Chapter 8: It's all about me
Hanayuki was surprised with the question. "Why?"
Rukawa just looked at her, waiting for her answer. She gave it a thought, before answering, "Well, you've saved me before, twice as a matter of fact. So, my saving you this once is not such a big deal, if you ask me."
"Sou ka..." came Rukawa's reply. He wasn't looking at her anymore; he was staring straight ahead. So I guess that means you don't feel about me the way I feel about you.
"Rukawa-kun, is there something else you would like to ask, or tell me?" Hanayuki asked, sensing that something was wrong with him.
When he didn't reply or look at her, she thought she knew what was wrong, but couldn't be sure. Cautiously, she asked again, "Rukawa-kun, tell me, why did you think I saved you?"
He didn't move, but Hanayuki could see him tense a little at the question. "Rukawa-kun, I asked you a question. Why did you think I saved you?" she pressed him for answers.
"Because you were stupid, that's why." Rukawa snapped at her, and immediately regretted his actions. Hanayuki looked at him, stunned at his sudden outburst. Then, her face softened, before looking away.
"Yes... I am stupid, am I not?" she said softly.
Yes you are... you could have been killed, Rukawa thought to himself. He kept quiet and listened as she continued, "But then, they say being in love makes you do all sorts of stupid things. So, I guess I have a reason for being so stupid, ne?"
This time, it was Rukawa who was stunned. He couldn't believe what he had just heard from Hanayuki. It can't be. He gave his head a little shake, thinking that his mind was too jumbled up to be able to process what he was hearing properly.
Hanayuki saw this and smiled. "There is nothing wrong with your hearing, Rukawa-kun. You have heard me correctly."
Rukawa looked at her, and then stuck one finger in each ear. Hanayuki sweatdropped as she watched him trying to clear off the passage to his eardrums. "Anou... Rukawa-kun, you shouldn't be doing that. It is not good for your ears, and you might injure your eardrums. You wouldn't want to end up like me, would you?" She pointed to her ears.
Rukawa stopped what he was doing, and looked at her again, before dropping his gaze. Then, he spoke, in a barely audible voice, but still loud enough for Hanayuki to comprehend. "Can you repeat what you've just said?"
If anything, Hanayuki's smile became wider. Pretending to be exasperated, she threw up her hands and said, "Rukawa-kun! How can you ask me to repeat what I've just said? I mean, I am a girl after all. It's bad enough that I have to tell you how I feel first. What kind of a guy are you?"
At this, Rukawa looked up, and saw that she was smiling. He quickly realised that she was teasing him. "You..." he couldn't finish what he wanted to say. You like me?
Sensing his uncertainty, Hanayuki sighed. She took a deep breath, before saying, "Yes, Rukawa-kun. I like you. There. I've said it. Are you convinced now?"
His eyes widened in surprise at her straight-forwardness. She... she just said that she likes me... to my face.
Seeing that he was still shocked to his wits, Hanayuki teased him again. "I am sure this is not the first time a girl told you in your face that she likes you, Rukawa-kun. Why are you so shocked?"
Getting no response from him, she pouted a little, putting on a sad face and said, "You don't like me?"
He didn't reply. Hanayuki pretended to shrug, and said, "Ok. So, you really don't like me."
The look on Rukawa's face was all the answer she needed from him. He still didn't say anything, but his eyes betrayed him, clearly showing all his emotions. Hanayuki smiled. She looked at the sky and saw that the sun was setting. "Look, Rukawa-kun. Isn't it beautiful?"
Rukawa nodded, before taking her hand in his. He could feel her jump at the sudden contact, but he didn't care. I like her, and she likes me. That's all that matters.
Hanayuki jumped a little when Rukawa laced his fingers through hers, but she smiled anyway. Guess I'll have to start getting used to it, since I like it so much.
She responded by folding her fingers around his, and they watched together in silence as the sun set, giving the sky its hue of blue, red, orange and purple colours. After a while, Hanayuki spoke, "Let's go back, shall we? Hiroshi-san might get worried."
Rukawa nodded, and stood up before gathering her in his arms. He started walking towards the hospital building, leaving the wheelchair behind. "Rukawa-kun, why aren't you putting me back in the wheelchair?" Hanayuki asked him.
It took a while, but Rukawa replied, in his monotone, "Would you rather be in a wheelchair, or in my arms?"
Surprised as she was by his statement, Hanayuki couldn't help but smile (she smiles a lot don't you think?). She tightened her hold on him in answer, and they continued on their way back to the hospital room.
When they reached the room, they found the nurse, Hiroshi-san turning the whole room upside-down, searching for Hanayuki. Seeing Hanayuki and Rukawa, she immediately launched into a lecture about how worried she was after seeing the empty bed and how Hanayuki could have hurt herself for not listening to her.
Luckily, she was once again needed in room 122, and when she finally went off, both of them heaved a sigh of relief. They looked at each other, and started laughing. Well, at least Hanayuki was laughing. Rukawa was not laughing, but he was... almost smiling, judging from the way the sides of his mouth were curling up.
"Oh my, that was so close!" Hanayuki said, wiping off her tears of laughter. She suddenly turned serious, and said, "So, Rukawa-kun. If I remember correctly, I think I heard you call me Yuki before we went out together just now. Is that what you're going to call me from now on?"
Rukawa raised his eyebrows and answered, "What else can I call you?"
Hanayuki thought for a moment. "Well, you can call me Hana if you want. But Yuki is fine. In fact, I think you are the first person to call me Yuki. Others usually call me Hana, and even if they do call me Yuki, like Kogure-sempai and Akagi-sempai, they call me Yuki-chan." She smiled before continuing, "And the truth is, I like Yuki better."
"Yuki it is then," he said, once again lacing his fingers through hers.
"But what shall I call you? Or do you want me to continue calling you Rukawa-kun?" Hanayuki asked him. Rukawa shook his head.
"Then...?"
Again, it took a while, but he answered, "Kaede."
"Kaede?" Rukawa nodded.
Hanayuki smiled again. "Kaede it is then."
Shohoku basketball gym, a few days later...
"Ohayo, minna!"
Everybody turned to see who it was. There, standing at the doorway to the gym, was Hanayuki. Behind her was Rukawa, carrying 2 bags. "Did anybody miss me?"
"Hana-chan!" Sakuragi and Mitsui shouted in unison. They rushed to her side, and practically almost carried her to the bench, barraging her with questions in the process.
"Why didn't you tell me you were being discharged today?"
"Why are you out of the hospital so early? They should keep you there for at least another week!"
"Why are you with the kitsune?" (No prizes for guessing who said that)
Hanayuki had to cover her poor ears with her hands to prevent them from breaking her already broken eardrums. Luckily for her (and unluckily for Sakuragi), Akagi appeared and gave him a Gori punch, while Mitsui was pulled away by Kogure. Ayako sat down beside her and asked, "Are you sure you are fine enough to be discharged? Did you get Rukawa to threaten the doctors or anything so that you can leave the hospital earlier?"
"Eh? Of course not. Why would I want to do that?" Hanayuki laughed at the suggestion.
"Yeah. Why would she want to do that when she can ask me to do it for her?" Sakuragi recovered from the punch and proceeded to walk towards Hanayuki, only to be given another punch on the head. Hanayuki winced for her brother. Meanwhile, Rukawa had already started practising on his own at one corner of the gym.
"How come you didn't tell Sakuragi or any of us that you were being discharged today? And... how come Rukawa was with you and carrying your bag?" Ayako continued asking, her eyes gleaming mischievously at the second question. Hanayuki sweatdropped.
"Actually, I didn't plan on telling anyone that I was being discharged today. Rukawa-kun just happened to drop by for a visit and saw me packing. I didn't want to go home, so I came here with him, since you guys are having practice and all," Hanayuki explained.
"Oh." Ayako looked a little crestfallen at Hanayuki's explanation, but quickly shrugged it off. "Well, then. I am glad that you are back, Yuki-chan." She gave Hanayuki a hug before leaving to help Akagi monitor Sakuragi's progress.
Seeing that Ayako was gone, Mitsui went over to Hanayuki and sat down beside her. "Hey there."
Hanayuki smiled at him. "Hisashi-niichan, so how are you doing so far? I know I've asked you this many times already, but still, how are you doing?"
"Just fine. You know, I kind of like, feel alive again. And it's all because of you," Mitsui answered, reaching out to give her hand a squeeze.
"I cannot tell you how glad I am to hear that. I was half-afraid that you would have already lost interest in basketball," Hanayuki said, returning the squeeze. Mitsui moved in for a hug.
"Aaaahhhhh! Get your hands off Hana-chan, Mitchy! How dare you hug the Tensai's sister without his permission. I'll make sure you..."
Thwack!
"Keep quiet, Sakuragi Hanamichi, and continue practising," Ayako ordered, lifting her fan from his head.
Rukawa, unlike Sakuragi, continued to practise on his shootings. Only thing was, every one of his shots were not going in. It was only when Mitsui returned to practice did his shots get better.
When the practice ended, Hanayuki gathered the team to make an announcement. "Ok, minna-san. I have an announcement to make. It's nothing important actually. Just wanted to invite all of you to my house this weekend for a little get-together party. I hope all of you can come."
"Wow, a party. That sounds great! Are you going, Aya-chan?" Miyagi asked Ayako.
"I guess I will. I am not one to miss a party when there is one," she replied, winking at Miyagi and sending him into a swoon.
Turning to Akagi, Hanayuki said, "Akagi-sempai, please ask Haruko-san to come along. I am asking Mito-san and the rest of my brother's friends to come too, so she won't be feeling alone there."
"I'll ask her, Yuki-chan," Akagi agreed. He didn't realise that Sakuragi was standing behind him, and he certainly didn't see Hanayuki giving him the thumbs-up.
Anyway, soon everybody left the gym. Before leaving, Mitsui gave Hanayuki another hug, making Sakuragi going bonkers again. Hanayuki had to hold on to her brother so that Mitsui could leave the gym in one piece. "Oniichan, it was only a hug. Hisashi-niichan is a like brother to me, just like you are."
"Well, I still don't like it. He'd better stop giving you hugs now and then, or I swear I'll knock his front two teeth out again," Sakuragi flexed his knuckles for effect.
"And if I ever find out about it, you'll lose more than your front two teeth, oniichan," Hanayuki said, folding her arms across her chest for effect. Sakuragi pretended to cower in fear, and both of them laughed at his antics.
"Come on, I'm walking you home today," Sakuragi tugged at Hanayuki's hand, and they walked out of the gym. Upon reaching the gate, they saw Rukawa leaning against the wall, his eyes closed.
"Stupid kitsune, falling asleep all over the place," Sakuragi muttered, and was about to walk past him, when he heard Hanayuki call out to Rukawa.
"Kaede."
Rukawa opened his eyes at the sound of Hanayuki's voice calling his name. Just as he was about to walk over to her, he caught sight of Sakuragi glaring at him. He stopped, and glared back. Hanayuki looked at the two of them, and sighed. Sakuragi gave him a final glare before turning to face his sister.
"Hana-chan, what did I hear you call him just now?" Sakuragi asked.
"Kaede," was the reply given.
Sakuragi's eyes widened at this. "Nani? You call him Kaede? What's the meaning of this?" Turning to Rukawa, he shouted, "Oi, kitsune! What did you do to my sister? Why is she calling you your first name?"
Rukawa rolled his eyes, while Hanayuki tried to calm Sakuragi down. "Oniichan, please. There's nothing wrong with my calling him Kaede. It's his name after all. Why are you making such a big fuss over it?"
"But... but... no one else calls him that. Except for you. How... why...? Don't tell me the both of you are... are..." Sakuragi tried to find the words to express himself. Please, don't let it be that they are together. I'd rather die than let my sister be with the kitsune, my mortal enemy.
"Are what, do'aho?" asked Rukawa, looking at him with a bored expression on his face. When Sakuragi didn't answer, he walked up to Hanayuki, took her hand and held their hands up in front of Sakuragi. "You mean like this?"
Sakuragi's eyes narrowed dangerously at the sight of Rukawa holding Hanayuki's hand. "Teme kitsune! I'll teach you a lesson for molesting the Tensai's sister." Before he could take a step forward towards them, Hanayuki stepped in to block his way.
"Stop this nonsense, both of you! I'm getting so tired of this. Can't you let me have some peace and quiet? Or do you want me to resort to throwing away my hearing aids so that I don't have to listen to your fights again?" Hanayuki shouted. She glared at Sakuragi, and then at Rukawa.
The two guys fell silent. They had never heard Hanayuki shout before, nor had they ever seen her as angry as she was at the moment.
Man, her glare is even colder than the kitsune's, thought Sakuragi.
Rukawa felt as if he was about to melt any time soon.
Hanayuki reached up to massage her forehead. "This is not doing my poor heart and ears any good," she muttered, before walking off alone. The two guys ran after her to keep up.
When they were walking side by side, with Hanayuki in the middle, Rukawa again took her hand. Sakuragi saw this, and was about to start protesting, when he saw Hanayuki glancing at him.
It was just a small glance, but the message that came with it was very clear. It said, 'try starting another fight, and I swear I'll make your life as miserable as it can get'. He quickly acted as if nothing had happened and started whistling.
Suddenly, Hanayuki stopped walking. Turning to Rukawa, she said, "Kaede, do you mind if I walk home with oniichan alone? I want to speak with him privately."
Rukawa raised his eyebrows, and Hanayuki raised hers in response. It was enough to make him back down. He shrugged and walked off by himself.
"Let's go oniichan. We have a lot to discuss." Hanayuki started walking again. After a moment of silence, she spoke, "Why can't you and Kaede get along with each other?"
Sakuragi was stumped. He didn't know how to answer the question. "Er..."
"Is it because of Haruko-chan?"
This time, he was caught off guard. How was he supposed to answer the question? "Er..." he stammered. "How... how did you...?"
Hanayuki looked at her brother. "So it is because of Haruko-chan." She kept quiet for a while, before saying, "Is there anything else? Besides Haruko-chan, I mean."
Sakuragi scratched the back of his head, trying to search for a good enough answer to give Hanayuki. The truth was, there was no other reason why he hated the kitsune. Sure, he disliked the fact that Rukawa was better than him in basketball (he wouldn't admit it to anybody, though he couldn't deny it), but that was not a good reason to hate someone.
"There is no other reason, is there?" Hanayuki asked again. Sakuragi looked at her sheepishly. Hanayuki sighed. "I like him, oniichan. I really do. Therefore, I cannot stand seeing the two of you always wanting to beat the crap out of each other whenever you meet. You understand that, don't you oniichan?"
Sakuragi didn't say anything. He just kept on walking, his hands in his pockets. Hanayuki continued, "I am not asking you to start liking him for my sake, oniichan. Just... stop fighting and arguing with him whenever I am around. Is that too much to ask for?"
"Well... I guess not," Sakuragi grudgingly said.
Hanayuki brightened at his answer. "So, it's a promise?" She held out her little finger eagerly. Sakuragi looked at it for a while before sighing and holding out his own little finger.
"Thanks, oniichan! You are the greatest!" She gave him a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed from her gesture, and Hanayuki laughed. Then, they continued on their way to her house.
"Anyway, how did you know about my liking Haruko-chan?" Sakuragi asked. His eyes narrowed a little. "Was it Youhei who told you about it?"
Hanayuki shook her head. "Nope, he didn't say anything to me. I found out about it myself. Or, to be exact, I saw it with my very own eyes." She smirked. "Unlike my ears, my eyes are working perfectly well, you know."
"Ehehehe... I didn't know I was so obvious," Sakuragi scratched his head again.
"Oh believe me, it is very obvious that you like her very much. It's a wonder how Haruko-chan herself does not realise it when the whole world does," Hanayuki said. Remembering something, she asked, "Oniichan, you wouldn't be the one who told Kaede about my ears, would you?"
"Huh? Me? Tell the kitsune? Of course not! I wouldn't even think of talking to him. Why do you ask anyway?" Sakuragi asked in return.
"Well, I was wondering how he found out about it. I didn't tell him; I just know that he knew about it when I was in the hospital." She was silent for a moment. "Perhaps he saw my hearing aids, when the doctor or the nurse took it out of my ear."
"You don't want him to know?" Sakuragi enquired. Hanayuki shook her head.
"No, it's not that. I was just wondering that's all. Besides, even if he still didn't know about it, he would this weekend. I'm planning to tell all of them about it at the party," Hanayuki explained.
"I see." Sakuragi nodded his head, and then asked, "Are you going to tell them about your otousan too?"
"I guess I will. Didn't they ask you anything about it? I did let slip a little that day when Hisashi-niichan and his friends came along."
"They were too busy worrying about you to think about what you've said," came the answer.
"Sou ka.... Oh, before I forget, do invite Mito-san and the rest of your gundan along to the party. I told Akagi-sempai to bring Haruko-chan along, and I also said that she wouldn't feel lonely because Mito-san and the others will be coming too," Hanayuki reminded her brother.
"Ha! With the Tensai around, Haruko-chan will never feel lonely. Nyahahahahahahahahahaha!" Sakuragi stopped to strike his Tensai pose, and started laughing loudly.
"Oniichan, look out!"
SPLASH!
"Ahhhhhh! I'm all wet!"
"That'll teach you not to make so much noise in a neighbourhood! Some people are trying to get some peace and quiet here." With that, the irritated man slammed the window shut.
Hanayuki inched closer to her brother. "Anou... oniichan, are you, um, alright?"
"What do you think? I'm all wet, and it's so cold out here," Sakuragi grumbled, shivering a little. To his surprise, Hanayuki started laughing.
"Hahahahahaha! Oh my god! That's so funny! Hahahahahahahaha!" she squealed in laughter. The same window burst open.
"Aaahhhh! Hana-chan, run!" Sakuragi quickly pulled her after him, running for their lives, I mean, um, dry clothes.
Later that week, in front of Hanayuki's house...
Ring!
5 minutes later...
Ring!
Another 5 minutes later...
"Why isn't she answering the door?" asked Sakuragi to no one in particular. His team-mates looked at him with equal confusion and worry etched on their faces.
"Perhaps she went out to buy something," Kogure said, though he wasn't too convinced about the idea himself.
"Well, let's wait for another couple of minutes before we decide on anything," said Akagi. And so they waited for another 2 minutes.
"I can't stand it anymore! For all we know, she could be in there having some trouble. Preparing a party for a whole bunch of people is not an easy task. Perhaps... perhaps she has fainted from all the preparation of the party! Oh no! What do we do?" Mitsui started to panic at his own thoughts.
"Now, now Mitsui. I don't think that's what happened," Kogure tried to pacify him.
Sakuragi nodded his head vigorously. "Yeah. I don't think that's what happened too." He had the feeling that he knew the reason why Hanayuki didn't answer the door. He glanced at Rukawa. Rukawa looked at him expressionlessly.
Despite the differences between them, at that moment, they were thinking about the same thing.
She must have taken out her hearing aids.
Too engrossed in their own thoughts about Hanayuki, they didn't notice that Mitsui was gearing himself up to break down the door to get in the house.
"No Mitsui!" shouted Akagi.
The door broke at the hinges and fell with a 'thud' on the floor. Only then, did Sakuragi and Rukawa realised what had happened. Surprised, they watched as Mitsui ran into the house and started shouting Hanayuki's name. It took them a while to recover from their surprise before they sprang into action and ran after Mitsui, with the rest of the team behind them.
Mitsui was already going up the stairs. Reaching the first floor, he opened the door to the first room on his right and went in, coming out a few seconds later. It continued this way, until finally he came to the last room at the end of the corridor.
Turning the door knob, he took one step into the room, and froze on the spot. Behind him, Sakuragi and Rukawa also froze on the spot, along with the others who arrived at the scene not too long after.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
When Hanayuki came down into the living room, she was surprised to see everyone waiting there. "What the...? How did you guys get in?" she asked.
She was further surprised when none of them dared to look at her. "Um... guys? Hello? I asked you a question. How did you guys get in here? I don't remember answering the door, and I am sure that it was locked."
At first, they didn't say anything. Then, all of them started talking at the same time. Hanayuki couldn't make out a word they were saying, so she raised her hand to stop them and said, "Please, one at a time. I only have one pair of ears you know."
They fell silent again, and then, as suddenly as they had started talking before, all of them, minus one person, pointed at the same direction. "It's all his fault!" they chorused in unison.
Hanayuki turned to see who they were pointing to, and found that it was Mitsui. "Hisashi-niichan? Can you tell me what this is all about?"
Mitsui looked at her, and she thought that he looked embarrassed. Getting no answer from him, she addressed the others. "What's going on here?" Nobody answered her. She began to get frustrated. "Somebody had better tell me quick before I blow my top. Believe me when I say you don't want to see me do that."
Finally, Sakuragi opened his mouth. "Er... well, it's nothing actually. You see, Mitchy here thought that you were in some kind of trouble when you didn't answer the door after we rang the bell a few times. He kind of like, just broke the door down, and that's how we got in."
Hanayuki relaxed a little after hearing the explanation. "Oh, is that it?"
Sakuragi hesitated for a while, before nodding his head. Hanayuki seemed not to notice this, and said, "For a moment there, I thought something horrible had happened. You guys look so... so... so flushed. And out of breath. And is that a piece of tissue I see sticking out of your nose, Takamiya-san? And yours too Mito-san?"
It was a simple enough question, but somehow, it was enough to make them reach for more tissue paper and stick them up their noses. The rest of them, she noticed, especially the guys (Ayako and Haruko were there too), were blushing furiously. Turning back to her brother, she asked, "Oniichan, I don't think you told me everything?" There was a dangerous edge to her voice, and it was not lost on Sakuragi. He gulped.
"Er... nothing really. They are just a bunch of um... crazy people. That's all. Ahhahahaha..." His laughter (if you can call it that) trailed off when he saw that Hanayuki was beginning to look more dangerous by the second. He gulped again, and looked at Rukawa, his eyes pleading for him to help. Hanayuki saw this and raised her eyebrows.
"Oniichan, Rukawa-kun, are you guys hiding something from me?" They shifted uncomfortably in their seats, and Hanayuki was convinced that they were hiding something from her.
Just as she was about to press for answers, Mitsui burst out saying, "I'm sorry Hana-chan. I didn't mean to barge into your room like that. I thought that you were in trouble when you didn't answer the door after so long. I didn't know that you were taking a shower in your room, and I really didn't mean to barge in when you were dressing up. I really didn't know that you just came out of the shower. But I didn't see anything. None of us saw anything. Really. We-"
"Shut up, Mitchy!" Sakuragi shouted at Mitsui. He looked at Hanayuki, and was not surprised to see her confused face. She didn't know, and she didn't have to know, but now because of Mitchy, she is going to find out, he thought nervously.
"Um... let me see if I got this right. You thought that I was in trouble, so you broke down the door and came in. While searching for me, you went into my room, not knowing that I just took a shower and was coming out to... wait a minute. Did you say that you came into my room when I was changing? All of you?" Hanayuki asked in alarm.
There was silence for a while. "You... you didn't realise that Mitsui barged into your room?" asked Kogure uncertainly. He looked in disbelief with the rest of the people (except for Sakuragi and Rukawa) in the room when they heard her answer.
"Um... actually, no. I didn't realise that Hisashi-niichan came in. I certainly didn't see him or any of you people. What was I doing when you saw me?" Hanayuki asked. Seeing that Kogure was too shocked to reply, and then realising the reason for his and the other's reactions, Hanayuki directed the question to her brother.
"I think you were searching for something in your closet. Your back was facing us," Sakuragi explained.
"Ah... I see. No wonder I didn't see you guys." She paused for a while. "Well, I remember I was still clad in a towel at that time, so I guess it doesn't really matter, since you guys didn't see anything." She clapped her hands together and continued, "Anyway, since all of you are here, we can get the party started right away." She was about to make her way to the kitchen when Sakuragi stopped her.
"Er... Hana-chan. I think you still have some explanations to do." He gestured towards the other people in the room, who were still having the shocked look on their faces, their mouths opened so wide a fly, no, a cockroach could have easily flew in and go down their throats.
Looking at them, Hanayuki could have laughed, but she didn't, knowing that they were only concerned about her, since they didn't know anything. She took a deep breath. "Ok. Before I start explaining, anybody have anything they would like to ask?"
A few seconds passed before Mitsui meekly raised his hand. "Um... I have a question."
"What is it, Hisashi-niichan?" Hanayuki asked, smiling at him.
"Well, um... what do you mean by you didn't realise I went into your room?"
"I told you. I didn't see you or any of them. My back was facing you since I was looking for something in the closet," Hanayuki replied.
"But, even if you didn't see us, you should have heard us. I mean, I barged right in, and the others weren't exactly being quiet either. In fact, Sakuragi was practically shouting his head off at us to get out of the room. Didn't you hear him?" Mitsui asked after he related what had happened.
"Oh he did?" was the answer he got. Mitsui couldn't believe his ears. Neither could the others.
Noticing the bewildered look on their faces, Hanayuki said, "I wasn't lying when I said I didn't hear you or oniichan or whosoever. But, there is an explanation to that. So stop looking so shocked and all. You'll understand everything once I've explained myself."
She continued, "Actually, I didn't expect to be telling you about this so soon. I was planning to do so after we ate or something, but I guess I'd better explain now, or else you wouldn't be able to enjoy yourselves for the rest of the night."
"Oniichan and Rukawa-kun already knew about this, so now the only people left to tell are you guys. Anyway, long story cut short, the reason I didn't hear you guys coming into my room is because I wasn't wearing my hearing aids at that time." She took another deep breath. "You see, I'm actually deaf."
Later that evening...
"So, Hana-chan. Is there anything else that we should know about you?" Mitsui asked while munching on a piece of cake. The others stopped talking among themselves and directed their attention towards Hanayuki.
Hanayuki thought for a moment. "Well, I don't know. Why don't you ask me questions?"
It was Mitsui's turn to be thoughtful. He scratched his chin, and then asked, "Ok. What other parts of you does not function properly?"
Everyone else in the room gaped at him. Hanayuki started laughing. "Hahahahahaha! Hisashi-niichan, what kind of a question is that? Hahahahahaha!" Sakuragi and Rukawa glared at Mitsui.
"Mitchy, what do you mean by that, huh? Are you saying that Hanayuki has defects all over her body? Hana-chan is perfect. I mean, other than her heart and ears, of course. But she is perfect," said Sakuragi.
Everybody turned their attention to him. Ayako asked, "She has a heart problem?"
"Eh?" Sakuragi looked confused for a moment, before realising what he had said. "Ehehehehehe..."
"Way to go, oniichan. What a break," Hanayuki muttered.
"Do'aho."
"Teme kitsune!"
"Ok, enough already!" roared Akagi. Then, he turned to Hanayuki and apologised. "Gomen, Yuki-chan."
"Why are you apologising? You did nothing wrong," Hanayuki answered back. "Anyway, since oniichan here mentioned it, yes, I do have a heart problem."
"But I thought you went for a heart transplant when you were younger," said Miyagi. The others nodded their heads.
"The transplant was to save my life. Half the people who receive transplants will develop coronary artery disease. Besides, I have to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of my life, so that my immune system would not reject and damage the new heart. Also, I have to go for biopsies every year so that the doctors could check for any signs of rejection." Hanayuki sighed. "Not a very nice way to live, huh?"
Nobody said anything. She continued, "And the truth is, I'm not really allowed to play basketball, which is why I am not in the girl's team. If it wasn't for otousan backing me up, I would not have been able to even touch the ball, much less learn it."
Mitsui suddenly perked up. "That reminds me. Hana-chan, do you remember that day when I, um... you know, made trouble in the gym. You said something about your otousan, about how disappointed he would be if he knew about what had happened, and how he told you about finding someone who could help him realise his dream, and that someone was me. I had been wondering, but never got around to ask about it, who exactly is your otousan?"
Hanayuki looked surprised. "I thought that you guys would have found out already, since you are in my house and all."
"Were we supposed to find out by ourselves?" Ayako asked.
"Well, I thought that with all the framed photographs around my house, you would have figured it out by yourselves," Hanayuki said, her hands gesturing around the room. They looked around. Funny how they didn't notice the pictures around them before. In each of the frames, there were pictures of Hanayuki with a man and a woman. The man, they recognised as Anzai-sensei.
"Anzai-sensei?" they said together.
Hanayuki nodded her head and said, "That's right. Anzai-sensei is my otousan."
"But... your name..." Kogure trailed off.
"Actually, I'm adopted. Otousan and okaasan took me in when I was about 5. But the main reason I used the name Tsukino is because I didn't want you guys to know me as my father's daughter," Hanayuki explained.
Again, nobody said anything. But the same thing was going through each of their minds (excluding Sakuragi, of course, since he already knew about it). This is too much news to take in one day.
Watching their reactions, Hanayuki smiled. Deciding to shock and confuse them further, she continued, "Oh, and did I tell you that I'm actually half-Chinese?"
"Huh?" Even Sakuragi was surprised at this latest revelation of hers.
"That's right. Therefore, I can speak in both Cantonese and Mandarin, although I am not too good at them. Again, you could have figured it out by yourselves. Just look at my CD collection." Her eyes twinkled as she once again gestured around the room.
Suddenly, all of them stood up and began to walk around the room, inspecting every single object lying in every nook and cranny. Hanayuki burst out laughing at their actions. Mission accomplished, she thought as she wiped away the tears from her eyes.
Author's notes: This is the longest chapter that I have written yet. Didn't expect it to be this long, but I didn't know how to end it, and I didn't want it to continue into the next chapter. So, anyway, here it is. Enjoy and thanks for the reviews, good or bad. Thanks for reading in the first place. Ja!