Hello! As I said last week, Murasakibara's chapter was moved forward for plot reasons. This chapter is the most different of all, I think because Murasakibara has a very special and different style from the rest of the group.

For some reason the song that inspired me to write was 'Let's Not Fall In Love' - Bigbang.

The name of the female character in this chapter is Suki Okada.

Reminder: The last chapter will be Aomine (my favorite Miracle) and it will be a continuation of a previous fanfic of mine that is already published here (The Proposal), so I suggest you read it to understand better.

[Kuroko No Basket belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki]

[English isn't my first language, so please be kind]

3

Second Chance

(Atsushi Murasakibara)

Being part of the Health Committee at school wasn't so bad, except when we had to do something.

This week we were assigned to do first-aid treatment training. We had already reviewed heart stopping, choking; now we were seeing blisters, but holding a needle was too hard.

- That's it, I give up - I said after the second attempt, but I think two attempts were more than enough.

I liked it better when the committee took care of the kitchen and food processing, but apparently we couldn't do that every week.

I looked at the clock, it was almost time to go to training and I still hadn't eaten, but I had a strategy to get out of here.

- So are you done for today?

Himuro was waiting for me in the hallway when I left the room.

- Oh, Muro-chin, they sent me out early so I would stop complaining.

He was always with a basketball magazine in his hand, but I would have liked it better if it had been food. Honestly I didn't understand why most people didn't carry bags full of food all the time because food is so delicious and it's full of good memories.

Some people may come and go from your life, but the good food will always be there, like a constant.

- Do you have any sweets?

- Not this time - Himuro replied, he walked elegantly while I simply clumped alongside him.

- How am I going to play without eating first? The cafeteria's already closed, I forgot my sweets at home... - I continued talking, but Himuro pretended not to hear me. I hated when he did that.

I stopped in front of one of the large windows in the halls of Yōsen High. At least the wide and spacious building was able to accommodate me well.

- Do you know who always had sweets in their bag?

- Oh no - Himuro sighed. So he was really pretending not to hear me.

- You know who I'm talking about, don't you?

- Yes - he rolled his eyes - you can't stop talking about it.

- I'm talking about Su-chin!

I pointed to the window, to the couple talking outside.

Su-chin was sitting on a bench holding a bag of sweets. She always liked the school gardens and made me sit with her when the weather was sunny, which sucked, to tell the truth, I hated it when we did that, but now I missed it.

- Look - I continued pointing, and I think I was speaking loudly, because Himuro was gesturing for me to stop - she has sweets with her, unlike you!

- I'm not a fan of sweets - Himuro replied. He put the magazine away, he seemed really stressed, but I didn't care.

Usually Su-chin was the one who would wait for me when I left the committee meetings, but things had changed after we broke up. Well, after she broke up with me. One day she simply stopped appearing, and it took me a while to realize that things had changed between us, it was Himuro who explained it to me.

- Atsushi - Himuro's voice was firm, it seemed like he was about to tell me something serious - if you want to get back together with Suki so much, why don't you go talk to her?

I blinked until I realized he was serious.

- What?

- Didn't you say she broke up with you because you seemed bored all the time? Show her that you've changed. It's not as difficult or painful as breaking a leg.

Himuro turned back towards the gym, but I continued to look at Suki through the window. Her new boyfriend, Haru, had arrived. It was unfair that she smiled at him and not me, and even more unfair that he could eat everything she cooked.

- There's a leg I want to break - I said, but Himuro didn't listen to me.

After training I waited for Himuro to catch his breath so we could go home together. My older sister was going to college and we were having a family dinner tonight. Himuro's job was to make me get home on time, otherwise I would end up stopping somewhere to eat.

At first my house was so crowded that I liked spending the weekends at school with him, but now all my siblings would go to college I would be by myself. I still couldn't understand if this was a good thing.

- What are you doing? - He asked, wiping the sweat from his face. I had been too focused on my cell phone for some time now.

- I'm texting Aka-chin.

Himuro looked surprised, people like him still found it strange when I talked about my former teammates so casually. I hadn't spoken to them in a while, but it was an emergency and Akashi was an exception.

- He always knows what to do and gives me good advice.

- I'm giving you good advice now! - Himuro insisted - Go talk to Suki.

Suddenly a girl entered the court, but she was too shy to go all the way so she stood near the door, waving at Himuro. She must have been another one of her admirers.

- I'll be right back - said Himuro. It didn't take him long to dismiss the girls respectfully. At least they never caused problems to the team and despite being very popular Himuro didn't seem to be very interested in dating right now.

- I'm hungry - I sighed.

Akashi still hadn't responded.

Life was so difficult.

Maybe I was hallucinating from hunger, but I was sure Su-chin appeared right next to me at that very moment.

- Hi, Atsushi - the Su-chi in my head said.

Oh. She was real.

- I won't be long, I just came to deliver this cake, I know your sister is leaving tomorrow and I thought she would like to... Never mind, it's carrot flavor.

Su-chin placed the tightly wrapped small cake into my hands. Yōsen's uniform had a long skirt for girls, but Su-chin was so tall that the skirt couldn't cover her legs completely, falling to her knees.

- I hope she has a good trip - her brown hair was short at the base of her chin and usually swayed as she spoke, but I liked the greenish tone of her eyes better because it reminded me of mints.

Su-chin handed me a bag of homemade cookies that she had baked herself when we first spoke. Himuro told me that she must have paid attention to me and noticed that I liked sweets, but I didn't mind thank her properly. Afterwards she gave me cupcakes and sometimes handed me chips. In a way, I got used to having Su-chin around.

She said goodbye quickly, and didn't smile at me, she seemed more nervous than excited and ran to the outside of the court where I saw Haru waiting for her since the place where the football club trained was close.

I must have been frozen for too long, because I was still sitting, holding the cake in my hands when Himuro came back.

- What happened? - Himuro asked - I saw when Suki came to talk to you, what did she say?

- She hates me - I said with so much conviction that I started to believe those words.

- What?

- She gave me a cake that I can't eat - I belatedly concluded, perhaps due to laziness or the same apathy that drove her away – Su-chin hates me.

My sister didn't get to eat that cake because I threw it in the trash before getting home. Hours of Su-chin's work and dedication wasted, but I couldn't help it. I just didn't expect Su-chin to have told her that she would send the cake through me, so I got scolded when I got home empty handed.

My mother told me that no one had time for my tantrums that night so I went straight to my room after eating.

It was already late at night when Aka-chin called me. He asked for a better explanation of the situation, and I hoped that, like in our games, he could create the best strategy to victory.

- Do you like her? – Akashi asked.

I was expecting an answer, not to be reprimanded, but apparently Aka-chin had his own problems to deal with. His life, our life, had changed a lot since we left Tokyo.

- What do you like least now that she is away? - He changed the question, and this time I managed to think of something.

- I don't like that she's with someone else.

I could hear Akashi's laugh on the other end of the line.

- You still don't like losing, Atsushi?

I don't know why he asked that question, the answer would be the same as in the past.

- I hate it even more now.

Akashi pondered for a moment, but I think we came to the same conclusion.

- Then win her back.

- I need help.

Su-chin looked up in surprise, the library was full, it was exam time for third year students, but us, from the first year, still had assignments to hand in.

- Japanese is very difficult - I sighed as I pulled up a chair and sat down next to Su-chin - you can help me with this, can't you?

- I think so... I mean, Atsushi, why don't you go ask Himuro or...

- Muro-chin is very annoying sometimes, and I want you.

I passed her some sheets with tasks that I purposely didn't complete. Su-chin was studying physics, but I had already finished all those questions at home.

- You can't eat in the library, you know? - I said when I noticed a bag of sweets in the open backpack.

Su-chin motioned for me to be quiet, then quickly grabbed one of the sweets and placed it in my hand. She used to do this when we studied together. A candy for each correct answer.

- I won't tell if you don't. Now tell me about your doubts with this.

- Oh, yes, I have many doubts - I chewed the candy slowly as I spoke - like what's the point in dating Haru?

Su-chin crossed her arms, she didn't say anything, but I could see the discomfort on her face.

- He's not that tall, he's not a good player, I asked some teachers and they told me that his grades are average.

- How did you get information from the teachers?

- I annoyed them until they told me.

Su-chin smiled, but it wasn't the kind of smile I liked, but a smile that didn't seem real.

- You had time to look for information about Haru, but you never bothered to know what I like.

- Do you really like him or not?

- You barely spoke to me, you kept me like a shadow.

- But do you like him?

Su-chin turned her face away from me, I didn't understand why she didn't answer back if she was really happy. When we were together she was always smiling, but maybe she struggled to do that since I never showed any emotion.

- Football is overrated.

- So is basketball! - she replied as quick this time as a knife cut.

Su-chin took the bag of sweets from her backpack and placed them on the table, leaving them for me, then packed all her things and was about to leave if I hadn't held her hand.

- Don't gooooooo! - I said, making sure my voice sounded as irritating as possible.

Su-chin smiled, I knew I could make her laugh if I did that, she always said she thought I spoke funny, and that it didn't really suit my strong appearance.

- I promise I will do things differently this time - I said - I promise to answer your messages right away, I will always carry your backpack when you walk me home and I will always eat your sweets!

The third years' were looking at us, this must have made Su-chin feel embarrassed because her ears turned red.

She pulled her hand back, but this time I let it go.

- We'll talk later, Atsushi.

- Is it true what they are saying? - Himuro came to talk to me later before we went home. We wouldn't have training today because of the exams.

- What are they saying? You know people talk too much.

- They're saying you humiliated yourself in front of Suki in the library!

Oh, news really did travel fast here.

- Yes that's true.

Some girls waved at Himuro, who quickly waved back.

- But it still wasn't enough.

- Maybe if you...

- Muro-chin - I stopped walking and looked at him - I need to be alone today.

Himuro hesitated, but let me go with a sigh. I think he really cared about me, and I appreciated his presence, as he was the closest thing I had to a friend since moving to Akita. But I didn't want to be around anyone today.

I didn't want to study and also didn't want to think too much, so I decided to stop by some of my favorite pastries shops after leaving school. Every day there were different sweets to try, but there were also good restaurants at the end of the street and as I ate a lot they ended up giving me a discount. Some of the owners liked basketball and watched the games, so they also gave me a free dish or two.

It was when I left one of these restaurants that I saw Haru with a girl.

And the girl wasn't Su-chin.

- From the way they're holding their hands, she can't be his sister - I tilted my face to the side, they were heading towards the staircase on the other side of the street - shit.

I left my lunch box with leftovers at the restaurant, I said I would come by and pick it up later.

- Why can't this worm go to a normal place like a park?

The staircase led to a charming spot where couples hang out together. Haru was so focused on the girl that he didn't even notice my presence, which was difficult for most people.

By the time I got to the top, I was already panting and complaining a lot, so I don't know what Haru was doing exactly, but when he finally saw me, he basically pushed the girl away like she had some kind of contagious disease.

- You don't need to stop - I said - so I'll know exactly what to say to Su-chin tomorrow.

- Murasakibara! - Haru looked around, the girl was already running down the stairs, but I let her go.

My problem was with him.

- What are you doing here? Are you following me?

- Me? Following you? Of course not. My favorite restaurant is nearby and I was lucky, that's all.

I think he expected me to do something, but I just stared at him. I didn't really understand what Su-chin saw in Haru, he was normal and dull.

- You have nothing to do with this, Suki broke up with you.

- I know, but I didn't break up with her.

I walked towards Haru. There was nowhere for him to run as the only thing behind him was a balcony with a guardrail too low for me.

- It's so disgusting that I feel like puking.

- What… What do you mean by that? - Haru's legs were shaking. In addition to being dull, he was also a coward. He didn't deserve Su-chin.

- I mean that traitors don't deserve to live.

I grabbed Haru by the collar of his shirt, pushing him closer and closer to the edge of the balcony.

- You better tell Su-chin what you're doing, otherwise I'll come back.

It was Volunteer Day at Yōsen High and I had asked the school principal for some favors so that Su-chin could be part of my group. That would be our last activity before the official winter games started.

Su-chin had been absent from school for the past days, but from Haru's expression when he saw me in the halls he must have told her the truth.

I worried that she might be sad and feel like crap so I wanted to do something special for her and tried to make some cupcakes at home. The taste was great, the appearance not so much, I still needed to gain more experience with the piping bag.

The seniors were supposed to help some kindergarten students while I waited for Su-chin on one of the benches. Himuro helped me and said he would cover my part of the work until she arrived.

But after a while I feared she wouldn't show up.

- Atsushi! - Su-chin said as he sat next to me. Her cheeks were red, she must have run to get here.

- You're late.

- I know… - she seemed breathless and placed a hand on my shoulder - I ended up getting lost and had to take a shortcut.

- You will lose points if you don't complete your tasks.

- I knoooooow - she mimicked my voice. I think she expected me to say it was annoying, but I actually thought it was cute.

Su-chin's bag seemed heavy, so I took it off her shoulders and let her catch her breath.

- So... What exactly did you do to Haru that made him tell the truth to me?

- I threatened him.

Su-chin didn't believe it, as she smiled as if I had said something trivial and patted my head like she usually did. She never believed me when I did bad things, but only because she believed that everyone had a good heart.

- I tried to make this for you - I delivered some cupcakes to her. I swore I had gotten the best decorated ones, but most of them disintegrated along the way and now looked like icing monsters.

Still Su-chin took a big bite and her face lit up which made me excited, and I started to understand what she wanted from me. After spending hours cooking for someone I considered special, the least I could want was a good reaction, or a thank you.

Now I regret not having thanked her the way she deserved when we first met.

- Oh, I almost forgot…

She took a special lunch box out of her backpack, as well as a bag of chips. Everything smelled really good and I was about to start eating when the seniors said we would have to go to another location now.

- No problem - Su-chin said. She smiled like she used to smile, even though deep down I knew she was still hurt because of Haru, but I would make that feeling go away - we can go to my house later, I think I can teach you how to use frosting on cupcakes…

I pressed her hand against mine, not letting Su-chin move too far away. This time I would listen to every word, every suggestion.

Then I kissed Su-chin on the top of her head. She had the perfect height to walk beside me, and I would be gentle with our second chance.

That was the chapter!

I'll try to upload Akashi's chapter tomorrow, if not, mid-week. Akashi's chapter doesn't have a name yet, but it will be sad...

See ya!