A Shadow's Nightmares

Night 2

Here we go Part 2. This one gets a little deeper, and a lot more Angsty. So enjoy.

DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN KNB OR ITS CHARACTERS.

The second night Kuroko stayed the night; it had been more of a planned maneuver by Kagami. More or less, it hadn't been spur of the moment.

They had played Aomine for the first time. Second time for him, but it was the first time that it actually felt like a game. They had given a good fight but in the end they lost.

Kagami happened to look over and saw how badly this game had affected Kuroko. There wasn't any of that familiar blankness, his face was still emotionless, but it felt different. He supposed being able to read Kuroko came with spending three times more time than anyone else in Seirin. They were starting to fully sync up.

After they bowed, and Kuroko headed off to the locker rooms, Kagami knew that he would have to do something. He hadn't thought that losing to Aomine would be so devastating to his shadow. He knew that as a former light, Aomine would have some sort of impact on Kuroko. Kagami just didn't know how much.

How much weight did being a light carry, and could he withstand it?

He would have to illuminate the both of them. But Aomine had said his light was dim. Could he do it? Was he actually bright enough? Or would he lead Kuroko and himself to ruin?

He shook his head. It wouldn't do well to dwell. So heading off to look for Kuroko, per coach's order, he took the shortest path to the locker room.

He was actively looking for Kuroko, he wasn't sure if that would help him find his shadow, but it was worth a try.

As he had hoped, Kuroko was in the locker room. But with his head down, emanating an aura of defeat. Like he had thought originally he needed to think of a way to cheer Kuroko up.

So he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "Oi! Kuroko, want to stay the night?"

"Kagami-kun, we lost." Kuroko was confused; he could hear the question without it even being asked.

"And? I'll cook."

Kuroko watched him for a few seconds. Before he slowly nodded and stood up.

30 minutes later found Kagami letting a silent Kuroko in through his house. Another ten minutes and Kagami was in his kitchen while Kuroko sat on his couch, a crappy anime was on in the background, but Kagami had a feeling that it wasn't being watched.

He finished making the rather quick meal of fried rice and brought it to the dining room table.

"Dinner's finished."

After a minute of nothing happening Kuroko wordlessly got up and shuffled towards the table. Once he reached it, he sat down and started to pick at the food on his plate.

Kagami sat down as well, and started to wolf down his food while secretly keeping an eye on Kuroko.

He was on his third bowl while Kuroko had managed to eat through a fourth of his first plate. Still not a word had been said. Kagami was really starting to worry; there hadn't been a word out of Kuroko's mouth since they left the locker room.

When the phantom player finally spoke, Kagami was so startled he almost choked.

"He said he didn't know how to receive my passes anymore." It was mumbled and not directed to him.

Still it sounded so sad and full of longing, what that longing was for he didn't know, but it was there. The 'he' was certainly apparent, but wasn't sure where the phrase was coming from. Another Teiko incident?