Chapter 1

Staring out the window of the classroom, with eyes full of boredom, Kagami took note of how unproductive his life had been since his return to Japan. Back in the States, he was a different person. Someone full of life and vigor, someone passionate about basketball, someone who was genuinely happy. Had it not been for 'that incident', maybe he would have still been on the courts of L.A. playing his heart out.

"Ahem, I take it there must be something outside that's far more interesting than my class, Kagami-kun."

The teacher frowned at the teen who stared back at her with uncaring eyes, not even the least bit shaken or nervous that he'd been called out.

"No, sensei. Just staring at a bug on the window." His answer incited quiet giggles around the class but the teacher's face only turned uglier.

"Is that so? Then I hope you'll be able to catch the bug – during your afternoon detention."

Kagami just shrugged and rested his face on his palm. It's not the first time he'd gotten detention nor will it be the last. That's why he just didn't care. Nothing really mattered to him anymore, so why be so worked up over measly detentions? Getting in trouble with teachers is not worth mulling over and it's easier to just accept it.

The teacher could only click her tongue at the boy and continued on with the lesson. Although Kagami lacked formalities and was often distracted during class, the boy had never really done anything exceptionally...bad. He turned in his homework on time, he hardly ever came late and he didn't get into fights. His marks were...average at best aside from his English ones which could make it into the nineties. As expected from someone who lived in America for a lot of their life.

Kagami was a transfer student who only arrived in the second year of Junior High. Based off his looks alone, the facility was worried they received another troublesome student like the boy Haizaki, but they were thankful this new kid seemed disinterested in delinquency matters. If anything, they were more worried since the boy had yet to join any club and seemed like a loner.

His tall and muscular build was enough to get the P.E. teacher chasing after him to join a sports club but the boy outright refused and stealthily avoided the man. Kagami had no interest in joining any clubs but his luck was running out. He knew it was required to join a club since it was part of the rules and regulations of the school, and he had successfully been avoiding it for a while.

Until now that is.

"Kagami-kun, I understand that you'd just returned from America so you may not have been aware of how things work here but it has been two months since you've arrived. I think you've been here long enough to settle down so now, you must fulfill the student requirement of joining a club." The homeroom teacher for Kagami's year sat at his desk and stared up at the teen.

"...I understand, sensei." Kagami muttered with a grimace. "I'll join the cooking club then."

"Good, the uh- what? Not a sports one?"

"Not interested in sports. I'll join the cooking club," replied the red-head.

The teacher blinked, not bothering to hide his surprise, but handed the boy an application form.

"Here's the application form. Fill it out and give to Handa-sensei, the club's advisor."

"Hai."

.

.

Kagami left the office and ruffled his hair with a sigh. 'Cooking club. At least it's better than a sports one.'

He filled out his form and handed it over to Handa-sensei before he exited the office. Now, it was time to return to class and explain why he was late.

'What a pain.'

As he rounded a corner, he bumped into someone and looked down to see a shorter boy with light-blue hair and pale skin, rubbing his head.

"Sorry bout that." Kagami grunted.

"No it's my fault. I should've paid more attention," the shorter boy said. When the boy looked up, Kagami raised an eyebrow at his blank face. 'Interesting.'

"Who're you?" asked Kagami. He didn't know where this sudden interest in this short boy came from but he didn't think to block it.

"Kuroko Tetsuya. Class 2-B. You are a new student?"

"Yeah. I'm Kagami Taiga, Class 2-E."

'Kagami Taiga. The name suits him.' Thought Kuroko. When he first got a proper look at the boy, the first thought that came to mind was; 'He's got intense eyes, like a wild beast.'

Of course, the boy's eyes aren't the only thing that caught Kuroko's attention. It was also his height and build that were similar to his own lights' – Aomine's.

"Does Kagami-kun, perhaps, play basketball?"

Kagami's eyes widened briefly at the small boy's keen observation but replied vaguely.

"I used too."

"I see." Kuroko chose to end the subject there. He could sense the red-head wasn't willing to give any more details so it would be rude to demand more. "Then, it was nice to meet you Kagami-kun."

"Likewise, though, I expect we'll meet again." Seeing as they went to the same school and are in the same level. But when Kagami looked again, Kuroko had already vanished.

Kagami's eye twitched. 'What the hell?'

-*-*-*-*-*-

'What a weird guy.'

Kagami was on his way home when he made a pit stop at Maji burger. Ever since his meeting with that Kuroko kid, he couldn't stop thinking that there was something...odd about him. He wasn't like everyone else – that much Kagami understood. He had an outstandingly low presence his face was void of emotions. Like a shadow...

'Hah, maybe I'm overthinking it.'

He placed his order for ten burgers and a coke before carrying his tray and settling down at a window seat.

"So we meet again."

Ptui!

Kagami choked on his burger when he noticed the boy directly opposite him, sipping on a milkshake.

"What the f---?! When did you arrive?"

"I was sitting here already before you came." Replied Kuroko. "You didn't notice me,"

"Yeah no shit," mumbled the red-head. "Jeez, what the heck are you? You've got a weird smell."

"...I did shower after training."

"Not that kind of smell. I meant that people have this scent on them which is either strong or weak. But you, you don't smell either."

Kuroko seemed mildly surprised at the larger teen's statement and grew a sense of interest and curiosity in him.

"Is that so? Your senses are pretty accurate." Kuroko took another sip of his milkshake before continuing. "I am indeed not like other people."

"What are you then? A phantom?" joked Kagami. But he was taken aback with the shorter boy's response.

"How'd you know?"

"...eh?"

"That is what people call me. The phantom sixth man." Said Kuroko.

"Sixth? What are the other guys?"

"The generation of miracles." Kuroko was somewhat expecting shock and disbelief to be written across Kagami's face but all he received was a raised eyebrow and a questioning look.

"What the hell's that?"

"You...haven't heard of the generation of miracles? Even though you go to Teikou?" Kuroko was surprised, though his face was still passive. It wasn't everyday you'd come across a student, especially in Teikou, who hadn't heard of his teammates.

"What? Are they some sort of club or group or something?" Kagami felt the term 'Kiseki no Sedai' was familiar, and he was sure to have heard it in passing but never paid attention to it.

"...I'm surprised you don't know about them. For your information, they are a group of prodigious basketball players."

Now this was interesting.

"And you are a part of them?" Kagami asked skeptically. He didn't really want to judge but the boy in front of him just seemed really...weak?

"Oh no. I play in the same team as them but I'm nowhere near their level. They are real prodigies but I'm...a shadow."

"Hmm?" Kagami wiped his mouth and gulped down his drink before staring at the boy in front of him. "So what? They call you a phantom cause of your low presence?"

"Correct."

"So you play basketball. You find it fun?"

It was an unexpected question that caught Kuroko off-guard but he answered anyway.

"I suppose so."

Kagami clicked his tongue. "What kind of shit answer is that? It's a yes or no question."

"Well, it's just that I truly love basketball but lately things have been different..." Kuroko didn't know why he was telling all of this to a guy he just met today but Kagami was easy to talk to.

"Different?"

"Hai. My friend, my partner is coming to practice less and less. He's the ace of the team and his talent bloomed before the rest of them. But...he's too strong. I believe he finds it useless to practice when he doesn't need too. No one can keep up to him."

"I see. So what are you going to do about?" Kagami asked.

"I'm not sure." Kuroko frowned slightly. "He no longer needs me and I doubt he'd listen to what I have to say however, I think there is someone out there who can match up to him. A rival."

"There is." Kagami said. Kuroko gave him a confused look. "I mean, the world is pretty big and Junior High is such a tiny place. There's no doubt someone out there would match your partner, he just hasn't met him yet."

"That is true." Kuroko muttered. He sucked up the rest of the milkshake and turned to look outside. "When we began, being teammates and winning matches through our hard work was fun. But, they are changing. As long as we win, nothing else matters."

Kagami frowned, "That's stupid. It's meaningless to win if you're not happy in the end. True winners are satisfied with the efforts they put in to get to that point and acknowledge the journey they took to get there. That's partly why I despise the school's motto for insisting that winning is everything."

"You're surprisingly wise Kagami-kun."

"You're mocking me aren't you?"

The two blankly stared at each other before faint smiles fell on their lips.

"To be honest, I don't know what to say but you shouldn't leave that partner of yours by himself. From the looks of it, he's probably feeling isolated at this point – a being too strong that he doesn't know what to do anymore. He'll need friends more than anything." Kagami said standing up from his seat.

"You sound like you knew someone like him."

Kagami blinked and turned away. "I guess. See you tomorrow, Kuroko."

"Bye, Kagami-kun."

Kuroko watched the tall boy leave the restaurant and slowly stood from his seat. Kagami was someone Kuroko thought he would find difficult to get along with. That or he thought the boy would be another Aomine but he was delighted to find his assumptions both wrong. Kagami was rough, yes, but he wasn't someone rude on purpose. He was easy to converse with and he had a good heart.

His words portrayed someone who'd gone through something similar which made Kuroko wonder about the boy's past with basketball.

"I want to play against him."

One day, maybe, he'd get to see Kagami play.