Comforting Warmth: A Slam Dunk fanfic
By: nikki hiiragizawa nikki_hiiragizawa@rurouni.com
Rating: R
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: After a long time of sleeping, I have the next chapter.
Kiyota: Why did you keep your readers wait for long??
Nikki: Shut up, spider monkey. I was organizing my Bishounen Cult, you know.
Fujima: Hai! She's very busy…
Nikki: Saa! Please read on !
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CHAPTER 6:
"Nice shot, Mitsui." The shooting guard looked at the speaker with almost unbelieving eyes. Kogure smiled widely at him. "You are in pretty good shape today." The vice-captain continued.
If only it wouldn't be so obvious and embarrassing, Mitsui would have punched himself to see if he is in a dream. It had been three days since their unexpected encounter, and since then, no communication had come between them.
Then this happened.
"Aa," Mitsui could only say. He turned around and saw Rukawa intently watching them. As expected, the super rookie of Shohoku came over. Taking the ball from Mitsui, Rukawa resumed the game.
However, Kogure did not seem to mind Rukawa's apparent effort to stop his conversation with Mitsui. "Just keep practicing, Mitsui, and I'll bet you'll be able to regain your stamina." His eyes met Mitsui's almost apologetically, as if pleading Mitsui to tolerate Rukawa.
"Arigatou, Kogure-kun," Mitsui replied, a bit too loudly so that even Rukawa who was at the far end of the court will hear. "Thanks a lot for your encouragement." He slapped Kogure's back and walked away, reveling in Rukawa's fury. Kogure didn't seem to mind as he smiled and shook his head.
Kogure, you are one heck of a forgiver. Now it's my turn to return your kindness, Mitsui kept in his thoughts.
+++
"What are you so angry about?" Kogure gasped as he hurried to catch up with Rukawa. Practice had just ended when Rukawa almost zoomed out of the court like a bullet.
The small forward faced him abruptly and pointed a finger at him. "You. You annoy me."
"What did I do?" Kogure asked, almost begging, as he dragged Rukawa to the side of the building.
Closing his eyes and averting his gaze from the vice-captain, Rukawa answered. "You and Mitsui-sempai! Why do you…why do you annoy me so?!"
"We…we are not doing anything wrong? I was just encouraging him…"
"Encouraging him to get closer to you?"
"No…Kaede…" Rukawa started walking once more, while his partner walked in his shadow. "Anou, Kaede."
"Nani?" Rukawa asked, not even glancing at the smaller boy.
"Do you…do you love me?" Kogure fisted his hands on his jacket as he awaited Rukawa's wrath.
Rukawa kept from answering. After minutes of silence, he slowly replied. "Do you really have to ask?"
"Well, I just want to know. I mean, what if somebody asks about us…like your parents?"
The small forward stopped in his tracks. "Why do you want to meet my parents?"
"I didn't say that. I was just…"
"Min-kun, we better stop talking about this. Let's talk some other time." Rukawa traipsed away, expecting Kogure to catch up.
"Kaede…" Frowning, the vice-captain followed.
+++
The next day, practice was alive and chaotic due to Mitsui's jokes. "Admit it, Miyagi. Ayako will never give you something as gross as a…"
"Stop it! Aya-chan will kill me if…"
"You will call me sempai, baka!"
"Why will I kill you, Ryota?"
"Erm…"
"Ohayou, minna!" Kogure greeted as he strode into the room. He smiled at the others and glanced at Rukawa, who busied himself with tying his shoes. Mitsui glared at the rookie as he saw the familiar warmth in Kogure's eyes. Suddenly, a very impish look replaced his glare.
"Say, Miyagi. Why don't you ask Rukawa for advice?"
Miyagi was quite startled. "Advice on what?"
"Advice on what gifts to give to your loved one. Surely, he gives Kogure a thing or two." He eyed the small forward, expecting a pert answer.
Even though Kogure knew that the whole team already knows, the blush did not stop from spreading to his face. "Mitsui, we better…"
"What did you say?" Rukawa stood up and faced the shooting guard.
Mitsui was not to be defeated by a mere glare from Rukawa. "What I was saying was that Miyagi should ask you some advice on what gifts to buy since you must have been buying vice-captain Kogure something." Miyagi nodded and was starting to ask when Rukawa interrupted him.
"Why should I buy Kogure-sempai something?"
The whole court was silenced. Even Kogure who was trying to put a stop in the conversation was stunned. Yasuda, at last, was able to speak. "But, Rukawa, aren't you and Kogure-sempai already…"
"…are in a relationship?" Shiozaki continued.
Rukawa looked at everyone and stopped his eyes at Kogure. Looking straight at the vice-captain, he answered, "We are not a couple."
"Nani?" This time, Mitsui stood up. "Why are you…"
"Yamete, Mitsui." Kogure smiled gently at them. "Rukawa's right. You shouldn't judge anybody like that." The shooting guard was sure that he saw Kogure's lips quiver as he spoke, but he did not tell them so.
"Kogure." Mitsui shot another fierce glare at Rukawa, who was walking away. "Anou…"
The vice-captain shook his head. "Saa! Let's start warming up. I'll just call Akagi." He strode away before anybody could react, and left the court.
Mitsui was both mad and confused. Why did Rukawa answer such? And why did Kogure accept it as if it's true? Shaking his head, he resolved on waiting for Kogure to return.
But the vice-captain took so long that even when Akagi had come, he wasn't there.
+++
Rukawa saw a familiar figure at the entrance of the school. He ignored it and walked away, until he heard somebody call. "Oi."
"Nani, Mitsui-sempai?" Rukawa asked. Suddenly, a blow landed on his jaw. "What did you do that for?" He coolly asked as he wiped the trickling blood from his lips.
"Nani?? You ask me why, Rukawa?!" Mitsui was so furious that he shook. "You dare say something about like that to Kogure?"
Rukawa stonily looked at him. "What did I do?"
"You just humiliated him on front of the whole team, saying that you do not even have a relationship with him, and you ask…" Mitsui sighed. "Afraid of ruining your reputation?"
"Why should you interfere with my life?"
"Because you are ruining someone's life," Mitsui declared.
The small forward smirked. "You're just jealous that he loves me. Not you!" He felt himself suddenly grabbed by the collar and shook by a very angry shooting guard.
"Yes, I am jealous. Very jealous! And I can't take that Kogure is suffering because of a creep like you." He released Rukawa forcefully. "If Sakuragi will see you now…" He wasn't able to continue when Rukawa punched him on the chest.
"You will not involve Sakuragi in this, Mitsui," he snarled. "Sumanu, but whatever you do, Kogure will love just me and only me." He stopped when he saw Sendoh stop by the school gate.
"Oi, Rukawa. Are you ready to go?" Rukawa nodded and dusted his clothes.
Mitsui clutched his stomach and openly glared at Rukawa. "You dare go somewhere at this time? What about Kogure? Aren't you going…"
"We'll talk later." Rukawa walked away and met Sendoh, leaving Mitsui behind.
"Kuso!" The shooting guard cursed as he repeatedly punched a tree trunk. "Damn that Rukawa!"
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Kogure lay on his stomach, burying his face among his pillows. He can't understand why Rukawa must say those things. Keeping quiet is one matter, but rejecting is another one! He kept his tears from crying as he reasoned that there is no need to cry. Maybe Rukawa just wanted to make their relationship private. Surely, he did not want to ruin his famous reputation…
Then why is he so ashamed of you? Kogure drowned the thoughts in his head with a sigh. "He is not. He loves me, he's just…"
How can you be so sure that he loves you? Has he ever said I love you to you before? His mind asked him. Kogure's tears welled up. "No," he whispered. "He never told me that he loves me…" He buried hiss face deeper to the pillows, trying to drown the thoughts that went back and forth inside him.
The phone rang suddenly. Kogure tried to cease his sobs and answered the phone in a very casual manner. "Hai, Kogure desu."
"Kiminobu."
The familiar warmth in the voice on the other line undid Kogure completely. His sobs escaped him, no matter how much he tried to prevent them from coming.
"Are…you…" The voice hesitated. "Are you alright? I just want to say sorry. I was…"
Kogure shook his head even if nobody could see him. "It's not your fault. It never was." The other end was quiet, as if the voice was anticipating him to go on. In a brief moment, Kogure felt that there is someone he can turn to, that there is somebody who cares.
"Please…Please come over. I…I do not know what to do anymore!" Kogure said as he thwarted all pretending masks away.
"I will, calm down now…"
"Please, Mitsui. Please come here…"
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Nikki: For now, I do not have any comments. I am just following your votes and requests…so…I'll let this cliffhanger be the suspense…*laughter* Anyway, I do not want to annoy the readers so I promise the next chapter will come soon!
Fujima: According to the votes the pairing will be…
Kiyota: Oh be quiet! You're ruining the suspense!
Nikki: Bye for now!
~nikki hiiragizawa
Kurapica no hime
Kogure no hime
Hotohori no hime
(courtesy of The Bishounen Cult)
