Misguided Conceptions.
by Yukitsu
Disclaimers: Heh. Slam Dunk ain't mine. But if you'll hand them over to me, I'll gladly take them.
Fujima is just SO cute, isn't he? Well... Fujima+Hanagata yaoi here. It might take a while to get them together, but this is supposed to be one- shot fic. ^_^
Ello, Tomo-chan.
Hi, Banana-chan, Gorri-chan.
Ei, Mameh Ayori-neechan and Isamu-niichan ^__^
" yadda " - dialogue
* yadda * - italicized or the character's thoughts
YADDA - emphasized or BOLD (not THAT kind, you hentai)
~~~~
"Fujima-san...." Ito said almost inaudibly. He made a move to reach forward but stopped himself as the said captain and coach of their team turned his baleful, sorrowful, and puffy eyes at him.
"Fujima.... I... I'm sorry for the loss..." Hanagata started. This time, it was he who made Ito's mistake of approaching the upset captain. He touched Fujima's shoulder, only for it to be slapped away, unwelcomed.
"Don't touch me!" he snapped. His cheeks had tear marks on it, and his eyes were puffy and red from crying. In fact, so distraut was he from their loss to Shohoku that he was almost unrecognizable. From the confident and cheerful player to the weeping and tearful boy.
"Fujima-san! We're really sorry! It's our fault that we lost!" Ito cried. Being the youngest of the Five starting members, he's the most emotional and sensitive of them all. He never could stand people upset, specially if he thought that he's the reason.
"Damned right you are! You talentless jocks are the reason why we lost! You can't do things right and had to drag me down with you, huh?" Fujima yelled out, filling the locker room with his angry voice.
"Fujima!" Hanagata exclaimed. He worried over the younger boy's feelings. Anything Fujima could say now will be imprinted on the Sophomore's mind as long as he's going to play basketball.
"Don't you 'Fujima' me, you lousy jerk! You're also one of the reasons why we lost!" Fujima turned his angry eyes at his bestfriend. "I told you not to underestimate them, but noooooooo, Toru Hanagata never listens. I wanted to get in early, but nooooooo, 'Trust me' you said. Look where you're 'Trust me' led us!" Fujima panted after his long outburst and abruptly snatched his bag from the locker bench. With a last furious glare, he went through the door and slammed it shut. The door rattled from the force the lean boy exerted.
"Fu-Fujima!" Hanagata exclaimed a little too late. The door had already shut and Fujima's running footsteps fading away.
"Hanagata-sempai..." Ito said brokenly, sniffling his tears away. He absentmindedly brushed the salty liquid that insisted on overflowing from his eyes. He always had been emotional.
"Ito.... Don't mind what Captain said. He's upset and blurted out things he didn't mean." Hanagata explained. He looked at the other basketball players in their room. The Shoyo basketball team never had much applicants. Either Shoyo students found basketball worthless, or they got intimidated by Fujima's reputation as the most popular guy in school.
"Hai." Ito swivelled around and headed for the shower cubicle. He's had just too much for one day. All he wanted to do was get out of his sweaty jersey, go home and go to sleep. He'll think about his problems when he wakes up.
"Hanagata-san" Hasegawa said, addressing the glassed boy curtly.
"What?"
"I... I'm sorry too. I let Mitsui get the better of me again. I let you and Captain down"
"That's alright. Fujima's just upset because he never expected this to happen."
"Please tell him my apology when you see him" Hasegawa added. He followed Ito into the shower rooms.
"Hanagata-san. Ore mo. [Me too] I apologize for letting those amateurs get the better of us. Please talk to the Captain. After all, we still have the Winter Season to look forward to" Nagano said to the center. Takano nodded behind him and they both headed for showerstalls.
"Hai [Yes]. I'll do that... if manage to get to talk to him." Hanagata gave the door a depressed look before getting in a shower stall himself.
~~~~~
"Fujima! Is that you, Fujima?" a low voice called. Fujima didn't bother looking up. He knew who his long time rival is enough to memorize his voice.
"Fujima! Yappari [I thought so] What are you doing here, so miserable and upset?" Maki sat down beside the Shoyo captain on the grass. He had been looking for his teammates who got seperated from him while watching the Shoyo-Shohoku game when he spotted a familiar figure sitting curled up under a park tree. Fujima was still in his jersey so Maki had no trouble recognizing him at all.
"What do you care?" Fujima sniffled miserably. He curled up even tighter to himself, leaning the small of his back against the tree. How Maki found him, he'll never know. He had made sure to stay in the secluded side of the park, and he had also sat down on the unexposed side of the tree. How that enigmatic man did things, he'll never really know.
"Well.... You're my rival, aren't you?" Maki said, trying to comfort the distraut man beside him.
"Ha! Rival my foot.... We just lost to a bunch of first timers, remember?" Fujima mumbled, removing his head from hiding and staring at the Kainan captain. His eyes were even redder than before, his bangs were sticking to his pale face.
"Fujima... you did loose, but it wasn't you're fault." Maki tilted his head to look at the smaller man more closely.
"You think so? But it is. I let my guard down. I underestimated those Shohoku players. I let my guard down so much even to the point of waiting for the longest possible time before taking action."
"Ah... but that's beside the point. It's not just your fault, it's the whole team's" Maki said. He didn't know what to say to comfort the guy. He wasn't good at this kind of thing and had never been sensitive enough to know what sensible thing he's supposed to say in this kind of situation.
"No. I'm the coach. I'm the captain. It's my responsibility, therefore, my fault." Fujima insisted. He was feeling very guilty, actually. The things he had blurted out to his team had followed him like death all the way from the locker room.
"No it isn't. It's all up to how your team performs, not just how you manage them. Even if you do manage them superbly, their's nothing you can do about how they react, play and think. Yes, you can train them, but no person is the perfect player. You make mistakes, I make mistakes, our team makes mistakes, everybody does. It just so happened that your team made a mistake that made you loose. Plus, I admit that Shohoku is unpredictable." Maki stopped his speech, not knowing how he's supposed to continue. Heck! He had been only rambling that he can't even remember half of what he said!
"You're not being very comforting at all, you know." the brown haired player mumbled. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes, replaying the incident in the locker room. Hanagata... after what he did, Fujima doubted if he had even a tiny bit of chance getting together with the Shoyo center.
Maki sighed. "I know. I'm not very good at this." He leant back and sighed again "Fujima... you still have the Winter Season to look forward to. Stop wasting your time moping around and get your fat ass outta here. Go train your team. What do you know, you might win the next time."
Fujima glared at the 'fat ass' remark but agreed nevertheless. "Do you know why I'm so upset over that loss?"
"Hmm?"
"I wanted to be the one to kick your ass out of the Number One place."
"Heh. I'm flattered. But Shohoku kicked you out of the Number Two place. Tough luck. I guess you'll have to catch up next season before you graduate." Maki smirked at Fujima's murderous expression
"Saa.. I'll be going now. Still need to find Jin and Nobunaga. Those two... they just can't keep their hands of each other!" Maki muttered under his breathe, standing up.
"Eh? You mean they're... erm... like THAT?" Fujima blinked, bringing his two index fingers side by side.
"Ahehehe..." Maki blushed before nodding sheepishly. Oops... he hadn't meant to said that out loud.
"So that's why you stumbled upon me. You were looking for them in every secluded spot you can find" Fujima smiled a little, finding the whole situation amusing.
"Yes, well... Just don't tell anyone"
"Hai" Fujima looked down, smiling bitterly.
"What's wrong now?" Maki asked, raising an eyebrow
"Betsuni [Nothing]" Fujima forced a big smile and got up too, finally noticing how wrinkled his clothes were.
"Hmmm?" Maki opened his mouth to say something but a voice interrupted them
"Fujima!"
Fujima snapped his head at the familiar voice. "Hanagata?"
"Fujima! Wha-what are you doing... here?" Hanagata looked at Fujima then at Maki, then back at Fujima again, he stared at their rumpled clothes. "You... you... you two...."
"Ha-hanagata!" Fujima looked guiltily at his bestfriend, remembering the words he had snapped at the team.
"Fu-fujima...." He had obviously mistaken his guilty look for something else. "You.. and HIM? Together? How could you!" Hanagata gave the pair a horrified and betrayed look before sprinting away.
Fujima had been so shocked by Hanagata's statement that he hadn't been able to react. Maki also looked stunned.
"Ha-Hanagata! Wait!" Fujima made to go after him but tripped over the very same tree that had housed him just a while ago. He fell down with a hard thud, bruising his elbows and scraping his palms raw.
"Fujima! Are you alright?" Maki held Fujima up as he struggled to find his footing. Fujima shook him off after righting himself and sprinted away.
"Maki-san! Arigato! [Thank you] You're advice was great, but I have to go now!" Fujima threw back as he disappeared from view, bag swishing behind him.
"So that's why he was so bitter when talking about relationships" Maki grinned and wished that the Shoyo captain can manage to solve his problems. After all, he IS still the best rival Maki had ever since he started his basketball career. Having Fujima broken wouldn't be good now, na?
~~~~~
"Moshi moshi? [Hello?]" the voice Fujima recognized as Hanagata's mother asked
"Moshi moshi. Ano... may I please speak to Ha-Toru, please" Fujima almost stammered, not knowing whether to use 'Toru' or 'Hanagata'
"Kenji, is that you?" Hanagata's mother asked hesitantly
"Hai."
"Ano... Gomen nasai [I'm sorry] but I can't give Toru-chan the phone. He's in an awful mood and has locked himself up in his room."
"A... Arigato [Thank You] I'll just call back later" Fujima hung up the phone.
*Oh dear... What am I going to do?* Fujima slumped on his house's living room sofa. Dressed in a light blue shirt and soft pants, he should be comfortable; but he wasn't and he doubted if he'd ever be after what happened between him and his bestfriend.
"Kenji... you idiot!" Fujima muttered. Stomping his foot on the ground, he uncharacteristically growled in frustration. What had happened to Hanagata anyway? Fujima admitted that it WOULD be shocking to see him and MAKI, of all people, together, but Hangata didn't have to react like that. Even if it were true, which it fortunately wasn't, the center's reaction had been strange. Almost bordering on bertrayal and jelousy, even.
"Heh. Sakuragi's tackle must've given you more than a bruise, Fujima Kenji. Why, you're being delirious now!" Fujima muttered even more, mocking himself.
With an irritated huff, he got up and headed out the door. He didn't know how to cook, after all. And he lived alone.
~~~~~
"A bowl of Ramen, please." Fujima said dully, not even waiting for the waitress to start her interrogation.
"Hai [Yes] And you're drinks, sir?" the waitress replied chirpily.
"Anything will do just fine." Fujima was already regretting coming here to eat. The diner was crowded, hot and was bustling with people. Quickly deciding, he caught up to the girl. "That'll be take-out, miss"
"Hai!"
~~~~~
Fujima sighed. He looked around warily before settling himself on a bench under a park tree. *I seem to be getting quite attached to parks and trees these days.* Taking his food out from the paper bag, he started eating it slowly, not really hurrying. He DID have nothing to do until morning aside from brooding and thinking. Better concentrate on filling his stomach, or else he'll start thinking of THAT again.
Since when did he discover his feelings for the team center anyway? Either it was too long ago or Fujima was getting senile. He couldn't remember anymore! The only thing he remembered was feeling utter confusion over his feelings. Feelings for another man, no less. He had felt guilty at first, thinking of what he felt as a sin, but he learned to accept. In fact, Fujima had been thinking of telling Hanagata just that after their supposedly easy victory against the Shohoku team. Either that or wait until after they finish their game with Kainan.
Heh. So much for planning.
A crack resounded from behind him.
"Who's there?" Fujima turned his head around to the direction of the noise. His face paled at the sound of a trigger being cocked.
"This is a hold-up. Raise your arms." A voice snapped, trembling slightly in nervousness. Fujima froze. Slowly, he raised his arms above his head, keeping his movements slow as not to startle the obviously demented criminal.
"Good. Now, I'll be coming near you so don't you dare move, alright."
Fujima just nodded mutely, not even knowing if the man saw his movement in the dark. With a shiver, he felt the man approach from behind. Tying his arms together with tape, the man poked Fujima behind his neck, making the Shoyo captain sweat in fear.
With a startled gasp, Fujima yelped, suddenly feeling the man's free hand under his shirt.
"Shut up or I'll shoot you!" The guy hissed. He kept on groping under Fujima's clothes, looking for something.
"Where's your money, damn you!?" The hoarse whisper demanded near his face.
"I-I don't have any money on me now. I just spent the last of it on Ramen." Fujima was starting to get drenched in sweat. He shifted slightly but the angry guy poked him with the gun again.
"You what?! Fuc!!!" With an angry grunt, the man gave Kenji Fujima a vicious high kick in the ribs. Even tied, Fujima couldn't help but double over at the pain the kick gave his side. He panted and glared defiantly at his attacker.
"What the hell are you looking at me like that for?!" Angered even more, the attacker gave him a strong punch on his cheek, cutting his lip open in the process.
"You're worthless, you sissy." With one last kick, the attacker disappeared into the night.
"K'so... what a time to be attacked." Fujima winced before trying to get his wrists free from the strong tape the guy used. It was no use. There were just too much tape and he was just too tired and bruised to break it. He hated to admit it, but he needed help, and from who he could get it from, he didn't know
He certainly knew dozens of people that he could approach for help. Hell! He could just ask any passer-by to help him undo his bindings. But that would leave him with too much humiliation in his arms. Oh the humiliation. He didn't think that he can stand being embarrassed twice in a day.
Only one choice then. Hanagata or sleep in the park and wait to be rescued. Hanagata wouldn't find him pathetic now, would he?
With a little more effort than usual, he stood up, littering the park floor with his half-eaten ramen and juice.
~~~~~
With difficulty, Fujima pressed the doorbell. His side hurt that raising his arms even a bit shot intense pain through his side. Finally deciding, he had bumped it lightly with the side of his head, rather than risk giving himself further pain.
The lights of the house were off. The only light he could see so far was a dim flash in a corner of a window which Fujima recognized as Hanagata's. The light must be coming from his nightlight. The window was suddenly flooded with light and a silhouette appeared. Fujima gave a sigh of releif. No way was he going to bump heads with a doorbell again.
"Who's there?" Hanagata snapped as he opened the door. He gave a startled blink when the light from the house revealed part of Fujima's face.
"Ha-hanagata...." Fujima's heart almost died out from fright attack
"Fujima? What are you doing here?" Hanagata demanded coldly.
"A-ano..." Fujima stammered, at lost for words.
"Maki dumped you or something?" Hanagata sneered. He opened the door wider to see Fujima's face more clearly.
"But we never were together!" Fujima protested, his voice raising a notch higher.
"Oh? But you slept with him." Hanagata raised his eyebrow dubiously
"No! We never... I never.... Oh forget it!" Fujima threw his hands in frustration, completely forgetting about his injuries. He gasped in extreme pain and bent over, clutching his side with his elbow.
"Fujima?! What's wrong?" Hanagata cried out in alarm. He threw the door wide open in his hurry to get to his friend, and in doing so illuminated the poor Shoyo ace.
"What the---" Hanagata quickly came to assist Fujima, ushering him quickly in. Hanagata, although he felt betrayed, never could resist helping a friend, especially someone as special as Fujima.
"I came here... to... ask for... he-help" Fujima wheezed a little, having difficulty with breathing.
"What?" The taller teenager ushered his companion in, guiding him through the corridor to the dim livingroom. With a gentle push, he sat Fujima down on a comfy sofa.
"Needed help in what?" Hanagata asked, switching the lights on.
"... This?" Fujima held his hands up, not moving his body except for the part from the elbows to the hands. His wrists were pale and oddly colored from lack of circulation, the blood from his cut lip had already dried, leaving dark colored stains on his chin.
"Oh my Gosh, Fujima!" Hanagata immediately came forward and clasped Fujima's chin gently in his hands. Fujima blushed slightly from the contact, averting his eyes from making eye contact with the glassed man.
"What happened?" Hanagata demanded. He turned Fujima's head gently to the side, looking at his purple bruise.
"Hold-up. The jerk got nothing from me, so he got angry and roughed me up a bit. I couldn't get the tape off so here I am." Fujima mumbled, still blushing slightly. He could barely wriggle his fingers anymore.
"Oh..." Hanagata stared at Fujima's pale cheek, absentmindedly brushing his thumb over the uncut part of his lip. Fujima's eyes widened, his eyes swivelling towards the objects of his desires.
"Go-gomen... [Sorry]" Hanagata swiftly stood up and went to another room, returning afterwards with a pair of large scissors. He lightly grabbed Fujima's wrist and, with some diffucutly due to the great amount of tape, he snipped it off carefully, making sure that he didn't scrape Fujima's pale skin.
"Arigato.. [Thank You]" Fujima said softly, rubbing his aching wrists but making sure that he didn't move his elbows much.
"It's alright."
"By the way, just so you know, I never slept with Maki" Fujima suddenly said as nonchantly as possible. He gently rubbed his cut lip, trying to pluck the dried blood away.
Hanagata almost dropped the shears he had been placing on the table. "You... didn't?"
"No. I didn't."
"But.."
"That time when you saw us together?" Fujima prodded. Hanagata only nodded
"I had been crying my eyes out when he saw me. He had been looking for his teammates then. We talked, he gave me advices, we insulted each other, and then when we were just going to seperate, you came along." Fujima shrugged slightly, keeping his side as motionless as possible.
"So... you and Maki never..." Hanagata trailed off, suddenly realizing his very, very grave mistake.
"No. Never had and never will." Fujima said firmly. "Besides, I already love somebody"
Hangata was so happy that Fujima never actually had a relationship with the Kainan captain that the last sentence took a while to register in his head.
"Wait... you LOVE somebody?" Hanagata's heart thudded dully in his chest. Every hope that had blossomed in his heart had come crashing down again
"Yes. I do." Fujima nodded.
"So... who's the lucky girl?"
"You want to know who he is?"
"Yes, I do." Hanagata blink at the 'he' part, but decided to ignore it. He must have imagined it in his desperation to be the one.
"Alright...." Fujima stood up, although with some difficulty, and sauntered over to where the glassed man was sitting. With a predatory grin, he swooped down and gave Haganata the most innocent kiss he had ever given anybody.
When the kiss ended, Hanagata stared up at Fujima breathelessly, his eyes glazed over and disbeleiving. He had just kissed Fujima!
"There you go."
"You-You-You... You mean..." Hanagata stumbled over his words
"Yes, dear. You're the person I love." Fujima gave Hanagata a serene smile, cupping Hanagata's face in his hand, barely noticing the throbbing pain in his side.
"Oh..." Hanagata blinked again.
"You might not feel this way about me, but I just had to tell you. I'll be going now. Thanks for the help, I really needed that." Apparently, the chocolate haired boy had mistaken Hanagata's silence as rejection. With a rueful grin, Fujima swiftly turned around, quickly heading for the front door. A pair of hands enveloping him from behind, however, stopped him from going any further.
"Fu-fujima! I-I... I love you too...." Hanagata blurted out. Fujima practically shone. He twisted around in the taller man's embrace and gave him the most beautiful grin he could make.
"I've been loving you for the longest time now. That's why when I thought that you had an affair with Maki, I felt so crushed. I'm sorry for acting coldly towards you... it's just that I was so hurt. I love you, and I'll continue loving you even if you'll decide never to forgive me." Hanagata made a deep breathe, his long outburst leaving him breathless.
"Of course I'll forgive you. I'm so sorry for snapping at everyone in the lockers today... I had been upset from the defeat, but I'm over it now. I've loved you for the longest time too.... and.. and... and... " The couple were now officially confused. They were blabbering and stammering words of love and apology to each other in such a confusing way that several sentences later, they could not help but laugh.
~~~~
Feh. I know, I know. It's short, and the ending sucks. But yaoi is yaoi. And I just love writing and reading yaoi. ^_^ I'm not called the Shin Megami no Yaoi for nothing, ya know!
The characters are OOC, I know. I can't help it! I'm not used to writing about anime other than HxH and YYH. You can flame me for that.
The fic's full of sap too, and I absolutely despise sap. Burn me.
And the flow from one scene to another is too abrupt. Roast me all you want!
Over all, I know this sucks. Barbecue me, see if I care.
*Smiles sweetly* Every single flame will be extinguished by Tsuki-chan. The good ones... framed.
Shinja: *holds up the calendar* November 30, 2002
by Yukitsu
Disclaimers: Heh. Slam Dunk ain't mine. But if you'll hand them over to me, I'll gladly take them.
Fujima is just SO cute, isn't he? Well... Fujima+Hanagata yaoi here. It might take a while to get them together, but this is supposed to be one- shot fic. ^_^
Ello, Tomo-chan.
Hi, Banana-chan, Gorri-chan.
Ei, Mameh Ayori-neechan and Isamu-niichan ^__^
" yadda " - dialogue
* yadda * - italicized or the character's thoughts
YADDA - emphasized or BOLD (not THAT kind, you hentai)
~~~~
"Fujima-san...." Ito said almost inaudibly. He made a move to reach forward but stopped himself as the said captain and coach of their team turned his baleful, sorrowful, and puffy eyes at him.
"Fujima.... I... I'm sorry for the loss..." Hanagata started. This time, it was he who made Ito's mistake of approaching the upset captain. He touched Fujima's shoulder, only for it to be slapped away, unwelcomed.
"Don't touch me!" he snapped. His cheeks had tear marks on it, and his eyes were puffy and red from crying. In fact, so distraut was he from their loss to Shohoku that he was almost unrecognizable. From the confident and cheerful player to the weeping and tearful boy.
"Fujima-san! We're really sorry! It's our fault that we lost!" Ito cried. Being the youngest of the Five starting members, he's the most emotional and sensitive of them all. He never could stand people upset, specially if he thought that he's the reason.
"Damned right you are! You talentless jocks are the reason why we lost! You can't do things right and had to drag me down with you, huh?" Fujima yelled out, filling the locker room with his angry voice.
"Fujima!" Hanagata exclaimed. He worried over the younger boy's feelings. Anything Fujima could say now will be imprinted on the Sophomore's mind as long as he's going to play basketball.
"Don't you 'Fujima' me, you lousy jerk! You're also one of the reasons why we lost!" Fujima turned his angry eyes at his bestfriend. "I told you not to underestimate them, but noooooooo, Toru Hanagata never listens. I wanted to get in early, but nooooooo, 'Trust me' you said. Look where you're 'Trust me' led us!" Fujima panted after his long outburst and abruptly snatched his bag from the locker bench. With a last furious glare, he went through the door and slammed it shut. The door rattled from the force the lean boy exerted.
"Fu-Fujima!" Hanagata exclaimed a little too late. The door had already shut and Fujima's running footsteps fading away.
"Hanagata-sempai..." Ito said brokenly, sniffling his tears away. He absentmindedly brushed the salty liquid that insisted on overflowing from his eyes. He always had been emotional.
"Ito.... Don't mind what Captain said. He's upset and blurted out things he didn't mean." Hanagata explained. He looked at the other basketball players in their room. The Shoyo basketball team never had much applicants. Either Shoyo students found basketball worthless, or they got intimidated by Fujima's reputation as the most popular guy in school.
"Hai." Ito swivelled around and headed for the shower cubicle. He's had just too much for one day. All he wanted to do was get out of his sweaty jersey, go home and go to sleep. He'll think about his problems when he wakes up.
"Hanagata-san" Hasegawa said, addressing the glassed boy curtly.
"What?"
"I... I'm sorry too. I let Mitsui get the better of me again. I let you and Captain down"
"That's alright. Fujima's just upset because he never expected this to happen."
"Please tell him my apology when you see him" Hasegawa added. He followed Ito into the shower rooms.
"Hanagata-san. Ore mo. [Me too] I apologize for letting those amateurs get the better of us. Please talk to the Captain. After all, we still have the Winter Season to look forward to" Nagano said to the center. Takano nodded behind him and they both headed for showerstalls.
"Hai [Yes]. I'll do that... if manage to get to talk to him." Hanagata gave the door a depressed look before getting in a shower stall himself.
~~~~~
"Fujima! Is that you, Fujima?" a low voice called. Fujima didn't bother looking up. He knew who his long time rival is enough to memorize his voice.
"Fujima! Yappari [I thought so] What are you doing here, so miserable and upset?" Maki sat down beside the Shoyo captain on the grass. He had been looking for his teammates who got seperated from him while watching the Shoyo-Shohoku game when he spotted a familiar figure sitting curled up under a park tree. Fujima was still in his jersey so Maki had no trouble recognizing him at all.
"What do you care?" Fujima sniffled miserably. He curled up even tighter to himself, leaning the small of his back against the tree. How Maki found him, he'll never know. He had made sure to stay in the secluded side of the park, and he had also sat down on the unexposed side of the tree. How that enigmatic man did things, he'll never really know.
"Well.... You're my rival, aren't you?" Maki said, trying to comfort the distraut man beside him.
"Ha! Rival my foot.... We just lost to a bunch of first timers, remember?" Fujima mumbled, removing his head from hiding and staring at the Kainan captain. His eyes were even redder than before, his bangs were sticking to his pale face.
"Fujima... you did loose, but it wasn't you're fault." Maki tilted his head to look at the smaller man more closely.
"You think so? But it is. I let my guard down. I underestimated those Shohoku players. I let my guard down so much even to the point of waiting for the longest possible time before taking action."
"Ah... but that's beside the point. It's not just your fault, it's the whole team's" Maki said. He didn't know what to say to comfort the guy. He wasn't good at this kind of thing and had never been sensitive enough to know what sensible thing he's supposed to say in this kind of situation.
"No. I'm the coach. I'm the captain. It's my responsibility, therefore, my fault." Fujima insisted. He was feeling very guilty, actually. The things he had blurted out to his team had followed him like death all the way from the locker room.
"No it isn't. It's all up to how your team performs, not just how you manage them. Even if you do manage them superbly, their's nothing you can do about how they react, play and think. Yes, you can train them, but no person is the perfect player. You make mistakes, I make mistakes, our team makes mistakes, everybody does. It just so happened that your team made a mistake that made you loose. Plus, I admit that Shohoku is unpredictable." Maki stopped his speech, not knowing how he's supposed to continue. Heck! He had been only rambling that he can't even remember half of what he said!
"You're not being very comforting at all, you know." the brown haired player mumbled. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes, replaying the incident in the locker room. Hanagata... after what he did, Fujima doubted if he had even a tiny bit of chance getting together with the Shoyo center.
Maki sighed. "I know. I'm not very good at this." He leant back and sighed again "Fujima... you still have the Winter Season to look forward to. Stop wasting your time moping around and get your fat ass outta here. Go train your team. What do you know, you might win the next time."
Fujima glared at the 'fat ass' remark but agreed nevertheless. "Do you know why I'm so upset over that loss?"
"Hmm?"
"I wanted to be the one to kick your ass out of the Number One place."
"Heh. I'm flattered. But Shohoku kicked you out of the Number Two place. Tough luck. I guess you'll have to catch up next season before you graduate." Maki smirked at Fujima's murderous expression
"Saa.. I'll be going now. Still need to find Jin and Nobunaga. Those two... they just can't keep their hands of each other!" Maki muttered under his breathe, standing up.
"Eh? You mean they're... erm... like THAT?" Fujima blinked, bringing his two index fingers side by side.
"Ahehehe..." Maki blushed before nodding sheepishly. Oops... he hadn't meant to said that out loud.
"So that's why you stumbled upon me. You were looking for them in every secluded spot you can find" Fujima smiled a little, finding the whole situation amusing.
"Yes, well... Just don't tell anyone"
"Hai" Fujima looked down, smiling bitterly.
"What's wrong now?" Maki asked, raising an eyebrow
"Betsuni [Nothing]" Fujima forced a big smile and got up too, finally noticing how wrinkled his clothes were.
"Hmmm?" Maki opened his mouth to say something but a voice interrupted them
"Fujima!"
Fujima snapped his head at the familiar voice. "Hanagata?"
"Fujima! Wha-what are you doing... here?" Hanagata looked at Fujima then at Maki, then back at Fujima again, he stared at their rumpled clothes. "You... you... you two...."
"Ha-hanagata!" Fujima looked guiltily at his bestfriend, remembering the words he had snapped at the team.
"Fu-fujima...." He had obviously mistaken his guilty look for something else. "You.. and HIM? Together? How could you!" Hanagata gave the pair a horrified and betrayed look before sprinting away.
Fujima had been so shocked by Hanagata's statement that he hadn't been able to react. Maki also looked stunned.
"Ha-Hanagata! Wait!" Fujima made to go after him but tripped over the very same tree that had housed him just a while ago. He fell down with a hard thud, bruising his elbows and scraping his palms raw.
"Fujima! Are you alright?" Maki held Fujima up as he struggled to find his footing. Fujima shook him off after righting himself and sprinted away.
"Maki-san! Arigato! [Thank you] You're advice was great, but I have to go now!" Fujima threw back as he disappeared from view, bag swishing behind him.
"So that's why he was so bitter when talking about relationships" Maki grinned and wished that the Shoyo captain can manage to solve his problems. After all, he IS still the best rival Maki had ever since he started his basketball career. Having Fujima broken wouldn't be good now, na?
~~~~~
"Moshi moshi? [Hello?]" the voice Fujima recognized as Hanagata's mother asked
"Moshi moshi. Ano... may I please speak to Ha-Toru, please" Fujima almost stammered, not knowing whether to use 'Toru' or 'Hanagata'
"Kenji, is that you?" Hanagata's mother asked hesitantly
"Hai."
"Ano... Gomen nasai [I'm sorry] but I can't give Toru-chan the phone. He's in an awful mood and has locked himself up in his room."
"A... Arigato [Thank You] I'll just call back later" Fujima hung up the phone.
*Oh dear... What am I going to do?* Fujima slumped on his house's living room sofa. Dressed in a light blue shirt and soft pants, he should be comfortable; but he wasn't and he doubted if he'd ever be after what happened between him and his bestfriend.
"Kenji... you idiot!" Fujima muttered. Stomping his foot on the ground, he uncharacteristically growled in frustration. What had happened to Hanagata anyway? Fujima admitted that it WOULD be shocking to see him and MAKI, of all people, together, but Hangata didn't have to react like that. Even if it were true, which it fortunately wasn't, the center's reaction had been strange. Almost bordering on bertrayal and jelousy, even.
"Heh. Sakuragi's tackle must've given you more than a bruise, Fujima Kenji. Why, you're being delirious now!" Fujima muttered even more, mocking himself.
With an irritated huff, he got up and headed out the door. He didn't know how to cook, after all. And he lived alone.
~~~~~
"A bowl of Ramen, please." Fujima said dully, not even waiting for the waitress to start her interrogation.
"Hai [Yes] And you're drinks, sir?" the waitress replied chirpily.
"Anything will do just fine." Fujima was already regretting coming here to eat. The diner was crowded, hot and was bustling with people. Quickly deciding, he caught up to the girl. "That'll be take-out, miss"
"Hai!"
~~~~~
Fujima sighed. He looked around warily before settling himself on a bench under a park tree. *I seem to be getting quite attached to parks and trees these days.* Taking his food out from the paper bag, he started eating it slowly, not really hurrying. He DID have nothing to do until morning aside from brooding and thinking. Better concentrate on filling his stomach, or else he'll start thinking of THAT again.
Since when did he discover his feelings for the team center anyway? Either it was too long ago or Fujima was getting senile. He couldn't remember anymore! The only thing he remembered was feeling utter confusion over his feelings. Feelings for another man, no less. He had felt guilty at first, thinking of what he felt as a sin, but he learned to accept. In fact, Fujima had been thinking of telling Hanagata just that after their supposedly easy victory against the Shohoku team. Either that or wait until after they finish their game with Kainan.
Heh. So much for planning.
A crack resounded from behind him.
"Who's there?" Fujima turned his head around to the direction of the noise. His face paled at the sound of a trigger being cocked.
"This is a hold-up. Raise your arms." A voice snapped, trembling slightly in nervousness. Fujima froze. Slowly, he raised his arms above his head, keeping his movements slow as not to startle the obviously demented criminal.
"Good. Now, I'll be coming near you so don't you dare move, alright."
Fujima just nodded mutely, not even knowing if the man saw his movement in the dark. With a shiver, he felt the man approach from behind. Tying his arms together with tape, the man poked Fujima behind his neck, making the Shoyo captain sweat in fear.
With a startled gasp, Fujima yelped, suddenly feeling the man's free hand under his shirt.
"Shut up or I'll shoot you!" The guy hissed. He kept on groping under Fujima's clothes, looking for something.
"Where's your money, damn you!?" The hoarse whisper demanded near his face.
"I-I don't have any money on me now. I just spent the last of it on Ramen." Fujima was starting to get drenched in sweat. He shifted slightly but the angry guy poked him with the gun again.
"You what?! Fuc!!!" With an angry grunt, the man gave Kenji Fujima a vicious high kick in the ribs. Even tied, Fujima couldn't help but double over at the pain the kick gave his side. He panted and glared defiantly at his attacker.
"What the hell are you looking at me like that for?!" Angered even more, the attacker gave him a strong punch on his cheek, cutting his lip open in the process.
"You're worthless, you sissy." With one last kick, the attacker disappeared into the night.
"K'so... what a time to be attacked." Fujima winced before trying to get his wrists free from the strong tape the guy used. It was no use. There were just too much tape and he was just too tired and bruised to break it. He hated to admit it, but he needed help, and from who he could get it from, he didn't know
He certainly knew dozens of people that he could approach for help. Hell! He could just ask any passer-by to help him undo his bindings. But that would leave him with too much humiliation in his arms. Oh the humiliation. He didn't think that he can stand being embarrassed twice in a day.
Only one choice then. Hanagata or sleep in the park and wait to be rescued. Hanagata wouldn't find him pathetic now, would he?
With a little more effort than usual, he stood up, littering the park floor with his half-eaten ramen and juice.
~~~~~
With difficulty, Fujima pressed the doorbell. His side hurt that raising his arms even a bit shot intense pain through his side. Finally deciding, he had bumped it lightly with the side of his head, rather than risk giving himself further pain.
The lights of the house were off. The only light he could see so far was a dim flash in a corner of a window which Fujima recognized as Hanagata's. The light must be coming from his nightlight. The window was suddenly flooded with light and a silhouette appeared. Fujima gave a sigh of releif. No way was he going to bump heads with a doorbell again.
"Who's there?" Hanagata snapped as he opened the door. He gave a startled blink when the light from the house revealed part of Fujima's face.
"Ha-hanagata...." Fujima's heart almost died out from fright attack
"Fujima? What are you doing here?" Hanagata demanded coldly.
"A-ano..." Fujima stammered, at lost for words.
"Maki dumped you or something?" Hanagata sneered. He opened the door wider to see Fujima's face more clearly.
"But we never were together!" Fujima protested, his voice raising a notch higher.
"Oh? But you slept with him." Hanagata raised his eyebrow dubiously
"No! We never... I never.... Oh forget it!" Fujima threw his hands in frustration, completely forgetting about his injuries. He gasped in extreme pain and bent over, clutching his side with his elbow.
"Fujima?! What's wrong?" Hanagata cried out in alarm. He threw the door wide open in his hurry to get to his friend, and in doing so illuminated the poor Shoyo ace.
"What the---" Hanagata quickly came to assist Fujima, ushering him quickly in. Hanagata, although he felt betrayed, never could resist helping a friend, especially someone as special as Fujima.
"I came here... to... ask for... he-help" Fujima wheezed a little, having difficulty with breathing.
"What?" The taller teenager ushered his companion in, guiding him through the corridor to the dim livingroom. With a gentle push, he sat Fujima down on a comfy sofa.
"Needed help in what?" Hanagata asked, switching the lights on.
"... This?" Fujima held his hands up, not moving his body except for the part from the elbows to the hands. His wrists were pale and oddly colored from lack of circulation, the blood from his cut lip had already dried, leaving dark colored stains on his chin.
"Oh my Gosh, Fujima!" Hanagata immediately came forward and clasped Fujima's chin gently in his hands. Fujima blushed slightly from the contact, averting his eyes from making eye contact with the glassed man.
"What happened?" Hanagata demanded. He turned Fujima's head gently to the side, looking at his purple bruise.
"Hold-up. The jerk got nothing from me, so he got angry and roughed me up a bit. I couldn't get the tape off so here I am." Fujima mumbled, still blushing slightly. He could barely wriggle his fingers anymore.
"Oh..." Hanagata stared at Fujima's pale cheek, absentmindedly brushing his thumb over the uncut part of his lip. Fujima's eyes widened, his eyes swivelling towards the objects of his desires.
"Go-gomen... [Sorry]" Hanagata swiftly stood up and went to another room, returning afterwards with a pair of large scissors. He lightly grabbed Fujima's wrist and, with some diffucutly due to the great amount of tape, he snipped it off carefully, making sure that he didn't scrape Fujima's pale skin.
"Arigato.. [Thank You]" Fujima said softly, rubbing his aching wrists but making sure that he didn't move his elbows much.
"It's alright."
"By the way, just so you know, I never slept with Maki" Fujima suddenly said as nonchantly as possible. He gently rubbed his cut lip, trying to pluck the dried blood away.
Hanagata almost dropped the shears he had been placing on the table. "You... didn't?"
"No. I didn't."
"But.."
"That time when you saw us together?" Fujima prodded. Hanagata only nodded
"I had been crying my eyes out when he saw me. He had been looking for his teammates then. We talked, he gave me advices, we insulted each other, and then when we were just going to seperate, you came along." Fujima shrugged slightly, keeping his side as motionless as possible.
"So... you and Maki never..." Hanagata trailed off, suddenly realizing his very, very grave mistake.
"No. Never had and never will." Fujima said firmly. "Besides, I already love somebody"
Hangata was so happy that Fujima never actually had a relationship with the Kainan captain that the last sentence took a while to register in his head.
"Wait... you LOVE somebody?" Hanagata's heart thudded dully in his chest. Every hope that had blossomed in his heart had come crashing down again
"Yes. I do." Fujima nodded.
"So... who's the lucky girl?"
"You want to know who he is?"
"Yes, I do." Hanagata blink at the 'he' part, but decided to ignore it. He must have imagined it in his desperation to be the one.
"Alright...." Fujima stood up, although with some difficulty, and sauntered over to where the glassed man was sitting. With a predatory grin, he swooped down and gave Haganata the most innocent kiss he had ever given anybody.
When the kiss ended, Hanagata stared up at Fujima breathelessly, his eyes glazed over and disbeleiving. He had just kissed Fujima!
"There you go."
"You-You-You... You mean..." Hanagata stumbled over his words
"Yes, dear. You're the person I love." Fujima gave Hanagata a serene smile, cupping Hanagata's face in his hand, barely noticing the throbbing pain in his side.
"Oh..." Hanagata blinked again.
"You might not feel this way about me, but I just had to tell you. I'll be going now. Thanks for the help, I really needed that." Apparently, the chocolate haired boy had mistaken Hanagata's silence as rejection. With a rueful grin, Fujima swiftly turned around, quickly heading for the front door. A pair of hands enveloping him from behind, however, stopped him from going any further.
"Fu-fujima! I-I... I love you too...." Hanagata blurted out. Fujima practically shone. He twisted around in the taller man's embrace and gave him the most beautiful grin he could make.
"I've been loving you for the longest time now. That's why when I thought that you had an affair with Maki, I felt so crushed. I'm sorry for acting coldly towards you... it's just that I was so hurt. I love you, and I'll continue loving you even if you'll decide never to forgive me." Hanagata made a deep breathe, his long outburst leaving him breathless.
"Of course I'll forgive you. I'm so sorry for snapping at everyone in the lockers today... I had been upset from the defeat, but I'm over it now. I've loved you for the longest time too.... and.. and... and... " The couple were now officially confused. They were blabbering and stammering words of love and apology to each other in such a confusing way that several sentences later, they could not help but laugh.
~~~~
Feh. I know, I know. It's short, and the ending sucks. But yaoi is yaoi. And I just love writing and reading yaoi. ^_^ I'm not called the Shin Megami no Yaoi for nothing, ya know!
The characters are OOC, I know. I can't help it! I'm not used to writing about anime other than HxH and YYH. You can flame me for that.
The fic's full of sap too, and I absolutely despise sap. Burn me.
And the flow from one scene to another is too abrupt. Roast me all you want!
Over all, I know this sucks. Barbecue me, see if I care.
*Smiles sweetly* Every single flame will be extinguished by Tsuki-chan. The good ones... framed.
Shinja: *holds up the calendar* November 30, 2002