Disclaimer: I do not own Slam Dunk, it's characters and storyline... If I did, then you know already... Miyagi will be mine/heh

Santeira- the brain cells effect just popped up somewhere... Courtesy of my seatmate... hehehe... ; Iron Duke- I tld you Aya-chan belongs to Ryota... nothing more... hee...

To the one who put my story in his/her favorites list... Thank you very much... teary eyed eheheh... Please drop me a review so that I'll know about your insights... Doumo arigotu gozaimas...

Chapter 10

Mitsui woke up earlier than usual. He lay on his bed and looked at his clock. 7:30… I'm early… If it isn't semester break right now, I would be very late for school. Mitsui thought as he chuckled. His biological clock reminded him that it's time for breakfast. He took a quick shower and went to a grocery store. He scanned the store for a quick breakfast.

"Mitsui!" Ayako called out with a sunny smile on her face. It's been a couple of weeks since they went back to Kanagawa. Mitsui turned around and smiled at Ayako.

"Well now… What a sight for sore eyes!" Mitsui said sarcastically. Ayako is with Miyagi early in the morning. Miyagi laughed out as Ayako's face turned red.

Mitsui looked around as he tried to smile. "Have you seen Miyuki anywhere?" Mitsui asked.

"Iie… I called her up last night. She said that she'd be busy for the rest of the month." Ayako replied. "I wonder, she locked herself in her house since we went back. But when I called her up, she said that she's okay."

"Sumimasen… I have to check out something over there. Be right back!" Miyagi said as he walked to a nearby music store. Ayako looked at Mitsui worriedly.

"You know, I was very concerned about Miyuki's sudden depression. I thought maybe it's because of Miyagi. I don't know what to do… So, I called her up last night and asked about it. She said that she's fine and that she's happy about her decision. And… as long as Miyagi is happy, then she will be too…" Ayako narrated to Mitsui.

Mitsui sighed as smiled awkwardly. "I better check up on her myself. Who knows what that girl is thinking? I'll drop by later." Mitsui said in a low tone.

Ayako smiled as she patted Mitsui's shoulder. "Well, drop my regards to Miyu-chan then. I think I'll drop by tomorrow.." Ayako replied as she bowed down. She watched Mitsui walk towards the counter. Mitsui… I'm so happy that you care so much for Miyu-chan. Please, if you don't want to tell her yet, then show it to her…

Meanwhile, Miyuki slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She is on the sofa with the remote in her

hand. The T.V. is turned on and her dinner plate is still on the center table. Oh great. This is the 3rd time that I fell asleep on the couch… this is too unsanitary… She thought as she turned the T.V. off and picked up her plate. Then, someone knocked at the door. Eh? Must be the morning paper or something… She placed her plate on the kitchen sink and walked towards the door. She rubbed her eyes and opened the door.

"Eh? Sempai? What… brings you here?" Miyuki asked as she stared at Mitsui wide-eyed. Mitsui chuckled at her expression. Miyuki invited her into her house to have tea. Mitsui sat on the couch and waited for Miyuki to come back.

"Gomen nasai, sempai… I'm not expecting someone this early… The house is kind of messy since I'm not myself lately… " Miyuki said as she places the tea on the table and giggled. Mitsui smiled as he took the cup of tea and bowed down.

"My house is an even bigger mess than this…" he replied as he eyed on Miyuki. "You're looking pale… Is something wrong? You are eating properly, right?" Mitsui said as he looked at Miyuki,

Miyuki's eyes widened as she looked away. "Iie… I'm okay… maybe it's lack of sunshine… I haven't been outside for a while now…" Miyuki said as she sipped her tea. Mitsui sighed and looked out the window. He then shifted her eyes on Miyuki and smiled.

"It's probably because you're on Miyagi hibernation or something… If you go outside, you'd see Miyagi… If you walk around town, you'd see Aya-chan…" Mitsui confronted as he put down his cup. Miyuki looked down and stayed silent.

"Aya-chan… Even though she doesn't show it, I knew she was jealous of me back then. She didn't want to say because it would affect out friendship and I think that's so sweet of her. What we did was for the best… And so, I have to face the consequence. I have to stay away from Ryota for a while, to ease my mind a bit…" Miyuki muttered as she put down her cup.

Mitsui sighed as he stood up and grabbed Miyuki by the hand. "Come on… We'll go for a stroll by the bay." He muttered as he pulled Miyuki to the door.

"Whoa! Wait a sec.. Matte!" Miyuki stammered as she struggled to break free from Mitsui's grasp. Mitsui let go of Miyuki and looked at her. The two faced each other and is silent. Miyuki smiled faintly as she looked at Mitsui. "Can you at least wait while I take a quick shower?" she said in almost a whisper. Mitsui looked confused, but soon got the idea as he smiled and nodded. Miyuki ran upstairs and took a quick shower.

About half an hour later, Miyuki and Mitsui walked together to the bayside. They took a stroll by the bay as they talked about what they can think of. Mitsui looked at Miyuki as she some of her stories back when she was a kid. She was smiling so happily as they walked together. Miyuki… You have no idea… How you give me strength, how happy you make me everyday… How much I always want to be by your side. It's really ironic, how I tend to be courageous with other things… and yet, can be cowardly when it comes to you. He smiled as he heard Miyuki laugh out. It's been a while since he heard Miyuki's true laughter, not the fake ones. They walked to the park and decided to spend the rest of the morning by the playground.

"Sempai…" Miyuki muttered as she looked at the children by the playground. Mitsui looked at her and waited for her to say something. Miyuki looked at her and smiled. "Arigatou gozaimas! I never had time to go out for a while. This is the best morning I ever had…"

Mitsui blushed and chuckled lightly. They stayed silent for a while as they felt the cool breeze of autumn. Meanwhile, someone is busy watching Mitsui from afar, a teenage boy to be more specific. He lowered his cap and moved closer to get a clearer view. He smiled wickedly and shot a dreadful look at Miyuki. Don't think for a second that I'll let you get away, Miyuki… Mitsui, it's your entire fault! I'll have my sweet revenge… Just wait. He shot a last glance and walked away.

Mitsui walked Miyuki home. He then decided to walk home instead of riding the bus. He was walking silently as he stopped by a fork in the pathway. If I go right, I'll be going downtown and straight home… If I go left, then I'll be walking towards the bay. Hmm, now where should I turn? He then shrugged his shoulders and decided to turn left. When he reached the bayside, he sat under a tree and watched the leaves fall to the ground. He scooped a handful of dry leaves and tossed them aside. A tall guy approached him. He arranged his cap and stood next to Mitsui. Mitsui looked up and saw someone he didn't want to see for the rest of his life.

"Mitsui… Been a while now…" the guy said sarcastically. Mitsui glared at the guy and stood up facing him.

"You! What are doing here, Ichikawa!" he shot back and punched the trunk of the tree. Ichikawa smiled sheepishly and patted Mitsui on the shoulder. Mitsui glared at him and clenched his fist.

"We are keeping an eye on Miyuki now… I need you to go to the warehouse tomorrow… And don't bring anyone along. We need to settle a long forgotten dispute." Ichikawa said with a weird grin on his face.

"Mitsui chuckled as he answered back sarcastically. "What dispute? Oh yeah… that one! What makes you think I'll just do what you say?" Mitsui said as he folded his arms. Ichikawa chuckled as he took out a bunch of pictures from his shirt pocket and shoved them to Mitsui.

"Well, let's see if that won't change your mind… We've been keeping an eye out for Miyuki these past few days. Some of the pictures are taken this morning. If you don't agree with my proposal, well… We might do something to her other than stalking." He held one picture of Miyuki on his hands and smiled. "We have easy access, I can call someone to take her away at this very moment…"

Mitsui is silent as he shot a disgusted look at Ichikawa. He then lowered his head and gave in to his deal. Ichikawa smiled as he turned his back and walked away. "Keep your hands off her and I'll keep my word!" Mitsui called out. Ichikawa stopped on his tracks. "Of course, Mitsui.. Warehouse 28 1pm… Don't be late!"

Early the next morning, Mitsui lay on his bed thinking about his rendezvous this afternoon. He didn't have much sleep last night since he's worrying too much about Miyuki. He tossed and turned on his bed. Finally, he decided to get up when he saw the time. 12:30… I better go now… He took a quick shower and got out of his house. He noticed someone by his gate. He locked the door and looked at the person.

The person is Miyagi. He removed his shades and smiled at Mitsui. "Yo! Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

Mitsui is silent for a while. "I'm.. going… somewhere…" he stammered. Miyagi smiled as he leaned on the wall. "It's a really boring day… Mind if I tag along?"

"No!" Mitsui shot back as he looked at Miyagi. He was taken aback and cleared his throat. "Gomen nasai… It's just something very confidential…" he muttered. Miyagi stood up and faced Mitsui and shot him a very concerned look. "You're meeting up with the guy who kidnapped Miyuki aren't you? I overheard your conversation yesterday… I happened to pass by that spot yesterday…"

Mitsui kept his silence as Miyagi folded his arms. "I'm coming with you… I have a bad feeling about this…" Miyagi said in a worried tone. But Mitsui simple shook his head and said, "Thanks, but no thanks… I have to go there alone. The least that you can do for me is to watch Miyuki for me, okay?" Mitsui patted Miyagi on the shoulder and went on his way. Miyagi watched him from afar and shook his head. I knew I couldn't stop you like that… The best thing to do is to bring along the person involved…

Meanwhile, Miyuki is busy doing her laundry. She went outside and hanged some of her clothes to dry. Then, she heard a familiar voice calling her. She looked around and saw Miyagi in his backyard. He jumped over the fence and approached Miyuki.

"Miyu-chan! You got to come with me! Mitsui is getting into some brawl again… This time, it's very serious!" Miyagi blurted out as he tried to catch his breath. Miyuki dropped her laundry and stared at him wide-eyed. She followed behind Miyagi. "What the hell is sempai thinking!" Miyuki exclaimed as they walked. Miyagi is silent as they walked.

After a while, Miyagi ran away as he called out. "Just meet me at warehouse 28 okay? I'm getting a weird feeling… Catch up okay?"

Miyuki ran as she looked for the warehouse that Miyagi told her. Stupid sempai! I told him to stay away form Ichikawa! She picked up her pace and arrives at the pier. Miyagi approached her and looked around. Miyuki stopped for a while to catch her breath.

"Where are they, Ryota?" Miyuki asked as she looked around. Miyagi scanned the rows of warehouses and squinted his eyes.

"There… that's where he said he'd be going.." Miyagi told Miyuki as he pointed his finger at the last warehouse.

Miyuki ran as fast as she could and looked for the entrance. Miyagi followed her and looked for other access of the warehouse. He then noticed a broken window, large enough for them to get through. He crept to the window and climbed at the pile of boxes.

"Climb up here as soon as I get in, okay? Be careful…" Miyagi said as he squeezed through the window.

Miyuki waited for a while for Miyagi to give her the signal. Moments later, Miyagi poked his head out of the window and signaled her to climb up. Miyuki carefully climbed up the pile of boxes and grabbed Miyagi's arm, which are extended for her. She went through the window and looked down. They were not that far from the floor. Miyagi jumped down and called Miyuki. The two crept to the other room and peeked inside. They heard familiar voices coming from that room. They indeed saw Ichikawa and his gang mates. Mitsui is lying limp on the ground, his head bleeding as he tried to get up.

"Sempai…" Miyuki gasped as she tried to approach him, but Miyagi stopped her.

"We'll be in big trouble if you do… We have to wait for the right time…" Miyagi said as he blocked Miyuki and looked at the scene.

Ichikawa snickered as he looked at Mitsui. "You look so pathetic! Are you really THE famous Hisashi Mitsui?" He snickered as he kicked Mitsui who is lying limp on the floor.

Ichikawa glared at him for a while. He got irritated as he stooped down and grabbed Mitsui by his shirt. Blood is flowing from Mitsui's forehead and looks very battered already. And yet, why didn't he even fight back or even surrender?

"After we're through with you… We'll be off to find Miyuki… We're not finished with her yet…" he muttered as he threw Mitsui aside and hit the nearby box crates.

Miyuki… Mitsui thought. "Darn you! Better kill me first before you can even lay a finger on her!" Mitsui called out as he struggled to get up. Ichikawa glared at him as he approached him.

"Whatever you say, Mitsui…" Ichikawa muttered as he punched Mitsui on the stomach and fell down. Mitsui struggled to get up and punched Ichikawa in the face. Ichikawa's gang mates were ready to beat up Mitsui, but Ichikawa stopped them.

"Grant me the honor to beat up the great Hisashi Mitsui.." he muttered as he kicked Mitsui around.

Iie.. It's my fault… sempai… Miyuki thought as she closed her eyes.

Suddenly, Ichikawa was hit with a wooden chair at the back and fell down. He turned and saw Miyagi holding a big piece of wood in his hands. Miyagi batted the wood on Ichikawa as hard as he could.

Miyuki ran towards Mitsui who is at the corner of the room. She looked at Mitsui's worsened state as she wiped the blood with her handkerchief.

"Sempai… Are you, okay? Please say something…" Miyuki said as she tapped Mitsui's face. Mitsui looked at Miyuki and smiled faintly. He tried to register Miyuki in his mind, but his eyesight is getting blurry and he is dizzy. "Breathe sempai! Come on!"

Meanwhile, Miyagi tried to take on Ichikawa and his associate. But two on one seems to be unfair for Miyagi since all of them are tall guys. He called out Miyuki as he tried to evade their attacks.

"Miyu-chan! Get Mitsui out of here now!" Miyagi called out.

Miyuki nodded as he tried to support Mitsui's weight. But one of Ichikawa's associates crept behind her and hit her with a wooden block on the head. Miyuki fell hard on the floor with her head spinning. Mitsui groaned as he tried to open his eyes. He saw Miyuki lying beside him on the floor.

"Miyuki…" he whispered as he tried to reach out for her. But someone pulled her up and threw her on the other side of the room. Mitsui tried to get up, but his body is failing. Seeing that Miyuki is being beaten up too, he gathered all his strength to stand up. He walked towards the guy and punched him as hard as he can. They guy fell down but quickly stood up and pushed Mitsui to the wall.

The guy approached him and grabbed him by his shirt. "Say your prayers…" the guy muttered.

"Iie… please.. let sempai go…" Miyuki whispered as tears fell down from her eyes. Then, she heard a sound of broken glass. A group of guys stormed the room and ran after Ichikawa and his friends. Miyuki tried to see who they are even though her head is spinning.

"Ha.. Hanamichi!" Miyagi blurted out as he looked at the new arrivals.

"Charge! Save Micchy and Curly!" A familiar voice called out. After a while, she saw Hanamichi Sakuragi with his friends trailing behind him. Behind them are guys carrying a white flag with a picture of Mitsui on it.

"Micchy boy!" Mitsui's friends called out as they carried their flag and charged behind Sakuragi's gang.

Ichikawa's eyes widened as he ran outside the warehouse with his friends trailing behind him. Sakuragi ran after them with the help of his very fast pace.

"Cowardly toothpick! Come back here!" Sakuragi yelled at the top of his lungs as he ran after Ichikawa. The Mitsui brigade followed behind them.

Miyuki tried her best to sit up straight, but she is weak and battered. Miyagi approached her and helped her get up. One of Mitsui's friends entered the room and carried Mitsui on his back.

"Ryo-chan …" Miyuki whispered to Miyagi as she tried to hold on to him. Miyagi smiled as he looked at Mitsui.

"Now… don't worry… I'm sure Mitsui will be okay." Miyagi whispered to Miyuki as he carried her on his back. Miyuki smiled faintly before passing out. Mitsui will be okay… As long as you're okay… Miyagi thought as he looked at Mitsui who is out-cold.

Meanwhile, Miyuki slowly opened her eyes and scanned the room. Oh my throbbing cranium! Where am I? She suddenly remembered what happened before she passed out. "God! Sempai!" she exclaimed as she quickly sat up and looked around.

"Mitsui is not here Miyu-sama…" someone called out from the other end of the room. Miyuki looked around and saw a familiar looking guy standing by the window.

"Where's sempai? Is he okay? What about Sakuragi and Ryo-chan? Are they all okay?" Miyuki asked continuously as she tried to keep herself calm.

"They're fine… Mitsui is in the hospital right now. He's pretty beaten up… Mitsui asked us to bring you here before he passed out." The guys said in a low tone.

"So reska… But, is he okay? Are there any serious injuries or anything? Err.. Wait.. before anything else, can I ask for your name?" Miyuki asked as she lowered her head.

"Oh, right… I'm Kai… I'm one of Mitsui's gang mates before… Nice to meet you Miyu-sama!" Kai said as he bowed down and looked at Miyuki. "Mitsui is really good at choosing girls." He added.

"Eh? Miyu-sama? Girls? Why are you calling me Miyu-sama? I may not look like it, but I'm only 15 you know!" Miyuki exclaimed as she folded her arms. Kai laughed out as he dragged a chair and sat in front of Miyuki.

"Gomen nasai Miyu-sama… It's just that if you're Mitsui's girlfriend, then we're your protectors too…" Kai said as he leaned on the chair.

"Eh? Girl.. friend? Of sempai? Protectors! Iie.. you're mistaken! We're just good friends! And.. I think you're way to exaggerated!" Miyuki exclaimed as she sat up straight and laughed nervously. Kai looked confused and turned his back on Miyuki.

"You.. you're not?" Kai stammered and heard a faint yes from Miyuki. Oh man! I thought Mitsui already told her… Does that mean he still have no plans of telling her? Oh God! What if she asks why I thought so, I'm sure she will! I'll have to think of something good to tell her… But.. She's a genius, I'll totally screw in front of her and reveal Mitsui's oh-so-great secret in front of her. Oh man! I can already see his reaction! He's going to hang me upside down and feed me to the rats! Oh, poor me!

Miyuki looked at Kai and wondered why he suddenly turned his back on her. "Anou, Kai-san… Are you okay?" she asked sheepishly.

Kai nodded and faced her. "Gomen nasai for asking such a blunt question… I just thought you were since you're so close to each other and everything… Gomen nasai!" he stammered as she bowed down repeatedly.

"Iie! It's okay… Please, raise your head… It's okay!" Miyuki exclaimed as she tries to stop Kai from apologizing. "Mitsui-sempai is a good guy. That's why I feel at ease with him…" Miyuki smiled as she sat on the couch. Kai nodded in agreement. They talked about Mitsui for the next couple of hours.

Kai decided to go to the hospital with Miyuki. Kai went inside the room first as Miyuki waited for him outside. Inside the room, Kai closed the door behind him. He saw Miyagi, Sakuragi and the rest of his gang mates. "Miyu-chan needs to talk to Mitsui for now… Can you guys wait outside?" Kai said enthusiastically. Miyagi stood up with a smile on his face as he walked out of the room. The rest of the guys followed.

Miyuki sat on a bench outside Mitsui's room. She is busy looking at the view from the window. She then heard Miyagi calling her. She looked back and stood up. All of the guys are out of the room now. Miyagi smiled at Miyuki as he gave way. She entered Mitsui's room and sat beside him. She smiled faintly as she looked at Mitsui. She reached out for him, but hesitated for a while. Mitsui… she whispered. She placed her hand on his forehead as she leaned closer to him.

"Don't do such a stupid thing ever again…" she whispered as she let her head fall onto the bed beside him.

After a while, Mitsui slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He felt someone beside him. His eyes widened as he looked at the girl that looked somewhat familiar. He'll know that girl from practically anywhere. He brushed the girl's hair off her face as he smiled. Miyuki opened her eyes as she smiled at Mitsui.

"What brings you here? Are you okay?" Mitsui said with a concerned look on his face. Miyuki nodded as she smiled faintly at him.

"Anou… you shouldn't rush into fights that you have no match… Look what happened to you!" Miyuki said with a feeling of concern and anger on her face.

Mitsui muttered a faint sorry as he sat up. "Well, I have the right to be angry at you and Miyagi too… Look what happened to you?" he answered back.
"Don't blame us! If it weren't for Ryo-chan, I wouldn't even know you're into some of your brawls! What are you planning to do back there? Let yourself be beaten up by those guys!" Miyuki scolded with a little tone of anger. Miyuki lowered her head and looked away. Mitsui sat up and looked at Miyuki. He grabbed her swiftly and held her in his arms. Miyuki was surprised at Mitsui's gesture. He held Miyuki closer as he ran his fingers through her hair.
"Why… Why are you… always the one… who takes away my pain… Why are you always by my side, when I need you the most? Why do you… care so much?" Miyuki whispered under her breath. Mitsui wanted to say what he's keeping from her for a long time. But the words are shut in his mind for fear of losing her. If I could just ask you something thing… Why can't you see? Why can't you feel… Are you that… insensitive? Mitsui's unwrapped his arms around Miyuki as he looked away to hide the redness of his face.
Miyuki stood up and with a blank expression on her face. She simply looked at Mitsui who is spacing out somewhere. "I'll be going now, sempai… Please take care of yourself…" Miyuki muttered as she walked to the door.
"Matte…" Mitsui called out. Miyuki looked back at Mitsui. Seeing a vague expression on Mitsui's face, Miyuki smiled faintly as she walked out of the door. Mitsui stared at the door as he smiled lightly.
What is it? What is that thing that makes her… so special to me…we are very indifferent… But, why do I feel this way? They say, don't throw everything away for the one you love… Unluckily… I'm willing to throw away everything… for her… Miyuki Kanazumi…