Title: At the End of the Road
Author: chescaOtaku
Pairings: HanaRu/RuHana; a touch of MitKo/KoMit
Genre: Shounen-ai
Status: Ongoing; 12/? (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. ^_^::
~*~
At the End of the RoadChapter 11
~*~
Fists flung in the air, several kicks landed into different bodies, beads of blood began to stain the cold pavement, distinct levels of screams could be heard, fighting stances and attacks were very visible and the commotion seemed to never end. Youhei pared with Yamato, Yuji, Noma and Takamiya handled other members and Sakuragi faced Azuro with fearless and feigningly endless willpower. The battle between the two gangs started more than one hour ago and the battle got more intense and bloody as each minute passed. Their once sole intention of seeking vengeance for Rukawa was multiplied into other intents. In their minds, they began to seek for the price of making them feel degraded during their first encounter, they began to seek for revenge for treating them like kids and sought for their lost pride during the first meeting. One could think that what they sought and aimed for seemed too shallow, too typical… but for them, it was the other way around. People who don't even study their real actions, gestures and purposes and just judge them of being utterly immoral right away could never understand the language of gangsters and the heart they have…
"Wh…why were you stupid …kids…doing…th…this….?" Azuro said between his breaths when Sakuragi pinned him down the ground. His head kissed the cold asphalt and his arms seemed twisted in a different angle.
"Ask yourself first why did you do that to Kitsune. Then that would be the time I'd answer you." Sakuragi answered impassively. His lips were cut, his right temple started to bleed copiously and several bruises appeared in his face and arms.
The almost fiendish fire that were shown in his eyes never left and Azuro began to wonder what made Sakuragi that way and what pushed him to have that kind of look. Never did he see any kind of look when his gang faced other groups, for those groups feared them. But this Sakuragi…. This redhead was different from the rest. During their first encounter, he knew that there was something inside the young man that made him different from other kids, and now, that something…that flame was beginning to burn and unleash its real nature. /What was the foxy boy gotta do this? Was he the real reason why this lil son of a bitch battling with me? Why—/ Azuro never got the chance to finish his thoughts as another kick landed on his left side. He bit his lip and cursed inwardly before standing up almost excruciatingly.
"Was that all you got, kid? How dare you mock and challenge me…" Azuro hissed.
"I don't give a damn or whatsoever. You hurt Rukawa, and now you're gonna fucking pay. Twice."
Sakuragi positioned himself into a fighting stance and was about to give another hard blow on Azuro when Yamato took out the silver dagger that was also used to stab Rukawa. Youhei was pinned on the ground, so Yamato left him and walked unevenly at the back of Sakuragi. He was about to stab Sakuragi on the back when someone punched Yamato directly on his right jaw and caused him to fall sideways, as well as the dagger.
"What the…hell… I… tho..ugh…t..you…. k'so…" Yamato cursed.
"You can't do the same thing twice, oldie. One was enough. And now face me and leave Hanamichi alone. Face me, or a you getting scared, bastard?" Youhei challenged. It almost took all his strength to get up and slam his fist flat on Yamato's jaw. He held the side of his stomach tightly due to the impact of Yamato's kick a while ago, but he knew a damn single kick would not put him down.
"Youhei, doumo ne." Sakuragi turned.
"Aa. Just treat me lunch the whole week." Youhei smiled.
"No damn problem, buddy." After that, the redhead faced the leader of the Snipers once more and engaged into another battle. Minutes passed and the same scenario earlier happened. Images of his Kitsune flashed through his mind and that made him stand even if the pain is slowly eating him. He reminded himself that after this, he would confess to Rukawa again and be together. He reminded himself that giving up on this would mean to give up his promise of avenging his Kitsune and above all, it would mean giving up his promise to show how much he loved and loves his Kitsune. His thoughts were interrupted when Azuro asked him a question he did not expect.
"Sa…sa..kura…gi…how were you connected to that fox boy?"
Silence.
A couple of punches followed.
"We…are more than what you think. We… are deeply connected. And I know you'd never understand."
~*~
/Hm… what would Kaede like for breakfast? Mami? Tempura? Hmm.. gotta choose. I know he'd hungry already…/ Kotehota continued to search for food that his stepso—no, that his son might like. He went to the hospital early in the morning to spend some time with his son, but instead found him sleeping soundly. In two days time, his son would be out of the hospital and finally go home. Yes, a home. His home.
Their home.
Yesterday, when Kaede told him he had no home to return to, he felt like his heart was stabbed by several shards of glass. He thought Kaede would never forgive and accept him and would never give him the chance to start things over again. When he called him son yesterday, Kaede was speechless but he could see the change of emotions in his son's eyes. It spoke of renewed love, utter forgiveness and silent affection. As a father, those emotions meant a lot for him, because it showed how much a son loves his father and how much a son cares for his father, considering that he didn't give a single damn, a single concern for Kaede those past fifteen years of his life. And for the both of them, it would be a nice, good start.
/Ah… maybe Kaede would like a hot ramen for breakfast. Gotta bring him that…/
~*~
It was another morning at Shohoku High school and students started to fill the empty grounds of the school. The ambiance of laughter and joy filled the morning air and several waves could be seen from a distance. One wave, in particular, was seen by a bespectacled boy on the other side of the street and hurriedly, but safely crossed the busy streets to meet the owner of the hands.
"Ohayo, Hisashi." Kogure said, smiling.
"Ohayo, Min-kun. How was your night?" The former MVP asked as he led the way for the both of them.
" It was okay… no, let me rephrase that. It was great. 'Cause I spent it with you." Kogure said and looked at his love with love in his eyes. Last night, they dinned out, went to Mitsui's place to watch a good movie. They huddled together and kissed with great passion that, of course, led them to bed for a more elaborate activity. They spent the night together in each other arms, naked and with a blanket to cover their lower bodies. It was nearly four in the morning when Kogure went home and sneaked to his room, without his mother noticing him.
Mitsui blushed as he recalled the activities of last night. It had been hell for him for the past couple of weeks because he wasn't able to spend some quality time with his Min-kun due to extended late night practices and the thing about Sakuragi and Rukawa. How he held and entered Kogure's body was fully ingrained in his mind. Kogure's soft moans were like melody to him and the way he reacted to his actions was like heaven. The feeling of being inside his lover's body after two weeks was truly exhilarating. The way he kissed his nipples, touched his neck and chest, and the way felt his breath passed through his skin sent him electrical waves that aroused his hormones more. Kogure's body was, for him, the most perfect above all.
Mitsui was still in a daze when his lover spoke up and said something. "Nani yo, Min-kun?"
"Hisashi, Daijobou ka? You seemed… a little flushed. May…mayabe you have a fever or something?" Kogure touched his face and frowned.
"A-ano, Mi…Min-kun, daijobou yo. Just…uhm…wha…what were you talking about?" Mitsui stammered. /Damn hormones. Damn memory…/
"Honto ni? Erm… I was asking I you saw Sakuragi-kun and his Gundan today. I mean… what they were about to do last night just popped into my mind… I was, well, kind of wondering if they were all okay. I mean, you don't expect two gangs to hug and exchange warm greeting before battling, do you?" Kogure ponded.
"Hmm… I'm sure that red monkey and his friends are okay. They're used to it. Don't worry yourself so much, Min-kun. I am sure they handled those stupid oafs well last night." /Don't fail Rukawa, Sakuragi. Keep your promise. Don't ever fail./
~*~
The first thing Rukawa smelled was the smell of the newly cooked ramen placed neatly in the table at the side of his bed. Its aroma stimulated his tongue and taste buds and immediately looked at the prepared food.
"You can eat it now if you want to. I bought it for you." Kotehota said gently.
"I…" Rukawa started. He did not know what to say to his stepfather after their unusual encounter yesterday. Emotions were left hanging at the bottom of his heart and he did not know which emotion to follow or display, especially now that it was his stepfather he dealt with. He wanted to smile genuinely to him, hug him tightly and say 'thank you' but he couldn't. He couldn't even look at his stepfather's eyes directly for he was still afraid of what his eyes would display.
"Come on, son. Don't be shy… that's for you. I went here at around seven but you were still asleep so I decided to… go down the cafeteria…and get you something to eat. And I.. uhm.. thought that maybe you might like a hot ramen for this morning…"
"A-ano… a…ari..gatou." Rukawa looked at his father quickly and got the ramen and started to eat. Silence filled the air for a few moments and the only sound heard was the slurping of the raven-haired boy. Suddenly, Kotehota spoke up, causing Rukawa to gaze at him.
"Did you know that when you were small, you loved to eat that? I still remember one time… you were six by then… you went home all muddy and dirty. You were tired from playing outside and when you saw three bowls of newly cooked ramen, you struggled into the chair and got all the three ramens and ate it! When I saw you do that… I spank you for those ramen were reserved for my three visitors…" Kotehota reminisced. He looked away and a small smile crept up his face.
"Demo… how…" A tiny smile also formed in his face and looked at his father. Then, he put the ramen at the top of the table and faced his father.
"Arigatou… otousan."
They both smiled and hugged each other.
~*~
"Oi, Sakuragi!! What the hell happened to your face?! You told us you'd be careful!!" Mitsui exclaimed.
"Shut up Micchy!! At least I did not end up into some ICU!! Hah, you see, this Tensai always succeeds!! Nyahahahah!!"
~*boom*~ ~*bang*~
"Iteeeeee!!! Why the hell did you do that, Gori?!?! Can't you see the Tensai is injured?! Peh!! Maybe you wanted me out so that no one would interfere in your blocks and rebounds!! Hah!! The Gori is jealous of me!!!" Sakuragi loudly said.
School had ended and as agreed, they went to the hospital to visit Rukawa. On the way, the met Sakuragi—all bruised and bandaged—making his way also to the same hospital. And now they were in front of the place and were about to enter the lobby.
"Ne, Sakuragi-kun, Daijobou ka? Your bruises don't look good. Wha..what happened?" Kogure concernedly asked. He knew Sakuragi and his friends challenged the group who stabbed the Super Rookie but he never expected that the outcome would be like this one.
"Hmph! Kogure-sempai, what do you expect from a loud redhead monkey like him?! I knew what happened. His Gundan met another gang and kicked each other's asses. Where would those bandages and bruises come from, in the first place?! You know… careless as always…." Miyagi piped in.
~*thwack*~
"Itaaaaii!! Aya-chan… how… how could you…?"
"Ryota!! Stop acting like a kid!"
The whole team continued their way to Rukawa's room with their usual bickering. Finally, they reached the room and everybody started to tone down his voice and finally kept quiet. Akagi knocked on the door three times and a middle-aged man opened door.
"Konnichiwa…" Kotehota started.
"Ano… o-otousan…they are my teammates." Rukawa said.
"Ah! Come in, come in. I'm Kotehota Ruji… Kaede's father." Kotehota extended his right hand to Akagi and shook hands and did the same with the other members. After that, they came close to Rukawa's bed and gathered around him.
"So this is the Shohoku Team, eh?" Kotehota asked.
"Aa." Akagi replied.
The team members started to ask Rukawa about his condition while Sakuragi was left in the state of shock. /I… I thought he had no family… wha…what is his stepfather doing here?! And that man called him son! And Kitsune called him father!! Does that mean… Kitsune already…./
"Sakuragi!! I… thought Rukawa had no true family!" Mitsui whispered to his ear.
"Micchy…I thought so… but..but I guess he's not alone anymore." Sakuragi said, eyeing Rukawa gently. Mitsui understood Sakuragi's words immediately and smiled in response.
"Uhm… I guess this time is yours guys. I spent the entire day with my son… so I guess I should now… you enjoy talking in there okay? And Kaede… if you need anything, just phone me, okay? See you tomorrow. Oyasumi. Kiotsukete." Kotehota said and hugged his son gently. "By the way, thank you for coming. I'm sure Kaede appreciated it." He smiled once more and left the room.
"Wow, Rukawa, your father's so kind!" Ayako exclaimed.
"Un."
The team spoke to him about news in basketball and other stuffs for more than thirty minutes or so. Although he spoke very little and replied only when needed to, deep inside he was very happy to see teammates—no, friends who care for him. He expressed his gratitude silently and watched in endearment the shifting of emotions shown in the eyes of the people around him whenever they told him something. Slowly, a realization built up inside him: his life was getting its pieces back and started to pull together. Even he was not physically well, his social, emotional and mental state was improving. His stepfather had welcomed and accepted him, and his teammates or friends made him feel cared for and not left out. Truly, the ambiance of loneliness began to go out of his system. There was only one problem he should face now: his former redhead lover.
Rukawa noticed that Sakuragi didn't speak up yet. So his eyes searched for the redhead and found him at the back of Mitsui. He then observed that there were bandages around Sakuragi's body and his face—the right temple specifically—was all bruised. His eyes shown concerned and quietly asked Sakuragi, "Do'aho… what… happened?"
All eyes focused in a stunned Sakuragi.
"Heh! Rukawa, you know this baka. Always getting into stupid fights and all—"
~*thwack*~ ~*thwack*~
"Aya-chan!!!" Miyagi cried.
"You're not Sakuragi Hanamichi!!" Ayako retorted.
"Uh…erm… you see, the Tensai… just.. happen to meet up with Azuro's gang." Sakuragi started. He eyed his lover evenly and his eyes showed unconditional love and tenderness that no one could explain.
Rukawa's eyes widened into its natural limits and started, "Azuro… the guy…k'so.."
"Uhm, Rukawa-kun… Sakuragi turned the page." Kogure said. Rukawa stared at the vice captain.
"Ehh?" The whole team, except Mitsui and Sakuragi, turned to Kogure and asked him cleverly.
"Erm… I guess.. it's up to Sakuragi-kun and Rukawa-kun now, ne? Guys, I think we should better go… "
"Aa. It's getting late and we still have school tomorrow. Get better Rukawa. And in two weeks time, we hope to play with you again, ne?" Ayako said hopefully.
"Un."
~*~
"Where is that baka?!" Akagi asked the team. They were in the train station and Akagi was doing a head count when he noticed that Sakuragi was not with them.
"Uh…sempai, I think he's still with Rukawa in the hospital…" A freshman replied.
"Akagi… I think it's better if we leave them alone. They have things to.. settle upon, ne, Hi—Mitsui?" Kogure asked his lover.
"Aa. Maybe we could trust those two bakas for this time, Akagi. They won't kill each other since both of them are not in the perfect state to do such thing." Mitsui said, supporting his lover.
Miyagi approached Mitsui as the events of the pasts nights came into his mind. He remembered what Mitsui said to him while walking home and the way Sakuragi kissed Rukawa's hands when he saw him. Things were starting to take shape and for Miyagi, he found it bizarre, and wanted to confirm if his conclusion was right or just an illusion.
"Mitsui… what you said several nights ago…" He began.
"Hmm? Ah! So… what about it..?"
"I think… I already knew what you were talking about. And…I just wanna—"
"You want to ask me if you're correct?" The former MVP finished.
Miyagi nodded.
"You're right. Miyagi. And let's just say that… they are more than what you think they are. And whatever's going through their minds right now… I'm sure they'd get over it. They're strong Miyagi. Trust in them."
"One last question… how did you know all these?" Miyagi inquired.
"Because… Kiminobu and I are going through the same relationship."
~*~
"So… when are you going to be released?" Sakuragi spoke up.
"Next next day."
"Sou ka…"
Both of their hearts were racing. Both were beating like fast drum rolls against their chests, threatening to pop out any minute. The sound of their voices reverberated in their minds and sent waves of familiar feelings through their bodies. Sakuragi had the urge to encircle his arms around Rukawa's body and kiss him zealously. He looked at Rukawa's face and the longing to touch him with caress multiplied.
"Why did you stay?" Rukawa whispered.
"I…wanted to… tell you… something…"
"You left me… what's more to explain?"
"Kaede… I had been wrong… I thought about what I did over and over again and realized how stupid I am. I realized that I broke the promise I gave you during our first anniversary…" His voice started to crack but he reminded himself that he would do this. For Kaede. For both of them. For the sake of love.
"Hana…" Rukawa turned to his do'aho and was surprised to see traces of tears falling down his cheeks. /Don't cry, Hana. You are making me… cry too…/
"Kaede… I am very sorry for hurting you.. I was not thinking that time and… the fear of being rejected by everyone ate me. I… exchanged you… the best thing that happened into my life…for this stupid pride and ego of mine…"
"Do'aho…" Rukawa's eyes burned and tears formed at the corner of his eyes.
"When… when I learned that you were stabbed, a part of me almost died and god knows how hysterical I was. I rushed to the hospital and demanded the white-coated people for me to see you. To find out how you were. And when I thought you… you…" Sakuragi looked away more tears fell. Then he continued, "I did not know what to do back then…and when I saw your state…I vowed to make the fucking gang pay twice for what they did to you…"
"And so last night, we met up with the Snipers, the gang who stabbed you and taught them a lesson… I beat the hell out of those guys for you. I wanted so badly to avenge you that I almost went beyond my limits.." Sakuragi started to hold his Kitsune's hands and tears continued to drop.
"You… don't have to do that… Hanamichi…" Rukawa grabbed his do'aho's hands tighter. He could feel the warmth blooming up and the tenderness of the touch.
"I don't have to do that… but…I want to. And you know what? You were all worth it…"
Sakuragi and Rukawa stared at each other for several moments as if memorizing each feature of their faces. Rukawa saw warmth, absolute love and care burning in Sakuragi's eyes and time seemed to momentarily freeze. The times when they just stared at each other and kiss each other with endless passion kept coming back to him.
"Kaede…"
"Hai…?"
"I know this might be a shock to you…and I know that I don't deserve your love…but I still want to try it again…."
/Is he? Am I…what I'm feeling…./ Rukawa thought to himself. He remembered the time when Sakuragi first confessed his love to him and the time when he broke up with him. The pain, grief and devastation were still there aching inside him but the look in Sakuragi's eyes reassured him of a new start, a healing to the wounds the redhead once inflicted on him. His mind was confused and at the same time excited to what the do'aho would say, but his heart told him that whatever words that would come out from Sakuragi's mouth would be like a soft melody that would soothe his soul and complete his life once more.
"Kaede… would you allow me to have your heart once more?"
~*tbc*~
a/n::. One more chappie plus the epilogue!!! Anywayz, I am sooo very sorry for not being able to update early…I've been very busy lately and school works are just too many… (that rhymes!) oh well, please review and mail me at chesca14316@yahoo.com for further comments!!! ^_^
