Wait For Me
(Rukawa x Haruko fanfic. "Slam Dunk" is by Inoue Takehiko)
(author's note: In a previous note, I stated that I am not really a shipper of Rukawa and Haruko, as my OTP is Miyagi and Ayako. But I would like to try writing a piece between a shy fan and a tsundere prince).
****
All but one person in the basketball team immediately returned to the Shohoku gym two days after coming home from Hiroshima after the Interhigh. After coming home, Sakuragi immediately went straight to the rehabilitation center in a certain hospital for his spine injury.
One sunny Saturday afternoon that summer, Akagi had everyone in the team gather at the gym. Haruko happened to be there because she wanted to hang out with the team... and to see her crush. She had a strong feeling the whole morning that she might not be seeing Rukawa for a long time.
When everyone was seated on the floor, they patiently waited for Akagi to make an announcement. Kogure and Ayako were beside him too.
"Starting today, Kogure and I will be retiring from the team," the team captain announced.
"Eh?" "What?" and murmur from the other team members rippled.
"So, who will take your place, Captain?" Kakuta asked.
"Mitsui will not retire," Kogure said to them. "He or anyone from the sophomores will be the next captain."
"That's great! We still have Mitsui-sempai!" one of the freshmen said.
"I'll be in the team for the winter games," the shooting guard told everyone.
Yasuda, Shiozaki, and Kakuta thought Mitsui would make a fine leader. He was the de-facto coach for Shohoku (for a short while) during the Ryonan game after he came back rehydrated. Maybe he could do it. Sasaoka, Kuwata, and Ishii thought so too, but they also suggested Miyagi to be the captain.
"We are still deliberating on that," Akagi said. "We have five candidates."
"Five?" Ishii asked. "Oh!" for he finally remembered that it would be Mitsui or any of the sophomores.
"And Rukawa," Akagi called out the ace. "We received... a letter for you. From the principal."
Kogure waited for Rukawa to stand up. The astonished eyes of the other team members were on him as he approached the exiting vice captain to receive the envelope that was waiting for him. Rukawa noticed a smile on Kogure's face, and a beam of pride on Akagi's and Ayako's faces. What could it possible mean?
"I guess you'll probably be Mr. All-Japan now," Kogure announced to him.
"All-Japan?" the people in the gym errupted.
"That... that 'All-Japan'? That national team?" Sasaoka asked loudly.
"Damn you, Rukawa!" Mitsui told the ace before laughing. "You're big-time now!"
Rukawa flipped the envelope to see the mail being addressed to him, and it was indeed from All-Japan. But the envelope was still sealed. The three heads of Shohoku must have derived that conclusion based on who sent the mail.
"Ohohohoho!!!!" Ayako laughed in that anime trope-ish haughty noblewoman laughter. "I can now brag that my kohai from Tomigaoka and one of my Shohoku children is part of All-Japan!"
While it sounded like good news to the guys and to Ayako, it was like a sad news for Haruko. If Rukawa would temporarily leave Shohoku for the All-Japan Junior Camp, she knew she would not see Rukawa often this summer. She knew that those who will be recruits for the All-Japan team will have to leave their teams temporarily to train, but it would usually be in a span of time. And she also learned from Ayako that Taoka-sensei, Anzai-sensei, and Takato-sensei were having a meeting the day before for something that might probably be basketball-related.
Everyone, Haruko included, watched as Rukawa opened the envelope. The ace took out the letter in it and started reading. All people knew that Rukawa was poker-faced, but they were startled when they saw Rukawa's eyes wide open in surprise.
"What does it say?" Miyagi asked excitedly.
Still reading the content, Rukawa announced that he was scouted indeed for the All-Japan Junior Camp. Cheers erupted, and congratulations were flowing. But for Haruko, her heart was breaking. She would be missing him, and she thought she had to tell him her feelings.
****
"Haruko, aren't you going home?" Akagi asked his little sister.
He noticed Haruko looking a bit at Rukawa before looking back at him. He knew what the news meant to his precious sister.
"You can stay here if you want," Akagi told her. "If you want to tell him something, go ahead."
"Arigatou, onii-chan," Haruko said in a half-whisper.
The gorilla ex-captain went ahead and called on Kogure so that they can leave the premises. Miyagi took the initiative to lead the team even though no one was yet chosen to be one (because he wanted to impress Ayako). Haruko saw that despite no captain yet, the team still practice in an excellent order.
Ayako saw Haruko by the door and went to her. She noticed the younger girl looking at someone so wistfully, doe eyes about to shed tears, and face looking gloomy.
"Rukawa, isn't it?" Ayako asked, while Haruko nodded. "You have been cheering for him for a long time. But you know him. He doesn't seem to care. The only girl around here in Shohoku he talks to is me."
Ayako did not mean to brag, but it was the truth. Rukawa never gave his fan girls the time of day, but he greatly respected Ayako and listened to her. In fact, sometimes, he got hit by her infamous paper fan. After being together at Tomigaoka, Ayako knew well enough on how Rukawa operated.
"Sometimes, you just have to go for it and not back out, you know?" Ayako told her. "If you want Rukawa to remember you, if he is that important to you, go ahead and talk to him after practices."
"Onii-chan also said the same thing," Haruko said in a dolorous tone.
Ayako smiled empathetically at the younger girl, touching the other by the shoulder, "Who knows how long the junior camp will be? You might get to see him again during the start of the classes after summer. Confess to him if you want. Whether he rejects you or accepts your love, at least he knows about you."
Haruko looked at Ayako suddenly, cheeks flaring, "L--love???"
"Your face says it all, all the time, Haruko-chan," Ayako said before laughing again. "I really like you. You are so cute, you know? I wish you are my younger sister instead. I want to be all giggles while my sister is having love problems."
"Ayako-san!"
"Jaa, I will get back to them," the older girl said before walking away.
Haruko sat on the floor by the door and watched the team play. She saw that as Yasuda tried to pass to Mitsui, Rukawa intercepted the pass and swatted it so hard that the ball flew all the way towards Haruko. And by protective reflex, Haruko crossed her arms on her face and brought her knees up so that the ball will only hit her on her extremities.
And by golly, it did. The ball did hit Haruko so hard that she yelped in pain.
"Haruko-san!" many of the players gasped.
Haruko opened her eyes and saw that the ball had bounced back a bit towards the players. Her eyes followed the ball that she did not notice someone walking towards her. And she suddenly realized too late to see someone standing exactly in front of her.
"Are you okay?" a cool voice asked her.
Haruko's vision shot up to see Rukawa--the cold Ice Prince Rukawa Kaede-- standing in front of her and asking her.
The people in the gym were also shocked. Never had Rukawa once asked anybody if that person's okay. And it was the first time he said that--to a girl.
Haruko stared back at him, lips quivering. Is this a dream? Her crush asking her if she's okay? She did not notice that Rukawa's voice was somewhat indifferent, but to her, she thought he was genuine about it. She nodded and said that she was fine. But Rukawa only nodded and went back to playing with the guys. Haruko bit her lips in embarrassment, thinking that her shining moment had come to an end. But when she looked at Ayako, the sophomore gave her a wink.
"If Hanamichi were here, he'd flip out by now that his Haruko-san got hit by the ball," Miyagi whispered to Mitsui.
"Damn right," Mitsui replied. "And he'd make a big deal of Rukawa talking to his Haruko-san."
****
"Are you really okay, Haruko-chan?" Ayako asked, intentionally making her voice irritatingly high-pitched.
"Ah, ee, Ayako-san," Haruko replied with an embarrassed smile.
The other guys in the team, notably Miyagi and Mitsui, told Haruko that they better be careful because Akagi is protective. Haruko told them she knew that but that they should not be worried about her brother. But in Miyagi and Mitsui's heads, they already conjured an image of a volcanic eruption where Gorilla Akagi in his mighty glory rose up in great anger, roaring loudly and thumping his chest, so much that the earth shook, along with more ashfall and lava flow.
"We know how most guys think and act, Haruko-san," Mitsui said. "Many guys are protective of their younger sisters. They'd go ballistic if someone hurts their little sister."
Miyagi realized after what occurred earlier that the rest of the team should give Haruko and Rukawa some space. He thought that if Rukawa should go to train for All-Japan, it would mean that Haruko might not get to see him as often as she did. And as someone who's a fan girl, Haruko was luckier than the Rukawa's Crazy Squad because Haruko had the edge of being the ex-captain's younger sister.
"All right guys, let's go," Miyagi told everyone. "Rukawa, you can have the gym for as long as you like."
Ayako threw at Rukawa the key to the gym door. The ace snatched it with precision and placed it inside the pocket of his short pants. As the rest of the team walked away, he turned at Haruko and asked.
"Why are you still here?"
Haruko approached him and looked at his hand. With her gaze still at his hand, she spoke.
"You must have gotten a cut on your finger after you swatted the ball earlier."
Rukawa checked his hand. Indeed, there was a slight cut and a bit of blood. He did not notice it because he was too focused on the game for his own good. Haruko said she noticed it after he walked away from her earlier.
"Gomen ne, Rukawa-kun, I don't have an adhesive bandage with me," she said gently as she got a hanky from her pocket.
Rukawa stayed still in shock when Haruko took his hand for the first time. He swore, he could feel something like static electricity from her touch. Or it must have been just his imagination. Haruko was trembling, as she finally had held her crush's hand. The two stayed silently in place as Haruko gently wiped off the blood from Rukawa's finger.
"The wound has dried, I think," Haruko said as she looked at him. "Just wash your hand then make sure your wound is clean."
"Arigatou," was all Rukawa said before he walked away to continue practicing.
Haruko could not let a chance pass her by. It was like a player who managed to get the rebound and passed the ball to a running teammate for a fastbreak.
"Anou, Rukawa-kun, I have something to say," she told him, courage building up inside her.
Rukawa turned around, standing still to hear her speak. He did not ask her or anything. He just waited. He watched as Haruko awkwardly began to continue.
"I like you... Very much," she finally confessed, setting her gaze on him earnestly but with conviction.
Haruko noticed that despite Rukawa's passive face, his cheeks were burning red. She never saw him affected by anything romantically-related before, although she was aware that Rukawa knew about the squealing of his fan girls.
"I... I am going to the junior training camp next week," Rukawa announced.
"I know," Haruko said, doing her best not to let tears spill from her eyes. "Onii-chan announced it earlier before your practice. And that is why I am telling you because I don't know... I don't know when I can see you again. If we could ever see each other again by the time the classes resume this autumn... But I know I will not see you for a longer time this summer."
She could no longer hold her tears, so she finally made herself vulnerable in front of the guy that she liked so much.
"I liked you since junior high, Rukawa-kun. Everytime our schools have practice games, I always make sure I watched every game so I can see you. And now, I don't want it to be too late without telling you how I feel. I don't want to feel that I am saying goodbye to you, but..."
By now, Haruko was crying uncontrollably. Rukawa approached her and stood still, waiting for her to talk again or to stop crying. When Haruko realized that Rukawa was in front of her, she asked him if he was wanting to tell her something as well. And he nodded.
"That was the first confession I received my whole life," Rukawa told her, but his voice was not cold. It was rather tender, which was odd.
The first confession.
Haruko remembered what Ayako told her about having the edge over her competitors because she's Akagi's sister. But no, she thought. It might have been a leverage, but she took Ayako's advice to step up. Maybe some other girl without a connection but with the conviction might go out of her way to confess directly to the Shohoku ace instead of squealing during his games, gushing whenever he passed by, or giving fan love letters to him through his teammates.
The ace took Haruko's hand, his fingers trembling at the contact of their skin. He raised his other hand to her face and gently wiped off her tears. This was the first time that Haruko had an interaction with Rukawa like this, and this was not platonic or that of acquaintances at all.
"Sumimasen," he told her.
Haruko thought that Rukawa rejected her.
"I don't know anything about love. This is my first time," he admitted.
He continued holding her hand with one hand, and wiping the tears off her cheeks with the other hand. Eventually, Haruko stopped crying.
"How did you know that you are supposed to do it like this?" Haruko asked in between sobs.
"Okaa-san watches lots of dramas," Rukawa revealed.
He continued wiping the tears from Haruko's cheeks, but his fingers fumbled because he really didn't know anything about romance.
"Will you wait for me?" he finally asked her. "I mean... after the camp?"
This was not very characteristic of Rukawa, and even though Haruko already confessed, she did not expect Rukawa to "like" her back like that, asking her to wait for him.
"Hai..."
"See you in autumn, then," he said.
He stopped holding her hand so that he could get the gym key from his pocket and handed it to her. Haruko looked at him, confused. It was he who was entrusted by Ayako to hold the key, so why was he handing the key to her?
"I might lose it," he said. And then, with a blush on his cheeks, "I'll take you home."
Rukawa spoke a lot today, which made no sense to Haruko. But it made her happy because he spoke longer to her, finally. Her cheeks were feeling so warm already.
"Will... will you not be practicing tonight?"
"I'll stop here," he said. "I'll take you home."
Haruko blushed again. Rukawa gave up his after-practice practice time just to go out of his way for her. Who would have thought that her dream would come true today?
****
Rukawa took a quick shower and got ready to go home. When he got back from the locker room to the gym, he saw Haruko by the door, waiting for him.
"Go outside now, I'll turn off the lights," Rukawa instructed her.
Haruko did, letting the Shohoku ace turn off the lights and close the gym door. She returned the key to him so that he could return it to Ayako tomorrow. She knew how her onii-chan was so meticulous when it came to the gym. Perhaps, everyone would just clean it up tomorrow.
Finally, the two of them silently walked towards where Rukawa parked his bike.
****
Before they set off, Rukawa turned on his Walkman and handed the other earbud to Haruko. The ex-captain's sister blushed because the gesture was so intimate. She did not know if Rukawa was doing it out of politeness or because he started liking her back after the confession, but she smiled at this romantic side of the ace. Finally, she sat at the back of his bike after he did, and he rode off.
Because the volume was cranked up, Haruko realized that Rukawa's cassette tape in his Walkman was that by Prince and The New Power Generation. And the song he played tonight was "Diamonds And Pearls."
"So, Rukawa-kun is into foreign singers," Haruko thought to herself with a smile.
The bike to Haruko's home was silent between the two of them, save for the soundtrack from the Walkman.
When they got to the Akagi residence, they were met with the ex-captain, who went out to throw the trash that evening. He was surprised to see his little sister taken home on a bike by no less than her crush.
"Rukawa?" Akagi asked in immense surprise.
The two got down from the bike. Rukawa bowed in respect at the former captain, while Haruko tried to explain how they got to be in that situation.
"Daijoubu, Haruko," Akagi told his sister with a smile. And to Rukawa, "Have dinner with us."
Both Haruko and Rukawa were stunned. Haruko was shocked because it felt like those in shojo mangas or in the dramas in the television where a guy who took a girl home got to be introduced to her parents. She did not know if Rukawa thought the same way, as he stated that his okaa-san watched TV dramas. But for Rukawa, it was both awkward and both an honor to be invited for dinner.
"I am thankful and happy that you brought my sister home safely," Akagi told the ace.
"H...hai," came Rukawa's shy remark. He really wasn't used to this.
And it was the second time he had been to the Akagi residence. Indeed, the ace waited patiently for Haruko to set the table while their parents continued cooking, and the ex-captain coming back from throwing the garbage to the bin outside.
When Rukawa ate together with the Akagi family, he felt so shy because it felt like those in the dramas that his okaa-san sometimes watched on TV: when a guy got introduced to the parents of the girl he liked and ate dinner with the family.
But did he really liked Haruko? He was forced to examine his feelings right there. Sure, he knew Haruko. He saw her often at the gym, in school, and during games. He knew that she was the object of Sakuragi's affection, which was obvious because the red-headed monkey often blushed and stammered in front of Haruko, and was always trying to show off. But it was just this afternoon that he learned that Haruko's crush on him was not just because he was a handsome player with skills, that her crush on him had a long history. He remembered the warm feeling of his cheeks when Haruko confessed to him earlier.
It felt new, awkward, but nice at the same time, all at once.
His thoughts were cut short when Akagi told his parents that Rukawa didn't talk much. Okaa-san remarked that it was okay, and that the ace and Haruko looked good together.
"You're making me shy, Okaa-san," Haruko told her mother. And to Rukawa, "Eat lots, Rukawa-kun."
Rukawa was surprised at Haruko's bold attitude towards him in front of her parents. Indeed, she was showing her family just how much she liked him. And when Haruko offered him the yasai itame with a smile, his heart skipped a beat.
So, this was it. He realized he started having a crush back at her.
****
Hours after Rukawa left, Haruko went inside her onii-chan's room to bother him a bit. Akagi was on to his physics book, answering questions. He turned towards his bed, for it was where Haruko sat down.
"You really are happy today," Akagi smiled, his face in gorilla mode.
Haruko told him everything that happened, starting from the confession. She also told him about the song from Rukawa's Walkman. But then, Akagi blushed when he learned what the song was about.
"I doubt Rukawa is well-versed with English," Akagi remarked. "He probably just listened to the song for the melody, beat, whatnot... or because it's Prince."
"Ah, maybe," Haruko naively replied.
"Do you know that that song is a love song?" Akagi pointed out.
"Eh??" Haruko asked in panic.
Akagi also liked the song, so he had translated it in Japanese (because he was smart in English too). He told Haruko what the song was about. Upon learning the lyrics, Haruko blushed into different shades of red, making her onii-chan smile his gorilla-like smile.
"So, basically, you and Rukawa on a bike while listening to a love song makes for a shojo manga that neither Kogure nor I would read," Akagi teased his younger sister.
"Eh??? Oh~~" Haruko blushed again while being embarrassed. So that was what the song was about. It made her blush all the more when Akagi compared the incident to a romantic scene in a manga.
"As I said, Rukawa probably did not know the meaning of the lyrics except for the word 'love,'" Akagi consoled Haruko. "But mind you, I trust that brat over Sakuragi when it comes to you."
Haruko got defensive and said that Sakuragi is a good person, saying that they are really, really good friends. Akagi could only shake his head, wondering why Haruko could never realize that the redhead had a massive crush on her.
****
As Rukawa lay on bed that night, he looked at his hand which was wounded earlier. He remembered when his hand touched with Haruko's for the first time. It was also the first time that his heart beat faster out of something that he had not experienced before.
"Could this be a crush?" he asked himself.
But instead of frowning and denying, he found himself smiling. How come he only found Haruko cute just this afternoon? He always saw her, but he never felt anything for her at all. Just... this afternoon.
"This must be how that do-ahou feels for her. Or Miyagi-sempai for Ayako-sempai."
Rukawa had always been the silent type of person, but he could be very observant. He just didn't care. He knew that the do-ahou wore his heart on his sleeves whenever Haruko was around, and Miyagi would blush and make a fool of himself (even during games) whenever Ayako would praise him. He thought he did not need to ask anyone about it, but he was sure this was probably a crush.
****
Finally, Rukawa set off to the All-Japan Junior Camp, while there were changes in Shohoku as well. Akagi, Kogure, Ayako, Mitsui, and Miyagi had a meeting among themselves. They decided that Miyagi be the next team captain.
As for Haruko, Ayako had a separate meeting with her that afternoon. The younger Akagi was stunned because she did not know what the older girl wanted. But when Ayako told her that because of the success of Shohoku at the Interhigh, many schools were willing to take on them, which means, Ayako would be so busy that she needed a second pair of hands. And that's when she told Haruko that the latter be the assistant manager.
"Eh?" Haruko asked, astonished. "I... I don't know where to start."
"Hmmm..." Ayako thought out loud. "I will think of what you should be doing. But first things first, all you need to do is to keep an eye on what's happening in the high school basketball scene. I can't keep up with everything."
"H... hai," Haruko said.
"I am also currently busy assisting Anzai-sensei since I have learned from Akagi-sempai that he, Takato-sensei, and Taoka-sensei were having a meeting regarding the upcoming autumn sports festival," Ayako said. "Which means that I will also be assisting Miyagi in preparing the team."
Haruko smiled and replied, "Just tell me what I need to do."
Ayako smiled knowingly, "Actually, I did not have an idea that I need an assistant manager, but I think it's for the best. And it's not my idea. It's Rukawa's."
The revelation stunned Haruko. "R...Rukawa-k..kun? Why?"
Ayako shared to her what happened that Sunday, the day after Rukawa took Haruko home. As Rukawa knew where Ayako lived, he paid her a visit. Ayako was astonished to learn that the Rukawa Kaede asked her for a favor. Rukawa requested that Haruko be the assistant manager of Shohoku because with what's happening with the team right now, it might be too much for Ayako to handle. Ayako never had that idea, but realized that Rukawa was right. But what made her smirk was the real reason why Rukawa made such request. He confessed what happened the evening before, and he told the sempai he had started liking Haruko.
"Eh?? Rukawa-kun.... likes me?"
"He didn't confess back to you?"
"Iie... He just told me to wait for him, and he took me home. He also ate dinner with us, and..."
It made Ayako laugh even more. "Ohhh, that's so cute. He might not tell it to your face, but I guess Rukawa does it better with actions. I think he really meant it when he said he likes you."
Haruko blushed even more, her face an angry palette with different shades of red. Ayako revealed more that Rukawa wanted Haruko to be assistant manager so that he could see her again once he comes back from the camp. She said that the ace wanted to see her during practices. And Haruko bit her lips, her cheeks blooming even more. Before, Rukawa never took notice of her whenever she was at the gym during the practices of the basketball team. Now, he wanted her to be there when he comes back.
"He... he really meant it when he told me I should wait for him," she told Ayako.
Ayako laughed even more because she found it so cute. She said she started to feel like an oneesan who's excited of her imouto's love life.
****
Two weeks or so had passed.
Ayako asked Miyagi how he would introduce himself to the basketball team. Miyagi introduced himself as the new captain, but the rest of the guys were only laughing at him, particularly Mitsui, because the new captain was trying way too hard to be cool. Mitsui's heckling pissed Miyagi off. Haruko was also introduced to the team as the second manager, and she said she will do her best to be of help. But the guys told her that they already knew her. (author's note: this last paragraph is part of the last chapter of the manga, Chapter 276).
While the team was practicing, Ayako pulled Haruko aside and told her what she needed to do. Haruko's first job was to write a weekly correspondence to Sakuragi so that the redhead would have an idea what happened at Shohoku, as well as any news regarding the other teams in Kanagawa.
"By the way," Ayako said, her eyes twinkling. "Rukawa will be coming back soon. His training will be ending."
Haruko's heart skipped a beat. Finally, she would be seeing her dear Rukawa-kun. And by that time, she would no longer be a nobody that he would bypass.
****
Rukawa was jogging along the beach. His training at the All-Japan Junior Camp would be ending in a week. He could not wait to go back to Shohoku. Most importantly, he could not wait to come back to Haruko. He was hoping that Ayako kept her promise of making Haruko as the assistant manager, and he was hoping that Haruko was waiting for him. By that time, he would confess to the brown-haired girl with round doe eyes how he felt for her.
And he noticed someone familiar. A redhead who was reading a letter at the beach.
"Tsh, it's the do-ahou," he thought as he continued jogging along.
By the time he was in front of Sakuragi, he flashed open his jacket to reveal his All-Japan t-shirt.
"Teme, kitsune!" Sakuragi growled in envy.
But Rukawa only jogged along afterwards. Then, he looked up the sky and saw an airplane passing by. While his eyes were on the flying plane, his thoughts and his heart were elsewhere.
"Wait for me, Haruko-san," he thought. "I'll come home to you."
--end--
3 notes
·
View notes