Disclaimer: Ya da…ya da…ya da… The usual disclaimer that everyone's annoyed about applies. Slam Dunk does not belong this lazy neko, and it'll never be, 'cos Takehiko Inoue sensei is its rightful owner! But…the OC's are mine and mine only! Bwahahahahahaha~ :D K…so what if this neko's a loony? Hahahahahaha~ :P =^.^=
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REVIEWERS! Doumo arigatou gozaimashita! ^_^
December morning owl - Here's another long overdue update ^_^;; Hmmm…how many chappies more to this fic? You want an honest answer? I have no idea~ :P but…hopefully I can finish it in not more than 5 more chapters? *fingers crossed* ^_~
Unquestionable - Wah~ where did you disappeared to arh? Missed you ne!!! :P Anyways, here's the next chappy, hope u'll like it ne ;)
Iluvenis Telperien - Eddie!!! *huggles* How are you arh?? :D Oooo…and thank you for your comments ne *blushes* er…don't think you can see the blush under all that fur on my face rite? Meow~ :P hehehe =^.^= Anyways, thank you once again, and I hope you'll enjoy this chappy ne ;)
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NB: "…" Character's speech
… Character's Thoughts
(…) See neko's notes…
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Chapter 5 – The Shadow Revealed
Kaede rang the doorbell and Kumori's door opened; revealing a flour-smeared, longhaired boy whose gold rim glasses was straining to stay on his nose. In addition, the apron he wore was dangling off his shoulders at an odd angle. The raven head couldn't help but burst out laughing at the shorter boy's appearance. Kumori pouted and glared at his friend.
"Unless you want to go through the night on an empty stomach, I recommend you to stop laughing and wipe that silly grin off your face now." Kumori said with his eyes narrowed threateningly.
Kaede coughed to regain his composure. "Ahem. Gomen. But you really do look ridiculous as you are."
Kumori rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Come in."
"Ojyamashimasu (1)."
Kaede stepped inside and took off his shoes before slipping into a pair of house slippers. He then headed into the kitchen whilst Kumori went for a bathroom break. For the past month or so, he had developed a habit of heading into the kitchen once he walked into Kumori's apartment. Once he was in the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator and raided it for snacks. Today, he found himself a piece of Tiramisu left over from the night before. By the time Kumori straightened himself and returned to the kitchen, Kaede had already begun chomping the cake away happily.
Kumori returned to the kitchen bench and continued with the kneading of the pastry for the pies he was making for dinner. Kaede watched him from the corner of his eyes as he ate his cake, remembering the events of the day.
Can he really be Miei?
The raven head turned his gaze to Kumori's left arm. The bandage is on his arm all right. The very same position on Miei's arm as well…
Feeling Kaede's gaze on him, Kumori looked up from the dough and asked, "Nani? Something wrong?"
Kaede shook his head. "Iie." He said quickly, almost choking on the mouthful of cake. He dashed to the other side of the kitchen, grabbed the pitcher, poured some water into a glass, and gulped down the water. He let out a sigh of relief when the cake that was supposedly stuck in his trachea was washed down by the water.
Kumori watched Kaede's actions wide-eyed. This was the first time he'd seen the kitsune in such clumsy state, and he couldn't help but smiled. Then, a thought came to him.
"Ne, would you like to make the pies with me, Rukawa-kun?"
Kaede almost choked again. He gawked at the longhaired boy in bewilderment and exclaimed, "You want me to make the pies? Are you crazy? I can't make those things. I've never done any culinary activities in my life!"
"You'll never know if you don't try, ne?" Kumori winked mischievously.
"Demo…"
"Demo ja nai yo." Kumori walked around and pulled Kaede toward the kitchen bench, smearing his hands with flour along the way.
"Itai!" Kaede let out a small gasp.
"Nani?" Kumori paused and looked at the raven head's wrist. "How did you get this?" He asked pointing to the blue-black patch on his wrist.
Kaede shrugged. "The usual…"
"Another fight with Sakuragi-kun huh?"
Kaede shrugged again as Kumori sighed and eyed him with a bingo-I-thought-so look.
"Anyways, here, try it. Make a parcel with the pastry, then put a few spoonfuls of fillings in and cover the parcel with another piece of pastry. It's really easy, so here you go." Kumori explained and showed Kaede what to do in liquid motions. "Oh, and don't forget to punch some holes on the top with the fork to let the air out, if not, the pie will explode in the oven when you bake it."
After showing Kaede the necessary steps, Kumori continued with rolling out sized pastries for the other pies. Kaede took the piece of pastry in hand and tried to mould it into the parcel that Kumori had shown him as his thoughts began to swirl again.
Wonder how he'd react if I actually called him Miei? But…from what I understand about the Kaku Dou Shi, they have too much self-control to make even the tiniest blunder. Kaede sighed inwardly. So how am I going to make him…her admit to who she really is?
"Something wrong Rukawa-kun? That frown on your face is squeezing your forehead and ocular region into the shape of a mosquito." Kumori commented with a slight comical tone, trying to lighten the atmosphere. He'd felt Kaede's gaze on him for the past moments and it was beginning to grate at his nerves.
Might as well try and pry the truth out of her, instead of guessing blindly here. Upon that thought, Kaede looked up from the lop-sided pie parcel he'd made and looked Kumori straight in the eyes as a mischievous smirk curled his lips. "I was just thinking about someone. A person who's going to play a big part in my life from now on. And…I'm wondering if you know the person?"
Kumori was rather taken aback by his sudden boldness, and he could feel his cheeks starting to heat up. "Huh?" Why do I feel like a prey under a predator's eyes all of a sudden? And why am I heating up under his stares? No one was capable of doing that before…except one person…
Kaede's smirk broadened as he noticed Kumori's efforts to avert his gaze. "Oh…that person can be considered as one of my servants, and her name is Akino Miei. I'm just wondering if you've heard of her before." He said oh-so-innocently.
Kumori gulped unconsciously and he pushed his glasses awkwardly as if to make sure that his disguise had not fallen off.
"Err…no…haven't heard of the name before, why do you ask?" He smiled weakly.
Kumori began to panic silently although he remained calm on the outside. Youkun couldn't have seen through my disguise…could he? But I've only appeared once as my true self in front of him, so he couldn't possibly see through me. But…if he didn't see through me, why is he asking me these questions all of a sudden?
"Are you sure you don't know her?" Kaede continued to pressure with a knowing smirk. "But I'm beginning to see a resemblance between the two of you. For examples, your waist-length black hair, midnight black eyes, and most of all…that wound you two share on the same arm, same place."
OK! Red alert! Danger! He knows! Kumori's mind screamed.
"Eeto… It can be just coincidental that this girl and I have some similar features. Especially the wound on my arm. Anyone could've wounded their arm one way or another at similar spots right?" Kumori replied with a nervous smile and his eyes forestalling.
Damn! That wound on my arm must've given me away! I forgot all about it when I showed myself just now! What am I to do now!?
"True… But…did I mention that you two have the same fragrance enveloping you? The same lavender scent is on both of you." Kaede's cerulean orbs glistened with mischief and determination as he eyed Kumori, who was beginning to fidget nervously with the pastry dough.
"Another coinci…dence?" Kumori replied in a weaker tone than before. He grunted mentally. Baka Miei! You're so careless! Baka, baka, baka!
Kaede reached out his right hand and snaked around Kumori's neck suddenly, too fast for Kumori to react. The shorter boy froze at the kitsune's touch and their eyes locked, cerulean clashing against the blackest noir. He closed the gap between them by pulling the shorter boy to him, until their foreheads were almost touching.
"You know Miei; you are one hell of a good actor. You've fooled me for long enough. Don't you think it's time for you to come clean and show yourself to me?"
Kaede's warm breath tickled Kumori's face, making him shudder. Before he could say anything in reply, Kaede's face changed angle and he felt something soft on his lips. Kumori's eyes widened upon recognition of what was happening. He quickly pushed Kaede away, breaking them apart. He gaped at Kaede incredulously.
"How…how can you do that!?" A gasped escaped Kumori's mouth. His baritone had now reverted to a female's soft, gentle voice. The voice Kaede heard not so long ago.
Kaede folded his arms before his chest casually, and a cheeky yet satisfied smile tugged his lips. A smile like that of a misbehaved cat, which had just snacked on stolen fish without its owner's knowledge. This sight of him struck a cord in Miei's system. It stung her eyes and the flames of anger began to flicker in her black ocular orbs. She was angrier with herself than with Kaede.
How can you be so stupid Miei? Especially since you knew he's smarter than he seems! Miei no baka! She berated herself as she began to feel hopelessness draping over her slowly.
"Why not? Give me a reason." Kaede smiled.
"You are my youkun and I am you geboku. You have just violated the honour between a master and his servant!" Miei retorted as she fumed at Kaede's recklessness.
Kaede shrugged. "So? Like you said, I'm your youkun and you're my geboku, so I'd say I have the authority to dismiss this level of relationship between us."
"No. You are wrong." Her eyes ablaze as she returned his gaze. "The honour of a samurai's duty is sworn upon the samurai's blood. It is not something even you, youkun have the power to dismiss. Not now, not ever."
"To hell with this honour crap! You have plagued my mind for the past months, making me worry that I might be gay because I have fallen for a guy. Now that everything is out, I don't care who you are. I just want you to be with me from now on."
Miei held her breath at Kaede's words. She was stunned by the sudden outburst of such strong emotions from the normally cool and impassive kitsune. She opened her mouth to speak but found no words came out. Her throat was tight, as if seized by a strong hold, making her wanting to cough to abolish the tension.
"I should've known earlier. With you popping up from nowhere when crazy things began to happen around me, I should've guessed you were sent to be my shadow, my bodyguard by Kaku Dou. Especially since the name you assumed is a dead give-away. Kumori, which meant shadow" Kaede dismissed her shocked look and continued. "And who would've guessed that I'd fall for you, my own shadow, my geboku as you put it. But, what's happened had happened, and there's no turning back. I'm willing to gamble my heart on you. I will make you forget that ridiculous talk of master-servant honours, and make you return my affections."
Miei shook her head unconsciously as her eyes widened at his declarations. "No…" A soft gasp escaped her mouth as a strong pang hit her heart.
Why is there this rush of feelings thundering over me all of a sudden? Have I not vowed not to fall for this trap again? Has he reawakened my heart that had died along with my parents so long ago? She questioned herself silently as the wall she built to burry her heart began to crack. Suddenly it hit her. She had befriended Kaede and let him stepped closer to her than anyone else, even more than her family members. Her lips pursed and her eyes iced over at that thought. No. I will not fall again. I will never fall again. He will not claim my heart then trample it as he did!
She looked up and stared into Kaede's cerulean eyes with newfound determination and…coldness he had not felt from anyone before. She mouth opened slowly, "No! The honour of a samurai has never been taken lightly nor has it been broken by anyone in history. I will not be the first or the last person to so to bring shame upon the lineage. Try as you may, but you will not, and I repeat, you WILL NOT be the cause of me bringing shame to my family and the samurai line, because I WILL NOT allow it."
Kaede rolled his eyes and threw his arms into the air exasperatingly after hearing her speech. "For goodness sake, this is not the dark ages! It's the 21st century. Who'd give a damn about these ancient and unreasonable rules? I certainly will not, and I can guarantee Kaii jii-san doesn't care about them either."
"Say what you may, but I will never let go of my principle. If you don't mind, I'd like to continue with our dinner's preparations." Miei shunted Kaede's opinions and returned to her pie making duties.
Kaede was left speechless. He stared at her in disbeliefs. Did none of what he said get into her head? Any other girl would have thrown herself at him by this time, yet…the very girl who he'd fallen for did not do so. Argh! How dense is that skull of hers anyways? What does it take to get it through that thick skull of hers that I don't care about this honour crap!?
He continued to watch her rolling out the dough and the making pies mutely. As he watched, a new determination formed in his mind. He will make her see that his feelings for her are genuine, and break the barrier separating their hearts. A smirk of confidence formed on his lips without her notice. You'll see Miei, I will claim you heart, and there's no escape for you…
Z Z Z Z Z
For the next few days, the usually genial atmosphere between two of the most popular guys in Shohoku was nonexistent. And thus gave rise to the latest gossip from Class 3 – 2, such as the two most sought after guys weren't on good terms because they were fighting for the attention of the same girl, which got everyone guessing who the lucky girl was, and a string of other nonsensical speculations.
Kaede eyed his seatmate from the corners of his eyes and sighed inwardly as another bit of gossip floated into his ears. If they only knew…
Kumori remained indifferent to the various gossips. Some students actually gathered enough courage and came to ask him for information about his row with Kaede. However, Kumori just smiled and walked off without any answers for the curious busybodies. Although Kumori and Kaede weren't their normal friendly selves with each other, Kumori still followed Kaede around stealthily. This was unknown to others except Kaede. He could always feel his shadow's presence even though the shadow was out of sight.
Like any other day, Kaede and Kumori headed off to their respective clubs after the last bell. However, Kumori only appeared to be going to the kendou club, when in fact he was going to the basketball gym to lookout for Kaede.
The longhaired boy perched himself on the railings of the spectator stands in a shadowed section of the gym. His eyes were like that of a hawk, watching the events on the courts below him carefully, not missing a single detail. He had been having an uneasy feeling that Riku Dou was about to make their move, and soon. Thus, although the sour air around them still holds, Kumori still carried out his obligations to his youkun without a second word.
When the clock on the gym wall struck seven, the basketballers began to pack up and dispersed to go home. When Kaede stepped out of the gym, he noticed his shadow behind him. They walked in deafening silence as the summer sun sets, but this silence was soon broken by Hanamichi and his gundan, who'd rushed to join them from behind.
Hanamichi swung an arm around Kumori's shoulders and grinned. "Oi Misaki, what's up with you and kitsune?"
"Yeah, you two were so friendly to each other before." Noma added.
"Did you do something to upset the Ice Prince?" Takamiya grinned and winked playfully.
"Do'ahos." Kaede stopped and deadpanned, causing everyone to look his way. The Sakuragi Gundan smirked mischievously as they looked up at the kitsune, but their smirks left their faces as soon as they saw Kaede's extraordinarily frostiness, and gulped nervously. That is…all except Kumori, who looked straight ahead and becoming more emotionless by the second.
"Take you hand off her shoulders, do'aho!" Kaede demanded with cold quietness.
"Huh? H-e-r?" Hanamichi looked at the basketball club captain blurrily. "Eeto…there's no girl around kitsune."
Kaede glared at the red head with such intensity that could've made a bee hive out of the akai saru's body. But this little commotion between the two basketballers were interrupted by Kumori when he shrugged Hanamichi's arm off his shoulders and walked in front of the group, eyeing the direction of the school gates stoically.
The others watched the longhaired boy's back curiously, as he stood before them with the temperature around him dropping rapidly.
"Murasaki, time for us to end everything." Every word rang out into the warm summer evening like the sharp sounds of screeching tyres as Kumori spoke. A gentle breeze blew, picking up a few withered leaves from the ground and ruffling Kumori's waist-length ponytail.
The boy's words caught the attention of his friends and they too turned their heads toward the school gates in anticipation. They were all waiting for the person their friend mentioned, Murasaki to appear any time.
A soft laugher floated into the air around them, and a figure almost as tall as Kaede and Hanamichi appeared with his back to the setting sun, shadowing his face.
"Miei, Miei… You are as alert as you were." A gentle tenor said as two more figures appeared beside the first. One, a male almost as tall as the first, and the second, a female with the typical height of Asian females.
Kumori narrowed his eyes and waved his bokken in front of his face, blocking a couple of shurikens (2) that were thrown furtively at the group by one of the newcomers.
"Stop your tricks Murasaki." Kumori deadpanned. "All of it ends now."
At the end of that note, Kumori lunged at the three newcomers. Soon, the sounds of clashing metals could be heard. The eerie sounds reverberated in the air, making everyone's skin crawled. The battle between Kumori and the three assassins from Riku Dou soon moved into the view. Everyone gasped at the ferocity of the battle. Although it was a one against three battle, Kumori was still handling the situation with ease. He did not show any sign of exhaustion at all.
The group soon broke apart with Kumori landed half-knelling in front of Kaede. When the longhaired boy stood up, his right sleeve detached from his shirt, and a wide gash was evident across his chest, revealing the bandages underneath his shirt.
"This battle is between you and me, Murasaki. Do not drag anyone else into it." A female's voice rang into the air as Kumori spoke. Hanamichi and his gundan were dumbfounded and soon realized what was going on. Misaki Kumori was in fact a female, and her name should be Akino Miei, a samurai sent to protect Shohoku's resident narcoleptic.
Murasaki, a tall male dressed in black, and nothing but black stepped out of the trio and smiled. His handsome features were as sharp as Kaede's, but the two of them emanated totally different auras. One was that of aloofness whilst the other was of wild danger. "Very well. Just as you proposed, it will just be you and me. Show me how much your skills have improved over the years, and do not hold back like you did just now."
Miei smirked scornfully. "Oh you'll see. And today, I will avenge my parents' death!" She said bitterly.
She held her bokken in front of her and twisted the hilt to take out the hidden Aoi-Tsuki. Once she drew out the hidden katana, she dropped the hollow bokken to the ground and put a hand to her left shoulder. She gripped onto her tattered shirt and pulled forcefully, ripping the shirt off her body. Removing the blade from its sheath, she slipped the blade into the gap of the bandages around her chest and cut them loose. The bandages fell to the ground in shreds, showing a light-turquoise happi like haori of pure silk decorated with embroidered bamboo draping her body's curves. She then stepped out of the slacks she was wearing and a pair of slender legs came into sight.
Takamiya and Ookusu blew a whistle at the fine sight before them, which got them a life-threatening glare from Kaede. They shuddered and smiled nervously, putting up their hands in gesture of no offence.
Miei ignored the fuss that was happening behind her and tied the sheath of Aoi-Tsuki to her waist in a sageo (3), then placed the blade back into its sheath. What happened next shocked everyone. She pulled a piece of skin off her face, or rather a skin-like resin material, throwing it to the ground. The face of Misaki Kumori disappeared in front of their eyes. It was replaced by a face bearing a long scar on its left. The face of Akino Miei.
"Now I'm ready to fight." A ruthless smile curled her lips, and the fire of a revenge goddess shone in her black diamonds as she crouched slightly into a fighting stance with her hands Aoi-Tsuki's hilt.
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Akane の Teahouse…
Konnichiwa mina-san! Hisashiburi desu ne~ O'genki desu ka?
As you all know, me = lazy cat, so you can't really blame me for not updating sooner right? *smiles innocently* :P Hey, I am an innocently sweet and kawaii neko k? And, don't argue about that with me, since I should know better~ bwahahahahahahahahahahaha~ *cough cough, choke choke* ^_^;; Anyways, let's see…oh~ only three Jap terms to explain this time. Here they are:~
(1) Ojaymashimasu ~ I've intruded on you, said when entering the house.
(2) Shuriken ~ Star shaped, flat metal pieces, i.e. throwing stars.
(3) Sageo ~ Sword knot
Hmmmm….need I say more? Of course I have to! R&R PLEASE~~~~~~ :D Thankies ^_^ *bows*
Okies, that'll be all for now ^_~ Ciao~
The Lazy Neko signing off…