Rukawa's Fanclub
Shina's POV
The day after the dance was, shall we say, an absolute nightmare.
Witness #1: Yeah I'm very sure it was Shina I saw! She was with Rukawa!!
Witness #2: Yes I was there too, and they were doing all sorts of things, oh! My eyes, my eyes!
Witness #3: It was gross!
These were just some of the random stories flying around in the school. The moment I stepped onto school grounds, everyone was sniggering and pointing at me. At first I wondered, why? Do I look extra weird today? Do I have a huge pimple on my nose? Am I wearing my underwear on the outside? And then I heard. Boy, I was scandalized!
What a sight greeted me in class. I could barely see my poor table, swarmed by those stupid fangirls.
"SHINA!" They screamed at once when they saw me.
Great. What was I going to do? Shit, is that… Haruko? I'd always known her to be quite a sweet girl, never did I expect she would be mixed up in all this nonsense like those dumb cheerleaders.
"WHAT – WERE – YOU – DOING – LAST – NIGHT?"
Oh, the way they said it! You'd have thought I was a prime suspect of murder or something, and they were the intimidating police inspectors sent to scare me into confession. All that was needed was an angular light shone brightly upon me – that would complete the scene.
My mind raced quickly. What I needed now, was an unimpeachable alibi. I could think of no other solution that would clear my name.
"I was with my brother. You know, Maki of Kainan." I had hoped that mentioning the MVP would add some credibility to my statement. Unfortunately, they seemed too deaf to take in anything.
"YOU – WERE – WITH – RUKAWA!" They cried accusingly.
"Shina-chan!" Haruko exclaimed, face all red and steaming. "I never expected you to –"
"WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH RUKAWA?"
"I was not with Rukawa." I said irritably. I fancy myself to be quite a good liar (how else could I be a lawyer? All lawyers are liars.)
"DO NOT LIE," they said, wagging their expressive forefingers in my face. "WE KNOW ALL ABOUT YOUR PLOY!"
Ploy? What ploy? I seriously wondered how their minds functioned.
"You were going to seduce our dear Rukawa, weren't you?"
"No."
"Yes you were! There were witnesses!"
"No."
"You blatant liar! You stay away from OUR Rukawa!"
By then I was quite fed-up, so I kept quiet. Let them say whatever they want; I couldn't give two shits about them. In fact, I had just insulted my intelligence by conversing with such… such… brainless creatures. They continued their menacing threats and warnings, while I shrank away into silence, running my mind along the lines of unimportant details like "What am I going to have for lunch today?", "What will the teacher be teaching today?"
The bell rang, and the crowd dispersed rather reluctantly. When they'd all left, I noticed a piece of paper that looked like it had been trampled on. I picked it up, and it read:
WAR DRAFT
Weapons: new banners, new pom-poms, new uniforms. Try to gather new members. Anti-Shina banners!
Enemy: Akira Sendoh, and Shina Tatsuya!
Aim: To keep evil away from our beloved Kaede Rukawa
Strategy: Scare Shina away by constant harassment!!
I raised my eyebrow in amusement, and wondered jocularly what it would be like to be a "Rukawa fangirl" for just one day. I'm sure I'd be fascinated; I'd never really come across people that had smaller brains.
Rukawa's POVThose stupid girls in my "fanclub" seemed to be showering me with more attention than before. It drove me nuts. Couldn't they just freaking leave me alone? Ugh. They're such an embarrassment, I tell you! They're pretty scary too, lurking in places you'd least expect, spying on you… it's like being stalked. It's crazy.
My form teacher called me into the staff room for "a word". The last time I had "a word" with anyone, it certainly wasn't pleasant. Was it about my grades? Most probably. Pah.
"Kaede Rukawa, the teaching staff has really run out of patience with you."
Oh great. Leave me to rot in hell.
"That is why we sent Shina Tatsuya to tutor you and the others – we thought maybe a student-to-student thing would be more effective. It worked for Sakuragi and Ryota, but not for you."
This was something I couldn't dispute. Maybe I should really start to try staying awake doing tuition.
"So, we're considering retaining you straight – and barring you from basketball. What do you think?"
WHAT DO I THINK?? I wanted to strangle him there and then. Bar me from basketball! What an – what an absurd decision!
"No." That was all I managed to say.
"One last chance, Rukawa. One last chance is all we're giving you. If you fail the mock exam we set for you at the end of the month – that's it."
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Shina's form teacher's POV"Shina, have a seat."
Shina did as she was told. As always, I was impressed by the quiet capability of this girl. She was my most outstanding student.
"What's this I have been hearing around the school?" I asked.
"Grossly exaggerated lies." Came her calm, composed reply.
"Is that so? But there's no smoke without fire," I pressed.
"Sir, I'm sure you've worried yourself unduly." She wouldn't budge.
"Perhaps," I said, then continued, "So what do you make of Rukawa's grades?"
"He's not failing too badly," I thought she sounded a little too nonchalant to be genuine.
"But there you're wrong! I put it to you that he is failing badly."
"Even so, sir, I don't quite see your point."
"My point is – leave him alone, Shina. You've done your best, don't waste your time."
"I can assure you, sir, that I am in complete control over my time." Her voice was clear and steady.
"Well, I certainly hope that is the case," I said, and dismissed her.
I was worried for her. A girl of her caliber should not be wasting her time with unappreciative people. Even the most intelligent people have been known to stray, and Kaede Rukawa was someone I distrusted instinctively. Shina had been the brightest student I'd ever come across, and I would absolutely have hated it if her remarkable intelligence had gone to waste.
*** shina's home ***
"Who's that playing the piano?" Asked Sendoh.
"My sister," Aiko replied in an uninterested tone.
"You never told me you had a sister,"
"Oh, what does it matter Akira? Come, let's go out into the garden and get some sun."
Just then, the doorbell rang. A servant answered it.
"Miss Shina, Mr Rukawa is here to see you," she called.
"Bring him up to the study," Shina replied.
"Oh, it's that guy again!" Aiko exclaimed, and seemed to have forgotten Akira Sendoh was by her side.
"Rukawa?!" Sendoh said in surprise.
(( Rukawa + Sendoh: What's that imbecile doing here? ))
Rukawa shot him a cold glare, while he returned it with one of his trademark smiles.
"He doesn't seem to like you much," Aiko nudged Sendoh, after Rukawa had gone upstairs.
Then, still smiling, he replied, "I know."
Rukawa's POVThe study was a fairly large room bordered with shelves containing thick files and books of assorted colours. There was a square, wooden table in the center, naturally accompanied with chairs. The only thing unsatisfactory about it, I decided, was the fact that it was air-conditioned. I could picture myself lying on the carpeted floor – it was really a conducive environment for sleeping.
But I had to stay awake. My grades were the pits, and if this continued I would be barred from basketball. That was a cruel fate I was determined to escape. Even Ryota and Sakuragi (the idiot of all idiots!) had been passing their tests!
Shina assigned some work for me to do, while she sat on the adjacent side of the table reading a thick and intimidating book entitled "The Gulf War – The Role Of the United States". I occasionally consulted her when I had problems, and she would explain patiently. This went on well into the night.
My eyelids suddenly seemed to weigh a ton when the clock struck 12. I began to yawn quite a lot. Shina noticed (she always notices), and went down stairs to get coffee. Once she left the room, however, my eyelids gave way.
Someone was shaking me gently. I forced my eyelids open rather reluctantly. Shina was offering me something in her hand – a cup, was it? I took it from her lazily – and rather clumsily, I suppose, for it spilled. Shina laid the cup on the table and walked rapidly past me without a word, then returned a few minutes later when I was much more awake. I noticed her hand looked like it had been scalded – it was rather red. A realization came over me - I spilt the hot coffee on her hand! I didn't know what to say or do, I just kept staring at her hand, then up at her face, then back at her hand again. Then I thought, "maybe I should say sorry", and so I opened my mouth awkwardly. I'd never apologized to anyone before; I could barely bring myself to say the words now.
"It's ok, shit happens." She shrugged it off.
Perhaps she really could read my mind.
(Thoughts)
Shina: Well, I'd have liked him to apologize, but what really could I do when he looked like he was about to choke on the words and die?
Rukawa: I just can't bring myself to say things like that; I think I'd choke on the words and die.
Shina: Maybe he doesn't even bother about my poor hand, he never seems to bother about anything!
Rukawa: I wonder how her hand is.
Shina: Why am I so nice to him, I wonder? Looking him up in the stadium, bringing him food, blankets, coffee, just like a little fool! When he doesn't even do anything fo rme.
Rukawa: She is nice to me… maybe, maybe I should do something for her.
Rukawa's POVI continued to frequent her house over the next two weeks in an effort to improve my grades. One particular night, I happened to overhear a scrap of conversation between Maki and Shina:
"Father's company has an annual ball – it'll be taking place next week. It's your birthday also, eh?" Maki.
"Really?" Shina sounded uninterested.
"Well, I'm just reminding you… you badly need some clothes. Look at you! These baggy clothes make you look like a – a scarecrow."
"They're comfortable. And anyway, is it mandatory to attend the ball? I would really prefer to spend my time on something more worthwhile – "
"It is, Shina. Aiko's bringing Sendoh along, so maybe you'd like to –"
No. Don't ask me. I don't like to go to such events.
"He wouldn't come, I'm sure." She interrupted.
How well she knew me!
"And how would you know if you don't ask?" Maki.
"Because… oh, I just know. He's made like that, and I really don't mind. Really, my dear brother, I wish you wouldn't fuss so!"
"Well, ok…"
She didn't mind me. The words rang in my mind over and over again, "he's made like that, and I really don't mind".
Over the next week, I tried to work up the nerve to ask her out. I never knew it was that difficult. Everytime I was on the brink of asking, I'd be reminded of the time she said "are you mad?" to me. I get quite annoyed whenever I think of that.
In the end, I resorted to a hastily scribbled note. I left it behind on the study table the eve of the ball. I was much more a wuss than I thought, so this was the only way out. I could only pray hard she'd notice the scrap of paper.
author's note: shina meets sendoh in the next chapter. yeah. thanks for the reviews, sheila!