Hello! This is my first fanfiction! This story follows the events in Teiko, or at least I try to. I apologize in advance for all the grammar mistakes or bad spelling (it's currently being reedited). Hope you'll enjoy it!

Disclaimer : I do not own Kuroko no basket.

The clatter of the piece of chalk against the blackboard set the pace in the quiet classroom, directing the scratching noise of the student's writing. Some perked their heads up to take notes while some whispers added a rhythm to this monotonous daily melody every now and then. But the solemn tone of the teacher didn't allow for those unwanted noises inside his own classroom and brought about silence. Only his voice was to brighten up the usual scenery, a simple class lesson. The teacher took a look at his watch and the clatter finally stopped.

"Remember this lesson, it's important. That's all for today." Pointing at the scribble on the board, he perfectly timed his announcement with the school bell that ensued and echoed through the entire compound, allowing the young students to regain their own pace again as the teacher took his leave.

Ritsu sighed in relief amidst the rasps of chairs being pulled; she got a bit weary by the morning lessons. As expected of Teikō middle school's academic level, the lessons went by with a sustained pace, making them hard to follow properly without real personal involvement. Focusing for the whole morning was a difficult task, but there was no room for complaints. She accepted her parents' first choice of school, not minding where she would have ended up as long as there was a volleyball club.

After organizing her things under the desk, she grabbed her lunch pack wrapped in a night blue cloth and pulled her chair back. Time to go eat.

When she was about to stand, she gave way to two of her classmates who were scurrying to the boy seated just in front of her.

"Hey, Akashi! Wanna eat with us at the cafeteria?" The red haired boy lifted his head at the question, staying quiet before the enthusiasm of his classmates.

"Curry rice is today's special!" The other boy announced, already salivating at the idea. "The curry rice here is rumored to be so freaking good! So, what do you say?"

So curry was the ultimate course of the school, Ritsu found out as she stood up and pushed her chair against the desk. Well, it only has been two weeks since the beginning of the term.

"Why not?" The redhead accepted the invitation, staring at his two classmates who nudged his shoulder at the positive response. "Go ahead, I'll join you soon after. I have something to do beforehand."

Getting past the classroom door, she heard those two classmates agreeing with a shout to the calm boy's instruction and watched them as they stomped their way to the cafeteria, kidding around loudly. Their good mood put a smile on her face.

Walking down on the hallway, groups of students loitered around here and there with their happy chatters blending into one another, creating a peaceful atmosphere within the school walls. And nothing could disrupt this peace except for minor details...

"Midorima-kun. You're a good and diligent boy, but why, out of all of my students, are you actually the one who gives me the most trouble?"

A tall green-haired figure was scolded, likely by his homeroom teacher, in front of the classroom door, accompanied by giggles and amused stares of students passing by in the hallway.

"Tell me exactly, what is this big bonsai for?"

"This is my lucky item.", the boy responded, readjusting his black framed glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Ritsu was half-listening to the conversation, more troubled by the fact that they were standing in front of the door when she just wanted to enter the room. With no other choice, she walked past them and decided to use the second door that led to the back of the class.

The middle aged woman gave a sigh, looking at the bonsai being held in her serious student's left arm in exasperation. "And what did I tell you concerning this issue?"

On her way, the girl peeked through the window panes into the class in search for the girl she met at the volleyball club the first week of school. She wanted to go have lunch with her but she wasn't inside.

"That you won't tolerate me bringing those items to class unless they are small and discreet."

"If you are aware, then why did you still bring something this big?" His teacher suddenly raised her voice at the troublesome boy who remained unfazed.

"I...didn't find a small bonsai."

While stepping into the class, she heard the middle-aged woman gasp and go on with her scolding. Ritsu looked around the room, even if her friend wasn't here, she might find out her whereabouts through some of her classmates, and fortunately a group of girls were eating together near her desk.

"Tadaaaa~!" The cheerful exclamation came from near the last row where a cute girl with mid-long pink hair was happily displaying her lunch to her navy blue-haired friend – unsually tanned for Tōkyō's climate – who was straddling the chair opposite of her and examined the lunch pack with a disgusted look. "I prepared it this morning especially for you, Dai-chan! Your mom said you didn't eat enough vegetables. It's bad for your health!"

"Tch...she should mind her own business." grunted the boy and cringed when her little friend handed him out the chopsticks. "Say, Satsuki, did you try it?"

To get to the bunch of girls, Ritsu walked past those two funny teenagers, curiously peering at the lunch in question. Her eyes widened at the indescribable sight. She'd never seen something this awful, everything was burned, even those that resembled clumsily chopped vegetables seemed to have gone through Hell. That was some high level of bad cooking to reach such a result.

"No. I was so engrossed into it that I forgot." The girl vaguely shook her head side to side.

"Then do it now. I don't want to eat it if you didn't even taste it beforehand. I might seriously die this time.", the boy said, trying to save his own skin from an imminent death and making the girl yelp.

Ritsu stopped near the group of girls. They turned their gazea to her as she was interrupting their girly talk about last night's TV shows.

"Excuse me, do you happen to know where Yagami is?"

"Yagami? She's on duty today. She was asked to fetch some reference materials for afternoon classes.", her classmate said, "She must be in the reference room right now."

Ritsu bowed slightly in gratitude and resumed her track in search for Yagami.

"Look at your face. It tastes bad, right?" The pink haired girl tasted her own food, causing her face to contort in disgust, her eyes were completely shut and her lips formed almost a backward "u" as her tongue was stirred and turned numb by the explosion of undefinable flavours.

"Yerk...Even if it was a little burned, it thought it'd taste good...I followed the recipe."

"Are you blind? It's completely charred!", the tanned boy cried, putting the hellish lunch away.

The girl responded with a pout, averting her eyes from him.

"Anyway, let's go grab some food at the cafeteria. We can't possibly eat that."

There are probably going to be a lot of people at the cafeteria today, Ritsu thought to herself.

Stepping outside the classroom, a faint growl came from her stomach. She was getting hungry, and thirsty as well. She took her lunch pack in both hands, staring dejectedly at it as she recalled she had forgotten to bring a drink with her after leaving home. A faint sigh breathed past her lips. Before finding Yagami, she decided to go buy two drinks for the two of them.

On the staircase, distant whispers echoed faintly in the empty stairwell, becoming more and more distinct as their low-pitched voices drew closer.

"What did you eat to grow so damn tall, Murasakibara?"

"Hm...I don't know. I eat normally."

Climbing down, she crossed paths with the two talking boys who were going up.

"Don't give me that. I always see you eat a ton."

"...It just happens. I only eat when I'm hungry. That's all." The boy took a cream pan out of the plastic bag hanging on his wrist and took a mouthful after removing the wrapping.

When Ritsu got past them, the difference in height surprised her. Up the staircase, she didn't pay attention to the abnormal height of the purple head. Compared to him, the boy walking by his side looked even tinier due to his very small form.

"Why doesn't it have the same effect on me?" the boy joked, regarding his chubby build. "I eat less than you in a whole day and I still grow larger instead of longer!"

"Tdjhat'ch weirdch. Youch bwetter gow tchou shee a doctchor..." the huge boy commented with his mouth full.

"You're the weir-"

Ritsu reached the first floor where a handful of people were lounging around. This part of the school, located at the opposite site of the cafeteria, was usually deserted during lunch. Students who wandered around here at that time were those who had business in either the teachers' lounge, the infirmary or the library. And inevitably rare were those whom truly concerned themselves with those facilities at lunch break. Everyone preferred to enjoy themselves under the spring weather instead of dealing with boring things. Just like the bunch of people in the courtyard, taking their lunch outside laughing without a care. Youth in all its splendor.

"Man, I'm starving! I didn't eat anything this morning!"

Two young boys went out of the library, letting their voice out as they were allowed to speak freely and loudly again.

"We should head back to the class and eat. I'm hungry too." the teal-colored head nodded calmly, giving a smile to his friend.

"Yep, finally! By the way, I've never seen you so happy, Kuroko. I can almost see flowers floating around you." the other boy replied, elbowing the smaller one in a friendly manner making the latter stagger a little. "Is that book so important?"

She turned her back on them, heading to the end of the corridor while the two boys were about to climb the staircase she previously took.

"It's a book I've read a long time ago. It's been a while since I wanted to read it again but I never thought I would find it in the school library." the small boy explained, happily holding the book he had longed for.

"Aha! Tell me more about it..."

Outside, she was welcomed by a cool breeze grazing her whole body that quivered in a chill. The remnants of winter still lingered faintly in the air of early spring, striking people with its cool touch before the warm air turned it into a soft one.

Walking under the sun to warm herself, she caught sight of a boy and girl selecting drinks on a vending machine.

"Is it true you're going to be a model, Kise-kun?" the girl asked with a clap of her hands, wriggling beside a shiny blond boy who pressed the button of his chosen drink.

"Yeah, my sis introduced me to a model agency!" He bent down and slipped his hand through the machine's slit and seized the mineral water bottle inside. "Since I'm not in any club, I thought I'd give it a try."

"I knew it!" Seeing his radiant smile, the girl enthused loudly at the news. "But just a try?"

The two of them moved away from the vending machine as Ritsu was just a few meters from them, overhearing all the details of their conversation.

"Hmmm. I want to join a club but I don't know which one. So for the time being, I'll go for modeling until one piques my interest!" the boy admitted in a cheerful tone.

"Heh...It'd be a waste with your pretty face. I'm sure you'd be very popular if you involve yourself more into modeling!"

"Really?" The boy suddenly jumped up and grinned back at the girl whose cheeks turned red. "Then maybe I'll stick to it!"

Their silhouettes disappeared into the main building as a last giggle reached her ears.

All alone in front of the vending machine, she looked up at blue sky. A quiet spring day.

"Hey Asaka, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, Yagami, I was looking for you. Want to eat together?" Ritsu lowered her eyes that fell on a familiar girl.

Yagami Kimiko, a volleyball lover and her partner since their first day at the club.