Chapter Nine

(Thursday P.2)

Riko dragged her feet through the hallways on her way to the gym. There was still no sign of Kuroko at all. You'd have thought they would've been able to locate him by now since they'd gotten used to his lack of presence since last year, but no. When Kuroko really put his mind to it and wasn't on a court, he could indeed be invisible.

She wondered if Kuroko really, really wanted nothing to do with them anymore. Is this what he truly wants or does he just need some cool-down time? The coach had no idea, but other events were coming up for the season. She couldn't let her players compete with their minds all over the place. They wouldn't be unified, and their plays would be a mess. If Kuroko didn't want to be found by them, would it really be worth giving her guys the false hope of finding him? Or would that just mess up their game?

She had arrived at the double doors of the gym.

She needed to make a decision soon. Kuroko was an exceptionally reasonable person, so this avoidance is probably the best option for him. Maybe the best option was to leave him alone for now. He'd come to them when he was ready, right?

She let out a sigh. At this point, they couldn't lose focus. Not if they wanted to win InterHigh this summer and prove that their victory last year wasn't a fluke as most of the high school basketball community is saying.

She walked inside, finding the players sullenly shooting hoops.

"Alright, guys!" she yelled.

They looked over.

"Do you have news on Kuroko-senpai?" Shin asked. It killed Riko to see the light of hope in his eyes that would soon be put out. She feared how the freshmen would take it.

She shook her head. The coach took a deep breath then let it out. "We're stopping the search!" she announced.

Daisuke dropped his ball. "What? Why?" The pure, concentrated pain in his expression sent a pang through her heart.

"We can't keep doing this. As much as it pains me, we need to get on with our season and training. InterHigh is coming up soon, and we need to train. We can't go into this unfocused if we want to win against our opponents who are stronger than ever. I understand that this might sound heartless—and, trust me, I get where you're coming from since I'm the same—but we can't keep this up if we want to win. I'm sure that, like most of you, basketball is a top priority, and at this point, I feel that this should be placed higher than looking for Kuroko.

"He's avoided us for almost a whole week now. I'm aware that this isn't that much time even though it has felt that way, but Kuroko is rational. He knows what he's doing. We can't force him into talking to us if he really doesn't want to. It has only been a week. He'll need some time to himself. We can't keep troubling him like this. And, if Kuroko is who we know him to be, he'll come to us when he's ready. He does speak up when he needs to, right?"

A few words of agreement spread throughout the room. The freshmen understood her reasoning more now, but discord grew within a certain ocean blue-haired boy.

Daisuke cleared his throat. "What if I can't comply with that?"

The younger Aomine couldn't bear to ignore everything Kuroko has done for him and his brother and give up. Wasn't giving up the exact thing that his well-respected senpai refused to do? Daisuke swore that he'd never make the same mistake his brother did and give up on the people he cared for no matter what. Even if the said person and he were having a fight, he swore he'd never give up on fixing things as Kuroko had advised them to.

Ryou gasped. He and Shin shared appalled looks.

"He went there," Shin whispered.

Neither would've been surprised if Riko took her paper fan out and whooped their dear friend's ass.

"Explain," the coach demanded. She wasn't angry at all with him for saying no, but she needed to understand.

Daisuke met her eyes, all hesitation out of his system. "I can't simply give up on someone who has done so much for me and my family."

It clicked in Riko's mind. How had she not realized that this wouldn't be easy for Daisuke to accept? She should have taken note of his own connections to Aomine.

"Though he may not have known it, Kuroko-senpai has done a ton for me by knocking my brother down a few pegs. Nii-san has been way more interactive after that. He actually talks to the rest of the family now and has other healthy relationships with his team and the Generation of Miracles! He doesn't hurt Satsuki-nee anymore! He actually has something he likes that is worth pursuing instead of that Horikita Mai crap!

"He may still think that Seirin's victory over the Generation of Miracles was a fluke, but he'll just continue on that path if Kuroko-senpai isn't here to finally knock him down along with the other Miracles!" The raw desperation in his voice stung his audience. His brow had furrowed in concern. "I need to fix this! It's the only way to further Nii-san's development so he doesn't end up a total asshole! Please!" He bowed a full-on ninety degrees and stayed there.

Silence fell upon the team.

The regret weighing upon the upperclassmen involved seemed to multiply in mass. Daisuke was usually so calm and composed, but he'd broken. His outburst had made them register the extent to which their actions hurt the others that hadn't directly been involved in the incident. It almost stung more to see the innocent first-year plead his case than to see the actual person they'd first committed the action against. However, they had never gotten to see how Kuroko was taking it anyway; he'd fled.

Hyuuga's jaw clenched. He couldn't say anything. It was his fault. He's started it. But by doing so, he'd hurt so many more people than he'd meant to. Hell, he'd never even meant for Kuroko to hear. He was just venting! It wasn't supposed to be like this. Kuroko wasn't supposed to be there at that time. It just wasn't—

He had to stop himself there. He couldn't keep finding excuses for this mess he'd caused, for his poor behavior as captain. Everyone else was paying for the shit he'd started. He couldn't keep doing things like this. Who the hell did he think he was? The fucking captain shouldn't be pulling this shit on his teammates. Of all things, he couldn't even own up to his own actions. What kind of captain allowed that kind of fuckery much less take part in it?

Riko spoke loud and clear. "Daisuke, raise your head."

The freshman did so and looked at her, transparent determination in his eyes.

The coach put a hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm his distress. "I can see where you're coming from, and the impact this has had on you and your other teammates. I get that my decision was a bit sudden so I'll give it one more week, alright?" she answered. "Did all of you hear that?"

"Yes, ma'am!" they chorused.

"But if you aren't able to find him in this last week, we're calling it quits, got it?" she ordered, her hands on her hips.

"Yes!"

"Okay, let's get to–"

"Hold up!" Hyuuga interrupted.

The team, including their coach, looked at him in surprise. No one ever interrupted Coach Aida Riko.

The glasses-wearing captain cleared his throat. "I have something to say." He made sure all of their eyes were on him. The captain noted the look of… disarray on Riko's face.

This was going to be a bitter pill to swallow, but he felt it was right, right enough to do what he could to make up for his wrongdoing… for now. At least before Kuroko decided to talk to any of them.

"I'd like to resign as captain," he announced, holding his head up high.

For the nth time this week, not a sound was heard from within the Seirin gym.

The female coach gaped at him dumbfounded. "Eh?"

~Gray Skies~

Kuroko stepped out of the makeup/wardrobe studio, ready for the shoot. He wore a loose-fitting, light gray, knit sweater and ripped, black skinny jeans that were folded just above his ankles. The ensemble was paired with white Converse. Shadow's hair was tousled into a more prominent bedhead with his bangs slightly straightened to be long enough to cover his eyes.

"Behold our masterpiece!" Mika and Yuto presented in sync, drawing their production group's attention.

Anticlimactically, Kuroko just stood there with his usually stoic face. "Um… What do I do now?"

Furukawa was standing behind a camera with a massive lens. "Go ahead and sit on the bench, Kuroko-kun!" he called. "And nice job as always, you two!" he said to the stylists.

"Naturally!" Yuto said, grinning. The two teens could tell that he took pride in his work, but not in as much of a conceited way as Kise, which they appreciated. It was more confidence than arrogance.

Kuroko nodded and positioned himself on the wooden bench in the middle of the set.

"There really wasn't much to do since his complexion is so smooth," Mika admitted. She looked over at Momoi. "Hey, Momoi-san, you have really pretty hair," she complimented.

"Ah, thank you." She pulled her hair over to one shoulder and combed her fingers through it, a slight blush spreading across her cheeks.

"You should let me do it sometimes. Just for fun," Mika offered, a smile on her face. "I'd like to get to know you."

"Thanks for the offer! I guess I'll hit you up then?" Momoi asked, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of a new friend.

"Sure!" Mika replied, just as enthusiastically.

The two exchanged numbers as Furukawa was just about ready to start taking some photos.

"Okay, then. I know this is your first time, so we'll take it slow." The photographer didn't want to say 'look natural' because that has never worked with rookies and, without fail, made them more rigid than before he'd said it. "Look like you would if you were in your own home, comfortably looking out the window on a rainy day; perhaps kind of reflective or pondering–a bit melancholic but not too brooding."

The upcoming artist nodded. He drew one knee up and put his arms around it, locking his finger together over his shin. He looked to the side, facing the window.

"Alright! You look great!" Furukawa praised, looking through his lens.

Click! Click! Click! The camera went off as he adjusted the lens for different close-ups and went for different angles.

"Try something else now. Maybe look at the camera?" he suggested.

Kuroko put his left arm on the window sill and leaned his head on it as he glanced toward the group.

"That's perfect!"

Aikawa smirked. "Kuroko-kun's a natural," he commented quietly, trying not to be a distraction to his childhood friend. "How have we not found him earlier?"

The corners of Momoi's lips quirked up. "He has a naturally low presence to begin with," she explained. "You wouldn't find him unless you were looking for him. If he's hiding from you, you wouldn't find him at all." At that, Seirin and the rest of the Generation of Miracles came to mind. They wouldn't stand a chance against Tetsu-kun's misdirection now.

"Eh? Really?" Mika inquired.

The teenaged girl nodded. "There are only about two people that we know that would really be able to locate him normally." But Akashi-kun is probably the only one with a chance because he's so forceful. Takao-kun isn't directly involved so he'd never search on his own.

"Oh, wow," Yuto said, impressed. He had inserted his thumbs in his jeans' belt loops.

"Well, I'm glad we found him then!" Aikawa remarked gleefully, clapping his hands together in a position that resembled the praying hands emoji.

From behind, Sato couldn't help but wonder if this had to do with how guarded the two teens seemed, but, then again, the manager knew it wasn't her place to pry. Maybe they'd mention it in time, but it was too soon for the time being.

The photoshoot progressed efficiently. Kuroko had gone through two more outfits: one was a white tee shirt and a gray, zip-up hoodie with some ripped denim jeans and no-lace Vans; the other, a black, hooded sweatshirt with black Adidas sweats and black Jordans, which matched his Shadow image. It took up a lot less time than Furukawa expected because Kuroko was a natural. Although there were a couple of times that Mika and Yuto lost sight of him, no delays occurred.

~Gray Skies~

Furihata collapsed onto his bed. Wow, what a day… Scenes from today sped through his mind like that fast little white-haired boy with blue lightning from that anime his little sister was watching on TV the other night.

He had this massive math test that he was pretty sure he'd bombed. There was yet another unsuccessful day of looking for Kuroko during breaks and lunch. His English teacher had pulled a pop quiz on them because he had felt that his students weren't paying attention, which they hadn't been, but Furihata hadn't noticed until he found the quiz slammed down in front of him by his stern-looking teacher. Then there was Hyuuga quitting as captain and the events that transpired afterward.

"UUUUGGGGGHHHHH!" he screamed into his pillow.

The clanking of dropped pans resounded through the thin walls.

"Everything okay in there, sweetie?!" his mom hollered.

Click, click, click, click from the igniting gas filled his ears as his sardonic internal thoughts yelled, "NOPE." But he responded, "Yeah, I'm good!"

"Okay, just making sure!"

Furihata flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

What the heck had happened?

Everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked–or rather when Kuroko left. All of a sudden Hyuuga was giving up his position as captain, but what was he supposed to do now? He was being thrown off the deep end. He thought back to this afternoon.

The gym was silent for about the nth time that week.

Furihata was taken aback, much like the entirety of their team, but probably not as much as their coach.

"You're kidding, right?" she said, her face void of emotion. Furihata couldn't read her.

"Are you serious? Hyuuga, come on, you've filled this position for who knows how long?" Izuki asked, looking at him dead in the eyes, searching for a sign that he was joking.

"'Fraid not," Hyuuga said with a sigh that seemed to hold the breath that everyone held.

"Who's gonna be captain then? And what of Kiyoshi when he gets back?" she shot back.

God, it felt like being in the same room as your parents when they were fighting with no escape. It was a terrible feeling. Really.

Their team was literally tearing up at the seams. There was no way the brown-haired chihuahua could not be concerned. Where would they go from there?

Hyuuga cleared his throat. "First of all, you guys act as if I'm quitting the team. As a senior member, I'm not about to do that. We have fresh meat to beat into shape. I'm only saying that I don't think I'm fit to be captain as I am right now. I mean, do you really want a captain that would throw one of their own under the bus?" He grimaced at the insult to himself then shook it off. He slapped a fist to his chest. "I for sure don't so I'm owning up to my actions. There's someone who acted way more suitably than I did on the day it happened so I'm nominating him."

The team, both in awe and in shock, awaited Hyuuga's nomination.

Tsuchida-senpai or Kiyoshi-senpai probably? Furihata knew it had to be one of them. They were the only third-years present on that day that had nothing to do with it other than Coach Riko. She couldn't qualify anyway because she wasn't a player. But the former captain said "on the day it happened" so they had to be present, which rules out Kiyoshi-senpai. Tsuchida-senpai then? He was the only other third-year.

"Furihata."

"SAY WHAT?!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide as saucers. Was he kidding? This is just some sort of sick joke, right? Wait, no. That wouldn't make sense considering the fact that Hyuuga-senpai was resigning because of his self-proclaimed foolishness in the first place. "For real?" His jaw went slack. He looked to his capt-former captain incredulously.

The glasses-wearing boy nodded, looking him straight in the eyes. Nothing told the chihuahua he was joking. "For real."

"Why me?" His mind flashed back to the terrifying pressure Akashi exuded in the Winter Cup championship and how he shook like a coward. "I'm not even good enough to be a starter. So why give me the position of captain in the first place?" Cold sweat gave him the chills. Or was he just shaking from his nerves? "With all due respect, Hyuuga-senpai, I'm flattered, but I honestly don't think I'd be good for this. I can barely keep my own life together. What makes you think I can be a pillar for our team?"

He glanced at Tsuchida, slightly ashamed that he was being nominated for captain despite Tsuchida's seniority. "And what of Kiyoshi-senpai and Tsuchida-senpai? Wouldn't they be better suited for this? I mean, I have no idea how to run a team." The second-year knew he was rambling, but he had so many questions. "And–pardon my French–holy, frick, you're one of the founding fathers. How am I supposed to just take up your position? I'm a bench player. Tsuchida-senpai has more experience overall so he should do it."

"I'm stopping you there, Furi," the third-year in question interrupted. "I don't want to be captain."

"Eh?"

"Sure, I may have more experience, but I don't think I'd be able to tackle the hurdle of taming these freshmen after this ordeal. No offense, guys," Tsuchida said, addressing Seirin's newest members.

"None taken," Ryou said, waving his hand dismissively. He knew they were a handful.

"I wouldn't leave it to Kiyoshi either because, to my knowledge, he never wanted to be captain."

"He's right. That's why I ended up in this position," Hyuuga affirmed.

"Additionally, I think you have more potential as a captain, Furi," Tsuchida continued. "You remember last Friday? You were the only one of us that had the nerve to stand up to Akashi."

"Exactly my thoughts," Hyuuga interjected. "We all know how dangerous of a person he can be, especially when we'd done something to Kuroko that he definitely wouldn't have been happy about, yet you stood up to him. You were scared as fuck and shaking in your boots, but you still stood up to him. You did something that terrified you for a friend. That's the kind of character we need in a captain, and you've got it."

The chihuahua stood awestruck at what his senpai told him. Heat rushed to his cheeks. Why were they praising him? He'd barely done anything.

Fukuda and Kawahara slapped him on the back.

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Furi!" Kawahara said, a grin on his face.

"Yeah! You can do way more than you think you can," Fukuda agreed.

Hyuuga walked over to Furihata and put a hand on his shoulder. "Anyway, you'll be here a little longer than us so it won't hurt to have you promoted now," he said with a smile.

"And I'm pretty sure you have the respect and admiration of everyone here and the Miracles, which can come in handy when you need it," Tsuchida added, grinning. "You can hold your own against them when it comes to it, and you're humble. Sadly, we all know that people can change at the drop of a hat."

There were a few affirmative nods from the players.

"But I honestly don't think that that quality of yours could ever get tainted by the influence of others. That's what Seirin needs. In that sense, you're the best candidate."

Furihata thought over every little thing his senpai had brought up. Were they absolutely sure about this? For all they knew, he could run the team into the ground. He tried to think of something else to disqualify himself from the nomination.

"They make good points, Furi," Riko said. "Despite having not consulted me," she sent a pointed look at Hyuuga as she crossed her arms (Furihata could've sworn he saw a vein pop), "I was already contemplating eventually passing the captain's baton to you when we graduate. If there's someone who can control such idiots, it's you." She put her hands on her hips, her weight distributed equally between her feet. "You've got what it takes. Now, will you accept the nomination?"

Everyone's eyes were on him. He looked at his shoes to shield himself from the unnerving, expectant looks. He was silent, unable to say a word after he'd finished his rant on why he shouldn't. He couldn't think of a single rebuttal to show them he couldn't do this. They had actual expectations of him, and he wasn't sure he could fulfill them. He was a wreck. Sure, he wasn't as much of a wreck as when he faced Akashi during the Winter Cup, but he was still freaking out inside. The tiny versions of him that controlled his emotions were in outrage. He really couldn't see himself as captain, but if they believed in him that much, was there a possibility that he could actually do it? Could he actually be capable of helping his team, his family, heal?

Furihata peered up, afraid to face the overwhelming force of onus to find the accepting gazes of his friends. Determination lit a fire within his hazel orbs that Hyuuga and Riko could be proud of. Sure, he was scared, but if his teammates had this much faith in him, then why couldn't he?

"I accept!"

Or at least that's what he said earlier. His nerves overcame him once more. How the hell was this going to work, though? He was freaking out again. This captainship was gonna be weird, and he didn't quite know what to expect tomorrow, but most of all, he just wanted to know if Kuroko was doing okay.

He hadn't seen him in almost a week, and that wasn't exactly reassuring. He didn't know precisely what was happening with him, but he seems to have disappeared off the face of the planet. Not even the Miracles with their seemingly omniscient captain knew where he was or what was going on with him. The new Seirin captain would've at least thought he'd keep in touch with the Skittle Rangers since they'd rekindled their friendship after the last Winter Cup, but apparently not.

"Bzzt, bzzt!"

Furihata fished his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. It was from the team group chat.

Coach: Reminder: this is officially the last week of our Kuroko search! We'll find him or bust!"

"Bzzt, bzzt!"

Kawahara: we'll find him for sure!

Daisuke: Thank you, Coach! I'll do my best!

Furihata sighed. A foreboding feeling washed over him for a second. What if they didn't find him? He wasn't sure he could help his kohais recover from this if they didn't.

"Dinner's ready!" his mom called from the kitchen.

"Coming!" his sister yelled back.

"Be there in a sec!" he hollered. He still hadn't changed out of his uniform. Was it 7:00 already? Had he really spent an hour and a half thinking about today? He rustled through his drawers for a tee-shirt and shorts. He quickly changed into the loungewear and pristinely put his uniform on a hanger.

Soft footsteps thumped through the hallway.

"Knock, knock!"

"Come in!" the boy said, straightening out the folds in his schoolwear.

The door creaked open as the head of a smaller brunette peeked inside. "Nii-san, are you okay? Did something happen?" she asked.

The chihuahua hung the uniform in his closet then pocketed his phone. "Yeah, I'm good," he said, approaching his younger sister with a smile on his lips. He opened the door wider then patted the girl on the head. "Sorry to worry you, Kyoka."

"It's nothing," she muttered, swatting his hand away. "Let's go! Mom made curry!" She tucked her hands in the pockets of her Hunter x Hunter hoodie then walked off in the direction of the living room.

Furihata shook his head with a soft chuckle but followed her nonetheless. Was he such an incompetent brother that he needed the concern of his baby sister?

~Gray Skies~

Midorima sat at the dining room table with his laptop open and lecture notes set out orderly in front of him. A cup of tea gone cold sat at the right of his computer; his lucky item (a highly inappropriate anime figurine that he'd borrowed from Shin), at the left. God knows how many disapproving looks he got throughout the day, but he couldn't care less. Fatigue weighed down on him, and he didn't know what was affecting him more between the Kuroko situation, schoolwork, and basketball.

Basketball was as grueling as ever, yet Midorima came to practice faithfully. His schoolwork's difficulty had ramped up significantly as he had entered his second year. The level was nothing for him as he was highly intelligent. He had no problem completing his work and keeping up his grades so far, but he had yet to find a good balance so he didn't exhaust himself. He knew how crucial sleep was. If he didn't take care of his body, nothing he did would be efficient or well-done.

The sharpshooter took off his glasses and rubbed the crease forming between his brows. This stress, though… He swore that if he condensed the amount of it that he had and put it into a syringe, it could knock out a zoo. The perpetual stress wasn't good for him, and he knew that, but, in desperate need of distraction, he threw himself into his work. He knew that he should probably find a different outlet for the recent drama, but what else could he do?

Whistling filled his ears, gradually getting louder as Shin carelessly walked into the room clad in a black graphic tee with about seven guys in periwinkle blue suits on it in front of a rather rosy background. He could never understand why his brother liked such anime. Shin entered the storage closet where their mother stored things such as board games and sports equipment. He exited carrying a basketball.

"Nii-san! Wanna shoot some hoops?" the Seirin player called.

The older frowned. "I have an exam coming up," he said curtly.

"Come on!" Don't be so frumpy!" He slapped his brother's back, grinning. "Take a break!"

Midorima weighed out his options. To keep pushing through with his grueling homework or to actually have some fun with some basketball? Well, taking a break was a part of studying, as well, and, in all honesty, he wasn't getting anything done.

The bespectacled boy stood. "Alright, let's go. Only an hour, though."

"Yes! Let's goooo! I'm all fired up!" Shin said, punching his fist in the air.

Midorima rolled his eyes. "Shut up. You'll wake the dead." Nevertheless, he followed his brother outside to the backyard basketball hoop, not forgetting his well-endowed plastic companion of the day.

"Tsun-tsun," the younger snickered under his breath. He dribbled the ball, passing it between his legs before taking an offensive stance.

Midorima scoffed, setting up his guard. "Stupid otaku."

Shin went for the crossover before attempting a shot. Midorima easily touched it, disrupting the ball's trajectory. The Midorima brothers never practiced their signature shooting when they played one-on-one as pitting the same shot against each other was hardly productive. Midorima stole the ball before jumping into a fade-away. A tiny smirk flashed across the elder's face as the net swooshed.

"Can't deny that you're enjoying yourself, right, Nii-san?" Shin grabbed the ball then shot a layup.

"Preposterous," he said, expression as stiff as a good old stick in the mud. Midorima jumped back and went for another orthodox shot.

"Don't liiieeee! Lying is a siiiiin!" The playful boy jumped up and slammed the ball from his brother's hands.

"And you're one to talk." The bespectacled shooter chased the younger boy, recalling all the times Shin had lied to their parents about where his disappearing allowance went every two weeks.

"That's for a good cause, though!"

He easily stole the ball back. "As if," he remarked callously. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"You sure seemed to find Lucy-chan useful today," Shin said, pointing his thumb back at the porch where the anime figure stood. A shit-eating grin conquered his expression.

His face looked a little rosy. Whether that was from embarrassment or from playing, we'll never know. "Shut up."

"As you wish, master."

Midorima frowned distastefully, his eyes narrowing.

Shin swore he could've seen a vein pop before he busted out in howls. Man, he wished Takao could've seen this!

"OI, SHIN! What did I tell you?! It's late!"

"Yes, mom," he snickered.

The older brother's features scrunched into another scowl.

The crooked smile slowly slid off the younger boy's face as he casually dribbled the ball. "Hey, Nii-san, can I ask you something?"

"You just did, idiot brother."

Shin deadpanned. "Anyway, you know how we've been looking for Kuroko-senpai?"

Midorima eyed his brother's guard slack.

"Coach Aida says we can't focus on Kuroko-senpai forever. We're gonna have to stop devoting practice time for our search." He held the ball still, eyes clouded with uneasiness. "We have this next week left to look for him and, I don't know, make amends, I guess?"

Gravity weighed down the older teen's heart. Experience gave him a semblance of what direction this was heading.

"Do you think we'll find him?"

Shintarou kept a straight face as he scanned through every possible option in his mind's systems. The boundless files stored in his memory of the past four years all seemed to piece together and scream of only one outcome: a second Teiko incident. The algorithm seemed to be no different from middle school. The same characters, the same ideologies, the same love of basketball tearing the same person apart-all leading to the same broken relationship between light and shadow, the latter being left behind. The same cause was to blame like some virus plaguing them forever.

Yes, that was it. They were simply fated to live with these broken friendships that were shabbily pasted back together with Krazy Glue as divine retribution for the inconsideration and extreme selfishness of their younger days.

A three-way fist bump suddenly flashed across his mind, jolting him from his split-second analysis.

He forgot one thing: things were different now.

This wasn't Teiko. This was Seirin. They possessed their own flawed yet respectable elders to put them in their places. Even if their elders made mistakes, they had a great coach that wouldn't simply overlook everything that had happened. Their teammates kept everyone in check and called each other out when overstepping the line. They had hopeful underclassmen in the picture. Not to mention, the input of those that were dealt a similar hand like himself.

"You will," he answered, smacking the ball from his brother's arms and sending it into a three-point shot into the basket.

He really didn't know if they could find the shadow within that limited time frame. When Kuroko disappeared in middle school, he even tried looking for him wondering why he suddenly left, but he never did. Everything in his being believed that they wouldn't, but if anyone could do it, it'd be Seirin. They've proven his predictions incorrect time and time again. What's one more time?

"Hey! I thought we weren't doing threes!" Shin pouted.

"Just confirms that you're a hundred years too early to be challenging me." He pushed up his glasses.

The younger stuck his tongue out before chasing after the ball. "Thanks, Nii-san."

He hummed in response. Lying was a sin, and he knew it. But maybe, just maybe, he could speak that lie into being.

Shin shot an easy fadeaway, his grin holding newfound synthetic confidence. "Also, make that 99 years."

Midorima rolled his eyes in disdain. Note to self: make sure he has his lucky item all of this week.

~Gray Skies~

Riko rubbed the crease forming between her brows. Hyuuga really just decided to drop the bomb on them. How long has he been pondering this? It's been barely a week. And really, to keep her in the dark like that? God, what was Teppei going to say?

She leaned back in her swivel chair and groaned. The notebook filled with stats of her players lay open to Kuroko's flagged page. Her notes, undoubtedly less detailed and less neat than Momoi's, were organized in the skillful way only coaches could. Blue highlighter marked the most important of Kuroko's characteristics that would be beneficial for their search. Next to the stats book of the previous year was a fresh yellow notebook with a dopey bear drawn on it that she'd prepared for this season's uses. A black pen was sandwiched in the middle of it where she'd been scribbling before her brain had reached its limit.

The high school girl sighed. She knew where Hyuuga was coming from. She could understand that much at least, but was that really the way to go? It had literally only been a week since the incident. Were they being rash about these things? It didn't seem fair to just load this onto Furi so soon.

Clearly, they both knew that a mistake of this caliber was barely tolerable as a captain. A leader capable of such ridicule to a fellow teammate was unacceptable as the team could fall apart with any of her boys thinking they could be dumped aside as easily. There was no trust. If she took away anything from her history class, it was that countries that didn't trust their leaders crumbled.

She'd agreed so quickly earlier to have Furi be the next captain, but, though she loved the guy, a sotto voice of reason in her head wondered if prematurely electing a new captain would pan out as smoothly as she had hoped. Though she was originally planning for Furi to take over, maybe she and Hyuuga were just running from the issue?

Then there was breaking the news to Teppei.

He was in America with no chance of playing this season despite it being his last year at Seirin. She really didn't want to stress him out since it really wouldn't do a thing to help him heal. Knowing the Iron Heart, he might even fly back to resolve their team problems. Riko didn't know how much she'd censor the information she gave him, but she'd have to tell him something. The former center would call her soon.

She ruffled her caramel brown locks. "Fuuuuuck," she whispered. She closed the notebooks before her and stacked them before pushing them to the side.

The coach rolled her chair to the laptop's resting place, her bed. She grabbed it and scooted back to her desk. Pushing the top of the PC to a 90˚ angle, she debated whether she should conveniently omit the current drama from her friendly update. She had no idea what to do. On one hand, what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him and wouldn't place more stress on him, but, on the other hand, he'd be furious if he found out after the fact.

She slid her laptop to the end of the desk against the wall after opening Skype. She pulled her notes back out in front of her. Just what were they going to do about this?

Riko didn't want to disappoint the freshmen if this didn't turn out the way they hoped it would. Hell, even the second-years would have it hard. It wasn't like she couldn't understand their thought process either, though. Of course, she wanted Kuroko back if he'd have them.

First and foremost, Kuroko meant a great deal to her more than a player. He was a dear friend to her, and she thought she was at least one to her. Had she been mistaken about that the whole time? She thought he could have at least handed him the resignation or taken up his worries with her.

The mellow, dreamlike default Skype ringtone filled her ears with Teppei's profile picture–the Iron Heart with a wide, goofy grin on his face from a photo taken two years ago–popping up in a central circle with a white border.

She forged a grin before accepting the call. The gleeful grin of the center resembled the profile pic, the slightly shorter hair and more sculpted jawline aside. "Teppei!"

"Riko! It's so good to see you again!" His chocolate eyes crinkled in joy through the grainy image. His background was bright as sunshine flooded his room.

"Same to you! How'd the surgery go?" The coach felt her smile grow genuine. "It better have succeeded!"

"Of course it did! I'm feeling a lot better already!" Kiyoshi's large hand formed a peace sign.

"That's great!" she said, clapping her hands together. "And rehab?" She did and didn't want to know for fear of things turning out worse than she expected.

"It's coming along!" A truck-sized load left her heart. She had always worried if she'd made a bad call during the Winter Cup the previous season in allowing her peer to play. "Alex-san has been helping me out a lot with it." His joy faltered a little. "I mean, it's plenty difficult and a little discouraging at times, especially since I don't have my family over here or the Seirin fam. I swear, I can't wait to come back and see everyone."

If the family still stands, she interjected internally. Her heart was starting to crumble little by little.

"But I'm pushing through. Alex has given me a lot of her input from her days as a WNBA player with how to stay motivated during rehab, which helps a ton. I'm definitely getting enough rest now, though," he joked.

Riko rolled her eyes. "Like you would stop and rest for even a second if you could." He was that into basketball.

The former center ruffled the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Hey! I'm not as bad as Kagami, though! Speaking of, how is everyone?! What's the tea? What's the latest in Japan?"

"They're doing alright!" Her lips stretched into what could almost be considered an unreadable smile at best. "We've been prepping for the InterHigh, so we've been pretty busy. I may be just a little stressed," she admitted, pinching her thumb and index finger to about two centimeters. "There's a lot of team morale to be worked on since we're still getting used to a few changes, but I'm sure we can overcome it."

"That's the spirit!" the former center cheered.

"You won't believe our freshmen, Teppei! Aomine, Kise, and Midorima apparently had little brothers that are now freshmen, but they all go to Seirin!"

"No way! That's ridiculous!"

"Right?! They all have the exact same abilities too. And they're definitely not as extreme in personality traits as their Miracle brothers. It's just a matter of getting them assimilated with the others and gelling the teamwork together."

"Good to hear! Hyuuga's doing well as captain again, I'm assuming?"

"Haha... about that…" she trailed off, grimacing. If she was going to drop the bomb, now would be the time.

"Did something happen?" His eyebrows furrowed in concern. The kindness in his eyes convicted her she shouldn't hide anything.

"Kinda," she croaked out. She found it difficult to find her voice.

Riko took a deep breath before recounting the past week's events to him from that rainy Friday at Maji's to the current state of the team. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she tried to blink them away every time they appeared, albeit unsuccessfully due to the sheer amount of them. Kiyoshi had been attentive the whole time, silently encouraging her to go on even when she seemed close to breaking. She noticed his jaw clench in rage after saying what the other third-years and Kagami had done. Really now, did she really have to fall apart like this?

She swiped at her eyes before the dreaded tears were given a chance to fall. "Sorry, I just… I'm at a loss, Teppei. I'm so sorry to spring this on you. You're supposed to be recovering."

"No, no, don't worry about me at all, Riko. If anything, I'm sorry I couldn't be there to smack some sense into Hyuuga." He shook his head regretfully. "I should have been there for you, and I promise I will be from here on out. Thank you for telling me."

The teardrops fell from the teenaged coach's eyes. "I'm sorry for letting our team fall apart," she whispered, voice breaking. She could see that Kiyoshi didn't know what to say, and she hated herself for instilling this confusion.

His soft smile resurfaced, knowing that her tears were a testament to her love for the team. "Riko, don't blame yourself, please. It isn't your fault." He fiddled with his hands. "I wish I could be there with you right now and pull you into a big bear hug."

The clear droplets in her eyes were visible through the low-quality webcam before she wiped them away once more, resolving to glue herself back together. She shook her head and smiled. "Focus on recovering, okay?"

That warm chuckle left his lips. "Always the mother hen, aren't you?"

"Of course!"

"I'm serious, though, Riko. Call me, message me, whatever when something happens. Don't struggle on your own with this. I'm here for you. They're my team too, and we're in this together. At the very least, we need to be the foundation for the freshmen and the second-years. Not that I doubt Furi, though!" he said, waving his hands in front of him.

She nodded. "Thank you." What did she do to deserve such friends? She just wished she could've been a better one to Kuroko.

"Don't mention it." He grinned before pounding a fist into his other hand. "I'd also want to be the first one to give Hyuuga et al. a good beating once I get back."

"Ha! You should've seen him after I beat him with the paper fan!" Her tinkling laughter filled the small bedroom.

"It must've been a sight to see!"

"It was! I tripled their training menu!" She shot up a victory sign with her fingers. "I just hope we hear from Kuroko soon. I can't imagine what he's going through."

"Yeah, but knowing Kuroko, he'll show up when he's ready. We already have such a deep bond between us that I doubt he'd go too long without contacting us. He's not the type to leave loose ends," he deducted.

Riko nodded. That too-true fact instilled new hope in her. Kuroko always finished what he started. He'd definitely come back when he was ready. He wouldn't leave them hanging. "You're right." She just needed to believe in him.

"Sooooo, I guess, what else is new in Japan?" Kiyoshi inquired goofily, trying to cheer her up.

"OH! There's a really good new artist that's about to debut! They released a preview of his music video, but it's all debuting tomorrow night!" She swiftly clicked on her browser and pulled up YouTube. "I'll send you a link!"

"Haha, alright! What's their name?"

"Shadow!"

"Cool! Alright, I'll listen to it right now."

"You're gonna love him!" she gushed. "There's just something about his voice!"

"Knowing your music taste, I'm sure I will," Kiyoshi said, clicking the video.

~Gray Skies~

The night sky, littered with stars, glimmered with the bright prospect of a debut as Kuroko walked Momoi down her street. He still wore the clothes from the shoot and carried his uniform in a Uniqlo bag Yuto had given him after insisting that Kuroko take the outfit. Newfound energy flowed through his veins as he hummed a little ditty.

"Hey, Tetsu-kun, you're not planning on going to the meeting Akashi-kun called for tomorrow, are you?" she said, more like a statement than a question.

"Nope, the blue-haired boy said, shaking his head softly. "I don't think I'm quite ready to see everyone yet." He didn't think he could face them when there was risk of them alerting Seirin. He wasn't about to put himself in that position again. It was bad enough at school. "Akashi-kun will inquire, though. I know this is a big favor, bu–"

"Don't worry about it!" She waved her hands in front of her. "I'll cover for you. Dai-chan's also gonna cover for me since we haven't exactly told Akashi-kun everything, so we're all good! I'll work out a cover with him tomorrow."

"Thank you, Satsuki-chan," he said with a repentant smile. "I haven't been making this easier for you in any way, so I apologize for that, but thank you for having my back."

"Of course! It's nothing, really." She grinned back. They had made it to her place. "Thanks for walking me back! See you tomorrow!" The pink-haired girl waved before stepping onto the walkway.

"Ah, wait a minute," Kuroko said, grabbing her hand, oblivious to Momoi's internal panic. "I just wanted to let you know how appreciative I am of everything you've done for me since Teiko and even now." He looked straight into her magenta irises, his own eyes crinkling as he flashed his teeth. "Especially now."

"Tetsu-kun…"

"I know all of this is more than a handful of work along with your schoolwork and basketball. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to make this easier for you. You can ask anything of me within my ability, of course." He chuckled. "I'm here for you."

Momoi's smile softened. "Alright, then! I won't hesitate!" she said, her twinkling laughter resounding in the night breeze.

"Okay, I have to get going. I have to pick up Nigou tonight."

"Is Nigou alright? I thought something was missing when we were at your place! What happened?"

Kuroko smiled. "Yes, he's fine now. He got hit by a car not too long ago, but the vet fixed him right up. You'll see him tomorrow. Give my regards to your family. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight!"

He watched his manager skip up the walkway, waiting for her to make it safely inside before walking away. He strolled past the Aomine house. The light in his former partner's room on the second floor was on, but Kuroko doubted his former light was actually doing anything productive, given his… character. Certainly no change there.

Change was definitely a recurring theme in his life. It seemed he was constantly pursuing change whether it be from his Teiko days to now at Seirin. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results," as Einstein says. That was exactly what he's done throughout his basketball career. He'd have to be insane to keep trying to change the ideals of his friends when they'd made it painstakingly obvious that they didn't want to. If it happened twice, it would happen again, so he'd leave it at that rather than wrecking his own morale.

It was time for him to move on.

He plugged his earbuds into his phone and pushed play, letting the music ease him into a steady walking pace.

"Who am I? Someone that's afraid to let go.

You decide if you're ever gonna let me know.

Suicide if you ever try to let go.

I'm sad, I know, yeah.

I'm sad, I know, yeah."

He wasn't going to lie to himself. He was scared of what his life had in store for him now that he'd stop his dear basketball. He'd fallen in love with it since childhood, but it was no use holding on to something that was only going to hurt him. He couldn't hang on to a past that would never come back.

Kuroko let out a sigh before marching forward, his expression brightening. He was only a couple of blocks from the vet.

Yes, he was sad at the moment, but the best prescription to an old love was the start of something new. He didn't know what this new chapter as Shadow would bring him, but there really was no shot unless he risked it all now. What else did he have to lose anyway? As he looked up at the stars, he knew that the bright prospects the stars seemed to reflect were bright because there was only darkness to start with. He had nothing to lose in order to become his own light.

The shadow opened the door to the veterinarian's clinic and came up to the front desk.

The middle-aged receptionist with salt-and-pepper hair busied herself with paperwork, not noticing Kuroko as usual before he cleared his throat.

"Hello."

She jumped in her chair. "Oh, my!" She looked up from the counter. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there, son. How can I help you?" She smiled warmly.

"I'm here to pick up my dog, Nigou. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya."

She nodded before typing into her computer. "Please take a seat, Kuroko-kun. We'll have him right out." She stood and went to the back of the office.

A few minutes later, Nigou trotted out of the dog door that led to the waiting room, a slight limp in his back leg. Kuroko stood. The vet was right behind his companion. The blue-eyed dog immediately made his way to his owner, barking happily. The large cone around his neck rammed into Kuroko's leg as he tried running around his legs.

"Nigou!" He lifted him up into his arms, grinning as he licked his face. "I'm so glad you're okay!" He patted the puppy's back as if he were a baby then set him back down. He was getting quite heavy. He turned to the lady in a lab coat and bowed. "Thank you so much, doctor!"

"You're welcome," she said with a smile. "The surgery was successful, as you can see. You'll just need to keep him inside for the next couple of days and monitor for any swelling or redness. Make sure he doesn't do anything too strenuous." She handed him a white paper bag labeled carprofen. "The past couple days we've monitored him, it seems Nigou still has some pain thanks to the sutures, but he'll be better in no time. Mix one of these pain killers into his food every 8 hours. You can also get some of those pill caps disguised as treats if he won't take it in his food."

"Yes, ma'am."

"You should be good to go." She gave him two thumbs up before kneeling to pet the dog. "Be safe walking back."

"Yes, thank you again," he said, bowing once more.

"Just doing my job. Take care!" She retreated through the door from whence she came.

Kuroko put the prescription into the bag with his uniform. "Alright, let's go home, Nigou."

He barked in response, following him out the door.

The duo relished in the gust of cool wind as they exited the clinic. The breath of air blowing his bangs into his eyes was refreshing. Kuroko walked towards Polaris.

"Hey, Nigou, things are going to be completely different now. We're not going back to the basketball club."

The dog looked up at him questioningly.

"I know, my thoughts exactly." All of this had seemingly come out of nowhere for him, too. "It's just not the place to be at the moment, but things will be alright. We'll get by," Kuroko said, shaking off any negativity that could plague him.

And in that moment, they were just a boy and his dog, letting Polaris lead home, letting the wind push them forward.

(A/N: Hey, guys! I'm back from the dead. I don't know how long it's been, but thank you for reading! Things have been hella hectic on my end, but I haven't abandoned this. I'm sure a ton of you have forgotten and have had to go back and re-read, but if you're sticking with this, thank you for the support! With work, school, and just life in general, my life's a mess. I did finally get some time to write thanks to summer break, though. Also, if any of you are interested, I did start up a blog. The link is in my profile if you're interested.

I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! It took such a long time to finish. I was originally going to have this chapter merged with the previous one, but then it would've taken way longer to update with all the chaos in my life. No excuse, I know, but this is recreation for me, and I have other priorities, haha. Adulting is difficult. T.T

The song referred to in this chapter is the cover of Sad by Kid Travis. If any of you know why I had him facing the North Star, it's said that a wind from the south foreshadows prosperous times. The wind is blowing from behind him, the south, which causes his bangs to get in his eyes. I meant this to signify how Kuroko isn't totally aware that good things are coming for him with this new chapter. He made us all aware that he was scared of what was to come, but, like real life, change is a constant, and sometimes we don't even realize that something good is in store for us. That was just something I thought could really relate to how things are as of now in the world with the pandemic and all, but I'm posting more about that in my blog if you'd like to check it out. It's a shameless plug lol.

Anyway, sorry (not sorry) for the long author's note. I missed talking to this community. It's been a long two (I think?) years. All I've been reading lately are science textbooks (I'm a biochemistry major), so I felt like I was losing my touch for writing. Feel free to PM me about any thoughts or tell me what you thought was good or lacking. I seriously think I'm losing it. XD I hope all of you are staying safe! Don't forget to wear your masks!)