Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ Umm... Kae-CHAN?! ❯ Part 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Author: Simply Kim

E-Mail: cheng1812@yahoo.com

Title: Umm... Kae-CHAN?!

Genre/ratings: (Yaoi / Shounen-ai) (Humor / (a bit of) Angst)

Length: 4/5 (excluding side stories)

Disclaimers: The series I'm referring to obviously do not belong to me, only the story does.

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Part 4

It was snowing.

Everyone was inside a huge apartment standing a few blocks from the university's back gates. There was much noise as the household bustled, running to and fro like headless chickens, `contemplating' on what to do for an upcoming festivity. From afar, the apartment seemed a joyous place… that is, if one overlooks a single glaring fact.

Amidst the friendly, albeit disastrous chaos, a small face peeped from the second floor window, his cheeks pressed on the cloudy glass panes, his eyes staring wistfully at the steady flow of snow that buried the driveway waist-deep in white fuzz. Almost all who were passing by did not see the young boy - well, all except for one.

Sendoh was on his way to Fujima and Hanagata's cozy hideout for an impromptu dinner, and he had just shopped, looking for something delicious to share with his friends. He had finally settled on an unsuspecting blueberry cheesecake and was parking near the driveway when an inner voice compelled him to look up.

And there he was…

Even if he's lonely, Rukawa managed to entertain himself by staring wide-eyed at the majestic fall of the early snow.

Sendoh could not help but smile as he bounded towards the front door. He rang the bell a couple of times before a harassed-looking Fujima opened the door and, thinking he was a salesman, screamed at him to beat it and go find someone else to bother, thus, shutting the door, narrowly missing the tip of his nose.

He sweatdropped.

"What the hell was that about?" He muttered as he rang the bell a second time.

He took a hasty step back as he heard a tortured scream of annoyance echoing clearly inside the house. He winced, his eyes straying warily for the moment Fujima opens the door and hacks his head off. Soon enough, the door banged open, and much to Sendoh's horror, a pair of killer, yet unfocused eyes glared menacingly at him, as the owner brandished a butcher knife in the air threateningly.

"I said beat it! I don't want any -"

Suddenly, he stopped, peering closely at Sendoh's terror-stricken face. His cheeks instantly reddened in embarrassment as he slowly lowered the gleaming knife.

"Eh… Akira-kun… is that you?"

Sendoh inaudibly gulped, trying to well down his recent fear, managing a shaky yet wry, smile.

"Yes, Kenji-san… what are you doing, avoiding salesmen? I thought that was Hanagata-san's department."

Fujima grinned sheepishly, rubbing his nape apologetically. "Oh, yeah… well, I'm substituting for him… he's studying somewhere in this freaky place… and umm… I'm really sorry about the knife… It was the first thing I got a hold of so…"

"And what would you have chosen if not for the knife?"

"Toru-kun's baseball bat." Fujima said a-matter-of-factly.

The taller boy nodded, returning to his normal color, and stepped cautiously inside just as a piercing cry of rage issued somewhere in the vast expanse of the kitchen.

WHACK!

Sendoh whistled to himself as his eyes met Fujima's. Both of them shook their heads in amazement.

"Stop eating those fritters!"

That girl sure is tough! He thought, a wry smile gracing his features. Soundlessly, he started towards the direction of the noise, eager to know what was happening.

"Aya-chan… don't you love me anymore?"

WHACK!

"Ow, Aya-chan…"

"Don't `Aya-chan' me buster! Now, quit stealing from that bowl!"

Sendoh peeked through the kitchen doorway and almost laughed as the sorry figure of Miyagi Ryota, who was currently on winter break from Kanagawa's Kainandai University, sat clutching his aching head as Ayako, wielding not a paper fan this time, but a spatula, towered threateningly over him.

His eyes strayed over to the young man glaring at the two, arms crossed on his chest in annoyance. Sendoh grinned. One wrong move and Miyagi would surely be toast!

Koshino Hiroaki, the former point guard of his old senior high school, was officially Ayako's boyfriend. They had been going steady for one and a half years now… and definitely going strong.

"Good for you… you're doing nothing but hog all the goodies ever since you came here! I knew it was a bad idea on Maki-san's part to let you in even if you're his cousin!"

Sendoh winced as he heard the jealous edge in his best friend's voice.

"Stay out of -"

WHACK!

"ITAI! Stop hitting me already!" Miyagi shifted his glare from Koshino towards his girlfriend. "I hate it when I get lumps like these…" He pointed towards the three steaming lumps smack on the center of his head. "Tomoe-chan fusses over me!"

Koshino rolled his eyes. "Admit it Miyagi, you love your girlfriend so much!"

Miyagi glared at him, his cheeks visibly reddening.

Sendoh shook his head, and started towards the living room.

"Oi, Sendoh!" Hanagata raised a hand, beckoning him.

Sitting on one of the plush chairs, he turned his attention completely to the other guy wearing a cool pair of eyeglasses.

"Hanagata-san… your glasses!" Sendoh stared in absolute shock, a teasing grin beginning to shape up on his lips.

"I know, I know, I look weird…" Hanagata grinned slyly. "Kenji and Kae-chan pestered me to buy it. Heh, they teamed up and threatened to lock me out of the house if I don't agree!"

At the mention of Rukawa's name, Sendoh sobered. "Kae-chan… he's upstairs?"

Hanagata smiled at him and nodded. "He seemed sad these past few days. He never got to see you much - only during basketball practice, which you keep on taking too seriously… probably why he's so sullen most of the time."

Suddenly, Sendoh was much too fascinated by the curves of his slippers. "I have been neglecting him, haven't I?"

"Yeah, you have." The elder boy gave him another sad smile. "He has been asking about you for a few days now… he's wondering why you don't talk to him anymore…"

Sendoh continued studying his slippers. "Oh." That was all he could say. Uncomfortable silence stretched out between them.

"You like him, don't you?" Hanagata suddenly asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Sendoh's head suddenly shot up at the unexpected question. "Of course I do… Who doesn't?"

"No, wait, let me rephrase that…" Brown eyes smiled with the red lips as Hanagata scrutinized the younger boy. "You LOVE Rukawa, don't you?"

"What do you want to imp -"

"Kae-chan got sick because he tried to look for you the other night. He slipped through Koshino's window, and your best friend panicked, saying that he never thought the kid would try to get away from his and Jin's shared apartment. We found him shivering, blanketed by the early fall of snow, sleeping beside your house marker. Hanagata focused at the scenery outside the window. "If you do love him, I think it would be best for you to check on him right now, he's still running a flu."

And within seconds, Sendoh was clambering up the stairs.

Hanagata smiled as his eyes followed the other's hurrying form before letting out a sigh and turning back to his Calculus problems.

* * *

"Hisashi-kun…"

"Hmm?"

Pale fingers trembled, as a much darker hand roamed on the expanse of hidden pectorals, their proximity close enough to draw moans of wanton passion from a pliant mouth.

"T-This isn't a good idea…"

Mitsui Hisashi did not stop, instead, the hands that ventured under Kogure's shirt became even more daring, slipping under the garter of the silken pajama bottoms as well as the cotton briefs, cupping the smooth skin of an athletic rear.

Kogure shivered, his hands straying from the Formica table in Hanagata's mini laboratory in the basement, to the equally smooth skin of his lover's bare back, feeling slightly calloused hands massaging his rump sensuously. His body arched, reveling in the sensations coursing through his nerve endings, his member turning hard in the process. His mind was screaming for him to break away, since he had many things to do, however, his body was not budging. It remained in the mercy of Mitsui's sensual - and sexual ministrations.

"Hisashi… please… if I don't do this now, Rukawa-kun would be Kae-chan all his life!"

Mitsui let out a low growl as he nibbled on Kogure's earlobe. "I'd be damned if I stop now… I want you so much Min-kun…" As if to prove his point, he rubbed his arousal against his lover's, making the latter groan in pleasured denial.

However, Kogure's conscience kicked off. Sendoh-kun would really be devastated if Kae-chan wouldn't transform back to his original size… He doesn't deserve losing his happiness… even if he's the source of all their problems…

Then, an idea came to him.

"Hisashi… I-If you stop, I will be your slave for twenty-four hours after Rukawa-kun turns back to normal…"

Mitsui stopped, his mind registering the plea in Kogure's voice - that first, and then the word "slave for twenty-four hours". His slave? Hmm… He backed off a little.

"Thank you, Hisashi-kun." Kogure smiled fondly at him, shivering a little after the loss of warmth, turning back to the assortment of chemicals that he and Hanagata bought the other day. "I just hope our theory is true…"

Suddenly, he felt Mitsui's body mold onto his backside. Surprised, he whirled around and reddened as he saw the naked form before him.

Hands reached out and -

"IYA!"

And muffled groaned filled the whole room.

* * *

"Those hentai freaks…" Fujima groaned as he heard a particularly loud cry of ecstasy ripple from the next room. "Drat the thin walls!" He complained as he worked on his semi-conductor project.

The only thing that separated him from Hanagata's lab was a thin sheet of plywood whose edges were hammered angularly onto the walls, and he could distinctly hear everything that was going on in his small basement workshop. Fujima sighed. He hated it when some other people were enjoying anything more that he is enjoying what he is doing… Where was Hanagata anyway? Probably still talking to Akira… He shook his head as the picture of the two boys popped into his mind, jangling the insecure bone in his body that rarely made an appearance for the past five years.

TAP. TAP. TAP

He gave another defeated sigh; throwing the wooden blocks he was trying to piece together on the dilapidated but comfortable couch across his seat and answered the door.

"Ohayo." Came the tender voice.

Fujima stepped back in surprise. Just the person he was thinking of!

"Toru-kun… erm…" He stammered, his cheeks turning into a bright shade of crimson.

Hanagata removed his glasses and grinned. "Won't you let me in?"

"Oh, well… Ehehe… erm… come in…" Although the invitation stood, Fujima still had not moved and kept on staring at his boyfriend.

" Uh… Ken-chan… could you just… move a little? I can't pass through you, you know…" Hanagata smiled softly, marveling at the difference in Fujima's behavior in and out of the famed basketball court. During a game, he seemed so untouchable… but outside… he's so shy, unsure of himself… a genuine softie at heart… and that softness had bloomed to its full beauty when Kae-chan came into his life - their lives.

Rukawa Kaede made them stronger, with the constant attention that he demanded most of the time. He had made Fujima enjoy his life to the fullest, as he constantly pulled his surrogate "brother" to places he would never dare venture at his age, like the fair in one of Tokyo's main carnivals and the largest Zoo that could be found within the city. He had never seen Fujima so devoid of his inhibitions… and of course, he came with them, and his life too had changed.

As for his personal tutor, the eight-year-old boy had taught him something important that he would never ever forget…

He taught him what love was.

He did not say the words directly… but he showed it when he himself had seen the young boy asleep and shivering, sitting beside the marker of Sendoh's house without so much as a sweater to keep him warm…

A love that is unconditional.

A love that would wait until the one that conquered your heart comes to you willingly… unconditional, bordering almost on altruistic…

A lesson that somehow made him more appreciative of Fujima's presence in his life.

His smile widened, as his love blushed more if possible… and stood aside, letting him in.

"Uh, what brought you here?"

Hanagata's eyebrow took on a surprised arch. "Do I need a good reason to see you?" He reached out and pulled the smaller boy in his warm embrace.

As expected, his lover thawed out, finally circling familiar arms around his waist. He smiled inwardly. It felt so peaceful…

"I saw you talking to Akira-kun…" Fujima whispered, almost inaudible. "What was it about?"

"Don't tell me you're jealous." Hanagata started, fully expecting a screech along the lines of `I DO NOT!'… Instead, he was greeted by the most insecure answer he had ever heard coming out of Fujima's beautiful mouth.

"Maybe I am…" It came out muffled as he burrowed deeper in Hanagata's embrace.

"Then don't be." The taller boy said simply. "I don't like him THAT way."

"But Akira… he's better than I am… he's tall…"

"I have an unchangeable fetish for people a lot smaller than I am."

"He looks sexier than me…"

"That's pushing it."

"And he's a better player than I am…"

"Wherever did you get that?"

"He's also more amusing than I could ever be…"

"And you aren't?" Hanagata pulled back and stared deeply into Fujima's confused blue eyes. "You're everything he is - and much more… well, maybe except the `tall' part, but still… for me, you're much better… No - YOU are the BEST… and I love YOU." He touched his cheek and gave him a special reassuring smile.

Fujima looked as if he was about to cry as his eyes met the dark brown ones gazing at him with much love and affection. Without warning, Hanagata slowly lowered his lips and caught his in a slow and gentle kiss.

Suddenly, Fujima was not feeling vexed anymore.

* * *

Rukawa was having a hard time moving. His whole body felt hot, and his joints ached like someone had pounded on them with a humongous sledgehammer.

Moreover, he was missing someone - terribly.

/Akira-niichan…/

He wanted to see the only one who made him feel complete. Since the night when he was given to Kenji-niichan and Toru-niichan, he had never fully enjoyed quality time with the elder guy… The meetings were so scarce that he often found himself thinking whether he did something that displeased his Akira-niichan… Maybe he was mad at him… But… Why? He did not understand… he could not understand…

/What did I do wrong? /

He couldn't help feeling as if he had done something unforgivable.

Did his Akira-niichan hate him?

He sighed, disentangling himself from the thick blankets that wrapped snugly around him. He slowly moved towards the huge door. Tiptoeing, he grasped the doorknob as hard as he could and twisted it all the way, smiling slightly as he heard the lock open with a satisfying click. With the slight strength that he had, he pulled the wooden barrier and stopped.

He stared in surprise, his eyes widening to the point of bursting. He couldn't believe it.

"Akira-niichan…" He whispered, his eyes swimming dangerously in joyful tears as he tilted his head farther to accommodate the sight of the tall person better.

"Kae-chan."

It took only the mention of his name from the usually smiling lips to make him crumble. With a heartfelt cry, he jumped into the outstretched arms, forgetting that he had caught the flu, forgetting that he was just clad in thin pajamas for protection against the extreme winter cold, forgetting everything… feeling only the warmth in the comforting arms of Sendoh Akira.

"I missed you, Akira-niichan…" He cried out, tears falling steadily from huge blue eyes as he burrowed deeper into the needful embrace. "I thought…" He couldn't continue. Instead, he just cried in the gentle arms until the flow of tears stopped, leaving him with the strong urge to close his eyes and sleep.

"I missed you too…" Sendoh closed his eyes, his once-empty arms relishing the feel of the young boy's childish softness. "Shh… I'm sorry for neglecting you… I was just…"

However, Rukawa wasn't listening. He rubbed his cheeks on the soft sweater Sendoh was wearing, and whispered, letting sleep due to exertion engulf him.

"I love you…"

Sendoh stiffened, unsure whether he heard the words right. His heart pumped faster and he felt almost lightheaded. Slowly, he carried the young boy and carefully placed him on the bed, covering him with a couple of blankets, placing a whisper of a kiss on the pale lips.

He straightened up and sat cautiously on the edge of the bed. He took one of the boy's hands and gazed lovingly at the sleeping form.

"I love you too… Rukawa Kaede."

* * *

A bit of crushed Mica, the bluish stuff… a spoonful of Metahydrite… mix until the mixture turns green…

"It looks pukey."

"Hisashi!"

"Okay, okay, sorry…" Mitsui held up his hands in surrender. "But it really looks pukey."

Kogure gave him a stern look, oblivious to the fact that Hanagata was in the same laboratory, gazing at them with fascination. However, he decided to step in as Mitsui kept on teasing Kogure, he wanted to divert the exchanges in order to prevent bloodshed, as he saw from the corner of his eye that Kogure had clear access to a broken beer bottle. But what would he say? Aha… there it is!

"Umm… Kogure-kun… Mitsui-kun…the mixture's turning red."

The bespectacled guy yelped loud enough to waken the dead and dumped the whole thing into the sink - container and all. Hanagata cringed as the unmistakable sound of Pyrex beakers shattering to pieces pricked his unprepared ears.

He shook his head in defeat.

No use.

Whatever did he do to deserve these headaches?

Maybe it's just a severe case of bad karma…

* * * * * * * *

TBC

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