A/N; First KnB crossover! I have very little to say except that I hope you enjoy!

~Changing Pace~

Chapter 1: To Leave Our Nightmares Behind

Kuroko awoke with a scream. His nightmare-inspired cries echoed around him in the empty house. As usual, his parents were away on business, leaving him far too alone for his liking. He put a hand to his head and wrestled for control of his breathing. Once he had ceased his terror-induced panting, he immediately threw off his blankets and made his way to the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and wiped the sweat from his face, taking slow, haggard breaths. He leant against the basin to steady himself. It wasn't a particularly hot night, but he was sweating bullets.

His nightmares were getting more vivid. He wondered if he'd ever be able to sleep properly again.

Once he was done, he turned off the tap and dried his face. He looked to his room and gave a shudder. He would not be trying to sleep again that night, he was sure. Instead, he pulled on a light blue hoodie and rummaged around, looking for a pair of runners. He was unsuccessful; he'd thrown most of them away after he'd graduated from Teikou. The best he could find were a pair of Converses. He shrugged to himself; they would do.

He pulled them on, tied them up and jogged out of his house.

It was a quiet night, he noted, as the stars watched over him, keeping him company. Or perhaps the streets were always this lonely at 1am. He wouldn't know. This was the first time he'd ever tried jogging so early in the morning, but he needed to find a way to cope with the nightmares.

They had started a few weeks ago, after Teiko had won Nationals. Kuroko felt the bitter taste in the back of his mouth. He jogged faster, trying to out run his problems. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw his former teammates. He saw their faces, devoid of any passion, even as they stood on the courts; once the happiest place they knew.

Kuroko shook the image out of his head.

He knew that they were just too talented. That they were disillusioned; the sport they held in such esteem was actually not some miracle invention of the gods; it was just a game. The more they played, the better they became, until no one could stand before them. Kuroko grimaced. The worst part of all of this, in his opinion, was that wasn't enough that his friends had lost their love for basketball; they seemed to go out of their way to make sure everyone around them hated it too. Again, Kuroko tried to shake the thoughts from his head.

Maybe if he ran far enough, fast enough, the nightmares would leave him alone. He felt the beating of his feet against the ground, he thought of nothing more than breathing and moving.

Kuroko ran for a long time. He didn't know how far he'd gone or even where he was. He only felt the need to keep going. Eventually, his lack of stamina caught up with him and he collapsed on a park bench. He felt like throwing up, but he knew he'd just end up dry heaving; he hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before.

He was so tired and he was so thirsty, but he didn't have any money or water. He'd left his house with nothing but the shoes on his feet and the clothes on his back. He didn't care. Maybe if he fell asleep now, on this bench, he'd never get up and he wouldn't have to face the problems of a new day.

Thump, thump, swish. Thump, thump, swish.

Kuroko heard the rhythmic tapping and the swish of a ball. Was it his imagination? He'd given up basketball; he'd quit the team. Was it going to haunt him forever?

Thump, thump, swish . Thump, thump, swish.

Kuroko cocked his head. There was something odd about the rhythm. It wasn't the loud, hollow thump of a basketball hitting concrete, nor was it the airy swish of a rustled hoop. It was…different. But it was calm, relaxing. He liked it.

Kuroko was startled awake. He wasn't sure for how long he'd been asleep, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes; the sky was the same pink-ish sunrise hue it had been before he'd dozed off. And the rhythmic thump-swish beat was still there.

Kuroko pulled himself off the bench. He was more than curious, now, about the noise. He followed it deeper into the park, making his way up a set of concrete stairs. At the top, he found a basketball court.

Of course, Kuroko snorted to himself mentally.

He spotted a lone figure positioned on the court, but he wasn't playing basketball. To Kuroko's surprise, the figure was swinging a tennis racket. He bounced the ball once on the cement, hit the ball with a swish and played a rally against the wall. Back and forth, he watched the boy play against his inanimate opponent.

Kuroko knew next to nothing about tennis, but he could appreciate the grace and fluidity with which the boy moved. It was fascinating to watch.

Kuroko moved closer, until he was standing only a few feet away from the boy.

"You know, there's a tennis court over there," Kuroko stated.

The boy gave a yelp and flicked his racquet violently with surprise. It sent the ball flying at the wall at a break-neck pace. The boy whipped around, spotting Kuroko with a start and forgetting about the fluorescent yellow ball that came rebounding back toward his head at lightning speed.

It clocked him solidly in the temple.

The boy fell backwards clutching his head in pain.

Kuroko winced in sympathy; "Oops,"

Kuroko helped the boy up and guided him to a park bench. The boy stoically refused his help, telling him that he was fine. Kuroko ignored him and found a drinking fountain. He pulled off his hoodie and soaked it in the cool water, wringing it a bit then running back to place the garment against the lump forming on the boy's head.

"I apologise for startling you," Kuroko said as the boy gave up his protests and allowed Kuroko to apply the cool hoodie to his temple.

"Hn," the boy grunted, "I'm fine,"

"I was wondering why you were playing tennis on the basketball court,"

The boy shrugged, "It's the only court with a wall. Tennis courts have fences around them to keep the balls from flying out and hitting people walking past,"

Kuroko nodded. They sat in an odd silence for a while. Kuroko was content with the conversation-less quiet; he was used to it, but the golden eyed boy seemed uncomfortable.

"What are you doing scaring people so early in the morning, anyway?" He asked gruffly.

"I was standing there for a while; you didn't notice me,"

The boy looked as if he weren't sure whether Kuroko was joking or not.

"Why are you up so early?" Kuroko asked.

"Jetlagged. I just came back from the US,"

"A returnee?" Kuroko asked.

"Yeah. I went to middle school here in Japan,"

"Did you come back for high school?"

The boy nodded, "I went back to the US for tennis training, but I've come back to finish schooling,"

"You must really like tennis,"

The boy didn't say anything, but there was something in his eyes. It reminded him of the Generation of Miracles before everything had gone to hell. He had the same look Aomine used to have. And Akashi for that matter. Murasakibara, Kise and Midorima enjoyed basketball, he knew that, but they'd never had the avid love for it that Akashi and Aomine did.

Kuroko felt his stomach twist; he'd forgotten how much he'd missed that look.

Before he even realised what he was saying, Kuroko found the words spilling from his mouth; "Can you teach me tennis?" He asked.

The boy looked at him with surprise. Kuroko was surprised too. He'd never thought anything about tennis; he had no interest in the sport at all. But he needed something, anything, to fill the gaping maw that basketball had left in his heart. Maybe tennis could be it?

Later that same day, the two of them met again at the same park. They had exchanged names and phone numbers. Ryoma had also agreed to bring an extra racquet for Kuroko to borrow.

Ryoma wasn't entirely sure why agreed to teach the odd, blue-haired boy. He wasn't a patient teacher, nor did he enjoy helping others all that much (take Ryuuzaki's lessons as an example) but there was something about the bluenette. Something in the way he had asked that had touched Ryoma. It was almost pleading. Well, as pleading as a monotone voice could be.

Ryoma passed the boy a racquet.

"So what do you know about tennis?" Ryoma asked, pulling a ball from his pocket and bouncing it idly.

"Absolutely nothing," the boy said in his usual monotone, watching him curiously as he played with the tennis ball.

Ryoma's eye twitched slightly with annoyance.

"Do you play any sort of sport at all?"

The boy hesitated. Something flashed across his face, but it was too quick for Ryoma to catch. In a blink, the impassive mask was back in place.

"I used to play basketball,"

Ryoma cocked an eyebrow, "Aren't basketballers meant to be tall?"

Kuroko shrugged, "Perhaps tennis would suit me better since there does not appear to be a height restriction,"

Ryoma's eye twitched again, noting that Kuroko was probably half an inch taller than him.

Ryoma quickly taught him the basics. The blue haired boy had an average swing but poor control. It was to be expected though, since it was his first lesson. He also had odd footwork, probably due to the influence of basketball. Overall, he was pretty crap.

"Mada mada dane, Kuroko san," Ryoma offered the boy a can of Ponta, which he accepted. The two sat in companionable silence for a while.

"You never did tell me why you were up so early this morning," Ryoma noted.

"I…" Kuroko paused to gather his thoughts, "I had some nightmares,"

Over the break, Kuroko and Ryoma spent a lot of time playing tennis. Kuroko was getting better; he now had the basics, though he was nowhere near the level of Ryoma's old teammates in Seigaku. Eventually, after a one-on-one match, in which Ryoma decimated the poor bluenette, Kuroko collapsed face down on the ground, panting hard.

"Did you really play sport in middle school?" Ryoma asked, setting down a Ponta beside Kuroko.

"I did," He replied lifting his face off the concrete, "Why do you ask, Echizen kun?"
Ryoma shrugged, "You're stamina is pathetic,"

"Stamina was never my strong point," Kuroko agreed, rolling over onto his back, "I played using assists and passes, which I can't utilise in tennis. I also used a technique called misdirection…"

Kuroko paused. He had a thoughtful look on his face, "Echizen kun. I have an idea…"

Kuroko adjusted his new jacket. He pulled on the sleeve, trying to get it to sit correctly, but gave up. It was the first day of his freshman year at Seirin high. He felt little of the apprehension most first years feel as they begin the next step of their life's journey. Shrugging to himself, he pulled out a book and weaved his way through the club fair that dominated the courtyard at the front of the school building.

"Join the literature club!" "Join the Shogi club!" "Join the Baseball club!"

The voices battled each other, each struggling to be heard over the commotion. Kuroko made a beeline toward the sport clubs. He spotted the basketball club. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He walked toward the basketball club. Then past it. He made his way to the booth slightly behind and to the right of the basketball club's stand. He filled out a form and slipped it onto the stack.

Name; Kuroko Tetsuya

Class; 1-A

Why do you want to join this club: I learnt Tennis over the Summer and I found it interesting.

End of Chapter 1

I haven't edited this chapter much. Normally I re-read a chapter 50 times before I post it. I also don't have much direction for this story. I've got the next three or four chapters written up though, so that's a good sign. If anyone's got any ideas, i'd love to hear them.

What will happen when the Generation of Miracles finds out Kuroko has ditched Basketball for Tennis? Will Akashi be happy that Kuroko has broken "The Oath"? How will Kuroko fit in with the Seigaku Regulars (who will make an appearance next time; Seirin is the newly established highschool continuation of Seishun Gakuen so most Seigaku graduates enter Seirin; they're still called the Seigaku team which is convenient ;) )

All the questions and more will be answered in chapters to come!

Review if you'd like to give me your opinion on where this story should go, who should feature, who should make appearances! Or Review simply if you enjoyed my story! Thanks a lot! :D

:D Laughing on the Inside :D