The Inevitable Fate
Chapter 5
Fate spun her tapestries ever so slowly, an intrinsic pattern of blue and lilac, hence a real abstract piece of high-quality artistry. It may be just another weird combination of colors to an eye of a man but to Fate, it was definitely something worth woven into. Something so delicate yet unreachable by any humankind.
And as one would put it in words, Fate smiled sardonically at the intricate arabesque she held on her tiny hand and wove on expertly, and with a wave of another hand, everything faded magically into the increasing darkness as another familiar scene replace it promptly after that…
*~*~*~*~*~*
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter…
It was raining, again.
Cursing the heaven silently for the drastic change of weather, Rika hurried across the lawn like a tiny creature prone to the fury of the heavy droplets. Murky clouds greeted her along the way and blackness began to seep in. She was late. Very late indeed. So very late that she was sure that Jeri was going to scream her head off once she reached there. The very thought of it conjured up a mental image of a dinosaur-looking Jeri, a fire-breathing dinosaur or what-so-ever, was chasing after the very timid her.
'Better never late', was one of Jeri's principle but, Oh well, better late than never…
Smiling discreetly to herself, she picked up her pace and reached the other side of the school in no time. And now we have our freezing Ice Queen in the latest trend of fashion… Another mental image of her in her drench school uniform tackled her and if she wasn't careful enough, algae and fungus might just popped out of the blue.
As she was amusing herself with lame images, a dry voice reached her.
"Nanako-san, Nanako-san!"
"Haih?" She wheeled around and was confronted by a woman in her late thirties. "Hiara-sensei?" She inquired softly as if doubting her senses for it was hard to distinguish the person at the other end of the corridor when it was dark all around her.
The women suppressed a small laugh and rushed over to her side before Rika could even confirm her doubt. "It's me, Nanako-san." She said as if reading her mind.
"Ah, yes, of course." Rika lied. "What can I do for you, sensei?"
"Do you have anything in mind now or are you busy by any chance?"
"Err…as a matter of fact sensei, I'm not very sure myself."
Hiara-sensei furrowed her brow before pressing the subject any further. " And why is that, my child?" She asked, abandoning her intention of bringing up the main subject.
"I promised a friend of mine that I would be doing her a favour by participating in the cheerleading team just for one day since they were lacked of one member who was not here today and I happen to be late already." She revealed and sighed.
"I'm sure they could manage without you."
It was now Rika's turn to raise an eyebrow. "The formation would be total hopeless without the exact number of members, isn't it?"
"They found a replacement. And oh, don't worry," the women cooed when she saw the guilt on Rika's face, "the girl came back just on time. Although she was ill, she insisted not to be left out in such an important event and they had no time to inform you since the time was limited."
Rika became rigid and held a look if disbelieve and relish.
"Come now," Hiara-sensei grabbed her wrist and ushered her forward. "I've got a more important task for you."
*~*~*~*~*~*
For the passed five minutes, he had not been able to relax himself and this somehow disturbed his concentration and deterred his determination of winning the game. His team was disproportioned and he could do naught to help it. Not only the situation had not improve for the last ten minutes of the game, their team spirit was deteriorating and this was the first game under his guidance. He didn't want to tarnish his reputation as the best overall player and a reliable captain and create false impression to his fellow teammates, especially the first years since he was their 'hero'. Being an ace player and the team captain wasn't as easy as many people tend to think so. It was a burden entrusted to him by the ex-seniors and he had no intention to disappoint them.
Those faithful words spoken by the ex-captain still played in his mind clearly as if it was like yesterday.
My vision is to see Shonandai High at the top, the very best in Japan, Ryo but I've yet managed to fulfill this dream of mine. And now I entrust this duty to you. As the new elected captain of the team, I wish you good luck and don't push yourself too hard. We don't want our ace player to be out of the game when the match has not even started. But remember, that before you beat anything, you must first beat yourself.
A light smirk was craved upon his lips once the memory of yesteryears slipped away from his mind. I won't let you down, Takeru senpai [1]. This, his downcast head looked up instantly with a certain glint, is my dream too.
With a renewed determination, he could feel adrenaline pumping through his nerve system as he prepared himself in a defence mode challengingly. His fellow teammates' spirits were lifted almost immediately and they joined him. Ryo gave out orders and no furthers inquiries were uttered between the members.
"Defense!! Mark your opponent tightly!! You there, mark number 7, Takumi, number 10, Saitou, number 13 and Hiroaki, 8."
"Haih!!" they chorused.
The opponent's captain dribbled the ball almost lazily and halted right in front of the three-pointer line, preparing to fake a three-pointer. Once bitten, twice shy, dimwit. Ryo smirked. He intercepted the ball just as his opponent lowered the ball and attempted to pass the ball to another member of his. Hah, how absurd! The hall amid thunderous cheers and applauses. It went on for quite some time, immune to the fact that the representative team of their school was nine points behind the opponent's team.
"Thanks a lot, buddy," Ryo joked as he launched a counter-attack and sped down the court. The crowd went, if possible, wilder.
Trailing behind him was the opponent's captain, a real husky guy and he was closing in.
Suddenly, out of the corner of the crowd's eyes, they noticed that Ryo had slowed down his pace due to some unfathomable reasons and this gave his opponent a chance to play dirty as he jabbed his eyes with his elbow. Blood spurted out from the wound and the game was called to a halt abruptly. In one motion, Ryo released his grasp, the floor rushed up to meet his lifeless figure and as he plopped onto the floor, shocked.
The hall gasped and silenced. Everyone was panic-stricken as well, including the coach. Paramedics rushed into the scene and as they examined Ryo's wound, they shook their head wistfully before carrying him off the court. Ryo didn't mind at all. In fact, he felt empty and numbed just like everyone else who were witnessing the match. He had failed them. He had failed his seniors' trust. He had failed everybody.
The paramedics laid him on a stretcher once they were convinced that Ryo needed treatment immediately and not a second could be wasted. His coach looked on but uttered nothing. The spirit of the entire team was dampened once more as they watched Ryo being extricated from the hall and disappeared behind the swinging doors.
I'm sorry…
*~*~*~*~*~*
"There you go, all done." Rika commented as she puts away the first-aid kit and assured that there's nothing to be worried about the small wound sustained by the fellow first-year.
The girl was relieved and muttered her thanks, bowing low. Rika did not return her gesture but pretended to keep herself busy with the kit until the girl left the room. And then she smiled inconspicuously to herself. She was apparently to shy to say anything else. That was why she kept her cool around her. This, of course, could not escape the inquisitive eyes of a particular person in the room. Rika was not alone.
"I see you have already accustomed yourself pretty well."
Rika was appalled by the sudden statement but carried on with her chore as she continued fidgeting with the tools.
"You make a pretty well nurse, you know…or should I say responsible wife and mother in the future?" the sensei grinned.
Astounded, Rika opened her mouth and was going to retort when a group of people rushed in and placed a figure hurriedly on the nearest bed. Hiara-sensei tensed and moved over to the bed. Rika, however, did not edge from the spot.
"He's left eye was badly wounded but we have stop the bleeding already. The rest is up to you, sensei. We will leave him here as we fear the same misfortune might happen again in the court if our presence is not there."
"Very well then. I'll take care of him."
"Thank you, sensei." And with that they left.
"What is it, Hiara-sensei?" Rika asked.
"This look bad. Fetch me a bottle of antiseptic and some cotton wools if you please, Nanako-san."
Getting the hint, Rika followed her orders, unquestioned as Hiara-sensei examined the patient's wound. The figure looked subdued with agitation and he slapped her hand away when she fingered the cut he attained an inch above his left eye.
"I want to get back to the court. They need me. I know they do."
"Rest while you can. The gnash is pretty deep. It might be infected by bacteria if it's not carefully treated." She protested.
"I need to get back to the court. I need to." He continued.
"You will not leave the room until you have my permission to do so!"
Frustrated, he put up a struggle but dizziness provoked him from leaving the bed and his current situation wasn't exactly allowing him to do so.
"Lie still!"
"Get away from me!!"
"It is simply perverse to refuse a perfectly safe treatment," a flat voice reached him and he stopped dead in his attempt of escaping as he surveyed the leaning figure on the sidewall.
"Rika?"
She nodded and handed over the bottle. "Here you are, Hiara-sensei."
Accepting the bottle gratefully, the mid-lady pressed the cotton wool gently on the wound which caused him to wince slightly with acute agony. They muttered nothing and it was Hiara-sensei that broke the silence after that. "I'll get some ice from the canteen lady while you stay here and guard this pesky little kid from getting away, all right?" She announced departure and winked secretly at Rika.
Puzzled, she nodded anyway and waited for her to leave the room before turning her focus back to the bedridden figure.
"This is not the same Ryo Akiyama I used to know."
He shifted away unwillingly, before repeating the same words, "I need to get back to the court," to no one in particular.
"The Ryo Akiyama I used to know is a brave guy who never-say-die even when the situation is out of control."
"I need to get back to the court…" he coughed the words again and lifted his body up. "I need to –"
"This is simply too absurd, Ryo."
"I – I need to get…" he seemed heedless of her previous statement.
"Listen to me!" Rika shouted and brought her hand to his face as if wanted to slap him but withdrew immediately when she realized that she was acting just as uncivilized as Ryo was. Biting her lips bitterly, she cast her vision away. "Sorry."
"Leave…leave me alone. I need to get back to the court as soon as possible. They will lose. The time is limited and I need to hurry. We can't afford to lose. Not now, not when –" he scoffed the words without any sense what he was saying. Pushing the white blankets away, he pulled himself all together and leaned heavily onto the wall, adamant to leave the room as soon as possible. He could not bring himself to let her see how vulnerable he could be at time like this but he need to get out and he meant it NOW!
Rika on the contrary was speechless. She was distorted and yet irritated. What does he mean by leaving him alone? She was trying to help him but he shooed her away like a fly. Before she could summon up her courage to rebut, he was already halfway to the door.
"Leave if you can, Ryo Akiyama. If you think you could save your team in this kind of situation, go on then. I'm not stopping you by any chance. I mean, who am I to change your mind?" She laughed, a mirthless laugh, which pierced his already broken heart. "You have always preferred to do things your way, haven't you? Just like five years ago."
She took her chance to seize him despite him still reeling over her words, only to find a debilitated, harmless child who is she was not mistaken, growling with guilt.
"Why?" he asked as he felt her constantly nearing presence. "Why? Why do you care so much for me?"
She did not answer but instead lowered herself until she was leveled with his frail figure. "Let me tell you a story. A story of how a small girl who had despised everything in the world, her parents, her friends and her entire life practically because she believed that no one cared for her as no one ever did. And there was this boy who had saved her by then when she decided to run away from home. For the first time in her life, she was embraced with warmth and love as he brought him to his house where she was treated and took good care of her like a younger sister. The thought of suicide had entered her mind many times but vanished as she slowly learned the bliss of living. But she never had the chance to repay back his generous hospitality."
"Why?" he asked, this time not with hatred but with something much more gentler.
"She left the next day when she learned that her father died the overnight and moved away with her mother and grandmother. She never had the chance to thank him but she remembers the words he had uttered the night before her departure. He was oddly fond of literature which she could never understand even until now." Taking in a deep breath, she recited the words as carefully as possible.
"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart."
She ended the sentence with her hand clutching her chest in a nostalgic way and then she slowly released the grasp on his left ankle and to her horror, her instinct was telling her the truth after all.
"You were hurt before…"
"I can't even remember how I obtain it."
That made her turned to look at him with astounded expression that overrode her thoughts. She hesitated but his voice cut her off.
"I need to go back to the court. There's not much time left."
"Look at your own condition! Your leg is badly bruised and you're almost blind because of that jerk who hit your left eye. How could you save the game?!! Nobody can save it now…it's too late."
"I know I can!!!" Ryo shouted. "There's a few more minutes left, isn't it?" He tugged at her arms.
Rika cast her eyes away and the thing he had dreaded the most stabbed him hard at his chest.
"Masaka [No way]…" Dumbness seared his conscience.
Trapped between inexpressible remorse and guilt, Hiara-sensei entered just in time as Rika excused herself from the room and left the school hurriedly.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Sorry to keep you guys waiting in anticipation for the fifth chapter, so here you are, all done. It's kinda sad this time for I want to portray Ryo as he was not a completely prefect guy as everyone thinks he is. Sorry about the OOC-ness.
[1] About the Takeru senpai, I know Ryo might be older than him but since we are in the Tamers universe and I'm the
author of the story, I have every right to write anyway I want ::grins evilly::
Review please and I can't wait to hear from you guys comments, be it good or bad. I'm a tolerable person.
Thanks Miss Klutz for being such a faithful reader and I really owe you one big thank you!
If you realize that I've been writing a lot about basketball, this is because I love this sport very much! And I love the anime, Slam Dunk! If you have time and if you are a slam dunk just like me, could you spare some precious time of yours to read a fic written by my friend, The Undeletable Past. Here's the url :
Thanks!
And I've been downloading lots of digimon mp3 and I've just finished watching the tamers season. Finally!
Signing out,
Psycho_kyugurl