Tetsuya Kuroko exited Seirin's basketball club, Taiga Kagami following closely behind. The blue-haired boy still wore his trademark blank expression, however, to the trained eye, he looked happier than he had ever looked before. Even his walking gait seemed to overflow with intense happiness. The shadow's intense joviality had lasted the entire day, a length of time unheard of for the emotionally-repressed boy.

This was why Kagami has been silently observing him since their conjoined 4th period. So far, his minimal skills in surveillance had proven to be fruitless. Kuroko acted no different towards his other classmates, nor towards his teammates. His basketball wasn't stunted in any way. Actually, Kuroko seemed quicker and even more invisible on the court, resulting in a multitude of surprised Senpai throughout the course of the day.

Red eyes narrowed at the boy before them, attempting to draw forth any reasonable explanation as to why Kuroko was so happy. However, the aforementioned boy was nowhere to be found. Kagami sent his gaze all around him, but was unable to locate his shadow.

"Dammit Kuroko. You used misdirection on me?" Kagami cried, his fist flying into the brick side of a nearby building. His only response was the pulsation of pain from his now bleeding knuckle.

Having successfully evaded his light, Kuroko let the tiniest of smiles alight upon his lips. In his fist, a piece of creamy parchment crinkled quietly. Finally, he had gotten the letter that he had been waiting for. The rest of his walk home seemed to pass by quickly.

"Ow!" Ryōta Kise wailed, hand clasped to his head. "Senpai, that was mean. You shouldn't hit me so much. What if I got a concussion?"

Yukio Kasamatsu answered his Kōhai with another punch to the back of his head. "Shut up and stop complaining. Focus on practice." Kise answered with a pout, crocodile tears filling his eyes. His lower lip quivered and a single tear slipped down his cheek, eliciting coos from his admiring fan club.

One bold first year yelled from the stands, "Kasamatsu-senpai made Kise-kun cry. We should make him cry." There was a round of affirmative cheers from the rabid fan-girls; the sound causing terror to run up is spine. He sent a panicked glance at Kise, who was on the floor, suppressing his hilarity. Kaijō's ace let loose a peal of laughter, quieting both his teammates and the squealing fan's above.

As his laughter grew in intensity, so did the silence that spanned across the gymnasium. When the cackles took on an almost maniacal intensity, admirer and teammate alike stared at the blond in rapidly growing confoundment.

"K…Kise?" Kasamatsu queried, confusion swimming in his tone.

When he spoke, it seemed to snap Kise out of whatever trance he had been in. The boy's giggles slowly faded, leaving him lying on the floor, gasping for breath. "Oh, god. That was hilarious." He panted while standing up. He let out a deep breath, the air gusting from his lungs audibly. "Man, I'm gonna miss all you guys. We never had anything this fun happen at Teikō. I'm gonna miss you all when…" He trailed off, seemingly lost in thought.

With Kise acting normally again, the cloak of awkwardness was lifted from the gym. Fans went back to adoring Kise's cuteness and the thud of basketballs upon the floor signaled a continuation with practice. Kasamatsu also returned to normal, a fist flying at Kise's shoulder. "You idiot! You're not allowed to talk about Teikō when you're at Kaijō's practice! Show some respect for your teammates!"

In a solemn tone, Kise replied, "Sorry Senpai. I was just…" His gaze darted to his basketball bag, amber eyes pausing on a single letter, barely peeking out from the fabric that hid it. "…reminiscing. I won't do it again." Kise then picked up a ball, shooting the basket from where he stood.

For the second time that day, Kasamatsu looked at him strangely. Something was up with Kise. He just didn't know what.

Shintarō Midorima was in an irritable mood. He sat in the back of his rickshaw, wrapped fingers tightly kneading the green teddy bear that rested in the crook of his elbow. The fur was matted roughly, giving the new stuffed animal the appearance of an old, worn out toy. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were drawn up into a scowl.

Kazunari Takao labored rigorously in front, legs pedaling furiously in order to be freed from the incensed shooting guard. The green-haired male had been particularly petulant today and had used a total of 4 selfish acts during Shūtoku's practice. Even Takao was wary around his partner. His usual frivolous behavior had been shot down in an instant with three painful strikes to the head, which left the tinier boy lying on the floor of the locker room, curled in a fetal position for dramatic effect.

Takao used his hawk eye to cast a glance towards the stoic boy in the rickshaw. He had stopped mauling his lucky item, his focus instead upon a thick white letter. His glasses were in his left hand and green eyes were narrowed at the writing upon the paper. "Shin-chaaaaaan!" Takao shouted; the rickshaw skidding to an abrupt halt as Takao's pedaling stopped.

Green eyes slitted and a fierce glare overtook the ace's features as he fell forward from the sudden jolt. His letter was crushed between taped fingers and the grainy wood of the rickshaw. In an attempt to regain composure, he drew in a deep breath, fingers rising to reaffix his glasses upon the bridge of his nose. "Takao, you better have a good reason for this." He threatened, voice raised just a decibel above its usual tone.

The black-haired boy shuddered at the raised voice, so unlike his Shin-chan's usual response to Takao's antics. He opened his mouth to explain, only to have his response shattered by Midorima's intrusion.

With a sigh, the taller boy stated, "Its only fate, I suppose."

Takao sent an inquiring look up towards the shooting guard. "What's fate, Shin-chan?"

A taped finger pushed askew lenses, a glint flying over the glass as the waning sun caught the mirror-like surface. "It would seem that my time is up. It was inevitable; however, I did not expect it to come so soon. It really is a shame…"

He was cut off by a hand encircling his wrist. Takao held onto him, face incredibly close. Midorima shied away, startled by the proximity. "Shin-chan isn't dying, right?" Takao seemed to be a mixture between playful and serious, making it hard for Midorima to gauge his actual reaction.

Midorima shook the smaller boy off him, sending a disgusted look towards the other male. "I am most certainly not dying. You overreact too much. The problem is simply that…" Midorima gestured towards his green teddy bear. With a flick of perfectly manicured fingers, the bear was resting in his palm, outstretched for Takao to observe. "…today is not a good day for Cancers. Even with my lucky item, I am unable to escape fate's grasp."

"Whaaa?"

"Takao, your services are no longer needed. I wish to walk home tonight." Midorima stated tersely, before striding away from the halted rickshaw, leaving an even more perplexed Takao to ponder his words.

"I…I'm so sorry I'm alive. Please forgive me. I wasn't paying attention to him properly. It's all my fault." A svelte brunet boy sobbed, bowing to the larger blond before him.

"Ahhhhhhhhh Aomine! You skipped practice again!" said blond wailed, finger pointed towards their busty manager accusingly. "You! Where is he? He can't keep skipping practice."

Satsuki Momoi puffed out her chest in irritation, whilst pulling her pink cellphone from her pockets. She sucked in a deep breath, as if preparing to tell the blond off, when a tanned figure stepped between the two, dropping his bag to the ground with little regard for what happened to the equipment.

With one dark arm stretched over his head, he said, "Sorry I'm late, guys. I fell asleep on the roof and didn't wake up until some kid poked me awake." He yawned, then grabbed the basketball that was limply clasped in Kōsuke Wakamatsu's hands.

"W…wait. You're c…coming to pr…practice today?" Ryō Sakurai stammered.

Aomine let out a laugh, passing the ball to the timid boy. Sakurai caught it out of reflex, confusion etched in his face. "Yeah, I figured that I could use some of your lunches. Not to mention the fact that I need to get stronger."

"B…but you n…never come to practices?" The brunet continued, shaking hands letting the basketball in his hands slip to the ground with a resounding thud. He quickly followed his statement with a chorus of, "I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me or yell at me, because I'm sorry."

Tōō's ace seemed to go through a transformation, his playful manner seemingly melting off of him, in its wake, a sleek, serious man was left, face hidden behind the shadow of his cobalt bangs. "I didn't come to practices before because I didn't need to get any stronger. Now…" His gaze lingered on his bag, thrown precariously upon the floor. "…I have a reason to get stronger. That's why I'm at practice today."

Sakurai bowed continuously to the taller boy, pleading for him to not kill him. "I'm sorry, don't kill me. I'm sorry, don't kill me. I'm sorry, don't kill m…"

His pleading was cut short by Wakamatsu's hand clamping over his mouth. "Would you shut up?" He yelled, directing his anger and frustration upon the other boy.

And with this, Tōō's atmosphere returned to normal, with the rest of the team continuing their practice. The only one that paid any mind to the previous confrontation was Momoi. The pink-haired manager had her gaze riveted on her childhood best friend, a thoughtful expression on her face. In an inaudible timbre, she whispered, "Dai-chan. You got one too?" Her hand slipped within the folds of her jacket, gently caressing the white parchment that lay confined within its constraints. "What is he planning now?"

"I'm hungry, Muro-chin. Can I go get some snacks now?" Atsushi Murasakibara whined, while wiping sweat from his brow. A pout sat on his lips, trying to guilt the shorter male beside him to ditch the last half hour of practice.

Tatsuya Himuro sighed, "Atsushi, you can't eat your snacks until after practice." The monotonous questioning was starting to wear on his nerves. It was always the same conversation with the gigantic boy.

"But Muro-chin…" Murasakibara whimpered, his lower lip now jutting out at an unnatural angle, "I'll come back to practice. I just want some snacks."

Himuro raised a thin brow. "You'll come back to practice? For some reason, I don't believe you." He placed a thin arm on Murasakibara's thick one. "But if you stay for all of practice and work hard, I'll buy you as many snacks as you want."

Purple eyes hardened in contemplation, assessing the small black-haired boy in front of them. "As many as I want?" Himuro nodded, a slight smirk twitching at the corner of his lips. With snacks as bait, Murasakibara would fall into line as easily as a herding animal. "I guess that's fine…" Murasakibara's eyes narrowed, keen intelligence sparking in the unnaturally-colored orbs. "You know what, Muro-chin?"

"What, Atsushi?" Himuro replied, his interest sparked. This would be the first time in their acquaintance that Murasakibara didn't follow his bribe blindly.

"You're a lot like Aka-chin. He used to always buy snacks for me after practice." Murasakibara had a faraway look in his eyes, as if recalling his past at Teikō. "I miss Aka-chin."

Himuro scoffed, irate at the mention of Murasakibara's old captain. "Then why did you come here instead of going to Rakuzan?"

There was another pout, accompanied by an expression of gloom. "Aka-chin wanted us all to go to different high schools. He forbade me from going to Rakuzan with him." Murasakibara paused for a moment, then reached into the pocket of his shorts. He pulled out a sheet of thick parchment, folded into a tiny square and crumpled a little at the edged. Then Murasakibara beamed at Himuro, thrusting the folded paper in the shorter boy's line of sight. "But now I get to see him again! Aka-chin misses me! I'm sooooo excited to see Aka-chin again."

Murasakibara folded his arms across his broad chest, hugging himself and grinning all the while. Himuro simply stood there, smiling disdainfully at his childish teammate. "Well, you'd better get back to practicing, or else Akashi will be disappointed in you when he sees you again."

Murasakibara's childish mannerism melted off his face, baring the serious expression that he saved for frustrating matches. "You're right, Muro-chin. I'd better start practicing for real or else Aka-chin will be mad at me." His expression brightened once more, although this time, it seemed almost as if the cheerfulness was forced. "You still owe me snacks after practice though, Muro-chin."

Himuro gave Murasakibara a tap on the back, pushing him towards the courts. "Yes, Atsushi, I'll still buy you snacks after practice."

In response, Murasakibara flashed him one last grin before bounding off to join the rest of his team.

Himuro cast a cryptic glance towards his teammate, assessing Murasakibara's vibrant expression of emotions. "Aka-chin, hmm? To think that one little letter can change Atsushi this much. I wonder what that Rakuzan boy is planning." Murasakibara and the rest of Yōsen signaled to the slight boy, stopping his musing. Figuring out the red-haired boy's intentions would have to wait until after practice. Himuro sent one last berating glance towards the giant before he trotted towards the center of the gymnasium to join the rest of his team.

Seijūrō Akashi sat at his desk, hands folded together in contemplation. A smirk of satisfaction sat upon his lips and his heterochromatic eyes were obscured by his closed eyelashes.

In his fist, he held the last of the 6 letters that had been sent out to all of the former Teikō starters. In Akashi's own elegant penmanship, the words upon the letter stated:

Dear 'Generation of Miracles',

During this last year of separation, I, Seijūrō Akashi, have come to the realization that within our own distinct teams, we have all improved significantly. As basketball players, each of us has grown and has come to master our own individual style. This period independence, however, has also made me realize that we all still lack something.

The crucial thing that is missing in our play is the rest of the 'Generation of Miracles'. Together, we all unlocked our true potential. At Teikō, we were limited only by our immaturity. The sudden growth that we all had was terrifying, so our immature selves decided that the best way to deal with our rising horror was to suppress it and to break apart the environment that had forced us to grow. As I watch all of you become one with your new teams, I yearn to rekindle the fire that had nurtured all of us as both basketball players and as people.

I now understand what we must do. We, the 'Generation of Miracles' must come together again. With the aide of our new teams, we have found the last piece needed to become the perfect team. Now that we are past our periods of immaturity and terror, there is nothing that is stopping us from becoming the best team in Japan.

Having said this, I order all of you to apply and to make it into Kyōto University. There, we will all be reacquainted and will once again play together.

You will not be allowed to attend another University, nor will you be allowed to discontinue your education. Nor will any of you accept any offers from any professional team, no matter how much money is offered to you.

Do not misunderstand my demand. This is not a request, but an order. If any of you refuse this, know that you will face consequences.

I look forward to our reunion at Kyōto University.

Sincerely, Seijūrō Akashi

He finished reading his letter for the hundredth time, still satisfied by the contents. Soon, he would be reunited with his fellow teammates at Kyōto and he would have the chance to once again play alongside his friends.

Akashi's friends, for, after pondering their relationship for almost a year, that was what Akashi decided that they were. Each and every one of the ex-Teikō players were his dearest friends. While he was separated from them, he felt a loneliness that he had never felt before.

This was Akashi's second chance to lead his team to the top. This time, however, he was determined to do it right.

The 'Generation of Miracles would never again be broken apart. This was absolute.

A/N Yay! I've started another story. This will be a multi-chapter fic, but it won't be too long. Nor will it be this sporadic. This is simply an intro. The next chapter will skip directly to the Generation of Miracle's University days.

Also, I didn't know how to properly format the names. I put their names in the way that they would be placed in English, since this fic is written in English. I know that in Japan, the names are reverses, but I wasn't quite sure, so I'll just keep their names this way for now.

And also, one last thing. The OOSness in this chapter is done purposely. In future chapters, I will try to stick more to their actual personalities, but in this chapter, the Generation of Miracles are acting differently because of the letter that was sent out by Akashi.