Disclaimer: The absolute undeniable fact that cannot be doubted is this: I do not own Slam Dunk. Pero pwede pa rin akong tumingin diba?

Kalyope Medina Burato: thanks for reviewing once again! Well… yup I'm trying not to rush, but finally after being able to revive myself, from this sort of almost sloth-like laziness in opening Microsoft word, I've finally said to myself, I will continue to write and finish the stories that are being conceived in my head… anyways, keep up with your suspicions, they may be right…

Simmic: haha, I was kinda shocked when I saw your review for I was still awake at that time and it was already almost 5 am in Calgary, anyways, yeah I think that since I'm not a basketball player too, I can only describe basketball based on how I can, and since you're not a player to, my writing translates well to you since it does not include too much technicality and all that stuff I have no knowledge off… well, what Jin and Karin were talking about will be confronted in a few chapters from now…

The Writing On The Wall

As the screams from the crowd became more distant and softened to alter into the sounds of engines running, and vehicles constantly on the road, the bus arrived right on time, and I took a seat for myself and gazed out of the window.

"Karin-" Jin's voice broke in my head. I jerked up in response to the vibrating sensation beside me - my phone had rung. I picked it up, and for the second time of the day, I talked to the principal. "Takahashi Karin? Is that you?" I replied, "Yes."

"That's good, well to tell you frankly, there's no need for you to come by to my office, Yoyogi Kana just called and explained everything to me. Though next time, please do call back the school and inform them okay?" I could not believe my ears. First for the fact that Yoyogi Kana had actually covered up for me, and second, that I was not in any trouble at all.

"But-" I began to protest, even though I must have been crazy to do so. "But?" The principal echoed my words back at me. "Nothing." She bid me a good day and a farewell and hung up.

I sat there, the bus still running, when I asked the driver to stop. I went out of the bus, and rode another one, it's destination bringing me back to the stadium, hoping that at least I could still catch up with the game.

As soon as I mounted the other bus, my phone rang yet again. This time it had been Ayako. "So? Did it work? I asked Yoyogi Kana, actually, I wrote it down on a piece of paper and asked Rukawa to read it in front of Yoyogi-san, and being the girl that she is, she followed the instructions exactly, though we did have to nudge Rukawa a few times during this since he missed out on some parts while falling asleep." This had struck me as another surprise. So it had not been Yoyogi's plan, but from my friends instead.

"Yoyogi told the principal that she had become sick and that you had helped her get home." Ayako explained further. "Are you coming back? You have got to see this game! Ryonan and Kainan are both amazing. Sendoh is really stepping up as the new leader; even Akagi is amazed at how much he has improved! Well, you might've not cared about that, but maybe you'll care about what I'll say next. Jin is definitely into the game. They're in the lead right now. Hurry back, will you?"

I said that I was on my way, and before we parted, the crowd's shouts once again took over before it quickly died away.

It seemed to take a long time, just sitting on a bus, having to walk yet again, seeing the looming stadium before your eyes, and it's stature only seeming to get larger with every step taken towards it, and that by the time I had reached it's interior, what greeted me was the sound of the crowd, still with as much energy and enthusiasm as when I had last left it.

I was looking for a place not to sit down, but at least to catch a glimpse, but the crowd had already overflowed to every nook and cranny of the place. As I desperately wandered into the vast array of people, somebody grabbed both of my shoulders. I turned around to find it was Ayako shouting in my ears, the words barely forming in her mouth, a few of the fans who came to see staring in disbelief. Kainan, known to be the number one team in Kanagawa, the undefeated, lost.

I stared back at her in disbelief. Jin came to mind immediately. What is he thinking? What is he feeling? There was no need to ask. There, in the middle of the court, as the Ryonan team jumped in the air in delight, you could feel Kainan's spirits drowning. There, Nobunaga, his hands still holding the ball remained motionless. Not far from him was where Jin stood, both of his hands held in a tight fist. He finally let out a huge sigh, walked to his teammates, and each gave them a pat on the back. However, he had to render Kiyota twice of that before he would even move, even dared to let go of the ball. They slowly exited out of the court, towards the locker rooms where they would let their true feelings rush through.

I placed a hand on one Ayako's arms still holding both of my shoulders. Although her look was one of concern, she understood and removed her hold on me. I slowly made my way into the crowd, and into the corridors where it would lead me back to the same door I had not expected to open.

As I neared the Kainan locker, my footsteps slowed to a stop. I did not even reach the doorknob. I doubted whether I should've gone, or if I should've never come. Maybe he didn't want me to see the vulnerable side of him, as he tried to do when he was clenching his hands on the court. I scanned the walls, and finally arrived to settle on the door.

The knob began to turn, and I could hear footsteps suddenly approaching. I started to head back, while he wasn't there yet. And then I felt I could no longer move. I was being a coward, running from something like this. Didn't he stay when I had my problems? Didn't he hold out a hand for me to hold whenever I fell down?

And now what was I doing? Running away from him. I figured, I had ran away too many times that it was time for me to start running back at what I was running away from. I turned, and seeing that all I could see was the shoulders, I angled my head to look up, and saw Jin standing there, not saying anything.

"I thought you'd left." He calmly said. "You disappeared from your seat a while ago." He explained. I saw from the corner that Nobunaga had also exited the room; he looked towards our direction, and then walked away, wiping his brow with a towel. "We didn't win by the way." Jin kept on talking.

I paid my attention back at him. I examined his face. He seemed to be fine, though he was not smiling. I didn't know what to say. "It doesn't matter. You played well."

"I wonder what Maki would say about this." He sighed. "He'd be proud of each and everyone of you, for giving it your best." I replied.

"Who knows…" He adjusted the grip on his sports bag. I grabbed him by the hand, and started to walk. He didn't move from his spot. I couldn't pull him away from its grasp. "When I saw you play out there, I thought to myself, that was a side of you I hadn't seen before - a side that thought of only basketball, a side that spoke of your passion for the game, I felt the intensity with your play. And when I saw that, I thought to myself, you're a great player."

"I'll try my best next time." I felt him starting to walk. "Sure." I responded.

Ok… I'll leave it at that… LOL… kinda like a short chapter… um.. next.. yup… I think there's only 2 or 3 chapters to go, depending on the length… next chapter… will be hagino's farewell concert… and yup, the start of Jin and Karin and what Jin was trying to say before he got called into the court…