Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk, its characters and story line.. I only own my OC Miyuki Kanazumi.. hehe..
Thanks for those who reviewed Chapter 2: ironduke, sawsaw, autumnchloe, heart, and the great MEITSI WONG!!! ehehehe...
replies: /iron duke- just read the story,, hehe.. and Miyuki also have her flaws..it's in faint detail. She's not a happy person atall, others will be revealed in the next chapter.. thanks!!don't worry, /autumnchloe- thanks for reading my fanfic, TC!,/ heart- I already modified chap 1.. there was an error somewhere.. thankz!, sawsaw- thanks! /meitsi-you're pretty good to, kawaii..
Chapter 3
The next day, Miyuki went to school early. Much to her surprise, everything went smoothly. The teachers were still careful about their lesson, but they don't want Miyuki to notice it. It is like nothing ever happened the day before. She was quiet in her seat, sketching someone on the back of her Math notebook. She was sketching Miyagi, who was daydreaming outside the window. Ayako was too busy listening to the teacher that she kept silent for a while.
Why am I sketching that Miyagi character? And why am I thinking about him so much?! This is too weird. He's occupying some precious space in my brain, and I don't like it one bit!! Miyuki thought as she glanced at Ryota again. She finished her last touch in the sketch and brushed off the bits of lead on the paper. She looked again at Ryota who just woke up from his daydream.
Kawaii.. she thought. A few moments later, she hit her head lightly with her pencil.
Stupid! Now you're thinking he's cute. There are more important things for you to observe, silly!!! She thought.
When the bell rang, everyone was very eager to leave the classroom and go home.
"Whoa! Everyone before you leave please take note of my assignment." The teacher said as he scribbled the assignment on the blackboard. Everyone groaned in despair and copied the assignment. Then, the teacher dismissed them. Ayako stretched her arms as if she hadn't moved in ages.
"Miyu-chan, let's go.." Ayako said as she tugged Miyuki's sleeve.
"You go on ahead with Miyagi-san, I have to get something in the locker first. " Miyuki replied as she stood up. Ayako nodded as she went out of the classroom as Miyagi followed her outside. Miyuki got her things under the desk and made her way to her locker. She placed her books on the floor and opened her locker. But it seems she's having trouble with the lock. Darn! She thought.
A student stood beside her and picked up her books on the floor. But she was too busy to notice. When she finally managed to open it, she noticed her books are nowhere. What the— I was sure I left it here! She thought as she looked for it.
"Hey there! Looking for these?" a voice said from behind her. When she looked back, it was Mitsui holding her books in his right hand.
"Oh, there it is! I thought someone is playing a prank on me." Miyuki sighed in relief as Mitsui handed her books. She fixed it inside her locker and closed it. "Arigato sempai!" she said as she bowed slightly. Mitsui smiled as he shrugged his shoulders.
"I'll be going now, sempai. See you later at practice!" Miyuki said as she walked away.
"Wait a minute.. what—" Mitsui said as she turned to ask Miyuki but she is already far ahead.
What does she mean by that? Mitsui thought as he took a shortcut to the gym.
When he got there, no one was there. I must be early. I'll just keep myself busy for a while. Mitsui thought as he took out a ball from the cabinet.
He changed his clothes first before practicing some free throw shots. Meanwhile, Miyuki took the longest route possible to the gym. She enjoyed walking in the hallways especially after dismissal when there are not much people around. When she entered the gym, she can hear the sound of a ball in play.
Wait a sec. Aya-chan said practice starts at 4. It's only 3:30. She thought.
Someone was inside. Miyagi-kun? She thought as she peeked in. She saw Mitsui shooting almost all of the balls in the basket. He was already sweaty as he wiped it away with a towel that hanged at this neck. He sat on the floor for a while to catch his breath.
"Mitsui-sempai!" Miyuki called out. Mitsui looked around and saw Miyuki standing near the entrance. He looked surprised but he tried to hide it as much as possible.
"Hey Miyuki! What brings you here?" Mitsui said as he stood up.
"No, please just sit there!" Miyuki said as she walked towards Mitsui and seated beside him.
"Say, How long have you been here?" Miyuki asked as she took a ball that was rolling towards her.
"I just got here. What brings you here?" Mitsui said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. Miyuki took a handkerchief out of her bag and handed it to Mitsui.
"Whoa—Uhm, Arigato gozaimas." Mitsui said as he took the handkerchief from Miyuki and looked away.
"Aya-chan invited me to watch your practice game. And I'm really interested to watch you guys play. " Miyuki replied as she looked up the ring in front of them.
"Wait a sec, you mean to say you like basketball?" Mitsui said as he looked at her.
"Well, kind of. I just know the terms and sometimes I watch games. Am I not so obvious?" Miyuki replied.
"Wow, who would have thought." Mitsui said as he smiled. Miyuki stood up as she dribbled the ball, then passed in to Mitsui. "Although, I really don't know how to play." She added.
"Want to know how?" Mitsui asked as he dribbled the ball and aimed at the basket, and scored.
"You're a 3-point shooter aren't you?" Miyuki asked.
"Well, kind of like that.." Mitsui replied as he passed the ball to Miyuki. "Try shooting it."
Miyuki was surprised. "What? But I really—"
"Just try it. Dribble then shoot. Just trust the ball." Mitsui replied as he motioned behind Miyuki.
"Oh well, here goes nothing." Miyuki said as she dribbled and tried to shoot. But the ball didn't even touch the ring.
"Air ball. I should have known. I told you I couldn't do it." Miyuki replied as she picked up the ball.
"Try again. This time I want you to concentrate for the ball to shoot at the ring." Mitsui said as he stood next to Miyuki. She then tried again and scored a basket, barely missing the ring. Miyuki's eyes widened as she stared at the ring.
"You did it!" Mitsui said happily as he ran to get the ball. "I told you so!" Mitsui added. He ran back in front of Miyuki and handed her the ball. Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in the room.
"Micchy boy!" When they looked around the two saw Sakuragi, Ryota and Ayako at the entrance.
Miyuki walked towards the three as Mitsui ran. Akagi, Coach Anzai, Kogure, Rukawa and the freshmen also entered the gym.
"Okay guys, positions!" Akagi called as he clapped his hands.
"Need to go. Ja ne!" Mitsui called back to Miyuki as he jogged to his place. Miyuki sat beside Ayako on a bench. Akagi discussed something about the practice sessions and their first routine exercises. When Akagi paused to talk with Coach Anzai, Sakuragi tugged Mitsui's clothes lightly.
"Micchy boy, you're teaching your girlfriend how to play?" Sakuragi asked as he laughed his trademark laugh.
"Idiot!!" Mitsui replied as he whacked Sakuragi on the head.
"I'm not going to say anything she doesn't like if I were you. She's a good friend of Aya-chan. So if you want to survive Aya-chan's violent fan, keep quiet!" Miyagi said as everyone agreed.
"Quiet all of you!" Akagi interrupted and looked at Ayako and Miyuki. He then continued his pointers.
"That Sakuragi guy, he's really a silly guy!" Kogure said as he fixed his glasses. He then looked at where Ayako and the girl is, hoping to see Mitsui's "girlfriend" When he saw the girl, his eyes widened in surprise. He rubbed his eyes to see if he was mistaken. But he was not.
"Miyu-chan? What in the world is she doing here?" Kogure asked himself. He stood up and walked towards the two girls. Ayako greeted him as he smiled. When Miyuki looked up to him, her eyes widened too.
"Miyuki Kanazumi, it's been a while already." Kogure said as he smiled at Miyuki.
"Kiminobu-kun, since when did you transfer here?" Miyuki asked. She still looked surprised.
"Wait a sec, you guys know each other?" Ayako interrupted.
"Yes.. Kiminobu-kun is a good friend of… a relative of mine." Miyuki said.
"So, I can see you still don't speak of your brother." Kogure said.
"He doesn't speak of me, anyway. Kiminobu-kun" Miyuki said as she bowed down her head. Kogure shook his head and patted him on her shoulders.
"That's just what you think." Kogure said as he went back to the players. Miyuki looked at him and sighed. Kiminobu-kun hadn't changed a bit too. He's still a nice guy… like my brother. She thought. Ayako changed the topic for a while. She can see Miyuki doesn't want to talk about what just happened a while ago.
Meanwhile, Mitsui looked at Kogure. Kogure knew Miyu-chan already? Are they close or something? Mitsui thought. Akagi then led the jog around the gym to start their exercise. They also practiced some shots and passing. They finished after sunset. Akagi then dismissed the team and told them to get some rest.
"I'm not going home right away Aya-chan. I have to do the groceries." Miyuki said.
"I'll come with Miyuki Don't worry Aya-chan. I'll bring her back safely!" Miyagi added like he's some kind of hero or something.
"Well, okay then. Take care!" Ayako said as she waved goodbye and walked home. Miyagi and Miyuki walked to the nearest grocery store and got the things Miyuki needed. Then, they talked as they walked home.
"Hey, how did you know Kogure-sempai?" Miyagi asked.
"He's a friend of my relative back then. He used to hang out at our house most of the time, so I guess we got along fine." Miyuki narrated
"Well, it's no surprise. You guys are both smart." Miyagi said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Birds of the same feather flock together."
"Miyagi-san, how did you learn to play basketball?" Miyuki asked. Miyagi looked at her with no surprise present. He just smiled and took a deep breath.
"Well, I don't exactly how. It just developed in me, I guess. Or was that because of Aya-chan? I can see you're interested in learning to play basketball!" Miyagi said with enthusiasm.
"Well, Mitsui-sempai taught me basic free throw shooting back then. And, it's nice playing it." Miyuki said.
"There's a court in our backyard. Have you seen it? I can teach you how. Aya-chan can teach you too." Miyagi invited. He can see that Miyuki is interested.
"Tomorrow then. It's a Saturday so there'll be no problem!" Miyagi said.
"Arigato Miyagi-san" Miyuki said as she looked at him. When they reached their homes, the two separated ways. Miyagi had a quick dinner and shower before plopping on the bed and falling asleep immediately. Meanwhile, Miyuki opened the window of her room. She saw that the lights are off in Miyagi's room.
Miyagi-kun must be asleep now. She thought.
The light wind blew against her face, but she was still in deep thought.
Kiminobu-kun. I didn't know he studied in Shohoku High.
Kogure and her brother became classmates back in Junior High. Kaname was older than he is, but because Kaname repeated once because of his habitual absences back then, the two met each other. When Kaname took an I.Q test, he had an I.Q of 180. He was then accelerated to high school, leaving Kogure back in Junior High.
But even so, they still remain friends. Their bond is really deep. Miyuki thought.
My brother had always been so good to other people.. Others except me.. She thought.
She then closed her window and got something downstairs. She opened one of the drawers in the living room and took out a small silver picture frame. Her mother gave it to her when she was 7 years old. The frame is made of pure silver with diamonds at the edges. It was a family heirloom, which was passed to the eldest daughter. And since she is the only girl, her mother handed it to her. There was no picture inside so she decided to look for a picture that would be perfect for the frame. She found a picture hidden behind one of the albums. It was a pretty nice photo of her family. She was sitting on the swing, her brother leaning beside her and her mother behind them.
Things were so nice back then. She thought as she placed the picture inside the frame. She then went upstairs and placed the frame on her bedside table. She turned off her lampshade and cuddled herself to sleep.
Next morning, Miyuki woke up early and decided to fix her room. Books were scattered everywhere, and her sketchpad was left on the floor. Then, a faint sound of glass was heard. Did I step on something? She wondered as she looked at her feet. She realized it was not from her room. It was coming from her window. Someone was throwing something at the window. She peeked at the curtains to see. She then saw Miyagi on his window. She made a face and opened the window of her room.
"Ohayou there, neighbor!" Miyagi called when he saw Miyuki. "I can see you just woke up!" he added with a grin on his face.
"Nope, I'm already awake Miyagi-san" she replied.
"So, are you ready for today? Aya-chan will be joining us." Miyagi said with enthusiasm. Miyuki knew what he meant. She just nodded and lowered her head.
"I'll be having breakfast, Miyagi-san. I'll be seeing you later." Miyuki said as she motioned to close the window..
"Wait!!!!!" Miyagi called out. Miyuki looked at him as she placed her hand on the windowsill.
"Come have breakfast with us. My mom really wants to meet you." Miyagi said. Seeing the hesitated look on Miyuki's face, he added, "It's a sorry for last time.."
"Well, okay.. I'll just fix myself.. see you later" Miyuki said as she closed the window.
She then took a quick shower and looked for something to wear in her closet. She then saw her favorite yellow blouse and shorts. She let her long hair dry for a while before going to Miyagi's house. She then walked toward Miyagi's doorstep and hesitated to ring the doorbell. Suddenly the door opened, Miyagi surprised her with a smile.
"I saw you from the window. You were hesitating to ring the doorbell so I opened the door." Miyagi said as he smiled.
"Come on in. My mom's waiting." Miyagi added as he led the way to their kitchen.
Miyuki saw a petite lady by the cooking stove. When Miyagi called her, she turned around and smiled sweetly.
"Hey, this is my mom here." Miyagi said as he took a seat on one of the chairs.
"Ohayou gozaimas! Thank you for inviting me here." Miyuki said as she bowed lightly.
"Oh, you're such a sweet girl. Now get seated and I'll serve breakfast."
Miyagi's mom said as she pulled a chair for Miyuki. The three ate breakfast as they talked. Miyagi-kun's mother is really sweet. She reminds me of my mom in Tokyo. Miyuki thought. When they finished breakfast, Miyuki and Miyagi decided to head to the court.
"Thank you for the wonderful meal." Miyuki said bowing slightly.
"No problem. Come again anytime!' Miyagi's mother said as she smiled. The two walked together to the court. Miyagi took out a bunch of balls from the shack. He passed it to Miyuki as Miyuki caught it.
"Hey, you're pretty good in catching!" Miyagi said as he smiled.
Shortly, Ayako emerged from the fence and ran towards Miyuki.
"Hey guys, am I late?" Ayako greeted as she looked at Miyagi.
"Nope, we were just starting Aya-chan" Miyuki replied. The two then started teaching Miyuki the basics. She coped up easily as if she doesn't need any explanations at all. Miyagi and Miyuki decided to have a one-on-one match.
"You can do it, Miyuki!!" Ayako cheered. Miyuki had the ball and was aiming for a shoot. But Miyagi is pretty quick and was doing great in blocking her. She finally tricked him as she ran near the ring but Miyagi stole the ball and scored. Ayako clapped as the game is over.
"Hey girl, that's okay. I mean, you are new at this." Ayako said as she patted Miyuki's shoulder.
"Hey, even so you're pretty good already, nice!" Miyagi said as he approached Miyagi.
"Hey, I owe it to you, Miyagi-san!" Miyuki replied as she wiped the sweat off with her towel. The three rested for a while as Miyuki held a ball in her hands.
"You can be just like Ryota if you practice harder." Ayako said as she looked at Miyuki.
"I don't plan on playing for a tournament. I just want to learn how to play. And besides, I don't have that much stamina to play on a tournament. I'm not that athletic." Miyuki said as she sighed.
"Well, at least you learned." Miyagi said as she patted her on the back. The three then decided to rest in their own homes after their long hours of playing basketball.
"Come over to my house. I'll be making lunch." Miyuki invited. Ayako and Miyagi agreed as they walked towards Miyuki's front porch. Miyuki opened the door as she led them to the living room.
"Please wait here for a while. Make yourselves at home." Miyuki said as she disappeared from the room to cook lunch.
"Wow, her house is really spacious! I can't believe she lives all alone here." Miyagi said as he scanned the house.
"Yeah, I thought so too. Kind of reminds me of Mitsui-sempai's house." Ayako replied. She then noticed an open photo album in one of the chairs. She reached out to get it and opened it to the first page. It was a big photo of Miyuki on a awing with a boy and a lady.
"That must be her mom and the boy must be Kaname." Ayako said as she pointed at the picture.
"Wait a sec, how can you tell the name of the guy?" Miyagi asked.
"Kaname, is Miyuki's brother and a good friend of Kogure-sempai. Remember the day Kogure-sempai talked to Miyuki?" Ayako said as she flipped the pages.
"Oh, so that's why." Miyagi said as he looked at the picture. She then saw another picture of Miyuki and her brother.
"I know you'll ask me about my brother someday." Miyuki asked as she looked at Ayako. Ayako and Miyagi were startled.
"Oh, I'm sorry I looked at your album." Ayako said as she put away the album.
"No, it's alright, Aya-chan. I was planning to tell you. I'm just waiting for you to ask." Miyuki said as she put away the album
"Let's have lunch now. Everything's ready!" Miyuki said as she walked into the kitchen. Ayako and Miyagi followed her. They ate and talked together about some matters.
"Wow! That was one delicious meal!" Miyagi said as he smiled.
"Arigato Miyagi-san." Miyuki said as she fixed the dishes as Ayako helped her.
After the meal, Ayako decided to go home and clean their house. And so did Miyagi.
"Come back again!" Miyuki said as she waved goodbye. She closed the door behind her and looked at the other photo albums. I'm glad Aya-chan understands me. Miyuki thought. Ayako knew Miyuki wanted to avoid the topic so she never asked. She is so good to Miyuki since day one, and so is Miyagi. She is going to tell them, when she feel like it.
Okay!! review time people.. hehe.. hope you like this chapter everyone... By the way, I'm very sorry that I made the name Kaname a boy's name.. It's Chidori's name in Full Metal Panic too.. I forgot.. hehe.. peace everyone