Mitsui crossed the gym alone to head for the door, only glancing disinterestedly at Sakuragi and Anta who were busy with their assigned chores of cleaning up the court. When he reached outside, Ayako and Miyagi were waiting for him and when he looked down at them in surprise, Ayako gave him a look that said 'what-are-you kidding?'.

Mitsui winced. "We have revision today?"

"Yes," Ayako replied dryly.

"I- I can't..."

Ayako protested, "But-!"

"I CAN'T!" the player barked.

The manageress and Miyagi stared at him in surprise.

Quickly calming himself, Mitsui took a deep breath and sighed before running his fingers roughly through his hair. "Not...Not today. I have something to do."

Before Ayako could protest again, Miyagi placed a hand on her arm to stop her.
"Okay. Suit yourself," said the captain, "But you have to come tomorrow."

After a while, Mitsui nodded in acquiesance and looking satisfied, Miyagi nodded back before dragging Ayako away before she say anything else.

After they rounded the corner that closed them off to Mitsui's sight, Ayako pulled herself away from Miyagi with annoyance.
"What's the big idea?!" the girl demanded, "He can't be let go that easily!"

"Ayako," the guard said soothingly yet firmly, "You can see he's got something on his mind."

"Yes, I can see that!" she snapped, "That doesn't mean he can skip revision today!"

Miyagi's brows scrunched in disbelief. "Are you saying revision is more important that whatever problem he's facing at the moment?"

"Yes!" Ayako said.

Miyagi was about to say something close to reproach when he saw the look on her pretty face that was more of anxiety than irritation.

Ayako bit her lip, keeping her feelings in check. "When he got into trouble three years ago, he didn't turn to anyone for help. Now, I know with Kogure and Akagi-sempai not here, he's got no one close to help him deal with whatever he's dealing right now. We can't leave him alone, Ryota. Not for the second time."

The point-guard sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "Alright. I'll call him later."

Back outside the gym, Mitsui still stood watching the spot where his two friends have been before they disappeared from view.

"Mitsui-sempai!"

Normally, Mitsui would've been cheered by that voice calling him so adoringly but now it only sent chills down his spine.

"Kuwata-kun," the senior said, nodding to the shorter boy.

"Thanks for waiting up for me," Kuwata said, looking up at Mitsui happily.

"I promised to come over to your house, didn't I?" the taller boy reminded Kuwata. Earlier on before practice, the junior had approached Mitsui, inviting the scarred-face boy to come over to his house afterwards to hang out. Mitsui was about to decline, a revision-session tugging at the back of his mind when he remembered the words that he had uttered a few hours ago.

"Promise me this, and I'll do anything for you."

With a heavy heart he accepted and the junior had gone off with a skip in his steps.

Now, the the boy was in front of him, agreeing with Mitsui's words. "So you did." Kuwata nodded, smiling joyfully. "Thanks. I'm really happy."

Mitsui, affected by Kuwata innocent happiness, smiled back in return.

Who are you, really?

You hurt and kill people. And yet, here you are beside me, happy as a child. Innocent like a child. Who are you, really?

As they walked together side by side, Mitsui turned to look at Kuwata and with a slight hesitation he said, "Kuwata, I'm keeping my promise, so you must remember to keep yours."

Kuwata smiled, nodding his head. "Yes, sempai. I'll never use my powers again."

"Good," Mitsui said, turning his eyes back to the pavement in front of him when suddenly he saw a group of older boys standing in front of them, blocking their path and upon recognising who they were, he stopped, pulling Kuwata to a stop as well.

It's those punks again! Mitsui thought as one of them stepped forward. It the same person who Mitsui had hit a few days ago for bullying Kuwata.

"Only you two?" the young man sneered, "Too bad. I brought my other friend's to meet you."

Mitsui stepped back when he saw that they were outnumbered. The bullies were more in number than before and with Miyagi not there with him, he knew that he would not be able to handle them alone and save Kuwata as well.

"Kuwata. Run," Mitsui hissed through his teeth.

"But sempai-"

"I said RUN!" yelled the taller player as he shoved Kuwata backwards before running towards the nearest punk, ramming his shoulder against the older boy's stomach with force that sent the boy tumbling onto the floor in a painful wheeze. As the fallen boy was busy trying to get his breath back, Mitsui got himself ready for another attack on another one when suddenly he heard Kuwata give a cry of surprise.

Turning around, he saw one of the gangsters holding Kuwata in a choke-hold, laughing at the shorter boy's futile struggles. "You're not going anywhere, little boy."

"Kuwata!" Mitsui yelled as he turned around to save the junior. But before he could do more than take a step, a sharp blow landed on his head and he could only see whites dancing in his vision before he slumped heavily onto the ground, dazed.

Kuwata had cried out when he saw one of the punks hit Mitsui with a lead pipe from the back and when the third year fell to the pavement, bloody and unconcious, he began to scream.
"Sempaai!!"


~~~~

When Mitsui came to, he found himself lying on the rough floor of one of the abandoned buildings along the street where Kuwata had found Shi, the puppy. The punks who dragged him there with Kuwata, stood around him, laughing at their easy victory. A few metres away, Kuwata, still captive, stared in horror at the blood trickling down Mitsui face from the senior's forehead. Suddenly one of the older boys stepped in front of Mitsui and gave the basketball player a kick on the stomach. The punks laughed again when Mitsui groaned but lay unmoving.

"Sempai!"

Don't break your promise, Kuwata, Mitsui pleaded mentally, too weak and too dazed to make his thoughts into words.

Kuwata gasped when he saw Mitsui's eyes slowly open to stare groggily at the concrete ground under his cheek. The younger boy wanted so much to help Mitsui but he did not know how without using his powers and he has already promised his senior never to use them again.
Kuwata's body shook as his conscience warred with his loyalty that the boy holding him thought that he was trembling with fright.

"Hey, look. This kid's scared," jeered the punk, gripping Kuwata more tightly on the arm.

"Let... him... go..." Mitsui gasped, body shifting as he tried to get up.

"Worried about him, are you?" said the one in front of Mitsui before he pulled the 3-P shooter up roughly by the collar, making Mitsui choke.
"You should worry about yourself, boy," the boy said, pushing Mitsui roughly to lean against a nearby wall.

You fool. It's you that I'm worried about... Mitusi cursed inwardly, opening his eyes again to see the punk about to hit him again with the pipe. Somehow, he knew it would not reach him at the same moment he opened his mouth again to gasp at his attackers, "Run...away..."

Suddenly the boy who was about to hit Mitsui gasped before he fell down heavily, motionless at the basketball player's feet. The clanging sound of the lead pipe falling onto the floor jarred the other gangters' mind, making them realise that something was wrong.

"What-?"

Suddenly one of the punks screamed, followed by another. And then another. Soon, the dilapidated room reverberated with anguished cries and all that Mitsui could do was to stare in horror at the massacre happening before his eyes.

Stop it, Kuwata!

Kuwata was deaf to the cries of pain around him, as deaf as he was to the silent plea from Mitsui's mind. One by one, their enemies fell, some twitching on the floor before they died while the rest dropped dead from where they were standing.

Stop!

The only person who escaped the invisible attack was the one holding Kuwata and the older boy was already turning to run away, horrified by what has happened to his friends. But before he could reach the exit of the building, he screamed, an echo of his friends' pain before he also fell to the ground, dead and unmoving.

Without turning around to look at the one who has just died by his powers, Kuwata stepped towards Mitsui, the junior's eyes still holding the cold gaze of a killer.

"Sempai..."

"Ku..wa...ta..." As Mitsui slowly lost his conciousness, he saw the brown-haired boy running towards him, Kuwata's arms flung out to reach for him. Before darkness claimed him, he saw the boy's eyes as they were before - gentle, innocent and loving - and that more than anything else, relieved and humbled him at the same time.

(Kuwata?)

Kuwata sat huddled on the ground, his shoulder's shaking as his body was racked by his sobs. Slowly, the boy lifted his face up and Mitsui could see tears flowing freely down the boy's pale cheeks.

(Why are you crying? Odd.... You're always looking clueless or happy... like a child that never has any worries. I've never seen you angry or upset. What had made you cry, Kuwata?)

"Because I'm sad, sempai."

(Why?)

"Because no one acknowledges my existence. They don't know who I really am. They don't understand me. That makes me sad."

Slowly, Mitsui reached out and touched the boy's wet face, rubbing gently at the cooling tears. With sad eyes that reflected Kuwata's despair, he caressed the boy's cheeks with loving fingers.

(Stop. Don't cry anymore. I'm here.)





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