Chapter 16: The Sound of His Voice
The sun was just beginning to set when Mizuki finally reached the gymnasium. She paused at the door and bent over with her hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. A few minutes had passed but she remained standing outside the door as she couldn't get her heartbeat to slow down. Taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she then shook her arms vigorously in a bid to release the tension in her body, chanting "I can do this" under her breath.
"I can do this." She repeated the words with more conviction this time.
Grasping the cool metal handle, she gave the door a light push and a tiny spark of hope flickered within her when she discovered it was unlocked. But as soon as the realization hit her, her stomach churned with anxiety and she instinctively took a step back. "I can't do this."
Mizuki mentally slapped herself for being such a coward. There was no use delaying the inevitable. Besides, it's just Kaede freaking ice block Rukawa, the absolute epitome of antisocial. Why would she be afraid of him? Sure, he can be intimidating as hell, but she had encountered boys who are far more menacing. Rukawa was a kitten compared to those guys.
Emboldened by the thought, she kicked the metal door open, only to find the room empty.
"Hello?" Mizuki called out loudly in case the ace player was still in the locker room.
She waited for a few minutes before calling out again. "Hello? Anybody there?"
There was no answer.
"Yoohoo?" She hollered, her voice echoing throughout the gymnasium.
Once again, silence met her.
"Is there a Kaede Rukawa in the house?" She asked in jest as she stepped further into the vast room.
Stopping at the center of the rectangular court, Mizuki heaved a sigh. She was not sure if it was a sigh of relief or disappointment. She stood still, uncertain about her next course of action. The orange ball lying on the floor past the half court line suddenly caught her attention. Unbidden, she picked the round object and marvel at its weight in her hands. As she turned the ball over and over in her hands, her thoughts began to wander on the first time she watched Rukawa play. How she can't tear her eyes away from him. But how could she when he just makes playing basketball look so easy. And unbelievably cool.
She began dribbling the ball; the sound it created reverberated on the wooden floor. Raising the ball over her head with both hands, she aimed for the basket to make her winning shot.
It was an air ball.
A large sweatdrop appeared at the back of her head.
Undeterred by her first missed shot, she went to retrieve the ball where it rolled to the far end of the room.
This time, she positioned herself near the basket. Not even bothering to dribble, she leapt and releases the ball.
It went flying over the backboard.
Still refusing to give up, she tried again and managed to hit the front of the rim after the fifth attempt.
Proud of her progress, she picked up the ball that had landed at her feet. Pushing the bangs away from her face, she concentrated intently on the task at hand, visualizing the ball going through the basket, making a swishing sound as it hit nothing but net.
It was not what exactly she had visualized, but she was ecstatic when the ball hit the backboard and rolled around the rim - for what seems like an eternity to her - before dropping through the hoop.
"Oh yeah!" She whooped, punching the air, and in an almost perfect mimicry of basketball commentators, she then hollered, "Yohei Mizuki, three points!"
Her imagination kicked in and she envisioned herself surrounded by roaring crowds cheering for the Shohoku team.
She began dribbling the ball. "Yohei, wearing jersey no. 16 passed the ball to the Tensai, and - OHH – it was intercepted by Sendoh of Team - " she paused, thinking of a name, "- Team Wannabe. He makes a quick run towards the basket. He tripped over his own feet. What a shame! Ball is now up for grabs! Rukawa - Player no. 34 of Team Wannabe managed to seize the ball in his sleep deprived state. He's now aiming for a three points shot. He missed it. Sakuragi on the rebound. Shohoku back in possession! The Tensai passed it to Yohei. Heading straight towards the basket now - " she then attempted a lay up but the ball merely hit the rim, "-She scores! Beautiful shot by Yohei Mizuki! Twenty – zero to Shohoku!"
Mizuki jumped, utterly elated by her imaginary victory. Unable to resist, she started doing some sort of victory dance.
"Oh yeah! Oh yeah!" She continued with her silly dance, whirling around the room, "Oh yeah! Oh ye – OH MY GOSH!" She abruptly stopped mid-twirl, nearly causing her to fall flat on her face. Her eyes widened in complete horror, all air leaving her lungs as she finally took notice of the tall person standing in the doorway.
This unexpected spectator is none other than Rukawa.
xxxxx
Nothing ever fazes him. Or so he thought.
Rukawa didn't know which bothered him the most. Her blood-curdling, hair-rising singing voice or her poor attempt at dancing. He let out a snort. It can hardly be called dancing; it's more like a chicken flapping its wings. It was just too painful to watch.
And yet he remained standing, his shoulder propped against the door jamb, casually taking a sip from his canned drink as he lazily watched the odd girl who now stood frozen under the basketball hoop, her entire face transforming as red as the Dou Ahou's hair.
He just took a break from practice, going out of the gym to get some sports drink from the nearby vending machine. With the Championship fast approaching, Rukawa was pushing himself harder and extending his training time more than the other players. The preliminary game had already started and it wouldn't be long before the best two teams of the region will be announced, advancing their way towards the Interhigh. And he'll be damned if Shohoku didn't make it to the top two.
But for some unknown reason, he can't seem to concentrate today. That's why he decided to take a breather to quench his parched throat and also to distract him from whatever the hell's bugging him.
Pocari sweat in hand, he made his way back to the gymnasium. As he was about to open the door, he was surprised when he heard the sound of basketball being dribbled.
'Perhaps Ryota-senpai changed his mind and went back to practice.'
That was Rukawa's first guess.
And he guessed wrong.
Standing on one side of the court and dribbling the ball in her tiny hands with such ease and - dare he say it – grace, is none other than rooftop girl.
He watched as the ball flew in the air and hit the rim before landing into the hoop. His gaze slightly softened as he saw the pure joy etched on her face when she made the shot.
"Yohei Mizuki, three points!"
That remark earned a sarcastic snort from him. But she was too busy celebrating to even notice or hear him.
Rukawa now realized the reason behind the lack of his usual intensity and his inexplicable irritable mood during his solo training today.
It was because she didn't show up for the scheduled interview. He thought that she stood him up. Which bothered him even more because why the hell would he even care if she showed up or not. He didn't even want to do the freaking interview in the first place. He absolutely has no idea why he even agreed to this kind of absurdity. It was probably his lack of sleep that made him said yes.
Rukawa suddenly sweatdropped at the sight before him. Rooftop girl was currently aimlessly running around the half court, spouting nonsense with her voice imitating that of a sports commentator, completely immersed in her own imaginary game. Another sweatdrop popped up at the side of his forehead when he heard the rival team's name.
'Team Wannabe? The heck is that?'
A scowl then formed on his face, deeply offended that she put him and Sendoh on the same team. And even though the game was just a sheer make believe, him missing a shot was a blow to his ego. In fact, he felt absolutely insulted.
"-She scores! Beautiful shot by Yohei Mizuki! Fifteen – zero to Shohoku!"
Rukawa stared at the girl in front of him like she was crazy. He didn't even see the ball go in and he almost wanted to point out the numerous violations that she committed during the span of her imaginary game.
But what she did next made him choke on his drink.
Even with all the coughing that he's doing, she still had not registered his presence.
When she finally realized that somebody was in the same room with her, his coughing had died down and his expression had returned to its normally impassive state.
xxxxx
Heat began to radiate off Mizuki's face, making her aware that she's probably as red as an overripe tomato at the moment. She quickly turned around in order to hide her face from him, and picked the ball on the floor, pretending that nothing happened - that he did not just witnessed that awkward and 'cringy' dance performance of her.
'Why is it that she never fails to make a fool out of herself whenever she was within a hundred feet of him?'
She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm the erratic beating of her heart. Staring at the ball in her hands, she began to rack her brain for something to say.
Unbelievably, it was Rukawa who spoke first.
"You're late."
At the sound of his voice, Mizuki whirled around, surprise evident in her face.
She watched as the raven haired boy gulped down the last of his drink before disposing it to the nearby trashcan. He's wearing a black Nike shirt and as much as she doesn't want to admit it, he looks really good in black.
Realizing she's staring, Mizuki immediately averted her gaze. Clearing her throat, she gave him a half bow. "Thanks again for this opportunity, Rukawa-kun. And I deeply apologize for being late." Standing straight, she pushed the hair from her face and frowned when she remembered the reason why she was late. "Today was a very crazy day!" She whined, forgetting who she was speaking to.
"Have you heard about what happened to Takamiya-kun and Matsui-chan?" Without waiting for a response, she continued, "I just learned about it a few hours ago when I accidentally bumped into Haruko-chan. She looks very distressed and she told me that her friend, Matsui was missing. So, the two of us went to look -" she stopped mid-sentence when she realized that she's babbling. And from the bored look on Rukawa's face, she was sure that he's not eager to hear about what had transpired between Takamiya and Matsui. He probably doesn't even know who those two were.
"Never mind that." Agitation made her bounced on the balls of her feet.
Smacking the ball on her hands, she tried to hide the quiver in her voice. "Anyway, let's focus on the task at hand. Shall we begin the interview?"
"Oh wait!" She exclaimed all of a sudden. Releasing the ball from her grip, she then proceeded to pick her bag that she carelessly tossed on the floor earlier. "Let me get my stuff first."
"First of all, I want to congratulate you on yesterday's victory against Yokosuka High." She stated as she rummaged on her bag for her interview materials. "I really wanted to go watch the game, but too bad, it happened during school hours and besides, I have to work afterwards at the restau-" She clamped her hand over her mouth at the slip. She mentally kicked herself for bringing the topic of her part time job in the conversation. She prayed that he didn't heard or realized her slip, but alas, everything seems to be working against her favour.
"Ah. Onigiri girl." Rukawa pointed at her while spinning the ball with his other hand.
Mizuki wanted to strangle herself with the basketball net. "Ah ha ha. Yup. That's me in the ugly mascot." She gave a fake laugh as she scratched the side of her neck. "Sorry for repeatedly falling over you." Her eyes widened in alarm at her statement. Wrong choice of words!
She quickly corrected herself, "I mean repeatedly toppling over you. Toppling over." She said, putting more emphasis on the word.
"Okay. Enough of that. Let's start the interview." She insisted and began heading towards the nearest bench, no doubt anxious to change the topic.
Looking back over her shoulder, she noticed that he has not moved from his spot.
"Do you want to sit down? I'm not planning to hog much of your time as I know you're quite busy with the preliminary game and stuff but it would be more comfortable for the both of us if we-"
"What's the score?" Rukawa interrupted her as he adjusted his arm band.
Her nose scrunched up in confusion. "Eh? Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by that."
"Score of my team against yours?"
"Eh?" She repeated. He can't mean – "When did you got in here?" She asked abruptly, her mind screaming, 'how much did you see and heard?'
He ignored her and answered his own question instead. "Ah. Fifteen to zero."
Rukawa started dribbling and jumped, gently releasing the ball from his hand. It swished through the net cleanly.
"That's three points." He informed her before picking the ball on the ground.
Mizuki couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Well, geez, thanks for enlightening me." She replied sarcastically. "Now, if you're finished –" showing off, she added mentally, "can we start the inter –" her eyes narrowed when he started dribbling the ball again. "What are you doing?"
Rukawa continued dribbling, ignoring her query once again.
She strode towards him, hands waving wildly above her head. "Hey! We're here to do the interview, remember?"
The dark haired boy briefly cast her a glance before sidestepping her and effortlessly sending the ball straight through the net.
He looked down at her, a glint of humor in his ocean blue eyes. "That's another three points, bumpkin."
Mizuki gaped at him, her mouth falling open in a comical 'o'.
By the time his words finally registered in her brain, Rukawa was already standing on the corner of the room, scribbling something on the white board.
"Don't call me bumpkin." She huffed indignantly. She remained glued to the spot but unable to resist her curiosity, she craned her neck to try to take a glimpse on what he's writing.
Rukawa capped the marker and tossed it back into the pen tray before making his way back to the court to retrieve the ball.
With his tall figure no longer blocking her view, she was able to see clearly.
"Shohoku - 15. Wannabee - 6." She read aloud.
There was a deafening silence, followed by Mizuki's incredulous voice. "Are you serious?"
He gave her a look that says he's dead serious.
"But, but - that's just an imaginary game!" She spluttered.
"So?"
"So there's no point doing this." She gritted her teeth, trying to keep her cool, but failing miserably. "It's just something I concocted in my head."
"I don't like losing." He deadpanned.
Mizuki threw her hands up in the air and raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Oh heavens, you're just as childish as Hanamichi."
Rukawa scowled at the comparison.
"Will you quit that?" She demanded when he wouldn't stop dribbling. The short haired girl resisted the urge to snatch the damn ball from him. But when the tall player successfully made another three points shot, she gives in to her urge and as soon as the ball hits the floor, she quickly makes a run for it.
She clutched the ball tightly to her chest. "Okay. Let's just pretend that shot you just made was worth ten points." She informed him, slightly out of breath from the short run. When he didn't protest, she then rested the ball against her hip. "So, games over, alright. Your team won."
When his eyes zoned in on the object currently perched on her hip, Mizuki gulped loudly. "Er, fifteen points then?"
She took a step back as Rukawa stepped forward. "Did I say fifteen? I meant fifty. Fifty!"
"I don't cheat." Rukawa declared, his eyes burning.
"Oh shit." Mizuki managed to utter before the ace player lunged for the ball.
xxxxx
Mizuki had learned her lesson. Never ever ever challenge Rukawa in a game, even if it's merely a product of one's imagination.
After almost giving her a heart attack when he suddenly charged towards her to snatch the ball from her grasp, Mizuki wisely moved to the sideline and didn't make any attempt to even lay a finger on the cursed object.
Only when the score was finally on his team's favour did Mizuki decided to speak up. "Alright." She makes a high pitched buzzing sound indicating that the game's over. "15 to 17. Congratulations, you won. Yey." She said with obviously fake enthusiasm.
"Can we sit down now and start the interview please? Honestly, my feet are killing me!" The last sentence just slips from her mouth and it totally sounded like she's whining but she didn't offer any apology or excuses for her childish behaviour.
Rukawa gave a half-shrug and went to sit in the nearby bench.
"Ugh! Finally." Mizuki muttered under her breath as she trailed behind him. She slumped into the bench and put her bag besides her to create some sort of barrier between them. Even though there was enough space to fit two more people, she felt like they're sitting too close.
She schooled her expression and swiftly changed her demeanor to more formal and businesslike. Clearing her throat, she began speaking. "As I've mentioned before, the questions that I'm about to ask you were provided by your fans. With all the screaming, ummm," she cleared her throat again, "I mean all the cheering that you received during the game, I am sure you're aware that you have a large fan base in the campus. Once again, thank you for agreeing to do this interview."
She glanced at him and was reminded again on how ridiculously attractive he was up close. And she was only looking at his side profile for cripes' sake. She quickly averted her gaze and pretended to busy herself with the paper in her hands.
Ignoring the hammering in her chest, she clapped her hands together as she announced, "Okay. Let's begin," in an almost shaky voice before playing the red button on her tape recorder.
"First question." She said, refusing to even dare a glimpse in fear of being distracted by his long eyelashes. Or his perfectly chiseled jawline. Or the way his bangs fell – 'Focus,Mizu!' "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" She squeaked.
"No."
"Favorite season?" Luckily, her voice was now back to normal. But her heartbeat is still fluttering like a hummingbird's wings.
Rukawa merely shrugged his shoulders in response.
"Favorite food?"
His only reply was a shrug. Again.
"Favorite movie?" Her voice now sounded strained.
"Hmmm." He mused as he spins the ball on his index finger. She 'patiently' waited for his reply. He then answered with that annoying gesture with his shoulder.
'Whose bright idea was it to ask him for an interview again?' Mizuki thought sarcastically as she gripped the paper in her hands.
Finally turning to look him, she gritted her teeth and forced a smile. "How about favourite color? You do have one, right?"
'Forget how gorgeous he is, his attitude really sucks!'
Rukawa stopped spinning the ball and stared at her with a rather disinterested expression, though there was an almost amused flicker in his azure eyes.
"I don't have –"
"Ah. Black!" She exclaimed, cutting him off. "It's obvious it's you're favorite color, since you're wearing black today." She declared even though her explanation was quite pointless.
"Next question." She stated as she dropped her gaze back to the sheet of paper in her hand. "Ah, this one. I'm positive you have favorite basketball player, since you're obsessed with the sports and all." She gave him a pointed look as she met his eyes.
"Michael Jordan." He grunted before returning his focus back to the orange ball.
Mizuki mentally chanted 'Hallelujah' when Rukawa finally gave an answer.
"Ok. Let's stop with the 'what's your fave' question." She stated as she flips to the next page.
"Why did you choose Shohoku?"
"It's near my home."
"Of course." She mumbled as she gingerly tucked one leg beneath the other to make herself comfortable.
"What do you do on your free time?" She asked before swiftly adding, "besides basketball and sleeping?"
He leaned against the wall and gave her a sidelong glance. "Eating."
She rolled her eyes. "Besides eating?"
"Listening to music."
Mizuki offered herself a mental high five.
"What's the best thing about being tall? And please don't answer basketball."
"Can easily reach things."
"Yeah, right. Especially convenient for a lazy person like you." She muttered without thinking.
Realizing she said that aloud, she clapped her hand to her mouth. She turned to see Rukawa with both of his eyebrows raised.
"Just kidding. You know, just trying to add humor to the conversation." She scratched the side of her neck like she always did when she felt jittery.
At her sheepish reaction, Rukawa snorted.
" about the disadvantages of being tall?" She asked way too fast for her liking.
Rukawa run a frustrated hand through his hair. "I'm always headless in front of a mirror."
Mizuki blinked at him before bursting into a laugh. "I bet everyone at the cinema hates you." She couldn't help but teased him on his 'misfortune'. "And getting in an airplane must really be a hellish experience for you, considering the lack of leg room."
"Who says I'm taking the economy class?"Rukawa countered.
" Right. How can I forget? Mr. Richie Rich." She gave an unladylike snort before leaning towards him and grinning mischievously. " But tell me, do you hit your head in almost every place?"
"Not as often as you tripping over your own feet," was his reply as he fixed her with an unwavering stare.
Surprised and unable to withstand the intensity of his gaze, Mizuki leaned back, almost losing her balance on the bench. Thankfully, she managed to steady herself and untucked her right leg, allowing blood back into her foot.
"Whatever." She mumbled after a while as she lowered her eyes, letting her hair fall to shield her face and the blush that she was positive was spreading across her face.
"Aaannyyywaayy," She drawled, trying to act nonchalant. "Moving on to the next question."
"What is your greatest goal?"
"To become the number one player in all of Japan." He answered smoothly.
"Motto in life?"
"Failure is not an option."
"You are considered the ace of Shohoku. How did you become a good basketball player?"
"Lots of practice."
"How many shots do you take per day?"
"A thousand."
Mizuki whistled, impressed by the number.
"What do you love most about basketball?"
"Everything," came his slow response.
Mizuki rolled her eyes heavenward praying for a ton of patience. 'Gee. He really was a man of few words.'
"Care to elaborate?"
Rukawa leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thigh, while switching the ball from one hand to the other.
"The sound of the ball swishing through the net, the thrill of winning, the adrenaline rush when I'm in the court. It's one of the most diverse sports and it's a beauti –" Rukawa grimaced and shifted uncomfortably in his seat when he realized he sounds like a pansy.
Mizuki silently watched the dark haired boy besides him, secretly revelling at the redness that stained the tips of his ears. It's satisfying to know that the usually stoic and cool as cucumber ace of Shohoku was capable of being embarrassed. That he's a human like the rest of them mere mortals. She commit this rare moment where he was the one acting awkwardly into her memory.
She decided to take pity on him and not teased him. "Who doesn't love basketball, right? I, for one, was beginning to have a strong liking to the sport. It's fun to watch, so full of nonstop action and excitement, not to mention you get to wear those cool shoes and of course those amazing slam dunks!" She could feel his eyes on her as she gushed, but she didn't risk taking a peek. Instead, she swiftly proceeded to her next question.
"Who do you most admire in your team?"
There was a pause, and then – "Akagi-senpai."
"Why?"
"He always made great decisions on the court." After a brief pause, he added in a low voice, "He is the heart of the team."
Mizuki nodded her head in understanding before asking, "How about rival? Who do you considered your greatest rival?"
"Sendoh." There was an edge to his voice as he mentioned his rival's name.
"Really? Him?" She said in disbelief. "I dunno. He seems like a happy-go-lucky guy. I never would have pegged him as a serious adversary." She stated in answer to his silent inquiry.
Shrugging her shoulders, she added, "But who am I to judge, when I haven't seen the guy play. He must really be a good player for him to be considered as your greatest rival."
Rukawa's jaw set in a tight line. "I'm better than him."
Mizuki lifted the paper to hide her smile. "If you say so."
"If you didn't play basketball, what sport would you like to play?"
"Baseball?" He replied, unsure.
She couldn't contain the hysterical giggle that burst from her throat. "Sorry, I just –" she said between fits of laughter, "–the sight of you wearing spandex is just so freakin' hilarious."
He merely snorted, and calmly waited for her laughter to subside.
"Next question." She slightly coughed to regain her composure after behaving like a laughing hyena. "What's your greatest fear?"
She could swear that his voice was laced with amusement when he replied, "Frustrated singers whose voice sounded like a cat dying."
Her brows creased in confusion. 'That's his greatest fear? This guy is so hard to read.'
Pretending not to be intrigued by his answer, (and the fact that it didn't make any sense to her) she continued with her interview. "Next. What is your most terrible memory?"
"Losing against Kainan."
"Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say?"
At his incredulous look, Mizuki shoved the paper in his face. "Hey, don't you go glaring at me. It's a fan question. See? Question no. 35."
He pushed the paper away from his face.
"Well, what's your answer?"
A defeated sigh escaped his lips. "No."
"Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?"
He gave her another incredulous look and with a tinge of annoyance this time.
"Fan question." She singsonged.
He let out a sigh as if to say 'why me?
"Michael Jordan."
"If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?"
Mizuki missed the small smirk that briefly appeared on his lips. "What possessed me to agree to this interview?"
"Whatever." She huffed in response.
"What's the biggest mistake of your life?"
"This interview." He said dryly.
"Hey!" She whirled around to face him, but whatever retort she had in mind immediately clogged in her throat as she got lost in his too blue eyes. She caught the amusement flitting through his features before he schooled his expression into a look of indifference.
She swallowed in an attempt to dispel the dryness in her throat before speaking once more. "Uhhm, what is your most memorable moment?"
"Our victory against Sannoh."
"Ah yes. I've heard all about it. Hanamichi surely made an impression after that game." At the mention of the redhead's name, a question popped into her mind.
"From a scale of 1 to 10, rate Hanamichi Sakuragi's performance."
"Zero." He replied without missing a beat.
She frowned in disapproval as she turned to look at him. "He's not that bad."
"Well?"She asked impatiently when he didn't bother to change his answer.
He fixed her with a flat stare. "Was that a fan question?"
"Ummm, no, it's not, but –" she faltered as she fiddled with her bangs.
"Ah." He dismissed her with a little wave. "I only answer fan questions."
She tilted her head to the side, eyebrows scrunched together as she silently studied him. 'He was making fun of me. Or was he?'
"Fine." She said through gritted teeth after a second. "You want your fan questions, correct?" She said as she turned in her seat, facing him directly. "Well, here it is," with a challenging gaze, she continued,
"The million dollar question. Every fan of yours wanted to know if you have a girlfriend. Or are you perhaps dating someone?"
Rukawa's eyebrows shot up his forehead.
Giving him a mock stern look, she reminded him not to disappoint his horde of fans.
"No." He finally replied after her persistent asking.
"Are you single by choice or you're just picky? Or maybe -" At his scowl, she quickly shut her mouth. It was not in the questionnaire anyway.
"Your ra- ummm,"She managed to stop herself from saying 'rabid', " your avid fans are curious as to what qualities you are searching for a woman?" She don't know if he remembered but this was the question that he read to her last time when he had mistaken the paper as her love letter to him.
Leaning back, he stretched his long legs out in front of him with the ball resting on his stomach.
"Come on. This question came up like a hundred times. They're dying to know how they can catch your eye."
"Okay. Let's talk about the physical attributes." She said, trying to be helpful. "Do you prefer them with long hair or short hair? Blonde or curly or straight?"
When he still didn't respond, she continued, "How about skills? Is there a particular talent that might attract you? Does she have to be super smart or good at playing a piano or the guitar perhaps? Or must she have the same passion for basketball like you do?"
Patience waning, she snapped her fingers at him. "Hey! Please don't tell me you're sleeping." Because kami help him if he dare doze off on her.
A triumphant grin flashed on her lips when he turned to give a death glare her way. But her triumph was short–lived when the annoyance in his eyes melted away to amusement. He was about to say something awful, she was sure.
"I'm not very particular about talents, as long as she doesn't have two left feet."
Mizuki could feel her entire face burning from the heat of embarrassment. He just has to bring that up, did he?
"Well, excuse me, but we can't all be perfect like you." She said, her voice dripping with obvious sarcasm.
The inquiring look on his face made her bristle even more. "Oh please." Don't pretend that you don't know. Looks, skills, money, you've got it all."
After a moment's silence, Rukawa answered in a low voice. "Not all. I'm also a bad dancer."
In a blink, her irritation morphed into surprise. And his next reply had her jaw falling – literally to the floor.
"Not to mention that I'm failing at every subject." He mumbled as he rested his head against the wall, his eyes closed.
Now, that's something you don't hear everyday – Rukawa admitting his flaws. And it almost sounds like he was trying to make her feel better after insulting her poor dancing skills.
She can't believe she's seeing this different side of him. It was difficult to interpret his actions but she surmised that he was being considerate of her feelings.
And she also can't believe that he witnessed another bout of her crazy antics. What was she thinking dancing like that? And more importantly, what was he thinking when he saw her?
Mizuki don't think she'll be able to live it down.
"So I've heard," was her reply after she managed to pick her jaw from the floor.
She dropped her gaze away from him to read the next question.
"What's the first thing that catches your attention when you see a girl?"
"Her laugh." He said after what seems to be a tense silence.
'That's an odd answer.' She mused but made no move to pester him for explanation. Instinctively, she runs her tongue across the front of teeth to check if there are any remnants stuck between them of the cookie she stole from Takamiya's table during last period.
Satisfied that her teeth were free from any food particles, she moved to the next fan question. After all, she wouldn't want 'girl had disgusting cookie crumbs between her teeth' added to her long list of humiliating moment.
"The color of your eyes is blue. Who among your parents is of foreign blood?"
"My mom."
"She's from where?"
"She's half-British."
"Ohhh. That's wicked, mate!" She exclaimed in English with a British intonation.
Rukawa popped one eye open and snorted at her exaggerated accent. "She was born in Japan."
"Oh," was her only reply. Seriously, what possessed her to do that? She just can't stop acting like a dolt whenever he's around.
"Have you been there?"
"No."
"So, you got your mother's eyes." She said, her mind becoming distracted. Those were the words her father always told her when she asked what her mom looked like.
She could hear her dad's voice loud and clear in her head.
'You've got your mom's eyes, applecheeks.'
"How's the relationship between you and your mom?"
'If your mother were here, she would have been so proud of you.'
"I mean, are the two of you close?"
'You two would have become the best of friends.'
"What was she like?"
'She's very funny and she makes the best apple pie in the world.'
"Is she beautiful?"
'She's beautiful inside and out.'
Several moments of silence ensue before Mizuki realized the words that had escape from her mouth. She swallowed and tried to calm her erratic heartbeat. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Rukawa was no longer leaning against the wall and was in fact, facing her directly. Tugging at her bangs, she glanced nervously at him and noticed his ocean blue eyes watching her attentively.
She turned away from him to hide her blush, and pretended to be fascinated with the basketball ring stand. "Sorry, you don't have to answer. It's not even in the -"
"Yes. I've inherited my mother's blue eyes." Rukawa suddenly said.
"She's a pianist," He added afterwards.
She turned to look back at him. And this time, when her brown eyes met his, she was unable to draw her gaze away. There was no mocking in his azure orbs, the brick wall that he use as an emotional defense was currently gone.
His eyes were thoughtful. Kind. Almost soft looking.
"And she's beautiful inside and out."
Mizuki felt her throat constrict at what she heard. She let her bangs fell across her forehead, casting her face in shadow to hide the tears welling from her eyes.
"I think you're beautiful too, Rukawa-kun. Inside and out." She declared when she finally found her voice.
The slow smile that spread across his face was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
A/N: Yay! Done with the interview at last! So whatcha think? Was it too cheesy for your liking? hehe. I have a hard time with this chapter mostly because I'm not sure how Rukawa will behave during the interview. So, I hope he was not too OOC in this chappie. I was planning on ending it with Rukawa's POV but I wanted to upload it ASAP so maybe I'll just include it in the next chapter or create an outtake for it entitled 'The sound of her Laugh.'
I googled most of the fan questions here, and some are taken from the New York Times 36 Questions on the Way to Love. It's an experiment where strangers were ask to exchange a set of 36 questions and then have 4 minutes of sustained eye contact can result to the two of them falling in love.
Once again, thanks for all your reviews and I apologized if it's taking me too long to update. Hey, it's not easy being a stay at home mom.
In the meantime, here are some Rukawa centered fics that you might enjoy reading while waiting for the next upload.
Poor you by nothingtodo
Maple and Cherry Blossom by skrom
Torn by Jaja
Sleeping Beauty by thirteenchrysanthemums
Sunflower by SapphireELf
And oh, here's a spoiler for the chapter 17: What Sakuragi thought was a harmless, funny little prank ended up putting a dent on his and Mizuki's friendship and possibly blowing what's little left of his chance with his longtime crush, Haruko.
Till next time!
