This is the ficcie Choco dearie requested. I actually finished this fic and
had to leave it for editing, that's why I didn't post it at SDBC just yet.
But the story was so corny that I despised it. After my recent visit to the
dentist (damn the old man!) inspiration hit me. So I re-typed it again -
and VOILA! Presto!
Enjoy! My first MitJin fic.
I'LL MAKE A MAN OUT OF YOU
The walls were sterile white with abstract paintings mounted on the walls in plain brown frames. The middle-aged secretary sat in her table arranging patient's records. There were brown leather chairs in the waiting room, with a table, which had several piling boring magazines.
Mitsui had been there for the past twenty minutes. He needed to get one of his tooth filled since he tripped and fell face first. He had felt that a part of his tooth broke, since the fall itself was bad. Plus, he had been eating too many candies, and his teeth were yellowing. He might as well get it cleaned.
He tossed one of the home décor magazine on to the table and stretched his limbs. He was the only person in the waiting room, since many other people found something better to do in their winter holidays than go to a dentist. There was a twelve year old inside at the moment, who was having her braces removed. Mitsui shifted sitting positions again and tried to get comfortable in the tacky chair he was sitting on. He failed to notice the dental clinic door slide open and a young man walk in with a sullen look on his face. The said young man flopped down three chairs away from him and remained in one sitting position for the next five minutes. Mitsui did not really spare him another glance, but something about the slightly pale boy rang a bell.
"Hey!" Mitsui said. The boy looked up and blinked at his direction. He had wide and innocent dark gray eyes, and short cropped hair. His body was thin, but had the athletic touch to it. Mitsui realized who he was. "You're Jin of Kainan, right?" He nodded and forced a smile but ended up wincing and clutching one side of his face. Mitsui blinked hard and noticed a bruise on his left cheek. "Tooth ache?"
"Yes." The boy managed to choke out. Mitsui bit his lower lip. The pain must be intolerable. "Is it painful?" Jin suddenly asked.
"What's painful?"
"The dentist. It's my first time to go to a dentist. I've always had nice teeth, so I never really needed to go to a dentist. Is it painful?" He had a panicky voice and fear mirrored in his eyes.
Well, not really." Mitsui said, rubbing the back of his head.
"What do you mean by 'not really'? Pain as in bee sting pain? Or pain as in kick in the groin pain?" Jin was shaking now. His face was flushed and his eyes were wider. He looked like a lost little boy.
"Well -"
"Mitsui-san, the doctor will see you now." The secretary said, as a little girl made her way out of the clinic., a dance in her every step.
"I'll see you later." Mitsui said and entered the dentist's den.
It was routine. Dr. Ryu checked his teeth with his little mirror. Told him that he needed to have two of his teeth filled. Mitsui nodded and took in the nerve jumping pain of his teeth being drilled once the mini-driller got too deep and annoyed the nerves under the crown of his teeth. Each tooth was filled and was then treated with a gun-like device that emitted blue light.
"Is it straight?" Dr. Ryu asked, his dark eyes shining under the overhead yellow light.
Mitsui tongued his teeth and nodded. It was in-line. "It's fine."
"Good. I'll just have your teeth cleaned and you can be on your way." He said and took some cleaning solution on a cotton ball and began to smear the white paste all over his teeth, before taking his mechanical dental brush and running it over his teeth. Mitsui winced when the brush met with his gums, for it did sting a bit and it tickled. Dr. Ryu sprayed his teeth with some mint-flavored liquid and ran the brush all over his teeth again. After that he gave Mitsui a cup of water of gargle and spit out the paste from his mouth. "All done! You've been extra careful haven't you Mitsui?"
"Yes I have doc! I lost three teeth. That's more than enough." He said, smiling, his white teeth gleaming.
"Good. That's very good." Dr. Ryu discarded his rubber gloves and placed all the used utensils in the sterilizer. "I'll see you in a month Mitsui."
"Yes doc!" He straightened his shirt and pants and headed for the door. "Thanks." He waved and closed the door behind him. The secretary entered and came out to announce that it was Jin's turn. Before Jin went in. Mitsui held him back. "Don't worry. It's not very painful." Jin merely nodded and entered the room.
Mitsui made his way towards the exit after paying the secretary his bill. He plunged in to the cold afternoon, and winced at the bitter cold. He shivered a bit and began to walk down the street, pulling his jacket tighter around his lithe body. A few steps down the clinic, he stopped. He turned to look back and thought of Jin. A first visit to the dentist was always horrific. He knew the feeling himself and to go all alone was worst. He debated for nearly half an hour, under the shivering cold with snow crunching under his feet.
"Oh what the heck!" He finally said and stomped back in to the clinic. As soon as he entered, he winced as he heard a loud sobbing scream coming from the dentist's room. "Oh boy! He must be dying." He said and sat on one of the chairs. He waited for another twenty minutes, in which every minute was filled with agonizing screams and sobs. After that, there was silence. Mitsui waited for Jin to come out and when he did, Mitsui felt his breath catch in throat. The boy's eyes were so red and had tears welling in them. His cheeks were flushed beetroot, and his limbs trembled. He watched as the boy paid the secretary and struggled to remain standing, as huge drops of tears fell from his eyes.
"Hey are you okay?" Mitsui asked, walking up to him and holding him by the shoulder.
"It hurts!" He said, and began to sob.
"Now, look here!" Mitsui said, and smiled. "I know the perfect cure for that!" He winked at Jin who stared at him with wide teary eyes. "Take my hand!" Jin stared at Mitsui's offered hand and shakily took it. "Come with me. I won't leave you. The worst thing you can do is come to the dentist for the first time on your own."
Mitsui tightened his grip on Jin's icy hands and led him in to a deserted ice cream parlor. "What are we doing here?" Jin sniffed.
"Eating ice cream of course! That's the best bit when going to the dentist. You get to eat as much ice cream as you wish! Go on take your pick! My treat!" Jin stared at the row of several colored and flavored ice creams. His eyes landed on one flavor. "You like mint and chocolate?" Jin nodded, blushing a bit. "Three scoops of choco and mint, and three scoops of strawberry sherbet please." Mitsui said to the man standing behind the counter. He began to scoop out the ice cream in to a white and red paper cup.
"Would you like fudge with it?" The man asked. Jin shook his head and so did Mitsui. "That would be four hundred yen sir." Mitsui paid the man and handed Jin his cup of ice cream. They took a booth at the corner of the very empty parlor. Not many would want to eat ice cream during a freezing season. It would be crazy to do so.
Jin scooped his ice cream and began to eat silently. As minutes flew, the blush on his face disappeared and his eyes slowly began to gain back its cheerful glow. "What exactly did Dr. Ryu do to you?" Mitsui asked, shoving a spoonful of ice cream in to his mouth.
"He injected me with anesthesia four times and extracted a tooth. He had to dig it out because it was embedded beneath two others." He said, and licked his lips. "I have to go back after a week."
Mitsui winced. "Painful huh?" Jin nodded. Mitsui stared at his bruise on his cheek. "You got in to a fight or something?"
"Huh?"
"You have a bruise on your left cheek." Mitsui pointed.
"Oh! That! Oh it's nothing!" He said too quickly. He then looked away.
"I have two good ears to lend, Jin. What's eating you?" Mitsui asked.
"Nothing really, Mitsui-sempai." He said, now staring at his empty cup of ice cream.
Mitsui stood up and bought another cup of ice cream for Jin, this time of another flavor. "Have you tried chocolate chip? It's brilliant." He handed the cup to Jin who stared at him with wide eyes.
"But Mitsui-sempai -"
"The pain is gone isn't it?"
Jin blushed a little. "A bit."
"Eat that and it'll be gone completely." Mitsui said, his spoon sticking out of his mouth. Jin nodded and smiled good-naturedly. He began to eat his new cup of ice cream.
*
Mitsui shot another three pointer. A week has past and that afternoon would be Jin's dental appointment. For some odd reason, he had been thinking about the boy. He admired him for his shooting skills and he admits within himself that Jin was way better than him. He also knew that the boy was kind, gentle and way too vulnerable. He threw another ball in to the hoop that made a smooth swishing noise. He made his way to the showers and changed in to his jeans, t-shirt and his Shohoku jacket. He slipped on his sneakers and padded out of the shower room, heading for the exit.
"Mitsui, where are you going?" Kogure asked.
"The dentist. A friend is in need." He said and waved to a bunch of curious faces. "Later!"
He took the train. He sat there, thinking. For the whole week, Jin's teary face and eyes were all he could think about. Jin had told him when his appointment was. For some odd reason, Mitsui felt that he should not go. He had a premonition that he would see something he did not wish to see. He pushed the nagging feeling in his chest and walked out of the train and headed for his destination. He did not know the time, but a few meters away from the dental clinic of Dr. Ryu, he found two teenagers come out, one dragging the other. He looked closer and noticed that both boys were wearing the Kainan jacket, and that those two were Jin and Maki. With wide eyes, he watched as Maki landed a slap on Jin's cheek, and the loud yelp that was emitted from the shooting guard meant that Maki must've hit the area in which Dr. Ryu had extracted the tooth from. Mitsui glared at Maki, and had the bubbling urge to give the guy a slap of his own, with a punch and a kick to go with it. But he pulled back as he watched Jin mumble out apologies.
Mitsui took a step back and shook his head. This was surely none of his business, so he decided that whatever happened there was between Jin and Maki. With some sort of guilt inside him, he headed back for home. Maybe it would be best if he simply forgot Jin. After all, he and Maki were going out.
*
Classes resumed and everyone was busy again. Lunchtime in Shohoku buzzed with giggling girls, talking boys and couples walking and sometimes making out in dark areas of the campus. Mitsui was with Kogure and Akagi. He had a cheese and tomato sandwich in his hand and a can of Sprite. Kogure had a Tupperware of sushi and Akagi had a Tupperware of fruit salad. The three seniors had been engaged in the issue of Rukawa, who had recently proclaimed that Sakuragi was his and no one else. The proclamation had been grand, with roses and a necklace with the infinity symbol on it.
"And the kiss in the end of his speech!" Mitsui laughed.
"Who would have imagined that Rukawa could do that?" Kogure giggled a little bit.
"The idiot is full of surprises." Akagi grunted and took a spoonful of his fruit salad.
"Sakuragi's face was the best! He blushed so red! So red!" At the memory, all three burst out laughing. Really, Sakuragi had gone all-silent and he looked like a tomato. Their laughing fit subsided and Mitsui fell silent. He suddenly remembered Jin. His expression suddenly fell, as his eyes clouded with pity, guilt and regret.
"Mitsui what's wrong?" Kogure asked.
"What do you guys know about Jin?" Mitsui blurted out, and when he saw the shocked looks on Akagi and Kogure's face, he bit his lips as punishment for letting those words slip beyond his guard.
"Jin, as in Jin in Kainan?" Akagi asked, and Mitsui nodded. "He's the best shooting guard, he's a sophomore, he practices five hundred shots in some court next to Kainan High, and he's going out with Maki."
"What? Maki is going out with Jin?" Kogure said, nearly choking on his food. "But, but I saw Maki with Sendoh in the park holding hands!"
"But Jin and Maki had been together for four months!" Akagi argued.
"No way! I heard Sendoh and Maki are engaged!" Kogure argued back.
"But everyone knows Maki and Jin are together!" Akagi said.
"Stop!" Mitsui yelled, breathing hard. "Just shut up! Both of you!"
"Mitsui, why do you look like you're about to punch someone?" Kogure asked innocently.
Mitsui turned his glare on full blast and aimed it at Kogure who dropped his chopsticks and backed away a bit. "Where can I get Jin's phone number?" He growled.
"Well, I think Miyagi might have it. He used to be Sendoh's boyfriend. Sendoh has everyone's phone number on all the teams." Akagi said.
Without another word, Mitsui got to his feet and went to find Miyagi. "Mitsui, wait!" Kogure said in despair, but Mitsui would hear none of it. He had rage in his eyes that many students backed away a bit. He headed for the homeroom of the sophomores and found Ayako and Miyagi sitting together and talking happily. There were other students in the room, talking and laughing at some corny joke or the other. He had kicked the door open, causing many of the students, including Ayako and Miyagi to jump off their seats.
"All of you get out!" Mitsui yelled, and without hesitation, all of the students left. He pointed at Miyagi and growled. "You stay!" Ayako remained with Miyagi. Once everyone was out of the room, Mitsui kicked the door closed.
"What the hell is it this time?" Miyagi snapped.
"You've got Jin's phone number?" Mitsui said dangerously.
"Yeah so?" Miyagi bravely said.
"Hand it over!" Mitsui said. Miyagi made no move and Mitsui was beginning to see red. "Now!" He yelled. Miyagi jumped and dug out his diary.
"It's 67588894." Miyagi said. Without another word, Mitsui was gone.
Mitsui was never seen from that point on that whole day.
*
The rain fell upon little Kannagawa with fiery anger. The drops were harsh and cold. Mitsui tightened his jacket around his body as he went around the next block away from Kainan High. The school was deserted. Before he went, he had tried Jin's home number several times, but no one picked up except Jin's answering machine. Without thinking, he went to Kainan High and began to search in the cold rain. He knew perfectly well that he'd catch cold, but he didn't seem to care. He had to talk to Jin, man to man. The guy was to feminine for his own good. To girly, too delicate and easy to deceive and control.
He looked left and right and found the streets empty as people remained in their homes. He sighed and slumped against a bricked wall. It was a fruitless attempt to go in circles for he knew he would get nowhere. First thing was he knew nothing about Jin except for his appearance, his position in the basketball team, a bit of his so-called love life, his fear for dentists and his love for choco and mint ice cream. He decided to go back home and slowly began to walk in to the rain, getting soaked. His clothes began to cling on his body. He was feeling cold now, but it did not matter. He just kept on walking and walking. The distant sound of a basketball bouncing snapped him back to reality. He looked about and spotted a court a few meters away. He rushed towards it and peeked passed the barbwire fence. He found a thin boy shooting three pointers, his plain white jersey glued to his body like a second skin. Mitsui noticed however that the shots were inaccurate. He stepped inside and cleared his throat. The boy stopped playing and dropped the basketball he was holding.
"Hi Jin!" Mitsui called out, the rain coming down harder.
"Mitsui-sempai!" The boy said, looking up to the sky, his back still to Mitsui.
"Jin, are you crying?" Mitsui asked.
Jin looked at his shoes and slowly turned to face Mitsui. "No." He said, smiling. The smile began to fade.
"It's all right to cry, Jin." Mitsui said. Jin bit his lower lip and looked up at Mitsui, as tears visibly began to come down his eyes. "It's all right." Mitsui said again. Jin broke out a sob as he rushed forward towards Mitsui and buried his face in the slightly taller boy's chest. Mitsui was startled, but wrapped Jin in a hug and allowed the boy to cry.
"All this time! He never really cared!" Jin sobbed.
"You'll find someone else." Mitsui said, hugging the boy closer. "There are many out there who loves you."
Jin could only sob harder.
*
Mitsui spent the night at Jin's house. Jin had told him all about Maki being with Sendoh. He also learned many things that night. Many of the gangs in school enjoyed picking on Jin because he was way too kind and was a geek in class. He was a weakling and was way too polite. He's also one of the biggest chickens in school, regardless of his basketball skills. They had both dried themselves and changed in to dry clothes and made cup noodles for dinner.
"Look, first you got to learn the basic rules, Jin. You should be nice to other kids, unless of course when other kids want to fight, then you have to kick other kids' butts!" Mitsui said.
"But I don't want to kick other kids' butts!" Jin said, his mouth full of noodles.
"Don't talk with your mouth full. Now let's see your war face!" Mitsui said. Jin gave him a glare, which really resembled a pout. "Oh I think my bunny slippers just ran for cover." Mitsui grabbed Jin's collar and shook him. "Come on! Scare me boy!"
"Grrrrrrr!" Jin growled, glaring dangerously as he pushed Mitsui away from him.
"Yeah! That's my tough looking warrior!" Mitsui sat up and cupped Jin's face in his hands. "That's what I'm talking about! Now be a man and make me proud!"
Jin blushed at their closeness. Mitsui found himself suddenly lost in Jin's dark gray eyes. They were so deep and so mysterious and unbearably sweet. His eyes slowly trailed down to his lips, which were pink and moist, sweet and inviting. Mitsui leaned closer, wanting to have those lips on his, but stopped. He pulled back and grinned.
"So, now, how to punch!" He began to demonstrate and talk at the same time. "I'll make a man out of you!"
Mitsui made sure that Jin went to school the next day all ready for any fights, verbally, mentally and physically.
*
Weeks went by and Mitsui heard that Jin was becoming a very sharp talker in school. He would smile when he heard that, since their every night conversation and weekly one on ones with basketball and little punches and kicks did pay off. He adored Jin for his sweet behavior, for his kindness, for his intelligence, for his talent and his adorable behavior. He was lying in bed after attempting to do his homework, when his phone rang.
"Hello, Mitsui here." He answered.
"Mitsui-sempai!" Jin said from the other phone, voice panicky.
"Jin! What's wrong?" Mitsui sat up from bed, jerking the phone white, causing it crash to the ground.
"Maki! He - He wants to talk to me! He wants to meet with me! I don't want to go! Mitsui-sempai help me!" Jin's voice trembled and Mitsui knew that he was crying among other things.
"Okay, calm down. First of all, I want you to let go of your hair." Mitsui said. When Jin cried, he pulled at his hair really hard. "Now stop crying and face him! What's wrong?"
"I don't want to go alone! I don't want to be hurt again, Mitsui-sempai!" Jin begged. "Could you - could you come with me?"
Mitsui was taken aback, but he did not hesitate. "Okay, Jin! I'll be there in fifteen minutes!"
"Hurry!" Jin said.
Mitsui bid him goodbye and jumped to his feet. He pulled on his baggy jeans and a full sleeved black shirt. He grabbed his sneakers, struggled to pull it on as he limped down the hallway. His older brother came out of his bedroom and saw Mitsui jumping about as if his feet were on fire.
"What's with you, lil' bro? Got a date?" Kamui Mitsui asked, chewing on a celery stick. He looked like Mitsui; only he wore glasses, had lighter eyes, exactly two inches taller than Mitsui and had his hair in a crew cut.
"Shut up, dork!" Mitsui snapped.
"Sure thing kid! Good luck!" Kamui waved his celery stick and disappeared in to his room.
By the time Mitsui had gotten his shoes on, he was out of the house and in to a train before anyone could even say basketball. He rushed to Jin's house, and by the time he reached there, he was panting. He rang the doorbell and crouched, his hands on his knees. The door opened and Jin greeted him.
"Mitsui-sempai! We must go to the park! Maki is waiting there." He said.
"Sure thing!" Mitsui waved a hand. "Hold on a second till I catch my breath will you?" He sucked in many more breaths before finally standing on his two feet. His vision was a bit blurry. His stamina was once again betraying him. "Okay. Where's the park?"
A few minutes later after running, they were in the deserted park, with Maki sitting in one of the benches by the fountain. Jin stopped for a while and grabbed Mitsui's arm. Mitsui saw fear in his eyes. He knew that Jin and Maki's relationship was merely for a good lay on Maki's side and that the bruise Mitsui saw on Jin's face when they met at the dentist was one of Maki's marks. He had seen more of those, but made no comment. Maki was a violent young man to Jin and MVP or whatever, Mitsui hated him for treating such a nice person the way he did. Jin had seen Maki with Sendoh in a dark alley making out frivolously. After that, Jin avoided Maki as much as possible, and Maki did not notice, until that night.
"Be a man! Face him!" Mitsui ordered, pushing Jin forward. "Go on! I'm right behind you."
Jin walked forward, while Mitsui hid behind the tree close to them. He began to listen to their conversation.
"Soi, baby! Where were you?" Maki said.
"I - I've been here, sempai." Jin said, not looking at Maki.
"Sempai? Didn't I tell you to call me Shinichi?" Maki asked.
"Yes you did." Jin nodded. Maki's tilted his chin up, and Jin winced.
"Why are you calling me sempai now?" He asked. Jin shut his eyes. "I've been hearing a lot of things about you."
"What things?" Jin looked up at Maki, confusion on his face.
"You've become quite a toughie, with a sharp tongue and good skills in hand to hand fights." Maki shrugged, shoving his hands in to his jean pockets. "I've also heard a rumor."
"What rumor?"
"That you and that shooting guard of Shohoku are lovers." Maki stated.
"WHAT?" Jin screamed. "What rubbish! What the hell are you talking about? Mitsui-sempai is my friend! He helped me! He was there by me the whole time when you were not! He cared for me! He comforted me! He taught me how to be tough and how to face bullies in school! Something you never did! He took me for ice cream after my first visit to the dentist! He helped in many ways! We play hoops together! He's so kind, and nice and loving, and caring, and sweet! And - and I won't let you say anything against him!" Jin pointed a shaky finger at Maki.
"And what if I did?" Maki challenged.
"I'll kill you." Jin said dangerously.
"Ah! I see!" Maki nodded, rubbing his chin. "So this idiot you call Mitsui has taken my place?"
"He's not an idiot!" Jin snapped.
"Okay, so this crappo Mitsui - who - hmmm? - wasted two years being a gangster is in your little heart instead of me?"
"He is not a crappo!" Jin yelled. "He's a nice guy! He's - He's my friend!"
"Doesn't look like it!" Maki snapped. "Why are you ignoring me?"
"You notice now? I'm touched! Really sempai, I'm so, so touched! Oh I feel my heart melting at your words!" Jin plastered a dreamy look on his face and touched his heart.
"Do you mock me?" Maki demanded.
"No, I mock the cow." Jin sarcastically said. "What do you want from me, sempai? It's getting late and I've got homework to finish."
"Jin, I want us to be back together." Maki said, a dangerous look in his eyes.
"For what?" Jin said, biting his lips, tears forming in his eyes. "So that I can be hurt again? So that I can be alone? For what?"
"Soichiro, stop crying!" Maki threatened. Jin caught himself and tried hard to suppress his tears. He knew how angry Maki got when he cried, that was one of the reasons why he got slapped. "How smart of you to come. All alone."
"I'm not alone!" Jin stepped back, more tears coming out now. "I'm never alone!"
"I told you to stop crying!" Maki raised a hand to slap him. But before he could do anything, he felt a vice like grip hold his slap back. He turned to find Mitsui glaring down at him. "My, my! Look who's here?"
"MVP or not, I'm going to beat the crap out of you if you touch him Maki!" Mitsui hissed.
Maki rolled his eyes. "What is this? A soap opera?" Mitsui stood between Jin and Maki. "Look, Soichiro, sweet heart. If you could tell this guy here that you love him, in front of me, I promise I'll never touch you again."
Mitsui's eyes widened. One thing he knew about Jin was that he never lied about his feelings. He'd hide it, yes, but never lied about it. He braced himself for the words that might come out of Jin's mouth.
Jin looked at Mitsui and his lips parted slightly. He began to think of the times they were together, the times when Mitsui helped him and comforted him when he needed someone to be there, a shoulder to cry on, their dinners and lunches together, all the fun and all the memories. He stared in to Mitsui's blue eyes and felt all warm and fuzzy inside. He looked at Maki and gave him a look, tilting his head to the left. Maki's eyes widened before he nodded. Without another word, Maki left the park. Jin waved and smiled at Maki, who nodded and waved back. Mitsui in the other hand, felt as if his chest was just punched and kicked over and over again. But at least Jin was still his friend. He forced a weak smile and patted Jin on his shoulder.
"You're good." He said and shoved his hands in to his pockets. He headed the opposite direction towards the exit. He kept on walking, away from the person that he had slowly learned to love and adore.
"Sempai!" Mitsui nearly fell face first as Jin threw himself on to him from behind. "Why are you leaving me?"
"What the hell? I'm going home of course!" Mitsui said. Jin stood in front of him, his thin arms around Mitsui's waist. "Jin?"
"You look hurt sempai. Is it because I didn't do what Maki-sempai asked me to do?" Mitsui's eyes widened a bit. Jin touched his cheek and ran his fingers through his dark hair. He felt soft lips land on his and arms wrap around his neck. Jin pulled back and smiled sweetly at Mitsui. "I love you, sempai. Maki could read me like an open book. There was no need for words."
"Oh!" Mitsui said and blushed.
"I love you! I love you with all my heart!" Jin confessed.
"And I do too!" Mitsui said and tilted Jin's face towards his. "Let's go home."
Jin nodded, as Mitsui pulled him close. They walked hand in hand towards Jin's house.
OWARI
Yay! Yay! Yay! Success! The ending was corny, but success!
Sequel? Lemon perhaps? BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHA! Hope ya like it Choco! ~huggles~
Enjoy! My first MitJin fic.
I'LL MAKE A MAN OUT OF YOU
The walls were sterile white with abstract paintings mounted on the walls in plain brown frames. The middle-aged secretary sat in her table arranging patient's records. There were brown leather chairs in the waiting room, with a table, which had several piling boring magazines.
Mitsui had been there for the past twenty minutes. He needed to get one of his tooth filled since he tripped and fell face first. He had felt that a part of his tooth broke, since the fall itself was bad. Plus, he had been eating too many candies, and his teeth were yellowing. He might as well get it cleaned.
He tossed one of the home décor magazine on to the table and stretched his limbs. He was the only person in the waiting room, since many other people found something better to do in their winter holidays than go to a dentist. There was a twelve year old inside at the moment, who was having her braces removed. Mitsui shifted sitting positions again and tried to get comfortable in the tacky chair he was sitting on. He failed to notice the dental clinic door slide open and a young man walk in with a sullen look on his face. The said young man flopped down three chairs away from him and remained in one sitting position for the next five minutes. Mitsui did not really spare him another glance, but something about the slightly pale boy rang a bell.
"Hey!" Mitsui said. The boy looked up and blinked at his direction. He had wide and innocent dark gray eyes, and short cropped hair. His body was thin, but had the athletic touch to it. Mitsui realized who he was. "You're Jin of Kainan, right?" He nodded and forced a smile but ended up wincing and clutching one side of his face. Mitsui blinked hard and noticed a bruise on his left cheek. "Tooth ache?"
"Yes." The boy managed to choke out. Mitsui bit his lower lip. The pain must be intolerable. "Is it painful?" Jin suddenly asked.
"What's painful?"
"The dentist. It's my first time to go to a dentist. I've always had nice teeth, so I never really needed to go to a dentist. Is it painful?" He had a panicky voice and fear mirrored in his eyes.
Well, not really." Mitsui said, rubbing the back of his head.
"What do you mean by 'not really'? Pain as in bee sting pain? Or pain as in kick in the groin pain?" Jin was shaking now. His face was flushed and his eyes were wider. He looked like a lost little boy.
"Well -"
"Mitsui-san, the doctor will see you now." The secretary said, as a little girl made her way out of the clinic., a dance in her every step.
"I'll see you later." Mitsui said and entered the dentist's den.
It was routine. Dr. Ryu checked his teeth with his little mirror. Told him that he needed to have two of his teeth filled. Mitsui nodded and took in the nerve jumping pain of his teeth being drilled once the mini-driller got too deep and annoyed the nerves under the crown of his teeth. Each tooth was filled and was then treated with a gun-like device that emitted blue light.
"Is it straight?" Dr. Ryu asked, his dark eyes shining under the overhead yellow light.
Mitsui tongued his teeth and nodded. It was in-line. "It's fine."
"Good. I'll just have your teeth cleaned and you can be on your way." He said and took some cleaning solution on a cotton ball and began to smear the white paste all over his teeth, before taking his mechanical dental brush and running it over his teeth. Mitsui winced when the brush met with his gums, for it did sting a bit and it tickled. Dr. Ryu sprayed his teeth with some mint-flavored liquid and ran the brush all over his teeth again. After that he gave Mitsui a cup of water of gargle and spit out the paste from his mouth. "All done! You've been extra careful haven't you Mitsui?"
"Yes I have doc! I lost three teeth. That's more than enough." He said, smiling, his white teeth gleaming.
"Good. That's very good." Dr. Ryu discarded his rubber gloves and placed all the used utensils in the sterilizer. "I'll see you in a month Mitsui."
"Yes doc!" He straightened his shirt and pants and headed for the door. "Thanks." He waved and closed the door behind him. The secretary entered and came out to announce that it was Jin's turn. Before Jin went in. Mitsui held him back. "Don't worry. It's not very painful." Jin merely nodded and entered the room.
Mitsui made his way towards the exit after paying the secretary his bill. He plunged in to the cold afternoon, and winced at the bitter cold. He shivered a bit and began to walk down the street, pulling his jacket tighter around his lithe body. A few steps down the clinic, he stopped. He turned to look back and thought of Jin. A first visit to the dentist was always horrific. He knew the feeling himself and to go all alone was worst. He debated for nearly half an hour, under the shivering cold with snow crunching under his feet.
"Oh what the heck!" He finally said and stomped back in to the clinic. As soon as he entered, he winced as he heard a loud sobbing scream coming from the dentist's room. "Oh boy! He must be dying." He said and sat on one of the chairs. He waited for another twenty minutes, in which every minute was filled with agonizing screams and sobs. After that, there was silence. Mitsui waited for Jin to come out and when he did, Mitsui felt his breath catch in throat. The boy's eyes were so red and had tears welling in them. His cheeks were flushed beetroot, and his limbs trembled. He watched as the boy paid the secretary and struggled to remain standing, as huge drops of tears fell from his eyes.
"Hey are you okay?" Mitsui asked, walking up to him and holding him by the shoulder.
"It hurts!" He said, and began to sob.
"Now, look here!" Mitsui said, and smiled. "I know the perfect cure for that!" He winked at Jin who stared at him with wide teary eyes. "Take my hand!" Jin stared at Mitsui's offered hand and shakily took it. "Come with me. I won't leave you. The worst thing you can do is come to the dentist for the first time on your own."
Mitsui tightened his grip on Jin's icy hands and led him in to a deserted ice cream parlor. "What are we doing here?" Jin sniffed.
"Eating ice cream of course! That's the best bit when going to the dentist. You get to eat as much ice cream as you wish! Go on take your pick! My treat!" Jin stared at the row of several colored and flavored ice creams. His eyes landed on one flavor. "You like mint and chocolate?" Jin nodded, blushing a bit. "Three scoops of choco and mint, and three scoops of strawberry sherbet please." Mitsui said to the man standing behind the counter. He began to scoop out the ice cream in to a white and red paper cup.
"Would you like fudge with it?" The man asked. Jin shook his head and so did Mitsui. "That would be four hundred yen sir." Mitsui paid the man and handed Jin his cup of ice cream. They took a booth at the corner of the very empty parlor. Not many would want to eat ice cream during a freezing season. It would be crazy to do so.
Jin scooped his ice cream and began to eat silently. As minutes flew, the blush on his face disappeared and his eyes slowly began to gain back its cheerful glow. "What exactly did Dr. Ryu do to you?" Mitsui asked, shoving a spoonful of ice cream in to his mouth.
"He injected me with anesthesia four times and extracted a tooth. He had to dig it out because it was embedded beneath two others." He said, and licked his lips. "I have to go back after a week."
Mitsui winced. "Painful huh?" Jin nodded. Mitsui stared at his bruise on his cheek. "You got in to a fight or something?"
"Huh?"
"You have a bruise on your left cheek." Mitsui pointed.
"Oh! That! Oh it's nothing!" He said too quickly. He then looked away.
"I have two good ears to lend, Jin. What's eating you?" Mitsui asked.
"Nothing really, Mitsui-sempai." He said, now staring at his empty cup of ice cream.
Mitsui stood up and bought another cup of ice cream for Jin, this time of another flavor. "Have you tried chocolate chip? It's brilliant." He handed the cup to Jin who stared at him with wide eyes.
"But Mitsui-sempai -"
"The pain is gone isn't it?"
Jin blushed a little. "A bit."
"Eat that and it'll be gone completely." Mitsui said, his spoon sticking out of his mouth. Jin nodded and smiled good-naturedly. He began to eat his new cup of ice cream.
*
Mitsui shot another three pointer. A week has past and that afternoon would be Jin's dental appointment. For some odd reason, he had been thinking about the boy. He admired him for his shooting skills and he admits within himself that Jin was way better than him. He also knew that the boy was kind, gentle and way too vulnerable. He threw another ball in to the hoop that made a smooth swishing noise. He made his way to the showers and changed in to his jeans, t-shirt and his Shohoku jacket. He slipped on his sneakers and padded out of the shower room, heading for the exit.
"Mitsui, where are you going?" Kogure asked.
"The dentist. A friend is in need." He said and waved to a bunch of curious faces. "Later!"
He took the train. He sat there, thinking. For the whole week, Jin's teary face and eyes were all he could think about. Jin had told him when his appointment was. For some odd reason, Mitsui felt that he should not go. He had a premonition that he would see something he did not wish to see. He pushed the nagging feeling in his chest and walked out of the train and headed for his destination. He did not know the time, but a few meters away from the dental clinic of Dr. Ryu, he found two teenagers come out, one dragging the other. He looked closer and noticed that both boys were wearing the Kainan jacket, and that those two were Jin and Maki. With wide eyes, he watched as Maki landed a slap on Jin's cheek, and the loud yelp that was emitted from the shooting guard meant that Maki must've hit the area in which Dr. Ryu had extracted the tooth from. Mitsui glared at Maki, and had the bubbling urge to give the guy a slap of his own, with a punch and a kick to go with it. But he pulled back as he watched Jin mumble out apologies.
Mitsui took a step back and shook his head. This was surely none of his business, so he decided that whatever happened there was between Jin and Maki. With some sort of guilt inside him, he headed back for home. Maybe it would be best if he simply forgot Jin. After all, he and Maki were going out.
*
Classes resumed and everyone was busy again. Lunchtime in Shohoku buzzed with giggling girls, talking boys and couples walking and sometimes making out in dark areas of the campus. Mitsui was with Kogure and Akagi. He had a cheese and tomato sandwich in his hand and a can of Sprite. Kogure had a Tupperware of sushi and Akagi had a Tupperware of fruit salad. The three seniors had been engaged in the issue of Rukawa, who had recently proclaimed that Sakuragi was his and no one else. The proclamation had been grand, with roses and a necklace with the infinity symbol on it.
"And the kiss in the end of his speech!" Mitsui laughed.
"Who would have imagined that Rukawa could do that?" Kogure giggled a little bit.
"The idiot is full of surprises." Akagi grunted and took a spoonful of his fruit salad.
"Sakuragi's face was the best! He blushed so red! So red!" At the memory, all three burst out laughing. Really, Sakuragi had gone all-silent and he looked like a tomato. Their laughing fit subsided and Mitsui fell silent. He suddenly remembered Jin. His expression suddenly fell, as his eyes clouded with pity, guilt and regret.
"Mitsui what's wrong?" Kogure asked.
"What do you guys know about Jin?" Mitsui blurted out, and when he saw the shocked looks on Akagi and Kogure's face, he bit his lips as punishment for letting those words slip beyond his guard.
"Jin, as in Jin in Kainan?" Akagi asked, and Mitsui nodded. "He's the best shooting guard, he's a sophomore, he practices five hundred shots in some court next to Kainan High, and he's going out with Maki."
"What? Maki is going out with Jin?" Kogure said, nearly choking on his food. "But, but I saw Maki with Sendoh in the park holding hands!"
"But Jin and Maki had been together for four months!" Akagi argued.
"No way! I heard Sendoh and Maki are engaged!" Kogure argued back.
"But everyone knows Maki and Jin are together!" Akagi said.
"Stop!" Mitsui yelled, breathing hard. "Just shut up! Both of you!"
"Mitsui, why do you look like you're about to punch someone?" Kogure asked innocently.
Mitsui turned his glare on full blast and aimed it at Kogure who dropped his chopsticks and backed away a bit. "Where can I get Jin's phone number?" He growled.
"Well, I think Miyagi might have it. He used to be Sendoh's boyfriend. Sendoh has everyone's phone number on all the teams." Akagi said.
Without another word, Mitsui got to his feet and went to find Miyagi. "Mitsui, wait!" Kogure said in despair, but Mitsui would hear none of it. He had rage in his eyes that many students backed away a bit. He headed for the homeroom of the sophomores and found Ayako and Miyagi sitting together and talking happily. There were other students in the room, talking and laughing at some corny joke or the other. He had kicked the door open, causing many of the students, including Ayako and Miyagi to jump off their seats.
"All of you get out!" Mitsui yelled, and without hesitation, all of the students left. He pointed at Miyagi and growled. "You stay!" Ayako remained with Miyagi. Once everyone was out of the room, Mitsui kicked the door closed.
"What the hell is it this time?" Miyagi snapped.
"You've got Jin's phone number?" Mitsui said dangerously.
"Yeah so?" Miyagi bravely said.
"Hand it over!" Mitsui said. Miyagi made no move and Mitsui was beginning to see red. "Now!" He yelled. Miyagi jumped and dug out his diary.
"It's 67588894." Miyagi said. Without another word, Mitsui was gone.
Mitsui was never seen from that point on that whole day.
*
The rain fell upon little Kannagawa with fiery anger. The drops were harsh and cold. Mitsui tightened his jacket around his body as he went around the next block away from Kainan High. The school was deserted. Before he went, he had tried Jin's home number several times, but no one picked up except Jin's answering machine. Without thinking, he went to Kainan High and began to search in the cold rain. He knew perfectly well that he'd catch cold, but he didn't seem to care. He had to talk to Jin, man to man. The guy was to feminine for his own good. To girly, too delicate and easy to deceive and control.
He looked left and right and found the streets empty as people remained in their homes. He sighed and slumped against a bricked wall. It was a fruitless attempt to go in circles for he knew he would get nowhere. First thing was he knew nothing about Jin except for his appearance, his position in the basketball team, a bit of his so-called love life, his fear for dentists and his love for choco and mint ice cream. He decided to go back home and slowly began to walk in to the rain, getting soaked. His clothes began to cling on his body. He was feeling cold now, but it did not matter. He just kept on walking and walking. The distant sound of a basketball bouncing snapped him back to reality. He looked about and spotted a court a few meters away. He rushed towards it and peeked passed the barbwire fence. He found a thin boy shooting three pointers, his plain white jersey glued to his body like a second skin. Mitsui noticed however that the shots were inaccurate. He stepped inside and cleared his throat. The boy stopped playing and dropped the basketball he was holding.
"Hi Jin!" Mitsui called out, the rain coming down harder.
"Mitsui-sempai!" The boy said, looking up to the sky, his back still to Mitsui.
"Jin, are you crying?" Mitsui asked.
Jin looked at his shoes and slowly turned to face Mitsui. "No." He said, smiling. The smile began to fade.
"It's all right to cry, Jin." Mitsui said. Jin bit his lower lip and looked up at Mitsui, as tears visibly began to come down his eyes. "It's all right." Mitsui said again. Jin broke out a sob as he rushed forward towards Mitsui and buried his face in the slightly taller boy's chest. Mitsui was startled, but wrapped Jin in a hug and allowed the boy to cry.
"All this time! He never really cared!" Jin sobbed.
"You'll find someone else." Mitsui said, hugging the boy closer. "There are many out there who loves you."
Jin could only sob harder.
*
Mitsui spent the night at Jin's house. Jin had told him all about Maki being with Sendoh. He also learned many things that night. Many of the gangs in school enjoyed picking on Jin because he was way too kind and was a geek in class. He was a weakling and was way too polite. He's also one of the biggest chickens in school, regardless of his basketball skills. They had both dried themselves and changed in to dry clothes and made cup noodles for dinner.
"Look, first you got to learn the basic rules, Jin. You should be nice to other kids, unless of course when other kids want to fight, then you have to kick other kids' butts!" Mitsui said.
"But I don't want to kick other kids' butts!" Jin said, his mouth full of noodles.
"Don't talk with your mouth full. Now let's see your war face!" Mitsui said. Jin gave him a glare, which really resembled a pout. "Oh I think my bunny slippers just ran for cover." Mitsui grabbed Jin's collar and shook him. "Come on! Scare me boy!"
"Grrrrrrr!" Jin growled, glaring dangerously as he pushed Mitsui away from him.
"Yeah! That's my tough looking warrior!" Mitsui sat up and cupped Jin's face in his hands. "That's what I'm talking about! Now be a man and make me proud!"
Jin blushed at their closeness. Mitsui found himself suddenly lost in Jin's dark gray eyes. They were so deep and so mysterious and unbearably sweet. His eyes slowly trailed down to his lips, which were pink and moist, sweet and inviting. Mitsui leaned closer, wanting to have those lips on his, but stopped. He pulled back and grinned.
"So, now, how to punch!" He began to demonstrate and talk at the same time. "I'll make a man out of you!"
Mitsui made sure that Jin went to school the next day all ready for any fights, verbally, mentally and physically.
*
Weeks went by and Mitsui heard that Jin was becoming a very sharp talker in school. He would smile when he heard that, since their every night conversation and weekly one on ones with basketball and little punches and kicks did pay off. He adored Jin for his sweet behavior, for his kindness, for his intelligence, for his talent and his adorable behavior. He was lying in bed after attempting to do his homework, when his phone rang.
"Hello, Mitsui here." He answered.
"Mitsui-sempai!" Jin said from the other phone, voice panicky.
"Jin! What's wrong?" Mitsui sat up from bed, jerking the phone white, causing it crash to the ground.
"Maki! He - He wants to talk to me! He wants to meet with me! I don't want to go! Mitsui-sempai help me!" Jin's voice trembled and Mitsui knew that he was crying among other things.
"Okay, calm down. First of all, I want you to let go of your hair." Mitsui said. When Jin cried, he pulled at his hair really hard. "Now stop crying and face him! What's wrong?"
"I don't want to go alone! I don't want to be hurt again, Mitsui-sempai!" Jin begged. "Could you - could you come with me?"
Mitsui was taken aback, but he did not hesitate. "Okay, Jin! I'll be there in fifteen minutes!"
"Hurry!" Jin said.
Mitsui bid him goodbye and jumped to his feet. He pulled on his baggy jeans and a full sleeved black shirt. He grabbed his sneakers, struggled to pull it on as he limped down the hallway. His older brother came out of his bedroom and saw Mitsui jumping about as if his feet were on fire.
"What's with you, lil' bro? Got a date?" Kamui Mitsui asked, chewing on a celery stick. He looked like Mitsui; only he wore glasses, had lighter eyes, exactly two inches taller than Mitsui and had his hair in a crew cut.
"Shut up, dork!" Mitsui snapped.
"Sure thing kid! Good luck!" Kamui waved his celery stick and disappeared in to his room.
By the time Mitsui had gotten his shoes on, he was out of the house and in to a train before anyone could even say basketball. He rushed to Jin's house, and by the time he reached there, he was panting. He rang the doorbell and crouched, his hands on his knees. The door opened and Jin greeted him.
"Mitsui-sempai! We must go to the park! Maki is waiting there." He said.
"Sure thing!" Mitsui waved a hand. "Hold on a second till I catch my breath will you?" He sucked in many more breaths before finally standing on his two feet. His vision was a bit blurry. His stamina was once again betraying him. "Okay. Where's the park?"
A few minutes later after running, they were in the deserted park, with Maki sitting in one of the benches by the fountain. Jin stopped for a while and grabbed Mitsui's arm. Mitsui saw fear in his eyes. He knew that Jin and Maki's relationship was merely for a good lay on Maki's side and that the bruise Mitsui saw on Jin's face when they met at the dentist was one of Maki's marks. He had seen more of those, but made no comment. Maki was a violent young man to Jin and MVP or whatever, Mitsui hated him for treating such a nice person the way he did. Jin had seen Maki with Sendoh in a dark alley making out frivolously. After that, Jin avoided Maki as much as possible, and Maki did not notice, until that night.
"Be a man! Face him!" Mitsui ordered, pushing Jin forward. "Go on! I'm right behind you."
Jin walked forward, while Mitsui hid behind the tree close to them. He began to listen to their conversation.
"Soi, baby! Where were you?" Maki said.
"I - I've been here, sempai." Jin said, not looking at Maki.
"Sempai? Didn't I tell you to call me Shinichi?" Maki asked.
"Yes you did." Jin nodded. Maki's tilted his chin up, and Jin winced.
"Why are you calling me sempai now?" He asked. Jin shut his eyes. "I've been hearing a lot of things about you."
"What things?" Jin looked up at Maki, confusion on his face.
"You've become quite a toughie, with a sharp tongue and good skills in hand to hand fights." Maki shrugged, shoving his hands in to his jean pockets. "I've also heard a rumor."
"What rumor?"
"That you and that shooting guard of Shohoku are lovers." Maki stated.
"WHAT?" Jin screamed. "What rubbish! What the hell are you talking about? Mitsui-sempai is my friend! He helped me! He was there by me the whole time when you were not! He cared for me! He comforted me! He taught me how to be tough and how to face bullies in school! Something you never did! He took me for ice cream after my first visit to the dentist! He helped in many ways! We play hoops together! He's so kind, and nice and loving, and caring, and sweet! And - and I won't let you say anything against him!" Jin pointed a shaky finger at Maki.
"And what if I did?" Maki challenged.
"I'll kill you." Jin said dangerously.
"Ah! I see!" Maki nodded, rubbing his chin. "So this idiot you call Mitsui has taken my place?"
"He's not an idiot!" Jin snapped.
"Okay, so this crappo Mitsui - who - hmmm? - wasted two years being a gangster is in your little heart instead of me?"
"He is not a crappo!" Jin yelled. "He's a nice guy! He's - He's my friend!"
"Doesn't look like it!" Maki snapped. "Why are you ignoring me?"
"You notice now? I'm touched! Really sempai, I'm so, so touched! Oh I feel my heart melting at your words!" Jin plastered a dreamy look on his face and touched his heart.
"Do you mock me?" Maki demanded.
"No, I mock the cow." Jin sarcastically said. "What do you want from me, sempai? It's getting late and I've got homework to finish."
"Jin, I want us to be back together." Maki said, a dangerous look in his eyes.
"For what?" Jin said, biting his lips, tears forming in his eyes. "So that I can be hurt again? So that I can be alone? For what?"
"Soichiro, stop crying!" Maki threatened. Jin caught himself and tried hard to suppress his tears. He knew how angry Maki got when he cried, that was one of the reasons why he got slapped. "How smart of you to come. All alone."
"I'm not alone!" Jin stepped back, more tears coming out now. "I'm never alone!"
"I told you to stop crying!" Maki raised a hand to slap him. But before he could do anything, he felt a vice like grip hold his slap back. He turned to find Mitsui glaring down at him. "My, my! Look who's here?"
"MVP or not, I'm going to beat the crap out of you if you touch him Maki!" Mitsui hissed.
Maki rolled his eyes. "What is this? A soap opera?" Mitsui stood between Jin and Maki. "Look, Soichiro, sweet heart. If you could tell this guy here that you love him, in front of me, I promise I'll never touch you again."
Mitsui's eyes widened. One thing he knew about Jin was that he never lied about his feelings. He'd hide it, yes, but never lied about it. He braced himself for the words that might come out of Jin's mouth.
Jin looked at Mitsui and his lips parted slightly. He began to think of the times they were together, the times when Mitsui helped him and comforted him when he needed someone to be there, a shoulder to cry on, their dinners and lunches together, all the fun and all the memories. He stared in to Mitsui's blue eyes and felt all warm and fuzzy inside. He looked at Maki and gave him a look, tilting his head to the left. Maki's eyes widened before he nodded. Without another word, Maki left the park. Jin waved and smiled at Maki, who nodded and waved back. Mitsui in the other hand, felt as if his chest was just punched and kicked over and over again. But at least Jin was still his friend. He forced a weak smile and patted Jin on his shoulder.
"You're good." He said and shoved his hands in to his pockets. He headed the opposite direction towards the exit. He kept on walking, away from the person that he had slowly learned to love and adore.
"Sempai!" Mitsui nearly fell face first as Jin threw himself on to him from behind. "Why are you leaving me?"
"What the hell? I'm going home of course!" Mitsui said. Jin stood in front of him, his thin arms around Mitsui's waist. "Jin?"
"You look hurt sempai. Is it because I didn't do what Maki-sempai asked me to do?" Mitsui's eyes widened a bit. Jin touched his cheek and ran his fingers through his dark hair. He felt soft lips land on his and arms wrap around his neck. Jin pulled back and smiled sweetly at Mitsui. "I love you, sempai. Maki could read me like an open book. There was no need for words."
"Oh!" Mitsui said and blushed.
"I love you! I love you with all my heart!" Jin confessed.
"And I do too!" Mitsui said and tilted Jin's face towards his. "Let's go home."
Jin nodded, as Mitsui pulled him close. They walked hand in hand towards Jin's house.
OWARI
Yay! Yay! Yay! Success! The ending was corny, but success!
Sequel? Lemon perhaps? BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHA! Hope ya like it Choco! ~huggles~