Slam Dunk is not mine. Yeah, yeah whatever.
Chapter8
Mizuki's eyes went wide in horror and disbelief when she saw her son down below, coughing out blood. For a minute, she froze with shock. Then Mizuki jumped from her seat and ran down the stands to the locker room where he was being carried. From the footsteps pounding behind her, she could tell that Kiyomuri and Harusumi were following.
Kaede! Kaede! Her mind screamed frantically. If anything happens to Kaede I can never forgive myself.
She ran down the steps and bounded across the court. "Kaede!" she cried, before she burst into the locker room where a number of startled players from both Shohoku and Ryonan looked up from what they had been staring at. Rukawa had been placed on a bench. His pale skin was drenched with sweat, and his lips, though stained crimson, were cracked. His penetrating blue eyes were shut tightly. He looked lifeless, except for the uneven rise and fall of his chest; she would have mistaken him for dead.
"Kaede!" she blurted out again. "What's wrong with him?"
"Are you his mother?" Ayako asked, looking concerned at the distressed woman before her.
Mizuki nodded. "I am."
Another voice came across the room. "If you are his mother, shouldn't you know what is wrong with him?" It was Sendoh's voice.
For once, Mizuki did not know what to say. She could feel shame and shock coursing through her. I am his mother, yet I don't know what's wrong with my own son.
"He - he's been asthmatic since he was young," she said, her words faltering as it came out of her mouth. That was all she knew about Rukawa.
"I don't think this is a common asthmatic attack," said Akagi. "I think it is more serious than that."
"We'd better call the ambulance and get him to the hospital," said Kogure. Mizuki nodded dumbly still not believing what she saw.
Odd, Kogure mused. Rukawa once told me that he was living alone. How did his mother end up here then?
**************
His eyes snapped open, and then he quickly shut them again. The light was so.blinding. He remained motionless, his eyes still tightly shut, but his mind awake, aware. He could hear sounds coming from all around him. There was hushed conversation, low murmuring, a patter of footsteps running somewhere outside this room. He opened his eyes again, but slowly and painfully. The blinding light pierced his cornea with its full brightness, and he had to blink many times before he finally got used to it. He was sitting in a room that seemed unfamiliar to him.
Everywhere was so .white. The walls were white, the ceiling was white, and the bed and all the sheets he was lying on were all white. He tried to sit up, but suddenly, he felt an unexplainable exhaustion that pulled him back to the comfort of the pillows. Then he remembered. The match. The blood. The dizziness. The pain. The burning, consuming pain that lived in his chest, setting his lungs on fire. And the darkness. The darkness that held nothing but silence, and was devoid of all emotions. How restful it had been. But now, when he awoke, he could feel all the exhaustion returning into his weary form.
"Where - where am I?" He whispered softly.
"Ah! Rukawa-kun, you are awake already," came a jovial merry voice.
"Who are you? And where am I?" Questions buzzed endlessly in his mind.
"I am Dr. Itaki, and you are currently in the ICU in Kanagawa Hospital."
There was a pause at this. "You were unconscious for two days already," said Dr. Itaki.
"Two - two days?" Rukawa gasped.
"Yes. Your mother stayed with you all the while. She left about half an hour ago, but she will be back soon."
Rukawa stared at him in obvious disbelief. "My - my mother?"
"Mizuki Rukawa is your mother, isn't she?"
Rukawa nodded slowly. "It's not Mizuki Rukawa anymore. She left and married again." There was a tint of bitterness in his voice.
"Whatever her name is, Rukawa-kun, she's still your okaa-san. And she loves you, Rukawa-kun, she loves you," said Dr. Itaki. "If she doesn't, she wouldn't have stayed so long by your side."
There was another long silence. Rukawa lay back on the pillows. That short conversation had already tired him. It was as if he was already old and weak, too tired to talk. He felt around for the box of tissue that was always by his bed, but it was not there. Dr. Itaki seeing the boy desperately fumbling for something quickly handed him the tissue box.
Rukawa grasped a wad of tissue gratefully and coughed. Every part of his body inside burned. He felt light-headed again. He let the tissue fall from his weary fingers. It was soaked with a deep crimson.
*****************
The door opened. Mizuki came in expecting to see her son lying peacefully yet lifelessly on the hospital bed. Kiyomuri and his wife followed after. They could hardly believe what they saw. Rukawa was sitting up, leaning on the pillows propped against the bed. He was staring out of the dirty glass of the hospital windows where the sunlight streamed in. There was a strange light shining on his pale face, or so Mizuki thought. He turned when he heard the door open. He did not seemed surprised to see her, but a strange expression crossed his icy blue eyes, causing them to melt.
Rukawa stared at her. In truth, he was really shocked to see her, but he easily hid his emotions. There was a brief silence between the two of them and he felt at a loss for words. He did not even know how he felt. Was he happy? Disappointed? Angry? And then suddenly, all the bitter memories that had taunted him faded away. All the joyful moments in his life with his mother seemed to come back. He then realized how much he missed her. How he longed to see her face again, and how he wanted her to smile at him again, with the smile she only reserved for him.
"O - okaa - okaa," the word would not come out of his mouth. All the bitter hatred that had clogged up his mind suddenly seemed to have vanished in thin air. His voice cracked with something that warmed him to the pit of his stomach as he tried to say that word.
"Kaede," came Mizuki's soft reply. She paused a while before saying softly, "I - I'm sorry, Kaede."
Rukawa could feel the tears brimming in his eyes. What do I say now? He wondered.
He did not have to think long, because it was Mizuki who spoke again. "I should never have left you, Kaede. If I hadn't left you, Kaede, you wouldn't be here now."
Rukawa glanced up at her face. His ice blue eyes met with her brown ones. It was shocking to see how much emotion was glimmering in those watery eyes. Love. Joy. And regret. But all were sincere. "Okaa-san," he said again. This time his voice had a firm edge to it. "That was the past."
Mizuki hardly dared believe it. Could it be true? Was he really forgiving her? The tears that formed in her eyes were slowly trickling down her cheeks.
Rukawa saw her tears flow freely down her cheeks. Not just plain tears, but tears from her soul, full of emotion. "It's all right now, okaa- san," he did not know what made him say those words, but he just said it. "As long as I have you again, everything's fine."
Everything's fine.
As long as I have you again.
That was the past.
Okaa-san.
The words rang over and over again in her head. I don't deserve all this, Kaede. Why are you forgiving me? I can see the pain you've been through all the time when I was not there. I was not there for you. And you still forgave me.
"Why are you forgiving me, Kaede? After all I did to you?" the words burst from Mizuki's lips suddenly.
Rukawa blinked. The words were so sudden he did not have time to think for a response. "I didn't forgive you at once, okaa-san. It was very hard for me to do so. Until I saw you, and I realized how much I missed you."
Mizuki let her silent tears flow down continuously. Rukawa was suddenly embarrassed by the show of emotions. After all, he never had been one to show his emotions openly. But then she managed to reply in between her tears, "I've missed you to, Kaede."
**********************
They spent some time talking, chatting happily. She could feel her sorrow leaving her. Kiyomuri and Harusumi also joined in. But Mizuki noticed something. He never smiled. She could sense that he was happy inside, but there seemed to be something disturbing him. "Kaede, is there something wrong?" She asked anxiously.
Rukawa shook his head. "No." She was sure that he was lying.
Later, when Rukawa was lost in a peaceful sleep, she spoke to Dr, Itaki who had quietly entered the room. "Doctor, you never really told me what's wrong with him. Is it just asthma?"
Dr. Itaki shook his head. "No, Rukawa-kun has tuberculosis," he said quietly.
Mizuki's expression twisted with shock. "Tuberculosis! That explains the blood then, does it, sensei?"
He nodded soberly. "Will he recover soon? Tuberculosis is very hard to cure," she said.
Dr. Itaki just remained silent. "Sensei! Tell me!" she said sharply. "Will he be alright?"
"Mizuki-chan," he said gently so as not to disturb her anymore. "He is in a very weak condition now. Just striking up a conversation with him already exhausts him."
Mizuki drew in her breath sharply. "So - so what will happen to him now?"
Dr. Itaki sighed. He knew that she knew what was going to happen to Rukawa, but she just chose not to accept the fact. "He's dying, Mizuki- chan," he said. "He's dying."
Tbc.
Hah.I m so evil.but anyway, its ending n I m sooo happy. Is it crappier this time? (I know I need more self-confidence.) The ending's kinda sudden.but ah.nvm. Just R&R pls, ok?
Chapter8
Mizuki's eyes went wide in horror and disbelief when she saw her son down below, coughing out blood. For a minute, she froze with shock. Then Mizuki jumped from her seat and ran down the stands to the locker room where he was being carried. From the footsteps pounding behind her, she could tell that Kiyomuri and Harusumi were following.
Kaede! Kaede! Her mind screamed frantically. If anything happens to Kaede I can never forgive myself.
She ran down the steps and bounded across the court. "Kaede!" she cried, before she burst into the locker room where a number of startled players from both Shohoku and Ryonan looked up from what they had been staring at. Rukawa had been placed on a bench. His pale skin was drenched with sweat, and his lips, though stained crimson, were cracked. His penetrating blue eyes were shut tightly. He looked lifeless, except for the uneven rise and fall of his chest; she would have mistaken him for dead.
"Kaede!" she blurted out again. "What's wrong with him?"
"Are you his mother?" Ayako asked, looking concerned at the distressed woman before her.
Mizuki nodded. "I am."
Another voice came across the room. "If you are his mother, shouldn't you know what is wrong with him?" It was Sendoh's voice.
For once, Mizuki did not know what to say. She could feel shame and shock coursing through her. I am his mother, yet I don't know what's wrong with my own son.
"He - he's been asthmatic since he was young," she said, her words faltering as it came out of her mouth. That was all she knew about Rukawa.
"I don't think this is a common asthmatic attack," said Akagi. "I think it is more serious than that."
"We'd better call the ambulance and get him to the hospital," said Kogure. Mizuki nodded dumbly still not believing what she saw.
Odd, Kogure mused. Rukawa once told me that he was living alone. How did his mother end up here then?
**************
His eyes snapped open, and then he quickly shut them again. The light was so.blinding. He remained motionless, his eyes still tightly shut, but his mind awake, aware. He could hear sounds coming from all around him. There was hushed conversation, low murmuring, a patter of footsteps running somewhere outside this room. He opened his eyes again, but slowly and painfully. The blinding light pierced his cornea with its full brightness, and he had to blink many times before he finally got used to it. He was sitting in a room that seemed unfamiliar to him.
Everywhere was so .white. The walls were white, the ceiling was white, and the bed and all the sheets he was lying on were all white. He tried to sit up, but suddenly, he felt an unexplainable exhaustion that pulled him back to the comfort of the pillows. Then he remembered. The match. The blood. The dizziness. The pain. The burning, consuming pain that lived in his chest, setting his lungs on fire. And the darkness. The darkness that held nothing but silence, and was devoid of all emotions. How restful it had been. But now, when he awoke, he could feel all the exhaustion returning into his weary form.
"Where - where am I?" He whispered softly.
"Ah! Rukawa-kun, you are awake already," came a jovial merry voice.
"Who are you? And where am I?" Questions buzzed endlessly in his mind.
"I am Dr. Itaki, and you are currently in the ICU in Kanagawa Hospital."
There was a pause at this. "You were unconscious for two days already," said Dr. Itaki.
"Two - two days?" Rukawa gasped.
"Yes. Your mother stayed with you all the while. She left about half an hour ago, but she will be back soon."
Rukawa stared at him in obvious disbelief. "My - my mother?"
"Mizuki Rukawa is your mother, isn't she?"
Rukawa nodded slowly. "It's not Mizuki Rukawa anymore. She left and married again." There was a tint of bitterness in his voice.
"Whatever her name is, Rukawa-kun, she's still your okaa-san. And she loves you, Rukawa-kun, she loves you," said Dr. Itaki. "If she doesn't, she wouldn't have stayed so long by your side."
There was another long silence. Rukawa lay back on the pillows. That short conversation had already tired him. It was as if he was already old and weak, too tired to talk. He felt around for the box of tissue that was always by his bed, but it was not there. Dr. Itaki seeing the boy desperately fumbling for something quickly handed him the tissue box.
Rukawa grasped a wad of tissue gratefully and coughed. Every part of his body inside burned. He felt light-headed again. He let the tissue fall from his weary fingers. It was soaked with a deep crimson.
*****************
The door opened. Mizuki came in expecting to see her son lying peacefully yet lifelessly on the hospital bed. Kiyomuri and his wife followed after. They could hardly believe what they saw. Rukawa was sitting up, leaning on the pillows propped against the bed. He was staring out of the dirty glass of the hospital windows where the sunlight streamed in. There was a strange light shining on his pale face, or so Mizuki thought. He turned when he heard the door open. He did not seemed surprised to see her, but a strange expression crossed his icy blue eyes, causing them to melt.
Rukawa stared at her. In truth, he was really shocked to see her, but he easily hid his emotions. There was a brief silence between the two of them and he felt at a loss for words. He did not even know how he felt. Was he happy? Disappointed? Angry? And then suddenly, all the bitter memories that had taunted him faded away. All the joyful moments in his life with his mother seemed to come back. He then realized how much he missed her. How he longed to see her face again, and how he wanted her to smile at him again, with the smile she only reserved for him.
"O - okaa - okaa," the word would not come out of his mouth. All the bitter hatred that had clogged up his mind suddenly seemed to have vanished in thin air. His voice cracked with something that warmed him to the pit of his stomach as he tried to say that word.
"Kaede," came Mizuki's soft reply. She paused a while before saying softly, "I - I'm sorry, Kaede."
Rukawa could feel the tears brimming in his eyes. What do I say now? He wondered.
He did not have to think long, because it was Mizuki who spoke again. "I should never have left you, Kaede. If I hadn't left you, Kaede, you wouldn't be here now."
Rukawa glanced up at her face. His ice blue eyes met with her brown ones. It was shocking to see how much emotion was glimmering in those watery eyes. Love. Joy. And regret. But all were sincere. "Okaa-san," he said again. This time his voice had a firm edge to it. "That was the past."
Mizuki hardly dared believe it. Could it be true? Was he really forgiving her? The tears that formed in her eyes were slowly trickling down her cheeks.
Rukawa saw her tears flow freely down her cheeks. Not just plain tears, but tears from her soul, full of emotion. "It's all right now, okaa- san," he did not know what made him say those words, but he just said it. "As long as I have you again, everything's fine."
Everything's fine.
As long as I have you again.
That was the past.
Okaa-san.
The words rang over and over again in her head. I don't deserve all this, Kaede. Why are you forgiving me? I can see the pain you've been through all the time when I was not there. I was not there for you. And you still forgave me.
"Why are you forgiving me, Kaede? After all I did to you?" the words burst from Mizuki's lips suddenly.
Rukawa blinked. The words were so sudden he did not have time to think for a response. "I didn't forgive you at once, okaa-san. It was very hard for me to do so. Until I saw you, and I realized how much I missed you."
Mizuki let her silent tears flow down continuously. Rukawa was suddenly embarrassed by the show of emotions. After all, he never had been one to show his emotions openly. But then she managed to reply in between her tears, "I've missed you to, Kaede."
**********************
They spent some time talking, chatting happily. She could feel her sorrow leaving her. Kiyomuri and Harusumi also joined in. But Mizuki noticed something. He never smiled. She could sense that he was happy inside, but there seemed to be something disturbing him. "Kaede, is there something wrong?" She asked anxiously.
Rukawa shook his head. "No." She was sure that he was lying.
Later, when Rukawa was lost in a peaceful sleep, she spoke to Dr, Itaki who had quietly entered the room. "Doctor, you never really told me what's wrong with him. Is it just asthma?"
Dr. Itaki shook his head. "No, Rukawa-kun has tuberculosis," he said quietly.
Mizuki's expression twisted with shock. "Tuberculosis! That explains the blood then, does it, sensei?"
He nodded soberly. "Will he recover soon? Tuberculosis is very hard to cure," she said.
Dr. Itaki just remained silent. "Sensei! Tell me!" she said sharply. "Will he be alright?"
"Mizuki-chan," he said gently so as not to disturb her anymore. "He is in a very weak condition now. Just striking up a conversation with him already exhausts him."
Mizuki drew in her breath sharply. "So - so what will happen to him now?"
Dr. Itaki sighed. He knew that she knew what was going to happen to Rukawa, but she just chose not to accept the fact. "He's dying, Mizuki- chan," he said. "He's dying."
Tbc.
Hah.I m so evil.but anyway, its ending n I m sooo happy. Is it crappier this time? (I know I need more self-confidence.) The ending's kinda sudden.but ah.nvm. Just R&R pls, ok?