A/N:

Helloooooooooo… heeeeere's the next chapter!!! I'm so sorry for being so slow… hope this doesn't suck to kingdom come! Haha… anyway, since I'm not going to be as fast in updating the chapters due to being swamped by work, you can put down your e-mails in the review section and I'll notify each one of you whenever I've uploaded a new chapter! Okay? Hope you enjoy this one! :)

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There had been a brief yet seemingly long silence that descended upon them in the locker room. For a moment there Rukawa didn't see Haruko. What he sees is Yamazaki Mariko standing at the doorway, and his eyes widened in surprise. His mouth opened, as though he was going to say something but… couldn't.

"Rukawa-kun…?" Haruko spoke again. "Daijobu?"

It was then that the image lifted away from Rukawa's eyes and sees who it was.

Akagi Haruko…

Yes, Rukawa knew her name. After all, they did attend the same junior high school. Yes, he was aware of that fact too. He also knew that she has feelings for him, it's just that he never really cared.

Until now.

In front of his eyes now was no longer the annoying girl that had trailed him all through junior high school until now. What he sees is a chance to make amends. A chance to make things right. Maybe, just maybe, she could make all this better for him.

"A… Akagi…" her name escaped his usually silent mouth softly. A surprised Haruko gasped as she heard him say her name.

"Ru… Rukawa-kun…" Haruko stammered softly, wondering what she should say. She was still taken by surprise by the seemingly different Rukawa Kaede in front of her. "A… Ano…" Her face turned red as she lost her tongue completely.

But then Rukawa's face changed as Haruko stood there in her speechlessness. The icy coldness that had lifted away just before descended back upon his ice cobalt blue eyes.

Baka.

She's annoying. She had always been annoying, and she will always be annoying.

Disappointed, he stood up silently and turned his back against her and went towards his locker.

"Rukawa-kun!" Haruko suddenly exclaimed.

Rukawa didn't even turn around to look at her. "Nanda?" he replied flatly.

"Ano… I… I just came to see… if you're all right…" she replied. "Are… are you all right, Rukawa-kun?"

Bam!

The locker door slammed itself shut with an echoing bang.

Am I all right? Of course I'm not all right. Need you ask such a standard rhetorical question? Be more creative for god's sakes. Do'ahou…

Rukawa snorted in ridicule at her words. He slung his bag across his shoulder and walked past Haruko. "It's none of your business." He replied coldly, and made his way out the door.

And then he was gone.

Haruko felt her eyes getting hot. The tears were welling up, blurring her vision. Rukawa's words were brief but harsh, and it wounded her gentle heart. She doesn't understand him. She can't understand him at all.

Why, Rukawa-kun?

Why do you hate me that much when I love you so much?

It hurts…

But then Haruko's eyes caught sight of a crumpled piece of paper lying on the floor. She stepped towards it and picked it up. Upon reading its first line, her eyes widened as she remembered that she had caught Rukawa in the middle of reading the letter when she came in. She dashed out towards the hallway to return the letter to him, but what's there was nothing but an empty hallway.

He was gone.

* * *

"You'll never learn, won't you, Hanamichi?" Mito Yohei casually spoke to his best friend as he leaned against the railing facing the blue Pacific Ocean.

A startled Sakuragi looked up at his best friend's words. He had walked out of the Shohoku school compound with such a long face when he ran into Yohei, and being Sakuragi's best friend, it was only natural for Yohei to ask why he was wearing such a face. And here they are, having their little buddy-to-buddy chat. "What do you mean, Yohei?"

"Hanamichi, you're truly dense, aren't you?" Yohei couldn't help chuckling in amusement. Even after such long years of friendship, Sakuragi Hanamichi never ceases to amuse Yohei with his simplicity that could almost resemble… utter innocence.

"Nandato!" Sakuragi exclaimed, grabbing Yohei by his collar. "What is that supposed to mean?"

By now, Yohei was roaring with laughter between getting choked by Sakuragi's strong grip. "Maa maa, Sakuragi Hanamichi. Come now, let's not turn to violence, shall we?" Yohei grinned helplessly. "I will tell you something about Haruko-chan."

Instantly, Sakuragi released Yohei and stared with puppy-dog eyes. "Honto? Tell me, tell me!"

Yohei loosened his collar. "Haruko-chan is in love with Rukawa."

"TEMEEEE!" Sakuragi roared. "Are you trying to add more pain to my injury? Why don't you kill me already! You don't have to tell me, I already know that she likes that baka kitsune!!! Yarou… Yohei…"

"Hanamichi, I'm not finished."

Sakuragi paused for a moment, eyeing his best friend suspiciously. "This better be good."

"Haruko likes Rukawa. You, on the other hand, despises Rukawa. But you like Haruko-chan. Now imagine this, Hanamichi…" Yohei casually leaped up to sit on top of the railing. "How would you feel if you heard someone bad-mouthing Haruko-chan?"

Sakuragi blinked. Bad-mouthing my Haruko-san? Why I'll… I'll…

"Exactly." Yohei replied, as though he could read Sakuragi's mind. Actually, he didn't really have to for Sakuragi's thoughts were already written out loud on his face. "Maybe, just maybe… Haruko feels the same way as you do when you say something unpleasant about Rukawa?"

Bong.

How this little simple logic could've escaped his own reasoning, Sakuragi does not know. He had always just been carefree, outspoken, and completely honest about his thoughts and he just never thought that his words and actions could ever displease Haruko.

"Nee… Yohei…" Sakuragi spoke again after a long period of silence.

"Hai?"

"What should I do then?"

* * *

Rukawa just stood there by the edge of the sidewalk. He's been standing there for hours now. It was the exact same spot where Yamazaki Mariko had saved him from what could have been a tragic, painful death that was meant to be his.

Just as long as you're there…

… being you…

… that would be enough for me.

Rukawa took a deep breath as the words in the letter relived itself in his mind. As he closed his eyes, what came to his mind were the many girls he had hurt, purposely and unpurposely, throughout the course of his youth.

I'm a horrible person.

He remembers the many tear-stained faces as he directly rejected their confessions of love with cold, harsh words, or the many times he would without hesitation disposed their gifts of love right in front of their very faces. He realized how many girls he had hurt all this time.

He could have all the girls in the world if he wanted them. But he didn't want them. Does he long to love and be loved? Yes, he does.

But he's afraid to love.

Ever since his mother and sister left him all alone, he had been afraid to love for fear of reliving the painful feeling of abandonment. So he became colder and more distant as he grew older, and the barrier he had put up to protect himself grew even so to separate himself from the world. And he hated himself for being that way.

How can I love someone when I don't even love myself?

He opened his eyes, and stared onto the empty street. Hesitantly, he stepped forward towards the dark asphalt. Then another step, and another, and another, until he was in the middle of the road. But then he stopped, and just stood there.

Then suddenly a brashy loud voice came into his mind. Sakuragi Hanamichi's voice yelling the 1001 names that he had made up just for Rukawa Kaede. He always thought that his red-headed teammate is a useless idiot when it comes to basketball, but he knew that underneath all that lies a good heart.

Rukawa also knew how much Sakuragi liked that girl who kept following him around, Akagi Haruko. Despite his silence and seemingly ignorant nature, Rukawa Kaede does pay attention to little details happening around him. It's just that he never made any comments or showed any signs that he cared, not even a little. Well, he really didn't care.

Why does she like me? I'm a horrible person!

Why would anyone like me?

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud honking by a car that had skidded to a stop right behind him.

"Are you crazy!?" The driver rolled down his window and poked his head out. "Are you trying to get yourself killed!?" he waved his fist in the air in annoyance.

But Rukawa didn't even bother to hear him, or reply to him. His mind was preoccupied by something that he needed to do. Something he needed to find out. And so he dashed off towards the sidewalk and disappeared at the corner of the street.

* * *

It was growing late. The sun had set for an hour. It was nearing 10 PM. Haruko walked slowly on the street that led to her house. She had parted with her friends just at the corner of the street after a long day of girl talk.

"Haruko-chan… why do you keep hurting yourself like this?

Hasn't it been long enough?

You truly don't deserve all this… you deserve someone who will truly love you and appreciate you…"

Haruko wondered if she should really continue to persevere on her unrequited undying adoration and infatuation that had blossomed since her very first year of junior high school. She's tired and hurt from the endless longing to catch even just a glimpse of a kind look from Rukawa's eyes. But never did he ever glanced at her, and even when he did, it was with eyes filled with nothing but icy coldness.

She sighed softly and closed her eyes. A drop of tear rolled down her rosy cheeks.

But I can't… I can't help the way I feel…

Rukawa-kun…

She opened her eyes and continued to walk towards her house. It was going to be a lonely night as her brother and her parents were not going to be home until the following morning. She sighed again at the thought. She really hoped that her brother would come home so that she won't have to spend the night alone with her thoughts.

Suddenly, she stopped her steps as she caught sight of someone sitting in front of her gate.

Rukawa looked up in the dim darkness. As their eyes met, Haruko was shocked into silence. But there was something different in Rukawa's eyes. The cold stare was no longer there. What was there was despair, like the eyes of a lost little child, longing to be embraced and to be told that everything will be all right.

Doki… doki… doki…

"Akagi…" Rukawa started to speak with a stammering voice.

"Ru… Rukawa-kun… What… what are you doing here?"

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to be continued…