Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

Fate Has Its Reasons

...

i.

He could sense Takao's eyes even on the court, following his every movement as he cut in front of his defender and caught a pass. He dribbled up to the three-point line, still aware of the other boy's watchfulness from where Takao stood, above all the seats in the stadium.

A swish.

Out of the corners of his eyes, Midorima looked at Takao.

He could see why Takao attended all of Shuutoku's games. Even he could show some school spirit, right? But it was another story when it came to the practices.

Who could watch sweaty boys running around the gym, doing drills, every single day, without a fail, when you hadn't nothing to commit to them? It wasn't like Takao was a coach, a manager or a player.

Then...admiration?

It was confirmed when Midorima spotted that dreamy expression on the other boy's face as Midorima made his shots. He loved basketball, almost to the point where it was annoying. There was no doubt about that, the happiness Takao emitted whenever something basketball-related was brought up, whenever he watched in amazement at the skills Midorima's teammates displayed.

But there was something else in those sharp eyes of his.

When Midorima cried, Takao cried. When he laughed, the shorter boy also laughed. It was painful to watch Takao live his daily life, and the bright smile on his face that faltered whenever Midorima frowned.

It was like Takao was living his own life through Midorima.

It was almost as if Takao was a shadow of Midorima, tried doing whatever the shooting guard was doing, feeling whatever the taller boy felt. The situation felt hauntingly familiar to Midorima, but he waved it off.

Until he saw a certain teal haired boy with a stranger, someone with spiky red and black hair, tall and strong, talent radiating from his very being.

If Takao was a shadow, then Midorima was the light who lit up Takao's day, lit up the life of a boy in the midst of his drowning in dark waters where no other light could reach him.

But that's all he could do. He kept playing basketball, kept trying, for Takao's sake, for the sake of brightening up an otherwise dim day. In the end, Takao was still there, in a place where he couldn't breathe.

And no one can pull him out.

ii.

Whenever he lost the motivation to memorize pages and pages of complicated medical terms and knowledge, he would think of the boy he met in high school. The way that Midorima would stand by, beside his friend, while watching him suffer without lifting a hand.

It had hurt at first, thinking of someone so far away, someone whose voice could be only heard over the phone, while Midorima half-heartedly continued to study, listening to that annoyingly cheerful voice encouraging him.

It wouldn't have hurt so bad, if they had never met.

But Midorima wondered how it would be different. Would he even be in medical school without Takao?

After all this time, Midorima couldn't even remember the number of times he had thought of giving up, quitting. But Takao had always existed, a constant reminder that these few years of school are nothing, that it would be all worth it once he gets to see someone smile, because he made them happy. That he had done something, that he hadn't simply just stood by holding some lucky item, watching as fate unfolded.

He had really believed in horoscopes back then, and still do, to some extent. It was just his subconscious, a small voice in the back of his head that whispered that maybe everything would be alright if he tried his best to counter what fate had in store for him.

Of course, it hadn't made Takao any better.

The day after graduation, Midorima had immediately registered for an internship at the hospital that Takao regularly went to for checkups. Being a tsundere, he denied all the comments about him wanting to see Takao that came with the congratulations from friends.

It was two months before he moved, leaving behind his small apartment and all the memories of his time spent studying with labourous efforts.

The Takao that he met at the airport was the same as ever, the most beautiful smile plastered on his face as he rushed forward to embrace the former ace of Shuutoku High School.

"Shin-chan! You look so tired!" had been the first thing he said, and Midorima allowed one moment of weakness for his tsundere self, burying his face into Takao's shoulder as he muffled his laughter. Midorima tightly wrapped his arms around the other's back, and closed his eyes.

He couldn't help but notice Takao's chest as it heaved up and down, panting as he caught his breath.

"Shin-chan! I missed you so much!"

Midorima replied with a quiet but grumpy, "me too." It caused Takao to burst into a fit of laughter.

But he doesn't reveal any more, doesn't tell Takao of all the moments he had thought of the other. Because he had thought about him every moment in these past years of backbreaking studying.

iii.

Midorima had always wanted to be a doctor, ever since he was little. Like most kids, he had dreamed of being a hero. A police officer, a firefighter, a doctor...a basketball player. Those kinds of things.

And why not? He was hardworking, smart...all those traits were perfect for any job, really.

But he had never really thought about why.

Other than being a hero, and simply saving lives, why did he want to be a doctor?

It had made him a bit uneasy, and Midorima had been sure that he was overthinking everything.

And that was when he met Takao Kazunari in the first year of high school, when everything he had been unsure of fell into place.

The other boy had silvery blue eyes that seemed to pierce through his very being, eyes that could see everything, uncovering the truth. Midorima had noticed how when he moved a little bit too fast, he would have to stop to catch his breath. There was something wrong with the function of Takao's lungs, but the green haired boy had never made a comment about it.

It was when he was signing up for the basketball club when he first saw the boy, with his sly grin and midnight black hair. Their eyes had met, and Midorima had to tell himself to look away, slowly and uncaring.

Of course, he hadn't ignored the fact that the other boy had followed him to the library club registration.

It surprised him, though, when he stepped into his new classroom, and spotted the already familiar boy slumped over at a desk in the corner of the room. Before Midorima could stop himself, he had already made his way to the boy, and picked the desk in front of him.

In class, the green haired shooter had felt the other's gaze in the back of his head. Midorima mentally shuddered, feeling as if his stare penetrated into the depths of his thoughts and memories, seeing everything there is to see.

And it was hard to ignore him, once the library club had commenced their activities.

"Shin-chan!"

That name echoed in his mind all day, giving him a slight headache. It was a headache even more prominent than the ones the new interns had given him the day before, though he could see the determination in their eyes, see a piece of his past self in them.

"What do you want to be when you grow up, Shin-chan?"

Midorima sighed, rubbing his temples. The slightest of smiles tugged at the corner of his lips.

And after all these years, the day they had met was still clear as day.

Fate had let you step into my life. I'm so glad to have met you.

okkk

I've wanted to write the story from Midorima's pov for a really long time now, but I didn't know how. so it's like a completely new thingy majig. idk does this count as a sequeal? haha

so it's not a one-shot anymore lol (I'd be scared if it turns into a one two three four five 6789shot like what the heck is a ten-shot)

In case it's super confusing, the first part is from when they're in high school, the second is around the time Midorima's finishing up medical school and going in for training, and the third is when he's a pretty experienced resident.

thanks for reading ^^;