Monster || Kuroken ||

Prologue

Eight years ago.

"Mom, what are you watching?" Kuroo asked, plopping down onto the leather sofa next to his mother. The TV blared in front of them brightly.

"Evening news," his mother replied, smiling at Kuroo. She ruffled Kuroo's hair lovingly. "Wanna watch with me?"

"Mm... Okay."

Kuroo settled comfortably against his mother's side and kept his eyes on the screen.

A female reporter appeared and beside her was a picture of a burned house with black smoke rising from it in large amounts.

"The Akiyama family was killed on a Wednesday night after an overheated mobile phone battery caused a fire. The incident, which occurred at about 1am on 4th street, resulted in a house that has been reduced to ashes. The family was asleep when the phone overheated, and was unable to leave the house in time to escape the fire. Police warn citizens..."

Kuroo's mother, while stroking Kuroo's ear, said, "There, Tetsurou. This is what happens when you leave your phone charging overnight unattended. The battery can overcharge, you know? So be careful and don't charge it overnight."

"Okay." Kuroo nodded.

The reporter finished her fire report and the picture soon switched to a scene which looked like it was taken at night.

In the scene, there was a creature that looked something between a human and an animal, and it was lying on the road behind a car,  motionless and lifeless.

Even though it was dark, Kuroo could make out that the creature had a long tail and claws for hands. Its black fur was visible in the dim light of the streetlamps and dark red liquid pooled beneath it.

Kuroo had seen enough crime movies to know that it was blood.

The reporter continued speaking, and this time,  Kuroo straightened up and listened carefully.

"An unknown creature resembling a half-human and half-panther was killed in a car accident on Thursday night. Mr Matsuda, the driver of a silver Toyota, was on the way home from work when the creature dashed out onto the road suddenly. The incident occurred at about 9pm near 7th street. Witnesses said that the creature was similar to the ones that had been sighted in different areas of Japan recently. Many believed it to be what historians call a Pantheran, which is a human capable of turning into a panther by will." 

Kuroo turned to his mother. "Mom, do they really exist? Are there really such things as a panther-man?" 

His mother shook her head. "I don't know, honey. Maybe they were mistaken. After all, it was dark. It was probably just a man pretending to be a half-panther." 

Kuroo fell silent and turned back to gaze at the screen. The report was over, but the picture of the creature sprawled on the road remained etched in his mind.

"Tetsurou," his mother said, patting Kuroo's head. Kuroo looked up and saw his mother smiling at him.

"This panther-man thing, they don't exist, okay? They are just a myth, so don't go believing whatever rumour you've heard."

Kuroo blinked. Something inside him wanted, for once, to go against his mother's words. He had read too much about these creatures. It couldn't all be just a lie. 

Listen to your mother. 

That was what his father had told him before he left to work in another country, and they were also his last words to Kuroo.

Kuroo met his mother's eyes and gave a small smile. 

"Alright."

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This marks the beginning of my kuroken journey!1!1

Hope you guys like this ! :)

- Teiji