"Sou yo… You're right about that, honey… Something is… quite awkward here…" Miyagi agreed.

The couple then kept their eyes open, examining every fact available. Meanwhile Rukawa was having a hard time bringing all 4 cups upstairs without tray. He kept stumbling over the stairs and spilling a few to the floor and to his shirt. When he finally made the last step he paused and heaved for deep air of relief. "Phew…." He then enter the room and handed each one of them their drinks.

"Arigato, Rukawa…" Miyagi thanked him before tasting the cup filled with heavy scent of vanilla. "It's nice…"

Ayako placed hers on the floor and stood up. She quickly grabbed Rukawa's arm and pulled him outside. "Rukawa," she irrevocably said with a firm voice while her hands were pinning Rukawa's masculine shoulders onto the wall beside Rukawa's bedroom. "Who is that doctor?"

Rukawa paused a while to think for the answer. Surely he couldn't mention that she was Sakuragi's mother. Not only that he didn't want anybody to know about it for now, he will surely know that Ayako will demand for a long, punctilious explanation. He won't have the heart to gather all the words to make clear things. "She's my doctor. My uncle's close acquaintance…"

Seems like Ayako was not easily fooled. Her eyes, it glared at him sharper. "…Are you sure…?" This time her voice was softer, though.

"Yes, Sempai…" Rukawa cleared out his answer. Both then stood silently. Ayako's hands were no longer rested on Rukawa's shoulders. "Why?"

"If she is a doctor, then why didn't she brought her medical things such as stethoscopes or any medicines, anything. She doesn't look like she's equipped." She was right. After all this is an express disguise. There's no such time to prepare camouflage utensils for her. Ayako's mind are sharp.

"…She doesn't need them. She's the kind of doctor who doesn't use stethoscopes, I must say…" After he mentioned the sentence, Rukawa begin to ask to himself in his head. Does his answer sounds awkward? Could Ayako be fooled? Or has he made a fool out of himself? His heart begins to beat faster in uneasiness.

Ayako veered her neck and studied Mifuyu for the final time and then back at Rukawa's eyes. Rukawa dared not to blink. She then closed her eyes and shrugged. "Maa… Gomen nasai, Rukawa… I'm too suspicious about everything." Ayako laughed to herself as she patted Rukawa's shoulder.

"Daijoubu yo, Sempai…" He sighed in reprieve as his muscle loosens. "It's alright to be keen about things," he lied.

"Heheheh… Okay… Now I'm easy about things, I'll just take a taste on your vanilla!" She rushed into the room and instantly sit on Miyagi's side as she grabbed her mug. Deep inside Rukawa knew that Ayako's worries hadn't cease down. She must still be thinking about it for now, perhaps.

"Ano, Rukawa-kun…" Mifuyu weakly said as she approached him. She signaled him to go outside, so that their conversation won't be heard by anyone especially Ayako. Rukawa obeyed her and walked outside. "…The disease… it seems not to be quite harmful right now… Demo, I think it's growing fast." Rukawa almost choke when he heard the statement. Questions began to ran across his head. He wanted to spit it out, yet he was eager to heard for other explanations. "I'm no doctor but I have been learning things about cancer."

"So what will I do now? What should I do with him?"

Mifuyu looked up and heaved a breath. She then veered her head and glanced aside her right. "I don't know, Rukawa-kun… Demo, I want him to stay with you so that you and I can monitor on him. He's living alone right now, and nobody will know what'll happen with him. Nobody knows… Therfore, Rukawa- kun… If you can… please please… beg him to go to a doctor to really check on things. If not things won't be so much complicated later on! Onegai, Rukawa-kun…?" She begged him with so much worries and sorrow on her face. How could any man could ever resist? Besides Rukawa was also concerned about Sakuragi as much as she do even though nobody knows.

"Wakatta… I'll do my best… I don't know if I could make it, though…" Rukawa lowered his eyelids and then bit his lower lip.

"Arigato… I must leave, now…" Before she walked down and head to her posh vehicle that's waiting for her outside Rukawa's yard, she walked back into the room and smiled at Sakuragi who's sitting on the bed. "Hanamichi… I want you to not to move too much for just this day. I want you to take a rest. Stay in Rukawa-kun's house, I prefer, so that he could easily contact me whenever anything occurred." In full confidence she said aloud. Meanwhile Ayako was quite bothered with something. She was thinking hard on her head. Unlike Miyagi who's busy finishing his served beverage. 'She called him Hanamichi…? Doushite? She even calls Rukawa who's closer to her 'Rukawa-kun'…'

"Got that, Doctor-san!!!" He waved goodbye at her. Mifuyu chuckled to see his lively spirit and his endearing actions. She then waved back and leave.

***

It was 5 o' clock in the afternoon and the two, Rukawa and Sakuragi, were alone in the house. Miyagi and Ayako had left previously while the sun was still high up in the sky. Rukawa was watching the television downstairs meanwhile Sakuragi was still sleeping. He had been sleeping for a long time, though. It's already his time to wake up.

It's boring. There's nothing good on television. All they got are just soap operas, newscasts and crappy love dramas. Rukawa's not into those kinds of thing for he himself is not too passionate about love itself. But when it comes to loving someone he loves, he sure will be more than 'passionate' too. Since there's nothing that can soothe his boredom, he walked upstairs and decided to take a shower. As he walked into the room, he found Sakuragi still sleeping on the bed peacefully. He wouldn't want to bother and wake him up for now. He'll just let him do whatever he want for now. Rukawa opened the closet and pulled out a pair of clothes and then entered the bathroom.

Sakuragi heard noise around the room so he opened his eyes. The sound of Rukawa slamming door really wakes him up into reality. "Kusso… Ano Kitsune… He didn't have to shut the door so hard…" He kept muttering as he threw his feet onto the floor. Sakuragi looked around, there was nothing to do. So he opened the balcony door and sat down on a chair that was placed outside. The view was splendid, he could see the houses along Kanagawa. He could even see Shohoku and Kainan in sight.

The sun was setting. Sakuragi nailed his eyes onto the pinkish round circle of light and watched it until it disappears into the horizon line. He had to admit that the sky was beautiful during sunset. It's such a lovely sight. He had admired it since he was just a child. Whenever the Shohoku sophomore was bored, he'd walk outside and just spent hours staring up the sky. For some people it was awkward and idiotic to do such things. For Sakuragi it isn't. It feels soothing and peaceful. With that he could just throw his thoughts onto the side. Sometimes he would fell fast asleep.

Now the sun has disappeared completely and the moon roused from the other corner of the earth. As the sky turned into deeper shade of violet, the moon rised higher in the the blue. "Oi." Sakuragi turned his back and found Rukawa still drying his hair with his towel. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing much… Watching the skies, maybe…" Sakuragi said calmly and his eyes then turned back to watch the stars. Rukawa walked closer to him and then took the seat beside him.

"Go take shower," he simply instructed.

Sakuragi shook his head without looking at him. "I like to take warm baths in the middle of the night. It's autumn right now, so what." The Shohoku ace shrugged and then slumped back in his chair. "Oi Kitsune… You like the moon?"

"…What? The moon…?" He then grunted as he raised his chin to look up to the moon that Sakuragi had been watching for a while. "I don't know… I never think about such things…"

"Really? Well you should… It's true when people said that the world and the universe is an art…"

Rukawa doesn't sound interested in this nature thought. He was quite surprised to see Sakuragi so into this nature thingy, though. Who could of thought? As his friends say he is just a king of simplicity. "I don't quite care. It's just a round thing up in the sky at night."

Sakuragi giggled. "You never care about anything except basketball, right?"

"…that's not true… I care, but I just don't talk a lot about it…"

"Sou ka…? I see… You don't talk much about anything. That's why nobody can tell what's going on in your head."

"Maybe… Well I don't really want anybody to really interfere with my thoughts anyway. I want to solve things out by myself." Rukawa placed his towel down on his laps and rested the back on his head onto the wooden chair.

Sakuragi turned his head and looked at him. His face is such peace when the moonlight is tinted upon it. "You shouldn't… Sometimes it's better to ask things out to make things better."

"Yeah right and who will I be asking anyway?" He snorted as he placed bent his arms to swipe his wet bangs back.

"Anybody. You can ask Ayako-san… Gori… Ryochin… Micchy… Well even though they're not in school anymore they often visit, don't they? Ask anybody… Haruko… Yasu…… me…"

"You?" Rukawa sneered at him. "I thought you'll never listen… I thought you hated me…"

The redhead only shook his head and smiled. "Nah… I was immature back then… I don't do much at the first year. I was just jealous of you because Haruko likes you. That's all… After all I'm over Haruko right now. It seems like the chances to be with her are thin. I don't know…"

"……" Rukawa kept silent. He placed the things that Sakuragi had said about him deep in his mind and kept it safely. "… I never really detest you too… It's just I was confused at first why you were so… you know… And I was heated up by the things you did so I just fight it back."

Sakuragi laughed aloud. He re-thinked back on the times when he was just learning basketball. How he envied Rukawa so much to be able to do such good moves. "You know… I learned fast because I was motivated by you…"

Rukawa looked up in astonishment. "How come?"

"I don't know… Whenever you do score or dunk or anything, Haruko went all crazy about you. I decided push myself harder to learn things fast. That's why I've been spending my time doing extra practices."

Rukawa nodded in understanding. "…I know that. Whenever I wanted to go to the court to do some shootings or so, I always found you there," Rukawa then chuckled.

"Uoooo!!! Kitsune! Kitsune is laughing!! I should record that and sell it for a thousand yen!!!"

"Do'aho…"

"Teme!!!!! Kitsune Otoko!"

"Do'aho!"

"Kitsune!"

"Do'aho!!"

And then they paused as they stared to each other. They then broke into laughters. "Ne, Rukawa… I never thought you were such a fun guy. I enjoyed it talking with you…" He slapped Rukawa's back softly for a few times.

"Hmmm…" Rukawa finally managed to cease his laughter down. "I'm bored…"

Sakuragi sighed. "Me too… Not really though. I still got a lot of things to examine things around such as… Does Rukawa Kaede has porn videos?!" He imitated the voice of entertainers in the television which helds trivia quizes.

"Kusso! Teme, Do'aho!!"

"Hahaha! That shows it!! You got some, don't you?!!?! A lot, maybe… Hahahaha!!!"

Rukawa tossed his head aside, trying to hide his blushing cheeks. "It's a normal guys' thing… besides I won't let you wander around my house!"

"Don't worry," Sakuragi grinned wickedly, "I don't need to… I already know the answer…" He then giggled like a witch.

"Chikussoo!!!"

"Hahahaha! So nice to see Rukawa blushing!!! Red Kitsune! Red Kitsune! Whoa… It's even redder than my hair!!"

Rukawa stood up abruptly on his chair and then stomped back into his room. From afar, Sakuragi could see that his face are puffing out steams. "Listen," he said as he turned his back and pointed out his index at Sakuragi who's still laughing hard, "You're not going to stay inside this house tomorrow. I won't let you… We're gonna go out… Somewhere… Somewhere!! I don't know!"

"Downtown? I wanna go check out on Star Wars' latest episode…"

Rukawa huffed as he tried to cease his embarassment down. "Fine… Fine… Downtown… Tomorrow… Downtown…"

"Hey, where are you going, Kitsune?!" He hollered aloud, trying to make up the distance.

"Watch TV…."

Sakuragi smirked. "Don't watch too much porns, alright?!"

That's it. Rukawa threw his wet towel at him and rowdily rushed downstairs, blushing.



a.n : ^__^;; ehehehe…