Title: Imperfectly Perfect
Author: Mitsumiya Chihane
Part: 1/1
Genre: Pre-yaoi, a little angst at the beginning.
Pairing: MitMiya, MitKo
Rating: PG
E-mail: MitMiya@lover-boy.com
Warning: UNEDITED. OOC
Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk at all~!!
Author's Notes: This is a different kind of MitMiya from what you're used to. Read more to see. If you don't like this fic, don't kill me. Flames are allowed and welcomed.
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Heartbreak. It was never supposed to happen to him. Break ups only happened to those who are foolish enough to enter a relationship without thinking, to those who had fleeting emotions. Rejection should only happen to guys who hopelessly chase girls who don't love them back. It was never supposed to happen to someone who dedicated their lives to their loves, who gave everything they could.
'It was never supposed to happen to me,' Mitsui thought gloomily as he stared up at his ceiling for the nth time that afternoon. As if his stare was as destructive as his mood, a patch of peeling white paint dangling on the ceiling finally fell down to the floor next to the bed.
His eyes didn't follow the patch's journey down. Instead, he stared at the brown rotting wood uncovered by the patch's removal. He could have launched into a tirade about how old their house was and that it was standing on its last leg, but his mind took notice of something that his heart had been feeling.
Brown. he had always liked the color brown, especially on a person.
(Flashback)
Mitsui leaned back against the roof top railing and took a huge breath. He sighed happily as autumn air filled his nostrils. "Isn't this perfect?" He asked at the figure beside him. When he didn't get a reply, he turned towards his lover to see what was wrong.
Kogure had been watching the yard below, watching, mesmerized as the trees shed their last leaves in preparation for winter. Mitsui couldn't help but feel contented. Everything in his life was perfect. He glimpsed at Kogure, the afternoon sun illuminating his lover's brown hair, turning it almost golden.
"I don't think it will work out between us anymore."
"Huh?" Mitsui snapped out of his reverie. Mitsui averted his gaze from his lover's brown hair to his eyes of the same hue. Even behind those glasses, Mitsui could see clearly the emotions Kogure's eyes beheld.
"It won't work out between us anymore."
Mitsui's eyes widened as he fully grasped what his lover was saying. "Why. why not?"
"I have to be serious in my life Hisashi. I must make sacrifices to reach my dreams," Kogure said, his gaze still fixed on the yard. "You understand, don't you?"
"No, actually I don't." Mitsui was rooted to the spot where he stood. Suddenly, autumn didn't seem all that perfect anymore. The eerie silence started to bother him and the sun was shining too brightly. It wrapped Kogure's body in a golden aura; as if the boy was just a spirit he can't reach, as if he wasn't there. "Who do you think I am?" Surprisingly, he felt anger rising inside him. "Am I just like basketball, that you gave me up just for a dream?"
"Don't you think this is hard for me?" Kogure finally turned around to face Mitsui. Somehow, he needed Mitsui to see his point. "My dreams are this close." He held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "I'm not about to blow it all away for things that aren't permanent!"
Mitsui was taken aback by Kogure's last statement. "This isn't permanent? What do you think this is? A fling? You don't realize what a perfect relationship this is do you? I love you!"
"If you love me, let me go."
"No way! I spent my life looking for that special someone I thought would be everything I want in a person and I found it in you! That's what you are to me, perfect."
"That's exactly why it won't work!"
"What do you mean?"
Kogure looked down. "You've been searching for someone who you thought was perfect and you said you found it in me but." he looked at Mitsui and offered a sad smile. "Didn't you ever think that's I'm looking for too? I'm also looking for someone whom I consider perfect. Someone who has everything I want in a person."
Mitsui gazed back at Kogure. He could feel tears streaming down his cheeks but at least he felt calmer and his anger has subsided. "And. it's not me?"
Kogure stayed silent for a moment. Without replying, he turned his back against Mitsui and walked towards the door. Mitsui did nothing to stop him; he didn't even call out his name. Kogure only gave him one last look before closing the door behind him, leaving Mitsui frozen. Though his query was left unanswered, the silence told Mitsui the response to his question.
(End flashback)
It had been weeks since that event happened, but the hurt never left Mitsui. Maybe it had been better if Kogure dumped him because of another guy, or because his parents told him so. Kogure could have lied and told him another excuse and Mitsui could have handled it. He just couldn't handle someone dumping him because he was less than perfect. It made him feel inferior, inadequate, deficient and defective.
"Now I know how Miyagi and Sakuragi feels," Mitsui said in a soft whisper as he turned to his side. He intended to bury his face on his pillow and go on moping when the telephone rang.
Mitsui waited for someone to pick up the phone but after two rings, it became obvious nobody was home. Groggily, he kicked away the covers and stood up slowly. He walked along the hallway in a sluggish manner, reaching the phone stand just as the ringing stopped.
Mitsui stared at the silent phone and cursed under his breath. He turned around and was about to walk back to his room when the phone started ringing again. He turned around again and stopped, debating whether to launch into another string of curses but he figured he should pick up the phone instead and curse at the caller rather than the unanimated phone. He picked up the phone and growled into the mouthpiece. "WHAT???"
Silence filled the other end of the line, which was of no surprise since Mitsui DID sound like some sort of Telephone Grinch. Mitsui sighed and took several deep breaths as he tried to gain his composure. "I'm sor."
'M.Mitsui san?" a meek voice interrupted from the other end of the line.
Mitsui blinked. The voice was too soft to be cognizable. "Who is this?"
"Its me," the voice said, this time in a slightly louder tone. "Ryota."
"Ryota?" Mitsui blinked. "Ryo. oh! Miyagi!" He slapped his forehead with his palm and one word came to mind: Duh. "Speak of the devil and he'll call," Mitsui mumbled, remembering that he had just mention Miyagi name during his latest moping session, right before the phone rang.
"Excuse me?"
"Never mind," Mitsui muttered under his breath. He didn't want to go all mushy on the phone. "So what made you call?"
"Its just that the whole team is worried about you. Lately you haven't been yourself."
Mitsui winced. Leave it to Miyagi to be frank and direct to the point. "Well, I'm okay. I just hate winter, that's all." He knew it was a bad lie, but half of it was true anyway. Ever since the breakup, he really did hate winter and autumn. He worked hard to keep the whole breakup a secret. His pride didn't allow him to make a fool of himself in front of the whole school, specially the basketball team.
"Are you sure that's it? I mean we're counting on you, you know."
"I know," Mitsui said. "Really, you shouldn't be a worrywart, it's not like you. I swear, you're sounding more and more like Akagi each day. Pretty soon you might start looking like him. So take it easy, ne? Miyagi captain?" he said the last part jokingly, though his heart wasn't into it.
He heard soft chuckling at the end of the line. "I can't help it. Anyway, the reason why I called is because the Commission on Sports just called with the guidelines to the Winter Championship Finals. I need to pick up a few papers and stuff from the office. I was wondering if you could come with me, since you're the vice-captain and all." He added the last clause quickly.
Mitsui looked around the empty house. He wasn't supposed to leave the house but he knew if he stayed here, he would just drown in his sorrows and maybe even attempt suicide. Doing stuff related to basketball would get him busy and would be good for him. "Sure, I'd love to." He felt a heavy load lift from his shoulders and from the deepest part of his heart came a feeling of joy, which caused him to chuckle. "Really, what would you do without me?"
"I'd probably walk 10 miles just to get some stupid papers all alone, which reminds me. I've got no money so."
"I'll take care of the expenses?" Mitsui asked.
"Its only for the fare to the office and back. I swear I'll pay you back soon enough."
Mitsui sighed. "Fine fine. Meet me by the school gates, okay?"
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Well," The man behind the desk stated as he closed the folder. "Everything seems to be in order. We have the names of the players and they all met the age and academic grade standards." The man took out a piece of paper from inside the folder, signed his name at the bottom and stamped it before giving it to Miyagi.
"Thank you." Miyagi acknowledge as he stood up and tucked the paper into his jacket. "I'll make sure Anzai sensei gets this tomorrow."
The man nodded. "I hope you do well. Personally, I'm rooting for Shohoku High School."
'Yeah right,' Mitsui thought as he looked at the cheeky grin on the man's face. 'I bet he says that to all the teams that come here.' He caught a glimpse of Miyagi's forced smile and he knew that the new Shohoku captain wasn't fooled either.
"We have to go." Mitsui said with his own forced smile. He exited the Commission of Sports Office hurriedly. Only once his feet hit the sidewalk did he laugh. "What an idiot."
"He should sell used cars." Miyagi commented as he walked beside Mitsui. "If a guy like that can work for a government agency, I might as well be the future prime minister of Japan."
Mitsui laughed. "Yeah right, and I'm the Queen of England."
"Nice to meet you, your majesty." Miyagi joked, doing a half-curtsey.
"You think you're so funny don't you? Well don't forget that I'm paying for your ride home." Mitsui warned. He was about to reach into his back pocket to get his wallet when two guys who were running past bumped into him, causing him to lose his balance.
"Stupid kids." Mitsui grumbled as he leaned against a signpost to regain his balance.
Miyagi laughed. "You do sound like an old man!"
"I'll show you and old man you." Mitsui stopped as his hand patted his back pocket. It was flat, without the bulk where his wallet used to be. "Uh-oh." he shoved his palm down his back pocket and sure enough his wallet was gone.
"Where did." Mitsui's eyes widen as he looked down the sidewalk the two guys had gone. "Those two thieves!"
"What?" Miyagi asked.
"Those two guys that bumped into me!" Mitsui pointed at the empty street. "They took my wallet."
Miyagi felt his jaw drop. "You've got to be kidding right?"
"Nope. Not kidding."
"How are we supposed to get home?" Miyagi cried out. "You don't propose we walk?"
"Unless you want to stay here for the rest of the night."
Miyagi bit his lip, looking at Mitsui hesitantly. "Fine."
"Let's start walking then." Mitsui acted as calm as possible as he started to walk. He had taken only two steps when he felt Miyagi tugging at the back of his shirt. Mitsui turned towards Miyagi, who had the expression of a little lost kid on his face. "What?"
"Its still early so maybe we can walk around the city a little bit?" Miyagi suggested.
"We have no money." Mitsui pointed out.
"We don't need money!" Miyagi exclaimed. "and I'm still worried about the way you act these days and I thought maybe we could have fun."
Mitsui looked down. True, he didn't really want to go back to his gloomy home. "Fine. Let's go."
Miyagi grinned like a little kid. "Let's go paint the town red then~!"
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Mitsui looked at his watch. The time matched the sounds of his growling stomach. "It's 7:30."
"Are you hungry?" Miyagi asked. They had been talking about basketball, Shohoku and the championships and it made him forget about the time.
"A little bit," Mitsui admitted. "I haven't eaten dinner yet. I didn't eat lunch either."
"Ah, sou desu," Miyagi nodded. He chose not to ask the shooting guard why he didn't eat lunch. "Let's get something to eat shall we?"
Mitsui sweatdropped. "We don't have any money."
"We don't need any money." Miyagi said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Mitsui's sweatdrop grew larger as he watched Miyagi survey the area for food. Miyagi stopped next to a fruit stand, whistling nonchalantly. Mitsui didn't even need to figure out what the other boy was up to. His fears were confirmed as he saw the shorter boy take two apples from the box and stuffed them into his jacket.
"Miyagi! What the." He broke off as Miyagi suddenly broke into a run. "Hey!!!"
Miyagi turned around for a moment just to shout back a warning. "Run!!!"
"What the." Mitsui heard an angered voice from inside the store.
"You little juveniles! Stop stealing from my supply!!!
Uh-oh. Mitsui didn't even search for the owner of the voice. He ran after Miyagi, who he found at the next corner.
"What the hell was that about?" Mitsui asked exasperatedly.
"What do you mean?" Miyagi asked as he threw the apple at Mitsui, who caught it. "This is how we are supposed to live on the streets Mr. I'm-an- ex-gangster."
"Stealing is wrong!" Mitsui chided.
Miyagi looked at Mitsui, frowned and started to walk again. Mitsui sweatdropped at caught up to Miyagi. "What now?"
"You're no fun anymore." Miyagi stated as he took a bite from the apple. "You've become such a goody two shoes."
"No I'm not!"
"Seriously, what has your boyfriend done to you?"
Stunned, Mitsui stopped walking. "What?"
A few steps away, Miyagi also stopped, but didn't turn around to face his sempai. "What has he done to you? You used to be cool and fun."
Mitsui looked down. It dawned to him that Miyagi still didn't know that he and Kogure had broken up already. "Really?"
"Yes really. You used to break the rules because it was fun. You used to be street smart and you knew how to have a good time." Miyagi's voice dwindled with each sentence he spoke.
Mitsui sighed. Maybe it was true. Maybe Kogure's Mr.-Nice-Guy attitude was rubbing off on him. He looked at Miyagi's form again and smiled. He walked slowly past the other boy, grabbing him by the wrist.
Miyagi looked up at Mitsui questioningly. Mitsui grinned and took a bite from his apple. "Hey! Stop moping. I thought we were supposed to be out having fun?"
Miyagi's eyes widened for a moment before he finally smiled. "Sure, let's go!"
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"Am I really becoming such a nice guy?" Mitsui asked as he leaned forward to use the drinking fountain.
Miyagi nodded. "Of course you are!" he looked around the park. There were couples on the benches, an old lady by the lake and a man asleep on the grass with a small radio by his side. "I like you better when you first came back to the team. You were the I-don't-need-anyone and I'll-prove- myself-again type. Now you're so bent on following the rules. I like you better when I was punching your teeth out." He added with a grin.
Mitsui stood up straight and looked at his companion with slanted eyes. He took hold of the water button and half-covered the fountain faucet with his finger, causing the water to shoot out in several directions.
"Hey!" Miyagi yelped, jumping back as a jet of water hit him on the face. "You idiot!!"
Mitsui smirked. "That's for underestimating me. Believe me, I'm not nice. I'm still the old me, remember that."
"Oh really?" Miyagi raised an eyebrow. He heard the sounds of water shooting, causing him to turn around. The water sprinkler system had just turned on, turning the lawn into a water wonderland. Through all these, the man lying down on the grass remained fast asleep. Miyagi looked at the man in disbelief. "Can you believe this guy?"
Mitsui didn't reply as a small lopsided devilish smile lifted the corner of his lips. Without warning, he bumped into Miyagi, causing the other to fall on the grass amidst all the water.
"You idiot!!!" Miyagi stood up; all soaked and gave Mitsui a deadly glare. "You're gonna pay for that!!!"
"I'm not such a nice guy after all huh?" Mitsui asked. He stretched out his hand to help Miyagi. The shorter boy looked at the other's outstretched hand and pulled it with all his strength, causing Mitsui to fall beside him. Miyagi stood up, head held high and walked away from the water's range. "Idiot." he grumbled, hugging himself as the cold set in.
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"I'm freezing." Miyagi said through chattering teeth.
"Like I'm not," retorted Mitsui, hugging himself tighter. He looked around, trying to find a place to rest, but the street was as empty as a cemetery on Christmas Day
"Oh no," Miyagi suddenly stopped and took out the piece of paper. When he saw that it was still dry and in perfect condition, he sighed in relief.
"I wanna go home," Mitsui complained. His stomach was growling and his knees are about to give way from all the walking. They heard a honking noise from behind which caused the two to turn around. A bus stopped right beside them.
Mitsui looked at the doors as they opened. He felt like he's seen his saving grace. "Let's go!" He didn't wait for Miyagi's reply as he boarded the bus.
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"It wasn't so bad right?" Miyagi asked the man sitting next to him.
Mitsui looked out the bus window and smiled. "Well, I've been robbed, I'm starving, I'm cold, my feet are tired, I'm wet and I'm might catch a cold soon but despite all that," he turned towards Miyagi. "I had a lot of fun."
"This is the first time I had fun while having the worst day of my life." Miyagi looked out the window too. When he saw unfamiliar terrain, he looked at Mitsui questioningly. "Where are we?"
"The bus took a scenic route. We're now passing through a mountain road." Mitsui explained.
"Ah." Miyagi felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Miyagi turned around to see a man in uniform looking at him. "Yes?"
The man held out his hand. "It'll be 150 yen per head sir."
"Oh," Miyagi turned to Mitsui. "Pay for the ride. I've got no money."
"Fine," Mitsui grumbled, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "Wait a minute," he said as he stopped. "Wasn't my wallet stolen?"
Miyagi felt like dropping dead at that moment. "You've got no money?"
"N..no." Mitsui said as he gave the man, who was obviously the conductor, a sheepish grin.
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"Nice going you idiot." Miyagi said sarcastically as he struggled to continue walking when he felt that his legs were about to freeze up. "Now we're lost in the middle of a mountain road!"
Mitsui shrugged. "We're near our destination anyway. Just keep on walking." When he heard Miyagi scoff, he added, "At least out day can't get any worse."
Miyagi cursed Mitsui under his breath when something white captured his eye. He looked up, and true enough, small snowflakes were falling from the sky. "No way."
"Its just a little snow, I bet-" Mitsui stopped as a cold wind passed by, making him shiver. He looked at Miyagi and he could see that the other boy was freezing as well.
"THAT'S JUST GREAT!!!" Miyagi screamed. "We're going to freeze to death!!!" he stopped walking, walked over to the road railing and sat down. Mitsui sighed and sat down beside Miyagi, looking at the city below. "Isn't the city wonderful?"
Miyagi didn't reply but looked at the city illuminated with Christmas lights, entranced by its beauty. With a jolt, Mitsui felt a weird case of de ja vous. It felt like the time he was watching Kogure at the rooftop. This time it was Miyagi. The shorter boy's dark brown locks moved with the cold wind and his dark eyes bore the same sleepy look he always had. "The whole city is filled with Christmas lights already."
Mitsui smiled. "That's because it's nearly Christmas."
"You're lucky you're not gonna spend it alone." Miyagi gazed at Mitsui, which the latter averted. "And now that I think about it," Miyagi added. "Why don't you call your boyfriend up?"
Mitsui winced. "I can't."
"Why not? Don't you have a phone?"
"That's not it."
"Why then?"
Mitsui looked at Miyagi with the same hurt in his eyes as that day at the rooftop. "We broke up."
"What?"
"He dumped me."
"I'm. sorry."Miyagi looked down. "Why didn't you tell me? You know I'd understand."
"I didn't want to tell anybody. It made me look like such a failure."
"What do you mean?"
Mitsui took a deep breath. This would be the first time he told someone else about it, and it wasn't going to be easy. "You know how it feels don't you? When you find someone who's perfect only to find out they're searching for someone perfect too and its not you. It makes you feel inferior, defective, deficient and..and." he stopped searching for the right word.
"Inadequate?" Miyagi supplied.
"Yes that's it!" Mitsui looked at Miyagi. "You too?"
"It was the same with Aya-chan. Different words but they meant the same."
Mitsui smiled. He felt somewhat comforted, knowing that someone shares his pain. "You took it quite well. If Sakuragi didn't go announcing it to everyone, I wouldn't have noticed a thing!"
"It was terrible," Miyagi admitted. "I felt that life was so unfair but then when I started thinking, I realized something."
"What?"
"I realized that maybe an imperfect person like me doesn't deserve someone as perfect as her."
Mitsui was stunned at Miyagi's statement. He never thought about that.
"I mean, take a look at things," Miyagi continued. "The perfect go with other perfect people, the smart stay with the smart, the attractive stayed with the attractive."
"And the imperfect?"
"The imperfect stayed with the imperfect." Miyagi looked up as the snowflakes continued to fall. There was silence as Miyagi's last statement settled in. Mitsui broke the silence with a slight chuckle. "I guess that means were stuck with each other huh?" he joked.
Miyagi looked down, the expression on his face hidden by the darkness of the night. The light post wasn't helping either. "I guess so." After a minute or two, Miyagi turned towards Mitsui and added, "But it's not such a bad thing right? I mean you and me being stuck together?" Miyagi asked, his face flushed.
Mitsui looked at Miyagi's face intently, then at the city below, then back at Miyagi. Mitsui smiled. "Nope. Not at all."
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Please review. No, I wont tell you that this fic sucks because I worked hard on it. I wrote it with a giant dictionary on my lap. So. C&C!!!
Author: Mitsumiya Chihane
Part: 1/1
Genre: Pre-yaoi, a little angst at the beginning.
Pairing: MitMiya, MitKo
Rating: PG
E-mail: MitMiya@lover-boy.com
Warning: UNEDITED. OOC
Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk at all~!!
Author's Notes: This is a different kind of MitMiya from what you're used to. Read more to see. If you don't like this fic, don't kill me. Flames are allowed and welcomed.
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Heartbreak. It was never supposed to happen to him. Break ups only happened to those who are foolish enough to enter a relationship without thinking, to those who had fleeting emotions. Rejection should only happen to guys who hopelessly chase girls who don't love them back. It was never supposed to happen to someone who dedicated their lives to their loves, who gave everything they could.
'It was never supposed to happen to me,' Mitsui thought gloomily as he stared up at his ceiling for the nth time that afternoon. As if his stare was as destructive as his mood, a patch of peeling white paint dangling on the ceiling finally fell down to the floor next to the bed.
His eyes didn't follow the patch's journey down. Instead, he stared at the brown rotting wood uncovered by the patch's removal. He could have launched into a tirade about how old their house was and that it was standing on its last leg, but his mind took notice of something that his heart had been feeling.
Brown. he had always liked the color brown, especially on a person.
(Flashback)
Mitsui leaned back against the roof top railing and took a huge breath. He sighed happily as autumn air filled his nostrils. "Isn't this perfect?" He asked at the figure beside him. When he didn't get a reply, he turned towards his lover to see what was wrong.
Kogure had been watching the yard below, watching, mesmerized as the trees shed their last leaves in preparation for winter. Mitsui couldn't help but feel contented. Everything in his life was perfect. He glimpsed at Kogure, the afternoon sun illuminating his lover's brown hair, turning it almost golden.
"I don't think it will work out between us anymore."
"Huh?" Mitsui snapped out of his reverie. Mitsui averted his gaze from his lover's brown hair to his eyes of the same hue. Even behind those glasses, Mitsui could see clearly the emotions Kogure's eyes beheld.
"It won't work out between us anymore."
Mitsui's eyes widened as he fully grasped what his lover was saying. "Why. why not?"
"I have to be serious in my life Hisashi. I must make sacrifices to reach my dreams," Kogure said, his gaze still fixed on the yard. "You understand, don't you?"
"No, actually I don't." Mitsui was rooted to the spot where he stood. Suddenly, autumn didn't seem all that perfect anymore. The eerie silence started to bother him and the sun was shining too brightly. It wrapped Kogure's body in a golden aura; as if the boy was just a spirit he can't reach, as if he wasn't there. "Who do you think I am?" Surprisingly, he felt anger rising inside him. "Am I just like basketball, that you gave me up just for a dream?"
"Don't you think this is hard for me?" Kogure finally turned around to face Mitsui. Somehow, he needed Mitsui to see his point. "My dreams are this close." He held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "I'm not about to blow it all away for things that aren't permanent!"
Mitsui was taken aback by Kogure's last statement. "This isn't permanent? What do you think this is? A fling? You don't realize what a perfect relationship this is do you? I love you!"
"If you love me, let me go."
"No way! I spent my life looking for that special someone I thought would be everything I want in a person and I found it in you! That's what you are to me, perfect."
"That's exactly why it won't work!"
"What do you mean?"
Kogure looked down. "You've been searching for someone who you thought was perfect and you said you found it in me but." he looked at Mitsui and offered a sad smile. "Didn't you ever think that's I'm looking for too? I'm also looking for someone whom I consider perfect. Someone who has everything I want in a person."
Mitsui gazed back at Kogure. He could feel tears streaming down his cheeks but at least he felt calmer and his anger has subsided. "And. it's not me?"
Kogure stayed silent for a moment. Without replying, he turned his back against Mitsui and walked towards the door. Mitsui did nothing to stop him; he didn't even call out his name. Kogure only gave him one last look before closing the door behind him, leaving Mitsui frozen. Though his query was left unanswered, the silence told Mitsui the response to his question.
(End flashback)
It had been weeks since that event happened, but the hurt never left Mitsui. Maybe it had been better if Kogure dumped him because of another guy, or because his parents told him so. Kogure could have lied and told him another excuse and Mitsui could have handled it. He just couldn't handle someone dumping him because he was less than perfect. It made him feel inferior, inadequate, deficient and defective.
"Now I know how Miyagi and Sakuragi feels," Mitsui said in a soft whisper as he turned to his side. He intended to bury his face on his pillow and go on moping when the telephone rang.
Mitsui waited for someone to pick up the phone but after two rings, it became obvious nobody was home. Groggily, he kicked away the covers and stood up slowly. He walked along the hallway in a sluggish manner, reaching the phone stand just as the ringing stopped.
Mitsui stared at the silent phone and cursed under his breath. He turned around and was about to walk back to his room when the phone started ringing again. He turned around again and stopped, debating whether to launch into another string of curses but he figured he should pick up the phone instead and curse at the caller rather than the unanimated phone. He picked up the phone and growled into the mouthpiece. "WHAT???"
Silence filled the other end of the line, which was of no surprise since Mitsui DID sound like some sort of Telephone Grinch. Mitsui sighed and took several deep breaths as he tried to gain his composure. "I'm sor."
'M.Mitsui san?" a meek voice interrupted from the other end of the line.
Mitsui blinked. The voice was too soft to be cognizable. "Who is this?"
"Its me," the voice said, this time in a slightly louder tone. "Ryota."
"Ryota?" Mitsui blinked. "Ryo. oh! Miyagi!" He slapped his forehead with his palm and one word came to mind: Duh. "Speak of the devil and he'll call," Mitsui mumbled, remembering that he had just mention Miyagi name during his latest moping session, right before the phone rang.
"Excuse me?"
"Never mind," Mitsui muttered under his breath. He didn't want to go all mushy on the phone. "So what made you call?"
"Its just that the whole team is worried about you. Lately you haven't been yourself."
Mitsui winced. Leave it to Miyagi to be frank and direct to the point. "Well, I'm okay. I just hate winter, that's all." He knew it was a bad lie, but half of it was true anyway. Ever since the breakup, he really did hate winter and autumn. He worked hard to keep the whole breakup a secret. His pride didn't allow him to make a fool of himself in front of the whole school, specially the basketball team.
"Are you sure that's it? I mean we're counting on you, you know."
"I know," Mitsui said. "Really, you shouldn't be a worrywart, it's not like you. I swear, you're sounding more and more like Akagi each day. Pretty soon you might start looking like him. So take it easy, ne? Miyagi captain?" he said the last part jokingly, though his heart wasn't into it.
He heard soft chuckling at the end of the line. "I can't help it. Anyway, the reason why I called is because the Commission on Sports just called with the guidelines to the Winter Championship Finals. I need to pick up a few papers and stuff from the office. I was wondering if you could come with me, since you're the vice-captain and all." He added the last clause quickly.
Mitsui looked around the empty house. He wasn't supposed to leave the house but he knew if he stayed here, he would just drown in his sorrows and maybe even attempt suicide. Doing stuff related to basketball would get him busy and would be good for him. "Sure, I'd love to." He felt a heavy load lift from his shoulders and from the deepest part of his heart came a feeling of joy, which caused him to chuckle. "Really, what would you do without me?"
"I'd probably walk 10 miles just to get some stupid papers all alone, which reminds me. I've got no money so."
"I'll take care of the expenses?" Mitsui asked.
"Its only for the fare to the office and back. I swear I'll pay you back soon enough."
Mitsui sighed. "Fine fine. Meet me by the school gates, okay?"
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"Well," The man behind the desk stated as he closed the folder. "Everything seems to be in order. We have the names of the players and they all met the age and academic grade standards." The man took out a piece of paper from inside the folder, signed his name at the bottom and stamped it before giving it to Miyagi.
"Thank you." Miyagi acknowledge as he stood up and tucked the paper into his jacket. "I'll make sure Anzai sensei gets this tomorrow."
The man nodded. "I hope you do well. Personally, I'm rooting for Shohoku High School."
'Yeah right,' Mitsui thought as he looked at the cheeky grin on the man's face. 'I bet he says that to all the teams that come here.' He caught a glimpse of Miyagi's forced smile and he knew that the new Shohoku captain wasn't fooled either.
"We have to go." Mitsui said with his own forced smile. He exited the Commission of Sports Office hurriedly. Only once his feet hit the sidewalk did he laugh. "What an idiot."
"He should sell used cars." Miyagi commented as he walked beside Mitsui. "If a guy like that can work for a government agency, I might as well be the future prime minister of Japan."
Mitsui laughed. "Yeah right, and I'm the Queen of England."
"Nice to meet you, your majesty." Miyagi joked, doing a half-curtsey.
"You think you're so funny don't you? Well don't forget that I'm paying for your ride home." Mitsui warned. He was about to reach into his back pocket to get his wallet when two guys who were running past bumped into him, causing him to lose his balance.
"Stupid kids." Mitsui grumbled as he leaned against a signpost to regain his balance.
Miyagi laughed. "You do sound like an old man!"
"I'll show you and old man you." Mitsui stopped as his hand patted his back pocket. It was flat, without the bulk where his wallet used to be. "Uh-oh." he shoved his palm down his back pocket and sure enough his wallet was gone.
"Where did." Mitsui's eyes widen as he looked down the sidewalk the two guys had gone. "Those two thieves!"
"What?" Miyagi asked.
"Those two guys that bumped into me!" Mitsui pointed at the empty street. "They took my wallet."
Miyagi felt his jaw drop. "You've got to be kidding right?"
"Nope. Not kidding."
"How are we supposed to get home?" Miyagi cried out. "You don't propose we walk?"
"Unless you want to stay here for the rest of the night."
Miyagi bit his lip, looking at Mitsui hesitantly. "Fine."
"Let's start walking then." Mitsui acted as calm as possible as he started to walk. He had taken only two steps when he felt Miyagi tugging at the back of his shirt. Mitsui turned towards Miyagi, who had the expression of a little lost kid on his face. "What?"
"Its still early so maybe we can walk around the city a little bit?" Miyagi suggested.
"We have no money." Mitsui pointed out.
"We don't need money!" Miyagi exclaimed. "and I'm still worried about the way you act these days and I thought maybe we could have fun."
Mitsui looked down. True, he didn't really want to go back to his gloomy home. "Fine. Let's go."
Miyagi grinned like a little kid. "Let's go paint the town red then~!"
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Mitsui looked at his watch. The time matched the sounds of his growling stomach. "It's 7:30."
"Are you hungry?" Miyagi asked. They had been talking about basketball, Shohoku and the championships and it made him forget about the time.
"A little bit," Mitsui admitted. "I haven't eaten dinner yet. I didn't eat lunch either."
"Ah, sou desu," Miyagi nodded. He chose not to ask the shooting guard why he didn't eat lunch. "Let's get something to eat shall we?"
Mitsui sweatdropped. "We don't have any money."
"We don't need any money." Miyagi said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Mitsui's sweatdrop grew larger as he watched Miyagi survey the area for food. Miyagi stopped next to a fruit stand, whistling nonchalantly. Mitsui didn't even need to figure out what the other boy was up to. His fears were confirmed as he saw the shorter boy take two apples from the box and stuffed them into his jacket.
"Miyagi! What the." He broke off as Miyagi suddenly broke into a run. "Hey!!!"
Miyagi turned around for a moment just to shout back a warning. "Run!!!"
"What the." Mitsui heard an angered voice from inside the store.
"You little juveniles! Stop stealing from my supply!!!
Uh-oh. Mitsui didn't even search for the owner of the voice. He ran after Miyagi, who he found at the next corner.
"What the hell was that about?" Mitsui asked exasperatedly.
"What do you mean?" Miyagi asked as he threw the apple at Mitsui, who caught it. "This is how we are supposed to live on the streets Mr. I'm-an- ex-gangster."
"Stealing is wrong!" Mitsui chided.
Miyagi looked at Mitsui, frowned and started to walk again. Mitsui sweatdropped at caught up to Miyagi. "What now?"
"You're no fun anymore." Miyagi stated as he took a bite from the apple. "You've become such a goody two shoes."
"No I'm not!"
"Seriously, what has your boyfriend done to you?"
Stunned, Mitsui stopped walking. "What?"
A few steps away, Miyagi also stopped, but didn't turn around to face his sempai. "What has he done to you? You used to be cool and fun."
Mitsui looked down. It dawned to him that Miyagi still didn't know that he and Kogure had broken up already. "Really?"
"Yes really. You used to break the rules because it was fun. You used to be street smart and you knew how to have a good time." Miyagi's voice dwindled with each sentence he spoke.
Mitsui sighed. Maybe it was true. Maybe Kogure's Mr.-Nice-Guy attitude was rubbing off on him. He looked at Miyagi's form again and smiled. He walked slowly past the other boy, grabbing him by the wrist.
Miyagi looked up at Mitsui questioningly. Mitsui grinned and took a bite from his apple. "Hey! Stop moping. I thought we were supposed to be out having fun?"
Miyagi's eyes widened for a moment before he finally smiled. "Sure, let's go!"
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Am I really becoming such a nice guy?" Mitsui asked as he leaned forward to use the drinking fountain.
Miyagi nodded. "Of course you are!" he looked around the park. There were couples on the benches, an old lady by the lake and a man asleep on the grass with a small radio by his side. "I like you better when you first came back to the team. You were the I-don't-need-anyone and I'll-prove- myself-again type. Now you're so bent on following the rules. I like you better when I was punching your teeth out." He added with a grin.
Mitsui stood up straight and looked at his companion with slanted eyes. He took hold of the water button and half-covered the fountain faucet with his finger, causing the water to shoot out in several directions.
"Hey!" Miyagi yelped, jumping back as a jet of water hit him on the face. "You idiot!!"
Mitsui smirked. "That's for underestimating me. Believe me, I'm not nice. I'm still the old me, remember that."
"Oh really?" Miyagi raised an eyebrow. He heard the sounds of water shooting, causing him to turn around. The water sprinkler system had just turned on, turning the lawn into a water wonderland. Through all these, the man lying down on the grass remained fast asleep. Miyagi looked at the man in disbelief. "Can you believe this guy?"
Mitsui didn't reply as a small lopsided devilish smile lifted the corner of his lips. Without warning, he bumped into Miyagi, causing the other to fall on the grass amidst all the water.
"You idiot!!!" Miyagi stood up; all soaked and gave Mitsui a deadly glare. "You're gonna pay for that!!!"
"I'm not such a nice guy after all huh?" Mitsui asked. He stretched out his hand to help Miyagi. The shorter boy looked at the other's outstretched hand and pulled it with all his strength, causing Mitsui to fall beside him. Miyagi stood up, head held high and walked away from the water's range. "Idiot." he grumbled, hugging himself as the cold set in.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"I'm freezing." Miyagi said through chattering teeth.
"Like I'm not," retorted Mitsui, hugging himself tighter. He looked around, trying to find a place to rest, but the street was as empty as a cemetery on Christmas Day
"Oh no," Miyagi suddenly stopped and took out the piece of paper. When he saw that it was still dry and in perfect condition, he sighed in relief.
"I wanna go home," Mitsui complained. His stomach was growling and his knees are about to give way from all the walking. They heard a honking noise from behind which caused the two to turn around. A bus stopped right beside them.
Mitsui looked at the doors as they opened. He felt like he's seen his saving grace. "Let's go!" He didn't wait for Miyagi's reply as he boarded the bus.
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"It wasn't so bad right?" Miyagi asked the man sitting next to him.
Mitsui looked out the bus window and smiled. "Well, I've been robbed, I'm starving, I'm cold, my feet are tired, I'm wet and I'm might catch a cold soon but despite all that," he turned towards Miyagi. "I had a lot of fun."
"This is the first time I had fun while having the worst day of my life." Miyagi looked out the window too. When he saw unfamiliar terrain, he looked at Mitsui questioningly. "Where are we?"
"The bus took a scenic route. We're now passing through a mountain road." Mitsui explained.
"Ah." Miyagi felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Miyagi turned around to see a man in uniform looking at him. "Yes?"
The man held out his hand. "It'll be 150 yen per head sir."
"Oh," Miyagi turned to Mitsui. "Pay for the ride. I've got no money."
"Fine," Mitsui grumbled, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "Wait a minute," he said as he stopped. "Wasn't my wallet stolen?"
Miyagi felt like dropping dead at that moment. "You've got no money?"
"N..no." Mitsui said as he gave the man, who was obviously the conductor, a sheepish grin.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Nice going you idiot." Miyagi said sarcastically as he struggled to continue walking when he felt that his legs were about to freeze up. "Now we're lost in the middle of a mountain road!"
Mitsui shrugged. "We're near our destination anyway. Just keep on walking." When he heard Miyagi scoff, he added, "At least out day can't get any worse."
Miyagi cursed Mitsui under his breath when something white captured his eye. He looked up, and true enough, small snowflakes were falling from the sky. "No way."
"Its just a little snow, I bet-" Mitsui stopped as a cold wind passed by, making him shiver. He looked at Miyagi and he could see that the other boy was freezing as well.
"THAT'S JUST GREAT!!!" Miyagi screamed. "We're going to freeze to death!!!" he stopped walking, walked over to the road railing and sat down. Mitsui sighed and sat down beside Miyagi, looking at the city below. "Isn't the city wonderful?"
Miyagi didn't reply but looked at the city illuminated with Christmas lights, entranced by its beauty. With a jolt, Mitsui felt a weird case of de ja vous. It felt like the time he was watching Kogure at the rooftop. This time it was Miyagi. The shorter boy's dark brown locks moved with the cold wind and his dark eyes bore the same sleepy look he always had. "The whole city is filled with Christmas lights already."
Mitsui smiled. "That's because it's nearly Christmas."
"You're lucky you're not gonna spend it alone." Miyagi gazed at Mitsui, which the latter averted. "And now that I think about it," Miyagi added. "Why don't you call your boyfriend up?"
Mitsui winced. "I can't."
"Why not? Don't you have a phone?"
"That's not it."
"Why then?"
Mitsui looked at Miyagi with the same hurt in his eyes as that day at the rooftop. "We broke up."
"What?"
"He dumped me."
"I'm. sorry."Miyagi looked down. "Why didn't you tell me? You know I'd understand."
"I didn't want to tell anybody. It made me look like such a failure."
"What do you mean?"
Mitsui took a deep breath. This would be the first time he told someone else about it, and it wasn't going to be easy. "You know how it feels don't you? When you find someone who's perfect only to find out they're searching for someone perfect too and its not you. It makes you feel inferior, defective, deficient and..and." he stopped searching for the right word.
"Inadequate?" Miyagi supplied.
"Yes that's it!" Mitsui looked at Miyagi. "You too?"
"It was the same with Aya-chan. Different words but they meant the same."
Mitsui smiled. He felt somewhat comforted, knowing that someone shares his pain. "You took it quite well. If Sakuragi didn't go announcing it to everyone, I wouldn't have noticed a thing!"
"It was terrible," Miyagi admitted. "I felt that life was so unfair but then when I started thinking, I realized something."
"What?"
"I realized that maybe an imperfect person like me doesn't deserve someone as perfect as her."
Mitsui was stunned at Miyagi's statement. He never thought about that.
"I mean, take a look at things," Miyagi continued. "The perfect go with other perfect people, the smart stay with the smart, the attractive stayed with the attractive."
"And the imperfect?"
"The imperfect stayed with the imperfect." Miyagi looked up as the snowflakes continued to fall. There was silence as Miyagi's last statement settled in. Mitsui broke the silence with a slight chuckle. "I guess that means were stuck with each other huh?" he joked.
Miyagi looked down, the expression on his face hidden by the darkness of the night. The light post wasn't helping either. "I guess so." After a minute or two, Miyagi turned towards Mitsui and added, "But it's not such a bad thing right? I mean you and me being stuck together?" Miyagi asked, his face flushed.
Mitsui looked at Miyagi's face intently, then at the city below, then back at Miyagi. Mitsui smiled. "Nope. Not at all."
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Please review. No, I wont tell you that this fic sucks because I worked hard on it. I wrote it with a giant dictionary on my lap. So. C&C!!!