Disclaimers : The SD characters are copyrights of Inoue Takehiko.
Chapter 6 ; Confusion
Ling-Er was hopelessly sleepy by the time she put on her pajamas. Haruko,
on the other hand, was as living as ever. She was still talking about the
welcoming home party the day before and Sakuragi, ignorant to Ling-Er's
yawns. She was glad she had finally gotten over her infatuation with Rukawa.
With the help of Ling-Er, she realized she was not really that besotted
with Rukawa way she thought did. She managed to figure her real feelings
toward Sakuragi. She was glad Kaori told her Sakuragi liked her. Else,
she would still be in the dark.
She continued talking, until Ling-Er finally fallen asleep. Seeing her
friend sleeping in a sitting position, her hands supporting her head, Haruko
laughed. She promptly woke her up, and told her to sleep in the bed. "You
must have enjoyed yourself thoroughly at Kaori's house, haven't you? Look
at you, you are so worn-out even though it's only 6 in the evening," she
said. "How was it? I heard Kaori has a brother, and he's gorgeous. Did
you have a fright?"
*FLASHBACK*
"Hey, aren't you Riyula-chan?" Fujima asked as he saw her. She and Kaori
were on their way to Kaori's house, and Fujima went to 'check' on their
safety. (Imagine a 171 cm tall Ling-Er trying to hide behind a 152 cm tall
Kaori) She nodded. Fujima turned to Kaori.
"You told me you'll be bringing Ling-Er-chan home," he said accusingly.
"She's Ling-Er," Kaori replied wearily, embarrassed that her elder brother
was treating her like a little baby.
"She just said she's Riyula," he pointed out.
"She's Riyula Ling-Er," she shot back, striking him quiet. Sheepishly,
he introduced himself.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
"He's not steady. Very blur. Quite girlish. Would be mistaken as a girl
if he has longer hair and puts on female costumes. Caring, but annoying.
Trying to be nice, but ended up being just noisy. Supposed to be smart,
but doesn't look so-"
"Wow, enough!" Haruko laughed, "I didn't know you hate him that
much! What is his name, anyway?"
"Fujima Kenji," she replied automatically, smiling as she thought of him.
*FLASHBACK*
"Don't be afraid, Ling-Er-chan," he tried to confront her. Ling-Er looked
at him uncertainly. "I won't hurt you. Trust me," he offered with a smile.
A charming smile, enough to melt any girls' heart. (Nellie fainted, seeing
heart shapes around :P) But not Ling-Er's.
Kaori snorted. "Stop your annoying 'prince charming' offers. It's useless,
as she's immune to it," she retorted sarcastically, then turned to Ling-Er.
"Look at him. Just treat him as a girl. In fact, he looks like and acts
like one. No, not girl. Nanny. An old woman. Trust me, he nags more than
any old women around."
Ling-Er looked at him, tracing his features. Slowly, her lips curved up.
Her blood no longer restrained. "Gee, if Kaori's stupid plan works, I suppose
I don't mind being a 'female' for tonight. As long as you don't freak out
and attack me if I accidentally touched you or something," he sighed. Ling-Er
smiled, immediately treating him as a girl. Just the way she would treat
Kaori-II.
*END OF FLAHSBACK*
"FUJIMA KENJI! You have to be kidding. Fujima-kun, brother's teammate.
Shoyo's previous captain and coach. Are we talking about the same Fujima-kun?"
Haruko exclaimed in disbelief. Ling-Er merely shrugged.
"Anyway, it remind me. This morning, a weird guy was asking for you. Sure
looks like a hooligan," Haruko told her. Ling-Er raised her eyebrows in
surprise. "He was asking why weren't you with me, and I told him you went
to Kaori-chan's house. He went hysterical and swore to find you soon,"
Haruko added the details. However, Ling-Er was no longer listening, she
had been drifted to dream land. Dreaming of ^someone^.
Haruko smiled. Guess I better rest too, and be prepared for the friendly
match with Ryonan tomorrow, she thought, and went to sleep.
By the time Ling-Er arrived, the match was nearly over. Three more minutes
left and Ryonan was leading by 4. 67-63. She hurried to Haruko, and noticed
the guy whom she slapped some time before. She vowed to apologize to him.
In the remaining three minutes, she could see that he was very good, and
the team probably couldn't do half as well without him. She could also
tell that it was his limit. By the end of the match, Shohoku caught up.
The equaled the game, and extra 5 minutes was given. Yet, unfortunately
for Shohoku, Sakuragi and Tono fouled out, thus being in a critical condition.
Ryonan won, having the spike-haired guy to score the only 3 points in the
5 minutes.
The players were still talking and congratulating each other when Ling-Er
noticed the boy walking out from the group. She followed him out. He was
obviously worn out, as he staggered in his steps. "Sendo-kun," she began,
not remembering what exactly his name was. He looked back, surprised.
"Actually, it's SendoH," he corrected her. Ling-Er held her breath. "Sorry,
about that day," she said rapidly, joining the words together. Sendoh smiled,
and approached her. Unable to stop herself, she rushed off. Sendoh sweatdropped.
"And I thought PheLyeon is the weirdest girl around," he mumbled. (PheLyeon
is one of the main characters in my other fic, Forbidden Love.)
This is my chance. Finally, she is alone. How long have I waited? How long
have my plan been delayed? Finally, it's time. Time for revenge, I've waited
so long…
Ling-Er stopped running, gasping for air. Why is my heart thumbing like
this? What is wrong? Why am I so scared? Why? Why am I back to my old self?
I thought I've gotten over it. I did not run away from Fujima-kun yesterday…
I…
"No more energy left?" a voice, a familiar voice, asked. Ling-Er turned
around, only to see the guy who was trying to hurt her not long ago. "You…
you again!" she yelled, panting heavily. He looked around, and smiled,
"No one else here. I guess you must be talking about me. Yes, it's me again.
And I'm here to finish off our business."
"I have nothing to do with you, never ever," she declared coldly. He ignored
her and proceed on with his 'master plan'. Quickly, he grabbed her, covered
her mouth and pulled her away, to somewhere 'safer' Before he could reach
his intended destination, Ling-Er bit him and kicked him with all her might.
He released her, furious about it. "So, you can't wait? Fine, bitch. If
this is what you want…" he swore, slapped her hard.
She tried to run, but he held her arm tightly. She punched his belly, and
he winced without loosening his grab (note that her right arm is caught
and she was punching with her left hand in an uncomfortable position).
"This won't work a second time, baby. Let me teach you how to punch someone,"
he whispered, with a wicked smile on his face. Mercilessly, he punched
her in the same area. Ling-Er could only choked out a soft moan.
"Let's do it in a painless way, shall we?" he asked, releasing her. She
couldn't run. She could only put her hands over her stomach and moaned
in agony. He kicked her, sending her lying to the floor. "Don't make things
harder for you and me," he warned. He approached her, taking off his upper
clothing. She was trying to get up with useless effort. He grinned as he
saw her sobbing helplessly. "Not again," she was whispering repeatedly.
He ignored her cries. He pulled her up, kissing her roughly. His hands
were exploring her. Using all her might, she pushed him off.
"You filthy thing. Get off me," she threatened. He narrowed his eyes. "I'm
filthy? You bitch. What about Hisashi? Oh, he's a great gentleman, isn't
he? Just what a girl wants, eh?" he hissed, glaring at her. She couldn't
understand what he was talking about, as he was speaking rather quickly.
She thought she heard Mitsui's name. "Mitsui-kun? You're no where near
him. You're far behind, not even up to the standard to talk to him," she
shot, surprised at her bravery.
He slapped her. Twice. She continued to glare at him with tremendous anger.
"Oh yeah, I bet he fucked you each time he visited you. I guess you're
as dirty as he is. Probably only a cheap slut, cheap enough to be fucked
by a bastard. You should thank me for willing to fuck a defiled whore like
you," he scowled, tore off her flower-bow. (part of her uniform) Unfortunately
for him, Ling-Er (again) failed to get his message. Yet, she refused to
keep quiet.
"What do you think you are doing? Get off me," she yelled, then starting
screaming for help. He hit her again, but continued struggling. Annoyed,
he punched her belly the second time, sending her quiet and still. Laughing
victoriously, he laid her down. She started crying again, as she couldn't
do anything else. Every move hurt. "What is there to cry about? I bet you're
not even a virgin anymore, seeing that your boyfriend is that sex maniac
Hisashi," he scolded, annoyed. His words pierced right through her heart.
Although she couldn't fully understand him, the word 'virgin' was enough
to taunt her. He ripped off parts of blouse, using it to gag her. She tried
to untie it as he stood up, but he stepped on her arms. He saw tears in
her eyes, but ignored her. He started to unzip his pants.
"Where is Ling-Er-chan?" Mitsui wondered to himself and he looked at his
watch. She was ten minutes late. It was weird, especially when she was
always ten minutes early. He knew she couldn't forget about their
private training sessions, or could she? After all, he didn't mean as much
to her as she meant to him. He looked around impatiently and decided to
look for her.
"I wonder where is Kaori. She is suppose to be home an hour ago," Fujima
was talking to himself, worried. He believed she might be watching the
friendly match between Shohoku and Ryonan that Ling-Er mentioned the previous
day, remembering Kaori's crush on Koshino.
As he was approaching the indoor stadium, he heard noises nearby. Curious,
he traced the source of the noises. He was surprised to see the hooligan
he saw attacking Ling-Er that day. Even more, he was attacking Ling-Er
AGAIN. He gasped in horror as he saw him stepping on her arms, pressing
all his weight on her tiny hands (well, considering the contrast…). He
thought of calling for help, but realized there wouldn't be enough time
as he saw the bigger man unzipping his pants. He took a deep breath, not
being able to think rationally any further. He rushed there, and yelled.
"Stop!" The guy looked over, and smirked. "You again. This is the third
time you interfered with my revenge," he swore angrily, "Only this time,
I won't let you off so easily." Fujima braved himself to take another step
forward. "Release her," he said. The other guy laughed hysterically. "NO,"
he replied firmly, stepping hard on her left palm before walking towards
Fujima.
Fujima braved himself for a fight, as he knew there was no other alternative.
Without warning, he hit Fujima on his face, sending him a few steps backward.Blood
traced down his chin . Ling-Er, on the other hand, was struggling with
her pains. She stood up slowly, her legs wobbly as she untied the piece
of cloth that covering her mouth . "Fujima-kun, run! Get Mitsui-kun. Fast,
he's only nearby," she whispered. Pissed, he kicked her, yet was surprised
that she blocked it off. However, the force sent her seated on the floor
again.
Fujima was no match for him. He was only half his size. Furthermore, although
he was an excellent basketball player, he was no excellent fighter. "Fujima-kun,"
she whispered, crying at his sufferings. The bigger man showed no mercy
at all. Fujima would be killed if he continued. "Stop, it's me you want.
Stop torturing Fujima-kun!" she screamed, unable to stop her tears.
He smirked. "How sweet. I wonder what Hisashi would say when he figures
out that his girl is being so nice to this pretty boy," he laughed, feeling
victorious. He ignored Fujima, and approached Ling-Er. She closed her eyes
and made no attempt to resist him. "Ling-Er-chan, run!" Fujima was telling
her as he approached the other guy and hit him with all his might. This
only angered him, as he sent several punches to him. Fujima was finally
brought down and he could no longer protest. He hated himself for being
so useless at such times when she needed her. He could do nothing as he
watched the guy touching Ling-Er, saying all sorts of disgusting things
to her. "Stop, don't do that," that was all he could said, as he
cried at his helplessness.
"Tanaka! I demand you to release my two friends, immediately!" a voice
roared. Without looking, all three recognized the voice. Mitsui. "Hisashi,
you're a bit early. But, it's okay. I'll just let you see with your own
eyes how I defile your dearest girl," the guy, Tanaka, cooed as he tried
to jerk Ling-Er's skirt, in which his attempt was stopped when Ling-Er
moved away.
Mitsui gritted his teeth, his fist clenched. His heart ached as he saw
Ling-Er in such a mess. Her usually tied hair was down and messy, and bruises
were visible all over her. Her upper body had only her stained bra to cover
her, while her skirt was rather torn. What hurt him more was the fact that
he was the cause of her sufferings. That the feud between her attacker
and him in the past was the cause of her getting involved in such torments.
He couldn't remember, he didn't know what it was, but judging from Tanaka's
action, he knew it was something far more than just dreadful alone. Something
far beyond his imagination, something horrible enough to leave a scar in
his heart. However, he could not forgive him. Not after what he had done
to Ling-Er. She was innocent. So was Fujima. He could never let anyone
hurt Ling-Er. He just couldn't bear it.
But can it really be?
My heart is saying- This is it.
It says you're meant for me…
But how, I wonder, can I tell
If this is truly so?
Can the wayward heart be trusted?
How am I to know?
Common sense says- Wait awhile
Don't risk a big mistake.
Pause before you start to think
About a serious relationship…
Look before you take a final
Leap into the blue.
But my heart says, "Fiddlesticks!"
So what am I to do?
"Why, you ask? WHY?" Tanaka laughed bitterly, "Remember Hiromi?" The image
of a pretty groupie formed in Mitsui's mind. One of his many ex-girlfriends
whom he could still remember, for she looked and acted too naïve to
be part the 'outer' gangs. "REMEMBER?" he demanded. "She was my girl. MINE.
I loved her so much. Much more than you ever do. You have all the girls
you want. You could have any of them. But no! You took away mine! You took
away her virginity as well. After you defiled her, you dumped her. Dumped
her and go for another innocent girl. How could you? HOW? I was locked
up in prison for YEARS for stopping her pain," he was screaming at the
top of his lunge.
The incident ran back to Mitsui. "Tanaka, are you CRAZY? You did not stop
her pain! You MURDERED her. Murdered her for 'not being loyal' to you,"
Mitsui yelled back. Tanaka laughed again; his mind seems so distant, so
far away. "Hiromi, my love. My only love," he whispered. "Are you happy,
Hiromi? I'm revenging for you."
He punched Mitsui. Mitsui did not evade. "This is paying back for courting
the girl you like," he told him. Tanaka snorted and raised his hand for
another attack. This time, Mitsui attacked back. The dual did not take
long. Mitsui was obviously stronger. Tanaka took out a penknife but Mitsui
hit it off. In a few minutes' time, Tanaka was defeated.
Lying on the floor, Tanaka talked to himself, "I'm sorry, Hiromi. I'm so
sorry. I can't avenge your death. Forgive me, my love. I will not keep
you waiting for you, wait for me." With that, he grabbed the penknife near
him. Not knowing what he was planning to do, Mitsui advanced planning to
take the knife away. Before he could reach him, Tanaka stabbed himself
at his chest, leaving all three of them in shock.
"NO!" Mitsui yelled and rushed towards him. Tanaka was still alive, but
the wound was deep. Seeing Mitsui approaching him, he attempted to cut
him, but was too weak. "Call the ambulance!" he yelled, but he knew both
Ling-Er and Fujima could not move that fast. He rushed off, to the nearest
public telephone.
"Riyula," Tanaka whispered, signaling her approach him. Ling-Er obeyed.
"Watch out. Be careful of Hisashi. Do not be a victim like Hiromi," he
continued, then closed his eyes. "Hisashi has changed. At least, I hope.
All the best," he wished her.
"Tanaka-kun," she whispered, sympathizing his condition. She walked near
him and bent down. Before she realized it, he grabbed her, and stabbed
her with the knife. It cut her left arm, a deep cut. Ling-Er yelped in
pain, and he laughed. A laugh so eerie, as if he had lost all his senses.
With all his strength left, Fujima struck him, causing him to collapse
to the ground with a sickening groan.
Mitsui returned moments later and saw Ling-Er's wound. Ignoring Fujima,
he rushed to hug her. He pulled her into his embrace like as though telling
her that he'd protect her if harms should ever go her way. "Do not be afraid,
Ling-Er-chan. It'll be okay. I promise you. I'll protect you," he told
her. And she could no longer hold back, her tears, her fears. She burst
out and wept silently. Mitsui hesitated not and offered his strong chest
to her. She continued weeping, like a three year old after being frightened
by a fierce dog. His heart ached for her pains, at the same time unable
to control the warmth he felt. Unable to control the strong surge of emotions
he felt inside. He looked at her, and his heart melted at the sight of
her crying her heart out. To him, she was all he cared about then. He had
refused to believe it. He had refused to accept it. But he knew he could
no longer hide.
I admit that in the past
I've often been misled-
But now it comes to this: am I
To follow heart or head?
I ought to heed the voice that says
It can't be genuine;
And yet I have a feeling that
My heart is going to win.
"Don't cry. Please don't cry, Ling-Er-chan," he whispered. "I can't stand
to see you cry," his voice cracked. Ling-Er looked up at him, her watery
brown eyes sending a jolt of electricity towards him. "I'll always be there
for you. I'll protect you forever. I won't let you down," he continued,
"If only you would give me a chance." Ling-Er looked at him in confusion.
He gulped, and took a deep breath. It's now or never, he thought.
"I love you," he said.
Silence. Fujima felt uncomfortable watching the two of them in such intimate
situation.
"Please, Ling-Er-chan. Give me a chance, I'm serious," he plead.
She pushed him away. "Liar! All of you! Liars! You're just saying this
because you do not know the real me! Because you do not know… that I was
*raped* before," she yelled. Both Mitsui and Fujima looked at her in surprise.
Both blinked several times before they could interpret the English word.
She had enough. "You see? You are all liars. Liars! No one will ever love
a girl as unworthy as me. Not my father, not my mother. No one," she said
softly, and closed her eyes as tears rolled down.
"No, Ling-Er-chan…" Mitsui began.
"Shut up!" she yelled, running away from him.
"Ling-"
"Get away from me. I don't need any fake sympathy. I had enough!" she shouted.
Fujima didn't know what to do. Seeing the two of them, he wanted to do
something. "Li-" he began, but she cut him off.
"You too! Shut up!"
None of them said anything. Silence soon engulfed the three of them, broken
only by their heavy breathing, Ling-Er's cries and Tanaka's groans. And
it lingered on until the sirens of the ambulance were heard.
Author's Note : Sorry for all the harsh words and violence... but I need to make it sounds as real as possible, though I'm not exactly sure how it SHOULD be... :) Anyway, this is suppose to be a sad one, but somehow... my friends ended up telling it's really funny *sweatdrop* What do YOU think?
P/S : Many thanks to all who reviewed... especially super rookie, SyiveSe, Lady Ice Dragon and Ghostwriter
P/P/S : Thanks to SyiveSe for helping me out with the grammar and verb corrections :)
P/P/P/S
: Anyone interested in know Ling-Er's (dark) past? If no one is...
I'll skip the chapter Memories :þ