Rebound

Prologue

"Your passes don't boost me any more, Tetsu. Your presence on the court is indifferent now. I've almost forgotten the way I receive your passes"

"Work harder, Tetsuya! Do not fail me! Are you incompetent? Do you still eat the same amount of food you ate when you were five? The amount increased, did it not? The same applies to basketball"

"Kurokocchi!! Run faster! Aominecchi keeps blocking me. I need your passes to be pinpoint and far more quick! It is getting on my nerves - ssu"

"What is this pass supposed to be? Look at the position of the seams. If I were to toss the ball, it would land around a metre away from the basket. Your passes need to be more accurate - nanodayo"

"Ehhh. Practice is such a drag, Kuro-chin. I don't want to go. You are the one who needs practice. I don't want to miss the limited edition flavour of the ice cream"

He was six years old - just six, when he first met the six people who would change his life forever. Was it a boon? Was it a curse? The five boys and one girl lifted him up when he was down, which was not a rare case. Kuroko Tetsuya did not stand out. He did not possess Momoi Satsuki's bubbly personality, Murasakibara Atsushi's demon like height, Akashi Seijuro's ability to be perfect at everything, Kise Ryouta's sculpted features, Midorima Shintarou's impeccable aim or Aomine Daiki's monstrous agility. He was average - just average.

His stand out features were his extraordinary lack of presence, and his politeness. His hand-eye coordination had been decent enough to create a basketball player who would at least score one two-pointer in five to six throws, but throughout his life, Kuroko had never scored a single basket. That did not matter to him at all - not even for a split second.

His friends were there for him. He liked seeing them score. He liked seeing them form a group to pick on Kise, or yell at Murasakibara for taking too much time to order food. He liked seeing them cower in fear at Momoi's weird food or Akashi's killer stare. Kuroko just wanted to be around them. They were his friends - if not, siblings whom he could never forsake. Friends he could never let go even if the whole world was against him - and that was why he was practising almost at the dead of night.

The thirteen year old Kuroko did not want to drag his friends and teammates down. It was true that his performance was going downhill, however, it was not because of a mistake on his part. It was because of the monstrous development of the five players and the powerful predictions of the manager.

"I will not let you down, everyone", he whispered to the ball, picturing the smiling faces of his friends as he continued to practice, dribbling his way past imaginary players. But even then, his ever faithful basketball didn't aid him. The ball rolled over the floor like a bowling ball and Kuroko stared at his hands in contempt, like a victim staring at the accused. Giving up the ghost, he went back home with a dejected face.

Few Minutes Later

"I'm home", he softly whispered, entering his house.

"Tecchan!!", a shrill voice was heard and before Kuroko could react, he was swept into the embrace of his overly protective mother. Kuroko Tatsuyo coddled her son for the umpteenth time before seeing the forlorn expression covering his face. She was very much aware that her extremely outgoing nature annoyed her husband as well as her son, but she was the one who kept their family smiling. Her light blue hair and dark blue eyes were the outstanding features of her beautiful constitution, which obviously had been passed down to her pale skinned son which they shared as well.

"Hasn't the situation changed, sweetheart?", Tatsuyo questioned her son only to receive a blank stare in response. The stare however, was far more than enough for the woman to process her son's feelings. She smiled her ever famous grin and stretched her right hand, holding out the victory symbol.