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:: Rambles ::

*Ahem* And you thought it died? Gomen ne ... didn't have the time to write. But I'll finish it no matter what for my dear imouto, Suisen-chan! Promise!

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Snow Covered Dreams – Hanagata's Side Story

[ 7. Time Over Time ]

Dusk was fast approaching.  The sky was now colored in dark pink, slowly fading into deep shades of blue. Gusts of wind were sweeping by – the warm lights from the lamppost were the only illumination found. The whole night was like as though veiled in utter sadness.

He pulled out his hand from his pocket, then raising it a little to gather the tiny drops of falling snow with his open palm. Silently, he let out a solemn sigh. Winter was finally marking its arrival in Kanagawa, and to him, it was also signaling the start of another new beginning – and that it would also be his final chance at redemption.

"What are these for?" The long-haired girl squealed.

The piercing sound of her voice shook him off his train of thoughts and he slowly turned over to his side to find her fidgeting with her large yellow jacket. Or rather, his jacket, although it looked more like an overcoat on her. She was referring to those strange-looking-orange-stripped-strings that were attached to each side of the cloth. Somehow, those uneven wools of thread seemed to bug her a lot. One minute, she was struggling to yank them off. But by the very next, she was tying them into tiny little butterfly knots.

"Miho-san, I must say they do looked really … lovely … but I don't think that's what they are for." Fujima chuckled lightly.

"I know." She grinned sheepishly, then glared at him and frowned. "Miho. It's Mi-ho." She drawled. "I thought we have agreed to drop those formalities off our names?"

He smiled. "Yare, yare. I'll keep that in mind."

He continued to observe her as she rubbed her hands to keep them warm. It was all the same. Her usual outburst – nothing had really changed at all – she was still the same old Miho he had known one year ago. Still as stubborn and as persistent as ever. Apart from almost beating him in a game he had mastered so well, that is. But even if he did lose, it shouldn't matter too – for he had spent the entire span of the 30-minute-game trying to figure out if she was real or just a fraction of his imagination.

No, he was certainly not delusive. And he was never this way before either. He could never be. For wasn't he that ever poised and composed captain of the Shoyo High Basketball Club – whose demeanor told so much pride and arrogance of himself, and whose every glint of his eyes demanded respect from the others? He couldn't. Or could he?

That his Fujima pride would ever give way, for him to admit that the girl, now standing there, right in front of him, was the missing part of the puzzle that completed him. That, ever since that day they bid farewell, he had missed her immensely. And that being with her for the past few days was all he could ever wished for.

That, it was all too good to be true.

"Why are you staring at me?" She pouted. "Don't you know that it's rude to stare?"

"Nothing." He said, nonchalantly, looking away from her.

"There is something. I can sense it. And a woman's intuition is never wrong." She persisted, her hands on her hips, not letting the subject drop.

"Nothing … really." He insisted.

Another gust of wind swept by and Miho pulled her jacket tighter, her eyes still focused on that brown-haired boy. A mischievous grin then surfaced onto her lips. "Well, if there's something you really want to say and you're not saying it now, you're going to regret it later."

He raised his eyebrows. "Why is that so?"

"Well, in another week's time, I won't be here anymore." She turned around, her back facing him. "I'm going back to Osaka."

Fujima stared at her for one long moment – her words slowly creeping into his consciousness. And in that split second of time, something flickered briefly through his mind. And realization soon hit him. Of course! How could he let it slipped through his mind? Haven't she told him before that she was only here for a mere visit? That once she had everything straightened out, she would be leaving here?

"Regretting already?" She smiled suggestively. It was an awkward smile, like as though she was trying to hide her own disappointment.

He stood still and observed her intently. Time was just too short. It was certainly not long enough to make up for lost time. There were just too many things he had wanted to say. Too many things he needed to be sure of. And he knew he couldn't go on wondering about them forever.

Time and tide waits for no man.

"Miho-san." He started to speak. Words had always flowed so easily, for him, but somehow, this time, they didn't.

"I thought I have just …" She left it hanging when her eyes met his. "Kenji?"

"You never did … " he paused again. Surely it won't be that hard to say what was on his mind, right?

She blinked. "Nani?"

"… tell me what happened after that night …" It wasn't exactly what he had wanted to say – but nevertheless, it was something he had always wondered before.

There was a thoughtful silence. And she broke into another grin. "Why the sudden curiosity?"

"I … just wanted to know." Fujima admitted reluctantly, looking away.

She pulled a straight face. "I … I woke up one day and I realized I had wings." And when she saw his frown increased tenfold, she laughed nervously. "Okay, so I didn't. I don't really know."

She looked up to the sky, allowing herself to be mesmerized by the dark heavens above. "I didn't think I could make it. The doctors … they always say that things would work out fine – but disappointment always awaits me at the other end. Right after we said goodbye, I left for England and came back two months later – but my condition didn't improve at all."

There was a distant note in her voice. And he was at loss again. He remembered it clearly how it was like when she first told him about her heart problems. Like it was then, he could do nothing but to watch her, and listen to her attentively.

"Then Tousan received a call from his old friend. So I moved again, this time to Osaka. I didn't really put much hope in it at first. In fact, all the time I was there, I had relapses and got from worse to worst. But I managed to pull through. All because Natsuko-chan was there with me."

"Natsuko-chan?" Now why does that name sounds so seemingly familiar?

She brightened. "Natsuko-chan is Hitomi Sensei's daughter. She's my age and she's really great. In fact, she was the one who gave me the strength to carry on. I remember there was once when I felt like giving up completely – and she started crying, pleading me not to give up. It was then that I felt like I wasn't alone anymore. And then …"

She stopped suddenly and stared at her feet. "And then, there's you."

"Me?" Fujima repeated, now confused.

Not meeting his eyes, she continued. "Natsuko-chan used to study in Daiei High – and last winter, when Shoyo High played against them, I was there too."

"You were? But why …"

"… didn't I walk over and say hello? I didn't have the courage then." She answered, reading his exact thoughts. "When I saw you play that day, it brought back too many forsaken memories. It reminded me of the things we have said before – our dreams and everything. But while you continued to strive for what you have always believed in, I didn't. I kept drawing back. And only then did I realize why I was not getting any better. I was still blaming the rest of the world for my own misfortune."

She smiled weakly. "I know this sounds really silly, but you're one of the reasons why I was able to stand on my own two feet."

"Miho …"

She then feigned a look of annoyance when she saw him breaking into a slight grin. "Alright, alright. You don't have to hold back your laughter and …"

Before she could finish her sentence, Fujima had his arms around her, pulling her close.

"Kenji …" Miho gasped as his hold on her tightened.

"I'm glad." He whispered suddenly. "I'm really glad to have found you again. This time, I'm not letting you go."

And then, the hand on her waist was back up, slightly grasping her shoulders. He peered into her deep brown eyes and slowly placed his warm lips against hers. The kiss was long and sweet; everything she had ever wished for. She soon lost all reasons and kissed him back.

~~~~~~ ****** ~~~~~~

Hanagata glanced over to the clock that was hanging on the wall. 11 pm. It was later than he thought it would be. He stretched his hands a little, trying to relief his aching muscles and promptly proceeded to gather the balls back to its storage bin. He had spent the entire evening practicing his rebounding shots alone in the school gym. Fujima was nowhere to be found – but then, there wasn't any need either to guess what the Shoyo captain was doing at that precise moment.

"I wonder has he managed to say it all out by now?" Hanagata chuckled as he tried imagining how it would be like. Then, he thought of himself and the situation he was in with a certain girl, and frowned. "Like you're any better."

He looked around the empty room – and there by the windows, loosely glued to the upper cabinets, was a bright green-colored sign that read 'Champions Forever – Shoyo High Basketball Club'. One that was made by the school basketball club supporters to remind them of their upcoming battle – the Winter Cups – which was just two weeks away. And he heaved in another deep sigh.

It wasn't just any game, anymore. There was just too much at stake, too many promises to be kept. He owed it to everyone. To the players. To the rest of the basketball club members. To the supporters. To himself. And especially to the one person that taught him what basketball was all about. For basketball was never like the way it was now before he had met him.

He had just the right height for the game – an advantage he had always been aware of, and had since then, learnt to use it to perfection. That was what got him started in the first place. But it was never really out of passion – rather, it was more of a simple pursuit out of his many interests – and it soon started to bore him.

Not until the day he played against that certain brown-haired boy in Junior High. And he was rooted to the spot, stunned at what he was seeing then. It didn't matter that the boy was almost a head shorter – he still managed to soar high up in the air and slammed the ball into the basket while he was guarding it. And that was when the rhythmic beat of the game took him over.

That was almost six years ago – and now, to him, basketball was all that mattered.

Hanagata then strapped his bag over his shoulders and turned off the lights. He couldn't afford to waste precious time reminiscing, or anything else for that matter – this was the last chance that he was ever going to get. And this time, he was going to prove what he is worthy of.

Shoyo High would definitely win the championship …

~~~~~~ ****** ~~~~~~

The lights were taking far too long to switch back to green – Hanagata dropped his bag to the ground and leaned against the post. Exhausted like never before, he took off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. It would be another long and weary night for him. But it was still okay – he wouldn't mind even if this went on like forever. He'd give anything up if that would bring him nearer to his dreams. And when he put his glasses back on again, his gaze caught a lone figure across the street.

A little girl was crying by the side of the road, hugging her knees tightly, apparently having just lost her way. She was looking to her left and to her right, back and forth, desperately searching for a familiar face. He could see her shivering – who wouldn't? – for the chill in the air was already slowly creeping inside of him. And so, without waiting for the lights to change, he rushed over to her side and knelt down beside her.

Gently, he patted her head. "Hush ... Don't cry." He said softly.

He then took off his jacket and wrapped it around the small fragile figure. The little girl looked up to the tall stranger and stared into his eyes, seeking solace from the cold and hungry night. And when she saw him smiling warmly back at her, she stopped crying instantly. Hanagata then reached out his handkerchief and wiped the tears off her face.

"Okaasan ... Okaasan ..." He could hear her soft voice calling out beneath her heavy breathing.

"It's going to be alright." He smiled again. "Toru-niichan will help you find her."

"Honto ni?" The girl brightened, her dark brown eyes sparkled with joy.

"I promise." He said, winking at her. He got up and held her hand. "Now, do you remember which side you came from?"

The little girl paused for a moment, and turned to her left. "This way." Then shook her head. "No, I think it's that way."

He chuckled at the sight at her. And suddenly, he couldn't help but to recall the little incident that happened way back when he was barely even ten. There, at the playground he used to frequent, was a little girl who had always sat alone by the swings, eating ice cream, even when it was down to zero-degree outside.

He had remembered her until now –not that there was anything significant about her– but because he had once rescued her from a bunch of big bullies –well, he was only ten, and the other guys were much older, but his height had managed to intimidate them off– it was the first time he had ever played hero – and she was the first friend he had ever made from the opposite sex – although by now, he had already forgotten her name. No, not that he didn't have the heart – but merely because they had only one day to get know each other before the place was finally torn down. And he had never seen her again since then.

"Yume-chan?" Another voice broke out, and he promptly turned around.

A woman, somewhere in her mid-thirties, appeared out of the dark. The little girl peaked over to his side, and when she saw the stranger, she promptly ran over to her side.

"Okaasan!" The girl called out eagerly. She then hugged the older woman – sobbing while she held her tight.

"Yume-chan! I thought I have lost you!" The woman cried, and hugged back. She then pulled her daughter away to check if she was hurt in any way, totally oblivious of the fact that Hanagata was standing right behind of her. It didn't matter though – he was contented to see that the girl smiling again.

Just like how it was back then. The girl's smile – so vaguely familiar – so much like the smile he had almost forgotten.

"Oh, look at just how messy you are." The woman started to comb the little girl's hair with her fingers, and then planted a kiss on her forehead. "Gomen ne, Yume-chan. You must be terrified."

The girl nodded and buried her face in her embrace. "It's okay. Let's go home."

Hanagata watched on as the two shadows slowly departed into the night. Then, just as he was about to leave, he heard the little girl calling out to him.

"Toru-niichan!"

He stopped and turned back – and the little girl was there again. She reached for his hand and placed a blue-colored object on it. "Arigatao, Toru-niichan." And with that, she promptly ran back to where her mother was.

And when they were gone, he opened his palm again. It was paper butterfly – as a token of gratitude from that little girl – and it was the second one he had received so far. He remembered now. The girl by the swing had also given him one – a long time ago – a pink one – after he had rescued her.

I wonder where is she now?

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(to be continued – 3 chapters to go)