It was few minutes before classes starts in a Monday morning. The hallway of Notre Dame Private School was filled with boys in navy blue American suit with tie and girls in skimpy checkered skirt and long-sleeved upper clothing.
Cher Bledel, a senior student in long wavy blonde hair slumped her model body on a gorgeous senior Basketball hunk, Steve Calvin. Cher's silky hair twirled on her shoulders and her cherry-color-shaded lips curved in a flirting style.
Steve gave her a deep and torrid kiss in front of their other friends in the hallway.
"Sakuragi haven't been to school for a week now."
A voice spoke from their behind that stopped the french-kissing of the two popular persons in campus. Cher and Steve glanced behind them and met the furious green eyes of Billy.
Billy was Sakuragi's classmate and he was the hiphop blonde guy who complimented Sakuragi's new Porsche car during his party last week.
"So...?" Cher said in a get-away-intruder tone. She lifted a brow.
"Aren't you concern enough for your boyfriend? Or you have found someone else too fast."
Billy eyed Steve who was looking at him like a preparing lion to attack its enemy. But Billy had gathered enough courage even before he confronted them.
"He's not my boyfriend." Cher corrected, irritatedly.
"Hey you!" Steve pointed at him. "Hey shut-up jerk! How dare you to come here and tell us what to do?"
"Because you don't have enough brain to figure it out."
Billy replied with a bit shaking hands. Steve was about to jab the face of the hiphop guy when suddenly a robust hand gripped his arm, almost crashing it.
"Sa-sakuragi?"
Steve saw the burning chocolate brown irate eyes of Hanamichi Sakuragi. Last week, during Sakuragi's brithday, he learned about the bitchy side of Cher. He knew the girl was only playing with his feelings and it hurt him so much. Sakuragi didn't come to school for a week and now that he's back, everyone was shocked to see his semi-bald head in a newly-dyed red hair.
Sakuragi didn't wait long to push Steve against the thin metal of the locker's facade. He gripped the boy's collar and pulled him closer. Steve didn't chicken out to still look aggressive even with the darkening look of Sakuragi.
They were both six-feet tall and other students circled them for the show.
"Asshole..." Steve murmured confidently and very ready to have a brawl with Sakuragi.
The Freshman guy had always been so gentle to everyone. He had several friends although most of them only run for his pocket, like Cher. But now things had changed. Hanamichi Sakuragi was no longer the friendly and funny guy in campus, he is in rage, as red as his hair.
"Say that again!" Sakuragi demanded.
Cher, sensing the dangerous state of her real boyfriend, spoke. "Fuck you, Sakuragi! Get off him."
Sakuragi had loved that sweet voice but for a week of depression, he had forgotten loving it. All that matters now was the heat to realease from his soul.
The redhead suddenly kicked Steve with his right knee. The Basketball jock crunched forward because of the pain. When he had revived, he suddenly plunged his fist towards the tan face of Sakuragi but it was hindered.
Sakuragi gripped his fist tightly like an iron man and threw it away forcefully. "Don't you dare."
"Anybody please help!" Cher was screaming frantically, trying to save Steve but the crowd was too busy for the show. It was like watching a James Bond film.
Sakuragi pushed Steve on the cold marble floor and stepped his foot on the toned muscle of the Basketball jock. "What do you call me?"
Steve stared at him, unretreatingly. "Asshole."
Suddenly, the female principal appeared. "What is this?" Her eyes were as wide as saucers and her thin brows were uplifted. "Who started this?"
The principal, Ms. Mayer looked at the worried face of Cher. The girl pointed at the panting Sakuragi.
"Him."
Sakuragi gazed at her. He always thought she cares for him, that he'll find on her the love he had been deprived of since the farthest day he could remember.
"First, it's smoking, next, having sex in the classroom and now..." Ms. Mayer's long rigid face with wrinkles, registered on Carla's head. Carla was the private headmaid of Hanamichi Sakuragi, she's twenty-seven years old and she was called by the principal to come to school.
"I'm sorry ma'am." Carla spoke politely. Since Sakuragi was a kid, he had been engaged in a lot of fights and she was the one who often comes to talk to the principal, guidance counselor or teacher.
"Sorry? Is that what you told me last month and two months ago?"
"What do you want me to say?"
The principal rolled her eyes, impatiently. "This is a private institution Ms. Henson. We are responsible in bringing up good future leaders and we can't just let this thing pass. Mr. Sakuragi needs guidance, and not only from us or from you. But from his parents."
"But..." Carla's forehead wrinkled. This is the third time she told the principal that Hanamichi Sakuragi himself haven't even seen his parents. Someone was only financing his needs.
"I know Ms. Henson." The principal didn't let loose of her formality. She tried harder to speak calmly. "Maybe that person, whoever he is, should see us soon since he has the right to know what this kid is doing with his money."
"I'm certain he wouldn't."
"Why not?"
Carla's vocabulary suddenly shrunk. She couldn't find the words to explain it. Every month she receives money on her account and so did Sakuragi but none of them had ever met the person sending them cash. The principal would surely take it as an aliby. Who the hell would do a very huge thing for someone without wanting to be recognized?
Hearing no words from Carla, the principal pursued. "I'm warning you, Ms. Henson. If this very kind person doesn't appear in my office in a week, Sakuragi will be kicked out from this school."
That night, Carla gathered all the papers she has about Sakuragi. She examined the original Birth Certificate, which she uses in enrolling the boy to school and other significance of it.
Oh no. His parents are Japanese. She never gives a thought of it before. She had been keeping that document for a long time and she's perfectly aware of the Japanese ancestry of Sakuragi. But now is the time to pay heed on it.
Carla continued flipping the other papers until she stopped from shock. It's an adoption paper signed in Japan fourteen years ago. On the lower part of the paper she saw the signature of a lawyer and.... Rukawa Kaede?
The name Rukawa Kaede wasn't an alien to her at all. With the Basketball star's popularity around the world, an ordinary woman like Carla would surely know him.
"He was adopted by Rukawa Kaede?" She mumbled.
It existed on her mind that two people might have the name Rukawa Kaede, but as she scanned the paper, she saw the address Kanagawa region and the age of the one who adopted Sakuragi.
Carla knows a lot about the famous Basketball star. He's from Kanagawa, Japan. If she would match the age of Rukawa Kaede during the date when the adoption paper was signed, it's positive.
to-be-continued
miracle*me--gil von blaud--chi--Mag Magenta--sereneione--kawai clo--chris37--Nivell
*Sakuragi's son's birthday is same as Rukawa's.