CHAPTER FOURTEEN
~ And to her he was offering all his love... his dream... his future... ~
Anata ga kureta mirai no kakera ga
Hora koko ni hikatteru kara
Meguri aeta omoi wa...
-0-
To you I give the future
Look, here, it's sparkling
Surrounded completely by feelings...
Rukawa was hardly aware of the cacophonous noises around him. Nor was he conscious of the harsh biting wind ruffling his hair. The moment the other guy pulled out his gun and held him at gunpoint, he was thrown in a state of complete shock.
His mind was in freefall. Blank to the dot. He couldn't even begin wondering about his life and whether or not he had lived it well like someone at the brink of death was most likely to do. Well, not that this kind of situation gave him enough time for that anyway.
Still, he should've seen this coming...
The roaring of thunder sounded so close it made him flinch. But what he heard next after that stiffened his every muscle more and almost halted the beating of his heart. Was it his imagination or did he just hear Ayako's voice in the wind, calling out his name? Though it was very faint, it sounded very real
His head jerked to the direction of the voice and his heart gave a start when he deftly made out two utterly familiar figures on the shore, undoubtedly rushing to where he was.
No! his mind cried out as he tried to keep as straight a face as possible. It was a good thing that the creep's back was on the shore. Don't come here!
"It was smart of you to have sent me that letter, luring me here," the taunting voice pulled his gaze back to the perp. Akira Sendoh's smile looked impish under the shadows of the night. His steel mask lay a few feet away behind him, leaving only the hood of his jacket to cover his head and conceal his trademark spike hair from possible distant witnesses. "And you even used that girl's name. You know I can't resist her as much as you can't, ne?" His face took on a rather dark expression as he tightened his grip around the gun. "Lucky shit, Miyagi. I don't think a goddamn wimp like him deserves such a ravishing babe. And I almost had my way with her, too, had you not"
Rukawa grunted as a choking amount of bile rose to his throat. He had expected a more sensible reason behind all these. Not some silly jealous guy storyespecially from the kind of person Akira Sendoh was... or used to be. How fast jealousy can turn a once calm and composed guy into a rude and mad beast...
"Oopps, sorry. Word-fault." Sendoh smiled leeringly. "Didn't ravishing sound a little too lustful?"
Not to mention lecherous maniac, "You're a shit."
"What?"
"I can't believe you're doing all this insanity for such a crappy reason."
"Crappy?" Sendoh scoffed. "You think this is crappy?" He raised his aim to Rukawa's head and sneered. "How much more stupid can you get, huh?"
Rukawa wheezed as he stared at the barrel of the gun. The cold gale began biting at his skin along with the dreadful chill he felt within his veins. "What do you really want from her?" he demanded in a low voice, keeping back as much tremor from it as he could.
To his utter surpriseand annoyanceSendoh began chuckling derisively, "You really don't understand, do you? I'm not really after her..."
"Then why? Why are you doing all this?"
"I'm after you..."
A circuitous lightning appeared in the horizon. Rumbling thunder beat out a maddening rhythm across the sky as two pairs of fiery blue eyes regarded each other steadily. Below them, the angry waves incessantly lapped against the bottom of the promontory, momentarily submersing into sea the pointed edges of the rocks bordering it, only to divulge them once again within seconds with new threats of a fatal end.
"That game..." Sendoh's voice was low and melancholic when he spoke. "My whole life depended on that game. It was my ticket to a basketball scholarship at a reputable university in Tokyo. To a future of fame and recognition. To a high paying career..." Tears spilled from his eyes. "And fuck you, Kaede Rukawa!" he snarled spitefully. "Fuck you for ruining everything for me!"
Rukawa stepped back as Sendoh took a step closer. The waves below suddenly sounded frighteningly loud. Dammit...
"If it hadn't been for that dunk you made, we would've won the game," the weeping guy went on bitterly. "If you hadn't been so goddamn good, I would still have a future! Now you call that crappy?"
"Teme!" Rukawa cried angrily. But whatever plan of attack had his dander put into his mind was immediately dispersed by the impact of the gun's butt on his face. He fell to his hands and knees and gasped as haze began to fill his sight. His cheek burned with pain as blood from the wound on it tinctured his lips.
"How many more lives do you plan to ruin for your own selfish glory?" the towering mad man hovering over him growled. "How many more futures do you plan to wreck for your own selfish cause?"
Selfish glory? Selfish cause? These statements, needless to say, affected the younger guy in more ways than anyone would've expected possible. How many lives had he ruined? How many futures had he wrecked? The words came crashing on him like an avalanche of seething fire and ice. Had he really been that bad already?
He then thought of that dunk he forced into the basket against Sendoh during the last two seconds of the game. If he had only known it would all come to this
But then again, like Sendoh, he had wanted to win. And nobody could ever deny him that glory, right? Nobody could ever deny his teamthat glory!
Still...
He could not believe a single slam dunk could actually cause this much strife for so many people, this much madness to this guy, and this much wounds to himself...
He could not believe a single game could change so many lives, so many emotions, so many futures...
He could not believe a single guymeaning himselfcould ruin so many dreams with his selfishness...
If you are really selfish, then why are you here? a small part of him argued against the bitter repentant thoughts filling his mind almost to bursting point. Why are you here risking everything you have for the sake of that girl? For the sake of...?
"There's... more to life than... basketball," he heard himself say in a strained, yet firm voice.
"Funny hearing that from you," Sendoh's voice dripped with irony. "Though I was kinda expecting you to say that. Especially since..."
"Kaede!" The oncoming call froze every nerve in Rukawa's body. He completely forgot that she had been on her way to this place! Overcoming the transient daze, he raised his head just in time to see Sendoh twist his body to one side and aim his gun on the startled Ayako. "S-Sendoh?" she appeared to have gasped in disbelief.
"Especially since she's here!" The merciless perp squeezed out two consecutive shots at her direction. The deafening 'bang-bang' echoed through the night along with a frightened shriek, a pained grunt, and the sound of a body falling against the ground...
The following seconds seemed to drag on forever as Rukawa stared blankly at the scene in front of him. He could see the blood flooding around Ayako's body. Her eyes wide with shock and her lips forming a chasm of startled terror made him numb with fright all over...
"Youhei!" The loud, piercing cry woke Rukawa out of the trance and snapped his sight back to the real world where he saw a very much alive and unscathed Ayako sobbing under the gasping and trembling body of Youhei Mito...
Youhei had blocked the shots!
Rukawa didn't waste any more seconds. On impulse, he sprung to his feet and grabbed Sendoh's arm just in time to send his third shot rocketing into the sky. He heard the distracted guy curse before feeling a fist on his cheek. It felt like his jaw had broken off but he wasn't letting go of that hand with the gun.
Sendoh gripped the weapon with both hands. Rukawa tried to grip harder with both of his. The sneering psycho was struggling to aim the barrel at him, while he, on the other hand, fought with equal might to do the same to his adversary. Neither of them wanted to give up. Both were as strongly matched as the other.
Or so it seemed, until their struggle brought the gun down to stomach level and fired two more shots. Rukawa heard Ayako's wail of terror and saw Sendoh's evil smile before he felt the eviscerating pain in his abdomen. He lost his grip on Sendoh's hand and dropped to his knees, coughing out the blood that surged to his mouth. Trying hard to fight off the chilling numbness descending upon him...
"Would you look at that," Sendoh jeered. "The great invincible Kaede Rukawa couldn't even defend himself from a flimsy player like me."
It took almost all of Rukawa's remaining strength to raise his head and look up at his tormentor. And almost lost all of it when the gun's cold muzzle kissed his forehead. Ayako was still sobbing a few feet away behind him, muttering incoherent words of pleas between her tears. Youhei's ragged breathing was a vague yet firm indication that he was still alive.
The waves were still wailing... Waiting...
Rukawa defiantly locked his eyes on Sendoh's evil blue orbs. Though the mere idea of a gun on his forehead was making every cell in his body tremble, he would never let this creep see he had won. Not yet... Not ever...
Then, Sendoh's gaze suddenly shifted to something... no, to someone behind him! And, much to Rukawa's horror, the gun did so, too as the mad guy cried out in irritation, "Shut up, you bitch!"
"Coward!" Rukawa wailed out amidst loud claps of thunder. Ayako's sobs had instantly stopped at the sight of a gun aimed right at her. "You are nothing but a chicken-shit coward!"
The din of the waves was deafening. Almost impatient... Sendoh's fiery blues gazed back at him as the gun was pressed hard on his forehead once again. "Whatdidyoujustsay?"
"If you had wanted me all along, then why the hell do you have to involve her? Leave her out of this!" Anger was slowly refilling Rukawa's veins, gradually replacing every bit of the anxiety he felt in his heart.
Sendoh, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying everything that was transpiring before him. His lips curved into a wide, evil sneer as he pushed the gun harder against Rukawa's forehead, slightly yet rudely tilting the other guy's head backward. "How does it feel, Kaede Rukawa? How does it feel to be at the brink of losing someone you care for this much and knowing you can never do anything about it?"
Rukawa simply wheezed and continued frowning at the guy.
"I like the look on your face, Rukawa. The agony. The helplessness," Sendoh rambled on. "Yes! Yes! Those exactly are the things I want to see on your face! This is exactly how I have wanted you to feel! Exactly how I felt when the same thing happened to me..."
"Shit!" Rukawa hissed, his eyes burning with growing hatred at each passing second. Sure, he could feel the agony and the pain... So intense that he so wanted to give up at that very moment. But he couldn't... wouldn't... didn't want to...
He had made a vow. A vow of love and sacrifice. And because of his determination to keep it, he had stood this long against this guy and was determined to keep on longer. Long enough to serve his senpaifor, perhaps, the last time.
Oblivious to what was going on inside the mind of his prey, the smile on Sendoh's lips grew wider, prouder. "Y'know, I've set this whole show up just for you. It wouldn't be enough of a revenge for me just to see you die, would it? I wanted you to have a share of how harsh life has been to me... I wanted you to share my agony... before I kill you!"
Rukawa regarded the guy carefully, searching for even the slightest dent in his defense. While all around them, the waves were calling out to him, as though cheering him on...
"I'd never have thought it would be the senior manageress, though," Sendoh went on. "It would've been easier if it were that Akagi girl. I would've killed her at one go. But it had to be the tough, and dauntless lady, eh? It had been fun playing with the two of you. And I would've let you enjoy yourselves longer, if it weren't for this wound that redhead baka had given me! This gave me away, didn't it? I shouldn't have challenged you to that game"
"Why?" Ayako suddenly cut in, her voice this time was calm and persuasive, almost soothing. "Why are you doing all this, Sendoh? It's not at all worth it..."
Rukawa closed his eyes tightly and wished Ayako would just shut her trap up. He didn't want her to get into this... Please...
"Because..." Sendoh began in a soft voice. Rukawa opened his eyes and saw the smile on Sendoh's lips falter as what seemed like vague sanity began to wash over the guy's face. "Because..." The hand holding the gun slowly fell limply to his side as a sob escaped his throat. "That game meant everything to me..."
"It meant everything to us, too..." Ayako went on, keeping her tone. Rukawa froze upon hearing the faint and careful sound of footsteps behind him. "It meant everything to everybody. But it sure is not a reason to be this... disappointed..."
SHIT! She was coming closer! Utterly alarmed, Rukawa regarded the other guy closely to see how he was reacting to this sudden bold act and was downright surprised to see the rivulets of tears cascading richly down Akira Sendoh's cheeks. The look of madness that was a while ago harboring his face was completely gone, replaced by pure sadness and agony... He then realized what Ayako had intended to do. She was distracting him! Distraught as the guy wasbody and soulhe was this easy to manipulate! Rukawa shifted his stance and got ready to jump the guy. Now was his chance...
"I lost my father last month," Sendoh sobbed, his eyes looking blankly beyond the sky. And that was all Rukawa needed for his plan of attack to crash to the ground once again. Add to that the genuine bitterness and mournful tone of the guy's voice. "I am all alone now. And that scholarship was my only chance at a future. I worked hardreally hard to earn that. Knowing I would never have a chance to get into college if I didn't. And this guy had to come and ruin everything!"
Something tugged at Rukawa's heart. Something that resembled sympathy. He could almost feel the waves of emotion occupying the guy's heart, reflected in the tears surging from his glazed eyes and the words uttered by his quivering lips.
"He didn't know, nobody knew." From her voice, Rukawa could tell that Ayako was now standing just an inch away behind him. "Nobody would ever have wanted things to turn out like this. Please, Sendoh..." Another bold step and the gallant Shohoku manageress was standing barely in front of the disturbed Ryonan ace. "Please... you don't wanna do this..."
Rukawa struggled up to his feet and watched in anxious silence as Ayako slowly stretched out her hand to Sendoh, "Revenge will take you nowhere, Akira. Please... give me the gun..."
Amidst his pain and discomfort, Rukawa found himself staring in awe at the girl who seemed to be succeeding in pacifying the madness in the other guys heart. She really had a way with bitter and hopeless guys, hadnt she? She wasn't this nice to him when they first met, but she did turn his life around. Turned it around in a way that made him indebted to her forever.
If she hadn't come to that court on that certain sunny day, would he be the kind of person he was right now? Would he even be playing basketball? Would he still be clinging to his sanity? To a future...?
Yes, Rukawa knew he owed Ayako his future. She drove him out of desolation with that sudden burst of girlish hormones that got her crying "You're such a jerk!" to his face and running off... Away from him...
Though he was rather rude to her, he had to admit he felt gratified that she came. It was she who killed all the fear and doubt in his callous heart and got him looking forward to a future. To prove his worth... To live long enough to see her again...
And just when he was losing all hope, just when he was about to offer his life solely to basketball, she came back. Came back to save him from the same kind of madness that ruined Akira Sendoh's life.
They weren't so different after all. They were both athletes whose lives revolved around the sport they knew and loved so well. But while heRukawafinally found the true meaning of life, Sendoh lost his. In the death of his father... In the death of his dream...
Rukawa knew how it felt. He should. He had been in the same situation. And was pulled out of it by the very same girl who was now standing in front of fate's newest victim.
"Akira," Ayako prodded on gently. "Give it to me... Let me help you..."
If Sendoh would only let Ayako in... If he would only trust her with his life, Rukawa knew everything was going to be all right.
But things were not destined to be so easy. Rukawa watched with startled dread as Sendoh's arm swung with unrelenting vengeance, intending to aim the gun at Ayako. "Who are you kidding? "
The startled girl's knees turned to goo and bore her down to the ground the same moment that Rukawa charged at Sendoh and sent his shot into the clouds. Then, knowing that his strength was no longer enough to hold him up against this guy for even just a second, he put all his might into the next, and last resort he had.
He drove Sendoh toward the edge of the promontory, straight into the raging waves...
And as he was doing so, he remembered the conversation he had with Ayako inside Youhei's room. How it hurt him to see her wearing that heart-shaped necklace againa clear enough indication that he should stop hoping they'd ever get together. How he had stopped her from telling him what was already obviousthat she loved Miyagi more than she would ever do him. How he had hugged her tightly and lovingly, then whispering to her ear an assurance he meant to keep to prove just how much he was willing to give and give up for her...
She's the only thing that had kept him alive for this long. And to her, he was offering all his love... His dream... His future...
I'll never get in the way of your happiness, he thought before he felt a violent pull on his shirt. His feet slipped and he went tumbling down into the waves with Sendoh.
He closed his eyes and smiled. He had kept his promise...
