Chapter 9: A stranger picked me
(A/n: Some of you might not like this chapter. Some of you might even cease reading this fic after this chapter. I deeply regret and apologise for everything, but the story WILL go on this way.)
The next morning...
BAM!!!
Rukawa dangled from the basket for a second, before falling to his feet on the ground below. Wiping off the sweat from his forehead, he picked up the ball and dribbled it a few times, before jumping up and dunking it into the basket again.
Damn it, Yuki! Why is it that you wouldn't tell me anything?! He thought furiously to himself, panting a little, his hands resting on his knees.
"Maybe she wanted to wait for the right time."
Rukawa turned around to find Fujima standing not too far away from him, a small smile on his face.
"What are you doing here?" Rukawa asked coldly.
"What does it look like I'm doing here?" asked Fujima, holding out his own basketball with one hand, while the other gestured to his basketball attire.
Without another word, Rukawa went to retrieve his own ball and was about to leave the public basketball court when Fujima called him back.
"Hey, Rukawa, you want to go for a one-on-one with me?" he asked.
Rukawa stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Fujima once again. "What did you say?"
"I asked if you would like to go on a one-on-one with me," Fujima repeated. When Rukawa didn't answer immediately, he cocked his head to one side. "I was hoping to solve the problem between us, and I think this is the best way."
That got Rukawa's attention. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Yuki. I know what happened last night, and I don't like it one bit," said Fujima.
Instantly, Rukawa eyes narrowed. "So what if you don't like it? It's none of your business."
"If I think that you're hurting her, then it's my business to make sure that you don't do it again."
"You know what, you're right. It is your business. After all, if it wasn't for you and that girl, everything would've been fine between us."
"That girl has a name, and it's Aoi-chan. In case you are too stupid to know or to blind to see, Yuki loves Aoi-chan. If you can't handle that, then you're better off staying away from the two of them. Or, better still, from the three of us," said Fujima hotly.
The next thing he knew, Rukawa was standing just inches away from him, holding him up by the collar.
"You're the one who should stay away from Yuki," Rukawa said in a very low, very cold voice.
"Alright, how about we place a bet on this game? Whoever loses must stay away from Yuki. Forever," Fujima proposed, not the least intimidated by the very angry and very dangerous Rukawa.
The saner side of Rukawa screamed at him not to accept the challenge, but the angry side was too angry to comprehend anything else.
"Bring it on."
---
Back at Fujima's house, in the music lounge...
The first thing Sendoh saw when he opened his eyes was Hanayuki. She had a far-away look on her face, and her hands were stroking his hair absently. He quickly noticed her blood-shot eyes and the dark circles underneath them.
"Hana?" he called softly.
Hanayuki looked down at him, and gave him a small smile. "Finally, you're awake."
Sendoh yawned. "Ohayo."
"You've been sleeping like a log."
"Who wouldn't?" Sendoh said. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times, before looking back up at Hanayuki. "Then again, maybe not. You haven't slept a wink the whole night, have you?"
"Hmm, how can you tell?"
"That's not the only thing I can tell. You've been crying too, haven't you?"
At this, Hanayuki kept quiet.
"Is it Rukawa?"
She leaned her head back against the sofa. "Last night, he asked me if there was anything I wasn't telling him."
"Oh, and what did you say?" asked Sendoh.
"I said no."
"But he kept on asking?"
Hanayuki nodded. "He said he'd rather I tell him the terrible truth than lie to him continuously."
"Did you tell him then?"
"No," said Hanayuki, shaking her head. "I wanted to, but... but the more he asked me, the more I... the more I couldn't get the words out of my mouth." She buried her face in her hands. "I feel so guilty, Aki. What am I going to do?"
It wasn't long before Hanayuki felt the weight of Sendoh's head lifted off her lap and his arms circling around her.
"There, there... it's ok, Hana. Everything's going to be fine soon," he assured her.
"How am I ever going to find the strength and courage to tell him, Aki?"
"You don't have to. It's already inside of you," said Sendoh.
"It is?"
"Yes. Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. Since Rukawa loves you very much, and you love him very much in return, you have both the strength and courage inside of you." (A/n: Quote by Lao Tzu)
"Also, let's not forget." He pushed her back and tilted her head so that she was looking up at him. "Just because he thinks you don't love him doesn't mean that you don't. And, just because you don't love him the way he wants you to doesn't mean that you don't love him with all your heart and soul, right?"
Hanayuki looked at him in surprise. "You heard me last night..."
Sendoh raised his eyebrows. "You said that last night? You mean I wasn't dreaming then?"
"Dreaming?"
"Yeah, I thought I heard that in my dream. I guess I wasn't, huh?"
When Hanayuki didn't say anything, he took her hands in his and said, "It's ok. I understand. Really I do. You're right. Just because you don't love me the way I want you to, doesn't mean that you don't love me with all your heart and soul. Besides, love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart." He put a hand on his chest for effect.
Hanayuki couldn't help but smile at his 'wise' words. "That was a quote, wasn't it?"
"Yup. By Washington Irving," Sendoh replied and winked. "You want to hear another one?"
"Oh? You have another one?"
"Of course." Sendoh cleared his throat dramatically. "What I feel for you seems less of earth, and more of a cloudless heaven."
"Uh-huh... very interesting," said Hanayuki, very amused. "And whose quote was that?"
"Victor Hugo."
"Ok. Well, I have one for you too."
"You do? What is it? Come on, tell me!" said Sendoh excitedly.
"To love for the sake of being loved is human, but to love for the sake of loving is angelic," Hanayuki recited from her memory. "It's a quote from De Lamartine."
Sendoh scratched the back of his head. "Er, what does it mean?" he asked.
"It means that you're not human." She smiled at him. "You're an angel."
Sendoh smiled back. "You know, if I need proof that you do love me, I've already found it."
Hanayuki looked at him questioningly, and he continued, "It's in your smile. Because, like Mother Teresa always says, every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that someone, a beautiful thing. And right now, that's what I see on your face. A smile, for me."
Hanayuki's eyes began to tear up, but she held them back. "Aki, has anybody ever told you that you're too sweet and cheesy for the good of most people?"
"Nope, because I've never said any of these sweet and cheesy things to anyone else before. You are the first and the only one."
"Uh-huh..."
"Honest, Hana! I'm serious," said Sendoh.
"Hai, hai. I believe you."
"Oh, and before I forget again..." He reached into his pocket and took out what looked like pieces of tissue paper bunched up together. "Remember when I said I have something for you? Well, this is it."
Hanayuki took it from him and proceeded to unwrap it carefully, revealing a silver bangle. "Is this for me?" she asked.
"Yup. Look on the insides."
Hanayuki did as she was told. She turned the bangle in a way so that she was able to see the insides clearly.
"With love, from Aki to Hana," she read.
"Take it as a belated birthday gift," said Sendoh.
"You really didn't have to, Aki-" Hanayuki began, but Sendoh waved his hand dismissively.
"I bought it like, quite some time ago. If I remember correctly, I got it soon after we met at the jetty. I wanted to give it to you earlier, but never had the chance. Plus, I didn't know anything about your birthday. When is it by the way?"
"It's on the 31st of December. But that's not-"
"You do like it, don't you?"
"I do. I love it."
"Then that's all there is to it. Here, let me put it on for you," he said, taking the bangle from her and putting her hand through it. The bangle fitted just nicely.
"Arigatou," said Hanayuki, smiling.
"You're welcome. But, if you want to repay me, then how about accompanying me for a morning walk? I'm still feeling a little drowsy from last night. A little fresh morning air would do me good."
"Sure, why not?"
---
At the public basketball court, not too far away...
Kuso!
Rukawa punched the ground, not caring in the least that he was banging his knuckles on solid concrete.
He had lost. Blinded by his fury, he had been unable to perform his best, and lost to Fujima with the score of 20-16.
Whoever loses must stay away from Yuki. Forever.
Rukawa punched the ground again. Small trickles of blood began to flow from his bruised knuckles.
"Rukawa, you had better stop doing that if you still want to play basketball," said Fujima.
"What do you care?!" Rukawa spat out. Getting to his feet, he brushed past Fujima without a glance, stalking out of the court.
"Look, Rukawa, we can forget about the bet, you know. I wasn't being serious about it."
He watched as Rukawa stopped, turned around, walked towards him, and pulled him forward by the collar again.
"What do you mean you weren't being serious?" he said through gritted teeth.
"I mean-"
"If you're not serious about Yuki, then why are you doing all this?" Rukawa asked, cutting him off.
"Listen-"
"If you don't love her, then why are you interfering in our lives? Why?!"
"Shut up and listen, will you?!" Fujima shouted, pushing him away. "Don't think that you're the only person who loves her very much. I do too. More than you can ever imagine, more than you'll ever know. So does Sendoh."
"I don't need to hear how much you or Sendoh loves her! I don't need to hear anything from you or him!" Rukawa shouted back.
"You know what, I don't think you love Yuki at all," said Fujima.
Seconds later, he found himself lying on the ground with a bruise on his jaw.
"Don't you dare judge my feelings for her, you bastard!"
Fujima stood up, unaffected and undaunted by the punch Rukawa had just given him. "Rukawa, to give and not expect return, that is what lies at the heart of love. I just can't see how much you love her if you keep on expecting her to return your feelings for her." (A/n: Quote by Oscar Wilde, the author of the story, The Picture of Dorian Gray.)
To his surprise, Rukawa began to yell at the top of his lungs.
---
Meanwhile...
Sendoh was talking animatedly to Hanayuki while she listened intently as they walked down the pavement. Suddenly, they both heard a loud, long yell. It seemed to be coming from ahead of them, not too far from where they were standing.
"What was that?" asked Sendoh to no one in particular.
Hanayuki was frowning. That sounds familiar...
---
At the basketball court...
Rukawa was still yelling his head off. (A/n: It's that kind of yell, the long loud kind, if you know what I mean. Of course, this may seem a little OOC of Rukawa, but hey, he's human too. He's yelled before in the anime, although it was during a game and not much of a yell to be honest.)
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn everything on the face of this earth to Hell!
He didn't care that this was probably his first time yelling in many, many years. He didn't care that this was probably his first time venting all his anger and frustrations by yelling. He didn't care that while he was doing it, he was being watched by the one person he very much wanted to kill with his own hands.
All he wanted to do was to let out everything that had been bottled up inside of him for so long. And, however uncharacteristic it was for him to release his pent-up feelings by yelling, he just didn't care anymore.
Kuso! Kuso! Kuso!!!
"Kaede?"
He stopped yelling abruptly. Then, as if in slow motion, he turned around to see the source of all his anger and frustrations.
Hanayuki watched as Rukawa slowly turned around to face her. Seeing for the very first time all the pain and anger so plainly written all over his face was more than she could bear, but she couldn't find anything to say that would erase them away.
Nevertheless, she took a step forward. "Kaede..." she began, but Rukawa walked off before she could continue.
"Kaede, please wait!" Hanayuki cried out, but he didn't stop, nor did he slow down. He just continued walking.
Hanayuki went after him. "Kaede, please wait! Please!"
Realising that Hanayuki was coming after him, Rukawa broke into a run. So did Hanayuki.
"Kaede! Kaede!"
Fujima and Sendoh ran after Hanayuki. Both of them knew about her heart condition, and wanted to make sure that she was alright.
As for Rukawa, he just kept on running, not bothering where he was running to, as long as there was a road in front of him. Coming to a deserted crossroad, he ran across without a second thought.
"Kaede!" Hanayuki cried, as she ran across the road herself. She was beginning to pant heavily, but she didn't stop to catch her breath.
"Hana, look out! The car!" Sendoh shouted frantically.
Hanayuki was already in the middle of the road when she heard Sendoh's shout. Frozen on the spot, she looked wide-eyed at the car that was coming right at her.
"You haven't told me your name."
"Would you rather be in a wheelchair, or in my arms?"
"I kept my promise."
"Call me Kaede."
"Do you want me to stay?"
"I like to listen to your voice too."
"If I smile, will you tell me that you love me?"
"I love you."
"I'll wait, for as long as it takes."
Kaede!
Squeezing her eyes shut, Hanayuki waited for the feeling of pain and cold to course through her body.
Are...? Why is it that I don't feel any pain? Is it because I'm already dead? But if I'm already dead, why is it that I feel so warm and safe?
Slowly, Hanayuki opened her eyes. At first, all she saw was black nothingness.
Why is it so dark in here? Where am I?
It took her a while to realise that she was actually looking at a black shirt at close range, which explained why she thought it was dark. It took her longer to realise that the reason she was feeling so warm was because someone was hugging her tightly.
The arms around her slackened their hold on her, and Hanayuki was able to tilt her head up a little to see who it was that was hugging her.
"Kaede...?" she whispered.
Rukawa looked down at her, relief clearly shown on his face. "Daijoubu ka?" he asked softly.
Instead of answering, Hanayuki just stared up at him, before throwing her arms around his neck and buried her face on his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, Kaede. I'm so sorry. Please... don't leave me. Please..." she sobbed.
Rukawa just held her close and didn't say anything.
Meanwhile, Fujima and Sendoh were standing a little way back to give them some privacy. And, to handle the almost hysterical lady driver of the car which had almost hit Hanayuki.
"Now calm down, lady. It's alright. You didn't hit anybody," said Sendoh, as he tried to stop the woman from pulling out all of her hair
"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" The woman kept screaming.
"Please lady, stop screaming. Nobody is hurt," said Fujima. When she didn't stop, he sighed and gave up, turning his attention to Hanayuki and Rukawa.
"That was close isn't it?" he said.
Sendoh nodded his head. He too had given up on calming the woman. "Yeah. Very. I have to hand it to Rukawa. I mean, he just rushed onto the middle of the road and wrapped himself around Hanayuki, shielding her completely. Thank Kami-sama that she-" he pointed to the woman, who was still screaming, "-managed to stop the car in time, about an inch away from them."
Fujima sighed again. "I guess that's the difference between his feelings for Yuki and ours. He loved her so much that he was willing to risk his own life for her. As for us..."
"We just didn't have quick reflexes like his, that's all," said Sendoh.
"Do you really mean that, Sendoh?" asked Fujima, raising an eyebrow.
Sendoh smiled at him sheepishly. "Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know. I mean, it's not that I didn't want to save her. I was just too shocked to do anything."
"It doesn't matter now, does it?" said Fujima, as he looked at the two of them again.
"Nope. Not one bit," Sendoh answered.
---
Later, back at Fujima's house...
The four of them made their way to the dining room, where Sakuragi, Mitsui, Kogure, Miyagi and Ayako were already seated at the table. Haruko and Ichiro were not present, as she had to go home and Ichiro had quickly offered to send her back.
"Hey guys! Where did you go?" asked Ayako.
Sendoh flashed her a smile and replied, "Morning walk. It's a beautiful morning."
"Ah, sou ka?"
Sendoh took a seat beside Miyagi, who was sitting next to Ayako, while Rukawa sat with Sakuragi on his right and Hanayuki on his left. (A/n: Said dining table was rectangle-shaped, meaning it's long. Fujima sat at the head of the table, with Sendoh on his left and Hanayuki on his right. Sakuragi was sitting on Mitsui's left, while Kogure was on Ayako's left, opposite Mitsui.)
Pretty soon, breakfast was served, and everyone helped themselves to the rather sumptuous dishes.
Just then, the doorbell rang, and Fujima got up to answer the door. Less than a minute later, they heard Fujima's shout.
"Aoi-chan, stop! Come back here!"
Everybody's head snapped up, but not as fast as Hanayuki's had. She stood up so abruptly that her chair fell back onto the floor, and as she fumbled around she knocked over her glass of milk, spilling it all over the table.
"Hana-chan, are you alright?" Sakuragi asked, concerned.
"Ah, hai. I'm fine. I'm fine." Picking up her chair, she continued, "Would you guys please stay here in this room for a while? Don't go anywhere until I come back."
She left the room quickly before anybody could ask anything.
---
"Ne, otouchan, I want to see okaachan," Aoi-chan whined.
"Aoi-chan, be a good girl, and follow Midori-kaachan outside. She's going to take you the playground," said Fujima, trying to pacify the little girl.
"But I want to see okaachan! Where is okaachan?"
"Aoi-chan-"
"Kenji."
Fujima looked up to see Hanayuki walking towards him.
"Okaachan!" Aoi-chan cried out happily.
Hanayuki knelt down beside Fujima and took Aoi-chan in her arms. "Gomen ne, Aoi-chan. Please be a good girl and listen to okaachan. I need you to go out with Midori-kaachan for a while. I promise I'll come and find you later, alright?"
"But why?" asked Aoi-chan, confused.
"Because... because okaachan has something to do right now. Okaachan needs to settle some things before... before..." she trailed off when she noticed that Aoi-chan wasn't listening to her. In fact, Aoi-chan wasn't even looking at her, but past her shoulder at something behind her.
Fearing the worst, she stood up and turned around to see Rukawa, Sakuragi, Mitsui, Kogure, Miyagi and Ayako looking at her wide-eyed. Sendoh was standing a little apart from them, panting slightly.
"I'm sorry, I tried to stop them, but Rukawa just punched me and threw me against the wall and the next thing I know the whole dining room is empty," he said, the bruise on his cheek as clear as day.
"Ha-Hana-chan... what is going on? Why is she calling you okaachan?" Sakuragi managed to ask, despite the shock he was feeling inside and displayed on his face.
Hanayuki herself wore a shocked expression on her face, but it was quickly replaced with one of resignation.
"Okaachan..." Aoi-chan tugged at Hanayuki's hand to get her attention, her cute little face scrunched up in confusion.
"Aoi-chan-" Fujima began, but Hanayuki stopped him.
"It's ok Kenji." Once again she knelt down in front of Aoi-chan, so that they were looking at each other at eye level. "Aoi-chan, if you don't want to go to the playground, then why don't you go upstairs to your playroom with Midori-kaachan. You can play with your toys there," she said.
"Are you going to play with me?"
"Yes, but not now. Okaachan still has some things to do." She cupped Aoi-chan's face in her hands and continued, "Okaachan will play with you as soon as everything's done, alright?"
Aoi-chan obediently nodded her head and let Midori-kaachan carry her out of the room and up the stairs. Hanayuki waited until they were gone from her sight, before she turned to the others.
"Do you mind if I sit?" she asked, gesturing to the sofas in the room. Without waiting for them to answer, she seated herself on the three-seater. When she saw that they were still standing up, she said, "Perhaps you guys should sit too. It may take a while to... explain everything."
"I'll get you a glass of water," Fujima spoke up, motioning to Sendoh to keep an eye on her while he was gone.
"Hana, are you alright?" Sendoh asked gently, as he took a seat beside her.
Hanayuki gave him a small smile and nodded her head. A minute later, Fujima returned from the kitchen with a glass of water, which he put on the table in front of Hanayuki.
"Kenji..."
"Yes, Yuki?"
"There's no way we can get out of this one, is there?" Hanayuki asked.
Fujima looked at her for a moment, before sitting down beside her and placed a hand on hers. "Perhaps it's time we can't."
Hanayuki looked down at her feet. "Yes... I guess it's time we can't."
"Hello? We're not invisible you know. Stop acting like we're not here," said Mitsui angrily. "What the heck is going on here?"
He was getting frustrated, and he's not the only one. Rukawa walked past him to stand directly in front of Hanayuki, who looked up at him, the expression on her face unreadable.
"Is there anything you're not telling me?" he asked, his own face expressionless.
Hanayuki held his gaze for a moment, before asking back, "What is it that you want to know?"
There was a pause, before he asked the question which was in everybody's mind. "Who is that girl to you?"
"That girl has a name, Rukawa, and it's Aoi-chan," Fujima snapped at him, annoyed that he should refer to Aoi-chan like that.
"Who is she to you?" Rukawa asked again, ignoring Fujima.
He could see that she was struggling to answer the question, as could everybody else. Fujima gave her hand a little squeeze, while Sendoh leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
"Remember, being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
Taking a deep breath, she said in a clear soft voice, "She's my daughter."
Needless to say, everyone in the room (except for Fujima and Sendoh) was stunned at the revelation. The usual eye-bulging and jaw-dropping scene took place, Sakuragi practically stopped breathing, and Rukawa felt as if his whole world was crashing down on him.
There was silence all around, until Mitsui laughed out nervously.
"You're joking right, Hana-chan? You're not Aoi-chan's mother, her mother is working overseas. That's what you told us Fujima. Isn't that what you told us?"
The question went unanswered, and the whole atmosphere in the room changed from bad to worse. Everyone began to shift uneasily.
"Oi, Fujima, isn't that what you told us before, huh?! Why aren't you saying anything now?!" Mitsui shouted.
Again, his question went unanswered.
"Hana-chan, this... this can't be true..." Sakuragi stammered.
Hanayuki looked at him sadly. "You should know better, oniichan, whether or not I'm telling the truth. You and Kaede should know better."
"What do you mean?"
"The two of you must have seen the similarities between me and Aoi-chan the first time you saw her. You must have noticed that she looked exactly like how I used to look like when I was 3. You did, didn't you? That was why you followed me all the way here from the stadium yesterday, because you've been suspecting something from the very beginning." She smirked a little. "If Aki hadn't chanced upon you guys following me and followed you himself, he wouldn't have been able to call me just in time for me to send Aoi-chan off to my place for the night before you guys barged in."
Nobody said anything after that, and after what seemed like an eternity, Rukawa asked yet another question which was plaguing everyone's mind.
"Is Fujima really her father?" he asked quietly.
Hanayuki shook her head. "No, he's not."
"He isn't?" asked Sakuragi, surprised. Clearly, he had been expecting the answer to be yes, and so had the others.
"No."
"Then who is Aoi-chan's father?" demanded Mitsui.
Hanayuki had been anticipating the question from the start, but it still managed to take her breath away. She could feel her heartbeat going faster and faster by the second, and it took all of her mental strength to calm down enough to say, "I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? How can you not know who the father is if she really is your daughter?" said Mitsui.
"Shut up, Mitsui! You have no idea what you're talking about!" Fujima said angrily.
"You shut up! You were the one who caused all this trouble in the first place!" Mitsui retorted. "Anyway, it's not as if what I said didn't make sense. I mean, what does she mean by she doesn't know who the father is? She couldn't have just gone for a walk on the streets and picked a stranger."
At this, Sendoh got to his feet, an angry expression on his face. "Keep your mouth shut, Mitsui! I can't believe you actually said that!"
Mitsui also stood up. "Stay out of this, Sendoh. It's none of your business!"
"Anything that has got to do with Hana is my business!"
"Well, that's what you think!"
"No, that's what I know!"
"Go to hell!"
The argument would have gone on for a while, if they hadn't broken off upon hearing someone laughing.
"Hana-chan?" Sakuragi looked at her, bewildered.
Hanayuki just kept on laughing, so hard that tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"Yuki..." Fujima started, but Hanayuki held up a hand and waved at him to keep quiet, before wiping off the tears on her face.
By then, it became clear to everyone that she was actually crying.
"Hisashi-niichan, I didn't go for a walk on the streets and picked a stranger," she said, looking at Mitsui. "It was the other way round."
Her lips curved up to form a bitter smile, as she finished, "A stranger picked me."
And that was it. Without another word, she got up and left the room, leaving behind a shell-shocked crowd.
---
Author's notes: I have done enough research to know for a fact that there ARE girls out there who are 16 and have 3-year-old kids. Like I've mentioned at the start of the chapter and in the summary, some of you may accept it, some of you may not. Again, I apologise to those of you who didn't or couldn't accept it. I won't be changing the plot, though, because this is how I drafted the story, and if I change it, there won't be a story.