-endymion-
-Disclaimer: Slam Dunk belongs to Takehiko Inoue, IT Planning, Toei Animation and all that crap. Put bluntly, they're not mine. Enjoy!-
"Kampai!"
The members of the Watanabe family and their regular guest, Rukawa Kaede sat around the dining table, with their glasses raised.
"Meri Kurismasu, kaasan," Reika kissed her mother's cheek, when they lowereed their glasses. Then she turned Koji, who was busy tinkering with his new camera. "Meri Kurismasu, little brat."
"Meri Kurismasu, Reika-chan," Watanabe-san grinned at her daughter. "And to you too, Rukawa-kun."
"Meri Kurismasu," he replied, his voice as flat and emotionless as ever. Reika laughed at the irony of it all.
"Let's eat!" Koji exclaimed, raising his silverwair and licking his lips.
Reika and Rukawa spent their Christmas Eve in their own way. He went to her house as he promised. They had eaten the dinner Mrs. Watanabe had cooked up for them. Mrs. Watanabe even got Rukawa to pose for a picture (though he just stood there with his usual blank expression). She wanted to challenge him to another one-on-one, but the cold of the snow prevented them from doing so.
She had decided to have fun for the time being. She even came to watch the Shohoku team's matches in the Winter IH Tournaments while going out with Rukawa in the process, making them grow closer than ever. It won't do her any good to mope anyway. They finally admitted to the others that, yes, they were dating. But they didn't tell anyone about what was and is going to happen to Reika. They didn't need nor want to know that, anyway. Reika said so herself.
The papers were sent in the night before. They'll be on their way to the US before the next term starts.
Reika heard the front door open and her mother speaking on her mobile phone. Reika went to find her, Rukawa following her not far behind.
Her mother had just hung up. She dropped the phone in her purse, picked up her portfolio and started to walk into the garage.
"Ka-san? Where are you going?" Reika asked her.
"I have an emergency meeting. I'm going to spend the night in a hotel so don't wait up. Any problems, call me," she got into her car, donning her seatbelt.
"But mom—!" Reika started.
"You be good!" she called from the window before driving away.
Reika sighed. "It's Christmas Eve," she finished weakly to no one in particular.
Rukawa took her hand and led her to the wooden swing on the front porch. They sat down on it together.
He shifted in his seat. She had given him his Christmas gift (a collection of their favorite songs), but he hadn't given hers yet. Reika looked up at him, wondering what was wrong.
"For you," he said in the same monotonous tone she had grown to love. He held out a long, thin velvet box to her. She took it and opened it.
She sucked in her breath. "Kaede…"
It was a silver charm bracelet. There were miniature charms of a bicycle a skateboard, a basketball, a maple leaf, a book, a snowflake, an angel and the Katakana character of ai. Love.
Each of the charm symbolised something. Reika didn't know Kaede remembered all these. They first met when his bicycle and her skateboard collided. Basketball is one of their common loves. The maple leaf must've symbolised that time in autumn when he lent her his jacket. The book was either for her love of novels, or all those study sessions together. The snowflake…of course it was for that time in the cottage. The angel and the character didn't need explanations. Reika smiled up at him as he put it on her wrist.
"It's beautiful, Kaede, thank you," she murmured. She loved saying his name, how it slides off her tongue with perfect ease Kaede loved to hear it too. It was as if his name seemed naturally beautiful when she said it.
Rukawa put one of the earphones in his ear and gave the other to Reika who did the same. There was a slow song playing. First Love by Utada Hikaru. The two of them listened to the soft strains of the songs in their familiar silence for a few minutes. Both of them hardly listened to sentimental stuff but, right now, the song just felt right. He draped an arm around her shoulders and she laid her head on his chest, inhaling the scent of his cologne.
Suddenly, he turned down the volume the Walkman. "Can't you stay?" he asked in a soft voice neither of them knew he possessed.
"You know I can't," she said wistfully, her eyes closed. "I have no one to stay with."
"You can stay with me," he said, not caring how ridiculous it sounded. All he wanted was for Reika to stay in Kanagawa. For Reika to stay with him.
Reika looked up at him, eyebrow raised. The same expression she had the first time he saw her. "As if anyone will approve of that! And I can't leave Koji alone with mom. She'll be too busy to take care of him." then she turned her gaze up to the stars. "Come with me…"
Rukawa shook his head. "My promise to Anzai-sensei."
"Best player in Japan right?" Reika sighed yet again. "Well do it fast, then come straight to America. I'll wait for your appearance in the NBA."
"OK."
She grinned coyly at him, half-joking. Rukawa gave a very rare, very prized sort-of small smile back. Seeing him smile like that made Reika's eyes brim with tears. Their gazes met and held, and she found her face being drawn nearer and nearer to his…
He had given her the best Christmas present ever, and it wasn't the bracelet.
Then he kissed her beneath the mistletoe…on Christmas Eve.
"Merry Christmas…"
Reika's Journal Thursday 1:26 pm (American Time) January16
Well, here I am in America. In Hollywood L.A. to be precise. We've been here for around a two weeks already and we're trying to get used to the new country. The new culture. Right now, I'm writing this as I sit in my hospital bed. Kaasan got her advance paycheck yesterday so I checked in today. Our new house isn't very big but its ok, I guess. Mom said my health was our first priority. Can't argue with that. I'll be confined here for a few weeks. They're going to run a few tests on me then I'll be having my surgery soon, and then I'll go through chemotherapy again. I shudder at the very thought.
It's kind of hard to adjust because they all speak English and I don't speak it that well. I can read English as well as the next person. That much I can. I just can't seem to make my Japanese-born tongue to cooperate with the language.
It's really weird too, because they all look so different from me.
You know, it had been the best and worst Christmas in my life. I can't really explain it, but…well, you know.
The photo in the back flap of my journal? Koji took it. Can you believe that? That bratty little squirt took photos of me and Rukawa sitting in the front porch! He is such an idiot!. He even caught our kiss on film! It's so embarrassing! But in the end he gave them to me, saying it really grosses him out. But I know it is his Christmas present for me. Well..he can be a brat, but I do love him.
Anyway, I sent Ayako, Haruko and Mi-chan a letter explaining to them what happened and telling them where I had gone. But I sent something radical to Rukawa for his birthday. I just hope he gets it in time. I saw him last at the train station before we went to the airport in Tokyo. And I really hope I meet him here soon. In fact, I have the feeling we will meet again. Someday…
Oh, the nurse is here. I'll write again later.
Reika
RUKAWA (playing in public court)
She just left the day before. Right after our winning Championship match. She watched the whole game on the bench, beside Ayako and Anzai-sensei. Her presence drove me to lead the team. She was so happy when we won (she was jumping up and down like a complete lunatic and she kept hugging everyone in sight), and I know she felt the opposite when I saw her off in the train station, even though she tried to hide it. She said they'd be going to the airport in Tokyo.
"…This is the train station."
"Yep"
"What are we doing here?"
"Well I…'hesitates'…I don't want you to see me leave. Really leave. Does that make sense to you?"
"…No."
'laughs' "I didn't think so. Didn't make sense to me either. But…its just how I feel. If you see me off the airport…it feels so final. I can't explain it. I don't have to, do I?"
"No. I understand."
'smiles' "I know you do."
silence
"Well. This is it."
"…"
'swallows hard then smiles sadly' "Goodbye then, Kaede."
'takes her hand' "I…"
'hugs him' "You don't have to say it. I know."
"…Goodbye then…Reika…"
I can't believe my luck. I finally meet someone who I'm satisfied with and then Poof! She's gone.
Can anyone get unluckier?
Well I guess the aho can, but that's beside the point. And he doesn't seem as unlucky as he was before because he's doing much better on the team now and he's actually going out with some girl. Ayako-sempai's assistant. And speaking of Ayako, she's going out with our captain.
What? Don't look at me like that. I do notice these stuff, you know. I may be one-worded, I may always be groggy with sleep but I'm not friggin blind. I just don't like to point out the obvious. I don't like to talk either. Good thing Reika never coerced me into talking.
……..
This is stupid. Its boring playing alone in the courts. Funny isn't it? Before, I really didn't mind playing by myself. I choose to play alone. In fact, I choose to do everything else alone. But she was such good company. She kept teasing me and blabbering about something or another, but I didn't mind that either. She'd blabber about things with sense anyway, not just stupid blabber. It kept the mood light and me…happy.
Again with the look. I am perfectly capable of being happy, OK? My facial muscles just can't seem to show it.
I hate her. I hate her because she's a good player. I hate her because she butted into my life without notice and left the same way. I hate her because she made me get used to having her around so now I miss her. I hate her because she was making me fall for her. I hate her because I did fall for her and now I love her. I would have been better off not knowing her.
……
What am I saying? That would be lying. I don't like lying.
I know I'll never ever forget her. And I know she knows that too.
And I will meet her again. I have to.
I promised her that didn't I?
(shoots three pointer)
Christmas break was over. Time to go back to school. Rukawa Kaede sat in his usual seat before his eyes wandered to the seat Reika had once occupied. He was kind of used to see it empty. After all, she did have quite a few absences. But this time, he knew it was different. She won't be back in a few days, all genki and snotty and annoying. At break time he went up to the rooftop and found it too quiet. He zoned out on all of his classes again but he didn't fall asleep. Not even once. It was a record for him.
The class was buzzing with the news. Reika had dropped out.
He got through the whole first day still getting used to the fact that Reika Watanabe wasn't there anymore to chatter a mile a minute, or challenge him to another game, and look at him with that beautiful, perpetual smile she had.
His classmates kept looking over at him while they whispered amongst themselves. Gossiping about him and Reika, no doubt. The Oendan Girls were ready to throw a party. Besides that, everything was back to normal. Too normal.
Finally, it was time for basketball training again. Mitsui-sempai had given him a knowing smile earlier. Ayako asked him if he was all right, and told him that Reika had written to her and Mitsui.
"I'm sorry she had to go," Ayako said before they started training. Ayako was one of the few girls he talked to, being his former schoolmate and all. He nodded and thanked her for her concern.
Other than that, his teammates had pretty much kept away from him, assuming he was in a rather sensitive mood, though they were not sure why. So he was surprised when one of them approached him, once they were alone in the locker room.
"Anou, Rukawa-kun, this was left for you a minute ago," he stammered, holding out a package sealed tight. His name and the school's address were printed outside with black marker but there was no indication about who sent it.
He took it and mumbled thanks. The nervous teammate left the room. Rukawa tore off the packing tape and looked inside. There was a display skateboard in it. It was smaller than the ones she uses.
A message was painted on its surface.
It was from Reika, and he knew it. He read it anyway, though he didn't need to.
"Kaede,
Doing good. Hope you're fine. Belated happy birthday. Wish you were here. Take care. Good luck!
with love from Reika"
Rukawa pulled it out of the package. As he did, something fluttered to the ground. He bent down to pick it up. It was a photo of him and Reika together on the their front porch, Christmas Eve. They were sharing the Walkman. He was looking in a very tender way he didn't know he was capable of. She was holding his hand, smiling sadly up at him.
…..
He'd have to hide this from his teammates, or else they'd tease him into oblivion until he cracks.
He could still feel her warmth. He held the Polaroid between his fingers and gazed at it intently. She was gone for barely a week but he missed her terribly.
Then he placed both items in his locker carefully and shut it with a slam.
He walked toward the gym, where the Ryonan team awaited for a practice game, as images of the simple times he and Reika shared flashed through his mind with each step he took. He remembered how she talked to him, how she shut up when she knew something was up, how she smiled and how she laughed. How she always raised an eyebrow when he wasn't listening to her tutoring and when he does something stupid. How she grinned when she found out that he passed his subjects. How she said out loud what was in his thoughts. How his name sounded so differently when she said it. How she cried…how she trembled as she sobbed in his arms…How her lips felt when they shared those kisses on Christmas Eve. How tightly she held onto him, as though she never wanted to let go of him before she boarded the train. How she looked when she tried to hold back those tears as she waved him goodbye from the train station. How he wanted her to stay. How satisfied he felt when she was around.
Nobody knew about what happened between them. Nobody knew what went on when they were together but it didn't matter.
Neither of them spoke out loud how they felt, because they didn't need to.
'The whole school might forget all about her,' he thought as they played in the game, Sendoh marking him with that cocky grin of his. 'But I won't.'
With that thought, he evaded Sendoh and slammed the ball into the ring.
-Owari-
Author's Babbles:
Sobs…it's finished finally!
I originally wanted to kill Reika but…I just didn't have the heart. ' And can you guys actually see Rukawa as the weepy, mourning type? Don't think so.
"Those kisses on Christmas Eve" … well…they kind of had a fierce makeout session that night, but I didn't put it in anymore. It'd spoil the drama..teehee..
Thank you so much to all those who read this. And of course to all those who reviewed! Much love to everyone!
Anyone want a happy ending for the two of 'em? I'm thinking of putting up an epilogue. A one-shot sequel of their reunification. What dyou think..?
REVIEW PLEASE!
Peace! Advanced Meri Kurismasu, minna! Take it easy now!