Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ The Girl That Time Loved ❯ Puppet show ( Chapter 6 )

He walked through the front door of his home in a happy daze, his gym and school bags almost dragging behind him on the floor. He walked past his astonished mother in the kitchen preparing dinner, and his gaping little sister doing her homework in the living room. Both mother and daughter eyed him up the stairs, watching as he ascended the stairs mindlessly like a drone, oblivious to the bags that hit every stair step on the way up. They looked at each other in wonderment.

"What's going on with oniichan?"
"I don't know."
Thirty minutes later the table had been set and the shooting guard's father had just arrived from work. Father and daughter took their seats and Mrs. Mitsui climbed the stairs to her son's room. Finding the door cracked, she peered in and saw her son passed out on his bed with a faint smile on his face. She hesitated to wake him, and altogether decided to leave him be. Just before she could completely close the door, her son roused.

"Mom, is that you?"
Mrs. Mitsui reopened the door. "Yes, it's me. You looked so tired, I didn't want to wake you. Just go ahead and sleep."

"No, it's all right," he said as he yawned. "I'm awake now. Is dinner ready?"
"Yes."
He got up from the bed and walked to the door, only to be stopped by his mother's gentle tug on his arm. He saw the curious look on his mother's face, as if trying to plumb out a secret.

"Did you have a good day today?"
He thought back on the day's events and smiled dreamily. "As a matter of fact, yes, I had an extremely good day."
His mother arched a brow. "Oh?"

She studied her son's grin and remembered all the times he flashed the same goofy smile on his face: the nights of victory after basketball games, the day he was awarded MVP in middle school, and the warm summer night when he got his first kiss from the neighbor's daughter who moved away long ago.

"Perhaps you could tell us more about this good day of yours during dinner," she enticed.

"Maybe," the shooting guard teased as he descended the stairs.

He greeted his father who was checking his little sister's homework. All seated, they proceeded to eat. The shooting guard's eyes were glazed at the memory of his stretch partner's face and those magnificent eyes of blue. At one point his chopsticks missed the piece of curry chicken on his plate and still he mechanically brought them to his mouth. His father looked at him suspiciously as he took a sip of his miso soup. Mr. Mitsui cast a glance at his wife who merely shrugged as she raised her brows. A look at his daughter gave him the same reaction.

"Son, are you okay?" Mr. Mitsui asked,

"Huh?"
"I said, are you okay?" he repeated.

He shifted in his seat and tore himself form his thoughts. "I'm doing just fine, Dad."
"He sure is, Papa," his mother said, mischievously grinning at her husband. "So tell us about this wonderful day of yours."
Their son glanced down his plate. From the corner of his eye he saw the expectant look of his little sister Ami leaning forward.

"It was nothing really. I was just in a really good mood."
"Really…" Mr. Mitsui caught on to his wife's suspicion.

"Did you win a basketball game against Akagi-kun?"
"Actually, no, we lost."
"I knew it," his father said after chewing on a mouthful of rice.

Confused, their son scratched his head. "Knew what?"
Mrs. Mitsui took her bowl of miso soup in one hand and closed her eyes before taking a long sip. Keeping her eyes closed, she put the bowl down.

"It's about a girl," she stated.

"What?"
Taking in a sharp breath, Ami became ecstatic. "Oniichan's got a girlfriend, Oniichan's got a girlfriend!"

"Yup, that's got to be it," confirmed Mr. Mitsui.

"Wait, how are you so sure you're not jumping to conclusions?"

Mrs. Mitsui cracked an eye open and smiled impishly. "You're never happy when you lose, Hisashi."

"And you've been sitting there like you just turned off your brain, dreaming about her, no doubt."

"Oniichan's got a girlfriend, Oniichan's got a girlfriend!" Ami chimed.

Embarrassed, the shooting guard brought the palm of his hand to his forehead with a frustrated slap. "She's not my girlfriend!"

Mr. Mitsui's face lit up. "A-ha! So it is about a girl! Mama, you're so good at predicting these things."

Mrs. Mitsui nodded proudly. "Well, you know what they say, mothers know best."

Both parents laughed at their crimson-cheeked son.

//Guess I'd better `fess up…///

"Okay, okay. You two are just as bad as the guys."

After the laughter subsided, Mr. Mitsui leaned his elbows on the table. "So, son, what's her name?"

His discomfited son leaned back in his seat. "Her name is Reiko."

"Oooh, what a nice name!" his mother exclaimed.

"Is she pretty, Oniichan?" Ami asked.

"Pretty?" He closed his eyes and instantly his stretch partner's smiling face flashed in his mind. He sighed. "She's not just pretty, she's breathtaking."

Oohs and aahs escaped from his family's lips.

"I mean, she's got this incredible smile that gives me this warm feeling in my chest." He shut his eyes and saw her once more. "And her eyes… her eyes are like dazzling blue sapphires that catch my breath every time I look at them." He paused to laugh. "She's always catching me staring at her, it's pretty shameless of me."

Mr. and Mrs. Mitsui had unknowingly huddled together, her head rested on his shoulder and his fingers tangled with hers. This was the first time their son spoke this way about a girl. Even Ami had stars in her eyes as she listened to her older brother, her chin resting in her hand.

He proceeded to tell them of how they met, about the dinner at the Italian restaurant, and what happened that day. He told them how smart she was, and how every guy who meets her for the first time turns to butter, no matter how old he was.

"She's so nice, she helps me with my homework, and she's on such a high level of understanding, she could probably teach the professors in school a thing or two."

Mrs. Mitsui went to the kitchen and came back with a tray of desserts and some tea. She was really happy for her son; several years back, he used to keep to himself and barely spoke to any of them. And now he was just a chatterbox full of admiration for this mystery girl the family had yet to meet. He had never spoken so highly of a girl before, and those who called on him when he was still in high school were all rude and impolite. Playing basketball again completely changed her son. It was like he got up one morning and decided to be a different person. He cut his long hair, became more disciplined and motivated, and he became more open to his family. After his knee injury she was afraid he'd return to being recluse, but she was quite content with how he was handling their little hiatus deal. She knew that her son would eventually play for the college he attended, and that he would give his all to playing basketball. She never expected him to be more interested in anything other than basketball, and when she heard him talk about Reiko, she knew her son had fallen hard.

"Well, son," Mr. Mitsui started as he sliced his cake with a fork. "Sounds like you've got it bad for this girl." He grinned at his wife who smiled back. "When are we going to meet your girlfriend?"

"Pops, she's not my girlfriend."

"Yet," Ami interjected.

Her brother groaned in his seat. "You know, I can't believe I just told you all of this."

"It's good that we know now than later when we see you walk into walls with stars in your eyes."

They all laughed at Mrs. Mitsui's statement. Her son sighed and resigned to eating his cake and drinking his tea. After finishing, he asked his family not to tease him about it, reiterating that Reiko was not his girlfriend though he silently wished the opposite. As he went up the stairs, he heard his family reply in unison.

"Not yet!"

He shook his head and entered his bedroom, muffling the sound of laughter from the living room as he shut the door behind him. He crashed on the bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering what his stretch partner was doing at that moment. He took out the shirt she gave him from the shopping bag and inspected it. The blue hue of the shirt didn't come close to the dazzling azure color of her eyes. He held it in his hand and whispered a little prayer that he might see her happy in his dreams and he drifted off in to a deep sleep.

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Stepping out of the bathroom with a towel over her head, Reiko stood in front of the vanity's full-length mirror. She changed into her pajamas and sat, observing her reflection in the mirror. She noticed a change within her, and her limpid eyes showed it. It had only been four months since she moved to Japan, and she didn't expect to forget even for a moment how alone and watched she was. And yet she was able to forget and relish in every moment of not remembering what happened so many years ago, her stretch partner and his friends made it possible. On nights like this she would stay up late, her body listless and her mind in turmoil. She sued to tire herself lifting weights down the basement gym or swimming countless laps in the pool, believing if she depleted every cell in her body of energy that she would eventually fall asleep without having to think that she had it perfect and wonderful for a while. The past few days offered her much consolation, and being around people her age was a new discovery for her. Deemed a genius and an equal by her brilliant professors, she was surrounded by people over twice her age, her sound intellect a sought-after stimulant for them. And when she tried to be around people her age, they just looked at her like she was from another planet. They found her too polite and intelligent for the likes of them, and on a few occasions they have even asked her to dumb up her words for them. That was something she had to learn to do, and even when she did they found her too smart for her own good.

She unraveled the twisted towel over her head and dried her hair. Brushing it gently, her eyes lazily wandered around her vanity and came to rest on a piece of paper with pieces of black yarn and two circles of blue glitter pasted onto it. She stopped and set her brush aside. Picking up the picture she smiled as she recalled the toothy grin of the boy and his little sister she encountered at the bakery earlier.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A dog puppet appeared from below the black box where Mitsui hid. His voice was scruffy sounding to fit his puppet, and the children were captivated by his story of a swashbuckling hero and a princess in a crystal castle. There was a backdrop that changed scenery with the shooting guard's story. Like all fairy tales, the bad guys were defeated, the brave samurai rescued the princess, and they both lived happily ever after. The children cheered, and when Mitsui emerged from behind the box, they flocked to him like the paparazzi to a movie star. Some even locked his legs in a bear hug, and he looked like a giant monster truck that ran over a couple of kids. Looking abashedly at Reiko, he caught the children's attention and introduced her to his loyal subjects. They ran to her and left Mitsui like a swarm of bees to a new field.

"Hello, children," she said gently as she bent down to their eye level. The little girl from the bakery pushed through the crowd of kids and pulled on Reiko's sleeve.

"Reiko-neesan, are you staying with us today?" she asked.

Reiko's eyes looked up at Mitsui. He shrugged.

"You can help us make pictures today. Say you'll stay."

Mitsui smiled at her as she acquiesced to the child's request. At this time the children ran to the crafts table and grabbed the materials consisting of paper, scissors, glue, crayons, glitter, and yarn of all sorts of colors. Reiko walked around the table as Mitsui and the other day care teachers did and helped the children put their creativity to work. A boy with snot peeking out of one nostril ran to the locker area next to the crafts table where two of Reiko's bodyguards stood. He continually sniffed to prevent the nasal discharge from dripping down his face as he struggled to pull a packet of stars made of gold foil from his bag. Amused, Jackson stepped forward and stooped down to the little boy, startling him. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and told the boy to blow his nose with it. The child looked at him with wide eyes, hesitant to take the handkerchief from the stranger. Jackson then gently cupped his large hand behind the boy's head and asked him softly to blow his nose. After doing so, Jackson wiped his little nose clean and smiled.

"Better?" His bass voice asked.

The little boy took a deep breath and exhaled. His face split into a smile and thanked him. Taking the packet of stars, he took hold of Jackson's index finger and pulled him to the crafts table, all the while Reiko watched in delight. This was a side of her guard she never knew existed, and Sakai was sniggering by the lockers.

"Reiko-neesan, we made something for you!" sang two voices.

The children from the bakery held up a folded piece of paper. They handed it to her as she bent down to look. On it was a drawing of what was supposed to resemble herself, hair to the shoulders in the form of black yarn and eyes of blue glitter. Beside the picture was a drawing of what looked like Mitsui, a dog puppet drawn in place of his hand, while the other hand held onto the stick figure hand of Reiko's.

"Do you like it, Reiko-neesan?"
She smiled.

"It's quite nice, Sou-kun, Nonoko-chan."

"Let me show Mitchy-niichan real quick."

The child Sousuke made his way to the other end of the table and yanked on Mitsui's pants. Catching his attention, he held up the card, careful not to smush their proud work of art. Mitsui's face warmed at the siblings' innocent portrait of Reiko and he. He was a little shocked and pondered if children really are pure and innocent to know the simplest truths. He wondered if he was that transparent.

Mitsui handed the picture back to the happy child. He followed him as he ran back to where Reiko and his sister stood. Reiko accepted the card and thanked the two with a bow and a pat on their heads. Not a second sooner did another child call on Reiko for help with her picture, and the children around played monkey-see-monkey-do and called on Reiko for help. Overwhelmed, she happened to look up at Mitsui who eyed her with smiling eyes. She wondered just how long he had been looking at her. She formed a silent word `help' with her lips and the shooting guard was instantly at her side, quieting the cacophony of voices calling for Reiko.

Two hours passed and the children were napping. The teachers invited Reiko and Mitsui to have some tea with them in the lounge. They would've invited Jackson but he was napping at the moment, the little boy with the previous breathing problem along with a girl with red ribbons in her braided hair sleeping soundly against his broad chest. The teachers were impressed with Reiko's charisma with the children and offered her a job that she politely declined. They groaned in disappointment.

"Now, don't be jealous, Mitsui-kun. Reiko-san is much prettier than you."

"I agree," he replied, noticing the demure look on Reiko's face.

Reiko quietly roused her sleeping guard so as not to wake the little ones. Slightly embarrassed, Jackson gently laid the two children on the sleeping mat. They along with Mitsui took their leave and silently waved goodbye to the teachers. They got into the parked Suburban outside the day care center and drove off.

After a moment of silence, Mitsui spoke.

"The children loved you."

She giggled.

"And you, too, Jackson-san."

Sakai chuckled in the back seat as an embarrassed Jackson shrugged his shoulders.

"I hope you enjoyed the puppet show. We try not to glue the children to the television with cartoons. They get plenty of that at home. It's pretty incredible what a silly puppet can do to a child's attention."

"I couldn't recognize you from your puppet voice, Mitsui-san. You're quite a storyteller."

"Thanks. I have a little sister, so I had lot of practice."
She asked Fuji who was driving if they could do to the park.

"The usual spot, Nakamichi-dono?"

"Yes, if it's not too crowded."

He parked the vehicle by the curb overshadowed by a large oak tree. Sakai remained in the Suburban while the other three guards stepped out and took a picnic blanket out from the back. Mitsui and the others followed Reiko to a spot under the large tree. Miller laid out the blanket and she invited Mitsui to sit by her. None of the other guards sat with them, instead they stood a few feet from the two.

"I take it you come here often?"

"Everyday, in fact."

"What do you do here?"

"If I don't fall asleep, I watch the clouds in the sky. And if I'm fortunate enough to see them, I watch the same old man play catch with his grandchild on some afternoons. But often times I fall asleep."

"Mitsui stretched out and leaned on one elbow. "Do you have picnics with any of your friends here?"

After a pause, she answered. "I don't have many friends my age."

Her words made his head turn towards her, her gaze fixed at a slow-moving cloud above.

"Really? A pretty and smart girl like you is just the type to have scores of friends."

She gently shook her head. "Thank you for the compliment, Mitsui-san. I have been told before that I was different."

"How so?"

Reiko mimicked the shooting guard's position and stretched out. "When I was little, I had to be sent to a different school to be educated."

"What kind of school?"

"My brother and sister called it `the smart school'." She smiled at the recollection.

"Surely you made many friends there."

"Indeed, I did. However, they were all forty to 50 years my senior."

Mitsui's mouth formed an `o' as he nodded in understanding. He was beginning to realize that she was born a prodigy.

"You know, the way you practice volleyball is pretty intense. I completely understand how you can easily pass out over here. I don't play that hard and even then I pass out in class."

She laughed.

"It would be hard to imagine you in class when you play on the basketball team. You seem wide awake most of the time."

"No, it wouldn't be hard. I'll just have my head on the desk all the time."

He enjoyed her laughter like live music to his ears. It was hard to accept that she was alone most of the time, save for her bodyguards. Though the men had a lighter side to them, they maintained a professional distance between them and Reiko.

"You know, if I'm to join the team, I just know I'll fall behind on my studies. I don't know why I had to be an engineering major."

"If you had someone to help you, would you play?"

He sighed. "Yes, but I doubt the assigned tutors at school will travel with the basketball team on long tournaments. I mean, I love the game, but I also want to accomplish something off the court."

She grinned. "I admire that way of thinking."

"Thanks, but I still want to play, though."

An ice cream truck pulled up by the water fountain and its driver put out the awning above the sliding window of the vehicle. Mitsui eyed the few people who came up to the van buying ice cream.

"Hey you want some ice cream?"

"Sure, but where are you going to get ice cream?"

He pointed to the van by the water fountain.

"Oh." She took her wallet out and stood. "I would like to ask the men if they would like some, if you don't mind."

"Go right ahead."

He followed her to where Miller stood. After she asked, he smiled and humbly asked for a scoop of pistachio ice cream. She pointed to the two-way radio and he handed it over. She talked into it.

"Gentlemen, would you like some ice cream? Mitsui-san and I are going to the ice cream vendor by the fountain."

A very excited voice replied. "May I have some rocky road?"

"Ooh, ooh! Strawberry scoop for me, please!"

"Double fudge scoop for me. Thank you, Nakamichi-dono."

"Thank you, Nakamichi-dono."

"Thanks, Nakamichi-dono."

She giggled and gave the two-way radio back to Miller. She turned to Mitsui. "Shall we go?"

Miller and Fuji flanked the two on each side as they walked to the van. The line was getting quite long, high school just let out students and a number were throwing Frisbees in the park. They got in line behind a brown-haired boy.

"What will you have, Mitsui-san?" she asked.

"Hm…" He looked at the flavors listed on the side panel. "A banana split sounds really good."

They waited their turn and saw the boy in front of them walk off with a large plastic bowl of ice cream with bananas and cherries on top.

"Excuse me," she called out, "what did you just order?"

"Banana split!" the boy replied, an excited smile forming on his lips as he licked a whipped cream stained finger.

Mitsui laughed. "I don't think I can finish that huge thing."

"Would you like to share one then?"

"Did you want the same thing?"

"It looked really good."

"All right."

They came back to their spot under the tree and distributed the ice cream to the guards, all were grateful for the cool treat. Armed with two plastic spoons, the two dug in like hungry children. Some kids were playing soccer in the field before them, and in the setting rays of the sun they appeared like heavenly bodies clothed in light. The scene put Mitsui in a languid mood, and he was more aware of the cool breeze that blew over him. He used to come to this same park when he was little, often when he was upset and wanted to get away from it all. Now that he was older he found other ways to deal with is burdens, and most of the time he talked them over with his basketball buddies who became his close friends. The thought made him look at Reiko who now sat with her knees embraced by her arms.

// If she didn't have a close friend to confide in, to whom did she run to? //

He looked at Miller and Fuji who were standing not too far away, eating their icy delight.

Surely not to them.

He almost felt a twinge of regret that he didn't meet her sooner. He knew she was a little lonely, and though it seemed like she was involuntarily placed in that state, she was also a little reluctant to place herself in public situations in which the attention would fall on her. That in it was already difficult not to happen, she was too beautiful not to notice.

Before he could open his mouth to ask her a question, he caught her dozing off, struggling to keep awake, She looked so uncomfortable, pitiful even, to sleep in such a posture.

"Reiko-san," he coaxed softly, "come and lean against the tree."

Mitsui found her adorable when she mumbled slowly as she turned to him. She was still clutching the plastic spoon in her hand.

"Stretch your legs out and lean against the tree. You'll feel better."

She did as she was told and inched to the edge of the tree, her eyes half-closed and limbs heavy. She unknowingly sat close to Mitsui, and he had to pry her fingers off the spoon. Leaning her head on the tree, she closed her eyes, giving in to sleep. Mitsui was about to move over to give her space when her head dropped to her side and onto the shooting guard's thick shoulder. He gasped.

"Reiko-san…"

He peered into her sleeping face, his voice no longer reached her and she was at that moment dead to the world. The breeze blew over them once more, and he could smell the sweet scent of her hair. It was enough to drive him mad with delight, the simple contact with her sent jolts of euphoria throughout his body. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something to distract him though he knew he would never forget this day, in the park, under the large tree by the fountain. After a few minutes the excited sensations in him began to fade, and the warmth of her breath and the lazy breeze against him slowly lulled him to sleep. He let his head lean against the tree, and before he slipped into a nice dream-filled nap, he mumbled.

"Thank you for spending this day with me, my blue-eyed angel…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tossing her hair over a shoulder, Reiko stood with the picture in hand and walked towards the bed. She took one last look at the drawing of the man standing next to her on it with the dog puppet holding her hand. It made her think. Mitsui had been a patient friend to her who didn't seem to expect anything from her. He didn't want money. He didn't want fame. All she saw in him was the innocent and curious need to have fun and be content with his decisions. He was so like her, and yet marginally different. She placed the picture on the end table, turned off the light and crept under the covers. Lying there with eyes open wide, she brought a hand to her forehead and wondered how she was able to go about the day without feeling that void inside her. She knew it was there and she felt it now; she feared it would never go away. Not completely. She welcomed the fatigue that set in her muscles. Closing her eyes, she let the last conscious thought fall on the memory of seeing her stretch partner's face smiling before her.