I've noticed that the Anon Meme has a lot of depressed or suicidal Kuroko prompts, and they almost sound the same except for several variations. I don't like to read about people being in depression (despite the fact that I have written some before as Catharsis), so I delibrately chose the prompt where a happy ending is a must.

That being said, the ending of this story is done in a way where the readers are supposed to interpret on whether it is a happy ending or not.

And really, I'm disappointed that the person who has been targeting the doujin events and all that has not been stopped. THINK OF THE HARD WORK AND MONEY SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE PUT IN TO ACTUALLY PLAN THE DARN THING, YOU SELFISH ASSHOLE. JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE AUTHOR, YOU DO THIS KIND OF IDIOTIC THING AND CAUSE INCONVENIENCES FOR EVERYONE. DON'T YOU HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE THEN TO BOTHER OTHER PEOPLE, HUH?! SOME ADULT YOU ARE. PEOPLE LIKE YOU DON'T DESERVE ANY RESPECT FROM THE YOUNGER GENERATION WITH THIS KIND OF EXAMPLE YOU ARE SETTING. IF YOU HAVE SO MUCH TIME TO THREATEN OTHERS, WHY NOT GO FIND A GIRLFRIEND OR SOMETHING? I'M SORRY, BUT I CAN'T STAND PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT THEIR PERSONAL PROBLEMS ARE THE ONLY PROBLEMS THE WORLD HAS TO DEAL WITH. THINK OF THE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO CAN'T LIVE THEIR LIVES COMFORTABLY LIKE ALL OF US CAN!

Okay, end of rant. I apologize for my rudeness.

That being said, I will still support Kuroko no Basket to the end.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basket and its franchise.

Note:

- This takes place during the beginning of summer during Kuroko's third year of middle school.

- The inspiration for this is a song titled "The End of the World" by Skeeter Davis.

The End of the World

Alone he stood on the beach, looking up at the too-blue summer sky.

The sun was shining proudly onto the sand; he had to shield his eyes from its radiant glare so he could gaze into the far horizon.

The tide was rushing to the shore and pulling back towards the sea, in an endless loop. The cool water ran over his bare toes, and he wriggled them to get rid the sand that was trapped in between them.

Anyone would say that a day like this was perfect—bright, sunny, warm.

For him, a day like this was the worst.

The blue of the sky and sea, the sunny yellow of the light… It reminded him of something that was unbearably painful.

Recalling the incident that had happened weeks ago, a tear rolled down the side of his face.

He thought that he had loved him.

He thought that no matter what kind of person he had turned out to be, he would still stay faithful to him.

But he was wrong.

In the end, everything that he had believed in turned out to be nothing but a big lie.

Even if there had been something, no matter how small or insignificant, between them at the start, there was nothing now.

Nothing but the past.

Yet he… Kuroko Tetsuya was still clinging onto it, refusing to let go, unable to avert his eyes.

He refused to acknowledge that he… Aomine Daiki no longer loved him. Instead, he now loved another.

"I'm sorry, Tetsu. I don't have any more feelings for you. The one I love now is…"

He knew.

He had always known that their relationship— be it as partners or as lovers, had been on a decline. The distance between them had been increasing steadily; he won't be surprised if they were worlds apart.

He had seen the signs; they were obvious enough for him to not miss.

Yet he decided to believe in false hope instead.

However, the months he spent denying were nothing but a futile attempt.

Thinking about it, it doesn't matter now it's over, does it?

It had been weeks since Aomine had left his side, and everything just seems so… normal.

School, basketball, the ongoing Inter-School competition… nothing has changed at all. Life just goes on the way it always does.

But when he opens his eyes in the morning, and feels the painful thud, thud, thud of his heart beating, he wishes that he were dead instead.

When he sees the way he smiles, not to him but to another, he turns away. If he could, he would simply vanish; it's not like there would be anyone who would truly love him, who would ever needed him, who would hold him tight and whisper sweet nothings into his ear.

Even if the world ended that day, it wouldn't really matter.

If fact, if only he could disappear right now…

"Tetsuya!"

He returned to his senses when he felt a pair of arms circling around his waist, pulling him out of the water that now reached his chest.

"Akashi… kun…?" He questioned, unsure of his intentions. "What are you doing?"

"That should be my line!" Akashi roared as he threw him down onto the dry sand, shocking him.

Never before had he seen such a display of emotion from the red-head, who was usually calm and collected in spite of any situation.

Akashi knelt down and grabbed him by his T-shirt, glaring straight into his eyes.

"You idiot! What were you thinking, going into the sea like that when there's no one else around? Not to mention that you can't swim! Are you seriously trying to kill yourself? Why did you resort to something so foolish and stupid? Did you think that by killing yourself, your problems would be resolved?"

"I'm… sorry…"

Kuroko averted his gaze, looking down to hide the tears that were starting to well up in his eyes.

"Don't apologize! It makes it harder for me to be mad with you!"

Akashi let go of his shirt roughly, and Kuroko flinched as he anticipated a slap. Instead, he was pulled into a tight, warm embrace.

"Aka…"

"Shh," Akashi hushed, stroking the back of his head. "Don't hold your tears back. Just let everything out."

With those gentle words, Kuroko finally allowed everything that he had held in to pour out. He clung onto Akashi, burying his face in his chest and staining his shirt with his tears.

Akashi simply held the boy's shaking figure close to his own, one hand stroking the back of his head gently to comfort him.

There the two remained, until the smaller of the two boys ceased his sobbing and went quiet.

Akashi held up Kuroko's face, running his thumb along the wet streaks. "Do you feel better now, Tetsuya?"

Kuroko nodded his reply, his gaze fixated on Akashi's gentle expression.

"… Why?" He asked.

Akashi did not need further explanations to know what he was asking.

"Because it hurts me to see you like this." Akashi cupped his face gently with both hands. "Tetsuya. My sweet, dearest Tetsuya. You have no idea how precious you are to me. For a long time I could do nothing but to watch you from afar, afraid that you would withdraw from me if I made my move. But I've reached my limit; I can't bear to see you in so much pain."

Akashi leaned forward to press a soft kiss onto his lips.

"It may sound corny, but you are the world to me, Tetsuya. If anything were to happen to you, I don't know what I will do."

"Akashi-kun… I…"

"It doesn't matter if your heart belongs to another. It doesn't matter if I am not the one whom you choose. I will be the one who would protect you, no matter what happens. Even if the world is against you, I will remain at your side. No matter where you go, even if it is to the ends of the earth, I will follow you. I will bear all your pain for you; so please… just be yourself again, Tetsuya."

At this Kuroko could not help but to smile.

To think that there was someone who was willing to hold him like this… to comfort him like this…

Perhaps this is not the end of the world after all.

"Thank you… Akashi-kun."

Perhaps, with this, he can go on living.

Just a little longer.

-END-

Like I said, the ending is up to your own interpretation. If you'd like, I don't mind hearing it. It's nice to see how people have different perspectives on the same thing.

Thank you for reading!