't officially start focusing on this fic just yet (at the very least, not until I've finished GATG), however I will post occasional updates whenever I finish any. I'd very much like to hear from ya'll readers if I got the characterisations okay so far! I know it's still a little too soon to tell, but do tell me if you think there's anything I need to work on- I would like to be able to write this fic to the best of my abilities.

But until then- cheers, guys! Thanks for dropping by!

~Droids