Sakuragi

Two hours.

Two whole hours with the Kitsune, not as enemies, but as friends.

He was so different from what I had expected him to be. I thought he was going to be cold, aloof and very business-like in his interaction with me.

On the contrary, he revealed a side I¡¯d never seen before: warm, funny, loud¡­ so ME.

Sweat dripped off my chin, a sign of the effort I had put in and the exhaustion I was experiencing.

Kitsune handed me my ball. ¡®Here, try it again. And remember to bend your knees and snap your wrist.¡¯

I did as he said, and released the ball into the air.

It hit the backboard and circled the rim¡­ once¡­ twice¡­ and entered the hoop.

The elation I felt was, well, thrilling. Joy was racing through my arteries, capillaries and veins.

I whooped with joy, and stopped, when I heard another voice whoop in unison with mine.

I turned to look in absolute amazement at the Kitsune. This was the biggest surprise of the day.

He looked at me sheepishly and we shared a moment of silence, then broke out in hysterical laughter together, just the way me and my Guntai do.

*******

Lunchtime, and seven bowls of ramen.

Kitsune stared at me as I began on my eighth bowl; he wasn¡¯t even halfway through his first.

¡®Ah, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay for my meal. Mm¡­ say, is this all you¡¯re eating for lunch? Even Yohei eats two bowls¡­¡¯

¡®I have to save my money to buy clothes and stuff, you know. And I have to pay for my utilities bills, as well as my internet bills, myself.¡¯ He poked at the ramen with his chopsticks.

¡®Mmph? No relatives?¡¯

The tablecloth suddenly seemed to interest him. He fingered the coarse cloth nervously and cast his eyes downwards.

¡®None.¡¯

¡®Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯

I didn¡¯t know what else to say. I mean, what do you say to a guy when he tells you that he has no known living relatives?

An awkward silence settled upon us.

I spoke, ¡®I¡¯ve only got an aunt¡­ so, we are more or less in the same boat.¡¯

He tried to nod his head. ¡®Tell me. How did your parents die?¡¯

I winced as I felt my heart twist itself into an uncomfortable knot in my chest at the memory of their deaths.

I put down my chopsticks and lowered my head. ¡®Otoosan¡­ he died o f a heart attack. I¡­ I could have saved him¡­ but¡­ now I have to live with this regret for the rest of my life¡­ Okaasan¡­ died of colon cancer. She lost the will to live when my father passed on¡­ so in a sense I¡­ I was the cause of both their deaths¡ª¡®

¡®NO. You weren¡¯t.¡¯

My head jerked up violently at the force in his voice.

¡®Do you believe in fate? I do. I believe that everything is pre-planned by kami-sama. In other words, there was no way that you could have prevented their deaths. It was all fated, part of their destiny.¡¯

Upon hearing his words, the knot in my chest loosened. It made sense.

Out of pure curiosity, I asked, ¡®Umm, what about your parents?¡¯

¡®Oh,¡¯ he said matter-of-factly, ¡®Car crash. They were dead on arrival at the hospital.¡¯

¡®Sorry¡­¡¯

¡®Nah, it¡¯s okay.¡¯

¡®So, how do you survive?¡¯

¡®Oh. I work at Velvet Underground daily, with three days off per two months. Not too bad a deal, considering the fact that the pay is fair and there are quite a few benefits, like insurance. You know, beer brawls and all that. But the downside to the job, besides having to wear that gaudy outfit, I have to work until about 3am.¡¯

¡®Ah. So that explains why you sleep on your bike and through practically all your classes.¡¯

¡®Shut up.¡¯ He mock-glared at me. ¡®I was just saving my energy for basketball.¡¯

¡®Oy, Kitsune. Why is it that although you make yourself out to be so poor, you wear branded stuff, and your bike sure looks expensive¡­ Oh, and you even got a Sony Discman!¡¯

¡®Mm. That¡¯s because I felt that I ought to buy the best for myself. You know, ¡®cos they last longer. But that¡¯d mean I¡¯d have fewer clothes.¡¯

He smiled wryly at me.

I suddenly felt grateful for all that I had. My aunt (and all the money she sent) and most of all, my Guntai. Tease me they might, but always by my side.

From what I had gathered about the Kitsune during our conversations, I was his only friend.

Hmmm. It sure seems that the Kitsune has a hidden side I¡¯d never seen in him before. Perhaps I should get to know him better.

Out of the blue, the Kitsune suddenly said, ¡®Arigato, Sakuragi-kun, for being my friend.¡¯

Without thinking, I said, ¡®No, no, it¡¯s okay. And call me Hanamichi.¡¯

His face lit up and gratitude shone in his eyes. It sure seems like he¡¯s desperate for friendship.

With a smile that reached the depths of his cobalt eyes, he said happily, ¡®Call me Kaede.¡¯

A/n: hello. Such a soppy chapter. I bet you all were expecting that. =P heehee. I¡¯m a very unoriginal person. Well, thanks for the reviews. Unfortunately, this is one of the last few chapters, if not the last. Boohoo.