5Throughout all of practice the next day, Kuroko thought about Sho Kazamatsuri. Their meeting was unexpected, to say the least. Their budding friendship even more so. The boy was shorter than him, but only just barely, yet he seemed older. Kuroko made a mental note to ask Sho about it later.
Like most other days, Kuroko fell behind compared to the other members of the club. But today he managed to not throw up and fainted only once. The day before, he pondered whether he should just give up on trying to make 1st string. Though he knew he shouldn't, definitely shouldn't, watching the others (Aomine, Akashi, etc.) somewhat deflated his hope. Even if he practiced from dawn to dusk, Kuroko would never be able to achieve their skills and stamina. He would never be able to dunk like Aomine, shoot 3 pointers like Midorima, think like Akashi, and most definitely not block like the giant Murasakibara.
But he'd made a promise to Ogiwara, and Kuroko doesn't break promises.
"Don't ever give up, okay? I'm sure you can do it! I was really bad at soccer too at first, but then I practiced a lot and got really better at it!"
Yes. He will play Meiko, even if it kills him.
That night, Kuroko stayed after to practice as he did everyday.
Eyeing the hoop, Kuroko dribbled the basketball with his right hand and ran foward. Stopping a few feet away from the hoop, he brought the ball up to eye height and shot with a flick of his wrist.
It missed, of course.
And it missed. And missed. And missed.
Kuroko was at his 10th try. Once again, he stood at the half line and dribbled the ball, but just as he was about to run, the door slammed open to reveal 3 boys. All of whom he recognized as 2nd stringers.
"H-hey y-uou guys heard the dribbling too….r-right..?" One asked. His face filled with unmasked terror.
"Maybe it a g-ghost…!" The second boy suggested. His two companions turned to look at him, an identical expression of uneasy fright evident.
"Don't be stupid! Th-there's no such thing as ghosts! It was probably just-"
"BUT WE ALL HEARD THE DRIBBLING! A-and there's no one in the court! How else would you explain it?"
Kuroko felt that he should be offended. He wasn't. The unseen boy watched as the three fought amongst themselves, each of them trembling in fear. He decided to put them out their misery.
"Umm, excuse me." He appeared in front of them, waving one hand to say hello.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The boys ran away, not a single one turned back. "GHOOOST! THERE'S A GHOST IN THE FOURTH GYM!"
Kuroko sighed and returned to practicing.
The clock read 8pm by the time Kuroko left the gym. Usually he'd stay back to practice much later than this, but today he wanted to talk to Sho. After Ogiwara left, Kuroko didn't really have any friend to talk to about his day or his feelings, things he deemed too personal to tell his parents and grandma.
Kuroko knew where the place by the river was, he passed it everyday on his way to and from school. When he got there, Sho was hugging his soccer ball and napping on the ground.
Hopefully they'll both be awake the next time they meet.
Kuroko dropped down on the grass and leaned over the sleeping form of his new aquaintance.
"Kazamatsuri-san, please wake up." He kept a steady pace as he poked the brunette's cheek. Sho groaned and squirmed next to him a while before opening his eyes and making eye contact.
"Ah!" He yelped, as he quickly raised his head, causing their foreheads to collide. "ouCH!" Kuroko rubbed his forehead and watched as Sho backed away from him in shock.
""K-Kuroko-kun! Wah I'm so sorry I didn't mean to hurt you!" His cheeks blushed a faint pink color as his repeatedly bowed his head to apologize.
"It's okay, Kasamatsuri-san...it was an accident."
"Still, this is embarrassing…" he sweatdropped, raising a fist to knock his head in repentance. "Oh but I'm glad you came! How was practice today? You play basketball right? How'd it go?"
"It went quite well today, actually. I only fainted once and didn't throw up at all, well kind of. I may have threw up just a little inside my mouth.." Kuroko raised a forefinger to his chin. That didn't count as throwing up, right? Hmm…
"You mean… you usually do throw up? And faint?" Sho asked, a look of disbelief on his face.
He nodded.
"Wow." He seemed to have ran out of things to say. Kuroko was about to ask if he did that too when he remembered the question he wanted to ask Sho earlier.
"Oh yeah, how old are you? You're shorter than me, but you look older."
"Me? Oh I'm starting my 3rd year at junior high at Josui, I'm 15!" Sho was the kind of person who smiled a lot.
"I see. I'm just staring 1st year of junior high, I'm 13. I go to Teiko." Kuroko paused. "Should I call you Kazamatsuri-senpai?"
Sho's eyes widened a bit at that. "Huh? Oh, no its okay. You can just call me Kazamatsuri-san or -kun if you'd like. We're friends now after all." Kuroko nodded in understanding as he shook Sho's outstretched hand.
"Very well, Kasamatsuri-kun." If possible, Sho's smile got even wider.
"Ooh! Have you eaten dinner yet? If not, I know this great place we could eat oden!" Kuroko shook his head. "Alright! Follow me!"
He led them to a vendor nearby. Kuroko hadn't noticed this place before. "Oya-san~" Sho called out to the grumpy looking old man who had been pouring sake for a customer. The man broke out into an open smile upon seeing Sho, making him look considerably less mean. "Oi, Sho! What can I get you?"
"I wanted to introduce you to my new friend, Kuroko-kun!" He exclaimed. The old man only frowned.
"Who?"
"Hmm?" Sho took Kuroko's hand and waved it around. "Him, of course."
There was a moment of confusion before the man's eyes finally widened in recognition. "Ah! When'd you get here?"
"I was here the whole time." Kuroko didn't blame him.
"Haha don't worry the same thing happened to me when I first noticed him. This is my friend Kuroko Tetsuya, I met him just yesterday! Can you whip us up two bowls of oden?" The old man 'hmm'ed in agreement. "Hehe, Oya-san makes the best oden! YOu'll love it~"
Kuroko didn't even have time to protest before Sho pulled him down to a seat and a conversation was started between the three of them.
"So..Kuroko-san, how did you and Sho meet? You two seem awfully close for two people who met just yesterday." The old cook inquired.
"I fainted on my way home and Kazamatsuri-kun woke me up." He deadpanned. For a second nobody moved nor made a sound. The old man frowned. "...fainted?"
"Yes. I was tired and accidentally collapsed in the middle of a street." His expression remained unchanged.
"What were you doing that wore you out to that point of exhaustion?"
"I was staying after school to practice basketball." He replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"...well now I see why you two get along so well. One idiot to another I guess." He pinched the bridge of his nose in pretend exasperation. "But are you sure basketball is the right sport for ya? You're a bit short for a basketball player. Taller than Sho, sure, but everyone's taller than him."
"H-hey!" Sho cried out at the same time Kuroko answered, his voice the same as it had always been, "Yes. It's very fun."
Everyone ignored Sho's. The old man busted out in laughter. "Ha! You two are exactly alike! That's good, Kuroko. You play what you love, as long as there's passion in your heart, no one can take basketball away from you." Kuroko allowed a small smile to slip through at that. "But I'm curious, are you good at it?"
"No, Not at all. I can never get the ball to go into the hoop." But the old man didn't seem very surprised. "I see, do you practice with anyone? Friends maybe?" At this, Sho turned his head to await Kuroko's answer.
"No, I don't have any friends at school. No one really notices me because of my weak presence. I….I had a friend who played basketball with me, but he moved away. We promised to play against each other, though. That's why I wanna make the team." It got quiet again as Sho and Oya-san took it in. The elder man wore a pensive look as he made their food.
"I understand, Kuroko-kun! I was like that too in my second year of junior high. I'd transferred schools, so I didn't have any friends to play soccer with, so I practiced by myself." He gestured to the wall outside the vendor. There, Kuroko could see the dents in the wall where a ball had been kicked toward it many times, leaving many impressions and marks. "But then my captain noticed me and we started playing together, then the whole team started joining in. Playing soccer is really fun when you're with people you like!"
"Also," Oya-san started, "basketball and soccer are both team sports, so it's obvious you can improve just playing by yourself."
Kuroko didn't reply to that. He only looked down, pondering about what he was just told.
"Well anyway, your oden is ready." He handed each of them a bowl of udon, a savory aroma wafted through the air. It did look delicious.
"Thank you for the food!" Both boys exclaimed before digging in.
Kuroko was halfway through the bowl before his stomach couldn't take anymore. It was a really big bowl. "I think I'm done, Oya-san."
"Heh? You only finished half the bowl! How do you expect to get any stronger if you don't eat?" The old man put his hands on his hips, a half-hearted scowl on his countenance.
"But..I'm really full." Kuroko cradled his stomach, but his expression stayed impassive.
"Hmph, fine. But next time, you're finishing the whole bowl, understood?"
"Y-yes, I understand."
Beside him, Sho watched the exchanged with a full faced smile. It almost looked painful.
"Hey Kuroko-kun," Sho said as they walked back.
"Yes?"
"I've never really played basketball before, but if you want, I'll play with you. I think I can get at least one ball to go in the basket. At least one…"