You Mean, Rukawa has a best friend?
Epilogue
Second Year.
Kira brushed her hair cheerfully as she looked out the window. Down below she saw Rukawa walk through the garden of his home and out the gate, and walked a few steps and stopped in her own.
They have been officially been a couple for a solid six months now, with no signs of letting it end in any horizon. The only people who really knew about their relationship were Sendoh who had made Rukawa vow, under the punishment of giving up basketball for good, never to hurt her, much to her slight embarrassment, and Sakuragi, whom she had developed a close friendship with, since they have a special thing in common: hair color.
Rukawa had been skeptical and at the beginning even slightly jealous of her friendship with him, but she promised him that it was simply two people bonding over the color of their hair, and had assured him that what she and Sakuragi had was nothing compared to what she had for him.
"Besides," she had said to him that day, "we already went to Korea together, if that's not serious, I don't know what is."
Rukawa had taken her on a two-week trip to South Korea, his, erm, slightly expensive way of thanking her for giving him her blood, in addition to it being a totally romantic date. It wasn't in his character to do these kind of things, he thought as he planned things out, but then he loved Kira, and it was the best idea that he had come up with. She had refused at first, but he insisted, and it was now known to both Rukawa's and Kira's parents that their respective child's relationship with the other has now been upgraded from 'young puppy love' to'serious'.
Even in Korea, basketball was not far from Rukawa's mind. Kira knew this because she was dragged by the wrist to watch the Korean National Basketball team play against the Philippine National Basketball Team. Afterwards, to make it up to him for refusing the trip in the beginning, she stayed behind for a while in the basketball stadium, under the impression that she was going to the bathroom, bought a ball, and went up to the Korean basketball team (Rukawa was mightily impressed with them) and have them sign her ball to give to Rukawa later. Plus it was the perfect opportunity to try out her Korean.
She gave it to him on the plane on the way back, and though it was nothing compared to the NBA signed ball he had at home, she can tell that he appreciated it all the same, cause he let her rest her head on his shoulder during the entire flight (she was sleeping).
Kira took one final look in the full length mirror in the living room to check how she looked in her new uniform. She felt the same in a Shohoku uniform than she did in a Ryonan uniform, and after confirming that everything was where they should be, she grabbed her bag and walked out of her house.
She smiled as she saw Rukawa waiting for her by the gate, nodding sleepily by the wall.
"Morning, Kaede," she greeted, kissing him lightly in the cheek.
He looked up sleepily, and muttered a greeting. She looked at his hand, where he was carrying a large bag that held his uniform and shoes. She hoped that there were books and a pen somewhere in there.
"How do I look?" she asked, gesturing to her Shohoku uniform.
"Beautiful," he muttered, though not without expression. He kissed her lightly. "Very beautiful."
Kira grinned. "Suck up."
Rukawa didn't answer.
"Where's your bike?" she asked, when they started walking to school.
"Don't need it."
"How come?"
Rukawa looked at her. "You don't have a bike," he said, "and hell will freeze over before I let you ride a bike in that little skirt."
"Oh, right," said Kira, smiling sweetly at him.
When they were nearing school, Rukawa was surprisingly wide awake. Maybe it was because Kira kept slapping him lightly once in a while when he starts dozing off, or maybe it was because they were meeting many students now that were mostly men and all were looking curiously at Kira. Nevertheless, when he entered school, he was aware of his surroundings.
Whispers once again followed them.
"Do you know that girl?"
"No, she looks new."
"Isn't she from Ryonan?"
"Then why is she wearing a Shohoku uniform?"
"And why the heck is she walking next to my Rukawa?"
"Your Rukawa? I'll have you know that that's my Rukawa!"
Kira gave Rukawa a slightly helpless look, in which he returned with a rather dull and at the same time exasperated one.
"Do you think I'll survive the first week here?" she asked.
"No one's gonna dare lay a finger on you while I'm around," he muttered, casting both irritated and dull looks at the group of girls that looked like they were plotting how best to murder Kira.
Kira grinned up at him and batted her eyelids. "My hero."
"Hn."
Whispers followed them as they entered the school. Rukawa waited for Kira outside the secretary's office, she had to get her schedule, class and locker. Kira was slightly disappointed that she and him weren't in the same class, but got over it quickly, saying that she couldn't have everything in life.
Though they weren't in the same class, one consolation was that their rooms were next to each other. They leaned at the wall separating the two doors of their classroom, Kira talking and Rukawa half listening, half sleeping, waiting for the bell to ring.
All the while, there was a group of about twenty or so girls, near the locker, looking murderously at Kira, and watching their every move. Rukawa and Kira didn't notice them, since there were many other students walking back and forth in the hall.
Finally, the bell rang. Kira jumped slightly, while Rukawa didn't seem to notice, but his eyes did open fully.
Kira straightened up. "I'll see you lunch, then?"
"You better," he mumbled.
The girls by the locker, which were now numbering to forty five, all leaned in to listen.
"I will," she said, then turned to the door.
Rukawa then grabbed her right hand and pulled her close to give her a soft kiss.
"You realize," she said, breaking the lip lock, their foreheads touching, "that you just handed me my death sentence."
"No I didn't," he mumbled, again, and resumed to kissing her.
Kira pulled back slowly, and smiled at him. "I'll see you later, Kaede," she breathed softly. She smacked him in the lips and entered the classroom.
Once Kira has closed the door of her classroom, Kaede went and entered his own.
The forty-five girls all wailed loudly, and tearfully.
The END.