Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ Hello, Goodbye ❯ Hash Hash ( Chapter 3 )

Title: Hello, Goodbye

Author: ivybluesummers (ivybluesummers@yahoo.com)

Chapter Three: Hash Hash

Warnings: Shounen-ai (I think).

Disclaimer: Slam Dunk is not mine.

It was nearly two o'clock in the morning when I hung up the phone, feeling a little bit more enthusiastic after talking with Akira. I stretched my arms to the air and I wiggled my head in delight, and I could see the image of him gracefully playing basketball as he yet again overwhelm his teammates in the university basketball varsity. I looked at the window, with the moon glowing in neon white, the stars embellishing the gleaming glory of the cerulean sky. I sighed, and then went to my study table, opening my notes as I prepare for my exam.

***

Buildings stood jagged and whitely smooth all at the same time as college students stroll themselves to their rooms. Few were still hanging around as they laugh and gainfully bicker with each other. The field, on the other hand, was full of athletes, volleyball and soccer athletes, to be exact. And as for myself, I stood by one of the small vacant hill beside the athletes' field, with an undersized bulge full of grass and vagrant flowers, like lost children taken care by orphanages. I was scribbling my notes for my next class this afternoon, and I had so much relief when my natural science exam was finished. I looked at my wristwatch - 9 AM. Thirty minutes more.

Akira is one of the basketball players in the Kanagawa University. This is no surprise - when he went to college and became one of the varsity, mostly all his friends were not shocked. Koshino, his friend, already left the university; and like Kaede's dream, went to America to pursue his dream, only that his dreams were made of civil rights, bills, constitution amendments, and so on. I can remember how he bid goodbye to Akira, who was neither sad nor happy that time. He was, as always, calm and ever-composed, with soulful eyes that meant nothingness and sincerity at the same time. Koshino, on the other hand, was playfully a leg-puller that time, though Akira did not notice that tears were forming in Koshino's eyes. With jokes that entailed honesty, few words of sincerity and silences of promises, Koshino bid his bestfriend goodbye, leaving themselves with no one to cling on to when times would get rough and tough. Fortunately for Akira, the yet another imminent loneliness was wiped away from destiny's list as I entered his world, well, a year ago. So there was no problem with that. I really wish Koshino luck.

Akira is now a freshman in Kanagawa University taking up Journalism, thanks to that reporter girl he met when he was in high school, who's up to now has crush on him. That was the reporter girl who kept on tapping every basketball event in Kanagawa; that girl who is Akira's one of his high school teammate's sister. They were both obsessed with gossips, the notepad-with-pen outlook and... well, enthusiasm in talking. Although his academic skills may not be compared with Akagi's, he's persistent and determined to be a journalist, a second priority besides becoming a basketball star. I looked at my watch again. I listened to the breeze's signal of autumn as tall grasses swayed against the wind's music, feeling my heart at ease as I jot again another note.

When I met Akira, he was naïve and, well... to tell the truth, shy with people he doesn't really know. When our class was assigned to tour half of the freshmen in the school, he wasn't talking actively like he used to with his basketball teammates in Ryonan. He of course smiled every often, melting his girl classmates. When I was sent as their guide, we never talked that much. Casual talks, I would say it, but in my usual friendly/peace-making attitude towards people, the kind of behavior I am and will always be me, I think I did a great job opening his eyes to the people's tenderness towards him. He made a great impact to the students in the university, somehow making them, including upperclassmen, proud that one of the best basketball players in Kanagawa was studying in the university.

When I first caught of his play in the gym, I knew from the beginning that he would be the captain, if not the vice-captain. He took the offer down, as usual. The daily scenes I see in Shohoku High was yet again another apparition for me when I see girls and even male freshmen pack together to see the varsity's practice. Some of the players there were boastful to let the doors open and let the crowd see them, but I really didn't care much, not until Akira told me, in person, to watch him play. He said I am the only familiar person I know, and he wanted me to see his game.

I never actually thought about going there and join the flocks of... bigots swarming in the gym. I was busy. But when after a few declined request, I found my feet dragging my body towards the gym. When I found myself at the end of the pack and not seeing anything besides backbones and shoulders, I left. But when a shout, a friendly shout, called my name, my first name, I felt embarrassed as Akira invited me to go inside. Every eyes that time looked at me intently, and I was scared. That was when I took self-defense lessons when the semester ended. I took the lesson quite seriously, for times like these, you may never know what will happen to you. Because of the current situations happening in Japan, about going to wars and prioritizing international relations than local concerns, people became the type of those who grabbed every opportunity to release their intolerance and temper. Punks rose to their feet, and crimes, well, crimes are not that plain to see but one can expect that maybe once a day a crime is being transpired somewhere in Japan. So I bagged the best Krav Maga student.

Akira is by then already a star when the university got second place in the tournament last semester. Kanagawa never actually gained any athletic contest trophies, because the university is much more recognized as quality students maker. Quality, which would mean that maybe half of the stockowners, doctors, nurses and lawyers in the country are from Kanagawa University. Akira got so many fans, which included males who imitated his looks, even the spiky hair. He was flattered, he said, but he said to me in total honesty, nothing has ever flattered him in his whole nineteen years. Quite puzzling, I said, but then again this was another rhetoric statement I always hear from myself, and as soon as I thought about it overnight, being his most concerned friend, I finally got it.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." A voice from behind called my name by then, and I sure did smile.

"It's okay. I'm just finishing my notes."

He sat down beside me, the usual position of the arms rested in the knees. He was sipping a caffeine drink, and with a look in the sky, he sighed. I looked at him intently, and I smiled, too.

"You can finish your notes here, I'm not rushing anyway." he smiled.

"Um... you sure?"

"Yeah." Another lovely smile.

***

Orange hues of ambience combusted throughout Kanagawa, and to my nonchalance, I held myself down as winds picked up like it was summer. The sun, the winds... the environment hinted autumn, but there was bare wind and no coolness at all. I stopped at the moment, only to find myself wondering where my notes are. I searched it by the pavements I just walked in, and after finding it, resumed my musing to the unspeakable thoughts of unadorned embellishment.

I went to the field again, waiting for Akira. They practice twice everyday; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I can tell myself that the warmth was still giving me chills, and the thought of what's going to happen next is an understatement of chill. Of my femininity.

I searched for a book in my bag pack, placing it in my lap as I open it, flipping through the page I just read earlier. I kept myself busy, and even kept my thoughts busy as I read through the pages, skimming and gliding my eyes through the pages, with every second feeling my blood rush like it never used to. My head ached, in a sudden moment, I closed the book and it made a loud sound of thick papers thudding with each other. I wiggled my head vigorously as I blush.

***

"You never really explained what that line of yours meant." I playfully said, smiling as I wipe off beads of sweat in my forehead.

He smiled again. "I think you pretty much know what it means."

"But then again, it's just an assumption." I chuckled.

He stood from the bench we were sitting at. The park looked so lovely during nights, with all the lamp posts polished in white hues, the scents of cultured flowers and even the leaves, too, the ambience of perfect comfort when everything seems to have left you in all sudden rush.

"The sky is lovely don't you think?" he asked without swiveling his head at me, and I can sense another unfolding from the king of smiles.

"Yeah." I said, croaking my throat, feeling I have whispered rather than replying his question in a conversational voice.

Then I joshed, 'But you're not going to savor that forever are you? You have a match at eight. It's seven thirty, and your teammates by now are looking for you."

"Ah," he gently laughed. "I'm just putting my feet up first," he smiled. "So I can have motivation to play."

"But you don't need motivation." I joked again.

Then silence.

He knew it was a plain joke, a tease of nonsense and familiar garbage. He walked towards me and sat beside me, and sighed. I already knew what he was going to say. "I already lost it, Kogure."

***

I stood up and I went to the playing field, and I ran around as if I was again a basketball player warming up for the game. I cannot count the laps I have been making, brushing my thoughts off the air as sweats being to trickle down in every part of my body, my lungs heaving in discomfort and I ran harder, in hopes that I could change and alter myself all over again, blaming myself from all the miseries and mistakes. I can make good decisions for everyone surrounding me, but I can only guess what's for me. What's happening to me?

A few more laps and I started to haul myself some momentum, crying my lungs out and inhibiting my desires for any more tears to run down my face. I groaned heavily to exhale more oxygen. It has been so long since I ran this hard, and I could tell myself I can sleep all day to generate all these tiredness all over my psyche. I panted forcefully, unaware that my glasses have been broken, and I picked it up. I took my bag from the side of the ground and I slipped my spectacles to my bag, wiping any more sweat as I sigh and walked towards the gate. I'm sorry Akira, I cannot wait anymore.

***

"I already lost it Kogure."

"Don't say that. I'm sure he's going back."

"How do you know?" he smiled again, but somehow deep inside in his eyes I can see pain... barrenness...

"I saw it in his eyes. I'm sure he's working himself hard there."

"Your reputation to Shohoku never fades, Kogure-san."

I smiled. "Me the soother? Yeah, well..."

"Thanks."

"Just be sure to win the game."

"I will."

"He's coming back. I know it."

NOTES: Again, the dialogues can be rhetoric, and if you read the succeeding chapters, you might get more confused of what they'll try to say. The story will be comprised with confusing plots, but if you'll just try to open your minds you might get the flow of the story. Just this: spontaneity, understatement. I need reviews.