For the whole time he couldn't stop thinking of her. Images of her face soaked with teardrops flashed over and over again in his head. Hanagata bit his lower lip. Nanaki has always been a cheerful girl. Now what could have happened to her?
"Tooru!" Fujima quickly passed the ball to him but he was out of his guard. The calling immediately snapped him back to reality but it was too late when he stretched his arms out. The leather-skinned ball slid beneath his muscular arms and bounced into the wooden floor out to the walls. To be honest Fujima was disappointed with his behavior but he knew that the girl, who wept and ran, leaving Hanagata with tons of unasked questions, must've caused it. "Tooru..."
"Suman!" He bowed in apology. Oh boy. His mind was really messed up right now. He couldn't even catch Fujima's pass. That was horrible. He really needs to focus!
Fujima shrugged. "I understand... well it's alright, Tooru... Besides the bell's going to ring in any minutes." The brunette tried to cheer him up with a smile and pats on the taller lad's back.
'Thanks...' The words didn't manage to escape his lips but deep down inside he was really thankful for his sympathy. Fujima didn't need to hear the word. He could tell from the way his best friend smiled.
Oh it was dreadful. What she meant was just to spend time alone but it seems that she had caused a disaster towards the whole team. Worse, there was both Hanagata and Fujima. She sighed all the way through the corridors. Nanaki couldn't even think straight and now she was bumping onto a few kids who walked past by.
'...I'm screwing up,' she thought to herself. Just as she was about to enter her class she then turned around and continued walking. Yeah, she couldn't possibly get engaged in a Biology class for now. What she needed now is a time alone that she couldn't get during lunchtime.
Nanaki made her way upstairs to the highest level of Shoyo's building. In front of her lied a vacant gloomy corridor. This place used to be the old library but now that they moved it was deserted. She had never been here before. However she knew that by walking through this hallway leads her to the rooftop. The door that separates the hallway and the school terrace was terribly rusty and old. The steel was beginning to wash away and she hated the smell of it. Carefully, trying not to make any noise that could get her caught, she twisted the doorknob and pushed it slowly. Hey it wasn't locked, such a coincidence! Soon after she took one step forward the breezy wind began to hurl brown strands of her hair. It was such a relief that nobody was here. Yes, Nanaki had decided that she will stay here until the end of the day.
What seemed to last forever have ended. The bell finally rang. Nanaki grabbed her briefcase and quickly rushed downstairs to the base floor and made her way out. She didn't want to bump into any of her previous teachers or friends. All that she could think of was to quickly go home and have a nice sleep.
However on the way home she saw what she had least expected. No, not him. She doesn't want to see him right now. Hanagata leaned on the concrete walls on the side of the streets. "Hi, Nanaki-san..." He raised a hand and greeted properly. Nanaki didn't move. She didn't have the effort to greet him back nor walk away. She stood still in silence. Battles rose in her mind. What should she do now? She didn't know. For a while she froze before him. Perplexed by the sight Hanagata felt that it's time for him to say something. He raised a brow and walked forward a bit.
'Run!' Nanaki screamed in her head. She then bent her knees down a bit and quickly made a run, trying to escape the scene. Unluckily, Hanagata caught her by the arms and pulled her back. She almost fell but the tall Shoyo forward helped her to get her balance back.
"Nanaki-san?!" He was puzzled by her awkward actions. Why did she do that? Hanagata only stared at her. She didn't dare to return back his eye contact. All the time she looked at the ground as tears were starting to well in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
That's it. Only took that question to make her burst out her tears. She couldn't help it. All of these times she tried not to think about it anymore but then this person who she considered one of her only friends had brought back the atmosphere. Nanaki wept aloud.
What's left to do? Hanagata instantly pulled her to his chest and let her cry for a while. He can't find any words that would comfort her, and he didn't know a damn thing that would help ease a damsel in distress.
"... Can I trust you?" She finally said softly between her tears.
Again, Hanagata raised a brow. "Why not?" He shrugged.
They both finally settled down on a café downtown. In front of Hanagata was a glass of iced lemon tea. Nanaki had an untouched strawberry ice cream. They both sat in silence. Hanagata waited patiently for his junior to start the conversation. She looked at him, eyes still full of tears and her cheeks still wet. From the side of the table the spectacled guy took a couple of tissues and handed it to her. "Thanks," she murmured. He smiled.
Nanaki knew that Hanagata was waiting. Therefore she pushed herself to speak to him. Words seemed to stumble through her throat but bit-by-bit they managed to escape her pouted lips. "I..." she began with a stutter. "I have... a choice..." She paused for a moment to wipe off her tears and took a deep breath. "...In order to continue this life..."
Thoughts rammed up in Hanagata's mind. "What do you mean?" He crossed both his arms and placed it on the table as he leaned forward a little.
"I... I have these... complications with my heart..." Her words were barely audible due to the trembling of her lips. Tears kept running down her cheeks no matter how hard she tried to bite it back. "...And I have to go through a surgery..."
A heart disease and she has to go through a surgery. The sentence echoed in his mind. Hanagata lifted a hand to push up his glasses to the top of his nose. He swallowed the saliva that had massed in his mouth and sighed. That sounds hard. That sounds way too hard for a 16-year-old girl like her. "...And?" He tried to fish out the words out of Nanaki's mind.
"...And the chance of making through it is roughly only about 60%..." Nanaki announced in a sore, dismal tone, almost a whisper.
Both fell silent. The tall athlete's mind grew crowded, filled up with thoughts and questions. He scrunched up his brows and lowered his head a little. Somehow deep inside he began to feel the pain that Nanaki has abided. What should he say? What should he do? What would be the best for her? After a moment of deep thinking he then simply said one thing. "You must do it."
Out of what was expected Nanaki cried harder. She buried her own face that was soaked with tears into his sleeve-covered arms. Sitting silently as he watched her crying her heart out wont help neither of them. Hanagata felt his heart melt with uneasiness and sympathy over her. Carefully he reached out his hands and grabbed one of Nanaki's. It felt cold and her fingers seemed so fragile. By this little physical contact Hanagata could feel every single inch of her anguish that were stuffed down in the bottom of her heart all these times. 'Don't cry...' he whispered a few times in his mind. 'Please don't cry...'
"...What's worth... it, Hanagata... san?"
Both pair of his eyes widened. He listened carefully for more. Nanaki had lifted her head from her arms, her emerald eyes piercing deeply into his. Hand still in hands, Hanagata held hers tighter.
"Mom... and Dad... they've worked hard... so hard... for us... We are not ...rich. Surely, this operation will... take a large amount of money... And it is not guaranteed... to be successful," Nanaki halted to breathe properly. "...Even if I make it... What... will happen next...? Will anything... ever change...? Will my friends grow out... of their hatred towards me...?"
"Hatred? They don't hate you, Nanaki-san..." Still confused, Hanagata tried to soothe things out.
"You don't know!" Her voice grew stern. She then lowered her eyelids and sighed. "They... hated me... You just don't know..."
Yes, he doesn't know. But why would they do so? What has she done?
"...Even if I make it... It wouldn't change a thing, right? ...Besides nobody will be there to support me... Even right now I am scared..."
Hanagata smiled. "Your family will always be there for you, that's for sure... Don't say nobody will... Don't you worry about anything. Of course it takes a whole amount of money. But no matter how much, your health and presence will be more valuable to them rather than billions of cash, that's for sure.."
Nanaki didn't give a reply. She nailed her eyes onto the glass of her strawberry milkshake. Yes, her family will always be there., but what about the rest of the others?
"...And did you forget about me already?" The Shoyo player laughed a bit.
She abruptly raised her head. Touched by his hearty laugh Nanaki couldn't help but to smile faintly. What a fool of her. He was there in front of her listening to her whine and cry and pour her heart out. How could she forget about him? "Hanagata-san..."
Hanagata continued to chuckle. "Well... in case you didn't know. Fujima and me will always back you up... We got your back!"
"...Fujima-kun too?"
He only nodded.
Her smile grew wider in relief. Surely, it was WAY much better than none.
Deep inside his heart Hanagata was both pleased and disappointed. Somehow it hurts to see her lighten up only when she heard Fujima's name. "Yes... Fujima and I..." He repeated once more.
a.n :: this is probably the messiest fic I've ever wrote!!!! I spent 3 days to finish this chapter. I was busy and all that, so I couldn't spend making a one-shot written chapter. U get what I mean? ;; even now I'm starting to talk strange... how am I going to survive here as I got 5 more fics I got to update!
Anyways, sorry for the lateness of the update. As mentioned above I did have 5 other fics that I have to work on. Surely, my main focus currently is my fic called Color Me Red (do read that one too!! ). Other than that I got final exams lining up... Yes, I don't study much but I got to spend some time doing some reviews...
I really really wanna finish this fic!! . I like the story comin' up in d next chapters.. so do check out for updates.. and don't forget to RnR alwaezz . God bless y'all... =D
"Tooru!" Fujima quickly passed the ball to him but he was out of his guard. The calling immediately snapped him back to reality but it was too late when he stretched his arms out. The leather-skinned ball slid beneath his muscular arms and bounced into the wooden floor out to the walls. To be honest Fujima was disappointed with his behavior but he knew that the girl, who wept and ran, leaving Hanagata with tons of unasked questions, must've caused it. "Tooru..."
"Suman!" He bowed in apology. Oh boy. His mind was really messed up right now. He couldn't even catch Fujima's pass. That was horrible. He really needs to focus!
Fujima shrugged. "I understand... well it's alright, Tooru... Besides the bell's going to ring in any minutes." The brunette tried to cheer him up with a smile and pats on the taller lad's back.
'Thanks...' The words didn't manage to escape his lips but deep down inside he was really thankful for his sympathy. Fujima didn't need to hear the word. He could tell from the way his best friend smiled.
Oh it was dreadful. What she meant was just to spend time alone but it seems that she had caused a disaster towards the whole team. Worse, there was both Hanagata and Fujima. She sighed all the way through the corridors. Nanaki couldn't even think straight and now she was bumping onto a few kids who walked past by.
'...I'm screwing up,' she thought to herself. Just as she was about to enter her class she then turned around and continued walking. Yeah, she couldn't possibly get engaged in a Biology class for now. What she needed now is a time alone that she couldn't get during lunchtime.
Nanaki made her way upstairs to the highest level of Shoyo's building. In front of her lied a vacant gloomy corridor. This place used to be the old library but now that they moved it was deserted. She had never been here before. However she knew that by walking through this hallway leads her to the rooftop. The door that separates the hallway and the school terrace was terribly rusty and old. The steel was beginning to wash away and she hated the smell of it. Carefully, trying not to make any noise that could get her caught, she twisted the doorknob and pushed it slowly. Hey it wasn't locked, such a coincidence! Soon after she took one step forward the breezy wind began to hurl brown strands of her hair. It was such a relief that nobody was here. Yes, Nanaki had decided that she will stay here until the end of the day.
What seemed to last forever have ended. The bell finally rang. Nanaki grabbed her briefcase and quickly rushed downstairs to the base floor and made her way out. She didn't want to bump into any of her previous teachers or friends. All that she could think of was to quickly go home and have a nice sleep.
However on the way home she saw what she had least expected. No, not him. She doesn't want to see him right now. Hanagata leaned on the concrete walls on the side of the streets. "Hi, Nanaki-san..." He raised a hand and greeted properly. Nanaki didn't move. She didn't have the effort to greet him back nor walk away. She stood still in silence. Battles rose in her mind. What should she do now? She didn't know. For a while she froze before him. Perplexed by the sight Hanagata felt that it's time for him to say something. He raised a brow and walked forward a bit.
'Run!' Nanaki screamed in her head. She then bent her knees down a bit and quickly made a run, trying to escape the scene. Unluckily, Hanagata caught her by the arms and pulled her back. She almost fell but the tall Shoyo forward helped her to get her balance back.
"Nanaki-san?!" He was puzzled by her awkward actions. Why did she do that? Hanagata only stared at her. She didn't dare to return back his eye contact. All the time she looked at the ground as tears were starting to well in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
That's it. Only took that question to make her burst out her tears. She couldn't help it. All of these times she tried not to think about it anymore but then this person who she considered one of her only friends had brought back the atmosphere. Nanaki wept aloud.
What's left to do? Hanagata instantly pulled her to his chest and let her cry for a while. He can't find any words that would comfort her, and he didn't know a damn thing that would help ease a damsel in distress.
"... Can I trust you?" She finally said softly between her tears.
Again, Hanagata raised a brow. "Why not?" He shrugged.
They both finally settled down on a café downtown. In front of Hanagata was a glass of iced lemon tea. Nanaki had an untouched strawberry ice cream. They both sat in silence. Hanagata waited patiently for his junior to start the conversation. She looked at him, eyes still full of tears and her cheeks still wet. From the side of the table the spectacled guy took a couple of tissues and handed it to her. "Thanks," she murmured. He smiled.
Nanaki knew that Hanagata was waiting. Therefore she pushed herself to speak to him. Words seemed to stumble through her throat but bit-by-bit they managed to escape her pouted lips. "I..." she began with a stutter. "I have... a choice..." She paused for a moment to wipe off her tears and took a deep breath. "...In order to continue this life..."
Thoughts rammed up in Hanagata's mind. "What do you mean?" He crossed both his arms and placed it on the table as he leaned forward a little.
"I... I have these... complications with my heart..." Her words were barely audible due to the trembling of her lips. Tears kept running down her cheeks no matter how hard she tried to bite it back. "...And I have to go through a surgery..."
A heart disease and she has to go through a surgery. The sentence echoed in his mind. Hanagata lifted a hand to push up his glasses to the top of his nose. He swallowed the saliva that had massed in his mouth and sighed. That sounds hard. That sounds way too hard for a 16-year-old girl like her. "...And?" He tried to fish out the words out of Nanaki's mind.
"...And the chance of making through it is roughly only about 60%..." Nanaki announced in a sore, dismal tone, almost a whisper.
Both fell silent. The tall athlete's mind grew crowded, filled up with thoughts and questions. He scrunched up his brows and lowered his head a little. Somehow deep inside he began to feel the pain that Nanaki has abided. What should he say? What should he do? What would be the best for her? After a moment of deep thinking he then simply said one thing. "You must do it."
Out of what was expected Nanaki cried harder. She buried her own face that was soaked with tears into his sleeve-covered arms. Sitting silently as he watched her crying her heart out wont help neither of them. Hanagata felt his heart melt with uneasiness and sympathy over her. Carefully he reached out his hands and grabbed one of Nanaki's. It felt cold and her fingers seemed so fragile. By this little physical contact Hanagata could feel every single inch of her anguish that were stuffed down in the bottom of her heart all these times. 'Don't cry...' he whispered a few times in his mind. 'Please don't cry...'
"...What's worth... it, Hanagata... san?"
Both pair of his eyes widened. He listened carefully for more. Nanaki had lifted her head from her arms, her emerald eyes piercing deeply into his. Hand still in hands, Hanagata held hers tighter.
"Mom... and Dad... they've worked hard... so hard... for us... We are not ...rich. Surely, this operation will... take a large amount of money... And it is not guaranteed... to be successful," Nanaki halted to breathe properly. "...Even if I make it... What... will happen next...? Will anything... ever change...? Will my friends grow out... of their hatred towards me...?"
"Hatred? They don't hate you, Nanaki-san..." Still confused, Hanagata tried to soothe things out.
"You don't know!" Her voice grew stern. She then lowered her eyelids and sighed. "They... hated me... You just don't know..."
Yes, he doesn't know. But why would they do so? What has she done?
"...Even if I make it... It wouldn't change a thing, right? ...Besides nobody will be there to support me... Even right now I am scared..."
Hanagata smiled. "Your family will always be there for you, that's for sure... Don't say nobody will... Don't you worry about anything. Of course it takes a whole amount of money. But no matter how much, your health and presence will be more valuable to them rather than billions of cash, that's for sure.."
Nanaki didn't give a reply. She nailed her eyes onto the glass of her strawberry milkshake. Yes, her family will always be there., but what about the rest of the others?
"...And did you forget about me already?" The Shoyo player laughed a bit.
She abruptly raised her head. Touched by his hearty laugh Nanaki couldn't help but to smile faintly. What a fool of her. He was there in front of her listening to her whine and cry and pour her heart out. How could she forget about him? "Hanagata-san..."
Hanagata continued to chuckle. "Well... in case you didn't know. Fujima and me will always back you up... We got your back!"
"...Fujima-kun too?"
He only nodded.
Her smile grew wider in relief. Surely, it was WAY much better than none.
Deep inside his heart Hanagata was both pleased and disappointed. Somehow it hurts to see her lighten up only when she heard Fujima's name. "Yes... Fujima and I..." He repeated once more.
a.n :: this is probably the messiest fic I've ever wrote!!!! I spent 3 days to finish this chapter. I was busy and all that, so I couldn't spend making a one-shot written chapter. U get what I mean? ;; even now I'm starting to talk strange... how am I going to survive here as I got 5 more fics I got to update!
Anyways, sorry for the lateness of the update. As mentioned above I did have 5 other fics that I have to work on. Surely, my main focus currently is my fic called Color Me Red (do read that one too!! ). Other than that I got final exams lining up... Yes, I don't study much but I got to spend some time doing some reviews...
I really really wanna finish this fic!! . I like the story comin' up in d next chapters.. so do check out for updates.. and don't forget to RnR alwaezz . God bless y'all... =D