Comforting Warmth: A Slam Dunk fanfic
By: nikki hiiragizawa nikki_hiiragizawa@rurouni.com
Rating: PG-13
Genre: angst/drama/romance
Pairings: RuHana/HanaRu, RuKo/KoRu, MitKo/KoMit
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk is not mine. If it is mine, then Kogure is the main character. ^.^
Nikki: Hello, I am so glad you have unearthed my first Slam Dunk yaoi fic! May I introduce my companions for today…Fujima Kenji-kun…
Fujima: Hajimemashite.
Nikki: -.- …and Nobunaga Kiyota…
Kiyota: Yosha! I'm famous! I'm…
Nikki: Saa! OMG! This is my first SD fic…
Fujima: omedetou, Nikki-san!
Kiyota: Your first yaoi fic and you only have fluff, angst, implied lemon and fluff…oh and did I mention fluff?
Nikki: *whacks Kiyota with a HUGE mallet* Don't mind the spider monkey…
Fujima: Jaa, please read Nikki-san's fic now!
Nikki: Please read and review! *bows*
Kiyota: x_x
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CHAPTER 1:
The dark-eyed super ace of Shohoku High School leaned against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes. The calmness of the surroundings, even though cloudy and ominous-looking, was just right for cooling his nerves after practice. Since his talk with Anzai-sensei, he decided to give the succeeding games his very best. That way he could go to America…to reach his dream…to fulfill his desires. He had been practicing too hard, Akagi had reminded him. Even Mitsui and the others say that he has changed…that he was somewhat more passionate in his plays, eager to defeat anyone who dare block his path to success. It is true that his passion is seen when he plays basketball, but what others do not know, is that his passion - most of it pent-up - was offered to one being only, just that one being who managed to undo and change him.
"Oi!" Rukawa Kaede looked towards the sound of the voice. The red-haired boy approached him. "Have you been waiting long?" Sakuragi Hanamichi wore a smile that was different from the cheesy smiles he gave Rukawa when they practice. This time, his smile was undeniably…excited.
The ace of Shohoku sighed. "Do'ahou…" He picked up his bag and impishly waited for Sakuragi's reply.
"Nani?! I come all the way here and you call the tensai…" Sakuragi stopped short as one of Rukawa's hand landed lightly on his cheek. He peered into Rukawa's eyes and covered the hand holding his face with his own. "Kaede…"
"Saa, tensai, shall we go?" Shohoku's small forward interlaced his fingers with those of Sakuragi, as they marched out of the school gate.
+++
"Kogure-sempai, I'll arrange the court, don't mind. It looks like rain and you might get stranded if you don't hurry."
Kogure Kiminobu adjusted his glasses on his nose and gratefully smiled. "Arigatou, Kakuta. I'll head to the locker room." The vice-captain of Shohoku basketball team waved good bye to the other players and entered their locker room.
"Kogure."
He whirled around at the sound of somebody calling him. "Ah, Mitsui. Doushitano?" He turned to his locker and pulled it open. The familiar scent of Kogure's perfume drifted past Mitsui's nose.
Mitsui leaned against one of the lockers as he watched Kogure arrange his things. "Nan demo nai. I just…"
"Hmm?" Kogure was half-listening as he peeled off his uniform and wrapped himself with his towel. "I am about to take a shower now. But I could listen to you still." He gave a friendly smile to the shooting guard before he entered one of the stalls.
No good, absolutely no good, Mitsui scolded himself. I cannot tell him what I want to say this way. He turned to the direction of the showers, where Kogure could be heard humming a tune as he washed himself. Mitsui emitted a groan and went out, away from the vice-captain, as he continued to conceal his feelings.
+++
"Hanamichi." Sakuragi looked up from his math homework and met Rukawa's piercing eyes. Thunder rumbled outside, signifying an oncoming storm.
"Nani, Kaede?" He tapped one end of his pen continuously on Rukawa's table. "Is something bothering you?"
Rukawa caught his chin with a hand and closed his eyes. "Nan demo nai. I just thought you're being more and more quiet these past few days…"
"Ore? Quiet?" Sakuragi gave Rukawa one of his famous laughs. Suddenly he turned serious and stood up, only to sit beside Rukawa and pull the small forward's head towards his shoulder. "I just think of so many things."
Rukawa gratefully laid his head at the crook of Sakuragi's shoulder and whispered. "What things?"
"Like what will happen if one of us goes away. I mean, even you has plans of going to America, right?" The red-haired boy's eyes widened as he felt Rukawa's arm snake up behind him to cage him in a possessive embrace.
"Nobody's going away," Rukawa murmured. "We're not going to be away from each other."
Sakuragi blissfully smiled, glad to be away from the tensions of the basketball court to enter his territory, the place only he and Rukawa shares. "I hope it will be that way."
Rukawa sat straight and looked straight into Sakuragi's face. "Why did you suddenly think of those things?" he asked, his voice a bit accusing. He knew there could be many things that will separate him and Sakuragi. One of them is Akagi's sister Haruko.
Sakuragi must have lived up to his being a tensai, for he quickly knew what Rukawa was thinking about. "Kaede, you know I will never …Haruko-san was just…"
"Saa, saa, I know." Rukawa ruffled his lover's hair. "I know."
Sakuragi faked a pout. "I should be the one to tell you that. Considering that Sendoh has his…" His last few words turned to a gasp as Rukawa pushed him backward. It took him a few seconds to consider his situation. He was lying flat on his back on Rukawa's carpeted bedroom floor, and his hands were held firmly on each side of his head by the Shohoku's ace himself. "Kaede…" Rukawa's face looked almost as serious as the time he played against Sendoh. It will be unwise to argue with the kitsuine-otoko.
"Nobody's going to separate us, Hanamichi," Rukawa solemnly announced. "I have branded you."
Sakuragi lay stunned for a while. "Branded…"
"Yeah." Rukawa's eyes gave a dangerous gleam. "Or, I should have said, I will brand you." The grip on Sakuragi's arms became firmer, as Rukawa gave him his brand -- the brand which will make Sakuragi forever his. The thunder and rain came, coating the couple's silence with a conquering darkness.
+++
Mitsui plopped down on his bed, his face contorted to a frown. He had been thinking so deeply it caused him a headache, but still, the one he is thinking of is worth the pain in his temples. He looked out of the window, where rain was pouring steadily. Whatever the weather was, he still cannot keep his thoughts off this person.
Kogure Kiminobu.
The shooting guard knew it is wrong, wrong to have fantasies about him and his vice-captain. His respect for Kogure is as overwhelming as his respect to Anzai-sensei. Yet his emotions cannot be quenched by just respect. Kogure is…Kogure is…
Mitsui covered his head with a pillow as lightning illumined his room. All that time, he had kept his emotions hidden to everyone. From the time he stopped playing basketball, to the time when he returned and atoned for his mistakes, he kept himself silenced. Kogure had been more than kind to him. He had been the one who monitored Mitsui's illness, and was among the first one to shake Mitsui off the path he had chosen to live. He was one of those reasons why Mitsui came back to playing basketball. But still, the shooting guard did not acquire the courage to tell Kogure all this. All he could offer was a friendly smile that the vice-captain always returned with his own. A secret…Mitsui's feelings had always been a secret.
Yet now should be the time.
The shooting guard decided to confess to Kogure his feelings towards him. No matter what the vice-captain's answer will be, he must say it. But many things are on the way. What if Kogure gets mad and moves away from him? What if he likes somebody else? What if he…what if he…
Yamete, baka! Mitsui scolded himself. You shouldn't think about what he will feel at this early. You must tell him first! Mitsui finally motivated himself to tell Kogure of his emotions…that he aches so bad when he sees Kogure that he wants to kidnap the vice-captain and imprison him in his room forever. Yosha, here we go… The former junior high MVP moved sideways to pick up the phone.
The phone rang suddenly as he started to pick the handset up from its cradle. Muttering a light curse, Mitsui brought it to his ear. "Moshi moshi, Mitsui desu."
"Mitsui." The shooting guard almost dropped the phone like hot potato. The voice on the other end of the line, sweet and moving, was…
"Ko…kogure? What's the matter? Do you need anything?" Mitsui's mind screamed that he sounds so enthusiastic, but he ignored it. It's better than winning the lottery, having Kogure talk to him on the phone. Mitsui relished the chance to hear Kogure's voice, the same one that he hears everyday, during practices, that same mellow tune that had him awake from many nights now. "It's a surprise for me that you called."
The voice on the other end seemed to hide a hint of amusement. "Nothing, Mitsui. I was just thinking why you left a while ago." A slight pause followed, as if the voice on the other line was hesitating. Mitsui held his breath. "I was wondering if you were angry because I took a shower when you want to talk about something," the voice continued, its concern apparent.
Kami, he's concerned about me! Mitsui joyously thought. Clearing his throat, he gripped the handset tightly. "Anou, Kogure, about a while ago…" This is the time he had been waiting for…the moment of truth. "Kogure…"
"Hai?" A crackling sound was emitted through the line, and wind slapped on Mitsui's window. The storm was quite strong.
"Well, you see…" Shohoku's number one three-point shooter took a deep breath. This is getting more difficult than before! "Anou…"
"Maa, Mitsui, if something is troubling you, you know…" Kogure's sweet voice was cut off and a busy tone replaced it. Mitsui shut his eyes firmly in frustration.
The phone was dead. The storm must have been so raging that it managed to damage the phone lines. Even the lights on Mitsui's room flickered. Mitsui, out of disappointment, slammed his fist on his desk. "Kuso! Just when I was ready to…tell him how I feel this happens!" He took a deep breath and calmed down. What on earth could Kogure be thinking of right now? Will he be mad? Will he be concerned? Lying back on his bed, he curled up with his pillow and thought about the phone call the occurred till he was lulled to sleep.
+++
"Are you sure you don't want to sleep over?" Rukawa's face was marked with anxiety as Sakuragi picked up his shirt and got ready to go out. "The storm is quite intense. Something might…"
Sakuragi smiled as he bent and gave Rukawa a long kiss. "I'll be fine, okay?" He tied his shoes quickly and got up. He turned his torso suddenly and looked at Rukawa. "Just remember that I love you always." Giving Rukawa a quick hug, he rushed out to the rain.
"Hanamichi…"
+++
Sakuragi felt the inviting drops of rain that he closed his umbrella and walked into the storm. He closed his eyes as the small, biting drops trickled down his face.
Being with Rukawa was great as heaven itself. He had never felt so cherished, so loved before. Even though some people think that Rukawa was as cold as ice, inside him was a warmth that only he, Sakuragi Hanamichi, was wont to follow. Sakuragi blushed slightly as he internalized his musings.
How he could be blessed with such happiness as this, Sakuragi did not know. All he knew was that every time Rukawa was with him, he becomes comforted, warmed, and cared for. He sighed deeply and gazed upward to the heavens, letting the drops of water cover his face. Suddenly, a shout was heard, mingling with it the horn of a car.
Sakuragi tried to see what that was but it was too late. He felt himself colliding with something hard, and fast. He felt being thrown into the pavement as that thing rammed onto him. As he looked up, he saw that what he bumped onto was a car. He must have strayed too far, out of the pavement and out to the street.
Sakuragi closed his eyes as he felt something warm trickle down his body, It was like the drops of rain, only, this was warm and this was trickling out of him. He moved his head sideways and saw red liquid covering the cement under and around him. Boy, am I bleeding? he thought to himself. Gori will not let me play if he sees me like this…People's voices reached his ears but he cannot make out what they were saying. He strove to move, but he felt so numb. If only Kaede was here, he'll help me up, he thought. He lay quietly as panic arose from the crowd around him.
"Sakuragi-kun! Sakuragi-kun!" The power forward heard a girl's voice calling him, but he cannot respond. There was this light. It is coming closer…It was almost engulfing him. Kaede, he thought. I'll call you when I get home…wait for me… this will be over soon.
Suddenly, everything was quiet. Everything was dark.
And Sakuragi Hanamichi lay unmoving on the pavement of Kanagawa.
+++
"I really don't think this is a good idea to go out, Aya-chan." Miyagi frowned as his girlfriend dragged him among the hurrying mobs of people.
Ayako smirked at the point guard. "Really, don't you have a sense of adventure? Besides, this is one way you can show that you are really serious with me."
"I am serious, you just won't…hey, what's that?" They both looked as a crowd assembled on the pavement.
Ayako fingered her scarf. "I don't know. Maybe somebody got hit?" They pushed themselves between the people to get a look. What they didn't expect gave them the shock of their life. Ayako, eyes widening, hurried to the victim's side.
"Sakuragi-kun! Sakuragi-kun!" she shouted as she shook him. Miyagi hurried to her side.
"Oi, Sakuragi! Open your eyes!"
"Somebody get a doctor! An ambulance!"
Ayako's tears fell as she realized that Sakuragi was not responding at all. Miyagi moved his hand to the red-haired man's neck to check his pulse.
There was none.
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AUTHOR'S NOTES
Nikki: I am so sorry, you Sakuragi fans! I really didn't mean to kill the tensai really1
Kiyota: Yeah. You just planned to have him almost decapitated by a truck.
Fujima: Kiyota…
Nikki: I swear, I won't make him appear again so that he may rest in peace.
Kiyota: As a ghost perhaps?
Fujima: Minna, please hang on for the next chapters.
Nikki: Hai. This will be one short fic!
Kiyota: Like 30 chapters…
Fujima and Nikki: KIYOTA!!!!! *ties up the spider monkey* See you later. Jaa na!
Thanks for reading!
~nikki
