A/N: hey guys! How are you? Well, Hanamichi's defense mechanism is quiet evident in this chap. There is something about him that you should know. Please review!

"" are for dialogs and '' are for thoughts and texts in italics are for flashbacks and memories.

"Are you sure it's ok to leave him alone?" Takamiya asked. They are walking home without the redhead. "Do you want a head butt?" Noma asked him. "Well, no." the fat boy answered. "Then it's ok to leave him alone." Nome replied. Yohei just sighed for the sixth time that afternoon.

Meanwhile…

"I'm going home now, Sakuragi." Ueksa told him. "Ok." Hanamichi replied. The redhead was left alone inside the locker room. He finally stood up and began emptying his locker. "What are you doing, Sakuragi?" somebody spoke. Hanamichi turned his head to see their old coach standing by the doorway. He nodded and continued emptying his locker. "I'm just cleaning out my locker, Anzai-sensei. And besides, my shirts need cleaning." He answered politely. The old coach eyed his player worriedly. "If you have a problem, you can always come to me." The old man said. A warm feeling filled Hanamichi's chest and he eventually fought down the urge to cry. "Arigatou, Anzai-sensei. I'll keep that in mind." He told him. Unsaid feelings were reflected in his eyes. The old man smiled at him before leaving.

Hanamichi stood watching his clean yet empty locker. He stared around the locker-room. He felt so familiar yet treated like a stranger by that room. He sighed.

"Don't cry Hanamichi…not here." He told himself. He stood and cast one last look inside the room he thought he shared with his teammates. He was a stranger to them…an individual not worth of recognition…a do'aho.

Takamiya was eating silently as he watched the sun set by Kasutomi Canal. The four of them had split up after a few hours of waiting for the redhead. "Poor bloke. I wonder where he is right now." He murmured.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" somebody spoke from behind. Takamiya turned around and was the distant yet homey face of Hanamichi. "We split up. There's no one to make fun of so they decided to go home." The fat boy answered. "It's because I wasn't with you, right?" Hanamichi asked as he sat down beside his fat friend. "Uhuh. True." Takamiya answered. The gloom returned in Hanamichi's eyes.

"Be honest with me Takamiya, ok? Why do you guys enjoy making fun of me so much?" Hanamichi suddenly asked. Takamiya riveted his gaze from the redhead. The intensity of Hanamichi's gaze is too much for him that it scared him. "It's because you're so expressive and full of energy. You reactions can be both dumb and funny." The fat boy replied. Hanamichi's eyes clouded. 'I'm a stranger…an individual…a nobody…a do'aho…a joke.'

"Why are you so serious? Is it about Haruko? Don't worry…she's just one girl." Takamiya told him. Hanamichi's lips curved up into a sad smile. "You better indulge yourself in this Hanamichi. You'll never know, you night not meet him again." Hanamichi said. He sighed and stood up. He left the dumbstruck Takamiya alone.

Akagi Residence

"What's up with Haruko? I need her here to help." Akagi muttered as he faces the three knuckleheads of his teams, mainly Ryota, Mitsui and Rukawa. Hanamichi didn't show up. "She might be tired from school. Let her rest, Akagi." Kogure told his friend. "And the do'aho forgot that we have a session tonight. He's so gonna get it tomorrow." Ayako added. "What's up with him by the way?" she turned to face the three. "I have no idea." Ryota confessed. "He seemed to have fashioned himself after Rukawa." Mitsui added.

Haruko was curled up into a ball in her room, unable to sleep as she kept on replaying the scene that afternoon. "It's ok, Akagi-san. I'm so sorry for wasting your time like this…"its ok, Akagi-san. I'm so sorry for wasting your time like this…"

"Gomen nasai, Hanamichi. Gomen nasai." Haruko kept repeating these words all night.

Sakuragi Residence

"Kaa-san, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Koji, it's what the boy wants. He asked ever so politely if I could sell his things tomorrow in a garage sale. I even went with him to the richest jeweler in the district to finally sell their family heirloom." Fuchikawa-san told her son, Koji that evening.

"What! He sold the shishiten!" Koji screamed in outrage.

"But he didn't do anything with the money. He gave the half of it to me. He said that his debt is invaluable so it's the only thing he can offer as payment. I told him I don't need it but he insisted. The other half he took to his trust fund." The old woman answered.

"Kaa-san, I think its time to bring Hana-kun to a psychiatrist." Kohl said. He sipped some coffee to calm his nerves.

"Koji, you know how the boy hated the hospital…it would only bring back painful memories." The old woman insisted. Koji sighed and leaned back to catch a glimpse of Hanamichi's window. At this late hour…he's sure that the lonely redhead is in that room again.

Meanwhile…

A large figure curled up into a ball inside a dark room. Only the faint moonlight silhouetted the figure in the middle of the empty room. A faint voice can be heard murmuring in the dark.

"Hana…it hurts so much. I want to die…please help me Hana…"

"Michi…stop crying now…I'm here Michi…Hana is here…"

A/N: a cliffhanger! Aw….so heartbreaking….so you figured out how Hanamichi's coping? Nah! I'll keep you guessing then…next chapter is entitled "The Locked Room". Please review! Thanks!