Chapter 26: Eirin

"K-Kise! W-what are you doing?" My voice is a low, urgent whisper.

But for all it matters to him, I could be shouting, and he'd have the same reaction. He doesn't pay any attention to me, but just grips my hand tighter and tighter, leading me through the hallways of the school, to some unknown destination.

I can feel people staring at us, their eyes wide, their fingers pointing. Who's that girl with Kise Ryouta? What's he doing? Why won't he look at me? Aren't I prettier?

He's walking faster, faster than I can keep up — with my leg and the added heels — I grip his hand, then tug on his shirt with my other. "Kise," I beg. "Please, slow down."

He finally turns around; his eyes are slightly dilated when he looks at me, and then his face shutters closed. "I'm sorry," he says. "I wasn't thinking. Does your leg hurt?"

I blink, because he's never mentioned that before. I've never even talked to him about it before. As far as I know, not many people know I have a limp. It rarely shows up, only in times when I lose control of myself.

But of course he would notice.

"It's okay," I whisper. "It's just . . . these heels . . . they're killing me."

A lopsided grin surfaces on his face. "Gives you a few more inches, though."

I bend over, slip off the right shoe, and reach up to slap him with it. As expected, he dodges, laughing.

"What are you doing?" he says. "Those things could hurt!"

"That's the point," I say. "But it wouldn't matter, anyway, because I knew you'd avoid it."

He glances at me and says, "I can't avoid everything, you know."

"Ooh, are you saying I'll get a few hits in sometime?"

"You already have," he mutters, and I think I may have heard him wrong.

I slide my other shoe off, and dangle the pair in my hand. Then I proffer them toward Kise. For a moment, he just stares at me. "You're the one who dragged me away from my class," I say. "Take responsibility for it."

He sighs, and I think he's going to resign and carry the shoes — but then he careens forward, too fast for me to react, and he does indeed scoop up the shoes — but with me as well.

I let out a shriek, and the shoes fall out of my hand. Mom will have a cow later, but right now, I have other things to worry about. Kise has one arm beneath my back, the other under my knees, and I can only look up to his face — to that grin that is both irritating and endearing at the same time.

"Come now, Ichikawa-san," he says. "You can't be walking around without shoes."

And then with that, he takes off at a run. I scream, and before I know it, my arms are around his neck, my face buried in his chest. It seems faster than it is, a moment accelerated by hot emotions and rising feelings, and before I know it, he's skidded to a stop. When I press my fingers into his skin, he gently lets me down.

We're before the gym.

People are streaming in and out and distantly, I can hear the sound of a ball. "What are we doing here?" I look toward Kise, and he stares straight back at me.

"Kasamatsu-senpai told me," he begins. "You . . . love it, don't you? Basketball."

I take a step back. This is not going where I wanted. What is he talking about? No . . . I don't want to hear it.

"But you keep denying it." For each step back, he moves forward, unwilling to let me go. "Like you said, you're always denying yourself. But you need to stop. And so I'm going to try . . . I'm going to try to help."

There's a small flicker of emotion in his eyes, and after a moment, I identify it as hope. He wants to help me. Because . . . why?

I remember when there was a time when I was hopeful, too. That hope was ruined, mocked, and destroyed. But now . . . here is something fresh and new . . . a hope undefiled, and I don't want to see it gone.

I don't want to see the light in his eyes go out.

He must see some sort of acceptance in me, because he takes my hand, gently squeezing it, and we join the crowd filing into the gym.

When Kise enters, a loud voice immediately calls out to him. "Oi! There you are, Kise! You're late! What took you so long?"

"Sorry, Nakamura-senpai." Kise shakes his head, smiling ruefully. "I had to pick something up."

I scowl at his reference toward me.

The source of the voice is a boy on the basketball team, Nakamura Shinya. He's a second-year with strong shooting abilities and defense. Kasamatsu says that he and Kobori are about the only people he can tolerate on the team.

"I've had to make a few shots already," Nakamura says, "but I'm sure they'll much more enjoy you doing it." He grins at Kise and slaps him on the back. "Make it flashy, 'kay?"

Kise nods and then he turns to me. "Nakamura-senpai, this is Ichikawa-san. Will you find her a good seat? She's my special guest."

"VIP, huh?" Nakamura grins at me, and as Kise heads off to do who-knows-what, he leads me toward the stands which are already pretty full, and finds me a seat near the front by booting off a teammate.

"What's this all about?" I ask Nakamura, glancing at the wild masses of people all around me, and the line of people gathering in the center of the court.

"It's . . ." Nakamura rubs a hand through his hair and adjusts his glasses. "It's kinda hard to explain. Sorta like a wishing fountain, maybe?"

I stare at him.

"Kise thought it up," he explains. "People from the school and everywhere else get to come up and express a wish, dream, goal, whatever — first, you get to make a shot. If it goes in, your wish will come true. Then, Kise will make a shot. Apparently, if you don't make yours and his goes in, then your wish is granted anyway. And if both make it, it's guaranteed to happen soon."

"Um, what if he misses?"

He gives me an amused look. "This is Kise we're talking about, you know? Plus, I'm sure most of the people down there are just lining up to get to see him rather than have a wish fulfilled."

I glance down at the line, and realize that most of them are girls. For some reason, my heart speeds up.

At that point, Kise reenters the court, and a roar runs through the crowd. He's wearing his Kaijou uniform, and the royal blue and white seems to almost shine. He still has the tips of his hair dyed black, but with most of it remaining the bright yellow, he's easily identifiable.

"Are you thinking of a wish?"

I'm startled by the question and Nakamura cocks his head at me.

"What do you mean?" I ask him blankly.

"I mean, Kise wants you to go down there, right?"

I lean over, suddenly feeling sick. "U-um, I don't think that would be a good idea. I mean — I'm still wearing a costume."

He gives me an amused look. "You're just going to be making a shot. Besides, lots of people here are dressed up."

Of course, he's right. It's not like I'll be racing around the court or anything. Making a shot is simple. Not that I've done it in years. The probability of me missing is high, high, high.

And I don't want to be anywhere near Kise, especially since he's currently being swallowed up by his hungry fangirls.

"ALRIGHTY!" A voice booms across some speakers and I wince. "Let's go to it, people! Lovely miss, what's your name?"

My jaw nearly drops to the floor. "Who appointed Moriyama-senpai as the announcer?" I whisper to Nakamura, and he just shrugs.

The first girl in line shyly steps up to the microphone and says, "Hello. I'm Mizuno Kame. It's — it's a pleasure to be here!" She looks straight at Kise when she says the last words, and it's obvious she almost said "with you."

"Indeed, it is," Moriyama says, clearly taking her words the wrong way. "So, Mizuno-san, what is your wish for today?" Taking a ball from Hayakawa who hovers near, he hands it toward her and she rolls it across her palm nervously.

"I — I'd like to . . ." Her face is red, and everyone waits with bated breath for her answer. "I'd like someone to notice my affections and return them."

Oh, could she have chosen something more cliché?

Moriyama is charmed, though. "Ah, how nice. I'm sure that your wish will be granted today, Mizuno-san. And now, please step forward and take your shot! No need to rush. This is a very important wish, after all."

I roll my eyes, but the girl doesn't take a long time like I thought, but lets the ball fly through her fingertips immediately. To my surprise, instead of going wide, it hits the edge of the basket before teetering, teetering — and missing.

Everyone moans and I think I almost see tears in the girl's eyes.

"Don't worry, Mizuno-san!" Moriyama proclaims. "We'll fix it right away. Kise-kun . . ."

Kise nods, a wide grin on his face, and he takes another ball from Hayakawa. The girl's tears immediately disappear and then she's just enraptured by him — I think everyone is, including me. Because the way he moves just seems so natural, like he truly works hard for it and enjoys doing it.

The balls slides through his fingers, up and down, pounding the ground — then he's jumping and it's soaring through the air.

A beautiful, clean shot that takes my breath away.

The crowd claps and cheers, and I think I feel the ground shake.

The girl thanks Kise profusely and then it's the next. And the next after that. An A on a test. A new cat. Money to travel abroad. More love problems. Most of the girls' shots are completely off, but a few make it in, and Kise always delivers.

The line is beginning to thin, and Nakamura warns me that they're closing the event in ten minutes.

"Now or never," he says.

Now or never.

I don't take chances very often. Kise is the one who always does that. Leading me forward, pushing me, challenging me.

But he brought me here, didn't he? He wanted me to be here.

I don't want to disappoint him.

My legs are moving before I know it, and then I'm the last in line, Moriyama proclaiming that they're finished "accepting applications" or whatever that means. A few girls turn away crying, giving me evil glares, though I hardly think it's my fault.

There are only three girls before me, and they seem to fly by. Kise sees me and a grin slides onto his face, huge and unrestricted. He starts to hold out his hand toward me, but then bites his lip, and drops it. I snort. After the stunt he pulled earlier, I hardly think anything he could do now could ruin my reputation further. Not that I had any to begin with.

"Ichikawa-san!" Moriyama says with glee, and he glances sneakily at Kise. "How are you this fine day? My, look at this dress. Truly a beauty you are. Oh, whoops, sorry — I'm just stating the facts, you know?" He coughs and continues. "Anyways, Ichikawa-san, what's your wish for the day?"

I hadn't thought about one at all. Kise is staring straight at me, his eyes probing and daring.

I swallow. "I want . . . to be able to express myself. I want to be able to tell . . . someone . . . that maybe . . ." My mind is a storm, and I can't see through my thoughts. "I want to tell them how much I enjoy spending time with them."

The words rattle in the air, and at first, I'm not sure if I said them at all.

But then I see that Kise's eyes are wide — that there is a smile tugging at his lips, and I know I am doomed. I just fell into a cliché, didn't I?

"Very noble of you, Ichikawa-san," Moriyama says in a serious voice. He hands me a ball, and I almost gasp at the feel of it in my hands. I haven't touched one in so long and yet it feels like just yesterday since I last played. I'd expected it to feel foreign, wrong, but it's still familiar, still so . . .

I glance up at Kise.

Right.

He nods at me, and I take a few steps toward the hoop, praying I won't trip over my dress. Experimentally, I dribble the ball a few times, and then I shoot.

It is a nice, clean arc, and the moment it leaves my fingertips, I know it will go in. And I know this is the real reason Kise brought me here. He wanted me to play basketball again, to stop lying to myself, to return to something that I love.

Sometimes, I wonder if he knows me better than I do myself.

I can distantly hear the people cheering at the goal, but then Kise is beside me, another ball in his hand, and he leans close — but not too close — and whispers in my ear, "So you like spending time with me?"

"Idiot," I say. "You already knew that a long time ago. Otherwise, why would I suffer so many hours with you?"

He smiles, a soft smile that reaches his eyes, lighting up the golden orbs. He says, "Of course I knew. I'm just glad you know now, too. By the way, Ichikawa-san, what's your favorite type of shot?"

My face goes red, and I just manage to stammer out an answer. "I don't really care either way. But do something impressive. It's the least you owe me."

He smirks and I see the fire in his eyes at the challenge. "You got it."

Then he's racing toward the hoop. People cry out, not having expected his speed and ferocity. A smooth, powerful jump, and he slams the ball through the basket with the force of both his hands.

It's a perfect dunk.

The ball thuds to the ground, and he drops down, his knees bending to ease the fall, and twists to grin at me, lifting up a hand in the victory sign.

I just sigh, and admit defeat.

Kinda like that dunk, I've fallen, and I've fallen hard.

A/N: I believe that one of the best aspects of a healthy relationship is that each person brings the best out of the other, whether that's things they refuse to acknowledge (but need to), hidden talents that should see the light, or fears that should be accepted. Kise and Eirin's relationship is kind of centered around this - they both rarely hold back when it comes to each other, so it helps them look at themselves in a more objective way, bringing out truths they never would've seen otherwise. Hopefully, this is somewhat clear.

Thanks for reading! For those of you who have left reviews, thanks so much! If you're so inclined and have the time, I'd love to read more of your thoughts.

~ J. Dominique