Author's note: My first fanfic for KnB! No, I do not own it. Just the idea that made me write this. Please leave a review, so I can improve! And tell me if I should continue this!

Chapter 1

"Hey, Kuroko. Have you ever felt lonely?"

"Why do you ask such a thing, Kagami-kun?"

"I know not everyone can tell, but sometimes you when you're staring into space, I kinda feel like your mind is somewhere else, ya know?" Kagami awkwardly scratched his reddening cheek, turning away as he said that.

"…Kagami-kun must be seeing things."

"W-waah! Baka! I'm trying to be a good friend here!"

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As Kuroko lay in his bed, staring at his empty ceiling that night, he couldn't help recalling that conversation Kagami had tried to pull him into earlier. It had undermined his defenses, suddenly asking a question like that out of the blue. He had managed to deflect the question at that time, but he was sure Kagami would eventually remember and ask him again.

Had he ever felt lonely? Kuroko rolled over with a light snort, the echoing pang in his heart spreading through his body as he reminisced. What a ridiculous question. But then again, he thought, the better question was when he stopped feeling lonely.

And the more he thought about it, the more he came to realize that maybe, just maybe, he didn't feel so lonely anymore. He hadn't felt so much happiness or recognition since a long time ago. And that time was not the most pleasant of times to think about.

But, honestly. When did he start feeling less invisible and lonely?

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The first day of school at Seirin High. Kuroko weaved his way through the crowd, eyes fixed on his novel. Students were everywhere, pushing, shoving and shouting for the freshmen to join their clubs. People all around him were being snatched up and spoken to, and even when an enthusiastic junior had stepped into his path, it was only to advertise to the boy behind him.

Kuroko slowly lost interest in his book. He could have hit many people in the last 10 minutes as he continued down the path, yet he did not. Oh, he could attribute it to his experience at reading while walking, but the fact remained that everyone who fell in his path managed to move out of the way at the last possible second, or dodge him by just a hair. It was as if he had a small force field around him, and people were just repelled by his low presence.

His eyes wandered to the noticeboard next to him, trying to shake off the old melancholy before it took over his mental state. His eyes zoomed in on one of the booths in the floor plan, and before he even knew what he was doing, he began to move in the direction of that booth.

As he neared the booth, he heard loud voices advertising just the club he was looking for. He took the outstretched form from the silent junior, even as the boy's eyes passed over him as if he were nothing but a mirage. Kuroko filled in the form quickly, attempting to push back the ever-growing wave of hopelessness.

He dropped off the form at the booth just as the tall redhead was leaving, and the two of them walked off together, with him in the taller boy's shadow. He returned to reading his novel, and faintly heard a girl crying out, "A freshman from the Generation of Miracles? How could I have forgotten the face of such a golden egg?!"

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The day of the basketball tryouts, Kuroko stood among the other freshmen, but said nothing as the others reacted violently towards the identity of their soon-to-be coach. He also did nothing as the coach began her examination of them. Unsurprisingly, her eyes glazed over Kuroko, who stood at the end of the line. Withholding a small sigh, he put his shirt back on, just in time to hear her say, "Is Kuroko-kun here? Huh, I guess he's not here today. Well, let's start with practice!"

Keeping his face devoid of any emotion, despite the maelstrom swirling inside him, Kuroko approached Aida Riko. "Um, excuse me. I am Kuroko."

Her screech of shock was nothing new to him, and his spirits fell just a little, just as it did every time someone suddenly realized he was standing next to them.

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After practice, he followed the redhead, Kagami Taiga, to a quiet streetball court. He wanted to see for himself how powerful the boy was, and he was almost certain that he would not be noticed.

The ball rolled to a stop before him, and without thinking, he picked it up. Looking directly into Kagami's eyes, he was surprised that the boy did not look startled or shocked at his sudden appearance. Instead, Kagami challenged him to a one-on-one. Kuroko was a little taken aback, but readily agreed.

When Kagami told him to quit basketball, Kuroko felt a little irritated, but he was also comforted that the boy had bothered to tell him anything at all. If it had been any one of the Generation of Miracles… No, don't go there, don't recall that.

He told Kagami that he didn't share his opinion, that he was different from him. He struggled to keep the emotion out of his voice, as he told him, "I am a shadow."

It was always difficult for Kuroko to tell others this. His emotions kept rising up, as if threatening to spill over. He knew it was the truth, and maybe that was why it was so hard to accept. He always had to suppress them, to keep a calm emotionless face. It would do no one any good if he broke down, if he let out those unruly emotions.

Shadows - supporting actors - they didn't shine. They enhanced the light. That meant doing what was necessary to help the main actor, not dumping your emotional load for someone else to shoulder. Emotions were unnecessary. They were a hindrance, and would only get in the way. So what if nobody saw him? As long as he was able to help others, to enhance their better qualities, that was all that mattered.

Wasn't it?