Next Generation | KNB

prologue

"You like basketball?"

The unfamiliar voice of a stranger snapped the white-haired male's eyes to jolt from the screen on his phone. Waiting around at the airport by himself was a bore and he had no reason to spend any money on the tempting items that were displayed at the shop windows not too far off since he had seen items such as those on a daily basis. Even without such reasons, the white-haired male would have been drawn to watching basketball- and the match he was watching in particular. His stormy gray gaze regarded the person seated next to him as the players continued to move on the screen. From the way that the guy was casually sitting with no one else to accompany him, it seemed that he was hoping to get to know the white-haired teen who had been intensely watching the same footage on replay for the past half hour since he had nothing else to do.

"Yes. I've made quite a lot of memories because of this sport." The teen unconsciously grinned as a sense of nostalgia washed over him. A softer look settled in his stormy, doe-like eyes as a barrage of memories came to mind. Trips to a convenience store after practice. A rainbow of hair colors that painted his middle school days with memorable experiences. The sense of comradery after winning a match.

Until...

Stormy eyes hardened as a more guarded expression was built up for the owner of them to valiantly repress the thoughts that would have inevitably followed. Intrigued with his reactions, the stranger sensed a story underneath those words and straightened his posture, gaze fully directed at the other.

"Really? Why go to Japan then? The basketball here in LA is much more intense than over there..." He trailed off questioningly.Towards this, the white-haired male cryptically glanced away from the person next to him, his eyes partially obscured by the glare that was caught by his glasses.

"I have some... unfinished business there." The grin that was on the teen's face attained a melancholic tinge as a note of finality entered his voice. With that said, the conversation was thankfully saved from an awkward close as the flight attendants announced that the plane was now boarding. Rising to his feet, the stranger offered a supportive smile towards the obviously troubled teen. He didn't know much about the basketball-loving boy, but he seemed to carry a weight that was heavier than what an average guy his age would normally have.

"Well whatever it is, I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks, I'm sure I'll need it." The white-haired male's eyes flicked to the players on the screen of his phone once more before returning the smile to the stranger. He heaved out a sigh as he watched the other walk away and waited for his own row number to be called. Since he hadn't bothered to pause the game during the whole exchange, the game was now down to the last few seconds with neither side letting up- but there was only one player that the male was focused on.

'You've never failed to amaze me, Kuroko-senpai. I hope I can return the favor this time.'

~

A/N: A little short, but here's the prologue! Seeing the differences already? If not, there's much more in store so don't worry ;)

On a slightly unrelated note, I put a link for my KnB tumblr blog on my account- nothing much is posted on it tbh, but if you guys have any questions or just want to chat then go ahead and ask me on there or on my message board!