A/N: Kagami and Kuroko are so awesome together. They're my absolute favorite duo.
Important: I haven't started the manga yet, and as of the publishing date, the latest anime episode is 14. So I'm sorry if my story conflicts with the current manga plot. My tumblr dashboard has supplied me with many spoilers already though. I know a lot about all the gen miracle members without having to read the manga lol. That doesn't mean I won't read it though. I plan to start reading it after the anime ends. And hopefully there will be a season two of the anime!
Language Barriers
One shot
000
"Kagami is…a lot more energetic than usual…" Aida Riko commented, eyeing the tall red head with a wary expression on her face. She didn't know whether or not that was a good thing. He was jumping higher at the moment, but that also meant that he was losing more energy, which he would have to save for an important upcoming game in a few days.
"Yes. He said his friends from America were coming by to visit him," Kuroko spoke up next to her. The coach let out a short cry of surprise at his sudden appearance. She cleared her throat, quickly recovering.
"America, huh? Wow…I sort of want to meet them…" She said, looking up at the ceiling in thought.
"If you ask Kagami-kun, I'm sure he'll introduce you," the blue-haired teen pointed out. She nodded slowly. They would probably be extremely tall and strong. Her eyes twinkled at the thought of analyzing their statistics.
"I'm definitely considering that…ah. Are you going to meet them?" Riko asked, turning towards Kuroko. He nodded politely.
"Kagami-kun said that he would like me to meet them," he explained. Riko rose an eyebrow. "Don't tell me…you're going to have a basketball match with them or something?" She questioned, looking concerned. Before he could ask what the problem was with that, she continued.
"I mean, if they're basketball players from America, they'll be massive, Kuroko. Like Papa. Maybe even taller. If you play with them…" She placed a hand over her mouth to stifle her oncoming giggles.
"They might not notice you and you might get…s-squished," she finished. Kuroko frowned.
"I don't see how that is funny, coach," he stated, monotone. She instantly gave him an apologetic smile.
"Right. I'm sorry. I just imagined the scene and…" She broke out into more tiny giggles.
"What's so funny? It's not me, is it?" Kagami demanded, after noticing the coach's uncontrollable giggling.
"She imagined me becoming squished," Kuroko informed, successfully confusing the red haired teen.
"Kagami! Kuroko said that your American friends would be visiting today," Riko said, still breathing heavily from her laughing fits. He nodded towards her.
"Yeah. They were invited to play at Tokyo, so they phoned me and said that they wanted to see me," he explained before casually dunking a basketball into the hoop.
"Can I…meet them too?" Riko questioned hesitantly. "Sure," Kagami shrugged.
"I'm meeting them right after this practice, at the park," he told her. She nodded in understanding. At the park…that meant that they would indeed be playing basketball. In that case…
"Hyuuga-kun!" The coach called out sharply. The said teen looked up in surprise before jogging over to her. "What's up?" He asked, tucking a basketball under his arm.
"Kagami's American friends are visiting today. Come with us to meet them," she told him, straight forward as always.
"O-oi…" Kagami started, startled at the coach's sudden decision. He shook his head, knowing that she would be the type to ask someone else to tag along without asking for his permission first.
"…eh? …American?" Hyuuga questioned, paling slightly. Riko beamed at him, nodding cheerfully. She was beginning to skip around in circles. He gulped.
"Yup! They might be able to teach you a few things," she told him. He sighed. "I just get the feeling that you're plotting something…" He muttered before jogging back onto the court.
000
"You ended practice way too quickly," Hyuuga pointed out dryly. Riko grinned. "I can't help it! I'm excited! I don't get this type of opportunity everyday," she replied happily. He knew it. Of course she would want to see their stats.
"Do they know how to get to the park, Kagami-kun?" Kuroko questioned, looking up at his tall friend. He shrugged back.
"Hopefully. I told them some pretty good directions. And…crap," he stopped suddenly, staring up ahead. The other three also looked ahead, and gaped at what they saw. Kagami could feel adrenaline coursing throughout his body.
"They're already here," Kagami stated, with a slight smirk. He was beginning to feel pumped up. He was glad to see them, that much was evident. Kuroko blinked curiously at them, looking a little more interested than usual.
There were three of them, all extremely tall. The one on the left was black haired, and strangely kind and humble looking. The one on the right was blond and slightly reminded Kuroko of Kise. The one in the middle was brown haired, and had a look of intensity that rivaled Kagami's. He also happened to be the tallest.
"Tai!" The brunette greeted, grinning. Riko and Hyuuga shivered. He looked menacing. Both Kagami and the brunette bumped chests. Tai…? Kuroko thought it was a strange nickname. They must be close, he pondered.
"Is that a usual greeting in America…?" Riko whispered over to Hyuuga, who simply shrugged back, just as confused.
"Ah. These are my Japanese friends. Those two are on the same team as me," Kagami explained to the Americans, now speaking in clear English. The others watched in awe. They were astonished at Kagami's English, and barely knew what he had just said.
"Oh…who's the girl then? Your girlfriend?" The blond American asked, suggestively nudging Kagami, who scoffed back. Riko and the other two males continued to watch on with puzzled expressions, since they hardly knew any conversational English.
"No way, man. That's my coach," he replied back, causing his friends to yell in surprise.
"Whoa, really? That's hot," the blond commented. Kagami rolled his eyes.
"Oh," he suddenly said, remembering that the others were still there, merely watching.
"This is Erik," Kagami said, pointing at the black-haired teen. "This is Steven," he pointed at the blond. "And that's Jeff," he jerked a thumb at the brunette. Kuroko, Riko and Hyuuga nodded.
"H-hello. I am Riko," the girl said, stuttering awkwardly with her English. The three American's grinned at her, save for Erik, who delivered a kinder looking smile. Hyuuga narrowed his eyes at them.
"This is Kur…ah, I mean Tetsuya. And this is Junpei," Kagami said in English, gesturing over to them. "Nice to meet you," Hyuuga spoke in English, trying his best to sound clear.
"Hey, Tai. Is this guy really on the basketball team? I didn't even notice him until you introduced him," Jeff asked, looking down at Kuroko, who innocently looked back up at him, having no idea what he had just said.
"Yup, believe it or not. He's great though. You'll see what I mean later on," the red head answered back, proudly patting Kuroko's head, who responded by giving him a blank stare.
Kagami and the Americans began having a full blown conversation in English, unintentionally leaving out Kuroko, Hyuuga and Riko, who all shrunk away in a corner.
"This is what they call…a language barrier, isn't it?" Hyuuga asked, crossing his arms. "They're talking so fast. I have no idea what they're saying," he added, shifting his glasses up.
"But just as I thought, they're all huge," Riko said, unable to mask the tone of admiration in her voice as she glanced up at them. The man next to her frowned.
"You're…not interested in any of them, are you?" Hyuuga asked hesitantly. Riko rose an eyebrow.
"Well of course I'm interested in them. It's not everyday that high school American basketball players come by the park," she said, placing her hands on her hips.
"She doesn't understand, sempai," Kuroko pointed out, beginning to pity him. Hyuuga sighed. "Yeah…"
"K-Kagami!" Riko spoke up in a loud whisper. "Hm?" Kagami bent down, and the girl whispered something into his ear. He pulled back immediately, giving her a strange look.
"No way! I'm not doing that for you. That's just plain weird, coach," he answered back loudly. Riko clapped her hands together.
"Please? Please! It might be the only chance I get!" She pleaded, beginning to pout. He stared at her in disbelief.
"You have no feminine attributes," he finally stated. In response, she delivered a swift kick to his shin. "Tell them. Or else practice will only be hell for you," Riko threatened, glaring at him. She often despised the fact that her team never acknowledged her girly side.
"Fine! But you owe me. A lot," Kagami finally sighed before turning back to his American friends, who looked slightly perplexed at the exchange. He cleared his throat.
"Er…my coach wants you guys to…take off your…shirts," he told them, strictly avoiding eye contact, and ending his sentence in a whisper. They all widened their eyes before looking down at Riko, who tilted her head to the side.
"Is she…into that kind of stuff?" Steven, the blond, asked, looking oddly excited.
"Nope. It's just something she does. Apparently, she can see your stats if you don't have clothes on," Kagami explained. They looked mildly impressed.
"That's…pretty cool," Jeff said before gladly pulling his shirt off. The others followed suit, acting casual and collected. Hyuuga sweat dropped. She actually got Kagami to tell them to take off their shirts…
Meanwhile, Riko was staring at them in amazement. Their stats were higher than Kagami's. Even the strength in their legs exceeded his. She frowned lightly at the thought. Maybe bringing Hyuuga-kun for a practice game wasn't the best idea…Hyuuga-kun, Kagami and Kuroko will be destroyed, she thought as her frown deepened.
"Huh? Don't like what you see?" Jeff asked, raising an eyebrow. Riko looked over at Kagami, expecting a translation. He sighed.
"He thinks you're disappointed," he explained to her. She blinked, startled. She hadn't realized that she was giving off that impression. Language barriers certainly were a difficult obstacle.
"Tell him I'm not. I'm just worried about the team…" She replied, while Kagami lazily explained things to his friends.
Riko turned around. I was hoping that Kagami would at least rival their stats…this is insane. America is insane. I should find a way to get Kuroko and Hyuuga away from here, before Kagami decides to ask them for a game. I don't want them to get discouraged.
"Oi. We're going to have a quick match," Kagami snapped Riko out of her thoughts, tapping her shoulder.
"E-eh?" Riko whipped around to see that Hyuuga and Kuroko were already heading for the court. She cursed. Not good, not good!
Kuroko slipped a sweat band onto his wrist as he stepped onto the court. He glanced over at Kagami, who was still laughing along with his American friends. He looked back down at the floor. He was feeling an odd emotion.
He felt like he didn't exist, just as everyone usually perceived him. He felt like he wasn't even a shadow. He felt as if the light creating his shadow had been suddenly switched off. Kuroko's eyes darkened at the thought.
"We won't go easy on you, Tai!" Jeff shouted, energetically dribbling the ball. He cleared it with Kagami before he dashed passed all three of them, and effortlessly dunked it into the hoop. Hyuuga gaped in surprise.
Kagami, who was grinning with excitement, cleared the ball with Jeff, and made to dash passed him, but found that the ball had been taken away from him by Erik. Hyuuga tried his best to block the black-haired American, but the ball easily flew over him, and swished into the hoop.
Riko watched from the sides, looking serious. She began to wonder if any high school team in Japan was better than these Americans.
"Hyuuga, your ball. Pass it to Kuroko," Kagami instructed, tossing him the ball. Hyuuga nodded, looking determined. After clearing the ball, he spun around and thrust the ball over to Kuroko when he saw that he had a short opening.
As always, Kuroko slapped the ball over to Kagami, who harshly dunked it into the hoop. And as always, their opponents were speechless at the pass.
"Shit, man! I forgot he was even here!" Jeff yelled, looking over at Kuroko. Kagami grinned.
"And was that…a pass?" Steven demanded in disbelief. Erik nodded in approval towards Kuroko.
The next few minutes were intense. Riko noticed with satisfaction that her team was finally beginning to block passes and attempted shots. But she also noticed that the Americans were playing slightly rougher than a typical Japanese high school team. She was becoming worried, mainly over Kuroko's safety, since he was usually unnoticed.
Erik attempted a three pointer, but Kagami used one of his power jumps and slammed the ball back onto the ground. Riko sighed. At this rate, he wasn't going to have enough energy for their upcoming game. Then, she gasped.
Jeff was dashing for the ball, and she noticed (miraculously) that Kuroko was preparing to pass it to Kagami. She stood up. Jeff wouldn't notice Kuroko. He would be shoved to the side, by that huge body. It would be like a truck crashing into a puppy. She cupped her hands around her mouth, prepared to yell.
"Ku"—
Too late. She watched in horror as Jeff crashed into Kuroko. Jeff was unaffected, and looked extremely confused, wondering what he had just run into. Meanwhile, Kuroko was thrown back a few feet, with his elbows skidding painfully across the pavement.
"K-Kuroko!" Riko exclaimed, running over to him. He was lying on the floor, and indicated no intention of getting up.
"Crap!" Jeff shouted when he finally noticed that he had accidentally shoved Kuroko over. Kagami, Hyuuga and the other two Americans jogged over, looking concerned.
"Is he…out?" Kagami asked reluctantly, reaching over to touch him. But Riko quickly grabbed onto his wrist.
"Don't touch him yet. We don't know what happened to him," she snapped. Hyuuga placed his hands on her shoulders, sensing her deep worry. They all stared at Kuroko for a few seconds, before his head finally rose up. His eyes were unusually dazed looking.
"Ouch," he stated, beginning to sit up. Kagami cringed. His elbows were covered in blood.
"Can you stand up, Kuroko?" He asked. He nodded, but accepted Kagami's assistance anyway, and let his body lean against him. His ankles were aching.
Jeff was currently on his phone, searching up how to say "sorry" in Japanese. After finding it, he grabbed onto Kuroko's shoulders. "Gomen! Gomen, gomen, gomen!" He shouted.
The blue-haired teen merely nodded at him, pretending that he didn't hear Kagami's chuckle, or his unknown remark in English.
"Let's call it a day. You guys will still be here until the end of the week, right?" Kagami asked, looking over at his foreign friends.
"Yes. Hopefully we can come by here again after our game," Erik replied.
"Kagami. Me and Hyuuga-kun are going now," Riko said loudly. "Take care of Kuroko, okay?" She said sternly before turning around to leave. However, a hand grabbed onto her shoulder and spun her back around.
"You're leaving? Hold up," Jeff said before giving her a tight hug. Hyuuga's jaw dropped while Riko let out a squeak of surprise. Hyuuga watched in dismay as Erik and Steven also gave her a hug.
"Ah. Sorry. Hugging's big in America," Kagami informed them, watching in amusement as Hyuuga began to drag away an extremely embarrassed Riko.
"You guys just wanna sit around on the benches? They have a pretty good crepe stall over there," Kagami said, pointing with the arm he wasn't using to support Kuroko's weight. Their faces lit up.
"Hell yes! I've always wanted to try a Japanese crepe!" Jeff shouted, jogging over to the stall.
"Do you guys even have yen?" Kagami laughed. Erik nodded. "We exchanged our bills earlier," he replied.
"Alright, then. We'll wait here. You don't have to get us anything," the red head replied, seating Kuroko down before sitting down himself. Kuroko glanced up at Kagami, and painfully noticed the smile that still remained on his lips. He frowned. He shouldn't be sad that Kagami was smiling. Of course he would smile after meeting with his friends from America, he reasoned.
Kagami was happy to see them again. He would probably also be a better basketball player if he stayed with them. Maybe…Kagami would end up going back with them to America.
Kuroko knew that he was weak. He couldn't bring out Kagami's full potential, like those guys probably could. He nodded slowly. Maybe if he persuaded Kagami to go with them…he frowned again. He would be left without a light if he did that. But he couldn't let Kagami stay here, when he could be over in America, quickly increasing his skill.
"That game was intense, huh, Kuroko?" Kagami spoke up, lightly nudging him. Kuroko nodded after being taken out of his dark thoughts. "Yes," he replied.
"But they're great, aren't they? One day I'll beat them. I'll beat them for sure," he continued confidently. Kuroko nodded again as the corners of his lips tugged up ever so slightly. That was the same thing he had said about the Generation of Miracles, and so far, he was living up to that promise.
"Yes," Kuroko repeated. Kagami glanced over at him, a little irritated.
"That's all you ever say. Anyway, your elbows still hurt?" He asked, peering over.
"Of course. I only fell a few minutes ago," Kuroko replied with a straight face. Kagami sighed. But he was glad that his blue-haired friend was acting the same as usual. Or so that's what he thought.
"Huh? Did you get one for me? I told you not to," Kagami said. Kuroko frowned again. He was speaking in English, which meant his friends were back from the crepe stall.
"Well, yeah. I wasn't just going to listen to you. I got one for T…Tet…su…ya too, as an apology," Jeff said, visibly struggling to pronounce Kuroko's name. He passed the two crepes to Kagami before devouring his own.
"Here, Kuroko. He said it's an apology," Kagami said, handing Kuroko a strawberry crepe. Kuroko's eyes darkened, just like before.
He had just spoken to him in English.
"…what did you say, Kagami-kun?" He asked him after accepting the crepe from him. Kagami put a hand over his mouth before answering back.
"Crap, I just spoke to you in English, didn't I? My bad, my bad. I said that Jeff is giving that to you as an apology for earlier," the red head said hastily.
"Oh. Please give him my thanks," Kuroko replied before beginning to nibble on the crepe. And then it began once more. Kagami was fully engaged in the English conversation among his friends, and Kuroko was simply on the side, silently eating. He could feel the wounds on his elbows gradually beginning to sting more and more, and vaguely wondered if it had to do with his emotions. The English sounded so foreign, especially coming out of Kagami's mouth. He seemed like an entirely different person. He looked so happy, and that's what affected Kuroko the most. Even Kagami's laughter was beginning to sound strange.
Kuroko knew that he shouldn't hold a grudge against his teammate's American friends. They weren't trying to make him feel left out on purpose. Like Hyuuga had pointed out, it was because of the language barrier, nothing more. But that still didn't excuse the fact that…
…
Before he knew it, Kuroko had unconsciously tugged onto the sleeve of Kagami's sports jacket. Kagami blinked in surprise before turning towards Kuroko, who was just as startled, although his face didn't exactly show it.
"What's up, Kuroko? Do your elbows hurt? Ah, crap. That reminds me, we never washed them or got you any bandages," Kagami pointed out before shoving the rest of the crepe down his mouth.
"Hey. Jeff, Erik, Steven. We have to go now. It was really nice seeing you guys again," Kagami explained, shaking hands with each of them. The Americans took turns patting Kuroko's head. He suppressed a tired sigh. He didn't enjoy being pet on the head, but he obviously couldn't tell him that.
"We'll see you around, Tai. Bye bye!" Jeff said. Kuroko understood the last bit. "Bye bye," he repeated softly, giving them a small wave. The smiles they returned almost made him feel guilty. It was his fault that they were exchanging farewells at such an early time.
"Next time we meet, I'm going to kick your sorry asses!" Kagami yelled, giving one last wave. He turned back to his small, blue-haired friend, giving him a light nudge.
"Kuroko. Let's go to the convenience store and buy some bandages. And finish that already," Kagami told him, pointing at the crepe. Kuroko nodded, nibbling again on the food. Eating it gave him the excuse to keep silent, even though he usually kept silent anyway.
000
Kuroko sat down outside the convenience store, awaiting Kagami's return. He had told him to sit down and stay put, because he didn't want him to get tired. He finally finished the crepe. He rolled up the paper into a ball and tried tossing it into the trash a few feet away from him, pretending that it was a basketball. Of course, he missed. It didn't surprise him.
"You're hopeless, Kuroko," Kagami commented, picking up the paper ball and tossing it right into the trash. He sat down next to him, removing a small bottle of disinfectant from the plastic bag he was holding.
"Ouch," Kuroko stated as Kagami rubbed it over the wounds. "Bare with it," he said back, fishing for the roll of bandages in the plastic bag.
The blue-haired teen kept firmly silent as he felt Kagami lift his arm and start to apply the bandages. He tried not to think about his American friends. For some reason, he felt as if Kagami would somehow read his mind if he did.
"So…even you feel left out sometimes, huh?"
…
Eh?
Kuroko looked up at him, widening his eyes more than usual.
"I noticed. Barely," Kagami elaborated as he wrapped the bandage around one of Kuroko's elbows, making sure not to tie it too tightly so he would still be able to bend it if he wanted to.
"Sorry. Language barriers…are tough," he sighed, now turning towards the other elbow. "I thought we could communicate through basketball, you know. The thought of you getting crushed did cross my mind for a while, but I didn't think it would actually happen," he explained with a short laugh. Kuroko was surprised about Kagami's intentions. Communicate through basketball? He had never thought about it that way.
"Alright, it's done! Let's go find a burger place now. I'm hungry. I'll even buy you a milkshake," he offered, standing up and stretching.
"Okay," Kuroko replied, letting his red headed friend help him up. Kagami walked casually while supporting the limping phantom gen member. He glanced down at him.
"Hey, you were mad when I accidentally spoke to you in English, weren't you?" He questioned him, almost teasingly.
"Not at all," Kuroko lied calmly. Kagami scoffed back. "Sure, sure. But remember. I'm your light," he declared. Kuroko nodded as he felt his lips tug into a tiny smile.
"Yes, you are my light."
A/N: Bromance to the MAX. I considered adding a fluffy moment, but then I felt like I would ruin their relationship forever, so I decided not to otl.
And okay, I honestly considered making Kagami's American friends have super similar characteristics to some of the gen miracle members, but I guess it just never happened? I feel like it would've been a lot more entertaining though.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the story!