Title: At the End of the Road
Author: chescaOtaku
Pairings: HanaRu/RuHana; a touch of MitKo/KoMit
Genre: Shounen-ai
Status: Ongoing; 7/9(?) (series)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers:: All Slam Dunk characters mentioned below are properties of Takehiko Inoue, TOEI and his other colleagues. Only the storyline is mine. So…don't sue me. ^_^ I'm too young to go to jail. ::
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At the End of the RoadChapter 6
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"…and the rest of his boy was covered with blood, cuts and bruises…look, he lost…Sa..Sakuragi?! Oi!! Are you there?!? Sakuragi?!?!"
~toot toot toot…~
"K'so!" Mitsui put the phone down and walked away from the pay phone booth and went towards the emergency room. /After I gathered much courage to tell him what happened to his…lover…all he did was drop the phone while I was talking?! Damn that Sakuragi!! This is the time when Rukawa needs him most, yet…/ Mitsui continued ranting foul words about the redhead as he continued to stroll to where the Shohoku point guard was sitting. They were waiting for the doctors to come out and report the condition of their teammate.
The two Shohoku regulars rushed Rukawa to Kitamura Hospital after finding him lying on the ground in his own blood. They were too stunned and terrified to say the least while on the way to the hospital. Miyagi luckily got a cab just after a few minutes, considering the time of the night. All they could say—no, shout to the taxi driver was to drive faster, for it was an emergency. Their friend was in serious trouble. When they got the emergency room of Kitamura Hospital, they rushed Rukawa to the paramedics and immediately explained what happened. Although Miyagi and Mitsui weren't there to witness what actually occurred, they knew too well where the bruises and stabs came from. Who would do such cruel things in this late night? No innocent and sane person would come out from his house just to 'play' and 'fight' with somebody. A group of notorious people or a gang wandering in the streets would've ruthlessly only done it.
"Hey, what happened? Who did you call back there?" Miyagi asked.
"Sakuragi."
"Sou…c-chotto…na…nani?! Why the redhead monkey?! I think he'd be the last person to be concerned about the Ice King here… I thought you called Akagi or Anzai-sensei…" Miyagi said with surprise that was very evident in his voice.
Mitsui cursed himself and said silently, /Shimatta!!!! I forgot he doesn't know about the relationship!! Hisashi no baka!! I wish Min-kun was here…/
"Err…ano…as far..as I know, he's the closest one to Rukawa's house." The former MVP stammered. /Come on, Miyagi, juts bite it!/
"So?"
"Well, he could inform…Rukawa's family!"
"Why didn't you call his family instead? Or Anzai-sensei? I thought Rukawa lived near his house…"
"Sensei must be resting and it's late. I don't…want to disturb him…he needs rest, ya know. And one more thing, I don't know Rukawa's number. Erm….maybe Sakuragi could go there…and…inform Rukawa's…family." /K'so. I hope I convinced him somehow…/ Mitsui hoped.
"…Sou ka…"
Minutes passed by and stillness fell to the both of them. They were sitting on the lounge outside and worry for the condition of their teammate filled their tired faces. Miyagi and Mitsui were not and never in good terms before with the Super Rookie, but after the horrifying scene a while ago at the vacant streets, unrestricted apprehension crowded their minds.
"K'so! What's taking them so long?! Can't just one of them come out and tell us how's he?!" Miyagi suddenly spoke up. Both of them were getting impatient every second and Sakuragi's still not there.
"Where's that baka Sakuragi?!" Mitsui snapped.
"I…thought you called him just to tell Rukawa's family?!"
"Well…I also asked him to come. He does have the right you know. He's Rukawa's lo—erm…teammate, after all you know. " /K'so. That was 'close'!!/
"As if he would…but..well, maybe he would come. He couldn't hate Ice King that much, can he?" Miyagi asked..
"Yeah…" /They're lovers, for Kami-sama's sake…/
~*~
Sakuragi Hanamichi was running as fast as he could, bumping the few people who passed him was without saying sorry. He didn't bother to get a cab, since he knew cabs would not be available in this time of the night. His vision was all but hazy, due to the tears that formed in his eyes, yet he still hurried without second thoughts. He crossed the roads carelessly, turned in the right corners heedlessly. His feet were hurting like hell, but he tried his best to ignore it. He was racing with time, after all.
'Take him back while you still can…'Some words that Mitsui gave him, he realized, were now beginning to have sense. When he heard the words 'was lying unconscious' and 'stabbed twice' from Mitsui, his mind went blank. It felt like the world crumbled over his body like glasses crushing everywhere. He knew then that it was not at all good. Not by a long shot. He deliberated that, if he couldn't get there sooner, the Kitsune, /his/ Kitsune…could be gone. Forever. Not that he had those healing powers or some magic that when he would arrive at the hospital, he could cure and make Rukawa better in an instant. It was because, he wanted to see, feel and touch his Kaede and reassure him that everything's going to be all right. He wanted to hold him and express his support and most of all, love for his lover. And probably, just probably, Rukawa would lighten up, pull through and his pain might be alleviated and he would hang on.
At the mere thought, he ran faster and faster, until he saw the bright red marks, "Kitamura Hospital Emergency Room". Sakuragi stopped at his tracks, catching his breath. He was perspiring everywhere, his white t-shirt was wet all over and sweat and tears were all mixed up. After a few seconds, he regained composure and pushed the glassy door of the E.R. with full force and rushed to the nurses and doctors working. /Damn it, Kaede…/
"Where is he?! Where's Rukawa Kaede?!" Sakuragi demanded. Everyone looked at him with wide eyes.
"Na…nanda to?!" One of the paramedics asked.
"Sakuragi!!!! Oi! Over here!!!" Mitsui shouted.
"Mi…Micchy!!…And Ryochin too!! What are you doing here?! Where is he?!?!"
"Have I no right to be here, after I found him and got a cab to bring Rukawa here?" Miyagi replied, somewhat confused.
"Ano…a…gomen…Where's Kaede?!?! Is he all right?! What the shit happened?!"
/Kaede…?! What the hell's going on?! Sakuragi, apologizing…? And he came out…nah…k'so! This isn't the right time to think all about those stuffs…/ Miyagi contemplated.
"Woah…cool it down, Sakuragi. We'll explain everything to you here. The doctors are still examining Rukawa…and brought him somewhere else. Err…to the operating room perhaps. We too are worried…after we saw him in that state…" Mitsui tried to erase the dreadful memory from his mind and continued, "We are also waiting for the doctors to come out and tell us if he's okay or…erm..stuffs like that. So…for now, we too don't know what's state he's in…"
Sakuragi almost broke down because of grief when the elevator near the emergency room suddenly opened and three doctors came out.
The redhead gathered some strength, recuperated self-control and walked briskly to the direction of one of the doctors and grabbed his shoulders firmly. Sakuragi's eyes were blazing with worry and fear.
"Where's Rukawa Kaede?! How's he?!" Sakuragi hissed.
"Sumimasen…but, I don't know who you're referring to, young man. I'm a pediatrician and I just finished my midnight rounds for my patients. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to go." The doctor was surprised at the sudden action of the young man before him, but understood his concern for the guy the redhead mentioned.
"K'so…ano…gomen ne." Sakuragi said dejectedly.
"It's ok. Other doctors are on their way here. Maybe one of them knows about Ru…"
"Rukawa."
"Yeah, Rukawa's condition."
"Hai." Sakuragi watched helplessly as the doctor went on his own way. /Kaede, be okay…onegai. I can't lose you once more…onegai…/
Suddenly, Mitsui patted him on the back and whispered, "Daijobou, Sakuragi. He'll pull through. You were even the one who said he's a strong man, ne? Trust him."
"Arigatou, Micchy."
And after of what seemed perpetuity of predicament and pain, Sakuragi smiled.
/I trust, you Kaede. Please live. Don't break your promise…like I did./
~*~
Everything was black.
Every inch, every part of his battered, bruised and bloodied body was all but numbed… and neither could he see anything. He felt unnaturally light, like he was being carried somewhere else—wait…no, it was like….he was /floating/. Floating into oblivion, floating into absolute darkness. And there was no pain, no blood…nothing. Sweet nothing.
He started to wiggle his toes, then tried to move his fingers. But he felt nothing. Sweet nothing.
/Am I dead? Where am I?/
What happened not so long ago was all but fuzzy as far as he could remember. The only thing that was clear in his mind was a glittering silver…something. And that…something had sharp, perfect curves. And that something brought him unbearable pain. And that was it. All he knew at the moment was, he was floating into the midst of nowhere and darkness enveloped him.
He had always liked the darkness, for it was the only place—according to his definition of it—that he could be himself, that he could tear his mask off and cry all his heart, all his anguish out. It was one of his deepest consolations. But the darkness that surrounded him now…was completely different. Yes, he felt nothing concerning his physical aspect—he couldn't feel his arms, legs, he couldn't feel the movement of his hands—but the feeling /inside/ never wavered, never vanished. And this feeling told him this darkness was totally diverse, different from the darkness he came to embrace. It was uncanny, almost daunting.
"….de…."
"…a…ede…."
/What was that? That was a…voice…so…familiar…/
"Kaede…."
Somebody was calling him.
But who would call him in this kind of…place? No one could reach him, right? But as he listened more intently, the voice was getting clearer and clearer, like it was finding its way to him, pleading for him to respond. And the owner of the voice…he heard it before…actually, so many times before…so utterly familiar. It was a guy's voice apparently, but whom? He couldn't tell. His memory wouldn't work. But there was one way of finding out.
"Who are you?" His voice echoed throughout, vibrating everywhere. His voice was raspy, like he did not use it for a long period of time.
"Kaede…I'm here…."
"Na…nani? Who are you? I'm…Kaede…"
He tried to reach /him/, but failed. It seemed like they were in two separate worlds, desperately trying to get in touch with each other. The voice was so soft, so comforting, so…loving. But how could anyone call him in such manner? No one loved him, right? No one cared for him, no one comforted him and no one ever called him that way before. But why did the voice sound so achingly memorable, familiar? It seemed like the guy—whoever he was—whispered it to his ears thousands of times.
"Kaede…please…"
"Tell me who you are…I…I'm Kaede…."
"Can you hear me? I'm…sorry…I…"
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Kaede…wake up…"
/Wake up?/
"I love you…wake up…"
/I love you…?/
Suddenly, memories flooded his mind. Faces, voices…basketball…the sea…the night…moon…red…red hair…a guy with a red hair saying…'I love you'…
/Sakuragi Hanamichi!!!/
"Ha..Hana-kun…" He then gasped. How could he say such things?! He had no right to say that name. After all Sakuragi dumped him, just broke up with him, right? They're not lovers anymore. But how did Sakuragi's voice came to where he was? And why did his voice sounded so loving? Could it be that there was still a chance, a thin rod of hope, a smooth way in the rough roads?
"I'm sorry…I love you…"
"Sa…sakura..gi.."
"Come back, Kaede, come back…"
"Na..nani…"
Rukawa Kaede was entirely confused; it felt like he was torn between reverie and reality.
Sakuragi broke up with him…and now he was able to reach him and had told him, 'I love you'? What the hell?! /I love you…/ But no matter how hard he tried to forget, to trash away the old feelings that were coming back, he couldn't. In fact, he was starting to enjoy them, to cherish them once more, one by one. True, he had no idea what was going on, where he was, why he was here, what exactly happened or who brought him here…but there's one thing he was sure about. This was a dream, a reverie engulfing him. And he didn't want to wake up.
~*tbc*~
a/n:: iya!!!! It's been quite a while since I've updated this fic, ne? Well, I was out of town for several days and when I came back here in Manila, my mom and I did some bonding together. Anywayz…that's chapter 6 for you, guyz. Hope you liked it. I know this chapter does not contain much meaning…so do forgive me. I was planning something else for this chappie…but the one that you read above came outta my mind from nowhere…and the original plan was forgotten. ^^;; I couldn't insert the plan here…and I don't know why. =( maybe one of those writer's block came by and made me write that thing up there. ^^; but don't worry, the next few chapters will not be as scattered as this. I will try my best though to stick with the original plan. ^^; and btw, I still am not that certain…but this fic /may/ be extended. Meaning, instead of nine parts, this could be 10 parts or so. I reviewed my old chaptering outline for his fic…and I thought of something…well, let's say new. And that thing can be added to this series. But, it's still not final. I'll see to it first that the theme is still consistent and other events will not become irrelevant and too clichéd when I added it. just wait for the next update. Anywayz, please do review. (readers: we know what you're gonna say next. me: tee hee) they are much, much appreciated. ^_^ for further comments, feel free to mail me at chesca14316@yahoo.com. Ok, that's it for now. Ja!! ::
