Title: Nothing Last Forever

Author: Rings of Saturn

Genre: Romance/Angst

Pairings: Ruhana/HanaRu, a slight MitKo and SenKosh

Status: 2/ ? (probably 10)

Rating: PG -13

DISCLAIMER: Just read the last chapter's disclaimer, me too bother now :P

A/N: Well, I was suppose to write this next week but since I have the time, I guess I will write now. Thankz for the reviews! I really appreciate it! Anyway, I forgot the warnings for the first chapter, THIS STORY IS YAOI, WHICH MEANS BOY x BOY LOVE!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!! I WILL NOT EXPECT FLAMERS ON YAOI! I WILL SEND THEM RIGHT BACK! Thank you, and as for the rest of you, please read on!

* *: A/N note

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

Chapter Two: Broken Promises

TWO DAYS LATER

*BANG* "Baka! Concentrate!" As you can guess, the self-proclaim tensai, Sakuragi Hanamichi, had just earned himself another head-cracking punch from the captain Gori... I mean Akagi.

"Hey, that hurts!" A chibi-form Sakuragi appear and started rubbing his sore head *kawaii!!!* and fake tears started to fall.

*SLAP* "Ouch! Ayako! I already got hit once! You don't have to hit that spot again!" Now with two bumps, Sakuragi look like a ice-cream cone *two slops of vanilla and a huge blob of strawberry*. The game resume again. It's a game between the seniors and the juniors *again!* and of course the senior are leading. On the senior team, there is Akagi as the center, Mitsui as forward, Kogure as the other forward, Miyagi as point guard, and one other unknown people who I'm too bother to think up a name. On the junior them, there's the rebound king (a.k.a do'ahou) as center, the ace of Shohoku (a.k.a fox-boy) as forward, and three other people who I'm also are too lazy to think up names for.

The score is 16-28 in favor to the seniors *yeh! go Mitsui!!!* but it's only the first half of the first half *does that make sense? In other words, it's only ten minutes*. Yet today, Sakuragi, the tensai in basketball, has been having many errors *not that he don't usually*. First he tripped over the basketball, miss three catches and four rebounds, ball got stolen 3 times, and passed wrongly twice *exaggerating a bit=P*.

Rukawa once again stole another look at the red-head, he had been worrying for a while, it's not that often that Sakuragi can make that much mistakes all at ONCE. He had been acting weird all day *yes, Rukawa had been spying on Sakuragi^_~* and Rukawa is getting really worried for the redhead.

Again, Sakuragi was in the place of rebound. The orange ball was thrown too hard by one of the players and it hit the backboard instead of going though the hoop with a thuush, but again, Sakuragi miss to catch it on the rebound. He didn't jumped high enough and his arms seem stiff as his hands miss to clasp around the ball totally.

"Baka! Are you even paying attention? We already lose the Inter-high! We can't afford to lose in the Winter competition! Concentrated!" Another bump appeared on the red-head and he yelp in pain.

"Gomen..."

Gaped mouth stared at the red monkey *sorry, couldn't resist to type that*. Did the loud-mouth Sakuragi Hanamichi just APOLOGIZE???? He is definitely not himself today, the same thought was in everyone's mind at that moment.

"I didn't mean it... it's just that..." Fumbling over words, Sakuragi couldn't get anything out. He head begin to throb again and he tries to resist the urge to vomit. That wouldn't be too pretty. Memories of yesterday's meeting didn't rise Sakuragi's mood any better.

*FLASHBACK*

"You have to give up, Hanamichi! It's for your own good!" Doc. Lina had been discussing with Sakuragi for over two hours already, and no matter how hard she tried to reason with Hanamichi, he just wouldn't give up basketball. "You can't play in the condition you are in now! You're only endangering yourself more!"

"I can't give up basketball now! My team mates need me! And I need them!" Sakuragi was on the verge of tears, he know he can't change the truth but it hurts him so much just thinking about giving up basketball, the only thing that brings life to him now.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

*Whistle sound* "Half time up! *do they actually say that?*" The game hasn't improve much, as Rukawa was the juniors only hope and the ice-king was more worried about the redhead than the game. Sakuragi walked to his bag and took out his bottle. He drank like a vampire drinking blood *sorry, can't come up with anything better* as he body screamed for rest and water. Sakuragi was relieved he's sitting down, he can't seem able to feel his legs anymore and his vision started to get a bit blurry, I can't faint now! Desperately trying to not to pass out, Sakuragi started to do some warm-ups and rubbing his legs to bring them back to their normal state.

*SLAP* A light fan tapped Sakuragi on his head during his warm up. "Oh, Ayako-san, it's you."

"I need to speak to you for a few minutes, Sakuragi-kun," Ayako said sweetly, as Miyagi start to drool in the background and throwing daggers at Sakuragi.

"Sure."

Ayako led Sakuragi next to her bench. "Are you feeling ok lately?" Her questions were straight forward and her eyes showed worry.

"I'm fine," even to himself, the answer seem fake. How much Sakuragi just wanted to shout out that he's not fine and he never will be fine again! Seeing Ayako's unbelieving eyes, Sakuragi added, "really I am, I just didn't get enough sleep lately."

Still unconvinced but seeing that Sakuragi is not willing not spill anything, Ayako let him go. Nothing's fine.... Sakuragi muttered to himself. Nothing will ever be fine for me, ever...

*FLASHBACK*

"Listen to me, Hanamichi! You can't end up like your mother! She was one of my patients too, and I don't want to see you end up like her!" Lina's voice rang though the room and the mention of his mother only brought matters worse.

"I won't! Just let me play!" Sakuragi was like a baby begging for a lolly. His eyes were pleading and he's willing to go on his knees if needed.

"Hanamichi, please, you are already becoming weaker, you can't go on like this! You will die!" Hitting the jackpot, Sakuragi stop begging. His eyes became dull and they seem to lose its fire.

"Sakuragi...?" Lina asked gently as she didn't get any replies out of the boy, she reached out her hands and tried to pat him but he backed away.

"I understand, I know what to do," face masked by all the emotions shown before, it was replaced with... nothing. Sakuragi got up and left without another word.

Lina sat back into her chair and sigh. Well this is part of her job, but lately, she's getting sick of it. The look on those people are so.... empty.

"I'm so sorry."

*END OF FLASHBACK*

"Actually, Ayako-san, something is wrong," Sakuragi said suddenly and Ayako turned back to him. Sakuragi avoided looking at her in the eye. "I don't think I can play anymore."

Just these few words, the whole gym became quite, not a voice was made, everyone had they attention on a certain red-head.

"You- You must be joking, Sakuragi!" Ayako's voice held shocked and was it... disappointment?

"I'm not. I'm tired of this," Sakuragi softly said, he didn't want to say this, he didn't want to disappoint his seniors, his team mates, who are also his friends, but he has no choice. "I'm tired of playing basketball."

"This is NOT funny!" Ayako start shaking Sakuragi's arms, as if that's the only way of bring some sense into him. "You can't just give up!"

"I can and I will," unable to stand the pain and the disappointing glaze of his team mates, Sakuragi ran out of the gym. Have to get away...Have to get away...Have to get away...Have to get away...Have to get away...Have to get away... Sakuragi didn't take any notice of his surroundings, he just ran. He could only run, run from everything, run from the happy world he was in into the dark world he's destine to belong. Tears started to pour out as he heart clench in pain. Sakuragi couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, he could only feel pain, then as if the world had disappeared, he fell everything around him vanished replacing it with darkness. Kitsune.... Fox eye stared at him before everything was gone.

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

Can you guess what illness Sakuragi have? I think it's quite obvious. Anyway, is the story getting more boring? Well, R&R! Tell me what you think!

To: Madiha & slamdunk-serene: Here's the new chapter :P Hope you like it!

Afura Cielers: I'm a great fan of Ruhana too *heart shape eyes* so of course my first story have to about them! Thankz for the warning about you haunting me!

Michiru-chan: I know I have plenty of mistakes but thanks for telling me anyway :D I will edit sometime later *me a lazy pig (snort snort)* Thankz for reading!

P.S I just realize I didn't put much Ruhana bits, I guess I forgot, gomen! Promise more next chapter!

Rings of Saturn