Count your blessings
By shinichimaki_gal
Disclaimer: I do not own any Slam Dunk characters so dun bother suing coz I am broke.
Rei-Leviathan-chan: Now, now. Relax. Don't worry. You'll see their relationship in this chapter and I am sure you will not be so upset after that, okay?
* * *
Chapter 20: Making decisions with a very confused mind
"Another ex-boyfriend?" Mitsui asked Aya as he walked past her.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Aya replied coolly, looking up from her bag.
"Fugima and Hanagata. Hello? You just hugged them in front of everyone," he asked questioningly.
Aya sighed. "They are my childhood friends. Why? Jealous?" she teased.
Mitsui snorted. "Honestly, I think even Hanagata is more attractive than you."
Aya laughed. "I knew you were gay!"
Mitsui's eyes widened. "No, not this again!" he cried, running away from her to start his warm-up.
"Well, that took care of him," she mumbled to herself as she flopped down onto the manager's chair. She sighed. Her mind was still on the scholarships and she still did not which one to choose.
"Nervous for them, sempai?" Ayako asked sitting down beside her. Aya smiled weakly at her. "Yes," she lied.
"Well, everyone's nervous. If we win this game, we'll have a game with Kainan. It always been captain's dream to play against Kainan," she said.
Aya just nodded, not wanting to start a conversation. "Let's just watch the match, okay?" she said, as the whistle was blown.
(A/N: Okay, I am going to fast forward a little bit till Anzai-sensei calls the time-out.)
"Shit! Stupid guy. How could I have beaten him just a few years ago?" Mitsui mumbled to himself, heaving.
Aya heard him and sat beside him. "Because you were the MVP and you were really in shape then?"
"What are you trying to say?" he snapped at her.
"All I am saying is that if you don't get your act together, he is going to achieve his goal of nothing letting you score more than 5 points," she said.
"How did you know about that?"
"He told me. Let me tell you something, Mitsui Hisashi. I have seen you play in your junior high days. And I am extremely disappointed at your performance now. Because at this rate, even I don't believe you were the MVP. Don't you want to know them, Hasegawa, your gang friends, everyone, to know that you are back?"
"Yes," he mumbled sadly.
"Then get out there and show them what you are made of!" she gently pushed him off the bench.
Mitsui walked off and then suddenly halted in his tracks. He turned back to Aya and said, "I'll show you that I am back too." He smiled at her and then went back on court. Aya sighed. "Why do I even bother trying? I don't even like basketball anymore," she thought.
And so the game went on. Mitsui heeded Aya's advice and managed to score off more points. "I'll prove to them that I am indeed back," he said to himself, as he chased after the ball but ended up crashing into the benches. "Ouch!" his mind screamed.
"Mitsui, leave it to me from here. I will take over for you," Kogure said to him, helping him up back to the benches. He sat down and looked over at Aya. She was staring at the record book. He slowly got up and moved closer to the manager's table where she was sitting.
"So, did I prove to you that I'm back?" he asked her, but got no reply from her. "Aya? Hey, Aya! What's wrong?" Mitsui gently nudged her.
Aya snapped out of her trance and looked at Mitsui. "Yeah?"
"Is everything alright?" he asked, concerned.
Aya shook her head no. "But I'll be fine," she mumbled.
"You should talk about your problems. It would be easier to solve them then," he told her softly.
"I don't know whether it is a problem or not. Anyway, I said I am fine. So leave it. By the way, good job," Aya smiled, tiredly at him.
"Thank you. For you encouragement, I mean," he said, shyly.
"Anytime," she mumbled, staring at the record book again.
* * *
The final whistle was blown and the whole Shohoku team erupted into cheers. All except Sakuragi and Aya who were sitting down. After the judges confirmed the scores, Fugima and Hanagata came over to Aya and squatted down beside her.
"Hey," Fugima said softly. Aya looked over at him and smiled softly.
"Hey. I am sorry that you guys lost," Aya said.
"No biggie. We came over to make sure you don't lose too," Hanagata explained.
"Huh?" Aya, confused, looked at her friend's faces, searching for an answer.
"We know that you still want to play basketball. We are friends since in diapers, so don't bother lying to us. Remember that time I was confused in whether to enter Shoyo High or Kainan?" Fugima asked. Aya nodded. "You told me to follow my heart, but now you are not following yours."
"But my heart's telling me to do something against my wishes," she protested.
"Or is it? Just think about it, okay? And if you need someone to talk to, we're here, alright?" Hanagata said, before hugging her. Aya felt tears rushing to her eyes as she hugged Fugima too.
"Now, now. Don't you dare cry? If you cry, you know you'll make us sad too," Fugima teased, brushing tears away from her eyes, making her laugh. "Well, then. We have to go now. Keep in touch, okay?" Aya nodded as they walked away from her.
* * *
"Erm, excuse me guys," Sendoh said as he started walking towards Aya. "Going to Juliet, Romeo?" Koshino teased as Sendoh blushed again. He quickened his steps and sat beside Aya. The whole place was almost empty except for Mitsui, Ayako and the Ryonan team.
"Hey, sweetie," he said, kissing her softly on the cheek. Aya turned and embraced him tightly. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Tell me. Come on," Sendoh surprised at her sudden action.
"Nothing. I just want to go home, okay?" Aya released him and smiled at him.
"Have you been crying?" he asked, gently touching her red-rimmed eyes. Aya shook her head. "No, I am fine."
"You should know better than to lie to me," he teased, kissing her softly. After a while, they broke off and Aya rested her head against his chest while he gently stroked her hair. "Come on, let's get you home, alright?" he said, pulling her up with him. Aya nodded and the both of them walked home together, Aya leaning on him the whole way. (A/N: KAWAII!!!)
"They make such a cute couple, ne?" Ayako sighed as she watched her senior with Sendoh.
"If you ask me, I'll say that she has more loyalty to the other teams rather than her own," Mitsui replied.
Ayako laughed. "Ne, Mitsui-sempai. Are you jealous?"
Mitsui snorted. "Jealous? Are you kidding me? Why is everyone saying that to me?" With that, he walked to the locker room.
"Because it is true, sempai. If not, why are you so concerned for her? Or why were you staring at Aya-sempai and Sendoh as though you can vaporize him with your eyes?" Ayako said softly to herself, smiling at her senior.
* * *
Chapter 20, already! And yet, it is like just half-way through the story!!! Ne way, Sendoh KAWAII, ne? Haha. I can imagine falling in love with him. sigh!...
Disclaimer: I do not own any Slam Dunk characters so dun bother suing coz I am broke.
Rei-Leviathan-chan: Now, now. Relax. Don't worry. You'll see their relationship in this chapter and I am sure you will not be so upset after that, okay?
* * *
Chapter 20: Making decisions with a very confused mind
"Another ex-boyfriend?" Mitsui asked Aya as he walked past her.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Aya replied coolly, looking up from her bag.
"Fugima and Hanagata. Hello? You just hugged them in front of everyone," he asked questioningly.
Aya sighed. "They are my childhood friends. Why? Jealous?" she teased.
Mitsui snorted. "Honestly, I think even Hanagata is more attractive than you."
Aya laughed. "I knew you were gay!"
Mitsui's eyes widened. "No, not this again!" he cried, running away from her to start his warm-up.
"Well, that took care of him," she mumbled to herself as she flopped down onto the manager's chair. She sighed. Her mind was still on the scholarships and she still did not which one to choose.
"Nervous for them, sempai?" Ayako asked sitting down beside her. Aya smiled weakly at her. "Yes," she lied.
"Well, everyone's nervous. If we win this game, we'll have a game with Kainan. It always been captain's dream to play against Kainan," she said.
Aya just nodded, not wanting to start a conversation. "Let's just watch the match, okay?" she said, as the whistle was blown.
(A/N: Okay, I am going to fast forward a little bit till Anzai-sensei calls the time-out.)
"Shit! Stupid guy. How could I have beaten him just a few years ago?" Mitsui mumbled to himself, heaving.
Aya heard him and sat beside him. "Because you were the MVP and you were really in shape then?"
"What are you trying to say?" he snapped at her.
"All I am saying is that if you don't get your act together, he is going to achieve his goal of nothing letting you score more than 5 points," she said.
"How did you know about that?"
"He told me. Let me tell you something, Mitsui Hisashi. I have seen you play in your junior high days. And I am extremely disappointed at your performance now. Because at this rate, even I don't believe you were the MVP. Don't you want to know them, Hasegawa, your gang friends, everyone, to know that you are back?"
"Yes," he mumbled sadly.
"Then get out there and show them what you are made of!" she gently pushed him off the bench.
Mitsui walked off and then suddenly halted in his tracks. He turned back to Aya and said, "I'll show you that I am back too." He smiled at her and then went back on court. Aya sighed. "Why do I even bother trying? I don't even like basketball anymore," she thought.
And so the game went on. Mitsui heeded Aya's advice and managed to score off more points. "I'll prove to them that I am indeed back," he said to himself, as he chased after the ball but ended up crashing into the benches. "Ouch!" his mind screamed.
"Mitsui, leave it to me from here. I will take over for you," Kogure said to him, helping him up back to the benches. He sat down and looked over at Aya. She was staring at the record book. He slowly got up and moved closer to the manager's table where she was sitting.
"So, did I prove to you that I'm back?" he asked her, but got no reply from her. "Aya? Hey, Aya! What's wrong?" Mitsui gently nudged her.
Aya snapped out of her trance and looked at Mitsui. "Yeah?"
"Is everything alright?" he asked, concerned.
Aya shook her head no. "But I'll be fine," she mumbled.
"You should talk about your problems. It would be easier to solve them then," he told her softly.
"I don't know whether it is a problem or not. Anyway, I said I am fine. So leave it. By the way, good job," Aya smiled, tiredly at him.
"Thank you. For you encouragement, I mean," he said, shyly.
"Anytime," she mumbled, staring at the record book again.
* * *
The final whistle was blown and the whole Shohoku team erupted into cheers. All except Sakuragi and Aya who were sitting down. After the judges confirmed the scores, Fugima and Hanagata came over to Aya and squatted down beside her.
"Hey," Fugima said softly. Aya looked over at him and smiled softly.
"Hey. I am sorry that you guys lost," Aya said.
"No biggie. We came over to make sure you don't lose too," Hanagata explained.
"Huh?" Aya, confused, looked at her friend's faces, searching for an answer.
"We know that you still want to play basketball. We are friends since in diapers, so don't bother lying to us. Remember that time I was confused in whether to enter Shoyo High or Kainan?" Fugima asked. Aya nodded. "You told me to follow my heart, but now you are not following yours."
"But my heart's telling me to do something against my wishes," she protested.
"Or is it? Just think about it, okay? And if you need someone to talk to, we're here, alright?" Hanagata said, before hugging her. Aya felt tears rushing to her eyes as she hugged Fugima too.
"Now, now. Don't you dare cry? If you cry, you know you'll make us sad too," Fugima teased, brushing tears away from her eyes, making her laugh. "Well, then. We have to go now. Keep in touch, okay?" Aya nodded as they walked away from her.
* * *
"Erm, excuse me guys," Sendoh said as he started walking towards Aya. "Going to Juliet, Romeo?" Koshino teased as Sendoh blushed again. He quickened his steps and sat beside Aya. The whole place was almost empty except for Mitsui, Ayako and the Ryonan team.
"Hey, sweetie," he said, kissing her softly on the cheek. Aya turned and embraced him tightly. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Tell me. Come on," Sendoh surprised at her sudden action.
"Nothing. I just want to go home, okay?" Aya released him and smiled at him.
"Have you been crying?" he asked, gently touching her red-rimmed eyes. Aya shook her head. "No, I am fine."
"You should know better than to lie to me," he teased, kissing her softly. After a while, they broke off and Aya rested her head against his chest while he gently stroked her hair. "Come on, let's get you home, alright?" he said, pulling her up with him. Aya nodded and the both of them walked home together, Aya leaning on him the whole way. (A/N: KAWAII!!!)
"They make such a cute couple, ne?" Ayako sighed as she watched her senior with Sendoh.
"If you ask me, I'll say that she has more loyalty to the other teams rather than her own," Mitsui replied.
Ayako laughed. "Ne, Mitsui-sempai. Are you jealous?"
Mitsui snorted. "Jealous? Are you kidding me? Why is everyone saying that to me?" With that, he walked to the locker room.
"Because it is true, sempai. If not, why are you so concerned for her? Or why were you staring at Aya-sempai and Sendoh as though you can vaporize him with your eyes?" Ayako said softly to herself, smiling at her senior.
* * *
Chapter 20, already! And yet, it is like just half-way through the story!!! Ne way, Sendoh KAWAII, ne? Haha. I can imagine falling in love with him. sigh!...