I Can't Hear You
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own Slam Dunk. Dr. T does. I only own Fuji Mika
Author's Notes:
Arrgh!!! I can't believe I wrote a Sendo fic! I'm not a Sendo fan, if that's what you're wondering, but anyway, I just think that's it cute if the popular guy falls in love with the not-so popular girl, don't you think? By the way, this is just a ONE-SHOT! All right, I'll quit talking and I'll let you read the story. Reviews are DEFINITELY appreciated! J
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"Everyone, hustle! Ikegami, faster! Sendo and Koshino, stop fooling around! Good work, Fukuda!" Taoka-sensei barked his orders and praises to the Ryonan Basketball Club members who were doing a hundred laps around the court. He was training them harder than before especially now that they lost their chance to join the Inter-High because Shohoku High beat them at the eliminations. "Run, faster!!!" the maniac-like coach once again shouted.
"Ah! We're going to have a stronger team at the winter tournament, right sensei?" Hikoichi, a freshman, who takes down notes on the team's progress said to Taoka as he was taking down the notes from the team's lap sessions. He was beside the coach who instructed him to take notes for Hikoichi is good at it.
"Hai, Hikoichi, hai," Taoka agreed with a proud smile plastered on his face.
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Unknown to the Ryonan players, a girl was watching them from one of the gym's open doors. The girl stands five feet high and has shiny black shoulder-length hair. Her black-blue eyes were twinkling as she watched the basketball team practice.
Fuji Mika loves to watch basketball although she doesn't play the sport. Unfortunately, her job at the school's newspaper takes up all her time that she rarely gets to watch the team practice. This was her first time to watch the team practice.
She sighed. A sigh that could be mistaken as anything but a sigh for the girl can't even hear her own voice much less her own sigh. Fuji Mika is deaf.
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Sendo wiped the sweat on his forehead, which was threatening to fall on his eyes. I didn't know that being the captain of the team is hard. He grabbed the towel, which one of the freshmen handed to him and placed it over his head in an attempt to cool his self down. He was panting heavily as he tried to get his breath back.
The lap sessions are over. The rest of the team are resting like their captain and trying to get their lost breaths back.
Sendo smiled from under the towel. We're going to win over Shohoku this winter. I'll beat you again, Rukawa Kaede…
When he got his breath back, he reached for the towel on his head, which was obscuring his view. He took it off from his head and in that moment that he took it off he saw a pretty brunette girl watching the team from the east wing of the gym. Knowing that Taoka-sensei does not like fans watching their practice for they can be wild and boisterous at times, he decided to talk to her and ask her to kindly leave the gym and save her from the sensei's wrath.
He casually strode over to her. "Hi!" Sendo greeted the girl flashing her the smile that made hundreds of girls swoon over him.
The girl, whose eyes were directed on the court, felt his presence and turned her head towards his way. Their eyes met and. The girl smiled sweetly at him.
Man! She's got the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen!
"Well, I don't mean to be rude but you have to leave the court. No fans are allowed here and if you want, you could come here on Saturday to watch our practice game with Takezono High," Sendo patiently explained, still smiling at the pretty girl, unconsciously inviting the girl to watch his game.The girl just continued smiling at his way and staring into his eyes. She wasn't giving any indication that she will leave or any indication that she will accept the sophomore's invitation.
Huh?!?
A puzzled Sendo thought about the reaction that he received from the girl. He decided to call Hikoichi, the boy who knows everything about anything in the school. "Hikoichi, can you please come over here for a second?" he called to the younger boy from across the court.Not only is she beautiful, she's also a bit weird…
Hikoichi, hearing his sempai's request ran over to their side of the court. Suddenly the girl raised her hand and waved at Hikoichi, still smiling. Hikoichi, recognizing the girl from the other class and from the school newspaper, waved back, returning the girl's smile.
"Hey, Mika!" Hikoichi greeted the girl when he reached the two. He turned to Sendo and said, "What is it Sendo-san?"
"Oh! So that's her name! My name is Sendo Akira," Sendo introduced himself as he extended his hand to shake Mika's hand. He then turned to Hikoichi. "I was telling her that she has to leave but I don't think she understands," a puzzled look was still etched in his cute face.
Suddenly, Mika reached out her hand and gently tapped Hikoichi, who was facing Sendo at that time, on the shoulder. When she was sure that she has Hikoichi's full attention, she pointed at her right ear, then shook her hands. Hikoichi, fully understanding what she meant, quickly fished out a small notebook from his pocket and grabbed the pencil, which was stuck behind his ear. He scribbled furiously on the notebook and handed it to Mika. Mika then read what he wrote and borrowed Hikoichi's pencil to jot down her reply.
Meanwhile, Sendo was at a lost at what was happening. "Uh? Will somebody explain to me what's happening around here?"
Hikoichi, realizing that Sendo have no clue whatsoever at what was happening, turned towards his sempai to explain. "This is Fuji Mika. She's a reporter at our school newspaper and she's deaf. She forgot her hearing aid at the media center."
"Oh! Is that all?!? You mean she's just deaf?!?" Sendo said as it all dawned upon him.
"NANI!?! Sendo-san how could you say that?!? Have you got no heart?!?" Hikoichi said incredulously not believing what he heard.
However, Sendo paid no heed to what Hikoichi was saying. He turned towards Mika and made some gestures in front her. Mika has amazement written in her face as she realized that Sendo knows sign language. Mika replied to him using sign language too.
Hikoichi, who was by that time amazed by what he saw questioned Sendo, "Sendo-san, you know sign language?"
Sendo excused himself from Mika, who was by then apologizing to him if she seemed a bit weird a while ago, and turned to Hikoichi to answer his question. "My younger brother is also deaf," and with that, he turned towards Mika and resumed *talking* with her.
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Sendo quietly crept up from behind Mika who was busy typing away on the computer at the media center to tap her shoulder when to his surprise, Mika whirled around to face him.
The two had become close friends as if they've known each other for years although it was only yesterday that they met. Sendo's understanding of Mika's situation and Mika's love for watching basketball endeared them to each other. In fact, yesterday, Sendo walked her home to make sure she got there safely.
She smiled lovingly at the tall basketball player. "I heard you, you know," she grinned as she pointed to the hearing aid that was now connected to her ear. She then turned her back to what she was typing before Sendo came in. Sendo just grinned at her back.
Practice was over and Sendo came to pick up Mika to walk her home again.
"I'll be finished in a few minutes, I just need to print this document," Mika called over her back.
"That's okay," Sendo grabbed a chair, turned it backwards and placed it beside Mika's chair. He rested his chin on the chair's frame as he innocently draped his right arm over Mika's shoulder.
Mika, noticing the simple, yet meaningful gesture, reached out her right hand and took Sendo's hand in hers. She then clicked the 'Print' button from the screen (using her left hand, that is). While they were waiting for the document to be printed, Mika turned towards Sendo, his and her hands still locked together, and was surprised to meet his twinkling eyes.
They seemed to stare at each other for what seemed like an eternity but was really only a few seconds before Sendo reached out his left hand and tilted Mika's chin. He inched closer to her until their faces were merely centimeters apart. Sendo closed the distance by kissing Mika sweetly on the lips. They kissed until they were both out of breath.
When they stopped to take some fresh air in, Sendo rested his forehead against Mika's, his right arm was around Mika's slender shoulders while his left was caressing Mika's right arm. "Mika, I love you," he whispered gently.
Mika, teasing him, grinned and answered, not moving from the position that they were in, "What are you saying? I can't hear you."
Sendo gently released his grip on her and signed, 'I love you.'
Mika signed 'I love you too' back at him before diving into his open arms. The two snuggled for a bit, the document that they were waiting to be printed, completely forgotten.
Sendo's trademark smiled played on his lips as he took a peek at the different yet lovely girl peacefully snuggled in his arms.
~ OWARI ~
