Disclaimer: I don't know Slam Dunk... If I did, then I'd be the happiest person in the world.. Plus, if I did Miyagi will be mine! ahehehe...
Thanks for those who reviewed... autumnchloe>sorry for the late update, the story got deleted in my files by accident... hehehe... hope you like this one, ironduke>hope you like this one.. it has something that I think you'll like... I dunno.. I just hope you like it
Chapter 5
A month has passed already since that day. He was so angry at the sight of Ichikawa that he was ready to beat him up with his bare hands, if Miyuki hadn't got in the way and dragged him away from Ichikawa as far as she can.
"Sempai, you'll get in trouble too if you do it. And besides, the principal already know about it so please calm down." Miyuki said.
Since then, he had been concentrating on their practice. Their first opponent for the season is Miuradai High School. They have been practicing for a month now. Their first game is tomorrow. Mitsui had been waiting for so long. But it seems like he's overdoing practice. He wanted to get his mind off the fact that he let Ichikawa get away with what he did. And he's pretty embarrassed to talk to Miyuki casually now that Kogure and Miyagi already knew. And if Miyagi knew, Ayako would know too.
I'm pretty lucky they weren't squealing. He thought. When practice was over, Mitsui went to the shower room and planned to take a quick shower. He passed by his locker and got his stuff. When he turned around, Miyagi was standing by the door. He waved as he smiled at Mitsui.
"I wouldn't pressure myself if I were you, my friend." Miyagi said as he patted Mitsui's back.
"Hey, I was just trying to clear my mind." Mitsui replied as he chuckled.
"At the rate you're going now, you'll lose some of your precious stamina." Miyagi said with a concerned tone. "Miyu-chan won't like that if you get sick before she can even see you play!" Miyagi added.
"You're teasing me short stuff! Don't worry I won't" Mitsui replied as he smiled.
"Well, let's say I am, but I'm warning you.. Don't get sick during the game." Miyagi said as he gave way.
Miyagi knew that when Mitsui makes a promise, he would try his best to keep it. Mitsui took a quick shower and got dressed. He went out of the shower room and returned his towel to his locker. His unkempt hair was still damp and was falling into his face. He then noticed Miyagi again by the front door.
"What? Miyagi? What are you still doing here?" Mitsui said as he approached him.
"Miyuki is waiting for you outside by the school gate." Miyagi said with a grin on his face. Mitsui frowned.
"Are you teasing me again?" Mitsui asked as Miyagi shrugged.
"See for yourself. Ja ne! I'm going home." he said as he smiled humorously and walked away.
Why is she waiting for me? Mitsui thought. He walked towards the gate and saw that it was really Miyuki, sitting on one of the benches under a large Sakura tree and was reading a book. Mitsui approached her while she was busy reading.
"Why are you still here Miyuki? It's dangerous staying here especially at night." Mitsui said as he seated himself beside her.
Miyuki closed her book and lowered her head. "I just… want to… see if you're okay." Miyuki said as she stood up.
"You shouldn't push yourself too hard sempai. I want to see you play this tomorrow, you know…" She added. The leaves of the large Sakura tree swayed as the wind blew. She walked towards the gate and went home. Mitsui decided to go home as well. When he came home, he plopped in his bed and began to think. Miyuki may be right.. I may be practicing too hard. He thought as he tried his best to sleep. He needs all the strength he can for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Ayako decided to sleep over at Miyuki's house. She got some things from her house before she went to Miyuki. Ayako walked to the front porch and rang the doorbell. Miyuki opened the door as Ayako stepped inside. The two went upstairs to Miyuki's room as Ayako settled in.
"I'm sorry my room is such a mess again." Miyuki said as she picked up the things that was scattered on the floor.
Ayako then noticed a sketchpad that was lying beside a table. The two seated on the floor when they were done.
"Hey, can I look at your sketch pad?" Ayako said. Just when Miyuki said, "Yes" she suddenly remembered that there were sketches of Miyagi in there. Ayako then saw Miyagi's pictures on the sketchpad and smiled. Miyuki blushed when Ayako looked at her.
"You like Ryota-kun, don't you Miyu-chan?" Ayako said. Miyuki blushed as he turned her back on her.
"Uhm.. no.. uhh, why do you think so.. A..Aya-chan?" Miyuki stammered. Ayako faced Miyuki as she smiled.
"You can tell me. It's not everyday that Miyuki Kanazumi blushes and falls for a guy, right?" Ayako said.
"Anou.. Ayako-chan.. If I admit that I am feeling weird towards him, would you swear that you'd never tell him?" Miyuki said with pleading eyes and was playing with her fingertips. Ayako giggled and nodded.
"Have you ever fell in love, Miyuki-chan?" Ayako asked.
"There are many definitions of love, Aya-chan. I always thought love is a term in a tennis match." Miyuki thought. Ayako giggled. "I looked up other meanings. It was said that love is a feeling or attraction to someone."
"Well, I'm not surprised. You see, when you love someone, you feel at ease with him or her. You're happy when you're with him or when you care about someone." Ayako said as she looked dreamily at the ceiling. Miyuki looked at the ceiling with a confused look.
"You've changed a lot since you met Ryota-kun, haven't you? You learned to care for other people. And I'm happy that Ryota-kun made you like that." Ayako added.
"You made me who I am right now too, Aya-chan!" Miyuki smiled at what Ayako said. "See, you're practically smiling!" Ayako said as she looked at Miyuki happily. "You look a lot better when you smile like that!"
Miyuki hugged Ayako and smiled happily. "Arigato Aya-chan! You're really a friend, just like the definitions say."
Ayako giggled. Oh well, she is still a genius after all. The two decided to sleep early. When Miyuki was fast asleep, Ayako looked at the sketches of Ryota and smiled.
I like Ryota-kun so much, although he is now aware of it. But Miyu-chan likes him too.. What can I do? Ayako was getting confused now. But still, I think Ryota-kun likes Miyu-chan too.. Okay! I won't tell. After all, it's all for Miyu-chan.. She thought. She put away the sketchpad and went to sleep.
Early the next morning, Ayako and Miyuki went to the coliseum. The game starts in 30 minutes. There were already a lot of people inside. Ayako went to the bench and Miyuki followed her. The players were doing some warm-up exercises. Miyuki looked for Miyagi. She saw him beside Mitsui as they did some warm-ups. Ayako called Miyagi as the player approached them. Mitsui looked at Miyuki standing beside Ayako as she talked to Miyagi. As Miyagi shifted his eyes to Miyuki, Mitsui saw something that he couldn't believe he saw.
A smile? Did I just saw a smile from Miyuki? He thought. Miyagi then went back to warming up as Miyuki looked on for a vacant seat. She found an empty chair beside Haruko.
"Mitsui, did you see what I saw?" Miyagi asked with a confused look.
"Miyuki smiled at you?" Mitsui replied blankly as he stretched his legs.
"Yeah! She said Ayako made her smile last night. I really don't know how, but Ayako can sure work up miracles with that girl!" Miyagi said as he grinned. Mitsui kept silent for a while.
I have this urge to win this game. I can't let something distract me. Hell, I'm not jealous. He thought.
The bell rang signaling the start of the first quarter match between Miuradai and Shohoku. The crowd of Shohoku howled and cheered, as Shohoku is the lead. But during the end of the first half, Miuradai and Shohoku tied 40-40. Akagi, Miyagi and Mitsui were already exhausted in defending their lead. Mitsui rested while waiting for the second half.
"Miuradai must have practiced hard for this game. They're practically on fire. But nice work, Mitsui.. Keep it up." Akagi said as he patted Mitsui on the back. He wiped the sweat off his face and looked up at the audience seats. He saw Miyuki talking to Haruko. He looked away and prepared himself. He then took out a handkerchief (Miyuki's handkerchief) and tied it neatly on his right wrist. Miyagi approached him and seated next to him.
"Getting some rays of inspiration, I see.." Miyagi said as he looked up to where Miyuki was.
"You're still in the mood for teasing me." Mitsui simply said.
"You're pretty down. Remember she wants to see you play a good game today." Miyagi said. Mitsui shrugged as the bell for the second half rang.
The second half is more exciting than the first. Shohoku managed to score two points, but Miuradai managed to tie with them. Miuradai must have trained hard for this season. There are only two minutes left, Miyagi managed to score 2 points but the captain also managed to score 3 points, making Miuradai 1 point ahead of Shohoku. There is only less than a minute already. Rukawa had the ball but he was carefully guarded so he can't shoot. Looking around, he saw Mitsui's open so he passed it to him. Mitsui caught the ball as he is working his way to the basket. The people cheered as Mitsui picked up his pace with Sakuragi and Rukawa behind him. Ayako stood up as she prayed hard for Mitsui to shoot the ball. Miyuki watched as she crossed her fingers. She kept silent, trying not to go gaga over a simple match.
You can do it, sempai! Miyuki thought as if she is sending a message through telepathy.
Mitsui was already open as he aimed to shoot the ball. He then grew dizzy all of a sudden, but he ignored it and was able to shoot a 3-point shot at the last second. The crowd celebrated as Shohoku won their first match for the season, and survived the surprising play of Miurudai. Miyuki stood up and was very happy. She went down to the court with Haruko and hugged Ayako as the three cheered on. Back in the middle court, Shohoku is celebrating as Miuradai congratulated the winner. Miyagi and the others ran towards Mitsui who was catching his breath. Sakuragi patted him on the back and laughed his trademark laugh.
"Micchy! Nice game! But wait.. Don't forget if the Tenzai hadn't guarded your back who knows?" Sakuragi said as he laughed.
"Do Ahou!" Rukawa said as he walked away.
"You black-haired kitsune! Don't ruin my mood!" Sakuragi said as he clenched his fist. He noticed that Mitsui is not even standing up and was shivering so hard.
"Oi, Micchy boy! Are you crying tears of joy?" Sakuragi said as he looked at Mitsui.
"Idiot.. Something isn't right here." Miyagi said as he approached Mitsui.
Back in the benches, Ayako noticed a slight problem within the Shohoku players. She approached the players as Miyuki and Haruko followed her. Miyagi approached Ayako as she asked what's happening.
"Something's wrong with Mitsui." Miyagi said as Ayako approached Mitsui.
"Sempai. What's happening to you?" Ayako asked.
Miyuki approached Mitsui as she examined Mitsui who was breathing heavily. She knelt down in front of Mitsui and placed her hand at his back.
"Sempai, I told you not to force yourself too hard,. Look what's happening to you…" Miyuki whispered to him.
Mitsui went limp and fell on the floor as Miyuki caught him and laid him down for a while. Ayako went out to get a first aid kit. Kogure looked at Mitsui with his worried expression. He shifted his eyes on Miyuki, who looked pretty calm as she supported Mitsui's weight with the help of Miyagi.
"I know what you're thinking Kiminobu-san." Miyuki said without even looking at him. "Our hero for today here had been pushing himself too hard during practice. And as we all know he doesn't have that much stamina. It's obviously over fatigue. Nothing serious." She added.
Akagi approached Kogure with a confused look.
"Captain, don't worry. Miyuki-chan is right. Mitsui-san just needs to rest, that's all." Kogure said.
Early the next morning, Mitsui opened his eyes to find himself in his room. He rubbed his eyes to see if he was hallucinating or something. But he was actually there.
What am I doing here? Last thing I remembered is that I'm at the coliseum, Shohoku won… and I passed out.. Mitsui thought.
He got up and looked around. He then saw Miyuki asleep beside the window, with a book on her lap, her long brownish black hair covering up half of her face. He approached her and leaned and brushed the hair off her face. Miyuki slowly opened her eyes and looked at Mitsui with her sleepy green eyes.
"Ohayou gozaimasu! So, the hero of the game is awake, I see.." Miyuki said as she smiled. Mitsui turned as he looked away.
"Yeah. Uhm, by the way. How long have I been sleeping?" Mitsui asked as he scratched his head.
"You were sleeping since you were in the coliseum.. And that was yesterday!" Miyuki said with a grin on her face.
Mitsui eyes widened. "NO WAY!" he reacted as Miyuki nodded in a teasing manner. Mitsui sighed as he dragged himself to bed.
"So, it's my turn to take care of you now, am I?" Miyuki said as she smiled and walked out of the room.
Mitsui followed her in his gaze. I never thought that girl would even smile like that. He thought.
He lied on his back as he recalled what Miyuki said to her back then. You can easily fake a smile. Then, why is she smiling when she hated the fact that one can fake it? Miyuki is really weird sometimes. Oh well, better see her smile than blank. He thought. He then decided to go downstairs to fix breakfast. When he entered the kitchen, Miyuki was there staring out the window.
Is she daydreaming or something? Mitsui thought.
He then saw her holding a pencil and a sketchpad. It seems she was really in deep thought. As he tried to sneak in behind her, Miyuki awoke from her "daydreaming" and smiled at Mitsui.
"Sempai, it's not good to sneak behind other people's back, especially when they're thinking about something." Miyuki said as she closed her sketchpad.
"Gomen, Gomen, Miyuki." Mitsui said as he raised one hand and bowed.
"I hope you're okay now, sempai. I have to go home this afternoon. No one else is watching the house." Miyuki said with a concerned look.
"Yeah, I'm okay now. Sorry for getting you into trouble." Mitsui said as he scratched his head.
"No, not at all sempai! Uhm, well, I'm going to get my stuff upstairs. Be right back!" Miyuki said as she disappeared from the room.
Mitsui took the sketchpad that was on the table and looked at the entries. There was a sketch of a house, probably their house back in Shinjuku, a sketch of a guy that kind of looks like her. As he flipped through the pages, on the last pages there was a sketch of Miyagi. There was a sketch of him when he was in the classroom, during practice game and the last entry was yesterday during the game itself. He seated at the chair and began to think.
So, Miyuki probably likes Miyagi. He thought with a disappointed look. Miyuki entered the room and noticed Mitsui in deep thought. She tugged Mitsui's sleeve as Mitsui looked at her.
"So now, you're the one who's been daydreaming." Miyuki said.
Mitsui tried to smile as Miyuki picked up the sketchpad and put it in her bag.
"You like Miyagi don't you?" Mitsui said as he watched Miyuki's expression with a grin. A faint blush ran through Miyuki's cheeks as she turned her back on him.
"Err.. se..sempai, what made you think… that way?" Miyuki said as she laughed nervously. Great! Now Mitsui-sempai thinks so too! She thought.
"Well, if you're scared to admit because I might tell him, don't worry. I won't tell the guy." Mitsui said as he smiled.
Miyuki turned around and gave him a pleading look. " Well.." Miyuki said as she looked away. "What do YOU think, sempai?" she asked.
Mitsui shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I think you do." He added. Miyuki nodded sheepishly as Mitsui laughed out loudly.
"Meanie! If you tell him, I swear you'll be sorry." Miyuki said with a worried yet sweet tone.
"Nah! I won't tell the guy. I just laughed because you look so sweet when you smile." Mitsui said. "It's hard to believe you're the Miyuki I pulled in the hallway and threatened to bite my hand off." He added.
Miyuki smiled at the thought and nodded. She then stood up and bowed.
"You going already?" Mitsui said as Miyuki nodded.
"Just promise me you really wouldn't tell." Miyuki said as he darted her eyes on Mitsui.
"Alright, alright! I won't!" Mitsui said as he walked Miyuki outside.
"Arigato, again." Mitsui said as he watched Miyuki walk away. He then went inside and slumped on the sofa. Great, just when I actually liked this girl, she tells me that she likes my teammate.And to be more precise, my friend… Damn! I think I'm experiencing Sakuragi's fate too! He thought.
"He knew, what!" Ayako squealed as Miyuki nodded. Ayako smiled and giggled.
"He saw my sketchpad! It's this stupid sketchpad's fault!" Miyuki said eyeing the sketchpad.
"No way, girl! It's the owner of the sketchpad. You leave that thing practically anywhere!" Ayako said as she giggled again. Miyuki groaned and realized Ayako's point.
"Yeah, I have this really weird habit of leaving things practically everywhere. I have this belief that if I put something away, I won't be able to find it again." Miyuki said as she groaned.
"Now don't worry. Sempai is not that much of a teaser anyway." Ayako comforted. They were in a coffee shop near the park. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, so why waste the day imprisoning yourself in your house?
"You sure are childish, Miyu-chan" she said as she giggled.
"Yeah, well.. What can I say? After all, I'm only 15 you know.." Miyuki said as she smiled. While the two were chatting, Ayako saw Ryota and Hanamichi walking near the coffee shop. Ayako called the two players as the two approached them.
"Aya-chan!" Miyagi said with enthusiasm. Hanamichi laughed at Miyagi's expression.
"Where are you guys going?" Ayako asked.
"Were going to Micchy's place. We'll just hang out." Sakuragi said as he laughed again.
"Hey, Miyu-chan. Aren't you supposed to stay with him?" Miyagi asked.
"Well, he said he was okay and that I should go home and get some rest too." Miyuki replied.
"Can I join you guys?" Miyagi asked. Ayako nodded as Miyagi pulled a chair and seated with the girls.
"Oi, Oi curly! I thought you're coming to Micchy's place too!" Sakuragi asked.
"You go on ahead.. I have something to tell Ayako.. I'll follow a bit a bit later." Miyagi said. Hanamichi frowned and stomped all the way to Mitsui's house.
"Well now.. that guy sure like to laugh." Miyuki said as he looked at Hanamichi stomp his way out of her sight.
"That guy is really a lunatic." Miyagi said as he sighed.
"I'll be back you guys. I just need to check out something." Miyuki said as she stood up and went inside the café.
"So, what came into your head to leave Sakuragi-kun like that?" Ayako asked.
"Nothing much. I just want to ask for a few tips. You see, I want to help Mitsui in confessing his oh-so-great feelings to a certain girl." Miyagi said sarcastically.
"Sempai likes a girl? And who is this oh-so-great girl that sempai likes? And why are you asking me?" Ayako said with a surprised look.
"You'll be a great help to him!" Miyagi said.
Miyagi looked around before whispering the girl's name to Ayako.
"You're kidding!" Ayako exclaimed. Miyagi shook his head as Ayako drank another sip of coffee.
"I'll be right back. I have to go now before Sakuragi comes back and drag me away like a prisoner. Ja ne!" Miyagi said as he stood up and walked away.
Man! This is just great.. Mitsui-sempai likes Miyuki, but Miyuki likes Ryota-kun! Oh no! She thought. So that explains his very weird behavior towards Miyu-chan. What a great predicament! Ayako thought.
That night, Ayako couldn't sleep a wink. No matter how much she wanted to erase him from her mind, she still liked that stupid curly guy so much. She liked Miyagi for a long time already, but she doesn't want to admit it to Miyagi. Miyuki doesn't need to know. She thought. But, Miyagi was calm and looked very happy when he said that Mitsui liked Miyuki. Does that mean that Ryota-kun doesn't like Miyu-chan? She thought again. She lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. There's only one way to find out.
Early the next morning, Ayako approached Miyagi. Ayako dragged Miyagi to the school grounds and stopped under the tree.
"Aya-chan, you seem very serious. Is there something wrong?" Miyagi said as he examined Ayako's face.
"I ask a question and I need a solid answer from you, understand?" Ayako said as she readied her paper fan. Miyagi nodded in fear. Ayako was silent for a while.
"Aya-chan? What do you want to ask?" Miyagi said as he waited for Ayako to say something.
"Ryota-kun, is there any chance that you like Miyu-chan?" Ayako asked as she took a deep breath. Miyagi was surprised at Ayako's question.
"Eh? Like her? Well, I think Miyu-chan real nice. She's pretty and a genius! I'm at ease with her but I don't 'like-like' her. You see, like I said last year, I like someone else." Ryota said as he looked at Ayako. "And it's.. it's you"
Ayako knew that Ryota liked her since day one, but she just shrugs off the idea before. Geez, you have no idea how much my heart flutters when you say that. I like you too, Ryota-kun. But I can't tell you. I don't know how Miyu-chan will react if she finds out.
Ayako looked at Miyagi cheerfully. "Well now, that settles my questions. Sorry to bother you Ryota-kun!" she said as she ran away leaving Miyagi looking at her from afar.
Great! I just told her my feelings and she runs away. Sometimes I can't understand that girl! Miyagi thought. Meanwhile, Ayako was running blindly towards the gym with tears in her eyes. She sat on a bench and let her tears fall down her cheeks.
"I'm so stupid talking to myself like this!" Ayako said to herself as she wiped her tears with her hankie. She was busy crying that she did not sense that Miyuki entered the gym. She then saw Ayako crying and tried to approach her. But she took a step back and was surprised when she heard what Ayako said to herself. "Kimi o aishiteru, Ryota-kun. Darn! I'm getting weirder and weirder each day! I need an attitude adjustment"
Okay, review time.. please drop a review if you like... Hope you like this... TC!