Sakuragi
Gori, blocked by Round-headed-Gori, missed. The ball bounced off the rim.
My leg muscles tensed, as I clenched my teeth to prevent myself from screaming in pain.
I jumped as high as I could, and dunked the ball in.
The dunk must have had an impact on my spine because the pain worsened significantly. My back was being attacked by pain personified, now armed sharp swords, arrows and spears that stabbed my flesh.
I felt my face become contorted with agony, as my back was sliced open by a white-hot fire that was pain.
I felt faint as I heard the whistle blow. My dunk, my last honour at battle, was considered void because it was performed after a foul. Round-headed-Gori's, I think.
I staggered, my eyes seeing nothing but pain, my ears hearing nothing but pain, my flesh feeling nothing but pain. My head felt light and I struggled to maintain balance. I think Gori said something.
I was overwhelmed by pain. My knees buckled and I felt myself fall. But I was suddenly caught by a pair of strong arms. The owner of those arms helped me to the sidelines… wait… I don't want to be substituted out of the game…
The next thing I knew was that I was lying face-down on the floor, my muscles tense and my fists clenched, in an attempt to keep myself from crying out from the excruciating pain.
Why… why must this happen to me? This match is the most important event that has ever happened to me. This match was the first time I'd ever felt needed by anyone else in my life, and now…
Oh kami-sama, why must fate be so cruel to me? Would my injury spell the end of my basketball career?
Silent tears oozed from the corners of my eyes, landing onto the floor to mix with my sweat gathering there.
Recollections of past matches and events relation to basketball flooded my mind… the enjoyable shooting practices, my first successful lay-up, my first official dunk, the rebounds… would they become nothing but memories?
********
Rukawa
We beat Sannoh, winning by a narrow margin of one point.
And the do'ahou honoured his promise to the spectators by scoring the last, crucial goal in the remaining one second in the game.
But we lost the next match, to Aiwa from Aichi Prefecture while the do'ahou received treatment in the hospital, his torso wrapped in a cast.
He still had access to computers and the internet, courtesy of the hospital, which was good, but I was training with the National Youth Team in the neighbouring precinct and found little time to go chatting online.
-------------
tensai says:
hi
Kenshin says:
hey. how was the IH?
tensai says:
we won sannoh in the second round but lost to aiwa in the third
Kenshin says:
sannoh was seeded #1... and you beat them. wow... but how could you lose to aiwa?
tensai says:
well it's coz i injured my back during the sannoh match and had to be hospitalised so i didnt play aiwa...
Kenshin says:
oh... hey manz look on the brighter side: this shows your importance to your team
tensai says:
sigh...
Kenshin says:
?! hana are you okay? you arent acting normal
tensai says:
i dunno. i guess im worried...
Kenshin says:
worried? about what?
tensai says:
the doc said itd be about 2 mths without any strenuous exercise, including layups
Kenshin says:
....
tensai says:
what im worried about is whether i can still play bball the way i used to once ive recovered
Kenshin says:
dont worry. with practice youd be ok
tensai says:
sigh... i certainly hope so
-------------
I concluded that the mellower do'ahou was lost in his abyss of hopelessness. I, of all people, knew best how it felt.
Despair was the large rock that dragged your heart into the depths of depression. Despair was the hand that clawed all hope from your heart.
He desperately needed a friend to pull him from his abyss of dpression and I was going to be his friend in need.
But time was scarce, so how was I going to go about it?
Gori, blocked by Round-headed-Gori, missed. The ball bounced off the rim.
My leg muscles tensed, as I clenched my teeth to prevent myself from screaming in pain.
I jumped as high as I could, and dunked the ball in.
The dunk must have had an impact on my spine because the pain worsened significantly. My back was being attacked by pain personified, now armed sharp swords, arrows and spears that stabbed my flesh.
I felt my face become contorted with agony, as my back was sliced open by a white-hot fire that was pain.
I felt faint as I heard the whistle blow. My dunk, my last honour at battle, was considered void because it was performed after a foul. Round-headed-Gori's, I think.
I staggered, my eyes seeing nothing but pain, my ears hearing nothing but pain, my flesh feeling nothing but pain. My head felt light and I struggled to maintain balance. I think Gori said something.
I was overwhelmed by pain. My knees buckled and I felt myself fall. But I was suddenly caught by a pair of strong arms. The owner of those arms helped me to the sidelines… wait… I don't want to be substituted out of the game…
The next thing I knew was that I was lying face-down on the floor, my muscles tense and my fists clenched, in an attempt to keep myself from crying out from the excruciating pain.
Why… why must this happen to me? This match is the most important event that has ever happened to me. This match was the first time I'd ever felt needed by anyone else in my life, and now…
Oh kami-sama, why must fate be so cruel to me? Would my injury spell the end of my basketball career?
Silent tears oozed from the corners of my eyes, landing onto the floor to mix with my sweat gathering there.
Recollections of past matches and events relation to basketball flooded my mind… the enjoyable shooting practices, my first successful lay-up, my first official dunk, the rebounds… would they become nothing but memories?
********
Rukawa
We beat Sannoh, winning by a narrow margin of one point.
And the do'ahou honoured his promise to the spectators by scoring the last, crucial goal in the remaining one second in the game.
But we lost the next match, to Aiwa from Aichi Prefecture while the do'ahou received treatment in the hospital, his torso wrapped in a cast.
He still had access to computers and the internet, courtesy of the hospital, which was good, but I was training with the National Youth Team in the neighbouring precinct and found little time to go chatting online.
-------------
tensai says:
hi
Kenshin says:
hey. how was the IH?
tensai says:
we won sannoh in the second round but lost to aiwa in the third
Kenshin says:
sannoh was seeded #1... and you beat them. wow... but how could you lose to aiwa?
tensai says:
well it's coz i injured my back during the sannoh match and had to be hospitalised so i didnt play aiwa...
Kenshin says:
oh... hey manz look on the brighter side: this shows your importance to your team
tensai says:
sigh...
Kenshin says:
?! hana are you okay? you arent acting normal
tensai says:
i dunno. i guess im worried...
Kenshin says:
worried? about what?
tensai says:
the doc said itd be about 2 mths without any strenuous exercise, including layups
Kenshin says:
....
tensai says:
what im worried about is whether i can still play bball the way i used to once ive recovered
Kenshin says:
dont worry. with practice youd be ok
tensai says:
sigh... i certainly hope so
-------------
I concluded that the mellower do'ahou was lost in his abyss of hopelessness. I, of all people, knew best how it felt.
Despair was the large rock that dragged your heart into the depths of depression. Despair was the hand that clawed all hope from your heart.
He desperately needed a friend to pull him from his abyss of dpression and I was going to be his friend in need.
But time was scarce, so how was I going to go about it?