Chapter 12: Souvenir
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue.
Warning: More angst than you can shake a stick at. Plus blood and gore. Just kidding.
Thank you for all those who reviewed! Namely mariesolsd, Dazed Dreamer, de orga, chibi-ginia, zagato, anime-luverjc, mooty, and kaehana9.
FLASHBACK
Camp Wahoo
6 years ago
Koshino was lying in a tent, sleeping peacefully with Sendoh beside him. They were on another Boy Scout trip, a ruse, Koshino suspected, by his parents to have a vacation themselves. They're probably at the other side of the world right now, sipping cocktails and sunning themselves, but he didn't mind. As long as his best friend was here, he was content to commune with nature.
He didn't notice something had entered their tent, and it was slowly creeping up their cots.
Koshino felt a slight pressure in his chest. He thought Sendoh's head must be on him again, and opened his eyes to shove him off.
What he saw, in his young, 10-year old brain, was the ugliest and scariest thing he had ever seen. It was Godzilla himself, peering down on him, his forked tongue inches away from his face. He screamed.
Sendoh immediately woke up. Seeing the scaly reptile, he calmly scooped it up and walked a few meters outside the tent and let it go. He found Koshino shaking in a corner. Sendoh sat beside his best friend and gave him a hug. "It's alright. The lizard is gone; the little guy probably thought there is food here," he said softly.
"What do you mean little? It was huge! What if it comes back?" asks Koshino, sniffling a bit.
"I promise I'll protect you. Now go back to sleep," said Sendoh. Koshino obeyed, still clutching Sendoh's hand as if it was his lifeline.
END OF FLASHBACK
Koshino woke up and bolted upright. All sleep gone from his system, Koshino settled to muse in the dark. His old fear of lizards came back to him, and he was determined not to let those buggers catch him off guard again. After being attacked by sharks and leeches, he was on a brink of a nervous breakdown. And now this.
The dream hit him like a ton of bricks. It was a long time ago…and he tried so hard to forget.
'Stupid lizard and stupid Akira. Why did you have to make that stupid promise anyway?' he seethed. His mild infatuation with Sendoh a few years ago has turned into this full-blown something else. He didn't like it one bit.
Koshino closed his eyes, trying to imagine that he is in his room, lying in his bed. But his mind kept on replaying that fateful night, remembering the time when things weren't so complicated with his best friend. "Kami, why did I fall in love with him? Of all people?" he whispered to himself.
Meanwhile, the certain Ryonan player that was the cause of so much angst was out by the seaside, apparently also suffering from insomnia. He didn't notice Rukawa walk up to him.
"Aren't you a bit old for sandcastles?"
Sendoh looked up, surprise registering in his features. "I thought I'd never see the day when you're the one initiating a conversation," he said, highly amused.
"You didn't answer my question."
"Hmm? Oh this. I find building sandcastles soothing. A Zen-like experience," replied Sendoh, while sprinkling the mini-infrastructure with water. "Why are you still awake? Having trouble with Hanamichi again?"
Rukawa shrugged, telling nothing and everything at the same time. Sendoh gave him a sympathetic smile. Both were quiet for a while, Sendoh very much engrossed in his work.
"Why do you build it close to the water? You know the high tide will wash it away later. What's the point?" Rukawa wondered out loud.
Sendoh paused from his work and thought for a while. "It is common sense you build sandcastles near the water since it makes it more stable and compact. Come to think of it, it is kind of paradoxical to do so, since the element that makes it stronger also will eventually destroy it. As for your second question, which from your tone suggests it has nothing to do with sandcastles, I'd say you should ask Hanagata since he's the philosophical type. But in my opinion, everything has a point. Life may seem contradictory, like what I am doing now. If our existence didn't have any chinks and inconsistencies, then it wouldn't be as interesting would it?"
Rukawa almost cracked a smile at Sendoh's highfaluted explanation. "I only asked a hypothetical question," he pointed out.
"Therefore you get a hypothetical answer," replied Sendoh. He chuckled. "I'm sorry. It's late and I tend to get weird when I lack sleep. I'm feeling kind of surreal right now. Here I am on deserted island, building a sandcastle in the wee hours of the morning, while discussing the meaning of life with my supposed nemesis in basketball. This is like an episode from the Twilight Zone or something."
"And I can't believe I'm talking to you, of all people," snorted Rukawa. "I must be really desperate."
Sendoh laughed. "You're here because you have the same problem as I do," he said, looking at Rukawa in the eye.
Rukawa looked away. He didn't want to admit it, but Sendoh makes him uncomfortable sometimes. The guy is just too perceptive, to the point that it seems like he is reading his mind.
"Well I wish I could help, but I'm also stumped for answers," said Sendoh, while putting the finishing touches in his sandcastle. It was pretty impressive; it had turrets, a drawbridge, and even a shallow moat. He got up and admired his handiwork. "Then again, there are some things you have to figure out for yourself," he added, clapping the younger boy in the back.
"I'm going to sleep. I suggest you do the same," yawned Sendoh, walking towards his tent.
Rukawa ignored Sendoh's advice and stayed up all night, watching the sandcastle as it was slowly reclaimed by the sea.
A few hours later…
Koshino had a mission. Find a cellphone signal and get the hell out of this island, as far away from Sendoh as possible.
He finished his breakfast quickly and tried to sneak into the jungle alone. Unfortunately, Fujima spotted him.
"You know the rules. You need to have a partner with you at all times," reasoned the Shoyo captain.
Koshino glared at him. "I think I'm capable enough to find my way back, thank you very much."
"I'll ask Sendoh to come with you," said Fujima sweetly. Aside from matchmaking Sakuragi and Rukawa, Fujima had also set his sights on pairing Sendoh and Koshino too.
Koshino groaned. Fujima could be really evil sometimes. "Kami, don't pull that matchmaking stunt with me. It's only funny when you do it to Sakuragi and Rukawa," he groused.
The two then proceeded to have a monumental battle of wills, trying to out-stare each other. Koshino was the first one to blink. Fujima gave him a smug grin.
"Whatever. While you're at it, ask the two bakas along. I don't care," spat Koshino. He stomped off.
"Good luck in finding a signal," called out the Shoyo captain, after Koshino's retreating figure.
15 minutes later…
"Looks like Shorty is in a bad mood again," observed Sakuragi as they were walking along the jungle.
Sendoh frowned. The redhead was right, something was obviously vexing his best friend. "Hiro-kun, you seem to be quiet today. Is anything wrong?" he said, jogging to catch up with the shorter boy. Koshino grunted in response.
He tried again. "Maybe we should try up that hill. There's bound to be a signal there," Sendoh suggested.
"Ok," shrugged Koshino, changing directions. A while later they heard Sakuragi yelling at them to stop.
"What is it now?" said Koshino huffily, walking towards the prone redhead.
"What does it look like?" growled Sakuragi, holding his skinned knee. "You guys are sprinting around like a pair of gazelles, walking too damn fast."
"It's not our fault you walk too slow," zinged Koshino.
Hanamichi stood up in his full height, dwarfing Koshino. "What the hell is up with you anyway? Do you think I like tramping around in the woods?" he said, his anger rising.
"Do I look like I'm having fun? I'm just trying to get out of this stupid place!" shouted Koshino. He stepped towards Sakuragi menacingly. Even though the redhead was a full head taller than he was and can easily pound him to a pulp, Koshino wasn't the kind to let anybody push him around.
Seeing the situation was starting to get ugly, Sendoh stepped in between the two just in case Koshino tries to punch the redhead.
"Hanamichi, you really should take care of your wound first," said Rukawa all of a sudden. They all stared at him.
Rukawa raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Did you just call me Hanamichi? What happened to do'aho?" said Sakuragi, his desire to headbutt Koshino gone in an instant.
Rukawa just looked at the redhead, saying nothing.
"This is getting too weird," muttered Sakuragi, blushing a little.
"Are we going up this hill or what?" cut in Koshino impatiently.
"Yeah yeah keep your shirt on," snapped Sakuragi.
They climbed for a good 10 minutes. The hill wasn't that high; but the way up was steep and full of slippery moss. At the top they were afforded with a spectacular view of the whole island. Sendoh spotted their camp below and saw Jin and Miyagi waving at them. He, Sakuragi, and Rukawa waved back. Koshino was too busy trying to find a signal to notice.
Sakuragi was sat down, admiring the view. He didn't detect Rukawa joining him, looking at his bloody knee.
"Do you want me to patch you up again?" he asked.
Sakuragi jumped. Before he could say anything, Rukawa was already applying iodine on it.
"Ow! Teme Kitsune, are you trying to kill me?" hissed Sakuragi. He tried to get away, but Rukawa's firm hand around his knee prevented him from doing so.
"Do'aho. It's not supposed to hurt. It isn't even that deep," argued Rukawa.
"Stop it. Really it hurts!" whined the redhead.
"For a gangster your threshold for pain isn't very high," retorted Rukawa.
Hanamichi was at loss for words, but recovered quickly. "Oh yeah? Well you make one lousy doctor," he shot back.
Rukawa retaliated by pressing down hard on the cut. Sakuragi's howl was heard all over the island.
"What was that? Sounds like a wounded wolf," commented Kiyota.
"More like a coyote," countered Hanagata.
"What's the difference?" said Ayako.
"A coyote has a higher pitch," explained the tall Shoyo player.
"You're both wrong, that's just Hanamichi," grinned Mitsui. They all laughed their heads off.
"ITAI! You did that on purpose!" bellowed Sakuragi.
"So what if I did?" replied Rukawa coolly.
Sakuragi started to strangle the pale boy.
Sendoh observed the two, highly amused. "Funny how Hanamichi can make Kaede talk so much," he said conversationally.
Koshino was also watching the two, a frown gracing his features. 'Why does this look so familiar?' he thought.
"I remember when we were Boy Scouts you keep getting boo-boos and I was always the one to fix you up," said Sendoh, as if reading his mind. The two Shohoku players were still going at it. "Sans the bickering that is," he added.
Koshino blushed. "That was a long time ago," he mumbled.
"Yes it was," Sendoh said wistfully.
Koshino started to walk around again, signaling the end of the conversation. Sendoh sighed.
An hour passed…then another….
"Can we go now? We've been here for ages," complained Sakuragi, looking pissed.
Koshino ignored him, still looking for a signal.
"We should leave, it looks like it's going to rain," said Rukawa, pointing to the dark clouds gathering in the horizon.
Seeing his best friend was not going to come down to earth soon, "You guys go ahead. Tell Fujima we'll be back before lunch," said Sendoh.
The two left, eager to get back to camp.
Sendoh sat beside his best friend. "Still no luck huh?"
Koshino shook his head, very much disappointed.
"I'm sure they are looking for us Hiro-kun. We just have to be patient, that's all." Seeing Koshino still depressed, he dug into his pockets.
"Here, I thought you might like it," Sendoh said, handing him a small conch shell. It had the same shade of purple as the ace of Ryonan's eyes.
Koshino held it reverently, examining its every detail. He smiled for the first time that day. "It's beautiful. Thank you Akira."
"I used to give you pressed leaves, odd-shaped stones, and other knickknacks when we were kids. Do you still have those?" grinned Sendoh.
"Yes, I still have all of it," replied Koshino. "They're all in a shoebox under my bed," he muttered under his breath.
"And I thought you threw them away. All just a bunch of junk really," laughed Sendoh.
"They're not. I like all of them."
"Oh."
Both didn't say anything for a while. Then it started to rain. Hard.
Koshino and Sendoh ran toward the grove of banana trees. It didn't give them much protection; after only a few minutes they were completely drenched.
"Maybe we should go back to camp," said Koshino. He hated being wet.
"No we should wait it out. We'll probably break our necks if we go down now," said Sendoh. "Sorry Hiro-kun."
"What are you apologizing for? I'm the one who got us into this mess," Koshino said. He put his head in his arms, feeling like a complete idiot. He looked at the object in his hand. It beeped back at him forlornly. "I'm sorry if I wrecked your phone."
"That's ok. I can get another one," assured Sendoh. He pushed his hair away from his eyes, the gel holding it up long gone. It kept slipping back, and he had to flip it every 5 seconds.
Koshino can't help but snicker. "You really should just cut your hair Akira. Just think of how much you can save from styling gel alone."
"And look just like everybody else? Are you kidding?" joked Sendoh. Koshino laughed.
"Glad you're back to your old self again," said Sendoh softly. "What a day huh?"
"Sorry if I was being a jerk. I just want to go home so bad," said Koshino. He wished so much that the rain would stop. He turned his attention to the little shell, trying not to look at Sendoh.
"You don't like being around me anymore do you?" Sendoh said, his perpetual smile gone.
Koshino looked up, surprised. "What gave you that idea?" he spluttered.
Sendoh shrugged, trying to give an air of indifference but failed miserably. "I dunno. You seem to be avoiding me for the past few months. We don't hang around that much either," he said in a small voice.
"I've been busy with school…and stuff," finished Koshino lamely.
Sendoh gave a hollow laugh. "And you used to be honest with me too."
Koshino wanted nothing more than to run away from Sendoh that moment. But he was too tired, too wet, too frustrated to avoid it any longer. He'd rather be stuck in this island forever than see the hurt he caused upon his best friend.
He weighed his words carefully, knowing fully well that their friendship hung in the balance. "It's not that," murmured Koshino. He took a deep breath. To hell with his pride.
"I love being with you so much, that it scares me," he said finally.
Sendoh just looked at him, not daring to believe it. Koshino wasn't the type of person who confesses his feelings outright. Then he smiled, the special smile reserved only for Koshino. The smaller boy can't help but blush furiously.
"Look it stopped raining. We should go back, the others must be worried," babbled Koshino, getting up. The goofy look in Sendoh's face was starting to bother him.
Sendoh pouted. "Come on Hiro-kun, don't ruin the moment." He opened his arms, waiting for a hug, looking at his best friend expectantly.
"No. You're insane," Koshino said, trying to keep a straight face.
Sendoh hugged him anyway, not letting go. Even though they were on top of a hill on a deserted island, dripping wet, Koshino couldn't ask for anything better.
To be continued...
Kaede and Hanamichi are next! Yay!
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