28 days

By: purplerose28

Summary/ Synopsis/ Description: Ok I'm here again… another one of my story… well it goes like this… after a basketball game Rukawa finds himself in the hospital lying on a bed because of a broken leg. He stays there until he gets better… he can't stand being in the hospital… he has stayed there a day but he already wanted to go home and to play again… he is counting his day until he goes back home but when he meet Kaemi Hidaka he is thinking twice if he wanted to leave the hospital or not…

Pairing: Kaede Rukawa and Kaemi Hidaka (other character, not included in the series)

Disclaimers apply: I don't own Slam Dunk characters… but I would like to own Rukawa and Sendoh (hehehe just kidding!!) I hope you'll like my story… Please send me all you're comments, suggestions and violent reactions!! My e-mail add is kitsune_rukawa11@yahoo.com... Thank you and hope to hear from all of you… ENJOY!!

~ Chapter 11 (part 1) ~

~ October 5/5:48 am ~

It's a beautiful and peaceful morning; one rainy week has past and at last the sun has shine… everywhere you look was covered with water; the playground, sidewalks, bridges, schools and other places. The sound of morning breeze and chirping birds can be heard… the serenity of the morning and the rising of the sun signaling the start of a new day.

In a basketball court not to far from the playground the sound of screeching shoes and sound of a ball being dribbled can be heard followed by a constant sound of a squeaking basketball hoop… Every rainy morning he would go here to practice basketball not minding the cold falling rain… he would wake up at five o'clock in the morning and after changing to his playing clothes he would go directly here. It's been his routine for the past week… for the past one hundred sixty eight hours…this is his only way to forget, to set his mind away from IT… no not it… HER.

Those raining days mirrored his true feelings… the dark clouds, the strong wind, the loud thunder and lightning… if you look at him you would see his calm and peaceful face but inside his feeling is like the strong and raging storm… Even now that the rain has stop and the sun is shinning his feeling are still the same… its still dark and gloomy.

He started to dribble as sweat started to fall from his forehead and his body was perspiring…at first his dribbling was slow then its speed accelerated… the floor was wet and slippery but he didn't mind that … he run, his eyes set on the basketball hoop, his only goal was to shoot the ball… half his way he slip but he was able to control his balance and continues to run…his leg aching in pain but that didn't stop him either… he run, his speed quicken… he jump aiming for a slam dunk… a BANG sound was heard followed by a loud THUD… then everything went blank.

~ October 12/7:30 am ~

It was Sunday morning Rukawa was lying on a bed looking around the room. All he can see is white… white curtains, white pillows and bed sheets, white table… and beside his bed is a smaller bed and guess what?! It's WHITE!!

"Hmm… Here I go again." Rukawa thought smirking as he recall the first time he was here.

Another week in this hospital has passed and here he was in the same room, lying on this same bed AGAIN as he was one month and two weeks ago. His right leg injured AGAIN… he wasn't completely cured when he left the hospital. The doctor told him that he needs to rest for another month before he play basketball but since he is so stubborn and hardheaded here he was AGAIN… his leg hurt and he can't walk AGAIN.

"AGAIN… I hope we can do it all over AGAIN… one more time with HER." Rukawa thought.

AGAIN Rukawa's doctor was his doctor before when he got his leg injured for the first time. When he saw Rukawa last week he was so mad at him… he keeps on repeating over and over that Rukawa is very hardheaded and a very careless guy, he doesn't know how to follow instruction and he isn't thinking about his self… he also said that Rukawa is still very lucky that his leg didn't suffer more severe damage if that happened Rukawa won't be able to play basketball ever again and he can't also walk… he would sitting on a wheelchair all his life…

"You should be thankful for that… you have a very caring guardian angel… SHE is always watching you." Rukawa remembered the doctor's remark.

"SHE is always watching me… Thank you!!" Rukawa whispered with a smile as he recalls her innocent, lovely and angel-like face. "But I rather lost my foot or be forever sited in a wheelchair than to loose HER…" Rukawa thought but he knew there is nothing he can do about it now. "It's over… she's gone." He said and then he decided to just sleep and get some rest.

~ 12:18 pm ~

"This place hasn't changed a bit… its still as beautiful as before." Rukawa thought as he looks to his surroundings.

After eating his lunch Rukawa decided to go here, he asked the nurse in-charge if he can leave his room. The nurse agreed telling him that it was good for his health, that he would recover faster if he doesn't stay in his room all day. Rukawa asked her where Nurse Joy is?! The nurse said that Nurse Joy is in vacation and she won't be back until next month. After the nurse's endless speech she helped Rukawa on his wheelchair and then she brought him in the place where patients stay.

Rukawa thought that maybe Nurse Joy was also hurt on what happened so she went on a vacation… he can't blame Nurse Joy because he knew she love HER very much. For a while he looked around, he remembers the first day he met Nurse Joy and Hotaru here under this same tree. This was also the place where SHE hit the tree two times because of her clumsiness and when she gave him flowers… also the place when he found out that after a month she will be leaving. When the nurse left Rukawa made his way here, the garden at the back of the hospital… HER garden… the place she calls as HER sanctuary.

The place is still as beautiful as it was before he left, the ground still covered with different sorts of flowers in all colors and the trees are very big and its many leaves was dancing with the wind, they are waving at him as if they were happy to see him again. He made his way to the place where they always stay, the big and shady cherry blossoms tree.

He stayed and seated under the tree while recalling the times they spent there… the first time he went here with HER. He can remember it very well, the swing where she pretended to fall and he was so worried that something happened to her but it turn out that she was fooling him. Then when she gave him the wreath made up of flowers and she forced him to wear it, he was so embarrass but of course he can't say no to her so he ended up wearing it and the worst part his teammates saw him but she didn't let them insult him… he still has that wreath that she made, the flowers are already brown but he didn't throw it because it means a lot to him... Next was when he held her in his arms and then they sleep under this tree, it was the best experience that he have and he wouldn't trade it for anything else.

He recalled all the times that he was with HER… memories that made him smile and laugh… memories that made him sad and helpless that he wasn't able to do anything for HER… All the "WHAT IF's." What if I did this and that for her, what if I help her with this and that…would she have live longer?! Would she be happier?! Endless what if's and groundless questions that has no answer. All his regrets and depression that he felt after he left HER on that day… He regretted when he didn't stay by her side until her last breath, when she needed him most. He cursed his self a million times for not being brave, he hate his self for being a coward. He knew he was brave when it comes to fighting, if somebody challenged him he would fight them. He won't let them win; he is ready to fight till death and he makes sure he will WIN!

"But why… but why is it when it comes to HER I wasn't able to fight to death?! Why did I fail… why did I lose?!" He asked his self.

"You fail because you didn't want to fight... your afraid to fight!! You're scared because you know you would never win… your frightened because you know whether you fight till death or not you will still be defeated." His other self replied.

"I lost the fight… I lost HER because I was afraid… very afraid." Rukawa whispered. "For the first time in my life I felt very scared, never had I felt so much dread before… how can she make me feel all of this?!" Rukawa asked his self. "How can she make me laugh and cry… how did she make me feel so afraid… how did she made me miss her so very much?! Why do I have to meet her… why do I have to learn to love her?! WHY?!" This was all the questions that he keeps on asking his self the next day after he left the hospital. He thought in one day he will get over her… he thought when he don't see her anymore he would forget everything about her… he thought he will be back to what he was before he met her… he thought many things and possibilities but he knew he was so very wrong whether he admit it to his self or not… he would never be the same spunky and always unemotional KAEDE RUKAWA.

Rukawa has concluded that all this things happen to him because of a certain red-hair-noisy-stupid-ignorant-dumb guy… who else but Hanamichi Sakuragi. It was all because of that BAKA, if he didn't been so show-off when he grabbed the ball from him in mid-air and if his foot didn't get tangled with his, he wouldn't be in the hospital and he wouldn't have met HER… he wouldn't have a complicated life, his life would have stayed simple and boring. But Rukawa's other self was very thankful to that Sakuragi-BAKA because if not because of what he did he wouldn't have met HER, he wouldn't have experience true happiness, and he wouldn't have experience how to love and to be loved… the greater part of Rukawa is grateful to Sakuragi-BAKA.

~ 5: 22 pm ~

The light breeze, calm surroundings and the warm sunshine lured Rukawa to sleep and when he woke up the sun was already about to set. Rukawa stayed for another ten minutes just looking around; when he looked at the swing he can see her swinging and then running around the garden, he can also hear her laughter as if she was really there. When he looked at the place where the crocuses grow he can see her sitting at the ground while picking up the flowers that she will give to him and the other patient. He see her standing there wearing a light blue spaghetti-strap dress while holding bunch of crocuses in her arms, her short hair flying with the wind… He can see her everywhere. This place reminds him of her and he knows her memory will stay with him forever wherever he goes.

After looking at the garden for the last time he left and went back to the place where the nurse will meet him and bring him back to his room to rest.

~~ ** ~~

"I can't believe it he is here again… that guy is very careless!! He never learned!! Looks like I have to teach him some lessons and I have to take care of him…" Somebody said with a charming smile as that somebody watches Rukawa leave. That somebody was standing carrying bunch of crocuses with different colors and then before leaving...

"Wait for me Mr. Snooty..."

~ End of Chapter 11 (part 1)~

AN: There it is... hehehe. Two chapters at the same time, hope you all like it. I'm sure by now you have an idea on what is happening to my story but of course you have to wait until the next part of this chapter... I divided the chapter and I know by now you want to kill me for the cliffhanger... MWAHAHAHAHAHA!! CYA!! REVIEW PLEASE!! THANK YOU!!!