Desire and Destruction
Disclaimer: I don't own SD boys, Inoue does. The events that follow are not included in the original plot but enjoy anyway.
A/N: 3rd chapter, yipeee! I'm nearly done with all this. hahaha. You probably won't hear anything from me for awhile because...because of heavy school works(Que dalor! Night Strider va a loca; no comprenda los lenguas y lecciones en el universidad pero escriba istorias muy bien por Slam Dunk!). Next time would probably tell you that I'm somewhere between purgatory and dirt (Que lastima!). Hence, feel free to attend my funeral. Yao.
Chapter III: Mitsui and the Danger of Being Confused
Hisashi Mitsui's final year as a high school basketball player won't be that easy.
The ball bounces back on the floor. Wham! It says. Then it shoots out of the air in a straight line to bang against the 50 foot stadium roof. Its motion is followed by 2 pair of flippant eyes, hollow eyes with no expression as always. While another set of orbs is blaring with maddening heat; its owner is the very same who threw the ball a little earlier. Probably an effort to fling it to somebody. Somebody's angry with someone, again. It doesn't change; it's always the case when Mitsui and Rukawa are together in the court.
'Bastard. What kind of game do you want us to play here? Fuck you. Go find someone who would be willing to have you as a team mate. I don't care if you're giving enough for Shohoku; you're giving us hell just the same.' Mitsui snaps, never altering that fiery gaze and that famous frown. He moves a step closer to Rukawa as if to try to intimidate the other.
But then again, it's Rukawa; nothing really cringes him. Not that Mitsui is someone to be feared. Former gangster; Rukawa's sort of familiar with the other's awful history but...Who the hell cares for his past anyway?
'Why does a pass, just one little sign of generosity, seems so hard for you to perform? All you have to do is douse the fucking ball to me when you're in a mess and let the other team members take care of it. I mean, don't be a fucking ball-hogger, Rukawa; you're being worse than a donkey.' Mitsui continues with an intention to inculcate the other by swearing hoarsely. At any minute, he will be cracking his fist's joints and possibly, he will shove just one knuckle at Rukawa or so it seems ominously. The air screams for the other Shohoku boys to interfere.
Rukawa purses his lips. He never really says anything whenever this scene is relayed. As if Mitsui has gone far enough; all he can spit at Rukawa are banal curses that never penetrates deeper than the skin. Mitsui can call Rukawa a horrendous fucker, a bastard, an asshole, a jackass, an incredible sonuvabitch...just about every nasty name available in town. But that won't sway the freshman; he's the Ice King for crying out loud, what do bad words matter when he can hog the ball all he wants? Mitsui's just a bastard whose envy's probably rising on its boiling point; he can't hurt Rukawa more than a pinch does. Or make that 'nothing really hurts Kaede Rukawa at all.'
After Rukawa gives a steady coup d oeil, he wheels around and fronts his snob-back at the senior. Again, he won't retaliate in any way. That's how this verbal brawl ends up each time; when Rukawa just turns to go, he means it's over and he's going home. It will be Mitsui's turn to keep quiet and he too will pack up. Of course it's nothing that will last to the next day; tomorrow will be another quiet day until Rukawa doesn't follow Mitsui's orders and the latter goes hysterical again. How tiring.
That's why nobody meddles with them. They can fix it all by themselves like self operating machines; let them arrange their personal defects.
But something goes wrong. Mitsui grips Rukawa's shoulder and sinks his fingers on the freshman's skin. One can see the visibly the red marks it leaves on Rukawa's white epidermis. Rukawa spins around and flutters his brows. That must hurt a lot.
'I don't want you playing on your own again the next time I bump into you; else, you will be arsed pretty badly by this.' Mitsui utters in sotto voce and raises his fist to show the other his arsenal. Rukawa knows he needs self reinforcement and gives out an irrational grunt.
First time he reacts more than a single breath. And first time he lets out a smug reply,
'Go to hell.'
So Rukawa is fed up with Mitsui's nagging after all. Mitsui smiles diabolically, seconds turn the smile into a frightening laughter until finally making it subside.
'Go to hell my ass. Chew on this-'
Mitsui buries a punch on Rukawa's left cheek. Not too hard not too soft; moderate blow, more like. However, it is enough to make Rukawa flinch a little and twist his neck in an acute angle. Mitsui's blood vessels are pumped, unquestionably; and so are Rukawa's. He blinks his eyes tightly as if to shake off any pain; he stands rooted for a second and glares at the insanely out of character senior.
Finally...
Rukawa folds his right knee and directs it to Mitsui's abdomen which makes the senior recoil an inch. Mitsui speedily gathers himself up for a retaliation as Rukawa lifts his chin up for the imminent mayhem. He's not moving back at the offer. At that moment, Shohoku boys recover from the initial shock of Mitsui's actions and rush in to the 2. 3 pairs muscled arms hold Rukawa in check while a couple restrains the violent Mitsui who's cussing the heavens out of Japan.
'Stop that, bastards!' Akagi takes over. Both are rewarded with a bulk on the head. Episode's over.
Next day. Lunch time.
Hisashi Mitsui dines sulkily inside the cafeteria. Miyagi spots him and slouches on the chair across.
'Mitchy, what the fuck happened there last night? Why is Rukawa such an asshole to you? I mean, no, he's not the butthole; you are. What has he ever done to you?' Asks MIyagi, one of the few veteran witnesses of Mitsui's outbursts.
'I hate the bastard, that's all.' Mitsui answers nonchalantly and sips on his vanilla coffee.
'Wow. But WHO do you like anyway? I don't get you; when it comes to Rukawa you're always hot headed. I mean, he doesn't play the way we like him to but sometimes you're the one who's over reacting. You're always over reacting.' Miyagi frowns. He often used to tell Mitsui off regarding the latter's conduct towards Rukawa but seeing that the senior is an irreparable case, he stopped at it. Perhaps, there's nothing anyone can do about it.
'Ryochin, don't be fake. You and I don't like Rukawa, the only difference is that I'm more explicit in my emotion. While you, you try to be nice so he will respect you once you've been appointed captain; all for the sake of good relationship with your members. But I don't have that and I don't like it. What more can I say? He's not really adorable.' Mitsui recites in an irreproachable passiveness. He's so cool to look at, one may think he's having a hell of a good time.
'And now you're saying that I should act the same by trying to beat Rukawa up? To hell with that. You're being pointless and too personal.' Miyagi reprimands the older lad. 'Yesterday, I saw something crooked in you; you weren't the Mitsui I knew. You just latched on Rukawa and gave him a blow. Fuck, what was that supposed to be?' Miyagi says irritably.
'I don't know exactly.' Mitsui answers with a scowl. He slams down his glass on the table and a few spurts of liquid fly out of it, making a mess on the snack table. He's lost his cool by now.
'You're loony mad. Freaky. What IS wrong with you?'
'What's wrong! How about this...I keep thinking about him every fucking night and I can't fucking get myself to sleep because he's always there. Call me crazy all you want but right now I'm still thinking of him. I always think of him even in fucking dreams. Fuck. I don't know, ok? Why do I have to think like this? Goodness...' Mitsui trails off. Confusion is an understatement with regard to that expression. He looks as if he's going to wring his head for it.
'Mitchy, you don't mean what I think you do, right?' Miyagi utters slowly as if that will hide his surprise.
'What?' Mitsui asks, obviously pestered by something that isn't even Miyagi's fault. He IS being lunatic at this moment.
'Uhmmm when a person thinks so often of another, it just means that there is attraction-'
'Fuck you. I'll give it the middle finger if you don't stop at that.' Mitsui almost shouts snidely but Miyagi goes on,
'Look at Ayako and I; I think of her 24/7, 7 days a week, I've been like this for 2 years and I don't deny that I am terribly attracted. I probably even love her. In your case there is no difference, or perhaps just a wee bit. Mitsui, you DON'T think of people when you hate them so much. You want to forget them and it's easy to do so. But if you like the person, it would be the hardest thing to do. Literally, there is no escape.' Miyagi breathes deeply and shoots a dramatic eye on the senior. 'Are you gay?'
'Fuck that double times. I've been involved with a couple of girls in my life and you can't just say that I'm a fag. Perhaps Rukawa is, but me...screw that.' Mitsui protests; he can've smashed the table with that temper. He stands up in a flash and sits down again. Extreme confusion; that's what bugs him right now.
'When was the last time you were in love then?' Miyagi asks curiously, there is doubt in his tone and he can't help but to shed light to it.
'5 years ago the 2nd time, 10 years the first. Both were female.' Mitsui answers succinctly.
'Only 2? How numerically insignificant and besides, you were too young at a time.'
'So?'
'Well, it could be that you were unsure yet. People change in puberty; sometimes they just wake up and face the mirror and realize that they don't desire the opposite sex.' Miyagi says omnisciently; Mitsui is far from convinced, right now he is glaring murderously at Miyagi when...
Rukawa suddenly swings in to view. Mitsui's eyes trace his movements and hisses to Miyagi,
'This is what I've been waiting for; I'm gonna prove to you now what a retarded piece of a fuckhead Rukawa is. Look at the idiot; he dumps himself in the usual spot (canteen's right corner side), orders soup and noodles (there), takes out his hanky and wipes the table for germs (see that, Miyagi?), and blankly munches on his meal.' Mitsui narrates ceaselessly with a suppressed laughter. 'What a moron.'
Miyagi doesn't find this too amazing or fascinating; he reclines his back on the chair and peruses Mitsui with an undeniably shirty glance.
'What again?'
'You hang around here just to watch Rukawa?' Miyagi asks in a dismayed tone.
'Investigating him, more like. I want to collect evidence of his idiocy. My hobby.' Mitsui answers confidently, as if it was really that amazing.
Sigh. Stalking him, that's it. Miyagi thinks and exhales with difficulty. 'Sometimes, we try to hate people whom we are in love with so we wouldn't bother worrying ourselves sick with non stop thoughts of them.'
'I plainly detest him. Period.'
'Oh no, mate. No you don't.' Miyagi blips open a meaningful smile. This gives Mitsui a shivering current through his arteries. Darn.
'Fuck you-'
'Listen Mitchy, I promise to help you. I will make you not like Rukawa. This isn't the way. If you don't want to be queer and all, I'll help you; I'll straighten you up. I know this is hard but if I can do anything about it, all you have to do is call me. There's no harm in trying.'
'But-'
'No buts. Come on, let's start. But first you have to tell me everything. Deal?'
Mitsui says nothing. He's confused, alright.
'You can't lose to him. If you can't fight the feeling, then you're totally screwed. Don't be just another fag. Mitchy, trust me.'
Then Mitsui starts a melodramatic confession from the first time he had a crush to the time when Rukawa made a dashing entrance to his life. He's a mess, and total one for that matter. And yes, Miyagi's right; of course he has this thing for Rukawa.
TBC
A/N: Okay, the chapter sucks but please bear with this. Thanks for reading. Ciao!