Title: The Boy is Mine
Chapter One: The Genius Basketball Man without the Fox
There's a strong and loud whistle sound.
Basketball players know what to do when the sound is heard by their cute little athletic ears. STOP!
And so they stopped.
"Hey guys, come over here." Ayako yelled so the vastness of the gymnasium wouldn't suppress her feminine voice.
Every player inside the Shohoku gym huddles around their team managress who often wears a red baseball cap and a whistle tied in a lace around her neck.
Ryota Miyagi, the team's captain, stands beside her as he drinks a bottle of clean water.
"Hey Ayako, what's the beezwax?" The Sophomore redhead Hanamichi Sakuragi asks. He is the life of the team. With his crazy antics, unique Basketball styles and over-pride for his own self.
"Do you notice someone is missing?" She utters with a knowing smile... and everyone looks from left to right, back and front to see what she meant.
"Eh, Rukawa is not around?" The senior player, Yasuda replies with wonder.
"That's right!"
Everyone's mouth drops... seeing their managress to be happy about having a one player absent for the day's practice.
"We don't care about Rukawa, we care about the genius." Hanamichi brags with his fists on his hips. "NYAHAHA!"
Ayako pays no heed of the noisy sophomore and pursues her talk with exuberance and delight.
"Rukawa is fixing his visa in the U.S. embassy."
All face show amusement. The word embassy gives them an impression of royalty, extravagance and high social status.
"Visa?" The query comes as a background.
By this time, the audiences in the sidelines are so interested to what they're talking about. Since the Shohoku Basketball team's qualification for the last year's Inter-High Tournament, many people intended to watch the team practice in the gym.
"Yup. He's going to AMERICA!" Her eyes pop widely with glimmer in them... only to be contrasted by the faces of the boys in front of her. The entire team, except for Ryota who knew about this earlier, has their jaws sagged on the floor and they are apprently not happy about the big-bang news.
"Hey guys! Hello? Hello?" Ayako waved both her hands to wake the team from their stunned state.
Then suddenly, everyone bursts into childish and noisy sobs... except for the red head player.
Hanamichi remains in a stationary position with his arms crossed over his chest and his chin inclined upwards.
"Now the genius Hanamichi Sakuragi is the winner." The redhead proclaims like a boxing tournament's announcer, then puts his fists up on air like the king of victory. "Now the genius is left to conquer the Inter-high!"
A louder cries of the Shohoku players boom and the audiences in the sidelines wonder about the fuss.
"If we don't have Rukawa, how are we going to be qualified for the Inter-high games once more?" Yasuda cries a pail at the back of his palm. "Huhuhu."
"Without Rukawa, we're doomed." Another player comments and sobs harder.
"Ayako." Yasuda, gaining his compsoure, sneezes as he asks. "When is he leaving?"
"Next week." The managress is surprised of the team's grieving reaction. "Look, we should be happy for him. He'll be going to America and be a pro. He'll soon have the dream he'd always wanted."
The cries minimized in volume as they understand the situation.
"Yes, be happy for the fox or he might die here as he sees me shine!" Hanamichi meddles his statement with self-praise. "Nyahaha!"
"I ask ex-Captain Akagi if we could use his house for a surprise farewell party for Rukawa and he did agree." Miyagi inches towards his teammates with a smile of hope. "It will be on Rukawa's last night, here in Kanagawa. All of you SHOULD be there."
"Of course." The response is a bit soft since their cries had exhausted their voices.
"Farewell. Farewell." Hanamichi takes a ball on his hand and does a smooth jump shot that puts the ball inside the hoop and creates cheers from the audiences. "The fox needs no party."
Miyagi glares and ignores him. Hanamichi have had a tough heart for Kaede Rukawa from the very beginning and Miyagi is more than used of it.
"What are you talking about a while ago?" Yohei Mito, one of Hanamichi's four closest friends since Middle school, asked as the five of them walk home this night after the Basketball practice.
Hanamichi's hands are clumped inside his pants' front pockets and his head is tilted down on the ground.
"Yo Hanamichi." Noma, a blonde-dyed-haired friend of the redhead, calls. "Yohei is asking you something."
"Huh?"
Yohei smiles as he forgives the unconscious mind of his dear friend. "I asked what was the team talking about a while ago that all of you cried in a sudden?"
"I.DIDN'T.CRY." Hanamichi flashes his fiery eyes at his friends and it is enough sign for them to shiver under the moonlight. The four boys are afraid to be hit by Hanamichi's legendary pain-striking head butt.
"Oh yes, you didn't cry." Yohei watches his fingers in front of him... twisting with fright. "But what is it?"
Hanamichi walks ahead of the others.
"Rukawa is leaving to America next week."
The four boys exchange wondering faces, then walk faster to catch up with the redhead.
"Next week? For what?" Takamiya, a chubby 165cm boy with thick lips and eyes almost hidden by his large tan cheeks, asks.
"To be a pro, Ayako said." Hanamichi speaks with no flavor at all.
"Well, aren't you glad about that?" Okusu, a boy with a dark mustache, queries. "Haruko is all yours now."
"Damn! Of course I'm happy!" Hanamichi looks furiously at his friends and the latter shiver from the killer eyes. Then, he changes into an over-rejoicing kid. "Hail! To the Genius Sakuragi! That's one down."
The four boys aren't convinced but intelligently choose to agree or they'll have a taste of Hanamichi's headbutts. The five of them walk along the streets and sing the hymn of the Genius Basketball Man.
"THE GENIUS BASKETBALL MAN, IS-IS HANAMICHI SAKURAGI!"
Few more minutes; Noma, Takamiya and Okusu had gone home. Yohei and Hanamichi are the ones left in the street.
"Hey Hanamichi." Yohei grins as his friend opens the gate of his household. "Are you going to give Rukawa a remembrance, a mug or any Basketball stuff, I guess?"
Hanamichi's long dark brows knit.
"What for? I'll just use the money for snacks. Nyahaha." He's about to hop a foot forward when Yohei holds his arm.
"Are you sure you don't care about Rukawa leaving the country for a long time... or perhaps forever?"
"Yohei." Hanamichi looks at him seriously... more serious than ever. "You know how much I want to get rid of the fox."
From that, Yohei withdraws and lets his friend enter his household. After saying goodbyes to each other, Hanamichi closes the gates and hovers until the sound of footsteps vanishes.
Slowly, Hanamichi's knees become weak and fall down. He imagines the next days of his life after next week. There's no one to hate... no one to call fox or bastard, no one to punch and kick... and no one to rival with.
That's his life without the super rookie Kaede Rukawa.
Hanamichi is surprised to feel warm liquid in his eyes. He only feels the missing block... but not a huge pain to make him cry. So why the hell is he crying?
He decided to go up to his room and lay down on his bed without changing from his school uniform or washing his face, or even taking supper.
He quickly falls asleep.
The Next Morning, 4:00 pm
Basketball practice is cancelled for today.
The Shohoku Volleyball team had invited another school for a practice game to be held in the gym.
Hanamichi walks outside the Shohoku building with his four closest friends. He's quiet today... due to his disappointment of the cancellation of the day's practice.
Whenever this happens, he used to be mirthful because he could hang with his friends and play Pahincko or eat out at Danny's, and quiet frustrated for not being able to practice his genius shots.
However, this time, there's no mirth at all. He's completely down.
His four friends choose not to ask him since he'll surely make excuses and... for their own sake too. They know Hanamichi since childhood, not to recognize when he's gloomy or merry.
They all went to Danny's restaurant for an afternoon hanging out, which had become so rare for them since Hanamichi joined the Basketball club.
Kaede is constantly pushing a cart along the aisles of the grocery store. He scans the different and colorful cereal boxes for something good to buy.
"Hello."
A face pops in the vacant space between two cereal boxes.
Instead of being surprised, Kaede merely stares at the face. He would never fail to recognize such raven spiky-haired man with a pinkish white skin and an eternal smile on his face... that the Shohoku Team's Coach Anzai believes to be better than him.
Akira Sendoh. The Ryonan Team's ace player.
"Scared of not being able to count dollars?" Akira teased... and from his aisle... he transfers to the other one, where Kaede is. "Do you mind if I join you?"
"Stupid." Kaede sighs and pursues his cereal searching. He's doing his grocery in Kanagawa for the very last time. He wants to bring in America... some foods that he could only see in Japan. He would surely miss them all.
When Kaede stops and takes a chosen cereal from the shelf, Akira suddenly holds the cart. He volunteers to push it, non-verbally.
"Are you excited? Scared? What?" Akira insists on asking despite of being ignored by the cool guy Rukawa.
"None of your business, stupid." Kaede pushes on the cart... but Akira doesn't yield so they both do the job.
"Stupid? Is that your favorite word?"
Kaede turns to other aisle where the chocolates and sweets are located.
"Hmm..." Akira hands himself a pack of choco mini-bars and examines it. "This isn't bad. Why don't you take this?"
"I don't eat those." Kaede continues on pushing the cart. During childhood, he was trained to eat only nutricious foods. He couldn't even remember when was the last time he tastes junkfood or chocolate bars, or did he ever eat some?
"What do you eat then? This?" Akira lifts a carton of cereal from the cart they are pushing... and Kaede automatically siezes it from him.
"Get your butt away from me, stupid."
Kaede pulls the cart so briskly, that Akira needs to run a bit to block him in front. "Not until you come with me for a dinner tonight."
"Moron."
"Yes, and I'll wait for you outside. No, then fine, I'll be with you until I like to."
Kaede ignores him and pursues his grocery shopping to Akira's dismay. Fine. Then I'll be your shadow till you leave Japan next week. Akira smiles as he tells himself.
Hanamichi asks his four friends to wait for him outside the grocery store. He is just going to buy her mother a pack of sanitary napkins as he was told to, before he goes home.
The grocery is not that full compared to during holidays and weekends.
He is about to pass the grocery's rolling steel bars when he notices a fox-eyed tall boy paying at the counter.
"Ru-kawa?" His brows knit and he closes his gaze to assure himself of his vision. Then he recognizes the young man with Kaede. "And... Sendoh?"
The counter may be three meters away from him, but he could perfectly understand the inaudible voice of Akira who seems to be opening his wallet.
Akira is volunteering to pay for Kaede's groceries but the latter is also showing his bills, so the lady cashier has no idea whose money to accept.
"Kaede, please. You wouldn't be in Japan for a long time. Let me pay these for you." Akira pleads while holding Kaede's hand, then pushes the bill towards the boy to keep... and hands his own money to the cashier.
"Stupid." Kaede breathes the word.
Hanamichi sees and understands the scene. Akira had held Kaede's beautiful soft hand and even paid for his groceries.
"Sendoh." He grits his teeth.
-to-be-continued-