AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whoa, Chapter 7. I've never thought I'd reach this far. Thanks for all those who gave their review. I appreciated it. Anyway, have a merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. Onward to the story!
DISCLAIMER: All legal rights and brouhaha to Slamdunk belong to Takehiko Inoue.
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"Hey, handsome. What does a cute guy like you doing in a place like this all alone?"
"Mitsui, you make a very ugly girl. That falsetto voice would scare any prospective victims rather than lure them into your charm."
"Agh, Kogure. How can you be so mean to poor me? Wait, I think my mascara's running."
Mitsui brushed away an imaginary tear that fell from his eyes and pat his cheek as if to remove any traces of tears that marred his face. Kogure just shook his head at his team mate's antic and offered the boy to sit down. "Sit down, will you? You're embarrassing me." Kogure laughed as he pointed to the empty seat beside him.
"Oh, now I'm really hurt. Kogure, you're such a heart breaker." Mitsui pouted and crossed his arms across his chest as he sat beside his friend. This earned another round of laughter from the bespectacled man. "Really, Mitsui. I've never thought you will swing that way."
"Eh…swing where?" Mitsui asked Kogure, confusion lining his face. Kogure looked at Mitsui as if the boy had sprouted 3 heads and 4 arms. "I never thought he's that innocent." Kogure felt his mouth dropped as he looked at Mitsui's puzzled expression.
"Never mind."
"Oh, ok. Anyway, I'm with Ryota and Ayako. They are just getting our orders." Mitsui paused as he saw the two approaching their table carrying a tray of food. "Speaking of the devil, here they are."
Upon seeing their beloved Megane-kun, Ryota's face broke into a cheeky smile and he greeted their former vice-captain. "Oi, Kogure-sempai, never thought I'd see you here." Ryota set down the tray on the table and pulled a seat for his beloved Aya-chan, who blushed and gave him a smile (this almost gave Ryota a massive heart attack). When he saw that Ayako was already comfortable, Ryota pulled another seat and sat beside her.
"Sempai, fancy meeting you here. I'd thought you'll be at the library or at home right now." Ayako said as she daintily took a bite off her sandwich.
"Well, I'd like to have a change of scenery once in a while." Kogure replied and even managed to blush at Ayako's innocent comment.
"Aw, come on now, Aya-chan – uhm, I mean Ayako," Ryota quickly said when he saw Ayako's murderous glare. "Kogure-sempai's life isn't all about books and schools. Ne, Kogure-sempai?"
Kogure blushed again and nodded at Ryota's direction. The four chatted about anything – from books to basketball to Mitsui's gayish tendencies ("That's really low Kogure!")– before the conversation turned to the subject of Hanamichi's death.
"Anou, Kogure. How's your hand?" Mitsui cautiously asked Kogure.
Kogure looked down at his bandaged hand and forced himself to look down at it lest he started to cry in front of his friends (Mitsui and Ryota no less!). An unbearable silence ensued and Mitsui was fidgeting on his seat, mentally reproaching himself for asking such a sensitive question related to Sakuragi's death. For what seemed like an eternity, the four remained quiet. Finally, Kogure found the courage to reply without him bawling like a raving lunatic.
"It's better. At least it's not hurting anymore."
"That's good. Really good. We're glad to hear it." Mitsui shifted uneasily on his seat again. He gazed from one forlorn face to the other and realized that Sakuragi had impacted them in more ways than one. He too couldn't help feeling gloomy all of a sudden. Jesus, what was he thinking!?! They came here obviously to forget and he had to open his big mouth and asked Kogure about his hand. Really brilliant, Mitsui.
But Kogure was almost thankful that Mitsui brought up the topic. There were so many things that he needed to let out in the open.
"It's sad…sad that he had to leave us immediately." Kogure said dejectedly, not lifting his eyes from his bandaged hand. Memories of Sakuragi came flooding through his mind. Sakuragi almost quitting the basketball team. Sakuragi defending the team from Tetsuo and Mitsui. Sakuragi winning their match against Ryonan and carrying the team to the National Championship. Sakuragi telling him that this was not his last game. It all came so fast and so instantly, giving Kogure so much pain that he had never felt before. Sakuragi was like a younger brother to him. He had learned to trust himself and his skill because Sakuragi showed him that giving up was futile. But Sakuragi had forgotten to teach him how to face life when someone had been taken away from you.
"Sempai…we miss him too."
Kogure didn't realized that he was staring blankly at his hand, with a single tear trickling down his cheek. He looked up at Ayako's concern face and smiled sadly at her.
"It was just so fast…" Kogure said to no one in particular in the group.
"I know." Ryota absent-mindedly replied, his usually cheerful form replaced by a gloomy atmosphere. Ayako lay her hand on top of Ryota and gave it a squeeze. Ryota gave her a small smile, his way of thanking her for the comfort she brought to this trying times. Mitsui noticed this little exchange and he couldn't suppress his own smile. If there's one good thing that Sakuragi's death had bring to their lives, it was the fact that people valued their relationship more. They were all given a push to open up to other people and showed them that they care. It was just depressing that it took the death of their team mate to realize how important their relationships were to one another.
"Tell me about it. One day, he was asking me what was my Christmas wish. The next day, I hear he was gone. That Sakuragi. He really knew how to surprise us all." Mitsui said hoping that his remark would considerably lighten up the mood.
"Wait a minute. He asked you what was your Christmas wish?" Ryota asked Mitsui, surprised etched on his face.
"Well, yeah. I thought it was just.." but Mitsui was promptly cut off by a very surprised Kogure.
"He asked me the same thing!" Kogure said so giddily Mitsui thought he would explode.
"Hey, he asked the same thing to me! I thought he was joking so I whacked him with my fan…" Ayako sheepishly said as her face turned from white to crimson color. This elicited a loud guffaw from Mitsui and Ryota. Ayako turned even redder, if that's possible.
When Ryota got a hold of himself, he turned to address the group. "So did it mean that Sakuragi was trying to play Santa?"
"Yeah, I guess so." Kogure said as he removed his glasses to wipe away his tears.
"He's really full of surprises, isn't he? Damn, never in my life would I think Sakuragi loved Christmas that much." Mitsui shook his head in disbelief.
"So what was your Christmas wish?" Kogure asked the group. He still couldn't believe that Sakuragi took the liberty to ask each and everyone of them what do they want for Christmas. He thought the red head would use it to blackmail them if the time comes. But he guess he was wrong. He should have trusted Sakuragi more.
"Well, it's a secret. But I think I've got it already." Mitsui said as a matter-of-factly much to the chagrin of the curious three before him. Wanting to divert the attention away from him, he asked Kogure the same question. "How about you Kogure? What's your wish?"
Kogure scratched his nape as if saying he's too uncomfortable to bring his wish out in the open. "Well, I told him I wanted to go to medical school."
"Good choice. How about you Ryota, Ayako. What about your wish?"
Ryota looked at Ayako affectionately making the girl blushed even more. "I think I got mine also."
"Yeah, me too." Ayako said as she tighten her hold on Ryota's hand, never leaving her gaze on the boy's face.
Mitsui and Kogure exchanged glances and smiled knowingly. They sensed that there will be something beautiful that is bound to happen on Ryota and Ayako. Mitsui, feeling playful all of a sudden, decided to tease the two. "Aww, snap out of it you two. You're making me sick!"
Ayako and Ryota reluctantly released their hold from each other but a smile could be seen in both of their faces. But Ryota wasn't really too keen that Mitsui interrupted his sweet moments with Ayako. "Sod off, will you! Get a life!" Ryota said quietly but almost menacingly. This just prompted Mitsui to tease the two even more. In a matter of seconds, Mitsui and Ryota were engaged in verbal war with Ayako hiding her face from the spectators in the nearby tables.
Kogure looked at the three and smiled. Yes, he knew that it would probably take time for the team to completely recover. God knows he wasn't still used to seeing the team incomplete. The gap that Sakuragi left was just too big to be completely filled by anyone. But still, the team was still together. They still shared a bond that couldn't easily be broken. And it was all because of Sakuragi Hanamichi. "Arigato, Sakuragi-kun."
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"Haruko, dinner's ready!"
"Mom, I think Haruko's sleeping. She said they had so many school work she didn't have any energy to eat."
"Oh I see. Well, that's ok. I'll just leave some food here on the table just in case she wakes up."
Akagi watched her mother returned to the kitchen to prepare some food for Haruko. Akagi was worried. He knew that as much as Haruko looked she was alright, he knew she wasn't. Something wasn't right and it really bothered him. He too was affected by Sakuragi's death and it still pained him to returned to school without Sakuragi annoying him to high heavens. But Haruko…how could she act so normal in this dire event? He knew she was a strong girl but still, her too-normal behavior scared the living daylights out of him. "Haruko…just be strong."
Upstair, Haruko was staring at the ceiling once again. "The dream…it was getting worst." She thought as hot tears welled up in her eyes. She had the same dream again, only this time it was her who push Sakuragi into the pit. It baffled her and scared her. She could still feel Sakuragi's flesh pricking her own. It was so cold. He was so cold in her dreams. He looked at her with so much pity that she wanted to die right then and there. When she had finished burying him again, she woke up. Badly shaken and to her great surprise, full of hatred for that man who plague her dreams.
Haruko shut her eyes tightly and let her tears fell from her eyes.