Title: A Story Different From Before


By: ~aelaishia~


Disclaimers: don't own them…don't sue…


Notes: This is a rip off from my other fic, Of Dreams and Aspiration.

= Indicates change in point of view.
//Italics// means the girl's thoughts
[italics] means Mitsui's thoughts


Dedicated to: super rookie, E.C, rurouni, Ayce Shade, and glitter-baby11. Thank you for reviewing Of Dreams and Aspirations.

==========



-Prologue: When the past haunts the presents-



The hot sun and heavy air made her shot a sheet of her auburn hair back. She
didn't know what made her come here, she didn't know at all. No reason, answer,
or even an excuse came out when she asked herself why. She was only thinking of
one thing…



"Hisashi-kun," she said softly to herself as she saw a figure of a man with
short bluish-black hair sitting in one of the steps of the outside the court
coliseum. The man apparently was with another one but much younger than her was.


'His teammate, perhaps,' she thought as she moved closer towards the two figures.


She could see the look of worry and concern on the younger boy's face. They
seemed to be talking about something. It seems that the guy asked the younger
boy to leave him. The boy didn't want to at first but eventually gave in and
went inside the gym. No one else was outside now, no one else except the guy and
the auburn haired girl.


She slightly moved forward, hesitated at first as she saw him breathing heavily,
almost out of breath. She watched as he tried in futile attempt to open one of
the cans left him before going back to the inside the court. With hands still
shaking, the can slipped from his hands and rolled across the floor, halfway
from where the girl stood stood. He didn't notice her standing there nor did he
follow further more where the can had rolled up to. He paused for a while. A
blank look on his face as he looked at his shaking hands. He seemed to be
thinking about something or nothing at all. Reaching for the remaining can, he
opened it forcefully, and drank the all of its contents at once.


Answers plagued the girl's mind as she silently watches him. She wondered why he
wasn't inside the gym, wondered about what might had happened inside that made
him tired like that, wondered why he's all alone outside. Wondered if she could
ever take another step towards him…wonder if he would notice…if he would care…


"Hisashi..." she said again as she was now halfway towards him, she hesitated at
first but was slightly surprised that she spoke his name aloud. "Hisashi Mitsui..."
The man looked up and gazed at her. His eyes questioning and searching, "What is
it?" he asked. The sound of his voice annoyed and jaded.


He definitely had changed.


"Umm…" she stuttered, "I was…//god! What the hell am I doing? What the hell am I
stuttering for? Way to go me!// don't you…I mean, remember…" she sighed heavily.
//just tell him and be over with it// "Well…nothing." //great!//


The guy, Mitsui, stood up, crossing his hands over his chest. "If you're one of
those avid fans or reporters asking for an interview," He said eyeing her
carefully, "then I'm sorry. I'm in no mood for an interview. Though you don't
look like a reporter."


//idiot! The nerve!//


She forced a smile on her lips. It amused her quite a bit on how much of an
airhead Mitsui is now though that didn't keep her from fuming mad inside. "For
your information, I am not an avid fan nor a reporter. I didn't come here to
interview you. I would never interview you, you callous bastard!" she groaned
upon hearing her last sentence. "Now you made curse! Idiot!"


Mitsui was taken aback by the sudden outburst of the girl in front of him. "Then
who the hell are you? And why do you know my name?" he thinks back then added,
"Oh wait. I know I'm famous. Ignore the last question." He said confidently and
smirked.


"Does Takeishi junior high class representative rings any bell for your now very
large head?!" the girl replied in the same manner as Mitsui's and raising an eyebrow.


"Don't tell me you are…" But Mitsui could not finish his sentences.


[Shit! I'm dead]


= = = = = = = = = = = =

Mitsui was so absorbed in his thoughts about the game he just had that he was
taken aback when he heard the girl with auburn hair standing just a few feet
away from where he sat said the words 'junior high' and 'class representative'.
His pupils dilated in utter disbelief. He knew this girl. In fact, he knew her
very well.


'I must be seeing things. It must be because of the fatigue. Yes, that's it.
/This/ is not real." he repeated to himself and didn't notice he actually said
the last word aloud. He watched the girl pick up the can of water that rolled
across the floor and felt his forehead throbbing as the can hit him.


He looked at the girl and at the can of water.


"Did that hurt?" He heard her spoke. "Because I know well that it did. So that
means that this is real."


"What's with the attitude?" Mitsui asked, nursing the bump on his head. "And

what did you do that for?"


[She's changed so much…especially with the way she talks]


The girl smiled innocently and somehow Mitsui couldn't find it in himself to be
angry. "You needed a reality check. I gave you one." She said in a matter-of-factly manner.


[But then again, maybe not]


He picked up the can, hesitantly at first, opened it then drank it almost at
once. He felt as if his heart was going to stop. He still could not believe that
/she/ was there. He could not believe that this was happening. 'This must be a
dream, this must be. I must have lost consciousness. This can't be real…There's
no way that /she/ could possibly be here…'


"Are you ok?"


Mitsui looked at the girl.


Even after all these years her voice still rings familiar to his ear.


"You must be really tired," she said as shot another wave of her auburn curls
away from her shoulder. Her voice was warm and gentle but her tone suggests that
of fear and displayed the fact that seeing Mitsui like that disturbed her a lot.
"I'll get you some more water," she said and turned to get it but felt his grip
on her hand.


"Yes?" She asked Mitsui but when she got no reply from him she drew on her own conclusion. "Do you not need it anymore?"


[Still naïve as ever]


Long silence and then...


"Stay here."


For a moment she looked confused but then obeyed and sat beside him.


For a while, nobody spoke. They just sat there quietly staring - Mitsui at the
can of water in his hands, the girl at the floor. Only the sound of the ball
being dribbled and the cheers of the crowd from inside the gym echoed throughout
the silent corridor outside.


"What are you..."


"I just thought I'd..."


They both spoke at the same time and then turned away and stopped as soon as
their eyes met. The girl's cheeks blushed red for a moment, and so did Mitsui's.


"So you finally came back." Mitsui spoke.


The girl could only nod.



= = = = = = = = = = = =



TBC...maybe



I'm not too sure if I'll continue this since I have too many things to do and
I'm suffering from major writer's block. I've written this fic some time ago and
I'm posting it in hope to erase my writer's block and relive the feeling I had
when I first thought about making this fic. Comments, suggestions, and
constructive criticisms are always welcome. ^_^

Ja matta ne!