Disclaimer: I don't own Slam Dunk.. Sorry…. I just wish I did….
Thanks for all those who reviewed my very boring chapter 3.. heheh.. I have to admit, I don't like my chapter 3 too… heheh…
Ironduke yes, I know the chapter is slow… I think the same way too…, Autumnchloe thanks for reading chapter 3.. hope you like this chapter… It's my personal favorite…, Reiko yeah, I'll tone down with my character…
Chapter 4: I Can't Leave You Behind
It was a typical Monday morning in Shohoku High. Miyuki woke up earlier than usual and decided to head to school early. Before leaving, she opened her bedroom window to see if Miyagi is already awake.
That speedy kid sure is a sleepyhead. Miyuki thought as she closed the window and walked outside towards Shohoku High. The wind was cold and it seems like it's going to rain very soon.
Great! I forgot my umbrella. Oh well, too late to go back now. Miyuki thought as she picked up her pace. She entered the gate as she made her way to the gym. At least it's much warmer there. She thought.
"Hey! Wait a sec!" a voice was heard from behind her. When she looked behind. It was Mitsui, carrying his bag. He jogged towards her and smiled.
"Ohayou sempai." Miyuki greeted.
"Ohayou! You're pretty early today. Did you walk with Miyagi?" Mitsui said as he flung his bag on his back.
Miyuki shook her head. "I woke up earlier so I decided to head off early. I'm going to the gym."
"Can I hang out with you?" Mitsui said
"Sure, you can come, sempai." Miyuki nodded. They walked together to the gym. Meanwhile, a guy spotted Miyuki and Mitsui together. He hid among the lockers and took a closer look at Miyuki.
That must be the girl Ichikawa is talking about. The guy thought. He ran towards a group of guys, who were loitering in the halls.
"I saw the girl Ichikawa was talking about. We can't do anything right now 'coz Mitsui is with her. We'll get her later when she's alone." The guy said to the others. "She's pretty cute, Ichikawa said we can do anything to her. This looks like fun!" he added.
Meanwhile, Mitsui and Miyuki entered the gym. They stayed there and waited for classes to start. Miyuki picked up a ball beside her and passed it to Mitsui.
"Miyagi-san and Ayako-chan taught me basketball yesterday." Miyuki said as she lowered her head.
"Really, that's great!" Mitsui said as he smiled. However, he felt uneasy. Miyagi is spending much time with Miyuki lately. Oh well, they're neighbors, what can I expect? He thought.
No matter how much Mitsui denies it, he was pretty jealous of Miyagi. I'm so stupid thinking such nonsense! He thought. He doesn't want to have another trouble with Miyagi now that they're actually get along well. He looked at Miyuki who was combing her hair and tying it in twin pigtails.
"You look better when you tie your hair like that." Mitsui said.
"Arigato sempai." Miyuki said as she looked down.
Now why did I just say that! Idiot! Mitsui thought, as he turned red. When the bell rang, the two decided to head to their classrooms. Mitsui walked Miyuki to her classroom.
"So, I guess I'll be seeing you around. Ja ne!" Mitsui said. Miyuki nodded as she went inside her classroom.
Meanwhile, Mitsui entered their classroom. He took a seat and opened one of his notebooks. Ichikawa approached him with a weird grin on his face. He leaned down and whispered to Mitsui. "If I were you Mitsui, I'll make sure your Miyuki is not alone. Who knows what might happen sooner or later."
Mitsui glared at Ichikawa as he went back to his seat. What the hell did he mean by that! Damn!He may be after Miyuki! Mitsui thought.
For the rest of the day, Mitsui is preoccupied with so many thoughts. When classes are over, Mitsui headed to the gym. He saw the other players in formation.
"Mitsui, you're late. What happened?" Akagi asked as Mitsui went to his position.
"I got a headache, but I'm fine now. Gomen!" Mitsui answered as he walked to his position.
Miyagi looked at him wondering about his strange behavior. What's up with Mitsui? He thought.
Akagi talked to Coach Anzai for a moment. Mitsui looked around for Ayako and Miyuki. But he only saw Ayako who was busy writing something on a notebook.
Damn! Don't tell me she went home alone! He thought.
Miyuki entered the gym and approached Ayako. She still has her bag and sat in a bench. Mitsui took a deep breath of relief.
She looks okay. Maybe that stupid Ichikawa is just mocking me! He thought.
When their practice is over, Akagi gave some last minute pointers before dismissing them. As he talked, Mitsui glanced at Miyuki. She was already leaving. He can tell as she waved at Ayako and walked outside. No way! Oh well, maybe I'm just being paranoid. Mitsui thought. He went back to listening to Akagi.
Miyuki walked all alone in the hallway. She told Ayako that she's doing the groceries for today so she needed to go early. She placed her books on her locker and left the school grounds. She passed by the park to a nearby grocery store and looked for the things that she needed. She then noticed three guys following her around. It annoyed her so she tried to give them the slip and entered a phone booth and pretended to make a call. Damn! What do these guys want from me? She thought.
Meanwhile, after Akagi dismissed the players, Mitsui approached Ayako who was packing her things on a bench.
"Ayako-chan, can I talk to you for a minute?" Mitsui asked.
"Sure thing, sempai. What is it?" Ayako replied as she closed her bag.
"Did Miyuki tell you where she's going this afternoon?" Mitsui asked as he wiped his sweat with his towel.
"Yeah, she said she needed to do the groceries so she can't stay too long." Ayako replied.
"Uhm, Did she mention anything to you about something, err.. weird stuff or something?" Mitsui asked as he stammered a little.
"Well, she did tell me something weird back at lunchtime. She said that she's been getting this eerie feeling that someone's watching her. We also noticed a bunch of guys who is strangely eyeing her all the time." Ayako said with a concerned look on her face.
"Damn! Where did she say she was going?" Mitsui asked again.
"She's by the grocery store near the park? Is there something—" Ayako said but Mitsui interrupted her.
"Gomen Ayako-chan! I need to see if she's okay!" Mitsui called back as he ran outside the gym.
Miyagi approached Ayako and gave her a worried look. "Something's not right here. We better follow him." Miyagi said as Ayako nodded. They followed Mitsui who was running as fast as he can.
When the coast is clear, Miyuki went out of the phone booth. The guys must have given up on her. She then noticed a boy who is eating an ice cream. She leaned down and asked the boy for a favor. After their conversation, the boy ran away. Then, her cell phone rang. She looked at the name that is flashing on the screen. Mitsui-sempai. She quickly answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Miyuki! Where are you? Are you okay?" Mitsui said in a worried tone.
"I'm at the phone booth near the grocery store. I'm fine. Why ask?" she answered sheepishly.
"I know you're not! Listen, I want you to stay in a crowded area near the store okay, wait for me." Mitsui said. Then, boisterous laughter was heard on the other line. He heard the phone drop to the ground as he heard Miyuki struggling from someone. Then, the line was disconnected.
"Damn! Where is she?" Mitsui said as she picked up his pace. He found the phone booth but Miyuki was not around. He saw Miyuki's phone lying on the ground, which caused him to worry more.
"Anou.. oni-sama, do you know the girl who was here a minute ago?" a boy asked him. Mitsui lowered himself as he talked to the boy.
"Is there a girl that was here a minute ago?" Mitsui asked.
The boy nodded and looked around. "She left her cell phone there on purpose to make sure." The boy replied.
Mitsui looked at Miyuki's phone. She displayed an unsent message. Ask the boy where they took me.
"Where did the guys take her?" Mitsui asked patiently.
"I saw them take her by that alley over there." The boy said as he pointed to a nearby alley.
"Thanks, kiddo!" Mitsui said as he patted him on the head and ran as fast as he can.
"No one saw what we did." The guy said as he peeked outside. He then faced Miyuki who was trapped in two of the guys' grasp.
"What are you going to do to me?" Miyuki said with her cold, expressionless eyes darting at the guy. Miyuki irritated the guy. She ordered the two guys to let her go as he stepped aside. Miyuki tried to run away but they guy caught her hair as he pulled he back and pushed her on the wall.
"You're not going anywhere now!" The boss said as he looked at Miyuki sternly. Miyuki stared at the guy blankly. She looked calm and there was no sign of panic. But inside, Miyuki is desperately trying to find a way out. The guy was fed up. He grabbed Miyuki by the collar and strangled her with one hand. Miyuki led out a faint cry as she tried to breathe and struggled. Her feet can't reach the ground anymore.
Anyone, please help me! Aya-chan—, Miyagi-kun! Sempai! Brother.. she was running out of air as she is slowly passing away. Then, one of the guys shouted and ran towards their boss.
"Boss! Big trouble! It's Mitsui—" the guy was interrupted as someone pulled him and punched him on the face. It was Mitsui. He threw the guy aside and faced the boss, who held Miyuki by the neck.
"se.. sem.. pai—" Miyuki said trying to say something.
"Damn! Ichikawa did this isn't it?" Mitsui said as he punched the guy. The guy threw Miyuki aside, causing Miyuki's head to hit the wall and pass out immediately. Mitsui grew angrier as grabbed the guy and punched him so hard until he was out cold.
"Darn that Ichikawa! He's going to regret it!" Mitsui said as he clenched his fist.
He stood up and approached Miyuki. She didn't have any serious injury, except for the big cut on her forehead that was bleeding so much. Mitsui got a handkerchief that Miyuki gave to him the other day and kept it on Miyuki's wound. He carried her in his arms and ran towards his house, which were a few meters away. He laid her on the sofa and called Ayako.
"Yeah, she's okay. She's in my house now." Mitsui said as he tried to calm Ayako.
"Oh, thank goodness! Please take care of her we'll be coming over." Ayako said as she hung up.
Mitsui got the first aid kit and approached Miyuki. He carefully removed Miyuki's braids as she lifted her up slowly and bandaged her wound. He laid her again and sighed in relief.
Good thing she's genius enough to think of a plan. I'm glad she's okay. Mitsui thought as he stood up and got some water. When he came back, Miyuki is slowly opening her eyes.
"Mitsui-sempai?" Miyuki asked as she looked at Mitsui.
"Hey, I'm glad the beautiful genius is okay!" Mitsui said as he placed his hand on Miyuki's cheek. "You got me worried there."
"Arigato sempai." Miyuki said as she winced from the pain. "By the way, where am I?"
"You're in my house. Ayako said you should be staying here until you're fully recovered." Mitsui said as he looked into her eyes.
"Is it okay with your parents?" Miyuki asked.
"Nah, I live alone. My parents are abroad and I don't have any siblings so, here I am." Mitsui said as he smiled.
"Arigato sempai.." Miyuki whispered as she tried to keep awake.
"You should get some rest. Pleasant dreams." Mitsui said as he gave her a kiss on the forehead. Mitsui left her in the room as he went downstairs. Miyuki followed him in her gaze.
Ichikawa will pay for what he did. I swear I will. Mitsui thought as she punched the wall so hard. Wait.. did I just … kissed her .. on the forehead? And said, beautiful genius? Ack! What am I saying? Mitsui said as he slumped on the couch and sighed.Then, the doorbell rang. That must be Ayako. He thought as he opened the door. But when he opened it, someone else was there
"Kogure?" Mitsui blurted out, with a surprised look on his face.
"Ayako told me Miyuki's in here. I just need to check her out." Kogure said as he smiled.
"Hey, how did you meet Miyuki? And how's she related to you?" Mitsui asked.
"A long story, but I'll be glad to narrate it." Kogure said. Mitsui led him inside and closed the door. They went upstairs and opened the guest room where Miyuki rested.
"She's resting right now." Mitsui said as he took 2 chairs and asked Kogure to sit down. The two were silent for a while.
"I know that you already figured out that Miyu-chan.. is a genius. But she was never physically strong, you know." Kogure said. Mitsui looked at him with a confused look.
"You see Mitsui, I have known her for a long time. Back in Junior High, I became friends with her brother Kaname. I used to hang out at their house. I saw her change slowly. She was not like that before. Miyuki is a very cheerful person, who possesses a very sweet smile. She loved her brother dearly, and so is with Kaname. Yes, she is a genius, but she is vulnerable. She often gets lost too. Kaname is always the one who protects her, he always knew what to do when Miyuki needs him." Kogure narrated as he fixed his glasses.
"But, what happened. It seems like, she lost the smile you've been talking about." Mitsui asked.
"It's something about what happened to her. After than, she hated the world more than anything. She was always blank and she realized she was never needed here after all. Everyone grew afraid of her, even Kaname. And it broke Miyuki's heart more. She became expressionless, and became a very cold person. I'm sure you're wondering why she never smiles." Kogure replied.
"But what's the reason?" Mitsui asked.
Kogure shook his head. "Let Miyuki narrate it to you. She'll tell when she feels at ease."
Mitsui was silent for a while.
"So, it's been about a month now since she moved here at Kanagawa. When I saw her at the gym, I called up Kaname and told him about it." Kogure added.
Flashback"Yeah, I enrolled Miyuki in Shohoku High, I remembered you told me that you're studying there. Can you please do me a favor? Please look after my sister once in a while. Make sure she's alright." Kaname said.
"Kaname never hated Miyuki, maybe he was just afraid." Mitsui said as Kogure nodded. The vice captain decided to leave early. Mitsui accompanied him to the front door.
"Do me a favor too, Mitsui." Kogure said.
"Sure, anything." Mitsui said as he looked at the vice-captain.
"It seems you and Miyuki have been getting along fine, and so with Miyagi and Ayako. Could you please look after her once in a while? I trust that you can do it, now that it seems you're beginning to fall for her." Kogure said as he winked.
"Err.. uhm.. Megane-kun.. what in the world are you talking about?" Mitsui replied as he stammered and led out a nervous laugh.
Kogure laughed and patted him on the shoulders. "I have ways of knowing, Mitsui. Ja ne!"
Mitsui watched him as he walked casually out of his sight. He closed the door and leaned at it. He went upstairs and looked at Miyuki, who was sleeping peacefully. Is Kogure right? Am I really falling for her? He thought as he tried to think. He then fell asleep beside her bed.
Miyuki's dream
"Onichan.. where are you going? Are you going to leave me all alone"? A little girl said.. Is that me? Miyuki asked herself.. The boy turned around and walked away.. "Wait! Please don't leave me…." But there was no one else but the girl. Where is everybody? Miyuki reached out to touch her, but the girl was just a mirage. She then saw Ryota. "Miyagi-san!" she called out. But Miyagi didn't hear her as she approached Ayako before approaching her. She felt sadness, even though Ryota and Ayako were with her. Ryota and Ayako were, together. She then saw a familiar figure. When the guy looked at her it was Mitsui…. "Sempai.. are you going to leave me too? Please don't leave me, I—
Miyuki slowly opened her eyes and looked around. It was only a dream. She felt someone beside her. When she looked, it was Mitsui sleeping on a chair.
Silly sempai! Is he not fond of beds? Miyuki thought. Mitsui was stirred from his sleep. He opened his eyes and saw Miyuki who was looking at her.
"Hey there! I can see you're awake!" Mitsui said as he stretched his arms. "I must have fallen asleep." He added as he chuckled.
"You should use the bed for sleeping." Miyuki said. Mitsui smiled at her.
"So, what do you want for dinner?" Mitsui asked.
"Anything you want will do." Miyuki replied. He then picked up the phone and called a nearby restaurant. Miyuki looked at him, confused. Mitsui noticed her face after he had the short conversation.
"Yeah, I know you're wondering. You see, I don't know how to cook" Mitsui said with an embarrassed look on his face.
Miyuki's eyes widened. "How'd you survive, then?" she asked.
"Well, sometimes I eat outside or call for delivery. And sometimes I eat easy cook food. You know. Do you expect Hisashi Mitsui can cook?" Mitsui shrugged. The two became silent for a while.
"Kogure was here earlier, checking up on you." Mitsui said. Miyuki didn't look surprised. She looked at Mitsui with her lonely green eyes.
"Do you want to know.. why I'm like this, sempai?" Miyuki asked. Mitsui was surprised.
"If you're willing to tell me, I will." Mitsui said as he pulled the chair closer to the bed. Miyuki seated on the bed, with her back leaning on the headboard.
"It all started back when I was 10. Kiminobu-kun might have narrated the others to you earlier. You see, my brother and me grew up without a dad. My dad is a genetic engineer, so he's busy most of the time. My mom, even though she had a lot of work, she still took care of us personally. My dad became more and more dedicated to his work that he grew insane. I then realized…. I was nothing more but a mere experiment for him. He used me for his gene manipulation experiment. He never loved me at all."
Miyuki sighed and continued, " And to make things worse, back then, I had a best friend, her name is Mayumi. She's like a sister to me. She was nice and she accepted me for who I really am. But…
Flashback
"Don't worry about your dad, Miyu-chan" Mayumi said as she hugged Miyuki who was crying in her arms.
"I'll always be by your side." Mayumi added. Miyuki looked at her with her tearful eyes and smiled. "Arigato, Mayumi-chan." She whispered.
Mayumi walked her to the bus stop. It was a stormy night. It seems almost impossible to see anything but the drops of rain that fell down from the sky. Miyuki stood at the sidewalk and watched her friend cross the street. Then, out of nowhere, a speeding ran Mayumi over. Miyuki was so shocked that she cannot move at all. She saw the driver get off the car, but he went back in and drove the car as fast as he can, leaving Mayumi on the road, bleeding to death. Miyuki approached her as she looked at her friend who was all drenched in blood. Mayumi smiled at her and reached out to touch her face.
"Please take care of yourself, thanks for being a friend.. Miyu-chan" Mayumi said as she slowly closed her eyes and died.
"I know that all of us will die someday. But is it that rational for someone to die at such a young age? Mayumi-chan didn't do anything wrong! She's the kindest person I know, but why does she have to die like that? After that, I was so depressed. I grew silent and didn't talk to anyone again, even my mom and my brother. I started to read.. I tried to learn things that were beyond my capacity. It is a way to keep my mind off what happened to me. It seems like I was forsaken. But, I grew cold towards everyone. Everyone left me, my mother abandoned me and so did my brother." She narrated.
Tears were present in her eyes, but she wiped it away. She tried her best not to cry. Mitsui felt sorry for her. She wanted to tell her what Kogure told him earlier, but he can't. She might not believe him.
"There's nothing wrong in letting your feelings out. I remember someone told me.. that tears is not a sign of weakness, but rather it is a sign of strength. I couldn't get the idea at first, but I think it's right." Mitsui said.
Miyuki kept silent for a while. She stood up and embraced Mitsui. Mitsui was surprised. As much as he wanted to hug her too, he felt uneasy.
"Are you going to leave me too, sempai?" Miyuki asked. Mitsui looked at her as Miyuki's tears began to fall. He embraced her tight and whispered. "Don't worry, I won't be leaving you."
Their dinner came in. They talked until the wee hours of the morning before falling asleep.
Next morning, Ayako and Ryota visited the two. Ayako brought a cake, which she baked herself.
"Arigato Ayako-chan!" Miyuki said with eagerness in her voice.
"Hey, you sure are enthusiastic today, aren't you Miyu-chan?" Ayako said as she giggled. Mitsui and Ryota went outside for a while.
"I'm planning to make lunch for Mitsui-sempai. He's been so nice of him to save me and let me stay here at the same time." Miyuki replied as she took out everything she needs.
"And to think Mitsui-sempai doesn't use that cooking stuff. It must have been ages since he last used that!" Ayako said giving out a snicker.
When Ryota and Mitsui came home, Miyuki had just finished cooking lunch.
"Welcome back sempai! I hope you don't mind that I cooked lunch." Miyuki said as she bowed slightly.
"You did? Alright! This is going to be a great lunch!" Miyagi said excitedly. Ayako whacked Miyagi with her oh-so-sadistic fan.
"You act as if you haven't eaten in ages!" Ayako called out as she ran after Miyagi who was avoiding her fan.
"Arigato Miyuki, but you should rest first." Mitsui said with a concerned look.
"It's a thank you for letting me stay, sempai." Miyuki said. Mitsui had no choice. When they finished their meal, Miyagi laughed out loud.
"Miyuki sure cooks good!" Miyagi said as he shielded himself. He knew Ayako would whack him again with her fan. The four of them agreed to leave the dishes first. Ayako and Miyuki went upstairs to the guest room while Miyagi and Mitsui stayed downstairs and played video games. While playing, Miyagi wondered about Mitsui's always so concerned attitude towards Miyuki.
"Hey, Mitsui. Why are you acting so strange?" Miyagi asked as they were in the middle of the game.
"What on earth are you talking about? I'm fine." Mitsui said as he made another counter-attack.
"You act strange when Miyuki is around. And you're totally pissed off than Ayako and me when she was in trouble." Miyagi said as he made some attacks.
"It's nothing special." Mitsui said as he attacked too. What's with Miyagi's questions? He thought.
Miyagi then recalled every single detail of the time when Mitsui acted strange while Miyuki is around.
"And I therefore conclude that: Admit it hotshot! You like Miyuki so much, don't you?" Miyagi said.
Mitsui's concentration was interrupted and was defeated by Miyagi. Miyagi howled and cheered.
"Add that one up, man! Another symptom that you like my neighbor!" Miyagi confronted.
Mitsui was really confused now. Kogure said the same thing. And he was already suspicious of his actions towards Miyuki too. Maybe Kogure and Miyagi are right.
"You're not the Mitsui I knew. I know you like her already. You're just scared to admit it." Miyagi said as he lied on the floor. "It's really ironic that girls can actually make guys like us change. I'm like you too, pal! Sure, I admitted to Aya-chan that I liked her, but it seems like nothing happened.. This is too weird." He added.
That night, Mitsui thought about what Miyagi said earlier. It was almost midnight. He kept dwelling about what he said. Maybe I am falling for that girl. He thought as he looked up in the ceiling and tried to get some sleep.
Okay, review time minna-san! Hope you like this chapter! TC!