Kuroko's POV

After Kagami's train had departed, the crowd of townspeople dispersed, all going off in their own, separate directions. The only one who lingered was Kuroko. He remained there, standing in the station square, staring at barren train tracks that once held Kagami's mode of transportation. Even with tens and twenties of minutes passing him by, Kuroko did not move; even when the wind picked up and the sun began to fall behind the cliffside, he was stagnant.

"He'll come back, Kurokocchi," Kise's gentle voice whispered, pulling the fragile feline out of his thoughts and back to the surface. Somehow, his friend had been able to sneak up behind him without any notice, an incredible feat for such a perky pup.

"Yeah," Kuroko nodded, looking down at his tiny, little feet. "He will. He promised me that he would." He rose his head to meet with Kise's reassuring gaze. "Just one week. It'll be just one week."

It was unbeknownst to him that one, innocent week would be multiplied by fifty-two.

Returning home much later in the evening, Kuroko made himself comfy, settled into his ranch sofa, and began to leisurely read one of his most favourite books, The End of A Sentence Begins Another. Halfway into the third chapter, he found his mind beginning to wander. 'I wonder what Kagami is doing right now,' he wondered, carefully resting the book down onto his lap. 'I wonder if he arrived safely...'

Before he knew it, Kuroko was up and about, searching through his office desk's drawers for some sort of stationery. Discovering three four-packs of essay paper, the feline took out a small pencil and began jotting down all of his thoughts and feelings.

Dear Kagami,

Today, you left for Los Angeles. I know

this letter is a bit redundant of what we

said to one another before you left, and

also of what I wrote in the letter that I gave

to you before your embarkment, but I

feel as if I can't stress this enough, Kagami:

please remember where your home is.

A year ago, your home was with your

parents in California, but now, your home

is here in Kiseki Village. It's here with Kise,

here with Midorima, here with Aomine;

here with Murasakibara, here with Akashi,

and here with me. Please travel safely, but

also, return home just as well.

Until then. Kuroko.

He hadn't been planning on sending the letter, no; Kuroko was merely looking for a way to effectively get out all of the swarming thoughts that took over his head and masked his focus. And it had worked...for the most part.

An hour later, Kuroko was back at his desk, pulling out his pencil and the very same piece of paper, quickly adding:

P.S. I think I saw Midorima crying after

you left. He really is going to miss you,

too. Don't let his stoic nature fool you.

Flash forward a week, one that had gone far too slowly for everyone's desired standards, and all the residents of Kiseki Village were, once again, gathering around the train station, waiting for their human friend to come home. When the hour had passed for Kagami to arrive, no one was particularly worried. Maybe his flight had been delayed and he would be arriving at a later time. When the day had passed, everyone figured tomorrow for sure. Seven days gone and, while a tad concerned, it was the consensual understanding that he had missed his parents so much that he decided to enjoy one more week under the Californian sun.

But when one month had passed, and April was giving way to May, all hope had been lost. Without a single letter of warning, the general idea had finally come to be accepted: Kagami wasn't coming back.

Still, Kuroko had much more to say. He didn't want to believe it, of course he didn't. With his pencil and his paper, he turned to writing letters, a therapy that no one around him could quite understand.

May

Dear Kagami,

Something must have happened back

in L.A. and that's why you've decided

to stay, right? You're not doing it of

your own accord, correct? Maybe

your mother has gotten sick and needs

you to take care of her? Or possibly

your father lost his job and needs you

to work part-time to help support the

family? Whatever the case, I know

you'll come back. We made a promise,

remember? Although you've already

broken the first part of it, about how

you said you'd return in a week, I

know you'll be back.

And I'll be waiting for you. Kuroko.

June

Dear Kagami,

How are you? I bet it's really hot

out in California. I read that it gets

pretty humid over there, during the

summer. Right now, we're experiencing

our rainy season. It's rained every day

for the past three weeks. It's true.

Gyroids are everywhere, but there's just

so many of them that we can't dig them

all up. If only you were here to help us...

You'll be home for July, right? Remember

how we set off fireworks for Himuro's

farewell party? Maybe we can set them

off again in celebration of your return.

We'd have to get approval from the Mayor first. Kuroko.

July

Dear Kagami,

It's the middle of the month now,

and Tom Nook has started selling

seedless watermelons. It's a huge

hit here; I think you'd like it. Just

yesterday, about an hour after the

shop had opened, all of the water-

melons had already been sold out.

We were all pretty suspicious, until

we learned that seedless water

melons had been the luck item for

Cancers. So basically, Midorima

hoarded them all. In light of this

event, we've all decided that he is

no longer allowed to have any more

watermelon for the entire summer.

He started crying. You probably would

have started laughing, I think. Then again,

I'm not entirely sure how you would have

reacted. It's strange, but I'm starting

to forget things about you...wait. What

was your name again?

Just kidding. Kuroko.

August

Dear Kagami,

I'm writing this to you on your

birthday. I wonder what you're

doing. Are you having fun with

family? With friends? As long as

you're having fun, nothing else

matters. What are we doing over

here? I wonder if you'd ask that.

Honestly, I couldn't give you a

legitimate answer. I didn't go

outside today. Kise knocked on

my door, but I didn't answer. I

didn't feel like talking to him.

I didn't feel like talking to

anyone.

Maybe tomorrow. Kuroko.

P.S. Happy birthday.

September

Dear Kagami,

The leaves have already begun

to change, Kagami. It's really very

pretty. I can see them through my

window. I can also smell the autumn

air through my window, as well.

Sometimes, I wish I still went on those

walks with you. You know, the ones we

took through the orchards? At a time like

this, I bet it would be so peaceful. Ah,

but one can only dream, right?

I still dream that you will come home one day. Kuroko.

October

Dear Kagami,

Kise visited with me today.

Day after day of insisting that I

talk to someone, I finally let him in.

The first thing that he asked me was

if I was alright. The first thing that I asked

him was if he still believes that you were

coming home. He said no. I made him

leave. I'm angry with him. I'm angry

with everyone. They've all lost faith in you,

Kagami, but I know you'll be back. Our

promise, remember? You said you would

come home, to your real home.

You will, right? Kuroko.

November

Dear Kagami,

I was a bit restless today, so

I decided to read a book. I sat

down in the morning with a cup

of coffee (not as good as the coffee

that Brewster makes, mind you) and

began reading. I had finished by

the end of the day. It was a romance

novel, filled with a wonderful plot

line of how the guy got the girl and

they both lived happily ever after.

It's funny, because at one point, the

male protagonist had to venture off

to a different city, leaving the woman

he loved behind. Somehow, it felt

relatable. But it wasn't. There was

one distinction that set the story

apart from what you did.

He actually came back. Kuroko.

In the month of December, Kuroko had come down with a vicious illness, permitting him from writing his letter for a good portion of the month. When he finally had the strength to sit up for an extended period of time, he kept his passage brief, writing:

Dear Kagami,

Christmas has just passed. The New

Year is going to be here before we

know it. "New Year, New Beginnings,"

right? Well, I think it's time I have a

new beginning for myself, as well.

Nothing's set in stone yet, though. Kuroko.

January

Dear Kagami,

I've done some more thinking,

but I'm still on the fence about my

decision. It's funny; if you were here,

I wouldn't even be thinking about

something like this. You're not even

present, and yet, you're the one who's

influencing my plans for the future.

Ah, it's just started to snow. I

remember how you used to hate the

snow. I wonder if you're thinking

about how glad you are that you

don't have to deal with it this year.

I should go lay down. Kuroko.

February

Dear Kagami,

I told Kise that I wanted to leave

Kiseki Village today. He didn't

seem surprised, and said that if

he wasn't so tied to this place,

he would probably pack his things

and move off to some far and

distant land, too. I haven't made up

my mind yet, but I have started

cleaning up my house a bit, selling

and giving away the things that I don't

really use anymore. I still have that

picture of the ocean that you gave to

me, though.

I'll hold on to it. Kuroko.

March

Dear Kagami,

I've made up my mind.

Come the end of April, I'll

be packing up my things and

leaving Kiseki Village. It's been

a difficult process for me, but

this is the decision that I've made.

I'm giving myself a month to

slowly work through this with the

small sliver of hope that maybe, just

maybe, our promise hasn't been

broken and you will still come home.

I just hope I'm still here when and if you do. Kuroko.

Kuroko had never seen so many boxes before. Boxes on the floor, boxes in the air, boxes on top of boxes. Basically, boxes everywhere. Packing had proved to be a lot of work, but when it was all said and done, Kuroko was proud of himself. He had done everything, even the extremely heavy lifting, all on his own.

Walking through the columns and rows of boxes that all surpassed him in height, Kuroko allowed his mind to wander. He'd been granting himself such a personal release for quite some time now. 'One year here,' Kuroko mused, 'one year gone. If this is the start of a pattern, Kagami, maybe this year...'

No. It was unhealthy for him to think that way and he knew it. He'd already been through something like this once before, why would a second occurrence be any different?

On a different note, one thing that Kuroko had decided to leave behind in his travels was his office desk. He knew that wherever he went, he probably wouldn't have much use for it anyway. Regardless, he curiously rounded the side of its corner and opened up the front drawer.

There was only one sheet of essay paper left.

Swallowing hard and sitting down in his chair, Kuroko inhaled a deep breath and did the one thing that he knew how to do best: he wrote.

Dear Kagami,

In life, things happen rather

unexpectedly, don't they? Did I

ever expect to be packing up my

things and leaving the only place

that I've ever called home? No, I

really didn't. Then again, I've never

expected you to be the indirect reason

of it all. Without you here, this town,

this village, it's not a home. It feels

empty. You brought the life to this place,

and when you left, you took it with you.

But it's been a year, and honestly, I'm

tired of feeling lifeless. I need to spread

my paws and arch my back. I can't do

that here. No anymore. Even if I tried,

I'd just look like a meaningless fool.

I don't blame you, Kagami. You are

entitled to happiness, too. My

happiness should not be your sacrifice.

If you are doing well in Los Angeles, then

please, by all means, stay there. Just know

this...I won't be here when you get back.

But don't worry, I don't hold you accountable

for your broken promise.

We all make promises that we can't keep sometimes. Kuroko.

Hi there! Chappy here! :D

If you are still surviving after this chapter, please accept this medal: you are a survivor.

I hope you enjoyed the change of pace from seeing things through Kuroko's eyes. Honestly, I had been looking forward to writing this chapter from all the way back when this story was still in its outlining stages. (:

It only goes up from here! I promise you! (And I won't break my promise like Kagami did.)

- Chappy