DISCLAIMERS: Slamdunk is not mine . . .

WARNING: Unbelievable OOCness of Sendoh Akira. . . so sorry. . .

ONE WISH Chapter 2

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"I know what you're trying to do, Akira," Naya hissed. "Get away, please."

She already saw her boyfriend from the corner of her eyes, coming towards her a moment ago. But she didn't get to greet him because her whole attention was on the birds she was feeding, she didn't want to be disturbed and her boyfriend's lips were just inches away from her cheeks. It has taken her quite some time on waiting for the right shot like the flying of one of the birds from the other group who are busy eating.

She couldn't get the chance to move from her position and her muscles were getting tired from kneeling on the ground. She was closer to the picture she had spent three days trying to capture. And if she'll turn her attention to Sendoh, who's now taking advantage of her, she's afraid she might lose the right focus.

She zoomed on her lens, and when at the right moment she's been waiting for, which was the flying of the birds inches away from the ground, was the moment Akira's lips touched her cheeks. She lost the balance and she didn't capture what she had always wanted to capture.

"Oh, I could kill you for that!" she shouted, irritated by his action. "I've been waiting for that chance for so long!"

But Sendoh just smiled at her. "Of all the places and animals to take, why those plain and ordinary birds?"

She opened her mouth to say something scathing but changed her mind. No matter how hard she tried explaining to him that she loved her hobby and is very important to her, he just won't be able to understand that.

Pouting, she hung the camera on her neck and sat on one of the dead logs. Akira sat beside her, putting his arms around her.

Naya sighed heavily, trying to take the anger she felt for the man. "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you're with your dad today." Sendoh Akira's dad owns a fishing business and he was an assistant to his father. His family was also in politics.

"Why, aren't you happy? We're gonna be together the whole day." Akira smiled again, tightening the grip of his arm around her shoulders.

Naya knew that Sendoh would kiss her. She could hear his breathing in her ear. But she remained passive and waiting for his lips to touch hers.

"Nayabelle!"

The voice echoed throughout the forest, and the kiss she was expecting didn't happen.

"Father!" Naya quickly pushed Sendoh away from her, who nearly fell from the log.

"What the-!" Sendoh scratched his spiky hair in irritation. "Your father never failed to appear before we could do something! Talk about GOOD timing."

She quickly stood up and walked towards the plastic bag containing the food she used to feed the birds a while ago. She was about to turn to where the voice belonged but Ryuji, her father was already there, his footsteps were surprisingly fast as he went towards them.

"Oh, so you're here, Sendoh." He turned to the young man who rose up from the log.

"Good day, sir." Sendoh greeted.

The old man barely nodded at him, his eyes suspiciously looking at the both of them. When he felt relief at their long distance to each other he finally managed to notice the noisy birds and the plastic, which was already empty.

"We were just about to go home, father," Naya said, bending down and caught one of the birds and then let it go again.

"Has your father said something about the proposal of PTA about renovating the high school buildings?" Ryuji asked the young man. He was the principal of the said school.

"He hasn't mentioned anything about it yet, Mr. Asekawa. But he told me to tell you that he would be coming here tonight at eight after his meeting at the municipal hall."

"Is that so?" Ryuji turned to Naya. "Then you have to go back home now, Naya. Help your aunt Reiko prepare the food for tonight." He was talking about his old maid cousin who lived with them since Naya was born. "Tell your father to join us at dinner, Sendoh." After saying that, he turned around and went back to where he came from.

"Father almost caught us there!" Naya turned to her boyfriend the moment the old man was nowhere in sight. "It's your entire fault.you perverted." she chose to leave her words hanging.

"Well then it's good if he caught us" he said. "Anyway I was asking you to marry me. You're the only one who's having doubts."

"Why are you taking it so fast? We started this relationship just months ago, and we're still young for it."

"So when do you plan to get wed? When we're both using walking sticks?" there was light sarcasm in his voice.

Naya rolled her eyes. "You are exaggerating! Anyway I forgot to tell you that I'll go to the city by the end of the month. I want to attend a one week live-in seminar in photography." She really wanted to take pictures. When she finished college one year ago, she already enrolled herself to a two month crash course in photography.

This caused Sendoh to stand up and face her. "One week seminar!?"

"An invitation was already sent to me by my best friend, Tanya, you know her, right? I've already mentioned her once. Her family was already staying in Okinawa."

Sendoh barely nodded. Her best friend used to live in the same place with them but he didn't get the chance to know her.

"More or less I'll be gone in two weeks, and father has already agreed to it." Naya continued.

"So your father agreed, but what about me? Am I not that important to you?" his voice was something like rebelling.

"I am telling you now."

Sendoh stared at her for a long time, measuring how much determination she has for getting her plans done, and then, "How about your job here?"

"I'll file a two month vacation leave, and if they won't agree with it, then I'll just have to resign. Surely, I could find another job when I come back." Three months after her graduation, she was already accepted in a local travel agency as a tour guide.

And she enjoyed her job, because she can get to use the local and foreign tourist in her hobby of taking pictures. Other than that, she gets paid of what she's doing. She has always dreamt of being a professional photographer. She wanted to take pictures on almost any subject, may it be human, places or nature.

Sendoh angrily sighed. He was so sure nothing can stop Naya to what she wants to do.

"I don't understand why you have to attend to those crappy, nonsense seminars." He muttered. "You're just wasting your time. You have a good job in here, and I already saw those pictures you have taken in your room. Very ordinary.nothing spectacular."

Now Naya was hurt by what he said, but she hid it expertly. She knew Sendoh wasn't really appreciative to what she's doing. And those are one of the reasons as to why she couldn't tell him of her ambition to own an exhibit one day.

"I don't have a good camera, Akira," she said defensively, the fact that the truth was there. For you to be able to produce nice pictures, you should own a right camera for it. "Those cameras being used by the professionals are too expensive. It'll be considered as a fortune."

"So that's it! Besides, why do you need to attend those seminars about photography? Like mom, you'll end up being a housewife when we get married."

Naya frowned at that, she reached for her hair which was done in braids.

"Couldn't we combine those two? I can be a working housewife until we haven't got a child. Maybe I can have my own stu-"

"Child?" Sendoh groaned as he protested, while raising both of his arms on the air. "You're thinking about children already, to think you wouldn't even go with me to watch movies!"

Naya sat on the log where her boyfriend was standing. "How could I not? When once I came with you to watch a movie that pretty hands of yours suddenly multiplied almost landing on different parts of my body! I didn't get to understand the movie because I keep on prying your hands away."

"Which is I don't understand until now why you have to pry." He said with slight, irritating tone. "Lovers go to movies, Naya, not because they want to watch, but because they wanted to be alone."

She raised an eyebrow. "Wanted to be alone? With all the people inside?"

"Naya, it's dark in there!"

She winced at that. "Yes, its dark inside, but you can still see the people inside. Geez, for all you know, behind us was the old hag Ritsuko, queen of gossips, so that the next day you'll hear rumors spreading the whole town like wild fire." She stood up, bent down and picked the bird's food, then walked towards the house.

Sendoh quickly followed, not knowing whether to laugh or hate her. "Is that all you're afraid of? That the old hag might catch us? Hah! She couldn't even afford to watch in the balcony. I remembered how many times he asked father for free passes for the movies. . . "

The girl just laughed, her anger completely fading away.

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That night Naya was on their balcony looking at the sky. It was a clear night, stars were scattered at the heavens. Was it her imagination or not? Coz she saw a small light appeared on the black sky, moving downwards.

Her eyes grew wide and she quickly put her two hands on the pockets of her cotton pants, closed her eyes and uttered a wish.

"You're twenty two, Naya, but until now you never stopped doing that." A laughing Ryuji was on the door.

Naya turned around, and gave her father a small smile. "Old habits are hard to die, father."

The smile stayed on the old man's lips, but from the light coming through the balcony, she could see the sadness in his eyes. And she knew they were thinking just the same. Mariko Asekawa. She was on her last year in high school when her mother died.

Mariko was the one who taught her when she young, that when she sees a falling star, she could wish. One of the bedtime stories every time her mother puts he to sleep.

As she grew up she learned that stars don't fall, that the sun is one of the stars in the whole universe, and the sun was many times bigger than the earth. So that's why it's impossible for a star to fall on the ground.

But of course, that was the scientific truth. The poets and romantic's points of view are different from children's fantasies. Even those who aren't children anymore.

And every time she caught sight of a small light in the sky going downwards, she couldn't help uttering a wish. She couldn't even remember if any of her wishes came true. She didn't believe it either.

"But the wish you just made wasn't a childish wish, was it?" Ryuji teased, interrupting her thoughts.

Naya grinned and then shrugged her shoulders. "I wished that our marriage would be successful and we would happily ever after . . . just like in the fairy tales."

His smile grew wider. "You shouldn't have told me what you've wished for, it wouldn't come true. . ."

She laughed gaily. "Oh, father. . ." she sat on top on the balcony and hugged a post. "We both know that there's no such thing as a falling star. Maybe I did it because it has grown to be my habit, but it isn't bad to wish to have a happy marriage, just like you and mother. . ."

He sighed deeply, and then his expression changed. He was serious. He leaned on the door.

"Are you really sure you wanted to get married? I wouldn't be so sure that Sendoh would support you in your hobby. "She couldn't tell her father that she was only forced to marry Sendoh three months from that day.

Sendoh brought up the subject while they were having dinner. Sendoh's parents seemed to be happy about it, as Mr. Sendoh had already decided on which date they would get married.

Naya remained silent for the rest of the time, as if her opinion didn't matter at all. Even her father didn't get to talk that much. Sendoh even suggested that she should cancel the seminar because they would be very bust preparing for the coming wedding, three months from now.

Deep inside she wanted to hate him for controlling her life. But she tried to just think and understand that he was just doing it because he loved her.

"But do you really love Sendoh, Nayabelle?" he interrupted her thoughts again.

"I wouldn't be agreeing to this wedding if I didn't, father," she said while her brows met. "Are you having doubts on him?"

He just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, your heart isn't in my hands, I can't control it. But your mother's memory was still clear in my mind, back where we were still lovers. She was glowing always. Her eyes sparkled like jewel. She said she always longed to see me. . ."

The frown on her face suddenly was changed by a smile, her eyes sparkling. "Really, father? I didn't know mother could be that showy on her feelings for you. How sweet of her. . ."

"She was." Sadness and longing filled his eyes. "And you took that from your mother. . . and in many other ways."

She cocked her head. "So you don't see me that "showy" to Sendoh? That I don't long for him?" it was more of a statement that a question. Then she smiled at her father. "Maybe we weren't like you and mother in many things, father."

He shrugged his shoulders again. "Maybe. But you're still too young, Naya, for you to marry so early. When your mother was still alive, we wanted you to see the world . . . go places . . . meet people. . . But we couldn't afford to give you that because of our . . . poverty. Aside from my profession, we still need extra budget.

"And when the time came when salaries increased and then there was enough money, you came into our lives. . ."

Naya tried to speak but Ryuji snapped her out of it. "Your mother and I wouldn't exchange any chances of traveling on your arrival in our lives, Naya. . ."

Emotion flooded her. More than ever she missed her mother now.

"And I know just how much you wanted to go to places and even dreamed of being a professional, having your own exhibit. How will you suppose to do that if you're married?"

Naya tried to smile, trying to forget the regrets she felt of not being able to fulfill her dreams. Sendoh's family was very sensitive. A wife should always stay at home and serve her husband. There's nothing wrong, really, if she would be happy being with Sendoh, it's worth the sacrifice

"Maybe Akira would allow me to put up my own studio after we get married. And what do you know, maybe Akira wanted to travel around the world after the marriage? I'll even suggest that to him." She mixed an exciting tone in her voice. "Maybe we'll travel far! In Europe . . . or in Paris!"

Ryuji laughed, feeling the same excitement. "I wish you two could do that, because once you had your child and Sendoh would be in politics, you would be having a hard time traveling."

Her eyes flew towards her father, suddenly she didn't liked what he said. "Politics? Akira wouldn't enter politics, father. We already talked about-" she suddenly stopped when she saw the frown on her father's face. "What do you mean?" she doubly asked.

Ryuji's brows met. "Your fiancé? Didn't he once mention to you that he'll be running for the next election? His father already talked to me about it a while ago."

Naya turned her gaze to the garden, hiding the sudden dark look in her eyes. Sendoh knew she hated politics, and he promised that he would never follow his father's footsteps. They had already talked about that.

To be a leader in civic organizations in their town was already enough, but to enter politics was the thing she hated most. That was the reason why her mother was taken away from her so early. Mariko's father was a politician. And politics were dirty . . . just as some people were bad.

A bomb exploded on her grandfather's party rally. It took both father and daughter's lives.

"It doesn't mean that what happened in your grandfather and your mother, it could also happen to Sendoh, Naya." Ryuji sighed.

"But I hate politics, father!" her voice went louder this time. She didn't like to think that Sendoh was lying to her. "It's not just the reason why they died. I hated politics already even way back when they were still alive.

"I just don't want our privacy getting in the way. People were going back and forth on grandfather's house, even in our place because of mother, and that's not what I wanted, that people would just enter our house like that. I valued my freedom so much and I cannot imagine myself being a politician's wife."

"His father is also a politician, it can't be helped-"

"It's his father, not him! And he promised me he won't go into politics!" she wanted to cry. She felt like cheated.

"Then you really don't love him, Naya." Ryuji said gently.

"Because I hate politics?" she said sarcastically.

He sighed heavily, staring deeply into her eyes, and then, "No. Because falling in love with someone is falling in love with their dreams."
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Okay, that was chapter two. . .