Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ Miss Match ❯ Injuries ( Chapter 26 )

Thanks for your constant support Seiya. Good luck in your working life. My exams are finally over, so I can update my stories more frequently now and also go check out your stories. My graduation day will be on Friday this week. So glad I made it!!!!

Chapter 26

It was one bright Sunday morning as Yuna lay on her bed listening to the musical ballerina as it twirl around slowly on the platform. She turned around to her bedside table where she had placed it, looking at it with a smile on her face. She sighed softly, keeping the small smile on her face when she heard someone knock on the door.

"Who is it?" She asked sitting up.

"It's Sota, Yuna neechan."

"Nani?"

Sota poked his head into her room. "There's a challenger who came to rematch."

"Rematch?" Yuna looked at Sota amazed. "Who?"

"It was the first person you fought with since you came back from China."

"I'll go get ready…"

Sota shut her door quietly, leaving Yuna to change then. Slowly, Yuna got up from her bed looking at the ballerina again before she went to change. So much for wanting to be graceful like this ballerina, she thought to herself sadly.

Rukawa looked up the sky slowly, the sun was burning down on him and he was drenched in sweat. Taking a deep breath he continued with his practice. He was in the small basketball park for the whole morning and he was not planning to stop yet. When he continued he felt that he wasn't alone. Turning around he saw Sendoh watching him by the court with a smile on his face.

"You are getting really good." Sendoh said in his calm way.

Rukawa ignored him and carried on bouncing the ball away from him.

"I can't believe we are enemies on court and also out of court…"

Rukawa stopped and turned back to him again. He knew what Sendoh was talking about. He was implying on Yuna. He narrowed his eyes at Sendoh who smiled back at him. How he wished he would wipe that smile away from his face. Without warning he threw the ball at him.

Sendoh caught it daftly. "I knew you understood what I was trying to say…"

The one on one went on for an hour, and finally Rukawa and Sendoh were bending over their knees breathing hard. This time Rukawa was glaring at Sendoh because Sendoh had gotten one point more than he did. Sendoh smiled and straightened up.

"You are getting good." Sendoh said. "But you were pretty careless though back then. You let your guard down and I scored that three pointer without any difficultly."

Rukawa clenched his hands into fists as he straightened up, still glaring at Sendoh. He couldn't believe that he had lost this match with Sendoh. Suddenly, something beeped. Looking slightly startled he watched Sendoh took out a mobile phone from the back of his jeans pocket and talked to whomever who called. When he hung up he looked back at Rukawa apprehensively.

"That was Kasumi…"

Rukawa stared at Sendoh.

"She told me that Yuna is badly hurt in a judo match…" Sendoh said staring up at Rukawa who looked shocked for a moment before his usual carved marble like face was back like always.

They rushed over to Yuna's house quickly after the news. Kasumi came out the house to greet them anxiously.

"How is she?" Sendoh asked worriedly.

Rukawa remained silent looking at Kasumi his expression neutral but inside was filled with anxiety.

"I want to send her to the hospital but she disagreed, she kept saying about a rematch!" Kasumi said apprehensively. "The person who came is far better than she is, she can't beat him. It would be suicide."

"Where is she?"

"In the judo hall."

Rukawa rushed there even before Sendoh could. He entered the hall to see Yuna sitting on the floor next to the opened doors overlooking her yard with her other equipments. She didn't turn to him even she knew that someone came in. She wasn't wearing her judo outfit. Her judo top was thrown in the middle of the floor, stained with blood. She was only wearing a sleeveless white blouse with her judo pants. Her head was bandaged, so was both her arms and her right palm.

Rukawa walked up to her slowly but Sendoh got to her first, and he stopped on the spot looking at them. Sendoh knelt down next to her looking anxious.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Yuna remained silent and clenched her hands into fists staring outside hard. Rukawa remained silent watching her.

"Yuna you have to go to the hospital." Sendoh said worriedly. "You're still bleeding."

"Iya, I have to go for a rematch." Yuna said flatly.

"You can't go for a rematch like this." Sendoh said anxiously. "You have to get that wound treated."

"I'm fine." Yuna replied expressionlessly.

"Yuna!" Sendoh said pulling her shoulders so that she would look at him. When she turned around he was stunned. Yuna had a huge dressing stained with some blood plastered on her left cheek, Sendoh couldn't imagine how bad that injury was behind the that dressing . "Yuna… you are badly hurt!"

"I'm fine!" Yuna cried pulling away from him. "I'm going for a rematch and that is final. Now leave me alone!"

Yuna turned away from Sendoh then looking out the yard again. She was very angry at herself for loosing the match. After all, she had never lost before. She never thought she would. She didn't understand why and how she could. Not knowing where she had gone wrong.

"Yuna," Rukawa finally spoke.

Yuna eyes flickered slightly with emotion, though it only last for a second. She stared hard outside not wanting to turn look at him.

"I believe you can."

Yuna's eyes widened with surprise. Slowly she turned to Rukawa. Rukawa stared back at her, his face expressionless.

"You must be crazy to let her continue." Sendoh said angrily standing up looking over at Rukawa. "She is hurt and she has to treat her wound first."

"Akira-kun, I'm alright." Yuna said standing up then. "This is rematch is very important please understand."

"But…" Sendoh turned to her.

She was smiling softly at Rukawa. Why is she smiling at him that way? Sendoh thought frowning slightly.

Our promise, Yuna thought to herself looking at Rukawa. Must never be broken. No matter how apart we are or even if we are not meant to be.

She turned away and left the judo hall. "I need to take a bath now- the rematch will be later tonight."

"Yuna don't…" Sendoh was about to go after her but Rukawa stopped him.

"Leave her," Rukawa said. "Our challenge hadn't ended yet."

Sendoh turned to Rukawa then looking slightly confused. If he wasn't mistaken there were some hidden meanings between the way Rukawa had spoke to Yuna and the way Yuna looked at him. He frowned again and wondered how deep their relationship was before.

I will never loss, Rukawa thought with determination.

"Let's continue our match at the backyard." Rukawa said smiling at Sendoh.

Sendoh who never saw Rukawa smiled before stared at him. Rukawa was sure in a very different mood right now compared to the time at the park. Finally Sendoh agreed and their match began again.

Yuna lay in the bath tub thinking about her match not understanding why she had lost. But even though he hated to admit that the boy was really good even better than Horoshi. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes- deep in her thoughts, her mind drifted away bringing her back years ago when she was in China with her sifu when she was still a little kid.

In China when Yuna was training with her sifu…

"You are gifted in martial arts Yuna," sifu Chang told her. He was a very old man who had many experiences and good skills in Kung Fu. "You are trained in judo but I am thinking of teaching you Chinese martial arts- kung fu. However, you learn martial arts not to hurt people but to help them."

Yuna blinked, listening to him quietly. She only learned martial arts to be able to keep her home safe from greedy freaks who wanted to own it.

"Sifu, are there the most powerful kung fu?" Yuna asked curiously. If there was, she definitely wanted to learn it.

Her sifu studied the eager little girl before him and smile.

"Remember one thing Yuna- everything has a `Yin' and `Yang'. Kung fu liked I had told you many times before- can hurt people, but when it is properly used, it can destroy evil and help the good. Let me tell you a story Yuna."

Yuna and her sifu climbed up the mountains to begin her training as usual. At the mountain top where the cold breeze blew and as Yuna begin practicing her steps. He began his story telling while watching her.

"Once upon a time, Water and Fire were sworn enemies. To become stronger Water turned itself to ice thinking that when it had become Ice, its freezing and rigidity could beat Fire but Fire just melted it away. Then Water realized that it could not use the sheer rigidity of Ice but the pure fluidity of water. There is no `most powerful' kung fu in the world. It is the matter of how you apply to it."

End of Yuna's thoughts.

Yuna opened her eyes slowly, suddenly realizing what her sifu was trying to tell her. She sat up straight as she stared into the water in the bath tub. Using her left arm to splash the water up into the air and her right hand clutched in fist smashed the big droplets of water into tinier- sprinkles of water. Reaching for a towel she slapped it into the water moving the towel like a ribbon, making snake movements and then hurled the towel out straight splashing the water in the tub out all over the bathroom floor.

"Haaaaik!!!!" Yuna cried and with a swiftly movement she stood up from the tub and did a side kick sweeping the rest of the water out from the tub.

"Yuna is everything alright?" She heard Sendoh's voice at the door then.

She turned to see Sendoh barging inside, before he could even set his eyes on her, using the wet towel she had been using to practice her steps in the water she flung it at him as it landed on their head with a loud `splat'.

"You should think twice before barging into the bathroom." Yuna said calmly wrapping herself in a dry towel and walked passed him. "And I am alright."

Moh, Yuna thought. Boys!!!!!

Outside the toilet door, Yuna saw Rukawa standing at the hallway leaning on the wall next to the door leading into the laundry room. He turned to her in lazy manner his hands crossed in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" Yuna snapped.

Rukawa only shrugged. "The last time when I saw you naked you gave me a punch. Don't worry I'm not so stupid to go barging inside the second time."

Yuna raised an eyebrow remaining silent, a slow smile formed on her lips and she walked on towards the stairs.

Rukawa watched her walked upstairs and heard her room door opened and closed. That was when Sendoh appeared from the bathroom and Rukawa turned to him to see his head wet. He raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Shall we continue with our one on one?" Rukawa asked impassively.

"Hai…"

_______________________________________________________________ _________

After half an hour later…

Rukawa tossed in a three pointer, gaining him an extra point at the end of his duel with Sendoh. Sendoh looked slightly flustered but smiled after a second passed. He turned to Rukawa with a shrug.

"That was unexpected…" Sendoh said smiling softly.

They were then interrupted by Sota running into the court.

"Yuna had won the rematch!!!" He cried. "Kasumi had just brought her to the hospital to check on her injuries."

Rukawa sighed with relieved inwardly keeping his face straight.

"Great, I guess I better go see if she is alright." Sendoh said and turned back to Rukawa. "Aren't you coming?"

"Iya…" Rukawa replied shortly and walked away.

Sendoh stared at his retreating back bewilderedly. He was sure one very difficult to understand person- Rukawa Kaede.