Chapter 1

The kiss was an accident. Or so Kagami Taiga would always claim. So heavily relied upon were he and his elusive and nearly-complete opposite of a "shadow" during games that he rarely got to see said shadow play for himself, and all it took was being benched during a simple practice match for such an opportunity to present itself. Kuroko was different when he played; the impassive, blank blue stare he presented to the rest of the world hardened, and became sharper, more precise and determined, and almost appeared to grow lighter in color. He moved so quickly and unpredictably that - if Kagami had not been deliberately trying to focus on him - it would have been only a matter of time before it slipped his mind that he was even there. Which had become a fact he was accustomed to; it was difficult to keep Kuroko in sight if one grew distracted for even a moment, and even following his every move, Kagami could almost feel a pressure at the edges of his darting eyes, as if they were trying to blur the figure they were trained on out of view. It was fascinating; being able to see for himself something he counted on so often to save his ass when the going was tough. Kuroko was a safety net, for the man who was too headstrong and proud to admit he needed one, on occasion.

Seirin's first-years were being pitted against their elders, at the current moment, and Kagami had been asked to sit out for now, to "even the odds" as Riko so delicately put it. Of course her ulterior motive was for the other players to get a chance to seize some action, as they would be immediately outshone and discarded as inferior pawns if Kagami were allowed to step in. This he reflected on with a self-assured smirk to himself; it was good to be the best of the best.

Of course...it was also exceedingly boring. Watching while being unable to act - as his fellow teammates received a brutal pounding from the older members of that category - was gradually making him feel restless, and he found himself fidgeting and trying to find something productive to occupy his mind... which was starting to wander to other less-than-vital subjects, such as the state of disrepair the soles of his shoes were starting to show, or the mountain of cheeseburgers he intended to devour later tonight.

Then his eye was caught by a flash of brightest blue, and he followed the streak of color curiously, which turned out to be the inertia generated by Kuroko's abrupt change of direction, immediately following one of his explosive passes. Templing his fingers and resting his chin against them, Kagami watched the phantom-like player he'd never really studied and analyzed as an opponent - much less a teammate - with growing interest. He followed the skids and squeaks of his shoes that indicated where he was going to stop or turn; the beams of concentration he seemed to shoot from those piercing eyes; the split-second's pause, the little frown, just before he rapidly, almost violently, directed the ball to its target; the shimmering drops of sweat he shook from his disheveled hair as he exerted his body to keep up with the rest. Where usually they would be unconsciously diverted, he couldn't tear his eyes away.

When the match finally ended, with the first-years having been utterly trounced by their senpais and left gasping for air with their hands braced against their knees, Kagami stood, ignoring the unspent adrenaline still pumping through his veins, and trailed reluctantly after his team to the lockers, resolving to practice some shots on his own later to loosen up and relieve his twitchiness. And maybe he slammed the gym locker a little too loudly, maybe he answered his team's exclamations of respective good cheer and grudging admiration in a voice that was a little too strained… maybe he was turning green with envy, glancing at the post-workout stretching and satisfied sweating as they gradually departed, but he hoped the coach was happy he'd sat out this round so everyone could play nice and fair.

"Is everything alright...Kagami-kun?"

Kagami did not yelp in surprise at the calm voice right behind him. Nor did he jump out of his skin and whip around, heart pounding and eyes wild and startled. No, such a thing would be unthinkable. He might have just...flinched a little bit, from being so pent-up.

"Fine," he said shortly, glancing at the speaker, whose innate habit of sneaking up unannounced seemed to be most prevalent around him.

"You seem tense," Kuroko observed, looking at him with impenetrable blue portals that could tell him everything and nothing at once, "Are you upset that you didn't get to play?"

"Of course not," Kagami muttered, crouching and pretending to tie his shoelaces, which of course had not become untied in the slightest from all his sitting around doing nothing. "...Actually," he added, almost forcefully, glancing back up at his company, "It was interesting watching you play. Usually I don't really see you in action...you're invisible."

"That is why I'm here." the other shrugged, as though thinking nothing of it, though it was obvious that behind his unreadable eyes he was pondering this.

Kagami stood again, perhaps a little too abruptly, intending to gather his things together and leave so he could find the nearest court and shoot some hoops to clear his head, but as he was reaching for his bag, Kuroko spoke again, hastily.

"The others aren't like you."

Perplexed, Kagami turned and looked at his "shadow" once again, noticing the sheen of perspiration down his neck and cheek catching the light, his still-uneven breathing from running to catch up with his team.

"What do you mean?" he said bluntly, "Of course they aren't." The mere idea of the other players stealing his skills, crowding his limelight, was enough to set his hackles bristling.

"I prefer to be a shadow to you," Kuroko replied, in the same indifferent tone, "Now that I can compare."

Kagami hesitated, looking him up and down to try to read his intentions. He recalled the icy fire in Kuroko's eyes when he was in the heat of a duel, today it had burned almost pathetically in comparison to the rare - but real - frosty inferno he occasionally glimpsed when they played for real, together.

Slowly, as if operating on autopilot, he took a step or two closer to the slighter man, scanning his inscrutable gaze, bizarrely and helplessly caught.

"...And I prefer to be your light," he breathed, almost to himself. He didn't know why but his heart was racing, and he was feeling an itch of vague anticipation, somewhere at the back of his neck and his knuckles. He saw Kuroko's lips part as if in preparation to say something else, but before Kagami could think he'd snatched a fistful of sweat-dampened hair and covered his mouth with his own, hard. Kuroko - predictably - went rigid in surprise, but didn't pull away, and neither did he respond otherwise. Something in Kagami's mind cringed in shock, but something else was purring with approval, and a chink of tension fell away, just like that.

When the impromptu kiss broke, both of them were panting slightly, neither quite sure what had just happened. Kagami hesitantly met Kuroko's eyes, and found them as blank and devoid of reaction as always, giving him no hints, nothing to work with.

"Why…?" Surprisingly, the word fell from Kagami's own lips, though he supposed he didn't expect an answer from his counterpart. In fact, he half-expected Kuroko to leave, to vanish as he was so prone to do without warning or sound of any kind, like a puff of smoke… but still he stood there, eyebrows drawn together the barest bit, giving him a look of almost concern.

The silence stretched out impossibly, and to Kagami's ears it was louder than any shouting or thundering applause he'd ever heard.

"Say something," he managed, trying and failing to make the plea sound like a command, shifting in his shoes that felt much too tight all of the sudden.

Kuroko gave no visible reaction, but his voice was softer, when he replied phlegmatically, "I need to think." He swung his bag over his shoulder without another word and walked away, leaving Kagami in the locker room alone. He did not drag his feet, but nor did he hurry...he gave nothing to indicate how he was feeling, one way or the other, as usual.

After a moment, Kagami sat down heavily with his back to the lockers, hardly able to believe a moment ago he'd just kissed a teammate. Not just a teammate, but Kuroko...a man.

"Yeah…" he sighed to himself, "Me too."

TBC