AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wasn't able to put up an AN last chapter because I was so much in a hurry to upload the fic (my conscience was bothering me for letting the fic stagnate for a while). Anyway, I sure hope you'll like this fic. The end is near for this little fic of mine so check this fic out always. Ciao!
DISCLAIMER: I think I've made myself clear when I said Slamdunk wasn't mine.
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"What is the anti-derivative of (7x2 + 8)/x ?"
"The answer is 7x2 + ln x8." Kogure thought idly as he half-heartedly listened to his Math teacher went on and on about anti-derivatives. He didn't even break a sweat on the problem. But of course, he kept his mouth shut and kept also his answer to himself. He didn't want to be called a know-it-all, which was very tragic because Kogure was a very intelligent boy (second only to Akagi in their batch but nevertheless still considered brilliant). Intelligent but extremely shy and reserve.
But the bespectacled young man wasn't usually this bored in any subject, particularly Math. It just that his heart wasn't into anything right now. The death of his former team mate weighed upon him so much that he found it hard to concentrate on his lesson. The memory of the painful news was still fresh in his mind and on his body. His right hand was still covered in bandages.
Kogure looked at his damaged hand and wondered once again why he erupted like that. He was a relatively peaceful person and angry outburst was not his second nature. Yet, the sudden break out of Sakuragi's death had made him forget of his peaceful nature. The funny thing was he actually had no memory whatsoever of his violent eruption. He remembered seeing black which turned to a searing white and then after a while (he really had no idea how long), he looked down at his hand and found it bleeding. He had to be led away to the ER to quickly close his wounds. After the incident, Kogure couldn't looked straight at his grandmother, as if he was expecting a tongue lashing the time he met his grandma's sharp eyes. But to Kogure's relief, she had remained quiet throughout the ordeal and let him managed his own anger and disappointment.
Kogure sighed and unconsciously pinched the bridge of his nose. All of these memories were giving him a major head ache. He reluctantly shifted his attention back at their boring lesson and tried hard to listen to their teacher telling them the fascinating world of anti-derivatives.
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The hours went by quickly and one school day had been finished again. Kogure hurriedly went out of their building and didn't give as much as a backward glance to it. In any other day, Kogure would have darted straight to the library. But he thought it would be better if he would get away from this school for a while. He couldn't think of a better place to stay than at Danny's. With renewed vigor, Kogure headed towards Danny's to cool his head off.
He was thankful that practice was still canceled for today. The idea of returning to the court and seeing the incomplete roster of the team would be too much for him to take. He was silently thanking Anzai-sensei for the cancellation. Besides, even if there is a practice, he wouldn't come anyway. He had to sort out his muddled thoughts about life and death. Kogure clutched at his jacket tightly as he continued his long, brooding walk to Danny's.
Meanwhile, down at the Pachinko place, Yohei stood awkwardly outside its door. He was not used to being alone, without the three boisterous guys on his side. It was so quiet it might as well be the end of the world. Is this really the end of their group? Yohei let out a long sigh as he turned away from the place and walked away. "It's not the same without them," he said quietly, referring to the three. It was bad enough that Sakuragi had to die like that and left them. It was worst to see them falling apart.
Yohei let out a sigh again and kicked an imaginary pebble blocking his way. How many years had it been since they knew each other? It seemed like only yesterday when they were so young, carefree and innocent ("Ok, maybe not too innocent," Yohei thought grumpily), setting off a practical joke or two almost every minute, picking up a fight almost every second. How he wish he could go back to that time when they were all happy, when Sakuragi was still alive.
Sakuragi. He chose them. He's the one who chose them to be his friends and formed this outcast bunch of friends. It was like he knew all along who he needed by his side. Sakuragi could have chosen those strong, muscular, goon-type of guys to be his friends. But no. He chose those who were an outcast liked him. Sakuragi was an outcast because of his red hair (It was really natural. Sakuragi plucked out a single strand of hair one time and showed them that it was really of reddish color from root to tip. He then gave the four them a head butt because they "tarnish his good looks"); Takamiya because of his enormous size; Ohkusu because of his outdated hair style and hair color; Noma because he looked like a father more than he looked like a student; and him…Yohei might looked like the only normal person in the wacky bunch. But Sakuragi did see through him. Sakuragi saw a boy who was too quiet, too reflective, too angry at the world.
Sakuragi spotted him at one of the bushes in their school, bleeding and defeated. Yohei had an "encounter" with one of the gangs in their junior high school and he couldn't possibly defend himself in a lopsided battle: 5 against 1. When Sakuragi saw him, he looked at him in such a way that Yohei felt he was such a weakling. He was really angry and challenged the red head to a fight. But to his surprise, Sakuragi let out a guffaw and before Yohei knew it, the red head was literally rolling on the grass laughing at his sorry state. His first instinct was to beat the boy but then Yohei saw that he really looked awful and funny lying in one of the bushes, bleeding and tattered everywhere. Tried as much as he wanted to keep himself from laughing, Sakuragi's laugh was so infectious that within minutes, he was beside the red head and laughing also. From then on, their unusual group of five would be seen together everywhere. As each day passed, Yohei slowly warmed up and lighten up because of his four friends happy (albeit sometimes idiotic) countenance. Them being a social outcast only bond the group more and it kept on getting stronger everyday.
Or so he thought. Sakuragi's death had caught them by surprised and it rocked their friendship. Suddenly, each of the remaining gundan didn't know what to do and where to go without Sakuragi. They wobbled without the loud mouthed baka. Life was easier when they were together. Now, Yohei didn't know where they should head to. Maybe it was really the end for them.
Suddenly, Yohei heard a door slam shut behind him followed by the crashing sound of limbs onto pavement and followed again by a mix of curses too inappropriate for a child to hear. He looked back and saw a mass of tangled limbs trying to unlock itself from the uncomfortable positions it were into only to fail miserably and get more entangled. Yohei was fighting the urge to laugh as he recognized to whom those limbs belong to. He did control his laughter but he couldn't quite stop the snort that escape from his underbelly to his nose.
The three members of the gundan looked at the direction of the snort and instantly scrambled to get up but they only managed to fall back down again. At this comic display, Yohei couldn't prevent the chortle that came out from his mouth.
"YOHEI YOU BASTARD! STOP LAUGHING AND HELP US RIGHT NOW!" cried an embarrassed Ohkusu as he unsuccessfully manage to free his self from the other two's limb (Takamiya's massive legs was on top of his stomach and it was causing him a difficulty to breathe). But the bastard just continue to do what was unmistakably a snort and left the three of them settle this difficult position they were into. After about 10 minutes or so, the three was able to free themselves from each other and quickly stand up. Yohei stopped laughing immediately and looked at the three, amusement clearly seen in his eyes. Takamiya was the first to speak up.
"Yohei…ah, er…uhm…we were hoping to find you there."
"But that asshole of a manager kicked us out even before we got inside." Noma added sullenly.
An uncomfortable silence settled once again in their group and the four of them were darting their eyes from one to the other like a carousel. It was making Yohei dizzy.
"Can we stop this? It's making me dizzy." Yohei said as he shook his head to remove his dizziness.
"Well, now that we found you…I think we should be going." Ohkusu said and he added a weak laugh at the end of his sentence.
For a group that should be going, the three were making a very good impression of a statue. Yohei looked at his friends and waited for them just in case they still have another thing to add. "Well…yeah, I think you should get going. Your grandmother might be waiting for you Takamiya," Yohei said and then turned to Noma, "You too, Noma. Don't want to get your old man hyperventilate at your bad grades again, do you? You better get going. Ohkusu, you should head down to the beach. Sometimes, crazy bums do appear and surf at the middle of winter." Ohkusu blushed so furiously that his color was crashing horribly with his blond hair. "I better get going, too." With a slight wave, Yohei turned around again and walked away from his friends. "I'm alone again…" he thought miserably. Suddenly, he heard his name being called back by the other three.
"YOHEI! CARE TO JOIN US FOR A ROUND OF PACHINKO?"
Yohei, embarrassed, turned around and glare at the utter loud mouthedness of his friends. "Great, shout it out, why don't you. Oh no, wait you did that already!" Yohei muttered under his breath and glared murderously at the trio. He then glared at the three old ladies pointing at them and eyeing with them with great disdain. He was satisfied to see the old hags scampered away. He turned his attention again to the trio who were now turning six shads of red from holding their laughter. Yohei eyed them again menacingly but to his horror, his mouth was beginning to twitch also. "Must keep focus, must keep focus…kill, kill, kill!" he chanted this murderous thought over and over again but his body was having a mind of its own and before he knew it, he was laughing at the stupidity they were all in.
The three boys on the other side were clutching each other for dear life. Tears were welling up in their eyes and the people were eyeing them suspiciously.
"Did-did you-see that look on the-their fa-faces!!" Noma wheezed as he chortled again at the memory of that event.
"Poor them…our little Yohei-kun scwared them to dweath.." Takamiya said as he clutch his side from too much laughing. At the background, a vein was popping in Yohei's head. "Little?" Yohei quietly said as he glanced venomously at Takamiya and thought of 101 ways to kill that pig.
Wait a minute. Did he just miss something here? Did they just invite him to a round of Pachinko? Yohei looked at the trio questioningly. As if sensing his inquiry, Ohkusu spoke up. "We just thought that…er…since Sakuragi's gone now, it would be better if we stick together as friends." Ohkusu finished, putting an emphasis on the word friends. "We're still friends, right?" Noma asked uncertainly to the group. Yohei wanted to answer that they are but he found that you couldn't really speak up well if there's something heavy blocking your throat: like tears that was threatening to spill at his eyes and would incapacitate him to string coherent words at the moment. Yohei looked at the three on the other side and saw that they too seemed to be having the same dilemma as his. Fighting the urge to cry and risk being called a sissy boy, he strode towards the three and clipped them on their necks.
"Kami-sama! Why are you getting sentimental all of a sudden? Really guys, I thought you were manly man."
"Look who's talking. You were getting misty eyed too." Takamiya retorted.
"Oh my gosh! Is our Yohei-kun getting soft?" Noma added to the insult, completely oblivious to the alarming state Yohei were in.
"Really, Yohei. I thought you would never swing that way. But I guess I was wrong. Ne,Yohei. Yohei?" Ohkusu looked at Yohei intently and noticed that the guy was turning from red to purple. Yohei can be really scary when he's angry. "RUN! He's out to kill!" At Ohkusu's warning, the trio ran for their dear life with a very mad Yohei trailing behind them.
"GET BACK HERE YOU ASSHOLES! SOFT, HUH! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT SOFT IS!"
But even before he could reach them, Yohei's attention was caught by a Sakura tree on the side of the road. A soft wind was rustling its branches, showering the street with hundreds of Sakura petals. Yohei smiled upward and said to a very special friend, "Arigato, Hanamichi…"
"Oi, Yohei. What do you want for Christmas?"
"What a stupid question."
"Baka! Just answer it will you!"
"I thought you should know it by now, Hanamichi."
"Eh?"
"You could be thick sometimes."
"Yohei, I'm warning you…"
"Heheh, relax will you? What do I want for Christmas, huh? That's easy. I want our little group to remain together."
"….Yeah, me too."