Tears of the Rain

By Teinousha

Author's Notes: Ms. Shinri Ayase had been kind enough to give me the idea to write something angsty, more or less delving deep into the heart of the character. I was only trying to write funny/comedy fics before, now I have tried testing my limitations, and embark on a journey of self-discovery. Hehe. Actually, I just wrote this to be dedicated to Ms. Shinri Ayase-chan. Arigato!

BWT, I am sorry to say that I have this 'issue' with Rukawa right now; I'll try not making him look like a very hate-able person in this fic... Anyways, please just enjoy. This is supposed to be one long one-shot. It was too long for my own liking, so I cut it into two parts. The second parts' a poem fic. Enjoy minna-san!

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PART ONE: Troubled Heart

It was one of those days that Koshino had wished he had not gotten up and had stayed on bed instead, to sulk. It was a rather gloomy day, and the clouds darken by the minute, seeming to sympathize with his mood. It threatened of rain, and in his case, he was on the verge of tears, were it not for the fact that he knows how to control the urge, and that he was in public... Also, the reason for his miserable state was standing right in front of him, looking all bright like the sun itself. He'd be damned if he showed something short of being greatly affected like the way his heart seem to shatter to a million pieces, for every passing minute that they are together.

Outside the Ryonan High School building, small platters of rain begin to fall from the dark, gloomy sky. Ironically though, it was warm and sickeningly cheerful inside the building. It's amazing to note how a radiant glow emanating from one ecstatic person can bring others to cheer up around him. It manages to take away every little depression one might be stupid enough to harbor, and infect people to spread the cheerfulness that a heart-in-love may feel... or in this case, heart-in-lust!

Of course, not all are affected positively by such cheer. Some remains to be stubborn as hell, and remote from the normal effects of being contaminated by the absurdity of love. Such people are those that have a serious need of attention, or those that's been having the worst day of his life. Koshino was one of those people, and with reason, too...

The reason? His best friend Sendoh Akira had been pestering him all day, by being all sickeningly dreamy and obviously in love. The grin in the ace's face was enough to make you conclude that he either had just had a most wonderful time the day before, or he's had the best lay of his life.

But, either of which, Sendoh's high spirits was getting to his nerves. It didn't help that he was not the romantic sort, and the fact that Sendoh was excitedly relating to him word for word everything that had happened on the ace's latest date, he was more or less about to strangle the spiky haired guy.

The thing is, he could care less what Sendoh did on one of his dates with whoever-it-is he was dating. Er... actually, he cared, but for a totally different reason... He had never looked forward on those days when Sendoh would find it a necessity for him to hear about his love life. In fact, instead of being happy for his best friend, Koshino gets upset with those kind of news...

The thing is...

Whoever it is Sendoh's dating, is an extremely lucky bitch or bastard, which for Koshino's opinion should die a bloody, painful death as soon as possible. That, and many more vicious and disgusting means of death, which should more or less be painful.

Yeah, you got it!

Koshino likes his best friend. A Lot!

And, it is infuriating to hear from the one you love so much, romantic things, which aren't meant for you, or at least not about you. It is also infuriating that you are bloody right in front of his face, but he still can't notice you for what you are, and is insensitive enough not to know how deep a love it is you are harboring for him.

That is how Koshino feels every time.

The good thing is, Sendoh barely goes on a serious relationship and rarely goes on a second date with any one. That keeps those miserable ambitious freaks out of his hair for sometime. That is, before Sendoh replaces them for another and he find himself another rival for his best friend's attention.

But the bottom line is, Sendoh was never serious about them! And that is as good a sign that he still has a chance... presuming that he'd have the guts to confess, though. But considering the way his pride kept him from saying as much, the probability of him saying something about it, is the moment Sendoh becomes a loyal, faithful lover... which is practically so far from happening.

At least Koshino thought so...

But, just to spite him, that day just had to come...

And the thing is... he may just have lost his chance for good...

The day started good enough for Koshino. He woke up late at quarter to eight, but still managed to come to school in time for their first class at eight ten. Sendoh had been late, as can be expected, but suspiciously enough, since his best friend's house was nearer to the school than Koshino's home, and that Sendoh has a car, and had just acquired a license on his last birthday.

Besides, it was Monday! Sendoh always makes it a point of going to school early every start of the week, presumably to blab about his latest date on the past Saturday---which may be why Koshino seemed to hate Saturdays among all other days of the week, and that is saying much, since he hated every day of the calendar, especially Mondays (that is, next to Saturday, of course.) Mondays are always for him, a long, seemingly endless day, spent wasted in listening to Sendoh's Big Dates...

But that Monday was different. Instead of the constant 'bla-bla-blas', Sendoh was surprisingly silent... and suspiciously too happy... He said so as much to the spike head, once he got the chance to have the man by himself. Sendoh just grinned even wider.

"Hey, whazzup? Anything good come up?" He asked, for once curious to know about how his friend had spent his weekend.

"Yah. You can say so." Sendoh's dreamy look was enough to cause for Koshino's heart to beat faster.

He gulped. "Er... what happened?"

Sendoh regarded him excitedly, grinning from ear to ear, that he was afraid that it'd snap in half. "I met him..."

That was clearly unexpected. Koshino was expecting something more on the line of... 'I had the best kiss ever' or 'we did a quick...censored... and I get to kiss him... and.... censored...' or something as disgustingly expected of his friend. Not that he know of what the Ryonan ace had been up to... It just struck him, as that is how Sendoh spends his time on a date.

Furrowing his brows, he asked. "-M-met...who?"

A dreamy sigh... "Kaede-chan"

Koshino instantly paled.

Kaede-chan?!! As in, Rukawa Kaede-chan?!! Of all people in the world--- not him!

Sendoh had been pinning for the ice prince for months. The moment something developed between the two, Koshino's hopes and chances may just as well go down the drain... Sendoh may actually be serious about the Shohoku ace this time!

"Er... K-Kaede-chan?" he asked, his heart pounding hard on his chest, waiting for the cue before it shatter to a million-gazillion pieces.

Sendoh nodded absent-mindedly, his mind wandering off in LaLa land, where Kaede-chan seems to be.

"Er... D-did you do something? W-what did you tell him?" Thump. Thump. Thump.

"I asked him out for a date" Sendoh replied, excitedly. That seemed to be the cue; Koshino's heart had officially died and exploded to oblivion... "He said he was gonna think about it..." Koshino's heart suddenly revived itself, and started beating again out of hope. "...But he called me yesterday, and told me he accepted my offer, and our date's set this coming Saturday!!!" The hopeful heart withered and died...again.

And almost like a dam exploding, Sendoh began talking on and on about how he met Rukawa, what color of shirt the raven headed man wore that day, exactly what the monosyllabic man had told him in all their bloody monosyllabic way, and the likes, which never seemed to end. Sendoh seemed to have noted everything about the man, his little speech actually lasted them the whole afternoon. So much for school... But that wasn't even the point anymore... not with Rukawa ruining everything for him!!!

Koshino felt all his energy drain from him. Unable to stand the sudden emotions raging inside of him, he run off, leaving a very concerned and confused Sendoh, literally eating dust, as he disappeared from sight.

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The rain splattered comfortingly at a drenched figure, unmoving in the middle of rain-washed, moist ground. In front of the drenched figure is a cluster of beds of sapphire-glistening flowers, with a flush of dew on each and every of their petal tips. The flowers looked... beautiful--- practically the only thing that's looking colorful, in a gloomy day such as that one.

The drenched figured sighed.

How could flowers look so happy in weather like this? The figure thought, deftly pushing the wet stray locks that came to fall on his face. Having the messy bangs cleared off a bit, one can make out the beautiful face of Koshino Hiroaki, his eyes slightly puffy from crying--- his tears merged with the rain, as it came to fall on the ground.

Koshino had come to that place almost every other time he feels troubled and miserable. And that day was the worst. He felt like he wanted to die or do something as productive. It struck him how fucked up he had been... But, like every other time, just the sight of the beautiful flowers seemed enough to comfort him. It struck him how something as small as floras can coax him to cheer, when he is experiencing the worst day of his life and how something can be so happy, when everywhere else around it is gloomy?

For the umpteenth time that day, Koshino sighed. He was glad he had come to that place. At least, it helped him to calm down to think things over. It gave him a fresh surge of hope... that it's still not too late, and that he can still do something.

But, exactly what can he do?

Between him and Rukawa, Sendoh would probably choose the latter. As a matter of fact, Sendoh had always had his eyes on the monosyllabic man that he had the sinking feeling that his best friend had already come to obsess on the Shohoku ace. He sighed yet again.

The thing is... If Sendoh was willing to be that desperate for the ice prince, what chance does he have, when all the affection he can coax from the guy was just the usual friendly stuffs--- like hugs... and cuddles... and...waitasecond

Okay, that just sounded somewhat with potential. All the hugs and the hentai flirting Sendoh had directed at him--- it may actually show in one way or another that the man had some feelings for him at the least.

Okay... That was encouraging! At least he's found some winning points in his case. Coz, the fact remains that he had so no chance against the incredibly gorgeous, and incredibly skilled-in-basketball ace. The thing is... he was nothing but a normal guy with so-so looks, and so-so skill in basketball. Between him and Rukawa, Sendoh's going to be much better off with the rookie. Besides, Rukawa's filthy rich, while he's just... not-too-rich-not- too-poor, just like everyone else, rich.

Sigh Stupid him! He had to think of all those depressing thoughts, and now his mood is totally ruined. It struck him how much he had no chance of winning against a dreamboat like Rukawa. It makes him look like nothing but one of those miserable ambitious freaks Sendoh had been dating... only, he had never even dated Sendoh before!

That brought about a scowl in his so-so handsome face. Doesn't he have any characteristic worth noting here? Sure, he had been friends with Sendoh, and he had known of the guy longer than Rukawa had, but...

Suddenly, he froze...

It struck him how wrong he had been dealing with the problem here. For all these time, he'd thought the problem was Rukawa. But, come to think of it... it was his own damn fault why he was suffering right now...

The thing is... for all those time he's been with Sendoh; for all those time he's had his feelings for his best friend, why hadn't he told him about it, at least once? That was mainly the problem... only he was too stupid to realize it.

And now, he may just be too late... He suddenly realized the urgency of his situation. Sendoh would have only until Saturday, before he becomes more or less serious in a relationship. That would mean, he had until that time to find the guts to confess how he really feels...

He doesn't even feel like doing it to steal Sendoh away anymore. He had resigned to the fact that he had wasted all his chances by not confessing sooner. He had all the time in the world before... why did he just let the chance slip by?

And now, he had given his best friend to Rukawa in a silver platter...the most he can do now is to tell his best friend the truth--- the truth which he had eluded like a plague...

He sighed, a bitter smile forming in his lips.

Ironically, he found the necessity to confess when it was all too late... The rational part of him was reasoning out that he was only doing such to relieve himself of the burden, and that Sendoh has the right to know... But, for an unknown reason, one hopeful part of his mind and heart was hoping that something good will come up, and that there'll be a happy ending behind everything...

But that is just a dream... a hopeful dream...

It meant totally nothing...

Silently, he wept yet again, as the rain continued to fall down on him, and the raging emotions inside of him continued to shake him in turmoil...

And only the rain and the lovely flowers held witness to the day he grieved for his heart...

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Owari Part 1

Waaaaa! Poor Koshino-kun!

Hehe. So? What do you think? Please review. This is for Ms. Ayase Shinri, Karin-chan and any more of you kind readers who find time reading this for me. Arigato!

The next part's a song fic. I'm halfway through. Hopefully, I can finish it soon.

Please review!