Chapter 4 : Parting

After hearing my answer, Akashi only left an 'I see.' before getting quiet. But even though he didn't say anything else, I could see that what I said made his mood change a little, even if I couldn't pinpoint what change exactly.

But I was too tired to think too deeply about. So after a look at Akashi, I gave up and let Kise help me in walking me home with the others.

When arriving at home I immediately went to bed without eating anything else.

The next day, due to cramps, I didn't exercised my body as much, but I still tried to increase my proficiency on my lower ranked skills as much as possible. Fortunately because I didn't puch my body too much, I was able to come back home on my own that day.

But because I return alone and also trained in 2nd second string again, the other started to understand that even though I was indeed back, I still hold some grudge on them for the way they played the final match with my childhood friend, Shigehiro Ogiwara.

Or at least that was how they understood it and I never tried to refute it until a weeks before the end of the year, Murasakibara finally went to the club again and accidentally stumbled on me near the 2nd string era while passing.

"Ehh, Kuro-chin? You're back? I thought that you quit the basketball club?" He asked surprised but with a lazy attitude as he help me get up.

"Yes...It's been a while, Murasakibara-kun." I replied without mentioning him hitting me, because I was already used to people not seeing me after a month as Kuroko Tetsuya.

On the contrary the mention of me quitting the basketball club made me immediately think of Oigawara-kun and the wristband he gave me two days before I became Kuroko Tetsuya.

Now that I think about it, the reason I became Kuroko, may be to be able to fulfill that promise completely.

"Honestly, I thought that you were going to give up playing." He bluntly said while munching his sweets.

"I thought about it. But my love for basketball made me give up this thought." I replied with my true feelings. Because be it the old Kuroko, or the old me on earth, at some point both of us thought of quitting basketball. Because having no talent in something we love is actually a bit painful.

And that was something Murasakibara couldn't understand.

"If I were you I would have given up a long time ago you know? Well, you do whatever you want." Murasakibara look at me as if he wanted to see what was in my head before giving up. Most likely he thought that it was too troublesome.

"By the way, what are you doing here Kuro-chin? Our basketball court is on the other side." Pointed out Murasakibara after seeing that I was preparing to resume training with the 2nd string.

"Well I know, but I decided to train here."

"Why? Everyone here is pretty weak. It's not even fun to crush them."

Murasakibara's answer made me paused, but I still answer truthfully.

"I'm training here to perfect my techniques because I want to beat you all in the high school tournament."

My answer seriously surprise him because he stopped eating and looked at me more awake than before.

"Are you...serious?" He manages to ask after recovering from the news.

"I am serious." Honestly if I were honest, in all matches against the GM the only reason we won, was because of the the plot. And because I didn't want to rely on something like luck, I train more seriously in hope that by the time Inter-high start, I have the power to make a significant impact against them.

"But Kuro-chin, you can't win against us you know." State Murasakibara with a puzzled look on his face. Looking like someone who couldn't understand why a mouse would claim to be able to beat a lion.

"I know that right now I am not at your level, that's why I am training right now." I tried to explain calmly to Murasakibara, without getting irritated by his words because I was already use to it.

"I don't think that you understand Kuro-chin, no matter how much you train, you'll never be able to win against us. So just give up." He said, as if he was trying to reason with me.

But while I wouldn't get hurt or angry when Murasakibara called me weak or untalented, his way of life of always giving up whenever it get hard, really makes me angry.

"Murasakibara-kun, if you like to give up whenever it gets hard, it's fine. But don't try to instill that kind of mentality in me, because I really hate that kind of attitude. Besides as far as I know, no one with that kind of mental state ever get very far in life." I rebuked him angrily.

It wasn't the first time I would get angry with Murasakibara over his attitude, and in those situations we would've normally start to quarrel over who's right, but strangely today Murasakibara didn't reply back but look at me with a weird look before leaving, while saying "Whatever."

Looking at the back of Murasakibara who was getting farther away, I tried to think about what I did different that would cause Murasakibara to suddenly change in his behavior, but I still couldn't find anything.

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(1st pov)

While Murasakibara tried to leave Kuroko with a nonchalant attitude, but internally his feeling was in turmoil.

'That look... It was the sam– no! Kuro-chin's eyes weren't as scary as him, during our last one on one. .. But it has a similar aura...' Thought Murasakibara in silence without noticing that his hands were trembling in fear. It was only when upon meeting Midorima in the 1st string that he finally noticed and forced himself to calm down.

"It's rare for you to be here. To be honest, I never thought that that you'll put a foot on the court after the tournament." Said Midorima sarcastically after seeing Murasakibara coming to them.

"Well, I had nothing else to do and feel a little bored." Replied truthfully Murasakibara with his usual tone after he finally calm down.

But this attitude irritated Midorima.

"If your just here to chill and not to train seriously, then you shouldn't have come at all." As someone who take training seriously, Murasakibara's excuse to come to the club really displease Midorima.

"Well, I lost the motivation to train anyway." Said Murasakibara as he thought about the look Kuroko gave him.

As he was preparing to return from where he came, Murasakibara hesitate for a while but at the end couldn't help himself. Turning his head so Midorima wouldn't see his expression, he asked :

"By the way, did you know that Kuro-chin is playing again?"

"Yes. It's already been a month since he came back. Of all of us, you should be the last one who learned about it." Answered Midorima truthfully after wondering why Murasakibara, a guy who's not interested in someone else life suddenly asked about Kuroko.

"Then...did you know that he's training to beat us?" Asked Murasakibara eager to hear his answer. And as if he was worried that he was lying he added again: "Kuro-chin said it to me himself."

"He wants...to win against us?" While at first Midorima was surprised by the news, but after thinking about Kuroko's usual style of doing things, he suddenly felt that it wasn't so surprising anymore. But because of that, he suddenly thought about the strange discussion that Akashi and Kuroko had when they saw Kuroko coming back to the club.

'So, Akashi already knew at that time that we were already in Kuroko's target. That's why he said that his eyes changed. Furthermore, except for Kise and myself nobody else seems to not understand what they talked about that day, meaning that now except Kise everybody knows it? Well, that's not important, what's important, is that neither Akashi neither Aomine disregarded Kuroko goal even though they are the one who like the most to put other in their place. So, something is wrong...'

Even though Midorima guessed something for the attitude of his teammates, but because he didn't have the full picture of the story he didn't want to say his guess out loud. The only thing he was sure so far, was that something changed in Kuroko Tetsuya. So after a brief silence he simply said to Murasakibara.

"Even if it's Kuroko who wants to beat me, I will still do my best against him."

Not hearing the answer he wanted to hear Murasakibara left in disappointment.

"Boring."

Midorima didn't reply to his provocation but pondered silently on what he just learn.

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Teiko Middle School's Graduation's day.

Inside the basketball club, in a day where nobody was suppose to be here, stood five middle school students who graduate today. They were the five prodigy of Teiko middle school: the Generation of Miracles.

"From now on, we're rivals." Said Akashi Seijuro directly. "The next time we'll meet will be at the national high school tournament."

"Do you have to be so cold when saying something like that?" said Kise with an awkward smile.

"We were just unlucky to pick different schools." Added Murasakibara, to which Kise hesitantly nodded. But from the look of the other students present, no body agreed with that.

"Unlucky? I don't think you yourself believe in that. There are only that much strong schools, but none of went to the same schools. Unlucky? No. We all made that choice ourselves." Akashi statement made the other have some reaction. Because they all knew unconsciously that he was telling the truth.

"First of all, none of us like to be put under the same title of the Generation of Miracles. Because we all have a great talent, none of us think that the others are greater than ourselves. And to prove that, we all want to beat the others. And the only way to do that is to chose a school different from others."

"Obviously." Agreed casually Aomine, followed by the others.

But then Murasakibara suddenly thought about Kuroko and his declaration. In Murasakibara's mind the only reason he could find for Kuroko to win against them would be because treat this as just a simple game we're a friend want to win against another friend.

"Kuro-chin wouldn't understand..." He involuntarily let out.

But once again, Akashi refute him. This time amused as he thought of Kuroko's eyes.

"No. Even though Tetsuya is still a bit different than us, and even if it's for different reason, he will join our contest. Because he told me, that he won't change his way of playing. The only thing I want to see, is if after his talent bloom fully, he'll still have the same answer when we'll see each other again." Said Akashi playfully, causing different kind of reactions among the group.

The one with the most clueless being Kise who just learned that Kuroko was actually like them.

"Kuroko-chii's talent?" He said shocked. Before looking at the other and finding from their reactions that they all knew more or less about it. "What is it? What's his talent? And why I never knew about this?? Why do I seems like the last one to k own about it?!"

Though, everyone heard him, but nobody answered, too preoccupied to think about Akashi's words, while the later just didn't want to answer.

Because Akashi's words this time were understood by everyone because all of them experienced the same thing after their talent bloom : the boredom of playing basketball and cold feeling they now have toward a sport they used to like.

The most touch by Akashi's words, Aomine Daiki, feel it more deeply because he was the 1st person who chose to stop being Kuroko's light.

'Tetsu, what you going to chose after reaching our height? Are you also going to stop counting on your light? O your teammates? Or...' After seeing that all the teammates after him that awaken their talents have more or less, chose the same answer as him, Aomine didn't really think that Kuroko will chose differently, and that sadden him more than he wanted. But a part hidden deep inside him wanted Kuroko to be different. He really hoped that Kuroko Tetsuya will came with a different answer.