Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ Just a Little Love Story... ❯ Chapter Four: Realization ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four: Realization

 

Before they had even entered the school gates, a troop of girls rushed to Aki. “Who the hell are you to be walking in with Rukawa-sama?!” - They screeched, trying to bump her away from him. “Rukawa-sama?” - She asked the girls nervously, she looked at the person they were talking about. He sighed before muttering - “Leave her alone.” The girls immediately went pink and they shrieked - “Rukawa-sama talked to us! We are so lucky! And yes! We will do whatever he asks for!” But before they skipped away, they gave a mean look to Aki which meant - `Because of him, we're letting you off. Otherwise!' Aki gulped down and looked at Rukawa before commenting - “Looks like the girls aren't scared of my height. Ne?” He shook his head, and then asked her - “What's your class?” She looked at her nails and twiddled with them a bit before replying quietly - “Year one, Group ten. I don't even know where the class is.” She peeked at him again and saw him looking at her, before he replied - “My class.”

 

Just as they were about to enter the main door of Shohoku High School, Aki heard someone screech her name. Both of them stopped and Aki saw her stepsister running towards her in a very feminine way, looking breathless. Not like that way is going to make you move very far, thought Aki. “Akiko!” - She said breathlessly, trying to hold on to Aki's arms in a prettily tired way - “Why weren't you waiting for me?” Akiko looked at Rukawa and with her eyes told him that the girl clinging to her was interested in him, not her. Akemi pinched her from the back, but from the front, her lovely lips asked shyly - “Aren't you going to introduce me to this handsome person?” With a bigger pinch, Aki started - “Ano… He's…” but before she could even finish, Rukawa completed her sentence by saying - “Sakuragi Hanamichi.” Aki raised her eyebrows in a quizzical manner; that wasn't his name! “Oh! What an attractive name!” - Akemi exclaimed, and with a coy look she said - “I'm Saito Akemi. Her little sister.” He nodded. The school bell rang, and hundreds of students that were hanging around outside came rushing inside. Akemi looked at Rukawa in a bashful manner and told him - “Oh! How silly of the bell to ring at this time! So, I'll have to go to Year one, Group one now. It was wonderful meeting you!', then she rushed off in the same manner as she did before the introduction. “We should go to ours” - said Rukawa, before pulling Aki's hand a little to drag her across the room.

 

“Hajime mashite! Saito Akiko desu!” - Aki introduced herself to the whole class as the teacher requested. “Hajime mashite” - the rest chorused back. She bowed down slightly and as her head came up, she saw the awed looks on the faces of her new classmates. She was taller than their sensei. “Please take a seat!” - He ordered, a little embarrassed that a teenage girl was taller than him. Immediately, she rushed to sit by Rukawa. Others in the class noticed that; and also he was wide awake… Unusually… “I don't think that's a really good place to sit” - said Yamamoto sensei - “He's so apathetic.” Aki smiled and reassured her new sensei - “That's okay. I'll make him `Un-apathetic'.” The students in her class laughed at the new word she had created. The sensei sighed and he told her - “That would be quite a feat!” “Right Kae nii-chan?” - She whispered to him and winked. It didn't go unnoticed. Other students from the back and sides of their table told each other in undertones that the two people seemed extremely close, some of whom were giggling.

 

“Lunch-break!” - The students in Aki's class yelled as the bell rang. Even before Yamamoto sensei could say `dismissed', they were out of their classrooms. Aki looked at the person sitting beside her, watching his handsome profile as he stared at Yamamoto sensei who was asking him questions. We look so alike, Aki thought, could he really be Kae nii-chan? “I'm so goddamned fed up!” - The sensei was yelling at him - “Why are you so apathetic! Hold on - do you even know what apathetic is?” Rukawa replied in a bored tone - “Was I apathetic today? I stayed awake all through the class sensei.” Then, from the folds of his arms, he sat up and taking his wallet, he looked at Aki. She looked back and then took her blue lunch box before she followed him out of their class. Yamamoto sensei called out at her from behind - “Maybe you have done a feat after all!” She turned her head around slightly and smiled at her teacher; just when she turned back, she bumped into Rukawa's broad shoulders. “Sakuragi” - he was growling and the other red-headed person growled back - “Rukawa.” So this is Sakuragi, Aki thought silently, he's a pretty tall dude. Maybe Yue was right after all, the two tall guys I've seen are pretty tall. Aki popped out from behind Rukawa and introduced herself to the other guy, with her hand sticking out - “Hi! I'm Akiko.” The red-headed blushed and with a goofy smile, he replied - “Sakuragi Hanamichi.”; then he added sheepishly - “You're tall.” She grinned back and told him - “I know that.” And I know that I might like him a lot, she thought, he seems to be a very funny person. “Let go of her hand baka…” - both of them heard from a low voice. “Teme kitsune!” - Sakuragi yelled back, at the same time letting go off her hand. They glared at each other, eyes flaming. Aki looked from Rukawa to Sakuragi, then Sakuragi to Rukawa. Doesn't look too good, she sighed. “Guys?” - She murmured - “Can we go have our lunch?” The two tall guys grunted in reply, however Rukawa shoved her away from Sakuragi before he muttered - “Baka…” “Teme!” - Sakuragi started again, balling his fists tightly. Aki quickly moved in between the two guys and held their muscled arms to prevent any further conflicts. Sakuragi blushed and became silent, neither moving his arms away nor taking her hands off him; Rukawa just scowled. “We will go eat” - she told them, a word each to emphasize that they needed to calm down.

 

At the cafeteria, she placed Rukawa on a bench with Sakuragi across his, just a table separating the two surly guys. Aki stood between the benches, leaning on the cool table; she asked the guys - “What would you like to have?” “I can't let you buy for me” - muttered Sakuragi in an embarrassed tone. She smiled and replied - “Then, you can follow me”. The reaction was a grunt from Rukawa. Aki was worried; this person (who most possibly was her twin) could start a brawl with the red-head all because of lunch. She had an idea, however silly it might've been, she had an idea. A fair enough one; and from her memories, her brother always loved fair games. “Okay then; why don't you two play scissors, paper, stone and see who wins after the third time. Naturally, the winner comes with me.” The two boys looked at her in a way that said `Are you kidding?' She smiled warmly and encouraged them - “Come on!” They slowly did what she had requested which ended with two draws and one win; the win going to Sakuragi. “Ha ha ha!” - He laughed out loud - “Tensai's always win!” He was still laughing while Aki walked beside him towards the cook serving out meals.

 

“K'so” - Rukawa muttered as he watched the tall dark-haired girl walk away with a taller red-head. He slouched in his chair, and studied the two people from a far, watching all the movements they were making. He was having that certain feeling towards the girl - he felt like he knew her from a long time ago. She was so familiar that he wanted to stick to her like glue and ask her questions to see if she was the person he had missed so much for ten years. He wondered silently if this girl - Saito Akiko - was the same with Rukawa Akiko; his twin. His younger sister. He remembered from the recesses of his memory that his mother married a man named Saito. Could it all be connected? Or was it just a goddamned coincidence?

 

Nearing the cook, Aki decided to ask Sakuragi what food her brother might like - “What do you think my b…”; but before she completed the sentence, she remembered that she wasn't even definite yet that Rukawa was her brother. She glanced at Sakuragi, who was wearing a suspicious look on his face. Ooops, she thought, I hope the `b' didn't sound like `boyfriend'… She quickly changed it to - “What do you think Rukawa likes?” “I dunno” - he replied abruptly, still wearing the suspicious look. She gulped and replied - “Well; what do you like?” He grinned and replied with a faraway look - “King-sized hamburgers… Hotdogs… Pizzas! ” She giggled and replied with a grin - “I don't think they serve it here.” Sakuragi came out of his trance and told her sheepishly - “I'm too dreamy…”

 

Rukawa saw her laugh. “Baka…” - he muttered irritably, staring at the back of the red-head. He slouched some more, now stretching his legs on the area where Sakuragi would sit. Before he had even fully stretched, he heard a soft voice - “Rukawa-kun?” Damn agitator, he thought impatiently as he turned his head around to look at a blushing short girl with a slightly taller girl standing beside her. “Dude” - the curly-haired girl said - “Shove over. There's no more space in other tables.” His face, which was usually so expressionless, said he was very annoyed. “Haruko-chan will sit beside you” - said his senior and manager, thrusting the smaller girl towards him. At that moment, Akiko and Sakuragi came towards the table; Aki holding a tray of food with Sakuragi twice hers.

 

They were laughing as Sakuragi fooled around and pretended to drop her tray by tripping. “Saito” - they heard Rukawa growl even before they had ran out of breath, laughing like crazy. Aki smiled in reply and placed the tray she had been carrying in front of him; Sakuragi dumped hers beside Rukawa's and sat in the opposing direction, ready to devour his. Then, she spotted the tiny Haruko standing beside Ayako, very close to sitting next to Rukawa. “Hi Haruko and Ayako” - She greeted very naturally while placing herself on the right side of Rukawa. Haruko's eyes went moist, while Sakuragi almost choked on his food when he spotted his beloved girl. Still, Ayako shoved Haruko to sit beside Rukawa. Sakuragi looked at her in displeasure and muttered under his breath - “I wanna sit beside Haruko-chan too.” Aki heard it and immediately gave up her seat to push Rukawa into her place and Haruko to his; then she reached out for Sakuragi's shoulders and placed him on the left of Haruko. The tiny girl looked squashed between the two bigger guys. Aki smiled and switched the food trays; but before she sat, the group heard Rukawa growl in a strange complaining undertone - “Aki-chan…” The other three were taken aback as they heard him call Akiko in a charming way, and what's more was her reaching out to squeeze his large hand and telling him with a soft smile - “Kaede; I'm here for you.” She sat down and released his hand, but it was quickly captured in his again. The other three stared at the two with Rukawa's soft spaniel eyes begging at Akiko's surprised ones.

 

Haruko was too shocked to cry when she stared at the seizing hands and eyes of the person sitting next to her, reacting to the girl sitting across him. Haruko looked around, noticing many other students were looking at the same scene she was staring at. She wanted to cry, to shriek, to scream! But she just couldn't. The words they were exchanging… The sweet words! It was too unbearable for her… She felt her eyes brim over with tears, and her throat clench. Out of her eyes rolled down the sad pearls as she saw the two people get up and walk out of the cafeteria with their hands still clasped together.

 

Akiko could feel the life and the energy in Rukawa's hand when he pulled her up from her seat and led her out of the cafeteria. She could also feel the vigor inside of her; it seemed as if her wish would be granted after all... Her wish of ten years to meet her brother again. They passed by many surprised people when they walked towards Shohoku's garden where they both knew would be private enough to spit out the feelings that were overwhelming them. She could feel a scene being replayed in the back of her mind; a similar scene.

 

She was playing basketball with her brother and Sendo Akira, promising the both of them that whoever won the match would get a kiss from her. Akira won, but before the young chap could even claim his kiss, her brother had called out her name in the same complaining undertone - “Aki-chan…” and she had responded - “Kaede, I'm here for you.” Then, her twin had pulled her away from Akira and ran into the gardens to hide from the to-be-kiss-claimer. They had gotten away with it; they had hidden so well that Akira had gotten bored and forgot about the promise.

 

Now, Rukawa and she were hiding away from the love-beggar, Haruko. Whenever Aki had told her brother ten years before “Kaede, I'm here for you”, he would always have a sudden spurt of energy to take her hands in his and run. Things were finally connecting and she knew that the tall dark-haired person panting beside her in the gardens was definitely her twin. She didn't need any proof or evidence to state that he was her twin. It was just this feeling deep in the spring of her heart that told her so. Her eyes welled up with tears of longing as she stared at her brother and scolded herself for not hugging him at this realization. “Onii-chan?” - She squeaked, trying to stop her tears from falling by twisting the hem of her skirt. Rukawa turned around and whispered, patting her head gently - “Aki…My little sister…” She could no longer prevent the tears; they fell like a waterfall, cascading down her cheeks when her brother enveloped her in his arms. She sobbed out - “Onii-chan… Onii-chan… Onii-chan…” gripping his uniform tightly and shaking violently. Her brother held her even closer, making her snug against him. She could feel his tears dropping onto her hair, forming a trickling rivulet when he held her tighter. Finally the both of them stopped crying, and they smiled at each other, an almost reflection of each other. Rukawa wiped the remaining tears off her cheeks and smoothed out her hair, muttering - “Baka…” She grinned back and replied in a slight teasing tone - “Saru nii-chan.” They stared at each other and laughed. “Iko” - said Rukawa when the school bell rang, holding his little sister with a firm grasp on her shoulders.

 

They entered their class, Rukawa still having his grip on her shoulders. Students couldn't help noticing it and whisper suspicions about their behavior.