Author's Note: Hi all! Thanks for reading this story and leaving me all the wonderful comments … …
angel310 : Hi hi! Thanks so much for still leaving me your opinion when you're in a rush !!! I'm glad you found Rui's character in my story convincing and in line with the manga Rui !! That's one of the best compliments you could give me. Thanks so much! You hit the nail on the head with your comment. However, I won't repeat it in case it ruins the surprise for certain other readers !!!
just a teen: Yes, you're right – the story is kind of sticking to the original story line in the manga – or at least for the bulk of the manga. However, I thought that the manga isn't very clear about why Rui does certain things and the reason for his character. So I kind of tried to come up with something to try to explain the "blurry parts" ;) I have an inkling about the latter part of the story, but I haven't completely straightened it out in my mind as yet. With regards to updating, I try to do so at least once a week (sometimes once in about 3-5 days) but it depends on my muse ;)
Ravenfire623 : Thanks so much for your kind comments !!!! I'm glad that you like my portrayal of Tsukasa as well as Rui :) I hope this update is soon enough.
kensingtonkid: Hi hi hi! At the moment I would say that your analysis is right on the dot i.e. Rui doesn't quite like Tsukushi the way she likes him or the way Tsukasa likes Tsukushi. Especially after Shizuka betrayed him, he finds it even harder to trust any female. Thanks so much for your lovely comments as always !!
piglet: Hey there! With regards to your question on MG vs HYD. Actually, I am a bit confused too! By MG you mean the TV serial and neither the manga nor cartoon right? I have to admit that though I have watched the cartoon, I have never read HYD nor watched MG. I kind of obtained the info about the manga from summarized translations placed on the websites. The rest is kinda imagined :) I'm not too sure about Rui flying the kite because I didn't read the full HYD manga as well !!! Thanks so much for your generous comments !!!
Nana-chan: I'm so glad that you found this explanation convincing with regards to Rui's behaviour on the date !!! I was hoping that it wasn't too contrived. Thanks so much for your kind comments! With regards to writing – fiction-wise I have written a couple on another net. And of course essays and stuff but I haven't written that much. If you are interested, I could give you the link to certain of my other completed stories on other websites. :)
windsoffortune: What can I say ??? Thanks so much for taking time to provide so many reviews and lovely comments !!!! Definitely made my day ! You are absolutely right about the "surfed" vs "surfaced" !!! I tend to make many silly mistakes when I'm writing. Thanks so much for highlighting it – really appreciate your help :) I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the story !!!
ToinKs: Hi hi hi! I really really appreciate your constructive comments and I went back to make some revisions. I hope it is better now !! I totally agree with you – sometime when I try to rush things out, the depth of emotion is just absent. I usually go back to read it and try to incorporate more, but didn't do so this time round because I was rushing. Thanks again !!!
Angel-Xing: Ah!!! New reader !!! Thanks for dropping a note so that at least I know that someone has been reading my story :) I do apologise for the previous long breaks because of traveling. However, the updates should be more regular now. Thanks for your kind comments … …:)
Chapter 25 – Deeper and Deeper
I knew we were at a considerable disadvantage because I was the only one in my "team" who could match up to Tsukasa, Akira and Soujiro in terms of physique and skill. In spite of Tsukushi's confidence in her "abilities", I had my doubts that she would be hold her own against my three friends' amazing athletic skills (and mine too for the matter). My worries were confirmed when I watched her and Kazuya playing, my heart sinking into my boots at their punny performance. In spite of her determined cheery demeanour, I could tell that Tsukushi was only trying to boost up our spirits and maintain the morale of our team. There was something about her courage and the resolute, albeit reckless, way that she met adversity head on that struck a chord in me.
"Tsukushi," I walked up to her. As she turned, I placed a finger under her chin and gently but firmly tilting her face up so that she was looking directly into my intense eyes. "Let's practice. I won't let you leave school. This time, I have something that I want to protect," the words were sincere and spoken so seriously that they sounded like an oath. My solemn oath to her.
To prove my words, I took the ball from her numb fingers, bounced the ball a few times and with one smooth movement, jumped up and sent the basketball sailing cleanly through the hoop in a long shot. I turned around to shoot her a triumph smile only to see her eyes wide and shimmering with an unnatural brightness. Her mouth was open and her lips were trembling slightly as she weakly muttered my name with something close to reverence. I could tell that she was moved to the point of tears and remorse sudden filled me again. However, I swallowed and kept my attitude brisk. This was not the time to show any weakness, we still had a match to win.
"Hey what are you two staring at me for? Let's start … …" My voice woke them up from their trance and we started practicing hard.
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I shook my head silently at the group of fans gathering around the basketball court and quickly threw a worried glance at Tsukushi. As expected, she was as pale as a ghost as she stared at the spectators. Just what I needed, I mentally heaved a sigh, my teammates to be attacked by a case of nerves. I walked up next to her and she jumped when I spoke.
"How are you feeling?" I kept my tone low and soothing as if speaking to a spooked animal, trying to calm her down.
"I'm aching all over." When her large brown eyes met mine, somehow, the fear faded away leaving only trust shinning in them as she smiled brightly at me. I had succeeded in calming her down. I smiled back at her, more determined than ever to win the match. Kazuya lumbered up.
"Give me your hands," I said. "We will beat them." My tone was confident and assuring as we did the traditional team high-five.
"Sure!" Tsukushi was filled with energy.
"Yeah, we will whip them!" That was Kazuya.
"Okay, so let's go!" I walked into the court with them following closely behind and stared determinedly into Tsukasa's cold eyes … …
*Minutes later*
"We win." I looked up to see Tsukasa gloating as he smiled at me coldly.
"We still have three minutes." My voice was emotionless.
"And you can work a miracle in three minutes?" His disbelief was mixed with scorn. "Just admit you lost."
"I will protect Tsukushi." My tone was determined. I watched his expression change from smugness to rage in a matter of moments.
"Shut up!" He roared as his hand clenched into fists. Grabbing the opportunity as he was distracted, I turned and threw the basketball. It dropped through the hoop.
I heard a loud whoop from Tsukushi and then she shouted, "Rui, you are fantastic!" However, I was not looking at her. I was watching my best friend's reaction to Tsukushi's behaviour carefully, contemplatively. His fists had turned white and a muscle twitched at the corner of his mouth as he ground his teeth. My brain was working like clockwork and a plan fell in place as I watched him shouting at Soujirou and Akira for failing to block me, as they tried to clam him down without success. Tsukushi watched them in wonder as she made her way to me.
"What's wrong with them? Why are they quarrelling?" Her innocent question made me grin deviously.
Then I turned to her and asked her with an extremely serious expression, "Tsukushi, will you do anything to win?"
She looked taken aback by my question for a moment before her face turned resolute, "Yes." My eyes flickered to the side to ascertain that my best friend was staring at both of us and that he could see me clearly before I made my move. My hand shot out to grasp Tsukushi's wrist and I pulled her to my side as I bent down and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead, keeping a soft almost dreamy expression on my face as my eyes gazed at her with a tender light in their depths.
"HANAZAWA RUI!" Tsukushi gasped at me in shocked outrage. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Smile at me." She gaped at me for a second as if I had lost my mind as I continued to smile at her, before obeying my commands and lifting the corners of her mouth mechanically in an attempt to obey me. Her forced smile was almost like a grimace and set me off. I allowed myself to laugh freely, knowing that this would shock my audience further. I doubt that I had ever smiled widely in public not to say laughed.
"You idiot," Tsukushi hit me with her small fists, exasperated with my strange behaviour and my laughing at her. I simply took the opportunity to capture her small hands in mine, making it seem as if we were playfully fooling around as lovers would. All this time, my senses were focused at the corner where Tsukasa was standing, ready to pick up the slightest nuance. With great satisfaction, I literally felt the waves of rage emitting from where he was standing as he was forcefully restrained from attacking me by Soujirou and Akira.
"Let's go, Sweetheart!" I said cheerfully.
"Sweetheart?" I heard Tsukushi muttering to herself in an incredulous tone. For a moment, I felt a little sorry for confusing her thus, but well, everything I was doing was for her anyway. Only by using such underhanded means could I defeat Tsukasa. And if I had to play dirty to keep her in school, I would. My honour, if I had any to start with, paled before my responsibility to protect her.
My tactics worked. Tsukasa was blatantly attacking me and totally ignoring the match subsequently. Although I gained a few bruises, he earned me lots of free throws and penalty points. I had to give credit to my other two friends who eventually saw through my ploy when Tsukasa went wild. However, it was too late for them. They could not stop him because well, we all know what my best friend is like once he loses his temper. He appears to be in incapable of any rational thought. We were at a draw when Tsukasa suddenly terminated that match and left. I had to admit that even I did not know what was going through his head. However, I believed that he probably felt the futility of continuing with the game because it was pointless anyway. There was no way he would gain Tsukushi's affections and perhaps at heart he knew he did not really want her to leave. Well, but those were only my speculations anyway.
I glared at Soujirou and Akira who were commenting about Tsukasa's weird behaviour. Soujirou finally noticed my hostile look, "oh Rui, you still play well by the way."
"You were trying to kick me out of school, you … …" My voice trailed off as I tried to sort through my extensive vocabulary to find the best word to describe these two inane morons.
"Hey, we would have persuaded Tsukasa after winning the game … …" Akira protested. The competitive idiots! I turned my back on them, ignoring their explanations and found myself facing Tsukushi.
"Now, that was exciting wasn't it?" I grinned as her jaw dropped at my understatement and made for my locker. It was time to cool down … …
The next thing I knew, we were "celebrating" at the Doumyouji mansion. Tsukasa was conspicuous by his absence. I simply relaxed and drank my alcoholic drinks quietly as they rest chattered on about inconsequential topics like magpies. Tsubaki was at her most vivacious.
"Hey, Rui, you've drunk a lot." Soujirou commented looking at the empty bottles surrounding me. I refrained from letting out an impolite snort and telling him that this was nothing compared to what I could really drink. Well, they were unaware that I had been something close to a closet alcoholic, with the exception that I had always made sure I was never addicted to the vice. I realized that Tsukushi's eyes were constantly on me, watching me silently and discreetly with a question in those brown eyes. I sighed mentally, I must have totally confused her today – it was regrettable although inevitable. She flinched when someone mentioned Tsukasa and was soon lost in her thoughts.
"Sorry?" I realized that Soujrou was talking to me.
"I asked you how far you both went," he repeated patiently as if he were talking to a child. I realized that he had been talking about the disastrous date.
"Oh, just downtown."
"No no," he explained patiently. "We're not asking you where you both went on the date."
"Yeah," Akira chimed in. "We're asking if you had sex or not." Both Tsukushi and I froze. They studied our expressions carefully.
"Really? Unbelievable," that was Soujirou.
"Rui, you are strange. Are you really a man?" Thanks Akira.
"Oh, that's why you are both so stiff around each other. Sexual Tension!" Tsubaki diagnosed cheerfully and loudly as I choked over my drink. "Rui, you can use our guestroom tonight to prove that you're a normal guy. I will permit." She declared grandly as I felt my cheeks warm slightly and Tsukushi's stunned face changed colour several times. Before we could protest, they pounced on us and we were bodily thrown into a bedroom and the door locked behind us.
"Tsubaki, Soujirou, Akira!" The desperation in Tsukushi's voice was evident as she banged frantically on the door.
"We won't open the door until morning," Akira's voice said cheerfully.
"Rui, have fun," Soujirou sang out. I shrugged my shoulders in resignation as she stared at the door, lost for words