WARNING: This is a fictional story, obviously yaoi. If you don't like these kinds of stories please don't attempt to read this.
SUMMARY: Rukawa is in love with Mitsui but his ego kept denying it, until one fateful night that would make a bond they thought could never happen.
DISCLAIMER: Slam Dunk is not mine. Please don't sue me for making this story.
A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate it! Especially to Jwei Lih, Kaesaku-kun and Hagane-sama and Night Strider and of course those who made their past review, too! Thank you so much for reading my nonsense fic! Ohhhh…. I'm so happy that I want to cry! Here's chapter 5, something's wrong with here so please bear with me… Please REVIEW! I beg of you!
Chapter 5Days passed and everything went fine. The team still continued their rigid practice for their game against Ryonan. Rukawa, who was already back, regained his expected skills and reserved manner. And as usual having petty fights with Sakuragi again.
"Rukawa!" Sakuragi yelled angrily, "you're always messing things up for me!"
"Do'aho." Was all Rukawa replied to the self-proclaimed genius.
Sakuragi was already boiling with anger when Akagi hit him in the head.
"That's enough! Both of you!" Akagi roared while Sakuragi rubbed his aching red head.
"Everybody! Assemble!" Akagi shouted. Everyone went towards him panting and tired.
"I know that we did our best in the past games that we've had, and I know that we can do it again tomorrow in our game against Ryonan. This is our last chance for our team to qualify in the inter-high… mostly to us third years: Kogure, Mitsui and me. So everybody, let's do it!"
"Yeah!" Everyone replied in unison.
Soon after, Akagi dismissed them earlier than usual. Everyone was both excited and nervous for the game tomorrow so all of them wanted to get home and rest. Except for Rukawa.
He waited for everybody to leave the gym before he started practicing again.
"I need 500 more shots to do." Rukawa thought. He was already tired but he needs to condition his body for tomorrow's game. He also need recover the time and practice he had lost when he was sick so it was really necessary.
Thirty minutes and 200 shots later, Rukawa was already kneeling on the floor, panting heavily. His legs were already giving up on him, his whole body was aching badly and he couldn't stand up anymore. He slowly lied down on the floor unaware of what he was doing. He then gradually turned to his side trying to breathe more regularly. His eyes were already blurry, weary because of exhaustion. Soon enough, his wariness began to deceive him, slowly giving him into sleep.
Mitsui was already feeling tired but he still managed to go to the doctor for his regular check-up. Gladly, the doctor said that his knee was fine and that he can play for tomorrow's game. He went out the hospital feeling more confident for tomorrow's game.
He walked back to where he came which is basically from Shohoku since his house can be reached more quickly form that way. But it was still far, nonetheless. He already thought about finding a new doctor, probably more closely and much accessible to his house. Now, he regrets having decided too late.
As he passed by Shohoku, he could still see the gym lights on. He was thinking if he should check out who was there, probably Sakuragi finishing his shots but then decided not to disturb him in case it was really Sakuragi.
"Maybe it's the janitor." Mitsui thought. He then continued to walk, wishing that he could go him faster than his feet would bring him. He was already two blocks away from Shohoku and four more blocks away from his house when he suddenly stopped walking.
"Hm?" Mitsui was quite surprised with himself, too; thinking why he stopped. "I want to go home now." But his body won't move. His mind was begging him to resume walking and head towards his house but his body didn't move a single step.
"What now?" Mitsui asked loudly. He then looked back, eyeing the façade of Shohoku he could barely see. "There's nothing to see."
Nothing? Maybe there is something to see.
"I'm tired. I want to go home and rest." Mitsui said with force and continued walking.
Maybe someone needs you're help right now, Mitsui-sempai.
With that thought coming to his mind, he suddenly stopped, knowing completely what he was doing. "Rukawa's in there?"
Maybe. Why don't you go check it out?
"If it is him, he's just practicing for tomorrow."
What if tomorrow never comes for him?
This time, Mitsui stopped. He was thinking if Rukawa was in trouble again and if he should go and check him. But then, he thought, it wasn't his problem anymore if the boy's having a real problem.
But why are you hesitating? Aren't you worried about the boy? Aren't you starting care for him already? Ne, sempai?
"Stop it." Mitsui said sternly. Surrendering to his thought, he slowly turned back and walked towards his school. Upon reaching it, he walked straight to the gym and carefully opened the door. If his instinct were lying to him, he would really be damned to hell. But if…
Before Mitsui could even finish what he was saying, he saw a person lying in the floor, facing the door. He quickly recognized who it was.
"Rukawa?" Mitsui couldn't believe what he was seeing. His instinct was damn right. He ran towards the boy and immediately felt for the boy's pulse. Rukawa was alive. He cradled the boy in his arms while trying to wake him.
"Hey, Rukawa, hey are you okay? Can you hear me?" Mitsui asked worriedly.
Rukawa was dead tired and he couldn't fight his own fatigue but he thought he heard a voice calling him. He wasn't sure who that was but he was sure that it was calling his name. He languidly opened his eyes, immediately seeing a man's face. He couldn't recognize him but he was familiar to him.
He then felt the man touched his face, still calling out his name.
"Sempai…" Rukawa managed to say what first came to his mind.
"Yeah, its me." Mitsui replied. Rukawa rubbed his eyes and saw that it was really Mitsui holding him.
Mitsui laid Rukawa in his room carefully so as not to awake the boy. He was damn tired and here he was taking care of Rukawa, again. He looked at the boy sleeping silently on the bed and sighed hard. He pulled the covers and tucked Rukawa comfortably. He silently went outside his room and out of the younger boy's flat.
He started to walk towards his house, thinking how helpless Rukawa was when he saw him lying on the floor. Luckily when they went out of the school, a cab came by. While they were in the cab, Mitsui tried to wake the boy but he couldn't.
"Where are we heading, sir?" The cab driver asked.
Mitsui didn't know what to answer since he didn't know where Rukawa lived when he remembered the day they saw each other in the court early in the morning and recalled that Rukawa pointed the direction of his flat, just a few blocks from his house.
"Mister, do you know the building just a few blocks from the big 7-11?" Mitsui asked, "take us there."
Fortunately for them, the cab driver knew the place.
"Hell, Rukawa owe me a lot." Mitsui said out loudly while walking.
Oh, he sure does sempai, he sure does.
Morning came and almost half of the Kanagawa district went to see the upcoming match between Shohoku and Ryonan. Akagi and Rukawa's other teammates were already getting ready for the match but they were all tense since Coach Anzai wasn't with them.
"We can do it team!" Akagi roared. "Let's do it for Coach Anzai! Let's prove to everybody that we are a strong team!"
"Yeah!" Everybody roared in response.
"Let's go!" everybody except Mitsui followed suite to Akagi's order. He still has to change and meditate for a few moments. He sat down on the bench and took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Sempai." Mitsui's eyes flew open as soon as he recognize who it was yet he wasn't surprised like before. He saw Rukawa coming towards him and sat beside him.
"I'm sorry." Rukawa said.
"Hm?"
"For the past days, I've been disturbing you. I don't meant it to be that way."
Mitsui only listened to the younger boy. Did he think of Rukawa as trouble for him? Both of them were silent for some minutes, neither of them not knowing what they should say to one another.
"It's okay." Mitsui said. Rukawa looked at him, repeating what he said, "It's okay?"
Mitsui nodded. "But, you still owe me, right?"
Rukawa only stared at him. Mitsui smiled. "Well, just treat me some other time." Mitsui started to walk towards the door when Rukawa called him again from behind. Mitsui turned and looked at him only to be greeted by Rukawa embracing him.
"Ru…Rukawa…" Mitsui didn't know how to react for the second time that the younger boy pulled him into an embrace.
"I'm not sick." Rukawa said. "And I know what I'm doing right know, sempai."
Rukawa didn't know what to do when Mitsui started walking away so his first impulse was to call and pull him to an embrace. And Rukawa was shocked when he felt his sempai's arms pulled him more closer.
They didn't have to say a word to understand what they were feeling at that moment. Rukawa closed his eyes and placed his head on Mitsui's nape. It was comforting for him to feel his sempai's body close to him and much more to smell that light fragrance Mitsui always has.
Mitsui didn't even know what he was doing when he pulled Rukawa closer to him. Rukawa's breath on his nape sent tingles down his spine, he didn't know why but he could feel himself loose the tension building upon him.
They embraced each other, oblivious to the minutes passing. When they heard Saukragi and his big loud mouth coming towards them, both men released each other from their embrace, exactly when Sakuragi entered the room.
"Oi Mit-ch…" Sakuragi's words dissolved when he saw Mitsui standing in his locker while his archenemy Rukawa was standing idly on the other side of the room.
"What the hell are you doing here, Kitsune!" Sakuragi shouted accompanied with an angry face. "I thought Mit-chan was the only one left here! Aha! I know what you were doing!"
Hearing what Sakuragi said, Rukawa threw a deadly glance to the red head.
"Then what are we doing?" Rukawa said roughly. He was suspecting if the do'aho saw him and Mitsui embraced. If he saw them, he would totally beat him to death to shut his mouth. Rukawa glanced in Mitsui's direction and saw him looking at Sakuragi grimly. They both were thinking the same.
Sakuragi guffawed and grabbed Mitsui by the shoulder. Mitsui didn't spoke.
"You were just…" Sakuragi teased. Rukawa was starting to get pissed.
"What?" Rukawa repeated, this time accompanied with his death glare.
"Hehe… you're just scared and want to ask Mit-chan for some advice, huh!" Sakuragi laughed boisterously again.
Rukawa didn't react at first. "So that's what he thought…"
Silence filled the room. Mitsui and Rukawa looked at each other and sweat dropped.
"Stop it, Sakuragi." Mitsui finally breathed easy. He pushed Sakuragi away and checked his shoelace. They were saved, Mitsui gravely thought. "Come on, the game's going to start already."
TBC…
A/N: I'm sorry! This chapter is quite wrong… I know, I know. I also think it's too exaggerated to have Rukawa and Mitsui meeting up unexpectedly always… I promise, I'll improve the next chapter! I believe that I do really suck in this chapter, so please REVIEW!