Chapter 2

He was walking in a cold, empty hallway. Up ahead, there was a bright light that was like a goal to his journey. It reminded him of the term 'light at the end of the tunnel', and he wondered if he had just died. But he just walked, nothing out of the ordinary. A few moments later, he had reached the light. What he realized was that he truly was not dead for what greeted him was the hallway of his school in Chicago . High School kids walked about in their fashionable clothes, laughing and talking amongst themselves. They were all planning the Valentine's night that would be celebrated soon. But then they all paused as he walked through them. It was as if he was the center of attention - and truly, he was. As he walked his usual slow and even steps, they looked at him with accusation, with disgust and with hatred. He could only wonder why though for he had always been the silent student, unmindful of others as the others were unmindful of him. What had changed? And as he walked on further with unavoidable pain in his heart, he heard the whispers. It was about him mainly, and the other about a certain Senior student named Jake Blair. Then he heard laughter and curses. They shouted vile names to him and he could do nothing but close his eyes as if to shield himself from this humiliation...

Rukawa woke up with a jolt, sitting up, holding his heart with his two hands as if that could ease his pain. He was breathing raggedly, his fine raven hair soaked in cold sweat. Breathing in, breathing out, the images from his dream played itself in his mind without mercy. Was it a memory or was it a nightmare? After all this time, he could not even be sure yet. But those events had transpired before. It was one of the few things that had driven him to...

His heart was beating too quickly. It felt like sharp needles had been plunged into it. He felt as if he was bleeding profusedly and there was nothing to alleviate his tragedy. He felt so cold - too cold. All he wanted was to curl up against someone warm as soothing arms would wound around him. But that was, as always, not to be. Not since childhood. Not ever.

Rukawa sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. He tried to still his heartbeat, tried to just ignore his inner turmoil. That was for the best - to pretend that all the truth in his life was nothing but one sick joke. That today was a day to make ammends for it - to start anew. The thought brought a bitter smile to his lips as he recalled a promise he'd made himself way back, when he had woken up in a cold, white hospital room.

<One year...> he had whispered to himself, his voice echoing in the blankness of his surroundings. <One last year to find out if my life would ever have meaning...>

Now...

Rukawa closed his eyes briefly, breathing in and out. Only wearing a white tank top with his boxers, he felt a little cold for this was, after all, just a spring day. Winter had just gone by and Spring had just woken up. Finally, after a few more moments, he stood up, going immediately to his bathroom.

In front of the mirror, he stood facing himself. One pale hand trailed down to his neck and noted the faint marks to it. Thankfully, that had healed quickly enough. Trailing down lower, he lifted his tank top from the bottom just so he could view his upper body. His pale chest still held bruises while down to his legs, he still held faint marks. On his wrist, there was a bandage that wrapped around with meaning - declaring visibly how defeated he had become in his life. But then... All this physical injuries were a pale contrast to the pain in his heart.

Smiling in bitterness at the pathetic image before him, he took a plastic bottle from above his sink and he took out one pill. Swallowing that pill with a mouthful of water from a cup, he turned his lifeless eyes towards the plastic container.

The name of the drug was Lithium.

He could almost laugh, if he only wouldn't sound so insane. Then again maybe he'd reached the point of no return - of losing himself so completely. After all, he was now living on a drug...

***

Today's first subject would be Chemistry. Unlike yesterday, this subject would be at 9:30 am so he had time to eat breakfast and take a slow stroll in the campus gardens. It was, yet again, a calm and clear day, something that somehow grated his nerves. In Chicago, if he recalled, the snow had just began to melt. Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, Rukawa walked to a certain room 303, his hand holding on to a notebook and a pen.

<First day to go to class,> he mussed. Yesterday, after meeting Sendoh, he had lost his will to go to anymore classes. What he did was go back to his dorm room and lock himself, as if he wanted to just hide out. He did not know why Sendoh affected him that way. Maybe it was because Sendoh had a connection to his distant past. Maybe it was because of senseless and residual feelings from that same distant past. Whatever the reason, he didn't want to see him anymore. For he knew that Sendoh would only near him because of one thing - basketball. And the thought of him being nothing else but a useful ally in a basketball team was a sorrowful thought...

He entered the room specified for his next class. Inside, there were just a few students sitting around the tables. They looked up when he entered but returned to chatting with their companions right after. Great, where was he to sit? He had no friends here. He hoped that the instructor would just assign groups for the experiments later on.

He sat himself by the large table near the window. Sitting down and placing his things on the table, he focussed his eyes on the outside. Ignoring the faint chattering of his classmates, he just looked on at the clouds playing in the sky as if something about the sight made him wistful. The formations... they looked like creatures like whales and dolphins and turkeys. He'd always enjoyed looking at them when he was but a toddler. Soon though, he had to learn to forget about all else, concentrating merely on his own survival and his own dreams.

Rukawa continued to look at those clouds when suddenly something different moved across the sky. It was a jet plane, moving quickly and leaving behind it trails of smoke.The sight of that made him remember a certain childhood memory - one that involved looking up at the sky and wanting to fly...

"Good morning, class."

The sudden deep and sure voice broke Rukawa from his reverie. He turned his head to the direction of the sound. A good-looking man in his mid-thirties walked towards the front desk and set his things on it. He was a tall individual, over 6 feet tall. But he wore glasses and he was on a suit so it was obvious that he was their instructor, not a lost coach or athlete. The man scanned the room with a satisfied smile and proceeded to turn to the white board to write his name.

As Rukawa observed the man, he couldn't help but glance around in a quick manner, just to view his classmates this day. Almost all the stools were now occupied and the students looked so eager and cheery to learn. Rukawa looked back at his teacher and was internally glad that America had changed his study habits enough for him to stop sleeping in class. It had been brought about by the strict policy that studies and sports should be equal. And so in America, he had been a good student...

"Matsuhito-sensei." The man turned to them with his smile as he spoke his name. "That's what you'll call me. Now, I think it's time for you all to introduce yourselves. State your name, your former school and where that school is. Let's start from the back."

Rukawa was a bit alerted. He was going to state about his stay in America? Oh well... It's not like they would actually approach him and question him. He was glad that he had a personality that kept people at a distance. He hated people who liked to pry in his private life.

Anyway, since the introduction of selves would start from the back and would end with him, he turned his eyes to the outside once again, not intending to get to know any of his classmates. He just looked at the simple formation of clouds for a while...

"Ehem, and you?"

Rukawa looked back suddenly inside the classroom and was surprised to see that his intructor was standing right before him. He realized that he had lost track of time while just looking outside. Now, it was his turn...

He stood up and introduced himself, not looking at anyone but his instructor. Surprisingly, the instructor was as tall as him. "I am Rukawa Kaede. I studied in Gregory High School in Chicago, Illinois."

As he sat back down, he heard the quiet gasps of surprise. Then there was whispering. They were talking about him, he knew. He couldn't help but recall a distant memory... But he only focussed his gaze on his smiling teacher. It seemed as if Chemistry this semester would be more interesting to him than the living and breathing people around him...

"Alright, quiet all of you." Matsuhito-sensei called the attention of everyone. He walked on back in front of the class. "Anyway, for the entire semester, you all would be working in pairs. You get to choose your own partner so there would be no complaints later on. So, now, go on and find someone..."

They all stood, looking around. The others found a friend quickly enough but Rukawa only sat where he was. He intended to work alone. There was no sense in relying on others. But as he sat there, he saw more than a few people coming towards his direction.

"Uhem, er, Rukawa-kun? I was wondering if..." a tall boy in glasses began.

"I'm interested in America. Maybe we could join in class and..." a shapely girl in a senseless sun dress spoke.

"Hey, man. I'm sure you would like to..." a seemingly popular guy bragged.

But Rukawa shook his head and spoke in a calm voice. "I intend to work alone."

Surprised, they all looked at him with wide eyes. What were they thinking? Rukawa didn't know. And he didn't care. Looking bristled at his refusal, they frowned and found their own partners. Thankful, Rukawa turned to the teacher once everyone settled down.

"Okay, have you all found...?" Matsuhito-sensei looked around. He paused however when he saw that there was no other person available to be paired with Rukawa. "Hmm, I was sure that our number of students was even. There should be one more..."

And as if on cue, the door opened. With a calm face, the person entered the room, lazily walking in. He turned apologetic eyes to the teacher. "Sorry I'm late."

"Huh? Are you from this class too?"

"Hmm... Yup. Chemistry, is it?"

"Great." Matsuhito-sensei smiled. "You can be Rukawa-kun's partner for the entire semester."

The person turned his eyes in surprise towards Rukawa. And Rukawa, in return, looked back in startlement at his would be partner for the entire semester.

"Ru - Rukawa-kun?" Sendoh grinned at his luck as he approached the younger boy. He took a seat and sat by his former basketball rival, his eyes only on the boy. "Isn't this such a coincidence?"

<Yeah, coincidence...> Rukawa nearly sighed at his luck. He looked around as if to focus on something else but was surprised to see that they were all looking at Sendoh with shock. He was surprised at that. Why were they looking at Sendoh with shock? Oh... Sendoh was perhaps so popular now. And to be with him in class would be an honor, wouldn't it? Rukawa wasn't as glad as them though. After all, he was now stuck with Sendoh for the entire semester...

"So, now..." Matsuhito-sensei spoke. "I'll be passing out class cards. Please fill them up. And once you're done, pass them forward. Since this is the first meeting, I'll let you get settled in first in this school. Our formal classes would begin next meeting. Is that alright with you all?"

Cheers of joy was the response. They all filled out their class cards quickly and passed quickly, moving quickly to get out of the room.

Once Rukawa was done, he found Sendoh looking at him. More than a little surprised, he looked away and grabbed his things. Walking up to the teacher though, he found Sendoh walking beside him.

"What?" Rukawa asked, a bit annoyed.

"What what?" Sendoh merely grinned.

They gave their class cards to Matsuhito-sensei concurrently and walked out of the room together. Outside, their classmates had already gathered to block them from going out further.

"Excuse us..." Sendoh gave them all an impecable smile.

"We wanted to be introduced though..." a meek voice stated from the crowd.

"Hey, be more confident!" another voice chided.

"Anyway, it's a pleasure to be your classmate this semester, Sendoh-san..." a girl grinned up at the popular basketball player.

"Uhm, we noticed that you seem to know each other well. We were wondering if..."

Sendoh laughed, nudging Rukawa on his side and gaining a rolling of eyes from the other boy. "Well, if you're wondering, Rukawa-kun and I were sort of like friends before he went to America. Right, Rukawa-kun?"

"Really?"

"So, how was America like, Rukawa-kun?"

"Please? Won't you tell us?"

Rukawa, annoyed, merely gave Sendoh a glance before walking away from the crowd, not saying anything else. In his mind, he was evaluating Sendoh's response to their questions. Sendoh said that the two of them were 'sort of like friends'. Unfortunately, that was not even the truth, was it?

"Hey, wait up!" Sendoh also cut through the crowd to catch up with Rukawa. He ignored the fascinated looks of their classmates. "Hey, wait for me, Rukawa-kun..."

"Hey, this is really intriguing. Sendoh-san is our classmate and his friend is from the States. Wow, Chemistry this year will be very interesting."

"I want to know more about that silent boy..."

"Rukawa-kun? Forget it, he's frigid and obviously anti-social."

"He has Sendoh-san as his friend though..."

"Sendoh-san... so good-looking..."

***

"Wait!"

Rukawa paused finally. He looked back at Sendoh with inquiring eyes, as if that was enough for him to communicate with the older boy.

Sendoh smiled back in response. "I wanted to hang with you today."

Rukawa couldn't help but narrow his eyes. "Why?"

"Whoa, don't be all suspicious like that, Rukawa-kun. Anyway, what time is your next class?"

"In the afternoon. Why?"

Sendoh grinned triumphantly. "Me too. Since both of us are free until then, I wanted to know if you'd like to..."

Rukawa couldn't help but feel something. He knew what this would lead to - basketball. "No."

"But you didn't hear my question yet!"

Rukawa turned away and started walking once again. "You'll ask me to join the basketball team again... right?"

"Huh..." Sendoh was a bit surprised at how well Rukawa knew his intentions. Seems as if Rukawa was truly avoiding basketball at all costs. But he was determined. And he wanted to know the reason why Rukawa was the person that he was today...

"Rukawa-kun!" Sendoh nearly shouted loud enough to let the people in the hallway look at him. Feeling a bit flustered from the attention he gained, he walked up quickly to Rukawa once the younger boy paused once again. When Rukawa looked at him, he grinned. "Where are you going now then?"

"Somewhere..." Rukawa shrugged, not really finding any reason why Sendoh had to ask.

"Where?"

"None of your business."

Sendoh frowned at Rukawa's sense of secrecy. "Come on, tell me. I won't tell anyone else."

Rukawa sighed at his growing impatience. "Downtown. Why?"

"Downtown? What are you.. Hey!" Sendoh walked too once Rukawa began to move away from him. "I'll drive you! Since I'm going there too!"

"Drive?" Rukawa looked at Sendoh with faint surprise.

"I have a car now. Hey, I wanna show you. My uncle gave it to me last year. Once I helped the team win the College National Championship..."

"Oh." Rukawa muttered, as if not interested. He continued on walking, noting that people were looking at himself and Sendoh. Sendoh was so popular now, wasn't he? It brought about a feeling of longing deep inside him. If he hadn't gone to the States, perhaps he'd be as popular as him. Perhaps everything would be so different. Perhaps he wouldn't have to face Anzai-sensei later on with a defeated face instead of a proud one...

"What are you thinking?" Sendoh asked as he walked beside the younger boy.

"Huh? Oh, nothing..." Rukawa realized that Sendoh didn't seem inclinated to leave him anytime soon. Well, at least Sendoh wanted to be of use somewhat...

They walked down the staircase to the first floor. Sendoh stole glances at the silent Rukawa, noting that even though Rukawa's face said nothing, his eyes revealed a turbulent of emotions that was known to no one else but Rukawa. Sendoh wanted to find out what was behind those eyes...

"This way..." Sendoh spoke, once they were out of the building. The warm sun was a welcome change from the coolness of the inside. It calmed the coldness that they felt, soothed them in physical quite a bit. Letting Rukawa just walk in front of him, he noted that once again, Rukawa was in all black today. It made him wonder if Rukawa was into black clothes only now...

Rukawa wore black jeans. Inside, he wore a black tank top that had very dark gray lines of the side - something from Adidas seemingly. But he wore a black jacket to cover himself. He wore purely black combat boots on his feet. His appearance looked so contrasting with his pale complexion and black clothes.

Sendoh looked down unconsciously at himself as if to compare. Today, he wore just simple blue jeans and a black buttoned shirt. He didn't care much for his appearance...

"Here." Sendoh stopped as the sight of a shiny black Porsche greeted their view. He grinned as he brought out his keys and opened the door with a click from a handy remote. There was a small beeping sound that signified that all the doors had suddenly opened and Sendoh turned his cheerful gaze to Rukawa.

"What?" Rukawa asked, not really concentrating on the moment.

"Well, get in. I said I was driving you, didn't I?"

Rukawa was a bit surprised. He didn't think Sendoh was serious with the offer. And, he actually was very hesitant with these sort of things. After all, the reason why he had to go downtown was because he was trying to find a job. Since he was not an athlete in this school, he still had to support himself in some way. That's why...

"I can ride the train..." Rukawa looked from the shiny car to Sendoh.

"What are you talking about? I'm taking you." Sendoh returned with a friendly smile. "I told you, didn't I? Now, get in."

"And you want something in return..." Rukawa knew this... "What?"

"Huh?" Surprised at the words, Sendoh just shrugged. "I don't know. I want nothing. I just want to go somewhere with you right now."

"Why?"

"Just because." Sendoh grinned cheekily. He opened the door to the driver's side and sat down, looking at Rukawa through the tinted windows. He opened the door to the passanger side of the front of the car. Grinning at Rukawa, he laughed at Rukawa's passive nature. "Well, come on. Or do you need me to go out there and open the door for you from that side like a proper gentleman?"

Frowning internally at how Sendoh found everything so amusing, Rukawa finally entered the car too, not really knowing why he was allowing himself to get in the car. Closing the door after, he heard Sendoh start the car. They backed up from the parking lot and moved towards the gate of the school.

"So, any particular place downtown?" Sendoh inquired softly.

Rukawa shrugged. "You're going somewhere, aren't you? Anywhere is fine."

"You know Tokyo well already? You might get lost..."

"I can find my way." Rukawa looked from Sendoh to the outside. Since the windows were still closed, he pressed a button on the door to automatically open the window. He let the cool air brush against his hair softly as he watched the road that led to downtown Tokyo.

"Hmm, maybe I'll just drive you wherever you would go. How does that sound?"

"Why?" Rukawa was confused why Sendoh seemed friendly. They were not really friends before but Sendoh acted as if they were. Perhaps Sendoh was just being civil to him...

"Hey, don't sound so suspicious!" Sendoh merely laughed. "It's not like I'm a pervert or something."

Rukawa sighed inaudibly and didn't say anything else.

Looking to his side, Sendoh wondered why that air of depression clung on to Rukawa so much. Even he could sense it and Rukawa was sort of known for his expressionlessness. But now...

He was mightily curious. After all, the younger boy may just become a part of his team. And also, he could always use more friends. He had always been the friendly type. And curious too. Right now, at this moment, Rukawa made him mightily curious. Even though Rukawa may think that he was a nosy busybody, it had always been his nature...

They drove on and Sendoh reached for his stereo. Turning it on, the loud music from it pounded, gaining a glance from Rukawa. Grinning as he heard a catchy song playing, he began to sing to it. He was singing in tune, he knew. One of his other strengths perhaps...

Rukawa just looked on at Sendoh as if the older boy was weird. He couldn't really comprehend his outrageous behavior but he found that the contrast between himself was rather refreshing. While he liked quiet, Sendoh liked noise. While he liked music too as he listened quietly to it from earphones, Sendoh liked to sing to it with much vibrance. Quite interesting...

They drove on and on. Thankfully, there was no traffic today since it was school and work hours. Passing a few more blocks, Rukawa pointed at a mall. "I think you could drop me off there."

Sendoh just grinned, having something else in mind. "Nah, I think I'll join you. It's a good day to shop. Thanks for the idea." He drove his car towards the parking lot and found a perfect space. It was near one of the entrance. When Rukawa looked at him, he only snickered. "Really, I want to spend the day with you."

"Why?"

"Do I need a reason?"

Rukawa didn't answer. The car had stopped now so he closed his window. Stepping off the car, he watched as Sendoh too stepped off the car. Locking the doors with a click on his remote control, Sendoh turned his cheerful gaze to him.

"Well, come on in... I want to show you around."

"I'm not here to shop..." Rukawa walked on slowly towards the entrance, gaining a curious glance from Sendoh. He went immediately to the information booth and asked the lady that sat there...

"Excuse me but I would like to know if there are any job openings in any place here in this mall?"

Sendoh was more than surprised at this. Since Rukawa had gone on to America and since he wore good clothes, why would he need a job?

"Hold on a second." The lady turned to the computer in front of her and did a search. It took no more than a few moments and... "I'm sorry but there are no available jobs. All are taken now. Sorry."

"Thanks anyway." Rukawa nodded his head with a small sigh.

"Hey, Rukawa-kun, you need a job?" Sendoh asked in curiosity. "You know if you were a part of the basketball team..."

"I don't want to talk about it." Rukawa just spoke in a seeming monotone. Pocketing his suddenly cold hands to his pocket, he wondered what new place he could go to to find a job for himself.

"Hey, I have an idea. Since the school needs student assistants, why don't you become one? There is profit in that, you know. And it's right in school so you don't have to worry about transportation."

"Student assistant?" Rukawa asked.

"Yup... You could be someone who helps with paper work at the office. You could become a librarian, a custodian, etcetera, etcetera..."

"And I need what to become one?"

"Nothing really." Sendoh seemed to be thinking. "Anyway, I could always ask the owner of the school..."

"You don't need to do that." Rukawa muttered, knowing Sendoh's intention right away. He was not so weak as to need Sendoh's help with his finances. "Even though you are a star player and that you have enough influence... I'll get the job on my own."

Sendoh shook his head. "I meant that I could ask the owner to give you discount or something. Just because you know the great Sendoh Akira."

Rukawa couldn't help but roll his eyes. "And you could do that because?"

"Because I'm his nephew."

"Huh?" Rukawa looked at Sendoh with surprise. He had not expected this.

Sendoh laughed. "Wow, you are surprised, Rukawa-kun? That's a new expression in your face. I'm glad that you are capable of such and that I saw it."

"Idiot."

Sendoh snickered some more before trying to calm down. "Anyway, I'll accompany you to my uncle's office later on. Right now, I want to go shopping. Because you're here, why don't you accompany me? I'll take you out for lunch later on if you do."

Rukawa did not want to socialize really but he felt he owed Sendoh enough for this. Besides, since he had just moved from Chicago days back and he had sold a lot of his things there before going here, it was time to shop for himself too.

"Let's go then, shall we?" Sendoh grinned, gaining a faint nod from Rukawa.

They entered a lot of stores from then on. Sendoh bought himself a new pair of jeans plus a shirt. Rukawa bought himself a long sleeved black shirt that could be used for casual wear. Sendoh had chuckled at the color preference but Rukawa said nothing of it. Walking to a few more stores, they just window shopped after that since no other clothes held their interest. Now, they were in a CD shop.

"Oh, so you like Staind?" Sendoh asked with interest as Rukawa was looking over at the rock section. He was standing beside him, just watching as Rukawa was scanning around.

Rukawa just nodded faintly.

"You're gonna buy their CD?"

"I already have it."

"Heh, me too." Sendoh grinned. He looked around for other CDs. When he saw a popular band called Linkin Park, he took the CD from its place and showed it to Rukawa. "Hey, do you have this one yet? You like them?"

Rukawa shrugged. "I already have it... and they're alright."

"Hmm, didn't know you were into music much, Rukawa-kun. I'd love to hear you sing one of these days." When Rukawa gave him an incredulous look, he just snickered in response. "I really do."

"Whatever..."

Grinning, Sendoh placed the CD back on the shelf. He looked down at his watch and found the time to be 11 am. Lunch was most definitely next. "Anyway, what time is your next class?"

"2 pm... until 4."

"Really? Mine too. Say, what classes are you in? Maybe we'll be classmates again."

"English... then Calculus."

"English?!?" Sendoh asked with wide eyes. "Me too! Wow, what room?"

"403."

"Ah! This is great! We'll be classmates again, wouldn't we? That's really great. And since you're perhaps a fluent English speaker now, I'd be all set for that subject. Nothing to worry about now."

Rukawa looked at Sendoh's excited face and wondered again why Sendoh was acting so cheerfully. Though his first instinct was to be wary, he couldn't help but be more confused and curious. It was as if there was more to Sendoh than meets the eye. More to the smiles and laughter...

"Hey, what are you thinking of? You look like you're thinking so deeply. Stop that." Sendoh snickered, noticing Rukawa's gaze on him. "Anyway, I think it's about time we go get lunch now, right? And I think I promised you that I'm paying so..."

"Why?"

That word again... Sendoh wondered why exactly Rukawa had to ask his intention everytime he wanted to do something with him. The feeling of curiosity was getting heavier and heavier. He only smiled in response to Rukawa.

"Because as I explained earlier on, since you accompanied me to shop, I will buy you lunch."

"Just that?" Rukawa was very confused now as to Sendoh's weird behavior.

"Just that." Sendoh smiled.

"And you're doing this because..."

"Because I want to be friends with you."

Friendship? Now, Rukawa was very confused at this progression. There had been no one else who wanted to become his 'friend'. Now that Sendoh was asking him, he didn't know what to say.

"It's alright if you don't want to. I mean, it's okay if you want to not be friends with me since the pressure from having a celebrity for a friend could be much..."

"What?" Rukawa again felt Sendoh was so weird to have this kind of arrogance. If he recalled old days, he remembered that Sendoh did like to brag sometimes. And most of the times, his claims were true. Rukawa felt himself almost smiling in amusement. But he only shook his head with a satisfied face. This was Sendoh, alright, the person from before.

"Hey, come on..." Sendoh wondered at the expression drawn on Rukawa's face but didn't say anything about it. "Come on, I'm hungry. Let's go to that buffet restaurant I know. It's on the third floor. You look so thin, you know. Gotta change that!"

When Sendoh started moving, Rukawa paused for one moment, just looking at the spiky head that moved against the crowd. And shaking his head once more as he actually found someone he was comfortable with somewhat - even only for this day - he moved to follow the older boy.

They rode the escalator to the 3rd floor in silence, looking at the shops and stalls lined up to the side. When they reached the buffet restaurant, there were not a lot of people yet since lunch break was commonly at 12 pm. They entered the restaurant.

"Hello, good day to the both of you. Table for two, yes?"

Sendoh looked at the lady who greeted them and nodded. "Yeah. For two."

"Please follow me."

They followed the lady to a table by the window. After they were shown their table, they were given the go ahead signal to go to the buffet table. Sendoh lead the way towards it and upon arriving, he took two plates. Handing one to Rukawa, he looked for good food he could feast on today. There were a multitude of them today - the freshly cooked scent in the air nearly making his mouth water. From the corner of his eyes, he could only wonder why Rukawa did not seem as excited as he was.

"Well, go ahead, Rukawa-kun." Sendoh muttered as he placed some sushi on his plate. He picked up some stir-fried shrimps, yakisoba and many other dishes before going over to get some dessert and drinks. Looking off to the side, he was surprised to see Rukawa getting only fried rice, sushi and salad. That wouldn't have satisfied him.

"Stop looking at me." Rukawa said, feeling uneasy at Sendoh's incredulous look at him.

"It's just that... You should eat more."

Rukawa looked away and went over to the dessert section as well. He picked up a plate of mochi then went to get a can of sprite. He did not look at Sendoh as they started walking back to their table. "I don't need the energy anyway..."

They sat themselves on the table. Sendoh watched as Rukawa almost reluctantly began to eat. It was sort of weird that Rukawa didn't have the appetite of most people his own age. Perhaps that was the reason why Rukawa was so slender. Shaking his head, he turned to his own plate and begun to dig in. They ate in silence for awhile before Sendoh began to itch for a conversation.

"Hey, Rukawa-kun, tell me more about America, and in return I'll tell you what happened in Japan during the time when you were away."

Rukawa looked up slowly before swallowing the sushi he was recently chewing on. He shrugged. "America was like Japan..."

"Uhm,  more on the details?" Sendoh suggested with amusement.

Rukawa shrugged as he was looking only at his meal. He tried to recall only the good things about America. "Space was wider. Streets are wider, cars are bigger, driving was on the left side instead of right..."

"Those are common knowledge." Sendoh complained. He'd already known those simple things. "I meant, what did you think about it? Was it beautiful there? Tell me about what you thought was beautiful about that place."

Rukawa looked up in surprise. And with one look at Sendoh's perked curiosity and the familiar smile on those lips, he almost smiled in appreciation at the positive attention he was getting. It was something rare, this occurance.

"Well?"

Rukawa looked from those clear blue eyes like his own and looked off at the side where the view consisted of a park that stretched for a distance. In that park, from top view that he saw now, were nothing but pink and green. For miles, he saw nothing but sakura trees and green grass. He recalled America with satisfaction from an aesthetic viewpoint too...

"There was once when I woke before dawn. I jogged to a lake and watched the sunrise from there. It was like a mirror reflection, the sky and the clear lake a part of each other where the end of each could never be seen by my eyes. The sky looking like innocent blue and the lake a perfect reflection to it..."

He did not say more, not knowing what else to say. That was just one example of the beauty he saw in America. One of the things he always loved about it. Nature had always fascinated him. It was one thing he could easily interact with. It was better to sense than humans.

Sendoh could only look on in surprise at Rukawa. As he listened to those words, he felt as if he was seeing the picture being painted before his eyes. It was very aesthetic, the way Rukawa spoke softly as he looked only at the beautiful park on their side. It gave him the image of the way Rukawa had been looking at that scenery. The way Rukawa must have looked so amazed to see such a simple thing.

Rukawa finally sighed softly at the scene of the park before turning back to look at Sendoh. He saw Sendoh thinking deeply, a look of concentration on his face. Feeling a bit amused, Rukawa decided to break the older boy's reverie. "So, what of the others?"

"Huh?" Sendoh's eyes widened as he saw Rukawa looking at him with actual interest. He grinned. "What of the others? You mean the other basketball players?"

Rukawa nodded.

"Well..." Sendoh snickered. "Much changed after you've gone. Shohoku, of course, became less of a threat once you went to America. Maki went on to Tokyo University with Fujima. Kogure and Akagi also, though Kogure never became part of the team. Mitsui... he's also in Tokyo U. My teammate Koshino went to study in Germany where his family is at. Hikoichi, you already saw, has been offered a spot in our team's coaching staff and is also a columnist for our school paper. Uozumi is apprenticing as a chef, of course." Sendoh laughed, unable to help himself.

Which made Rukawa pause as he listened on in. Wait... Uozumi was learning to be a chef?

Seeing the confusion on Rukawa's face, Sendoh explained. "Well, you didn't know, did you? Uozumi-san quit the basketball team since he promised his father that he would learn to become a chef by age 18."

"Oh..."

"Heh, anyway, as for the others..." Sendoh continued. "Hanagata is studying at Shigeo University. Jin also and Kiyota. Sawakita, the guy I told you about before, is already in America..."

"I know."

"Huh? You know? You've played with him?"

"I saw him once. In New York..."

"You went to New York?"

Rukawa just nodded.

"Anyway, on with the story... Fukuda is in Kanagawa University. Ryota in Tokyo University with Sakuragi. Hey, I guess you'd be interested in what happened to Sakuragi, don't you? After all, you two were rivals of some sort."

Rukawa shrugged.

"Anyway, after you've gone, he concentrated on improving himself much. He improved drastically, you know. Now, he's one of the best. He's in the best ten players of basketball now, a player in Tokyo University now. And he's so tall now too. Remember before when he was just a little taller than you? Well now, he's about 6'6", very fit to be a center. Imagine that. He's now taller than me."

Rukawa would hate to meet Sakuragi again. He would imagine that his former teammate would undoubtedly laugh once he met up with a just 6'2" 'kitsune'. He nearly sighed in frustration at the lost years he'd spent in America . Burying those thoughts, he focused once again on Sendoh. "So, Tokyo University is very strong now?"

"With all those players familiar to each other, yup." Sendoh nodded. "But last year, Yokaze became the champion in the College Division for the first time ever. It was all because of the infamous Sendoh Akira."

Rukawa snorted softly but he knew it was perhaps the truth. "So, you defeated Tokyo U last year?"

"Yup." Sendoh grinned with pride. "As I was up against Maki, Fujima and many other familiar faces, I knew their moves. And since I constantly practice to improve myself, I always make sure I learn new moves to evade their tough defense. Unfortunately, this year, Sakuragi would join. So, we better prepare ourselves for him."

Rukawa looked away suddenly, something in himself being pricked. He recognized the feeling. The feeling of wanting to bounce a leather ball across a court. To shoot a ball to a basket and score to win. The feeling of playing amidst the loud cheers of the audience. It was a feeling that he could not kill so easily...

"What does it feel, Rukawa-kun?" Sendoh suddenly asked, seeing the hesitation in Rukawa's eyes. "To hate basketball like you do?" <When you know it is a part of you already, a part of your life like it is in mine...>

Rukawa couldn't bring himself to look at Sendoh lest the older boy see all the bitterness and pain deep inside himself. He could hear the accuse from beneath that calm question. Sendoh perhaps thought he was quitting just because he couldn't cut it in America . Well, actually, he was doing great. It was just that there were certain events that drove him to almost lose himself completely in the arms of oblivion. It was his dirty little secret, another one to add to his already thick book of secrets. It was there to cause him to hate even his own ambitions.

"Rukawa-kun? Are you alright?"

Rukawa smiled bitterly, his hand immediately lifting to cover the expression of his lips.

But Sendoh saw it once again, that painful reality that drove Rukawa to be like this. It interested him greatly, but not in the way that he would want to pry so suddenly into the other's life. No, he wanted to melt the ice with gentle flames instead of burning the ice to suddenly become steam. For steam would vanish in the air and it may only cause harm. Slowly, time after time, the ice should melt to become water - cleansing and life-giving. That was his new goal now. Because he was interested in Rukawa and because he wanted to gain his friendship. He didn't know why but they've always had this connection. Now perhaps, he wanted more...

Sendoh lifted a hand up and reached out to Rukawa's face. Surprised, Rukawa turned startled eyes to him. Sendoh only smiled as he turned that face completely towards him. And he spoke gently, like his intention of how to melt the ice into water...

"Let us be friends, Rukawa Kaede."

And Rukawa, in response, found himself leaning in on the hand.

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