Distance of Shadow and Light: A Secret with Tetsuya Kuroko
After the fierce Winter Cup, Tetsuya Kuroko of Seirin High's basketball team quietly steps toward a new goal, having finished his heated battles against the Generation of Miracles.
But he carries a secret he can tell no one: a special feeling, beyond friendship, for his former light and now separate path-walker, Taiga Kagami. This must never come to light. Living as a shadow, Kuroko desperately hides his fiercely burning crush under an expressionless mask today as well.
On the other hand, Kaga
Distance of Shadow and Light: A Secret with Tetsuya Kuroko - Light seeks shadow, shadow yearns for light.
The morning of the second day of the new semester arrived.
Haruba-dori Shopping Street in front of Haruha Station was packed with students heading to school. Under the arcade, a stream of familiar uniforms flowed past. As he walked by Maji Burger, Kagami Taiga stopped for just a moment. Looking at the still-closed shutter, he felt an odd itch somewhere in his chest. Ever since the new semester started yesterday, he hadn't been able to see Kuroko at all.
"...Tch."
There was an irritation there that even he couldn't fully explain.
Why wasn't he at the ticket gate where they always met, when they had morning practice today? The guy's presence was so faint that Kagami always had to go find him. That was just how it was. Just because they'd been put in different classes now that they were second-years, that wasn't the kind of relationship that changed so easily, was it?
Thinking that, he pushed his way through the crowd. His wild, two-toned red-and-black hair caught the morning sun, standing out like flames. At 195 centimeters, his massive frame towered a full head above every other student.
And then — it happened.
Up ahead on the path to school, at the intersection where the row of cherry blossoms ended. Through a gap in the crowd, a soft flash of light blue hair swayed for just an instant.
"Tetsuya!!"
He shouted and broke into a run.
They were in the middle of a crowd. No one else noticed. No one even registered that presence in their field of vision. As if no one had been there from the start. But Kagami knew. That light blue — it was Kuroko Tetsuya, without a doubt.
Kagami ran. He didn't care whose shoulders he bumped into, cutting through the wave of people. A practitioner of Misdirection, said to occur in fewer than one in a hundred thousand. A basketball technique that reduced one's presence to the absolute limit and redirected the opponent's gaze. Because of that constitution, he passed by unnoticed even in daily life. But — Kagami was different.
The distance closed. The light blue hair swayed softly again.
"Found you!"
Kagami reached out without hesitation. He grabbed those slender shoulders firmly.
" ...Kagami-kun."
Turning around, Kuroko wore his usual expressionless face. His large, clear, light blue eyes were just slightly widened. On his left wrist was a blue wristband. The one Kagami had given him.
" Morning!"
" Good morning."
A polite voice. No different from usual. But — inside Kuroko's chest, it was different.
(*He found me again. Kagami-kun found me.*)
Erasing his presence was what defined him as a person. He was a shadow, so he'd always thought that was fine. But the moment someone found him — that was always special. Especially when Kagami was the first to spot him — his heart pounded harder than usual.
(*This is my light. Mine alone.*)
Thinking that, a warmth spread deep in his chest.
But he didn't say it out loud. He didn't let it show on his face. He couldn't. At the Winter Cup, they'd fought the Generation of Miracles, and he'd connected the best passes with Kagami. In the waiting room, Kagami had ruffled his hair and said, "Your passes were the best." Ever since that moment, his feelings toward Kagami had been changing, more and more. It wasn't friendship. It was something else — something hot, and painful, and yet sweet.
(*But a shadow has to stay a shadow.*)
He told himself that. Falling in love with the light — that wasn't allowed.
" You — why'd you go on ahead? You weren't at the meeting spot."
Kagami said it bluntly.
" I'm sorry. I arrived a little early, so I thought I'd walk while I waited."
" Next time, wait for me. ...We're gonna be late."
Saying that, Kagami let go of Kuroko's shoulder and started walking beside him.
The truth was, it wasn't just that Kuroko hadn't been at their meeting spot that pissed him off. Now that they were second-years, Kuroko was talking to people other than him. Teaching basketball to the new students. Just thinking about it made his chest feel like a mess. Why? He's *my* shadow.
But there was no way he could say that.
" Dammit..."
Kagami furrowed his brow and walked faster. Beside him, Kuroko kept his expressionless face and trotted along to keep up.
—By the time they reached Seirin High School's First Gymnasium, there was almost no conversation between them.
---
Morning practice began.
Spring sunlight streamed through the high windows of the gymnasium. The sound of bouncing balls and sneakers scraping the floor echoed throughout. Today, a few new students were there to observe. As the Winter Cup champions, the basketball club had drawn the interest of many incoming first-years.
" When you hold the ball, don't wrap your whole palm around it. Support it with your fingertips."
Kuroko stood in front of the new students, teaching the basics in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.
One of the new students timidly tried dribbling. The ball immediately slipped from his hands and rolled across the floor. Kuroko picked it up and demonstrated again.
" It helps to be conscious of your wrist snap. Like this."
The ball bounced against the floor in a steady rhythm — thump, thump.
" Whoa! Kuroko-senpai, you're amazing!"
" We watched videos of you! The Rakuzan game at the Winter Cup!"
" That pass really does vanish, right? I want to see it in person!"
The new students crowded around Kuroko, their eyes sparkling.
From the edge of the court, Kagami watched that scene intently.
(*—What the hell is that?*)
A murky feeling swirled deep in his chest. It wasn't like Kuroko was smiling at anyone. He was just calmly teaching. And yet, for some reason, it made him incredibly angry.
(*Those passes are for me, dammit.*)
He knew it was unreasonable. As a senpai on the basketball team, it was only natural for Kuroko to coach the underclassmen. But — his passes, his skills, being received so casually by someone else. For some reason, he just couldn't stand it.
"Oi, Tetsuya!"
At the sudden loud voice, the gymnasium fell silent for a moment.
Kagami slammed the ball he was holding against the floor — BAM! The ball bounced high and returned to his hand.
" We're doing passing practice! Right now!"
" ...Right now?"
Kuroko tilted his head slightly.
" Yeah, now! Forget coaching the new kids! Passing practice with me is way more important!"
Even as he said it, he wondered why he was so desperate. But he couldn't stop. If the new students were going to take him away, then Kagami would just monopolize him completely.
" Understood. ...Everyone, I'm sorry. We'll continue this later."
Kuroko gave a small bow to the new students, then ran over to Kagami.
" Kagami-kun, you're overdoing it a little. You're scaring the new students."
" Shut up! You're my shadow, aren't you?! Then don't go wasting your time on other people!"
The moment he said it, he froze. What did I just say?
*My shadow.*
He'd said it out loud.
Kuroko, still expressionless, looked up at Kagami steadily. His large, light blue eyes reflected Kagami's face.
(*Kagami-kun probably doesn't realize it.*)
Kuroko thought to himself.
(*Just how jealous his own face looks right now. That his light is trying to monopolize his shadow.*)
But it didn't feel bad. If anything — his heart was pounding. Being dragged along so forcefully like this... he didn't dislike it. The light wanted him, and only him. Thinking that made his chest tighten.
" ...I understand. Then, please receive my pass."
Kuroko said it quietly and readied the ball.
For just an instant, his eyes grew heated.
Only when playing basketball was he not a shadow. Only in the moment he released a pass could he shine brighter than anyone. And the one who could receive it — was none other than Kagami Taiga.
(*My light is Kagami-kun. Only him.*)
" Here I go."
---
After school.
In the First Gymnasium, now nearly empty, Kuroko began special training to strengthen his Misdirection.
" Alright, everyone. Please scatter randomly. I'll close my eyes, and when I open them, I'll pass in the order you enter my field of vision. Once you receive it, please pass it to someone else immediately."
The second-year members spread out across the court.
Kagami stood by the wall with his arms crossed, watching.
Kuroko closed his eyes. A few seconds later, his light blue eyes opened smoothly and surveyed the entire court. In that instant, Kuroko's presence softly vanished. If you didn't concentrate, you'd lose sight of him. He was there, yet not there. Your gaze slid away on its own.
" —Beginning."
The ball left Kuroko's hands.
A sharp pass flew to the first member. Not quite an Ignite Pass, but accurate and fast. The member who received it immediately passed it in another direction. Kuroko ran at once, heading to the next spot.
Pass. Run. Pass. Run.
It was precisely because Kuroko's presence was so faint that opponents couldn't predict his position. No one knew where the pass would come from.
" Whoa!?"
" Where the hell are you, Kuroko!"
" Over there! ...Wait, he's already gone!?"
The goal of Kuroko's training was to extend the duration of his Misdirection through these random passes. At the Winter Cup, he'd learned that roughly forty minutes was his limit. Using it beyond that caused an Overflow phenomenon that weakened the effect. So he could stay in the shadows longer, more freely.
(*I have to get stronger. For Kagami-kun.*)
Kuroko ran. His breathing grew ragged. His heart was pounding. But he didn't dislike this sensation. If anything —
That's when it happened.
BOOM!!
Suddenly, the gymnasium floor shook with a thunderous sound.
"I can't take it anymore!!"
Kagami had stormed onto the court.
He dribbled the ball in his hands with brute force. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!! A heavy, low sound that made the floor tremble. His 195-centimeter frame charged forward like a bullet.
"Out of the way!!"
Kagami stopped abruptly in front of Member A. He passed the ball behind his back in the same motion. Behind the back.
"No way!?"
The next instant, Kagami spun his whole body to evade Member B. A spin move. The sound of his shoes kicking the floor screeched.
"What is that movement!?"
Street basketball, learned in America. A wildness and freedom that should have been impossible in Japanese high school basketball. And yet, he aimed for the goal with terrifying precision.
" Tetsuya!!"
Kagami shouted.
Kuroko reflexively released a pass.
The ball flew in a straight line. Kagami jumped. In front of the goal, he caught the ball in midair. An alley-oop. The moment he landed, a dunk was slammed into the ring.
GAAAAAN!!
The ring screamed. The backboard shook.
Still hanging from the ring, Kagami glared down at the club members. His red eyes blazed like fire.
" I knew it... I'm the one who can make the most of Tetsuya's passes."
That voice held more than just confidence. It carried something darker, heavier. Possessiveness. Obsession.
(*Ah, I can't help it anymore.*)
Kuroko kept his expressionless face and steadied his breathing.
(*When I see that look on Kagami-kun's face — I can't help feeling happy.*)
He was the one stirring Kagami's emotions. The light was this fixated on him. For a shadow, that was the greatest moment of all.
But at the same time, it was frightening.
(*Can I really handle emotions this heavy?*)
The gymnasium fell into complete silence.
None of the club members could make a sound. Faced with Kagami's overwhelming play and the heavy atmosphere left in its wake, they could only hold their breath.
" ...What're you all staring at?"
Kagami finally let go of the ring and landed on the floor. Rough breathing. Sweat dripped from his forehead.
" That's it for today's training! Come on, clean up!"
When Kagami barked at them, the club members scrambled into motion.
Kuroko remained standing where he was, gazing at Kagami's back. The wild red-and-black hair. The broad back glistening with sweat. Even after showing such ferocious play, his sh
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