Let One's Heart Decide
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk is © Inoue Takehiko and all its other companies. This fanfiction is © Hitora. It is not allowed to be put up on any other site without permission. Other characters in this fiction belongs to Hitora.
Chapter 4: Not Like Before
"Sendoh!" he shouted, pushing Kazuo aside and running to them. "Daijoubu ka?" he asked Hatsuko.
"Hai, Daijoubu onii-chan. Goshinpainaku," she replied, smiling. "Anata wa Sendoh Akira desu ka?" Hatsuko turned to Sendoh.
"Ah, Sendoh desu. Donata desu ka?" he smiled.
Sakuragi growled and pushed them apart.
"Stop being so formal!! She is my sister Hatsuko and he is one of my rivals, Sendoh. Bow if you must but stop it already!" Sakuragi said, exasperated.
Sendoh and Hatsuko bowed at each other and laughed at the crazed look on Sakuragi's face.
"Onii-chan! You're so impolite!" Hatsuko grumbled.
Away from the group, Kazuo was looking enviously at Sendoh. He had not even made any physical contact with Hatsuko and they have been in the same school for a week already. Now, here comes Sendoh Akira, ace of Ryonan, the guy who appears in many sports magazines, and he gets to carry her.
'But it's my fault. Baka. I didn't rush up to catch her when she was falling,' he mentally scolded himself.
Kazuo looked at his brother who was panting near the post. He was glaring at Sendoh.
"Nice move there, Hatsuko-chan. Too bad you couldn't reach the ball though," Sendoh commented.
"Ah, Rukawa-san is too good of a player for me to match up on him," Hatsuko admitted. "Ah! Rukawa-san!" she exclaimed, as if she suddenly remembered something.
Hatsuko walked over to Rukawa.
"Ne, Rukawa-san, daijoubu ka? I bumped into you pretty hard," Hatsuko said.
Rukawa was going to ignore her but the earnest and sincere look on her face made him think otherwise.
"Um.. I'm fine. It didn't hurt. You?" Rukawa asked, barely audible.
"I'm fine. You're the third person to ask, you know," her eyes smiled in amusement.
"Sou ka?"
'What's wrong with me? Why can't I speak normally?'
'Cos you hardly speak, d'aho,' he scolded himself.
Sendoh and Sakuragi followed slowly after Hatsuko.
"Rukawa," Sendoh acknowledged.
Rukawa just glared at his rival.
"Did I see you bully a girl?" Sendoh asked mischievously.
"I always play seriously," Rukawa answered, taking Sendoh's comment seriously.
"Rukawa, you had better be glad that Hatsuko wasn't hurt or I would tear you to pieces!"
"Sendoh-san, Onii-chan, it wasn't Rukawa-san's fault," Hatsuko said defensively. "I was the one who challenged him!"
"Nani? Doushite?" Kazuo asked, walking to the group.
"If you were playing against Rukawa-san, wouldn't you?" she simply replied, looking pointedly at Sendoh and her brother.
With her reply, she shocked everyone, even Rukawa.
"Ne, Onii-chan, I'm going home now. You stay here and play with the big boys," she told Sakuragi. "Sendoh-san, can you please take my place?"
"Sure, no problem," Sendoh said, grinning.
"Can you bend over a little?" she asked.
Raising an eyebrow, Sendoh bent over and Hatsuko ran her hand over his spiky hair.
"Kawaii ne! And it's quite sharp too!"
Sendoh turned a little pink.
"You know, your brother did the same thing when we first met," he replied, grinning.
"Really?"
"Hatsuko, if you don't want to play, at least wait 'till I'm done. Remember our deal! And you even tortured me with that shopping trip!" Sakuragi reminded her.
Rukawa and Kazuo blushed a little at what they heard when they eavesdropped earlier.
"Aw… I promise I'd go home straight." Raising her right hand, Hatsuko said, "I, Sakuragi Hatsuko, do solemnly swear, to go home immediately after my Nii-chan, Sakuragi Hanamichi, dismisses me."
Sendoh and Kazuo burst out laughing whereas Rukawa's mouth only twitched.
"Go! I dismiss you!" he shouted and pointed at the exit.
"Arigatou, Nii-chan," she said and pulled her brother down to peck on his cheek.
Sakuragi hugged her tight and whispered, "Promise me."
"I promise, Nii-chan," she whispered back, hugging him back.
Hatsuko could feel her eyes stinging. Her brother cared so much for her and he was doing all he could to protect her, even if he had to embarrass himself in front of his friends. He was also taking the role of a father and it must be a really heavy responsibility for a seventeen-year old.
"Er… is there something going on here?" Sendoh asked, hesitantly.
"Whoops!" Hatsuko blushed and immediately let go of her brother and Sakuragi did the same but he was beet red.
"I'd better go now. Ja, Nii-chan, Rukawa-san, Sendoh-san, Rukawa-kun!" she said, waving.
After she left, Kazuo said, "Sempai, you two are really close, aren't you? Affectionate too."
Sakuragi merely nodded. It was obvious that he was distracted – probably worried about his sister.
"Why do you insist that she be around you all the time? She has friends," Rukawa said so suddenly that Sendoh jumped.
"That is none of your business, Rukawa!" Sakuragi shouted.
"Hey, Sakuragi, Rukawa's just concerned. So are the rest of us," Sendoh told the fiery red-head, trying to calm him down.
"It's just that I'm her older brother. I need to protect her. That's all. I don't know what I'll do if she ends up hurt," he said fiercely, his fists clenched.
"Protect her? What from? From your world? A world which involves endless fights?" Rukawa asked sternly, his cold blue eyes glowing with anger.
Sakuragi didn't react like he used to.
"Like I said, it's none of your business," he said.
With that, he punched a little tree near the court so hard that the trunk broke.
"Are we going to play or not?"
~*~*~*~*~
"Ever since I saw Hatsuko with Sakuragi, Sakuragi's changed. Hasn't he, Rukawa?" Sendoh said, looking up at the sky. "He's no longer that braggart that everyone despises. He has really matured a lot."
Rukawa remained silent, just listening to Sendoh talk and their footsteps. It was unusually quiet for a Sunday afternoon.
"What do you think?" Sendoh looked at him.
Sendoh's eyes showed his seriousness. He wasn't joking. This was how his eyes looked like when he plays basketball.
"He's still the same," Rukawa simply replied.
They were leaving the basketball court. Sakuragi decided to leave early so the rest abandoned their game as well. Kazuo left soon after and Rukawa felt that Sendoh didn't feel like playing and neither did he.
"You know what I mean. I don't expect you to say much but come on, I think he needs our help," Sendoh said. "You really surprised me back there, you know."
"I only speak when I feel like speaking. That's all," Rukawa muttered defensively.
"So you feel like speaking now?" Sendoh asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rukawa sighed. He had already said a lot. He might as well. To Sendoh, he nodded.
"Why not?"
"Hm… that's a good start."
"Don't act like a psychiatrist, telling me to tell you all my feelings," Rukawa warned Sendoh.
"Chee… there I was thinking you would finally open up," Sendoh grumbled but with his ever-present smile on his face.
They walked to the park and talked till dusk.
~*~*~*~*~
Hatsuko panted and she slammed the door shut. Leaning against the door, she let her tears flow. She should have waited for her brother. She could sense that all the way home, she was being followed but she did not manage to get a glimpse of her follower. She was so afraid that she ran all the way. She knew that she needed her brother to protect her.
'But am I to rely on him all the time?' she wondered.
With no one at home, her mother being at work, and Sakuragi still playing basketball, Hatsuko stumbled up the stairs to her bedroom. Suddenly, she heard the door open.
"Tadaima!" Sakuragi shouted.
'I can't tell Onii-chan. It'll only trouble him more,' she thought. Roughly wiping the tears from her face the back of a hand, she walked downstairs to start on dinner.
"Nii-chan, back so soon? I just came home, you know!" Hatsuko said cheerfully.
"Sou ka? I took a cab home," Sakuragi told her without looking at her.
"Demo you can't waste any money, you know. With our situation and all…" Hatsuko said, her voice trailing.
Sakuragi was eating cereal straight from the box. Hatsuko was glad. At least he won't see her face.
"Oi, were you crying, Hatsuko?" Sakuragi asked, frowning in concern.
'Guess I thought too soon,' Hatsuko thought.
"Er.. I…" Hatsuko started.
"You miss Otou-chan, huh? Come here," Sakuragi said, giving his sister a warm hug. "Okaa-chan told me you usually cried when you missed us. It's okay, I miss him too."
When Sakuragi said that, Hatsuko cried.
"Hey! Are you okay? Hatsuko!" Sakuragi asked urgently.
"Um… Nii-chan, arigato," Hatsuko said, her voice barely audible as she cried into his shirt.
"What for?" Sakuragi asked softly.
"Everything," she told him.
When she looked up at him, Sakuragi's heart ached. How he wanted to protect his sister and provide her with all the happiness she desires. But he can't do that. In his heart, he knew that sooner or later, he's fast- paced gangster life was going to catch up with her and he was going to regret his past decision so greatly when the time comes.
"I guess Rukawa is right after all," Sakuragi muttered.
"Eh?" Hatsuko sniffled.
"Iya, nande mo nai. Ne, where's dinner?" Sakuragi asked.
"I haven't started?" Hatsuko said meekly. "You'll help prepare it, ne, Nii-chan?"
"Fine, fine," Sakuragi said.
When he looked at his shirt, he yelped when he saw a large patch of wetness.
"You wet my shirt," he said, his eyes narrowed to slits.
"Eep! Gomen! But it was already wet with your sweat, ne?"
"That's not the point!"
With that, he chased his sister around the house, growling with his sister screaming, giggling and running for her dear life.
Author's note: I wanted to make Rukawa slowly open up his feelings and show Sakuragi's maturity when the time arises. I also wanted to show the type of sibling relationship Sakuragi and his sister shared in comparison to Rukawa and Kazuo. Gomen again!
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk is © Inoue Takehiko and all its other companies. This fanfiction is © Hitora. It is not allowed to be put up on any other site without permission. Other characters in this fiction belongs to Hitora.
Chapter 4: Not Like Before
"Sendoh!" he shouted, pushing Kazuo aside and running to them. "Daijoubu ka?" he asked Hatsuko.
"Hai, Daijoubu onii-chan. Goshinpainaku," she replied, smiling. "Anata wa Sendoh Akira desu ka?" Hatsuko turned to Sendoh.
"Ah, Sendoh desu. Donata desu ka?" he smiled.
Sakuragi growled and pushed them apart.
"Stop being so formal!! She is my sister Hatsuko and he is one of my rivals, Sendoh. Bow if you must but stop it already!" Sakuragi said, exasperated.
Sendoh and Hatsuko bowed at each other and laughed at the crazed look on Sakuragi's face.
"Onii-chan! You're so impolite!" Hatsuko grumbled.
Away from the group, Kazuo was looking enviously at Sendoh. He had not even made any physical contact with Hatsuko and they have been in the same school for a week already. Now, here comes Sendoh Akira, ace of Ryonan, the guy who appears in many sports magazines, and he gets to carry her.
'But it's my fault. Baka. I didn't rush up to catch her when she was falling,' he mentally scolded himself.
Kazuo looked at his brother who was panting near the post. He was glaring at Sendoh.
"Nice move there, Hatsuko-chan. Too bad you couldn't reach the ball though," Sendoh commented.
"Ah, Rukawa-san is too good of a player for me to match up on him," Hatsuko admitted. "Ah! Rukawa-san!" she exclaimed, as if she suddenly remembered something.
Hatsuko walked over to Rukawa.
"Ne, Rukawa-san, daijoubu ka? I bumped into you pretty hard," Hatsuko said.
Rukawa was going to ignore her but the earnest and sincere look on her face made him think otherwise.
"Um.. I'm fine. It didn't hurt. You?" Rukawa asked, barely audible.
"I'm fine. You're the third person to ask, you know," her eyes smiled in amusement.
"Sou ka?"
'What's wrong with me? Why can't I speak normally?'
'Cos you hardly speak, d'aho,' he scolded himself.
Sendoh and Sakuragi followed slowly after Hatsuko.
"Rukawa," Sendoh acknowledged.
Rukawa just glared at his rival.
"Did I see you bully a girl?" Sendoh asked mischievously.
"I always play seriously," Rukawa answered, taking Sendoh's comment seriously.
"Rukawa, you had better be glad that Hatsuko wasn't hurt or I would tear you to pieces!"
"Sendoh-san, Onii-chan, it wasn't Rukawa-san's fault," Hatsuko said defensively. "I was the one who challenged him!"
"Nani? Doushite?" Kazuo asked, walking to the group.
"If you were playing against Rukawa-san, wouldn't you?" she simply replied, looking pointedly at Sendoh and her brother.
With her reply, she shocked everyone, even Rukawa.
"Ne, Onii-chan, I'm going home now. You stay here and play with the big boys," she told Sakuragi. "Sendoh-san, can you please take my place?"
"Sure, no problem," Sendoh said, grinning.
"Can you bend over a little?" she asked.
Raising an eyebrow, Sendoh bent over and Hatsuko ran her hand over his spiky hair.
"Kawaii ne! And it's quite sharp too!"
Sendoh turned a little pink.
"You know, your brother did the same thing when we first met," he replied, grinning.
"Really?"
"Hatsuko, if you don't want to play, at least wait 'till I'm done. Remember our deal! And you even tortured me with that shopping trip!" Sakuragi reminded her.
Rukawa and Kazuo blushed a little at what they heard when they eavesdropped earlier.
"Aw… I promise I'd go home straight." Raising her right hand, Hatsuko said, "I, Sakuragi Hatsuko, do solemnly swear, to go home immediately after my Nii-chan, Sakuragi Hanamichi, dismisses me."
Sendoh and Kazuo burst out laughing whereas Rukawa's mouth only twitched.
"Go! I dismiss you!" he shouted and pointed at the exit.
"Arigatou, Nii-chan," she said and pulled her brother down to peck on his cheek.
Sakuragi hugged her tight and whispered, "Promise me."
"I promise, Nii-chan," she whispered back, hugging him back.
Hatsuko could feel her eyes stinging. Her brother cared so much for her and he was doing all he could to protect her, even if he had to embarrass himself in front of his friends. He was also taking the role of a father and it must be a really heavy responsibility for a seventeen-year old.
"Er… is there something going on here?" Sendoh asked, hesitantly.
"Whoops!" Hatsuko blushed and immediately let go of her brother and Sakuragi did the same but he was beet red.
"I'd better go now. Ja, Nii-chan, Rukawa-san, Sendoh-san, Rukawa-kun!" she said, waving.
After she left, Kazuo said, "Sempai, you two are really close, aren't you? Affectionate too."
Sakuragi merely nodded. It was obvious that he was distracted – probably worried about his sister.
"Why do you insist that she be around you all the time? She has friends," Rukawa said so suddenly that Sendoh jumped.
"That is none of your business, Rukawa!" Sakuragi shouted.
"Hey, Sakuragi, Rukawa's just concerned. So are the rest of us," Sendoh told the fiery red-head, trying to calm him down.
"It's just that I'm her older brother. I need to protect her. That's all. I don't know what I'll do if she ends up hurt," he said fiercely, his fists clenched.
"Protect her? What from? From your world? A world which involves endless fights?" Rukawa asked sternly, his cold blue eyes glowing with anger.
Sakuragi didn't react like he used to.
"Like I said, it's none of your business," he said.
With that, he punched a little tree near the court so hard that the trunk broke.
"Are we going to play or not?"
~*~*~*~*~
"Ever since I saw Hatsuko with Sakuragi, Sakuragi's changed. Hasn't he, Rukawa?" Sendoh said, looking up at the sky. "He's no longer that braggart that everyone despises. He has really matured a lot."
Rukawa remained silent, just listening to Sendoh talk and their footsteps. It was unusually quiet for a Sunday afternoon.
"What do you think?" Sendoh looked at him.
Sendoh's eyes showed his seriousness. He wasn't joking. This was how his eyes looked like when he plays basketball.
"He's still the same," Rukawa simply replied.
They were leaving the basketball court. Sakuragi decided to leave early so the rest abandoned their game as well. Kazuo left soon after and Rukawa felt that Sendoh didn't feel like playing and neither did he.
"You know what I mean. I don't expect you to say much but come on, I think he needs our help," Sendoh said. "You really surprised me back there, you know."
"I only speak when I feel like speaking. That's all," Rukawa muttered defensively.
"So you feel like speaking now?" Sendoh asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rukawa sighed. He had already said a lot. He might as well. To Sendoh, he nodded.
"Why not?"
"Hm… that's a good start."
"Don't act like a psychiatrist, telling me to tell you all my feelings," Rukawa warned Sendoh.
"Chee… there I was thinking you would finally open up," Sendoh grumbled but with his ever-present smile on his face.
They walked to the park and talked till dusk.
~*~*~*~*~
Hatsuko panted and she slammed the door shut. Leaning against the door, she let her tears flow. She should have waited for her brother. She could sense that all the way home, she was being followed but she did not manage to get a glimpse of her follower. She was so afraid that she ran all the way. She knew that she needed her brother to protect her.
'But am I to rely on him all the time?' she wondered.
With no one at home, her mother being at work, and Sakuragi still playing basketball, Hatsuko stumbled up the stairs to her bedroom. Suddenly, she heard the door open.
"Tadaima!" Sakuragi shouted.
'I can't tell Onii-chan. It'll only trouble him more,' she thought. Roughly wiping the tears from her face the back of a hand, she walked downstairs to start on dinner.
"Nii-chan, back so soon? I just came home, you know!" Hatsuko said cheerfully.
"Sou ka? I took a cab home," Sakuragi told her without looking at her.
"Demo you can't waste any money, you know. With our situation and all…" Hatsuko said, her voice trailing.
Sakuragi was eating cereal straight from the box. Hatsuko was glad. At least he won't see her face.
"Oi, were you crying, Hatsuko?" Sakuragi asked, frowning in concern.
'Guess I thought too soon,' Hatsuko thought.
"Er.. I…" Hatsuko started.
"You miss Otou-chan, huh? Come here," Sakuragi said, giving his sister a warm hug. "Okaa-chan told me you usually cried when you missed us. It's okay, I miss him too."
When Sakuragi said that, Hatsuko cried.
"Hey! Are you okay? Hatsuko!" Sakuragi asked urgently.
"Um… Nii-chan, arigato," Hatsuko said, her voice barely audible as she cried into his shirt.
"What for?" Sakuragi asked softly.
"Everything," she told him.
When she looked up at him, Sakuragi's heart ached. How he wanted to protect his sister and provide her with all the happiness she desires. But he can't do that. In his heart, he knew that sooner or later, he's fast- paced gangster life was going to catch up with her and he was going to regret his past decision so greatly when the time comes.
"I guess Rukawa is right after all," Sakuragi muttered.
"Eh?" Hatsuko sniffled.
"Iya, nande mo nai. Ne, where's dinner?" Sakuragi asked.
"I haven't started?" Hatsuko said meekly. "You'll help prepare it, ne, Nii-chan?"
"Fine, fine," Sakuragi said.
When he looked at his shirt, he yelped when he saw a large patch of wetness.
"You wet my shirt," he said, his eyes narrowed to slits.
"Eep! Gomen! But it was already wet with your sweat, ne?"
"That's not the point!"
With that, he chased his sister around the house, growling with his sister screaming, giggling and running for her dear life.
Author's note: I wanted to make Rukawa slowly open up his feelings and show Sakuragi's maturity when the time arises. I also wanted to show the type of sibling relationship Sakuragi and his sister shared in comparison to Rukawa and Kazuo. Gomen again!