Disclaimer: SD belongs to Takehiko Inoue-sama
Dedication: This if for Sol-chan… even if her birthday had pass… ^^V and for my Hana-kun too, belated Happy Birthday!
Whipped CreamBy
Crescent QuetzalcoatlChapter 5: Hold Me Close
Three weeks later…The slight drizzle of precipitation tapped against the glass like the ticking of the clock. One might notice the frequent shower during the weekdays' afternoon, dampening the school grounds and watering the vegetation outside.
A full mouth curled into a smile that barely registered on his face. He was thinking yet again of another and barely paying attention to his sensei's rambling about the dead poet named Shakespeare. He sighed and forced himself to looked forward and listen to the monotonous rambles and grumbles. Blinking, he turned his head slightly to his left and found a pair of deep-blue eyes staring his way.
Kitsune?The said kitsune passively turned away and looked at their sensei as if listening to the lectures. The other snorted inwardly and focused his thoughts into another dimension, fairly dismissing the look on those eyes.
Then Sakuragi Hanamichi found himself turning back to where he saw those blue eyes again.
===
Students nosily scrambled out of their seat welcoming with relief the end of their classes. They chatter away endlessly trying to know their plans this coming weekend or the vacation they were having with their family. Everyone seemed joyous together with their friends that they all left the room in a hurry, leaving only two people behind. The silence that draped between them was so thick that no one took notice of the rare occurrence that the basketball rivals had been staring at each other for the past seven minutes.
It could've been easy for the pale Shohoku Ace to hide his stares under the fallen fringes of the raven hair yet it wasn't easy now that his basketball rival was staring at him with equal intensity, and unabashedly watching him from his seat. It unnerved him somehow, this redhead was not moving from his seat and slices of déjà vu kicked in.
"Do'aho," he uttered, loudly enough for the redhead to hear.
===
Hanamichi raised an eyebrow. He wasn't doing anything yet Rukawa already throw him an insult. And it should be the other way around.
Hmp! Now we're back to square one.
"Nani yo, kitsune?" he asked and slowly rise from his chair, taking his duffel bag with him. He walked with precise but slow steps towards the pale raven head and stopped only in front of the still-sitting kitsune. "Aren't you going to go home now?"
Rukawa Kaede looked up boldly, the other's height looked too intimidating and he was still sitting like some reprimanded student in front his sensei. He has no intention of answering, but he thought better of it.
"It's raining,' he said.
Hanamichi frowned and glanced at the windows where the faint tapping of rain was seen. Then he grinned quickly and spoke.
"Aah… the kitsune got no umbrella!" he said cheerfully and when Rukawa didn't reply he added, "Ore wa Tensai! Nyahahahaha!!!"
"Do'aho," Rukawa mumbled and slid out of his seat and started to walk out of the room. Hanamichi found himself laughing at nothing and whirled his head searching for the kitsune and got a glimpse of the retreating raven-head. The redhead then ran after him.
"Oi! Chotto matte!"
===
The odd couple (a pale boy and a redhead) were standing or more precisely, stranded under the school's waiting shed because of irresponsibility and lack of—yep—umbrella. Hanamichi grunted for the nth time for being with the kitsune, for kami-sama's sake! And he wondered if the heavens were punishing him again for some reason he didn't even know. It had been three weeks ago that time in the rain and the warm air of the coffee shop that he had been with the Rukawa Kaede and joined him for coffee.
It wasn't such a bad experience for he had learned a thing or two (coffee and Irish cream are a no-no and the kitsune actually know how to crack a joke) and they came home, surprisingly in one piece. Okay, he admits (only to himself) that he enjoyed Rukawa's company and walking him home wasn't a terrible idea in the first place. But now, everything had a fifty-fifty chance of happening again, it was just too much! For this is the kitsune we're talking about!
Hanamichi steal a glance at the pale boy beside him, the usual stance of looking into space with those creepy blue eyes and breathing beside him like he owns the world. The redhead shivered at the thought.
===
What is this 'aho thinking? He's inching away from me like I have some kind of disease and I was only waiting for the rain to stop. Will he just go away if he really wants to go away?
Rukawa looked straight ahead as if willing the rain to just freeze and cease from falling down from the skies. He was being indifferent once again, the very presence of this redhead shook his peaceful and normal world as if a volcano threatening to blow up anytime soon.
"Quit fidgeting, do'aho!" he burst out.
Wide brown eyes turned to him, and Rukawa could swear he'd never seen such innocence reflected on them.
"Aaarrrgghhh! Why do you just stand there and do nothing?" Hanamichi exclaimed his own outburst. His forehead was creased in frustration on wanting to go home and his mouth pouted in a very child-like manner. The Shohoku Ace bit down the urge to just grab him and kiss those lips hungrily, right there and then. And when the Rukawa didn't reply, Hanamichi threw his hands up in resignation and sat down on the dry pavement of the waiting shed.
Do you want me to do something? Bet you wouldn't like it… Rukawa asked him mentally, still fighting the urge that was taking over him. Somehow, one word pushed pass his lips.
"Do'aho."
"I have a name, kitsune! Stop calling me 'do'aho'!" The redhead grunted from his sitting position.
"Then stop calling me 'kitsune' and I'll call you 'Hanamichi'." Uh… Did I just say that?
The redhead almost choked on Rukawa's words and hastily looked up at him.
"What?" he asked. "Why would you want to call me 'Hanamichi'?" he added faintly.
"No reason," the blue-eyed boy answered and witnessed the receding rain and started to step out of the shed, wanting to leave the other boy behind. Hanamichi won't lax, he stood up and ran up to Rukawa's side.
"Oi… oi…!"
"Stop poking me," Rukawa said irritably. The redhead walked by his side and peering close in his face. "What?" the raven-head was exasperated.
"What should I call you?"
"…"
"Well… you wanted to call me 'Hanamichi'… what should I call you then?" Hanamichi asked again, poking the kitsune's side.
"Kaede…" he said faintly.
"Huh?"
"Call me… Kaede… okay?"
Rukawa slightly held his breath at the redhead's reaction. The other seemed shocked? No… surprised at the suggestion. Wasn't the use of the kitsune's first name seems so… intimate? Hanamichi quickly gathered his thoughts and faced the pale boy, halting their walk.
"Why?"
Why? Why can't you just accept anything from me without being damn untrusting?Somehow it pains the blue-eyed boy that no matter what he does, no matter how many times he'll offer his friendship, no matter how much effort on his part to be close to the redhead, always and he knew he'll always get rejected at the end. Or maybe he wasn't trying too hard.
Rukawa turned away from Hanamichi, deciding not to answer him. It was easier before: picking up fights, throwing insults every now and then, the redhead fawning over their captain's sister, and he… he watched behind the lines waiting for the other to notice him somehow… somehow…
Holding his head up, he resumed his walk, he didn't know that the redhead was still with him, those innocent brown eyes curious and questioning.
===
Did I just say something wrong?Hanamichi was surprised at the silence of the boy. Not that he wasn't too damn silent for the whole time they knew each other but the redhead knew that this silence was different. It was real.
Wasn't he supposed to get angry at the raven-head for not answering his question? Shouldn't he be grabbing his collared uniform and throwing in a punch because he ignored the tensai? Then why in the world is he looking at him, walking beside the ace (though he still wouldn't admit that) and waiting for anything that will prove he'd heard him right when Rukawa asked to be called by his first name.
Hanamichi sighed. It this was a waiting game then he should have a prize by now.
Out of nowhere, a shrill blow of whistle caught his ears and screeching tires on the pavement ran danger signals into Hanamichi's brain, blood pounding in his veins. He shouldn't worry, he was on the sidewalk after all and the kitsune…
The kitsune was about to cross and step onto the front of the speeding vehicle.
With a mad dash for his companion's sleeve, Hanamichi pulled with all his might the pale boy (and might've gone paler at the moment) and got him out of the street and onto the sidewalk at the precise time, clutching him close as if the kitsune might ran away again to the dangerous high way. The redhead closed his eyes as he held on to the kitsune, scared out of his wits on what might've happened if he didn't pull him out on time.
===
Sapphire eyes widened in shock at the almost accident he should've encounter. But Rukawa was more surprised when he felt the redhead pulled him close to himself, hands released the sleeves of his uniform and wrapped themselves a around his upper body in a protective embrace. His hands that dangle at his side slowly raised and gently clung to the other, Rukawa was somehow scared that the other might vanish the moment he'll return the touch.
They stood there for sometime, the redhead's face was buried on the other's shoulder; Rukawa's chin on Hanamichi's and his arms wrapped in a comfortable hug. They could feel each other's breath, each other's heart and Rukawa felt his eyes close and whispered into the redhead's ear.
"Arigatou…"
He felt the redhead loosened his embrace and totally pulled back from the kitsune. His brown orbs shone in a different light: partly of relief or maybe of acceptance and Rukawa stared back into those eyes. He wanted to drown in them; the warm naiveté was enough to last him a lifetime. But is it?
The blue-eyed boy reached out him; Hanamichi was startled when he felt a warm hand curled around his nape, the other hand rested on the small of his back, preventing him to turn away. Leaning towards him, Rukawa planted a small kiss on the redhead's full lips, just a peck and raised his eyes to watch Hanamichi's reaction. When he found neither rejection nor disgust in those brown eyes, he returned and pulled Hanamichi's head to meet his own.
===
The second contact was far sweeter than before. He knew, the first kiss was of gratitude for saving Rukawa life, The second was… well he didn't know what was it for. Hanamichi just found himself leaning in the embrace and responding to the kiss. The redhead felt the other smile and Hanamichi wrapped his arms around him again, not minding what the world might think of them, forgetting that they were in the middle of the sidewalk, the setting sun waved its rays and showering them with its golden light.
It felt so right to be in another's arms… to be in his arms… holding him close…
Maybe calling him 'Kaede' might not be so bad after all…~Owari~
Crescent speaks:
Waaaahhh!!! The final chapter! *throws confetti in the air* I'm so happy! I finished this!
O_o maybe not on time for Hana's birthday bit still, I love him so much I hope he'll forgive me…
Minna, thank you for reading this and I'm really grateful for everything.
Sol-chan, I hope you like this… I know, I know… this is too late but hey! I wanted this to be much better than before. Thanks for your friendship and I hope you enjoyed my company all this time. *hugs Sol-chan*
Hikaru Itsuko – well here's the final chap and I hope it compensated for the 4th chap somehow. Thank you so much!
Devil – really? I hope you'll like the last part. Thank you so much!
Chris – Thank you so much! Though the exams are still a pain well, I have to post this somehow. ^__^V
Xiaoj – I do hope you like it. Thank you!
Keax-XV – hiya!!! Well, this is the last part so… oh, I did post it on the RuloveHana ML… thank you so much!!! Exams are still pouring in. well, ja! *hugs Keax back*
Miyahara Yuuki – hi! I hope you enjoyed reading. Thank you so much!!!
Pixie-atme – Thank you so much! Nah, it's okay… I'm happy you liked it. Uh… I'm quite guilty about it… this will be for Hana and Sol-chan. I do hope they'll like it. ^___^
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MINNA-san!!!