Late Nights 2: Feelings (Part 2.1/?)
XXX
Yokohama Stadium, 1:15PM, Daiei vs Shohoku, InterHigh Finals
To say that the stadium is packed of people would be an understatement. From the staggering crowd of Daiei High, their banners waving, high and proud as they all chant "3PEAT". The school's management went all out to support their men's basketball team as cheering paraphernalia of all kinds swarmed almost half of the stadium, tassels of their school's color hovered among the rest. Shohoku's not without care as their school board managed to pull out monetary support to fund the team; since making it in the Inter Highs last year, their school too, has gained a fair following from their own student population, the other Kanagawa basketball teams, and some other nearby institutions as well. The once underdog and 'unknown' campus blossoming into some kind of powerhouse team one should also be wary of. From the bleachers, team Ryonan had a good view of the upcoming game, together with their coach, Taoka and the rest of the team—they sat in anticipation.
"Where the heck is that Sendoh again?" Coach Taoka muttered for the nth time as if this was all part of the routine. Hikoichi, who was sitting near the old guy flipped open his phone and started dialing. "Uh, I already called him awhile ago, Coach!"
"Well, call him again! It's the awarding ceremony after this and I assigned him to receive the plaque. That kid…" Taoka huffed and berated as he shook his head while the other players could only snicker and shrugged, too used at their Captain's looseness. "Fukuda, you get him. I don't care how you do it, find him and drag him here!" Taoka ordered—yelling almost as the people around them chuckled in amusement. Fukuda who was sitting behind his old coach, texting lazily on his phone, heaved a sigh and nodded. "Yeah, sure coach." The power forward of Ryonan stood up and scratched his head and yawned, wondering why the heck is he assigned to sniff the whereabouts of their Ace.
Meanwhile…
Sendoh yawned and rubbed his eyes for the nth time. Their party ended right about 4am—everyone was literally tipsy, a few were drunk. But they were all good. Needless to say, it was a fun night. And Sendoh knew that its probably going to take awhile until it happens again—especially now that he's graduating and would be leaving Ryonan for college. He scratched his nape and stared hard at the vending machine in front of him, not knowing what to actually choose—coffee, a power drink, soda, flavored water, cold teas… chips, candies, gums, protein bars… even toys and plushies. Vending machines in Japan can be a pain but it sure attracts tons of tourists but sometimes having too many choices isn't helpful. Sendoh hastily pressed a random button and soon enough a loud clank descended—he opted for some dark roast coffee.
He got the can and opened the top lid with a flick of a finger and drank, partly noting in the nutty aroma and tasting the bitterness of it; but it was good. And instantly he thought he can last the whole day.
"Sendoh?"
The aforementioned name turned when he heard his name and blinked his eyes in surprise. Maki Shinichi and Jin Soichiro of Kainan and Fujima Kenji and Toru Hanagata of Shoyo. "Hey, how are you?" It was Fujima, smiling and waving as he did so. Sendoh tugged his lips upward and nodded at the four graduated players of Kanagawa, approaching them and tapping hands.
"How are you, Sendoh." Hanagata asked.
"Good, thanks." Sendoh nodded, smiling.
"I remember approaching you before in front of the vending machine as well—a year ago." Maki stated, smiling as he did so. Sendoh grinned and nodded. "Really. Surprised you still remember that." Maki simply shrugged. "Congratulations by the way, for winning second runner-up." Maki added.
"Yeah it was… a hard fought one—but, we came up short." Sendoh stated.
"Saw it on TV actually, you guys were great." Jin added. Sendoh nodded his thanks.
"So this between Daiei and Shohoku, eh?" Fujima stated. Sendoh nodded.
"Who do you think would win?" Fujima added, looking at Maki.
The former captain of Kainan shrugged. "I honestly don't know, why don't we ask Sendoh?" The captain of Ryonan chuckled and sipped onto his can of coffee.
"I say Daiei takes this." Hanagata stated, almost surely. "Its their third time in the Nationals and Tsuchiya's last." He added. "Quite a Daiei fan, huh. Will we be hearing you chant 3PEAT later?" Fujima flippantly said, everyone chuckled as Hanagata simply adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "Hn, I'll see if I could." Another laughter from the group, even Hanagata chuckled at his own thought.
"I'm gonna go with Shohoku. They've come a long way." Jin said with a smile.
"Well…" Sendoh started, wondering if he should tell his own thoughts. "I guess its up to whichever team who wanted it the most." Sendoh muttered. Fujima and Jin nodded. Hanagata simply listened. Maki simply tugged his lips upward, trust Sendoh to answer almost uncaringly but wittingly as well.
A few more exchanges of greets and chats and soon they were interrupted with the loud cheers and roar from inside of the stadium. The game is about to begin.
"Sendoh." Fukuda called and Sendoh paused—but not before nodding and waving at the retreating backs of the four people he crashed into awhile ago. "Hey Fuku."
Fukuda scoffed as he saw the four left. "Did I interrupt a reunion?" Sendoh simply chuckled. Fukuda wryly smiled. "Coach Taoka's hypertensive, he's asking where the lemon-sucking bastard is. Have you seen him?" Sendoh laughed. "Yeah, I thought I saw him awhile ago." Fukuda smirked. "Really. That bastard always up to no good, eh." Sendoh chuckled and the two Ryonan boys found themselves walking the opposite direction.
XXX
Cheers. Blaring music. Roar. Hoots. Calls. The beating of drums, chatters. Everything a championship match would describe. Its all in at the given moment. Rukawa tried to drown the noise by sealing one ear with an earplug and some blasting rock music, but his focus remained laser-like. Just a few more minutes before the introduction and game begins and he's concentration is zeroing on in guarding Daiei's Ace and how to outsmart him. He saw how the dude plays and the guy's a shooter—can take any shots literally everywhere, has speed and stamina—passes all around…almost like someone he knew. But not quite. Rukawa blinked his eyes momentarily, wondering where his passive thought led him.
Take care. Weird. Rukawa found himself mulling over Sendoh's words—he actually said a lot but the last one, for some reason puzzled him. 'Sendoh… I can pay you now.' He found himself considering instead; remembering the bill he still owed the older guy.
"You… okay, Rukawa-kun?" Haruko asked, both hands clutching onto a file folder for player stats. She smiled; a faint blush obvious on her cheeks. Rukawa looked up and blinked, it was their co-manageress of the team. He nodded, noting their previous Captain's sister.
From outside their designated room, the thunderous cheers can be heard; 3peat! Daiei! 3peat! Daiei!
"Sheesh, will they cut it out with that 3peat ass chant already." Sakuragi hollered as he leaned carelessly on the lockers. Mitsui snickered as he ties, he shoelaces securely. "Cant fight it boy, three-fourths of this stadium screams Daiei. Cant even hear our team being cheered, hahaha!"
"The hell, I'm sure we got fans Micchy, I mean… I got fans, nyahaha! Sakuragi almost sneered and hollered and in no time a familiar bop landed on his redhead. "Don't you even dare of pulling up any monkey antics today, I need you to focus on your defense and do what you do best!" Akagi reminded him, his eyes full of steely determination. Sakuragi smirked. "You don't need to tell me that, I know very well." He grinned as he tapped hands with the former Captain. "I'm gonna get all the rebounds even if it bounces off the stadium!" Sakuragi hollered. They all laughed-except for one who only managed to roll his eyes and scoffed.
"Okay, listen team—this is it, we've worked hard for this. This is the moment. We maybe coming in hot on the championship spot, but we earned this and we deserved it. And we will win this because we are strong!" Miyagi stated and with some final reminders and the whatnots, they all tapped hands and roared their way out and into the court where hundreds of crowds welcomed them as team Daiei entered as well on the other side of their court.
"The game between Daiei High Institute and Shohoku High will now commenced, thank you for waiting!"
And instantly the place resounded to life. The introduction of important people and those who were responsible for the event were first outlined earning a few boring claps from the crowd and soon enough, a livelier voice took over the announcement of both teams and instantly Daiei's huge tarpaulin hovered above the crowd. Daiei's players entered almost fancily—hopping with some decorative foot works coupled with hiphop music beat as they came in with dark sunglasses on, raising their hands, clapping, with smiles plastered on their faces—confidence clearly etched as if they're just here to entertain. A humongous cheer erupted when their Ace was introduced though. Tsuchiya Atsushi entered with his usual smile as his hand waved, fingers signed into threes as he tapped with his teammates.
"Damn, crowd alone will eat you." Ikegami stated. Team Ryonan could only watch on their bleachers.
"Uwaah, they didn't wear those yesterday!" Hikoichi wailed.
"They're really confident they'd win against Shohoku." Uekusa stated.
"Matrix-wannabees." Fukuda muttered.
"I'd like to see them wear those crappy shades again when they lose to Shohoku." Koshino muttered and they all chuckled.
"Cant believed you faced them yesterday, Sendoh." Uozumi muttered, flickering an eye to the calm Ryonan Ace sitting to his right and to Taoka's left. Sendoh stared at Daiei's almost taunting team, he can't believe they almost stole the crown from them. He felt his lips tugged upward as he felt like relishing the moments. He sipped onto his coffee can as the announcer turned to introduce the team, he thought would upset Daiei. "Can't believe… it either." Sendoh answered—almost wondering if it's the fact that they faced Daiei or maybe… something else he thought was impossible; only that it isn't.
XXX
"Teme, what a bunch of show-off pricks! Those Daiei weirdos…" Sakuragi hollered as the announcer is getting ready to introduce them. "Hanamichi, focus man! You're first!" Miyagi hollered, shaking his head at their simpleton center. Soon after, their names, positions and number were announced one by one—to the delight of the Shohoku fans. Ayako and Haruko clapped and tapped hands with their team as they were called one by one.
Sakuragi was the first to be called and instantly his peers stood up and waved their banner relentlessly. In fairness to Sakuragi, he gained attention and following since his amazing performance from last year's Inter High. He walked normally as he grinned and glared into the camera that was zooming on them and straight up to the big screen above the stadium thus the crowd having a good look at the players. He strutted confidently with his right hand raised and curved into a fist—his usual menacing grin and 'killer eye' taunting Daiei from across. Sakuragi partially stared to where Mito and his gang were and cackled when he saw them waving a banner but stopped and let out his usual ruckus when he saw what was written. "Teme, Yohei!" Roses are red, Violets are blue, #10 just might DUNK on YOU!
"Whoohoo, go Hanamichi!"
"We're cheering for you!"
"The tensai has arrived!"
Those who saw the banner chuckled in amusement as they clapped their hands for Sakuragi—the now 190cm taller center of Shohoku gaining some following and admirers since his stellar debut performance in the Nationals last year. One by one, they were called, followed by newcomer Yasuda who flashed his usual 'peace-sign' and shyly nod onto the camera and crowd. He tapped hands with Sakuragi who was waiting and laughing at his colleague. "Nyahaha, don't worry Yasu, I got your back! The tensai is here!"
"Thanks Sakuragi, I'm counting on you!" Yasuda muttered as he tapped hands and wait on the court with the redhead.
Uozumi blinked and scoffed. "Oh, that's the new player." Sendoh simply blinked and shrugged. Coach Taoka simply sighed and shared his thought. "Yasuda—not as strong as the rest but I think he can pull on some jumper, hopefully he doesn't crack under pressure." The other Ryonan members nodded in agreement and could only hope so.
Miyagi was called in next; he grinned as he tapped hands with Haruko and instantly went lovestruck when his hands collided with Ayako. Ayako could only scoff but she smiled back. "This is for you, Aya-chan. Hehe." He sheepishly muttered, scratching his curly hair. Ayako rolled her eyes and winked. "We've got this, Captain!"
Mitsui laughed as he playfully pushed their smaller point guard/Captain. "Run along now, lover boy!" He hollered, earning a glare from Miyagi and warming Ayako's ears. Miyagi nodded, waved, grinned and even curved his hands together, making a heart, earning him a fair share of the crowd's pleasure as he approached their two colleagues and the other Shohoku team members.
"Miyagi-senpai! You can dooo ittt!" Hikoichi shouted from his seat.
"Oh. He's the Captain now." Fujima muttered to a nodding Maki and Hanagata.
"Must be hard for him." Hanagata stated, crossing his arms as he did so.
"Miyagi seems responsible though." Maki stated.
"Agree." Jin muttered.
"Even so—it'll be a big challenge because-?!" Hanagata was saying something when he was cut to his surprise.
"Oh, shut up, Daiei fan." Fujima chuckled. Pause. The four former senior basketball players chuckled to their own silliness as they sit tight and waited for the game.
Sendoh simply smiled and clapped his hands for Miyagi whom he has been quite acquainted too, as well for the past years. As a fellow point guard, he had always regarded Miyagi's skill also as top notched. "Still got some big shoes to fill?" Sendoh muttered to Uozumi who smirked and nod. "Yeah but—he can manage." Sendoh simply snorted and agreed at Uozumi.
Rukawa readied himself—he's next. He heaved a sigh and stretched his arms forward, as he listened to the announcer—waiting for his name to be called—only to surprise him. Mitsui tapped him on the back, winked and grinned at him. "See you outside, boy! That's my name!" Rukawa was left to partly gape as Mitsui jogged, tapping hands with Haruko, Ayako, and some people along the opened doors as the crowd cheered and greeted him. He blinked his eyes in confusion, he knew he was next but turned out he's last.
He scoffed and could only shake his head in disappointment. Mitsui took in the time to relish the moment of being called and cheered on. He glared at his ever-loyal friends/gang; Houta and the others who was a tad bit embarrassing but he very much appreciates. "Micchy booyyy!"
He smirked and raised his hand-waving. His eyes caught sight of Sakuragi's gang, team Ryonan, and some familiar faces. Mitsui pointed a finger at them and they could only chuckle at the three-pointer and now senior of Shohoku. Mitsui also nodded at Akagi and of course, his close friend, Kogure.
Tapping hands with Sakuragi, Yasuda, Miyagi, and the rest, he grinned and chuckled as he and Miyagi shared light-hearted moments. "Damn I looked good on screen. I mean, the appeal is hard to miss, hahaha!" He chortled. Miyagi laughed. "Yeah, damn illusions." Mitsui scoffed. "Shut up, muffin." Sakuragi cackled. "Nyaha, Micchy your cheerleaders sure are fired up." He uttered referring to Houta and the gang. Mitsui scoffed. "Concentrate on your rebounds, you monkey." Sakuragi jeered. "Uuh-uhh-aah-ahh." He flippantly joked, imitating the sound of a monkey. His teammates could only laugh at his silly antics.
"This is it, Miyagi. I don't want to graduate without holding that goddamn trophy." Mitsui exclaimed; eyes full of steely determination. Miyagi nodded ay they eyed Daiei who was simply looking at them as if they're nothing but a practice match. "Don't you dare give up on your knees now, Mitsui." Miyagi reminded now and Mitsui couldn't agree more.
Just a few moments after Mitsui Hisashi was called, the crowd bellowed. The cheers, if not, doubled as the familiar chant of the four-letter word isn't enough to introduce him. Ayako's eyes widened as she peeped outside the roaring stadium, she then turned to the last person who was passively standing a few steps away from her; the said raven-haired player looking at her (to her surprise). Ayako chuckled softly and nodded. "I forgot to tell you that you're last to be called." She muttered. Rukawa sighed and almost rolled his eyes to the amusement of both Haruko and Ayako. "I mean, you alone could get the whole crowd up their feet." She winked.
Its no surprise that Rukawa is undoubtedly the 'famous' one among his team, and the fact that his stellar performance as a first-year student last year left an impression, plus the other fact that he was recruited to train under all-Japan team the previous year as well. It just added fuel to the fire.
"Whatever." He muttered as he once again stretched his arms and flexed his fingers. Rukawa removed one earplug in one ear, leaving the other plugged in and his small compact mp3 player dangling onto his neck. The two girls could only giggle as they stretched their hands—Rukawa tapping both of them as his name was called (and almost drowned in the holla of the excited crowd).
He tapped a few expecting hands who were outstretched, eager to get a tap from him. His blue eyes flickering to the whole stadium—as tassels of pink and white, red and white, and the whatnots waved. He even saw Sakuragi's gang, familiar faces, former Tomigaoka batchmates, team Ryonan…He saw banners of his name and was a bit bothered when he saw a large screen atop—with his face zoomed in, sending his female population fans up in heaven. Only then Rukawa noticed the camera to his right and being clueless as to what to do, he found himself staring into the lens; to the delight of his massive female fans—his attractive features zeroing in like added bonus.
Rukawa partly gasped as if remembering something upon seeing the men in blue and black jerseys. He involuntarily felt something in his right hand—he had been clutching on for the past minutes since forgetting to just put it inside his pocket. He unwillingly lifted his hand and unfolded the one-thousand paper bill. Sakuragi and the others were dumbfounded; Mitsui and Miyagi could only gape and laugh. The crowd were surprised and bewildered at the same time.
Rukawa held the bill in front of the camera, hoping the person whom he owed, would see it. The cheers went on as if it were nothing but Rukawa's frisky attitude whom they all thought was non-existent. He walked nonchalantly after that short stunt, raising his right hand with the paper bill in between his index and middle finger as if saying, 'I got your money, doaho'.
"What the heck was that-?!" Miyagi stated as he chortled.
"Teme, you attention-seeking bastard!" Sakuragi fumed.
Rukawa tapped hands with his teammates (even with Sakuragi) as he stood beside Mitsui. "Boy that was funny, you dope!" Mitsui cackled as he tapped hands with Rukawa. "What's that money for? You betting on Daiei? Hahahah!" Mitsui stated. Rukawa shrugged. He honestly didn't know what has gotten into him as well. "I… owe someone, senpai." He muttered lowly. Mitsui could only blink and smirked. "Pretty smart thing to do huh, televised it? You just wished this person's watching!" Rukawa scoffed lightly and shrugged, partly flickering an eye to where he thought he saw Ryonan. "He is."
And the game between Daiei and Shohoku commenced.
Astonished. Surprised. Sendoh knew Rukawa was quite popular in his school and probably in some other nearby institutions as well, but he never thought he's this quite prominent. Not like the celebrity kind, its more of… its like, a lot of people knew of him and his skills in high school Nationals. Sendoh was quite dumbfounded when the stadium almost roared just a few moments when Mitsui was first called, then the stoic boy. He didn't even get to hear Rukawa's name; all he heard was shrieks, squeals, and cheers. Sendoh found himself smirking as his own team could only gape when the familiar figure of Rukawa Kaede walked almost nonchalantly outside, eyes seemingly roaming around, his familiar scowl checking on him, and his usual unreceptive demeanor confirming its him alright.
Sendoh couldn't quite remember how long has he been staring onto the wide screen situated right above the court, all he knew is that—his eyes were suddenly caught fixated at Rukawa's striking features. The camera seems to love him as it zoomed in for quite a few seconds before Rukawa finally 'noticing' the irritating guy probably beside him, Sendoh partly chuckled when he saw Rukawa's brows furrowing slightly and glaring at the camera, then suddenly fishing out a thousand bill to his surprised.
Sendoh gasped—his words seemed to have been caught in his throat, he was about to blurt out something but he found himself coughing instead to Uozumi and Taoka's surprise. "Hey, you okay?" Uozumi muttered. Sendoh nodded as he cleared his throat and stared at the court before them, the crowd, mostly female still cheering and chanting that familiar 'l-o-v-e' incantation. He would have cringe if it weren't for Rukawa Kaede's surprising erratic behaviour just awhile ago.
"What the heck?!" Koshino muttered, pointing on the court. "The hell is Rukawa waving? A bill?" He laughed at the absurdity.
"Did someone drop their bill or something?" Ikegami asked.
"Uwaah, maybe it belongs to Coach Anzai!" Hikoichi muttered. Uekusa simply chuckled. "I don't think so, Hikoichi."
"Hey, that's my money, Rukawa! Give it back to me, later!" Koshino shouted from the bleachers earning him a few looks from the crowd. Some members of team Ryonan chuckled and started talking to themselves. Sendoh scoffed lightly and tugged his lips upward, shaking his head in disbelief. 'Rukawa, you…' He inwardly chuckled to himself, surprised at the rookie's odd display of behaviour. It was refreshing though.
Taoka raised both of his brows, but chuckled nonetheless. "Did this kid bet on Daiei or something?" The students/players laughed at their coach. Fukuda scoffed, while playing on his phone. "He just probably owes someone." Several heads turned at him as well as Sendoh who simply looked at him as if his colleague knew all along. Fukuda chuckled to his amusement and stared at Sendoh. "Am I right, Sendoh?" Fukuda jeered. Sendoh scoffed and shrugged. "Well… I wouldn't know, maybe." They both laughed. Sendoh turned to stare right back on the court. Both teams faced each other, tapped each other's hands and went on their respective corners to warm up.
Soon enough, the game begun.
xxx
Third quarter. 54-50. Shohoku trailing behind two baskets. Time out has been called by Daiei. The stadium's mood was that of celebratory as fans of both teams refused to sit down, instead, throw jeers and playful insults against each other. Sakuragi's gang especially refused to back down against some Daiei group of teenage punks as well as they throw silly antics against each other to the delight of a few people around them.
Coach Anzai moved his chips on board with Akagi and Kogure semi-supervising in assistance to the old coach. Haruko busied herself with recording points, fouls, and other statistics as Ayako hand down refreshments. Coach Anzai instructed Sakuragi and the rest and they all nodded. The whistle blew and the final few minutes of third quarter is about to begin. The others started walking back on the court. Rukawa drank onto his bottle, wiped his mouth with the back of his mouth and was about to toss his bottle wherever when Ayako was already there, her ready hands asking for Rukawa's bottle. The player handed his bottle but hesitated a bit. Ayako blinked her brown eyes, seeing Rukawa's moment of hesitation. "Doaho, I wouldn't mix your bottle with the rest, trust me." She winked. Rukawa simply scoffed and nodded his thanks.
"Rukawa-kun."
Rukawa turned to see his old coach calling him with an annoyed Sakuragi and Mitsui. He furrowed his brows slightly but walked back. The old coach sighed and smiled his usual. "I want you three to work together, understand?" Anzai muttered. Sakuragi cackled his usual and pat the old man like always. "You can always count on your secret weapon, old man, nyahaha!" Anzai simply chuckled at his simpleton player.
"Goddammit Sakuragi, show some respect, you dork!" Mitsui grunted as he tried to bat away Sakuragi's prying hands.
Rukawa blinked his eyes, not uttering a word as Anzai's play come into sight. He could only swallow involuntarily as Sakuragi continued his chuckles and Mitsui nodded in agreement. "Teme, you hear that you goddamn feeble fox!" The redhead berated like a hen. Mitsui nodded. "Agreed coach!" Mitsui tapped both Sakuragi and Rukawa. "You wait for my signal, got that redhead, fox?" Sakuragi grinned and the two boys high-fived. Mitsui simply looked at the passive Rukawa but tapped hands with him.
The players of both teams met on the middle of the court once more as the referees were still huddled on one corner, seemingly talking to the umpire of the games. Rukawa batted an eye on the clock. A minute left before the third quarter ends. They couldn't afford to have Daiei take the last shot, they had to at least closed in the gap.
"Its such a shame, Aiwa beat the hell out of you guys, last year." Tsuchiya muttered smugly as he eyed Rukawa who was simply staring at the shot clock, his mind trying to visualized the play they had to execute. Tsuchiya took in the moment to stare at the slightly smaller and lanky Ace player of the opposing team. He knew of Rukawa Kaede, has heard of him and actually saw him last year when they battled out Sannoh. And frankly speaking, he thought the guy wasn't really anything special; true he has the skill and talent, but it seemed ordinary. Or at least that is what Tsuchiya had in mind.
He wasn't as fast and skilled as what everybody is labeling him to be. Tsuchiya thought Sendoh of Ryonan was way much better. If there's probably one thing, he took noticed of, is Rukawa's striking features. "Got tons of fans, huh." Tsuchiya muttered again. Silence. Tsuchiya frowned and scoffed. "To be honest, you disappoint me, I thought you'd be a force to reckon with—that Sendoh of Ryonan is definitely better than you." A pause. "But, in the end he's still a sore loser." Tsuchiya added.
It was then Rukawa turned his eyes to the noisy Ace of Daiei. Tsuchiya was taken aback just as the whistle blew, signaling the final minute of the third quarter. It was Shohoku's ball. And Rukawa prepared himself, physically and mentally—as he carefully reserved all of his energy until the fourth quarter, determined to shut the mouth of the talking player he's been assigned to guard with. He hated loudmouthed jerks. Tsuchiya smirked as he prepared to defend as well. He was about to say something when he was caught to his surprise.
The inbound pass has been made and instantly the players jogged towards the other side of the court, Shohokus to be exact. Miyagi received the inbound by Yasuda, dribbling it lowly, eyes darting to the whole court, looking for an opening. He saw Mitsui, trying to get away from his guard. Yasuda, who's still having a hard time getting away from his tight guard, is a no-go. There's also Sakuragi who was running in and out of the shaded area. His eyes sought for Rukawa who was eyeing him as well but was being partly overshadowed by Tsuchiya. 'Not a good idea.' Miyagi muttered inwardly. He saw how fast Tsuchiya could intercept but there is something in Rukawa's eyes that tells him that he should pass whatever.
Miyagi clacked his tongue. 'Dammit, why do I get to be teammates with this fiery forward, anyway.' Miyagi inwardly fussed. Time is dwindling down; their shot clock is decreasing with each millisecond. Miyagi cursed under his breath as he was left with no choice. 'Rukawa, you punk, get this in.' Miyagi dribbled fast, tried to shook off his opponent and with one swift motion, passed the ball in Rukawa's direction.
"Rukawa!" Miyagi hollered. Tsuchiya knew. And as he was getting ready to steal the incoming and spinning orange leather, he was aghast when Rukawa came out of nowhere as if a blur.
The crowd rose to their feet when Rukawa managed to get a hold of the ball, instantly holding onto it as if it was his sole property. Rukawa held the ball with two hands to his left, as Tsuchiya prepared his defense stance. Rukawa's eyes bore holes onto Tsuchiya's demeaning stare, steadying his breath as he prepared himself for the final twenty or so minutes of the whole game.
Tsuchiya smirked. "Come on, pretty boy." He grinned. "Or are you all just… sex on legs?"
Rukawa felt his hand on the ball tightened as he refrained himself from bashing the latter with the round leather on his face and maybe, just forget about the game. If this isn't basketball, Rukawa knew, Tsuchiya would have been dead by now. He dribbled the ball—hard as he prepares his counterattack, but not without flailing a snide remark. Tsuchiya scoffed.
"There are two things you should know…" Rukawa muttered under his breath. Tsuchiya's brows furrowed, first-time to hear his opponent speak since the first quarter. He honestly thought Rukawa's deaf, but turns out he was just being ignored by the younger opponent.
Rukawa continued dribbling, changing the pace every to or so. "Better." Tsuchiya furrowed his brows, not quite getting Rukawa's word. "Sendoh is way better than you." Tsuchiya was surprised. Rukawa dribbled faster now, his knees bent a tad bit lower than usual, his eyes blazing with anger and determination, his feet, ready to take off any second now. "And the second one…" Rukawa muttered. Tsuchiya braced himself, he knew Rukawa would take off any sooner.
Rukawa batted an eye on the shot clock—ten seconds. Tsuchiya must have blinked because the next thing he knew, Rukawa sped off past him as the whole court moved to their whereabouts. The crowd roared in excitement as they cheered, hooted and pumped their fist up in the air.
From above, team Ryonan gape and leaned forward as the final dying seconds ticked by. Sendoh's eyes moved alternately from the court to Shohoku's shot clock, his lips pursed, his left hand clenched in a fist, his right palm supporting his chin, as he saw everything from where he was. Sendoh knew, Tsuchiya must have been talking/saying something to Rukawa to which the latter is simply waving everything off since the first quarter, but he sensed that the Daiei player must have said something to pissed off the younger Shohoku player. 'That is not how you get him to speak to you… bastard.' Sendoh, found himself mulling randomly, and it surprised him.
Rukawa charged towards the basket. Eyes ablaze. Mind in murder-mode. "Rukawa, pass!" Mitsui hollered as the senior waved off his guard, running to where the pass may occur. Miyagi charged towards in support to Rukawa just in case he doesn't make it. "Sakuragi, get ready to jump!" The redhead gnarled and turned his fiery eyes to his teammate who was charging like a bull. "Teme, you fox! Stick with our play you jerk!" Sakuragi tried to pushed off Daiei's huge centre, his back colliding against their center's hard chest.
Rukawa saw the clock. 9… 8… 7… He dribbled twice, as one opponent tried to tap the ball to his right, but was no match against Rukawa's fast hands as he dribbled the ball behind him to switched to his left. The crowd bellowed. Rukawa docked and spun around as Tsuchiya tried to blocked him; he ran then jumped; the ball held up on his left hand. Daiei's center and Sakuragi jumped as well, intending to at least tap the ball away and Sakuragi being there to cover him.
6…5…4…
The sound of ball colliding onto the rim was evident as the shot clock buzzed off. The score was 54-52. And the crowd went wild. Daiei's coach called for a short time-out with twenty seconds remaining in the third quarter. The stadium lost its roof to the cheers and claps as they witness two teams battling it out for the coveted title of being National champions.
Tsuchiya cursed under his breath as he glared to his left, seeing Rukawa staring back at him menacingly as well. Mitsui saw the two heated players and approached Rukawa. "Boy, keep it cool!" Tsuchiya smirked and walked past Rukawa as the crowd bellowed and hoot, as if expecting for a fist fight to erupt between the two-star players.
"Is that the second statement? Fluke dunk, pretty boy." Tsuchiya, being the first ever to provoke that he is, was about to scratch his forehead with his middle finger up. "Just like Sendoh's fluke shots." A smirked.
Rukawa saw this what the pesky player is up to and he took in the moment to speak his mind. "The second one?" Tsuchiya was made to pause in his action.
Rukawa scoffed. "There's a tree, somewhere out there, whose single purpose on Earth is to replace the oxygen you waste." Rukawa paused and almost smirked. "Go find it and apologize, unpretty boy."
Tsuchiya gritted his teeth. "Fuck you." Rukawa snorted. Tsuchiya muttered, wanting to approach the younger player but the referee saw it. The crowd clamored as they see the incoming fight. Team Ryonan was at the edge of their seats.
"Hey break it!" The referee whistled as two of them approached. "Rukawa, stop it, boy!" Mitsui came in between the two players and pushed Rukawa away, batting an eye to Tsuchiya. "Is there a problem here?" The referee asked. Mitsui smiled. "Nah sir, we're all cool, right fox?" He elbowed Rukawa who simply kept his silence but nodded anyway. Sakuragi marched towards to where the heat is and instantly some players of Daiei went over as well to back up their Ace. "Teme, what the heck is this ruckus!" Sakuragi growled. "Stay away from this, redhead." The center goaded at Sakuragi. The center closed his fist. "You stay away too, biggie-boo."
"Hey, keep it down, both of you!" The referee warned. Miyagi gritted his teeth in annoyance as he rubbed his face and jogged towards them. "Hanamichi?! Rukawa, come back here now!" He hollered. He approached the ref and smiled. "Its cool ref, we're down!" He grinned as both he and Mitsui pushed the two players off while Tsuchiya was ushered away by his own teammates.
"OOOHHH!" The whole crowd bellowed as tension arises from the floor.
XXX
It was war. Just like what Ryonan expected. The game was so good both teams have been exchanging baskets and points for the first five minutes of the game. The crowd had no chill as their cheers and voices engulfed the stadium like how the night would overcome the day.
Sendoh watched closely as Rukawa and Tsuchiya battled it out during their heated moments on court. Whenever the ball would be passed to either one of them, the stadium would roar into life. Its like watching himself and Rukawa play before, only that Sendoh can sense that Rukawa doesn't look too 'enthusiastic'—its like the younger player wants to murder Daiei's Ace and he could only wonder why.
Fourth quarter. 68-68. Shohoku's ball. Miyagi run past his defender, dribbling the ball expertly and threw in a pass at Yasuda who caught it—instantly he was guarded heavily. Yasuda can feel the heat and sweat from all over his body, his brows furrowed as he dribbled and gasped when the ball was tapped away from him.
Instantly the crowd of Daiei rose to celebrate. Fans of Shohoku was disappointed and Taoka can only clacked his tongue and shook his head. "Lost chance, tsk." He muttered. Sendoh kept his thoughts at bay as Daiei used the time to settle down and hopefully make a basket. The ball was thrown around like some fancy child's play and was returned back into the hands of Tsuchiya who made the crowd cheered.
The Daiei's Ace smirked as he faced Rukawa head on, his hands expertly dribbling the ball low and changing its pace rapidly. Rukawa had no means to steal it because he can be fouled and would let alone give Tsuchiya a chance on the free throw line and he can't let it happen because Tsuchiya is a shooter, can surely get the ball in for an easy two.
Tsuchiya attacked, but Rukawa isn't someone easy to get away from. He grinned and clacked his tongue. "Saw your fight against Sannoh last year, it was good. Too bad you can't defeat number nine, eh." He chuckled. Rukawa tried to ignore the statement, the bastard is probably referring to Sawakita who was undoubtedly one of the strongest he has come to face head-on.
With one swift motion, Tsuchiya evaded Rukawa's defense and sped off towards the baseline. Rukawa's eyes widened as he saw the latter stepped out of the line and fired a three. The crowd rose and shouted in anticipation. Sakuragi screened off Daiei's center as he looked on the approaching ball. He cursed underneath his breath and prayed the ball would bounce off. "Teme! Don't go in!" He muttered as he started chanting his voodoo hullabaloos.
"Tsuchiya's a shooter, punk." Daiei's center reminded him and the redhead could only growl in annoyance. "Am I talking to you, biggie-boo?" Daiei's center could only smirk as they all waited for the ball to go in. Rukawa gulped involuntarily, crossing his fingers for some reason; the ball hit the rim and bounced off! Tsuchiya was aghast and instantly the Shohoku fans celebrated. Even Taoka and team Ryonan let out a sigh of relief as they clapped their hands.
"Rebound!" Akagi roared from the sideline. "Nyahaha, voodoo in, ball is out!" Sakuragi cackled at Daiei's center who was surprised as well. Sakuragi being himself, jumped off and instantly got the ball. "Ryo-chin!" He shouted and threw the ball so hard; Miyagi was literally annoyed. "What the fuck, Hanamichi?!" The point guard/Captain run as fast as he could, his eyes keeping tabs on the sailing ball. Mitsui who was running as well with him raised his hands readying for a quick pass. "Pass to me! Pass!"
Miyagi caught the ball, almost tripping and losing it as both he and his defender scrambled on the rolling orange leather. Miyagi's determination leaped him off one notch higher as he was able to hold the ball, dribbled it and made a chest pass right onto the waiting hands of Mitsui.
"Micchy boy!" Houta and the gang shouted. Mitsui held the ball, stepped outside and released a long-range three-pointer. His guard barely making it to tapped the orange leather as it sailed perfectly up in a perfect arch. Everyone, literally stood up from their seats as the ball approached the rim.
Team Ryonan and everyone else was cheering for the ball to get in. Sendoh felt his hands clutched his body bag. His eyes widened and the stadium went wild as the ball hit the basket smoothly. Mitsui pumped his fist in the air as Shohoku's fans went frenzied. The score was 68-71 with two minutes remaining on the final quarter.
"Dammit!" Tsuchiya's Ace hollered. Tsuchiya threw in a glare at Mitsui and the others who was celebrating then to Rukawa who was simply looking back at him almost passively. "Fluke shot." Rukawa scoffed and snorted insultingly, his lips almost smirking as Daiei called in their last full timeout. "The game aint over yet, pretty boy." Tsuchiya muttered. Rukawa simply looked on and said nothing. Sendoh saw the brief exchange and could only smirked to himself as his eyes saw Rukawa shrugging with his hands and Tsuchiya walking away, mad, obviously. He wondered what Rukawa actually said.
XXX
Yokohama Stadium, 3:00 PM, Saturday
Its been a hell of a run. Both teams had an incredible run. Daiei and Shohoku both end it on the right note. But all good things must come to an end. And it is as such, in a way for better things to happen. Needless to say, still, Daiei managed to pull off the last straw—their relentless energy and force is sure to be reckoned with. The final score was 80-78. Shohoku placed 1st runner ups. And just like the scene with Ryonan, it was the same with Shohoku. But a game is a game, and the ball is round.
Sendoh dumped a sigh as he stared at the players donned in red and black. His eyes hovered above Sakuragi who wasn't embarrassed to show his emotions as he cried and sniffed. Kneeling down on the floor, pounding his fist. Akagi and Haruko being there to console him. The newcomer Yasuda too, seemed inconsolable. Miyagi shed a tear but Ayako was there, Mitsui, gritting his teeth in annoyance but was teary-eyed as Kogure and his gang approached him. Literally everyone was disappointed. Its like, they just ran out of gas in the final few seconds.
Coach Anzai could only sigh but managed a curt smile as the coach of Daiei approached him first, bowed, offered his hand, and smiled almost sheepishly. He shook hands with the older coach, clasping both hands properly and ushered Tsuchiya and the whole team to do the same.
One by one the players from both teams approached each other and tapped hands, and shoulders. Another season of the Nationals ended—for most, its just the beginning, but to some, it's the end; Mitsui and Miyagi tapped hands amidst their teary eyes and hugged each other. Soon after, Akagi, Kogure, and the rest followed suit.
Mitsui held Sakuragi up and wrapped an arm around the taller redhead. "Heads up boy, you did well! I'm proud of you. You can do it, next year." Sakuragi simply sniffed and stared at the whole team of Shohoku; Akagi's approving nod, Kogure's mellow stare, Miyagi's determined look—and the rest. He managed to grin as he wiped his eyes with his palm. "This tensai is tough, I won't be beaten again, next year." They all nodded and clenched each other in a tight hug.
Miyagi tilted his head and saw Rukawa looking on. "Rukawa, what the hell-come here, you! This is group hug!" Rukawa simply stared, blinked in confusion—but a push from behind (Haruko) made him joined the slightly awkward group hug; cringy as it may, at that given moment, Rukawa knew it was secretly what he wanted—that comfort, the camaraderie… the togetherness, in triumph and defeat. The so-called warmth of friendship.
XXX
Rukawa's eyes were blank, picking up his stuff and placing them absentmindedly in his duffel bag. Defeat. Failure. The words that suddenly found their way in, marching into his mind like a band. They almost had it. The taste of victory, the championships. It was… a hard-fought battle, but life's a big joke and he turned out to be the joke. Or so he thought.
A few minutes more and both benches has been cleared in preparation for the awarding ceremonies, as students waited in anticipation for the trophies and plaques and certificates to be merited. All the teams that participated in the Nationals were called down to form a line with the top three teams hurled in the middle.
Ryonan walked down the bleachers and made their way to their designated place, lining with Taoka in front, leading them. Taoka was met with fellow coaches from other teams and was kept preoccupied.
Team Shohoku changed their clad-sweat jerseys into their usual white basketball shirts and jogging pants as they packed their stuff and bags out of the locker room. Ayako reminding everyone of their things and batting an eye to Rukawa who was just slowly putting all of his stuff inside his duffel bag. She took in the moment to stare at his younger kouhai; nothing. No emotions or whatever, but Ayako knew he was clearly disappointed—and probably tired.
"Rukawa-kun?" She called in softly. Rukawa paused and stared at the only female occupant of the now empty locker room. Ayako gulped and smiled sadly, her big brown eyes, evident of tears she had awhile ago. Rukawa simply looked at her almost blankly—waiting whatever she wants to say. Ayako slowly approached Rukawa who was still sitting on then bench, shoes still untied, hair unruly, his blue eyes, almost mirroring the ocean- blank, his pointed nose, and his almost puckered lips, passive. It was like looking at a canvass painting, Ayako reminded herself not to gaze too much.
"You… were amazing." She smiled and sniff. "We are strong, never forget that." She placed a hand on Rukawa's shoulder, gave it a small squeeze, smiled and exited the locker room. Rukawa sighed softly and kept his eyes on the ground. He resumed stuffing things inside his bag. When everything seemed to have been tidied up, he stood up, cast one last glance into the room and exited.
XXX
The stadium was in a buzz. There's music playing in the background, barely comprehensible because of the various noises. Rukawa discreetly made his way at the back where he thought Shohoku team is located, head slightly docked low so as to avoid unwanted attention. He passed by some other teams and players that are lined up for the awarding ceremonies; some looked behind them, quite noticing him instantly, while the others ignore him. His eyes flickered around, seeing familiar jersey uniforms; he placed a hand on top of his mouth and yawned, feeling finally the tiredness seeping in.
A few more steps and his team came into view; Sakuragi's familiar cackle and red head is hard to miss. Rukawa sighed and almost rolled his eyes when he took a step forward and stupidly stepped on one of his untied laces, sending him tripping forwards and colliding onto someone else's back!
BUMP. OOFF. "H-hey… uh, R-Rukawa?"
'What the f-!?' He inwardly cursed to himself, feeling stupid for forgetting to tie his shoelaces. Rukawa pushed himself off of whoever it was and had his eyes shot up staggering. The familiar face of Sendoh Akira caught him by surprised. Blue against blue. Their eyes met. Hie eyes flickered around and there's Fukuda, Koshino—and Sendoh of course, to whom he just collided a few seconds ago.
"Shohoku's over there, Rukawa." Koshino stated rather authoritatively. Fukuda simply snorted but nod at him. "Erm, you okay?" Sendoh muttered, his voice oddly sounded soothing enough. Rukawa felt blood creeping onto his ears, embarrassed at his own foolishness. He backed a few steps, scratched his head and nodded wordlessly.
Sendoh found his lips tugging upwards, quite feeling a tad bit of concern oozing in. Deep inside, he probably knew Rukawa isn't okay as he say he is, but looking at the pale, blue-eyed Ace of Shohoku, Sendoh knew Rukawa would eventually come into terms and be alright. Defeat is not something one gets over with after an hour or so.
"Sorry." Rukawa muttered, to the surprise of Fukuda and Koshino. Sendoh, too, blinked his astonishment but found a way to waved it off. "No big deal." A smile and pause.
"Yeah, you could bump into him again, you know. He likes it." Fukuda slurred, earning a confused look from Rukawa. Sendoh gasped and rolled his eyes at Fukuda who simply chuckled, hands both pocketed in their jogging pants. Koshino simply snorted and stared down. "You should tie your shoes though." Six pairs of eyes looked down and saw Rukawa's untied laces; Rukawa, too, found himself looking down, inwardly punching himself on the face for forgetting. He back a few steps and started walking away. Sendoh stared at the back of the figure he came across with and wondered.
"You really shouldn't let your kid off with undone shoes, Daddy."
"Dammit, Kicchou." Sendoh slurred and the two-fist bumped and chuckled. Koshino simply stared at them rather inquisitively. "Am I missing something here?" Sendoh and Fukuda simply shrugged.
XXX
Special awards and certificates were given to prominent figures and soon enough, one of the most highlighted part—the MVP award. Players have been carefully selected via their playing stats submitted by their coaches and since it's the age of technology, fan text votes are highly regarded as well. The teams waited in anticipation as five players were selected; their faces to be flashed up on the screen. For obvious reasons, Tsuchiya Atsushi was called to the thunderous roar and clap of his school and everyone, he stepped forward together with the two other players from other teams as well.
Sakuragi snorted. "They're only giving him credit because he's graduating already, nyaha!" Mitsui chuckled and shook his head. "His play is impressive though, his mouth—trash." Sakuragi and Mitsui exchanged high fives. "I feel like I'm getting called you know. Nyahaha!" Sakuragi confidently stated, earning him a few exasperated looks from both his teammates, Akagi mostly, and a few other players.
"Hahahah, there's actually a fine line between hallucinations and reality, boy." Mitsui uttered as Sakuragi playfully wacked his senior.
The fourth nominee for the 45th season Inter High MVP, may we please call on, from team…
Sendoh was busy browsing on his phone, crouched below, not minding the awards or anything. His eyes and fingers busily browsing for a new pair of sneakers online when a fan hit him on the back, earning a few chuckles around him. Sendoh winced, was shocked to see a frowning Taoka.
"Sendoh you! Get up there, you got nominated you…what the heck are you doing down there, agh!" Taoka muttered as Sendoh was pushed by his teammates, clueless as to what the fuss is all about.
"Award for what?!" Sendoh asked as he was being pushed.
"Yummy Daddy award, bro." Fukuda snickered, chuckling lowly to his amusement.
"Overtime hassle award." Koshino hollered, laughing as his teammates exchange high-fives.
"Tardiness award, now get on it, you got this!" Taoka hollered and everyone laughed including the hyper coach himself.
Cheers and claps from his teammates specifically emerged and Sendoh simply scratched his nape as he approached the front, pocketing his phone. His eyes met with Tsuchiya. The latter nodded at him, a smirked evident on his face. Sendoh simply nodded back and said nothing.
"MVP, huh." Tsuchiya muttered. Sendoh snorted and rolled his eyes and just to shut the prick up, he decided to speak his mind. "I know you got this. You deserved it anyway." Sendoh said with a tug on his lips, both of his brows raised. Tsuchiya was a bit dumbfounded and said nothing, not quite expecting that from Sendoh.
And the last spot for the 45th season Inter High MVP nominee, step right up, from team Shohoku…
"OH YEAHHH! Nyahaha!" Sakuragi shouted, surprising everyone. "I knew it, nyahahah!" Sakuragi dusted off his shirt to Akagi's annoyance and Mitsui and Miiyagi's amusement. "Never!" Both seniors muttered as Sakuragi started marching with his head up in front. "I'm just gonna line over there with spiky." He grinned and paused when he heard the name. Gritting his teeth in annoyance as his gang and his teammate laughed their hearts out.
…Rukawa Kaede.
The cheers, claps, and hoots drowned the stadium—some booed, mostly from Daiei but his female fans are not to be reckoned with. They're like an army of pink and white tassels. Sendoh took in the moment to looked behind him as he claps his hands slowly; seeing the stoic boy being pushed by Miyagi, Mitsui, and the others. Sakuragi, obviously not liking the call. Sendoh chuckled to himself in amusement as Rukawa stepped right beside him almost lazily, not quite a bit interested.
Rukawa knew who's standing at his left and so he dared meet the gaze of the taller and older player from Ryonan. Sendoh smiled. "Hey." Rukawa simply blinked and nodded, obviously puzzled at Sendoh's enigmatic personality. His mind came upon his owed money as he fumbled his hands into his pocket. Sendoh simply stared at the younger lad. "Uh…" Rukawa started—but the money wasn't there. He paused and contemplated, and remembered that he placed it inside his bag, which was obviously not with him at the moment.
"I… I got your money." He stated. Sendoh blinked and chuckled to Rukawa's confused orbs. "I know." A pause. "I mean, I saw you flashed it on screen so…" A grin. Rukawa felt his ears burned as he almost went bug-eyed, lips pouting a bit, and nodded.
"Fancy entrance, huh." Sendoh joked, chuckling as he did so. Rukawa simply snorted, felt the corner of his lips tugging a bit and shook his head. It was needless to say, quite embarrassing but, oh well, he did it. "I told you, I'd pay you." Rukawa uttered. Sendoh grinned and turned his gaze in front when the announcer started saying how the players have been chosen.
The five listened for awhile, the crowd in staggering anticipation as they all waited for their chosen player to be called in. To be MVP? Sure brings about a nice ring and feeling to it, but Sendoh doesn't really mind much of elaborate titles, he knew of his skill, and for him its enough that he gets to show it around people who share the same interest he has, in basketball.
And so, when his name has been called—amidst the loud cheers, hoots, claps, and whatever, he felt baffled and really, really astonished, he can't even move a muscle. Ryonan fans were ecstatic as they waved their banners high and proud. Their fan signs of Sendoh and #7, dominating the stadium. Maki, Fujima, Hanagata, and Jin, clapped and waited for Sendoh to move forward and received his medal and award. His teammates mostly were full of joy and energy as they all hooted at their captain. Taoka was most proud as he approached the front (being called unto as well) and congratulated by fellow coaches.
Sendoh remained unmoving in his spot, eyes in front, blinking—confused. He wondered if there's been a mistake. Only then he came into terms when he felt a push—it was light, but more than the push, it was the hand. Sendoh slowly turned to his right and saw Rukawa Kaede pushing him via his shoulder blades, the latter's blue eyes gazing on him as if he'd gone deaf to the loud noise. Only then Sendoh felt his right leg starting to move, but his head remained locked on Rukawa's.
"Your name is Sendoh Akira, right?" Rukawa uttered in his low, but clear voice. Sendoh blinked. He nodded. Rukawa snorted, the corner of his lips tugging upward. "You just won MVP."
It was the sudden realization, at that given moment, that Sendoh would come to acknowledge that he doesn't fairly believed in love at first sight, but what he does believe, is seeing someone, up close, from across the whole stadium and staggering crowd of hundreds, and knowing instantly that Rukawa Kaede is going to matter to him. A lot. From that day on and forward. For how long? He didn't mind.
Sendoh smiled at the person whom he considers now a resident of his mind and chest. "Looking at you, I guess, I just did." He grinned, letting his first statement as a joke, wanting to gauge Rukawa's reaction. The latter simply rolled his eyes. "Whatever, doaho." Sendoh laughed. Rukawa simply scoffed lightly and shrugged as Sendoh stepped forward and waved a bit amidst the loud cheers and claps.
Sendoh stepped up on the podium, got his award, shook hands, bowed, and pose for the photo-ops, he momentarily stared at the certificate, it read most valuable player and could only chuckle to himself for the real award he thought he won is knowing the most valuable person whom he just met a year ago, being friends with him in the coming weeks, months, even years… and probably has no idea that he's able to make him dream the impossible and smile for no reason at all.
End of Flashback
XXX
TBC: I know what you're thinking, finally the goddamn flashback is done and over with. I'm quite happy too, but I need a short break. I need rest. I'm writing in the mornings and reading fics in the evenings. The next part would be the 'most awaited dinner' part. (Most awaited? No one's even reading this crap, it keeps getting views/hits but no reviews, who am I kidding, lol) TBH, I still have a lot of 'scenes' in mind for the flashback but, I decided to just put an end on it so that we could all move forward (and so that I could finish this story right off the bat) and probably end my writing 'career' as well (aka "retire") Thoughts are always welcome, whatever they are. ^_^