Manga: Kuroko no Basuke

Creator: Fujimaki Tadatoshi

Author: Cheshire

Chapter One: Takara's Basketball

~ * 'Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.' * ~ Carl Bard.

Teikou Middle School Basketball Club. A super strong school with more than one hundred club members, boasting several successive championship wins. But even in that glorious history, there is still a team that can without fail be called the "strongest"... A generation with five players with a talent like you would see once in ten years called the "Generation of Miracles". But... There was a strange rumor about the "Generation of Miracles" despite not knowing 'her' and not being in any match records, there was still one more person in the five geniuses acknowledged as superior, and both their strength and weakness... their Treasure. The Phantom Sixth Player... Kuroko Takara.

It was a bright morning and a new day for a sixteen year old female; her first day of high school. Hearing her alarm going off at her side, the young freshman groaned softly and turned over to shut the electronic off, tossing off her covers as she went. Sitting up in her bed, she rubbed her eyes and stretched up her arms, letting out a soft yawn. Once she felt more awake, the sixteen year old shook her braid forward and started to undo the ponytail, letting light blue curly locks cascade around her shoulders. Standing up, she moved over to her mirror and gently smacked her cheeks, silently staring at her reflection in the mirror. The young woman had a pale complexion and bright blue eyes, but if you had looked closely at the orbs... You could see that they had dulled with life and a small white scar rested between her chin and the left corner of her lip.

Tracing her fingers down the scar, she sighed softly and moved away from her mirror to get ready for the day. Pulling off her pajama shorts and yellow tank top, her large breasts bounced at the sudden movement and reached into a drawer to put on a bra to help control her chest. Turning to her chair that rested in front of the mirror, she gently felt the material of her new uniform and picked it up. The white button up shirt with a sailor back and green tie rested underneath a navy sweater jacket and the skirt was pleated white with a green and navy strip around the bottom.

With a deep breath, she changed into her new uniform and looked at herself in the mirror once more, examining the uniform on herself after pulling on her knee high black socks. With a nod of approval, the sixteen-year-old stepped out of her room and gently shut the door and hurried down the stairs into her living room. Moving past the couch, she stopped in front of the refrigerator and pulled out two pieces of bread to toast for a quick and light breakfast. Popping them in the toaster oven, the the blue haired female waited patiently until they flew up and she buttered them, putting the two pieces between her lips and moving into the hallway in front of the door, slipping on her shoes, grabbing her school bag and new book from the side table and rushing out of the house. Her new day was beginning and she didn't want to be late for it.

Today was the day of the Opening Ceremony at Seirin High school, and standing in front of the large newly built school were all of the clubs held, trying to desperately get the new first years to join them.

"Aren't you interested in rugby?!"

"Did you ever play Shougi?"

"If you're Japanese then you should play baseball!"

"Swimming! It feels super!"

Two new freshmen had been caught in the middle of the chaos and the taller was about to burst with annoyance at the whole situation.

"I CAN'T MOVE FORWARD! Bring a snowplow!" He shouted, his friend, who was chuckling at his side, decided to comment.

"We haven't moved more than five meters in minute minutes..." Also within the chaos of the students, was the a small girl with light blue hair and blue eyes, reading a book as she walked. Unlike the two freshmen, she was easily making her way through the crowd since no one seemed to notice her presence around them.

"That's it!" The taller freshman cried out.

"Let's go the bull dozer way!" He finished, throwing his arms back in emphasis. If the girl hadn't ducked, her nose still in her book, he would have hit her right in the head.

"You're taking it too far, right…?" His friend said, but you could tell that he was beginning to think that his friend's silly idea would actually help them move... The girl herself continued on her path, easily moving through the sea of bodies while turning another page in her book.

"Ah! You, do you like books?" One student called out, the girl still walking as the boy right behind her stopped in surprise.

"How about the literature club?" He asked, the freshman stuttering as he showed his 'book'.

"No, this is a manga, so..." He began, but that didn't seem to stop the second year. "Well, mangas are proper books too. And you must read novels as well, right?"

Finally making it through the crowd without being caught or stopped by any second years, the young female spotted a map of all the clubs and where each booth was stationed for the club event. Glancing up from her book, her eyes locked on the one specific club name that caught her eye before anything else... Basketball Club. Row 5 Booth 11.

'Found you.'

On the other side of the student crowd, three second years males were standing with smiles and holding out pieces of paper for the freshmen to hopefully take. The first was a black haired teen that had a smile that reminded you of a cat, the second was taller also with black hair and a pale complexion while the third had shoulder length black hair and thicker eyebrows than his two friends.

"Basketball! Basketball Club!" The 'cat' boy shouted as he handed out a flyer.

"Join the club and you'll be cute too!" Said the paler teen, the third not speaking as he tried to get people to take his flyers with no avail. After a few moments, a large shadow appeared above the 'cat' and when he looked up, he screamed out in shock to see a freshman, over six feet with red hair staring intensely down at him.

At the Basketball Club booth, a freshman was sitting at the table with two of the upperclassmen, a girl with short brown hair and a taller boy with short black hair and glasses.

"Well, write your name and student ID number here." She pointed out for help and he nodded while writing.

"Then... the middle school you came from and your goals...?" He questioned and she smiled.

"Ah, of course that was in arbitrary, so you can put anything you want." She told him and he smiled, finishing up the paper and left the two with a wave; the brunette smiling back and looking at him with a slight drool at his body.

'This could be nice material...' She thought, snapping out of her thought when she heard her friend cough at her side.

"Erm...! One, two... Just a few more would be nice." She said, trying to hide her embarrassment and her partner nodding, leaning back against his chair as he looked out at the new students.

"We couldn't even get ten." He commented and she rolled her eyes, stacking the papers nicely.

"We're just getting started. We're a new school. If we win the Inter-High and Winter Cup, we'll be a big deal starting next year." She said and he arched a brow at her.

"Are you casually putting pressure on your captain?"

"Hyuuga, have you always been so delicate?" She asked with a smirk and he groaned, knowing she had won that battle.

"I'll do my best. I will do my best." He told her and she smiled, turning back down to the papers resting in front of her.

'I wonder how the invitations are going...' She wondered, thinking about how her three friends were doing.

'Do your best to bring back promising guys...'

"I brought back a new student." A voice said, shocking the two of their day dreams and gasping at what they saw in front of them. Their friend, 'cat' boy, was being carried by the back of his uniform jacket by a tall freshman with tan skin, red eyes and dark brown and red hair.

"Is the Basketball Club here?" He asked calmly, the second year's eyes shooting open at him.

"WAAH?!" She cried out in shock, her eyes eyeing the young man up and down.

'Brought back...? Isn't that the other way around?! On top of that it looks like there's a wild tiger in front of my eyes...! What is this guy?!' She shouted in her head, no one in the group noticing the young girl with blue hair picking up a sign-up form and beginning to fill it out.

"I want to join." The freshman finally said, knocking the two upperclassmen back into reality.

"Eh?"

"The Basketball Club."

"Oh! Ah, welcome, welcome!" She cried out happily, the freshman sitting down in the chair in front of her and finally releasing the 'cat' boy second year, who had tears rushing down his cheeks from the shock of being carried around campus like a rag doll. The brunette smiled and started to talk to him in detail, hoping to catch his attention.

"I think you know already, but our school was barely opened last year. All the upperclassmen are just second years, so somebody with your build will immediately-" She began, the red head not interested in where she was going.

"I don't care about that." He interrupted, sipping on the cup of tea that was handed to him by Hyuuga. The blue haired girl finally finishing up her sign-up form and placing it on the end of the table, reopening her book and going on her way while the male freshman spoke up a second time.

"Give me the paper. I'll just write my name and go back." He said and she did as she was told, watching as he quickly wrote a few things down on the paper before handing it back. Her eyes starting to read it over with curiosity.

'His middle school was in America...?! Ooh, I see, he trained in the best place! Kagami Taiga...? No matter how hard you look at it, he doesn't seem like an average guy.' She thought, noticing that he didn't write anything at the bottom of the page.

"Huh? You didn't write your goals..."

"...None in particular." He said as he squished the empty paper cup in his hand. "After all, basketballs the same, no matter where you go in Japan." With that said, he tossed the cup over his shoulder and the others watched it land perfectly in the trash can in front of their booth, the female noticing a slight glare in his eyes as he spoke.

'Hm...?' She wondered as he got up and tossed his bag over his shoulder, not even saying good bye before he left the Basketball Club booth, the 'cat' boy slowly pulling himself up into the chair and laying against the table.

"S-scary! Is that really a freshman?!" He cried out, the only female speaking when she saw that the freshman was out of sight.

"By the way, I'd like do know why he grabbed you by the neck and brought you here." She said and he groaned, not knowing the answer himself.

'And what was that expression on his face...?' The brunette wondered, the other two second years appearing from behind the bushes.

"He's one in a million." The paler said, Hyuuga glaring over at friends.

"You! Where have you been hiding?!" He demanded of the two before picking up the clipboard and reading off the information that the brunette just looked at.

"Kagami Taiga. He went to middle school in America, so he learned from the source."

"Either way, I'm sure he'll be extraordinary." She said, the 'cat' boy blinking when he spotted a forgotten piece of paper in the corner of the booth.

"Yo." He said, handing her the paper.

"You forgot to pick up this registration form." He told her and she blinked at her forgetfulness. Hadn't she gotten them all...?

"Er, my bad, sorry." She said as she took the paper, starting to read it over. "Hmm... Kuroko Takara...?" She read aloud, the name immediately catching her attention since she happened to know the meaning.

'Treasure...?' The female thought, also knowing that the name was definitely female.

"Isn't that a girl's name? Why is she signed up for the boy's team?" The 'cat' boy asked and Hyuuga rolled his eyes.

"We don't have a girl's basketball team remember? We are the only club." He explained and his friend hummed in realization.

'Hm...' The brunette thought, scratching her chin as she continued to read.

'It's been on my desk the whole time, but... I don't remember it at all.' Moving down the paper, her eyes shot open and she tugged the paper closer to her eyes, her friends all looking down at her strangely.

"What's wrong?" Hyuuga asked as she read it over a few more times to make sure she wasn't imagining anything.

"S-she's coming from Teikou's basketball club!" She shouted, slamming the paper down on the desk.

"Eeh?! That famous one?!"

"Teikou? You mean the Teikou?" He demanded, taking the paper from his friend to read it for himself.

"On top of that, if she's a first year now that means she was from the 'Generation of Miracles'!" She explained and it took Hyuuga a few more to process everything before he was on the same page.

"The 'Generation of Miracles'?! That famous group?!" He shouted before she started to pull on her hair in annoyance with herself.

"Waah, why did I forget the face of such a golden egg! And the guy earlier was coming back from America... What's with the freshmen this year?!" She shouted to the sky, not knowing the true adventure that she would endure later in the year...

Classes had finally ended for the day and a group of freshmen were gathered in the school's gymnasium for the Basketball Club's first meeting.

"All right, everyone seems to be here. All the freshmen, come this way." Hyuuga ordered and the freshmen all stood in a line, two of them whispering to one another about the short haired brunette that was talking with an older gentleman and the tall pale boy from earlier.

"Hey, isn't that manager cute?" The first asked, the second nodding.

"She's a second year right?"

"But that's true! If she was just a bit more sexy..." The first complained, the two then being hit over their head's by Hyuuga, whose face was completely dead panned and unamused at their words.

"You're wrong, idiots!" He told them, the two holding their heads and looking up as the female made her way over, a clipboard under her arm and a pink whistle hanging around her neck.

"I'm the boy's basketball coach. Aida Riko. Nice to meet you." She greeted happily, all the freshman shocked to hear what she had said.

"What?!" They all shouted, except for Kagami who had his finger in his ear and not really paying attention.

"It's not him?" One of the freshmen asked, pointing over to the old man who was sitting on a bench next to the doors.

"That's the advisor, Takeda-sensei." Riko said, the boys all shouting out again. "Seriously?!" All of the freshmen starting to talk amongst one another as the blue haired female, Kuroko Takara, stood silently near the back, eyeing the female coach with bewilderment.

"Wait! Is that even allowed?!" Another shouted and Riko, who could easily hear them, ignored his question and smirked over at the new 'meat'.

"Well then, first. Take off your shirts." She ordered, their jaws dropping.

"WHAT?!" With another glare from Hyuuga, the boys finally did what they were told but weren't pleased at the situation. Takara herself pulling off her own shirt and holding it in front of her as she waited for the next instruction.

"What the hell does this even mean?" One of them grumbled as Riko walked in front of all the freshman, stopping by every single one and stating all of their weaknesses. "You. Your instantaneous strength is weak. I guess you must be around fifty steps for twenty seconds on the quick ladder training, right? If you want to play basketball, you'll have to improve that a bit. You, your body is too stiff. Train your flexibility after getting out of the bath! As for you..."

"Are you kidding...?! It's right!" One explained in shock as the other two just stood there watching in awe as she continued to move through the freshmen.

"What the hell? Just by looking at your body?" Hyuuga chuckled at their confusion and spoke up.

"The father of that girl is a sports trainer. He was always recording data in order to make training menus. It's a special skill she gained after spending every day at his workplace and looking at muscles and data. By looking at someone's body, that girl's eyes see all its abilities and stats." He said and the three boys were in awe, causing the Seirin captain to smirk. His eyes trailing over to Riko as she finally stopped in front of Kagami.

'Well, that's not the only reason why she's the coach though...'Standing in front of the tall red head, Riko couldn't believe her eyes as she stared at his chest.

"What?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck.

'What the hell?! These numbers are by far above everyone else's... There aren't even the stats of a boy in his first year of high school! On top of that, I can't even estimate his potential... This is... Natural Talent!' She thought, a small bit of drool forming in the corner of her mouth as she continued to stare at his muscles, Hyuuga noticing this and snapping at his friend.

"Coach! How long are you going to daydream?!" He demanded and she quickly broke out of her thought, rubbing the corner of her mouth and stepping away from Kagami who had arched a brow at her.

"Sorry! So-err." The brunette couldn't admit that she wasn't staring so she let Hyuuga continue for her.

"You saw everyone, right? That guy was the last." He told her, the brunette nodding before she gasped when she realized that the freshman from Teikou was missing.

"Huh? Was Kuroko here?" She asked, her captain blinking at her question.

"Oh, that kid from Teikou..." He muttered, the other freshmen beginning to gossip.

"Teikou! What?!" As they talked, Riko looked down at her clipboard with disappointment, wanting the other female to have shown up.

'Hmm, if such a great girl was here, I think I would have noticed her immediately... especially since she is a female among a bunch of guys.' She thought, rubbing the back of her head with a soft sigh.

"I guess she's taking the day off today. Well, then, let's start practice!"

"Err, excuse me. I'm Kuroko Takara." The second female finally said, having made her way to the front of the group and stood directly in front of the brunette, waving. Riko finally noticed her in the room and screamed in shock seeing as she was suddenly so close.

"KYAA!" Riko's startled cry brought the others attention to them and Hyuuga jumped back in surprise when he saw the blue haired freshman.

"Whoa! What? Since when were you here?!" The captain shouted, and Takara blinked at him.

"I was here since the beginning." She replied, her voice a sweet melody like chiming bells, but slightly monotone.

"Seriously?!" 'Cat' boy shouted and Riko could only stare at her, thinking in a panic.

'I didn't notice her in front of my eyes...! Eh...? Just now she said she was Kuroko! Eh?! It's like... she's invisible!'

"EEH?! That means this girl?! From the 'Generation of Miracles'?!"

"She can't have been a regular!" Someone shouted and Hyuuga nodded, smiling down at her with a slight laugh.

"Of course not. Right, Kuroko?" He asked and she stared at him oddly after hearing his question.

"I have played in matches." She told him, a little offended and he at first didn't seem to hear her.

"See, just what I- Huh? Eh?" He mumbled, all eyes suddenly back on the sixteen year old.

"EEEHH?!" They cried out in bewilderment, starting to whisper frantically amongst one another.

"I can't believe it!" One shouted and Takara could only stare at the group, her face expressionless.

"...You all are very strange." She said and Riko continued to try and process that she truly 'had' played in matches at Teikou. Kagami himself stood silently, his eyes studying her. He was unamused by her small size but was curious at the title name.

'Generation of Miracles? What's that?' He thought, Riko snapping out of her daydream and shouting down at Takara without thinking.

"Take off your shirt!" She demanded and Takara blinked, pulling at the front of her shirt.

"I just put it back on." She bluntly explained and Riko was almost as confused as her.

"Put it back on? What?" The brunette mumbled as Takara fiddled with her shirt, pulling it over her head for the second time. Once it was off, Riko had stared, but so had everyone else in the room, including Kagami who had blushed when they saw what was under her shirt. The pale girl held the t-shirt in her hand as she waited for the coach to check out her body like the others, no one expecting the small girl to have 32 D-cup sized breasts that were trying to be held down by two sports bras.

"What?" She asked innocently as all their eyes landed on her chest, Takara not noticing the sparkle in the boys' eyes, even the second years.

"Aah... Aaahh! You! C-come this way!" Riko quickly shouted, her own blush leaving her face as she grabbed onto Takara's arm and lead her into the locker rooms, trying to ignore the obnoxious groans of disapproval and annoyance from the boys.

"NO! BRING HER BACK OUT!" A few shouted, Hyuuga, Izuki, Koganei and Mitobe all staring at the freshmen, their cheeks also bright red and silent.

"W-well then..." Hyuuga began as he fixed his glasses, earning a few nods of understanding and silence from the other three second years. Kagami threw his shirt back on and stared at the locker room doors, trying to lower his own heart rate as he remembered her shirtless upper half.

'What the hell is that girl...?'

"You seem worried." Takara commented as Riko took a few deep breaths from moving so fast into the locker rooms.

"What?" She asked and the blue haired girl continued.

"You are worried that I am not suitable for you basketball team. Isn't that right?" She asked and the brunette was shocked at her blunt question.

"U-uh..." Riko stuttered, trying to get her words out.

"Although, I can tell you that the stats you see are only temporary." She said, Riko smiling over at her, thinking that the new freshman was trying to joke with her.

"Of course they are only temporary." She said, grinning as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Don't think I'm not going to work you like the others."

"That isn't what I meant, and I think you know that."

"Wha... What?" Seeing as Riko wasn't going to look at her body like she had hoped, Takara finally put her shirt back on and brushed her bangs from her eyes.

"My stats are only temporary because I'm only letting you see what I want you to see." Takara explained and Riko's eyes widened with a small gasp.

"I know that you are splendid at telling stats just by looking at someone, but just that won't tell you a person's true talent." The Seirin coach was stunned by the girl's blunt words, although she was right... What was Kuroko Takara really hiding?

"...Are you really one of the 'Generation of Miracles'?"

"Yes. But I'm not proud of it."

"Why wouldn't you be proud of it?" Riko demanded.

"You are part of the strongest basketball players of this generation! How could you not-" She said, Takara quickly cutting off the older teen and saying.

"You wouldn't understand unless you were there. They changed... He changed." She replied, not wanting to continue the talk and walking out of the locker room, resting her hand on the doorframe.

"We should get back. Practice needs to go on." She said, leaving Riko alone with her thoughts as the door shut behind her.

Later that same night, Kagami had made his way over to his new favorite burger joint since he returned to Japan, the 'M', or known specially as MAJI Burger. The tall red head made his way over to the table next to the windows and set down his tray in thought, not noticing that he had sat down at Kuroko Takara's table, her eyebrow arching at him when he leaned his chin on his palm.

'The Generation of Miracles... If its these guys then maybe...' He thought, reaching over to grab one of his burgers but stopped when he spotted a book on the table, his eyes following it up to see the blue haired female sitting across from him, a straw resting in between her pink lips.

"Hello. You are still growing up right? That's a lot of food." She said in greeting.

"GWOH?!" He shouted in surprise, almost falling out of his as she looked at him, confused at his reaction but calmly taking sips of her vanilla shake.

"Where... From... Wait, what are you doing here?" He demanded, Takara setting her shake on the table next to her book.

"Well, I was sitting here from the beginning. Just watching people." She explained and the red head was still freaked out about her sudden appearance.

'This girl was from the best of Japan...?! Wait... Watching people?!' Takara slowly finished off her shake and when Kagami had finally calmed down, he spoke.

"Anyway. Tag along with me for a bit. Once I'm done eating that." He said as he pointed at his stack of burgers. Takara was curious at his intent, but still nodding and decided to continue reading her book as he began to eat his dinner.

At the same time in another part of town, Riko was walking home from the gymnasium and couldn't stop thinking about Takara.

'What does this mean?' She thought.

'What kind of girl is she? Her abilities are way too low...! All her abilities are below average... On top of that she's already at the peak of her growth... She looks nothing like a regular on the strongest team...! I mean... She definitely has some defined muscles, very defined. Especially her legs. But not right for a basketball player. Is she a dancer or something? I should ask next time I see her.' She thought as she scratched her chin, stopping at a crosswalk.

'Plus the fact that she is a girl on a boy's basketball team. How was that even possible? Don't you need connections of crazy skills to make that happen? What in the world is really going on with that girl?' The brunette continued to wonder, walking across the street with many others as the crosswalk blinked 'WALK'.

'What is really going on? What ability is she hiding? And why would she be ashamed to be a part of Japan's best?' She thought, remembering their conversation earlier in the girls locker room when she took her away to examine her body away from wandering eyes.

'I just don't understand...' Riko sighed heavily and rubbed the back of her neck, unsure of what tomorrow would bring her and the rest of the Seirin team.

When Kagami had finally finished with all of his burgers, he and Takara left MAJI and she was taken to an empty basketball court in the park. The two stood silently under the night sky until the red head finally started to speak, his eyes examining her curiously. "You... What the hell are you hiding?" He demanded and the blue haired female looked up at him with confusion.

"I was in America until the second year of middle school. I was really shocked when I came back to Japan. The level is just too low." He said, thinking back on that day and snarling as he glared at Takara, who stood her ground.

"What I'm looking for is not playing basketball for fun. I want to play in matches that make my blood boil at full strength. But I've heard a nice thing earlier. It seems like there are these strong guys called the 'Generation of Miracles' in the same year. You were in that team, right? I guess the strength on an opponent to some extent too." With that said, he pulled a ball out of his gym bag and tossed it over at Takara who caught it with ease despite his harsh throw.

"It's like strong opponents have a peculiar smell about them. But... you're weird. Even though you should reek of weakness... You smell like nothing at all. Your strength is odorless." Takara rose an eyebrow as he explained and smiled slightly.

'He figured that out much by my scent. He's impressive.' Kagami turned down to the smaller girl and narrowed his eyes.

"I want to see for myself. You, from the 'Generation of Miracles', what kind of girl you are." When he finished; Takara took the opportunity to unbutton her school jacket, the other hand holding the basketball on her hip.

"...What a coincidence. I was thinking of playing against you as well. A one on one." She said, tossing her jacket aside and undoing the first few buttons on her top, her breasts now very apparent without the sports bras holding them down.

Kagami, trying not to stare, shook his head and thought about the match at hand.

"Let's do this!" Once the game had begun, the red head was quick to immediately realize something about Takara.

'Wait... she... she...! She's desperately weak! Even with that body seize, there are guys who become first-class players thanks to their skills. But that girl, her dribbles are shoots are those of an amateur... She's got nothing redeeming!' His eyes then landed on her chest and she shot the ball, watching as they bounced up against her and blushed.

'Okay... except for maybe those... BUT! She's not even worth playing against!' After Takara had fetched the ball from her miss, Kagami growled and shouted over at her.

"Don't mess with me! Did you hear what I said?! You're overestimating yourself if you think you can win against me like that! To think you left such a nice impression when you challenged me!"

"Of course not." Takara told him, holding the ball against her hip.

"Isn't it obvious that Kagami is the strongest? I knew that from the beginning." She said bluntly, watching as he twitched at her words.

"Are you picking a fight? What's your goal...!" He demanded but she only continued, shrugging her shoulders.

"I wanted to see Kagami's strength directly."

"HA?!" He responded, noticing a small twinkle in her eye.

"Ah, and your dunks too." The tall boy sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair, turning away from the pale girl.

'Geez... What the hell am I doing? She's just weak to the point she doesn't doesn't smell like anything at all... I feel like an idiot.' Knowing that he was probably in thought, Takara moved away from underneath the basket and past him, feeling his eyes on her once again.

"Ah, its alright already. I'm not interested in weak players. I'll give you one last bit of advice. It's better you give up basketball. No matter what kind of beautiful things you can say about effort, it's an undeniable fact that you need talent in our society. You have no talent for basketball."

Not noticing the small smirk on Takara's lips, since her back was still to him, the blue haired girl tossed up the ball and started to easily spin in on her finger, Kagami jumping back in surprise.

"I have to say no to that." She said and he arched a brow.

"What? Hey!" Turning around, Takara continued to spin the ball, her eyes landing on his own red orbs.

"To begin with, I love basketball. On top of that, it is a matter of point of view. I do not care about who is the strongest." She said and she knew he wanted to explode at her again, but she stopped spinning the ball and tossed it at his chest, watching him catch it with a grunt.

"Pass back." She ordered and he rolled his eyes, bouncing it back to her so she could re-enter the court.

'This is pointless.'He thought as she dribbled the ball in front of her legs, watching carefully so he could steal it from her when he caught on to her obvious pattern.

'Why does she continue? I'm going to beat her either way.' Deciding to take his chance, the red head charged at the blue haired female ready to steal the ball, but what happened next completely left him speechless and frozen with shock. As he tried to reach for the ball, Takara grabbed the ball with both of her hands and allowed her body to fall forward, performing and Illusion Kick to the front and let her left leg soar next to Kagami's body as he launched past her.

'Wha... WHAT THE HELL?!' Using this as a distraction, the blue haired girl placed her foot back on the ground and dribbled over to the basket, performing a lay up and scoring her first point. Kagami turning to watch the ball fall through the hoop and bounce a few times while the two stood in silence. Neither spoke for a solid minute, Takara's hands moving to her hips as Kagami stared at her in awe.

'What... What in the world...?' He thought, his widened eyes moving from her and the ball multiple times, trying to process what he had just witnessed.

"H-how...?" The red head began and Takara continued to remain silent, bending down to pick up the orange basketball.

"What did you-?!" He tried to get out, but Takara's eyes shot to his and held him, his eyes widening again as she spoke.

"All you need to know is that I am different from you. 'I' am a shadow." She explained, tossing the ball back at him, easily being able to catch it this time as he continued to hold her gaze. Unsure of what to think...

'A shadow? What does she mean by that?'

The next day after classes had ended, the basketball club met once again but this time it had begun to rain after the last bell.

"Since we can't go outside for roadwork, we still have time left in our training... What should we do coach?" Hyuuga asked Riko as the two stood in the doorway, watching the rain pour in front of them.

"This might be a good opportunity. I wanted to see the strength of the freshmen." She said and the two agreed, shutting the doors before Riko turned to her new team with a grin.

"Let's have a 5-on-5 mini game! With the freshman against the second years."

"A match against the senpais, that means...!"

"Do you remember what they told us when we joined the club?"

"Their result from last year. Last year with only freshman they made it until the Final League!" A few whispered amongst one another, Takara's eyes widening at the news. She hadn't known that.

"Seriously?!" One shouted in awe.

"That's completely out of the ordinary!" Another said, already dreading the match they were about to play.

'Well then, I wonder how good our rookies are?' Riko thought happily, her whistle already in between her lips as she smirked.

"It's not the time to be scared." Kagami started as the freshmen lined up at the centerline.

"Of course it's better if the opponent is strong rather than weak, right? Let's go!" He finished, being the tallest, stood in the center against Hyuuga who smirked at his underclassman.

The brunette stood in between the two and blew her whistle, tossing the ball up into the air and quickly backing up so she wouldn't be caught in the middle. Kagami quickly caught the ball against Hyuuga and sped down the court, immediately dunking it in the hoop and scoring the first point.

"WAAH?!" The others cried as Kagami dangled from the rim for a moment before releasing the metal and landing on his feet.

"What was with that dunk?!" Riko was astounded by what she had just saw and Takara herself was also quite impressed, not seeing a move like that during their one on one the other night.

"Hey, that's insane..." Hyuuga muttered as he wiped from nervous sweat from his forehead, Izuki nodding as he just stared at the tall freshman.

'It's more than I could have ever imagined! With that yet unpolished sense of play and destructive power! His fire power is seriously that of a monster!' Riko thought as she watched the players get back into position and blew the whistle, now watching the game more intently than before. After a while, the score was freshmen in the lead with 11 points, upperclassmen 8.

"The freshmen are in the lead?!" One of the benched players asked, another nodding.

"But well, Kagami is the only one scoring!" He explained as the red head's brow twitched in annoyance.

'Rather than that, shit! This can't help getting on my nerves!' He thought angrily to himself as he watched Takara play, watching as the ball was once again stolen from her. "The ball was stolen?! From that girl again! Focus!" The blue haired female, not letting the steals effect her, continued to run after the ball and play with the rest of her club members.

'Compared to the big things she said, she's just a shitty player. Anyone who talks big despite being a small fry...' Kagami then easily blocked a dunk shot form Izuki, shouting as he did.

"Piss me off the most!"

"Waah! So high!"

"They can't stop Kagami at all!" Izuki landed back on the court floor and hurried over to Hyuuga who was smiling at the tiger like freshman.

"We can't let it go that way. I think it's about time we calm you down!" He challenged, the whistle being blown again and Kagami was quickly tossed the ball, but Hyuuga, Izuki and Mitobe all surrounded him and blocked him completely.

"Three guys?!" One freshman shouted out.

"If they go that far, Kagami-" Another started but was interrupted.

"On top of that! Even when he doesn't have the ball, still two guys... They don't feel like letting him touch the ball at all!"

Quick as lightening and Kagami out of the spotlight, the upperclassmen had no problem stealing, shooting and dunking the ball, bring them to the lead with 31 to 15 points.

"They're really strong after all..." One of the freshmen playing said, already out of breath and ready to give up.

"Actually, there was no way for us to win from the start..." He continued, another resting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"It's enough already..." He mumbled, Kagami's eyes shooting over to him dangerously.

"Enough already?!" He demanded, grabbing the freshman by the front of his jersey and holding him up to eye level.

"What the hell is with that?!" Takara, appearing behind the red head, kicked him behind the knees and spoke, not raising her voice.

"Please calm down." She ordered and Kagami immediately dropped the freshman, glaring down at the blue haired female.

"You bitch!" Everyone was shocked speechless at her bravery and how she stood there silently as he yelled at her, completely unaffected.

"Seems like there's a dispute." Hyuuga commented nervously.

"Kuroko... now that I think about it she was there too..." Koganei said, rubbing the back of his head as they watched the two. Riko herself sighed and let the whistle rest between her teeth.

'Even I, the referee, completely forgot about her at some point. Hmm? Huh?! Seriously, since when? It can't be...' She thought, watching Takara move back into her position and asked one of her teammates a request without looking at him.

"Excuse me, could you pass me the ball?"

"Ha? Huh?" He responded and one of the sideline players shouted from the bench. "Do your best! Still three minutes!" The freshman groaned and tossed the ball over to her, pouting as he did.

'But it's not like you'll be able to do anything if you get it. At least don't lose it...' He thought. Once the ball was in Takara's hand, she dribbled down the court and Riko felt a cold chill run down the back of her spine.

'What is that uncomfortable feeling...? Could it be... That something unthinkable is about to happen...?!' Takara didn't take her eyes off the ball at any moment and with impossible fluidness, tossed the ball over her shoulders and to the teammate behind her who caught it with shock.

"Eh? Ah!" He muttered with realization, taking the opportunity he had and shooting the ball into the hoop, scoring for the first years. Once the shock had settled over with how the ball was passed and quickly scored, everyone started shouting.

"It... It's in?!"

"How did she get that pass through just now?!"

"I don't know! I didn't see!" From that moment on, Takara continued her pattern of strange passes and every shot went in as fast as the first.

"How the hell does she do that?!"

"Before you even notice it the pass goes through and they score?!"

'She's making use of her lack of presence to relay passes?!' Riko shouted in her head, letting the whistle fall from her lips and back to her chest.

'On top of that, the time she keeps the ball is extremely short! Then it can't be that this girl... She's already hard to notice from the beginning and she becomes even more invisible! Misdirection. She's using that magic like technique to fool the senses of the opponent. Using misdirection, she leads the opponent to think not her but another player will get the ball. In other words, rather than say she is 'invisible' during matches. You can say she's encouraging the opponent to focus on other players than her.'

As she thought this through, no one noticed that Riko wasn't the only one watching Takara in shock, Kagami's eyes were wide and he was bewildered that she would even do what she was doing.

'This is Kuroko's...!' He thought, watching another pass being tossed by Takara and another goal scored.

'The former regular from Teikou Middle School who's specialized in circulating passes without being seen! I knew the rumor, but too think she actually exists! Her name... It all makes sense now! The Phantom sixth player of the 'Generation of Miracles'! The Treasure!'

After getting the ball once again, Takara easily got it into Kagami's hands and the upperclassmen paled at who caught it.

'Damn! Were focusing too much on Kuroko's passes!' Hyuuga thought as the red head shot the ball, scoring.

"Kagami!" The score now, thanks to Takara, was first years 36 points and second years 37.

"Waah! I can't believe it! A one point difference!" A benched freshman shouted, Hyuuga groaning at the score.

"Damn, each of them would be bothersome on their own but..." He started, finishing the thought in his head.

'The two of them playing together, we have no way to stop these attacks!' Izuki quickly tried to get the ball of his own hands, but the captain easily caught the mistake.

"Idiot!" He shouted, Takara appearing out of nowhere and grabbing the ball now making her way down the court.

"Damn!" He swore, chasing after her with his team.

"Go, Kuroko!" The freshmen shouted as she made it to the basket, jumping up to shoot.

"Win...!" They continued, but the ball easily bounced off the rim and they all then looked blankly unamused at her effort.

"That's why weak players piss me off." Kagami shouted as he jumped above her head, dunking the ball that she missed.

"Score probably, idiot!" He shouted and although he couldn't see it, Takara couldn't help but smile softly at his words as the buzzer went off signaling the end of the match. "The freshmen won?!" A second year player cried out from his spot on the bench and the freshmen celebrated their victory, the upperclassmen all stood together and Hyuuga couldn't help but chuckle as he wiped the sweat from his brow and glasses.

'Those two... Well as allies, they'll be reliable.'

Now that practice had ended, Kagami was sitting back at his favorite spot and twitching as he had ended up with Takara again at the same table as the previous night. "Why are you there again...?" He mumbled and she simply replied, sipping her shake.

"You are the one who came to sit at my table. Just like last night. And it's because I like the vanilla shake here." She explained, watching his twitching continue.

"Go sit else where." He told her and she ignored the order.

"No."

"And why is your family okay with a girl like you being out? Shouldn't you be at home?" He asked and Takara set her shake back down on the table.

"I live by myself. My grandmother is in Europe and my parents don't stay in one place for very long because of their jobs. I also have a brother, but he is studying at a private school on scholarship. I don't seem him that much." She explained and Kagami could only blink in response.

"Oh." He said, leaning back into his chair in silence. After a moment though, he decided to glare at her since she was still sitting with him.

"Don't go thinking we're friends now..."

"Like I said, I was the first one here." She said and the red head growled, looking down at his large stack of burgers in thought. He picked one up from the top and tossed it at the blue haired female, who looked at him with wide eyes.

"...Here. I'll give you one. I'm not interested in weak players. But, I'll acknowledge you're worth worth one piece of that." He told her bluntly and she was unaffected by his tone, annoying him to no end. But at the gesture, Takara genuinely smiled at the tall teenager and held the burger gently in her palms.

"Thank you." She said softly. And although her smile was small, it was enough to make her appearance glow and Kagami was taken by but the sudden level of attractiveness. He couldn't help but blush at the expression and softly stuttered out his response as he looked back at his burgers.

"Uh... yeah."

The rest of their dinner went by slowly and Takara decided to wait for him to finish and the two left the restaurant together, Kagami speaking up with a question he couldn't get off his chest.

"How strong is the 'Generation of Miracles'?" He wondered and the blue haired female listened carefully as he continued.

"Say, if I was going to go against them right now, what would happen?" Takara had to think of the correct wording for him and when she did, Kagami wasn't pleased to hear it.

"You would be instantly killed."

"Can't you say it in a different way...?"

"On top of that, the five geniuses have all joined different veteran schools this year. There is no mistaking that one of them will be standing at the top." She said and the red head could only laugh at the thought.

"Nice, I'm burning! I've decided!" He started with a large smirk and Takara thinking that his eyes stared to resemble that of a tiger.

"I'll take these guys down and become number one in Japan." He said and she hummed softly.

"I think it's impossible." She told him bluntly and he twitched.

"Hey!" He yelled, upset at her lack of trust in him.

"I don't know about the potential of your abilities, but with your current level, you can't hold a candle to any of them. It's impossible... alone... I have decided as well." She said, turning herself to Kagami and faced him, looking up his body so she could reach his eyes with her own.

"I am a supporting actor, a shadow. But, a shadow will become darker if the light is stronger. and it will make the white of the light stand out. As the shadow of the main actor, 'I' will make you the light, the number one in Japan." She said, the grin on Kagami's face not being able to grow any larger as he laughed in delight.

"Ha! Nice words there. Just do what you want." Takara nodded and said with a soft smile.

"I will do my best." She said and he smiled back, but had more questions for her still.

"But what's with the 'I' thing anyway?" He wondered.

"Oh, let's just say that I have more tricks up my sleeve." She said as she started to walk again, Kagami's eyes widening when he realized that she was right. Remembering the strange move she had done last night during their match...

"So that isn't how you normally play?" He asked her intrigued.

"Well, how do you normally play?" She chose not to answer his question and put a finger to her lips.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." She taunted, smiling when he growled at her.

"Gwah! Kuroko Takara, damn you!"

~ * 'The strongest five players... Will be challenged by the light and the shadow!' * ~ Fujimaki Tadatoshi - Chapter 1.

End of 'Chapter One: Takara's Basketball'

Next... 'Chapter Two: One of the Team'

Cheshire

Edited as of October 2015: