Glacier in Japan: Chapter 9 ~ [The Pig Pen]

Glacier in Japan

(Chapter 9)

“Kaede. Kaede, wake up. We’re almost there,” a soft voice whispered. Rukawa’s eyes snapped open and he realized that in the course of his slumber, his head had dropped to rest on a familiar shoulder. He sat up quickly and gave a small smile to the boy beside him. Soon, the trained screeched to a stop and both boys emerged from the train. Hanamichi led Rukawa towards their house. It was just a few blocks away from the station. Hanamichi had barely slipped the key into the lock when it opened suddenly. The red-haired woman Rukawa recognized from the picture emerged and gave a small shriek of joy.

“Hana-chan! You finally decided to visit you mother, eh. Oh, I’m so happy to see you!” She stood on tiptoe and gave the T-A-L-L boy a motherly hug and a peck on the cheek. Hanamichi’s face was the same color as his hair when he pulled away. “Mom!” he complained. Not minding the tone in Hanamichi’s voice, she then turned to Rukawa. “And who is this?” Hanamichi gestured toward Rukawa and said, “Rukawa, this is my mom. Mom, Rukawa Kaede. He’s my teammate from the Shohoku basketball team.”

“How do you do, Sakuragi-san?” Rukawa bowed politely.

“Come in, come in.” Mrs. Sakuragi ushered the two boys inside the house and led them to the living room. “Rest here while I finish preparing lunch. My husband is away on a business trip so only Akira is with me now. Akira! Come down here! Hanamichi is here with a guest.” Winking at the two boys, she made her way back towards the kitchen.

Hanamichi sat down nervously on the sofa while his eyes followed the dark-haired boy. Rukawa was walking around the room, inspecting the various pictures hanging on the walls and perched on the mantle. Some showed four people smiling at the camera. Others showed various groupings of the same four people. His head was telling him that Hanamichi was telling the truth but his heart still refused to give in.

*He didn’t have to have so much fun with that baka smiley.*

“Ohayo!” said a cheerful voice from the doorway. The current occupants of the room turned toward the source. As expected, the owner was no other than Sendoh Akira. Rukawa stiffened and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He took a menacing step forward when a voice stopped him. “Kaede…” He turned and saw the pleading look in Hanamichi’s eyes. His expression softened a bit and he nodded. Sendoh entered and sat down on a chair. He motioned for Rukawa to take a seat. Rukawa, still glaring at the spiky haired boy, sat down beside Hanamichi. Smiling at the younger boy’s actions, Sendoh started talking.

“Hanamichi told me about your misunderstanding. Rest assured Rukawa, my feelings toward your Hana-kun are only those of a brother. You don’t have to take my word for it. Someone will come later to back me up. And now that I’ve said what needs to be said, I’ll take my leave. Don’t worry Hanamichi, I’m sure everything will turn out fine.” Sendoh stood up, flashed a mega-watt smile and left the room.

Rukawa sat motionless while Hanamichi looked at Sendoh’s retreating back in horror.

*That’s all! That’s all he’s going to say?!*

He looked desperately at Rukawa’s face. He relaxed when he saw that Rukawa was looking thoughtful.

*Hmm… maybe that was enough.*

“Boys! Lunch is ready!” came a yell from the dining room. Both boys stood up and went into the dining room.

Chapter 8

Chapter 10