Sorry for taking so long to update. I'm going to die of exhaustion because of school. Anyways, already halfway through the story! Good luck to me!
Merry Christmas by the way, and advanced happy new year.
Warnings: this contains the littlest bit of yaoi, is taking such a horrific time to complete, some characters are oc, and the author is weird and crazy. Got that? Good.
I don't hate Mitsui, got that? I actually consider him better than um, never mind. A lot of you'll kill me.
I don't claim to be the greatest fanfic writer in the world so please bear with me. Thanks to those who actually read and review this, means a lot to me.
Am still trying to win rights to Slam Dunk. Already weaseled my way to the referees.
Requiem for the Dead
Chapter V
Some Things Are Left To Chance
"My name is Sakuragi Hanamichi. I'm 15 years old. I'm called Sakuragi Hanamichi. 15 years of age…Dammit, I don't know anything else." The pain in his head returned, threatening to pull him into the darkness again. The doctor smiled at him weakly, elbowing him in the ribs. "At least you know how old you are." "Ow." "Gomen."
He whipped out another syringe. "Sakuragi-kun, I'm sorry but this is the only way to ease the pain." Hanamichi nodded and leaned back into the pillows in preparation for another long rest. Outside the room as the sedative was being administered, Rukawa shut his eyes tightly and gripped the edge of his chair until his knuckles turned white. Hana…
Rukawa sprang to his feet as the doctor slowly turned the doorknob and quietly let himself out. "Sensei…" The doctor shook his head sadly and told him, "He still can't remember much. Amnesia is understandable, but his prolonged headaches are not. I'll have to take him for tests soon just to check." Rukawa's eyes widened in shock as he realized how grave Hanamichi's condition was. He started for the door when the doctor remarked, "He's asleep. He won't wake up till a few hours later." Rukawa stepped inside the room and said, "It's alright. I just need to see him."
Youhei rolled his eyes as his friends insisted on following the nurse with the captivating legs…err… smile. "His room's this way." His call went unnoticed as the others scuttled off to the pedia ward where the nurse went. He decided to go to Hanamichi's room by himself.
Rukawa seated himself beside the bed and reached for Hanamichi's hand which was free of the tubes and tapes. He slowly brought it to his lips and kissed it gently, then laced his fingers with Hanamichi's. He pressed it to his chest, where his heartbeat could be felt the most. "Hana, I know what I've been showing you might seem like a lie, but it isn't. It's what I felt all along, only I was afraid to show you." He lifted his eyes from his chest to the person sleeping near him. His breathing came at regular intervals, his lips curved in what could be considered a tiny smile. At least you're at peace.
Youhei quietly went in and saw someone sitting beside his bestfriend's bed, with Hanamichi's hand clutched to his chest. He murmured something like, "…Can you feel it Hana? It's my heart telling the truth." Youhei realized that it was Rukawa Kaede, the Super Rookie of Kanagawa. Hana? Since when have you gone on first name basis? "Rukawa? What are you doing here? How is he?"
Rukawa placed Hanamichi's hand back on the bed and quickly whirled around. He told Youhei, "Aside from the bruises, the concussion and the memory loss, he's totally fine."
Yohei gave Rukawa a wry smile as he didn't answer the first question he threw at him. He shifted his gaze from Rukawa to Hanamichi. "He looks pretty knocked up. "Amnesia huh? That means he can't remember any of us, or anything from the past." That gives me a pretty good chance…All the better for you.
Rukawa narrowed his eyes into slits as he saw Youhei's pained expression. What is Hanamichi to you anyway?
Anzai-sensei cancelled practice that day. The whole team came to the hospital, and soon Hanamichi was dressed in his jersey with the ten emblazoned at the back. Their coach had secured permission to take Hanamichi with them to Ryonan where they were to have a practice game in his honor. Anzai-sensei thought that it might bring back some memories and aid in his recovery. Some members of Shoyo came to participate, namely Fujima, Hanagata, and Hasegawa.
Taoka-sensei couldn't believe what had happened to the obnoxious loudmouth that had irritated him to hell. In front of him was a pacified freshman who nonchalantly glanced at him and bowed to show his respect. He grabbed Hikoichi and ordered him in a shaky voice, "Take a picture, no, a video or something. I want to remember this for the rest of my life." Hikoichi happily complied.
Starting members for Shohoku were Akagi, Miyagi, Kogure, Mitsui, and of course, Rukawa. As for Ryonan-Shoyo, they were Uozumi, Hanagata, Fujima, Koshino, and…Who could forget? Sendoh Akira. He gazed at Hanamichi, taking a mental picture of what could be the only time the red-haired monkey wasn't trying to kill him. Not that he didn't have a replacement. Rukawa was already shooting daggers at him with his icy glare.
The game started with Shohoku in possession of the ball. Hanamichi watched as both teams struggled to score points and defend their basket. He could feel the excitement bubble from within, urging him to rip off his jacket and get hold of the ball. He couldn't believe how tense he was, wishing that he were on court playing the game. The sound of the ball being dribbled was music to his ears, drowning out all other sounds including the cheering for both teams. It had a soothing rhythm to it, calming the headache that was starting to form in his head. Hanamichi pictured himself side by side with those athletes, unknowingly replaying one of the glorious moments of Shohoku during the elimination round.
"Oi, Youhei, doshitano?" Takamiya eyed his friend nervously as he watched the blue-eyed youth frown, lost deep in his thoughts. He glanced at where Hanamichi was sitting, the same direction Youhei was staring at. Probably can't handle Hanamichi this way. Can't blame him, it's unnerving to see him like this. Must be desperately wishing for Hanamichi to regain his memory. He knew of the closeness of the two, how they shared more intimacy than the rest of the gang. He realized that ever since that fateful day none of them cared to repeat. Still, what Youhei was thinking about remained a mystery to them all.
Without their 'tensai' power forward, Shohoku suffered a shattering loss. They'd never admit how much they needed that 'baka' no matter how much of an amateur he was. The opposing team sported some of the tallest and most skilled players of Kanagawa, and they only had Akagi to compensate with his height and experience. Of course the others displayed enormous talent, but still, something was missing.
Lagging behind by 12 points, they certainly wished for a miracle to happen. The game was in Hanamichi's honor, yet their pride was at stake. All of them hated to lose, probably one of the few similarities the Shohoku players had.
Horror of horrors, Kogure, also known as Megane-kun, tripped and was rewarded with pain in his ankle. It wasn't a sprain, but Anzai-sensei made him stay on the bench. Kakuta was called to replace him when Miyagi interjected, "This probably sounds like the craziest idea in the world, but what if we let Hanamichi play? I watched this show where the person who had amnesia was cured by letting him experience his 'normal' life. It would help Hanamichi to remember if he were playing the game, and not only watching it."
"Are you insane? The guy's just been in an accident. Besides, if he can't remember us, what more of basketball? Three month's not much to recall," Mitsui told him. Miyagi had an annoyed expression as he replied, "Shut up Micchy, my brains are still here. I asked the doctor if he could play, and he told me yes, as long as he doesn't exceed ten minutes. That's more than enough time to jog his memory." Ayako looked at him incredulously and said, "Wow Ryota, I never knew you were into medical stuff." Miyagi's eyes turned into hearts as he lovingly said, "Aya-chan!" and was rewarded with a smack on the head with her fan.
After a long pause, Anzai-sensei gave his consent, knowing that the redhead beside him wasn't too keen on staying off the court. He had been waiting for the chance, based on the way he leaned forward, in his eagerness to play. "Be careful. Don't be too hard on him," he warned both teams. At this point a lot of eyes had evil glints, and some even rubbed their hands together. Hanamichi looked at them quizzically, and then returned to his former state.
Hanamichi couldn't believe it. He was going to be in the game with them. He took off his jacket and was amazed at how familiar the setting was to him. He walked slowly to the court and stood in front of the only free member of the Ryonan-Shoyo team, Hanagata. He was trembling with excitement, a warmth spreading from his core up to his fingertips.
Two pairs of blue eyes were upon Hanamichi as all felt the anxiety grip their hearts. One pair belonged to a teammate, the other to a spectator. They were unsure of what to make of the events that could unfold before them. Rukawa glanced at him worriedly, recalling the headache spells that sent him unconscious. Youhei watched him carefully, concern etched in his face as his eyes trailed on Hanamichi. Be careful. Kami-sama, please don't let another tragedy take place.
In the next ten minutes, anything could happen. Hanamichi could remember the events of a whole lifetime before, or it could cost him his whole future.
The whistle was blown to signal the start of the game…
To be continued…
I'm still alive! This is the longest chapter ever, and I hope to make the following even longer.
Hmm….Youhei's acting a bit strange. Ya think there's a chance that he likes Hanamichi more than a friend? You'll soon find out. Btw, just to clear things up, Hanamichi and Rukawa were not 'together' before the accident happened. The story is set just before the InterHigh.
That's about it, please read and review. Thanks!