Enigma of the Heart

Chapter 10

The feeling of satisfaction and contentment gushed all over Rukawa as the thought of the beaten Sendoh appeared on his mind.

While walking along the hallway nearing their dug out, Mr. Smith approached Rukawa.

"That was a wonderful game you did there Rukawa. I was right in picking you as a recruit for the training camp." Mr. Smith said at the quiet lad.

"Thank you." Rukawa replied shortly.

"Uhmm…" Mr. Smith cleared his throat, signaling the start of the long due conversation.

"Rukawa, I am pretty aware that Coach Anzai has informed you about my offer to the power training camp in the States."

"Yes, he has informed me about it." The lad simply replied.

"So? How would you respond to it?" Mr. Smith's face started to grow more serious.

"Who am I to reject such wonderful offer?" Rukawa replied as he turned to face the older man. A part of him was teeming with happiness, while another part of him felt total pain. Could it be his heart and mind? Battling which emotion should dominate over the other? His ultimate dream and his ultimate love… God knows how he wanted to have them both but then again you can never have the best of both worlds can you?

"Ha! I would never make you regret this decision of joining my power training team. Very well then, I shall call you within the next few days to arrange our agreement including your contract signing and traveling papers. All of your needs shall be taken cared of by my agency." Mr. Smith beamed as he bid his new power trainee goodbye.

"Thanks" Rukawa replied as he bowed to the other.

***

"HOORAY!!"

"YEAH! Congratulations to us!!!!!!!!!!"

"Toast for the whole team!" Takenori yelled as he raised his can of beer.

Inside the gym, the whole Shohoku team celebrated their victory. All were oblivious to the fact that Rukawa would be leaving for the power training camp in the States. There were only two people aware of it but only one cares so much about it. Nobody even noticed that their ace player was nowhere in sight, of course except Haruko Akagi.

*Vibrate* *Vibrate*

She reached onto her pocket as she felt her cell phone vibrate.

*1 new message received From: Kaede Rukawa*

Quickly, she flipped her phone open to reveal the message, it read: Come outside.

Without a word she rushed outside and headed to see him.

What would he want to say? She began thinking.

"Hey…" she heard him call her from her side.

"Oh!" Dang! That was scary! She saw Kaede Rukawa standing side by side with his hummer.

"Get in…" He lazily said as he opened the door to the passenger side.

"Where…"

"Just get in…"

So impatient Kaede Rukawa! Haruko thought as she submissively got into the vehicle.

Clueless of where to they would go, Haruko just relaxed on her seat and said nothing for thirty good minutes, not that she felt awkward or anything. She just felt something was off.

"AAH" Rukawa pulled over lazily as he stretched his undeniably long and strong arms before alighting his vehicle.

Haruko followed him with her gaze as he proceeded to her side of the door and opened it for her. Aww what a gentleman, she couldn't help thinking.

"Where are we?" She asked after going down the vehicle as Rukawa held her hand helping her out of his car.

"Just a place I was able to pass by last night…" He said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

The location was absolutely breathtaking, trees are arranged linearly. Dried leaves are scattered all over the ground as they walk on the archway that is formed by the multitude of trees. The smell of spring is all over the place, yielding nothing but the feeling of relaxation. The couple though silently, appeared happy and contented at the sight nature has unfolded before them. Both were pretty sure there was more to the place than trees planted at a perfect alignment.

Ah, this place is beyond words… Haruko thought as they ventured further, not one of them even tried to speak, obviously dumbfounded with everything.

Lost in her own thoughts, Haruko only stopped when she felt Rukawa stop as well.

They stopped in the middle of their tracks as Rukawa pointed to the right to which she turned and focused her gaze on the small lake overlooking the mountains of a nearby district.

"Wow…" Was all she could say.

"I knew you'd say that." he simply said as a small genuine smile appeared on his handsome yet bothered face. You always loved scenic places, his thoughts added furthermore.

"I love places like these. They're pretty hidden though. They're so hard to find" she commented just like a little girl, fascinated on her first time on a playground.

"Yeah, places like these helps me think."Giving emphasis on his last word seems like the cue to a very important conversation that was about to take place between the two.

"So you were here last night to think?" Catching the sudden shift of emotion, Haruko was more than willing to trigger the conversation. Let's just get through with this… What do you want to say? Her straightforward mind retorted.

"Yes, I've been thinking about things lately." He said coolly, however, the emotion in his voice was undetectable.

"You mind sharing those thoughts with me? They seem to bother you" A lot.

"I'm leaving." Rukawa said his eyes fixed on Haruko with nothing but gentleness and concern?

Keeping her face composed though his words pained her to such a degree, she replied, "Really? Where are you going?" Please don't crack! Please don't crack, she addressed her voice.

"I'm going back to the U.S… I received a very good offer to join a training program there." He replied feeding every word to her as if trying to lessen the pain he knew it would cause her.

"Oh right…"The reminder of Mr. Smith's presence made things clearer for Haruko.

"Would you allow me to leave?" The question pretty much caught her off guard. Her eyes widened at him as he stared at her with gentle and considering eyes.

"Wh – What?" You're asking me if I would allow you to leave? What?!

"I said… Would you allow me to leave?" He repeated, keeping the same expression.

Would you stay if I say 'No'? "YES! Of course! I even wonder why you'd ask me. I mean, you wanted this all along and you really deserve this. Man you play really good. YES! You... Uhmm.. Go! Go!" She said this without even stopping to breathe. She knew that even for a short pause he would definitely catch her lying. In addition to this, she faked a huge smile that appeared really awkward, yet Rukawa didn't seem to voice it out to her.

"Are you sure?" He replied, now shifting his gaze from her to the mountains ahead. "'cause I'd consider staying if you want me to."

"Why the heck?!" Haruko snapped, causing Rukawa's eyes to widen at her response.

"I just thought maybe--"

"Aw shut it Kaede Rukawa! This is the biggest thing that could happen to your life and you'd be willing to give it up for what? ME? Aw this is so pathetic!" I'd really want you to stay, but if letting you stay would mean that I'd take away the happiness you've yearned for and you truly deserve then I'd be very much appeased with the proposition that you'd have to leave.

"I really do not know if you're lying right now." He said with millions of undetectable emotions in his voice.

"Don't ask me then. I told you, I would not become a hindrance to you and your dreams. Please, go, you're just a plane away from reaching every part of that dream. Don't let anything distract you." Damn lies! It's for your own good Rukawa, believe me, this is not easy.

He sighed heavily, as she stared up at him, she saw every pain in his eyes that she assumed he has been hiding all along, from the moment Coach Anzai had a conversation with him last night up to the very present moment. He then said, "You're probably right. Maybe I really should go. Anyways I already said 'yes' to Mr. Smith."

"Yeah you should." She kept a straight face, though every muscle of her fragile heart is tearing up into small pieces. If it would be ever fixed she never knew.

"I have one favor to ask you though." He said simply, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"Hmm.. What is it?" Truly trying to pick herself up in every way possible.

"Be with me at the airport. For the last time at least? Please?"

She thought of rejecting his favor because she knew it was going to be really painful for her to send him away when all she ever wanted was for him to stay. But nonetheless she said, "of course I will".

You would never know how weak you made me. They both thought to themselves

***

The Tokyo International Airport was filled with people, all coming and going away. Amidst the huge number of people, there was a couple who felt like dying while bidding each other their goodbyes.

"So this is goodbye then?" Haruko said in a soft voice. Hiding every pain she's ever felt in her fragile heart.

"I'll give you a call often…" Rukawa said as he brushed his fingers through his hair.

"You don't have to do it so often, remember, you should FOCUS!" Haruto said with a smirk. I would surely miss you Kaede Rukawa. Again, compared to her mind, it was her heart that was more vocal about how she truly feels.

"I'm going to miss you…" Rukawa said in a soft voice that was close to a whisper.

Haruko was astounded, pretty much because it was as if she heard herself say the same thing.

"Hmmm… Yeah… I know you would…" She said in a joke as she faked a smile.

"I…" Rukawa was to say something, however the voice prompt interrupted his thoughts.

*All passengers of flight 683 going to Los Angeles, USA, please stand by. You are to board the plane in thirty minutes*

"It's your cue to go! You would not want to miss the flight would you?" Haruko said as she grasped Rukawa's shoulders and shoved him into the boarding area.

"Okay… Okay… stop pushing! AHHH! That hurts!" Rukawa said impatiently.

"Take care of yourself there alright? I'd want to see you on TV often! Score for me alright!" Haruko said rapidly to feign her emotions. Go ahead before I break! Damn this is getting harder. Go before I get down on my knees and beg you to stay otherwise.

"I will" He simply said. There was more that he wanted to say but he wasn't sure if he was ready to say those words to her. He knew fully well that they are at a wrong place and definitely at the wrong time. It definitely wouldn't be nice to say "I love you" when you are bidding each other goodbyes right?

*Passengers of Flight 683, please fall in line at the boarding area. Your plane is about to leave…*

Disregarding the last words from the prompter, Haruko was shocked with the next things that happened. Rukawa took I step closer to her, closing the gap between him and her. Then, in swift seconds he wrapped his arms round her waist as he pulled her close to him and gave her a longing hug. With this she realized that he has been yearning to this all along. Responding to his hug she herself wrapped her arms around his body as they enveloped each other into the warmest of hugs possible.

I love you so much that it pains me to do this. Again, they both said it to themselves addressing each other.

***

EPILOGUE

She was walking absent-mindedly towards the only place she only wanted to go at that moment. She knew that she needed to clear her head and at least voice out how she truly feels.

"It's been quite a while for us right?" She smiled in peace as she felt the cool breeze touch her cheeks.

"You know he's left a couple of hours ago." She sadly said, unaware of the tears were starting to dampen her cheeks.

"I would've said no when he asked if I wanted him to leave." At this point in time, her tears were already streaming like waterfalls on her face.

"But I would never want to take away his happiness for my own selfish intentions right?" She sighed heavily as she stared dejectedly on the lake before her. Sitting on the ground, she stretched her legs as she gently laid her head on the soft grass. She closed her tear strained eyes as she inhaled the air smelling the scent of freshly trimmed grass. She was at her Paradise, the only place where she becomes vulnerable to how she truly feels and she was more than willing to shed the tears she had been holding back long enough for the guy she truly felt attachment with.

"God, I never felt anything like this. Things happened faster than I could imagine. He came and left all too soon. Everything is just too overwhelming right now. I don't even know if he was real. If we were real." she was becoming doubtful. "Oh my! I feel really insane!" She muttered to herself as she smirked at her thoughts.

Suddenly…

"You're not supposed to feel that way", a very familiar voice said which caused Haruko to smile at herself.

"See! I am really becoming so insane. Ha! Rukawa left already and I can still hear him. Oh boy! I need to see a doctor as soon as possible." She said with eyes still closed as questioned her sanity at full force.

"You need me to come with you to the hospital? I've got all the time in the world now that I've decided to stay." The voice replied , the emotion in his voice shifted from something serious to something playful.

Haruko was frozen at what she heard. She assumed that she was hearing his voice because she just thought about him so much that his memories with her become so powerful that they appeared to be real. But she never thought that when she opened her eyes, there he was standing before her, staring at her with nothing more but affection for her in his eyes. Kaede Rukawa was still wearing the same clothes he wore when they were at the airport few moments before he left.

He then broke the silence by saying, "You really should've said that you wanted me to stay instead of hurting yourself like this."

"Y—You? Basketball is everything to you…" She replied now standing up and locking her gaze with his.

"Things change." He simply said.

Haruko was speechless, she felt a surge of unknown emotion take over her entire being. Could it be happiness? She was not even sure.

"You know what? You played a huge role in changing my mind." He said as he gently smiled at her while he lifted his hand and touched her tear strained cheeks. "If I haven't met you, I would have left the moment Coach Anzai informed me about the offer, but having met you…" He paused, and then went on after sighing as if he also never thought things like this would happen to him, "Honestly you made a 360 degree turn in my life. And that was huge enough to make me change my mind about what I really wanted. Damn, I've never been this poetic or dramatic in my entire existence."

"What do you really want now then?" She asked, still dumbfounded. So much for saying everything is at its quickest pace. THIS IS FASTER THAN EVER.

"Is it really not obvious? Look at me…" He told her with his eyes never leaving her gaze. Then he added, "instead of sitting on that plane to go to that training camp, I am here with you. Now you ask me what I really want? Isn't the answer really too obvious?"

"Well… I don't know, I could still be dreaming or as I said, I might have lost my mind. I really don't know." Haruko said, still enjoying the warmth of his hand against her cheeks.

"Maybe you need this then, to wake up or get your thoughts back together…" He then said as he moved his hands to cup her chin and brought her face closer to his. Soon after, she felt her eyes close when she saw Rukawa bring his supple lips closer to hers as he planted the sweetest of kiss.

Haruko felt nothing but butterflies fluttering mechanically and wildly on her stomach. He pulled away from her gently as he caressed her cheeks and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Would you not regret this? Being here with me instead of chasing after what you really want?" She said as she too touched his face already absorbing the fact that he is in fact there in her Paradise with her.

"Don't make me, then." He said as he stared at her with passionate eyes.

"How? How could I match with Basketball? Your ultimate love?" She asked.

"Simple." He said as he planted another gentle kiss on her forehead. And then he spoke again, "Be mine."

"I'm already yours for the taking." She smiled as she said this.

Rukawa returned the smile as he replied, "Then there's no regretting anything. I would regret it even more if I aboard that plane and left you. Basically its gonna be both of us in hell if we're apart. Agree?"

She nodded. She can no longer hide the happiness she felt as he said those words. It seemed like a beautiful melody that pleased not only her ears but her entire body especially her heart. Few moments prior, she was tormented badly because of the same guy and now, it is just ironic that the same guy who shattered her heart is also the very same guy who made her feel as if her heart has always been perfectly well. Indeed, things between them are at its quickest pace possible.

He smirked before he retorted, "And Please Haruko, Basketball was something to me, but you are everything to me. Don't you ever forget that. Okay?"

"Okay…" She said as she pulled herself up and planted a peck on his lips. Boy she felt the butterflies on her stomach flutter wildly even more. She was just so happy that he was there, saying those sweet words which she never thought a guy as tough as Rukawa would say.

"So you're mine and I'm yours… You're my girlfriend and I'm you boyfriend. We're clear on that now right?" He said, waiting for her approval.

"No…" She said stubbornly.

"What?!" He snapped totally blown off by her answer.

"SAY IT FIRST…" She was really stubborn and playful on him. She wanted to hear him say what she had been yearning to hear.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Figure it out smart boy…" a simple 'I love you' from you would do just fine.

"Oh man… This is hard… come on…"

"If you don't know what to say then I won't talk to you ever again…" She was becoming impatient as the minutes pass by. Do you not know those words? I—Love—You… Oh boy where's the romance?!

She grew impatient enough that she took his hands off her face and turned her back from him. You want to be my boyfriend but you don't know what to say to me? She began walking away from him until his hand caught her wrists to stop her. Then he said with all sincerity,

"I LOVE YOU HARUKO AKAGI, WITH ALL MY HEART, FOREVER YOU AND ME THROUGH WHATEVER. I WOULD PROTECT YOU AND CHERISH YOU UNTIL THE DAY I DIE."

Again, she was frozen in place. She could've sworn as she exhaled a butterfly flew out of her mouth as he addressed his words to her.

"There… Is that what you want me to say? Was that enough to make you happy my coach?" Rukawa said as he pulled her softy enabling her to face him.

"How did I become your coach?" Was all she managed to reply.

"Simply because…" He leaned closer to her as he whispered, "you take control of everything that I am now."

Oh dear she was going to faint at his words. She then said, "Dang! you're good with sweet words!"

"It just comes in natural when you're with me… So are you my girlfriend now or do I have to book a new flight?" He said sarcastically as if growing impatient.

"Don't you even think about it…" She paused and then added, "And for the record, yes I'm your girlfriend."

The next few days, Haruko and Rukawa was labeled the 'muse and escort' of the Shohoku team. They also spent this time in making the whole team accept Rukawa's decision of staying in Japan and declining the offer of Mr. Smith. The whole team was very happy to accept Rukawa back in the team and they were also very happy to see the romance that was formed between their muse and escort. During the next few National games between rival schools and districts all around Japan, Rukawa was obviously inspired and his performance was totally amazing. Haruko on the other hand still worked after school taking turns being the team's secretary and being the typical girlfriend for her Player. She also worked hard in making banners and posters for the team with Ayaka.

After every game, the whole Shohoku Team, would celebrate complete from Coach Anzai to their star players like Takenori, Kogure, Ryota, Sakuragi and Rukawa, down to the rookies, upto the team secretaries which are Ayaka and Haruko. The team bonded well like a family, thus making Rukawa conclude that his choice was then right all along.

Haruko remembered their conversation one night when they were walking while eating their favorite 'couple's ice cream' on the way home.

"You know what?" He asked while licking his ice cream. Rukawa looked really cute doing this.

"What?" She said happily as she noticed his puppy dog eyes.

"I would never regret the choice I made. You know, staying here with you and the team."

"Why did you come up with that idea?"

"Simply because, the training camp would be like hell for me if I do not have people like you guys to keep me alive. I realized, basketball would be worth nothing without a girlfriend like you and team mates like them." He said sincerely.

"Even with Hanamichi around?"

"Yes, even with him around. I'm beginning to like the idiot after all." he said as he laughed.

"Aww.. My boyfriend has grown a heart after all" she joked.

"All because my girlfriend took good care of it and nurtured it well that's why." He smiled as he kissed her softly, sending waves of love throughout her entire system.

I would forever love this person. However enigmatic he/she was to me before, I'm truly happy that I was able to unveil the true person of the other.

Love is enigmatic that's for sure, but it also takes another love to reveal the mystery.

It only takes a dream to seek love. Wait for it, and it will come to you.


A/N: Hi guys! I would really like to apologize for the long overdue in updating. I've been really busy this year with school and everything else. I would understand if you grew tired of waiting and thought that this was a hopeless fic and that there would be no end to it. Well then, here it is, though it is late, well I kept my promise still. I finished EotH. I hope you guys would like it.