Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ The Girl That Time Loved ❯ Introspection ( Chapter 14 )

Mitsui stumbled backwards in shock, the oxidized paper in his hands ruffled at the edges from his grip.

He couldn't believe it.

He eyed the article slowly, waves of disbelief crashing inside him, making him tremble whenever he came across the Nakamichi name. He held his breath as he read silently.

"The Nakamichis are survived by the youngest daughter, Reiko Nakamichi, currently attending the Julliard School."

Below the article was a picture of a recognizably younger, smiling Reiko, a face that at the time was unaware of the tragedy described.

The shooting guard's father walked back into the garage and hung the wagon back on the wall. He turned around to see his son's ashen visage.

"What's the matter? You look like you've just seen a ghost," he joked.

The shooting guard folded the newspaper, stared blankly at the ground before somberly looking at his father.

"I-if you don't mind, Pops, I'll be in my room." He started for the door, clutching the paper in his white-knuckled fist.

Mr. Mitsui's brow furrowed with concern. "Son, are you all right?"

His son stopped in his tracks. "I … I just need to think right now."

Akagi and Nanami were curiously huddled around Reiko who drew carbon rings and reactions on paper. The bodyguards were all in the living room, welcomed by Nanami's cousin and aunt in light conversation. Jackson occasionally glanced at the studying trio by the dining table and grinned. Reiko was like a shepherdess to baffled and lost flocks of students. Ever since she met Mitsui, he gradually noticed the occasional smiles on her face lasting longer and increasing in frequency. He was glad she made this move to Japan.

On the sofa sat Miller and Fuji who drank tea with Yuriko and Sakai was sampling some of the cake that Nanami's aunt Ayumi made. Jackson's lips curved into a small grin at the recollection of meeting his fellow guards for the first time. Sakai was close to his age, a former consultant for a defense contractor. Miller and Fuji were only boys then when Sakai and Jackson worked with their fathers. The two younger guards attended the same college in California, Miller finished with a computer science and linguistics degree and Fuji graduated with honors in mechanical engineering. Both were very bright. Jackson remembered how proud their fathers were of them, and they never failed to mention them at least once a day. The hulking guard nearly laughed out loud. They were so small and young back then; he used to grab them by the arm and leg and swing them around in the air. Now, they can more likely swing him around, they had grown tall and strong.

"Would you like a piece of cake, Jackson-san?" a sweet voice asked.

The brawny bodyguard turned to see Nanami's aunt before him with a plate of cake in her hand.

"Thank you, Ayumi-san," he awkwardly replied.

The affable woman snuck a peek at the three by the dinner table. "Wow, they're really into it," she whispered.

Jackson smirked. "Yeah, Nakamichi-dono has a knack for explaining things."

"She must be very intelligent. And she's very beautiful," Ayumi smiled.

"You're right on both accounts," he said before placing a piece of cake in his mouth.

"Do you like this town so far, Jackson-san?"

Jackson nodded as he forked another piece in his mouth. After swallowing, he said, "Ayumi-san, this is really good. What kind of cake is this?"

"It's just your run-of-the-mill chocolate cake. Nanami-chan likes to call it `Death by Chocolate'. I'm glad you like it," she said with a smile.

Jackson reddened at cheerful disposition. To divert his attention, he looked behind him to see all the guards pleasantly occupied in conversation with Nanami's cousin. He noticed she looked about the same age as Ayumi.

"Ayumi-san, how old is Yuriko-san?" the guard asked.

"She's only two years younger than me." She giggled at Jackson's reaction. "I know, I'm supposed to be older since I'm their aunt. But I'm the youngest of eight children, and my oldest sister is Nanami-chan's mother. Yuriko-chan is the second oldest sister's daughter, and she's been my playmate ever since we were kids. My sister and brother-in-law are on their second honeymoon. I get to baby-sit for the time being."

"Wow, eight children..." Jackson trailed.

"I know, that's crazy, huh? I keep thinking my parents didn't have television back then. That's why they have so many kids."

Jackson caught the grin on her face and laughed. She's got a good sense of humor.

At the dining table, Reiko looked over the sheets of paper Akagi and Nanami wrote on. The hopeful look in their eyes remained plastered on Reiko until they saw her smile.

"You two are quick to pick this up. All your answers are correct."

"Yes!" they exclaimed, Akagi and Nanami giving each other high fives. Nanami sunk contentedly in her chair.

"Good grief, I shock even myself.... I never knew I'd be able to understand this. Reiko-chan, I owe you big time."

"Same here, Reiko-san. I feel kind of bad ditching Mitsui for this, but he told me I'd really regret it if I didn't come. I think he's right."

"It was kind of him to let you know about tonight."

"He's kind in a lot of ways," Akagi said with a smirk. Knowing his teammate was crazy about his tutor, Akagi felt like the shooting guard could use some help in getting her to think of the his feelings. The setter caught on.

"He's right, you know," Nanami winked. She looked at the time and let out a small gasp. "Oh, it's already eleven? Reiko-chan, I'm sorry for keeping you here so late."

Reiko shook her head softly and said she didn't mind. She excused herself for taking too long to explain things and thanked both of them for being so patient. Akagi and Nanami looked at each other, faces puzzled. They were the ones who needed to thank her for being patient.

Reiko, Akagi and the guards piled by the front door and humbly gave their thanks to Nanami and her relatives for having them over. As they left, Akagi trailed behind the guards and stopped before the door to look back at Nanami.

"Thanks again, Nanami-chan. I'll see you in class tomorrow?"

"Yeah," she answered, doing her best to mask the quiver in her voice.

The tall center took one last look at her before saying goodbye. As he walked through the front door, he found himself smiling at the recent memory of the setter's smiling face.

Stunned.

Shaken.

As he ascended the stairs, Mitsui felt like every step was taken in slow motion. He was numb inside, and as he absentmindedly sat down on his bed, he held the paper up again to read the harsh headline that glared before him.

"Petroleum Magnate Nakamichi and Family Die In Tragic Plane Crash."

He closed his eyes and tried to calm the clash of emotions inside him. He stilled himself as he thought back to past conversations with his stretch partner, trying to recall what she had told him before.

A while back he wondered where the rest of her family was, and Reiko and Jackson had never given him a straight answer. A few seconds passed, and events flashed in his mind's eye all too vividly as he searched his mind for answers; he could even hear the voices in his head.

He remembered that early evening when Reiko was in her brother's closet, finding him a suit to wear. He remembered asking where her brother was.

'He's not here,' her soft voice echoed in his thoughts.

The shooting guard's chest felt like being crushed, and he felt himself go pale with embarrassment at his ignorance. The same night he saw the pictures in his brother's room, the picture frame on the dresser, the little girl in his brother's arms. It was her. Another memory of Jackson talking to him on the balcony of the annex gym came to mind.

`We've seen a happy but brief period of her childhood before she was hurled into a cold and hellish existence... it'll be ten years this November. It only got rougher for her.'

Ten years.

Mitsui opened his eyes and looked at the date on the newspaper. November 14, 1992. That was two weeks ago. He felt himself sinking into deeper sadness; all that time he was with her, she smiled for him. In his heart, he knew she bore the sorrow and grief of losing her family. And yet... she smiled for him like nothing ever happened. Mitsui's eyes widened. // Did she do it to hide from me? // Even if she did, he couldn't blame her. He let himself fall onto the bed, his brow furrowing in woe as he closed his eyes once more at the memory of her flowing voice reverberating in his head.

`One day they boarded a plane for New York that never arrived there. A sudden failure in one of the engines caused the plane to crash off the city's coast. Only 24 people survived, Mr. Jackson and Sakai-san were two of them. The fathers of Mr. Miller and Fuji-san did not make it...'

// My God... her family was also on that plane... //

`It was difficult to cope with the loss...'

The shooting guard shut his eyes tighter at the recollection of her eyes of gray and the despondency in her quiet voice when she uttered those words to him inside the Polo store months ago. He could only imagine what she felt, how miserable she must have been to be left alone.

Alone.

He tried desperately to swallow the lump in his throat, tears threatening to fall when he remembered what she told him when he asked her if she would miss him if he no longer stretched with him in the mornings.

`I've been alone for the most part, and I've enjoyed your company every morning we stretch. So yes, I would miss your company.'

Mitsui took a deep breath of air in and let it out slowly, the memory of her azure eyes burning in him as the words echoed through his head. Her eyes... Reiko told him once before that her mother described their changing color as a way to tell if she was happy or not. He was uplifted and somewhat comforted that he was somehow able to elicit this change within her, to make her happy. And yet from time to time he caught the gray sadness seeping out of her eyes, a sign that he now knew told of anguish and desolation. For a good while, the shooting guard thought that she was simply a brilliant, shy young woman who just needed a little push to step out into the world and meet new faces. He thought that the people she had bad experiences with were just jealous of her intellect and were plain idiots. They didn't see what he saw in her. She was kindhearted and honest; she was just like every other person who wanted to be happy, to laugh, to have friends. But now that he knew what she hid inside her that only her eyes revealed, he came to realize that during all those times she tried to make friends in the past, she was quietly trying to make a connection to the world outside her own, a line she threw in the hopes that someone would catch hold of it and allow her to escape. Reiko must have been so disappointed then... he now understood the hesitation she displayed whenever he introduced her to a crowd, like the time she tried out for Coach Sato's team and at Miyagi's party. He was confused before why a wonderful, talented and intelligent person alienated herself from the rest of the world. Maybe because others knew not of her loss and saw her as nothing more than a smart rich girl who more than had enough places under the sun, yet was forced to linger in the shadows. They made a prison of her mind and wealth and she was chained against her own will.

`Every time a new acquaintance found out, they treated me like I was in a league of my own that they didn't want to be a part of... Being intelligent is my gift, Mitsui-san. And yet... it is also my curse.'

Mitsui could feel himself struggle to find air, his chest rising and falling in a quickened tempo. // I'm sorry, Reiko-san... I didn't know... // He berated himself for all those occasions he put her on the spot and for being insensitive then, even though he knew it was useless to blame himself for the lack of knowledge of her past. But now that he knew....

`Do you pity me, after hearing what I have told you?' he remembered her ask, her voice almost a quivering whisper in his head that made his heart swell and ache. And it was then that the disheartening vision of her in his dream came to mind, her fair and beautiful face streaked with tears from her wraithlike gray eyes. It was a forewarning of her muted, solitary past filled with emptiness and dread.

"Forgive me if I do now, Reiko... I'm so sorry.... my poor, sweet angel... " the shooting guard mumbled quietly, unable to repress the surge of depression in his being any longer, the heated rush of empathy radiated in his veins and leaked as tears through his tightly shut eyes.

Two-thirty a.m.

She couldn't sleep.

Reiko lay in her bed, her eyes wide open as she moved her arm under the sheets to rest the back of her hand against her forehead. She gazed through the skylight above her, looking at the tiny specks of white against the night sky that seemed to sparkle before her eyes. The moon was out, and it cast its pale peculiar light on her supine form.

The remains of the evening had been quite fruitful, she thought, recalling the look of triumph on Nanami and Akagi's faces. She smiled faintly at the memory; they were both so happy, almost like little children. It gave her a sense of release whenever drew a smile from her friends and she gladly gave her help on things that came to her so easily.

Friends. Reiko thought back to Nanami's warm and welcoming words. They enveloped and reassured her, and it was much similar to Mitsui's gentle manner of accommodation. She didn't expect to be received by anyone the way they did, it was so different from how she was treated by anyone who knew about her before. It was a heartwarming experience that she had not felt outside her family in years. Their tender words were like the embrace of a mother to a child long lost but found. Like being thrown a lifeline.

She turned on her side and blankly looked at her dresser. On it stood the handiwork of the siblings Sousuke and Nonoko from the day care. Her eyes followed the outlines of the two figures resembling her and the shooting guard linked by stick figure hands, and her gaze finally rested on the wide grin drawn on her stretch partner's face. It made her smile. Mitsui had been so nice to her... he was by her side when she couldn't muster the confidence to face the world before her. His voice and presence were constantly reassuring. He reminded her of family.

Onii-san...

Reiko turned on her back, her gaze returning to the stars shining through the skylight. She drew a deep breath. Ten years have passed; how she wished for her family to be with her now, to see and meet the friends she's made, to get to know the first person she met in Japan to offer her a helping hand and wanted nothing but to see her blue eyes.

Mitsui-san.

Nanami had mistaken them both for being a couple. After expressing her naivety at the matter, she knew her teammate wanted to explain more of why she thought so, but her intent was sidetracked into studying organic chemistry instead. This, she didn't mind. But her brow slightly furrowed. She couldn't make a connection. Didn't being a couple entail being in love? She remembered reading about this state of mind when she was younger from various classic texts, and it was often depicted as a warm, overwhelming feeling that spurred a number of different sentiments, from anticipation to helpless desperation. She didn't fully comprehend it then nor did she care to, for at the end of the day when her lessons were over, she was content to see and talk to her family, and the love and care she received from them was all she needed to understand. But she was much older now and things around and within her were changing... inside her grew this feeling that was indescribable and disquietingly foreign to her senses whenever she was with the shooting guard. It was most peculiar, unlike anything she had experienced or learned of. At times she wondered if there was something physically wrong with her. On several occasions, her stretch partner's warm hand around hers delivered a surge of comfort within her. And yet... she didn't know why she felt a radiating, heated tingle, almost like sparks of electricity flowing throughout her, as if instinct was telling her to take flight at the contact. She didn't know how to react to it, little less describe what it was, but since she trusted the one whose touch elicited the astonishing reaction, she paid it no heed. For now.

Reiko sat up, the confusion that left her mind unsettled also kept her body from rest. She was rarely confused, and for someone who was used to understanding concepts clearly on the first attempt, she was slightly disconcerted at this particular matter. Perhaps this was the `girl talk' that Nanami spoke of, and once again her mind echoed the assent that there was so much more in life she needed to learn.

Much more.

Reiko glanced once more at the clock. There was no point in waiting for sleep she knew would not come. She got out of bed and slipped out of her sleepwear. Putting on a black sports bra and form-fitting shorts, she descended silently down the stairs and further down still to the basement gym. She eyed the bench press and the weights that hung on either side of the bar. She took the time to stretch her shoulders out, quietly counting off. Her soft voice resonated through the room, and for a second, her stretch partner's face flashed through her mind. She remembered offering him a recording of her voice counting off for him to stretch to, and he tenderly refused, wanting her presence with him instead. She smiled.

After several minutes, she got on the bench, resting her forearms on her stomach. Her eyes focused on the bar that hung above her, and she thought of the many nights and countless hours she spent lifting this bar, trying to tire herself out, trying to forget. She lifted it off the support hooks. As she held the bar with its heavy weight, she directed all her attention to her breath, sucking in air as she lowered the bar, exhaling as she pushed it up. After a while she lifted with a rhythm that drummed in her mind, and nothing else other than the weight against her arms existed as she breathed air in and out. She would do as many repetitions as her strength allowed her until she could no longer pick the bar up from the support hooks after so many sets, and after five or so minutes of rest, she lifted more. At some point, Reiko no longer felt the physical weight against her; each push of the bar instead became a strained press for release from the solitude and heartache of losing her family. It was only when she was to the point of exhaustion that her mind was hurled back into the reality of isolation and remorse, a harsh and pitiful laugh escaping her throat at the realization that no matter how hard she pushed against this heavy burden against her chest, it inevitably fell back in her heart, its weight as constant as gravity.

Kogure Kiminobu sighed as the sliding doors of the hospital opened, a gust of autumn wind outside blowing against his tired body. In his third year of medical school, he recently started his rotation in the ER, and the evening's shift was unbelievably long. Thirty hours. Of course, he had to be the one on duty when two other interns came down with the flu, and he scampered to help with a gunshot victim, an old lady who had a severe allergic reaction to shrimp but apparently had a death wish and ate them anyway, and two bickering old men with lacerations to their arms from a knife fight. And that was all after his regular eighteen-hour shift. One of the nurses caught him nodding off when he clumsily reached for some bandages on a shelf that only had gauze, and he was motherly scolded by the older nurses and shoved onto a vacant hospital bed to sleep. Three hours later, the ER was busy again, this time with passengers of a five-car pile-up, and he was jolted out of his slumber and pulled into the rush of treatments. Even after consuming bottomless mugs of coffee, he felt dead on his feet. He nearly ran into a pole as he turned the corner of the intersection, and he slapped his cheek. He sometimes wondered why he chose to study medicine. He didn't understand why someone with his brain would elect to do something stupid like torture one's self with sleep deprivation.

He didn't really pay attention to where his legs took him as he walked and turned several more corners. It was like he was on auto-pilot, with the pilot in his brain passed out. So when he walked by the local basketball court, he nearly didn't see the figure sitting under the street light on the concrete bench by the court, his elbows resting on his thighs as he sat forward, his head slightly raised as his eyes stared blankly ahead. As he got closer, his form became familiar to him, and the outline of his half shadowed face was more recognizable. His sleepy brows raised, and he somehow managed to stay awake.

"Mitsui, is that you, man?" Kogure asked. When the man turned his head at the acknowledgement, he was taken aback by the look of gloom on his face. It was indeed the shooting guard, though this was a side of Mitsui he never saw. "Dude, what are you doing out here?" Kogure looked at his watch. Three-thirty a.m. He took a seat next to his former teammate, his body grateful for the temporary rest. Mitsui remained silent.

"Hey man, you okay?" he asked, his concerned voice failing to mask his fatigue.

Mitsui answered him with a nod, eyes still staring into space.

"Wanna talk about it?"

The shooting guard merely gave him a faint shrug. "I'm not even sure how to talk about it," his rough voice replied brokenly. Mitsui knew he was acting oddly thinking too much; he tried to divert his thoughts elsewhere. "How are you, Kogure? You look really tired."

"I am," he answered, his observing eyes looking curiously at Mitsui. Kogure knew Mitsui normally did not venture out alone into the wee hours of the morning like this, not since his days as a thug. He looked greatly troubled. "Mitsui, you wanna go grab a cup of java or something? Maybe we could catch up. I know I haven't been keeping in touch lately. You know, too busy with school," he smirked, trying to lighten his friend's mood.

"That's all right, man. I've been pretty busy with school myself. I just joined the basketball team."

"Really? That's awesome! Your mother finally let you?"

The shooting guard nodded.

"Come on, let's go get that cup of coffee and catch up," Kogure gently suggested, his voice steady and supportive.

Minutes later, Mitsui found himself sitting across Kogure at a table in a twenty-four hour diner. After a middle-aged waitress poured them some coffee, Kogure took several sugar packets and poured their contents into his cup. He glanced at his friend across the table, whose eyes were fixed at the swaying limbs of the trees that lined the sidewalk.

"So... what's on your mind, Mitsui?" he calmly asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

The shooting guard brought a hand to forehead, fingers rubbing against his temple. "A lot of things, man. I kind of feel bad for you, wasting your time on me like this."

"I'll be the judge of that. So are you going to tell me what's going on or am I gonna have to beat it out of you?" he joked.

Releasing a sigh, Mitsui covered his eyes with his hand and spoke. "Kogure, I've got it bad for this girl."

Well, this is a first, Kogure thought. He listened intently to the despondent shooting guard, occasionally taking a sip of his coffee as he told him of his blue-eyed wonder, her unbelievable talent and intelligence, her breathtaking beauty. This made him smile at his friend. Mitsui never really paid serious attention to women. Kogure's eyes widened at the revelation of Mitsui's recent discovery, and he was moved when Mitsui's voice cracked with emotion.

"Kogure, when I first met her, I wanted to know so much more about her. Every morning I wake up thrilled and eager to see her. Man, I can't stop thinking about her... I think I'm going crazy. She's so nice and obliging, and innocently sincere. I don't think she understands how I feel... I don't think she's ever felt the way I do. But I try to show it in every way possible, because right now I can't bring myself to tell her what I feel, and I don't want to scare her. It's not like she was cryptic or anything... but it's almost as if she didn't want anybody to know she had it rough." Mitsui took his coffee spoon and idly stirred the black liquid in his cup. "After finding out why she briefly has those sad looks in her eyes... I don't know how to handle it when I see her again. Hell, I don't even know how to handle myself with something heavy like that."

Kogure wiped his lower lip with the tips of his fingers. "You did mention before that she asked you if you pitied her after finding out about her childhood, right?"

Mitsui nodded.

"Well," his friend said as he looked down at the table, "coming from an uninvolved perspective, I see it this way. When she was still young, Reiko-san was easily accepted in more mature and scholarly circles because she had the know-how and the brains for it. To a curious and bright child, the world was hers to discover, and learning for her was probably as exciting as receiving a birthday present. She had a family that supported and loved her, and so when the other kids her age couldn't make heads or tails of her, she might not have cared because she had her family, and she had the world to learn from. They were probably enough for her at the time. But when she lost her family, she lost the only pillars of assurance she used to lean on for support. She lost her best friends. And now she walks guarded, constantly surrounded and yet always isolated. Before, being accepted was an effortless task because what she had was something of a rarity at such a young age. She had the mind of a genius, and from what you tell me, she still does. Now, it makes me wonder what it must be like to be in her shoes... the disappointment she must've felt when she tried to stand on her broken confidence and extend her friendship to those who didn't understand her. I can only imagine how distressing it was for her to be rejected and ignored. It must've been a harsh lesson for her to learn that knowledge from books alone doesn't have the power to make one happy. In her case, it only separated her from the rest and it was unfortunate that they didn't want to understand her. After so many disappointing attempts, she probably just accepted the fact that being alone is the way it's going to be in the long haul, and that trying to connect with other people was useless. In the past, she had her intellect and family to anchor her to social circles. Now that she's alone, she remains afloat, and her I.Q. was more of a disadvantage than an asset then." Kogure took a long sip of his coffee before continuing.

"And now you came along, Mitsui, and you probably changed every expectation she had of people around her. Instead of the cold brush that she was used to receiving, you welcomed her with open arms. It must be like being so used to seeing everything in black and white, and all of a sudden catching a glimpse of a rainbow in the sky. This is all probably new to her. She might wonder why you're so warm to her despite of the fact that she's always got eyes watching her and that she's got brains that could intimidate the smartest man, not to mention pockets as deep as the Mariana trench. You said before that she helps you and Akagi with your studies... this may be a means of showing her gratitude. She's beginning to realize that the intellect that drove away the feeble and shallow people before is now drawing people to her. What she thought of as a curse is now an asset, a positive feature that she puts forward despite of all the depressing events in her life. She seems to have held up this long and this far, and that shows she's trying to escape the emotional mire she's in, and you were the first person to help her without even realizing it. She probably elected not to tell you what happened back then because she wants you to base your friendship on her character and qualities and not on her circumstances and money. After all, pity makes a poor excuse for companionship. I don't think she wanted to depress you, Mitsui."

Mitsui was stilled by his friend's words. How did Kogure understand so much? They must be teaching him a lot more things in medical school than just saving lives.

"Your rationale amazes me, Kogure... how the hell did you get so smart?" he asked, giving Kogure a look of astonishment.

Kogure shrugged. "Hey, from what you've told me, that's the way I see it. Sometimes it's easy to see things from someone else's point of view."

Mitsui leaned back in his seat and cocked his head back. "But I'm still unsure of how to handle this... I'm afraid I might act differently around her knowing all this and royally screw it up."

"You know, this is just a little mental game you're playing with yourself that you can easily win."

"How?"

"Well, let me ask you this. Do you still love her?"

The shooting guard looked at his friend. "Good God, yes." // So much it hurts. //

"Then your problem is already half-solved." Getting another confused looked from Mitsui, Kogure pushed his glasses up against the bridge of his nose and smiled. "So what if you know about her past? You just told me that you still feel the same way you do even before you found out, and I don't see why it should have to change. She doesn't need your pity, Mitsui. For someone who has lost so much, she needs something that'll stabilize her existence in this world. You shouldn't let what you know about her shake you like this. Instead, you should use it to your advantage. You want to win her over, right? Knowing all this can help you mold your feelings for her in ways that she can understand and accept. But you have to understand that she won't realize them overnight. She's learning a lot of things from you and you may not even know it. So just play it cool and be patient. You've sown the seeds of love, and it's only a matter of time before they grow."

Mitsui was again impressed at his former teammate's advice. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he ran the pads of his fingers across the warm surface of his coffee cup. He rubbed both temples of his head as he shifted in his seat.

"Worrying about her won't get you anywhere, man," Kogure said as he tapped silently on the table.

"I know, I know. But sometimes I can't help it."

"Well, you're gonna have to because she's bound to notice if you don't."

The shooting guard released an exasperated sigh. "Damn, I feel so off-kilter."

Kogure let a yawn escape tactfully as he leaned back in his seat. "You probably just need sleep like I do. Don't worry, I have a feeling you'll get your balance back when you see her again. You'll come back to your senses and act normal again. So don't sweat it, okay?"

Mitsui felt rather sorry for his former teammate who was only seconds away from making a bed of his chair. "Kogure, thanks for yanking my head out of my ass. I owe you, man."

Another yawn crossed Kogure's face as he waved the shooting guard off. "Hey, what are friends for? I'm just making up for not keeping in touch."

Mitsui looked at his watch. "Man, I'd better stop wasting your time. It's four-thirty already."

"All right, then. So are you gonna be all right?"

The shooting guard nodded. "Thanks to you, I will be." He stood and plunged his hands in his pockets. "Come on, man, I'll walk you home. You still live in the same house, right?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to walk me home. I'm not wearing a skirt," Kogure replied with a laugh, recalling that what he just said was one of Sakuragi's favorite sayings.

"I know that, but you look like you're about to fall on your face any minute."

The two paid the waitress, walked out of the diner and onto the quiet streets, Mitsui keeping his friend awake just long enough to make it to his house.

Reiko woke up to the gentle nudging of her shoulder. It took great effort to open her sleepy eyes, blinking and finally focusing at Jackson bent down next to her. Her gray eyes widened and she bolted up, looking around her surroundings. She had fallen asleep on a yoga mat in the basement.

"Are you all right, Nakamichi-dono?" the guard worriedly asked.

She nodded with a faint smile on her sleepy face. "I must've dozed off..."

"Are you sure you feel okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Mr. Jackson." She stretched her arms out and was helped to her feet by the hulking guard. Reiko gasped. "What time is it, Mr. Jackson?"

"Nine-twenty."

"Oh no! I promised Mitsui-san I'd meet him at the bakery!"

"Don't worry, he's already here."

Reiko tilted her head sideways at the guard and made Jackson smirk. "We found you here early this morning. You had us worried when you didn't answer the intercom, but when we found you here, we figured it best to let you sleep. Mitsui-san was concerned and called earlier from the bakery to make sure you were all right. I knew you'd get this reaction, so I had Fuji pick him up."

The bodyguard studied Reiko's face, looking closely at her alert eyes and the color of her skin. "It looks like you're okay. You must've had some workout. You might want to send your vitals to your uncle so he won't worry."

With a nod, Reiko quickly ascended the stairs and Jackson followed. After telling her that her stretch partner was waiting in the living room, she went upstairs to take a shower, and the somewhat relieved bodyguard joined the rest of the men who seemed to be teasing Mitsui.

"Mitsui-san, you look like you could use three more hours of sleep," commented Sakai who noticed the bags under the shooting guard's eyes.

"You haven't been worrying, have you?" asked Miller, grinning at Mitsui who was surprised at his question.

"I bet you were worried about not seeing Nakamichi-dono today," egged Fuji who garnered a pillow to the face from a snickering Miller.

The shooting guard was more than a little amazed at how observant Reiko's bodyguards could be. They saw right through him.

"I guess I can't keep anything from you guys," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Nakamichi-dono will be down shortly," Jackson's bass voice boomed as he entered the room, taking a corner seat on the couch. "So, what's been keeping our ace shooting guard up all night?"

"Homework?"

"Practice?"

"Porn?"

All heads turned to Fuji who tried to hide the puckish grin behind the picture of innocence he presented before the others. Several pillows simultaneously assaulted the mischievous guard. Surfacing from the attacks, Fuji grunted at the others in mock irritation. "What? He's a guy, isn't he?"

Mitsui just looked at Jackson and gave him a shrug. "Well, it's definitely not what Fuji-san guessed." Before the shooting guard could add anything, Reiko walked into the living room, making Mitsui and the guards stand to their feet at her presence.

"Good morning. I'm sorry I worried you all. Thank you for concern," she said with a tired voice as she gave them a respectful bow.

Seeing Jackson's hands disappear into his pockets, the other guards took that as cue to politely take their leave. They quietly left the room, leaving the stretch partners to chat privately. Mitsui waited for Reiko to take a seat by him before sitting down. He could feel butterflies in his stomach.

"I'm sorry for not meeting you like I promised, Mitsui-san. I fell asleep in the basement after lifting weights," she said, her cheeks pink at the statement.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I haven't slept a wink yet."

Reiko faintly smiled. "You didn't work on the math homework all night, did you?"

"Oh, no. I'm not that studious." His reply made her laugh. "You must've worked out hard last night," he added.

A sigh escaped her rosy lips as she let herself slump comfortably against the couch. "I didn't think I would tire myself that much, but I suppose I did. I did not mean to make you and the others worry," she said softly, patting the shooting guard's thick hand. Mitsui's heart just about skipped a beat at the contact. He was acutely aware of her presence and it stoked all his senses. Without thinking, he took hold of her hand and enclosed it in his. Her brows rose slightly at his warm touch, and he saw her eyes wax blue at the act. Unexpectedly, she gasped.

"What is it?" he asked.

"There it is again...."

"There's what again?"

"This tingling sensation that travels through me every time you hold my hand." Reiko caught Mitsui smiling softly at her. "Do you suppose something's the matter with me?"

"Maybe I shouldn't hold your hand anymore," he mumbled, briefly running the pad of his thumb over the smoothness of her skin before retracting his hand.

She neither protested nor showed a look of relief on her face. Instead, her face grew bright at some happy thought. "Nanami-san told me something very pleasant to my ears last night," she declared in an almost childish tone.

"Oh? And what would that be?" he encouraged, sinking into his seat next to her.

"She and the team extended their sincere eagerness to be my friends."

Mitsui brightened at her words. "That's good to know. I knew they were a good bunch."

"Indeed." Reiko covered her mouth as she let out a yawn. "Please excuse my rudeness, Mitsui-san. I'm still quite sleepy, though with five hours of sleep I am usually alert." She turned her head to the shooting guard. "How are you still awake after not having slept the entire night?"

"I don't know, but sitting with you here on this couch is relaxing me rather rapidly, I might doze off," he said with a chuckle.

Reiko reached over to her side and grabbed a large throw pillow. "Here, Mitsui-san. Perhaps you should take a nap," she suggested as she yawned yet again. The shower she took only made her drowsier.

"Well, it doesn't look good for me to visit you, only to fall asleep," he said as he took the pillow she offered.

Reiko could feel her eyelids get heavy and she didn't fight the weariness that settled in her limbs. "Don't worry, no one will be looking at you since I will likely fall asleep as well," she said, almost in a whisper.

Mitsui could tell she spoke the truth for her head was already leaning sleepily to one side. He smiled as he took the broad pillow, coaxed his stretch partner to lie down and placed the pillow under her head. She felt the shooting guard's finger graze over her cheek, and she opened her dozy cerulean eyes. "Are you going to leave, Mitsui-san?" she asked, her voice sounding like a timid child.

"Do you want me to?" he asked, secretly hoping she would say no.

She slowly turned her head at his voice. "I've noticed something, Mitsui-san."

// Uh-oh... // "What's that?" he asked in a whisper, gazing longingly at her rosy lips, anxiously waiting for them to move tenderly to form words that he was afraid could expose his discovery of her past.

After a long intake of breath, she spoke. "I've noticed that I am put to ease whenever you are around."

Relief washed over the shooting guard. // You do the same for me. //

"Forgive me for falling asleep on you again, Mitsui-san," she said, her voice barely audible. "Your voice strangely instills a soothing calm within me... your presence comforts me... please stay..."

Mitsui couldn't be happier at the soft words she spoke, and it took all his self-restraint to prevent his arms from enveloping her. Instead, he took one of the pillows he threw at Fuji earlier and before lying down with his head adjacent to his dozing stretch partner, he whispered to her, his lips intentionally grazing her ear. "I will stay as long as you need me, Reiko-san."

His body grateful at the supine position he took, he finally closed his eyes.

// If you would let me, I would never leave your side. //