Kuroko noticed the lonely atmosphere after the tournament, which was unbearable for him. He couldn't face the guilt of letting his rival down, so he temporarily quit basketball and no longer played with the miracles.
Rindou understood what she did that day. She knew what was going to happen in the long run; that she will never get to be friends with them. She sat outside of the second-string gym with her eyes closed, breathing in the fresh air and taking in the sun's warmth.
"Everything feels empty now, doesn't it?" A voice said. She looked to the side to see a blur of Kuroko's sudden presence.
"I feel like this is the least empty-feeling gym in the area," he continued before staring at the second-stringers. "They're definitely passionate, I can see why you spend your time here."
"Yeah, they're a strange bunch..."
"I used to avoid the other strings because I would always hear questionable yelling from there, but now, I find comfort in how loud this gym is," he explained. "Please, Rindou-san, take care of them. I don't want a good team to break apart if it could be avoided. I don't think the miracles would ever be truly together again."
"That's not true," she said. "Of course you guys won't stay separated forever. "
"But will it go back to old times?"
"It will, and I'll make sure of that," she answered and stood from her seat.
Kuroko tensed up in confusion, "r-really? How?"
"It's quite a simple process; in fact, it's already been done," she replied. "You don't need to worry about that. But I do need your help in something... I need you to make sure that they don't lose their passion for basketball. I'm sure you were already planning to do that, but it'll do good for them."
"Alright..." he said, "but are you sure about your part?"
"You can count on me. Your friendship won't exactly be like old times, but I guarantee that the changes would be positive," she stated.
"How can you be so sure...?"
"Tetsuya-senpai, it will never come to all of you ignoring each other forever. I've learned that there's never hatred within rivalry in sports. You all bond over the same thing," she said.
He knew that she was right --and it reassured him for a moment-- but it never remedied his worry for the long-run.
Which brought them to this very moment, Teiko vs Rakuzan.
Kuroko watched the match as the Teiko players switched their pace which left Rakuzan confused on the court. He felt a familiar feeling, as if this wasn't the first time he experienced something as such. A feeling of betrayal and anxiety came to mind.
The second generation are passionate players and they take their opponents seriously, he reminded himself.
His sense of reason is telling him that the game isn't a personal attack against him, not like what happened that day. However, his initial judgment feels that something was completely wrong nonetheless.
YOU ARE READING
Second Generation ➳ KNB
Fanfiction❝ They say the people that I came to care about, until today, will disband after a game ❞ The Generation of Miracles were considered one of the strongest junior high teams in the nation before splitting up to different high schools under an oath to...
