Disclaimer: (and this goes for everything I write about Slam Dunk) I do not own Slam Dunk. I own Yukie Shibahime.
by the way, starting monday, Yukie's a student of Shohoku High.
Only When I Sleep
Chapter 5
[continuation of chapter 4's last scene]
"I knew it!" Yukie half-shrieked. "I knew something was wrong -- there was something about the letters you sent me...AAAGH!"
Yukie slammed her forehead on the table, again eliciting several stares from the other people in the ice cream shop. Rukawa had to smile at his friend's action. Somehow, the act seemed natural with Yukie doing it.
"What are you smiling at?" Yukie huffed. She stabbed her ice cream (quite savagely) a couple of times. "So you're telling me," she eyed Rukawa warily," that you haven't made any friends in Shohoku."
"Yes."
"AAAARRGH!"
Several people glared at them.
"We MUST do something to remedy the situation!" Yukie declared.
"We?"
"Yes...WE!"
Yukie stabbed her ice cream once again.
[Monday 7:26 am]1
Yukie waited impatiently for Rukawa outside her house. She tapped her right foot until it hurt; she then tapped her left foot. It was starting to hurt when Rukawa arrived.
"Finally! Good grief, what took you so long? You have a BIKE, for crying out loud, you--" Yukie stopped abruptly when she noticed a cut on Rukawa's left cheek. She reached up to touch it; it was bleeding lightly.
"Where'd you get this?"
"Aaah...I had a small accident."
"Nani?" Yukie's eyes widened.
"Er, I...ran into a fire hydrant."
"How did that happen? You've always been conscientious."
"Let's go," Rukawa hastily changed the subject.
"Kae-kun...are you hiding something?"
Shit. It's that SPL again. (sad-puppy-look)...will...not...succumb...will not...
"Shi-chan, you remember what I told you before you told me you were going to America?"
"Not really."
"I'll remind you on the way to school."
[9:30; classroom]
Haruko doodled on her math notebook as their sensei droned on and on about parabolas. She normally listened to her sensei but her mind was still filled with thoughts of Yukie and Rukawa.
Were they a couple? She frowned. She had seen them that morning on the way to school (she was dropped off to school with akagi by their okaasan) -- Yukie reached up to touch Rukawa's face and it looked as if they were about to kiss. Haruko immediately looked away of course.
"Pssst!"
Haruko turned to her right and her classmate beside her handed her a note.
She glanced at the sensei -- he was still preoccupied with his drawing on the blackboard so she opened the folded note and read the contents.
Haruko-chan, let's have lunch together please! :)
--yukie
Haruko turned and looked at Yukie, who was seated beside her (Haruko) seatmate. Yukie was staring at her pleadingly. Haruko nodded.
She's probably going to tell me that Rukawa's courting her...or worse, they're already a couple! Haruko groaned to herself.
[11:44 am canteen]
Haruko and Yukie were already eating when Rukawa passed by.
"Kae-kun!" Yukie shouted over the noise of the canteen.
Rukawa searched for Yukie and when he found her, he approached them.
"Remember what we talked about on our way to school?" Yukie said sweetly.
Haruko's chopsticks fell on her plate and she flushed. She looked down at her plate and picked up her chopsticks. She didn't want them to see her expression when Yukie told her that they were already a couple...
Rukawa glared at Yukie.
"You promised, didn't you?" Yukie smirked. "And surely you wouldn't want to break your promise AGAIN." She glared at him murderously.
Rukawa didn't move an inch from where he stood. He just glared. I'm a doahou, he thought.
[flashback -- same day, 7:35 am, on the way to school (on their bikes)]
"Kae-kun...this isn't normal you know. Your silence, I mean."
"I really don't care, Shi-chan."
"How can you say that?" Yukie was distressed.
"..."
"See! You're doing it again!" Yukie complained. "Are you content with talking only to me and your family?"
"Yes."
"Wrong answer, buster. You have to do something about it!"
"I thought you said we."
Yukie ignored his comment. "Why, it's absolutely imperative that you do so! I'll support you Kae-kun..."
"Why do I have to change? I like the way I am."
"I'm not asking you to change your personality or your principles...Just saying that you should get out more and talk to people. Find a new friend. I won't always be with you, you know."
"I don't need another friend," Rukawa grumbled.
"Yes, you do! You're just too stubborn to admit it! You're too set in your 'independent' ways. I know you too well so don't give me that crappy talk."
Rukawa found himself silently agreeing with his best friend. So he needed and wanted other friends. It was kind of hard to find one what with all those people wanting to be with him to bask in his popularity and "glory."
It was as if Yukie had read his mind.
"Kaede-kun, I know you're probably worried because you think everybody out there wants to be Rukawa-the-basketball-player's friend and not the real Rukawa's friend. Am I right?"
Rukawa nodded reluctantly. He didn't like to admit his weaknesses and fears, even to his best friend.
"Promise me Kae-kun."
"Promise you what?"
"Promise me you'll talk to people excluding me."
"..."
"Please...Kae-kun! You know you want to, deep inside..." Yukie pleaded.
Will...not...look...at...her...
Rukawa glanced at Yukie and saw the SPL.
dammit.
"Fine! I promise!" Rukawa half-shouted.
Since Rukawa wasn't paying attention to the road (because he looked at Yukie) he failed to see a cat crossing the road and almost ran over it. He tumbled onto the sidewalk and Yukie helped him up. After a few minutes, they were at Shohoku High. They went over to the bike rack and placed their bikes there, locking the chains of the bike to the bike rack.
"By the way, Kae-kun, you haven't explained your other accident earlier," Yukie reminded him, pointing to the cut on his left cheek. "I thought you were gonna tell me on the way to school."
To her surprise, Rukawa's cheeks turned pink.
Yukie gasped comically. "Why...you're actually blushing!"
"Oh stop it Shi-chan."
"Kae-kun is blushing! Kae-kun is blushing," she chanted.
"Shut up, chatterbox. I'm trying to tell you why you always see me sleeping."
Yukie frowned. "Yeah, I have noticed that. Back then you didn't sleep much and now you're either sleeping or playing basketball."
Rukawa sighed. He was a bit embarrassed about the topic. "I keep on dreaming about this girl..."
"A girl!" Yukie's eyes lit up.
"After you, uh, kindly rejected me...Remember?"
Yukie snapped her fingers. "Now I do! The faceless girl?"
"Yes. You even said it meant something good..."
"Yes, so I did. You still dream about her?" Yukie asked, incredulous.
Rukawa nodded. "Everytime I sleep. And it frustrates me that I can't see her face. All I know is that I think she's pretty. And she's nice. And we talk about everything... And I'm always happy."
"Woah. That's freaky Kae-kun."
"And I seem to remember EVERY detail...it's always the same though. I'm sitting or doing something then she arrives and holds out her hand. I take it and then we walk somewhere and we would just talk. She understands everything I tell her. I'm obsessing." Rukawa scowled.
"And you haven't met anyone that resembles her?"
"If I had, I would be quite happy right now, don't you think?"
"Hmmm...You'll find her. I'm pretty sure. If it's fate, that is."
"I wish she was real," Rukawa confessed.
"Aaaaww. You'll find her sooner or later, Kae-kun."
[end of flashback]
Rukawa sighed. There is absolutely NO way I'm ever going to win against Yukie.
"Rukawa, have you had lunch yet?" Yukie asked. "Maybe you would like to join us?" She motioned to the empty seat beside Haruko.
Rukawa glared and reluctantly sat beside Haruko. Haruko stiffened in response when his arm brushed against hers.
"So, how was your morning classes?" Yukie asked Rukawa in a motherly tone.
"Fine," Rukawa mumbled, aware of the people looking at them, watching the scene.
"Is that all you could say?" Yukie asked, her voice encouraging.
"I slept all morning."
Haruko kept on staring at her food, pushing it around on her plate.
Yukie saw that she wasn't looking so she silently motioned to Rukawa that he should try to talk with Haruko.
Rukawa glowered at Yukie, who then put on her SPL.
Damn.
"Haruko," Rukawa said.
Haruko looked up, surprised. So were the other people near them.
He couldn't do it. He couldn't speak to someone else. Coward. "I have to go," Rukawa decided. "I'll see you after practice, Shi-chan. Unless you'd like to watch."
Yukie's SPL suddenly seemed sadder...
Fine.
"I'll see you then at practice later, Haruko."
He glared at Yukie one last time before standing up and leaving.
Yukie was grinning from ear to ear while Haruko was stunned.
*****************
yahoo! i've finished chapter 5!
1 I don't know what time school starts in Japan so i'll make it 8am for purposes of this story.
to libra_gal: hehe...rukawa isn't ignoring haruko anymore! are you happy? i certainly am! (throws confetti happily)
to afrokane: Yukie didn't actually change Kae-kun, she just helps him bring out the real rukawa. you're right, the SPL plays a very important role in this fic. pretty silly, huh? ^o^
to diwata: ooh. so i was right about rukawa having blue eyes...i was surprised to read in the website that he had brown eyes in the anime. funnily though, i believed him/her (the person who made the website) for quite a while. hehe. i'm glad to know that i'm not the only one who dreams like that :)
to maggio: hey! you read my fic! thanks! er, actually, haruko and rukawa haven't met before...it's one of those destiny-fate things... i don't know how to explain it...guess you'll just have to wait for the next chapters! (hehe...)
to Ginny W: here you go! hope you liked this chapter too!
****************
a little conversation with Kae-kun:
mskitsune: (happily typing) let's see...what do i say next? hmmm.
Rukawa enters the room and sees mskitsune.
Rukawa: you! (points at mskitsune) WHY? WHY did you make the SPL impossible to resist? I feel like a moron. Besides, that's dumb! that doesn't really happen in real life!
mskitsune: (sticks out her tongue) too bad cause i'm the author! i can do whatever i want with you! (ooh kinky) and you can't do anything about it! (laughs maniacally)
Rukawa: and would you PLEASE tell me who i am dreaming of?
mskitsune: i can't...it would ruin the whole story. and even if i can, i wouldn't! hehehe...
rukawa: fine...i'll just sleep...
[he slumps on the desk beside the computer and starts to drool...now you know why he's drooling! he's drooling over haruko-chan! ;) hehe]
mskitsune starts to type again.
--mskitsune--
www.livejournal.com/users/mskitsune
