Twenty Good Deeds for Akira Sendoh
Chapter 5: Hikoichi's Notebook

A/N: Okay, seriously, I'm reading fanfics…chee; I just realized that I should be serious about the stuff I write. I guess I won't improve if ever I do not get quite serious. I am awed by my friend's wonderful poem, inspired also. I may add. I'll ask her permission to use it in my new fanfic posted, 'Non Sequitur'. Let's begin ^_^

~

It was quite a while since Sendoh turned into a dog. A span of two weeks is enough to make you think a lot. He wanted, really wanted to become himself again, the same old Akira playing for the basketball team at Ryonan high.

He looked outside of the window or Rukawa's room. Geez, it's too boring here. Did Rukawa ever survive a boring place as this?

Idiot, this is his house, he wouldn't be bored here.

Okay, hey, a flower vase…does it smell wonderful? A few barks here and there and… "Do'Aho."

He stopped to find Rukawa leaning against the doorway with an eyebrow raised. Sendoh didn't realized that he looked like an idiot, sniffing the flowers and then barking so suddenly.

Rukawa

Is there a word better than do'aho? He's worse than a do'aho.

No use on thinking of anything worse. Useless…barking on a set of flowers by the window. Can you call that normal? That baka smiley is getting into my nerves.

Another set of imaginings

A man dressed in white, with matching face maske not  being worn stands at his doorway, together with two others similarly dressed.

"Sir, we are from St. Mungos' Mental Facilities."

Rukawa stares at them blankly. "Rukawa Keade-desu."

"We are in a current search for a patient that we believe escaped two weeks ago and is hiding in your house."

His name is Sendoh,Akira Sendoh. By any chance we would like to check your home."

Rukawa stares at them again, turns to the dog's place by the window. "That is Sendoh."

"Sir, that is a DOG." The man points out.

"Hey, he looks similar to the profile given to us." The other man blurted out. Their head looks at Ruakwa again, "Positive. You are Rukawa?!"

"Yup. It's him, pretending to be some other person."

"Then let us take him back to the Assylum!"

Rukawa points out, "The 'aho you are looking for became a dog." All three white-dressed men laugh and mockingly agreed while pulling Rukawa out of the house while screaming,

"My name is Rukawa. That do'aho-inu is SENDOH!!!"

End of Imagination

Scream? Whoops. I don't scream, it's bad for my vocal chords.

Get some time off Rukawa.

I should go out before I really get infected by Doggie-Akira's craziness.

The sunshine was inviting me to practice basketball in one of the courts.I would leave the house and just hope that it won't end up something unimaginable. Like the whole house turns into ashes or something like teleported somewhere I can't go to.

I walked towards my room and took my small backpack and newly bought discman (which by the way cost me much, since my mom hasn't sent the money and I couldn't wait to have one.)  placed on the higher shelves in my room. At least it would be safer to be placed there.

Sendoh

Why you? What on earth would I do inside the house while you're gone? I used my eyes to follow Rukawa's retreating back. Does he expect me to just magic some food, do a miracle or something while in here? Oh great.

I waited a few good minutes to make sure that he already left. It's time to make some escapade outside Rukawa's den. Guess it's lucky day, he didn't lock the doors and the knob was easy to open.

Time for some adventure!

~

Hikoichi walked past the shops and glanced here and there to find anything interesting. None. He was just cooling off from his fight with his older sister; deciding to do it outside his home.

Well, he wasn't regularly going outside Ryonan district to wander off unless it was something important. Feh. Why care? At least nobody's pestering you to clean the house when you are not the one who messed it up.

A few steps and suddenly, Hikoichi remembered his blue notebook. Yep, he could write something there…like his annoyance for example. Finding a bench in one of the squares, he contemplated on where he was now. Probably in Shohoku district anyway, it only took me one ride from the subway. I can reach

Hikoichi

Ahhh…it's quiet here without the fuss of the sea spray on your face. Ryonan is so near the sea…and I can't stand writing on my notebook while sitting on the sand.

Speaking of sitting, I might as well take that bench underneath the shade of the tree. Smiling I grabbed my notebook from my jacket and flipped the pages madly for a fresh and blank page.

Ha! Am I ever so good…I don't need any bag for the notebook I use is small enough to fit the inside poket of my jaket. I think that's the reason why I have four…or five of them…

"I should think of anything to write." I scrutinized and thought deeply. I realized, I can write about today. On why sisters should never pester their younger brothers or how to contorl their pestering. Give rules for them follow!

And so, Hikoichi's mind-list goes like:

1. If it's their mess, they clean it up.

2. Notebooks should never be taken!

3. Every cleaning I make, she will help me do my assignments. (this should be no.1!)

And goes on and on…

20. Everytime she has a report to do, I will answer back, "About Sendoh?"

21. She shouldn't mix up my pens with hers!

22. Uhh…anything more? Umm…twenty-two?

Hey, It reminds me…my ballpen…I thought I brought it with me. One pocket here, another one…where is it? This is horror!

"Gaaaack!!!! My pen!!!!" I suddenly yelled, making a few kids running around laugh. "No…"

I placed my notebook besid me. Why, Hikoichi, why? Why did you leave the house and forget your notebook?

What if suddenly Kainan-dai suddenly thought of a good show? What if Shoyo was having a new player? What if Shohoku suddenly decides to give Hanamichi or the others another special training?!

What if, what if?!

Sendoh

The park was quite empty except for a smug-looking Aida Hikoichi on one of the benches.

Hikoichi? Ohh la la…I might as well see what he is up to. I immediaely sat beside Hikoichi and looked at him. A few moments, he was seriously looking throught the pges of that familiar notebook.

Isn't that…Oh that notebook where he keeps a whole bunc of information you would never imagine!

I wanna see what's inside…Is there any yummy stories written there? Like those ones appearing in *those* magazines?

I leaned closer too look…the stuff  was on his…huh?

Phone numbers and addresses.

It had a complete list like mine's, Uozumi's, even had Akagi's. Wait? Akagi, the gorill—err, I mean the captain of Shohoku?

What else are there? I looked again as I read the next pages he turned to:

Sentimentality for Basketball

Hmm…an essay… I was leaning on to see more of the page when Hikoichi gave a yelp.

"Whaaaa! Get off you dog! Agh!" Fine. Off we go.

Hikoichi

What the? Why is dog sniffing my notebook? No! He can't have this for his lunch!!

Hey, Isn't it that the dog that Rukawa brought to Ryonan that other day? Sigh…Did

"Hey, aren't you Rukawa's dog?" I heard a bark.

"I envy you. You don't have to problem about cleaning rooms…my sister always says 'Hikoicji do this, Hikoichi do that'! Imagine what I must do?"

The dog began whining and followed it with a bark. I guess he's agreeing with me…

Sendoh

That's what you think so. Imagine Rukawa making me clean his room the other week?! No way…Say, Hikoichi does have a sharp mind. He can actually remember me! It's me! Me! Me! Sendoh!

Oh well…he wouldn't guess it's me.

I stretched myself on the bech and contentedly fell asleep.

An hour so, I fet Hikoichi's hand on my back, stroking it gently. Ahh…

I was to drone off again when I heard a high-pitched voice angrily speaking. I looked to find Yayoi [?] Hikoichi's Sister staring angrily.

"Hikoichi. What on earth are you doing here? You should be at home finishing your chores!"

"Ne? It's your own mess. Mom told you to fix it not me."

"So? Part of it are your things. Only half of them are mine."

"Clen your own things then. I removed mine." Hikoichi stood up and walked away leaving me here. Bolting upright from the sudden loss of the comfortable sensation of being stroked at the back, I saw the older sister looking at me.

"What was he saying to you?" and poked me a little, ouch.

"Yikes!" she snapped her finger away as I retaliated. Dear lady, your fingernails are painful. Upon my reaction (which I guess surprised her) she left me there on the bench.

A little later, after she left, I looked to find that the blue notebook was there left unnoticed. Sheesh, I do not know where Hikoichi lives. Can't bring that back…maybe somone can.

I took the notebook in my mouth and went around to look for someone to return it. [A/N: did Sendoh think that it had an address?]

~

The man looked around to look where the barking came from. He thought it maight be a dangerous dog roaming around. Being not able to see well, he adjusted his glasses and squinted to find a dog barking while a small blue thing was below it.

The dog was whining, meaning it won't hurt. He came closer and found out that the blue thing was a notebook. Flipping through the first three pages, he found one of them containing a neatly written page with the name of the owner and the address.

Sendoh, upon seeing the man flipping the pages barked again to get the other's attention. The man looked and knelt infront of him and said, "Do you know this Hikoichi? You want me to accompany you to return this?"

He found that it barked, like an agreement. He smiled and then looked at the other pages of the notebook. The man was certain that it wasn't a diary but somewhat a journal with accurate scribbles on basketball strategies and essays. He gave a mental note that the notes and essays were good and well-written.

~

"Oh no!" Hikoichi realized that he jut lost his notebook. It would take him another thrity minutes or so to walk back to the square where the bench was. No…

It contained many things aside from those strategies written on it. It was important to him because there, was many of his sentiments…what an idiot he had been, storming off from his sister and forgetting to check forst before leaving.

So, thinking that the notebook was gone and it was useless moping over it, Hikoichi walked the stretch of a few more meters from his home. He sadly walked in and went straight into his room.

Half an hour or so, he remained there sad as ever. What will he do without his blue notebook? He wanted to weep for it…It means, another start from scratch. He heard a soft rap on his door, "Hikoichi?"

"Hai?" He answered lamely. It must be Onee-san. Who cares?

"Come out of the room."

"I don't want to." Came his reply. The he heard the voice more clearly and realized it was his mom's not his sister's.

"Hikoichi! There is a man waiting for you. He want's to talk to you. By the way, he returned your notebook." Upon hearing this, he immdiately bloted out of bed and rushed down stairs, leaving his mother looking weirdly at him.

A man in his early forties stood in their receiving room greeted him, "Konbanwa."

"Konbanwa…?"

"Ishida Ryufuku desu. I well, returned your notebook. You seem to be lucky that a good dog found it and brought it to me to be returned." He said and he approached the door slightly ajar and pointed at the dog sitting outside.

"Oh, oh. That's Rukawa's dog! He gave it to you?"

"Yes. He wouldn't go away and followed me to make sure I returned it."

"Oh…Gokuroo o kakete, mooshiwake arimase…Arigato…arigato…" Hikoichi bowed low as he took the small notebook from the man.

"It's nothing boy. By the way, I 'm quite uncertain about telling you this.'

"What is it sir?"

"Well, I had to admit that I read the notes…"

"Whaaaaat?!"

"…and found that it contains excellent works." He handed a business card. "I am an editor for a magazine related to the one you sister works at."

Hikoichi looked at the card which bears, Ishida Ryufuku associate editor, Voice publications. Yep, it was realted to his sister's magazine.

"You…know my sister?"

"Uhum. I want to ask you if you would like to try to be part of our project?"

"A project?" Hikoichi criously asked. Well, he would listen because he knew he had a debt from the man.

"We are searching for young writers for  new magazine and mabe you want to try and be part of it. You are good, do you know that?"

"Really? Does it have…?" Hikoichi's eyes grew large from excitement. "Yes. We will pay you as long as you are with us."

"Oh yeah! I'll check it out!"

~

After the man left, Hikoichi was exhuberant. He did not only got his notebook back but also got some offer in the process. "Yipee!", he cried and then hugged the dog tightly.

"Want anything?" Hikoichi happily offered Sendoh. "You know what? I'm happy to get the notebook! And my sister wouldn't believe this! Maybe you're lucky, ne?"

Then it barked back and Hikoichi laughed.

~

Okay, there yuo have it. I don't know if it was humorous or anything. It was very long alright ^_^;; sorry bout that. It reached 8 pages! Gomen also if it contains too much errors… If you are reading this, please do give a review, I would appreciate it. Anything, critiscisms etc.

~Ja!