Disclaimer: I do not own Slamdunk. I know that. This is just for formalities.. hehe.. Libre naman ang mangarap diba?
Calliope Medina Erato: yeah… well for me though, it's kinda hard, because I don't really know as in KNOW what love means to me, because I think it's like so deep, almost unfathomable for my brain to understand, to work out it's meanings, so when I wrote this I'm like… what to put… what to put… hehe… but I also heard in like a discussion about relationships like I'll love you if you're blah.. so kinda gave me the inspiration to put that… and I agree with you that it should be despite of… hehehe… I know… I was writing that… and hmm… I kinda compared it to a pop-up that are just so annoying sometimes and just keep on popping up even if you don't want them to… hehehe… aww… I didn't want you to remember your job… cause I want this to bring you somewhere else… and like give you a break… at least that's what I try to do… yeah… it is painful… that's why I ended it… and I didn't make her be like… so how did this happen. Where? When? You know… kinda a bit too much for someone who just supposedly became almost strangers with the way they act around each other… anyways, this chapter explains how everybody else gets affected… it's not only her…
coffeemaverick: aww… first of all, I just want to reassure you… this is only the beginning… I mean… there are more coming up? Hehehe… can you smell what I'm brewing here? Hehehe… well, this chapter will take a look on how the present situation has affected the others… it's not always about Karin and Mitsui… ryota, ayako… yeah.. you get the pic..
dUeRrE: uy! Musta na? Hehe.. salamat! Maikli nga sya masyado… kasi naman naman yata pwede para sa isang tao na alam nya ang lahat… so maraming mga butas… pero siyempre may nalalaman din siya galing sa ibang tao… mas mataas pa pala to kesa dun sa trust-walk chapter ko? Feeling ko second lang to… hehehe… hindi masyadong happy ending yung patutunguan nito… hehehe… salamat ulit! Sana magpatuloy ka sa pagbabasa ng fic ko! Hehehe…
simmic: yay! Hehehe… took me much longer to write because… well I had stuff to do.. hehe.. well not really that longer.. but longer than usual… I know… you made me run for my money back then… hehehe… well, as they say, expect the unexpected.. hehe.. I know… I was supposed to do it the other way around, but I'm thinking, Karin isn't really the one who wants to deliberately distance herself, it's more of their friendship slowly fading into the distance because of what's happened, and it's more of Mitsui not realizing that he is getting farther away from Karin, and that in fact, she's the one being left behind… something like that… I know… kinda goes back into the beginning and originally I was supposed to end it at that… well not like that but use the beginning as the ending… hehehe.. so that it'll become a story that has no beginning nor end… because you keep on repeating… but plans kinda changed… since I have another thing in mind… hehehe…
Do You See Me?
"Sempai!" The Sakuragi guntai greeted me with raised cards. They switched back to their game mode, shuffling the cards in their hands. "Sempai," Yohei dropped his cards, a full house. "Do you want to bet whether Haruko will dump Sakuragi or not?" Noma turned over his cards, giving up. I checked the area around me, looking left, right, then sighed in relief. I'm still alive. I moved in closer, and we huddled like football players on their last stretch.
"How much sempai?" All of a sudden, Okusu's fingers became itchy – itchy for some money. All screens were channelled to me. It made me feel like a poker player, I didn't know whether I was going to win the game, I did not know if they had an ace. I wiped off the sweat with the back of my hand. "10,000 yen for –" They no longer blinked, their breathe caught in mid-air. "For betting that Sakuragi and Haruko will end up together." Takamiya collapsed. It must be the stress.
I placed the 10,000-yen in the middle table. Their mirrored eyes reflected the money. Their hands were made of magnets, unconsciously inching closer to the cash. I woke them up by snatching the money from the tantalizing clasp of their eyes. They followed its course and upon discovering that it had ended its journey in my hands, they were restored to their original mental state of being. Takamiya woke up.
"What are you guys doing?" Everybody, don't say a thing. Not even a word. A letter. Don't even try to. Even want to. Just, keep your mouth to yourself. Or else – "We were just betting if Haruko will dump Sakuragi." Takamiya went back to bed.
I told you – "Hello Sakuragi." He eyed the money suspiciously, a match lighting the fire in his eyes. I hid it before taking it even crossed your mind. "Sempai, what was that for?" Without noticing it, I tightened the hold in my bag. "What?" Sakuragi pointed to where my hand rested. "My bag?" The veins in his forehead became distinct. I think my 30-second memory act doesn't work with him. "To pay for rent." It was the truth! Nothing but the whole truth! So help me God. I shifted the bag behind me.
"Hey! Rukawa!" Excuse me. I hurried to reach him. "Rukawa, how's it going?" His lids started to droop. "Wait! This is important! There's a basketball practice this afternoon, ok?" Rukawa leaned on the wall, his head almost rolling off his neck. "Yeah. See you there." He slept while standing up. "I'm off!" What kind of excuse was that Karin? Duh! Of course he knows that. Basketball's the only subject he could leave open eyelids open for.
Basketball practice was as uncomfortable as sandpaper. It seemed to me there was an invisible force that kept a 10-meter gap between you and Miyagi. As I watched the practice game, Miyagi almost never passed the ball to you. You returned the favour with equal fervour. And that's why Akagi kept both you and Miyagi after all's said and done. Ayako joined herself in the conversation. The rest? Dismissed.
"It's just too bad it had to result in this." The voice belonged to Haruko. "How'd you know?" Her eyes widened at this, faced me in a slow motion, followed by a fast forward gasp. "No- it's nothing." She quickly shouldered her bag. "See you sempai." Even at her departure I could still hear her scold herself. "Haruko! Just – resist the temptation to blurt things out."
Tap. Tap. Tap. "Did Mitsui send you here to baby-sit me?" I didn't go here on purpose. I just happened to pass by here. There's a big difference between deliberate and chance. "You can say to Mitsui that he doesn't have to worry, since I don't intend to kill him." I hid my laughter, laughing out loud inwardly to my inner self. "What you mean to say is, as long as Ayako's around." He reached inside his pocket and came around with a coin, flipping it. "Exactly."
I looked at your eyes, followed the trail to where they went, its final destination still being Ayako.
"I never really knew when it all started. All I knew was that, during the Valentine's week, I searched the school for her, found them at the back of the school, her face resting comfortably on Mitsui's shoulder. They had been in fact chained." The strings inside my head began to unwind. "Then, on Valentine's day, I opened her locker, only to find out that a bouquet had been set for her, already occupying the space, it came from him." The image of them speaking to each other after school, and the cold later and yeah remark that ended the conversation emerged from the murky depths of my library.
"Then, when he was carrying Ayako unconscious because some thugs wanted to take advantage of her," He was lying on the ground, a shoe grinding its imprint on his face. "And when Ayako had food poisoning, I've never seen him so worried before, and so reluctant on handing her over to me. After that, he visited every single day, trying to hide in the corners, but his shadow was never absent."
"And when she was stuck in the rain one time, I went to approach her, but Mitsui arrived ahead of me, already drenched even though on top of his head was an umbrella, and he walked her home." I waited for a call that did not arrive. "And that time at the library, Ayako was angry at me because I confronted Mitsui one time about it, and so when I refused to help her, that was because Mitsui arrived. I wasn't needed anymore." We lowered ourselves until we reached the corner. "And of course, his changes. He's much more motivated in basketball, improving tremendously in his skills. All these changes… it seems he wanted to be someone who he thought was worth of her love."
I found my neck reflexively finding her face amidst the crowd of raindrops. I could clearly see the frown in her face, in her eyes. It was raining yet again. Mitsui arrived, an umbrella in one hand. As soon as your eyes met, one hand reached to hold her shoulder, the other caressing her arm. Ayako wiped the tear with a finger, your hand encircled on her neck, bringing her closer, offering a shoulder to cry on.
"Where is she?" I forgot. This was real. This was reality. My eyes narrowed in curiosity. "You know, that girl that'll tempt me to plot an evil plan with her?" It was time for a reality check. "Do you really think, she'll come?" I looked him straight in the eye; spoke to him in a manner that needed no words, needing but only a few seconds, before he broke away from my gaze. "No."
