Notes:
Long time no update guys! Thanks for all the reviews! Hope you like the story…
More smiles… ^_^ Flowing River…
Chapter V – I love Basketball
I woke up from my sleep. I was lying down from the concrete floor of the rooftop. There was the past and here was the present.
I looked up into the sky. It was clear, with clouds hanging like white cotton. There were birds flying in no particular direction. The wind was playful. It was playing with the leaves of the branches nearby. I heard their sounds. It was nice to hear. You touched my hair with your hands as I woke up from a precious sleep. My head lying on your lap as you brush every strand of my hair with your playful fingers. I looked at you and a smile painted on your lips. That was the past.
Now was the present. The birds were still there. The sound of the wind was soft as ever. Nothing has really change. Except for one thing. I can not feel the touch of your fingers. There was no smile… You… You were not here.
*
6:59 PM, his clock read as he drank a bottle of water. He was tired from practice. Ever since he studied at Shohoku, it became his habit to stay for about an hour to practice all by himself. He hated this time. Only one minute and then he'll go back to his damn home.
He picked the ball that was lying on the floor. "Basketball…"he thought. This was the only thing keeping him alive since he was in junior high. Junior high? Yes, his Junior high days were only dedicated to basketball and only basketball. That's why he understand the girl's feelings…WHAT?!?! Kaede Rukawa… thinking of a girl?
"Damn, that girl, I can't take her out of my mind…"he whispered softly. It's already been 3 days since their little game ended and since then, she has not yet attended school.
Click… That was the clock. It was 7:00 in the evening. "Time to leave…" he thought. He went quietly into the stall full of basketballs and returned the ball lazily with the other ones. After about half a minute, he reached the locker room.
"His Junior high days…" he tried to remember with thoughts flying on his mind. He looked into the mirror. His cold eyes were icy as ever.
"His junior high days were nothing but a piece of crap…" he finally thought of the next statement. He stared again at the mirror. His reflection was there. He checked everything from his head up to his body. His hair – black – like raven – in short, good. His complexion – although it seems not to be healthy – was also good. His nose was excellent. His eyebrows – although a little thick matched the coldness of his eyes. Maybe if there's something wrong, it might be his eyes and his lips. Something's wrong with them, he knew, but he can't figure out what was it… it was different from that of Mitsui or Ryota, and of course, Sakuragi. But the most attractive in him was his body. It was terrific, muscular but not too much and very athletic. But what was wrong with it is that, he didn't even use it! How many people did actually see his body? His teammates, Ayako, mother, father and that's all… but something's making him unique from the others… in two words: perfect and mysterious…
He looked again at his figure. "Nothing much was wrong…" he thought. How could such a guy like him wouldn't even bother to fall in love or have a girlfriend? What! What is he thinking?! Girls? Yucky bitches… he took one last glance of himself and carried his bag towards the door of the room.
He was already at the gates of Shohoku. Darkness already covered the whole city. He took the left path leading to his house. He walked for about five minutes. Then he stopped. A voice was heard.
"Wait…!" the voice said. He turned his back and saw a girl wearing brown shorts and a loose, sleeveless, pink shirt. She was wearing rubber shoes and brown socks. Her brown hair was highly tied on the top of her head and her blue crystal eyes were shining from the darkness of the night.
"You…" he said.
"Can we…talk?… Just if you don't mind p..please…" she said pleading to the raven-haired guy.
Rukawa walked towards the girl as a sign that he is willing to talk to her.
"Thanks!" the girl replied with a smile.
They both went a playground nearby. The one in which Sakuragi and Ryota talked about their love trials. Aia sat on the swing and began playing with it while Rukawa was just standing near her.
"So what are we going to talk about, idiot… you're wastin' my time…" he began.
"I…I'm sorry…about…about what happened last time…it was so unprofessional of me… so… childish of me… I'm sorry…" she said as she bowed her head lowly and stopped playing with the swing.
"…"
"Now what!!! Won't you say something?! Won't you say that I am so idiot! Speak up! I'll accept whatever you're saying! I said speak up!!!" she shouted as she looked at him with crystal eyes.
"…"
"So…Sorry again… I should learn to control myself… you know what… Basketball is so important to me… you don't know anything about that…I'm sorry…Hahaha…don't you find me funny? Speak up, baka!" she said insanely with a smile on her lips.
"You're out of yourself, psychotic idiot…" he finally replied.
"Yes. Maybe I am." She stood and walk towards the exit of the playground.
"I've said everything. I'm sorry to bother you this long." she said to the blue-eyed guy.
"Wait." he said. She stopped walking. But her back was still the one facing Rukawa. The blue-eyed guy walked near her. Their bodies were feeling each other. He moved his arms and wrapped them around her body. She was shocked. She can not move. She can not fell anything but Rukawa's body touching around hers.
"It's not your fault…Aia…" he calmly stated not even bothering the position they were engaged in to. They stayed like that for a while. For a while they wanted that weird feeling to fill their hearts and bodies… That feeling…They wanted it… They wanted it…
*
It was Friday. End of those stupid classes. He was sleeping at the rooftop peacefully once more when something hard hit his back. He was irritated by the sudden kick. He turned his back and saw the figure of a girl in school uniform. Her hair was not like last night. It flowed from her shoulders to her back. He stood and faced the girl with his ice-cold attitude.
"What do you want, idiot?" he questioned her with eyes heavily looking at her in a deep blue color. She smiled evilly and put her hands on her waist. After about a couple of seconds, she raised her right hand with index finger facing our super rookie. She smiled again talk with full confidence.
"I want a game from you, Mr. Pervert!!!!!" By her statement, Rukawa's world seemed to be destroyed and ruined at the same time. He didn't move. Her statement was like the end of his world. An earthquake, storm and fire mixed altogether.
"Bwahahahahahahahhh!!!!" she laughed with hands on waist and with a feeling of full happiness while Rukawa did his usual action of raising his two hands while a mushroom like object came from his mouth. [hey readers, do you understand that? The one that came from anime characters when they are tired or exhausted!!!]
*
It was Saturday. He woke up early in order to be the first one in the basketball court. He fixed his bike and listen to the discman. When he had already reached the court, he was surprise to see one person.
Aia was there, wearing loose, black jogging pants and a loose, sleeveless, red shirt. She was holding a basketball. She raised her hands, swung her feet and arms and made a perfect fade away. The ball dropped from the basket and Aia sat down on the bench with sweat flowing from her whole body. Her hair was tied but some were hanging down from her face. Her blue crystal eyes seemed lighter this time. She breathed deeply and gasped for air as she leaned on the bench.
Rukawa hid himself on the branches of plants where he used to hide when he wasn't the first one who reaches the court. For about a minute, he waited. Then, a girl with black hair and eyeglasses entered the court and called on to Aia.
"Aia! Aia! You're early!" she yelled on the top of her lungs as she came running through the bench where the crystal-eyed girl was sitting.
"I need to practice, Hikari." she said with a smile on her lips. Hikari sat on the bench near her and said, "You really are determined to beat him, are you?"
"Of course… Basketball's the only one I've got…" she replied.
"What?" the girl with eyeglasses asked in bewilderment.
"I'll tell you everything, Hikari… When I was young, I really hate basketball. We were very poor, then. I didn't study. My parents can't afford it. I hate basketball because of Kiyota Nobunaga…" she stated seriously.
"Kiyota Nobunaga?" Hikari said in great amazement. "Are you referring to one of the best players of Kainan?"
"Yup! He's one of my friends now."
"But you said you hated him???" she inquired.
"That's before, Hikari… Before, he used to bully me… he always hurt me…I mean, literally, we've been on to battles which are endless. We were child rivals. But, as I said, that was before. When I was in first year junior high, my parents died. I'm… I'm so lonely then. I have no one to lean on except myself. I had to be strong for my brothers and sisters… But one afternoon…"
"What happened?!"
"It was all so beautiful… I was on the shore sitting on the soft sands… I was crying, then. I felt so alone…so empty. Then, he came with a smile on his face. He came by my side and stayed there… forever… until now…" she replied with a slight smile on her lips. "Kiyota was my strength. He's the only true friend that I have. Ever since childhood, he never left me. He's everything to me, Hikari…"
"Oh my… Hey! Don't you feel SOMETHING for him?" she questioned her.
"What? I don't understand you." She said returning the question.
"I mean… Aren't you in love with him?" she cleared the question. Aia laughed slightly.
"Kiyota is special to me… He's my friend and will remain like that forever. He thought me about basketball and since then, I want to be good in it… just like him. I love Kiyota. But only as a friend… that's all." she cleared herself to Hikari.
"But friends do become lovers!" she protested with her sweet voice.
"That wasn't the case this time, Hikari…" she replied. "Basketball is my goal now. As long as I have Kiyota by my side, I'm strong to face anything. Even Kaede Rukawa…"
At the moment Aia mentioned his name, Rukawa was alarmed. He heard everything. Her story… He didn't know that she had a sad past! That his sole companion was Kiyota! That basketball was her only break for all those sentiments! He didn't know that! Why, did he even CARE to know those things? Or did he even care to know everything? He's cold and selfish. He didn't know what to feel at that moment. His heart seemed to melt. It was so unlikely of the Rukawa Kaede that we used to know. Until she talked again…
"Basketball… it was my only window to the world… I'll beat Rukawa Kaede no matter what… I'll beat him even if it takes my whole life to do that… I won't stop till I beat him down… I would never stop till I won over him…never! That's a promise…"
The statement stirred Rukawa. He looked down and thought for a while. Then he raised his head. His eyes were colder and deeper than ever.
"You wanted trouble… I'll give it freely to you…" he thought as he left the court.
*
The sun rose high into the skies. It was 1 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day. He went to the court to practice. But she was there again… The next day was the same. And also the following day. And also the next day. The whole week was like that. She practiced on the gym, daily. In short: non-stop.
They stayed like that for about a month. The only time Rukawa practiced is on the official practices of Shohoku team. Aia…she was always there in the court practicing… practicing for her anticipated game with the super rookie…Then one Saturday afternoon…
It was about 5:00 in the afternoon. Aia was at the court playing with the ball on her hands. She was wearing female, black shorts and a sleeveless, cotton, green blouse with head caps. [you know that kind… like those of Rukawa… the one he wore when he was usually riding his bike… imagine it was green and sleeveless]
Sound of footsteps coming was heard. It was the blue-eyed guy with his black hair swayed by the playful wind. Aia dropped the ball and Rukawa picked it up.
"Ready for a game…" he said looking at Aia's tempting crystal eyes.
