Title: SEASONS OF CHANGE
Series: 1
Chapter: 1 of 6
Author: Mist
Genre: Yaoi
Pairing: RuHana/HanaRu
Rating: PG
Archive: SD Fic ; Fanfiction.Net
Email: myst_sg@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: SD characters belong to Inoue Takehito
Note to readers: This is a series of shounen-ai/yaoi fiction. Hence if you decide to read it, I think that you (the reader) are receptive towards homosexual fan fiction. So please do not email flames to me (the author) ... For those who have other comments & opinions, I welcome your feedback ... Thank you ... ^_^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Shohoku High School]
The summer had ended. As the red head looked out the window from where he was sitting, he could feel the cool winds of autumn against his face. It was now the middle of the second term at Sakuragi's first year at Shohoku High School. The boy had just returned to the school after having being on medical leave for two months due to a back problem. Sakuragi sustained the painful injury during a game with Sannoh at the last round of Inter High School tournaments.
Hanamichi "Hahaha! My humble servants, the great Tensai is back!" strikes a signature pose on top of his desk
Yohei "I did not expect to see you in school so soon" sits on the window sill
{You should be resting at home for another two weeks ...}
Hanamichi "Rest?! Tensai has superior powers of recovery! Bwahahaha!! Besides I still want to beat that Kitsune" frowns
Yohei "Eh? Have you not heard about Rukawa's fainting episode?" leans forward
{Kitsune ... you are always talking about boy}
Hanamichi "What about the Stupid Kitsune?" crosses arms
Yohei "He was hospitalised after basketball practice last week" bites into a sushi roll
{All the girls ...}
Hanamichi "What?!!!" pinches a piece of egg sushi from his buddy's lunchbox
{Oh! No wonder ... I hope that he is ...}
Though the red head was not at the academic side of life, he possessed first-rate athletic skills. Hence he was one of the better basketball players in the school. That afternoon, Sakuragi ran out of the classroom as soon as the last lecture was over. He could hardly wait to rejoin the team.
Hanamichi "Haruko" beams
Haruko "Sakuragi ... your hair has grown back" ruffles the red locks
Ayako "Sakuragi Hanamichi, how is your back?" pats the red head's arm
Hanamichi "Bwahahaha! Unlike that Silly Kitsune, this Tensai is a hundred percent okay!" laughs
Ayako "Sakuragi ... do not be mean" waves a paper fan meaningfully
THUMP!!!
Hanamichi "OW! ... Gori! Why are you here?" looks at the tall senior
{Stupid Gori!}
Takenori "What do you mean?!" glares
{With Rukawa out of action ... I need to see how much the team can depend on you}
Hanamichi "Nothing ..." backs away
{The Gori has retired ... right???}
Ryota "Hanamichi! Meet Adachi Yuki, the latest member to our team. He is also a first year student" eyes the two boys
A month ago, Adachi Yuki had returned to Japan from the United States. In the last six years, he had excelled in both academics as well as in sports. The boy was also quite a versatile basketball player. The boy's male parent was a successful Japanese entrepreneur, while his Japanese-American Mother was the Director of a private school that ran English language courses for adults.
Hanamichi "I am Sakuragi Hanamichi ... the genius of Shohoku team" stares at the taller boy
{Argh! This fellow is taller than me! I must ask Ayako about his actual height ...}
Yuki "Hello! My name is Yuki. I have heard a lot of things about you" smiles
{My God! He looks so much like the guy in my dreams ...}
Hanamichi "You have???" blinks
{Then he must know that I am ... wait a minute ... why does he keep smiling?}
Yuki "Yes ... I have a feeling that we will be great together" declares confidently
{I will make you mine}
Ryota "People! Practice match! Now!" looks at everyone
{Now that Rukawa is not around ... should I swap Mitsui with one of the other year ones to balance the two teams?}
Hanamichi "Excellent suggestion!" beams
{I will show this newcomer that I am the best!}
Ryota "Mitsui & the other year two members are with me. Sakuragi, Yuki & the rest will be in the other team" dribbles a ball
{Hanamichi ... are you still as good?}
At the sixth minute of the first half, the team of seniors led the game by two points. The score was twenty points for the seniors & eighteen points for the juniors.
Takenori "........." observes the players
{I am surprised ... I had expected him to be out of form, but ...}
Ayako "What is he looking for?" notices the breaks in Sakuragi's concentration
{Why is he so distracted?}
Takenori "Who knows?" grumbles
{He gets distracted so easily ... but that Yuki is pretty good with three-pointers}
The first half of the match ended with the two teams deadlocked at a score of thirty-two points each. Needless to say, the seniors were quite annoyed with the situation because they had expected to do much better as the other team was without Rukawa Kaede.
Hisashi "I am better than him" mutters softly
{This new kid is good ...}
Ryota "Mitsui! Pass the ball!" calls out
{This is quite a surprise ... Yuki is playing well with Sakuragi}
Hanamichi "The ball is mine!" intercepts the pass
{Kitsune ... feels strange to play without him}
Yuki "Good catch!" praises the red head
{Maybe we are fated to meet ... beautiful boy with the aura of a comet}
The game ended with the seniors winning the competition with a one-point lead. The final score was fifty-three points for Miyagi's team & fifty-two points for Sakuragi's team.
Kiminobu "Akagi ... I think that you can stop worrying" smiles
{The juniors have three good players ... Rukawa, Sakuragi, Adachi}
Takenori "Maybe ... but I am quite surprised that Sakuragi did not quarrel with Adachi" wonders
{Why do I get this feeling that Yuki did not play as well as he could have?}
Kiminobu "Adachi has better chemistry with him than Rukawa" raises a suggestion
{Very interesting ... can this be a coincidence that both boys scored exactly twenty-four points?}
Actually it was Yuki's intention to keep pace with the red head. He did not want to start their relationship as rivals because he had heard that Sakuragi possessed a competitive streak. Yet he was truly surprised by the red head's ability to get all of the rebounds.
[Kanagawa Hospital]
Since the day that Rukawa was wheeled into the hospital, he has had two surgical treatments. The first was an emergency operation to remove the ruptured appendix. Yesterday's operation was to slice away the bits of infected tissue around the area. This morning, the boy's Mother wept tears of joy when the Doctor declared that the procedure was a complete success.
Dr Sasaki "How are you feeling?" smiles at the boy
Kaede "........." looks out the window
{How am I? My body is aching. My mouth is dry. I want to get out of here ...}
Mr Rukawa "When can we bring him home?" stands beside his son's bed
Dr. Sasaki "Your son needs to stay here for a few more days" checks the patient's condition
Kaede "........." sighs
{What is the Do'aho doing now? ... Akagi sempai has retired; I wonder if Miyagi can handle him}
Dr. Sasaki "When he is discharged ... the boy must refrain from strenuous physical activity for another eight weeks" updates the patient's progress charts
Kaede "Eight weeks ..." moans
{I will be bored to death without that idiot ... why am I thinking about him?}
[Shohoku High School]
As it was the proper thing to do, Mrs Rukawa personally informed the Principal about her son's condition. After that meeting, she also took a few minutes to explain the situation to Anzai sensei as Rukawa had asked her to do so. When she left, Anzai relayed her message to the team.
Ayako "Appendicitis ... " thinks
Haruko "Poor Rukawa-kun. His appendix must hurt a great deal" bites her bottom lip
Hanamichi "The Kitsune is not only stupid, but weak as well ... beaten by a book" grumbles
Everyone paused as they considered Sakuragi's statement about Rukawa being beaten by a book. Actually no one knew what the red head meant. Then Miyagi told everyone to meet him back at the sports hall later as they were going to visit Rukawa at the hospital.
[Kanagawa Hospital]
The boys attracted a lot of curious stares as they passed the hospital corridors. Akagi ignored most of the wide-eyed looks, while Sakuragi opted to stare right back at the people who eyed his head of red hair. The former captain of the team was the first person to step into Rukawa's room.
Ryota "Psst! Hanamichi ..." whispers
Kiminobu "Sakuragi ... what were you talking about just now? Rukawa being beaten by a book???" voices Miyagi's question
{The boy hardly touches any books ...}
Hanamichi "Megane-kun ... this Stupid Kitsune has a problem with his 'appendix', right?" points to the patient
Kiminobu "Yes ..." tries to figure out the meaning of the red head's comment
{I am still lost ...}
Hanamichi "Well ... Tensai knows that the appendix is at the back of a book" laughs
There was a few seconds of silence as everyone absorbed what was said. Then Mitsui & Miyagi covered their mouths as they tried hard to stifle a strong urge to giggle.
Ayako "Listen up, Sakuragi. The word 'appendix' also refers to a small intestinal pouch in the body. It is the first part of the large intestine. The disease 'appendicitis' means an inflammation of the appendix caused by bacteria from the intestinal tract" points her fan at the red head
Ryota "Aya-chan is so clever" nods
Hanamichi "Oh?! ... Bwahahaha! Of course! Tensai is just testing you!" makes an attempt to cover his ignorance
WHACK! WHACK!!!
Kaede "Do'aho" sighs
{He never changes ... but he is actually quite cute ... CUTE???!!! Why do I think that he is cute? It must be the medication)
Hanamichi "TEME KITSUNE! How dare you insult the Tensai! Is this your way of treating visitors?!" fumes
{He looks so pale ... how soon can he come back to basketball practice? Why should I care?}
Kaede "What? I do not see any ..." replies in a flat tone
{Do you know that I cannot play basketball for eight weeks?}
Hanamichi "WHY YOU!!!" growls
{Stupid fox ... why do I have this urge to brush that fringe away from his eyes?}
WHACK! WHACK!!! WHACK!!!!!
Hanamichi "OWWW!" looks pitifully at Ayako
Ayako "Stop shouting ... this is a hospital" scolds
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun, does it hurt very much? Let me take a look at the bump" fusses over the red head
{Cute ... real cute}
Hanamichi "At last! Someone truly appreciates Tensai" tears
Everyone sweatdropped. There was silence in the room as everyone watched Yuki patting Sakuragi's head gently.
Kaede "........." stares at the two boys
{Who is this guy? Why is he calling him, 'Sakuragi-kun'?! Why is that idiot allowing him to massage his head?!!!}
Yuki "Poor dear" hugs the red head
{I think that I really want you}
Ryota "Rukawa ... this is Adachi Yuki. He joined our team 3 days ago" introduces the newcomer
Yuki "Hello there! Glad to meet you at last! I have heard lots of great stuff about you" extends hand for a handshake
{So this is Rukawa Kaede ...}
Kaede "... ... ..." ignores the offered hand
{Looks like another guy who talks too much}
Yuki "We just had a practice match & Sakuragi-kun was great" drapes a friendly arm around the red head
{I hear that you hate his guts}
Kaede "........." glares
{Arrr! He has called him 'Sakaragi-kun' twice in a span of five minutes!!! Now he is almost cuddling that idiot!!!!!}
Yuki "Rukawa ... what do you think of Sakuragi-kun?" grins
{With your experience, I am sure that you can see his potential}
Kaede "........." looks at the beaming red head
{Why is it that I am not the one who makes you smile? ... EHHH?! What am I thinking about?!!!}
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun is a great basketball player. Maybe we will even be known as the 'Golden Flame Duo' in the future" boasts
{Since you are a solo player ...}
Kaede "Golden Flame Duo ........." scowls
{What a corny name}
Yuki "Yeah! Do you mind if I have this beautiful red-head" embraces Sakuragi
{Blue eyes ...}
Kaede "...!!!..." grips fist
{What does you mean by wanting to 'have' my Do'aho?! ... ##@@##!!! ... XX##XX!!!}
Hanamichi "What is that look on your face? Do you want to fight with me?" notices Rukawa's tense expression
Though the other people in the room said nothing, their minds were busy. Later on, Akagi & many others would come to realise that Adachi Yuki was indeed a troublesome character. As for Kogure, he thought that Yuki was being a bit too friendly with Sakuragi, but he shrugged off the idea, as the red head was not complaining about all the hugs & such.
Ayako "........." thinks
{Yuki is certainly sweet on Sakuragi ... too sweet}
Hisashi "........." watches the pair
{Golden Flame Duo! ... I am the ace of Shohoku!}
Ryota "Oh boy ..." sighs
{Yuki plans to partner Sakuragi, a 'beautiful red-head'?!!!}
Ayako "Rukawa, is anyone keeping you up-to-date with the lessons?" looks at the patient
{Why are you glaring so hard at Yuki?}
Kaede "No" shakes head
Ayako "Hmmm ... let me look into it" pats Rukawa's arm
{Or you will start failing all the subjects}
Hanamichi "Ayako-san ... you are wasting time with this Stupid Kitsune" pulls a face
Ayako "Which reminds me ... you have missed more classes than Rukawa. I must definitely arrange some sort of tutoring for the two of you" taps the red head with her paper fan
{I will ask for Haruko's help with this one}
Yuki "Ayako-senpai, I have a live-in private tutor. If Sakuragi does not mind, he can join me" smiles
{We can spend more time together ... I can even get him to sleep over at my house}
If looks could kill, Yuki would certainly have been killed by Rukawa's angry stare.
[Shohoku High School]
Although Sakuragi was no longer a complete greenhorn to the game of basketball, he still had extra practice sessions with Ayako. The good thing was that he had moved beyond simple ball handling techniques to shooting hoops. As his mind wandered off elsewhere, the red head once again found his head to be on the receiving end of her formidable fan.
Hanamichi "Ouch!" covers head with both hands
Ayako "Come on, Sakuragi, keep your hands steady. Or are you too tired?" taunts the boy
Hanamichi "Of course not! Tensai does not tire out so easily. Do not compare me with that useless Kitsune" grumbles
{Why am I thinking of that fox again? ... that blue-eyed fox}
Ayako "You must remember to bring that file of notes to Rukawa after this" reminds the red head
Hanamichi "Why me?" grouches
Ayako "That is because you can walk home from the hospital" grins
{Actually ... the main reason is that nobody wants to be the one to wake Rukawa when he is sleeping}
[Kanagawa Hospital]
Sakuragi grinned as he walked into the hospital. He could hardly wait to try out his scheme. The red head had planned to tiptoe into the room, dump the file on the surprised boy & run off. However all his petty thoughts of revenge melted away as soon as he caught sight of Rukawa, who was sound asleep on the bed. It was the first time that he had ever looked upon his supposed 'Number One Rival' without feeling any negative emotions. Instead of resentment, he was curious about the other person, so he climbed onto the bed to get a closer view of the dark-haired youth.
Sometime later, Rukawa stirred & woke up. His eyes widened when he saw the person who was sleeping beside him on the king-sized bed. It was totally unbelievable. Sakuragi Hanamichi was sleeping in his bed! Why was the red head sleeping with the enemy??? Then he noted the wet spot on the pillow. The red head was drooling in his sleep!
Kaede "I do not believe this ..." runs fingers through the other boy's hair "but true"
{Your hair is so soft ... why are you here beside me? Do you not hate me?}
A spilt second later, Sakuragi opened his eyes to see a pair of deep blue eyes looking at him.
Hanamichi "Blue-eyed Kitsune" smiles sleepily
{Why does my heart ache when I look into your eyes? I have never felt this way before ...}
Seconds later, the red head sat up quickly as he became more aware of the surroundings. Most importantly, he was conscious of the fact that he had fallen asleep on the same bed as Rukawa Kaede.
Kaede "Do you know that you drool?" teases the red head
{Blue-eyed fox ... do you like foxes with blue eyes?}
Hanamichi "Eh? ... Oh!!!" turns pink with embarrassment
Kaede "........." studies the blushing boy
{Or do you prefer Akagi's sister?}
Hanamichi "Teme Kitsune! You ought to be thankful that I brought your notes!" avoids looking into Rukawa's eyes
{Arrgh! What happened to me?! Why am I sleeping in his bed?!!!}
Kaede "Do'aho" murmurs
{You look cute when you are tense. Maybe this is why I provoke you ...}
Hanamichi "........." gulps
{I should be angry ... but why is my heart beating faster?}
Kaede "........." runs a finger across Sakuragi's parted lips
{Why do I feel this urge to touch you? ... This is so confusing ...}
Hanamichi "What are you doing?!" trembles
{Shit! I am shaking?! ... I should push him away}
Kaede "Showing appreciation ... the notes" trails a wet finger along the other boy's jaw line
{I want to ... to kiss you}
Hanamichi "Are you on drugs?! Do you know who I am?" breathes deeply to calm himself
{Is he trying to seduce me?!!!}
Kaede "........." nods
{Of course, I do ...}
Hanamichi "Okay ... Eeps!" falls off the bed
{I must get out of here}
Kaede "........." stares at the boy's frantic exit
{I must have scared him ...}
That night, Sakuragi could not sleep as he kept on thinking about the earlier incident. There were so many questions in his head. What had happened? Did it really happen???
[Shohoku High School]
The very next day, the poor boy was nominated by the other team members to be in-charge of sending the notes to Rukawa for the next couple of days as they could see that he had survived the first trip. Ayako had noticed the dark circles underneath his eyes, but thought nothing of it.
Hanamichi "NO! I will NOT do it! Get someone else to deliver the notes to that Stupid Kitsune!" protests loudly
{I do not want to face him so soon ... last night ...}
Hisashi "How about a deal? In return, we will pay for your lunch every day" smiles
Hanamichi "Really? ... you will really buy whatever I want to eat?" scratches back of head
{This means that I can eat as much as I want!!!}
Ryota "So you will say yes?" pats the red head's back
Hanamichi "YES! Deal! Bwahahaha!" beams happily
{Food! Food! Everything that I like ...}
Yuki "I can go with you to the hospital. We could have dinner together ... I am buying" grins
Hanamichi "Really?" blinks
{This must be my lucky day}
Yuki "Yep! I can get you anything that you want" assures the red head
{I really want you}
[Kanagawa Hospital]
Since last night, Rukawa had thought about little else except Sakuragi Hanamichi. After much thought, it dawned upon him that he was attracted to the red head.
Yuki "Hi Rukawa! How are you doing?" calls out to the patient
Kaede "......" stares at his visitors
{Why is he here with him?}
Yuki "These are your notes. Is there anything else that you need? If not, we are going off" hugs the red head
Kaede "........." frowns
{I need you to remove your hands from his shoulders. He is mine! He is mine??? What is happening to me?!!!}
Hanamichi "Kitsune? Are you okay?" notes Rukawa's unhappy expression
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun, I am sure that he is fine. We should go. What do you want for dinner? Bye Rukawa!" waves
Hanamichi "Sushi ... can we have that for dinner?" looks up at the taller boy
Kaede "Shit ..." clenches fist tightly
{Damn it! Do'aho is mine}
To Be Continued ...
Series: 1
Chapter: 1 of 6
Author: Mist
Genre: Yaoi
Pairing: RuHana/HanaRu
Rating: PG
Archive: SD Fic ; Fanfiction.Net
Email: myst_sg@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: SD characters belong to Inoue Takehito
Note to readers: This is a series of shounen-ai/yaoi fiction. Hence if you decide to read it, I think that you (the reader) are receptive towards homosexual fan fiction. So please do not email flames to me (the author) ... For those who have other comments & opinions, I welcome your feedback ... Thank you ... ^_^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Shohoku High School]
The summer had ended. As the red head looked out the window from where he was sitting, he could feel the cool winds of autumn against his face. It was now the middle of the second term at Sakuragi's first year at Shohoku High School. The boy had just returned to the school after having being on medical leave for two months due to a back problem. Sakuragi sustained the painful injury during a game with Sannoh at the last round of Inter High School tournaments.
Hanamichi "Hahaha! My humble servants, the great Tensai is back!" strikes a signature pose on top of his desk
Yohei "I did not expect to see you in school so soon" sits on the window sill
{You should be resting at home for another two weeks ...}
Hanamichi "Rest?! Tensai has superior powers of recovery! Bwahahaha!! Besides I still want to beat that Kitsune" frowns
Yohei "Eh? Have you not heard about Rukawa's fainting episode?" leans forward
{Kitsune ... you are always talking about boy}
Hanamichi "What about the Stupid Kitsune?" crosses arms
Yohei "He was hospitalised after basketball practice last week" bites into a sushi roll
{All the girls ...}
Hanamichi "What?!!!" pinches a piece of egg sushi from his buddy's lunchbox
{Oh! No wonder ... I hope that he is ...}
Though the red head was not at the academic side of life, he possessed first-rate athletic skills. Hence he was one of the better basketball players in the school. That afternoon, Sakuragi ran out of the classroom as soon as the last lecture was over. He could hardly wait to rejoin the team.
Hanamichi "Haruko" beams
Haruko "Sakuragi ... your hair has grown back" ruffles the red locks
Ayako "Sakuragi Hanamichi, how is your back?" pats the red head's arm
Hanamichi "Bwahahaha! Unlike that Silly Kitsune, this Tensai is a hundred percent okay!" laughs
Ayako "Sakuragi ... do not be mean" waves a paper fan meaningfully
THUMP!!!
Hanamichi "OW! ... Gori! Why are you here?" looks at the tall senior
{Stupid Gori!}
Takenori "What do you mean?!" glares
{With Rukawa out of action ... I need to see how much the team can depend on you}
Hanamichi "Nothing ..." backs away
{The Gori has retired ... right???}
Ryota "Hanamichi! Meet Adachi Yuki, the latest member to our team. He is also a first year student" eyes the two boys
A month ago, Adachi Yuki had returned to Japan from the United States. In the last six years, he had excelled in both academics as well as in sports. The boy was also quite a versatile basketball player. The boy's male parent was a successful Japanese entrepreneur, while his Japanese-American Mother was the Director of a private school that ran English language courses for adults.
Hanamichi "I am Sakuragi Hanamichi ... the genius of Shohoku team" stares at the taller boy
{Argh! This fellow is taller than me! I must ask Ayako about his actual height ...}
Yuki "Hello! My name is Yuki. I have heard a lot of things about you" smiles
{My God! He looks so much like the guy in my dreams ...}
Hanamichi "You have???" blinks
{Then he must know that I am ... wait a minute ... why does he keep smiling?}
Yuki "Yes ... I have a feeling that we will be great together" declares confidently
{I will make you mine}
Ryota "People! Practice match! Now!" looks at everyone
{Now that Rukawa is not around ... should I swap Mitsui with one of the other year ones to balance the two teams?}
Hanamichi "Excellent suggestion!" beams
{I will show this newcomer that I am the best!}
Ryota "Mitsui & the other year two members are with me. Sakuragi, Yuki & the rest will be in the other team" dribbles a ball
{Hanamichi ... are you still as good?}
At the sixth minute of the first half, the team of seniors led the game by two points. The score was twenty points for the seniors & eighteen points for the juniors.
Takenori "........." observes the players
{I am surprised ... I had expected him to be out of form, but ...}
Ayako "What is he looking for?" notices the breaks in Sakuragi's concentration
{Why is he so distracted?}
Takenori "Who knows?" grumbles
{He gets distracted so easily ... but that Yuki is pretty good with three-pointers}
The first half of the match ended with the two teams deadlocked at a score of thirty-two points each. Needless to say, the seniors were quite annoyed with the situation because they had expected to do much better as the other team was without Rukawa Kaede.
Hisashi "I am better than him" mutters softly
{This new kid is good ...}
Ryota "Mitsui! Pass the ball!" calls out
{This is quite a surprise ... Yuki is playing well with Sakuragi}
Hanamichi "The ball is mine!" intercepts the pass
{Kitsune ... feels strange to play without him}
Yuki "Good catch!" praises the red head
{Maybe we are fated to meet ... beautiful boy with the aura of a comet}
The game ended with the seniors winning the competition with a one-point lead. The final score was fifty-three points for Miyagi's team & fifty-two points for Sakuragi's team.
Kiminobu "Akagi ... I think that you can stop worrying" smiles
{The juniors have three good players ... Rukawa, Sakuragi, Adachi}
Takenori "Maybe ... but I am quite surprised that Sakuragi did not quarrel with Adachi" wonders
{Why do I get this feeling that Yuki did not play as well as he could have?}
Kiminobu "Adachi has better chemistry with him than Rukawa" raises a suggestion
{Very interesting ... can this be a coincidence that both boys scored exactly twenty-four points?}
Actually it was Yuki's intention to keep pace with the red head. He did not want to start their relationship as rivals because he had heard that Sakuragi possessed a competitive streak. Yet he was truly surprised by the red head's ability to get all of the rebounds.
[Kanagawa Hospital]
Since the day that Rukawa was wheeled into the hospital, he has had two surgical treatments. The first was an emergency operation to remove the ruptured appendix. Yesterday's operation was to slice away the bits of infected tissue around the area. This morning, the boy's Mother wept tears of joy when the Doctor declared that the procedure was a complete success.
Dr Sasaki "How are you feeling?" smiles at the boy
Kaede "........." looks out the window
{How am I? My body is aching. My mouth is dry. I want to get out of here ...}
Mr Rukawa "When can we bring him home?" stands beside his son's bed
Dr. Sasaki "Your son needs to stay here for a few more days" checks the patient's condition
Kaede "........." sighs
{What is the Do'aho doing now? ... Akagi sempai has retired; I wonder if Miyagi can handle him}
Dr. Sasaki "When he is discharged ... the boy must refrain from strenuous physical activity for another eight weeks" updates the patient's progress charts
Kaede "Eight weeks ..." moans
{I will be bored to death without that idiot ... why am I thinking about him?}
[Shohoku High School]
As it was the proper thing to do, Mrs Rukawa personally informed the Principal about her son's condition. After that meeting, she also took a few minutes to explain the situation to Anzai sensei as Rukawa had asked her to do so. When she left, Anzai relayed her message to the team.
Ayako "Appendicitis ... " thinks
Haruko "Poor Rukawa-kun. His appendix must hurt a great deal" bites her bottom lip
Hanamichi "The Kitsune is not only stupid, but weak as well ... beaten by a book" grumbles
Everyone paused as they considered Sakuragi's statement about Rukawa being beaten by a book. Actually no one knew what the red head meant. Then Miyagi told everyone to meet him back at the sports hall later as they were going to visit Rukawa at the hospital.
[Kanagawa Hospital]
The boys attracted a lot of curious stares as they passed the hospital corridors. Akagi ignored most of the wide-eyed looks, while Sakuragi opted to stare right back at the people who eyed his head of red hair. The former captain of the team was the first person to step into Rukawa's room.
Ryota "Psst! Hanamichi ..." whispers
Kiminobu "Sakuragi ... what were you talking about just now? Rukawa being beaten by a book???" voices Miyagi's question
{The boy hardly touches any books ...}
Hanamichi "Megane-kun ... this Stupid Kitsune has a problem with his 'appendix', right?" points to the patient
Kiminobu "Yes ..." tries to figure out the meaning of the red head's comment
{I am still lost ...}
Hanamichi "Well ... Tensai knows that the appendix is at the back of a book" laughs
There was a few seconds of silence as everyone absorbed what was said. Then Mitsui & Miyagi covered their mouths as they tried hard to stifle a strong urge to giggle.
Ayako "Listen up, Sakuragi. The word 'appendix' also refers to a small intestinal pouch in the body. It is the first part of the large intestine. The disease 'appendicitis' means an inflammation of the appendix caused by bacteria from the intestinal tract" points her fan at the red head
Ryota "Aya-chan is so clever" nods
Hanamichi "Oh?! ... Bwahahaha! Of course! Tensai is just testing you!" makes an attempt to cover his ignorance
WHACK! WHACK!!!
Kaede "Do'aho" sighs
{He never changes ... but he is actually quite cute ... CUTE???!!! Why do I think that he is cute? It must be the medication)
Hanamichi "TEME KITSUNE! How dare you insult the Tensai! Is this your way of treating visitors?!" fumes
{He looks so pale ... how soon can he come back to basketball practice? Why should I care?}
Kaede "What? I do not see any ..." replies in a flat tone
{Do you know that I cannot play basketball for eight weeks?}
Hanamichi "WHY YOU!!!" growls
{Stupid fox ... why do I have this urge to brush that fringe away from his eyes?}
WHACK! WHACK!!! WHACK!!!!!
Hanamichi "OWWW!" looks pitifully at Ayako
Ayako "Stop shouting ... this is a hospital" scolds
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun, does it hurt very much? Let me take a look at the bump" fusses over the red head
{Cute ... real cute}
Hanamichi "At last! Someone truly appreciates Tensai" tears
Everyone sweatdropped. There was silence in the room as everyone watched Yuki patting Sakuragi's head gently.
Kaede "........." stares at the two boys
{Who is this guy? Why is he calling him, 'Sakuragi-kun'?! Why is that idiot allowing him to massage his head?!!!}
Yuki "Poor dear" hugs the red head
{I think that I really want you}
Ryota "Rukawa ... this is Adachi Yuki. He joined our team 3 days ago" introduces the newcomer
Yuki "Hello there! Glad to meet you at last! I have heard lots of great stuff about you" extends hand for a handshake
{So this is Rukawa Kaede ...}
Kaede "... ... ..." ignores the offered hand
{Looks like another guy who talks too much}
Yuki "We just had a practice match & Sakuragi-kun was great" drapes a friendly arm around the red head
{I hear that you hate his guts}
Kaede "........." glares
{Arrr! He has called him 'Sakaragi-kun' twice in a span of five minutes!!! Now he is almost cuddling that idiot!!!!!}
Yuki "Rukawa ... what do you think of Sakuragi-kun?" grins
{With your experience, I am sure that you can see his potential}
Kaede "........." looks at the beaming red head
{Why is it that I am not the one who makes you smile? ... EHHH?! What am I thinking about?!!!}
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun is a great basketball player. Maybe we will even be known as the 'Golden Flame Duo' in the future" boasts
{Since you are a solo player ...}
Kaede "Golden Flame Duo ........." scowls
{What a corny name}
Yuki "Yeah! Do you mind if I have this beautiful red-head" embraces Sakuragi
{Blue eyes ...}
Kaede "...!!!..." grips fist
{What does you mean by wanting to 'have' my Do'aho?! ... ##@@##!!! ... XX##XX!!!}
Hanamichi "What is that look on your face? Do you want to fight with me?" notices Rukawa's tense expression
Though the other people in the room said nothing, their minds were busy. Later on, Akagi & many others would come to realise that Adachi Yuki was indeed a troublesome character. As for Kogure, he thought that Yuki was being a bit too friendly with Sakuragi, but he shrugged off the idea, as the red head was not complaining about all the hugs & such.
Ayako "........." thinks
{Yuki is certainly sweet on Sakuragi ... too sweet}
Hisashi "........." watches the pair
{Golden Flame Duo! ... I am the ace of Shohoku!}
Ryota "Oh boy ..." sighs
{Yuki plans to partner Sakuragi, a 'beautiful red-head'?!!!}
Ayako "Rukawa, is anyone keeping you up-to-date with the lessons?" looks at the patient
{Why are you glaring so hard at Yuki?}
Kaede "No" shakes head
Ayako "Hmmm ... let me look into it" pats Rukawa's arm
{Or you will start failing all the subjects}
Hanamichi "Ayako-san ... you are wasting time with this Stupid Kitsune" pulls a face
Ayako "Which reminds me ... you have missed more classes than Rukawa. I must definitely arrange some sort of tutoring for the two of you" taps the red head with her paper fan
{I will ask for Haruko's help with this one}
Yuki "Ayako-senpai, I have a live-in private tutor. If Sakuragi does not mind, he can join me" smiles
{We can spend more time together ... I can even get him to sleep over at my house}
If looks could kill, Yuki would certainly have been killed by Rukawa's angry stare.
[Shohoku High School]
Although Sakuragi was no longer a complete greenhorn to the game of basketball, he still had extra practice sessions with Ayako. The good thing was that he had moved beyond simple ball handling techniques to shooting hoops. As his mind wandered off elsewhere, the red head once again found his head to be on the receiving end of her formidable fan.
Hanamichi "Ouch!" covers head with both hands
Ayako "Come on, Sakuragi, keep your hands steady. Or are you too tired?" taunts the boy
Hanamichi "Of course not! Tensai does not tire out so easily. Do not compare me with that useless Kitsune" grumbles
{Why am I thinking of that fox again? ... that blue-eyed fox}
Ayako "You must remember to bring that file of notes to Rukawa after this" reminds the red head
Hanamichi "Why me?" grouches
Ayako "That is because you can walk home from the hospital" grins
{Actually ... the main reason is that nobody wants to be the one to wake Rukawa when he is sleeping}
[Kanagawa Hospital]
Sakuragi grinned as he walked into the hospital. He could hardly wait to try out his scheme. The red head had planned to tiptoe into the room, dump the file on the surprised boy & run off. However all his petty thoughts of revenge melted away as soon as he caught sight of Rukawa, who was sound asleep on the bed. It was the first time that he had ever looked upon his supposed 'Number One Rival' without feeling any negative emotions. Instead of resentment, he was curious about the other person, so he climbed onto the bed to get a closer view of the dark-haired youth.
Sometime later, Rukawa stirred & woke up. His eyes widened when he saw the person who was sleeping beside him on the king-sized bed. It was totally unbelievable. Sakuragi Hanamichi was sleeping in his bed! Why was the red head sleeping with the enemy??? Then he noted the wet spot on the pillow. The red head was drooling in his sleep!
Kaede "I do not believe this ..." runs fingers through the other boy's hair "but true"
{Your hair is so soft ... why are you here beside me? Do you not hate me?}
A spilt second later, Sakuragi opened his eyes to see a pair of deep blue eyes looking at him.
Hanamichi "Blue-eyed Kitsune" smiles sleepily
{Why does my heart ache when I look into your eyes? I have never felt this way before ...}
Seconds later, the red head sat up quickly as he became more aware of the surroundings. Most importantly, he was conscious of the fact that he had fallen asleep on the same bed as Rukawa Kaede.
Kaede "Do you know that you drool?" teases the red head
{Blue-eyed fox ... do you like foxes with blue eyes?}
Hanamichi "Eh? ... Oh!!!" turns pink with embarrassment
Kaede "........." studies the blushing boy
{Or do you prefer Akagi's sister?}
Hanamichi "Teme Kitsune! You ought to be thankful that I brought your notes!" avoids looking into Rukawa's eyes
{Arrgh! What happened to me?! Why am I sleeping in his bed?!!!}
Kaede "Do'aho" murmurs
{You look cute when you are tense. Maybe this is why I provoke you ...}
Hanamichi "........." gulps
{I should be angry ... but why is my heart beating faster?}
Kaede "........." runs a finger across Sakuragi's parted lips
{Why do I feel this urge to touch you? ... This is so confusing ...}
Hanamichi "What are you doing?!" trembles
{Shit! I am shaking?! ... I should push him away}
Kaede "Showing appreciation ... the notes" trails a wet finger along the other boy's jaw line
{I want to ... to kiss you}
Hanamichi "Are you on drugs?! Do you know who I am?" breathes deeply to calm himself
{Is he trying to seduce me?!!!}
Kaede "........." nods
{Of course, I do ...}
Hanamichi "Okay ... Eeps!" falls off the bed
{I must get out of here}
Kaede "........." stares at the boy's frantic exit
{I must have scared him ...}
That night, Sakuragi could not sleep as he kept on thinking about the earlier incident. There were so many questions in his head. What had happened? Did it really happen???
[Shohoku High School]
The very next day, the poor boy was nominated by the other team members to be in-charge of sending the notes to Rukawa for the next couple of days as they could see that he had survived the first trip. Ayako had noticed the dark circles underneath his eyes, but thought nothing of it.
Hanamichi "NO! I will NOT do it! Get someone else to deliver the notes to that Stupid Kitsune!" protests loudly
{I do not want to face him so soon ... last night ...}
Hisashi "How about a deal? In return, we will pay for your lunch every day" smiles
Hanamichi "Really? ... you will really buy whatever I want to eat?" scratches back of head
{This means that I can eat as much as I want!!!}
Ryota "So you will say yes?" pats the red head's back
Hanamichi "YES! Deal! Bwahahaha!" beams happily
{Food! Food! Everything that I like ...}
Yuki "I can go with you to the hospital. We could have dinner together ... I am buying" grins
Hanamichi "Really?" blinks
{This must be my lucky day}
Yuki "Yep! I can get you anything that you want" assures the red head
{I really want you}
[Kanagawa Hospital]
Since last night, Rukawa had thought about little else except Sakuragi Hanamichi. After much thought, it dawned upon him that he was attracted to the red head.
Yuki "Hi Rukawa! How are you doing?" calls out to the patient
Kaede "......" stares at his visitors
{Why is he here with him?}
Yuki "These are your notes. Is there anything else that you need? If not, we are going off" hugs the red head
Kaede "........." frowns
{I need you to remove your hands from his shoulders. He is mine! He is mine??? What is happening to me?!!!}
Hanamichi "Kitsune? Are you okay?" notes Rukawa's unhappy expression
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun, I am sure that he is fine. We should go. What do you want for dinner? Bye Rukawa!" waves
Hanamichi "Sushi ... can we have that for dinner?" looks up at the taller boy
Kaede "Shit ..." clenches fist tightly
{Damn it! Do'aho is mine}
To Be Continued ...