Title: A Happy Ending for Hanamichi
Author: Mitsui_no_Miko
Genre: Angsty Waff
Rating: G
Even though I was given all the time in the world, I still couldn't do it.
Maybe she wasn't meant for me. Maybe she belongs to someone else. To someone better.
How can I claim someone who doesn't belong to me in the first place?
It's time for the annual bash of Shohoku. Of course, one needs a date to be there. And I knew just the right person to ask.
It's just that she longs for someone else to take her…
I can't count the number of times that the Gundan convinced me to act on my feelings. I try. I honestly do. But I can't help myself. Every time I'm near her, my stomach flutters. I stutter and stammer. I always end up making a fool of myself.
What is she to me? My muse. My inspiration. The love of my life. It doesn't matter if she was the tenth or the thirtieth or the fiftieth. All that matters is how I feel for her.
Somehow, I wish that she would feel the same for me too.
But I guess that's too much to ask. What am I compared to Rukawa?
He's all that matters to her. She lives for no one else but him. She even got me to play basketball because of him. Yet he doesn't give a damn about her. He cares for her no more than he cares for the sidewalk trash.
If he only knew how lucky he was to have the love of a girl like her…
Time and time I tried to let her know. Time and time I failed to make her understand what she means to me.
Why can't I tell her how I feel about her? Is it fear of rejection? I've been rejected so often that I can't count them. It's pretty obvious what I should be doing next.
Yet every time, words fail me.
He wide eyed innocence of everything never ceases to amaze me. She has changed what I was. It's because of her that I'm a better man.
Still, I'm no better than Rukawa.
Because of my time wasting, I never expected that someone else would step into the picture. Someone totally unexpected.
My best friend Youhei…
I have been so blind. Throughout all of the games, they sat next to each other. Every time we were at practice, they were together.
I couldn't blame him. After all, Haruko is very easy to fall in love with.
Only Rukawa doesn't seem to realize that.
I failed to let her know what she means to me. I failed to let her know of my devotion to her. Oh God, I would gladly give up my life for her.
And now the day has arrived. It pains me to think of Youhei and Haruko together. He would be doing to her what I imagined myself doing. They would probably head to a small sidewalk café, laughing and talking with each other. They would probably proceed to Lookout Point afterwards and spend the rest of their lives happily ever after.
Now it's all over. I am here, but I'm alone. My dreams, dashed into irrecoverable pieces. Like fragile bits of glass.
I can see her from where I stand. I would ask for one last dance, and then walk out of her life forever.
Suddenly, Youhei came up to me, and smiled. Was he doing that to taunt me? Was he doing that to rub my cowardice into my face? To flaunt his prize in front of me and see me suffer like hell?
He did the total opposite.
"Hanamichi, I took the liberty of asking her out for you. I knew you wouldn't be able to do it by yourself. I did it for you. You're my best friend, and there's nothing in the world that would change that."
Tears started to fall from my eyes.
"I thought you had taken her away from me… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Youhei embraced me and said, "Take care man! I know that you belong to each other! Now don't keep her waiting!"
I approached her. She was as radiant as ever. From that moment, I knew that I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life.
I summoned all the courage I had in me.
I realized that my love could overcome any fear.
And this time, words didn't fail me.