Summary: Anyone who knew the Generation of Miracles could tell that they were protective of one Kuroko Tetsuya. However, no one has ever suspected that Kuroko Tetsuya was as protective of his former team as they were of him. GoMKuroko

Pairings: Generation of Miracles X Kuroko (kinda)

A/N: I love Seirin and all, but I've always liked the idea of the Generation of Miracles being friends more (god, I want to see them play together!). And I also like Protective!Miragen. This is kinda AU and characters might be OOC (although, I did try my best to keep them as close to in character as possible)

Edited [04/23/2013] - I edited how Hanamiya's name was used due to one of the reviews I got regarding it's usage. Sorry 'bout that. When I wrote this story, I wasn't quite sure which was his first name and which was his last name... I'm not sure why I was confused that time. Maybe it was because I've been reading from too many sources that the info got all jumbled up in my head and I was unable to properly organize my thoughts...? I'm not even sure... nevertheless, I'd like to thank Tsuna De Vongola Decimo for pointing that out to me. Thank you!

~Protective~

Anyone who knew even just one member of the Generation of Miracles could tell – through the said group's actions - that the five prodigies (or at least the one they knew) had a soft spot for one Kuroko Tetsuya. Some would even say that 'having a soft spot' would be an understatement as the five males were ridiculously overprotective of the boy. Not that anyone could blame them. It was rather expected as the petite boy's stature gave the impression of fragility that would make many people hesitate to even consider hurting him (not that anyone who knew of his association with the esteemed group would dare – they'd like to stay alive, thank you very much).

However, no one ever suspected that the so-called Phantom player, the sixth member of the Generation of Miracles, the most fragile-looking basketball athlete anyone has ever laid eyes on, was, in fact, as protective of his former team as they were of him.

He never really showed any evidence of such fact – well, not until the match against Kirisaki Daichi.

In Seirin's opinion – especially Kagami Taiga's, who was already flabbergasted (and slightly traumatized) at seeing his partner angry – it was foolish of Hanamiya Makoto to provoke Kuroko any further after the comment he had offhandedly said regarding his reason for wanting victory.

"It's hilarious how a pathetic thing like you could be a member of a group such as the Generation of Miracles." Hanamiya taunted. His voice was loud, clear, and carried throughout the tense silence that had invaded the court.

Seirin froze at the comment. Their widened eyes darting warily between their rigid teammate and the smirking opponent.

"What did you just say?!" Kagami managed to grit out after shaking out of the stupor he was in. But before he could even add more, Hanamiya continued like the redhead had never spoken.

"But then again, they're probably nothing but trash anyway. After all, whether it is a genius or whatever fancy name they use, once broken, they become as useless as garbage. There's no point in calling broken things anything else, don't you agree?"

Either his voice was loud, or it was deafeningly silent in the gym. Perhaps a bit of both. But, whichever of the two it was, there were many who heard Hanamiya's declaration – including the Generation of Miracles themselves (who sat on seats that were close to the court).

Kise Ryouta's eyes were narrowed in anger and his hands were balled into fists, making Kasamatsu Yukio glance at him warily.

Midorima Shintarou adjusted his glasses that glinted ominously underneath the gymnasium lights. Takao Kazunari wisely shifted away from his teammate as he witnessed the tightening of the taped fingers around the stuffed penguin it held onto.

The only sign Murasakibara Atsushi made that he heard the comment was the pausing of the chocolate bar right in front of his lips. Though not much, it was enough to alert his teammates that the comment, in fact, irked the tall player.

Aomine Daiki's fists, like Kise's, were tightened into a ball whilst he gritted his teeth together. His sharp eyes were glaring dangerously at the offender's back. The dark aura he emitted caused several of his teammates to lean away from him. It didn't help that the team's manager, Momoi Satsuki, who sat right beside her childhood friend, was analyzing Hanamiya in a way that seemed to be deciding the best and most painful method of dismemberment.

A sharp snip reached the ears of the members of Rakuzan team. They glanced at the source and found Akashi Seijuro playing with his red scissors, as if testing its sharpness and efficiency. His cold heterochromatic eyes were trained on Hanamiya like a predator to his prey. Though they didn't outwardly show it, the rest of the team couldn't help but pity their fellow Crownless General's soul.

"We'll crush anyone who gets in our way. Winning is a bonus. It's a lot more fun to see people like you…" Hanamiya gestured at the seething Seirin team. "… Break apart. It doesn't matter who you are. I'll crush even the Generation of Miracles."

The present members of Kaijo, Shutoku, Touou, Yosen, and Rakuzan sat rigidly in their seats as they eyed their respective prodigious teammates cautiously. Was it just them or did the temperature suddenly drop in their vicinity? Fortunately, the five still didn't react.

But, that didn't last long.

"And what better way to start than to completely destroy the Sixth Phantom player?" Hanamiya added maliciously, ignoring the Seirin team who were divided into those who wanted to beat him into a bloody pulp and those who were tempted to let them but were rational enough to prevent said event from occurring. The teammates of the Generation of Miracles readied themselves for stopping their own co-players from interfering (seeing as they seemed liable to commit murder the moment Hanamiya threatened their Sixth man's health).

However, through all the madness, it seemed that everybody forgot about Kuroko Tetsuya's reaction to that. Fortunately (or unfortunately), they were reminded of his presence when Hanamiya moved in front of him and stared down intimidatingly at the shorter player, leaning forward ever so slightly, as if to stress his threat.

The sudden movement of the opponent had Kasamatsu holding down his blonde teammate from dashing down to the court. Takao was trying (yet obviously failing) to divert the attention of Midorima, who had become more rigid at the scene. Wakamatsu Kosuke was the only one who dared to hold back Aomine whilst Sakurai Ryou was trying to calm their manager down (though it wasn't working as he was too scared of her expression). To the relief of Himuro Tatsuya, the tall man beside him didn't show signs of doing anything, yet he could feel that Murasakibara was ready to act like his other teammates if provoked further. Only the other members of Rakuzan didn't respond as they watched Akashi snip his scissors ominously. It was none of their concern that Hanamiya dug his own grave. And noticing the glint in those mismatched eyes of the redhead, they'd rather not get involved in the crossfire.

Seirin watched in anticipation as Kuroko simply returned Hanamiya's glance. His face remaining impassive like usual – as if the man in front of him didn't say anything offensive at all. After what seemed to be years – though it was only for a few seconds – of waiting for some sort of reaction, Kuroko finally moved. With the ball in hand, he turned his back on the sneering Point Guard and walked away.

A smirk graced the Point Guard's lips. "Coward. Must run in your team. Present…" His gaze paused on Seirin before it swept around the stadium, resting on each member of the Generation of Miracles. "… and past."

Still, Kuroko did not show any signs of being even a tad bit bothered by the taunting. So Seirin, despite the fact that they wanted to do something to defend their teammate, let it at that. If Kuroko chose not to react then they'd respect his decision by doing the same. They would just pay the bastard back through basketball.

The confrontation between Hanamiya and Kuroko was momentarily forgotten once they began playing again. After all, seeing as the pass specialist wasn't affected by the ridiculing of Hanamiya, it probably wouldn't affect the game anyway.

How wrong they were.

No one noticed it at first since they were far too immersed in the game. However, as time slowly passed…

"Whoa! What kind of pass was that?"

"Is a pass that fast even possible?"

"What the… but the ball was just over there…"

"Where the heck did that come from?"

The audience was left bewildered at what was going on. And the players in the court felt the same. Those from Kirisaki Daichi ran left and right, trying to steal or intercept the ball. However, it was obvious that the effort was futile.

"What the hell?" Hara Kazuya muttered when the ball whizzed past him, landing in the hands of Izuki Shun.

"You should've stopped that!" Hanamiya hissed at his teammate.

"I couldn't. It was too fast."

Hanamiya gritted his teeth, annoyed that these insects managed to get out of his web and was making an irritating comeback.

It seemed that Number Eleven's weak presence diminished even further, circulating unplanned passes amongst his teammates like some kind of phantasm.

Not only were the passes unpredictable, they were fast as well and – after seeing the purple bruise starting to form on Yamazaki's arm after being hit by the ball when trying to intercept it – the force has also increased. Seirin noted the changes in the passes they received, not that they're complaining or anything. It was still accurate despite the increased swiftness. And the force was stronger, yet controlled in a way that still suited them.

That was the moment that players that were aware of Kuroko's association with Teiko instantly got confirmation as to exactly why Kuroko Tetsuya was recognized as the Generation of Miracle's pass specialist and the team's Phantom player.

Kagami hid a wince when he got a hold of his partner's pass. Man, he hoped that that bastard Hanamiya won't anger Kuroko any further. If these passes get any stronger, his hands would be perpetually bruised.

If his wrists didn't snap first.

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

"Is it just me or did those passes become unbelievably quicker than before?" Kasamatsu commented. He glanced at Kise, awaiting his answer, only to find the blonde even paler than before. "Oi, Kise, what's wrong?"

"Se-sempai?" The model started, slowly turning to face his upperclassman. "I've never seen Kurokocchi this angry."

Kasamatsu's brows furrowed. Angry? The kid didn't even react to Hanamiya's mocking. He tilted his head to look for the player wearing number eleven. It took him a while to find the guy, but he eventually did.

"He doesn't look any different."

"Of course he does!" Kise exclaimed. "Do you know how strong those passes are?" He asked rhetorically while gesturing a bit wildly at Kagami who had just received said pass. "My hand was swelling for a whole week! It doesn't look like it but Kurokocchi has a powerful arm."

Kasamatsu sighed, deeming the statement as another one of Kise's exaggerations or fanatical remarks regarding number eleven.

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

Takao gulped when he noticed the small smirk forming on Midorima Shintarou's lips.

"Shin-chan?"

"As expected, Oha-Asa is correct again. Luck will not be on the side of anyone who angers an Aquarius today."

Takao eyed Midorima warily and sweat-dropped. "Somehow, you sound much too gleeful about that, Shin-chan."

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

Momoi Satsuki's eyes widened at the sight before her as her anger gradually ebbed away. "Amazing." She whispered in awe. Then she clasped her hands together and squealed. "So cool! Tetsu-kun, you make me love you even more!" She exclaimed so suddenly that Sakurai stumbled away from her.

Aomine shrugged Wakamatsu's arm off. "Tche. I told him he'd lose. No one pisses off Tetsu and gets away unharmed." He commented, ignoring the curious glances he was getting from his teammates. He was too preoccupied remembering the rare times he had annoyed his former shadow to the point that he had to ice his hands after catching those insane passes. He mentally shivered at the memories.

One thing he never wanted to face again was an angry Tetsu. Not that he'd admit that out loud.

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

"Uwa~ Kuro-chin is angry. Scary." Murasakibara remarked in that usual expression of his.

Himuro raised a brow at the man beside him. "He looks normal to me."

Murasakibara's reply was to continue munching on his snacks. Then Himuro added. "Besides, why would he get angry at what Hanamiya said? Most of the insults were directed at you guys."

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

"Oh?" Akashi, who had been silent for a while now, suddenly drawled out, instantly catching his teammates' attentions, "Interesting. This flatters me, Tetsuya." He stated with a smirk on his lips.

Hayama Kotarou, Mibuchi Reo, and Nebuya Eikichi stared at each other, as if inquiring about the cryptic message.

None of them had a clue.

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

The first years, as well as Aida Riko, who were sitting on the bench, flinched at witnessing their teammate's anger.

"I never thought that Kuroko could be vicious when angry." Fukuda Hiroshi commented with a gulp.

Furihata Koki nodded and let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah. It kinda scares me. Especially when he still has that deadpan expression on his face."

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

The game continued with Seirin gradually catching up with Kirisaki Daichi. By the last few minutes of the fourth quarter, Seirin finally gained the lead with an astounding ten-point difference.

"Whoa, a ten-point difference against Kirisaki Daichi? Seirin is strong!"

"Yeah! Did you see those dunks?"

"No, what are you talking about? It's all because of that run-and-gun style of theirs. They were passing the ball around so fast I couldn't keep up with it!"

"Are you guys idiots? It's all those fast passes that come out of nowhere."

"And the sudden changes in the ball's direction!"

Hanamiya grinded his teeth and his pupils contracted in anger. His glare grazed each member of the opposing team before zeroing in on the cause of all this. Emotionless light-blue eyes met his own, spiking his anger even more. However, after several seconds, a malicious smirk started to form on his lips.

As the game approached its end, Hanamiya did his best to keep his eyes on that number eleven jersey. Slowly but surely, he subtly moved to decrease the distance between them. Then he struck.

Hanamiya caught the ball his teammate passed to him and noticed Kuroko move to guard him. With that smirk still on his lips, he swung his elbow down to hit the shorter player in the face.

"Kuroko!" Several of Seirin's members shouted in alarm.

"Kurokocchi!"

"Tetsu-kun!"

Taped fingers squeezed the stuffed penguin tighter.

A poor lollipop found itself crushed between rows of powerful teeth.

Tanned hands gripped the chair's arms harsher than before.

And a pair of scissors was sharply snipped closed.

Not looking fazed for one bit, Kuroko simply shifted backwards and avoided the joint that would've got him in the eye. Taking advantage of Hanamiya's disbelief, Kuroko slapped the ball down then proceeded to dribble it past the Point Guard.

Hanamiya instantly snapped out of his stupor to block him. "Don't underestimate me!" He snarled. However, when he reached at him to steal the ball, Kuroko swiftly moved backwards, took his stance, and then flung out his arm. The ball flew past Hanamiya and landed in the awaiting hands of Kagami, who stood right in front of Kirisaki Daichi's basket.

Another dunk was performed.

And the buzzer went off.

Hanamiya watched the scoreboard display the final count.

84-72

Hands balled into fists, the Point Guard trained his fierce look at Kuroko.

"You." He growled.

Kuroko simply stared back emotionlessly, though, if one knew him well enough, they'd be able to see a glint of anger in his eyes. "I could not allow you to win, especially after hearing what you have planned for your other opponents."

"Why you little-" Hanamiya motioned to grab the other by the jersey but, before anyone could even react, Kuroko's hand shot up and trapped the taller guy's wrist in its vice-like grip.

"I suggest that you refrain from doing such acts on others, Hanamiya-san." Even though Kuroko's tone was void of any emotion, those who heard it could detect an underlying danger to it, causing a shiver to crawl up their spines.

Hyuga Junpei had always believed Kuroko to be the nicest and calmest person he had ever met. This side of him – a side that Hyuga's mind promptly named Dark Kuroko – was starting to contradict that notion. And, well, he was getting slightly intimidated. Only slightly, Hyuga mentally insisted.

"Are you threatening me? Who do you think you are, you little insect." Hanamiya would never show it but the clutch on his wrist was becoming uncomfortable (he'd never dare use the word 'pain', or anything similar to it, when he was the subject of it).

"A suggestion is hardly considered as a threat." Kuroko replied.

'Not if they heard the tone you're using', was the thought of several around them.

Hanamiya yanked his arm back, making Kuroko let go of it. Dark eyes met pale ones in an intense glaring match, trying to intimidate the other to yield.

" Hanamiya-san..." Kuroko suddenly spoke after a few seconds. "… Please stay away from Seirin. As well as from Touou, Kaijo, Shutoku, Yosen, and Rakuzan." This statement left the spectators in hearing-range speechless.

Training a final glance on Hanamiya, the pale young man turned around to leave the court. However, he was stopped with a challenging statement.

"And what makes you think I'll listen to you?"

Kuroko simply tilted his head to look over his shoulder and nonchalantly stated. "My Ignite Pass has significantly improved." With that, he exited the court.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Kazuya Hara scoffed and looked at Hanamiya, who was staring, with an unreadable expression, at the spot the Phantom player had previously occupied.

On Seirin's side, most of them were gradually becoming pale.

"Oi, was it just me, or did Kuroko just threaten to use his Ignite Pass on Hanamiya?" Izuki Shun asked his teammates.

"I'm still stuck on what he said about the other teams." Hyuga uttered.

Kiyoshi Teppei scratched his cheek. "It looks to me that Kuroko was angrier at the fact that Hanamiya threatened and insulted his team. Especially his old teammates."

There was a few moments of silence before any of them commented again.

"But did you ever expect this side of Kuroko? I never really expected him to react that way for insulting his old team." Hyuga spoke. "I knew he'd react, but I didn't expect that. What do you think, Kagami?"

Kagami shrugged and let out a grunt, seemingly indifferent to the matter. However, in his mind, he was already making a mental note not to say anything remotely insulting about any member of the Generation of Miracles.

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

"Hey, Kise, what do you think happened there?" Kasamatsu asked his teammate, referring to what he had witnessed between Kuroko and Hanamiya. However, when he set his eyes on where the blonde was supposed to be, all he found was an empty seat.

Kasamatu's eye twitched in annoyance. 'Where the hell did that bastard go now?'

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

"So, Shin-chan…" Takao started whilst walking past the exit. "It's your turn to pedal the cart, right?" He finished while he turned around to look at… his… friend… that was no longer behind him.

"Shin-chan?"

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

"What do you mean he left?" Wakamatsu yelled. "We still have training!"

To the astonishment of Touou, instead of being annoyed at her childhood friend's lack of participation, Momoi radiated complete and utter glee. They could practically imagine sparkles and flowers surrounding the pink-haired girl. "He had to take care of something very important."

"What 'something important'?! What's more important than training for the Winter Cup?!"

Then, all of a sudden, the aura around Momoi darkened and she stared at them with cold and calculating eyes. It was the same look she had been directing earlier at Hanamiya, as if deciding whether she should inflict pain through dismemberment or emancipation. The Touou team cowered under the glare. "He had to take care of something very important." She repeated.

"W-well… if it's so important then I guess I can let this slide today." Wakamatsu stammered.

And, once again, their manager's mood turned another one-eighty. "Great. So, shall we go now and start our training?" She asked – all smiles, flowers, and sparkles back in place.

"Y-yes." Was the slightly high-pitched chorused answer.

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

"So, should we go now?" Himuro questioned out loud. When silence greeted him back, he immediately looked to his left to find only an empty bag of chips in his teammate's place. "Huh? How did…" he couldn't help but wonder how such a tall man can leave without alerting him in anyway. Then, his thoughts wondered off to the possibilities of Murasakibara's whereabouts.

"Oi, oi… don't tell me…"

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

"Do you think anyone will ever see Hanamiya again?" Hayama asked his two present teammates.

"I doubt it." Mibuchi replied with a shrug. "Well, you get what you give. Knowing that guy… Hanamiya would probably be lucky to even retain a limb."

~oOo~OoOoO~oOo~

The sun was setting in the horizon as Hanamiya stomped down the streets. His mood was even darker than before. Not only was he defeated, but the weak looking kid even had the guts to threaten him.

He was too engrossed in his inner ranting that he failed to see a large blockade ahead. Thus, he soon found himself colliding against said blockade and landing back on his rear. Temper rising once again, Hanamiya stood up and glared. "Watch where you're…" He trailed off at the sight of the purple-haired man, towering over him. He instantly recognized him as Murasakibara Atsushi.

"Ah, Atsushi, it seems that you have found him first." A cold drawl sounded from somewhere behind him. Hanamiya whirled around to find a pair of icy heterochromatic eyes surveying him. Hanamiya held back a gulp, once again identifying the guy – Akashi Seijuuro. In the redhead's hand was – gulp – a pair of very sharp-looking scissors.

"Murasakibara. Akashi." Someone else spoke. To Hanamiya's left, he found a green-haired man whose glasses glinted ominously against the light of the setting sun. He adjusted his glasses to momentarily reveal a fierce look directed at Kirisaki Daichi's Point Guard. Hanamiya also knew him as one Midorima Shintarou.

"Aw, Akashicchi, Murasakibaracchi, and Midorimacchi got to him before me." There, on Hanamiya's right, was a known teenage model. Despite his words and tone, his face lacked any sort of pleasant emotion. Hanamiya immediately matched this man with the name Kise Ryouta.

"Tche! And I thought I'd get to beat him up first." Seeing the presence of the others, Hanamiya didn't have to look to know that it was Aomine Daiki who spoke. However, he still chanced a glance to find the blue-haired teen emitting an aura that practically screamed kill.

In spite of the fast beating of his heart, Hanamiya Makoto still kept his composure. He wasn't about to show these five insects how screwed he felt in this situation.

"What the hell do you want?"

Aomine stepped forward but Akashi held his arm out, effectively stopping the ace from charging.

"I'm sure you know why we're all here, but I'll humor you with an answer. It has come to our attention, Hanamiya Makoto, that you have deemed us as garbage, and that is just not acceptable." Akashi replied whilst slowly approaching him – like a predator sadistically watching his prey squirm. "However, what is more unacceptable is your treatment of Tetsuya."

Aomine let out a growl that made Hanamiya take a small step backward, only to bump into the tall frame of Murasakibara. Heavy hands landed on his shoulder, effectively keeping him in place.

"You see, we find it intolerable for anyone to tarnish Tetsuya's person." Akashi elucidated. Hanamiya held back a whimper when the cold metal of the scissors gently caressed his cheek. It was taunting him – saying that this metal could be used in many imaginative ways to inflict pain on his body.

"You have chosen to daunt the wrong individual. Kuroko had been lenient with you. I cannot say the same when it comes to the rest of us." Midorima stated, adjusting his glasses yet again. "Fate has long left your side."

"I will crush you for touching Kurochin." Murasakibara voiced, his grip on Hanamiya's shoulders tightened.

"Stay away from Kurokocchi." Kise warned, unusually serious and with a threat lacing his tone. "Don't ever lay a hand on him again."

"Heh. Who says we're giving him a chance to?" Aomine cut in while cracking his knuckles. The aura around him seemed to have gotten darker. "I warned you about Tetsu's anger. You had that defeat coming and we were going to leave it at that. But you just had to go and touch him, didn't you?" The tan player leaned forward. "You really piss me off."

"So what?" Hanamiya sneered. "There's nothing you can do about it."

"Oh?" Akashi verbalized callously. "But that is where you are wrong, Hanamiya Makoto. We can still do something about it."

Hanamiya knew that he should've just kept his mouth shut, but his pride was bruised enough as it was. He wasn't about to bow down to these garbage. "It's already done. What – "

"Done?" Akashi cut him off, a cruel smirk forming on his lips. "No, it's not done."

There was also a smile on Kise's lips, yet he looked more like an evil version of the Cheshire cat. Midorima's glasses glinted again, making him appear more sinister than he already was. Murasakibara simply stared down at him emotionlessly, his hold on the Point Guard's shoulders not loosening one bit. Aomine grinned wickedly as he stepped closer whilst cracking his knuckles.

With his scissors in hand, Akashi announced. "It only just begun."