Wow, it's been a long time since I've last updated! Unfortunately the next one will also take a while to get up since I'll be out for a training class.

Because this story is getting close to 50 reviews and my love for writing small shorts is gradually getting bigger, I'll take a one-shot request from the fiftieth reviewer!

Not much to say at this point besides that I appreciate all the support (reviews, favorite, follows) that I've received in this story so far, and I hope this chapter is up to par with everyone's expectations.

Beta'd by hokkyokukou
(Who is an amazing writer and beta!)

I do not own Kuroko no Basuke/Basket!

From: Kuroko Tetsuya
To: Nijimura Shuuzou

Subject: Re: Meeting?

Message: I thoroughly apologize for standing you up, it wasn't
my intention at all. Like you said, I was suddenly caught up in some last minute
business and became unable to attend.

After school today would be excellent.

THURSDAY—AFTERNOON PRACTICE

Kuroko groaned and placed both his hands flat on his lower back, tightening his muscles until a pop was heard. He tiredly eyed the multiple plastic bags that lay at his feet and pocketed his mobile.

As he had estimated, the errands had taken him a good chunk of the day and had ended up directing him straight back to school just in time for afternoon practice to begin. The coach walked into the gym and looked around at the empty scenery, depositing the bags at the entrance to the storage room.

"I suppose I was early," Kuroko said to no one in particular. He rummaged in his pockets for his mobile, and his eyes trailed up as the gym doors opened to reveal the redheaded captain. "Akashi-kun," Kuroko greeted softly, his voice failing to project loudly over the large room.

Akashi's eyebrows twitched, the only sign that he was caught off guard. He looked up, meeting the coach's eyes. "Tetsuya, you're rather early today."

"I finished the errands early and decided to come here right after." Kuroko glanced at the screen in front of his face. "I didn't realize I was so early though."

"That's fine, I've no qualms with anyone who is punctual," the captain hummed, setting his school bag down on one of the various benches. "Though it is amusing how fast you've gotten Ryou-"

A shrill voice interrupted Akashi, and he swallowed down the boiling irritation that surfaced from being cut off. The owner of the voice, Momoi, had a terrified expression on her face. Trailing behind her was Midorima, Kise, and Murasakibara, each with their own version of a troubled expression. "Akashi-kun, Tetsu-kun, it's terrible... Head Coach Shirogane..."

Tears pooled in her eyes and she panted heavily, trying to catch her breath.

Akashi and Kuroko walked up to the girl, concern on their faces. "Momoi-san, please calm down," the coach said in a tender tone, placing a hand on Momoi's back and patting it in a comforting manner. "What happened to Coach Shirogane?"

"He's currently hospitalized..." A pained look made its way on her face, "the doctors don't know what's wrong, but they deduce that he won't live long. His days are numbered."

As the girl sobbed softly to herself, Kuroko met with Akashi's eyes, the message clear to both of them. "Satsuki," the captain spoke up, "is Coach Sanada still in the first string gym?"

Momoi nodded, "He'll be taking over the position of Head Coach while Coach Shirogane is in the hospital."

"I see. We will carry out practice as normal," Akashi paused, daring anyone to oppose, "and we will all go visit Coach Shirogane afterward, mandatory for everyone. Is that clear?" He was answered with several mumbles that caused him to sigh. Turning to Kuroko, Akashi passed him a thin stack of papers. "We will be going about the same routine as yesterday. You will be training Ryouta today, as Daiki is not here."

Kuroko took the papers, skimming over them and noticing how the handwriting deteriorated toward the end, as if the author was exceptionally tired at that point. "Thank you, Akashi-kun," the coach replied, bowing.

"You are fidgeting Tetsuya. Is there something you want to tell me?" Akashi questioned.

"Well, I had a prior meeting set up afterward. I've already stood him up once, twice would be downright rude." Kuroko met cold eyes. "Not that I'm saying I won't visit the coach, I'll be sure to visit him right after."

The redhead stayed still. "Disobeying me so soon, are you?"

"I am simply putting my priorities in place, Akashi-kun."

A chuckle. "Fine then, go ahead. Do whatever you wish, as long as we bring home the gold it doesn't matter what you do." The group of four trailed out to the fields again, leaving the blonde and the bluenette to stand and awkwardly glance at each other.

"I don't know whether he likes you or hates you," Kise deadpanned, an incredulous look on his face. A half smirk appeared on his face. "So, what are we doing today, Kuroko-cchi?"

"Please don't call me that," Kuroko responded. He ignored the cries of protest to glance at the paper he received and read it off with an impassive expression. "Forty laps around the gym, twenty suicide drills," he mumbled as he read down the list, "a rather hefty amount of shooting drills and dribbling practice. There also seems to be some one on one drills too."

"What!?" More faux tears. "Akashi-cchi is trying to kill me, isn't he?"

"I wouldn't put it past him to do so," the coach said, bending down to pick up the heavy bag of supplies with great difficulty. He struggled until larger hands covered his, making Kuroko relinquish his hold on the plastic material.

"Do these have to go in the closet?" Kise looked at the double doors in front of him, gesturing for the other to open them.

Grabbing a ring of keys he had received in the morning, Kuroko unlocked the doors and held it open, receiving a happy chirp in return.

"I would've been fine, even without Kise-kun's help." He let out a miniscule pout that was overlooked by the blonde, who cried in disbelief.

"You could barely stand up Kuroko-cchi! Besides," Kise teasingly grabbed at Kuroko's biceps, "I still find it hard to believe you could even lift the bags all the way here!"

"What are you talking about?" Kuroko flexed the same arm, "Look at these guns."

"You don't have any!"

A quick laugh later, the coach finally straightened out and hustled Kise into his training clothes to work on the menu. Kuroko watched as the blonde huffed and ran, a smile making its way to his face as more memories fluttered their way into his mind.

'As they say, one step at a time,' the coach thought, handing Kise a dry towel and a bottle of cold water, pleased when he saw an excited glint show within golden eyes.

xoxox

"See you tomorrow, Kuroko-cchi!" Kise waved at the other from the school gates, a huge smile on his face. Kuroko sighed, much like a parent would to a child, and tiredly waved back. He watched as the teen ran back toward the school, most likely to meet up with the other Miracles.

The events of the past day were still fresh in his mind, and Kuroko had been reluctant to let the blonde travel by himself throughout the school. Some way or another, a devilish pairing of his voice and the sweet smile had convinced Kuroko otherwise.

As he dwelled on whether his lenient behavior was acceptable, Kuroko's phone shook in its place in his pocket, signaling a message.

From: Kagami Taiga

To: Kuroko Tetsuya

Subject: Work

Message: Will be late tonight, long day. Leftovers
in the fridge. You okay?

From: Kuroko Tetsuya

To: Kagami Taiga

Subject: Re: Work

Message: I'm fine, will explain at a later date.
Don't overwork yourself.

Kuroko's mood dropped after reading the message he had received. While he did understand the duties that Kagami's new position placed upon the redhead, it was still a challenge to go back to an empty apartment at the end of the day.

Despite that, he pushed the negative memories from his mind and began to focus on a new topic while on his walk to Maji's: the Generation of Miracles and, specifically, their old captain. It was no mystery that the group – and possibly a few exclusive others – was shrouded in secrecy. From the way the Miracles looked at one another, to how people on the outside perceived them, it was easy to overlook the uncertainty that lived in each of their eyes and instead focus on the narcissistic nature they prided themselves on.

But here it was, a golden opportunity right in front of Kuroko, someone who had been a stranger to the prodigies just days before. He walked out of the school district and into the bustling city streets. Watching as children of all ages that were just released prowl around the streets brought a sense of peace to Kuroko's overheating mind, and as he took the last steps to the burger joint, he admitted to himself that this was a point where he would be stepping over the line of normalcy and into the world of the Miracles.

Kuroko opened the glass door and relished the cool blast of wind. Looking around for a face to match the image – one he had received after looking through several yearbooks of the past years – he caught sight of the familiar hairstyle of the male, who was sipping on a soft drink in the corner.

The coach approached the ex-captain and sat across from him, mentally sighing when gray eyes failed to focus on the living being across from him.

"Jeez," Nijimura groaned. "Just where is this guy? I'm not going to be stood up two days in a row, am I?" the raven complained to himself, taking another large slurp of his drink.

"Hello, Nijimura-kun," a barely audible voice spoke out loud to him, causing said male to look around in confusion. When his eyes finally focused on the coach that sat opposite of him, a hefty amount of his mouth's contents promptly escaped the orifice.

Wiping the mess from his chin and table, Nijimura looked over Kuroko with incredulous eyes. "I guess you're Kuroko Tetsuya, the new coach?" After receiving a nod, the raven sat back. "Well, I can't say this is what I was expecting, Mr. Phantom Player."

"You're aware of who I am?" Kuroko expressed genuine surprise.

"You don't know what kind of impression you left on basketball do you?" The ex-captain took another big gulp, scowling when the liquids within were drained. "I'd say it was easily the year when basketball became the most celebrated sport, all for the player that changed the way most saw basketball."

The coach contemplated this. "I don't know what else to say except that I'm flattered."

A lazy hand waved at him, dismissing the gratitude. "If anyone knew who you were, I'm sure they'd have a similar reaction after getting their pants scared off." Nijimura narrowed his eyes. "But enough of this. You came here to talk business didn't you?"

"Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way Nijimura-kun."

"Get comfortable then, it's by no means a short story," The raven flagged down a waitress and placed an order, glancing at Kuroko who placed his own. "I guess I'll start with the first year. When they first came in they weren't anything special to me, just a bunch of brats with crazy hair colors. Try-outs usually work with them going through stations and showing off their skill sets, and when they tried out it was like angels had descended into the gym."

Kuroko chuckled. "That good, hm?"

Nijimura continued on. "At this point all of them pretty much still liked basketball, that much was obvious in their play. It wasn't much surprise to the starters when all of them were placed in first string immediately. Their first year went by without much trouble, they all came to practice and even stayed back a couple of times." He paused when a different waitress stopped by and placed down a tray of food along with a Styrofoam cup on the table. Raising an eyebrow at the single milkshake the other had ordered, Nijimura started up once more. "Second year came and several of the starters graduated, which left the coaches with no choice but to promote Aomine, Akashi, Midorima, and Murasakibara."

"And Kise-kun?" Kuroko questioned, indulging in the milkshake he held.

The raven paused as he remembered a certain player's words from before, but gathered his composure as he answered, "He didn't join until mid-way through the year, something about seeing Aomine as a great challenge."

Kuroko nodded and gestured for the other to continue.

"That guy, Kise, was no less of a Miracle. Shot up to first string like a rocket, surprised a lot of folks. At the same time, they just started to grow at an alarming rate. You probably know Aomine as the first to 'bloom', and one after another their skills and personalities began to warp." Nijimura dug into his packet of fries despite his loss of appetite. "Aomine began to skip practice, spewing some crap like 'The only one who can beat me, is me' and the coaches were pressured by the principal to allow it. At some point I think Akashi lost a couple of screws in the head from being challenged too, though I've only heard rumors that revolve around his father"

"How saddening," the coach sighed.

"Hm?"

"It's saddening to see how people push the ones considered as geniuses. It's like their age doesn't even play a role in how they're perceived and the only thought that keeps them going is victory." Kuroko stared down at his fingers that were tightly gripped around the white cup.

"Unfortunately that's pretty much how Teiko works. Can't say I didn't think that at one point, but I'm much happier at the place where I am now than I ever was. Anyways." Nijimura stretched and groaned. "I can't tell you much about this year besides the gossip that's been going around, but rumor had it that some sort of pact was made. Granted this came from a freshman that was eavesdropping and has probably traveled through many people, so I wouldn't take my word for it."

"Nijimura-kun," Kuroko started, the other blinking in surprise, "this may not be a question you know the answer to, but I feel like I should ask it anyway."

"Go right ahead."

"Why," he paused, "why do you think I would be hired? Teiko has enough hands and probably dozens to spare, it doesn't make sense to hire someone like me who is new to the scene and inexperi-"

"Passion," Nijimura interjected. "People who've done extensive research on you most likely found out your lack of physical skills, but regardless of that you played a key role in Seirin's victory and even managed to gain yourself a name." He met the other's gaze with soft eyes. "Many would've thrown in the towel after finding out they possessed a weak presence – intimidation is a key factor in the game, after all – but you came around and turned that into something no one ever saw before." The ex-captain stood up, throwing his trash in the plastic bins provided and turned to face Kuroko. "That's just my speculation anyways."

Kuroko nodded in acceptance. "Thank you for telling me all this."

"No problem, good luck then." Nijimura waved as he walked out of Maji, leaving Kuroko to sip at his nearly empty drink.

'Good luck indeed,' Kuroko thought as he leaned back in his seat, twirling the styrofoam cup in his hand. 'This information definitely saved me a lot of time, but I still don't know how to motivate the Miracles.' He sighed as he stood up and deposited his trash, checking the time and sending a quick message to Kagami before boarding a bus on the corner of the block headed toward the local hospital.

TOKYO METROPOLITAN HOSPITAL

"I apologize, but visiting hours are already over," the young nurse said, a troubled expression on her face.

Kuroko sighed and planted his forehead on the cold surface of the front desk, "Sorry for bothering you." He began to turn around and walk out, pausing as thin fingers gripped at his sleeve.

"Please wait!" the young nurse yelled, her face growing red as she whispered, "I could probably allow you a couple of minutes with Shirogane-san." At Kuroko's confused look, she explained, "I heard that his symptoms were incredibly serious, and he may not have much time left in this world. I would hate it if you couldn't see him again just because of some rules." She placed an index finger over her lips. "It'll be our little secret!"

The coach let out a small smile, imitating the other and placing a finger over his own lips, "Of course."

They shared a series of chuckles and giggles before the nurse released her hold on his sleeve and carefully directed him around the hospital and eventually to a solid white door, the nameplate to its right side reading 'Shirogane Kozo' in block letters.

"I'll be standing by the door," the nurse told him. "The doctor comes by every hour to patrol, so you only have a couple of minutes."

"That's more than enough, thank you." Kuroko said, leaving her in the hall to proceed into the chilled room shrouded in the smell of chemicals.

The head coach was hooked up to several monitors, each of them releasing a series of noises that repeated on loop. The older male's chest rose and fell steadily as he slept, the peaceful look on his face occasionally replaced with a pained expression.

Kuroko looked to the white table next to the large hospital bed, noticing a glass vase filled to the brim with white hyacinths and light pink azaleas. Below the vase sat several cards, each with differing designs on the outside but inside, all contained words of admiration, thanks, and well wishes.

A warm feeling filled Kuroko's being, and he turned to leave the older male in peace only to be stopped by a broad chest.

"Sir, visiting hours are over!" The young nurse from before looked at the tall male – dressed in a Teiko uniform – with a mix of fear and anger.

"Hah?" He looked at the woman with a look of annoyance. "Shut up," he told her, brushing a hand through his nearly white locks. "I'm not here for head coach, I'm here for him." The male forcefully pushed a finger into Kuroko's chest, a pleased look on his face as the bluenette flinched slightly in response.

The nurse looked between the two men, a look of regret on her face.

"And who would you be?" Kuroko asked calmly, telling himself to breathe and approach the threat with reasonable actions.

"Haizaki Shougo." Said male leaned in, a grin on his face. "Better remember it, because I'm the key to your problems, shorty."

Kuroko scrunched his eyebrows together, stepping back as his personal bubble was penetrated, "I don't believe I have a big enough problem to employ someone of your stature." His tone got darker as he ended his sentence, the jab at his height obviously getting to him.

A snort. "You say that now." Haizaki looked around and grabbed a small notepad several steps away, scribbling on it and passing the slip to Kuroko. "Feel free to run to me when your precious Generation of Miracles finally break." Haizaki leaned in to whisper by the bluenette's ear, his hot breath fanning over the paler figure's neck. "It'll happen sooner or later, everyone knows it."

With that, the bleached blonde leaned back and – with a quick attempted grope at the nurse – walked out of the room, leaving more questions than answers.

xoxox

Kuroko walked along the sidewalk in the night, silently thinking. By then most residents had already settled into their homes for dinner, and the number of cars on the road trickled to the rare few. Around him, streetlights flickered on and illuminated his path.

He thought back to the events in the hospital and frowned.

The nurse had been more shocked than he was and panicked over the possibility of losing her job. Quickly calming her down and easily dodging the doctor on patrol, Kuroko thanked the nurse once more before making his way onto the streets.

Kuroko sighed as he traveled, his body's needs catching up as his stomach rumbled loudly. With a gulp, he attempted to stave off the hunger but as he passed a familiar basketball court, the sounds drew him in and before he knew it, Kuroko was standing by the wire door, hunger forgotten, and watching a tall male swish in ball after ball from beyond the third point line.

He watched with awe as the figure threw another ball into the hoop without a sound.

The player on the court turned around and yelled out to Kuroko, surprising the coach.

"How long are you going to stand there?"

Stepping out, the bluenette had a greater vantage point and could now see that the player was indeed one of his students. "Midorima-kun," he greeted.

Midorima pushed up his glasses. "Kuroko-sensei, isn't it late for you to be wandering around at this time of day?"

Chuckling at the other's words, Kuroko answered, "Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" He walked past Midorima and picked up the basketball that had dropped, spinning it on his finger. "Didn't you just come from the hospital?"

A hand flew out, knocking the ball out of thin fingers and reclaiming it for himself, "I believe that is none of your business, Kuroko-sensei."

"It's my business to make sure my students get home safely."

"You have better things to worry about, such as how you will convince the board to keep you within our ranks when Coach Shirogane passes," Midorima stated.

"Do I appear to be that helpless?"

"Your skill as a player is commendable, even Aomine can agree to that. But at Teiko you are simply just another newbie having yet to prove himself."

"Should I take it that you do not see – or care – for how the situation within the club looks currently?" Kuroko questioned. "I may not have Momoi-san's analytical skills or Shirogane-san's leadership skills, but that only means I will work harder in other areas to make up for that."

Midorima connected with determined eyes. "It isn't my problem to begin with. Simply put, they had a chance to turn around and they took no heed to it. The evidence is the most obvious in Akashi."

The coach tensed. "You don't care about the welfare of your teammates?"

Midorima exhaled a burst of air. "I have no idea how you got to that conclusion, but even if help were to slap them in the face they'd still be hopeless." The shooting guard turned away and walked out, the basketball hooked under his arm.

"If you care about them, why don't you do anything?" Kuroko's words stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't you think I have tried?" His tone gave off a calm aura, but from his clenched teeth and the fingers that dug into his palms, Kuroko could tell he was anything but.

After a pause, Midorima continued on his way, leaving Kuroko – for the third time that day – to watch yet another teen's back slowly fade into the background.

If any of you are saying to yourself that it was a rather slow chapter, I apologize! I've recently thought the same and will revise the chapters to instead show one to two key events a day - meaning more content and faster development! :)

Another thing, I will definitely try hand and foot to respond to reviews from this point on (I was turned off for a while just because it felt as if I was just repeating the same key words over and over), because I do enjoy talking to all my reviewers, but due to a bad mood recently I was afraid that it would rub off on my responses.

Anyhow, thank you all of reading! Reviews are amazing, suggestions and other fixes are welcome as well!