Author's Notes: Hello Readers! I've been inactive for a while. It's hard to admit but I've been forced to sell my laptop because we needed the money. My grandmother just got out of the hospital around last week. Between tending to her, some family matters, college, examinations, and application for a job during our break, I haven't had the time to update some of my stories yet. Please don't worry, I won't ever abandon them. It's just that real life had caught up with me and I deeply apologize for those who have high expectations of those - especially the "Phantom Tutor" and "Providence". Now, for those who are asking, then why am I posting a new story instead of a new chapter? Well, this is one of my collections that I didn't post for fear of posting too many stories with none of them completed. So, instead, I'll share this as a treat. This was around the time when I've watched Kaijou vs Touou and I've grown to like the strength in Kasamatsu's character. This was the product of curiosity and stubbornness.

Warning(s): A little OOC. I've tweaked with their history quite a bit to make this work. The pacing of this is kind of erratic. There will be angst and drama but nothing too hard, yet, I think. Some things aren't explained yet too so don't be confused easily.

Pairing(s): None whatsoever. This is purely GEN. This will focus on friendship and family.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basuke.

.

.

[Chapter I: In Which I See Blue]

"Oi, Tetsuya, get up!" A voice roughly called him as the teal haired boy felt someone shaking him from his sleep. Despite the insistence of the action, he didn't rouse from his slumber and even went as far as to further snuggle into his comforter.

There was an irritated grunt but it was washed away by the drowsiness that clung to his conscious.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," A frustrated growl resounded. "Idiot," There was exasperation laced into that one word, mixed with a little affection and annoyance, born out of years of dealing with the same situation years prior.

For a moment, everything was silent.

But before the clutches of sleep could claim him again, the comforter was pulled off of him rather unceremoniously. It was forceful enough to actually yank him off his bed and onto the hard unforgiving floorboards. The pain didn't immediately register as he blinked blearily. His eyes shifted upwards and the shadowy blob cleared enough to reveal the annoyed face of his older brother, towering over him with his arms crossed over his chest. was forceful eno

"That hurt," He stated dryly as he slowly stood up, massaging his sore jaw from when it hit the floor. Traces of sleep still clung to his eyelids but he felt a bit more awake now that he had been forced to stand on his feet.

A ten year old Kasamatsu Tetsuya couldn't help the petulant glare from forming as he directed it towards his older brother, Yukio. Unlike him who inherited their mother's vibrant teal hair, the older of the two got their father's dark hair. Even though they both had their mother's blue eyes, Yukio's was a shade darker than Tetsuya's, appearing more steel blue than the soft powder blue that the younger possessed.

Still. It was a Saturday morning. A Saturday.

That should've been enough excuse to sleep in. Letting his eyes slither to the clock by his bedside table, it read 7:45am and Tetsuya thought that he deserved the sleep. He was never a morning person like his mother and brother.

Though, upon seeing the annoyance contort into something serious and almost sad in his brother's face, Tetsuya straightened and appeared more alert than he had a while ago. The shift in character didn't escape Yukio's notice as he sighed, picking up the teal haired boy's jacket from the cabinet hook, and tossed it to the younger boy. Tetsuya caught it out of reflex and wore it without any protests.

"We're going to baa-chan's," Yukio informed him grimly.

It was then that he got a good look at the other, his brother was already dressed in a white hoodie with some black shorts, obviously ready to go out.

"Now?" Tetsuya questioned with a bit of disgruntlement, subtly gesturing to his still pajama-clad body.

Yukio rolled his eyes.

"Yes, now," He answered impatiently. "Kaa-san is driving us there. They want us out of the house." There was a knowing look in his blue eyes that instantly clued Tetsuya on what he really meant.

"They're fighting again?" The teal haired boy voiced out concernedly, frowning.

"Tou-san said that they needed to be away from each other for a while," Yukio shrugged, evidently trying to appear unbothered, but was failing miserably as shown by his clenched fists and upset expression. "And they can't take us with either of them. So, we're off to baa-chan's place. Come on, we don't want kaa-san waiting," He suddenly grabbed the younger boy's hand in a tight grip and pulled him out of the room.

The contact was meant for reassurance. If it was to comfort Tetsuya or himself, he couldn't tell with his older brother.

And they didn't even need to pack. Their grandmother's house was practically second home to them. They already had clothes and some of their stuff kept there. And they mostly stayed there more often for the past year. No one would tell them anything but it was obvious to the two that their parents weren't on good terms. Their fights were subtle but they had been caught in the middle of it by Tetsuya once around past midnight.

"You don't have to pretend, aniki," Tetsuya whispered as he pulled his brother to a stop by the hallway, a short distance from the stairs. "I'm scared too," He admitted quietly and fiddled with the end strings of his jacket.

Yukio looked surprised before he scowled, raised his fist, and lightly rapped his knuckle on Tetsuya's forehead who flinched and stared at him with wide eyes.

"I'm the older brother," He declared resolutely. "I… I have to be strong,"

If Kuroko was expecting any surprise that day, this wasn't it.

Though, to be honest, the moment they had entered Kaijou's gym, his attention was held by the half-court setting, torn between irritation at being underestimated and exasperation at having expected something like this. It didn't help that Kaijou's coach, Takeuchi, had easily dismissed them as if they were nothing to be concerned about. It might have been due to his time in Teikou or having played with the Generation of Miracles before but Kuroko couldn't remember the last time he got annoyed by having his team taken this lightly.

It probably didn't help that Kise had shown his true colors with his arrogance as a member of the Generation of Miracles.

The moment his eyes strayed to his opponent's team, however, he felt the shock coursing through him upon meeting familiar steel blue eyes. The owner of said eyes stared back with equal surprise, if not visibly more so, before Tetsuya felt himself be pushed to the locker rooms by his coach.

Though, the moment he entered the locker room, the resentment that he'd thought that he'd already let go came bubbling back up with such intensity that he staggered on his feet. His breathing came out heavy and he had to remind himself that he had to keep a clear head during the game. It wouldn't do.

"Oi, what hell's wrong, Kuroko?" Kagami suddenly asked, fidgeting away from him, obviously spooked.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Nothing, Kagami-kun," He answered quietly and opened his eyes, still feeling that itch of anger clawing its way into his chest. "Absolutely nothing," He tried to smile but whatever expression he must've made wasn't even close to it because the redhead paled and nodded jerkily.

Their teammates didn't speak of the exchange, too focused on the upcoming game, but their eyes would shift to Kuroko from time to time.

The moment that they stood across from Kaijou for the first quarter, Kuroko kept a tight hold of his emotions. He couldn't afford to mess up his misdirection for something that has nothing to do with the game. He could feel Kagami's eyes boring into him and he tried to clear his mind of anything. He wanted to end this as quickly as possible and probably never have to deal with this team in particular ever again.

When the referee called for the supposedly missing fifth member of their team, Kuroko merely raised his hand and introduced himself.

"Anou," He raised his hand and fixated his eyes on the referee. "There's five of us. Kuroko Tetsuya."

From the corner of his eyes, he saw that person jerk in surprise. It might've been petty of him but he had wanted to say that ever since he was at his lowest, seeking for people who would never be there for him.

"He was standing in front of me and I didn't even notice him," One of Kaijou's starting players with the jersey number eight remarked in confusion. "What about you, Kasamatsu?"

The moment that question left the other's lips, Kuroko's eyes betrayed him as they strayed to the rigid form of Kasamatsu Yukio.

Their eyes met at one point but the older teen avoided his gaze.

"Me neither," Kasamatsu answered quietly but Kuroko had heard and stared at the other with wide eyes. Then, he lowered his gaze and smiled to himself, of course.

So, Kuroko couldn't be actually faulted when he felt vindictive pleasure upon viciously stealing the ball from the captain of Kaijou. His misdirection worked flawlessly against the other but he knew that Kasamatsu would be the earliest to be made aware of his presence the moment it ran out. Though, it felt a bit odd addressing the other as 'Kasamatsu' when he knew deep within himself that he was also used to being addressed as one, some odd years ago. It felt like a very long time.

Their play and Kagami's strength had apparently convinced the coach, Takeuchi, because the next thing they knew, the whole court was granted to them and Kise was finally playing.

He tried his best to ignore Kasamatsu. Though, it was hard when Kuroko noted exasperatedly that his older brother hadn't changed. He was still as violent as ever and Kuroko thought that he was a good match for someone like Kise. It sort of reminded him of Nijimura and Haizaki back in middle school.

And he was still as competitive as ever if his glaring eyes directed at his redheaded teammate was anything to go by.

"Forget about him!" Kise's voice was always loud, calling others' attention easily, that it wasn't exactly hard that Kuroko was overhearing what the blonde was telling Kasamatsu. "The guy who stole the ball, number eleven, that's my teammate from Teikou, Kurokocchi," The blonde cheerfully put in. "Isn't he amazing? Ne? Ne?" Kuroko wished that he was near the other just so he could jab him with an Ignite Pass to the stomach.

Even now, he felt a bit embarrassed and vainly tried to ignore his former teammate's excitable chatters.

He didn't know what Kasamatsu said but he punched the blonde around his midsection. All throughout the game, Kuroko focused on playing with his team. Even though he caught a glimpse of steel blue from time to time, Kuroko concentrated on the game. He had to win. He couldn't remember the last time he wanted to win so badly. It was petty. It was ridiculous. He already told himself that he wasn't going to let personal feelings affect his play.

What did he want to prove exactly? Nothing. Nothing. For two years, he had nothing to prove.

Kagami needed to calm down and Kise was pushing harder and harder the more the redhead plowed through. It was insane. The fast play wasn't doing Seirin any good. It was taking everything they had and he was afraid that it would get worse if they didn't do anything about it. Though, he could tell that Kasamatsu didn't know how to exactly deal with his misdirection. He was already invisible enough to begin with, especially with his weak presence.

The older boy would've known if he was around. If Yukio and their father were around.

As always, his brother was a good player. And it showed when he and Kise played harder the next quarter. It also seemed that he was respected in Kaijou from the way those people cheered for him. He couldn't stop the budding fondness as he thought how his mother would've been proud.

That thought instantly sobered him and he had to try his best in order to get his thoughts in order. And he was actually tempted to kick Kagami when the redhead went on with one of his ploys, boasting and even dragging him into it.

He felt satisfaction course through him when he finally got his chance and jabbed Kagami for all those stunts and bouts of short-temperedness.

When they finally went back to the game, they were able to outsmart Kise with their coordination play. Kuroko reminisced about the last time he had done this. Making use of his passes and simply keeping up with his team. It was nostalgic. Even Kise's glare wasn't enough to deter him. Even his brother's unexpected presence wouldn't ruin it.

"You really have changed, Kurokocchi," The blonde commented lowly, eyes narrowed in frustration. "We never played basketball like this at Teikou, but you still can't stop me, I'll be the winner!" Kise declared determinedly and Kuroko silently gritted his teeth. Teikou.

After that, they managed to steal the ball from Kise by distracting him and utilizing a back tip by letting him through. It probably helped that the blonde's momentary confusion caused a hesitation on his part. He could even read the budding irritation surfacing on Kasamatsu's face. He was really tempted to jab a ball to Kagami's face when the other used his head as leverage to jump and block Kise's shot when the other made a move for it. That had actually hurt because he'd been taken by surprise.

Before they could go on another fast break, it happened.

Just as Kise was aiming to run after his redheaded teammate, his hand shot out from behind and accidentally smacked him on the head. Kuroko collapsed on the floor and could already feel the throbbing in his head. The last time he had been injured this badly on the head, it was a match against Kamata West, and, suddenly, fear gripped him. Last time he had let his injury stop him, things had fallen apart and he had been extremely powerless–

The blood trickled down his eye and Kuroko kept a stoic face even as he felt the panic flowing through his veins. As soon as he got his momentum, he stood up shakily on his feet. He couldn't let it end here. He couldn't–

Hyuuga was asking if he was alright, even Kagami, and he could faintly here Aida barking orders.

"Get out of the way!" A voice suddenly yelled and it faintly sounded familiar. Suddenly, Hyuuga's hold on his shoulders disappeared, replaced by warm hands as they touched his face, to get a better look at the damage, he assumed. "What the hell were you doing, idiot? Just standing there! You could've avoided this!" The owner of the voice scolded and there was a tint of worry and familiarity in the way he spoke to Kuroko just now.

Who–? The moment he opened his unaffected eye, he wished he hadn't.

"Oi, what's the big deal?" Hyuuga growled from his side. "Do you have some business with our freshman?" His captain asked with suspicion.

"Of course, I–!" Kasamatsu started, glowering, but took a surprised step back when his hands were slapped away.

Suddenly, the fear was gone and replaced by cold anger. Who was the other to suddenly act so worried? Where was he for the past two years when Kuroko and their mother needed him? His lone eye glared as he mustered up all the bitterness that he had harbored for the past few months, ever since–

"Please don't act so familiarly with me, Kasamatsu-san," He replied coldly, stepping away.

Kasamatsu Yukio took a further step back, appearing as if he had just been slapped, staring at him with wide eyes that were so familiar that it hurt. One that he often saw during his childhood days where things were still the same and nothing had been wrong in the world. One that would look at him with exasperation and affection just because he wasn't a morning person.

Before he could assure his teammates that he was fine, his vision darkened and he collapsed.

Due to his persistent headache, even when he went back to the game, the rest of the last quarter became a blur to him. Even the insistent stare of his older brother throughout the game didn't get as much attention as it did before. His head still hurt. He couldn't even fully comprehend how Kagami stayed dominant in the aerial battle against Kise. Their strategy had been to simply score a buzzer beater.

And won. He couldn't even bask in the victory. He felt so tired all of a sudden. Even Kise's tears weren't enough to actually bring him out of his sudden reverie.

When Kasamatsu showed them out of the gym, Kuroko refused to meet his eyes. He could almost hear the questions his teammates wanted to ask him about his interaction with Kaijou's captain. He didn't know if he could admit it. Still, the moment they stepped out of Kaijou, he asked to be left behind due to personal reasons. Aida was about to violently refuse, he could tell, until Hyuuga pulled her back and told him that they could go their separate ways after they had his injury checked out in the nearby hospital.

True to his word, Hyuuga let him go the moment the doctor from Sasaki General Hospital gave his approval. He was given some painkillers in case the headache persisted but it had been nothing to worry about.

Though, in the end, he hadn't really done anything. So, he had opted to go back home. Where, most assuredly, an empty house would be greeting him.

Kuroko should've told Kasamatsu, at the very least, that was what his mother would've wanted. But, he didn't.

He really was the worst.

Yukio was always reminded that he was the older brother. His mother often asked him that he watched over Tetsuya. And he took his job seriously. That was why he didn't feel the least bit guilty when he had beaten the crap out of some kids when he witnessed them bullying his brother.

The teal haired boy has a weak presence.

Something that was said to be inherited from their mother but, that was funny, because he never had a hard time noticing the woman.

He had grown used to Tetsuya so, Yukio could say that he already expected having someone suddenly appearing by his side or a voice seemingly appearing out of nowhere. He wasn't surprised or frightened anymore because he got used to it. He would just sigh and remark to the younger boy to not get used to it. While it was hard to keep track of him, Yukio would be the first to admit that knowing how to look for him took a deep understanding of his brother.

Still, his brother mostly tended to disappear on him when he was being eerily quiet. Due to his overly polite nature, one wouldn't suspect Tetsuya of being moody and downright sarcastic. The way he spoke, though, sometimes made it hard for people to distinguish if he was merely being blunt or acerbic.

But, Yukio had never had such problems distinguishing the difference.

And his brother was naturally gloomy by nature so it didn't really take much to point him to the boy's direction. All he had to do, in his own opinion, was steer to where the air seemed off. Tetsuya always had that effect on his surroundings. It seemed that these bullies had the same thing in mind because they were currently holding Tetsuya down while another punk kid rummaged through the teal haired boy's bag.

"Hey, you jerks!" He snarled at them, running at them at great speeds. "You better not be doing what I think you're doing!" Yukio yelled angrily even as the one messing with his brother's bag stuttered in his step, uncertain.

One of the boys holding down Tetsuya paled significantly at the sight of him.

"Oh no," He heard the boy croak out before he turned to glare at the one Yukio assumed to be their leader. "T-That's Kasamatsu Yukio! Hey, Arai, you didn't tell me this guy's related to Kasamatsu!" The boy accused, instantly standing up as if it would wash off his involvement.

"So, what?" The boy, Arai, who was holding Tetsuya's bag, snapped, having gotten over his uncertainty to be replaced by spiteful arrogance.

He didn't give them a chance to talk more and instantly pounced on Arai. Yukio didn't hold back and punched the other's face. He would've continued doing so if it weren't for the two boys, who had been holding his brother down. But, currently, he was a wild beast out for revenge because he simply jerked his arm away and slapped one of them directly to the nose, not caring at the sight of blood in the very least.

Before he could deliver his punishment to the other boy, the other simply doubled over in pain, whimpering.

Looking behind him, his steel blue eyes met his brother's annoyed powder blue orbs. Tetsuya had a bruise forming on his cheek, looking extremely ruffled and filthy, but Yukio didn't miss his dark glower directed at the bullies. His brother's jabs had always been painful so he knew what the boy was going through. Though, to Yukio, it wasn't enough to actually make him feel sorry for the kid who had tried to harm his brother.

"That was beyond irritating," Tetsuya remarked dryly. "I would usually avoid fights but you started this," His brother remarked with a frown.

For someone who usually avoided fights, these guys must've aggravated the teal haired boy that bad. Yukio stood up from where he had straddled Arai and stared at the bruised form of the bullies with satisfaction, scowling.

"That's for messing with my brother," Yukio growled at them, glaring.

The boy with the bleeding nose, possibly broken, groaned.

"B-Brother?" His voice was hoarse and muted, no doubt caused by his injury, but his horrified dark eyes stared at him and Tetsuya in silence.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" He glowered at them. "Get out before I beat you again!"

Without a word, they instantly scrambled to their feet and ran away from them, one of them supporting Arai as he did so. Still, while he knew that Tetsuya was sometimes bullied, it never went as physically far as this. And it irked him just thinking about it.

"You went a little far there," Tetsuya suddenly commented softly with a sigh, stepping over to retrieve his things.

"Went a little far?" Yukio spluttered in disbelief and annoyance. "What about you? Do you have any idea how painful those jabs of yours are? That kid was practically crying a river!"

Suddenly, the teal haired boy gave him a blank look, eyes intently focused on him.

"Want me to test that out on you, aniki?" Tetsuya questioned him monotonously but Yukio didn't miss the displeasure that accompanied his brother's voice, telling him that the younger boy was quite serious about his offer. Yukio had enough sense of mind, and based from experience, to reject the offer.

"You're such a troublesome idiot," Yukio grumbled as he crouched down to help his brother.

"I think that that's supposed to be my line," The eight year old commented almost serenely, too complacent for Yukio not to get suspicious of. "After all, what will okaa-san say when she finds out that you got into a fight?" The boy tilted his head innocently.

But Yukio was having none of it.

"I'd just say that I was defending my brother," The dark haired ten year old answered seriously even at the face of Tetsuya's unguarded surprise. "After all, someone's got to watch over an idiot like you," He huffed in exasperation, smiling as he did so.

If Kuroko thought that it was the last of it, he was certainly disappointed.

While it was apparent in the subsequent silence on the other's part, he should've known that Kasamatsu wasn't known to back down so easily. Even from their childhood, Kasamatsu had always been hard-headed to the point that he could be labelled as rebellious. For someone known for being responsible, it was quite an irony. Still, the other teen had obviously given him his space but when he caught a glimpse of him during Seirin's match against Seihou and Shuutoku, Kuroko knew that he couldn't ignore the problem forever.

Meeting those steel blue eyes directly once he stared at the stands only confirmed his thoughts.

Kuroko didn't even register Kise waving in his direction. After his anger had subsided, he realized that he had been a little unreasonable at that time. He should've told the other. No matter how much he didn't want anything to do with him, even now.

A year ago, Kuroko wouldn't ever imagine his reunion with Kasamatsu to be like this.

But, he supposed, that times had changed. While his older brother didn't change in some aspects, it was obvious to Kuroko that he had grown. Kasamatsu still had a temper but he showed more restraint. He was still violent but he had been holding back. And the older boy didn't come charging headfirst into anything anymore. If he was still that bull-headed kid, then he wouldn't have considered Kuroko's feelings and simply stormed Seirin the next day or, simply, cornered him after that practice game.

Now that he realized it, the more that he stared at the older boy, the more that he looked closer to being a spitting image of their father. That was how it had always been in their childhood years. Kuroko taking after their mother and Yukio taking after their father.

Still, what were the chances that when his team decided to celebrate after their two consecutive victories this day, he would encounter the person he didn't want to confront at the moment. He felt a bit stupefied, standing at the doorway, as he avoided Kasamatsu's intent gaze. With the number of their members, he and Kagami were forced to share a table with Kasamatsu and Kise. It was all Kuroko could do not to stand from his seat, excuse himself to go home and shut himself in his room.

He let Kise take hold of the conversation. But, he didn't miss the way his blonde teammate's stare shifted between his captain and the teal haired teen.

"Your play style was good," Kasamatsu suddenly remarked, effectively silencing Kagami and Kise from their strained conversation.

Kuroko had to be blind, deaf, or dumb not to notice that those words were directed at him.

"Thank you, Kasamatsu-san," He thanked the other politely. While his voice lacked that coldness from the last time they met, it wasn't actually receptive either.

"So, the two of you know each other?" Kise suddenly cut in and beamed, obviously having held back wanting to ask the question for a long time. "Kasamatsu-senpai has been monitoring Seirin's progress in the Inter High, you know," His comment seemed offhanded if his golden eyes weren't gazing at Kuroko calculatingly.

Judging by the annoyed twitch of his brother's eye, the blonde hadn't stopped pestering the other since the practice game.

"We've known each other for a while," Kuroko immediately answered, rather vaguely, before Kasamatsu could fill in the blanks.

If the way those steel blue eyes narrowed at him almost menacingly, his older brother had seen right through it and wasn't exactly pleased about it either. Kuroko merely returned the look with his half-lidded one, eyes a bit dark, conveying to the other his point. If the other had really wanted to let his teammates know, then he wouldn't have waited for this encounter. Kasamatsu could've simply informed Kise and Kuroko, while he didn't want his past to be brought up, wouldn't feel incline to get mad. It was the truth, anyhow, and he couldn't change it.

"We've known each other since we were kids," Kasamatsu elaborated but wasn't being specific either. "We just haven't seen each other in a while," He grunted as he took a bite of his okonomiyaki rather viciously, appearing to be not in the mood.

More like, they hadn't seen each other in two years.

Kise, though, suddenly brightened.

"Eh?" He voiced out in wonder. "So you've seen Kurokocchi as a kid?" His eyes were flashing with admiration, sparkling.

"Kise-kun is creepy," Kuroko stated rather blandly, annoyed.

"He's always been weird," Kagami agreed sullenly, obviously at loss of how to place himself in this atmosphere. "Don't you have anything better to do than imagining Kuroko as a kid?" The redhead grumbled in irritation, scowling.

Kise pouted at them in dismay, his expression falling.

"You're so mean," He complained childishly.

Before any conversation could take place further, another batch of unexpected guests arrived at the restaurant. Kuroko was just glad to have the attention successfully diverted as he saw Midorima and Takao at the entrance. They had tried to leave, that much was apparent, but the storm had stopped them. Though, he should probably thank Takao later since the point guard made it certain that all the Teikou graduates and Kagami were seated at the same table.

He just felt relieved at having dodged a possible landmine.

Subtly looking at Kasamatsu, his face was unreadable but Kuroko knew the other long enough to identify that the other was feeling despondent.

The last time Kuroko had seen that line on the other's shoulders had been when their parents had divorced. He remembered standing under the same umbrella as his brother, waiting outside their house in the rain, hopelessly waiting for any positive news that would never come.

Suddenly, he didn't feel as relieved as before and he could barely focus on the conversation going on around him. Even though he had to step in when Midorima started talking about their time at Teikou and defeat, it didn't actually really removed the haze around him even at the mention of Aomine, knowing that he was merely delaying the inevitable. So, when it was time to go, he asked to be left behind again.

He didn't need to say anything since Kasamatsu hadn't gotten up from his seat either and Kise caught on quickly, cheerily pulling out Seirin with him insistently despite their loud protests. He supposed that this was the best chance that he could get.

Wordlessly, he stood up from his seat and sat across the dark haired teen.

"How is otou-san doing?" Kuroko felt inclined to ask this time as he stared at the wall behind Kasamatsu.

"He's at Osaka right now for business," Kasamatsu answered quietly, arms crossed over his chest. "You know, when I was trying to get your attention, I had a lot of things to say. But, I guess being faced with the real thing, the words won't just come," The dark haired teen sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Terribly honest as ever," Kuroko observed wryly.

Kasamatsu scoffed at him.

"You're one to talk, idiot," He retorted in slight annoyance.

They didn't mention how they inherited that trait from their father. The man was a no-nonsense and straightforward person. He always cut to the chase and never danced around a subject, always pushing through with blunt accuracy.

"You've changed your name to Kuroko," His older brother pointed out almost hesitantly.

"I've taken mother's name before I entered middle school," The teal haired teen answered honestly, closing his eyes as he knew that this was merely the beginning. "Though, the process in the office and court was slow-going so it took a year to be officially finalized," He didn't mention that he still used the name Kuroko at the start of middle school anyway. Back then, he hadn't informed his older brother who had been living with their father at the time.

"I see," Kasamatsu merely responded.

Now, it was Kuroko's turn to ask questions as he directed a searching stare towards the other.

"Why haven't we heard anything from you for two years?" His voice retained its monotonous quality but he wasn't able to stop anger from leaking into his voice. To his credit, Kasamatsu didn't flinch at the gaze but he appeared as if he didn't expect anything less.

"I'm actually surprised you didn't ask sooner," Kasamatsu sighed at this, weariness seeping out of his eyes. "Knowing you, you've always been impatient when it comes to the family. Though, to answer your question, it was tou-san's decision," His voice darkened and Tetsuya didn't need to look to see his brother's expression morphed with anger.

"That's no excuse," He instantly argued, voice frosty with silent fury.

Kasamatsu shook his head.

"You don't understand," The older boy insisted, grimacing. "I know that kaa-san's been hospitalized," Kasamatsu revealed, voice hoarse, and the teal haired teen's eyes snapped to him.

Kuroko tried to calm down. He really did.

"Then where were you?" His questioned acerbically, eyes steely as his fist clenched on the table.

"Have you ever wondered who was paying for her hospital bills?" Kasamatsu merely replied in kind, not meeting his eyes. "Baa-chan can't afford such costly expenses and you are still too young to find a high-paying part-time job. Looking at you right now, you already know, don't you? Yes, tou-san was the one who had been covering her accounts for the past year and a half. In exchange, he basically wants her out of our life. He tried to take you with us, didn't he?" The teen smiled bitterly at this, closing his eyes.

"I wouldn't leave kaa-san alone," Kuroko responded quietly, simmering down. The implied she has no one and tou-san has you was definitely there.

"It wasn't as if I gave up without a fight," Kasamatsu informed him with a smirk, an expression completed with empty eyes. "I managed to visit her once. I told myself that it's fine. But, when she practically begged me to stay, even if she had to die, I knew then that I couldn't do it. I'd rather be without her and she live, than be with her till the end and watch her die. It's the greatest regret I have. Because, in the end, she still died. I wished that I'd been with her. It's really stupid," He chuckled hollowly at this.

"It wasn't stupid," The teal haired teen retorted. "If you really loved kaa-san as you claimed you had, then it wasn't stupid at all. She kept asking for you every day and I always wondered if you grew to hate us because we haven't heard anything from you. Even now, I couldn't bring myself to forgive you yet because you weren't there. But I must admit that my anger towards you had died a swift death." Kuroko admitted with a sigh, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

"And now, I know the reason why we couldn't find you. We weren't informed that you took up kaa-san's name," Kasamatsu pointed out with a frown. "We would've thought that you're living with baa-chan but she told me that you moved out of the house after the funeral. She wouldn't tell us anything. And what the hell's up with that? Living on your own? How do you pay for your expenses? What about school? Food? And where are you staying?" He fired off consecutively, a scowl marring his features.

"The apartment was an insurance from kaa-san's will. The expenses and other necessities are paid by baa-chan since she didn't want to move out of her house, so she provided instead." Kuroko explained mildly as he remembered the place his mother had bought, where they were supposed to live when she got out of the hospital.

It was a nightmare, having to be there alone.

Suddenly, something else occurred to him as he stared at Kasamatsu solemnly. His brother's words answered a lot of questions he'd been harboring for a time now. After his mother had gone through surgery, he'd always wondered where they got the money to pay for such an expensive operation. Not to mention, why his mother had been intent for him not to leave her alone, afraid that his father would take him away as well, making attending school a day of worry instead.

"Does otou-san really hate okaa-san that much?"

His voice was unreadable as was Kasamatsu's expression. He wanted the other to deny it. But only silence answered him. Suddenly, he couldn't do this anymore.

He stood up from his seat.

"I knew as much," He voiced out quietly. "I'll be leaving then,"

"I'm sorry, Tetsuya, I'll promise I'll play with you this weekend," His older promised him, steel blue eyes sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head. "Though, give Ogiwara my thanks for keeping you company. That guy's moving next week, huh?" The other questioned quietly.

"Hai," Tetsuya answered, subdued, as he fiddled with the book on his lap.

"Oi, oi, cheer up, would you?" Yukio sighed and lightly bonked him upside the head. "It's not like you won't be able to talk to him. You'll still be friends, you know?" He complained as he crossed his arms over his chest, eyed narrowing at him in reprimand as if daring him to disagree.

"I know," He smiled at his older brother. "But we'll be back to baa-chan's again,"

That obviously took his brother by surprise. Of course, ever since they met Ogiwara, they had another place to have their sleepover to. And their friend's parents had been welcoming to them. They didn't ask unnecessary questions and the brothers didn't have to travel too far, unlike their grandmother's place. Though, Yukio had been busy with middle school lately and being a member of the basketball club only added to his schedule.

"So what? Who cares? It's not like we don't like it there," Yukio grouched at him in annoyance.

But they both knew that it would be different. With Ogiwara's place, they could pretend that they were just having a simple slumber party at a friend's house. Though, staying at their grandmother's meant what they had been avoiding for some time now. Their parents.

"I heard them fighting again last night," Tetsuya admitted quietly, hugging his knees to his chest. "Kaa-san was shouting about a divorce. That means they're separating, right? I don't want that, aniki," His worst fear was spoken out loud and he bit his lip as his brows furrowed.

"…they are?" His brother asked faintly, suddenly looking lost.

For the rest of the day, they were subdued. It was only dampened further by the departure of the Ogiwara family five days later. Even though they had exchanged contact numbers and email addresses, Tetsuya still felt a bit restless. Other than his brother, his only other friend had been Ogiwara Shigehiro.

His brother was currently attending an all-boys middle school. And Tetsuya knew for a fact that it was due to the fact that Yukio couldn't handle any females that wasn't their mother or grandmother. It had been because of his brother's experience during primary school, he would know, since he attended the same school. Other than being feared as a strong kid with steel fists and superb kicks due to karate lessons, his brother was adored by the female population due to his easy-going and friendly nature despite his tough attitude.

Girls would always cling to his brother, give him trinkets of affection, always finding a way to interact with the 'coolest kid' of the block, and generally appearing everywhere around the school that Yukio was at. It came to the point where some of those girls had literally stalked his brother. But, even after numerous times that Yukio tried to blow them off, it never deterred them and there was the fact that Yukio couldn't hit them like he did with other people due to their gender and their mother had instilled respect for women in their minds.

In other words, he was helpless against their onslaught. Tetsuya was suddenly glad about his low presence.

It reached the point where Yukio had been paranoid to go outside and would jump at any presence of any female near their vicinity. They didn't have any idea why those girls were so obsessive and just how obsessive they could be. Though, Tetsuya then discovered that it was the work of Arai. Since the boy couldn't take revenge against his brother the normal way, he had gone about it in a different way where Yukio couldn't retaliate the usual way by just bulldozing over it. To Tetsuya, though, it might've worked a little too well.

Still, he never took kindly to anyone trying to hurt his brother, so he had staged an incident to humiliate Arai so badly that he couldn't even show his face to anyone. That worked as well and Tetsuya didn't even bat an eyelash when Arai would flinch around him. Tetsuya made it certain that the boy knew it was him behind it.

So, to relieve his brother of that problem, their mother had enrolled him to Kitamori Middle School – an all-boys middle school just a few ways from their home.

Though, unlike his brother, Tetsuya was planning to enroll to Teikou Middle School, where their mother had graduated.

A few weeks after the Ogiwara family moved away, the whole Kasamatsu family were invited to watch and support Yukio in one of his official games in basketball. Tetsuya greatly idolized the other's talent and hoped for the day to be able to play at the same court as him and Ogiwara. Watching Yukio play, he was always awed by his brother's talent. His brother's team won but he knew that they would be facing tough opponents in the finals in the form of Teikou Middle School. But, Tetsuya shook his head and let his brother bask in this happiness.

What was supposed to be a day of celebration became a day of heartbreak instead as his parents announced that they would be finally having a divorce.

Tetsuya knew that it was inevitable but why couldn't he stop crying?

"Ne, Kasamatsu-senpai," Kise called out to him.

"What?" Kasamatsu growled, pausing mid-stretch, sending a dark glare towards the blonde's direction.

"Oi, what's with that tone?" Kise whined childishly but upon seeing the older teen's hand twitch, he instantly changed tracks. "You never told me how you knew Kurokocchi. And I've never seen him give anyone such a cold shoulder! Even those times Aominecchi and I annoyed him, he didn't react that badly. And you've been easy to anger and a lot more frustrated ever since we left you back at that Okonomiyaki Restaurant." He pointed out with a frown.

Something else caught the Kaijou's captain's attention though.

"Aominecchi?" He repeated quietly, shifting into a sitting position. "Aomine Daiki of Touou Gakuen?"

Seirin had gone against them last week and it hadn't been a good match for the teal haired teen. Even now, Kasamatsu could still remember the anguish written all over the other's face as Aomine, in all his arrogance and spite, crushed Seirin brutally. There were several factors that led to their loss, like Kagami's injury, or Touou's sharp manager, but it all ended with the fact that their loss was a ruthless one. He had a feeling that it wasn't the worst yet.

Remembering their last encounter, even now, he was still uncertain how to proceed from there. He also hadn't informed his father yet of having met his younger brother. Kasamatsu knew that to Tetsuya, old wounds were still especially raw. And their mother was a very painful wound to the whole family. He would know since he had to clean up after his father once the man had drunk himself into a stupor following his mother's funeral.

He couldn't answer Tetsuya's question because he wanted to say, no, their father never hated their mother. But how would that justify the man's need to take them away from her?

That wasn't right either because all of them had known. His brother had known. If Kasamatsu would have to guess, Tetsuya resented them for turning away. He hadn't wanted to but he understood his father's words that staying wouldn't necessarily help his mother either. If anything, that one time he had visited, when she had begged him to stay, he'd already noticed that something was wrong when she told him that it was fine if she died. As long as he was there. With her.

Aside from women, there were so very few things that unnerved Kasamatsu Yukio and that hospital visit to his mother ranked the highest among them.

"Yes, but that's not what I'm talking about!" Kise's loud voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "And you haven't answered my question either, you know! Argh! I really want to know!" He pulled on his hair miserably, pouting.

Now that Kasamatsu thought about it, why was he dancing around the subject? That's right. Kise Ryouta was a friend of Tetsuya. His younger brother who had turned away from him. That idiot. Even now, he still didn't know what to do with his idiotic brother. While he was proud of the teal haired teen's achievements in basketball, he couldn't help but worry about the other. Tetsuya was naturally serene and impassive from when they were younger.

Now, the teal haired teen simply expressed less. Closed off. A bit distant from other people. Even watching him with Seirin, Kasamatsu could see his brother looking at his teammates with something like wonder and, at the same time, it was as if he wasn't fully seeing them either.

Still, it wasn't as if he was actively hiding the truth from anyone.

"He's my brother," He mumbled with a sigh, forcing himself to meet Kise's wide and shocked eyes head on. "There, you happy now?" He grouched unhappily.

"Y-You're Kurokocchi's onii-san?" The blonde gaped at him in disbelief.

"Is that so hard to believe?" He glowered at the freshman, his fists clenching. "What the hell's up with that reaction?"

"Well, for one, Kasamatsu-senpai is so violent–"

As if to prove his point, the dark haired teen angrily kicked the blonde's side, cutting him off. Really, why was the blonde brat so obnoxious? Not to mention so annoying. It wasn't as if Kise was a bad person but he easily got on his nerves like nobody's business.

"I'm so glad you think so highly of your captain," He calmly told the other as he crossed his arms over his chest, his lethal stare daring the blonde to mention anything that could earn him a kick or a punch.

"Can you actually blame me?" Kise whined but was wise enough to scoot back from kicking range. "But other than his grandmother, no one really knows that much about Kurokocchi's family! And, now, out of nowhere, an older brother that none of us even knew about shows up and is currently my captain. I've known Kurokocchi for more than two years and, if he hasn't mentioned you, there's got to be a reason, right?" The blonde pointed out with a smirk, eyes suddenly sharpening.

"If only you show that much brain, then I wouldn't have to hit you," Kasamatsu scowled darkly at him, starting to hate the other's insight where it always chose to rear its head at the most unfortunate times.

"That's mean," Kise pouted at him before sobering quickly. "But, there's also a reason why you're avoiding each other! Not to mention, why do you go by different surnames?"

Kasamatsu stilled at the last question, eyes shadowed.

"Our parents are divorced." He answered softly before abruptly standing up and continuing loudly. "Now, shut up and continue with practice! We'll be the next one facing Touou! So you shouldn't be slacking off or I'll hit you!" He scolded the blonde before tersely walking away, shoulders tensed.

If he'd looked back on that moment, he should've known that the blonde was up to no good judging by that pensive look in those hazel eyes.

Really, Kise was such an annoying brat.

TBC.

.

.

.

AN: Thank you for taking the time to read this. Now that my uncle gave me his former laptop, I can say that I'm back to business. Though, don't expect me to update immediately, it's just that I'm telling you that I'll be able to start the new chapters now. Just leave a review for this one.