TITLE: AGAIN
AUTHOR: dingyou
RATING: NC-17
DISCLAIMER: Slam Dunk is not mine *sniffs*. It belongs to Takehiko Inoue. I do own Miyagi Madoka and Mitsui Emiri, though and Kaede, Kogure and Hisashi are my koibito! *grins*
AN: Sequel to my first fic It Can Never Be. Mostly flashbacks and conversations so please bear with it ^_^. Based on the song Again by Janet Jackson. Still yaoi and again, consider yourself warned and no flames! I don't know if the boys are OOC here but it's better to warn you. You know, just in case. You can never tell from those guys. Reviews and constructive criticisms appreciated! Hope it's not bad. ^.^ Self beta-ed so gomen nasai for the mistakes.
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Mitsui: Wow, we're now on Chapter 2! Sugoi wa, Ding-chan!
Ding: Wai! And you've yet to reveal other stuff, Hisashi. And I hope the first chapter isn't bad.
Mitsui: So what happened in this chapter then?
Ding: Let's find out. On with it!
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Again
Chapter 2 - High and Dry
-
A wounded heart you gave me
My soul you took away
Good intentions you had many
I know you did
-
"We'll meet at Akagi's house for the okaeri enkai. 7 PM sharp. No buts. And oh, does Rukawa know?"
I looked at the raven haired boy I was lying in my bed with just before Ayako called.
Heh. Still sleeping soundly, I thought.
I remembered the time when I first told him that I'm in love with him. It was the night when he challenged me on a 1 on 1 match. I swear he could've won if not for the three point shot that I nailed. Of course, Miyagi and Kogure considered it as cheating. Those guys, their perception on things can sometimes drive me nuts.
Before I went home, I asked Kaede to stay and help me clean up the gym, much to the younger boy's surprise. Being his sempai, of course a refusal to my request isn't an option. After cleaning the whole gym, we proceeded to the locker room for a shower before we head home. That's was when I decided to have a little chat with him.
-
- Flashback -
"Rukawa, can I tell you something?"
The boy looked at me, seemingly confused. "Nan desu ka, sempai?"
I was surprised at the sudden politeness which made me smile inwardly. So, he's not as aloof as some people thought him to be. "Before I tell you everything, you have to promise me something first."
"Ok."
"Promise me that whatever I'll tell you tonight, we'll still be friends, ok?"
"Sounds ok to me."
"Ok, then."
"..."
"..."
"So?"
"Hn?"
"What is it that you want to tell me, sempai?"
"Anou..."
"...?"
"Have you ever been in love before, Rukawa? I mean, with a guy?"
A look of total shock was seen on his face. He was not able to utter a syllable after that. I'd be shocked too. The hell, I am shocked with myself. Who wouldn't be, anyway? If your sempai asked you if you've been in love with someone, not to mention of the same gender, I bet you'd totally be shocked too. The small forward just stood in front of me, trying to search my sea-blue eyes that matched his, still with the look of confusion on his face.
He's so beautiful even when he looks shocked and confused, I thought.
"What do you mean, sempai?"
"Have you ever been in love with another guy?"
"W-why are you asking me this?"
I sighed and sat on the floor. I smiled inwardly when he did the same. "You see, Rukawa. Right now, it seems that I am in love with a certain guy. I mean, not that I've had previous affairs with other guys before. To honest, this is the first time that I felt such an intense feeling. It's totally different with the past relationships I've had. All girls, of course. What I'm feeling right now is something else - I wanna be with him everyday, you know. Take care of him, be with him before I sleep and after I wake up, hold him, and kiss him, that sort of stuff."
The cerulean eyes of the boy in front of me carefully met mine. He was looking deeply into my eyes, as if trying to understand every word I said. We just sat there for a moment, just looking at each other when...
"Wakarimasu, sempai."
"N-nani?"
"Wakataru. I mean, I may not have had any relationships before but I understand how you feel."
And for the first time in months that I've known this guy, I saw his lips curl up into a smile. I felt myself becoming weak. Kami-sama, he's just so outwardly elegant and beautiful!
"R-rukawa, I just... wow... I mean, you do know how to smile."
"Heh. Comes just once in a blue moon. Consider yourself lucky at that."
"Very lucky. Can't wait to see the look on that bakeru's face when I tell him," I smiled, referring to Sakuragi.
We stayed inside the locker room and talked for another hour. I told him that my past affairs were all a wreck and that what I felt for the guy was something different. It was something inspiring and pleasantly real. He, too, told me that he has never had a real relationship before. He said he's looking for someone who can accept him as a whole and not just for what he is on court.
"C'mon, Rukawa," I laughed. "There are a lot of pretty girls in this school and almost all of them are so into you. Bet you'll have a hard time picking someone out for a date, in that case."
He smiled and shook his head. "Iya. I am not interested in fan girls, sempai. Never am."
Not interested in fan girls? Am I hearing this right? Does it mean he also likes guys? Or is he just trying to find someone more mature?
"I want someone who'll love me regardless if I'm the Super Rookie or not. Someone who'll still be there in spite of my flaws and someone who'll love me for who I really am."
"I'm sure you'll find that someone, someday, Rukawa."
"I hope so, sempai."
I smiled and looked at him intently.
"Have I been very talkative tonight, sempai?"
"Glad you've been. I never knew you can reveal this much about yourself in just an hour."
"You haven't heard anything yet."
"Hontou?"
"Aa. But it does feel a lot better."
"Well, if you need someone to talk to, you know who to look for, ne?"
"Gotcha."
We were silent for a few minutes. I have never seen such a beautiful person in my life - cerulean eyes, perfect face, pale and flawless skin, seemingly soft lips, well-defined and muscled body, sexy voice, pure basketball talent and a really nice attitude. And did I mention that he didn't have any shirt on while we talked? I thank Kami-sama that I was able to meet this beautiful creation of His.
"Rukawa?"
"Hn?"
"Aren't you disgusted of me?"
"N-nani, sempai?"
"I mean, aren't you disgusted of me because I am in love with a guy?"
"Masaka. I absolutely do not see anything wrong with it. As long as you're happy with what you feel and if it feels right, then I'm glad. And no, sempai. I'm not disgusted. Not one bit."
"Sou ka? So you're really ok with it?"
"Mochiron desu."
"Thanks. I feel better."
"Don't mention it. So, who's the lucky guy?"
I felt every muscle in my body tense at the unexpected question. I was hesitant to tell him for the fear of what his reaction might be. But then, I decided to do it anyway. It's now or never.
The lucky guy? You have no idea.
"Y-you really wanna know?"
"Yeah, why not? You've gone as far as telling me that you're in love with a guy. Might as well tell me who it is."
"You'll get mad at me if I do that."
"I'll get mad at you if you don't."
Honestly, I was trying to pack up the courage to tell him everything. The tough gangster that I am being tagged, I am known to be fearless. But tonight, hell, I felt fear for the first time since the injury that I had back in junior high. I felt fear - the fear of being rejected.
"Is it someone I know?"
I was as speechless as shit. I didn't even know how to answer appropriately. I didn't want to spoil the good nature of whatever we had that night. One wrong word, and it will ruin everything.
"Sempai?"
"H-hn? Yeah... um..."
"Is there something wrong?"
"Uuuh, no... just..."
"Then why can't you tell me who it is? I promise I won't get mad. Even if it's someone I know."
"..."
"Sempai?"
"Even if I tell you it's you?"
And everything around me seemed to stop. I saw his eyes widened with pure shock with the words that I just said. He just sat there, not saying anything.
I knew it. I just knew he won t like it, I thought. I couldn't even manage to lift my head and look at him. I'm afraid of what he might think, what he might say, what he might do.
A minute has passed and he hasn't muttered anything since then.
This is it. I better split before things take their turns for the worst, I thought.
"Warui na, Rukawa. Kinishi nai. You didn't hear anything from me, ok?" I said.
I stood up and attempted to pick my duffel bag up when his hand pulled my wrist back. "Sempai, no. Don't leave me yet. Let's talk about this."
"What for? So you can tell me off it? So that you can tell me that I'm such a slut? That I am in love with a guy who can never love me back?"
"Why, I have not said anything like that."
"What do you mean?"
"Just... just sit down first, will you?" he said, looking up at me.
I sat down as he told me to. I realized that, with the look in his eyes, maybe things will turn out fine in the end.
"I have to admit. I... I am shocked. I never expected this, you know", he said. Then he sat beside me and gently put his head on my shoulder. "And for the record, I really am flattered. I don't know why but I seem to be happy, knowing that I am the object of your affection. I know it sounds crazy and all but..."
"Welcome to my world, Rukawa."
"But why me, sempai?"
"I can't explain it, Rukawa. I really can't. All I know is that I'm really drawn to you."
"So, when did you start feeling... you know... "
"Oh, it started during our match with Shoyo. Remember the pass that I did to you before I crashed on the table four minutes before the match ended? Yeah, I think it all started there."
"But why?"
"I don't know. It's just that maybe because of what you did, I realized that you'd be there during desperate times to save me. You know, during times when we need you most."
"And if that's true, come to think of it, you fell in love with someone who tried to beat you to a pulp just, I don't know, three months ago?"
"Quit bragging," I said, putting my hand around his shoulders. "Then again, arigatou, Rukawa."
"For what?"
"For being the inspiration that you are to me right now."
He looked up at me, wearing that rare smile that only I can see. I felt breathless at such a very beautiful sight. He rested his head on my shoulder once more.
"I don't know what to say, sempai. You very well know that I don't care about Rukawa Shinietai or whoever's tailing on me but I must admit, I like the attention that you're giving me."
"Sou ka?"
"Sou yo. Coming from you, it seemed really different."
He looked up at me once more. Our eyes locked into each other's seemingly burning gaze. His eyes are made of marbles, cerulean marbles that made his face even more perfect. His beautiful lips so tempting, it's hard not to...
Unconsciously, or rather it was, I pressed my lips on his. I saw his eyes widened in shock once more so I made sure that I wasn't doing it as fierce as I really intended it to be, although every nerve in my body screamed for me to devour him, to lock him in my arms. But my so-seldom-logically-working brain told me not to do so or I might feel his fist connecting to my chin sooner than I'd expect. Surprisingly, he didn't protest, he didn't push me back and more importantly, he didn't pound his fist on me. He just sat there, eyes still widened with shock.
Then it was my turn to be surprised.
He responded to my kiss. He brushed his oh-so-warm lips against mine. He nibbled on my lower lip which made me let out a soft moan. Neither of us fought for dominance but just kissed each other with gentleness. His hands started to slide down my back and crawled inside the sweat soaked shirt that I was wearing. I pinned him against the locker and he let out a really cute groan which encouraged me to do more. My hands slid down his tight abs while I nipped his neck, showering it with little kisses. I trailed little kisses from his earlobe down to his yummy abs and to his abdomen when he pushed me back. He was practically panting. Then I kissed him with much fierceness that he pulled my waist and clasped my behind. I lifted his shirt to reveal a very flawless trunk. I licked at the sight and blushed when I realized that he was looking at me. I was about to pull down the pair of shorts he wore for the practice when
"Unnnh... se... sempai... not here."
"Why not? Everyone's gone home..."
"Sempai... I..."
"Rukawa... don't you feel it? I need... you. I... want you. God, I want you so bad..."
"O-ore mo... sempai..."
--
-
"Lost in your thoughts again, sempai?"
I snapped back to reality yet again upon hearing Ayako, a little bit of annoyance traced in her voice.
"I-iya. I just remembered something. Look, Ayako. Don't worry about Kaede. I'll take care of everything. I'll make sure that he'll come with me, ok?"
"You better, sempai. Kogure-sempai and Akagi-sempai would still want to see him after all."
"Right. And Sakuragi better be there when something untoward would happen."
"Let s hope that nothing untoward will happen."
"Right. See you at 7 later."
"Matta atode, sempai," and Ayako hung up.
I looked at him again. The boy that entirely changed my life. The boy that taught me a lot in spite of his silence. The boy whose smile brightens even my darkest days. The boy who taught me how to appreciate everything around me.
The boy who taught me how to love.
And the boy who taught me how to forgive in spite of the hurt that I felt.
We've been together for four years. And those four years entirely changed my attitude, my perception and my life. I was never happier, never better. But I have to admit, everything was not as easy as it sounded. We would argue over things and he would end up at Sakuragi's house. I can still remember what the bakeru told me that night.
-
- Flashback -
KRRRRNG! KRRRRNG!
"Moshi moshi. Mitsui desu."
"Shitte iru, Mit-chy. You don't have to tell me that, you know."
"Nan da, bakeru?"
"Betsu ni. But I have something that you want."
"Care to tell me what that is?"
"..."
"Sakuragi, oi."
He sighed. "Dou shitan da, Mit-chy?"
Now, I'm confused. "What do you mean what happened?"
"You and Rukawa fought over something again, didn't you?"
"Since when did you become a fortune teller?"
"I'm serious, Mit-chy."
I was amazed at this. Over the years, basketball has turned the red head from an arrogant, cocky and obnoxious brat into a mature and understanding man. He stopped considering Kaede as his rival and focused on being his team mate instead, much to everyone's delight. He doesn't pull those 'ore ga taosu' lines on Sendoh, Uozumi and Maki, anymore. He always gives advice to Haruko and Yohei regarding their relationship, which gave me the shock of my life. We all knew that he was in love with Haruko, that's why we were surprised when he never laid a finger on Yohei. He told us that Yohei's his best friend and that he's sure that Haruko will be safe with him. Except from his occasional cockiness (which I'm glad he still has), he's like a totally different person.
"Yeah, we argued about something. And he walked out on me."
"And what is it, this time?"
"It's not like we always fight."
"I don't care. Just answer my question."
I sighed, surrendering to the demanding and seemingly bossy tone on the other line. "He doesn't want to go to college, Sakuragi. And that is totally insane."
"And may I ask what's insane about it?"
I was shocked at this. "C'mon, not you too."
"Seriously, Mit-chy. What's insane about it?"
I sighed, annoyed. "Do you have a reason why you want to go to college, Sakuragi?"
"What kind of a question is that? Of course I do."
"Then shouldn't it be Kaede's reason, too?"
"I doubt it."
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Listen. And listen well," Sakuragi sighed. He sounded like the god of war with what he just said. "I decided to go to college because I want to land a job after I graduate. I want to work as a medical technologist."
"..."
"Because that's what I want, Mit-chy. Now, did you even ask Rukawa if that's what he wanted?"
That question hit home. That's when I realized what a baka I really am. "No, I..."
"We all know that he loves basketball so much and... he seems so sure of his path. Do you think he'll excel in school, knowing that it's not really where he's good at?"
I was not able to say anything, partly because I still couldn't believe that Sakuragi can utter those words with so much wisdom, and because I knew he was right. I was so concerned of Kaede's future. So concerned that I didn't consider his options. I was blind to his choices. Hell, I almost controlled his life at that.
"I told him that basketball will not give him the future that he deserves."
"And that's when he walked out on you?"
"Sou."
"Who are we to tell him of his future, Mit-chy? We're not even sure of our own future, more so his. And that really hurt him, you know. Telling him that the one thing he loves... well, aside from you, can never give him a good future. It's like driving a big nail through him."
I sighed. Sakuragi really hit it right on the head. I was wrong.
"Guess you're right, Sakuragi."
"Shitte iru. I always am, ne?"
"Urusai, bakayarou."
"You work this out, both of you. First thing in the morning tomorrow,"
"How the hell did you know all about this anyway?"
"How the hell did I know? Of course I know! Omae no koibito tried to break my door down by knocking so hard on it. Good thing I live alone in here. And then he told me everything."
"So he's with you? Can I talk to him?"
"Iya. You talk things over face to face, not on the phone, ok? It's already 11:30 for crying out loud. It's dangerous out there. And he's already drooling, by the way."
My eyes widened. "Drooling?!"
"Yeah, drooling and snoring. Man, you're really dirty minded, aren't you?"
"Whatever. You take care of him, ok? Don't you ever lay a hand on him."
"And I'm suppose to take that as a threat?"
"Urusai!"
He chuckled. Funny how everything seemed to be ok after I talked to him, and that chuckle of his made me feel even better.
"Sakuragi?"
"Nan da, Mit-chy?"
"Arigatou, for making me realize my mistake."
"Heh, Shitte iru. What would you all do without me, anyway?"
"Always the arrogant brat, aren't we?"
"Kidding. Saa, we better be off to bed now. It's the first day of classes tomorrow and we don't wanna be late, ne?"
"Yes, mom."
"I still can't believe you took Law, Mit-chy," Sakuragi said, giving out a hearty laugh.
"Speak for yourself. I thought you'll take Criminology as your course. You won't believe how wide my eyes got when Miyagi told me you took Medical Technology instead."
"It has always been my dream."
"You don't look like it."
"You need to go to bed now, scar face. Shinpai na, I'll take care of Rukawa. And don't forget, you have to talk things over - "
"First thing in the morning, I know."
"Oyasumi nasai, Mit-chy."
"Good night."
--
As promised, I told Kaede about the things the red head told me last night. I apologized for not considering his own options and told him that it would be ok if he won't go to college, just as long as he performs well in his basketball team. The moment I said those words, Kaede's eyes shone like new born stars, like a child who's just found his lost toy. He flung his arms around me, thanked me (like 17 times) and promised that he will do his best in every game.
For three years, things took its cycle every time we argue over something. He'd walk out on me, go to Sakuragi's house, come back in the morning, talk things over and everything would be ok. Although it didn't settle me well, I thought that it would be better that way. I'd rather have him stay at the bakeru's house than leave me forever. Rukawa's the guy who likes to isolate himself if he's confused or angry. He'd leave everything behind and never come back. And where can he find such an isolated place but in Sakuragi's house.
But it was just this year that things took its turn for the worse. Last 2 weeks, I went to Osaka for my bar ops and I told Kaede that I'll be gone for 4 days. He smiled at me and said that he's going to take care of everything. At first, everything seemed to fine. It was my second day at Osaka when I decided to call him to check on everything.
-
- Flashback -
KRRRRNG! KRRRRNG!
"Moshi moshi. Rukawa desu."
"Hey baby, it's me."
"Hisashi! Thank Kami-sama you called. I'm starting to feel-"
"Lonely, I know. I just called to check up on you and everything," I chuckled. "Genki da ka?"
"Daijoubu da. Emiri mo daijoubu. She's not here, though. She's going to stay at Madoka's. So the house is all mine for the night."
I laughed. "At least you now have the solace that you've always wanted."
"But its starting to bore me, Hisashi. It's not right without you."
"You want me to call Sakuragi and have him come over?"
He snorted. "If you want to break the house down, then please."
"Heh. Just kidding. You sure you'll be ok in there?"
"Aa. Shinpai suru na, koibito."
"That's good to hear, then. And oh, guess who I saw here in Osaka?"
"I have no idea. Your ex, perhaps?"
"Kaede?!" I said, annoyed at what he said.
"Just kidding, baby," he giggled. "Dare da?"
"Your long time basketball rival, Sawakita Eiji. He told me to send his regards to you. He just arrived from the US last week and is currently on vacation. He was genuinely glad when I told him that you've decided to train further on basketball instead of going on academics," I said, emphasizing the word 'genuinely'. I should know that Kaede can be very suspicious at times, especially when it comes to his basketball rivals.
"Hontou ka?"
Yappari. I knew that's the only thing you could say, I thought.
"Sou. Saa, I better run, baby. I still have a lot of assessments to pass. Deadline's today and I'll be damned if I don't finish it all."
"I'm sure you'll get through it. You're the mighty Mistui Hisashi, after all. Just take care, alright?"
"I will. Ai shitte iru."
"Ai shitte iru mo."
"Bye baby."
"Bye. Good luck."
--
Everything seemed to be ok after that. I received a call from Emiri saying that Kaede has been receiving gifts and cards from numerous fans, including the Rukawa Shinietai. I sighed and just shook my head.
My bar ops was successful. I got a high mark, making me realize that I'm not as dumb as I thought. I was excited to go home and tell everyone the news.
Arriving at the Kanagawa train station, I immediately saw Emiri's grinning face.
-
- Flashback -
"Onii-chan, okaeri!" Emiri smiled and gave me hug. "I missed you, you know. But I know that you missed Rukawa-kun more than me," she pouted.
"Quit it, Emiri. You don't look cute looking like that, you know."
She scowled. "Really now."
"Just kidding. Of course I missed you. Omae no kirei na imotou..."
"That's more like it. Hayai ne, onii-chan. I thought you're suppose to take the 4:30 train?"
"Well, there's nothing to do in the apartment. My professor said that we can go home early since we're done with everything so I decided to do so.
"Naruhodo. I was actually still at school when you called. Good thing our classes ended early that's why I was able to pick you up here. C'mon, the taxi's waiting outside," she said as she pulled me toward the waiting cab.
"Where's Kaede?"
She slipped her arm into mine. "He's got training, onii-chan. He should be done at 3:30 PM."
I looked at my wristwatch. It read 2:29 PM. "You mean, an hour from now?" I asked as the clock read 2:30 PM.
She looked at her watch. "Sou da. He said he'd be going home early so that he'll be home when you arrive. But I guess you'll have to wait for him. You guys, sometimes..."
"What?"
She chuckled. "Hehehe. Nan demo nai. C'mon."
During the 45 minute ride to our house, Emiri filled me in on everything. She went on about how extremely popular my koibito has become in spite people knowing the fact that he has a boyfriend. She said that girls, particularly the Rukawa shinietai, would knock at the doors 3 times each day and offer Kaede flowers, stuffed bears, chocolates and what not and that Kaede would accept the gifts and give them to Emiri instead.
"I just wish they'd stop giving Rukawa-kun gifts, especially chocolates. I'd get fat before the tournament starts," she scowled.
"Sou da! I totally forgot about the Girls' Basketball Tournament. So you and Madoka-chan got in?"
"Mochiron yo!"
"And what position, may I ask, did you two land on?"
She raised her eyebrow. "I thought you knew better than to ask."
A tapped her on the shoulder. "Can't you take a joke, Emiri?" I chuckled. "So you're shooting guard and Madoka's point guard?"
She nodded. "Of course. And everyone in school was like, awed just because we're the sisters of the legendary ex- MVP and shooting guard Mitsui Hisashi and the fastest point guard in Kanagawa, Miyagi Ryota. Matta ku," she sighed.
"Well, it's not that bad, is it?"
"Iie, chigau na. Except for the fact that we need to prove ourselves since our brothers are legends. Pressure, pressure and pressure."
I laughed. The girls, like us, are so into basketball as well. They'd wake up early each day and they'd go on a 1 on 1 match with each other before going to school. And when they entered college, they were delighted to find out that there's an existing Girls' Basketball Team in Kanagawa University. Without any hesitation, they went for the try outs.
"Oh, did Haruko-chan join, too?"
"Iie. She decided to concentrate on her studies instead. But she promised that she'll go watch the Inter College tournament," then she looked at me. "You'll go too, ne onii-chan?"
"Of course. What kind of a brother will I be if I won't go and watch my sister play."
"Good. 'Cause it'd be like watching yourself play," she grinned.
"Braggart!" I grabbed her and messed her hair.
"Oh, we're here!" she exclaimed.
We went out of the taxi and pulled my stuff out of the trunk. Emiri hurried toward the front door and was surprised when the door was unlocked.
"Geez, that's weird. I thought I locked this," she said as she opened the slightly ajar door.
"Maybe Kaede's home already."
"Can't be. He said he's going home at 3:30, remember?" then she turned to me. "Just put your things in there first," she said pointing at the couch. "I'll just check if he's here."
I nodded and followed her to our room. She must've heard something, for she gave me a thumbs up, affirming Kaede's presence.
Everyone who had experienced waking Kaede up from a deep sleep could tell you their own horrific experience. Personally, I haven't tried waking him up. No way will I add my name to the list of his victims. Everyone is prohibited to wake him up. Everyone except Emiri and Madoka.
Emiri slowly gripped the door knob and she was about to turn it when she heard something inside our room.
"Unngh... yeah..."
Emiri and I looked at each other with a sly grin on our faces.
"I guess he's not sleeping. At all," she said with a soft laugh.
I just shook my head. Kaede can really be a hentai sometimes. Once he admitted that images of me naked would flash in his mind sometimes, then he would jack off. He blushed as I laughed and I told him that it's all normal.
Emiri and I gave each other a high five. But the next sound that elicited from room made us all froze.
"Unngh.. K-koshino..."
I felt my eyes widened. It couldn't be. Kaede? With Koshino? In an instant, everything became a blur and started to spin around. I was so shocked that I was locked where I was standing. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak. Hell, I couldn't even breathe. Then I pressed my palms against the doorway for support, for I felt my knees weaken. I stayed like that for what seemed to be an eternity. The next thing I heard was the door bursting open and a voice of an angry girl.
"What the hell are you doing here?! Get out!"
I looked up just in time to see a small fist connecting to Koshino's jaw. Koshino staggered backward. Kaede was about to take a step toward the smaller guy but he immediately froze.
"Don't you move a finger. Stay out of this," Emiri said, pointing at Kaede.
Koshino stood up, hands cupping his jaw. And sure enough, blood started to trickle down his nose. He was top naked. And I realized that so was Kaede. Good thing that we arrived just before things go out of hand.
I looked at Emiri. She was staring coldly at the guy in front of her. She was gritting her teeth and her fists were clenched, obviously controlling her temper. My sister have had fights of her own. With girls, that is. She and her best friend would leave girls with their uniforms shredded to pieces, hair disheveled and blood splattering across their faces. And yes, those weren't cat fights.
"You've got nerve, you know that? Coming into our house to sneak up on Rukawa-kun just because onii-chan isn't here," she coldly said, closing in on Koshino. "Do you think I didn't know what you've been up to lately? Stalking Rukawa-kun, eh? Too bad you won't get your chance with him while we're here."
"I already have," the shorter boy replied with a smirk as he wiped the blood from his nose.
"Shut the fuck up!"
Emiri was about to give him yet another painful blow when I grabbed her wrist, stopping her blow midway.
"Yameru, Emiri."
She looked at me, eyes widening. "Shikashi, onii-chan..."
I looked at Koshino, who was still cupping his chin. "Get out. Before I kill you."
He stood up and walked out of our room, but not without looking back at Emiri and giving her a devilish smirk that I never thought he was capable of. When we heard the front door clicked shut, I looked at Kaede, whose expression was surprisingly unfathomable at that time, even for me. Being with him for four years, I have learned to get a grasp of his feelings like reading something out of a nursery rhyme book. But at that moment, what baffeled me the most was my difficulty of reading his usually discernable face.
"N-naze da, Kaede? I... I never thought..." my voice trailed as tears trickled down my face. "Am I not good enough for you?"
Kaede's head hung low, tears also flowing down his face. His whole body was trembling.
"Gomen nasai, Hisashi," and he stormed out of the room and dashed outside of the house.
--
-
"Kaede, baby? Are you awake?" I called out. I smiled and opened the door when I heard a familiar voice.
I saw Kaede sitting at the edge of our bed. He stood up and smiled sweetly before giving me a long kiss on the lips. He then looked at the clock and his brows furrowed whe he saw the time - 6:15 PM.
"You're early today, Hisashi. I thought your class ends at 7:00."
"The professor had us do some assessments. I finished early so I decided to just go home. Get dressed, baby. We're going somewhere."
"Hontou ka? Doko da?"
I cupped his cheek. "You were still sleeping soundly before I left so I wasn't able to tell you."
His brows furrowed even deeper. "Tell me what?"
"Akagi and Kogure are back, Kaede."
His eyes widened with excitement. "Hontou ka? Are they really, Hisashi? That's nice. So, when do we get to see them?"
"Now. So go get dressed, baby. I'll wait for you outside, ok?"
"Ok," he muttered with less enthusiasm. That, of course, never escaped my ears.
"Is there something wrong, Kaede?"
He looked at me and sighed. "Everyone's gonna be there, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Hisashi, I don't have the guts to face everyone anymore. Not after what happened."
His worries were understandable. After the news about that horrible incident with Koshino broke out within the group, almost everyone started avoiding Kaede, especially Miyagi, who was enraged with what happened.
"Are you worried about, Miyagi?"
"It's not just Miyagi-sempai, Hisashi. It's everyone. Everyone."
I pulled him to me and gave him a hug. Kaede, the boy who was always so cool amidst great pressure, the boy who never worries about anything, the boy who's always so confident of himself, the boy who's never afraid of anything.
I've never imagined seeing Kaede so frail.
I tilted his head so that he could look at me. I looked straight to his eyes. "Kaede, listen. Everything is ok now. Don't worry about Miyagi. Madoka and Sakuragi alerady told him everything and he said he understood. He's not angry at you anymore. So is everyone. So cheer up, baby."
"Hontou ka?"
"Mochiron da. Saa, get dressed. I'll wait for you outside, ne?"
~tsuzuite~
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Koshino: Are? Naze da? I wouldn't do such a thing!
Ding: Maa maa, Koshino-san. This is just a fic. I know you're not as bad as what you have read above, ne?
Mitsui: So what happens after this, Ding-chan?
Ding: That's for us to find out in Chapter 3.
Mitsui: Now, why am I getting this feeling that it's gonna be something bad?
Ding: Eh? Just what do you mean by that, Hisashi? *scowls*
Mitsui: I'm just kidding, Ding. Come here...
Ding: *winks*
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~Ding, June 10, 2009~