Dear, Mom,

I can't believe it's already been a

year. Can you? It some ways, it feels

like just yesterday, when I pulled up

into Kiseki Village, but in many more,

it feels like I've been here forever. I

don't mean that in a bad way, though!

I really love it here. I really do.

Regardless, I'm coming to visit soon. Taiga.

When Kagami woke up that morning, he couldn't have been happier. The smell of fresh April air spilled into his bedroom through his window, leaving a clean scent that filled his nasal passages with every inhale. This is what he had been yearning for all winter, and finally, it was here.

Spring.

Kagami was sure that he had been the only person in Kiseki to have had a countdown for the much awaited season, but didn't care. He was a Californian at heart, and gosh, he wasn't afraid to express it.

Quickly getting dressed, Kagami threw on a pair of long basketball shorts, a loose-fitting tee, and a light sweat jacket for good measure. He and Kuroko had planned on meeting up, so he wasn't at all surprised to see the light blue feline waiting patiently for him at his front door.

"Would you like to go fishing by the river today, Kagami?" Kuroko asked, stepping over a few pebbles as he and Kagami moved down the front of his walk.

"Fishing?" Kagami countered. "Shoot, I didn't bring my rod. Maybe we could just sit by it instead?"

Kuroko nodded, seeming to like that idea just as much. "Sure. That's fine, too."

Although it was still a bit chilly, Kagami sat down onto the grassy bank, slipped off his sneakers, and dipped his feet into the water. "Ahh..." he sighed. "You should do this, too, Kuroko. It's really refreshing..."

"I'm not a big fan of having water touch me," Kuroko muttered, tucking his feet beneath his bottom as he sat next to Kagami.

"Right. Cat."

Curiously, Kagami's eyes drifted downward. His gaze immediately latched onto Kuroko's long tail. It's constant swish and sway was all too taunting. Ironically, it was like he was making the connection for the very first time: Kuroko was, indeed, a cat.

With a swift motion, Kagami grabbed a hold of Kuroko's tail and dunked the tip of it into the river. It took only a moment, but he felt it as his friend had seized up entirely.

Hissing at the chill, Kuroko quickly stood up and backed away from the water. Even with his rigid demeanor - the look of someone who had just been absolutely and utterly betrayed - the feline was able to upkeep a monotonous tone, as he calmly asked, "...What was that for, Kagami?"

Suppressing laughter, Kagami shook his head and held up a hand in his defense. "Honestly, I'm not all that sure myself," he snickered. "For a second there, I really just wanted to see your reaction. Sorry if I overstepped a boundary, or anything like that."

Kuroko stared at Kagami, a stare so blank that the teenager began feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Hey..." he tried. Pulling his feet out of the water, he walked over to where Kuroko had backed himself up to. "Look, I said I was sorry. Please don't get mad at me over something like this. It was-"

"I'm not mad," Kuroko interrupted.

There was an underlying emptiness in his voice that had prompted Kagami to question, "Hey, is everything alright? You seem kind of down."

It took Kuroko a minute or two before responding. It looked to Kagami like he was desperately trying to organize this thoughts, not wanting to come out and say the wrong thing. With a careful exposure about him, Kuroko looked up to Kagami with remorseful eyes and a pair of flattening ears. He said, "For a moment, just a moment, your actions had reminded me of Aomine. Sticking my tail in the river, that's exactly something he would have done."

With a response like that, Kagami was left at a loss of words. How could he even come up with something to say to that? It was like the mood of the morning had just taken a spin on a merry-go-round. First, things had been comfy. After that, they had gotten a bit tense. Now, they were just out right awkward. 'Aomine...' Kagami thought, 'what you did to Kuroko, what you put him through, it still hurts him to this day.' Without realizing it, he had begun to clench his fists.

"Kagami," Kuroko said for the third time, a detail unbeknownst to the boy he was trying to talk to.

"Oh. Yeah?"

"I want to tell you something," he said gently, "but it may take a while. Would you care to listen?"

Kagami felt a sense of anxiety seep into his veins. With his heart rate accelerating and his skin suddenly feeling all-too-hot for the first day of April, he nodded and he and Kuroko both sat back down next to the river.

"...Aomine and I were best friends, but I'm sure you already knew that," Kuroko slowly began, making it clear to Kagami that this was a hard topic for him to be discussing. He knew that, and Kagami mentally praised the feline for his bravery.

"I did, yes," Kagami affirmed. "I've already heard Aomine's side of this story, but I'd very much like to hear your own. In fact, your side is the one that I've wanted to know from the very beginning. From the moment that I learned of your mysterious existence, I secretly wanted to know what you were all about, so, Kuroko, if you don't mind..."

"I will tell you, Kagami," Kuroko whispered, seeming even more unsure of himself, due to the added pressure. "Please bear with me."

For the next hour and a half, Kuroko spoke quietly of himself, his reclusion, and about the times that he and Aomine had shared with one another. Some of the stories that he told sounded ridiculously fun, too. Late night fishing escapades, early morning bug catching contests, and midday mischievous behaviors. One story in particular had caused Kuroko's demeanor to change entirely. He seemed livelier, happier.

"We played a prank on Kise," he admitted, a devilish glint overtaking his innocent irises.

"You did not," Kagami chuckled, feeling naughty for even thinking of such a thing.

"We did. The night before a full moon, Aomine and I planted flowers all around his house in strange patterns and arrangements. He was convinced for the longest time that aliens and werewolves had done it. To this day, I swear that he still believes it was some sort of extraterrestrial power that had caused it to happen, even though we fessed up to the crime about a week afterward."

Laughing hysterically, Kagami slapped Kuroko on his shoulder and shouted, "Oh my God, Kuroko! Before you got all anti-social and stuff, it seems like you were lots of fun!"

Kuroko knew that Kagami hadn't meant any ill-will with his words, but it was hard for them to have not struck a chord. "Yeah..." he breathed. "Things were a lot different back then. But you know what, Kagami?"

Genuinely curious, Kagami wondered, "What?"

"This is what I've been wanting to tell you from the start of our conversation," Kuroko whispered. "I'm not going to think about it anymore. Holding a grudge, it's tiring. I'm not saying that Aomine and I are going to become as close as we once were, but I've recently decided that I'd like to start again. Almost as if I'm restarting myself."

"Wow..." was the first thing that had slipped out of Kagami's mouth, followed by, "Kuroko, I am so proud of you."

"You're...proud of me?" The slight expectation that could be seen in the feline's perky ears was adorable to Kagami, it really was.

"Yeah, I am. Seriously, give yourself a pat on the back. No, scratch that. I'll do it for you." Giving his friend a hardy slap, Kagami continued, "That was a major decision just now, and wow. Just, bravo to you."

Kuroko, clearly very pleased with Kagami's words of praise, retreated his gaze and looked down at his tiny, kitty feet. "Well, thank you, Kagami," he spoke softly. "I hope I don't disappoint."

"I highly doubt something like that. Say, how about we celebrate? We'll celebrate you, because you've just made a big leap in your conversion process of becoming a more social being. Geez, I sounded like Kise just now. He's going to be really happy to hear that you're starting over, by the way. And we'll also celebrate me. It is my one-year anniversary of being in Kiseki, after all."

"Oh, yes. That's right," Kuroko nodded, not hiding the fact that he had nearly forgotten. "But, Kagami, how will we celebrate?"

"You and I, let's watch some tapped reruns that I have of the March Madness basketball games."

"You know what?" Kuroko smiled, one of those rare sights that was becoming surprisingly more common. "I'd really like that."

P.S. A lot has happened this year. I got a job,

and I got let go; I've made many friends, and

I lost a fishing tournament; I watched a friend

move away, and I survived a wicked storm; I

had an awesome birthday, and I collected way

too many acorns; I met Kuroko, and I saw my

first snowfall; I celebrated the New Year, and

Valentine's Day wasn't too long after that.

Mom, it's been a great year. I really feel like this

adventure has been well worth my while.

I'll see you soon. Taiga.

Hi there! Chappy here! :D

This story is really starting to wind down now. Only four chapters left! Will there be a conflict? Will something bad happen? We just don't know.

And with that pleasant thought, thank you very much for taking the time to read! I hope you've enjoyed!

- Chappy