The Importance of Being Responsible: Chapter 1
Broken Spectacles
Shina stepped into the sports stadium, and was greeted warmly by Ayako.
"It's you, Shina-chan!"
"Yeah, I'm here to pass them some notes."
"How're they coming along? I hope they don't give you too much trouble!"
"No, not at all."
Ayako gave her a pat on the back. "We're all counting on you! If they don't pass, they'll have to repeat… and no basketball."
"I'll do my best," came Shina's mechanic reply.
"Hmm you just wait a lil' while, they're gonna take a break soon."
Shina glanced at her watch. 3.30pm.
-------Shina's schedule:
5-8pm: help out at Velvet Underground (a music shop)
8.30 – 11pm: help out at Checkers (a 24-hour eatery. Various tasks to perform, like wash dishes, make deliveries, etc.)
12 – 3am: homework/revision
-------"Hmm, ok, I'll wait."
The two girls chatted for a bit, until a brawl started on court.
"You did it on purpose!" Sakuragi accused.
"D'you really think it would have went in, anyway?" Rukawa.
Sakuragi clenched his fists, and hurled it at Rukawa. The latter returned the blow, and by now everything was in chaos. Frenzied efforts were made to separate the two.
"Oi! Get away!" Yelled Ayako, and tried to pull Shina away in vain.
(( Shina: Ugh, sweat! ))
Shina wrinkled her nose. Sakuragi's back was sticking to her face. She couldn't back away – she was already leaning on a pillar, and all around her were frantic boys trying to separate the two fighting twits.
Rukawa threw a punch at Sakuragi, who slid down.
(( Sakuragi: I dodged! ^^v ))
Rukawa felt something shatter beneath his fist. His eyes widened as he slowly digested the pathetic sight before him. The noise slowly died away, to reveal a girl's cries, "My spectacles, where are they?"
(( Rukawa: Shit, wrong person. ))
Ayako made her way through the still crowd. Ryota ordered everyone to disperse.
"Shina, are you alright?" Ayako asked, concerned.
"My spectacles…" Shina felt around. "I can't see,"
Rukawa examined his fist. Bits of lens here and there.
(( Rukawa: … ))
Shina felt her eyelids growing heavier by the second. Everything was in a blur; her world was just a mass of colours. Her vision slid in and out of focus, and finally…
"She passed out!" Exclaimed Sakuragi. "It's all your fault, fox!!"
"You idiot, you were the one that started the fight." Ryota said reproachingly.
"But no matter what, he shouldn't have punched her!"
"I'll eat my hat, Sakuragi, if that blow wasn't meant for you!"
And so they argued. Ayako hit Ryota's head with a fan.
"This is not the time to argue!"
"Of course, Ayako-chan." Came Ryota's dreamy reply.
"Sakuragi, help me carry her over to the locker room. The rest of you continue training," Ayako instructed.
"Of course, Ayako-chan," Said Ryota, and walked away.
"Rukawa, Rukawa! Have you fallen asleep while standing?"
Ayako's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Why are you still standing here? Continue training,"
"… ok," Rukawa said in a daze, and went off.
(( Ayako: Really, that boy! Has he mastered the art of sleeping with his eyes open? ))
(( Rukawa: Why didn't Ayako ask me to help – but got Sakuragi instead…? ))
Actually, seeing Shina unconscious reminded him of the time he found his sister out cold. His sister never recovered, and passed away soon after. Like this time, it was partly his fault. Rukawa shut his eyes as he remembered his sister's last words: "You must become a great basketball player, Kaede… I'm betting my life on it", and opened them again with renewed determination. NUMBER ONE IN JAPAN!!
*** an hour later ***
"Sakuragi, please pedal faster," Shina pleaded. "Lady Boss will be unhappy if I don't turn up – I must at least give her an explanation personally,"
"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Sakuragi asked his passenger. "It's not very nice for a girl to have a scar on the face…"
(( Sakuragi: You're already unpleasant-looking! ))
Shina touched the dressing on her left cheek tentatively. The sharp edges of her spectacle lens had cut her face, but she hadn't seen the wound yet.
"Well… maybe it won't leave a scar," She said rather uncertainly.
Maki strolled down the streets, enjoying the cool breeze fluttering in his face. What a beautiful day! Hmmm… wait a minute. Was that Sakuragi on a bicycle? From the distance, he heard someone exclaim, "old monkey!" So it WAS Sakuragi -_-;;
Sakuragi halted his bike.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"You don't own the streets, Sakuragi." Maki replied, rather annoyed at the reference of himself to "old".
"Why did you stop, Sakuragi?" Shina asked impatiently. Without her specs, she couldn't make out a thing. Who on earth was Sakuragi speaking to?
Maki turned his attention to the speaker, and his jaw dropped.
"Shi… SHINA!!" He exclaimed.
"Uhhh… what?" Shina said, bewildered.
"I'm Maki!"
Now it was Shina's turn to be surprised.
"Maki!"
Author's note: To Jo-sen7, thanks for the nice comments! And to Eliar Swiftfire, thanks for the honest opinions =) Yeah actually coming to think of it, Sakuragi doesn't seem the malicious type. Thanks for pointing that out :D
Oh, if you get lost at the part about Rukawa's sister, you could read this fic: http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1037067 by me also. There's only 1 chapter to it.