Disclaimer: I really do not own Slam Dunk! I'm not that rich… In fact… I'm as poor as a cockroach! So don't sue me… I have nothing to pay… /heh

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Thanks for all those wo reviewed... Hope you like this one...

Chapter 13

The semester break is now over as Shohoku High is again crowded with students. Mitsui arranged his locker and went to his classroom. He has to do some serious studying so that he could play in the Inter High tournament. Okay… Don't think about the practice later, ne? Concentrate on the lesson and try to be a good shot… Mitsui mentally nodded his head as he stood up with the rest of his classmates to greet the teacher. Mitsui braced himself as he waited for the teacher to announce his results for the past semester. Come on! Give a good result!

"Mitsui Hisashi…" the teacher called out. Those two glorious words rang inside Mitsui's head as he quickly stood up and looked at the teacher. The teacher eyed on Mitsui as she fixed her glasses and looked at the record. "Well now, you did well on your other subjects… But… you failed by one point in your Math test. So you know what that means right?"

Mitsui glared at the teacher and stood there dumbfounded. They had an agreement that if he failed even just one subject of his, then he will be bailed out of the Inter High tournament. He slammed his hand on his desk and stopped to think for a while. "Sensei, it's just one point! Can't you make a consideration?" his voice was calm yet stern. He glared at his teacher with his fist clenched hard.

"We had a deal. Mitsui… and because you failed, we have to do that deal."

"But it's just one point! Darn!"

All eyes are fixed on Mitsui, but he didn't even care. He gripped his desk harder as he listened to the words his teacher said. "I'm sorry… But a deal is a deal." Those words echoed in his mind as he sat down and mentally cursed himself. Darn it! I can't even play my last Inter High Tournament! Darn it! How will he even explain that to Akagi and the rest? Surely Sakuragi will never let him hear the end of his insults. He won't be able to play in the Inter High next year since he's graduating already. He ran his hand through his hair as he began to think.

After class, Mitsui absent-mindedly walked to his locker to fix his stuff. He needs to compose himself in order to face Akagi. He is engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone beside him. He closed his locker with a loud banging sound as he walked away. That someone is none other than Miyuki herself. She watched as Mitsui walk down the hall. Sempai… Are you okay? Are you angry at me or something? She sighed as she looked at the bracelet Mitsui gave her. She sighed as she arranged her locker.

Meanwhile, Mitsui took cautious steps towards the gym. He can already hear Akagi's unassailable voice coming from inside the gym. He sighed as he went inside and looked around. The practice hasn't started yet. Akagi is busy discussing something to Coach Anzai and Ayako is busy reviewing the team profiles of the competing schools. Well now… I can't talk to Akagi for a while. But I have to inform him as soon as I can… Maybe he can do something about it… As he looked around, he saw Kogure by the benches reading a book. Mitsui sighed as he approached Kogure.

"Hey Kogure…" Mitsui greeted as he sat next to Kogure. "Are you busy or something?"

"Iie… I just looked up something, that's all." Kogure said as he fixed his glasses. Seeing a vague expression on Mitsui's face, he wondered what's wrong. "Hey, are you okay? It seems like something's bothering you…"

Mitsui sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "I flunked one of my tests, and now sensei wants to bail me out of the Inter-High… She said it's against the rules and no one is exempted from that."

Kogure didn't look half-surprised. He again fixed his glasses and look at the book in his hands. "Well, maybe we can still do something about it… But I'm sure Akagi will be really furious when he finds out. He'll surely question your time management."

"I'm willing to do anything to be able to play in the Inter-high! Even if it takes me all night. I know you understand… I did my best…" Mitsui said under his breath.

Kogure smiled as he patted Mitsui's back. "Well, we still have to wait what happens… Maybe sensei will change his mind. As of now, don't tell Akagi yet, okay?"

Mitsui smirked as he stared off in space. He didn't notice that Miyuki is right behind him, listening to their conversation. Kogure looked at Miyuki and smiled. Miyuki nodded as she walked away as quiet as possible. After a while, Akagi called in the team into formation. They didn't have practice yet. They spent the whole afternoon talking and creating strategies for the Inter-High. Ayako discussed a brief introduction about the teams that will be playing for the Inter-High. Mitsui tried his best to concentrate, but it seems that he can't take his mind off his grades. I sure hope sensei would give me consideration… I know he saw all my efforts, isn't that enough already? Miyagi noticed Mitsui's serious aura and examined his face for a while. He then shrugged and continued listening to Ayako.

After the meeting, the team was dismissed. Mitsui decided to tell Akagi later since Kogure insisted him to do so. He picked up his bag and walked out of the gym. Mitsui stopped on his tracks and looked at the hallway. By the way, I haven't seen Miyuki all day…That's odd… I should have noticed him by the locker or in the gym… I wonder where she is. He shrugged as he thought that maybe she went home early. As he went out of the school building, he heard someone calling him. Mitsui looked around and saw his teacher. He still has his class record with him and is on his way home also. "Sensei…"

"Look, I've decided to give you a consideration. To tell you the truth, your grades are not what we can say well. You know that you've been getting C's since the first semester. If you don't keep up, you might repeat your graduating year… Do you understand the circumstances? I'm giving you this chance Mitsui… Show me a decent set of grades and I will let you play in the Inter-High. And for crying out loud, I want you to graduate!" his teacher said in a low yet sarcastic tone.

Mitsui looked confused. But as soon as he heard the bargain, he was overjoyed. "Hontouni? Arigatou sempai! Arigatou gozaimas! I promise I'll do my best!" Mitsui exclaimed in an enthusiastic tone.

His teacher smiled as he looked at his class record. "Well, you should thank Kanazumi-san for it… Maybe she can help you out… She seems very determined… Not to mention way more advanced than any of the seniors!" he said as he grinned.

"Huh? Ka…Kanazumi-san? Mi…Miyuki? What did she do sensei?" Mitsui stammered as he looked at his teacher. The teacher laughed out as he looked at the school building. "Nothing much… She asked me to give you a chance. I heard she's a genius… Maybe she can help you out a bit…" he replied.

"Ahh… Soreska… Anou, arigato… sensei… I'll do my best." Mitsui said as he bowed down. The teacher nodded as he went on his way. Mitsui watched him walk away. He then shifted his eyes on the school building. Miyuki… How did you know about that? Where are you? He thought as he ran back to the school building. He didn't notice that he already passed by Miyuki who is just behind the main entrance. Miyuki smiled faintly as she took one glance at Mitsui.

"Oh, Konnichiwa Mitsui… What brings you back here?" Kogure asked in his usual cool and soothing tone. Mitsui smiled and shook his head at the same time.

"Sensei gave me another chance… It seems like Miyuki talked to my teacher. Demo, how did she know about that? I haven't seen her the whole day." Mitsui wondered as he scratched his head. Kogure laughed as he fixed his glasses.

"Well now, maybe you didn't notice her earlier… Anyway, don't think about it… The important thing is that you're okay to play in the Inter-High…" Kogure said with a grin. Mitsui nodded as he looked at the entrance. He then decided to pay Miyuki a visit.

Meanwhile, Miyuki walked home alone. Ayako is still in school discussing something with Coach Anzai. She sighed as she tightened the grip on her bag and walked down the street with her head down. Why Miyuki? I can't believe you actually talked to a senior teacher just to ask for sempai's consideration. He even said that I should be the one teaching him. It's kind of ironic since I'm the junior and he's the sempai, right? Hmm… Demo, if I didn't do anything, he can't play in the Inter-High… And I don't want that to happen… Miyuki sighed again as she walked towards her front porch and fished out her keys in her pocket. Her mother and brother are back in Tokyo so she is alone again for a while. Hmm, that's funny, I'm sure I placed my keys around here somewhere… She opened her bag and looked for her missing keys. Oh darn! I must have dropped it somewhere… She then remembered that she had an extra key hidden in one of the lampshades on the wall. She reached up for it, but the lamp is just too high. Whew! The inconvenience of being petite! She thought as she tiptoed and extended her arm further. Suddenly, someone got the key from the lampshade. To her surprise, she saw Mitsui holding the keys in his hand and breaking into a silly grin.

"Well now, if you're going to keep a spare key around here, you should at least keep it within your reach…" Mitsui said sarcastically.

Miyuki whined as she folded her arms. "Hai, I know I'm shorter than you, sempai… It's not my fault, my brother placed that key there… Anyway, arigatou sempai…" Miyuki said with a faint smile.

"By the way, I'd like to thank you too… For helping me out with sensei…" Mitsui said in a low tone. "However, I can't really accept the fact that you're going to teach me… I think it should be the other way around…"

Miyuki giggled as she opened her door. "Iie sempai… Well, now that you're here, maybe we can start studying ne? It's just for one night. Then tomorrow, you can take the make-up test… Come on in…" Miyuki replied as she stepped aside. Mitsui walked inside and sat in the living room.

"Can you wait here, I'm just going to prepare dinner. It would just take a minute, okay?" Miyuki said cheerfully.

"No, I'm okay with leftovers you know. If you cook something up, it'll just waste our time." Mitsui said as he looked up the books that he took out from his bag. Miyuki stopped and looked at him. He did have a point somehow.

"Well, okay… I'll just cook up something in the microwave okay? I won't be long…" Miyuki replied as she walked into the kitchen nonchalantly. Mitsui sighed as he opened one of his books and scanned the pages. It's really ironic that someone younger than him is teaching him the stuff that he should know by now. But, what can he do? It's for the Inter-High, and Miyuki is going to kill him if he didn't make it. Meanwhile, Miyuki scanned the fridge for something to eat. She then saw some leftover sashimi from last night. Miyuki always cook up too much food for herself. …And a good thing too… She took out the sashimi from the fridge and cooked it inside the microwave. While waiting, she made orange juice and peeked into the next room. After a while, everything was set. Miyuki smiled as she brought the food into the living room.

"Here… Sorry it took so long… I just threw something into the microwave just like you told me to…" said Miyuki as she set the tray in the center table. Mitsui nodded as he sat on the floor and picked up his chopsticks.

After they have finished their meal. Miyuki stood up and brought the dishes to the kitchen. Mitsui took out his studying mediums and scanned the pages. They started to study for Mitsui's make-up test tomorrow.

After a couple of hours, Mitsui stretched his arms and yawned. As Miyuki wrote an item test, Mitsui opened his book and pretended to be reading something. He looked at Miyuki and smiled. She seems so serious in her work. Mitsui tried to pay attention to Miyuki as she explained the items carefully. But paradox seems to be working it's way with him since he should know all those stuff better than her. Hmm… What choice do I have anyway? I owe her big time… Mitsui sighed as he flipped the pages of his book.

Miyuki took a breath of relief as she stared down at her work. "Sempai… It's finished. I know you can answer this easily, ne?" Miyuki said in a low tone as she stood up. "I'll just be by the kitchen if you need me, okay?" She assured as she walked into the kitchen.

Mitsui nodded as he skimmed through the items. Well now… This is kind of… hard… Oh well, why does she have to torture me with such a hard practice test! Mitsui thought as he mentally shook his head and analyzed the problems. Excruciating minutes later he finally finished the test. He checked his books and compared his answers. Well now… I think I already got this… Now, I need to show this to Miyuki. Which reminds me, she hasn't come out of the kitchen yet. Oh well… Mitsui stood up and walked towards the kitchen. He then saw Miyuki asleep by the dining table. She left an unfinished tea in front of her. Mitsui looked at her with a bit of guilt, which pained him inside. He sighed as he lightly shook her.

"Hey, wake up…" Mitsui whispered as he shook her lightly. Miyuki groaned as she continued to sleep. Mitsui scratched his head as he thought of something to wake her up. Well, the least I could do is to bring her to her room… He carefully took Miyuki's arm and carried her to her room as stealthy as possible. He laid her gently to bed and covered her with her blanket. He took one last glance at Miyuki and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

Early the next morning, Miyuki woke up feeling drowsy as she propped on her elbows. Wait a sec… I don't remember walking upstairs… Oh darn! The review! Sempai! "Ow!" She exclaimed as her head hit the low shelf. She looked out the window and shielded her eyes from the sunshine. Then, her alarm clock suddenly went off, making her jump in shock. Eh? I don't remember even setting my alarm clock! She went downstairs and looked for Mitsui's things. But all that was left on the table is a piece of paper. She knelt down and opened the note.

Hey, I went home… You fell asleep last night in the kitchen. I took you to your room and set your alarm. Thanks for helping me out… I got what you're trying to explain last night. I'll do my best in that re-test later. Please wait for me by the usual spot later, okay? –Hisashi

Miyuki slapped her forehead lightly as she folded the letter. I need to apologize to sempai later… It's so dim-witted of me to fall asleep like that! She prepared herself and walked towards Shohoku High. Later that afternoon, Miyuki waited in her usual spot by the Sakura tree. Mitsui is taking the re-test at that time. She kept glancing at the school building. I wonder how sempai is doing… Miyuki thought as she looked up.

"Hey…" a familiar voice said from behind her. Miyuki turned around and saw Mitsui holding a book in his hand and smiled at her. "Got a good night sleep?"

Miyuki stood up and smiled. "Err... Yeah… So, how did the test go?" she said enthusiastically.

Mitsui shrugged as he smiled. "It was pretty tough… But you know what? The practice test you gave me is even harder! In other words, passing that test was a piece of cake!" he said as he snickered.

"Hountoni! That's great!" Miyuki exclaimed almost jumping with joy. Mitsui nodded as he placed the book in the bench.

"So, I'll be going to practice now. We'll be leaving for the Inter-High tournament in a couple of weeks. So you'll be seeing me less for the rest of the week…" Mitsui said as he looked at Mitsui, scrutinizing her reaction. Miyuki nodded and looked at him with a blank look on her face.

"Just win that tournament, okay?" Miyuki said as she bowed down and smiled. "Now, you should be running off to practice now, ne? Ja ne…" she said in a jovial voice. Mitsui nodded as he ran to the gym. Miyuki smiled as she looked at the bracelet once again.

A couple of weeks later, the Shohoku team has to leave for the Inter-High tournament. They will be away from Kanagawa for a couple of weeks too. The team is now busy completing the said requirements before they leave tomorrow morning. Mitsui leaned on the wall as he checked his list. Hmm… Seems that I'm already cleared. Good thing! He needs to pay a certain someone a visit before he leaves. While walking in the hallway, he happened to meet Kogure who was on his way out of the library.

"Hello there, Mitsui… Finished with your clearance already?" Kogure greeted as he closed the door behind him. Mitsui nodded as he showed him his folder and smiled.

"I arranged everything last night so I don't have to rush… By the way, have you seen Miyuki anywhere?" Mitsui asked as he looked around the hallway.

Kogure nodded as he pointed his thumb to the door. "She's inside. I think she's doing her weekly book reading." He said as he fixed his glasses. Mitsui thanked him and went inside the library. He looked around for a while and finally found her sitting by herself on one of the desks and reading a thick book. Mitsui smiled as he approached her.

"Oh! Hello sempai! Are you finished with your clearance?" Miyuki said in a low tone as she closed the book in her hands. Mitsui nodded as he placed his hand on his head and chuckled. Miyuki smiled at him and muttered. "Good for you…"

"We're leaving early in the morning tomorrow. We won't be going to drop by here. We're going straight to the train station… So… I just dropped by… to say…. goodbye for now…" Mitsui stammered as he looked awkwardly at Miyuki.

Miyuki looked at him for a while with traces of sadness in her eyes. But she looked down and stared at the book on the table. "Be careful while you're away, sempai… I can't promise you that I'll make it to the Inter-High… But I'll hope for the best." She replied as she smiled. "Take care of yourself…"

Mitsui smiled as he nodded and walked away. Miyuki looked at him with her smile slowly fading away. She sighed as she opened her book and continued reading. The symptoms are showing… Mitsui went out of the library and walked home by himself. But he happened to catch up with Miyagi who is standing by the sidewalk with Ayako. Mitsui tapped Miyagi's shoulder and greeted him and Ayako.

"Well now… Why aren't you with Miyu-chan? Is she still in school? She said she'd be waiting for you…" Ayako said with a confused yet concerned look. Miyagi nodded as he looked at Mitsui.

"Err… Wait! Don't get me wrong… She said she'd be staying for a little while. She's probably looking up something in the library or something…" Mitsui said as he shook his head and gave out a nervous chuckle. Ayako and Miyagi looked at each other and shrugged.

"So, did you say goodbye already?" Miyagi asked. Mitsui nodded as he waited for the 'go' signal to cross. Ayako took a breath of relief as she looked at Miyagi and Mitsui and stayed silent. She remembered what Miyuki told her earlier in her usual spot.

-Flashback-

"Why do you want to talk about? You know, this is really a great idea since we haven't been together for a while now…" Ayako said as she sat on the soft grass and looked at the blooming Sakura leaves. Miyuki stayed silent as she looked down at the ground. These past few days, Miyuki is mostly in deep thought, not to mention she's spending a lot of time with Mitsui.

"Hey, is something bothering you?" Ayako asked as she looked closely. "I've been noticing a slight change in your mood… You sometimes look sort of… sad." Miyuki didn't respond for a while. She clutched her skirt and began to utter words.

"Aya-chan… We need to talk about sempai…" Miyuki uttered. "What do you think sempai would do… if I leave Kanagawa?" Those words echoed in Ayako's head as she leaned closer to her dear friend. What in the world is she talking about?

"Miyu-chan, are you leaving Kanagawa?" Ayako asked in almost a whisper. Miyuki shook her head as she clutched her skirt tighter. Her head is still down as she remained silent.

"Aya-chan… That was just a situational question… Now, I'll ask you again… What do you think sempai would do if I left Kanagawa?" Miyuki asked again, this time with a bit of emphasis on her words. Ayako looked at her best friend carefully. Why the hell is she talking about something like that?

Ayako took a deep breath and recalled everything that Mitsui said from the beginning. "Mitsui… is in love with Miyuki for so long…" Ayako thought as she once again looked at the girl. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hand on Miyuki's head and smiled. "Mitsui will be pretty down if you leave. It's pretty obvious in his actions… That you're very special to him… And I don't think he can bear the thought of you leaving…" Ayako replied as she looked at a somehow emotionally wrecked Miyuki. She then wondered why she's saying things like that.

Miyuki raised her head up a mere inch. She looked far away as the wind blew harder. " So reska..." she muttered as she sighed. She then lowered her head again and muttered a few words. "Aya-chan… I don't want to lose Mitsui… I… love him… very much."

"Hey, Aya-chan… Hello?" a voice called out. She snapped back to reality as she looked at Miyagi and Mitsui. "We have to cross now, Aya-chan… Let's go…" he added cheerfully as he held Ayako's hand and crossed the street with Mitsui following them from behind. The trio separated ways by the park. As Miyagi and Ayako looked at Mitsui walk away, she remembered the last words Miyuki said to her before they parted ways. Aya-chan… Don't tell sempai… Onegai…

Early the next morning, Mitsui woke up earlier than usual. The team have agreed to meet at the train station at 7:30 a.m. He checked his things and prepared himself for his leave. As he stepped out of his house, he looked at his watch and sighed. 7:15… Oh darn… I'll be late if I drop by the school… Oh well… I guess I have to bear for this. He thought to himself as he shook his head and walked towards the train station. As he passed by the park, Miyuki appeared from behind one of the trees and watched Mitsui walk away. She sighed as she walked vaguely towards Shohoku High.

A few hours later, Miyuki dressed up for her gym class. She is not really the athletic type, that's why she gets low grades in this subject. Today is one of their practical tests for Track and Field. Usually, she would be very tired afterwards. But she would be okay after a short rest. But this time, she hasn't even started to run yet. But it seems that her body cannot withstand herself anymore. She felt dizzy as she felt the abnormal pacing of her heart. Without hesitation, she ran towards the school and into the washroom. She felt her chest obstruct as she struggled for air. Her head felt like it's being crushed by something as she kneeled down on the floor and kept struggling for air. Then, she heard the door open as someone stepped inside.

"Anou, Miyu-chan? Are you okay?" a soft familiar voice whispered as she leaned down as shoved Miyuki's hair off her face.

"Ha… Haru… ko…" Miyuki muttered as she coughed out droplets of blood on the floor. Haruko's eyes widened as she took Miyuki in her arms. "Kami-sama! What's going on here! Miyu-chan! Snap out of it!" Haruko called out as she slapped Miyuki lightly on the cheek. Slowly, Miyuki felt numb and lost consciousness. "Miyu-chan!"

After a while, Miyuki woke up in a clinic bed. She tried to prop up in her elbows, but she is just too weak to do so. It's as if all her strength was drained out. Her head is still throbbing in pain as she squinted her eyes and exhaled. Oh god… Please, this is not what I think it is, right? Please, anything but that! Tears welled up in Miyuki's eyes as she wiped them away. Then, Haruko appeared into the room holding a tray of food. She smiled sweetly at Miyuki as she sat down and placed the tray beside her.

"How are you feeling Miyu-chan? Good thing I got there in time. You are pretty wrecked back there…" Haruko said in a concerned yet sweet tone. Miyuki managed to present a faint smile as she muttered a thank you in almost a whisper. Haruko looked at her for a while with her deep brown eyes. Something odd is going on with Miyuki, and it's not mere sickness at all. "Miyu-chan… Something is terribly wrong with you… What is it?"

Miyuki's deep green eyes widened as she looked back at Haruko who looked very confident in finding out the answers. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Tears welled up in her eyes as they fluttered open. Haruko leaned over and placed her hand on her forehead and smiled. Should I tell her? I'm not ever sure about this… But… everything I'm feeling right now points only to one thing… All the things I looked up… is all true…

-Flashback-

A DNA experiment is a terminal disease that one should be willing to take the risks. If the DNA alteration somewhat backfires, the body will react abnormally and will slowly expire due to the sudden re-arrangement of the normal body genes since birth. The chances of the laboratory specimen to live after this experiment are only about 5 percent. The symptoms would probably show up in the most vital part of the body, the circulatory and respiratory system. The inside will slowly deteriorate and so is the function of the brain…

Miyuki opened her eyes as she looked at Haruko once again. "Haru-chan… I… I'm dying…" she whispered as her tears fell down the cheeks. The words echoed in Haruko's mind and took her a long time to fully comprehend. She looked at Miyuki who is breaking down in front of her. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around her as Miyuki held her close.

"I… I don't want to… die… yet… Haru-chan." Miyuki muttered as she cried and held on to Haruko.

"There must be some mistake Miyu—"

"There isn't! It's bound to be this way from the very beginning my irrational father did those darn experiments on me! It's all his fault!" Miyuki exclaimed as she cried even harder. Haruko comforted Miyuki as she thought of someway to make her forget.

After a while, Miyuki calmed down with the tears still present in her eyes. She took Haruko's hand and looked straight into her eyes. "Please… don't tell this to anyone… Not even Aya-chana and Ryo-chan… Especially… sempai… Please…" Haruko hesitated at her request. But looking into Miyuki's pleading eyes made her agree to keep everything under wraps.

Wee… the ending is coming up very soon/thrills/. How will Mitsui deal with this when he finds out! Just when Miyuki finally made up her mind with Mitsui! Please drop by a review on your way out! Thanks! TC!