The One (Kuroko No Basket Fanfic)

Life After Winter; The Artist Within

"Are you serious? This is for real happening?" I say my voice becoming higher in tone.

"Yeah!" The boys smile is big, wide, and just full of life. I can't believe i, no we get to do the mural! All of us being together just one final time before the season truly ends. We get to make this mural together!

"Oh my god!" I touch my hair and face. "Oh my god this is happening! We get to make the mural! Oh my god!" I squeal loudly and begin to jump. The boys begin to laugh and their laughter feeds into mine. "Oh my god this is so amazing! We get to make a mural together! All of us!" I squeal and that's just how it felt, just happiness flowed through my body with such force i couldn't help but laugh and smile with my boys, for one final time before Kenichi graduated and Fuiki and Lui became third years, and Himuro, Murasakibara and me (yes this is technically correct grammar for all your grammar nerds) became second years, we could make the mural. This was a miracle!

**skip**

I hold the paint brush in my hand steadily as i trace a black outline over the number four for Kenichi to paint inside the lines. I smile, the black paint now dripping down my arm and almost onto the skirt of my uniform. I giggle as the Murasakibara slightly pushes me with his hip, i almost mess up on the line for the four when he does. I slide my hand back around and the paint hits him in the arm. Black paint drips onto his schools pants.

"Aria! No don't! These are the only pants i have!!!!" He sounds like a little girl when he yells. I only snort up a giggle and wipe off my hands on a dirty rag filled with black, purple, white, and a small tint of red. I smile and look up to Mukkun. His eyes glitter as he stares at the almost finished mural. His smile is small but i can tell that its happy. I can't help but smile along with him. This mural looked beautiful, it had names, numbers, and years that they played. And it'll be about them, with the generation of miracle Murasakibara Atsushi, and the ace Himuro Tatsuya.

"You know, when we're done, we need to put you down on this mural too." Murasakibara said softly as he looked down at me, his smile is kind, soft and delicate which i never saw before. It's a beautiful smile on someone who looks so scary, he's a very gentle giant.

"Why would we do that?" I stare up into his eyes, our eyes paint a picture of when we met, up to a strange romance which now proposes a kinder, softer picture of just us in this world. Just a small girl and a candy loving giant. This is who we are, people who are gentle, kind but are looked down upon for being broken and scared.

"Your our coach, a great coach, and people should see that. People should know that there was...no is a greater coach, more greater than Teiko, Rakuzan, Touho, Seirin, Kaijo. You are that great coach and people should know that when they come to Yosen." Mukkun's eyes are serious and kind. I want to be known to this world, even if it means just to this school.

"Okay." I say with a smirk. "I'll put my name on it." Murasakibara looks at me and then picks me up by the back of my Yosen sweater. I blush an extreme red and scream. "What the hell are you doing!!!!!"

He chuckles and i know what he's doing.

"Your putting your name on top so everyone knows what you've done for this school." His voice is soft and he hands me a paint brush when he finally sets me on his shoulder. I pet his hair slowly with a smile as i paint my name down in beautiful kanji that i learned this year. I smile. I feel hands on my waist as Murasakibara begins to have me descend from his shoulders. My heart skips beats until he finally releases my body as my feet touch the floor. I look up at him, he looks down at me, our eyes meet. His large, but gentle, hands come to my cheeks. I giggle because they are warm but covered in paint, soon my cheeks will be covered in paint to. He leans down and from his lips comes my name.

"Aria..." His breathe comes onto my face as I pucker my lips but our lips don't meet.

"WHAT'S UP COACH! OH MY GOD WERE YOU TWO ABOUT TO KISS?" Kenichi screams out into the gym. Himuro comes up behind him with a laugh, along with Fuiki and Lui. I roll my eyes with a smile but Mukkun looks pissed.

"You could've been at least two seconds later ya know!" He growls and Himuro comes up and lightly punches him in the arm.

"Sorry we didn't know if you two were going to screw on the floor or not. So we decided to be early." Himuro laughs and puts a hand to his hip. I softly blush and i look back up to Mukkun. Mukkun's face still is torn with a little bit of anger. But it slowly begins to fade as it is replaced with a smile.

"So are you almost done with the numbers?" Fuiki begins to come over to the wall and Murasakibara moves over. The mural stares back with black lines of their jersey numbers. Murasakibara's is already painted in with wet purple paint. Keinchi comes up to the wall with a smile.

"Looks great. I think it'll be a great addition to the school." He then looks up and notices my name above the team. "Hey its you!" He points to it like a little kid wanting to show his mother something and laughs. "I like it. Shows the school how amazing of a coach you are."

The soft tint of red that was on my cheeks grow and i begin to feel embarrassed.

I feel the boys hand come onto my head, shoulders and back. My smile begins to grow.

"I love you boys so much!" I say and they all laugh, even Mukkun. It was a hardy, strong laugh and i liked being in this team where nothing is wrong, because that is who we were.

"Well, why don't we get to work?" Lui says as he picks up a paint brush and dipping it into the purple paint. The others nod and begin to paint along with each other. Himuro painting his number, Kenichi on the four, Fuiki with his, and Lui. I smile because i love being with these boys. It really makes my day, it made my life better.

Life after winter wasn't hectic, but it wasn't calm, and it wasn't scary. Because I was with my team of boys whom i could share anything and everything with. I was happy with that, and sense we were doing this art project, we could show them another side to the basketball team that never existed. An artistic side: the artist within us, because that's who we are.