- Act I -

The Beginning of an End

"The flowers are in full bloom again."

Kuroko Tetsuya, from where he stood by the door, looked up to see the back that was facing him. The window the person was gazing out through was wide open, gusts of cool breeze ruffling the long sky blue hair that bore a striking resemblance to his own. Tetsuya frowned, shutting the door quietly before walking over to pull the figure away from the window, sliding the panes close but still leaving a small gap. "You know you shouldn't be straining yourself too much, Hitomi," he said when the girl settled back down onto the white bed.

"But it's Spring again, nii-san."

He stared at the girl in front of him- the more feminine and fragile version of himself- and sighed when he saw the wistful look of longing in her deep blue eyes. He sat down beside her and pulled out a thick leather-bound album from his bag. The girl's eyes lit up in realisation as she accepted the book, her thin fingers wrapping themselves around the edge gingerly.

He watched as she flipped open the first page, smiling a rare smile when he saw the colour that now tinted her unhealthily-pale face. "I took these photos last week. Do you remember this tree?" he asked her, pointing to a certain Sakura blossom that was on the first page.

The girl nodded, "Of course I remember, nii-san. How could I forget? It was one of the first thing I saw in Teiko."

"Nii-san, hurry up! We're going to be late at this rate!"

The teal-haired boy glanced up as he finished tying his shoelaces, a fond look creeping into his eyes as he said to the girl, "We still have half an hour, Hitomi. Relax."

"But I want to have a good look around our new school!" his younger twin protested. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, the ends curling slightly as they brushed against the nape of her neck. The Teiko uniform fitted her nicely, with its white and blue matching her skin and hair colour- Tetsuya paused, looking down at his own male uniform and blinked. Well, that compliment sounded a little narcissistic if he really took a moment to ponder about it.

"Nii-san!"

He snapped out of his thoughts when her slightly aggravated voice reached his ears. Standing up, he picked up his school bag-

"Coming, coming."

...

She had been so excited, observing everything around her with eagerly curious eyes. The smile that had been there ever since they entered the school gates never left her lips even after they found out that they would not be in the same class; with her being designated in 1-A and him in 1-D. Tetsuya found himself having to pull her out of the way of passing students to avoid getting bumped into. While he was the one who had a lower presence between the two of them, she had always been such a petite and small thing that their parents had made it a point to never let her roam about on her own.

But one look of her joyous face silenced every word of protest he had to say. As long as she was happy, there was nothing he would not do… Nothing.

"Look, nii-san, there's the booth for the basketball club. Why don't you go and register now? I'll wait for you right here."

His sister was smiling brightly as she pushed him forward, she herself taking a few steps backwards with a small wave after doing so. He glanced over at the crowded station hesitantly. Even though he loved basketball, he was never good enough to play in any games. He lacked stamina and skills- and his low presence only made his problem worse. But-

"Go ahead, nii-san. Don't worry, I'll be fine on my own."

His sister had urged him when he failed to move. "And, didn't you promise Ogiwara-kun that you two would meet again someday on the court?"

He heaved in defeat, silently heading over in the direction she had encouraged him to go. Yes, he had indeed made that promise to Ogiwara-kun, and he was not someone who would go back on their words. After all that Ogiwara-kun had done for them- either by teaching him how to play basketball, or by watching out for his sister whenever he could not- this was the least he could do.

Ogiwara Shigehiro was a cheerful boy from their neighbourhood, always sporting a wide grin and a grain of rice on his face. If Tetsuya had to quote his sister, it would be- "Ogiwara-kun reminds you of rainbows and sunshine."… No matter how strange that sounded.

...

He was ignored.

And it didn't take a genius to figure out why.

Slipping easily through the crowd, Tetsuya kept his face impassive as he took one registration form directly from under a senior's nose after ten minutes of patient waiting for someone- anyone, to notice him. Scanning through the questions, he was relieved at the basic questions he had to fill up. His pen moved fluidly across the paper, pausing now and then to allow time for himself to think. Then just as he had done earlier, he easily- as well as invisibly- placed the paper onto another pile labelled 'completed forms' which was in front of that very same senior.

He began making his way back to where his Hitomi was, only stopping for a little while when he caught sight of a queer-looking green haired boy- very tall, if he may add- with a thick book in his hand. Was that… a catalogue or something? Tetsuya raised his brow, unamused. But then, it was none of his business.

Spotting his sister sitting on a stone bench not far from where he stood, he felt his voice die in his throat as he watched the sincere smile on that upturned face. Her eyes were fixated on the pink blossoms overhead, childlike fascination shone in them as they trailed the continuously falling petals.

"Nii-san, isn't this beautiful?"

- Somehow, it was no surprise that she could sense him every time he was near.

Tetsuya shook his head as he continued to walk, he plucked a petal from her hair, not missing her muttered "I wish I had brought my camera with me…"- to which he rubbed the top of her head with fond affection. "I'll be sure to bring one next year, and the year after the next. Then you'll be able to 'capture the moment' to your heart's content. What do you think, Hitomi?"

She had beamed, clasping her hands together, "I think, nii-san, that you are the best brother in the whole world! And I'm so blessed to be your sister!"

"So how was your first week as a third-year? Did anything exciting happen?"

Kuroko Hitomi relaxed against her bed after she closed the album, her head tilted slightly, looking up at her brother.

The older boy thought for a moment, his lips pursed as he contemplated what he should tell her. It did not take long for him to decide what to say- bits and pieces of his everyday school life, harmless jokes he heard while he was 'observing humans', his own failed attempt in making his own vanilla shake… He kept his tone light, providing her a good laugh she needed after being isolated from the world for six months now. He kept their topic in check, making sure to avoid- at all cost- anything that had to do with the basketball club. This was the one thing Tetsuya did not want Hitomi to know.

Deep inside, he knew that she was afraid of Change. More so than anyone of them.

How was he to tell her that their friends had started to behave like strangers? Since Shirogane Kozo, their coach, fell ill a few days ago, the atmosphere in the club had worsened. He could not shake off the foreboding feeling every time he caught sight of his teammates' uncharacteristic demeanour- which he was sure they did not notice themselves. However, it was this very ignorance of their own alterations that caused the uneasiness in him to grow.

The one who stepped in as a replacement coach was a man in his forties named Sanada. For now, everything was still in control… For now.

Hitomi did not need to be burdened by all these. She did not need to know that their friends were all changing for the worse.

If anything, Tetsuya wished with all his heart that what she remembered of them would always be that beautiful and pure friendship they had possessed in that one and a half year she was with them.

But thinking back, it was still a wonder to him just how easily she had struck up a friendship with all of them- sans Kise Ryouta who had only joined them after she had left- especially Midorima and Akashi; the former he just could not understand, and the latter he always found himself keeping a respectful distance with. Perhaps her being in the same class as the two of them had contributed to that fact, but still, it did not lessen his silent bafflement when he saw her chatting away with them freely one day during lunch break.

Kuroko Tetsuya stared at the bento in his hand with an inscrutable look in his eyes. Their mother had put the wrong lunchbox in his bag… again.

He sighed a resigned sigh, closing the lid back and got up from his seat, determined to make haste in finding his sister to pass her her lunch.

"Yo, Tetsu, where are you going in such a hurry?"

He paused in his steps by the door, shooting the speaker a weird look, "What are you doing here outside my class, Aomine-kun?" If his memory served him right, this was usually the time his practice partner took a nap on the rooftop.

Aomine Daiki was one of his first friend in Teiko- his only friend, in fact, during these first two month- having met the taller boy in the fourth gym one day while he was practicing by his own. Hitomi was with him that day- as usual, sitting at the sidelines with a novel on her lap. It had been absolutely amusing for the two of them when Aomine barged into the fourth gym while muttering loudly about 'Satsuki' and 'ghosts', only to scream like a girl when Tetsuya's good mannerisms caused him to greet the intruder with that monotone voice of his.

Hitomi had laughed when she watched their exchange, holding onto her aching sides as Aomine bowed his head abashedly at his own shameful outburst.

"No one said that I can't be here. Answer my question, Tetsu!"

Tetsuya let out a breath before showing him the bento in his hands, "My mother mixed up our lunches. I'm going to Hitomi's class to exchange it back."

"Oh. Well, tell her I said 'hi'. I'm going off to sleep now. See you later at practice."

"I will, Aomine-kun. See you later."

Sometimes, he wondered why Aomine-kun even bothered to help him in his practice when they were obviously on different levels. The tanned boy was one of the best first-stringers while he, he was just a nobody in the third-strings.

He reached Hitomi's classroom and peered in through the glass windows. He found her sitting with her back facing the other students, without a doubt, gazing out at the scenery outside again. He let his eyes sweep through her surroundings, a little surprised when he spotted a familiar shade of red and green. So Akashi-kun and Midorima-kun were in the same class as her… Tetsuya took in that information quickly. Those two were on the same level as Aomine-kun as far as he had heard, or seen himself.

...

He was beginning to think that their mother was doing this on purpose.

Tetsuya suppressed an irritable frown. He made a mental note to check their lunch boxes everyday starting tomorrow.

It had been half a year since he had joined the basketball club. And many things had changed in the post six months. The biggest one being his promotion to the first-string. It had been unexpected, the chance that had been given him just when he was on the verge of giving up basketball all together. He owed it all to Akashi-kun who had taught him to utilise his lack of presence for his play- Misdirection was the play style he had came up with.

It was… like a dream came true for him.

Just like always, he paused outside the door of 1-A. This time, however, nothing would have prepared him for the scene he was seeing. It wasn't the fact that his sister was talking to someone that stunned him. No. It was who she was talking to that made his eyes widen.

His gaze landed on the piece of board placed on her table, then on the red-haired- the newly appointed captain of the Teiko basketball team.

Was that… shogi? He wondered, instantly recalling his sister's fondness in board games.

"Kuroko? Is there something you need?"

He was interrupted from his musings when a voice spoke behind him. He turned and gave the person a slight bow- "Good afternoon, Midorima-kun."

Said person merely readjusted his glasses, not replying the greeting. Tetsuya, quite used to his lack of acknowledgment by now, continued, "I came to look for Hitomi. Can you call her out for me, Midorima-kun?"

Midorima Shintaro raised his brows a little, glancing at the blue and red head inside the classroom before glancing down at the bento Kuroko held. Grabbing it out of the shorter boy's hands, he said grudgingly, "Might as well do you a favour. After all, Oha-asa did say that good will come to me if I helped an Aquarius today."

A minute smile formed on his lips, "Thank you, Midorima-kun."

He witnessed as his teammate made his way across the room and said something to his sister, to which she blinked and pulled out her own lunchbox, standing up as if to come over herself only to be stopped by Midorima once again.

"Here you go. And remember, it's not like I wanted to help you or anything."

Tetsuya accepted the lunchbox with another word of thanks. Instead of leaving immediately, he chose to linger for a while, his curiosity driving him to stay and watch, intrigued.

He saw Midorima returning to his seat which was conveniently beside the two, his head angled towards his right. Hitomi had said something to him, causing him to turn away with… embarrassment(?) colouring his face. He saw his captain commenting- probably about the green head- with an amused smile and watched as Hitomi laughed, completely contented and happy.

It was only then when Tetsuya saw the scene that he felt a heavy load he had been carrying, all along unconsciously, lighten. He had been worried, even though he wasn't aware of it. How could he not be? Hitomi needed someone to watch over her constantly, and, he, being in another class, was unable to fulfil his duty.

Perhaps he should talk to Akashi-kun and Midorima-kun later before practice.

But no matter his effort in avoiding the dreaded subject, Tetsuya knew his sister well enough to know that the question was bound to come up, one time or the other. And so when Hitomi finally asked- "Say, nii-san, how are Akashi-kun and the others? I haven't seen them in such a long while…"- he had been prepared.

Manoeuvring carefully around the truth, he replied, "Well, Aomine-kun will always be a basketball idiot. He had improved a lot since last year. Midorima-kun is still vice captain and Akashi-kun is still captain; Murasakibara-kun is still freakishly tall; and Kise-kun is still unbearably annoying."

Hitomi gave him a somewhat incredulous look, "Seriously, nii-san, is that all you can say?"

He shrugged, not offering another word.

"Then tell me more about this Kise-kun. What is he like?"

He blinked, "Kise-kun? He's-" he paused, unsure of what to say. He doubted that saying 'He's like a golden retriever, wags his tail and demands attention all the time, has endless crocodile tears, is as irritating as a child demanding a birthday present on Christmas' would be appropriate.

Hitomi, seeing her brother's uncertain expression, understandingly stopped pressing for more. They fell silent for a moment, until her soft coughing broke through the peaceful calmness. It was apparent that she was surpassing the full extent of her coughs, her small frame shaking violently as she tried hard to keep it down. Her wheezing sound in between coughs made Tetsuya wince, he poured a cup of water hastily, waiting for the episode to pass before he pressed the cup against her lips.

"Does this happen often?" he whispered imploringly, inhaling sharply as he saw the crimson liquid that tainted her lips.

She lifted her head to stare at him with sad, solemn eyes. "We knew this would happen, nii-san. There's nothing we can do about it. Though…" she trailed off, biting her lower lip, "If I really were to go, I want to close my eyes at home…" She gave him a weak smile, "Do you think they'll let me go home?"

Tears pricked the back of his eyes. No words could he offer to his dying sister.

… That was right. Hitomi was dying.

It was a fact that his parents had drilled into him ever since he could comprehend.

- "Tetsuya, protect your sister at all cost and make her happy, okay? Hitomi isn't like the rest of us. She does not have the privilege of a long life."

Born with a body that was well below average, the young girl had been robbed of many pleasures. Hospitals were her second home. But through it all, she had kept a smile, she had done her best, fighting with all she had against all odds… until her system started failing in the middle of their second year of middle school.

There had been no cure, no medicine that could help her. Yet here she was, in the hospital, just for a chance that if something was to happen, they could attempt to bring her back.

For a second he truly wanted to take her home like she requested.

But-

- It just wasn't possible.

"Nii-san,"

Her soft voice called him gently.

Her eyes had a faraway look in them.

"… I want to see them one last time. I want to see all of you playing together, as a team, with smiles on your faces."

His throat tightened at her innocent plea. Closing his eyes to regain his composure, he said-

"I'll see what I can do."

The rest of the week passed.

And finally, after their usual training on Friday, Tetsuya spoke up in the locker room before anyone of them began changing. Conversations held like this, one that was directed at the whole team, was becoming a rare occurrence. However, this was one of those time he refused to be deterred.

"Minna-san, there is something I would like to ask of all of you."

Everyone paused what they were doing at their phantom player's out-of-character's actions. They exchanged confused glances, not knowing where this was going.

"What do you want, Kuroko?" Akashi asked after a while.

Though they might have begun to change, being heartless towards one of their friends was the last thing they would do. Especially with the look of despair their usually expressionless phantom wore.

Tetsuya turned to his captain and vice captain, "Akashi-kun, Midorima-kun, do you remember last year when I told you that Hitomi had decided to move to US because of family matters?" at their affirmative nods, he continued, "I lied."

"Wait. Who's Hitomi again?" Kise interrupted them with a confused look on his face.

Surprisingly, it was Murasakibara who answered him. "Hime-chiin is Kuro-chiin's twin sister."

"Kuroko-cchi's sister?!" Kise exclaimed, "Why wasn't I aware that Kuroko-cchi has a sibling? Is it because I came in late? Is it becau-"

"Shut up, Kise! You're too loud." Aomine snapped, effectively shutting off the blond's wailing. "So, Tetsu, what about her?"

"She- She's in the hospital. Has been there since she quit school."

Midorima's hands froze mid-air, "What are you saying, Kuroko?" He stole a glance at Akashi who had remained impassive.

Their teammate sighed, slumping against his locker tiredly. "She didn't want you to know, to worry about her. And she would have kept it that way if not for the fact that-"

"Oi, Tetsu, don't stop in the middle of a sentence! If not for the fact what?" Aomine pressed impatiently.

He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the words that left a bitter taste in his mouth out- "For the fact that she does not have long to live."

There was a prominent silence then, all of them stock-still as their mind went into a frenzy, trying to comprehend what they were hearing. It just wasn't possible, was it? April's fool had passed already, hadn't it? How could it be that the girl most of them had came to know and like was nearing her end?

"What does she want, Kuroko?" Akashi questioned, his voice lower than usual.

No matter how strong and tough they appeared to be on the outside, they were all, in reality, teenagers- barely fourteen years of age. They shouldn't need to face death. They weren't supposed to!

"She wants to see us play on the court one last time. With a smile."

- With a smile?

The concept sounded foreign to them. And they could not help but recall how long had it been since they had smiled in a match- truly smile and not a condescending smirk. Those memories seemed so far away, as if it was from another lifetime.

"If Hime-chiin wants to see us play, we'll play for her." The purple giant said.

Tetsuya smiled faintly at the tall teen, "Thank you, Murasakibara-kun."

It was no secret that Kuroko Tetsuya and Murasakibara Atsushi had never seen eye to eye on the court.

And it was no secret that they were all good off court, as long as that orange ball was out of sight.

The first time Hitomi had met the giant face to face was the day Akashi 'discovered' her brother in the fourth gym with Aomine. She had found the tall boy munching onto his snacks outside the gym upon her return- she was buying drinks for her brother and their friend in the cafeteria. The first thing she said to him was-

- "Is that the newest edition of Pocky? The one with miso-flavour?"

The boy had glanced down at her from his tall height with an interested gleam in his eyes, "Yes. Do you like them too?"

Hitomi nodded, "I like them well enough but I still think that those strawberry-flavoured ones are the best."

All he gave was a nonchalant reply of- "I like all of them as long as they're snacks."

She hummed in agreement, "True enough." Peering up curiously at the stranger, she asked, "May I know your name? I'm Kuroko Hitomi."

"Murasakibara Atsushi."

"Jaa, Murasakibara-kun, would you like to try this? I saw it earlier under the 'recommended' section."

"What is it?"

"Macha pudding."

… Needless to say, since Hitomi had nothing to do with basketball, the two had hit off right from the start. For Murasakibara, it was all sorts of sweets; for Hitomi, it was pudding. Especially pudding. Tetsuya had often found himself tagging along with his sister and teammate whenever they went on one of their sweet hunt- even if he knew Hitomi would never be reckless enough to eat herself sick. The rest of the Generation of Miracles, when they came to know about their regular escapades, could only shake their heads in exasperated amusement.

It was one of those quieter days in the hospital.

Propping herself up on her elbows, Hitomi carefully placed her feet onto the ground. No doubt, her brother would nag her for her 'reckless' behaviour. A warm feeling filled her heart as she smiled. Tetsuya was the closest thing she had, the only one that had always been there since the very beginning- even before the beginning.

She loved him, just as much as he adored her.

Walking over to the calendar that she hung on the wall, she crossed out another day. Counting today, it would be two hundred and forty days since she was wheeled into the emergency theatre.

It was one of those memories she never wanted to remember. The pain and tightness in her chest, the closing up of her airway, the blackness that plagued her vision, the high ringing tone in her ears… It happened so fast, so unexpected.

She thought she still had time.

She didn't want to die.

Her dream, though she never spoke it out loud, was to grow older, marry a man who loved her, have children, and watch them grow. It was a simple dream, one which so many took for granted. She envied them.

That was why she cherished all that she had right now. Her grandmother, her parents, her brother, and of course… her friends.

She was sure that, by now, they would've all known about her 'situation'. Her brother would've already told them about her request.

Hitomi could feign ignorance for the sake of the people around her but she was not dense. Through years of observation, she had perfected the skill to read between the lines, to decipher hidden meanings between tones and body languages. Her request to 'see them play together as a team with smiles on their faces' was not as innocent as her brother thought it was.

She had sensed his reluctance in talking about them, caught the dimming of his eyes whenever he mentioned them in passing. Hitomi didn't know what went wrong with them, but whatever it was, they were gradually losing their smiles. If her brother's altered manner was of any indication.

"I guess they can say it's my last wish," she whispers into the empty space.

Standing in front of the thermo, she poured herself a cup of warm water.

Frail fingers brought the cup to her lips.

…

- The paper cup never reached its destination.

The colourless water stained the white tiles, there came a choked sound, a thump, a harsh gasp…

… Nothing.

Before her eyes closed, a hot, angry tear slipped down her cheek.

She didn't want to die.

She wasn't ready.

She hadn't said her goodbyes.

And in the midst of these depressing, agonising thought, she breathed her last…

The doctors that charged into her room two minutes later were too late.

...

Kuroko Hitomi died.

… Well, that went fine… Right?

First off, I have to say that this will be the last new story I will ever begin! (I really MUST at least complete one or two of my other fanfics before I ever consider another new one…) I didn't really wanted to begin another one but in the midst of all the stress, it began wandering off… and my brilliant logic told me 'You have 5 stories for your chinese site, why not 5 on this one? It's equal that way, right?' … Right. *facepalms*

As you can see, this is once again another AkashiXOC story. It will be s-l-o-w going (the relationship, I mean). But for this chapter, the members of the GOM that knew her merely saw her as their little sister. (Kise excluded)

For this story, I'm actually challenging myself to write around 5000 words for each chapter… (done that for my chinese fic but somehow English is just soooo hard.) As usual, updates will be regularly irregular. (Got that? XP)

I do not own Kuroko no Basuke; OCs and plot lines are mine.

I hope you enjoyed it~ =D

PS: Tell me what you think will happen next?