The Shadow's Lost Hope (KnB)

Chapter 1

Kuroko Tetsuya stood before the map of the clubs and scanned over the list. When he came across the Seirin Kōkō Basketball Club he glared. He’d come to hate basketball. Even after his childhood friend’s coach tried to get him to play he still hated the game. He couldn’t stand it.

Despite Kuroko’s hate he made his way to the recruitment table and watched as a tall redhead carried cat-faced second year towards the basketball table. As they approached the table Kuroko turned to leave. He would see how they played.

Upon reaching his class, Kuroko took a seat in the back of the class near the window and began reading his book. Not minutes later, the red-haired first year Kuroko saw entered the classroom and headed towards Kuroko’s desk.

When he reached it he spotted the bag on the handle and looked toward the chair to see the blue haired boy looking at his emotionlessly. Kagami Taiga stared at the boy in shock. ‘How didn’t I notice him?!’

“Ohayo” Kuroko said before returning to his book.

“Eh… Ohayo…” Kagami answered, trailing off at the end. He moved to the desk in front of Kuroko and sat, still shocked he hadn’t noticed a bright blue haired boy. ‘How’d I miss him?! He had blue hair for Kami’s sake!’

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Thirteen first- and second- years were gathered in Seirin High School’s main gym. Near a bench an older man stood watching over the group. Riko Aida, the only female, stood talking to Hyūga Junpei, the captain of the basketball team. Koganei Shinji, Mitobe Rinnosuke, Izuki Shun and Tsuchida Satoshi watched the first years talk amongst themselves.

“The manager’s cute!” One of the first years said pointing towards Riko.

“Yeah. If only she was more sexy.” Another first year said.

“Wrong!” Hyūga stated while punching the back of their heads.

“I’m Riko Aida and the coach of the boys basketball team!” The short haired brunette stated.

“Then who’s that?!” Kawahara Kōichi asked pointing towards the older man by the bleachers.

“That’s Takeda-sensei, the club advisor.” Riko said while Takeda waved, “Now, take off your shirts!”

As Riko went down the line of first years she made notes on training and what they could do.

Kuroko sat in the shadows of the stage watching. He could tell the coach was a good one and part of the reason they made it to the Inter-High last year. The rest was the second-years doing. ‘They’re chances alone are slim. The Generation of Miracles has definitely grown and this team’s chances of winning? 1/100 but that 1% is still there.

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After practice Kuroko stood in his neighborhood basketball court. This was the first time he’d been on a court since he quit the Teiko team. He stood at the 3-point line and shot the ball he held towards the basket. The ball hit the rim and bounced away.

“You play basketball?” A voice called from behind Kuroko. Turning around Kuroko saw his Classmate, Kagami, holding a ball of his own.

“Īe.” Kuroko answered before retrieving his ball.

“Eh? You don’t?” Kagami asked. He’d seen Kuroko’s intense look as he shot the ball towards the basket and the ball he’d shot was slightly worn and old.

“I used to in middle school.” The bluette answered his unspoken question.

“Play me.”

“What?” Kuroko asked, looking at the red-haired boy, slight shock evident on his features.

“I said, ‘Play me’.” Kagami repeated, an eager smile on his face.

“Īe.” Kuroko told him with a slight glare and walked away.

Kagami was confused at his classmates actions. ‘What was that about?’

Kuroko would never admit it but as much as he hated basketball, he wanted to play.

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The next day Kuroko watched as his classmates were beaten by the Seirin Regulars. Watching the game made him jittery. He may hate basketball but playing the game was in his blood. This was the second day his feet had taken him to the gym to watch the basketball club practice.

The first-years weren’t bad, the second-years were just better. As Kuroko watched his jitters grew to the point where he had to leave the gym.

Out of the corner of his eye Izuki saw the movement. Stopping for only a moment, Izuki turned to the stage but couldn’t find anyone. “Strange…”

“What is it Izuki?” Koganei asked his teammate.

“Huh? Nothing.” With one last glance Izuki returned to playing.