Kuroko no Basket Imagines {Continued}.

Dragonflies.(Kuroko Tetsuya)

-Hey guys, I'm sorry about the lack of updates, school has been fucking me over all week. Anyway,enjoy!-

    You feel the mud splashing against the back of your calves as you dash through the puddles purposefully. The birds perform their choreographed dance in the clear blue sky and you feel special for bearing witness to their splendid performance. As your slightly chapped lips curl up in a smile, you run your tongue along the gaps of your two front teeth proudly. It's definitely a new day today, and you're determined to spend it all outdoors until the sun waves good night.

  Your tiny hands grip on to the smooth wooden rod that was connected to a meshed net above you. It flapped joyously to the warm summer breeze, almost like a fluid. To you, it is an almighty weapon, much stronger and greater than any gun or arrow in the world. You lick your moist lips again and your eyes narrow as they challenge the bright sun for the search of the dragonflies.

"Hi, (Your Name)." A soft voice reaches you with the help of the wind, and you twirl around to see the blue-haired boy shuffling his feet shyly against the sand.

  Kuroko Tetsuya is a fragile boy who just happens to sit next to you in school. He's often very quiet, and you sometimes just forget that he's there at all. But the lack of his presence never really bothers you to an extent where you're creeped out by him. Maybe it's because you don't hang around him during playtime. He's never too keen on playing catch with the rest of the children, and you never really understood that. Your youthful spirit could never bear to be as tame as Tetsuya's.

"Heya, Tetsu!" you greet him as you tilt your head to the side; your messily braided hair sways in response. "I'm going to go catch some dragonflies, do you want to come with me?"

  His deep orbs search your reflective ones as he seems to be hesitant about your offer. Kuroko snuffles a little and wipes at his runny nose with his sleeve before nodding slightly as if he's made up his mind. His posture straightens up as if he's got someone to impress, but his shoulders quickly hunch back down as he follows after your rampant footsteps.

"Why do you like catching them?" he asks timidly, and you frown at his question. You've never really thought about the reason behind capturing them before.

"I don't know, it's just fun. They're really pretty creatures too." you sigh dreamily. "Mommy told me that fairies ride them, just like we ride horses! Isn't that amazing?"

"I guess." he hums as if he's a bit distracted, but you acknowledge his efforts in trying to agree with you and let it slide.

  Just then, you spot one through the corner of your eye. Without a single moment to spare, you swing the net swiftly over the young boy's head and slam it into the ground before the magical creature can wriggle it's way out. You crouch down on to your bruised and dirtied knees and point at the ocean blue dragonfly scrambling inside. It beats it's wings a couple of times before settling peacefully on a metal hook that secured the net to the cane. The gleam in your eye intensifies with the thrill and triumph of your victory, and you glance at the boy beside you with an expectant expression. It's quickly wiped off your face though, as you realise that he has tears streaming down his eyes. 

"Why are you crying?!" you demand a little too strongly, and Kuroko shrinks back even more as he attempts to bite back his heavy sobbing.

"That's just cruel, (Your Name)." he wheezes under his breath. "What if it's fairy friends are watching?"

  His words are like a pang to your tiny chest.  They pierce through your naive conscience and you are torn on what to do. A strangled groan escapes your lips as the tears of frustration begin to surface. Your lips pout out automatically and you clench your fists before flinging the net off the small insect. It sits there for a little moment before fluttering into the air of freedom before soaring away and into the woods outside the walls of the village. It's such a beautiful sight, that you totally forget about the tears streaming down your face as you turn around to hold out a hand towards the quivering boy.

"Will you stop crying now?"

  That's the last time you ever spoke to Tetsuya before being whisked off into the city to lead a new life. You had such a hard time adjusting to a system that runs on order and discipline. In the countryside, you had the freedom to be flexible and fun, but that soon died with you as you aged. You no longer went out to catch dragonflies, instead you drummed notes on the piano. Youth was ripped away from your childhood, and you grew up privileged, but never content or happy with your life. He'd occasionally come to you in your dreams, and you never forgot that day where he accompanied you on a hunt for the dragonflies. Instead you cherished it in the back of your memory, hoping that you'd be able to unleash it one day.

The primal screams of the children reach your already sore ears and your head snaps to the side immediately. Your heart pounds against your chest as you see the children gathered around something. At first, you're worried that one of them has gotten themselves hurt while out in the field. But as you make your way over, you see that the young boy in the middle has his hands cupped over each other as a temporary protection forte of some sort. His expression is troubled, and his eyes crinkle up as they threaten to spill the ready tears. Some of his classmates have lost interest and they begin to break off from the crowd, and you shoo the rest of them off before petting the child comfortingly.

"What's that you got there, (A Desired Child's Name)?" you smile softly and he sniffs thickly.

"It's a dragonfly, Miss (Your Last Name)." he hiccups. "The other kids wanted to stomp on it, but I saved it just in time."

"Oh? That was a close one then!" you replied swiftly. "Now that they're all gone, why don't we set it free together?"

"Yeah!"

  Just as his chubby little fingers unravel around the concealed fairy carrier, you catch a twinge of light blue before it shoots off into the heavens. Your eyes land on the child's expression, and your own heart fills with such nostalgia. He looks happy, yet a little disappointed and downhearted about not having something to admire anymore. You can't bear to see him like that, so you reach below to lift him up to your hips before staring into the blue sky.

"Um, Miss (Your Name)?" you feel a tap on your shoulder. "I'll be your new assistant teacher of your kindergarten class-"

  Just as you turn around, you almost drop the child in your arms. You almost don't recognise him, but there is not a doubt that it's him. You'd never forget his face, let alone his hair colour. It was always blue, like that dragonfly you caught back then. His eyes widen as they meet yours once more, and a face full of recognition greets you. All you can think about at that moment, is that dragonfly you lost as a young child. He is the one that you set free for all these years, and now you've caught him again.

And you don't intend to let this one go.

~~~

Salute Cadets! *faceplants into my laptop*

    So this oneshot plot came into my mind during my English Literature class. I legit looked out the window, and I saw like a dozen dragonflies flying about outside and it all just clicked in my head to form this oneshot. I really feel like I get my inspiration from everything. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!

Love,

Winnie.