TITLE: EXTRA-ORDINARY LOVE QUADRANGLE
( ayami – sakuragi - haruko - rukawa - ayami )
PURPOSE OF WRITING: To continue what I began…WOOHOO!!!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Slam Dunk or any of its character…don't sue me k? ^_^
* Author's notes:
[my comments] " their lines"
(the situation) no "" and italicized means their thoughts
SPECIAL THANKS:
~ unchained: TY for ALL the reviews! And I'm glad that you liked my story… and about your suggestion that Ayami & Ayako should call each other "Aya-chan", I think that that would be too confusing, ne? And I hope this chap answers your questions. ^_^ And I think I already mentioned the reason why Ayami can't go with the team…it's in the previous chapter.
~ lambie: TY for reviewing! And what I mean about "nice flame" is that if you're going to flame me, at least it should be constructive and not too degrading. ^_^
~ shari: TY for reviewing! And no, Ayami's not related to Sakuragi or Kiyota. ^_^
~ renei: TY for reviewing! ^_^
~ tensaispira: TY for reviewing! ^_^
~ akuma-tenshi: TY for reviewing! And thanks for your ever-dependable novel-like reviews. And I'm not a monster just because I have several reviews… I'm just lucky that people like my fic. And it's just natural cause I already have 19 chaps. ^_^
~ rheia: TY for reviewing! ^_^
~ smiley: TY for reviewing! I didn't notice that the word "che" was used too much… thanks for pointing that out.
~ micchan: TY for reviewing! And I don't think I have to tell her (onehellofabitch) she's that type of girl cause she already knows it. ^_^
* Now, on with my story, shall we…happened before they went away for the Inter-high….
CHAPTER 18: Ganbatte Ne? (Part 2)
AYAMI
" Bakemono?"
" Do'ahou."
Ugh! It's really him.
Why does he always pop out of nowhere whenever I'm in a depressed mood? The gods must be having the time of their lives whenever they annoy me or they probably just hate me….
Given today's circumstances, I pick the latter…
" What are you doing there?"
" Me? Um…isn't it obvious? I'm up here because…um…I just want to know more and be…ah…closer to nature. Yep…that's it. See how close I am to this tree?"
I hugged one of its branches fiercely. It's not because I REALLY want to have an intimate relationship with Mr. Tree here but because I'm clinging on for my dear life. And besides, Bakemono is the last person in my mind whom I would ask for help.
" Hn…so what did you find out?"
" Ah…that this tree is really tall and sturdy and…brown. And that many… insects live here. I've already seen a hundred mosquitoes and several caterpillars already. And its leaves here are fabulously…uh…green and…um… leafy."
" Do'ahou."
I was about to tell him off when I heard a loud crack. I looked around and saw that the branch I'm clinging on was beginning to break, probably because I held it too tight. I began to panic.
" Jump. I'll catch you."
Yeah right…as if I'll fall for that! 'I'll catch you'? HAH! If I know, he'll just avoid me and then he'll have the time of his life see my brain ooze out of my head and then he'll make fun of my mangled body parts splattered all over the street and then --
I slapped myself for thinking horrible stuff. It must be because I haven't eaten lunch yet so those stupid thoughts filled my mind. Even if he has an aloof personality, I know Bakemono's not THAT vile enough… I think.
" Are you sure? I'm heavy."
" No problem. I'd just drop you then."
I change my mind…
He's ABSOLUTELY THAT disgusting AND despicable to the core.
" I'd catch you. I promise."
Promise… that's a very complicated word if you ask me…
" You promise?"
" Hmn…"
" What if you wait for me on the wrong spot? Or worse, what if while you're waiting for me to fall on your arms, you suddenly felt sleepy so you just decided not to catch me cause you'd rather sleep?"
" Do'ahou."
I didn't know what possessed me to do it. All I can remember was when I looked down, I saw him looking at me seriously. Right at that moment, I decided to trust him with my life. I stood up, counted one to ten and then, I jumped…
" AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
… and I waited and waited to meet my doom….
" AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
… and he caught me perfectly, just as he promised. He placed me down and I just dusted myself. I can still feel my heart pounding really hard but after a few seconds, it became steady again.
" Thanks. Whew! Good thing I'm not wearing my school uniform today."
" ………………………………………."
" By the way, what are you doing here?"
" Looking for you. "
" Why? To make fun of me?"
" ………………………………………………"
" How did you know I'm here anyway?"
" I just knew."
" You're suddenly a psychic or something?"
" Do'ahou."
" Fine. Thanks again for catching me."
" ………………………………….."
Then he remained standing there with his bike on his side while I sat down on one of the benches.
RUKAWA
" Oi do'ahou…"
" Nani?" I pointed at the space beside her.
" Huh? Ah….ok. You can sit anywhere you want, you know. You don't have to ask permission from me."
I walked over to the bench she was sitting on and placed my bike beside it. Then I sat beside her.
" Anou…Bakemono, have you packed already?"
" …………………………….."
" Umm…what time will you leave tomorrow?"
" …………………………….."
" Do you know which team will be your first opponent?"
" ………………………….."
" Are you purposely not talking to me so that I'd look stupid?"
" Why didn't you tell me?"
" Finally! You answe --HUH?! "
" ……………………………."
" What are you talking about? What didn't I tell you?"
" You're not going."
" Oh…THAT. Sheesh…you scared me. I thought I forgot to tell you something IMPORTANT. Bakemono, you don't have to think about it. You should be happy you know. And besides, you really don't have to know. Trust me."
" Why?"
She just shrugged which really irritated me like hell. Then she gave me this matter-of-factly look while explaining that made me even more irritated.
" It's pretty OBVIOUS. You see, even if I tell you, you wouldn't CARE anyway, ne? So I decided to just keep it from you. It's as simple as that. See…it's no big deal."
Then she gave me this huge smile.
DO'AHOU.
AYAMI
Suddenly, I saw Bakemono clench his fist.
" Are? Oi… did I say something wrong?"
" 'Ahou."
What? What did I do now?
" Oi….daijo --"
All of a sudden, I saw him raise his fist and aim it at my face. Because all of it happened so fast, I just closed my eyes and waited for his fist to touch whatever part of my face.
But, it didn't come.
When I opened my eyes, I saw that his fist was just a few centimeters away from my nose and he was giving me these deadly glares.
Normally, I would have already yelled and punched him REALLY hard on the face. Reflex, as others may call it. Surprisingly, I didn't.
Weird….
" Bakem…..anou, Rukawa, are you okay? Did I do or say anything that offended you in any way? Oi, Ba….I mean, Rukawa…."
I was having a hard time calling him on his real name because I'm already used to in using Bakemono. But, I thought I would sound more sincere if I call him that way.
It seems to have a good effect on him cause he slowly placed his fist down and then, he averted his gaze to the people passing by.
" You're an assuming do'ahou."
" Ah…okay. Well, thank you for that nice observation Bak…I mean, Rukawa."
That's when it dawned upon me the reason why he suddenly got mad.
Ugh! I really am an idiot….
RUKAWA
She called me by my name.
It sounded…weird.
" Anou…gomen ne?"
" …………………………….."
" I….I should have told you. I just…I just thought that it won't matter to you if I'm going or not."
" Why?"
" Well, it's obvious that you HATE me. I mean, you wouldn't see me or hear my voice for a long time. That will be one less 'do'ahou' for you, ne?"
" Do'ahou ononoko."
" See what I mean? If I'm not there, nobody will annoy you, ne?"
" ………………………………"
" And besides, even if I tell you, there's nothing you could do anyway."
" But you told them…"
" That's because….BECAUSE…..anou….."
" ………………………………………"
" Because THEY care about me."
" And I don't?"
AYAMI
I was speechless. I was shocked. I was a loss for words. I was STUNNED. I was flabbergasted. I was astounded. I felt EVERYTHING synonymous to those adjectives upon hearing his answer….I mean question. But it was also an answer right?
ARGH! I hate being confused…
" Well…I…I thought….I mean, I….I don't….I don't really know."
" …………………………….."
" I mean….will….uh, are…I mean, do…do you?"
I looked at him and he looked away.
Ugh! I bet I sound and look like a stuttering moron right now that's why he won't answer me.
" Stop stuttering, do'ahou."
RIGHT….a very comforting and assuring reply that it actually made me speechless again.
An awkward silence followed that incident. I could hear the bushes behind us rustle wildly and some occasional whispers coming from there too.
Ugh! Teenagers nowadays….they should really learn to express themselves more discreetly.
RUKAWA
I should break this VERY annoying silence…
It's my fault anyway for suddenly bringing up a stupid thing like that…
But what should I say…?
Ah…I know…
" Oi…"
" Are? Na…nani?"
" I'm packed."
" Eh? Packed? What do you mean?"
" For tomorrow."
" Oh…THAT. Good for you…I guess."
" 6:30 a.m."
" What about 6:30 a.m.?"
" Departure time."
" RIGHT. So, don't be late ne?"
" I don't know."
" What?"
" Our first opponents."
" O-kay…"
Silence again. I could here more rustles from behind us.
Che! Can't a guy have some privacy?!
" Oi oni-chan."
" EH?! First, I'm a do'ahou ononoko. NOW, I'm a little monster. You're becoming more and more creative…but I'll let this pass cause I'm indebted to you today."
" You'll watch, right?"
" Um…maybe. I'm not really sure… why?"
" You must."
" I'll TRY. But I can't promise you. Anou…I'm sure Haruko-chan will be there to watch you guys play."
" So?"
" SO…I could just ask her to record the whole thing. And besides, Sakuragi-kun promised me that he'd send me letters and videotapes. That would be enough for me."
" Do'ahou."
Silence again. I could now count the number of people remaining in the park.
" Bakemono?"
" …………………………"
" Ganbatte ne?"
" …………………………."
" I hope you win."
" We'll win. I promise."
" You don't have to promise me anything if you can't keep it."
" I promise."
" Fine. Some promises are meant to be broken anyways."
" Do'ahou."
AYAMI
Sheesh….I didn't notice the time. Ojii-san's probably worried now.
" Anou…it's getting pretty late. I should probably go home already. And you too. You have to wake up really early tomorrow right?"
" ………………………….."
" I'm really sorry again…I should have told you. That way, it wouldn't appear like it's a big deal."
" …………………………………"
" I guess I'll just see you after a month or two or…I really don't know how
long….in case I don't get to watch your play."
" Hn…"
" So….JA NE!"
And with that, I began to walk away. Then I suddenly blurted out this… thought that's been pestering my mind for the past few minutes.
" Ei, Bakem…Rukawa…"
" Nani?"
" I just want to tell you that I…I THINK, I'm… I'm going to miss you."
" ……………………………….."
" Not that because I CARE about you though. It's because I'll have no one to annoy anymore… that's why I'll miss you. That's all… no mushy lovey-dovey reason. Got it?"
" ………………………………."
" And don't hurt Sakuragi-kun ok? I'll beat you to death if you do that."
" Do'ahou. Go away."
" Fine…fine."
RUKAWA
I watched her as she began to walk away again. I was surprised when she stopped once more, turned around and began walking back to my direction.
" I thought you're leaving?"
" I am… I just…I just want to ask a question."
" What?"
" Well, since I already admitted that I'm going to miss you…I just thought…well, I thought if you're going to miss me too…"
" ………………………………………"
" Well?"
" No."
I saw her face fall then she began to nod her head slowly. I just stared at her.
Frankly, I want to tell her that I'd miss her too. That's the reason why I got angry with her in the first place right? But for some odd reason, I couldn't say it out loud. It just sounded too…dorky.
" Ah… I see. I should have known."
" ………………………………………….."
" Well, it was a stupid question anyway. I shouldn't have asked you that. I mean, it's pretty obvious that --"
" Oi…"
" What? Look, you don't have to explain your answer cause I'm not really expecting you to feel that way cause --"
" I lied."
Now it was her turn to stare at me. I suddenly felt self-conscious so I thought I should explain but she talked first.
" Really? You'll miss me?"
" Maybe."
" Wow… that's cool."
" Just a little though."
" You'd still miss me… how sweet."
" The chances are as little as Sakuragi NOT being a do'ahou."
" But still, the famous, arrogant, self-conceited, ice-cold-I-have-no-human-emotions and super rookie of the Shohoku Basketball Team, admitted that he'd miss me… that's really shocking."
" Stop flattering yourself."
" Bakemono a.k.a Kaede Rukawa will miss me… wow. I wonder what will be the reaction of your demented fan girls when I tell them this GREAT news tomorrow…"
" Do'ahou."
I knew I shouldn't have told her…
AYAMI
I gave him one last look and then I turned around. I began to walk away for the third time already. After a few seconds, I started to run.
… I didn't want him to see how I was smiling. [^_^!!!]
RUKAWA
HOHUM…
I'm sleepy… THIS was a tiring day for my body and for my mind.
I should go home already and take a rest. Or I could shoot some hoops first.
I wouldn't want to break my promise to her…
And besides, I think the show's already over for THEM.
Do'ahous….
~ Meanwhile, behind the bushes ~
" That's so sweet! They admitted that they'd miss each other. Finally… I can see some development."
" Che! What's so sweet about that Ayako? Really…I don't understand what's your point."
" Are you questioning Aya-chan's
opinion?"
" Ryota! Will you stop moving?"
" Demo Aya-chan, I'm just defending you…and I can't see a thing over here."
" That's because you're so small, baka!"
" Oi Mitsui! Nobody asked for your opinion, right?"
" Oi! Will you two keep it down?! Or do you want a taste of my fan?"
" Shhh…Ayako,Miyagi! Rukawa's already leaving…"
" EH?! THAT'S IT?! I actually expected better than this."
" No goodbye kiss or something? Aya-chan, this is boring…."
" HAH! Good thing that jerk Rukawa didn't do anything to Ayami-chan or I swear to God I'd kill him."
" Mitsui-sempai, swearing's bad you know."
" Aya-chan's right."
" Che! Mind your own business, shorty."
" NANI?!"
" Oi matte! Look! Rukawa left something on the bench."
" Eh? Are you sure Aya-chan?"
" Of course! C'mon, let get it. Maybe it's a love letter."
" But what if it's a trap?"
" Don't worry sempai. We are the only ones left here."
" Oh…okay."
(So the three went out of the bushes. Then they walked over to the bench and picked up the piece of paper)
" Aya-chan, what does it say?"
" Ayako, let me see it!"
" Wait! I saw this first so I'll be the first one to read."
" That's unfair, Ayako…"
" Why don't we just read it together?"
" Good idea, Ryota!"
" Aya-chan…." (blushing)
" Che! Seriously Miyagi, this behavior of yours makes me want to puke."
" NANI?! Do you want me to remove the rest of your teeth?"
" Why you little --"
" Oi! Stop it. Let's just read this so we can all go home and rest, ok?"
" Yare, yare…."
" Aya-chan…." (blushing while Ayako rolls her eyes and Mitsui pretends to puke)
" Ok. 1…2…3!"
(opened the paper, began reading its content and consequently, the three of them blushed furiously due to extreme embarrassment)
" Hahahahahaha…..Rukawa sure is a funny guy….ne Mitsui-sempai?" (¬.¬')
" ……………………………………………………………………" (¬.¬')
" Aya-chan, I think your plan didn't go that well…." (¬.¬')
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Want to find out what was written on the paper? Here…..]
* AYAKO-san, MIYAGI, MITSUI
DO' AHOU!
* Rukawa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~_^ MY! MY!
YEY! Finally finished….
Next chap….here I come! (I hope…^_^;;)
Sorry for all the OOCs on the different characters….esp. on Rukawa's part. (as always! ^_^;;). It's really hard to make him NOT OOC…:(
Love it? Hate it? Let me know!
Pls. Review! JA! ^_^