Some rather dirty tricks, that one, by Uchiro. Kanaga doesn't realize it, only Shinichi knows the whole truth. Sakuragi and Haruko… who knows?

Chapter 8: Distance

"Ne, Goston-san, are you feeling ok?"

Goston grimaced as Haruko applied pressure to the ice pack. The pain in the toes were unbearable, to say the least. Despite this, he manages to force a strong front for Haruko.

"Y…yea, I'm feeling quite… ok…"

The doors to the locker room burst open, sending Haruko to the floor in utter shock. She lost her balance completely and fell near Goston's thigh, an unintended action that had Goston's face turn beetroot.

"Yay, we beat those buggers all right! We've confirmed that this pre-season we're… Goston… Haruko… what are the…"

It was Ayako-san who crashed her way in. Looks like she's inherited something from Sakuragi, or Sakuragi possessed her, thought Haruko.

"Ne, don't… don't get the wrong idea about the door… it was… it was…"

It was then that she saw Sakuragi's shadow behind Ayako, near the doors. It disappeared the instant Haruko stepped towards the doors, but from a distance Haruko could still see Sakuragi's red-head bobbing up and down further down the corridor.

"Oh dear, what have I done?" Gasped Ayako, who stood behind completely frozen from surprise. That must have been Sakuragi getting the wrong ideas…

"Haruko, I'll take care of Goston, ok?"

"Thank you, ane-chan!" With that, Haruko sped down the corridor at her fastest speed possible, ignoring stares from other male students as she tried to catch up with Sakuragi.

However, it was not to be. Sakuragi had already disappeared from the corridors and vanished from sight, before Haruko had a chance to explain things.

"Sakuragi…"

Rukawa appeared from the other direction where Sakuragi had disappeared off to. Upon seeing Haruko and her distraught face, he guessed that it should be about the red-head.

"No wonder that buster took his stuff so quickly, and to top it off he didn't even bother to shower."

Rukawa was about to step up and approach Haruko to inform her of Sakuragi's whereabouts, when he suddenly decided against it.

"I think I'd better not do anything now, lest she gets the wrong idea. Other girls I don't give a hoot, but this one's particularly fragile. It's not a simple matter…"

Without Haruko noticing, and still distraught, Rukawa slipped past her and slung his bag onto his shoulders as he made the long walk back home…

At the same time…

"Kanaga, today's match was… really… disgusting…" It took Mai a while to gather the right adjective. Rightfully so, since the rest had a hard time trying to judge whether the game was repulsive or ugly.

"It's a shame that we're playing against vulgar opponents this time round. I thought this kind of thing exists only in soccer, particularly the English League, but now we have a team like an Arsenal with 5 Patrick Vieiras. What a headache."

"My English isn't really good, but from what I hear from Shinichi and one of the Shoyo player's conversation, it seems as though that guy Murasame is not particular well-liked either. Also, the other guy acknowledges the two violent players' violence tendencies and condemns it…"

"Really? I'm wondering where the other coach of Shoyo is. Because after graduation he was tipped to be the next Shoyo coach, and that sounded more sound and logical a choice than this sonofagun…"

"Who are you referring to, Kanaga?"

"Kenji Fujima…"

"Oh, Fujima-san…"

Elsewhere this time…

Uchiro walked down the quiet street that faces the monorail nearby. Hearing the train whir past him stirred past memories of him and his sister playing under the monorail bridge as children.

"Sakurayume, if only you'll tell me where you are now…"

It was then that he felt that someone was following him. Whoever it is, his acute sensory tells him that it wasn't friendly.

In fact, deadly enough to scare him.

The only things he would be scared of are his past, and some of Kami-X's mercenaries. Particularly, Shibo-no-Tenshi. Speak of the devil.

For the oncoming assassin, what could be more handy for such a mission, than a trusty dagger and a revolver? Of course, he knew that by doing his he had exposed himself completely…

"Yokoro, I guess you're hired by Kami-X again?"

"Professional ethics, so no saying of my employer. In fact, I myself have a few scores to settles with you…"

"Oh no, not again…"

"Shut up, and fight!"

The assassin fished out his revolver, but Uchiro was gone in an instant.

"How many times must I tell you…"

Uchiro was right behind the assassin, and before the assassin could react, Uchiro had him hold his own dagger against himself.

"I tell you, your cousin was not raped by me, damned it. I'm still a bloody virgin, and you can have the entire nation's professionals check my bloody bro if you need a proof!"

"Then how do you explain your own gloves at the scene? And why was she killed?"

"Don't you know how gangs operate, after a long stint in the underground? You know how these leaders act. They lay traps for their own henchmen so they stay put under their own charge! It was the same they did when they had Mike Shinota's sister murdered and framed him for the crime! Don't tell me you don't know Mike Shinota's case!"

The assassin fell silent, not sure how to respond.

"Now, tell your employer that I'm still alive, and I'll go back someday to kick his ass."

Arashi released his lock on Death's Angel's dagger-wielding arm. Just then, the assassin turned back with a revolver on hand and the dagger on the other, and yelled like a madman as he rushed towards Uchiro's being. The whole neighbourhood shook as the sound of death resonated across the street…

Meanwhile…

"First Rukawa, now Goston… How come I get all the bad breaks?"

Sakuragi was really disturbed by what he saw at the locker room. It was him who kicked the door open, and that one glimpse of Haruko lying near Goston's thighs said a lot about her feelings towards him.

"And so that's number 52…"

He was about to kick a dustbin on the roadside, when he saw two ugly figures crumpled around each other.

"Man, yaoi pairings these days are getting too bold… Let's see…"

Sakuragi approached the figures and noticed crimson. Crimson never looked good, it always meant injury of some sort. But the amount of blood lying around was so copious it could have taken a life.

As he pried the figures apart, he was taken aback when he saw Uchiro, with a dagger implanted on his right armpit, and a gunshot wound on the other guy's chest. The shot guy was a goner.

"Why… doesn't… anyone believe… me…"

"Hey, Uchiro, wake up man! Shit… I'll have to call for a frigging ambulance."

"Oi, Sakuragi…" Uchiro grasped Sakuragi's palms, by now bloodied from touching the crimson-soaked clothes of the two idiots.

"What happened, dude? The underground again…?"

"I'm played out again by fate…"

Uchiro started to sob, even though it hurt to even breathe. It was just too much for this young man to take.

"Cool down man… save your tears for later…"

Then, Uchiro's grasp slipped and his eyelids shut with Sakuragi in full view.

"Oi… Oi! Don't scare me man! Sheesh! I did tell you to save it for later, not like 99 years later! Wake up already! Jeez, where's my CPR skills when I needed it most…"

Without any second thoughts, Sakuragi began to pump Uchiro's chest with urgency.

"One, two, three, four… One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four!"

"ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR…! DAMNED IT…!"

The ambulance sirens rang from beyond, as if signifying the despair from beyond…

(For those who saw "Interest, 100 returned", you should know that has a weird habit of not displaying symbols properly. It was the percent sign I was trying to use, but oh well… till next time, I'll catch ya later…)