A/N: I am a dick. I freely admit it. So many of you have reviewed and favorited and followed and as much as I wanted to invite you all over for a truly fantastic orgy (or just, you know, reply to all the PMs), I didn't. I couldn't even gather my bitchy mood enough to channel it into writing for this fic, as much as I love it. Thankfully, second season is coming soon, which means the return of my inspiration. To tide you over until then, though, I have the only writing project I've been able to complete this month: a rewrite of Kise's chapter, which always felt a little weak to me. Please let me know if I should leave this here as an alternate chapter, or just replace Chapter One entirely. Thank you for your patience and sheer awesome!

Rattle the Stars

Alternate Chapter One: Kise and the Captain, Take II

Kuroko frowned.

It wasn't an expression especially familiar to the Seirin team, but then, any expression on this teammate's face was unfamiliar to them.

Even Riko paused in her rant, starting to pay attention to the world outside of her temper, freezing in the act of reaching for Kuroko's neck with violent intentions - honestly, these freshmen were more trouble than they were worth. Disappearing like that, leaving the rest of the team to hunt them down at a street court of all places, and right after a match!

She had been so focused on her charges, she hardly registered Kise Ryouta's presence until Kuroko frowned at the blonde. Following his eyes, and twitching a little as they visibly narrowed, Riko finally noticed a storm to match her own charging down the street.

Kise didn't seem to notice all the eyes on him anymore, flinching as the shouting figure of Kaijo's captain came near enough to smack him over the head. Riko couldn't help a sympathetic wince, noting the force behind the blow as well as the signs of something very unpleasant brewing in her quietest freshman's face.

That even she could see those signs was a very bad sign in itself.

Kasamatsu Yukio seemed oblivious to the imminent danger, though, shouting into Kise's pale face about selfish disappearing acts and obsessing over old teammates. Riko almost winced at the echo of her own thoughts, grateful suddenly that she hadn't actually touched Kuroko in anger.

As she watched, Kasamatsu's hand rose for another strike and Kise seemed to shrink in upon himself, eyes scrunching closed and fists clenching at his sides—she really didn't like the implications of that, of a strong boy like Kise having learned not even to try and defend himself.

Frozen, she watched that strike come down at Kise, too absorbed to notice when Kuroko vanished from in front of her between one blink and the next and—

Kuroko was not impressed. Kise's new captain had behaved very unbecomingly, and worse, was apparently unaware of exactly how poor an impression he was making.

As he listened to the taller boy shout and flail his arms, he recalled several instances during their practice match when the other boy had also raised a hand to Kise. Seeing that hand raise again, Kuroko didn't need to think any further—this was not acceptable.

Pulling on the speed he had rarely employed off a basketball court, Kuroko moved and—

Blinking, Kasamatsu stared bemusedly at his arm and then at the unexpected force which had pressed it aside as easily as a passing basketball. Staring right back at him, that force frowned.

"This is not acceptable. I understand Kise-kun might be frustrating, but that does not entitle you to raise a hand to him."

Kuroko's voice was as monotone as ever, but Kasamatsu went almost as still as Kise had just from the look in the little guy's eyes. This Kuroko had never seemed so much like a member of the Generation of Miracles as he did in that moment, looking back at Kasamatsu with empty pits for pupils and ruthless determination set in every line of his face.

Like a shock of cold water, Kasamatsu felt all his fury drain out of him, anger at Kise, at his coach, at their loss, feeling it all fall away, he realized for the first time that his hand was still raised to strike his ace with the entire Seirin team watching silently. Horror rose in him, and embarrassment, at his loss of temper and at his behavior in front of a rival school.

For a moment those emotions buzzed in him, trying to become anger as it seemed all of his stress lately did, and the urge to hit something, anything, anyone, but especially Kise, tried to rise. His hand twitched even where he'd brought it to rest at his side, and the whole time Kuroko's pale eyes watched him.

He got the uncomfortable impression they were seeing into his soul.

Tearing his eyes away, he saw Kise clearly for the first time, and was shocked to find him - not cowering - almost shrinking behind his old teammate. His own strange urge to take out his upset on the blonde was well and truly squashed at the sight and he tried to understand where it had even come from. Kise had played hard today, the kid had been honestly amazing, and had done nothing since to earn Kasamatsu's ire except run off to say goodbye to an old friend.

Why did I hit him? Kasamatsu asked himself, and felt bile rise in his throat, his grandfather's old lecture returning to him—You must be calm, Yukio. You have so much passion in you, and you must be careful where you direct it. Sometimes, your passion can settle into wrong habits and you will not be the only one to suffer then. Be calm, be patient, think first.

The men of his family had always had infamous tempers, but he had thought he was better than that.

As if to prove his thought of soul-seeing right, that Kuroko spoke again on the tail of his revelation, "It is never acceptable for a captain to abuse his authority over his team. Not for any reason. You must be better than that, Kasamatsu-san."

Kasamatsu almost flinched away from those pale eyes that saw too much, but they held him silent and still until he nodded, ashamed.

As Kuroko continued to appraise him, Kasamatsu was saved from further reprehension by an unexpected grace. From his place behind Kuroko, Kise leaned forward, draping himself over Kuroko's back and wrapping a hand around the curve of his shoulder. Settling his head easily atop his own hand, Kise seemed to meld into the smaller figure for a moment before speaking, "It's alright, Kurokocchi."

Quieter than Kasamatsu had thought the blonde was capable of being, Kise tilted his head until it brushed against Kuroko's, repeating, "I'm alright." Kuroko never flinched at Kise's closeness, turning his head easily to meet Kise's eyes. As Kasamatsu and Seirin watched, the two seemed to have a silent conversation, several of their observers wondering how Kise could look so at ease meeting those striking eyes for more than a moment.

After several tense breaths of time, Kise spoke aloud, a wry smile twisting his lips, "A captain can't abuse his teammates, huh?"

Kuroko only blinked solemnly at him, "Akashi-kun treated punishments as exactly what they are: training." Kise shook his head, snorting in a shockingly inelegant manner for a famous model, and with that the tension over them all seemed to break.

Kise couldn't resist a last comment, though, "You're still so overprotective, Kurokocchi."

Kuroko had turned his eyes to Seirin's fidgeting, but twisted back to Kise at his words. Meeting those eyes, only Kise noted the hint of amusement overlaying Kuroko's lingering ferocity — the sharpness that only ever rose in their defense, he thought.

As a reply, Kuroko gently untangled himself from Kise, allowing a parting squeeze before drifting back to Seirin's huddle. Pausing there, he glanced over his shoulder at Kasamatsu and Kise.

"It is not my fault you seem to find the most trouble, Kise-kun. You know I do not tolerate harm to my team." No one missed the present tense, and Kasamatsu held in a shudder as he offered Kuroko a solemn nod and Kise just beamed, bouncing in place.

With a cheerful wave, Kise started dragging his captain away, leaving Kuroko to quickly begin fading back amongst the Seirin players who stared at him until he was simple and invisible again.

Gathering herself, Riko called for Izuki to lead them to the bus station, knowing, as they shuffled away, that her team would be thinking much as she was: they had seen a new side to Kuroko today and while he had returned to normal now, this didn't feel like an end. She wasn't sure how she felt about it all, but some sixth sense told her—this was just the beginning.