Author's note: This scene takes place after the mini-concert at the rooftop and before Rukawa finds out that she is Yohei's cousin. Just a bit of background info on Mizuki in this chapter. Without further ado, here is chapter 3. Hope you enjoy reading!

Disclaimer: Slam Dunk is not mine, and will never be mine. Just like Rukawa. (sigh)

Death of the heart. It's the ugliest death there is. - Oscar Wilde

Chapter 3: Girl Interrupted (From Her Internal Soliloquy)

"Is something wrong, Mizuki-chan?"

The girl being addressed turned around suddenly, and saw deep blue eyes watching her with concern.

"Oh, Hi Haruko-chan! Everything's fine, really. What made you say that anyway?!" she blabbered, while arranging the books from her locker.

"Maybe because you're spacing out the whole time in front of your locker?" A girl standing beside Haruko, with hair styled in double ponytail, replied to her.

"Ummm. Matsui's right. And I've been calling your name three times already."

"Well, maybe I only answer on the fourth call." She joked, and then laughed in a Hanamichi style manner. The two girls sweatdropped.

"Oh boy, Hanamichi's mannerism is surely rubbing on me." Mizuki thought, embarrassed by her response.

"So, have you started with the essay given to us by Yasuda-sensei?" Haruko asked the two girls, trying to start a conversation, but her mind was elsewhere, reflecting on what she learned at the brown-eyed beauty in front of her.

She just met Mizuki three weeks ago, through her cousin, Mito, since she transferred only during their second year of highschool. She's originally from a countryside in Chiba, a three hours train ride from Kanagawa, and recently moved to the region to stay and lived with her cousin. The reason, being her dad was confined in the hospital. The details were quite sketchy; as Haruko had the decency not to pry any more than what was said on the situation. She only knows that she and her dad got into an accident and the latter has been in a coma for more than a month now. She almost cried when she heard the story from Mito. She felt sympathy on her, having to experience such sorrow at a young age, as well as admiration for her resiliency. She doesn't think she can handle that kind of tragedy if it ever happens to her, and was truly thankful to the Kami above for always keeping her family safe.

"Earth to Haruko-chan!" Matsui was waving both of her hands in front of Haruko's face.

"Who's spacing out now, huh?" Mizuki teased, as she gathered her stuff and closed her locker.

"Daydreaming of a certain someone, hmmn? A basketball player, perhaps?" Matsui asked, wiggling her eyebrows playfully at Haruko.

"N-no, I wasn't thinking about him!" Haruko's face was almost as red as a tomato.

Mizuki secretly wished that it was the red-haired basketball player she's daydreaming about. She was well aware of Hanamichi's infatuation on the blue eyed girl, with him mentioning the name 'Haruko' hundreds of times during their phone conversations, when she was still living in Chiba. She was glad to hear of her best friend's new found passion in basketball, as it steered him away from gang fights and disputes…Well, not exactly…After all, he was Hanamichi Sakuragi, the prince of mischief and chaos. Trouble is an everyday occurrence to him. But still, his dedication and perseverance in basketball makes her so proud of him. That colossal height of his has finally found its purpose. And it's all thanks to Haruko-chan. Mito told her the story of how the blue eyed girl convinced Hanamichi to join the basketball team.

Mizuki sighed. Maybe she can asked Haruko-chan to persuade that pig headed cousin of hers to also join a school club, instead of wasting his time slacking away.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden cheers and squeals from girls around them.

"Here comes your prince charming, Haruko." Matsui said. The three of them looked over to the source of the commotion. Sleepwalking on the opposite side of the corridor was the Ace of Shohoku himself; and the rival of Hanamichi on Haruko's affections, Rukawa Kaede .

Mizuki narrowed his eyes at the tall drowsy guy ahead of them. She had heard enough about this Rukawa guy from Hana and Mito. She did gave him the benefit of the doubt, when she first listened to the descriptions provided to her from those two idiots, thinking that they were probably just jealous of his good looks, especially his impossibly long and thick eyelashes. Even she, was envious of his eyelashes when she initially saw him in class, asleep on his desk at the back of the room. She resists the impulse to touch them and feel if they were real. She had to admit that she did find him attractive, and when she discovered later that Haruko has a huge crush on that Rukawa guy, she almost felt sorry for her redhead buddy. There's no way he can win against Rukawa in the looks department. In the brains department, she knew they are both idiots, so that one is a draw.

Personality?

"Hmmm. Perhaps Hana had an edge against that sleep maniac on that criteria."

Sure, Rukawa's pretty much easy to the eyes, but he has such a nasty and rude personality, a brat who beats people up when they disturbed his sleep. She remember the first time she witnessed his tantrums, when one Monday morning, the teacher asked the students to pass forward their homework, and poor Satoshi-san, seating in front of that catatonic boy, made the mistake of waking him up to ask for his assignment. Veins popping at the side of his forehead, Rukawa grabbed Satoshi's forearm and hurled him out of the room, then act as if nothing happened and continue with his sleep…Unbelievable… And the teacher didn't even bother to reprimand him…Unfreakingbelievable.

Likewise, the same can be said of her redhead friend…"Well, he's also foulmouthed and hotheaded.. Maybe the two of them were also a tie in that category... But at least, Haruko already considered Hana as a friend, and she laughs at his silly jokes, so, I think that's almost a good sign. Besides, girls prefer guys with a good sense of humor." Mizuki thought, refusing to give up and being obviously biased.

"Stop it, Matsui. Didn't I tell you I was already over him?"

At Haruko's words, Mizuki's face brightened. "Yes, there's still hope for Hana after all!"

"You say that now, but once you see him again after class during basketball practice, looking all hot and dreamy, I'm sure you'll be chanting his name in no time." Matsui argued.

And just like that, all hopes were lost as Haruko-chan's face burst into flames at her friend's teasing.

xxxxx

"Think happy thoughts."

Finding solace in the silence of the rooftop, Mizuki tried to calm her erratic heart. She repeated those three words to herself, a daily mantra of her in the past few weeks. She refused to wallow in self-pity, willing herself not to succumb in guilt and past mistakes.

"Happy thoughts, happy thoughts..ice ..blue skies..fluffy dogs..Hanamichi's goofy face…Mito's ridiculous dance moves…"

Mizuki frowned and roughly wiped the tears on her cheeks."So much for happy thoughts". She mumbled to herself.

Hugging her knees to her chest, she rocked back and forth against the concrete wall, wishing her tears would stop already. But it's like a dam had been broken, and the onslaught of tears just keep pouring.

"Cannot cry. I must not cry."

She's been trying so hard to put on a brave face. She had already shed enough tears from the moment she learned about her dad's predicament, and she forced herself not to cry anymore.

This feeling of sadness has been creeping on her since this morning, clawing at her heart, craving to be noticed and desperately wanting to get out. She was about to visit her dad in the hospital before going to school, when she accidentally overheard Mito's parents discussing about her dad's situation.

-Flashback-

(6 hours earlier)

"Get your lazy butt up, Yohei Mito!" Mizuki playfully whacked her cousin's head with a pillow. Sprawled lazily on the bed, with his stomach facing down, Mito just ignored her pesky cousin and covered himself fully with his Transformers designed comforter.

A tick formed on her forehead, indicating her impatience at his dillydallying. She yanked the blanket away from him and whacked his sleepy head repeatedly with the pillow.

"Wake up!Wake up!Wake up!" Mizuki chanted, in rhythm with her beatings.

"Five more minutes." The dark haired boy negotiated, taking the blanket again to shield his body from head to toe.

"Oh no, you don't. I am not going to fall for that same shit again, so, . .UP!" She grasped the fluffy comforter with both of her hands and threw it on the floor, exposing the sleeping boy in matching dark blue pajamas.

Mito mumbled something about annoying brat against his pillow, still refusing to get up from the comfort of his bed.

"Hey, look who's acting like a spoiled brat.. And may I remind you that you're the one who volunteered to give me a ride today on your decrepit of a scooter to visit Dad!"

He glanced up sideways at her, his head still resting on the pillows, and grudgingly said, "Yeah, I volunteered to drive you today to the hospital, in my ever reliable motorcycle … but not at friggin 6 AM!"

"Stop whining! Technically, you're already awake, so why don't you go take a shower to get rid of that crappy mood and smell of yours." She said while dragging his feet away from the bed.

But Mito was hell bent on staying on his bed. "Five more minutes. Promise, I'll accompany you to the hospital. We can even stay there much longer and don't ya worry about being late at school.. They won't punish you anyway; after all, you have a valid reason for arriving late in class."

Mizuki dropped his feet and silently gaped at him. She can't believe he could utter such insensitive remarks. Maybe he's just too sleepy and wasn't able to filter the words coming out from his mouth, but still, his comments stung. She stood dumbfounded at the end of his bed, and Mito, thinking that she finally gave up on disturbing him, resumes his sleep. Soon enough, soft snores were heard in the room.

She clenched her fists, forcing herself not to kick him to oblivion for his stupid remarks.

"A valid reason, huh? Using my dad as a scapegoat for tardiness?" She thought, seething.

Right before she left his room, something on his desk caught her eye. A wicked idea popped into her head. She's well aware of her cousin's vanity when it comes to his hair. Heck, he spends more of his time styling his hair than doing his homework. His number 1 rule: Never, ever mess with his gel infested hair. Touch it and you die… Well, that's what he always says…

"That boy is just all bark. Besides, I oughta teach him a lesson for his tactless remarks." She reminded herself as she took the jar of blue slime from his table and hid it on her backpack. She gave a triumphant grin as she envisioned him looking all panicky and distraught as he searched for his beloved Gatsby hair gel.

As she stepped outside Mito's room, feeling satisfied with her revenge, she overheard voices coming from her aunt's room.

"It's been more than a month already, Kimiko-san." She heard her uncle speak. Intrigued, she came closer to the door, desperate to hear more of their conversation. She's aware that it is wrong to eavesdrop but she can't help herself. At the back of her mind, she somehow knew the topic of their discussion.

"Don't you dare give up on your brother, Takahiro-san. He's going to make it, I know he will." Her aunt said, her voice pleading with her husband not to lose hope.

"Do you think so? For how long was he going to be in that unresponsive state? 3 months? 4,5? A year?!"

Mizuki gripped the straps of her backpack tightly, her nails digging on her palm as she listened discreetly to the two adults.

"Please lower your voice, Anata, the kids might hear you. You have to be strong, especially for Mizuki-chan. She needs our support, that poor kid already lost her mother, and to lose another parent will be too much for her.."

"I know…Forgive my being weak, Kimiko."

"I understand your frustration, Anata."

She heard her uncle took a deep breath before saying, "Another thing… I think we might need to sell the farm house in Chiba..."

Minutes later, Mizuki left the apartment in a daze, more depressed than ever in her entire life.

-End of Flashback-

Leaning her head against the wall, the brown-eyed girl forced herself to erase the negative thoughts running through her head, distracting herself with watching the various shapes of the clouds above her, but to no avail. The gloomy feeling just won't leave her alone.

When she went to school this morning, after her short visit from the hospital, she was surprised to find a brand new sketchpad and staedtler pencils inside her locker. She traced the pad with her fingertips, missing the sense of elation she felt whenever she's sketching. Only two people in this school knew of her enthrallment with arts.

Mito and Hana.

"They probably put them here yesterday." She speculated. "Those two idiots, spending their allowance on this and then making me feel guilty afterwards.." She thought miserably. If she only knew that Mito would do something nice for her as giving her a new sketchpad and pencils, she might have brushed off that careless remark of his this morning.

She was so consumed with her thoughts that she didn't even notice Haruko and her friend, Matsui, calling her. She quickly put on her happy mask to hide her inner torment, sparing the two girls from her woes.

When lunch came, she quickly proceeded to the school's rooftop; her personal sanctuary when she yearns for a little peace and quiet for a while. Sometimes, being with Hana and the guys can be quite exhausting, as she's not the same cheerful girl they used to know, and it's getting really difficult to keep up with her happy persona charade. She brought her new stuff with her to the rooftop, dead set on drowning her sorrows with sketching, but it didn't produce the desired effect. It only worsens her feeling of despondency.

"Why am I being overly emotional today?"

She took a deep breath and glanced down at the yellow post-it note on her palm, which she just recently discovered wedge on the first page of the sketchpad. She read the words scribbled on them again.

Yo Zuki-yaki!

Surprise! We know it's a bit late, but hey, at least we made an effort with the gift giving.

So anyhow, Belated Happy Birthday! Hope you like our gift! Enjoy drawing!

(btw, why are you in the newspaper club again? You should totally shift to Arts club, they are seriously in need of a 'great talent' like you *wink*)

From your handsome cousin,

Mito-soup

And your MORE handsome best buddy,

Sushi-Ragi

A sharp pain shot up and down in Mizuki's chest. She's not exactly elated to be reminded of her birthday. After all, her celebration of her 17th birthday last month ended up with her waking up from the hospital bed and her dad in a comatose. The bitter memory of the accident caused another torrential downpour of her tears. Just for today, she thought, she will allow herself to cry. To mourn for a mother she long lost, and for a father who's still fighting for his life. Her sobs turned to loud hiccups and wailing, letting out all the pent up emotions of the past month.

Unbeknownst to her, another person also considers the rooftop as his refuge. She was oblivious of the fact that Rukawa Kaede; who was forced to listen to her painful heart wrenching sobs, was just on the other side.

Mizuki doesn't stop sobbing until she hears someone enter the rooftop. She immediately covered her mouth to silence her hiccups. Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat when she heard a girl shrieked Rukawa's name.

"Nani?! He's here?!In the rooftop?How long has he been here?" Heart pounding loudly, she silently wished that he didn't hear her awkward wailing.

As she waited for the two of them to leave her sanctuary, she had no choice but to listen to their conversation, or rather, listen to the girl's monologue. She almost choked when she heard the girl informed Rukawa that he was offered a role in some school play. "Yeah, right. Maybe he'll get the role of the 'dying tree' on the play."

As expected from the Ice Prince of Shohoku, Rukawa just rudely dismissed the girl talking to him. Mizuki felt sorry for the unknown girl when she started weeping.

"Stop wasting my time." She heard him say, followed by the sound of a loud bang of the door being shut. Silence filled the rooftop. Mizuki contemplated whether to console the girl or to remain hidden.

Too late for Mizuki to decide now, as the girl in question unexpectedly made her way to the right side of the stairwell wall, where she was sitting uncomfortably on the floor. Both girls let out a gasp, eyes widening with surprise as they look at each other.

Mizuki immediately recognized the girl standing a few feet away from her. And who wouldn't? Her entire demeanor screams for attention, drawing stares from everywhere she goes. That curly brownish hair covered in a multitude of pink ribbons was not easy to ignore, and she knew most of the male population, including Sakuragi's gang were going gaga over her cute face and oh so green eyes.

Her name is Ohara Fumiko; 1st year student, trendsetter and the new queen of the Drama Club.

Mizuki was the first one to recover from her shock. " Erm- Hi there,Ohara-chan." She bowed her head and slightly waved her right hand in greeting.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" The green eyed girl asked her.

"Oh, not really.. I'm Yohei Mizuki, by the way. Second year student." She replied, gathering her things on the ground and standing up. She held out one of her hand to her.

Fumiko looks at the hand stretched in front of her warily before briefly shaking them. She then took notice of Mizuki's puffy and swollen red eyes, and began speculating on what she thought happened in the rooftop before she arrived.

"O.M.G! You totally got jilted by Rukawa-Sempai, aren't you?!" Fumiko exclaimed rather enthusiastically.

"Huh?" Mizuki stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Oh, poor you. No wonder your eyes are so swollen. It must have been one hell of a rejection." The curly haired girl said, trying to sound sympathetic, but failing extremely.

"You must be really brave to have the guts to confess to him.. Knowing fully well that you will never have the chance to be with him..I mean, look at you…. no offense, sempai, but you need to do something with that ridiculous bangs of yours.. I know-"

Mizuki cut her off, irritated beyond belief. " I hate to burst your bubble, pink girl, but you are sorely mistaken. I was not rejected by Rukawa, nor did I confess anything to him."

"Oh shush you. You don't need to be embarrassed by it. But don't you worry, you're secret is safe with me." The petite girl smiled at her upperclassman slyly.

Somehow, Mizuki doesn't believe her statement.

She sighed. Today was really a very depressing, confusing and exhausting experience for her.


A/N: So, what do you think? Please leave a review so I know what you think of the story.